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A Reno, Nev., woman had just dropped off her children at a local clinic and was returning to her minivan when she saw a man vandalizing the vehicle. The woman yelled at the vandal, who then approached her in a threatening manner. That's when the 39-year-old mother of four drew a .32-cal. pistol from her purse and told the man to stop. When he continued to advance toward her, she shot him once in the chest. Her attacker, Karan-Vir Singh, was expected to be charged with destruction of property. (Reno Gazette-Journal, Reno, NV, OS/2 1/03)
Stephen Heller was visiting with a woman who had called him and then come over to his home when two masked men armed with a pistol broke in, beat him and tried to tie him up. During the struggle, Heller used his knife to cut one man and then grabbed his gun and fatally shot the other man, later identified as Scott Howard. The woman, Wyndie Odom, fled on foot with the other assailant, identified as Travis Lee Smith. Odom's car was still in Heller's garage as he had closed the garage door after she pulled in. Detective Sgt. Roger White said it was believed the woman had brought the men with her to rob Heller and that they had hidden in her trunk when she pulled into Heller's garage. Odom and Smith were later arrested in Ardmore, Okla. (Denton Chronicle-Record, Denton, TX 06/ 17/03)
A Central City hubcap storeowner shot and killed a man during an armed robbery attempt. The owner of Meyer's Auto Parts told police that a man entered his store around 6 p.m. and asked him several questions about hubcaps. The man then appeared to look around the store a few times, which made the owner nervous. The shopkeeper wisely retrieved a gun from under the counter and discreetly tucked it into the small of his back. Shortly thereafter, the suspect drew a small Russian-made pistol and demanded money. The owner reported that he reached behind his back in a deliberate motion as though he was going for his wallet, but drew his gun instead. Police reported that the owner apparently fired one time, hitting the robbery suspect in the chest. The gunman ran from the store but collapsed nearby and was later pronounced dead at the hospital. (Times Picayune, New Orleans, LA, 06/11/03)
The Davis family was sleeping when a man broke into their mobile home. Brenda Davis was in the living room on a sofa with their 2-year-old daughter and 2-month-old son. Her husband, Charles, was in a bedroom when the man entered their home by breaking a window in the living room. Hearing the noise, Charles Davis grabbed his gun and headed for the living room, then retreated to the kitchen with his wife. As they were closing the door between the living room and kitchen, the intruder came at them and Charles Davis shot him. The home invader, later identified as Richard Mack, died at the scene from a gunshot wound to the head. Authorities said it was unclear why Mack chose to break into the Davis home. (Anderson Independent-Mail, Anderson, SC, 06/15/03)
About 10:20 p.m., two men broke into Edward Hudson's home near Rocky Mount, Va. According to witnesses interviewed by police, the men—one of whom wore a ski mask and carried a rifle—came through the front door of Hudson's home. The men demanded drugs and money from Hudson and William Davis, a guest in Hudson's home. When Hudson told the intruders he had no drugs or money, they proceeded to beat him with the rifle butt. Davis reached under a sofa cushion and drew a handgun, then shot the masked man holding the rifle. Both intruders ran out of the house as Davis continued to fire at them, emptying his gun. Sheriff Quint Overton said a ski mask was found in Hudson's yard, and the body of one of the intruders, identified as Travis Wayne Richards, was located farther down the road. The other suspect, Claude Elton Wray, was discovered the following morning when he sought medical attention for his gunshot wounds. Wray was taken to a local hospital where he was in serious condition. (The Roanoke Times, Roanoke, VA, 06/ 17/03)
A Tampa, Fla., resident shot and wounded a man who attacked him as he entered his home early one morning. Michael Perdue was returning to his home at S a.m. when a masked man forced him inside the house. Perdue was able to retrieve his gun and shoot the intruder three times before the man fled. Albert Lee Jones was arrested hours later when he sought medical treatment for multiple gunshot wounds. Jones was charged with aggravated battery, attempted armed robbery and armed burglary. (Tampa Tribune, Tampa, FL, 06/09/03) |
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The shared commitment of 4 million individual members of the NRA to preserving freedom is what has saved the day time and time again. Among those who know that best is Charlton Heston whose lifetime of service to the nation—as a civil rights leader, as a voice of moral authority and as an advocate for individual American liberty and freedom—was recognized by President George W. Bush on July 23 with the presentation of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian award. For the past five years, the NRA has been truly blessed by Chuck Heston's leadership. His strong voice of reason and love of freedom—under our banner—has touched the hearts of countless Americans across our land. He has brought a unity of purpose and a singular focus to NRA's membership, always understanding that our power rests in the hands of each individual member—with you. For all of us, nothing has been more bittersweet than seeing Chuck Heston's farewell as NRA's President. He has given so much of himself to us—his time away from family, his character, his wisdom, his international stature, his moral direction and his vision. For all of that, Chuck Heston has asked nothing in return—except that we remain strong and vigilant. All he has ever expected from us is victory in our battle to preserve freedom. As a public person, he has given all he can to NRA and to our great nation. And the time has come to give something back. Among his last efforts as our leader, Chuck has shared a vision for the future. In a special letter to NRA members, he speaks of his "enormous pride in what we have achieved together and in the knowledge that—in your trustworthy hands—our great and noble cause wil1 endure ...." "Even as my days with you grow short, my thoughts are not on past victories but on the battles that lie ahead." To that end, Chuck is asking you to participate in a living legacy dedicated to strengthening our great Association to preserve tomorrow's freedom for future generations. To assure that strong future, Charlton Heston asks NRA members personally to pitch in—each and every one of us—in fighting for our great cause so freedom may endure. Now is the time to be counted in the ranks of freedom's most potent force. By making your contribution to the Charlton Heston Legacy Program, you will fulfill his vision to "set the stage for great victories for yourself and your descendants who will fill our shoes in the years to come." In immediately extending your membership, in donating to the NRA Communications Strike Force, and in providing your e-mail address, you will help assure NRA's strength today to defend freedom tomorrow. Part of Chuck Heston's long-term vision is a future where kids—our kids—are no longer subjected to antigun, anti-hunting propaganda in the media, in the entertainment industry and in our schools. Chuck knows, as we all do, that we must do everything possible to counter this ongoing assault on the minds of our children. And, in taking part in the Heston Legacy Program, you will help fight the battles that are upon us today. Right now, media conglomerates and the gun prohibition movement are mounting an all-out campaign to renew and expand the Clinton gun ban to include more categories of firearms and a national gun registration scheme. And with at least two impending vacancies on the US. Supreme Court, U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is escalating his war on highly qualified nominees to the Federal bench using every trick in the book. Schumer wants to pack courts—especially a Supreme Court—with judges who will kill the Second Amendment. And we must stop him. Supporting the Heston Legacy Program will also help enact critical legislation— already passed by the U.S. House of Representatives and now pending before the Senate—to stop the insane lawsuits filed by trial lawyers and big-city machine politicians to destroy our nation's lawful firearm industry. By participating in the Heston Legacy Program, you can help meet those immediate challenges with renewed strength and increase NRA's effectiveness. Most importantly, you can make Chuck Heston's vision come true: an NRA sustained well into the future so that your children and grandchildren will breathe the sweet air of freedom that our Founding Fathers intended. Participating in his vision, in the Heston Legacy Program, is a vote of thanks to Charlton Heston for all he's sacrificed on our behalf, for the future of NRA and for American liberty. |
The threat to our Second Amendment rights is never
going to go away. The forces arrayed to deny firearm freedom, to
erase it from the past, to destroy it for all future generations
will never give up. The only power that stands between our unique
Second Amendment liberty and its destruction by the gun-ban movement
is the National Rifle Association.
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Who is this "vulnerable hunter"? It could be a man or woman, but for the sake of simplicity, I'll use the word "he." He gets a license every year or two. He has an older shotgun or rifle—maybe a Mossberg or Savage or Remington. He has a six-year-old pickup truck. His hunting clothes are not new, but they work fine. He makes the things we use, he fixes our furnace. He's the only guy at the gas station when we drive in. He's up on the power line in the February sleet, or on the fire truck when we smell smoke. He drives the 18-wheeler, bringing our groceries from afar. He punches a clock, so once he's at work it's almost impossible to leave and run errands for the game agency. He has very little time with his son or daughter, so a chance to hunt deer or pheasant with his kid is a very big deal. Laws, administrative rules, enforcement tactics, all affect him differently than the fancier hunter—for example, the wealthy lawyer in a big law firm can easily take off and run errands when government offices are convenient and open. He can get his secretary to fill out the forms. He can hire an outfitter to handle the licenses, permits and problems. He may even accept red tape as the norm. The vulnerable hunter may find all of this a big hardship, more expense and exasperation than he can tolerate. So he drops out. And hunting loses an important friend. Here's the problem: If the most vulnerable hunter is forced out by burgeoning costs and red tape, our political base will be gone, because that's where our big numbers are. Without huge numbers, hunting will be dead for everybody—rich and poor alike. It will be dead for Wal-Mart, Cabela's and Bass Pro Shops, for Mossberg as much as for Merkel. And, hunting will be dead for NRA and Safari Club and Ducks Unlimited. It will be dead for the state game agencies, it will be dead for the hundreds of wildlife agents who have good relations with hunters as well as those who are disrespectful. Unfortunately, some agencies and a few members of some hunting specialty organizations say, "Good! If you can't afford fancy equipment, if you won't devote large amounts of time and money, if you aren't a passionate devotee of a special game type, if you don't talk in fancy trophy scoring lingo—if you are offended by aggressive law enforcement tactics when there is no probable cause that you have done anything wrong—then get out! Take up bowling!" Well, if the most vulnerable hunters do continue to get out, we're all out of business. As a civil rights organization, NRA defends rights. And, like all civil rights organizations, we have to view rights from the standpoint of the most vulnerable member. Our emphasis, therefore must be: How does this law, rule, policy or government action affect the most vulnerable hunters? Sometimes rules, fees and costs about hunting and game are absolutely vital and clearly needed. Sometimes they are not. Sometimes the unnecessary laws, rules and fees are spawned by anti-hunters, sometimes for bureaucratic or law enforcement convenience, or from a paternalistic government agency attitude that says: "We're the boss and we run hunting!" In the end, the motivation doesn't matter much—what matters is the effect. If a particular law, rule or regulation freezes out hunters and gun owners for no vital reason, then it must be defeated! When administrative rules, fees and hunting laws are being considered, who is at the table? Are rules constantly ratcheted up because everybody at the decision table is a booster of the agency? Is there not even one advocate for the most vulnerable hunter? We desperately need the hunting specialty organizations that have done tremendous work to restore habitat and game. They should be honored and supported. Many game agencies and agents are completely dedicated to hunting and respectful of hunters. It is just as important that the average hunter not be choked by red tape and driven from the field. |
Every year a new crop of administrative rules,
red tape, raised fees, imposed costs and land closings are added
to last year's crop and piled on the backs of hunters. Seldom
are any repealed.