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North Carolina Legislative Update
Josey1
Member Posts: 9,598 ✭✭
North Carolina Legislative Update
Last month, the NRA-backed lawsuit preemption measure, H.B. 622-sponsored by Representative P. Wayne Sexton (R-73)-successfully passed out of Senate Judiciary II Committee. This critical legislation will prevent municipalities from filing politically-motivated lawsuits that attempt to hold gun makers liable for the criminal misuse of their products. Although this move represents a positive step in the effort to establish a lawsuit preemption statute in North Carolina, there is still work to be done. This bill is now on the Senate calendar, and could face a vote as soon as Tuesday, July 16, so supporters of the Second Amendment must act quickly. Please call your Senator immediately and urge him to support H.B. 622. If you are unsure of how to reach your Senator, please call the main General Assembly number at (919) 733-7928 and ask for assistance.
http://www.nraila.org/LegislativeUpdate.asp?FormMode=Detail&ID=427
"If cowardly and dishonorable men sometimes shoot unarmed men with army pistols or guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and gallows, and not by a general deprivation of a constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
Last month, the NRA-backed lawsuit preemption measure, H.B. 622-sponsored by Representative P. Wayne Sexton (R-73)-successfully passed out of Senate Judiciary II Committee. This critical legislation will prevent municipalities from filing politically-motivated lawsuits that attempt to hold gun makers liable for the criminal misuse of their products. Although this move represents a positive step in the effort to establish a lawsuit preemption statute in North Carolina, there is still work to be done. This bill is now on the Senate calendar, and could face a vote as soon as Tuesday, July 16, so supporters of the Second Amendment must act quickly. Please call your Senator immediately and urge him to support H.B. 622. If you are unsure of how to reach your Senator, please call the main General Assembly number at (919) 733-7928 and ask for assistance.
http://www.nraila.org/LegislativeUpdate.asp?FormMode=Detail&ID=427
"If cowardly and dishonorable men sometimes shoot unarmed men with army pistols or guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and gallows, and not by a general deprivation of a constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
Comments
North Carolina NRA members must act quickly to make sure important lawsuit legislation reaches the Governor's desk!
In July, the North Carolina Senate overwhelmingly passed H.B. 622, the NRA-backed measure to stop reckless lawsuits against firearm manufacturers. By a vote of 42-5, the Senate agreed to prevent municipalities from filing politically-motivated lawsuits that attempt to hold gun makers liable for the criminal misuse of their products. On Monday, August 5, the bill faces a critical concurrence vote in the House before it can be presented to the Governor for his signature. You can make a difference by encouraging your Representative to support H.B. 622! If you are unsure of how to reach your Representative, please call the main General Assembly number, (919) 733-7928, and ask for assistance. You can also e-mail your legislators directly by using the box below.
http://www.nraila.org/LegislativeUpdate.asp?FormMode=Detail&ID=446
"If cowardly and dishonorable men sometimes shoot unarmed men with army pistols or guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and gallows, and not by a general deprivation of a constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
By Dan Tuohy
Foster's Statehouse Reporter
Fran Wendelboe's congressional campaign scored the endorsement of Gun Owners of America, the powerful lobby of firearms manufacturers, dealers, owners and sportsmen.
Wendelboe, a conservative state representative from New Hampton, is one of eight Republicans seeking the 1st District seat. She joined GOA Executive Director Larry Pratt on Friday for a tour of Riley's Sports Shop in Hooksett, Thomson Arms in Rochester, and Sig-Arms in Exeter. Pratt this weekend extended the same endorsement to U.S. Sen. Bob Smith, who is facing a challenge from U.S. Rep. John E. Sununu in the Republican primary.
Pratt said Wendelboe notched a record of leadership on Second Amendment rights in her House representation.
"Rep. Wendelboe had the courage to publicly part with the Elizabeth Dole for President campaign when the candidate voiced her support for gun control," Pratt said in a statement. "GOA is very grateful to Wendelboe for risking the ire of certain of her colleagues by forcing a vote on the lifetime concealed carry bill in the House this year. This is the kind of leadership gun owners need in Washington."
Wendelboe is a recreational shooter and owner of several guns, including a Ruger and Smith & Wesson. She is a long-time concealed weapon permit holder. She said that gun rights are more important today because of the homeland security age.
"I want to tell you that I believe homeland security begins at home, in your home and in my home. Every year in America countless acts of terror are committed by criminals who violate the sanctity of our homes and businesses. Personal firearm ownership has saved lives and prevented countless crimes," she said in accepting the endorsement.
Open season in House
Step right up, step right up, and maybe you, too, can win a $100 -a-year job as a citizen legislator. Multiple rewards here: Great debate, good grief, and excellent travel perks like free mileage on state business and the green light at tollbooths.
Yes, after a legislative tug-of-war on redistricting, the court has remapped the 400 House seats and the filing period is now upon us. The filing period ends Aug. 9. Stop by the town or city clerk's office to complete candidate papers.
A flood of incumbents have so far signed up for re-election, despite some major changes in their districts.
The Supreme Court's redistricting order created 88 new House districts, down from the existing 154 districts.
Some state representatives are still upset with the plan because it creates larger, more multi-member districts. That, they say, weakens the traditional citizen Legislature.
The court intervened only after lawmakers could not come up with a plan on their own.
Now it seems the fallout over redistricting continues. House Democratic Leader Peter Burling, who filed the redistricting lawsuit, opened fire Friday on Republican legislative leaders for spending $42,399 in taxpayer dollars on defending unconstitutional redistricting plans.
Burling, along with Senate Democratic Leader Bev Hollingworth of Hampton, said that Democrats raised an estimated $27,000 from private sources.
"I think the Republicans ought to pay the $42,000 back to the treasury," Burling said.
Betsy Miller, counsel to the House, said Burling's logic is misguided. "He sued Gene Chandler as speaker of the House, not as an individual," she said. "It's a bit unusual to sue the speaker and the House as separate entities."
Miller also noted that, in the Senate case, the court ordered the Senate and the Senate president joined as parties in the case. Attorney Chuck Douglas, a Republican and former Supreme Court judge, represented President Art Klemm, R-Windham, in the proceedings.
The legal bills in question are likely just a glimpse of what the Republican and Democratic parties actually spent in fighting for their ideals and ideas. And let us not forget, the Supreme Court plans to bill the state for its costs, including computer software and a technical adviser, incurred over the two months it has worked on the legislative task.
Those Segway senators
Beep-beep, zip-bang goes the Segway, at least as regulated by New Hampshire lawmakers this year. The state's law governing the use of the high-tech scooter on roads and sidewalks is serving as a model in 31 states, according to Sen. Carl Johnson, R-Meredith. Johnson this week opened the first hearing of the Electronic Personal Assistive Mobility Oversight Committee.
"The legislation defines the technology and the proper use of the mobility device. We welcome the regulations.
The Segway is being used in warehouses, by the U.S. Postal Service, at national parks, by the Atlanta (Ga.) police, and in New Hampshire by PSNH. The feedback we are getting is positive. Community relations are improving. We have 100,000 people who have registered an interest in buying them," said Matt Dailida, Segway's manager of government relations.
The oversight committee was established as part of New Hampshire's law, in order to better implement Segways into pedestrian traffic.
It was also a chance for Johnson and Senate President Arthur Klemm, R-Windham, to give the Segway a test ride.
The mixed bag:
q It is back to school next week for Craig Benson, a Republican candidate for governor. He is scheduled to teach part of a summer school class at Portsmouth High School on Aug. 6. Benson, the co-founder of Cabletron Systems, will speak about being an entrepreneur and beating adversity - such as his overcoming a speech impediment when he was a child.
q Benson is still working to overcome the barbs of Republican rival Gordon Humphrey. This week, Humphrey criticized Benson's idea to try to recuperate more tax revenue from out-of-state firms. It wouldn't raise much and it would be a "job repellant," according to Humphrey. The 2000 GOP nominee for governor shared some of his campaign invective for the New Hampshire Supreme Court because of its House redistricting order. Humphrey said he would try to topple the chief justice for overstepping his bounds. Rabid rhetoric, said Bruce Keough, the third of the Big Three candidates in the Republican gubernatorial field. The lesser-known Republicans are Robert Kingsbury of Laconia, Robert Howard Kroepel of New Durham, and Joe Haas of Concord.
q Where's the beach? Good question. The Supreme Court's new House map of the state shows Hampton and North Hampton without any Seacoast frontage, an affront to those proud of New Hampshire's smallest coastline of any ocean state.
q Gov. Jeanne Shaheen praised the passage of a bill giving President Bush trade promotion authority. She said it would expand New Hampshire's exports and help displaced workers. Shaheen, a Democrat for U.S. Senate, also promised this week to fight to overturn the ban on federal funding for research on new stem cell lines. She is against human cloning, however.
q In the 1st Congressional District, Jeb Bradley, R-Wolfeboro, said he wishes President Bush's plan to cut air pollution had quicker reductions in power plant emissions.
"The caps are right, but it needs to be accelerated in time frame," he said. Bradley, who co-wrote New Hampshire's law to cut down on four of the dirtiest pollutants, said the federal government must also move to cut carbon dioxide, which the Bush plan omits.
U.S. Sen. Bob Smith, R-NH, who introduced the Bush bill, is taking heat from environmental groups who say he is going back on his once tougher "green" stand. Smith's challenger for the GOP nomination, U.S. Rep. John E. Sununu, R-NH, hasn't picked up any ground but he is still the odds-on favorite against Shaheen in a new poll this week.
Quote of the week:
"This bill is DOA and for good reason. It fails to deal with global warming, rolls back current clean air laws that protect local communities, and gives polluters far too much time to reduce emissions." - Jan Pendlebury, of the New Hampshire Global Warming Campaign, on the Bush-Smith "Clear Skies" plan.
http://www4.fosters.com/news2002/aug_02/aug04_02/news/su_0804m.asp
"If cowardly and dishonorable men sometimes shoot unarmed men with army pistols or guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and gallows, and not by a general deprivation of a constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
U.S. Newswire
5 Aug 15:30
Maryland Libertarians Submit Ballot Signatures
To: City, State and Assignment desks, Political Reporter
Contact: Steve Boone of Friends of Spear Lancaster,
443-386-3977, or E-mail media@spear2002.com
Web site: http://www.spear2002.com
ANNAPOLIS, Md., Aug. 5 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Carrying three
bankers' boxes covered with campaign bumper stickers, the Spear
Lancaster-Lorenzo Gaztanaga team brought more than 35,000 petition
signatures to the State Board of Elections (SABEL) this afternoon.
On hand for the event at SABEL's Annapolis headquarters were
Libertarian Party nominee for governor Spear Lancaster, Libertarian
nominee for lieutenant governor Lorenzo Gaztanaga, campaign
chairman Steve Boone, along with other supporters.
The action climaxed an 18-month effort to present Maryland
voters with a choice they haven't been able to make in over thirty
years -- a third option in the race for governor.
Under the state's complex ballot-access rules, a third-party
candidate must get 1 percent of the registered voters to sign
petition sheets asking that the candidate's name be placed on the
ballot in the general election. Today's presentation of signatures
exceeds the 1 percent requirement by nearly 7,000.
Libertarian nominee for governor Spear Lancaster, who spent much
of his recent campaign time getting signatures, expressed optimism.
"I've had some interesting experiences as a businessman and
entrepreneur, but it's nothing compared to this. I've never been
so excited about the potential to enact change and accomplish
something creative. We're about to change the paradigm of politics
in this state."
Reflecting on the long petition drive, campaign chairman Steve
Boone put it into perspective: "It was an awful lot of hard work,
by a dedicated group. Most people thought we were crazy, trying to
take on the entrenched political establishment. Now, we're waiting
for the state to validate the signatures, and let the election
campaign go forward."
Chairman Boone explained the significance of bringing in more
signatures than the 1 percent minimum requirement. "In past
statewide ballot drives," he said, "the average validity rate has
been about 80 percent, with some county and jurisdictional
exceptions. Most of our signatures came from areas where,
historically, the validity rate is higher. Were are confident that
we have more than enough valid signature s to insure Spear's
inclusion in the General Elections."
The filing of the petition signatures came on the day set by law
as the legal deadline for such filings. Now, the State Board of
Elections has twenty days to review the submissions before
certifying the Libertarian candidates for the November ballot.
Lancaster again thanked the thousands of voters who signed the
petitions, and promised to be a voice for liberty and common sense
in the race for governor.
---
(Radio & TV editors: pronounced "Gahz-tan-YAHG-ah")
http://www.usnewswire.com
-0-
/U.S. Newswire 202-347-2770/
08/05 15:30
Copyright 2002, U.S. Newswire http://www.usnewswire.com/topnews/prime/0805-121.html
"If cowardly and dishonorable men sometimes shoot unarmed men with army pistols or guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and gallows, and not by a general deprivation of a constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
At State Fair
South Dakota Libertarian Party
Published 08. 5. 02 at 9:12 Sierra Time
Huron (3 AUG 2002) - Libertarian candidate for governor, Nathan A. Barton of rural Rapid City, was arrested today by security guards at the so-called "Freedom Stage" on the South Dakota State Fairgrounds, at the beginning of a congressional candidates forum which did not include Libertarian candidate Terry Begay of Volin.
Mr. Barton was standing on the side of the audience area and asking in a loud voice, "Where is Terry Begay? There are three candidates on the ballot for US House, where is the third candidate? Don't we have a right?" when he was grabbed in mid-sentence by two police or sheriffs deputies moonlighting as security for either the State Fair or Dakota News Network (sponsor of the series of three forums, for House, Senate and Governor). All of the forums featured only the Democratic and Republican candidates, and excluded the three Libertarian candidates and one Independent candidate who have made the ballot for the November 5th election for the various offices.
Mr. Barton had earlier spoken to the moderator, who had first said that only "invited" candidates were to be featured, and then claimed that it was only because the Libertarian Party campaigns had not contacted DNN that they were not included. Another Libertarian, Kurt Evans, candidate for the US Senate, had been warned by DNN that if he attempted to go on the stage, he would be stopped by security. Mr. Barton made his comments from the side of the outdoor audience area, and did not attempt to say anything on the stage.
The security guards carried Mr. Barton about twenty yards to the street side near the "Freedom Stage," aggravating an injury to his right thumb (which had been sustained earlier in the week). He was then ordered to immediately allow himself to be escorted from the Fairgrounds, and was told that he would be arrested on trespassing charges if he tried to reenter the Fairgrounds.
Mr. Barton objected to that, stating that he was an exhibitor on the grounds, that it was public land, and that he was only exercising his right to free speech. One of the officers told Mr. Barton, in response, that he didn't like Mr. Barton and didn't like what he was saying, that he was disturbing good people. Mr. Barton replied that was why we had a first amendment: to protect speech we did not like. One of the security guards repeated the order, and Mr. Barton again refused, and the guards then told Mr. Barton that they would arrest him and take him to jail. They handcuffed Mr. Barton, knocking his glasses off, injuring both his right thumb and his left wrist.
Mr. Barton was then taken to the Fairground Security Office, arriving there with blood dripping down his wrists and staining his clothing. A Fairground EMT treated Mr. Barton and he was taken to the Beadle County Jail, where he was booked on charges of "disorderly conduct" and "obstructing a law enforcement officer," and released on $500 bond and a judge's order not to return to the Fairgrounds until after 4 PM that afternoon. Mr. Barton was released about 1 PM, and was well treated at the County Jail and by the arresting officers at the jail.
Mr. Barton's older son, Gareth, was aiding in distributing flyers at the time and witnessed his father's arrest. When Mr. Barton was taken to jail, both his older son and his younger son, Matthias, were left abandoned on the Fairgrounds. Only through the aid of friends were the boys taken care of while Mr. Barton was in a holding cell.
Mr. Barton and other Libertarian candidates emphasize that this treatment of people whose views vary from your own, and the tendency to resort to force in any situation is one of the reasons that they are running for office as Libertarians. Increasingly, on our college campuses, in our schools, and on the media, dissenting views are ridiculed, ignored, and often completely silenced.
Mr. Barton had been at the State Fair since Wednesday, along with other Libertarian candidates and activists at the party booth. This is the first time the Libertarian Party has been able to have a booth at the annual event. Following his release, he returned to West River for other engagements and projects. He intends to maintain his campaign schedule despite the attack and charges. For more information contact: ? James Christen, Huron area Libertarian coordinator, 352-4559 ? Bob Newland, SDLP ExComm, 255-4032 ? Nathan Barton, SDLP ExComm, 390-7255
c 2002 SierraTimes.com (unless otherwise
http://www.sierratimes.com/02/08/04/arlp080402.htm
"If cowardly and dishonorable men sometimes shoot unarmed men with army pistols or guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and gallows, and not by a general deprivation of a constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878