In this issue:
1. August 8th Meeting Recap
2. SAF Donation
3. MSI Supports Gun Owners Foundation Amicus for Heller II
4. General Assembly Voting Records Online
5. Candidate surveys
6. Prince George's County Fair
7. Anne Arundel Friends of the NRA Dinner
1. August 8th Meeting Recap
Many thanks go out to everyone who took time to come to the meeting yesterday. This was the largest meeting attendance in our history and it's great to see that so many of our fellow gun owners joined us.
The candidates' forum was a great success and we hope that you found it useful and informative. We'd warned the candidates that our members are well-educated on the intricacies of Maryland gun laws and would hold them to a high standard in their responses to you. You delivered as promised with well-reasoned questions and statements that obviously demonstrate that you are not only passionate about this subject, but also highly informed.
Many thanks go to the good folks at AAF+G for hosting us in their excellent facility. Incidentally, a board member of the club who was present commented positively on the decorum of the meeting and the generally high level of the discussion.
Thanks also go to Executive Member Greg Primrose for taking on the task of experimenting with the live feed and chat room and managing the cyber meeting. Regretfully, the audio feed dropped on us but there's always trouble with the first run of any new effort.
2. SAF Donation
We know that you've been patiently waiting all weekend to hear what the final tally was on the Second Amendment Foundation money bomb effort that we worked on last week. We held off announcing it until the meeting yesterday because we were still tallying donations even as people walked in the door.
We're excited to announce that your generosity has given us the ability to send a check to the SAF in the amount of $10,000! MSI members have been more than generous on past projects that have assisted a lot of Pro-2A efforts, but this week's donation represents a new standard for us.
A phone call was placed to SAF headquarters promptly at noon today, 9:00am PDT, so that we could get their week started off right. After a very pleasant talk with Mr. Thomas McKiddie, he assured us that this donation is appreciated beyond measure and that MSI will now be a Patron Member of the SAF. As of this writing, we're expecting a call back from Alan Gottlieb, founder of the SAF.
In response to our donation, the SAF issued this press release.
Maryland gun owners are showing that they are willing to put their money where their mouths are and will support those that support us.
Thank you again for your contributions to this cause. We hit an unqualified grand slam on this one.
3. MSI Supports Gun Owners Foundation Amicus for Heller II
In addition to our work with the SAF, MSI sponsored yet another amicus brief with the Gun Owners Foundation.
The brief was filed in support of the Heller II lawsuit appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. You'll recall that we supported a similar brief in the original lawsuit that was dismissed from the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
4. General Assembly Voting Records Online
Executive Member Dan Miller has combed back through the 2010 General Assembly session and compiled the voting records of every Delegate and Senator and how they voted on gun-related bills. We think this will be a valuable tool for you to use as you start researching how your vote will be cast in the primary and general elections this year.
Voting records can be found on the website.
5. Candidate surveys
Candidate surveys are in the mail and should be delivered by the end of this week to every candidate. We've done a couple of things differently this year than in the past. First, we're doing this for the primary election rather than just the general. Secondly, we've teamed up with Associated Gun Clubs of Baltimore, the Maryland State Rifle and Pistol Association and the Washington County Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs to do one combined survey. This avoids duplication of efforts, increases the number of returned surveys and demonstrates to our incumbent and challenger candidates that the major pro-2A constituencies in Maryland can work together towards a common goal.
You should contact the candidates in your district and remind them that you expect them to return this important survey since a failure to respond will result in a negative rating.
The entire list of candidates for every race can be found here.
6. Prince George's County Fair
Just a reminder: MSI will be hosting a booth at the Prince George's County Fair September 9-12. With this being a 4 day event, we're going to need a lot of help pulling this off. If you are able to help out on any of those days, especially the 9th and 10th, please send an email [email protected] and we'll get you signed up.
Working events such as these are crucial for the success of our efforts and this is an easy way for you to contribute to the cause.
7. Anne Arundel Friends of the NRA Dinner
Reminder: The Anne Arundel Friends of the NRA Dinner will be held August 21st at the Annapolis Elks. This is always a great way to support the NRA's educational and training efforts as well as to enjoy some fun and fellowship with fellow gun owners. Information can be found here.
Mission Statement: Maryland Shall Issue is an all volunteer, non-partisan effort dedicated to the preservation and advancement of all gunowners' rights in Maryland, with a primary goal of CCW reform to allow all law-abiding citizens the right to carry a concealed weapon; and to the education of the community to the awareness that 'shall issue' laws have, in all cases, resulted in decreased rates of violent crime.
