I Saw the Cost of Liberty Today

Dear Friends,
     If you didn't make it to the Fayetteville Gun Show today, it will still be running tomorrow from 10:00-5:00. Stop by and get bumper stickers, buttons, campaign literature and even some of the NRA's newest yard signs - though supplies are limited.  They have hundreds of tables and I can promise you one thing: mine is the only one that will give you something for nothing and won't ask for a donation!  As you enter the door, look towards 10 o'clock for the American flag and that is where you will find me.
     On a personal note, one thing made a huge impression on me today.  I go down to Ft. Bragg every so often to the PX and Commissary and can't help but notice all of the license plates denoting that the owner has earned the Purple Heart, Bronze Star or is a Disabled Veteran. As a disabled veteran myself I am kind of attuned to that sort of thing. But at the gun show I got to see and meet many of these young heroes behind the license plates. I was stunned at all the young men in wheelchairs, walking with prostheses, or with scars you won't see on the average college campus. You can't see that when you are just driving along the road.  It really hit home the high price they are paying for our freedom - joining the ranks knowing full well what could happen to them as opposed to the Cold War Army that I enlisted in.  And they do it anyway. Even now as I write this I have trouble keeping my emotions in check. I was overwhelmed with admiration, gratitude, empathy as well as sadness that what they do for all of us isn't properly acknowledged.  Thanks guys - you are carrying the torch of freedom in the finest American tradition. Even if we are remiss now, history will right that wrong.
     One way we can repay their sacrifice on the altar of freedom is to vote.  These courageous young people don't offer excuses on the battlefield - they get out therr, face their fears and get the job done. In this day and age, there isn't one American citizen in North Carolina who is able to check a box that has an excuse for not voting.  No excuses - just do it. Check your voter registration status. If you need to register, do it right now. You should  view a sample ballot, make your selections and then vote - either absentee, during early voting (Oct. 14-30) or find your local precinct,and go to the polls on November 2. There - you have the tools, now exercise the freedoms these heroes have purchased for you at the cost of life, limb and blood shed on the battlefield.
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Tip of the day: the new and improved NRA Political Victory Fund website is now fully operational.  Among other things, it has official NRA candidate grades and endorsements available for your consideration.  If you are an NRA member, please visit this useful online tool prior to election day and join me in supporting these candidates.
     Sincerely yours,
     Tom Goffe

Out & About: This Weekend at the Fayetteville Gun Show

     Dear Friends,
     This weekend we will be at the Fayetteville Gun Show on Saturday and Sunday.  It will be in the Crown Coliseum at the Cumberland County Civic Center.  Show hours are Saturday (9:00-5:00) and Sunday (10:00-5:00).  If you visit the C&E Gun Shows web site you can get a coupon good for a dollar off the regular admission price of $7.00. Better yet, if you join the NRA or renew your annual membership at the show, you can get in free.  Directions to the show are available when you click on this link. We will be passing out campaign literature, bumper stickers, yard signs and talking about the importance of the upcoming election with 2nd Amendment supporters.  It will also give you a chance to join the NRA's Frontlines if you have not done so online. Bring your family and friends to this fun event and be sure to stop by our table.
     Also in the news, there was an attempted robbery at a pizza restaurant in Charlotte.  What the crooks didn't count on was that one of the employees was armed.  Read how this citizen used his rights to save his own life and that of two other employees.  Remember this when gun rights opponents tell you that regular folks don't have any need to rely on a gun for personal defense.
     New today is something I'll call the Tip of the Day. With this I hope to share some of the interesting ideas, trivia and things I've learned as the campaign to support our Right to Keep and Bear Arms progresses.
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     Today's tip is about bumper stickers.  Did you know that a bumper sticker that costs a campaign pennies is worth up to $250.00 to them in terms of advertising impact? In other words, when you put one of their bumper stickers on your car you have just saved them $250.00 that they would have had to spend on TV, radio or newspaper advertising to achieve the same visibility to voters. For campaigns on a shoestring this is a great use of scarce donation dollars.

     Sincerely yours,
     Tom Goffe

NRA Endorses Senator Richard Burr

The following is the text of a press release announcing yesterday that the National Rifle Association has endorsed Senator Burr.  My two cents will follow shortly....

Fairfax, Va. -- The National Rifle Association Political Victory Fund (NRA-PVF) is endorsing U.S. Senator Richard Burr (R-N.C.) for re-election this November.
“Richard Burr’s steadfast commitment to preserving our Second Amendment freedoms and hunting heritage has earned him the NRA-PVF endorsement,” said Chris W. Cox, chairman of NRA-PVF. “I know Senator Burr will continue to fight for and protect the Second Amendment rights of all law-abiding gun owners in North Carolina and across the United States.”
During his tenure in the U.S. Senate and U.S House of Representatives, Richard Burr has consistently supported gun rights for law-abiding Americans. Burr cosponsored and voted for the District of Columbia Personal Protection Act, to repeal the D.C. gun ban and restore gun rights to residents of our nation’s capital. He signed the pro-gun congressional “friend of the court” brief in the McDonald case, supporting the position that the Second Amendment guarantees a fundamental right that protects all Americans. He also signed the pro-gun congressional brief in the 2008 Heller case, supporting the Second Amendment as an individual right and striking down the gun ban in our nation’s capital. Burr cosponsored legislation to force much-needed reform of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE), voted for the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity amendment, cosponsored and voted for the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act preventing attempts to bankrupt the American gun industry through bogus lawsuits, voted for an amendment that prohibits gun confiscation during states of emergency and voted against confirmation of anti-gun Supreme Court Justices Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor.
Senator Burr’s unwavering commitment to preserving our Second Amendment rights and hunting heritage has earned him an “A” rating and endorsement from the NRA-PVF.
“North Carolinians value their Second Amendment freedoms, and Richard Burr is the clear choice to represent them,” Cox concluded. “We ask all North Carolina gun-owners and hunters to re-elect Senator Richard Burr on November 2nd.”