NRA Grassroots Workshop Summary

If you don't already subscribe to the NRA Institute for Legislative Action "Grassroots Alert" emails, go to the Grassroots Alert signup page and you will be on the inside track.  Below is the most recent edition, which describes a great event that the ILA folks put on at the 2010 NRA Annual Meetings in Charlotte. I was there and was privileged to meet other proactive like-minded people willing to go the extra mile to support our rights.

NRA-ILA GRASSROOTS ALERT
Vol. 17, No. 19      05/14/10

NRA Members Enhance Preparation For 2010 Elections

Click here to vote in this week's poll.

Nearly 200 pro-gun patriots rolled up their sleeves and went to work at today's NRA-ILA Grassroots Workshop, held in conjunction with NRA's Annual Meetings & Exhibits in Charlotte, N.C.  Though most attendees were home state North Carolinians, NRA members represented states from across the country. Diversity in geography notwithstanding, all were united in a singular mission -- learning what MORE they could do to affect legislative change this year and prepare for the 2010 midterm elections!
As they do every year, many of NRA's Officers stopped by the Workshop to pay tribute to the attendees who serve as the tips of our grassroots arrow.  NRA President Ron Schmeits, NRA First Vice President David Keene, NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre, and NRA-ILA Executive Director Chris Cox came to the podium and gave credit for NRA's successes to whom it rightly belongs -- our members and grassroots activists.  Each stressed the need for attendees to re-double their efforts this campaign season and to recruit others to join them.  Also in attendance were a number of NRA-ILA's Election Volunteer Coordinators (EVCs) -- who once again are prepared to lead the charge in recruiting and organizing pro-gun volunteers this election year.
Memberless VPC Decries Meeting of 70,000 of NRA's Members in Charlotte: For quite a long time now, the three or four anti-gun radicals that make up the Violence Policy Center haven't had much to show the Joyce Foundation for the hundreds of thousands of dollars the leftwing foundation wastefully pumps into the anti-gun group each year. As regular readers of the Alert well know, Second Amendment opponents' defeats have outnumbered their temporary successes by a wide margin lately.
John Lott to Unveil New Book at NRA Annual Meeting:  A decade ago, John Lott's best-selling More Guns, Less Crime shattered conventional wisdom about gun control, and changed the academic debate among criminologists and economists from how much gun ownership caused crime to increase, to how much it caused crime to decrease.
Get Your Copy of Stephen Halbrook's Freedmen, the Fourteenth Amendment, and the Right to Bear Arms, 1866-1876:  Does the Second Amendment apply to the states?  The Supreme Court will soon decide that critical question.  As that historic day approaches, there's no better time for all Americans to learn more about this issue.
Grassroots News Minute Video:  To view this week's "Grassroots News Minute" video, please click here: 

VOTE! Today is Primary Day

Today is the day when we have the honor and privilege to exercise one of our most solemn responsibilities as citizens - the right to vote.  Patriots old and new have fought and died to perpetuate the right that is at the core of the founding of the United States of America.  To fail do do so dishonors their sacrifice and also removes any ability we might have to be dissatisfied with the quality of the representation we have locally, in Raleigh and in Washington.

Get out, cast your ballot and hold your head high!  I'll see you at the polls.

Key Election Dates

The Primary for 2010 will be held on May 4.  Now is a good time to make sure that you are registered.  This is something that you can do online.

From now until Saturday, May 1 you can participate in One-Stop Absentee voting. If you are qualified, you may register and then vote at a One-Stop Voting Site.  Here is how it works:
1. Go to a One-Stop Voting Site in your county of residence. Here is a complete list of available locations and dates/times that is periodically updated.
2. Fill out a Voter Registration form. You can get a copy of the Voter Registration form online before you go.
3. Show identification with your address, such as a driver's license. A complete list of what will be accepted as proof of meeting this requirement can be found at the NC Board of Elections web site.
4. Vote!

Tuesday, April 27 is the last day to request an Absentee Ballot in writing.  You will need to request your Absentee Ballot from your County Board of Elections. The only exceptions are due to illness or disability. The State Board of Elections has the list of County Board of Elections available online.

Monday, May 3 at 5:00 is when your Absentee Ballot must be received by the Board of Elections. The deadline to request absentee ballots for sickness/disability is 5:00 p.m. or postmarked by day of the Primary and received by 5:00 p.m. May 7, 2010.

Tuesday, May 4 is when actual in-person voting will take place. Polls open at 6:30a.m. and close at 7:30 p.m.  If you are not sure about where you should vote, you can also find that location online.

Registering to Vote is Easy - Do It Now!

If you are not already registered to vote, it is too late to participate in the May 4 primary election. The good news is IT IS NOT TO LATE TO REGISTER FOR THE GENERAL ELECTION IN NOVEMBER!

The online registration form is just a click away. Take a minute to fill it out and mail it to your county board of elections. If you are not sure if you are registered, you can also check your voter registration status online. It is also important that you keep your registration current - another task that can be done easily online.

Isn't technology grand?

May 4 Primary and My Introduction to You

May 4 is an important day for the citizens to express their opinion on the issues of the day - especially where our 2nd Amendment rights are concerned. Primary elections will be held then and it is critical that you pull the lever for the candidates who most fully support our freedom.

In the coming days, I'll be posting information about the various candidates that will allow you to examine their position on this issue.

In other news, I've volunteered to support the NRA as their Election Volunteer Coordinator for North Carolina's 2nd Congressional District. Not sure whether you live in the district? The map below is added for your convenience. I'll also be adding some links to polling places, as well as information about early voting and how you can vote by absentee ballot if you anticipate that you will not be able to get to the polls on election day.
I'm really looking forward to working with my friends and neighbors in the district to advance the cause of the right to keep and bear arms. I look forward to hearing from you and welcome your thoughts and suggestions. Your concerns about how to protect our Right to Keep and Bear Arms are of paramount importance to me, and I'll need your help. Please send your e-mail to me at nraevc2nddistrictnc@gmail.com

Sincerely yours,
-Tom Goffe