Grass Roots North Carolina

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GRNC – Stop Release Of Permit Info

March 5, 2013 by 1 Comment

Grass Roots North Carolina sent out an alert this evening urging North Carolinians to write their State Representative and State Senator urging them to support SB 28 and HB 17. A number of sheriffs in the state are now refusing to release this data on public safety grounds. These bills, if passed, will make CHP and pistol purchase permit data private and not subject to the state’s version of the Freedom of Information Act.


Several NC Sheriffs refuse to give sensitive information…

According to a recent article in the “The Charlotte Observer,” several of North Carolina’s 100 Sheriffs are standing up for your rights by not releasing sensitive information associated with Concealed Handgun Permits which they feel is a breach of privacy and beyond the scope of what is required by laws covered under the Freedom of Information Act.

Citing safety concerns, some have refused requests based on concerns over the identities of victims of domestic violence who still may be in danger, as well as dangers many gun owners would face if the information was made public. Sheriff Alan Cloninger of Gaston County has sent a letter to CHP holders within his jurisdiction explaining his reasoning for not releasing private information, again citing safety concerns. North Carolina Sheriffs, along with many other law enforcement agencies are realizing that the release of such information is not only dangerous but a serious breach of public safety and privacy.

Legislative attempts to stop the pressure

Currently, there are two bills in the North Carolina General Assembly that address this important issue that you need to be aware of: SB 28 and HB 17.

SB 28: “Gun Permit Information/No Publication”(Bingham). Removes concealed handgun permit and handgun purchase permit records from public record, preventing abuses of the information by media outlets such as those by the “Journal News,” WRAL-TV and “The New York Times.” GRNC supports the bill.

HB 17: “Gun Permits/Restaurants & Confidentiality” (Burr, Hager, Hollo, Bell). The restaurant carry language of the bill is identical to what GRNC drafted in HB 111, which failed to pass the Senate last year. The second section removes handgun purchase permit and concealed handgun permit information from public record. GRNC supports the bill.

Your voice must be heard

If left to their own discretion, politicians will cater to the loudest voices. These two Bills are important safeguards against the abuse of sensitive information. Your information should never be used as a way to sensationalize news organizations’ efforts to gain ratings as they have so many times before. They don’t care about your safety, they care about their own ratings. Your State Senators and Representatives need to know that you are watching these Bills closely, and that they have your support.

IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED!

Contact your NC State Senator and tell them to support SB 28
Contact NC State House representative and tell them to support HB 17
Support GRNC: GRNC needs your support to help combat the efforts against your rights as gun owners. Join or renew your membership! http://www.grnc.org/join-grnc/join-grnc-online
SIGN THE “STOP THE GUN BAN” PETITION: Go to: www.StopTheGunBan.org Whether or not you have already signed it, forward this to others and tell them to sign it too.

CONTACT INFO

Find your reps by going to: http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/representation/WhoRepresentsMe.aspx

DELIVER THIS MESSAGE

Suggested Subject: “Stop Release Of Permit Holder Info”

Dear : Senator or Representative,

I am alarmed at the number of requests by news organizations and others for information about me. As a resident of your district and a concerned gun owner, I find it appalling that news outlets would try to use personal and private information about me to liven up their stories in the hopes of creating a fear-driven ratings boost for them.

Two bills currently active in the North Carolina General Assembly will make information about my status as a Concealed Handgun Permit holder closed to the public eye. I urge you to support and vote for SB28 and HB17 when they come to the floor. The information that news organizations, not to mention anti-gun activists, can and will be used on a wide basis, will not only put my life in danger, but also the lives of my family members.

I cannot stand by and allow this kind of information to become public for all those who happen to ask for it. I will monitor your actions via Grass Roots North Carolina legislative alerts.

Respectfully,

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LaRue Tactical Steps Up And GRNC Asks Why Not More

February 10, 2013 by 10 Comments

LaRue Tactical of Leander, TX is well known for both their tactical accessories and their highly accurate AR-style rifles. On Friday, Mark LaRue, the owner and president, issued a notice stating his company would limit their sales to state and local law enforcement agencies to what the citizen of that state or locality was permitted to own or possess. In other words, if, for example, the residents of California or New York are limited in what they may possess due to “assault weapons bans”, then sales to the LAPD or NYPD will be limited to that as well.

Grass Roots North Carolina is starting a campaign to get other companies on board with this. Their position with which I agree is that the “Only Ones” should not be allowed to have special weapons that are forbidden to the average citizen by state or local law.


Do other manufacturers support the Second Amendment only when it’s profitable to do so?

The Second Amendment has always had fair-weather friends. LaRue Tactical, manufacturers of firearms and firearm accessories, is one company that will never be accused of being our fair-weather friend. When New York State passed its unconstitutional anti-gun law, LaRue swung into action. In a move reminiscent of Barrett Firearms’ banning of all sales to California law enforcement (http://www.thegunzone.com/rkba/rkba-50.html) after California banned .50BMG rifles, LaRue has stated that it will not sell anything to local law enforcement that it can’t sell to you and me.

In a news release dated 2-8-13, LaRue states:

Effective today, in an effort to see that no legal mistakes are made by LaRue Tactical and/or its employees, we will apply all current State and Local Laws (as applied to civilians) to state and local law enforcement / government agencies. In other words, LaRue Tactical will limit all sales to what law-abiding citizens residing in their districts can purchase or possess.

(http://www.facebook.com/LaRueAccuracy#!/LaRueAccuracy/posts/529849683721877)

Lest you think that LaRue, more famous for accessories than anything else, is making an empty statement, take a look at the AR style rifles they manufacture (http://www.laruetactical.com/rifles). New York banned them for sale to citizens, so LaRue won’t sell them to the NYPD either. Will other firearm manufacturers have the guts to stand up like LaRue and Barrett do?

The NYPD allows officers to select one of three firearms for duty carry: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City_Police_Department#Firearms):

• SIG P226 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SIG_P226)

• Smith & Wesson 5946 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smith_%26_Wesson_Model_5906)

• Glock 19 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glock_19#9.C3.9719mm_Parabellum).

All of these pistols are equipped with a greater than 7-round magazine, making them illegal for sale to law-abiding New York residents.

IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED!

• Send the following letter to SIG, Smith & Wesson, and Glock and ask them to follow LaRue Tactical’s lead. Tell them to adopt the same rule: If it can’t be sold to citizens, it won’t be sold to State and local government.

• Go to LaRue Tactical’s Facebook page and thank them for standing up for your Second Amendment rights: http://www.facebook.com/LaRueAccuracy#!/LaRueAccuracy/posts/529849683721877

Contact

Cut and paste email list: publicsafetysales@sigsauer.com, dgrier@smith-wesson.com, LE.info@glock.us

Deliver This Message

Suggested Subject: If it’s illegal for us, don’t sell it to police!

Dear Law Enforcement Sales Manager,

Recently New York rushed an ill-advised and unconstitutional law infringing on the rights of law-abiding gun owners. Other states are poised to write similar laws. I urge you to follow the lead of LaRue Tactical which has adopted this policy: If it can’t be sold to law-abiding citizens, it won’t be sold to state and local police agencies either.

There are 800,000 sworn police officers in the entire United States. The FBI reports a total of 2,495,440 NICS checks, and thus firearms sales, in January alone. Police sales are not your major business. It’s time for firearm manufacturers to send a clear message that you will not participate in the slow erosion of our Second Amendment rights.

(NICS numbers Source http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/nics/reports/20130205_1998_2013_monthly_yearly_totals.pdf)

Signed,

A Concerned Gun Owner

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A Report On The Gun Rights Rally In Raleigh

February 8, 2013 by

Grass Roots North Carolina had a decent turnout in Raleigh for their Second Amendment Freedom Rally on Tuesday. Given it was in the middle of the workweek and that there are no major gun control measures expected to be passed by the North Carolina General Assembly, 600 to 1,000 people was a good turnout.

The report from GRNC is below as is the streaming feed from WRAL.

GRNC Second Amendment Freedom Rally

Observers estimate that—even on a workday—between 600 and 1,000 gun owners mobbed the legislature Tuesday at GRNC’s Second Amendment Freedom Rally. Held in the Halifax Mall, under the office windows of lawmakers during a legislative day, GRNC supporters delivered a coordinated two-fold message to legislators, the media, and the world:

1. At a state level, it is time to expand the 18-year success of our concealed handgun law to include restaurants, educational property, and other areas.

2. Absolutely nothing about federal gun control proposals is acceptable, and gun owners will not compromise on the issue.

GRNC volunteers made the difference

Organized by GRNC Director of Development Josette Chmiel, more than a dozen GRNC volunteers efficiently set up the event, signed up members, recorded photos and video of the event, and beginning at 10:00 AM, directed gun rights supporters to legislators’ offices. As hundreds of gun owners visited the offices of their House and Senate representatives as well the leadership of both chambers, the lime green “Guns Save Lives” stickers they wore seemed to flood the complex.

Politicians and media got the message

Unlike rallies held at unoccupied capitols on weekends, the media swarmed this event. Most Raleigh-area TV outlets were present, plus the Associated Press and National Public Radio. WRAL-TV ran live streaming coverage of nearly the full event on its website (to see it, check GRNC’s home page at www.GRNC.org). AP coverage of the event ran as far as San Francisco.

In addition to legislators who addressed the enthusiastic crowd, numerous others state lawmakers attended the rally, up to and reportedly including Lt. Governor Dan Forest (GRNC ****). Inside the legislature, representatives, legislative assistants, and staff were all keenly aware your presence.

Speakers energized the crowd

Opening the rally, Pastor Rod Chaney (who ran for House 50 in 2012 and earned GRNC’s highest 4-star evaluation), led the group in prayer by urging them to be drawn to action in defending the rights of free people. Josette Chmiel then got up to reiterate GRNC’s “no compromise” position. Jay Delaney, Executive Director of the Voter Integrity Project, spoke of the impact of voter fraud on gun rights.

Next, the keynote speaker and nationally renowned WPTF conservative talk show host Bill LuMaye discussed the historical perspective of the Second Amendment in preventing tyranny, describing how states should nullify unconstitutional laws and calling upon Republican leadership to “walk the walk.”

Other speakers included Rules Chairman Rep. Tim Moore; Sen. Andrew Brock, who called upon gun owners to be ever-vigilant and to stand and fight for the Second Amendment; former Rep. Glen Bradley; Sen. Jeff Tarte; and Rep. Larry Pittman, who described his proposed amendment to the North Carolina Constitution, which would strengthen the right to arms and would require the State to resist federal attempts to disarm the citizenry.

As rally participants became increasingly energized, GRNC President Paul Valone took the stage to remind them of the lessons of 1994, when “compromise” on relatively benign gun control proposals led to the introduction of the draconian gun ban known as “Brady II.” As the crowd’s fervor grew, he said:

“But make no mistake: These “reasonable” universal background checks are designed to create the beginnings of a national gun registration system. And registration is the necessary prelude to confiscation.

“So tell people who support this “reasonable” measure that the Clinton administration already tried to turn the National Instant Check System into a defacto gun registration system by failing to expunge transaction records, in violation of the law.

“They lied to us last time. Will we trust them this time?”

The crowd’s cry of “NO!” was so resolute that it not only rang but actually echoed off the windows of the Legislative Office Building.

Said Valone, “This is not 1994. Born of fire, scores of gun rights organizations like Grass Roots North Carolina have spent nearly two decades preparing for JUST. THIS. MOMENT.” Building to a crescendo, he said, “So now I want you to deliver a message that shakes the politicians behind these windows…”

The resulting three chants from the crowd, repeating with increasing volume to literally rattle legislators’ windows were:

“WE. WILL. NOT. COMPROMISE.”

See photos and video of GRNC Freedom Rally

Photos are available at: http://grnc.org/second-amendment-freedom-rally (Please note that photos showing only a few dozen participants were shot during setup for the event.)

The video of Valone’s speech is available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KR54-ixNm6s

Ag Commissioner Steve Troxler says private sales will continue

After GRNC dropped hundreds of emails into the office of Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler, asking whether he would support statements made earlier by Agriculture Police Chief Joel Keith that private gun sales would no longer be allowed at state-run facilities hosting gun shows, Troxler’s office asked GRNC for a meeting. During the meeting, Troxler described complexities of safely holding gun shows at the state fairground, but promised that details were being worked out with gun show promoters to allow private sales to continue.

‘2nd Right’ rally

Patriot and Second Amendment supporter Rona Herman is helping to organize an assembly at the NC State Capitol in Raleigh to support gun rights. This assembly is being conducted concurrently with groups across the country who will gather at state capitols in support of freedom.

These coordinated demonstrations will take place Friday, February 8th from 10 am until 1 pm. The North Carolina contingent will gather in Raleigh at the Bicentennial Plaza, 1 East Edenton Street. Maps of the gathering area and parking are available here: http://www.wikimapia.org/#lat=35.7816552&lon=-78.6383664&z=18&l=0&m=b. Ms. Herman is coordinating this event through Facebook. More information is available here: https://www.facebook.com/events/316601425126403/.

GRNC encourages members to participate in this coordinated, nation-wide event to support the right to keep and bear arms! Let our legislators know that we will NOT COMPROMISE OUR RIGHTS!

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Gun Rights Advocate Nominated For School Board

December 24, 2012 by 3 Comments

The Forsyth County (NC) Republican Party has nominated David Regnery to fill a vacant spot on the Winston-Salem Forsyth County Board of Education. Regnery is unapologetic in his defense of the Second Amendment and is a member of the board of directors of Grass Roots North Carolina. This has at least one county commissioner upset.

At least four of the seven commissioners say they will vote for Regnery.
At least one, Walter Marshall, says he will not, calling Regnery’s
positions on guns and other issues “frightening.”

Regnery holds a NC Concealed Handgun Permit and is certified by the NC Department of Justice as a concealed carry instructor. He is in favor of allowing school personnel carry concealed provided they received additional training to complement their NC CHP.

Regnery disagreed that his life revolves around guns saying, “”My whole life is not surrounded by guns,’ Regnery said. ‘My life is surrounded by two children and my wife, and work.'”

The story about Regnery’s nomination was on the front page of Sunday’s Winston-Salem Journal along with a story about the record-breaking attendance at the local gun show this weekend.

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Winston-Salem (NC) Wants To Ditch The Park Carry Law

December 24, 2012 by

The City of Winston-Salem has been one of the most vocal and consistent opponents of HB 650 which forced North Carolina municipalities to allow concealed carry in city and county parks. Now, according to this alert from Grass Roots North Carolina, they are seeking to have the law repealed in the wake of the tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut.

Demands Repeal of HB 650 Expanded Carry in Parks…

Insensitively exploiting the recent evil mass-homicide within a “Gun-Free” Connecticut school, the Winston-Salem City Council announced a list of requested legislation they want to see from this year’s NC General Assembly. Among these demands is repeal of last year’s expanded park carry that was passed as HB 650.

Incredibly, the Council responds to murder in a “Gun-Free Zone” by demanding expansion of their dangerous reach within North Carolina municipalities.

Winston-Salem Mayor Allen Joines was quoted as saying park carry is “a mixed bag, and it’s confusing. The legislature pre-empted local governments’ authority to control local parks. I think they should leave that up to us.” Compliance with this law is as easy as permitting law-abiding citizens to carry everywhere. Left up to the Mayor, we would be unable to defend our families in parks. This type of endangerment can no longer be tolerated.

Council Member Derwin Montgomery claims, “local governments have a right to regulate the time and place (arms are carried)”. So according to the Councilman, a right that “shall not be infringed” upon can be “regulated”?

Perhaps Winston-Salem’s efforts are more-related to an attempt to avoid responsibility for violating the provisions of HB 650 and the resulting lawsuit pursued GRNC’s partner, Rights Watch International?

Either way, Winston-Salem has earned a reminder from North Carolina gun owners that we will not permit expansion of dangerous“Gun-Free Zones” in our state, and have no patience for municipalities that violate state law by infringing upon gun rights.

IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED

CONTACT THE WINSTON-SALEM CITY COUNCIL and let them know that you don’t appreciate their clear violations of state law and attempt to expand dangerous “Gun-Free Zones” of defenselessness within NC municipalities

CONTACT INFO

danbesse@danbesse.org; vivianb@cityofws.org; denisea@cityofws.org; robertc@cityofws.org; derwinm@cityofws.org; mollyl@cityofws.org; wandam@cityofws.org; jamestjr@cityofws.org; allenj@cityofws.org

DELIVER THIS MESSAGE

Suggested Subject: Don’t make parks “Gun-Free” murder zones.

Winston-Salem leadership :

I am disappointed that you have decided to violate state law and continue to violate the rights of law-abiding North Carolina gun owners to defend themselves and their families in your parks. I am also disappointed that you are demanding that HB 650, last year’s expanded park carry bill, be rescinded. This important law decreases the area in which citizens are disarmed in our state. As we have seen with the increase in mass-homicides within “Gun-Free Zones”, places where citizens are prevented from being able to effectively defend themselves and their families are the most dangerous places in our society.

I urge you to stop your promotion of “Gun-Free Zones” in parks, and to embrace the common-sense expansion of freedom created by HB 650.

Sincerely,

Uncategorized

NC General Assembly Speaker Pro-Tem Race

November 19, 2012 by 1 Comment

It appears that there is a three-way race among Republicans in the North Carolina State House to be elected Speaker Pro-Tem which is the number two position. The race is between House Majority Leader Paul Stam, Rep. Bert Jones, and Rep. Julia Howard. Stam was instrumental in attempts to weaken the Castle Doctrine passed in the last session among other things.

Grass Roots North Carolina has issued an alert on the race and is asking that people write Speaker Thom Tillis to urge his support for Rep. Bert Jones who is strongly pro-gun.


As you will recall, House Majority Leader and current candidate for the Speaker pro tem position, Rep. Skip Stam (R, GRNC **) earned “Weasel” status last year by undermining pro-gun legislation through outright opposition and support of weakening amendments. His attempt to gut Castle Doctrine and successful removal of HB 650 language that would have allowed guns in locked vehicles at places of employment will not be forgotten.

Fate has smiled upon NC gun-owners in the form of Pro-gun challenger Rep. Bert Jones (R, GRNC ****) who vies with Stam for the No. 2 position in the NC House: Speaker pro tem. Also in the race is Rep. Julia Howard (R, GRNC ****) who is also a better choice than Stam.

All NC gun owners should urge House Speaker Thom Tillis to support Jones’ bid for the pro tem position.

IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED!

Email NC House Speaker Thom Tillis

Urge him to support Bert Jones for Speaker pro tem.

CONTACT INFO

Thom.Tillis@ncleg.net

DELIVER THIS MESSAGE

Suggested Subject: “Support Bert Jones for Speaker pro tem”

Dear Speaker Tillis,

As a North Carolina gun owner I am pleased that a pro-Second Amendment Representative is seeking the position of Speaker pro tem.

I urge you to support Rep. Bert Jones in his effort to win election to this important leadership position.

Sincerely,

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GRNC-PVF Has Released Their Recommendations

October 22, 2012 by 4 Comments

Grass Roots North Carolina-Political Victory Fund does not make endorsements. However, they do make recommendations based upon their candidate evaluations and basic electoral strategy.

GRNC generally does not provide blanket “endorsements,” but rather recommendations for effective voting strategies for the districts listed. Often, other candidates may be as good as the ones recommended, but might not get a recommendation for a variety of logistical reasons. If a district is not listed, GRNC has no recommendation for that particular race.

Their recommendations for the November general election are below. Early voting in the state started on Thursday, October 18th. You can check the State Board of Elections for more information on hours and locations in your county.


FEDERAL RACES

US President:

Vote for Romney (R, **). Libertarian Gary Johnson might well be pro-gun (although he failed to return GRNC’s survey and lacks a voting record on gun issues), but he stands no chance of victory. Given that Obama has publicly committed, during the presidential debates, to passing another “assault weapon” ban, voters should cast votes to keep him out of office. In this case, a vote for Johnson is effectively a vote for Obama.

US House:

District 1: Vote for Holloman (L, ****)
District 2: Vote for Elmers (R, ****)
District 3: Vote for Jones (R, ****)
District 4: Vote for D’Annunzio (R, ****)
District 5: Vote for Foxx (R, ****)
District 6: Vote for Coble (R, ****)
District 7: Vote for Rouzer (R, ****) due to 100% pro-gun voting record in NC Senate
District 8: Vote for Hudson (R, ****)
District 9: Vote for Pittenger (R, ****)
District 10: Vote for McHenry (R, ****), who has been a leader on gun issues both in the NC House and in Congress
District 11: Vote for Meadows (R, ****), who has made support for the Second Amendment a large part of his campaign
District 12: No recommendation
District 13: Vote for Holding (R, ****)

NORTH CAROLINA STATEWIDE RACES

NC GOV: Vote for McCory. Dalton is anti-gun, having racked up only a 53% pro-gun voting record in his 6 terms in the NC Senate. Although Libertarian Barbara Howe is undoubtedly the most pro-gun candidate in the race, she stands no chance of victory. Voting for her will help put Dalton in a position to stop all pro-gun legislation for at least the next four years
NC LT GOV: Vote for Forest
SUPREME CT: Vote for Newby

NORTH CAROLINA STATEWIDE RACES

NC Senate

District 1: Vote for Cook (R, ****)
District 2: Vote for Sanderson (R, ****)
District 4: Vote for Nail (R, ****)
District 6: Vote for Brown (R, ****)
District 7: Vote for Pate (R, ****)
District 8: Vote for Rabon (R, ****)
District 9: Vote for Goolsby(R, ****), a staunch gun rights supporter who sponsored pro-gun legislation in his first term in office
District 10: Vote for Jackson (R, ****)
District 11: Vote for Newton (R, ****). A former Jesse Helms staffer, in his freshman year Newton earned a co-chair position on the Judiciary II Committee through which gun bills are generally referred. He not only facilitated Senate passage of omnibus gun rights bill HB 650 – which contained Castle Doctrine, parks carry and much more – but actually wrote language to further strengthen Castle Doctrine. Newton is a leader for gun rights and the clear choice in this race.
District 13: Vote for Walters (D, ****)
District 15: Vote for Hunt (R, ****)
District 18: Vote for Doug Berger (D, ****), who has a 100% pro-gun voting record spanning 4 terms in the NC Senate and stood up to chamber leadership by offering a discharge petition to attempt to dislodge GRNC’s restaurant carry bill from committee. Opponent Barefoot claims to be pro-gun, but has as his mentor House Majority Leader “Skip” Stam, who has displayed consistent antipathy for gun rights by first trying to gut GRNC’s “Castle Doctrine” bill and then helping defeat a measure which could have allowed employees to keep guns in locked vehicles at places of employment.
District 19: Vote for Meredith (R, ****)
District 23: Vote for Carter (R, ***)
District 24: Vote for Gunn (R, ****)
District 25: Vote for McIntyre (R, ***)
District 26: Vote for Phil Berger (R, ****) . With a long history featuring a 100% pro-gun vote record and of sponsoring pro-gun legislation, as Senate President Pro Tempore, Berger passed omnibus pro-gun bill HB 650, containing Castle Doctrine, parks carry and other provisions. He lowered his evaluation by refusing a hearing to restaurant carry bill HB 111, but promises to give it a hearing in the next session. We will see whether he holds true to his promise
District 27: Vote for Trudy Wade (R, ****). Previously on Greensboro City Council, she fought against concealed carry restrictions in parks. Opponent Myra Slone is openly hostile to gun owners
District 29: Vote for Tillman (R, ****)
District 30: Vote for East (R, ****)
District 31: Vote for Brunstetter (R, ****)
District 33: Vote for Bingham (R, ****)
District 34: Vote for Brock (R, ****)
District 35: Vote for Tucker (R, ****)
District 36: Vote for Hartsell (R, ****)
District 38: Vote for Rivette (R, ****)
District 39: Vote for Rucho (R, ****)
District 40: Vote for Philip (R, ****)
District 41: Vote for Tarte (R, ****)
District 42: Vote for Allran (R, ****)
District 43: Vote for Harrington (R, ****)
District 45: Vote for Soucek (R, ****)
District 46: Vote for Daniel (R, ****) who has a proven record of supporting gun rights by helping pass HB 650, Castle Doctrine.
District 47: Vote for Hise (R, ****)
District 48: Vote for Apodaca (R, ****)
District 49: Vote for Clark (R, ****). In previous Senate terms, he compiled a 100% pro-gun voting record plus a willingness to stick his neck out for gun owners. He is the clear choice in the race
District 50: Vote for Davis (R, ****)

NC House

District 1: Vote for Steinburg (R, ****)
District 2: Vote for Karan (R, ***)
District 3: Vote for Speciale (R, ****)
District 4: Vote for Dixon (R, ****)
District 6: Vote for Lawson (R, ****)
District 8: Vote for Martin (R, ****)
District 10: Vote for Bell (R, ***)
District 12: Vote for Dancy (R, ****)
District 13: Vote for McElraft (R, ****)
District 14: Vote for Cleveland (R, ****). They don’t come more pro-gun than George.
District 15: Vote for Shepard (R, ****)
District 17: Vote for Iler (R, ****)
District 18: Vote for Harmati (R, ***)
District 25: Vote for Collins (R, ****)
District 26: Vote for Daughtry (R, ****)
District 28: Vote for Langdon (R, ****)
District 32: Vote for Bynum (R, ***)
District 34: Incumbent Deborah Ross is a committed anti-gunner. It might be symbolic, but vote for write-in candidate Apryl Major, who has vowed to support your rights. Yes, you will have to add her name to the ballot yourself.
District 36: Vote for Dollar (R, ***)
District 37: Incumbent Republican (and House Majority Leader) Paul “Skip” Stam has done his best to undermine gun rights. He tried to gut Castle Doctrine, and weakened omnibus pro-gun bill HB 650. His Democrat opponent, Jason Wunsch (D, 0-star) is undoubtedly also anti-gun and will undoubtedly lose the race. That said, GRNC asks you to vote for Wunsch to send a message to GOP leadership that RINOs like Stam will not be tolerated.
District 40: Vote for Avila (R, ****)
District 41: Tom Murry is ranked at 4 stars, but only because he “walked” on every difficult vote. After voting on only 3 of the 11 gun votes in the NC House, he then pronounced himself a gun rights supporter – this after GRNC mailed for him in 2010. GRNC-PVF recommends that you not cast a vote in this race, and then tell him why you didn’t by going to: http://votemurry.com/contact
District 44: Vote for Button (R, ****)
District 45: Vote for Szoka (R, ****)
District 46: Incumbent Republican Gaston Pridgen voted against gun owners by voting to weaken the measure in HB 650 which expanded concealed carry to parks. GRNC-PVF recommends that you not cast a vote in this race, and then tell him why you didn’t by sending him a message at: glpridgen@bellsouth.net
District 50: Vote for Chaney (R, ****)
District 51: Vote for Stone (R, ****)
District 52: Vote for Boles (R, ****)
District 53: Vote for incumbent Republican David Lewis, but with this caveat: Contact him and ask him why, after telling GRNC he would never vote against gun owners, he did so once in 2011 when he voted to weaken parks carry. Reach him at: http://www.davidlewis.org/contact/
District 54: Vote for Wright (R, ***)
District 55: Vote for Brody (U, ***). Note that he is unaffiliated, so a straight party vote won’t catch him. Vote him separately
District 61: Vote for Faircloth (R, ***)
District 62: Vote for Blust (R, ****)
District 64: Riddell (R, ***)
District 65: Vote for Jones (R, ****)
District 67: Vote for Burr (R, ****)
District 70: Vote for Hurley (R, ****)
District 71: Vote for McCann (R, ****)
District 72: Vote for Mellies (R, ****)
District 73: Vote for Hollo (R, ****)
District 74: Vote for Conrad (R, ***)
District 76: Vote for Ford (R, ****)
District 77: Vote for Warren (R, ****)
District 79: Vote for Howard (R, ****)
District 80: Vote for Dockham (R, ****)
District 81: Vote for Brown (R, ****)
District 82: Vote for Pittman (R, ***)
District 83: Vote for Johnson (R, ****)
District 85: Vote for Gillespie (R, ****)
District 86: Vote for Blackwell (R, ****)
District 87: Vote for Starnes (R, ****)
District 89: Vote for Setzer (R, ****)
District 90: Vote for Stevens (R, ****)
District 91: Vote for Holloway (R, ****)
District 92: Vote for Jeter (R, ****)
District 93: Vote for Jordan (R, ****)
District 94: Vote for Elmore (R, ****)
District 95: Vote for Brawley (R, ****)
District 97: Vote for Saine (R, ****)
District 98: Vote for Tillis (R, ****)
District 103: Vote for Brawley (R, ****)
District 104: Vote for Samuelson (R, ***)
District 108: Vote for Torbett (R, ****)
District 109: Vote for Bumgardner (R, ****)
District 110: Vote for Hastings (R, ****), who has fought tenaciously for gun rights in his first term.
District 111: Vote for Moore (R, ****), who has long been a gun rights leader.
District 112: Vote for Hager (R, ****)
District 115: Vote for Ramsey (R, ****)
District 116: Vote for Moffitt (R, ****). Opponent Democrat Whilden also earned 4 stars, but only on the basis of one relatively easy vote. Moffitt voted for gun owners 11 times in 2011 alone
District 117: Incumbent Chuck McGrady R, 0-star) twice voted against gun owners last year, and orchestrated the weakening of pro-gun legislation. Afterward, he was caught on videotape bragging about it to a leftist group. Tell him why you won’t be casting a vote in this race at: http://www.chuckmcgrady.com/index.php?option=com_smartformer&Itemid=65
District 118: Vote for Presnell (R, ***)
District 120: Vote for West (R, ****)

I notice that they didn’t make a recommendation in my house district (No. 119). Surprisingly for western North Carolina, neither the Democrat, former State Senator Joe Sam Queen (***), nor the Republican, Mike Clampitt (**), are really great on firearms issues. That said, I think personally that Queen would make a more effective representative in Raleigh given his prior experience. Clampitt is the ex-husband of a client and I think I should just leave it at that.

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What I Did This Morning

October 8, 2012 by 12 Comments

Grass Roots North Carolina, the state’s more aggressive gun rights organization, usually has a booth at all the major gun shows across the state. These booths – like the organization itself – are staffed by volunteers. Knowing the election was coming up and with the Complementary Spouse out of town taking care of family matters, I thought helping out at the Asheville Gun & Knife Show would be an ideal way to spend a few hours.

Our job was to introduce people to GRNC, hand out voter guides, and hopefully sign up new members. While the show opened at 10am, it took a while for people to start showing up. I’m guessing a lot of folks either went on Saturday or they were at church.

John Hammond, who coordinates these efforts in the mountains for GRNC, told me that he had handed out over 300 voter guides on Saturday. He also told me that the Republican nominee for the 11th Congressional District, Mark Meadows, had visited the booth yesterday along with Rep. Joe “You Lie!” Wilson (R-SC) and the 2010 Republican nominee Jeff Miller of Hendersonville.

In the three hours that I worked the booth, I’d estimate we spoke with 50-75 people. Some were already members, some had never heard of GRNC, and some were interested in joining in the future. After running into 3-4 people who said they were not registered to vote, we started asking people if they were registered to vote before giving out a voter guide. Those that were registered were genuinely interested in the voter guide. I stressed that we were non-partisan and that in some cases the Democrat actually was ranked better than the Republican.

I have to admit that I was somewhat dumbfounded that we ran into that many unregistered voters. I guess I shouldn’t be but with the ease of registration nowadays it makes it hard to say you didn’t have an opportunity. We never pressed it as we thought the deadline for registration was this past Friday (30 day before the election). However, checking the State Board of Elections website, I found that the deadline will actually be this Friday, October 12th. Given this, it would have been a good idea for GRNC, the NRA, or another gun rights organization to have had a voter registrar available to register these potential voters.

All in all, I had a good time. Of course, since I was already at the show, I had to do a little shopping. I came home with some Greek 30-06 ammo in en bloc clips, a couple of AK magazines, and a smattering of other stuff but no new guns.

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Grass Roots North Carolina Candidate Evaluations

October 6, 2012 by

Grass Roots North Carolina has released their candidate evaluations for their “Remember in November” project. The full list can be found here and includes national, statewide, congressional, and NC House and Senate races.

The GRNC Political Victory Fund endorsements will be released on October 15th.

The GRNC candidate evaluations for statewide offices and congressional races can be seen below. To make them more readable, I have taken the liberty of reformatting the GRNC report.

Candidate Party Survey Vote Other Evaluation
Statewide
Races
Governor
Howe L 98 ****
McCrory R 86 ***
Dalton D NR 53 90 *
Lt Gov Forest R 96 ****
Coleman D NR 67 65 *
US House
1st Holloman L 98 ****
Butterfield D NR 50 0
Dilauro R NR 0
2nd Irving L 98 ****
Ellmers R 87 100 100 ****
Wilkins D NR 0
3rd Jones R 100 97 98 ****
Anderson D NR 0
4th D’Annunzio R 100 ****
Price D NR 0 28 0
5th Foxx R 100 100 98 ****
Motsinger D NR 0
6th Coble R 90 100 98 ****
Foriest D NR 80 ***
7th Rouzer R NR 100 100 ****
McIntyre D NR 74 90 **
8th Hudson R 100 ****
Kissell D NR 33 100 0
9th Pittenger R 91 100 95 ****
Campbell L NR 0
Roberts D NR 0
10th McHenry R 100 100 98 ****
Keever D NR 0 0
11th Meadows R 100 ****
Rogers D NR 0
12th Brosch R NR 0
Watt D NR 19 46 0
13th Holding R 95 ****
Malone D NR 0

From GRNC’s explanation of how to read their evaluations:

GRNC’s “Remember in November” project estimates candidates’ views on “assault weapons,” concealed handguns, gun storage laws, gun rationing, and the Second Amendment. THE EVALUATIONS HEREIN ARE NOT ENDORSEMENTS. We issued surveys first to a control group of gun owners and then to candidates. Next, we measured how closely each candidate’s views and voting record (if available) agree with the control group.  Pay more attention to voting records than survey results unless, of course, you believe politicians never lie.


“SURVEY”: The percentages listed depict agreement between a given candidate and our control group (e.g. an “80” under the “Survey” section means 80% of the candidate’s answers agreed with the Conservative Gun Owners). “NR” means the candidate failed to return the survey.


“VOTE”: Votes are more accurate than surveys and should be given more attention in determining candidate stance. Where available, this column indicates how often candidates’ votes agree with the control group of gun owners (e.g. a “90” under “Voting Record” indicates candidate’s voting record agrees 90% of the time with what was desired by control group).


“OTHER”: Derived from evaluations by other gun groups, bill sponsorship, etc.


“EVAL”: The evaluation is not a rating. It estimates percentage of time candidate is expected to agree with the Conservative Gun Owners. The maximum **** candidate tends to agree with conservative gun owners at least 90% of the time.


**** Expected to agree with conservative gun owners on at least 90% of gun issues
*** Expected to agree with conservative gun owners on at least 80% of gun issues
** Expected to agree with conservative gun owners on at least 70% of gun issues
* Expected to agree with conservative gun owners on at least 60% of gun issues

0 Expected to agree with conservative gun owners on less than 60% of gun issues or else candidate failed to return survey & insufficient information exists to make evaluation. Is he / she hiding something?

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Restaurant Carry In NC Officially Dead

July 5, 2012 by

Those Republicans in the North Carolina State Senate who were afraid to bring HB 111 – the restaurant carry bill – to a vote have won the day. The Senate adjourned early Tuesday morning and the House followed at 3pm. With the adjournment any bills without final votes died and that included HB 111

Grass Roots North Carolina sent out the following email alert and reaction regarding restaurant carry yesterday:

NC General Assembly adjournment today makes it official: HB 111 is dead.

As Legislators from the NC General Assembly pack their bags and head home after a hard two months of work, the leadership in the Senate should go back to their districts and explain why they left gun owners out in the cold. It seems that the main resistance to this bill which would have allowed families to protect themselves while dining in public came from the Republican NC Senate Leadership.

Senate Pro Tem Phil Berger and Senate Rules Chair Tom Apodaca shuffled HB 111 off to various unrelated Committees until the clock ran out. Despite your calls and emails asking them to reconsider their actions, they thumbed their noses at the gun owners of North Carolina.

We Will Remember in November

Apparently once they took their seats of power, they no longer needed to listen to you. In November, we have a chance to send a message back to our leaders in the Senate. Our message is simple: We will Remember in November!

Support those candidates who have proven they will stand up and fight for your rights, and remember those that have shown they will duck and cover when the first sign of resistance appears. Remember to vote, and vote carefully.

The fight for passage of a bill that will allow families to protect themselves when they are in public will continue. New legislation will be introduced next year when the NC General Assembly comes back to work… and we will be there. We will not rest until North Carolina finally joins over 40 other states which already provide some sort of “Restaurant Carry” provisions . No more lies, no more dodging, it’s time to get this passed.

While Sen. Phil Berger does have a Democrat opposing him in the General Election in November, Sen. Tom Apodaca is unopposed. I have been studying their campaign finance reports and will have a post on that later.

The other component of HB 111 besides restaurant carry was a clarification of definitions regarding concealed carry in parks. That, too, died when HB 111 was shunted from committee to committee. As a result, counties and municipalities are left without the needed guidance on what they can or can’t do regarding carry in parks. As a result, you have cities like Winston-Salem including greenways as prohibited areas for concealed carry as they have declared them “athletic facilities”. Absent the clarification from the General Assembly, it will be left up to the courts to decide.