Please Stand Up and Make Your Voice Heard Today! Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, a member of New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s anti-gun gang, Mayors Against Illegal Guns, is taking a misguided approach to curbing crime in his city. In a knee-jerk reaction to a recent shooting, Mayor Nickels signed an executive order on Monday, June 9 prohibiting firearms at Seattle Center, parks, community centers, and city-owned buildings. This ban, which includes Right-to-Carry permit holders, does not require review by the City Council and directs that a plan be drawn-up in 30 days to establish the prohibition. Mayor Nickels’ ban is a clear violation of Washington State’s preemption statutes that dictate that only the State Legislature can enact laws pertaining to firearms. Because of preemption, the city has no arrest power or authority to fine people under Mayor Nickel’s outlandish order. The city can, however, charge any violators with trespassing. It is important that NRA members, Right-to-Carry permit holders, firearm owners, and anyone interested in the rule of law to respectfully make their voice heard against this Draconian attack on our Second Amendment freedoms. Please contact Mayor Nickels, write a letter to your local newspaper(s), call in to radio talk shows, and urge your legislators to speak out against this unwarranted attack on law-abiding gun owners. The Mayor can be reached by phone at (206) 684-4000 or via email by clicking here. His mailing address is, P.O. Box 94749, Seattle, WA 98124-4749. For information on how to contact your legislators, please click here. Target Shooting Topic of BLM Advisory Council Meeting: The Eastern Washington Resource Advisory Council will meet July 16, 2008 at the Folsom Farm site in the Fishtrap Lake Recreation Area, which is managed by the federal Bureau of Land Management. Fishtrap Lake is about 30 miles southwest of Spokane, WA, near the town of Sprague. Target shooting safety will be the primary topic of discussion. The meeting will start at 1:00 p.m. and end at 3:00 p.m. The public is invited to attend the meeting. An opportunity for public comment to the Council is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. The public is encouraged to submit written comments to the Council as well. The Council has 15 members who are appointed by the Secretary of the Interior to review planning and proposed activities on federal public land in eastern Washington and provides advice to the BLM and USDA Forest Service. For additional information about the meeting, please contact the Spokane BLM District Office, telephone (509) 536-1200. |