Grass Roots North Carolina, P.O. Box 10665, Raleigh, NC 27605, 919-664-8565, www.GRNC.org
GRNC Alert 3-18-11:
CCW in Parks & Restaurants-Keep Pushing
HB 111 would enable concealed handgun permit-holders to protect themselves in restaurants, and in both municipal and state parks.
NC House members need to hear from you ASAP: Even if you have already contacted them, do so again. There are still a few problems getting the Republican caucus to hang together.
They need instructions from you to do 3 things:
1. Vote for final passage of HB 111;
2. Vote for an amendment to be offered which will remove the "Ross Amendment" which Deborah Ross used to try to get the NC Restaurant & Lodging Association to oppose the bill (she failed); and
3. Oppose any and all weakening amendments made to the bill, including a plan reportedly afoot to carve out a "gun free" zone at any sporting event (e.g. Little League games) held within public parks.
New suggested talking points:
* NC concealed carry has reduced violent crime: Since 1995, when our concealed carry law passed, the rate of overall NC crime has dropped by 27.7%, while the rate of violent crime dropped by a whopping 37.1%. This mirrors the study by John Lott and David Mustard which found that concealed handgun laws deter murder, rape, and aggravated assault.
* State parks have not seen the same drop: An extrapolation of partial data for the same years estimates only an 8.9% drop in crime within state parks. Although crime in municipal parks is not tracked, news accounts and the urban location of many suggest that crime is actually increasing in these "victim disarmament zones." HB 111 will not only benefit permit-holders, it will deter violent crime.
* NC permit-holders are overwhelmingly responsible: Of 336,743 concealed handgun permits approved since 1995, only 1007 have been revoked for any reason (that's less than a third of one percent, or 0.29%). Although the SBI doesn't keep reasons for revocation, other states' experience suggests that few of those revocations are for misuse of firearms.
IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED
* CALL YOUR OWN NC HOUSE REP: Do so even if you know he or she supports the bill, telling them to support removing the weakening Ross amendment and to oppose any other weakening amendments proposed for the bill. Again, find out who represents you in the NC House by going to: http://www.grnc.org/contact_reps.htm
GRNC GETS A NEW ALLY
National concealed carry advocate Nikki Goeser has been kind enough to write the following letter, relayed by GRNC president Paul Valone today to the entire NC House of Representatives. Nikki's husband, Ben, was murdered by a stalker in a crowded restaurant where Nikki - a concealed handgun permit-holder - had been prohibited from protecting herself and her husband.
Sent to the NC House today:
To: Members of the North Carolina House of Representatives
From: F. Paul Valone, President, Grass Roots North Carolina
Re: House Bill 111: "Handgun Permit Valid in Parks & Restaurants"
Some have asked whether North Carolina has a "need" for HB 111: "Handgun Permit Valid in Parks & Restaurants." Few could answer the question as eloquently as Nicole Renee Goeser, whose husband was murdered in front of her by a stalker in a busy Tennessee restaurant. She sent me the letter below just today.
--------------------------------------------------
Why is Restaurant Carry needed?
My husband, Ben, was brutally murdered right in front of me on the night of April 2, 2009 by a man who had been stalking me. Ben was shot six times, at close range, in the middle of a busy restaurant in the Nashville, TN area. There were over 50 people in the restaurant that night who all helplessly watched with me. At the time, Tennessee State Law said no one who has passed a background check, had their finger prints taken and gone through proper state certified training could carry their permitted gun for self defense in any establishment that serves alcohol. I am a right to carry permit holder but because of my respect for the law, I left my permitted gun locked in my vehicle that night.
My husband bought me my Smith & Wesson .38 revolver for self-defense and that gun should have been used to save his life. At the time, I had gone through a permit course, intermediate course, shooting competitions and I was a range volunteer. I will never know now if I could have saved Ben. But I was denied the chance. I was legislated out of my right to defend my husband. I stood in disbelief and complete helplessness as my stalker took the man I chose to spend the rest of my life with away from me. Unlike the people who blame the gun when their loved one is taken by gun violence, I blame the man behind the gun and the naïve belief that gun bans will be obeyed by criminals.
Never underestimate the intelligence of a criminal. I am positive my stalker knew he could carry out a killing with no resistance because he knew nobody in the restaurant could stop him. We were sitting ducks.
I would like to point out that the man who killed Ben did NOT have a handgun carry permit and was carrying his gun illegally. The Law did nothing to stop him from carrying his illegal gun into that restaurant. The law did stop me, by drawing an invisible line for me at that front doorstep. The penalties for a law-abiding citizen are much greater than for a criminal. The law does not even cause a bad guy to blink. Laws are made for the law abiding. As the law stood, it kept law-abiding citizens from having the ability to defend themselves and their loved ones in a nightmare scenario which my husband and I found ourselves in. This law did not faze my stalker and he now sits in a prison awaiting his "fair trial" for a murder he carried out almost 2 years ago. I still wait for some small crumb of justice for my husband to this day. I know that this story must seem unreal. I wish it were not real. Unfortunately, it is my reality and I hope you can learn something from it.
The Restaurant Carry Bill only allows citizens who have a carry permit to carry in these establishments. Just as your existing carry law now states, you cannot be under the influence of alcohol or drugs and have your gun in your possession. Nothing will change regarding this. This law is already in place and will apply with restaurant carry as well. It's not the good guys that you should fear. Just 0.3% of North Carolina's permit holders from December 1, 1995 to December 31, 2008 have ever had their permit revoked for any reason. Large counties such as Mecklenburg and Wake with the most revocations can't point to even one revocation resulting from the improper use of a gun.
These are extremely law-abiding people who simply want the ability to protect themselves and their families wherever they have a right to be. This should hold true for restaurants that happen to also sell alcohol. Evil does not stop at the doorstep of a Ruby Tuesday, Olive Garden or Logan's Steakhouse. Take it from someone who has lived it. Extreme Violence can occur anywhere and at anytime. When seconds count, the police are minutes away. I can promise you that. I have been there.
Nicole Renee Goeser
Address withheld by request
To speak with Ms. Goeser, please contact
GRNC President Paul Valone at President@GRNC.org
------------------------------------------
A final note:
Today an NRA alert suggested that the NRA was behind an effort by Republicans to remove the "Ross Amendment" under which restaurant servers would be encouraged to ask whether patrons were carrying firearms. In reality, it was your input which last week gave some Republicans the "spine injection" needed to offer an amendment to remove the language - an effort in which GRNC has been involved from the beginning. Other recent NRA alerts have closely mirrored GRNC commentary, sometimes appearing to try and "scoop" GRNC on efforts for which you deserve credit.
----------------------
You may find your NC STATE representative by going here:
http://www.grnc.org/contact_reps.htm
You may write your FEDERAL congressman by going here:
http://www.house.gov/writerep/
You may write your FEDERAL senators by going here:
http://www.senate.gov/
-------------------
Support these PRO RKBA merchants who, as GRNC sponsors, are supporting your Second Amendment rights:
Hyatt Gun Shop, 3332 Wilkinson Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28208, 704-394-0387, www.hyattguns.com
C & E Gun Shows, 4225 Fortress Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24060; Phone 540-953-0016 or 888-715-0606; http://www.cegunshows.com/
Dixie Gun and Knife Shows, PO Box 21049, Raleigh, NC 27619, ph: 919-781-1287, www.dixiegunandknifeshow.com/
Ryan & Nina Leonard, Down South Ammo, Home of "SOUTHERN THUNDER" Exploding Targets, http://downsouthammo.com/
Duncan Gun & Pawn, 414 Second St., North Wilkesboro, NC 28659, 336-667-6303, www.duncangun.com
Shooter's Express, 2 Caldwell Dr., Belmont, NC 28012, 800-358-GUNS, www.shootersexpress.com
The Aisle Pawn Shop, 216 N. Main St., Mooresville, NC 28115, 704-663-5656
Gunner's Alley, LLC, 203 N. Harrison Ave., Ste. 130, Cary, NC 27513, www.gunnersalley.com, 919-388-1991, contact: Ed Guerriero, ed@gunnersalley.com
Patrick J. Phelan, Lake Norman Firearms, Inc., 20823 N. Main Street, Cornelius, NC 28031, www.lknfirearms.com, 704-892-7839
Vanguard Security Consulting, LLC, 19135 W. Catawba Ave, Cornelius, NC 28031
DoubleD Media, 8300 Raintree Lane, Charlotte, NC 28277, ph: 704-650-5555, fx: 704-544-0326, donna@doubledme.com
GRNC Alert 3-18-11:
CCW in Parks & Restaurants-Keep Pushing
HB 111 would enable concealed handgun permit-holders to protect themselves in restaurants, and in both municipal and state parks.
NC House members need to hear from you ASAP: Even if you have already contacted them, do so again. There are still a few problems getting the Republican caucus to hang together.
They need instructions from you to do 3 things:
1. Vote for final passage of HB 111;
2. Vote for an amendment to be offered which will remove the "Ross Amendment" which Deborah Ross used to try to get the NC Restaurant & Lodging Association to oppose the bill (she failed); and
3. Oppose any and all weakening amendments made to the bill, including a plan reportedly afoot to carve out a "gun free" zone at any sporting event (e.g. Little League games) held within public parks.
New suggested talking points:
* NC concealed carry has reduced violent crime: Since 1995, when our concealed carry law passed, the rate of overall NC crime has dropped by 27.7%, while the rate of violent crime dropped by a whopping 37.1%. This mirrors the study by John Lott and David Mustard which found that concealed handgun laws deter murder, rape, and aggravated assault.
* State parks have not seen the same drop: An extrapolation of partial data for the same years estimates only an 8.9% drop in crime within state parks. Although crime in municipal parks is not tracked, news accounts and the urban location of many suggest that crime is actually increasing in these "victim disarmament zones." HB 111 will not only benefit permit-holders, it will deter violent crime.
* NC permit-holders are overwhelmingly responsible: Of 336,743 concealed handgun permits approved since 1995, only 1007 have been revoked for any reason (that's less than a third of one percent, or 0.29%). Although the SBI doesn't keep reasons for revocation, other states' experience suggests that few of those revocations are for misuse of firearms.
IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED
* CALL YOUR OWN NC HOUSE REP: Do so even if you know he or she supports the bill, telling them to support removing the weakening Ross amendment and to oppose any other weakening amendments proposed for the bill. Again, find out who represents you in the NC House by going to: http://www.grnc.org/contact_reps.htm
GRNC GETS A NEW ALLY
National concealed carry advocate Nikki Goeser has been kind enough to write the following letter, relayed by GRNC president Paul Valone today to the entire NC House of Representatives. Nikki's husband, Ben, was murdered by a stalker in a crowded restaurant where Nikki - a concealed handgun permit-holder - had been prohibited from protecting herself and her husband.
Sent to the NC House today:
To: Members of the North Carolina House of Representatives
From: F. Paul Valone, President, Grass Roots North Carolina
Re: House Bill 111: "Handgun Permit Valid in Parks & Restaurants"
Some have asked whether North Carolina has a "need" for HB 111: "Handgun Permit Valid in Parks & Restaurants." Few could answer the question as eloquently as Nicole Renee Goeser, whose husband was murdered in front of her by a stalker in a busy Tennessee restaurant. She sent me the letter below just today.
--------------------------------------------------
Why is Restaurant Carry needed?
My husband, Ben, was brutally murdered right in front of me on the night of April 2, 2009 by a man who had been stalking me. Ben was shot six times, at close range, in the middle of a busy restaurant in the Nashville, TN area. There were over 50 people in the restaurant that night who all helplessly watched with me. At the time, Tennessee State Law said no one who has passed a background check, had their finger prints taken and gone through proper state certified training could carry their permitted gun for self defense in any establishment that serves alcohol. I am a right to carry permit holder but because of my respect for the law, I left my permitted gun locked in my vehicle that night.
My husband bought me my Smith & Wesson .38 revolver for self-defense and that gun should have been used to save his life. At the time, I had gone through a permit course, intermediate course, shooting competitions and I was a range volunteer. I will never know now if I could have saved Ben. But I was denied the chance. I was legislated out of my right to defend my husband. I stood in disbelief and complete helplessness as my stalker took the man I chose to spend the rest of my life with away from me. Unlike the people who blame the gun when their loved one is taken by gun violence, I blame the man behind the gun and the naïve belief that gun bans will be obeyed by criminals.
Never underestimate the intelligence of a criminal. I am positive my stalker knew he could carry out a killing with no resistance because he knew nobody in the restaurant could stop him. We were sitting ducks.
I would like to point out that the man who killed Ben did NOT have a handgun carry permit and was carrying his gun illegally. The Law did nothing to stop him from carrying his illegal gun into that restaurant. The law did stop me, by drawing an invisible line for me at that front doorstep. The penalties for a law-abiding citizen are much greater than for a criminal. The law does not even cause a bad guy to blink. Laws are made for the law abiding. As the law stood, it kept law-abiding citizens from having the ability to defend themselves and their loved ones in a nightmare scenario which my husband and I found ourselves in. This law did not faze my stalker and he now sits in a prison awaiting his "fair trial" for a murder he carried out almost 2 years ago. I still wait for some small crumb of justice for my husband to this day. I know that this story must seem unreal. I wish it were not real. Unfortunately, it is my reality and I hope you can learn something from it.
The Restaurant Carry Bill only allows citizens who have a carry permit to carry in these establishments. Just as your existing carry law now states, you cannot be under the influence of alcohol or drugs and have your gun in your possession. Nothing will change regarding this. This law is already in place and will apply with restaurant carry as well. It's not the good guys that you should fear. Just 0.3% of North Carolina's permit holders from December 1, 1995 to December 31, 2008 have ever had their permit revoked for any reason. Large counties such as Mecklenburg and Wake with the most revocations can't point to even one revocation resulting from the improper use of a gun.
These are extremely law-abiding people who simply want the ability to protect themselves and their families wherever they have a right to be. This should hold true for restaurants that happen to also sell alcohol. Evil does not stop at the doorstep of a Ruby Tuesday, Olive Garden or Logan's Steakhouse. Take it from someone who has lived it. Extreme Violence can occur anywhere and at anytime. When seconds count, the police are minutes away. I can promise you that. I have been there.
Nicole Renee Goeser
Address withheld by request
To speak with Ms. Goeser, please contact
GRNC President Paul Valone at President@GRNC.org
------------------------------------------
A final note:
Today an NRA alert suggested that the NRA was behind an effort by Republicans to remove the "Ross Amendment" under which restaurant servers would be encouraged to ask whether patrons were carrying firearms. In reality, it was your input which last week gave some Republicans the "spine injection" needed to offer an amendment to remove the language - an effort in which GRNC has been involved from the beginning. Other recent NRA alerts have closely mirrored GRNC commentary, sometimes appearing to try and "scoop" GRNC on efforts for which you deserve credit.
----------------------
You may find your NC STATE representative by going here:
http://www.grnc.org/contact_reps.htm
You may write your FEDERAL congressman by going here:
http://www.house.gov/writerep/
You may write your FEDERAL senators by going here:
http://www.senate.gov/
-------------------
Support these PRO RKBA merchants who, as GRNC sponsors, are supporting your Second Amendment rights:
Hyatt Gun Shop, 3332 Wilkinson Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28208, 704-394-0387, www.hyattguns.com
C & E Gun Shows, 4225 Fortress Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24060; Phone 540-953-0016 or 888-715-0606; http://www.cegunshows.com/
Dixie Gun and Knife Shows, PO Box 21049, Raleigh, NC 27619, ph: 919-781-1287, www.dixiegunandknifeshow.com/
Ryan & Nina Leonard, Down South Ammo, Home of "SOUTHERN THUNDER" Exploding Targets, http://downsouthammo.com/
Duncan Gun & Pawn, 414 Second St., North Wilkesboro, NC 28659, 336-667-6303, www.duncangun.com
Shooter's Express, 2 Caldwell Dr., Belmont, NC 28012, 800-358-GUNS, www.shootersexpress.com
The Aisle Pawn Shop, 216 N. Main St., Mooresville, NC 28115, 704-663-5656
Gunner's Alley, LLC, 203 N. Harrison Ave., Ste. 130, Cary, NC 27513, www.gunnersalley.com, 919-388-1991, contact: Ed Guerriero, ed@gunnersalley.com
Patrick J. Phelan, Lake Norman Firearms, Inc., 20823 N. Main Street, Cornelius, NC 28031, www.lknfirearms.com, 704-892-7839
Vanguard Security Consulting, LLC, 19135 W. Catawba Ave, Cornelius, NC 28031
DoubleD Media, 8300 Raintree Lane, Charlotte, NC 28277, ph: 704-650-5555, fx: 704-544-0326, donna@doubledme.com
