Join Me at the Legislative Day Rally Tomorrow in Raleigh

The North Carolina Federation of Dog Clubs and the North Carolina Sporting Dogs Association are organizing a Legislative Lobby Day for Tuesday, June 29, 2010 to express their opposition to Senate Bill 460 - The Commercial Breeder Bill.  If you wish to assist by attending, please meet in front of the North Carolina General Assembly at 16 W. Jones Street, in Raleigh.  You should plan to arrive between 8:30 and 9:00 AM. You can find driving directions here and find a map of the Legislative Complex here. Please note that Glenwood Ave is under construction so you might want to find an alternate route.

If you cannot attend the Lobby Day, you can still help by contacting members of the House Finance Committee, and voicing your objections to SB 460. 

I look forward to meeting you all tomorrow morning in Raleigh.

Liberty Prevails in the US Supreme Court

You will no doubt read and hear more about this landmark decision from both the NRA Institute for Legislative Action as well as the mainstream media.  The Right to Keep and Bear Arms also applies to the states and municipalities - a severe blow to those who would deny us our rights. Those of us who value liberty are heartened by this victory.  The full decision can be viewed here.

Commercial Breeder Bill (SB 460) Contacts

This bill is coming up for a vote at a hearing in the North Carolina General Assembly Finance Committee at 8:30, June 30, 2010.  This will take place in Raleigh in Room 540 of the Legislative Office Building.  Follow this link for directions or use this map of the Capitol Complex.  We need everyone who can make it to the hearing to join us to show our opposition to this bill.  This bill is not in the best interest of dogs, their owners, breeders, sportsmen or hunters. Take a look at the NRA Institute for Legislative Action Alert to see just how flawed this bill is.

Regardless of whether you can be there or not, we also need to let the members of the committee know of our commitment to preserving our sporting heritage. Tell them simply that you oppose this bill by calling the offices of the members, or send them an e-mail. Don't forget to to put "Please OPPOSE SB 460" in the subject line. Contact as many members as you like, or better yet, drop a quick note to each of them.

Thanks a million for your help!

Regards,
-Tom

Representative Paul Luebke (Senior Chairman)
Phone: 919-733-7663
E-mail: Paul.Luebke@ncleg.net
Representative Pryor Gibson (Chairman)
Phone: 919-715-3007
E-mail: Pryor.Gibson@ncleg.net
Representative William L. Wainwright (Chairman)
Phone: 919-733-5995
E-mail: William.Wainwright@ncleg.net
Representative Jennifer Weiss (Chairman)
Phone: 919-715-3010
E-mail: Jennifer.Weiss@ncleg.net
Representative Dewey Hill (Vice Chairman)
Phone: 919-733-5830
E-mail: Dewey.Hill@ncleg.net
Representative Hugh Holliman (Vice Chairman)
Phone: 919-715-0873
E-mail: Hugh.Holliman@ncleg.net
Representative Julia Howard (Vice Chairman)
Phone: 919-733-5904
E-mail: Julia.Howard@ncleg.net
Representative Daniel McComas (Vice Chairman)
Phone: 919-733-5786
E-mail: Danny.McComas@ncleg.net
Representative Larry Womble (Vice Chairman)
Phone: 919-733-5777
E-mail: Larry.Womble@ncleg.net
Representative Kelly M. Alexander, Jr.
Phone: 919-733-5778
E-mail: Kelly.Alexander@ncleg.net
Representative Curtis Blackwood
Phone: 919-733-2406
E-mail: Curtis.Blackwood@ncleg.net
Representative John Blust
Phone: 919-733-5781
E-mail: John.Blust@ncleg.net
Representative R. Van Braxton
Phone: 919-715-3017
E-mail: Van.Braxton@ncleg.net
Representative Becky Carney
Phone: 919-733-5827
E-mail: Becky.Carney@ncleg.net
Representative Tricia Ann Cotham
Phone: 919-715-0706
E-mail: Tricia.Cotham@ncleg.net
Representative Bill Faison
Phone: 919-715-3019
E-mail: Bill.Faison@ncleg.net
Representative Dale Folwell
Phone: 919-733-5787
E-mail: Dale.Folwell@ncleg.net
Representative Larry Hall
Phone: 919-733-5872
E-mail: Larry.Hall@ncleg.net
Representative Sandra Spaulding Hughes
Phone: 919-733-5754
E-mail: Sandra.Hughes@ncleg.net
Representative Earl Jones
Phone: 919-733-5825
E-mail: Earl.Jones@ncleg.net
Representative David Lewis
Phone: 919-715-3015
E-mail: David.Lewis@ncleg.net
Representative Darrell McCormick
Phone: 919-733-5654
E-mail: Darrell.McCormick@ncleg.net
Representative William McGee
Phone: 919-733-5747
E-mail: William.McGee@ncleg.net
Representative Bill Owens
Phone: 919-733-0010
E-mail: Bill.Owens@ncleg.net
Representative Johnathan Rhyne
Phone: 919-733-5782
E-mail: Johnathan.Rhyne@ncleg.net
Representative Deborah Ross
Phone: 919-733-5773
E-mail: Deborah.Ross@ncleg.net
Representative Mitchell Setzer
Phone: 919-733-4948
E-mail: Mitchell.Setzer@ncleg.net
Representative Paul Stam
Phone: 919-733-2962
E-mail: Paul.Stam@ncleg.net
Representative Edgar Starnes
Phone: 919-733-5931
E-mail: Edgar.Starnes@ncleg.net
Representative Thom Tillis
Phone: 919-733-5828
E-mail: Thom.Tillis@ncleg.net

ALERT: Anti-Breeding Bill Update

The NRA Institute for Legislative Action issued a new alert on Senate Bill 460 yesterday.  It was scheduled to be heard and voted on by the General Assembly Finance Committee last Thursday, but after flooding the members of the committee to express our opposition to this poorly worded anti-hunting bill that forces an unfunded mandate on the counties, the sponsors removed it from the calendar and have rescheduled it for 8:30 on June 30. We won a small skirmish there, but the battle continues.  We must work together to beat this bill.  Please join me and contact the members of the General Assembly Finance committee to let them know that thousands of supporters of liberty across North Carolina oppose this bill.  Just click on the Representative's name to get their phone number and e-mail and use both to ask them to oppose SB 460.

If you can make it, please plan to attend the hearing on June 30, 2010 at 8:30 a.m. in Room 504 of the North Carolina State Legislative Office Building. Please follow this link for directions and this link for a map.

Thanks again for your help.

-Tom

How you can help..

1. If you have not already done so, register to vote. On election day, VOTE!  As a disabled veteran of the US Army, I get pretty emotional on this point, but I truly believe in my heart that one of the greatest ways to honor the sacrifices of those who have fallen in defense of our liberties is to exercise our right to vote.

2. Right now I'm working at building a network of volunteers that will be helping out candidates for office that support the 2nd Amendment. You have already taken the 1st step in that direction by reading this. I'd like to encourage you and your family, friends and neighbors who value our 2nd Amendment rights to join the team.  They can sign up on the NRA web site online or just shoot an e-mail to me at nraevc2nddistrictnc@gmail.com. Join up - all it costs you is as much time as you are willing to devote to the cause.

3. If you see or hear of anything that might limit or impact our Right to Keep and Bear Arms, our hunting heritage or other similar issues, please let me know. We want to keep a close eye on these situations and take action together to preserve our liberties.   As these situations develop I will keep folks up to date on my blog, by e-mail and on the phone.

Working together, we can make good things happen and advance the cause of the 2nd Amendment liberties we all cherish.

Regards,
-Tom

So-called "Puppy Mill Bill" Hearing Delayed Until June 30.

The NC General Assembly Finance Committee has delayed hearing this bill.  I was up there yesterday and after talking to several aides & staffers I heard that the supporters of the bill pulled it because they were surprised and overwhelmed by the opposition that the NRA, it's members and other concerned citizens have expressed against this bill.

Rumor has it that HSUS et. al. are working with the principal sponsor (NC Sen. Don Davis)  to strategize on how to get it through the Committee. It is widely reported that it will come up again on June 30. On June 22, Davis, HSUS and others held a press conference to advance the bill that aired on a Raleigh TV station. If I didn't know better, I'd think that HSUS had put this story together for them.

This fight isn't over.  In fact, thanks to your support for liberty it is just beginning.  Please keep making those calls, writing e-mails and letting the members of the committee know you care.

Crunch Time to Halt the NC Commercial Breeder Bill

The NC House Finance Committee is set to hold a hearing on this wretched bill on Thursday morning.  At the Raleigh Gun Show last weekend, many stalwart NRA members and others interested in keeping our hunting heritage asked me what the big deal is.  I'll give you a link to the NRA Legislative Alert and also to the American Kennel Club's Legislative Alert.  Both will give you everything you need to tell your NC State Representative about why this bill is bad news.  For your convenience, I've included a link to the list of the members of the committee so you can voice your opinion with a phone call or an e-mail.

Let me take a stab at explaining why this is a big deal.  The animal rights activists - those who would ban all hunting {and even meat if their dreams came true} work just like the gun control extremists do.  They appeal to emotions, and start with trying to get a law on the books that SEEMS reasonable, but it is really a smoke screen to get their toe in the door. Once they get their way on something that seems innocent and meaningless, they do the same thing again and again until you wake up one morning and wonder where your freedoms went.  The easiest way to stop them is to nip it in the bud and never let them take your liberties in the first place.


Take charge, contact these representative, and make your voice count.

Let's Get Together and Do Good Things

Hello, everybody!

This weekend I'm going to be at the NC State Fairgrounds at the Raleigh Gun Show.  I'll be registering voters, discussing the NRA Institute for Legislative Action's FrontLines program, as well as gathering support to defeat the Commercial Dog Breeder Bill coming up for a hearing before the House Agriculture Committee in Raleigh.

I look forward to hearing from you.

ACTION ALERT - Help Preserve Freedom!

The NRA Institute for Legislative Action has issued an ACTION ALERT for North Carolina, and you help is needed to stop yet another assault on our freedoms. The primary architect of the bill is the Humane Society of the United States - definitely not to be confused with your local animal shelter or Humane Society. One of their primary goals is to abolish hunting. But their agenda does not stop there. In the words of their head, Wayne Pacelle when asked if he envisioned a future with no pets, he replied, “I wouldn’t say that I envision that, no.  If I had my personal view perhaps that might take hold.  In fact, I don’t want to see another cat or dog born.”

The target of the legislation is not limited to commercial breeders. It will also limit the activities of sporting dog breeders using language that puts interpretation of what is and is not permissible in the hands of local animal control officers. No surprise, but many of them are affiliated either by training or sympathy with the HSUS. Likewise, the bill puts the cost of enforcement on the counties - many of whom simply cannot afford another unfunded mandate in these tough times. A close read of the financial impact report shows that they simply have no clue what it'll cost, but it doesn't matter since it'll be passed on to the counties.

If the Finance Committee takes up S. 460, it is likely to be on Thursday, June 24, at 8:30AM in Room 544 of the Legislative Office Building.  I will be there and hope to meet you at the hearing.

If you cannot attend, please take a moment to contact members of the House Finance Committee to urge them to oppose S 460 and the anti-hunting agenda of HSUS. 

Contact for the House Finance Committee can be found here. 

If you intend to send legislators e-mail, please be sure to use "Oppose SB 460" as your subject line.