NRA-ILA GRASSROOTS ALERT: Vol. 21, No. 37 09/19/2014 NBC Offers Repellent Advice on Appeasing Home Invaders Americans have a constitutional right to armed self-defense, but they have other choices as well. The University of Colorado, for example, last year offered the students it sought to disarm with statewide legislation other "crime prevention tactics." Options for female students facing rapists included passive resistance," biting, and self-degradation. According to one proponent of the bill to ban the lawful carrying of firearms on campuses, such threats are "why we have the whistles." Along similar lines, NBC's Today Show recently offered suggestions on how to deal with violent home invaders. Their basic advice: politely defer to the intruder, but if things really get out of hand, reach for the insect repellent. READ MORE >> Seeking Liberty and Justice for All… In this week's NRA-ILA Grassroots News Minute, Jennifer Zahrn draws attention to the unequal treatment of Shaneen Allen in contrast to the Ray Rice case. READ MORE >> USA FREEDOM Act Would Curtail Government Surveillance Programs Americans are justifiably proud of our military, intelligence, and law enforcement forces. Their bravery, dedication, and sacrifice help keep this nation safe and free. They have the gratitude of the NRA, its members, and the American people. READ MORE >> Saving the Champagne: Anti-Gunners Not Celebrating AWB Anniversary Last weekend marked the 10-year anniversary of the federal "assault weapon" and "large" magazine bans' expiration. True to form, gun control supporters reacted by mischaracterizing what the bans did and by attempting to conceal their plans for future restrictions. For those keeping track, the bans were imposed on September 13, 1994, and expired 10 years later. Trying to save face, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who sponsored the bans, issued a press release claiming that they had "worked." However, her claim is based upon mischaracterizations of BATFE firearm tracing data and the congressionally-mandated study of the bans. She also lied about her legislative intentions, claiming she's interested only in "reinstating" the bans when her current legislation would instead expand the bans to include all semi-automatic shotguns and detachable-magazine semi-automatic rifles and tighten restrictions on magazines. (See NRA-ILA S. 150 Fact Sheet.) Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-N.Y.) has introduced companion legislation in the House of Representatives. READ MORE >> Time Comes Out for Banning Private Sales…Again With apologies to popular songwriter Paul Simon, Time magazine is apparently "still crazy after all these years." Crazy about gun control, that is.  On Monday, Time, which has supported gun control for decades, ran an article subtly promoting "universal background checks" on firearm transfers. Titled "How Little Has Changed on Gun Control Since 1967" and written by "pop culture and entertainment" reporter Lily Rothman, the article compares President Lyndon Johnson's campaign against interstate mail-order firearm sales in the 1960s to President Barack Obama's campaign against so-called "online" sales today. READ MORE >> D.C. Council Thumbs Nose at Federal Court and Gun Owners, Proposes Restrictive "May-Issue" Concealed Carry Licensing Regime In response to the District's ban on carrying handguns being declared unconstitutional in July, this week the D.C. Council released a bill to create a licensing system to carry a concealed pistol. While the Council claims that the bill is intended to comply with Judge Frederick J. Scullin's opinion holding D.C.'s ban to be unconstitutional, a closer inspection of the bill reveals that the practical effect of the bill may be very similar to the District's current outright ban on carrying firearms.  To start, issuance of a license to carry a pistol would be left to the discretion of the Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department. While in some "may-issue" jurisdictions it's possible for most law-abiding people to get a license, the bill makes clear that only applicants with a "special need" would be granted a license. READ MORE >> The 2014 NRA-ILA Firearms Law & The Second Amendment Symposium will be held on Saturday, October 11, 2014 at The University of Baltimore. Focusing on recent developments in our nation's courts and legislatures regarding the Second Amendment, speakers at this year's event will discuss and debate current Second Amendment developments and related issues. The symposium will feature top Second Amendment scholars and attorneys discussing topics that range from the history of the Second Amendment to current Second Amendment litigation in Maryland and across the nation, to the nuts and bolts of legal practice in both defending and advancing gun owners' civil rights. READ MORE >> CALIFORNIA: Governor Brown Needs to Hear Your Opposition to Four Pending Anti-Gun Bills COLORADO: Recount Finalized on Castle Rock Open Carry Vote COLORADO: Expanded Hunting Opportunities Offered in Plan for San Luis Valley National Wildlife Refuge Complex LOUISIANA: Stand and Fight with NRA for the 2014 General Elections MAINE: Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Opposes Referendum Based on Forty Years of Research MISSOURI: Gun Owners Prevail in Veto Override Session MONTANA: Election Day 2014 Will Be Here Before You Know It NEVADA: UPDATE on Concealed Handgun License Permit Recognition NEW JERSEY: Fish and Wildlife Service Proposes Expanding Hunting in Great Swamp NWR NEW YORK: Sportsmen's Association for Firearms Education presents the 2014 Firearm Civil Rights Conference NORTH CAROLINA: NRA Needs You for the 2014 Elections! OREGON: Informational Hearing Scheduled to Discuss Lead Ammunition Survey on Tuesday TEXAS: Alcoholic Beverage Commission Proposes New Rules that Negatively Impact Friends of NRA Events, Shooting Clubs and Gun Shows WASHINGTON: With Election Day on the Horizon, NRA Needs You to Stand and Fight