"A strong body makes the mind strong. As to the species of exercises, I advise the gun. While this gives moderate exercise to the body, it gives boldness, enterprise, and independence to the mind. Games played with the ball and others of that nature, are too violent for the body and stamp no character on the mind. Let your gun therefore be the constant companion of your walks."
-- Thomas Jefferson
Senator Mike Waddoups (R-6) has been a strong supporter of gun rights and self-defense rights for many years in the Utah State Senate. In the most recent legislative session, he worked hard to prevent HB 473 from passing after it had been hijacked and turned into an anti-gun bill at the last minute by Rep. Steven Urquhart. While we don’t know all the details of what went on behind the scenes, we believe that Sen. Waddoups, as a member of the Senate Rules Committee, played a crucial role in preventing this anti-gun bill from reaching the floor of the Senate on the last day of the session, despite the apparent desire of the Senate leadership to have it pass.
Sen. Waddoups has, over the years, sponsored a number of important gun-rights bills in the face of massive criticism from the local news media. For example, a few years back he sponsored the bill that requires state-owned schools, colleges, and universities to allow-permit holders to carry self-defense weapons on campus.
Sen. Waddoups informs us that the Utah Education Association (UEA) is organizing its members in his district (Senate District 6) to attend their local Republican caucus meetings this coming Tuesday evening and get elected as county delegates specifically for the purpose of defeating him at the Salt Lake County GOP convention and replacing him with the UEA’s hand-picked candidate, Rhonda Rose. While GOUtah! takes no position regarding the UEA or education issues in general (except for issues directly related to the right to keep and bear arms), we strongly believe that:
If you live in Senate District 6 (basically all of Taylorsville plus the part of West Jordan that’s north of 7800 South), and if you are either a member of the Republican Party or you are currently not affiliated with a party but would like to help Senator Waddoups, you can do so by attending the Republican caucus meeting in your precinct next Tuesday night and running for the position of County Delegate. If you are not affiliated with a political party but you wish to help Sen. Waddoups, there will be registration materials at the meeting and you may register as a party member, which will enable you to run for the office of County Delegate.
Alternatively, if you have a friend or relative living in Senate District 6 who would like to help Sen. Waddoups, we encourage you to pass this information on to him.
For details regarding the time and place of caucus meetings for all political parties, please go to the Action Item at the end of this alert.
Here are some other incumbent politicians who have been especially active in supporting the right to keep and bear arms, but who are now being challenged from within their own party. We encourage those of
you living in any of these districts who are members of these legislators’ political party, or who are not affiliated with a political party, to consider attending the relevant caucus meeting and running for the office of County Delegate to help support these folks:
Sen. Mark Madsen (Republican, Senate District 13, Springville, Spanish Fork, Santaquin, Cedar Fort)
Rep. Curt Oda (Republican, House District 14, Clearfield)
Rep. Stephen Sandstrom (Republican, House District 58, Orem)
The following state legislators have recently been instrumental in opposing gun rights and self-defense rights in the Legislature, in our opinion, and are currently being challenged within their own parties. If you live in one of these districts, we encourage you to participate in the appropriate caucus meeting and run for County Delegate so that you’ll have an opportunity to cause political pain for these guys by voting against them at their county conventions.
Rep. Steven Urquhart (Republican, running for the State Senate in Senate District 29, St. George area).
Sen. Curt Bramble (Republican, Senate District 16, Provo and Orem area)
NOTE: GOUtah! does not endorse any political party. Our aim is to inform gun owners how they can effectively work to create political pain for politicians of any party who oppose the Second Amendment and how they can help reward politicians of any party who support the Second Amendment. Such a carrot-and-stick approach is, in our view, a very effective tool for protecting our rights via the legislative and executive branches of state government.
The major political parties in Utah will hold their caucus meetings this coming Tuesday evening, March 25th, at 7:00 pm. We encourage all of you to attend the caucus meeting of the party of your choice in your local area. Depending on the party and the county, caucus meetings (also called "mass meetings") may be held in each voting precinct, or in each legislative district, or on a multi-precinct basis. Regardless of which political party you choose to affiliate with, by being elected as a County Delegate or a State Delegate (or both), you will be in a much better position to exercise political power in defense of the Second Amendment. Even if you don't get elected as a delegate, by participating in a caucus meeting you can help ensure that pro-gun delegates get elected from your community.
For the Democratic Party’s caucus locations, [click here].
For the Republican Party’s caucus locations, [click here].
It appears that the Libertarian Party will not be holding caucus meetings this year, but will have a state convention on April 19th. [Click here] for further details.
The Utah Shooting Sports Council (USSC) has sent out the following alert, which we feel is a good supplement to the information that GOUtah! [posted above]. It contains some additional tips on how to run for a delegate position at your local caucus meeting tomorrow night, for those of you who are new to this process. Rather than re-invent the wheel, we are [reproducing] this USSC alert to you, with permission from USSC. We thank USSC for their efforts.
We encourage each of you, regardless of where you live or which party you belong to, or even if you aren't officially affiliated with a party, to attend the caucus meeting of the party of your choice tomorrow night. Thanks for all your efforts to defend the Second Amendment!
Utah Shooting Sports Council URGENT ACTION ALERT 3/23/08
Immediate action required- GUN RIGHTS THREATENED!
PLEASE FORWARD THIS ALERT TO EVERYONE INTERESTED IN UTAH FIREARMS ISSUES.
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--- WILL YOU SHOW UP TUESDAY NIGHT TO DEFEND GUN RIGHTS?
--- WATCH THIS VIDEO TO SEE HOW A CAUCUS WORKS
--- HOW TO ELECT PRO-GUN DELEGATES TUESDAY
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WILL YOU SHOW UP TUESDAY NIGHT TO DEFEND GUN RIGHTS?
If you don't bother to show up Tuesday, then you cannot complain if anti-gunners seize control in the Legislature and start placing restrictions on legal self-defense weapons, increase fees for background checks, limit gun purchases to one a month, ban certain types of guns, demand your guns be locked up in "safe storage", or impose de facto registration schemes, or impose unworkable "gun fingerprinting" or ammunition micro-stamping restrictions. All these things are taking place in states where anti-gun legislators have been elected. We must not let that happen here!
Time is running out for people to take a few basic steps to prepare for Tuesday night's caucus meetings. Unless a sufficient number of gun rights supporters show up at caucus meetings it is likely that many of our pro-gun friends in the Legislature will NOT be on the ballot in November, and you will be left to pick between two anti-gun choices.
Some of the excellent gun rights legislators being targeted include: Sen. Mike Waddoups (Taylorsville and West Jordan north of 7800 South), Sen. Mark Madsen (Springville, Spanish Fork, Santaquin, Cedar Fort); Rep. Curt Oda (Clearfield); Rep. Stephen Sandstrom (Orem) and Rep. Glenn Donnelson (North Ogden). There are others, but these are among the best who have earned the support of all gun owners in their districts. They supported us on tough votes, and it is time for us to support them!
The Deseret Morning News had two stories about the caucuses which emphasize the expected participation by various special interest groups in the caucus process. One describes the interest among those supporting ILLEGAL immigration http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,695263785,00.html. They will be targeting pro-gun legislators who usually support enforcing immigration laws.
Another headlined "Delegates are ones in control of Utah Political Process" http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,695263713,00.html reads in part: "If someone complains to you about Utah politics this weekend, ask them where they'll be Tuesday night. One of the best-kept secrets in the state is that it is controlled by the few people who show up to small neighborhood meetings. The very best-kept secret is that anyone can attend and wield astonishing political power. Yes, even you. And even that wacky Marxist-Leninist holdover living down the street. What happens if he shows up and you don't? Well, he'll have the chance to help dramatically alter the local and state political landscape." Now, go read the rest of this excellent piece http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,695263713,00.html
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WATCH THIS VIDEO TO SEE HOW A CAUCUS WORKS
An excellent 4 minute 38 second YouTube video shows exactly how a precinct caucus works, so you will be ready to participate, and pick a delegate who will support your gun rights. The video was done by Parents for Choice in Education, and mentions some of their concerns. USSC takes no position on education issues, but many of the pro-gun legislators are being targeted by the UEA Teachers' Union because of their votes on school vouchers. You may find it easiest to elect pro-gun delegates who also
oppose the teachers' union. PLEASE WATCH THIS VIDEO:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaIXzZdeJtE and have everyone who will attend the caucus with you watch the video as well.
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HOW TO ELECT PRO GUN DELEGATES TUESDAY:
Let's review the steps you need to take--
STEP 1- Decide which party caucus you'll be attending. Decide where your delegate vote would count the most - the Republican or Democratic Conventions. Probably that will be the party to which your current legislator belongs. Find the location of your precinct caucus, and the area it includes. Go to your political party's website--Republicans: http://www.utgop.org, Democrats: http://www.utdemocrats.org. The time is 7:00 PM Tuesday March 25th for most. Call the person hosting the caucus to verify the time. The County Clerk's office can help too.
STEP 2- Make a list of your neighbors within your precinct boundaries whom you think will support you at the party caucus. Add their phone numbers and addresses to the list. Find out if other people will be attending who might work with you to support gun rights candidates for office.
STEP 3- Visit people on the list, ask for their support, and if they agree to help you, indicate this on your list. Then tell your supporters, when and where your local party caucus will be held. Caucus size depends on the size of the precinct, so bring as many of your friends as possible. You, your spouse and 2 or 3 neighbors may be enough to get you elected as a delegate! Again, advanced coordination with potential allies will result in a win for both, while running competing candidates will almost certainly let the anti-gun forces win.
STEP 4- Arrange in advance for one supporter to nominate you for delegate position, and another to second your nomination. Arrange for a friend attending with you to be ready to make calls during the party caucus to round up more supporters if you don't have enough votes.
STEP 5- Call all your "team" about an hour before the party caucus and remind them of the meeting. "The world is run by those who show up!"
STEP 6- Get your family and pro-gun friends and neighbors to these meetings and have them elect you (or another candidate agreed on in advance) as a delegate to the county and state party conventions.
STEP 7- Count your supporters who are present. If you need even more supporters, get your caller busy contacting anyone who did not show up and urge them to come. NOTE- Party rules generally require that balloting shall continue for at least one hour after the time the meeting opens for business. You have a right to insist that the rule be observed to the letter.
STEP 8- Some persons at the meeting may argue that people who have served in party offices in the past should be named to the delegate position(s). Remember that any person legally qualified at the meeting has the right to run for the delegate position, and don't let remarks cause you to bow out of a delegate race, unless it is to unify support behind someone else who will support gun rights. Remember, the COUNTY Delegate positions are the most important ones, so try to win those positions, even if you have to compromise on the STATE Delegate jobs. Note that some precincts may elect more than one delegate. If your district is one of these, urge other friends to run.
STEP 9- Make sure that if more than one of your group is nominated for the same position that they decline. Otherwise, splitting the vote might permit a person from outside your group to win the election.
STEP 10- After the caucus meeting is over, PLEASE CONTACT USSC AND LET US KNOW HOW IT went IN YOUR PRECINCT! Let us know the party, precinct number, and if the delegates will be for pro-gun candidates, or not. Email this info to: volunteer@utahshootingsports.com
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USSC WEBSITE- http://UtahShootingSports.com includes frequent updates of gun related news stories from Utah and around the nation. There are daily updates on gun related bills during the Legislative Session. You can sign up for our Alerts, or remove your name, or change your email address (add the new one and delete the old one).
Thanks for your time!
From Charles Hardy, GOUtah! Policy Director, we received this forwarded invitation. "An open invite from opencarry.org that might be of interest to some. Feel free to pass along.
Travis Barney
Member
Posted: Fri Mar 21st, 2008 09:00 am
I want to extend an invitation to the general public who would be interested.
On Wednesday, March 26, at 2:00pm, SGT Wakamatsu from the Orem Police Department will be informing us about OPD planned response to an on campus shooting incident. This is of interest in this forum because I have asked him to address OPD reaction to a law abiding citizen who defends themself in this situation, ie. CCW.
If you are interested then please come and join us. It will be on UVSC campus, in the Pope Science Building, Room PS203.
Travis Barney
President of UVSC Gun and Knife Club
Our friends at Gun Owners of America (GOA) issued the following email update on 19 March, 2008 in regard to the DC v. Heller case being heard by the US Supreme Court.
Gun owners had their day in court on Tuesday, when the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the DC v. Heller case, which involves a challenge to the DC gun ban.
Absent some world-shaking surprise, it is pretty clear that there are five votes on the Supreme Court to declare that the Second Amendment is an individual right.
That fact alone should be enough to settle the argument over gun control and protect gun owners' rights. But as we all know, that's where the battle over the meaning of the Second Amendment begins.
More to the point, Justice John Paul Stevens asked Alan Gura, the attorney for Dick Heller, if it would be proper to say that the right protected in the Second Amendment shall not be "unreasonably infringed"?
To our shock and horror, Gura answered "yes." He did qualify his answer somewhat by saying "we don't know" exactly what this "unreasonable standard looks like." But he conceded a significant amount of ground with his answer, because any ban would be "reasonable" to Chuck Schumer and Sarah Brady.
Truth be told, we do have a proper standard for interpreting the Second Amendment. The language doesn't say anything about "reasonable" or "unreasonable;" it simply says the right of the people "shall not be infringed." It's a shame that even people on "our side" don’t fully understand that.
That's why when USA Today looked at all the briefs which had been submitted, the editors decided to use GOA for the opposing voice in today's editorial. The editors told our attorneys that GOA had an argument that was distinctive.
Indeed we do. GOA's brief says:
[T]he argument that "the right of the people" is subject to reasonable regulation and restriction tramples on the very words of the Second Amendment, reading the phrase -- "shall not be infringed" -- as if it read "shall be subject only to reasonable regulation to achieve public safety."
"Public safety" is frequently a canard that tyrants hide behind to justify their oppressive policies. Writing in USA Today, our attorneys Herbert Titus and William Olson stated:
No government deprives its citizens of rights without asserting that its actions are "reasonable" and "necessary" for high-sounding reasons such as "public safety." A right that can be regulated is no right at all, only a temporary privilege dependent upon the good will of the very government officials that such right is designed to constrain.
For the rest of the editorial: http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2008/03/opposing-view-3.html#more
For the GOA brief, and other important documents and briefs in DC v. Heller: http://www.gunowners.org/hellertb.htm
"In response to Ivan Weber's complaint about The Tribune allowing an advertisement for gun silencers ('Gun silencers,' Forum, March 15). This is still America, and nothing in the Constitution or the Second Amendment requires that guns be used only for 'sport.' Weapon suppressors are used to protect the shooters' hearing. They are perfectly legal to own.
Don't worry, your typical mall Ninja or gang-banger cannot have them. To purchase one you have to be a citizen and over 21 years of age. You have to pay a $200 excise tax and submit fingerprint cards and passport photo for an FBI background check to make sure you can legally own one.
Surely, isn't saving a little old lady's hearing ethical and legitimate?"
-- Destiny Densley, in a letter printed in The Salt Lake Tribune, 22 March 2008.
That concludes the GOUtah! Political and Legislative Alert #296 for 22 March, 2008. We hope this information will be of assistance to you in defending your firearms rights.
Remember that getting this information is meaningless unless You Act On It Today. If you just read it and dump it in the trash, your gun rights, and the gun rights of future generations go in the trash with it. Get involved, get active and get vocal!
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