When a Harlem thug saw Margaret Johnson, a grandmother who has been confined to a wheelchair since a 2001 injury, he thought he had an easy target. The friendly Johnson said hello to the man, but according to police, he responded by grabbing her around the neck in an attempt to steal her necklace. But he had underestimated Johnson, an NRA member and accomplished target shooter who was on her way to the gun range. She reached for her registered pistol and shot her assailant, sending him running. "There's not much to it. Somebody tried to mug me and I shot him," said Johnson. "It was very scary." Police caught up with Johnson's assailant half a block away. (New York Post, New York, NY, 09/09/06)
Samuel Mitchell was exiting his church after choir practice, unaware that two blocks away events were in motion that would change his life. Police say a robber attempted to rob a man and woman, and the victims fled in opposite directions. The suspect pursued the female toward the church, where Mitchell had gotten into his truck. As he was leaving the parking lot, the woman climbed into Mitchell's vehicle and pleaded for help. When the suspect caught up, he stuck a pistol inside the truck window and announced a carjacking. Mitchell, who has a concealed carry permit, responded by producing his own pistol and shooting the man, who died at the hospital. (Arkansas Democrat Gazette, Little Rock, AR, 09/15/06)
Vincent Llanas was on the phone with 9-1-1, desperately hoping police would arrive in time as a man tried to break into his home. As he spoke with the dispatcher, the intruder smashed a window and tried to unlock the front door. Llanas quickly grabbed a 12-gauge shotgun and shot at the suspect, peppering him with shot as it ricocheted off the window and door. The suspect fled the scene, but was arrested by police and taken to the hospital. (Waco Tribune Herald, Waco, TX, 09/06/06)
Just four months after burglars stole jewelry worth thousands of dollars from a Florida townhouse, four suspects attempted another heist. This time, however, the homeowners' 26-year-old son was sleeping inside. According to police, Richard McKinley heard someone entering the home, grabbed a handgun and went to investigate. He confronted four burglars, and pointed his gun at them while demanding their hasty departure. Instead, they began struggling with McKinley and he opened fire. One intruder died instantly. The others fled. "[McKinley] took it upon himself to defend himself, and I'd do the same thing he did," said a neighbor. (The Miami Herald, Miami, FL, 09/21/06)
According to police, when Michael Slonaker heard an unexpected, midnight-hour knock at his door, he cautiously answered it armed with a handgun. Unbeknownst to him, two juveniles were standing behind his front door, one clutching a baseball bat and the other holding a shotgun. As Slonaker opened the door, the juvenile holding the shotgun began to raise it. Slonaker fired two shots, hitting both assailants. The shotgun-toting youth, who had been on probation, was killed. His accomplice was arrested when he sought treatment at the hospital for a gunshot wound. (Kokomo Tribune, Kokomo, IN, 09/06/06)
The homeowners, who were asleep, "awoke to a living nightmare," said Seguin, Texas, police department officer Aaron Seidenberger. "A person had broken into their home, and now they were violently struggling to get the suspect to leave." The male homeowner fought with the burglar, who was armed with a wooden club-like object he found inside the home. The homeowner broke free, retrieved a AO-caliber handgun from inside the bedroom, and yelled at the intruder to leave. When the burglar made a mad dash toward the homeowner, he shot and killed him. Seidenberger said that while the homeowner is likely shaken, "He has to look at it [from the viewpoint of] 'If I had not done what I did to protect myself and my wife, then I might not be here. (The Gazette-Enterprise, Seguin, TX, 09/05/06)
A 23-year-old man's night of mischief grew increasingly brazen and dangerous as the evening progressed. Police say he broke into three vehicles before entering a nearby home through an unlocked door. Once inside, a female resident discovered the intruder and alerted her husband to his presence. Armed with a gun, her husband confronted the intruder. "[The suspect] advanced toward the homeowner and was shot three times," said Major Randy Royal of the Ware County Sheriff's Department. Charges were pending while the intruder recovered, the hospital. (Waycross Journal-Herald, Waycross, GA, 08/18/06) |
Every week, I'm on the road traveling to gun clubs, ranges and rallies around the country. Without fail, one of our fellow members always comes up to me, shakes my hand and asks, "What else can I do to save the Second Amendment?" Hearing that day in and day out makes me proud to call you my friends and proud to be a part of our magnificent organization dedicated to preserving America's unique freedoms. Your voices, your votes, your endless volunteer hours and your generous contributions are the reason our firearm freedoms are surviving and thriving. To thank you for your outstanding leadership, I am pleased to announce that we have a brand new NRA membership benefit-a benefit that puts even more power in your hands to save money and save our sporting traditions: SavingUSA.com. Just click on to SavingUSA.com before you make your normal online purchases at your favorite merchant sites, and you'll get great members only deals and discounts. Plus, a portion of your purchase will help support NRA programs that teach safety and conservation, and protect our heritage. That means that just by buying what you normally buy online, you will help NRA raise the funds we need to support these vital initiatives. Click one of the thousands of links to shop for kitchenware, clothes, pet food, office supplies, outdoor gear, flowers, auto parts or anything else you need, from everyday items to luxury gifts. To take full advantage of the tremendous buying power at SavingUSA.com, simply log on using your NRA member ID on your membership card (it's also on the mailing label of this magazine) and your special savings code, NRA2008. I encourage you to check out the powerful bargain-finding features of SavingUSA.com. Most important. of all, I urge you to make your first purchase at SavingUSA.com today. If you would like to do even more to support these critical programs, please encourage your friends and family to join NRA and make SavingUSA.com their first stop for all their online shopping needs. By using the SavingUSA.com savings code when they log in, they can tap the tremendous power of this membership benefit, too. Best of all, with each friend or family member you recruit to join NRA and shop online through SavingUSA.com, you help NRA teach one more American how to handle a firearm safely, or preserve one more acre of hunting land and habitat, and protect our cherished freedoms. If there is anything I can do to make SavingUSA.com work harder for you and your family, please let me know. Thank you for your support this holiday season and I hope you enjoy this extraordinary new membership benefit. |
We must broadcast one simple message over and over: no new gun restrictions. You will hear increased calls for new regulations on firearm sales and ownership. You're going to hear the same tired phrases like "reasonable regulations" and "common-sense gun control:' Some politicians will again get in front of cameras and microphones and say that all America needs to be safe is a few more gun laws. Don't you believe it. There are already thousands of statutes and regulations on the books at the federal, state and local levels. We need robust law enforcement and no-nonsense judges, not more gun laws. In fact, there's nothing else to make illegal. Think about it; anything you can imagine that would harm or endanger another person is already against the law. Firearms are so heavily regulated that any activity-whether purchasing a gun, storing it, transporting it, using it or even threatening to use it-is already covered by countless laws. Yet for all that, expect to hear a renewed chorus from a reenergized gun control lobby about how the problem with America is that there are too many guns. This is the same tired rhetoric we've heard before. In the 1960s we were told that blanket gun bans would stop violence and crime in America's cities. In the 1990s we were told that banning certain semi-auto rifles (which they tricked the public into believing were full-auto machine guns) and making people wait a few days for a handgun were the keys to safety. And as recently as 2004 we were told that without the Clinton gun ban the streets of America would run red. As one police chief said when debating me on "Nightline" in September 2004, just days before the ban expired, "Let the carnage begin:' It's the same old spin. It was wrong then, and it's wrong now. There was no carnage with semi-auto rifles after the Clinton gun ban expired. Waiting periods do nothing to reduce crime, and may prevent an innocent person from obtaining a firearm in time to prevent them from becoming a victim. As lawful firearm ownership increases in a community, violent crime decreases. Criminals still prefer to prey on the weak, and they don't like armed victims. Criminals will always break the law and obtain firearms illegally. The only thing a new gun control law will do is stop you and other law-abiding, decent people from obtaining firearms to defend yourselves. But the spokesmen for the gun ban crowd will not admit that as they push forward new anti-Second Amendment legislation. They'll be pushing more gun control measures because they think the new Congress will be willing to pass them. Even with all of NRA's clout and with many of our friends from both parties still in office, this new Congress will be a less friendly place for the Second Amendment and your rights. We face uncertain times over the next two years. One thing is certain. Your NRA will work hard to protect your rights. We will not sleep; we will not rest; we will not yield. I will not give up. Wayne LaPierre and Chris Cox will not give up. We at NRA will fight for every inch of ground. Anyone who thinks otherwise is in for an unpleasant surprise. As you enjoy this hunting season with your friends and family, please consider how you can support and arm your NRA in this fight. Even if it's only a modest amount, helping to refuel our war chest after an exhausting campaign will give us the tools to fight for you. When we ask for your help so we can fight for your gun rights, please be there for us. I hope you have a fantastic hunting season. And when you've cleaned and put away that rifle or shotgun, come join me on the front lines. We've got work to do and I need you in this fight. You and I will march together, as part of freedom's army, to hold the line and press forward to victory. |
Now that the elections are behind us and hunting season is in full swing, it's time to get back to basics. NRA members face significant challenges after the recent congressional elections as freedom took a hit on November 7. These next two years will be tough. We must focus on the fundamentals of sound firearm policy to protect our rights when it comes to hunting, self-defense and the core Second Amendment purpose of protecting our nation and our liberty.