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The Mecklenburg Declaration and Resolves (Reposted)

July 4, 2020 by

I originally posted this on July 4th of 2010 and have reposted every year since then. I am reposting it to recognize these early North Carolina patriots from Mecklenburg County. Despite all the changes in the Queen City since then, there are still many there or from there who continue the fight for liberty and especially our Second Amendment rights.

Before there was a Declaration of Independence of 1776, there were the Mecklenburg Declaration of May 20, 1775 and the Mecklenburg Resolves of May 31, 1775. While there is significant controversy over the authenticity of the former, there is none regarding the latter. There is controversy about the Mecklenburg Declaration because the original copy is reputed to have been destroyed in a fire and mention of it then only comes to light in 1819. Nonetheless, May 20, 1775 is the date enshrined on both the Great Seal of the State of North Carolina and the State Flag.

Both the Declaration and the Resolves were adopted in Charlotte Town in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. Charlotte Town is now known as Charlotte. The area had been settled by the heavily Presbyterian immigrants from Northern Ireland and Scotland known as the Scotch-Irish. Upon hearing of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, they had been outraged and the Declaration was the result.

The Mecklenburg Declaration

  1. That whosoever directly or indirectly abetted or in any way, form or manner countenanced to unchartered & dangerous invasion of our rights as claimed by G. Britain is an enemy to this County – to America & to the inherent & inaliable rights of man.
  2. We the Citizens of Mecklenburg County do hereby desolve the political bands which have connected us to the Mother Country & hereby absolve ourselves from all allegiance to the British crown & abjure all political connection, contract or association with that nation who have wantonly trampled on our rights & liberties & inhumanely shed the innocent blood of American patriots at Lexington.
  3. We do hereby declare ourselves a free and independent people – are & of right ought to be a sovereign & self-governing association, under the controul of no power other than that of our God & the general government of the congress, to the maintainence of which independence civil & religious we solemnly pledge to each other our mutual cooperation, our lives, our fortunes & our most sacred honor.
  4. As we now acknowledge the existence & controul of no law or legal officers, civil or military, within this County, we do hereby ordain & adopt as a rule of life, all, each & every of our former laws – wherein nevertheless the crown of great britain never can be considered as holding rights, privileges, immunities, or authority therein.
  5. It is also further decreed that all, each & every military officer in this County is hereby reinstated in his former command & authority, he acting conformably to these regulations. And that every member present of this delegation shall henceforth be a civil officer, viz. a Justice of the peace in the character of a ‘Committee-man’ to issue process, hear & determine all matters of controversy according to sd. adopted laws – to preserve peace, union & harmony in sd. County & to use every exertion to spread the love of country & fire of freedom throughout America until a more general & organized government be established in this province. A selection from the members present shall constitute a Committee of public safety for sd. County.
  6. That a copy of these resolutions be transmitted by express to the President of the Continental Congress assembled in Philadelphia, to be laid before that body.
    Ephraim Brevard
    Hezekiah J. Balch
    John Phifer
    James Harris
    William Kennon
    John Foard
    Richard Barry
    Henry Downs
    Ezra Alexander
    Charles Alexander
    Zaccheus Wilson
    Waightstill Avery
    Benjamin PattonMatthew McClure
    Neil Morrison
    Robert Irwin
    John Flennegin
    David Reese
    William Graham
    John Queary
    Hezekiah Alexander
    Adam Alexander
    John Davidson
    Richard Harris
    Thomas Polk
    Abraham AlexanderJohn McKnitt Alexander

While there still exists much controversy on the authenticity of the Declaration, none exists with regard to the Resolves adopted on May 31, 1775. Captain James Jack of Charlotte was sent with a copy of the resolves and a letter to the North Carolina delegates to the Continental Congress requesting their approval by Congress.

The Mecklenburg Resolves

This day the Committee of this County met, and passed the following Resolves:
WHEREAS by an Address presented to his Majesty by both Houses of Parliament in February last, the American Colonies are declared to be in a state of actual rebellion, we conceive that all Laws and Commissions confirmed by, or derived from the Authority of the king or Parliament, are annulled and vacated, and the former civil Constitution of these Colonies for the present wholly suspended. To provide in some Degree for the Exigencies of the County in the present alarming Period, we deem it proper and
necessary to pass the following resolves, viz.
1. That all Commissions, civil and military, heretofore granted by the Crown, to be exercised in these Colonies, are null and void, and the Constitution of each particular Colony wholly suspended.
2. That the Provincial Congress of each Province, under the Direction of the Great Continental Congress, is invested with all legislative and executive Powers within their respective Provinces; and that no other Legislative or Executive does or can exist, at this Time, in any of these Colonies.
3. As all former Laws are now suspended in this Province, and the Congress have not yet provided others, we judge it necessary, for the better Preservation of good Order, to form certain Rules and Regulations for the internal Government of this County, until Laws shall be provided for us by the Congress.
4. That the Inhabitants of this Country do meet on a certain Day appointed by this Committee, and having formed themselves into nine Companies, to wit, eight for the County, and one for the Town of Charlotte, do choose a Colonel, and other military Officers, who shall hold and exercise their several Powers by Virtue of this Choice, and independent of Great-Britain, and former Constitution of this Province.
5. That for the better Preservation of the Peace, and Administration of Justice, each of these Companies do choose from their own Body two discreet Freeholders, who shall be impowered each by himself, and singly, to decide and determine all Matters of Controversy arising within the said Company under the Sum of Twenty Shillings, and jointly and together all Controversies under the Sum of Forty Shillings, yet so as their Decisions may admit of Appeals to the Convention of the Select Men of the whole County; and also, that any one of these shall have power to examine, and commit to
Confinement , Persons accused of Petit Larceny.
6. That those two Select Men, thus chosen, do, jointly and together, choose from the Body of their particular Company two Persons, properly qualified to serve as Constables, who may assist them in the execution of their Office.
7. That upon the Complaint of any Person to either of these Select men, he do issue his Warrant, directed to the Constable, commanding him to bring the Aggressor before him or them to answer the said Complaint.
8. That these Eighteen Select Men, thus appointed, do meet every third Tuesday in January, April, and October, at the Court-House in Charlotte to hear and determine all Matters of Controversy of Sums exceeding Forty Shillings; also Appeals: And in Cases of Felony, to commit the Person or Persons convicted thereof to close Confinement, until the Provincial Congress shall provide and establish Laws and Modes of Proceeding in Such Cases.
9. That these Eighteen Select Men, thus convened, do choose a Clerk to record the Transactions of the said Convention; and that the said Clerk, upon the Application of any Person or Persons aggrieved, do issue his Warrant to one of the Constables, to summons and warn the said Offender to appear before the convention at their next sitting, to answer the aforesaid Complaint.
10. That any Person making Complaint upon Oath to the Clerk, or any Member of the Convention, that he has Reason to suspect that any Person or Persons indebted to him in a Sum above Forty Shillings, do intend clandestinely to withdraw from the County without paying such Debt; the Clerk, or such Member, shall issue his Warrant to the Constable, commanding him to take the said Person or Persons into safe Custody, until the next
sitting of the Convention.
11. That when a Debtor for a Sum below Forty Shillings shall abscond and leave the County, the Warrant granted as aforesaid shall extend to any Goods or Chattels of the said Debtor as may be found, and such Goods or Chattels be seized and held in Custody by the Constable for the space of Thirty Days; in which Term if the Debtor fails to return and discharge the Debt, the Constable shall return the Warranty to one of the Select Men of the Company where the Goods and Chattels were found, who shall issue Orders to the Constable to sell such a part of the said Goods as shall amount to the Sum due; that when
the Debt exceeds Forty Shillings, the Return shall be made to the Convention, who shall issue the Orders for Sale.
12. That Receivers and Collectors for Quitrents, Public and County Taxes, do pay the same into the Hands of the Chairman of this Committee, to be by them disbursed as the public Exigencies may require. And that such Receivers and Collectors proceed no farther in their Office until they be approved of by, and have given to this Committee good and sufficient Security for a faithful return of such Monies when collected.
13. That the Committee be accountable to the County for the Application of all Monies received from such Officers.
14. That all these Officers hold their Commissions during the Pleasure of their
respective Constituents.
15. That this Committee will sustain all Damages that may ever hereafter accrue to all or any of these Officers thus appointed, and thus acting, on Account of their Obedience and Conformity to these Resolves.
16. That whatever Person shall hereafter receive a Commission from the Crown, or attempt to exercise any such Commission heretofore received, shall be deemed an Enemy to his Country; and upon Information being made to the Captain of the Company where he resides the said Captain shall cause him to be apprehended, and conveyed before the two Select Men of the said Company, who, upon Proof of the Fact, shall commit him the said Offender into safe Custody, until the next sitting of the Convention, who shall deal with him as Prudence may direct.
17. That any Person refusing to yield Obedience to the above Resolves shall be deemed equally criminal, and liable to the same Punishments as the Offenders above last mentioned.
18. That these Resolves be in full Force and Virtue, until Instructions from the General Congress of this Province, regulating the Jurisprudence of this Province, shall provide otherwise, or the Legislative Body of Great-Britain resign its unjust and arbitrary Pretentions with Respect to America.
19. That the several Militia Companies in this county do provide themselves with proper arms and accoutrements, and hold themselves in constant Readiness to execute the commands and Directions of the Provincial Congress, and of this committee.
20. That this committee do appoint Colonel Thomas Polk, and Doctor Joseph Kennedy, to purchase 300 lb. of Powder, 600 lb. of Lead, and 1000 Flints; and deposit the same in some safe place, hereafter to be appointed by the committee.
Eph. Brevard, Clerk of the Committee.
Singed by Order of the Committee.

This document was printed in the North Carolina Gazette on June 16, 1775,
and the Cape-Fear Mercury on June 23, 1775. There was a slight variation in wording in the two newspapers.

 So on this day as we honor the Nation’s Founders and the Declaration of Independence of 1776, let us also honor these men from a provincial North Carolina backwater who recognized that our future lay in independence from Great Britain.

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Cooper Vetoes H652 – Second Amendment Protection Act

July 3, 2020 by

In what should not be a surprise, anti-gun Gov. Roy Cooper (D-NC) vetoed H652 – Second Amendment Protection Act.

In his veto message he said:

Governor Cooper shared the following statement on HB 652:

“This bill allows guns on school property, which threatens the safety of students and teachers.”

This is utter bullshit.

Section 1 (a) of the bill explicitly states that guns may not be present during school hours.

The handgun is only possessed and carried on educational property outside of the nonpublic school’s operating hours. A nonpublic school’s operating hours are any time when curricular or extracurricular activities are taking place on the premises and any time when the premises are being used for school-sponsored activities.

Moreover, it only applies to non-public schools which also are used for church services. These are typically small Christian schools co-located with a church. During the week the Sunday School rooms are used for the school and on Sunday for church services.

An earlier post detailed the other parts of the bill which included reasonable accommodations for renewing your NC Concealed Handgun Permit and to protect EMTs who are backing up police tactical teams.

The bill passed both the House and Senate with bipartisan support. Indeed, if the Democrats who supported the bill initially don’t get cold feet, the veto can be overriden.

If your representative or senator voted for it, then I would be calling them now and asking them to support an override.

The house roll call is here and the senate roll call can be found here. Remember every one of them is up for re-election.

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These Are Raw NICS Numbers But Still Wow!

July 2, 2020 by 3 Comments

The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Criminal Justice Information Services released the NICS background checks for the month of June 2020 yesterday. June was the highest month on record going back to November 1998.

For the month, the FBI conducted 3,931,607 checks. That beat the previous high in the month of March 2020 by almost 200,000.

Now remember these are raw numbers. Some of the checks were for carry permits, some were recurring checks for stuff like FOID cards, and many sales do not require a NICS check due to the purchaser holding a carry permit in certain states. Nonetheless, most probably were for firearm sales.

I can’t wait to see the NSSF adjusted NICS checks for the month. They should be available early next week.

UPDATE: Flight Doc asked for a link where he could enlarge or download the above chart. It can be downloaded as a PDF here.

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There Are Lever Actions And Then There Is This

July 2, 2020 by 5 Comments

Lever action rifles are usually as traditional as you can get. They feed from a tube (Winchester 94), a tubular rotary magazine (Savage 99), or a box magazine (Browning BLR). They don’t feed from a belt.

Until now.

A guy in the UK decided to convert his Ruger 96 in .44 Magnum into a belt-fed rifle. He didn’t stop there. He also made it into a bullpup. Thus, he had a belt-fed, bullpup lever action rifle.

You see in the UK he couldn’t have a semi-auto rifle but they didn’t have a restriction on magazines. As with all laws restricting firearm design, there are ways around it and someone will be ingenious enough to do it.

Here is part of what he said in the introduction to his video on the project.

In 2019 I set myself the challange to see if I could produce a belt feeding mechanism for my Ruger Model 96. I also wanted to see if I could set this up in a compact Bull-pup stock to make, What I believe to be, the ultimate in manually operated Guns.

Here in the UK, we can’t have semi-auto firearms BUT – we can load our guns with as much ammo as we can (no magazine restrictions!). Therefore I believe this set-up offers the most fire power you can legally own here in the UK.

All I could think of while watching this video were very non-PC thoughts. Such as could you imagine if Custer and the 7th Cavalry were armed with these rifles when they faced off against Crazy Horse, Sitting Bull, and thousands of Sioux warriors? There would be no “Custer’s Last Stand” and no monuments to the Battle of the Little Bighorn. It would just be another battle in the Indian Wars of the latter half of the 19th Century. That is, of course, so long as the troopers carried enough belted ammo in their saddle bags.

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Remington Arms Eyeing Bankruptcy…Again

June 29, 2020 by 2 Comments

The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that Remington Arms is preparing to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy again. If so, this will be the second time in about two years that they’ve sought the protection of the bankruptcy court.

As Michael Bane pointed out on Facebook, Remington had already shut down their AR brands and has missed out on the boom due to COVID-19. Moreover, pistols are selling like hotcakes – except for 1911s. Again, Remington missed out.

Now here is where the potential bankruptcy gets interesting. The probably lead bidder for Remington is the Navajo Nation.

From the WSJ:

The bankruptcy filing could come within days as the gun maker makes preparations for the Navajo Nation to serve as the lead bidder to purchase Remington’s assets out of chapter 11, these people said. Founded in 1816, Remington’s namesake weapons are mainstays in hunting, shooting sports, law enforcement and the military.

The Navajo Nation—a territory with roughly 175,000 people across parts of Utah, Arizona, New Mexico—could finalize a bid for Remington as soon as Friday, one of the people said. Any bid for the company would be subject to competing offers and require bankruptcy-court approval.

The timetable could be pushed back, and an offer from the Navajo Nation isn’t guaranteed to materialize, people familiar with the matter said.

The Navajo Nation, which explored buying Remington as far back as 2018, owns a set of business enterprises in industries including energy, transportation, and utilities. In 2019, a business owned by Navajo Nation purchased coal company Cloud Peak Energy’s mining assets out of bankruptcy.

What makes ownership by the Navajo Nation particularly interesting is that they have sovereign immunity. This is especially true in light of the litigation in Connecticut over Remington’s supposed liability for the Newtown murders.

Jim Shepherd of The Shooting Wire had some very astute comments on this issue today.

So what would a Navajo acquisition look like?

With their business acumen and consultants, it probably wouldn’t look very different from most other offers price-wise. But the Nation’s unique status would introduce two variables: sovereign immunity and tribal law.

Interpreting what sovereign immunity really means, especially in a business negotiation, is an assignment I’m not equipped to complete. It is a complicated relationship between the various tribes and the federal government. While their businesses generally operate under the U.S. tax codes including taxes, there are some very notable exceptions.

Tribes under the terms of sovereign immunity are shielded from litigation much the same as states. That protection “usually extends to suits arising from a tribe’s ‘off-reservation’ or commercial activities, including the activities of an off-reservation tribal casino.”

With regard to business endeavors, federal courts, according to the American Bar Association, generally do not distinguish between “governmental” and “commercial” activities. “Numerous courts,” says the ABA in Doing Business in Indian Country: A Primer “have thus held that tribal sovereign immunity extends to tribal casinos, businesses, schools and corporations (my emphasis).”

While it’s not absolute, there’s a “strong presumption” against any waiver of that immunity, and it can only be abrogated otherwise by an “unequivocal expression” of Congress.

Tribal officials and employees acting in their official capacities and within the scope of their employment are also shielded from damage suits and requests for injunctive relief. They’re also immune from subpoena enforcement to “compel production of tribal witnesses or documents.”

Think what having tribal sovereign immunity would do for a firearms manufacturer. They wouldn’t have to depend upon the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act which a President Biden and a Democrat-run Congress have promised to repeal. They could look both Brady Legal Project attorneys and ambulance chasing plaintiffs attorneys in the face and say “eff off.” Moreover, could you really imagine any Congress, Republican or Democrat majority, in these days and times trying to take immunity away from tribes?

2020 which was already an “interesting” year just got more interesting. I am anxious to see how this all plays out.

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Follow-Up To Brady And Mail In Ballots

June 29, 2020 by 1 Comment

I noted in a story on Friday that Brady United is pushing vote by mail. There seems to now be a concerted effort by Democrats and other progressive groups to push voting by mail. They are pushing both its convenience and safety.

60 Minutes ran a big story on it last night which was slanted, as you might imagine, towards the Democrats’ version of the issue. They even had the obligatory Republican saying how well it worked in Oregon.

What they didn’t cover and what most of the media seems to want to gloss over is the fraud issue.

The latest case in point comes from Paterson, New Jersey which had a municipal election in May. One in five ballots in that election have been rejected as fraudulent and the local chapter of the NAACP is pushing to have the entire election invalidated.

From Real Clear Politics:

Over 800 ballots in Paterson were invalidated for appearing in mailboxes improperly bundled together – including a one mailbox where hundreds of ballots were in a single packet. The bundles were turned over to law enforcement to investigate potential criminal activity related to the collection of the ballots.

The board of elections disqualified another 2,300 ballots after concluding that the signatures on them did not match the signatures on voter records.

Reporting by NBC further uncovered citizens of Paterson who are listed as having voted, but who told the news outlet they never received a ballot and did not vote. One woman, Ramona Javier, after being shown the list of people on her block who allegedly voted, told the outlet she knew of eight family members and neighbors who were wrongly listed. “We did not receive vote-by-mail ballots and thus we did not vote,” she said. “This is corruption. This is fraud.”

There were multiple reports that large numbers of mail-in ballots were left on the lobby floors of apartment buildings and not delivered to residents’ individual mailboxes, further casting doubt on the integrity of the election.

NJ Attorney General Gurbir Grewal, no friend of gun owners, announced vote fraud charges against four people involved in that election including both a councilman and a councilman-elect.

Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal today announced voting fraud charges against Paterson City Councilman Michael Jackson, Councilman-Elect Alex Mendez, and two other men in connection with the May 12, 2020 special election in the City of Paterson.

All four men are charged with criminal conduct involving mail-in ballots during the election, Grewal said. The investigation by the Attorney General’s Office of Public Integrity & Accountability (OPIA) began when the U.S. Postal Inspection Service alerted the Attorney General’s Office that hundreds of mail-in ballots were found in a mailbox in Paterson.  Numerous additional ballots were found in a mailbox in nearby Haledon.  Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all voting in May 12 elections in New Jersey was done by mail-in ballots.

If you have this level of fraud in one election in one city in one state, imagine it on a national scale. A vote here and a vote there is enough to tip the scales in many battleground states. Invariably that scale will be tipped towards anti-gun Democrats and that is how it becomes a Second Amendment issue.

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HB652, Second Amendment Protection Act, Passes NC General Assembly

June 26, 2020 by 2 Comments

HB 652, the Second Amendment Protection Act, has passed both houses of the North Carolina General Assembly and now goes to the governor for his signature (or veto). The bill was passed with bipartisan support. The vote was 33-14 in the Senate and 77-38 in the House.

The bill would:

  • Allow concealed carry in churches that are also deemed educational property. Person must have NC CHP, it can only be a handgun, it can’t be during school hours, and the church must not be posted against carry. This only applies to private school property.
  • A lapse in a carry permit that is no more than 60 days would not require a person to retake another safety and training class
  • A lapse in a carry permit that is over 60 days and under 180 days would only require a refresher course on carry laws and not a new class
  • Expands the scope of permitted areas of carry in law enforcement facilities for non-sworn officers who have been so designated
  • Allows EMTs to carry concealed if providing tactical medical assistance to law enforcement in emergency situations such as the deployment of a SWAT team. EMTs would be required to have additional training to qualify.

Grass Roots North Carolina is asking that people contact the Governor’s Office and urge Gov. Cooper (D-NC) to sign the bill. The bill did pass with veto proof majorities providing all the Democrats who voted aye maintain their votes.

They ask you to send the following to the Governor’s Email Contact.

Dear Governor Cooper,

I’m writing to urge you to sign the 2nd Amendment Protection Act.  This will expand the ability for ordinary citizens to carry firearms for self-protection in churches which are co-located with educational facilities, provided the property is not controlled by a board of education.

Recent tragedies have shown that a good guy or gal with a gun can be critical in saving lives.   This is true common-sense safety legislation that will protect the public.

Mere signs or rules never deter those of evil intent and mass murder.  These only serve to stop innocent people from ensuring everyone else’s safety.

I expect you to stand up for everyone’s common sense human rights and support this important step in safety. I will continue to monitor your actions on this important issue through alerts from Grass Roots North Carolina.

Respectfully,

It took me 30 seconds or less to do the above. Most of the time was spent filling out my name and contact info.

As you might expect, North Carolinians Against Gun Violence (sic) opposed the bill and wants people to be like sheep led to slaughter. They are asserting it will put school children at risk never minding the actual language of the bill.

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Why Would The Brady Campaign Be Pushing Vote By Mail?

June 26, 2020 by

I received a text from the Brady Campaign (or Brady United as they are now called) the other day asking me to sign a petition pushing universal vote-by-mail. They called it a health issue.

A health issue or a progressive attempt at making it easier to harvest ballots?

While ballot harvesting is legal in such progressive strongholds as California with the predictable results, it is illegal here in North Carolina and a 2018 congressional election was invalidated over it. It is also ripe for voter fraud.

I think we know the answer.

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HB 652 Needs Support In NC

June 23, 2020 by 1 Comment

NC House Bill 652 would expand the ability to carry in churches. I hardly need to mention that churches have been the targets of the evil and the deranged. Needless to say but North Carolinians Against Gun Violence (sic) is adamantly against this bill if the emails I’ve received are any indication.

From NCGV:

“We oppose H652. It circumvents state policy outlawing concealed carry of firearms on school grounds and would put school children at more risk of gun violence,” said NCGV Executive Director Becky Ceartas. “State law applies to both public and private school property and makes no exception for schools owned and operated by places of worship for a simple reason: it endangers school children. 

“The fact that weapons would be allowed at the place of worship with schools but not at the associated school itself on the same property practically amounts to a distinction without a difference,” Ceartas added.

According to their email they are also opposed to making it easier for EMTs to legally carry. Don’t EMT lives matter?

Grass Roots North Carolina sent out an alert on this bill yesterday evening.

We need you to call NC House and urge them to support HOUSE BILL 652
We know that having citizens carrying in churches and other gatherings have saved countless lives.
HOUSE BILL 652 will expand the ability to carry in Churches; this is why it is critical that you call NC House Republicans to bolster their support for this important piece of legislation.
New Life Church, Colorado Springs First Baptist Church, Sutherland Springs West Freeway Church of Christ, White Settlement
What do all of these have in common?
They are three of the legion of examples of ordinary citizens stopping a mass murderer and saving countless lives.   Three of the millions of cases where guns have saved lives.
The left likes to pretend to be against gun violence and for ‘gun safety’.   So, they should also support this bill. [Pause for Laughter]
This is an important step for preserving liberty and true gun safety, we need you to voice your support of this life of death issue.

IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED!
Unfortunately, we don’t live in the wondrous ‘Utopia’ of the liberty grabber left, where unicorns prance over rainbows and mass murderers are stopped by absurd rules that only disarm the innocent.
This is why you must urge NC House Republicans to support this life saving legislation.  EMAIL NC HOUSE REPUBLICANS: Tell them clearly that they need to support this important piece of legislation.
The shooting at New Life Church, First Baptist Church, and West Freeway Church of Christ prove that only a good guy or gal with a gun can stop those bent on pure evil.  Liberty free [gun free] zones only disarm the innocent when seconds count and law enforcement is minutes away.

Use the copy and paste addresses below.
PHONE REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP & YOUR GOP REP: Urge them to support this important piece of legislation that will ensure our safety.


PHONE MESSAGE:

My name is ______ and I’m calling to urge you to support HOUSE BILL 652, Expanding our common sense human right of self-defense in places of worship.  The recent past has shown that mere signs or rules will not stop evil men bent on mass murder. 

Armed citizens are the only way to ensure our safety in these situations.  I expect you to live up to your principles and I urge you to support this critical piece of legislation.
CONTACT INFO  NC House:  
Dean.Arp@ncleg.net;Kristin.Baker@ncleg.net;  Lisa.Barnes@ncleg.net;John.Bell@ncleg.net;Hugh.Blackwell@ncleg.net; Jamie.Boles@ncleg.net;William.Brisson@ncleg.net;Mark.Brody@ncleg.net; Dana.Bumgardner@ncleg.net;Jerry.Carter@ncleg.net; Debra.Conrad@ncleg.net;Kevin.Corbin@ncleg.net;Ted.Davis@ncleg.net; Jimmy.Dixon@ncleg.net;Josh.Dobson@ncleg.net;Jeffrey.Elmore@ncleg.net; John.Faircloth@ncleg.net;John.Fraley@ncleg.net;Edward.Goodwin@ncleg.net; Holly.Grange@ncleg.net;Destin.Hall@ncleg.net;Kyle.Hall@ncleg.net; Bobby.Hanig@ncleg.net;Jon.Hardister@ncleg.net;Kelly.Hastings@ncleg.net; Craig.Horn@ncleg.net;Julia.Howard@ncleg.net;Chris.Humphrey@ncleg.net; Pat.Hurley@ncleg.net;Frank.Iler@ncleg.net;Steve.Jarvis@ncleg.net; Jake.Johnson@ncleg.net;Brenden.Jones@ncleg.net;Perrin.Jones@ncleg.net; Donny.Lambeth@ncleg.net;David.Lewis@ncleg.net; Pat.McElraft@ncleg.net;Chuck.McGrady@ncleg.net;Jeffrey.McNeely@ncleg.net; Allen.McNeill@ncleg.net;Tim.Moore@ncleg.net; Larry.Potts@ncleg.net;Michele.Presnell@ncleg.net;Dennis.Riddell@ncleg.net; David.Rogers@ncleg.net;Stephen.Ross@ncleg.net;Jason.Saine@ncleg.net; Wayne.Sasser@ncleg.net;John.Sauls@ncleg.net;Mitchell.Setzer@ncleg.net; Phil.Shepard@ncleg.net;Carson.Smith@ncleg.net; Sarah.Stevens@ncleg.net;Larry.Strickland@ncleg.net;John.Szoka@ncleg.net; John.Torbett@ncleg.net;Harry.Warren@ncleg.net;Donna.White@ncleg.net; Larry.Yarborough@ncleg.net;Lee.Zachary@ncleg.net;

Phone Republican Leaders and Your Rep:
Rep. Tim Moore (Speaker): 704-739-1221 Rep. John R. Bell (Maj. Leader): 919-715-3017 Rep. Jon Hardister (Maj. Whip): 919-733-5191 Rep. David Lewis:  910-897-8100
Phone your own Republican Rep: CLICK HERE to use your address to find your representative and his/her contact information. Click on the ‘NC House’ radio button.


PLEASE CONTRIBUTE TO GRNC: Help us fight gun control while we promote Second Amendment principles. Please CLICK HERE to contribute. Bear in mind that GRNC is an all-volunteer organization, so you can be sure your donations are put to the best possible use. Any amount helps, and any amount is appreciated.  
DELIVER THIS MESSAGE

Suggested Subject:  Support HOUSE BILL 652   Dear Representative,   I’m writing to urge you to support HOUSE BILL 652 that will expand the ability for ordinary citizens to carry concealed on educational property that is the location of both a school and a place of religious worship.
Recent tragedies have shown that a good guy or gal with a gun are critical in saving lives.   This is true common-sense safety legislation that will protect the public.
Mere signs or rules never deter those of evil intent and mass murder.  These only serve to stop innocent people from ensuring everyone else’s safety. 
I expect you to stand up for everyone’s common sense human rights and support this important step in safety. I will continue to monitor your actions on this important issue through alerts from Grass Roots North Carolina.    Respectfully,  
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“Will No One Rid Me Of This Meddlesome Priest?”

June 22, 2020 by 1 Comment

The quote in the title is attributed to King Henry II of England with reference to his dispute with Thomas a’Becket who was the Archbishop of Canterbury. In response, four Norman knights traveled from Normandy to Canterbury, confronted Thomas, and ultimately killed him. The murder in 1170 was later made into plays by T. S. Eliot and Jean Anouilh as well as a movie with Richard Burton.

This is not meant to be a history or literature lesson. Rather a lawsuit by the NRA against Oliver North in NY Supreme Court, County of Albany made me think of that quote.

I could almost hear Wayne LaPierre saying, “Will no one rid me of this meddlesome president.” To which, William Brewer III replied, “I will, my liege!”

The complaint, much of which is redacted, seeks to have Oliver North removed from the NRA Board of Directors. According to a footnote, they redacted much of the complaint because it might contain information that Col. North might argue should be kept under seal.

The complaint alleges that Col. North has an “irreconcilable conflict” due to his employment with Ackerman McQueen and his membership on the Board of Directors. The Audit Committee, which had approved the arrangement, later rescinded their approval in May 2019 after the conflict between Wayne LaPierre and Col. North had come to a head.

The NRA is seeking a declaration that Col. North’s refusal to terminate his employment with Ackerman McQueen “was an election by him to terminate his NRA Board membership.” Here is where I might note that Col. North was the leading vote-getter in the 2019 NRA Board of Director election.

The attorneys bringing he lawsuit on behalf are Svetlana Eisenberg and William Brewer III of Brewer, Attorneys and Counselors.

When Pete Brownell resigned as President of the NRA in 2018, a great effort was made to get Col. North to be President. At the time, he was under contract to Fox News and would have to resign that in order to become NRA President. I have been told by multiple insiders as well as have seen in court filings that Wayne LaPierre actually negotiated Col. North’s contract with Ackerman McQueen. The whole “they won’t give us the contract” so we can know what conflicts Ollie has is a charade as is the declaration by the Audit Committee.

In reality, the conflict is between Wayne LaPierre, his cronies on the Board, and his attorney who is sucking the NRA dry and those who wanted to return the NRA to effectiveness and to see Brewer gone.