Mark Mason of Edgewater will have an extra Merry Christmas this year, as he is the winner of the lastest CSSA raffle for a new Taurus Millenium Pro 9mm pistol. Thanks to all who supported this raffle, and look for new raffles after the first of the year.
Congratulations to Wes Redfield of Denver, winner of the CMP M1 drawing held Sept. 8. Tickets for the current CSSA raffle (drawing in December) for a Taurus Millennium Pro pistol are still on sale for $2 or 3 for $5.
Congratulations to Ryan Edwards of Brighton, winner of a CMP M1 Garand in CSSA’s raffle held December 29. Thanks to all who supported CSSA in this raffle and look for more raffles coming later in 2009!
Congratulations to David Sumner of Brighton, winner of an Olympic Arms AR-15 carbine in the CSSA Raffle drawing held September 26, 2008. Our thanks to all who supported CSSA in this important fundraiser. Look for more great raffles in the coming months, including our current raffle for a CMP M1 Garand.
Don Gilmore of Castle Rock was the winner of a CMP M1 Garand in the Jan 2008 raffle drawing. Thanks to all who supported CSSA in purchasing tickets. Watch your email and the CSSA website for upcoming raffles.
Congratulations to Kathy Stockert of Loma, CO, winner of the Olympic Arms Carbine Raffle April 2007. And a big THANKS! to all who supported CSSA in this important fundraiser.
Friday 04 June 2010
NRA Message Re: Hillary Clinton And The UN Arms Trade Treaty Rumor
Friday, May 28, 2010
We continue to receive numerous inquiries regarding UN international treaties, and their impact on our Second Amendment rights. The latest rumor making its way around the Internet claims that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton actually signed a UN small arms treaty.
Contrary to this widely circulated e-mail, Hillary Clinton has not signed any small arms treaty. She could not have done so, in fact, because no such treaty has yet been negotiated.
As we noted in an update from last November, the UN Arms Trade Treaty will be drafted between now and 2012, and even if signed, would not take effect in the U.S. until it was ratified by the Senate.
Please rest assured that, as we said in November, NRA will be actively involved in this process and will oppose any treaty that would attempt to impose limits on our Second Amendment rights. In the meantime, we urge gun owners to follow this issue in NRA's magazines and NRA-ILA's Grassroots Alerts. We also urge gun owners not to circulate misinformation on this issue.
U.S. Supreme Court Issues Decision to Protect Hunting Media
Friday, April 23, 2010
This week, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a federal animal cruelty law so broadly written that it would criminalize the distribution of hunting videos and magazines under many circumstances. The 8-1 ruling in U.S. v. Stevens is a big win for NRA, and for hunters across America. A brief submitted by NRA was cited in the majority's opinion.
"The NRA condemns animal cruelty. However, hunting and depictions of hunting are not animal cruelty. This excessive law would have imposed felony penalties for creating, possessing or selling mainstream hunting images. Therefore, we are pleased that the Supreme Court ruled against this overbroad law," said NRA-ILA Executive Director Chris W. Cox. "Indeed, NRA publications like American Hunter, the largest-circulation all-hunting magazine in the world, could have been in jeopardy if this law was upheld."
Anti-hunting extremist organizations like the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) were the primary advocates for the deliberately overreaching language in Congress and its main defenders in Court. HSUS's intentions should have been apparent from the beginning. Before becoming president of the organization, Wayne Pacelle said, "The definition of obscenity on the newsstands should be extended to many hunting magazines." And, this is precisely what the law the Court struck down did.
"American hunters and sportsmen are our country's true conservationists. It is offensive that those who work hardest for the preservation efforts of wildlife in this country are grouped with those who commit actual animal cruelty," concluded Cox. "Fortunately, the Supreme Court chose the First Amendment over Pacelle's radical agenda, and the overruling of this law prevents the unwarranted punishment of ethical hunters and outdoor media in the United States."
Colorado Sportsmen Are Being Pushed from the Denver Area’s Last Remaining Training Ground for Hunting Dogs!
Monday, April 19, 2010
Please Stand Up and Make Your Voices Heard!
Significant acreage in Chatfield State Park and Cherry Creek Park near Denver was originally designated for hunting dog training making these parks vital assets to the sporting dog community for many years. Colorado sportsmen and women are now being pushed out of these hunting dog-training areas with plans to convert them to dog parks that would prohibit most training activities. These areas are the only public place to train sporting dogs in the region. If the area is fully converted to a dog park, then NO place will be left for hunters and sporting dog enthusiasts.
The Colorado State Parks Board has developed management plan alternatives that are clearly biased against sportsmen who have traditionally used the area. In its news release justifying its plans, concerns are raised over public safety conflicts from unruly dogs as well as detrimental impacts on habitat. Hunting dogs generally have the fundamental obedience training necessary to obey their owner and not interfere with others in these public places. Conversely, many family dogs do not exhibit the basic obedience necessary for control in a public place which can create safety concerns and conflicts with other users. Habitat damage is surely due to the increased traffic of the dog park crowd and allowing their dogs to roam freely over every square inch of the land. The hunting dog community has protected these parks for many years and tried to leave as little impact on the natural environment as possible in order to ensure it mimics actual hunting terrain.
Chatfield State Park has a comment form with three alternatives listed. Alternative B provides the best protection for the sporting dog community, which segments approximately 24.5 acres for training out of 75 total acres.
Please go to the following link and submit comments in support of Alternative B:
It would also be appropriate to convey your displeasure with the general plan to significantly reduce the area for hunting dog training. There are many dog parks already in the area along with miles of sidewalks for the non-hunting community to use.
Cherry Creek Park also has three alternatives, but none of the alternatives provide adequate protection for sporting dog training.
Please go to the following link and voice your concern over the exclusion of training areas for hunting dogs:
Your voice is essential to protect Colorado’s great sporting dog heritage! A proper place to train hunting dogs is becoming harder to come by around the country and the remaining land must be preserved. Do not allow this blatantly anti-hunting action by the Colorado State Parks Board to stand without a fight!
COURT OF APPEALS KEEPS CASE AGAINST CU CONCEALED CARRY BAN ALIVE
The Colorado Court of Appeals has reversed the El Paso County District Court’s dismissal of a lawsuit by Students for Concealed Carry on Campus against the University of Colorado and it’s ban of concealed carry on its Boulder, Denver and Colorado Springs campuses. More than a year ago, the Students’ suit was dismissed by the District Court for failing to assert a cause of action for which the Students were entitled to relief under the law. In its reversal of the District Court, the Court of Appeals held that the uniform Colorado Concealed Carry Act and the corresponding pre-emption law provided adequate grounds on which the Students could sue. The COA rejected CU’s claim, favored by the District Court, that CU could exempt itself at whim from state law pertaining to firearms, finding that if the General Assembly had intended to exempt public colleges and universities from the concealed carry law it could have and would have done so (the law does in fact exclude concealed carry in public secondary schools grades K-12). Another important holding of the COA was that previous appellate court holdings that Robertson v. Denver (1994) declared that firearms possession/ownership was not a fundamental right in Colorado misinterpreted the holding of the Colorado Supreme Court in that case, and that Robertson also did not hold that laws limiting/restricting firearms ownership were subject to the easy-to-pass “rational basis” test. In the instant case, the COA reminded that, per Robertson, state restriction on firearms must be a reasonable exercise of the state’s police power to act in the interest of the public health, safety and welfare. The court alluded that outright bans of all firearms likely exceed state authority under this standard, where in restrictions in Robertson were limited to specific types of firearms.
The case has now been remanded (returned) to the District Court for reinstatement of the Students’ claims. CU can request a rehearing in front of the entire Court of Appeals, or can request review by the Colorado Supreme Court.
HOUSE JUDICIARY APPROVES PERMANENT “DENY-ON-ARREST”
HB10-1391, sponsored by Rep. Joe Rice (D) and co-sponsored by four anti-gun Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee, was approved by the Committee Monday on a 6-5 vote. This bill would prevent the expiration of Colorado’s “Deny-on-Arrest” policy and make it permanent. The only Democrat dissent was Rep. Sal Pace, who also recently voted in favor of a bill that would improve Colorado’s “Make My Day” law. CSSA President Tony Fabian testified against the bill, pointing out several flaws in the reasoning and concerns of the bill’s proponents, including the sponsor’s false claim that the bill was necessary to continue background checks for firearm purchases in Colorado. The bill now goes to the House floor for final vote.
Everyone in Colorado’s firearms community knows someone who has been unfairly victimized by this unfair, unjust and unconstitutional law. Please call your state representative at 303-866-2904 and strongly urge them to oppose HB10-1391, as it infringes on the rights of all law-abiding Colorado gun owners.
Have you or someone you know ever been denied a firearms purchase because bureaucrats failed to maintain accurate and updated records? Over the past ten years, thousands of law-abiding Colorado citizens have been denied their Constitutional right to lawfully purchase a firearm thanks to Colorado’s policy of “deny-on-arrest,” which means that a record of a criminal charge alone is sufficient to prevent a person from purchasing a firearm. That’s right…if you have ever been charged with an offense that was reduced or dismissed, and the court failed to note that in the state criminal record database, you can be prevented from purchasing a firearm until you, not the state, proves that you are in fact eligible to possess a firearm! It is you, not the state (which was responsible for maintaining accurate records in the first place!), who must bear the cost and inconvenience of correcting the record. In some cases, this may be impossible due to lost or destroyed records. It’s not constitutional, it’s not fair, and it’s NOT RIGHT! “Deny-on-arrest” was scheduled to expire July 1 of this year, but anti-gun Democrats in the Colorado legislature have other ideas…
HB1391, sponsored by anti-gun Democrats in the General Assembly, would make “deny on arrest” PERMANENT! The unconscionable and unconstitutional policy of denying firearms purchases by persons whose criminal records are incomplete, the worst anti-gun legislation ever forced upon law-abiding Colorado gun owners, is set to expire in three months—but Democrat gun-control advocates in the General Assembly want to make it PERMANENT! Thousands of regular folks, perhaps even yourself, have had to spend months and thousands of their hard-earned dollars to correct/complete records that the State should have maintained in the first place just so they could purchase a firearm. ONLY IN COLORADO ARE GUN PURCHASERS PRESUMED GUILTY UNTIL THEY PROVE THEIR OWN INNOCENCE TO CBI—under federal law it is the burden of the government to establish that a purchaser is ineligible to possess a firearm if the purchaser’s criminal records are unclear or incomplete. The right to own a firearm is guaranteed by both the U.S. and Colorado Constitutions—why do citizens have to spend their own time and money to exercise that right? We all know someone who has been victimized by this egregious law—maybe even you yourself. Please call/write/email your state legislator (directory at www.leg.state.co.us ), especially the representatives listed below on the House Judiciary Committee where the bill will first be heard, and strongly but respectfully urge them to oppose any background check bill that continues “deny on arrest!” DON’T LET THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY CONTINUE TO TRAMPLE ON THE RIGHTS OF LAW-ABIDING COLORADO GUN OWNERS!
HB10-1094, sponsored by Rep. Cory Gardner (R-Yuma), was defeated in the House Judiciary Committee Monday on a predominantly-party-line vote. This bill would have extended civil and criminal immunity to persons who use deadly force against an unlawful intruder to businesses (currently only residences enjoy this immunity under Colorado law). The bill, which has been offered for the past several years by Rep. Gardner, was opposed for the very first time this year by the Colorado District Attorneys Council, the lobbying arm of Colorado prosecutors. The killing of this self-defense bill should have all Colorado voters asking their respective district attorneys “Why do prosecutors oppose the right of workers and business owners to defend themselves against criminal intruders?” and “Whose side are the DAs on—law-abiding citizens or criminals?” Those who value the right of law-abiding citizens to defend themselves against criminals should remember this position taken by sitting DAs the next time their own DA runs for re-election.
Massive Colorado Wilderness Proposal Threatens Hunter Access and Wildlife Habitat
Friday, March 12, 2010
Contact Your Congressman Today Regarding H.R. 4289
H.R. 4289, sponsored by Representative Diane DeGette (D-01), would designate 850,000 acres of additional land in Colorado as Wilderness Area. In light of the fact that all mechanized means of transportation, including bicycles and game carts, are prohibited in Wilderness, this would dramatically curtail hunter access to these vast areas. In addition, Wilderness designation ends virtually all active wildlife and habitat management methods employed by state and federal biologists on all other lands. This could not come at a worse time for Colorado with the forest devastation being caused by the pine beetle. Wildlife officials must retain all means necessary to combat invasive species and actively manage for wildlife and forest health.
In a House Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands meeting this week, H.R. 4289 received a hearing where many concerns were expressed to subcommittee members. Sportsman-advocate, Congressman John Salazar (D-3), registered opposition during his testimony by saying, “I cannot support simply imposing Wilderness on my constituents… I believe it must be negotiated and worked out with all the various stakeholders to reach a consensus.” It is essential that Coloradans thank Congressman Salazar for taking a stand on this critical issue. Echoing some of the Congressman’s concerns, representatives of the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service testified that much more study is necessary prior to the passage of H.R. 4289.
There are already 110 million acres of Wilderness in the United States. These are areas often accessible only to the most able-bodied or those who have the time and resources to dedicate to lengthy pack trips. Diminishing access to hunting lands is one of the primary reasons cited for decreasing hunter recruitment and retention rates. The NRA will continue to defend existing access to public hunting lands throughout America. You must play a role in this ongoing effort by contacting your congressman today and registering your opposition to H.R. 4289.
Please Contact the Members of the Colorado House Judiciary Committee Today!
An important pro-gun bill (House Bill 1094) will be heard by the House Judiciary Committee on Monday, March 15 at 1:30 p.m.
Sponsored by State Representative Cory Gardner (R-63), HB1094 would extend Colorado's self-defense law to places of business. If passed, this legislation would permit all employees to defend themselves by any means of force, including deadly force, if they have reasonable belief that an intruder has committed, or intends to commit a crime, during unlawful entry. The exclusion of businesses in the current self-defense law has been a noticeable omission, which this bill would rectify.
Please contact members of the House Judiciary Committee TODAY and respectfully urge them to support HB1094. Contact information for the committee can be found below.
State Representative Claire Levy (D-13) – Chair 303-866-2578 claire.levy.house@state.co.us
State Representative Elizabeth McCann (D-8) – Vice Chair 303-866-2959 beth.mccann.house@state.co.us
State Representative Daniel Kagan (D-3) 303-866-2921 repkagan@gmail.com
State Representative Lois Court (D-6) 303-866-2967 loiscourt@msn.com
State Representative Joe Miklosi (D-9) 303-866-2910 joe@joemiklosi.com
State Representative Mark Waller (R-15) 303-866-5525 mark.waller.house@state.co.us
State Representative Bob Gardner (R-21) 303-866-2191 bob.gardner.house@state.co.us
State Representative Su Ryden (D-36) 303-866-2942 su.ryden.house@state.co.us
State Representative Sal Pace (D-46) 303-866-2968 sal.pace.house@state.co.us
State Representative B.J. Nikkel (R-49) 303-866-2907 rep.nikkel@gmail.com
State Representative Steve King (R-54) 303-866-3068 steve.king.house@state.co.us
Support the future of the shooting sports and have a great time doing it — attend a Friends of NRA Banquet near you! For a schedule of Colorado banquets: SHIFT-CLICK HERE
Main Menu
