Grass Roots North Carolina

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Meet Squish The Magic RINO

August 2, 2017 by 1 Comment

While I may have hated what Saul Alinsky stood for, I must admit his Rules for Radicals does come in handy when pushing for gun rights. Grass Roots North Carolina has learned this lesson and plans to unveil their version of Rule No. 5 tomorrow. That rule states “Ridicule is man’s most potent weapon” and GRNC plans to make the most of it. They will have a new mascot to go along with their bulldog. The new mascot is named Squish the Magic RINO. You can guess where that name came from.

To protest the failure of the North Carolina Senate to bring HB 746 which included permitless concealed carry to the floor for a vote as well as to highlight those Republicans in the House who voted against the bill, they plan to have a rally in Raleigh against these Republicans in name only. Given that the Republicans achieved a super-majority in both house of the General Assembly through the hard work, efforts, and votes of gun owners, they need to be reminded that they should be dancing those that brung them. It seems that some of these Republicans would rather be beholden to Michael Bloomberg than to the voters of their own districts.

I think Squish makes a perfectly fine addition to the roster of mascots. Perhaps, in addition to Squish, there needs to be one called Squirmy because that is what I want to see these Rino guys and gals squirm.

Gun group to lampoon GOP
RINOs


Failure of Senate to pass HB 746 will be topic of demonstration at NC General
Assembly

At 11:00 am on Thursday, August 3,
Grass
Roots North Carolina will hold NC Senate Republicans accountable for the
Senate’s failure to pass House Bill 746 (“Omnibus Gun
Changes”) which would, among other things, bring North Carolina on board
with the 13 states which have already passed permitless carry of
concealed handguns. The event will be held at the Halifax Mall at the NC
General Assembly.

Meet “Squish the Magic R.I.N.O.” & Friends!

To highlight the fact that some GOP senators
(including Senator Phil Berger?) seem to be behaving like “Republicans
in
Name Only” (R.I.N.O.s), GRNC will be introducing a new mascot, “Squish the Magic R.I.N.O.” and friends. If
Republicans fail to pass HB 746 during or before the 2018 short session of the General Assembly, “Squish” could become a regular
feature at GOP campaign events.

Take advantage of this highly photogenic
event!

Squish and his friends will be cavorting under a highly photogenic banner proclaiming:

“NC Senate R.I.N.Os:

Giving Gun Voters ‘The Horn’ Since…?”

Event details:
When: August 3 at 11:00 AM
EDT

Where: Halifax Mall, NC General Assembly, 16 West Jones Street,
Raleigh, NC 27601
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Rally Against The RINOs In Raleigh

July 31, 2017 by

The North Carolina General Assembly is returning for a special session on August 3rd. Grass Roots North Carolina is preparing a welcome for them called Rally Against RINOs in Raleigh. It is to remind the Republicans that they only achieved their supermajority in both houses due to the efforts of gun owners. The impetus for this rally is the inability of the Republicans in the House to pass HB 746 with a veto proof majority and the refusal of the State Senate to bring the bill to the floor for a vote.

If you are in the Raleigh area or if you can be in the Raleigh area for the rally on Thursday, the details are below:

LET’S REMIND OUR REPUBLICANS WHO

PUT THEM IN OFFICE.
Remember in the last election how the Republican candidates couldn’t get enough love from pro-second
amendment North Carolinians? Remember how they promised to be the stalwart guardians of your gun rights?

As expected, they have forgotten who
“brung ’em to the dance.” We know this because House Bill 746 is stuck
in the Senate — the result of petty quibbling and inactivity.
Politicians are always at risk of becoming complacent (especially when
their party holds a supermajority in both the house and the senate), and
they
sometimes need to be reminded of who they work for.

Worse yet: we
know that Michael Bloomberg’s out-of-state money has been hard at work
in
North Carolina, with a few well-paid operatives whispering fear and
doubt into the ears of our elected leaders. This isn’t a new game for
them, since
they prognosticate doom about every pro-Second Amendment measure that
comes up … and when these pro-gun bills are passed into law, their
fears of
doom are proven to be completely unfounded. Still, we want to make sure
that responsible, law-abiding gun owners are being seen and heard by
their
elected leaders. Let’s remind them that rich New Yorkers and a few paid
minions don’t speak for us in our state legislature.

The General Assembly
returns for a special session on Thursday August 3, and we’ve planned a gun rights rally for the mall area between the Legislature
and the Legislative Office Building. Most importantly: we need YOU there to join the chorus of North Carolina’s
law-abiding, responsible gun owners. Together, we can encourage our leaders to move House Bill 746 in this special session.

The
demonstration will take place on Thursday August 3 at 11:00 AM. This will be a safe, fun, family-oriented event where we will introduce a new
figure to North Carolina’s political scene: Squish the Magic RINO!

IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED!
  • RSVP
    on the GRNC website     and     let us
    know that you can attend the rally (https://www.grnc.org/august-3-demonstration).
  • Attend the rally! It will be located on the grass mall just north of the
    Legislative building at 16 W. Jones St., Raleigh. The rally will begin at 11:00 AM, but it’s wise to get there early to alleviate
    parking concerns.
  • Please make sure that you dress for the press. We
    encourage professional attire. Please, no inflammatory slogans on clothing or signs. We want to show everyone that North Carolina’s gun
    owners are the most civil, respectful, law-abiding citizens!
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Now We Have To Get HR 746 Through The NC Senate

June 19, 2017 by 1 Comment

Now that HR 746 – the Omnibus Gun Bill – has passed the North Carolina House we need to get it moving through the State Senate. Grass Roots North Carolina issued an alert aimed at getting the bill to the floor of the Senate. As a reminder, the Omnibus Gun Bill includes permitless concealed carry or constitutional carry.

The sooner we can get it through the Senate, the sooner we can get it to Gov. Roy Cooper’s desk. Assuming the likely veto, the key to its passage will be convincing six of the eight House Republicans to stand with their party and not with Michael Bloomberg.

TELL YOUR SENATORS THAT

H746 NEEDS TO BE PASSED UNAMENDED!

The Senate Needs Your Support

As
H746 moves through the
North Carolina Senate, it’s critical that we keep telling our elected
representatives that H746 is a good bill that will help law-abiding
North
Carolinas stay safe, and that the bill needs to be passed by the Senate
without crippling amendments. This is especially important with
well-heeled
special interest groups opposing the lawful exercise of your
fundamental, Constitutionally-protected freedoms.

IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED!
  • CALL KEY SENATORS: use the phone numbers provided below to phone these key players in the
    NC Senate. You can use the text directly below to deliver a message of encouragement regarding HB 746. Please add your Senator to this list as
    well!

    Hello,
    I am personally contacting Senator [name] to
    encourage [him/her] to pass H746, the Omnibus Gun Bill, to pass it
    quickly, and to pass it without amendments. This bill has the full
    support of the
    people. Thank you.

    • Phone Numbers for Key Senators: 


    Sen. Tamara Barringer – (919) 733-5653

    Sen. Danny Britt – (919) 733-5651

    Sen. Ron Rabin – (919) 733-5748

    Sen. Norman Sanderson – (919) 733-5706

    Sen. Tommy Tucker – (919) 733-7659
  • EMAIL SENATE REPUBLICANS: use the copy/paste email address list below, and the
    copy/paste text provided under ‘Deliver This Message.’

     
    • Copy/Paste Email Address List for Senate Republicans:

    John.Alexander@ncleg.net;
    Deanna.Ballard@ncleg.net; Chad.Barefoot@ncleg.net;
    Tamara.Barringer@ncleg.net; Phil.Berger@ncleg.net; Dan.Bishop@ncleg.net;
    Danny.Britt@ncleg.net; Andrew.Brock@ncleg.net; Harry.Brown@ncleg.net;
    Bill.Cook@ncleg.net; David.Curtis@ncleg.net; Warren.Daniel@ncleg.net;
    Jim.Davis@ncleg.net; Cathy.Dunn@ncleg.net; Chuck.Edwards@ncleg.net;
    Rick.Gunn@ncleg.net; Kathy.Harrington@ncleg.net; Ralph.Hise@ncleg.net;
    Rick.Horner@ncleg.net; Brent.Jackson@ncleg.net; Joyce.Krawiec@ncleg.net;
    Michael.Lee@ncleg.net; Tom.McInnis@ncleg.net; Wesley.Meredith@ncleg.net;
    Paul.Newton@ncleg.net; Louis.Pate@ncleg.net; Ron.Rabin@ncleg.net;
    Bill.Rabon@ncleg.net; Shirley.Randleman@ncleg.net;
    Norman.Sanderson@ncleg.net; Jeff.Tarte@ncleg.net;
    Jerry.Tillman@ncleg.net; Tommy.Tucker@ncleg.net;
    Trudy.Wade@ncleg.net; Andy.Wells@ncleg.net

DELIVER THIS
MESSAGE

Suggested Subject:

“Voters Support H746, the Omnibus
Gun Bill. Pass it Quickly!“

Dear Senator:

I am writing this
brief note today to encourage you to move H746 to the Senate floor and
pass
it without changes. This bill has the full support of the people.

I will
continue to monitor your actions on this matter through alerts from
Grass
Roots North Carolina.

Respectfully,
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Andrew Branca & LOSD Seminar Coming To NC In June

May 19, 2017 by

Attorney Andrew Branca will be bringing his Law of Self Defense Seminars to North Carolina on June 10 and 11. The classes are being sponsored by Grass Roots North Carolina and will be held at the Triangle Shooting Academy in Raleigh.

More info below in the alert from GRNC.

DISCOUNTED FOR YOU:
ANDREW BRANCA’S
‘LAW OF SELF-DEFENSE’ SEMINARS 
You carry a gun so you’re hard to kill. Know the law so you’re hard to convict. . .

Do you know the law of self defense? I mean, REALLY know the law? What good does it do to defend your life if you make some small legal mistake that ends up putting you in prison for the rest of your life?

At the Grass Roots North Carolina Annual Meeting two years ago in Charlotte, Attorney Andrew Branca taught an incredible Law of Self-Defense seminar that focused entirely on North Carolina’s laws. Most of us have taken a Concealed Handgun Permit course, which has 4 hours of legal instruction. But AndrewBranca’s class goes much deeper. 

It’s everything you need to know before you have to use force in self-defense.  Not just the black letter law, but also the judges’ legal decisions and self-defense jury instructions. This class is so detailed that if you’re a lawyer, it counts toward Continuing Legal Education. But don’t think it’s dry and boring like your CHP class was.

Andrew is a fantastic presenter, taking complex legal discussions and turning them into simple concepts and delivering them with his trademark wit.

Enroll Now and Receive a GRNC Discount

Through a special agreement with Andrew, Grass Roots North Carolina can offer you a discount (for a limited time) on these Raleigh Law of Self-Defense seminars.

Before May 28, Use discount code “GRNC” at checkout and receive 10% off one or both of these essential classes. 

But act now, because the classes are filling up quickly, and as of May 28th, the price of the classes goes up. 

The seminars will be held at
Triangle Shooting Academy
in Raleigh, NC
 
Level 1 Seminar
Saturday, June 10th, 2017
9:00 AM 

Level 2 Seminar
(available to those who have taken Level 1, or will take it on June 10)
Sunday, June 11th, 2017
10:00 AM 
Sign up online at: 
And remember to use discount code “GRNC” at checkout to show your support for Grass Roots North Carolina, and also to save 10%. Class is open only to pre-registered students, so sign up right away before the price increase.
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Volunteers Needed For Asheville Gun Show

March 6, 2017 by

Grass Roots North Carolina sent out an alert this morning saying they need volunteers for the Asheville Gun Show this weekend at the WNC Ag Center. I have volunteered to work on Saturday morning. I try to work the GRNC booth for as many gun shows as I can.

ASHEVILLE GUN SHOW
NEEDS
VOLUNTEERS!
Volunteers are needed
to help man the GRNC table at the upcoming MK Shows, in Fletcher, on March 11th and 12th,
2017. The show will be held at the WNC Agricultural Center, located at 1301 Fanning Bridge Rd., Fletcher, NC
28732.

Help defend Second Amendment freedom and join GRNC in expanding North Carolina gun
rights!

Potential Volunteers
should contact John Hammond by email at johndhammond@msn.com or by phone at 828-699-3117.

I’d love to see some new people volunteering to help. I’ve made some great friends over the years working the booth and have met a lot of nice people at the gun shows.

This is your chance to help out the Second Amendment in North Carolina. While we have a solid pro-gun Republican majority in both houses of the General Assembly, they still have let us down on things like the pistol purchase permit system. When you also factor in that North Carolina has both a governor and attorney general who are not exactly gun friendly, the work that GRNC does in Raleigh becomes critical. We need both members and volunteers if we are to make headway.

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Why We Fight To Get Rid Of Pistol Purchase Permits

September 28, 2016 by 1 Comment

It looks like things are starting to settle down in Charlotte after the recent violence. You may have noticed some of the stories that referenced local citizens rushing out to buy firearms. Of course my readeers know that you should have the means to armed self-defence before the SHTF.

According to a spokesperson for Hyatt Gun Shop most of the purchases were for 12-gauge shotguns and buckshot. What was never mentioned in these stories is the purchase of a handgun in North Carolina requires either a pistol purchase permit or a NC Concealed Handgun Permit. Absent one of those two documents, you were legally restricted to purchasing a long gun. This is true even if it was a private sale.

While the Alan Gura’s win in Bateman overturned the previous restrictions on possession of a firearm outside the home during a state of emergency as well as the restriction on firearm sales, we are still stuck with the Jim Crow-era pistol purchase permit.

Grass Roots North Carolina has been fighting the battle to get the permit system repealed for a number of years. They sent out the following alert yesterday afternoon requesting people contact both Gov. Pat McCrory (R-NC) and his Democratic opponent Attorney Gen. Roy Cooper (D-NC) urging them to support repeal of this system.

DELAYS IMPERIL CITIZENS
As Charlotte burned, the Jim Crow-era bureaucracy denied gun
purchases to the terrorized . . .

Aficionados of Natural rights know that free citizens should not be
forced to obtain permission slips from the bureaucracy before exercising
their
protected rights. In fact, it has always been GRNC’s position that
archaic and shameful laws designed to deny citizens their rights, like
the
Jim Crow-era Pistol Purchase Permit (PPP), must be eradicated. With all
of GRNC’s moral arguments and its unceasing effort to eliminate the PPP
system, never before has the need to discard this old-fashioned and
embarrassing legality been so obvious—and so critical.

A Right
Delayed is a Life put in Peril

As you may be aware, several
counties around the state, including Mecklenburg County, have been using
bureaucratic loopholes and high-demand for guns as an excuse to
severely
delay the issuance of PPPs and Concealed Handgun Permits (CHP).  Indeed,
it is true that, “a right delayed is a right denied.” However,
in the context of a city ravaged by violent rioters, it should also be said that, a right delayed is a life put in peril. As a small
but deviant portion of Charlotte’s populace, reinforced by out-of-state agitators,
attempted to raze Charlotte,
law-abiding and rightfully terrified citizens lined up to purchase
much-needed handguns to protect their families, only to be told, “no.”

These citizens were told that they would be barred from purchasing
defensive handguns until the weeks-long, and now often delayed, PPP
and/or CHP
process could be completed. The Sheriff and other law enforcement
officials are paid to protect and serve the citizens, and thank goodness
for the
officers on the street. However, it is ironic that the law enforcement
bureaucracy has been weighted to keep these same citizens from
protecting
themselves, particularly when the need is so immediate, and the
situation so dire.

In the context of riots, where citizens are at more risk than
ever
and law-enforcement is overwhelmed, laws delaying the citizen’s access
to defensive weapons serve only to empower the thugs, thugs who seek to
hurt these citizens and their livelihoods. This must end!

Below, see how
you can easily contact NC’s two contenders for governor. Remind them
that you have not forgotten about this critical issue. Let them know
that, even outside of the legislative season, this is an issue that is
worthy of
great attention, and gun owners will continue to monitor their actions
on this; and actions after November will speak louder than words spoken
before
November. Remind them that, ultimately, the requirement for PPPs and
CHPs (government “permission slips”) must be eliminated as a step
toward genuine rights-recognition for law-abiding citizens in North
Carolina.

IMMEDIATE ACTION
REQUIRED!

  • PHONE GOVERNOR
    McCRORY AND ATTORNEY GENERAL COOPER    : Use the phone numbers provided below, and tell them:

    I am calling to inform [The Governor / Mr.
    Cooper]
    that, at the same time deadly riots raged in Charlotte, frightened
    citizens were denied their right to obtain defensive handguns. This
    happened due to
    our state’s outdated Jim Crow-era Pistol Purchase Permit system and the
    weeks-long process to obtain a concealed handgun permit (CHP). This
    denial of civil rights has the potential to cost innocent lives, and it
    is entirely unacceptable. We must end these archaic and dangerous PPP
    and CHP
    systems, which only serve to put citizen’s lives in peril. I insist that
    this be addressed in the upcoming legislative session, and that [The
    Governor / Mr. Cooper] prioritize the repeal of these shameful and
    dangerous systems.

    Governor Pat
    McCrory:                  (919) 814-2000

    Attorney General Roy Cooper: (919) 716-6400

    (Candidate for Governor)

  • EMAIL GOVERNOR McCRORY AND ATTORNEY GENERAL
    COOPER    : Use the links to
    their web forms provided below, and the text provided under ‘Deliver this Message’ to send a message.

    Governor
    McRory’s Contact Web Form:
    https://governor.nc.gov/contact/email-governor

    Attorney General Cooper’s Contact Web Form:

    http://www.ncdoj.gov/getdoc/d1ba7632-eced-41be-945f-8c2015756efe/ContactNCDOJ.aspx

DELIVER THIS
MESSAGE

Suggested Subject: “Riots: PPP/CHP Permit Delays
Imperil Innocents”  

Dear [Governor McCrory]   /   [Attorney General Cooper]:

I am writing to
inform you that as deadly riots raged in Charlotte, frightened citizens
were denied their right to obtain defensive handguns. This denial of
rights,
which clearly put untold numbers of law-abiding citizens in peril, was
due to our state’s outdated Jim Crow-era Pistol Purchase Permit (PPP)
system, and the weeks-long process required to obtain a concealed
handgun permit (CHP).

In this context of civil unrest, it seems fitting to remind
our
state’s gubernatorial candidates that voters have not forgotten about
this critical issue. Even outside of the legislative season, this is an
issue that is worthy of great attention. The peaceful and law-abiding,
who clearly have reason to fear for their safety, will continue to
monitor your
actions on this issue. You must work to put an end to these archaic and
dangerous PPP and CHP systems, as it is your duty to protect the rights
of
North Carolina citizens, and not least among these is their right to
protect themselves.

As we saw last week, these PPP and CHP systems only serve
to
empower the unlawful and put innocent lives in peril. I insist that the
repeal of these embarrassing throw-backs be a priority of yours in the
upcoming legislative session. And please be aware: actions after
November will speak much louder than words spoken before November.

I will be watching
your actions on this topic through alerts from Grass Roots North Carolina.

Respectfully, 
Uncategorized

GRNC Doesn’t Take A Double-Cross Lightly

June 21, 2016 by 6 Comments

When you attempt to double-cross Grass Roots North Carolina by going back on your word, they don’t take it lightly. Their response may not always win them friends but it does put politicians on notice about going back on your word.

Sheriffs in North Carolina have been dragging their feet on issuing pistol purchase permits. What used to be an immediate issuance has now started to drag into weeks and months because of a new requirement for a mental health check. I spoke to a client recently in Henderson County who waited over four months for his pistol purchase permit.

What GRNC sought was a sun-setting of the paper medical-release provisions once the records had been digitized. Sen. Shirley Randleman (R-Stokes, Surry, Wilkes) had inserted these provisions into a bill that was due for a floor vote. Now she has taken what she wanted in that bill and transferred it into another bill due for a floor vote and left the sunset provision to die on the vine.

More in the GRNC alert below. It’s time to play some General Assembly hardball.

SENATOR SELLS OUT ON PISTOL PERMIT

MEDICAL-REPORTING FIX
Last week’s gun-rights hero is this week’s gun-rights turncoat . .
. 

It was not even a week ago that
GRNC issued an update praising NC Senator Shirley
Randleman (R-30, Stokes, Surry, Wilkes) for courageously standing up for gun owners alongside another courageous legislator, NC Rep. Michael Speciale (R-3, Beaufort, Craven, Pamlico).

Unfortunately, it appears that the victory Sen. Randleman helped hand to
gun owners last week was only a feint, and she apparently never
intended to
follow through on her pro-gun stance during this legislative session. In
short:

SENATOR SHIRLEY RANDLEMAN IS A
SELLOUT!

Last week, Sen. Randleman was a key figure in
helping GRNC fix the NRA’s previous blunder, a major blunder that was
giving sheriff departments cover to flout state law and force citizens
to wait inordinately extensive (and illegal) lengths of time to receive
pistol
purchase permits (PPP). Randleman helped to insert the administrative
fix to this problem into S89,
a bill that, at the time, was sure to receive a
hearing and a floor vote. This is all gun owners wanted from this bill,
and it’s such a small thing really—simply sun-setting the outdated
paper medical-release system once records-digitization is completed.

Unfortunately, even this small thing, this minor administrative fix that
will go a
long way in easing pressure on sheriff departments, and make life easier
for gun owners like you, was just too much for Sen. Randleman to
continue to
support. You see, this week, Randleman moved her favorite projects from
S89 to another bill, another bill that will surely receive a hearing and
a
vote. However, the medical-reporting fix must not have been one of her
favorites after all, because she left it where it was, and now it is
believed
that S89 is going to be left to languish and die without a vote. With
all of this in mind, there really isn’t any other way to say it: 
Sen. Randleman sold out gun owners—big time!

Randleman received her positive, “pro-gun” press last week, and
must have figured that was all she needed to gain some gun-rights cred.
However, she didn’t count on the fact that GRNC is still paying
attention. We are paying attention, and we are here to tell gun owners that Sen. Shirley Randleman pulled the ol’ slimy
politician’s feint against you when she thought you weren’t looking! She may have been quietly laughing at you when she
pulled this little stunt, but she likely won’t be laughing once she learns that she has been caught.

Why Did Leadership Allow This
Trickery?

This cannot stand! We must demand that Shirley
Randleman
return the Medical Form Sunset provision to whichever bill is sure to
receive a hearing and a floor vote, and we want an explanation. Also, we
need to
know why GA leadership, Speaker Tim Moore and
Senate Leader Phil Berger, allowed this trickery
to occur in the first place.

Below, see how you can easily contact Sen.
Randleman, and also the House and Senate leaders. They must answer for
this!
Please make the phone calls as well as sending the emails. If at all
possible, make the phone calls during the time requested (today, 9-11
AM).

Untrustworthy politicians like Shirley Randleman must be
informed that she can’t throw gun owners under the bus and get away with
it!

IMMEDIATE ACTION
REQUIRED!

  • PHONE SENATOR
    RANDLEMAN    : (919) 733-5743.
    Please make phone calls today, Tuesday, between 9:00 AM and 11:00 AM. If you can’t call during those times, please call
    later.
     

    Suggested phone message:
    Hello,
    my name
    is ___________. I am calling because I am a North Carolina gun rights
    supporter, and I’ve just learned of the about-face that Senator
    Randleman
    pulled on gun owners. We were counting on the senator to help us fix the
    medical reporting system for pistol purchase permits, and last week,
    she
    acted as though she was going to come through for us. However, I am now
    aware that the senator has moved all of her favorite projects from
    Senate Bill
    89 to another bill, but left the administrative medical-reporting fix in
    S89, where it is now likely to languish and die. I am demanding that
    Senator
    Randleman provide voters with an explanation for why she sold us out,
    and I’m insisting that she find a way to return the medical-reporting
    fix
    to a bill that will receive a hearing and a vote. I will continue to pay
    very close attention to this issue through alerts from Grass Roots
    North
    Carolina. Thank you.


  • PHONE HOUSE AND SENATE LEADERSHIP: Senator Phil Berger (919) 733-5708 &
    Speaker Tim Moore (919) 733-3451. Please make phone calls today, Tuesday, between 9:00 AM and 11:00 AM. If you can’t call
    during those times, please call later. 

    Suggested phone message:  

    Hello, my name is ___________. I am calling because I am a North Carolina gun rights supporter, and I’ve just
    learned that [Speaker Moore] / [Senator Berger] has
    allowed pending gun rights legislation, which would sunset the
    requirement for paper medical release forms for pistol purchase permits,
    to be positioned so that it has no chance of receiving a floor vote. I
    would
    like to know why he would allow this pro-gun legislation to be left
    behind, in Senate Bill 89, where it will languish and die, and I insist
    that
    leadership stand up for gun owners and find a way to place this language
    in a bill that is sure to receive a floor vote. I will continue to pay
    very
    close attention to this issue through alerts from Grass Roots North
    Carolina. Thank you.



  • EMAIL SENATOR RANDLEMAN at this address: Shirley.Randleman@ncleg.net

    Use the copy/paste
    message provided below under ‘Deliver This Message to Sen. Randleman.’

  • EMAIL SENATE AND HOUSE LEADERS
    using these copy/paste
    email addresses:
    Tim.Moore@ncleg.net;
    Phil.Berger@ncleg.net

    Use the copy/paste message
    under ‘Deliver This Message to Sen. Berger & Spkr. Moore.’ 

DELIVER THIS MESSAGE TO

SENATOR RANDLEMAN

Suggested Subject: “Fix Your Sellout of Gun
Owners! 
Dear Senator Randleman:

I have just been informed of the
fast
one you have pulled on gun owners. Last week, you were basking in praise
for your courageous efforts to make sure pro-gun language was inserted
into
Senate Bill 89. This language would sunset the antiquated paper medical
reporting requirement for pistol purchase permits, once the records are
digitized. An obvious update for the twenty-first century. A small
change perhaps, but this small change would make a huge difference.

As you know,
various sheriff departments around the state have been using this
antiquated reporting requirement as an excuse to delay pistol purchase
permits for
extended, and unlawful lengths of time. I was sure you were going to
help the voters end all of that, but I was clearly wrong. It appears you
have
sold out gun owners, and I am incensed.  Please understand that the
little trick you just pulled did not go unnoticed. I am fully aware that
you
moved all of your favorite projects to another bill, but have left the
medical-reporting fix in S89, where it will now surely languish and die.

I
am
demanding that you explain your about-face on this legislation, and I’m
insisting that you find a way to return the medical-reporting fix to a
bill that will receive a hearing and a vote.

I will be paying very close
attention to this issue through alerts from Grass Roots North Carolina.

Respectfully, 

DELIVER THIS MESSAGE TO
SEN. BERGER
& SPKR. MOORE 


Suggested Subject: “Pistol Permit
Medical-Reporting Fix Must Receive a Vote”  
Dear Senator Berger and Speaker Moore:

I have just learned that the NC House
and
Senate Leaders have allowed pending gun rights legislation, which would
sunset the requirement for paper medical release forms for pistol
purchase
permits, to be positioned so that it has no chance of receiving a floor
vote. This is unacceptable, and I would like to know why the ostensibly
pro-gun House and Senate leadership would allow this legislation to be
set aside where it will surely languish and die.

As you know, various
sheriff
departments around the state have been using the antiquated paper
medical-reporting requirement as an excuse to delay pistol purchase
permits for
extended, and unlawful lengths of time. I was sure you were going to
help the citizenry end all of that. If that is not the case, I am
terribly
disappointed.

As a gun owner, and a voter, I must insist that you correct
this reversal by standing up for gun owners and finding a way to place
this
language into a bill that is sure to receive a floor vote. Is it really
too much to ask that you support gun owners on such a small thing, like
this
simple administrative fix? This is a minor item that will make a major
difference to gun rights voters, and it serves to bring our state’s
background check system into the twenty-first century.

I will continue to
pay very close attention to this issue through alerts from Grass Roots
North
Carolina.

Respectfully,  
Uncategorized

Haywood County Commissioners Blink

April 5, 2016 by

Last week I did a post advising readers in Haywood County that the commissioners were considering three new gun ordinances ranging from prohibition of firearms in all county buildings to an ordinance regulating shooting ranges. I’m pleased to say that thanks to the efforts of Grass Roots North Carolina and others there was a very large turnout at the County Commission meeting last Monday. Not one person who spoke did so in favor of these ordinances.

As I heard unofficially on Friday, the Haywood County commissioners have tabled these proposals. Now, as the alert below from GRNC makes clear, they have officially tabled them for the time being.

The new proposed outdoor shooting range ordinance would have exempted police ranges from the restrictions of the ordinance. While a private shooting range would have had to have a 300 foot property line buffer, no such buffer was required of police ranges. This is probably because they would have failed to meet that standard.

My friend Tim Glance of Old Grouch Military Surplus pointed out another interesting wrinkle. The range that the Waynesville PD uses for training and qualification is not owned by the town. It is owned by a private association of police officers. By the standards of the county’s ordinance, it would not have been in compliance though it would have been grandfathered in.

I salute those who could attend the meeting, those like Paul Valone that spoke, and those that wrote in to the commissioners. During this election year, your voices were heard. We need to keep up the pressure on the commissioners to scrap these ordinances.

The alert from GRNC is below:

ARE HAYWOOD COUNTY COMMISSIONERS HAVING SECOND
THOUGHTS ABOUT SNUBBING THE LAW-ABIDING?
What started as a proposed ordinance to ban ALL open and conceal carry
has resulted in some potential backpedalling by Haywood County’s commissioners.
Last
week’s county commission
meeting to discuss this proposed ordinance was a HUGE victory for gun
owners like yourselves. Not only did nearly 400 gun rights activists
pack the
meeting and let themselves be heard, but the county has now announced
that “The Haywood County Board of Commissioners will not take any action at their regularly scheduled meeting of
Monday, April 4, 2016 on the proposed ordinances for Carrying of Concealed Weapons and Displaying of Firearms …”


 
Scorched by hundreds of angry voter contacts, the Haywood
County manager last week attempted to justify the commission’s actions
as
an attempt to bring the county’s 1995 ban on concealed carry in parks
into compliance with changes in the law. In reality, the commission
attempted to manipulate statutory definitions to continue gun bands
which are no longer legal.
In addition to banning open carry and
concealed carry in all county buildings, their proposed changes would
reclassify
Allen’s Creek Park as a “recreational facility” and ban guns throughout
the park in violation of recent changes which GRNC made that
more narrowly define recreational facility to only athletic fields
during scheduled events, swimming pools, and gymnasiums.
GRNC president Paul Valone was the first
to address the commission. In addition to noting that their parks
restrictions were illegal and would result in a lawsuit which they could
not
win, he pointed out that just because they had had restrictions since
1995 in other county facilities didn’t mean they should continue those
restrictions.
Haywood
County is slow to learn what twelve other North Carolina counties
have discovered: that reducing restriction on the lawful concealed carry
of firearms helps save lives and keep citizens safe. Despite what the
naysayers would have us believe (more on them in a minute), county
governments like that in Haywood County are being put on notice that
law-abiding
citizens will not tolerate being disarmed for their so-called
protection.

 

The next meeting of the Haywood County
Commissioners is tomorrow (Monday) evening, and we strongly encourage
our members
to remain vocal about their opposition to this proposed ordinance. These
politicians need to be told, in no uncertain terms, that enacting these
sorts of restrictive ordinances (especially ones that may put them in
violation of state law) will have consequences at the polls and in
the courts.

 

And speaking of the naysayers
… we thought you should also know that the astroturf group North Carolinians Against Gun Violence (a wholly owned subsidiary of
Michael Bloomberg) had
the
audacity to plagiarize GRNC’s March 26 alert and calling for its members
to attend the meeting. The evidence of this group’s ineptitude was
clear:
when asked by one of the speakers addressing the commission for a show
of hands of all who supported the proposed gun ban, none of the
attendees at
last week’s meeting identified themselves as a member of this shady
organization. We know that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery,
but this
simply proves that astroturf will never equate to real grass roots support.


IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED!
  • EMAIL THE HAYWOOD COUNTY COMMISSIONERS.
    Urge them to scrap
    the gun-ban ordinance altogether. Below, find a copy/paste email list,
    and under ‘Deliver This Message,’ you’ll find a copy/paste email message
    to
    send.

    Contact list: markswanger@bellsouth.net; kirk@jwklaw.net; lkensley@bellsouth.net; sorrells@cbvnol.com; billupton@bellsouth.net

     

  • Let North Carolinians Against Gun Violence know that plagiarism is
    stooping to a new low, even for them. We suggest leaving them a polite note on their Facebook page encouraging
    them
    to come up with their own material for alerts to their “supporters.”
    Something short and sweet like “Hey gun grabbers, can you please
    stop plagiarizing Grass Roots North Carolina when you send alerts to
    your “supporters?”

DELIVER THIS MESSAGE

Suggested Subject: “Scrap the Gun Ban in Haywood
County”  

Dear Commissioners:
I have recently been informed of the gun ban that is being considered by the Haywood County
Commission, and I am writing to urge you to scrap bans on open and concealed carry on county property entirely.

As
the nearly 400 gun supporters in attendance at last week’s meeting
made abundantly clear, a patchwork of “gun-free” zones serve only to
make accidental criminals out of otherwise peaceful, law-abiding
citizens, while doing nothing to ensure anyone’s safety. A vote to close
all county facilities to the lawful carry of handguns will only convey
a disrespect for civil rights as they relate to the Second Amendment,
and will ultimately endanger both the citizens and employees of Haywood
County.


You
may be unaware of the new trend that is currently
sweeping our state. In recent months, county after county, after
recognizing the fallacy of “gun free” zones, has moved in the direction
of
more gun-freedom rather than less: Alamance, Ashe, Cabarrus, Cherokee,
Craven, Forsyth, Lenoir, Pitt, Person, Rowan, Union, and Wilkes
ounties, and the list continues to lengthen. This is a positive trend,
and I would strongly recommend that Haywood County consider this course,
rather
than a sure-to-be fruitless and disrespectful gun ban.

I
will continue to monitor this issue through alerts from Grass Roots North Carolina. 
Respectfully,
Uncategorized

HB 562 Comes Before The Entire NC Senate Tomorrow

July 27, 2015 by 2 Comments

HB 562, the Second Amendment Affirmation Act, comes before the North Carolina Senate tomorrow. The House version was approved without amendments by the Senate Judiciary II Committee on Thursday of this past week. The bill, even though weakened with amendments in the House, does give North Carolina gun owners some important wins. The alert below from GRNC spells out the good stuff and ask that gun owners contact the Republican members of the Senate to urge them to vote for the bill without any weakening amendments.

Pro-gun bill, HB 562, will be considered by the NC Senate
tomorrow (Monday, July 27). Please encourage Senate Republicans to support it …

Last week, thanks in large part to the
insistence of GRNC supporters like you, HB562 moved smoothly through the Senate Judiciary
II Committee. GRNC would like to thank Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger (R-Guilford, Rockingham) and Senator Tom Apodaca (R-Buncombe, Henderson,
Transylvania) for making sure this bill had a proper hearing. Fortunately, the committee did not weaken the bill, which still contains
some great gun-rights advancements, such as: 
  • Expanded
    campus carry (and giving an affirmative defense for defensive gun use on campus);

  • Reduced penalties for carriage onto posted premises;

  • Expanded sport shooting range protection;

  • Reductions in arbitrary permit denials for both concealed handgun permits and pistol purchase
    permits while reducing the number of disqualifying prior offenses for those permits;

  • A new cause of action against local governments which violate our statewide firearms preemption
    law;
  • A requirement for sheriffs to sign Form 4s for
    qualified Title II applicants;
  • A provision for legal
    resident aliens to get concealed handgun permits; and
  • Short-barreled rifle hunting in addition to the suppressor hunting we passed in 2013. 
Now,
it’s time for HB562 to be considered by the
full Senate. To insure its passage, the Republican members of the
NC Senate need to be reminded that you expect them to support this bill,
and to
pass it without weakening amendments.

Below,
you’ll find a
copy/paste message and a copy/paste email list that you can use to
encourage the Senate’s supermajority to act in accordance with their
campaign
promises by voting in favor of HB562.

IMMEDIATE
ACTION REQUIRED!

  • EMAIL SENATE
    REPUBLICANS    : use the copy/paste email address list, and the copy/paste email text under ‘Deliver This Message,’ below.

CONTACT INFO
Copy/paste email *list for Senate Republicans:

John.Alexander@ncleg.net;
Tom.Apodaca@ncleg.net;
Chad.Barefoot@ncleg.net; Tamara.Barringer@ncleg.net;
Phil.Berger@ncleg.net; Stan.Bingham@ncleg.net; Andrew.Brock@ncleg.net;
Harry.Brown@ncleg.net; Bill.Cook@ncleg.net; David.Curtis@ncleg.net;
Warren.Daniel@ncleg.net; Jim.Davis@ncleg.net; Rick.Gunn@ncleg.net;
Kathy.Harrington@ncleg.net; Fletcher.Hartsell@ncleg.net;
Ralph.Hise@ncleg.net; Brent.Jackson@ncleg.net; Joyce.Krawiec@ncleg.net;
Michael.Lee@ncleg.net; Tom.McInnis@ncleg.net; Wesley.Meredith@ncleg.net;
Buck.Newton@ncleg.net; Louis.Pate@ncleg.net; Ron.Rabin@ncleg.net;
Bill.Rabon@ncleg.net; Shirley.Randleman@ncleg.net; Bob.Rucho@ncleg.net;
Norman.Sanderson@ncleg.net; Dan.Soucek@ncleg.net; Jeff.Tarte@ncleg.net;
Jerry.Tillman@ncleg.net; Tommy.Tucker@ncleg.net; Trudy.Wade@ncleg.net;
Andy.Wells@ncleg.net
*Regarding the above
email list: some email programs may require that the semicolons be replaced with commas.

DELIVER THIS MESSAGE

Suggested Subject: “Please Support HB562”  
Dear Senator:

Last week, I was pleased to hear that HB562
moved seamlessly through the Judiciary II Committee, and I am writing to urge you to continue shepherding this pro-Second Amendment bill toward the governor’s desk without
weakening it.

HB562 will be a great step forward
for gun rights in our state. I strongly encourage you to back this bill,
and
to encourage your colleagues to do the same. Please vote for HB562 as it
is currently written, and please vote against any weakening amendments.

I
will be closely watching your actions on this subject through legislative alerts from Grass Roots North Carolina.

Respectfully,  
Uncategorized

Even The Sheriffs’ Own Report Contradicts Themselves On HB 562

June 16, 2015 by

North Carolina’s HB 562 – the Second Amendment Affirmation Act – has been added to the House calendar for today. In the meantime, a report from the North Carolina Sheriffs Association directly contradicts their assertions that the sheriffs are the ones best placed to determine who should be allowed to purchase a handgun. They have been arguing that sheriffs know more about the people in their county than what is contained in the FBI’s NICS database.

HB 937 passed in the 2013-2014 session of the General Assembly required sheriffs to submit a report assessing how many existing pistol purchase permits were still held by disqualified persons. The bill as passed allowed for the North Carolina Sheriffs Association to submit one report compiling the results from all 100 sheriffs. Let’s just say the results are not exactly what the NCSA wishes to be known.

Grass Roots North Carolina details the results in the alert below. Note that it includes a link to the report. I suggest that you take that link and send it with a note to your own House representative. I certainly plan to send it to Rep. Brian Turner (D-Buncombe) who is my rep.

SHERIFFS
REPORT EXPOSES
PISTOL PURCHASE PERMIT SYSTEM
Sheriff report shows NICS checks are superior to our archaic permit
system at keeping criminals from getting guns. . .

The North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association (NCSA) has been the
leading opponent of House Bill 562, in particular its repeal of North
Carolina’s Jim Crow-era pistol purchase permit (PPP) system. Their
objections have been a moving target as they first claimed sheriffs
“know” their constituents and “know” who is unfit to get a permit; then
they claimed the National Instant Background Check
System is inadequate to conduct criminal background checks (although in
truth most sheriffs conduct only a NICS check prior to issuing a
permit);
finally, they shopped the argument that relying on NICS for
point-of-purchase checks would somehow undermine the sheriff and empower
the federal
government – an argument rendered ridiculous if you understand that sheriffs are required by law to do NICS checks prior to
issuing purchase permits.

Sheriffs’ own report an indictment of the system

So imagine our surprise when we discovered that the NCSA had
quietly shelved its own report describing what complete chaos the pistol
purchase permit system is in, and how many permits might currently be
held by criminals. Under HB 937, passed in 2013, sheriffs were required
to
develop a report indicating how many disqualified persons still held
permits which are valid for 5 years and allow them to bypass background
checks
via NICS. They were also required to revoke invalid permits. To see the
NCSA report, CLICK HERE (or go to:
http://grnc.org/documents/NCSA-PPP-Revocation-Report-2014-FINAL.pdf).

Some highlights from the NCSA report with most in sheriffs’ own
words:

  • “[NICS] reports included 165 or 23.5% of permits being subject to revocation in Camden
    County and 35,488 or 38% of permits being subject to revocation in Mecklenburg County.”

  • “…sheriffs’
    offices
    [submitted] 674,806 permits for review representing 344,338 different
    permit holders. CJLEADS returned 26,637 permits to sheriffs as subject
    to revocation due to an event or condition that occurred subsequent to
    the issuance of the permit that would have disqualified the individual
    from
    receiving a pistol purchase permit at application.” [That rate is about
    4%, or four times higher than NICS, suggesting that the PPP system is
    *inferior* to NICS at preventing criminals from getting
    guns.]

  • “Sheriffs have reported revoking 5,255 permits from
    2,447 permittees as a result of the background check
    and review process through April 25, 2014. However, it should be noted
    that a
    sheriff has no way of knowing if a permit has been used since issuance.”
    [Translation: Perhaps only ¼ of 26,637 invalid permits were
    “revoked,” leaving potentially 22,000+ criminals in possession of
    permits and able to bypass background checks.]

  • “Sheriffs’ offices are staffed to review and process Pistol Purchase Permit applications and not to conduct periodic reviews of
    active permits…”

  • “Conducting an ongoing manual case by case review of 289 permits in Tyrrell County or
    93,486 permits in Mecklenburg County is nearly impossible.” [So much for NCSA’s argument that sheriffs “know” who in their
    counties should have permits. If they can’t manually check them now, how can they do so before issuance?]

  • “Several
    sheriffs’ offices had over 40% of their permits reported subject to revocation in the NICS report.”

  • “Sheriffs’ offices cannot account for permits claimed to be ‘lost’…”

  • “Gun dealers do not know if a permit has been revoked…”

What the NCSA report means

While the sheriffs will undoubtedly claim that inconsistencies of data
matching
contributed to high rates of permits being reported for revocation, even
the “best” possible number of 5,255 permits “revoked”
means 5,255 criminals had (or have) guns under the system.

By the way, did we mention that “revocation”
means only that the sheriff issued a revocation letter? If the criminal says, “The dog ate my permit,”
they have no recourse and that criminal may still use that slip of paper to bypass a computerized background check.

The bottom line is that
NICS checks are superior to our archaic permit system at keeping criminals from getting guns.

Adding insult to injury…

Before the
NCSA apparently instructed sheriffs to stonewall on the cost of issuing
each
pistol purchase permit, Forsyth County was kind enough to give the
following estimate: $50.54 for each pistol purchase permit issued,
meaning a waste of taxpayer dollars of $311,781.26 for just one county. Multiply that by 100 counties, and the
evidence is compelling that millions of dollars of your money is being wasted to shore up a system that lets criminals get guns while
obstructing the law-abiding from doing so.

By the way, did we mention that Forsyth reports denying nearly 10% of
permits applied for, with most presumably under the “good moral
character” loophole? That rate of denial is roughly 10 times higher than
NICS and once again suggests that good guys are being denied guns while
bad guys are getting them.

DY OF MESSAGE HERE


IMMEDIATE
ACTION REQUIRED!

  • EMAIL NC HOUSE
    REPUBLICANS    . Use the copy/paste email list provided below, and the copy paste text under ‘Deliver This Message.’ Ask them how
    they can justify retaining an archaic system that allows more criminals to get guns than NICS.

  • CALL YOUR NC HOUSE
    REPRESENTATIVE    . Tell him or her that he or she had better support repeal of a system which quite obviously hinders
    law-abiding citizens from getting guns while enabling criminals to do precisely that. Find your NC House rep by clicking here

    (or go to: http://ncleg.net/representation/WhoRepresentsMe.aspx).

CONTACT INFO


NC House Republicans Email List:

Jay.Adams@ncleg.net;
Dean.Arp@ncleg.net;
Marilyn.Avila@ncleg.net; John.Bell@ncleg.net; Dan.Bishop@ncleg.net;
Hugh.Blackwell@ncleg.net; John.Blust@ncleg.net; Jamie.Boles@ncleg.net;
John.Bradford@ncleg.net; Bill.Brawley@ncleg.net; Mark.Brody@ncleg.net;
Rayne.Brown@ncleg.net; Brian.Brown@ncleg.net; Rob.Bryan@ncleg.net;
Dana.Bumgardner@ncleg.net; Justin.Burr@ncleg.net; Rick.Catlin@ncleg.net;
George.Cleveland@ncleg.net; Jeff.Collins@ncleg.net;
Debra.Conrad@ncleg.net;
Leo.Daughtry@ncleg.net; Ted.Davis@ncleg.net; Jimmy.Dixon@ncleg.net;
Josh.Dobson@ncleg.net; Nelson.Dollar@ncleg.net;
Jeffrey.Elmore@ncleg.net;
John.Faircloth@ncleg.net; Carl.Ford@ncleg.net; John.Fraley@ncleg.net;
Mike.Hager@ncleg.net; Jon.Hardister@ncleg.net; Kelly.Hastings@ncleg.net;
Bryan.Holloway@ncleg.net; Craig.Horn@ncleg.net; Julia.Howard@ncleg.net;
Pat.Hurley@ncleg.net; Frank.Iler@ncleg.net; Charles.Jeter@ncleg.net;
Linda.Johnson2@ncleg.net; Bert.Jones@ncleg.net;
Jonathan.Jordan@ncleg.net; Donny.Lambeth@ncleg.net;
James.Langdon@ncleg.net; Chris.Malone@ncleg.net;
Susan.Martin@ncleg.net; Pat.McElraft@ncleg.net; Allen.McNeill@ncleg.net;
Chris.Millis@ncleg.net; Gary.Pendleton@ncleg.net;
Larry.Pittman@ncleg.net;
Michele.Presnell@ncleg.net; Dennis.Riddell@ncleg.net;
George.Robinson@ncleg.net; Stephen.Ross@ncleg.net;
Jason.Saine@ncleg.net;
Mitchell.Setzer@ncleg.net; Phil.Shepard@ncleg.net;
Michael.Speciale@ncleg.net; Paul.Stam@ncleg.net;
Bob.Steinburg@ncleg.net; Sarah.Stevens@ncleg.net;
John.Szoka@ncleg.net; John.Torbett@ncleg.net; Rena.Turner@ncleg.net;
Harry.Warren@ncleg.net; Sam.Watford@ncleg.net; Roger.West@ncleg.net;
Chris.Whitmire@ncleg.net; Larry.Yarborough@ncleg.net;
Lee.Zachary@ncleg.net; Chuck.McGrady@ncleg.net; Paul.Tine@ncleg.net

DELIVER THIS
MESSAGE

Suggested Subject: “End the ‘Felon
Enablement’ Permit System”  

Dear Representative:

With respect to House Bill 562, a report shelved by the North Carolina
Sheriffs’ Association (NCSA) and only recently unearthed demonstrates
beyond a reasonable doubt that sheriffs are shoring up an archaic pistol
purchase permit system which allows thousands of felons to get guns,
while denying law-abiding citizens whom the sheriff arbitrarily deems
not of
“good moral character.” The report reveals that the computerized
National Instant Background Check System (NICS) found 26,637 permits
held
by disqualified individuals – nearly 4%, or roughly four times higher
than denials by NICS. Even if the NCSA claims errors in data matching,
the
organization admits 5,255 revocation letters were issued, meaning that
the archaic pistol purchase permit system let at least 5,255 criminals
have
guns.

Worse, Forsyth County reports that the cost of issuing a single
purchase permit – for which the county gets $5, is $50.54 while nearly
10%
of applications are denied, suggesting that across our one hundred
counties, tax payers are funding a system which wastes millions of
dollars denying
guns permits to law-abiding citizens while giving them to felons.

Bring HB
562 to the floor for a vote and pass it, including its provision for
repealing the purchase permit system. If House Republicans fail to act,
they are perpetuating a “felon enablement” law.

Respectfully,