NRA SoCal "mini convention 26 July: kick up the fight a notch. Door prizes!

[billwiese]

Perhaps some of you know about the NRA "Calif. Member's Council" 2008 conference Saturday, JULY 26, at the Anaheim Marriott Suites in Garden Grove, California.

http://www.calnra.com/conference08.shtml​

This is gonna be a kind of "mini convention", featuring rockstar ultra pro-gunner Directors Joel Friedman, Manny Fernandez and Tom Gaines - along with CA State Liason ("our man in the Capitol") Ed Worley, and NRA's CA leader Paul Payne. Special guest: NRA's EVP/CEO Wayne La Pierre !

A lot of the discussions will be about California political background, organizing and CA & national legal strategy with the "new & improved" post-Heller legal outlook. Some of NRA's CA legal team will be there too.

Because of California's crazy laws, California is suddenly "in play" due to Heller, plus a variety of other ongoing legal work. Just 2.5 short years ago you'd think you'd never see a new AR rifle in California. Now there's over 100K new ones and CA gun shops are thriving on sales of 'off-list' ARs and accessories.

While this is nominally for Calif. NRA MC (Members' Council) members, Calgunners ARFcommers and THRers who are NRA members are welcome too. As NRA's Paul Payne writes,

"NOTE: I have opened-up the NRA Members' Council Conference to
NRA-supporting friends.... We have a limited amount of space but I
will do my best to find a place for those desire to participate.​

You can register for this "mini convention" via the web:

http://nramemberscouncils.com/cgi-bin/reg2008.cgi

You need to be an NRA member for attendance. (I'm sure that can be arranged quickly at any gunshop or shooting range

Now, for the fun stuff:

A door prize of a FREE RIFLE has graciously been sponsored courtesy the Inland Empire Members' Council.

Additionally, The Calguns Foundation board members are pleased to further add to the fun by supplying yet another rifle for yet another drawing (drawing time TBD by organizers) - a "Saiga of Significance" in 308.

This lightly-used/near-new "off-list" Russian-American Arms Corp. Saiga 308 rifle was seized, in a fit of confusion, by San Jose PD in early 2006 and was of course (after repeated bouts of "Which part of Harrott v. Kings County don't you understand?") found to not be an illegal assault weapon by the Santa Clara County DA's office. After its release from "the pound" a couple of loudmouth Calgunners acquired the Saigas to save for some propitious moments.

Various Calguns Foundation board members will be there too, we'd love to meet y'all.

Let's put our heads together and MOVE FORWARD. It's a lot easier to push something when it's already moving - and things are moving forward already!!


Bill Wiese
San Jose CA



*Note: actual Saiga 308 rifle as described may or may not be
present at conference; another similar rifle may be present as
an exemplar. Arrangements can be made by winner of drawing
to receive rifle shipped to FFL of his choice. Winner must of
course be a nonprohibited person under CA and Federal law;
winning status is nontransferrable: should the winner turn out
not be eligible to receive rifle, another drawing of convention
attendees will be made at a suitable date/time to select an
alternate winner.

 

[joe4702]

Thanks Bill. I'll be there.

I've been volunteering for the last year or so with the NRA Members Council of Greater San Diego. Great group of folks and it's been a good way to join forces and get more involved instead of sitting around being mad all the time! Its too bad CA is the only state with a Members Council system.

 

[billwiese]

Joe,

Look forward to meeting you there.

This is a pretty serious meeting since California now is the cauldron for several pushback legal strategies. The NRA's CA lawyers will be there discussing our efforts/targets in rolling back CA's gun silliness and kicking butt.

Some late news I've received about CA's Nordyke gunshow case may have national ramiifications...

Bill Wiese
San Jose CA

 

[Noxx]

Garbage grove is close to my work, and saturday morning is the beginning of my weekend, so I'll see y'all there.

 

[joe4702]

Bill,

You're younger than I thought! I didn't get a chance to introduce myself at the conference today, but its nice to put a face with your name now. Giving away that Saiga was a cool idea!

I wanted to ask if you think its time to rejoin CRPA? I dropped my membership a few years back based on information you and others
provided on calguns (I'm joe4702 over there as well).

In light of what I heard today, it sounds like CRPA is getting its act together. \But before I join again, I wanted to get your opinion.

If you do think its worth joining again, perhaps you can post up at calguns and encourage others to do so as well.

Thanks,
Joe

 

[billwiese]

Joe,

Gee, sorry I didn't meet you. My mind's still swimming with the names-vs-faces of all the nice folks I met.

I think the general attitude toward CRPA is kinda "trust but verify". The new leader John Fields is a good guy, with a professional organizing background for such interest entities, and seems like he's trying to do the right thing

Problem is some of the old contract lobbying staff (Gerry Upholt) is still on the books - and Gerry comes along with girlfriend/co-lobbyist Kathy Lynch as 'baggage'. Seems Gerry drains $70K/yr for no discernable organizational or results-oriented purpose - and certainly not for effectiveness, as these were the folks that brought us the 'unsafe handgun' laws & Roster of Approved Handguns thru a mix of incompetence/bad intent. Kathy was also supporting Torrico's mailorder ammo ban (AB2731) in 2006.

Things get complex when your lobbyist(s) represent other causes or conflicting causes and when the lobbyist starts playing tit-for-tat trading games on various issues they represent.

I think CRPA membership will swell once John announces changes and gets a polished pro-gun liason guy in Sacramento who only focuses on gun issues without other entanglements.



Bill Wiese
San Jose CA