YOUR RIGHTS TO SELF-DEFENSE ARE UNDER FIRE!

YOUR RIGHTS TO SELF-DEFENSE ARE UNDER FIRE!

Though we lost the bill at the capitol we are not giving up. You can find the CalGuns legal opinion here: http://www.calgunsfoundation.org/resources/downloads/file/53-davis-cgf-ab-144-analysis-a-faqs.html

Find and hold your legislators responsible here:

Long gun carry is still legal and so are many other ways to carry handguns if you fall in an exempted situation. Airguns may also be purchased and carried both handgun and long gun styles.

When in doubt there is locked unloaded concealed carry.

Stay tuned for updates and never compromise on our gun rights. Giving up one right will never lead to bettering others it will only open the way to greater impact against our rights.


Monday, January 31, 2011

1/31/2011

Fighting against AB 144 continues to be a learning curve but is an essential component we MUST participate in to preserve our rights. If there are those who are paid for the anti-gun side we must be 10 times the force involved in defense. Defense wins the game.

We have some excellent allies on the Public Safety Committee at the Assembly level who are working diligently in assisting to stop this bill. I met with Steve Knight's office today about this and we have a great person here. Donnelly will also be an excellent fighter if the bill hits the floor. Donnelly used to be a minuteman. I pass on as much information as I can so if there is something in the info I get they can use they will know areas to follow up.

Right now the 2nd, 3rd and 4th floor along with half of the 6th are done with our cards and information. We need to keep up the faxes and oppositions for our side. Keep up the good work.

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Hearing Dates for AB 144

Assembly PS Meetings 2/22, 3/1, 3/8 are the potential dates for AB 144 hearing

(9 am Tuesdays room 126 Assembly Public Safety Committee meetings
4:00 p.m.* 126 Subcommittee No. 5—Public Safety)

3/8 is the most likely date for the hearing on AB 144

Friday, January 28, 2011

Open Carry Opposition Letters

It is time to start the first wave of faxing and voicing your opposition to defend your right to self-defense. AB 144 effectivly removes your right to defend yourself in a public setting, and creates no resolution of the current problematic CCW processes. There have been no truly identified "Public Safety" issues. This bill is full of speculation and is an abuse of legislative authorities. Legislation is meant to resolve issues or problems that affect our state and take corrective action. In 160 years open carry has not been an issue for the police or public, lets keep it that way and keep it legal. I hope you will participate in this fax drive against AB 144.

Your letter can be as little as one sentence. It does not need to be elaborate.

Assembly members to fax for this first round are:

Assembly Public Safety Committee Fax (916) 319-3745

Majority Leader Charles Calderon (CA-AD-58-D) (916) 319 - 2158

Minority Leader Connie Conway, R-Tulare (916) 319-2134

Bill Sponsor/ Author Anthony Portantino (916) 319-2144



Letterhead and/or official titles are particularly important for this process. If you have access to business letterhead you could use, please use this to opposed AB 144. Individual faxes are also important so those who can do both please do.

Analysis has not been written yet. We need strong arguments!

The text of the bill can be found here: http://leginfo.ca.gov/pub/11-12/bill/asm/ab_0101-0150/ab_144_bill_20110113_introduced.html

To fax for free, you can use the following services.

www.gotfreefax.com

and/ or

www.freefax.com

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Flaws with the bill

After visiting the capitol yesterday with a small team I brought we came away with some great input.

AB 144 is still being looked at for constitutional issues. The issue of whether it violates the CA Constitution or US Constitution remains a serious concern. The second concern according to the bill's office is the 1st amendment infringements and whether that will come into play.

Portantino's office has done what they can not to cross this line. It will remain that Non-Profits will be exempt under this bill according to the staff. For AB 1934 this was removed from the bill after the formation of RCC and recognition that CalGuns was a non-profit.

The individual who wrote this bill is Irwin Norwick who does advising for the democrats on firearm issues. Some of his stances on firearms laws interpretations are problematic to say the least. For example, Irwin believes that ammunition cannot be carried or transported through a school zone or carried within 1000 feet of a school zone. He also believes that locked containers do not necessarily exempt an individual. Irwin believes that open carriers will get shot practicing open carry and it endangers the individual who is an open carrier. This stance is backed up by CPRA here: http://www.crpa.org/_e/page/1594/mr12_27_10.htm "In fact, as a self-defense strategy, it’s a risky tactic that might get you hurt or killed" The stance of CPRA is not fact based but based off of emotion. Open carry in my opinion should remain an option since there are no provisions in any of out CCW regs for low income so not all will be able to access CCWs even if they qualify in one of the issuing counties.

The fixing of the CCW law is necessary even according to Irwin, however, the decision has been made that there will be no fix attempted right now so that was CalGuns lawsuits will be successful. You cannot ban one practice to make another one accessible in this way. All rights should remain intact.

The public safety members who need to be called in opposition to AB 144 are:

California State Assembly
Committee on Public Safety


Committee Fax(916) 319-3745


Tom Ammiano - Chair Dem-13 (916) 319-2013 Assemblymember.Ammiano@assembly.ca.gov

Steve Knight - Vice Chair Rep-36 (916) 319-2036 Assemblymember.Knight@assembly.ca.gov

Gilbert Cedillo Dem-45 (916) 319-2045 Assemblymember.Cedillo@assembly.ca.gov

Curt Hagman Rep-60 (916) 319-2060
Assemblymember.Hagman@assembly.ca.gov

Jerry Hill Dem-19 (916) 319-2019
Assemblymember.Hill@assembly.ca.gov

Holly J. Mitchell Dem-47 (916) 319-2047 Assemblymember.Mitchell@assembly.ca.gov

Nancy Skinner Dem-14 (916) 319-2014
Assemblymember.Skinner@assembly.ca.gov

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Open Carry Day 1

Thanks to the assistance to many in the open carry community for being so supportive in this time. Ahead we will have a long fight but this time around we are better organized and ready. This will be a tougher fight than last year since the individual who is hosting this year's ban on open carry bill is Assemblymember Anthony Portantino who has friends on both sides of the fence.

Speaking with his office I am told they will press this bill to go through even though he knows it will create lawsuits and additional issues for our state due to the issues involving concealed weapons permits. So we fight on and press on. I have introduced myself to most members of the Assembly on two floors. I should have this completed in 2 weeks before I set up appointments to deal with members of the public safety committee. I will be present as I was last year at every level.

Here we go so hold on.
For the purposes of fighting AB 144 a donate to the cause has been set up by an affiliated organization Responsible Citizens of CA http://responsiblecitizensofcalifornia.org/