Legislative Update

ATF, Virginia Police Accused of 'Persecuting' Gun ShowsBy Jeff JohnsonCNSNews.com Senior Staff WriterAugust 23, 2005
(CNSNews.com) - The federal agency that regulates U.S. gun dealers stands accused, along with at least three Virginia law enforcement agencies, of trying to shut down legal gun shows through alleged intimidation of gun buyers and sellers. The law enforcement organizations also allegedly broke the law by sharing gun buyers' information with members of the public.
Annette Gelles, owner of gun show sponsor Showmasters.us, told Cybercast News Service that at least 30 agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) along with nearly 500 Virginia State Police, Henrico County Police and Richmond City Police officers were assigned to the ATF operation targeting her gun show on Aug. 13 and 14 at the Richmond International Raceway and Fairground Complex, outside Richmond, Va.
Gelles said four marked police cars were stationed at the main entrance to the raceway parking lot and more than 50 marked and unlabeled but obvious law enforcement vehicles were positioned just outside the public entrance to the building. The officers' presence, Gelles said, was intended to intimidate her customers.
"It's just a persecution thing. It's not really an attempt to solve crimes or stop them," Gelles said. "It's their way of trying to get rid of gun shows. That's the only way you can explain that large a police presence at the gun shows."
Gelles said ATF Resident Agent in Charge Brian Swann told her that the officers were part of a "Virginia State Police, ATF task force" and represented the "same amount of force that we've used in all the shows." The only difference in Gelles' case, Swann told her, was that the command post was established at the site of her gun show.
Virginia State Police (VSP) spokeswoman Corinne Geller told Cybercast News Service that her agency does participate in a task force with ATF and other Virginia law enforcement agencies. As part of the agreement that created the task force, Geller said, VSP agreed to refer questions regarding its operations to ATF.
Richmond Police spokeswoman Kirsten Nelson e-mailed her response to questions about the apparent sting operation.
"I have done some checking and as I said on the phone, the gun show was not in our jurisdiction," Nelson wrote, "so I have no record of our officers' participation."
Gelles said the participation of Richmond Police officers in the operation has already been documented, by Richmond Police officers.
"My own Richmond City Police officers that are there, that I hire for my security purposes, told me that they saw 14 (Richmond City Police officers) on Saturday in plain clothes," Gelles said.
Lt. Doug Perry with Henrico County Police acknowledged that his department's officers took part in the operation, but he would not say how many participated.
"We wouldn't normally release that anyway. That's part of our operational plan, the number of officers involved," Perry said. "We're not on overtime when we're doing that so it wouldn't be public information."
One gun show exhibitor said he counted 72 uniformed and plainclothes officers and agents in and around the vehicles near the entrance to the building. Gelles claimed that an unidentified officer tried to stop the exhibitor from counting the number of law enforcement personnel present, but walked away when the exhibitor refused.
While normal attendance at her two-day show is nearly 4,000, Gelles said she attracted approximately 2,300 the weekend of Aug. 13 and 14, costing Showmasters.us more than $7,000.
'There's no way that's legal'
"They did something else, which is highly illegal," Gelles charged. "They did something called a residency check."
Gelles explained that, when gun dealers took the paperwork to the Virginia State Police on-site office to complete the background checks on prospective buyers, ATF agents copied the names, home addresses and telephone numbers of the applicants.
Philip Van Cleave, president of the Virginia Citizens Defense League, told Cybercast News Service that he has received numerous complaints alleging that as handgun buyers were waiting for their National Instant Check System (NICS) background investigations to be completed, ATF was secretly conducting the so-called "residency checks."
According to the complaints he received, Van Cleave said officers were dispatched to the homes of the prospective gun buyers to speak with family members, asking for example: "Gee, did you know your husband was going to a gun show today? Do you have his cell phone number? Did you know he was buying a gun?
"If people weren't home they, in some cases, went to neighbors" to ask the same questions, Van Cleave said.
"I'm not an attorney but, I'll tell you what, in my opinion that would be a violation of federal law," Van Cleave said. "To go off on a fishing trip with that information, much less sharing information like that with neighbors, there's no way that's legal."
Title 18 Section 923 of the U.S. Code concerns the licensing of gun dealers and appears to support Van Cleave's position. It contains the following restrictions on the information collected during the process of a gun purchase:
"(g)(3)(B) Except in the case of forms and contents thereof regarding a purchaser who is prohibited by [federal law] from receipt of a firearm, the department of State police or State law enforcement agency or local law enforcement agency of the local jurisdiction shall not disclose any such form or the contents thereof to any person or entity, and shall destroy each such form and any record of the contents thereof no more than 20 days from the date such form is received."
VSP's Geller could not comment on the "residency checks," but said the ATF did not get gun buyers' addresses from her agency. "I can assure you, they weren't getting it from our records," Geller said, "because we don't take addresses."
In fact, the "Department of State Police - Virginia Firearms Transaction Record" form asks for the purchaser's name, date of birth, Social Security or driver's license number and citizenship status. No other identifying information, such as addresses or telephone numbers is requested.
But ATF Form 4473, the "Firearms Transaction Record Part I - Over-The-Counter," does request the purchaser's address. Those forms are kept together as part of a "buyer's packet" when the VSP form is submitted for the NICS check.
Erich Pratt, communications director for Gun Owners of America (GOA), told Cybercast News Service that these types of allegations against ATF are exactly why GOA members opposed the NICS background check when it was initially proposed.
"Whenever you force good people to jump through hoops before they exercise their rights, you give rogue bureaucrats a chance to harass decent citizens," Pratt said.
"We have a Bill of Rights because government does not always act in our best interest," he continued. "Rather than being spied upon, the American people should be the ones questioning family members and neighbors - not of gun owners - but of these rogue bureaucrats."
ATF agent allegedly 'got quite rude' with gun show customer
James Lalime, who works part time for a gun dealer, was attending the Richmond show on his own. He had brought two firearms and part of a third from his personal collection to offer for sale at the show, which is legal and does not require a federal firearms license (FFL) or local business license.
Lalime claims a man approached him and verbally identified himself as an ATF agent but did not show his credentials or badge.
"He was accusing me of running a business and telling me that I needed to get a business license if I was going to sell firearms," Lalime charged.
The agent allegedly had state police check Lalime's driver's license and learned that it was suspended. He said he was placed in the back of a police car and questioned by the agent while the suspension was investigated.
"He kept asking me all kinds of questions: 'How often do you buy guns? When do you buy guns? When was the last time you bought a gun? How many guns did you buy the last time you bought guns?'" Lalime continued. "All that is irrelevant and I told him that. I said, 'That's my personal business.'"
Lalime was released when it was learned that his license was valid and the alleged suspension was caused by a computer error. He went back into the gun show and told Gelles about the encounter and she suggested that Lalime get the agent's name.
When he found the agent, who identified himself as Special Agent Brian McComas, Lalime claims McComas tried to intimidate him.
"He said, 'You know you're making a big deal about nothing,' and I said, 'No sir, I am not,'" Lalime explained. "Then he got right in my face, almost touching his chest to mine, in real threatening posture, and said, 'You're making a real big mistake.'"
Lalime claims Swann interrupted the confrontation and the two federal officers walked away. "Once I got over the initial shock, it really made me angry," Lalime said.
ATF is 'out of the residency check business'
Gelles and her attorneys were in Washington, D.C., Aug. 15 to meet with ATF officials and seek an explanation for what happened over the weekend. After talking with several people in the ATF headquarters, Gelles said she finally spoke with a supervisor, whom she would not identify, who assured her that ATF "is out of the residency check business, effective immediately."
She was hesitant to give further details about the meeting in the event that a lawsuit is filed over the agency's actions.
In addition to the $7,000 she said she lost from reduced attendance at the show, Gelles added that she has already spent more than $12,000 in legal fees trying to prevent a repeat of the ATF operation of Aug. 13 and 14 and other previous incidents of what she considers improper agency behavior.
Van Cleave said his groups will be "watching in Virginia with a microscope to make sure that nothing like this ever happens again.
"If they do it again, we'll get active in contacting the ATF, the police and the media," Van Cleave warned. "If they break their word on this and start this crap again, then we will be in touch with the media."
After more than a half-dozen calls by Cybercast News Service seeking comment for this article, an ATF spokesman said the agency was "still gathering information" about the events of Aug. 13 and 14 and would not be able to comment until sometime on Tuesday.
Date: Mon, 29 Aug 2005 14:47:05 -0400To: va-alert@listbox.comFrom: VCDL President <philip@virginiasystems.com>Subject: VA-ALERT: A smoking gun on the BATFE/Richmond incident
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One of VCDL's members did a Freedom of Information Act request to the Virginia State Police on the BATFE 'residency check' scheme that was being run on purchasers at the last Richmond gun show.
The resulting document, which gives important insight into the scheme, is now on VCDL's site for you to view:
http://www.vcdl.org/pdf/gunshow.pdf
The first three pages talk about the last gun show. The fourth page was created sometime before March of this year.
Notice on page four that 'residency checks' have been going on for at least a year! I'm surprised that we didn't learn about it earlier. I would guess that many people either didn't know who to notify or, more likely, were too intimidated.
Page three discusses the language one BATFE agent had on his t-shirt. That language wasn't necessary for a **police officer** to wear at a gun show, which is really a family event. A t-shirt saying something like 'Guns Save Lives' wouldn't have been so inappropriately offensive. ;-)
BTW, I learned that after complaints about the t-shirt, the officer was force to turn the shirt inside out.
Also it is noted on the third page that "Twenty-one individuals were deterred from making purchases due to questioning by Task Force members." It doesn't say that those were all criminals buying guns. It is very likely that it spooked off mostly legitimate gun purchasers who didn't want to purchase a gun in an oppressive environment where the police were hanging around and appeared to be chomping at the bit to bust someone.
Finally, it is noted on page three that the BATFE is only suspending the 'residency check' scheme, not terminating it. Thus, it could rear its ugly head in a more covert manner in the future. Any bets?
Let's keep our eyes and ears open, VCDL!

--
Sputnik
State Chair

Notable traffic and criminal laws that go into effect on September 1 (unless noted otherwise) include the following:
SB 1257 prohibits use of wireless communications devices (including cell phones) for the first six months after teenagers get their driver licenses. The bill also prohibits passenger bus drivers transporting minors from using wireless communications devices, except in emergencies or when the bus is stopped.
HB 51 requires an ignition interlock device if a driver’s blood alcohol level is determined to be .15 or more (upon conviction).
HB 1357 creates a six-month driver license (DL) suspension for a person convicted of providing alcohol to a minor (one year for second offense), and increases the DL suspension to one year for minors who are convicted of a second alcohol offense.
HB 1481
makes it a Class B misdemeanor if a person drives around a barricade where a warning sign or barricade has been placed because water is over any portion of a road, street or highway. It also specifically creates a traffic violation for driving around a barricade put in the roadway because of dangerous conditions.
HB 183 states that all children younger than 5 years of age (old law was younger than 4) and less than 36 inches tall are required to be in a child safety seat system. It also classifies safety seat infractions as moving violations for the first time.
SB 1005 provides that if a driver younger than 25 years of age commits a traffic offense classified as a moving violation, the judge must require the driver to complete a driving safety course—and, if the driver holds a provisional driver license (under 18 years of age), submit to a DPS road test. Failure by the driver to meet this requirement will result in a final conviction for that traffic offense.
HB 1484 specifies that a person commits a traffic offense if they are involved in a crash on the main lane, ramp, shoulder, median or adjacent area of a freeway and don’t move their vehicle to an area that minimizes interference with freeway traffic (assuming the vehicle is drivable).
HB 1596 clarifies the definition of neighborhood electric vehicles and motor assisted scooters and allows municipalities to regulate the use of motor assisted scooters on roadways and sidewalks.
SB 1257 disqualifies a person from operating a commercial motor vehicle if the person’s driving is determined to constitute an imminent hazard.
HB 754 allows fines up to $500 for violating the laws for transporting loose material in commercial vehicles.
SB 1258 specifies that an original commercial driver license or commercial driver learner’s permit expires in five years instead of six years.
HB 87 allows cities to lower residential speed limits from 30 mph to 25 mph in certain instances. This bill took effect immediately.
HB 2257 allows the TxDOT commission to establish a daytime speed limit of 80 miles per hour on I-10 or I-20 in Crockett, Culberson, Hudspeth, Jeff Davis, Kerr, Kimble, Pecos, Reeves, Sutton or Ward counties. If established, this speed does not apply to truck tractors, trailers, semi trailers, or trucks, other than light trucks and light trucks pulling a trailer. This bill took effect immediately.
SB 1670 requires the Department of Insurance, in conjunction with TxDOT and other agencies, to establish a verification program for vehicle insurance in order to try and reduce the number of uninsured drivers.
HB 120 creates an organ donor education and registry program. Eventually, Texans will be able to indicate their wish to become an organ donor when they are issued or renew their driver license or ID card.

UPDATE 8/25/05

Mike Alvey, Gwen and I attended the Sons of Liberty Riders TEA Party in Oskaloosa, Iowa this past week. It is truly a great experience to spend a few days each year surrounded by Extreme Activists for Liberty. The Party consists of one official meeting to set direction for the next year followed by a few days of food and one on one or small group conversations sharing views. During this trip Penny and Bernie Adams from Virginia traveled thru Pennsylvania enroute to Iowa and picked up a Shadow Ace that Hawk had made available for my use. Your chairman is ready to ride again if it kills him.
Friday was our 46th anniversary so the SOLR Members toasted Gwen for putting up with me for that long. She also received a bouquet of roses. One member said we all try to keep how much we spend on biker’s rights from our mates because if they knew we would be out the door quick. He went on to say ‘except for Gwen and she is a Goddess.”

Headed back to the office early Monday morning I lost ability to breathe again but had oxygen sitting in the truck beside me and was able to once again stave off the inevitable. Slowly traveled the rest of the way to the office while doing oxygen and hit the ground running. We did some probability studies on races for the upcoming election cycle and will have a list of candidates soon. With all our Emails answered we found time to ride the bike about 20 miles yesterday.

We have a meeting scheduled with Charles Soechting for Monday morning at Party headquarters to discuss those races we discussed at the DA meeting and get insight from that side. Currently we feel that every uncontested race needs to be looked at very closely. Someone should run for these seats where possible, win or lose. At least we can get issues discussed that affect the common man. Who knows where that might lead.
The following is a personal goal!!!!

With my wife being a Geriatric Nurse I am very aware of how much nurses spend buying personal items for their patients because the legislature only allows them $30 per month for personal needs. The legislature raised that to $60 per month but nothing got signed during this two month ordeal. The governor says he will add that expenditure to the budget but he needs approval from Speaker Tom Craddick and Lt. Governor Dewhurst. As I say this is a personal deal with me but I would ask that anyone who reads this call the Speaker’s office at 512-463-0056 and the Lt. Governor’s Office at 512-463-0614 and ask that they support adding this issue to the budget. Time is of the essence on this.
Thank you for reading this,
Sputnik / Proud husband of a dedicated Geriatric Nurse


We have copies of the Biker’s Handbook in the office to sell now. We will be sending a few copies of the book to each chapter to sell and return the money to the state office. Each District Advisor present at the DA meeting received a copy to take back to the district and show off. The book is currently in the Biker’s Museum in Sturgis as the Collectors Edition. Each book has been signed by yours truly as my picture is on the front cover. Contact your nearest chapter or call the state office to check it out or purchase a copy.

We received several calls about being involved in a protest ride to the Waco VA Hospital to day. Your chairman immediately contacted the office of Congressman Chet Brooks and US Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison to learn more on the status of this issue. We were told by Chet’s staff that the Secretary of Veterans Affairs had recommended closing or consolidating 18 hospitals. This recommendation was then changed to doing a year long study to determine what action if any should be taken. We have two of the most powerful legislators in Washington for this issue thanks in large part to the work done by the TMRA 2 Warriors during the staged attempt at removing Congressman Edwards from office by redistricting. They assure me they are on top of this and ask that you be told to contact Waco Mayor Linda Ethridge and/or Bill Mahon, President of the McClennan County Veterans Administration and offer your help to those people to save this hospital. Edward’s staff say if the study does not go our way they will address the issue legislatively. Senator Hutchison has already introduced legislation to keep any action by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs from taking place against the hospital due to this study.
It appears we are still receiving ample support from these legislators which I have had the pleasure of being aware of for several years. They should receive your thanks and your support through positive action.

We have finally gotten our taxes figured (late) after taking it to the third CPA. We learned yesterday that we owe $ 2,527.13 in late taxes and there will late charges and interest added to that when it is filed. My wife paid the $204.95 for getting it figured. This amount is not from making a profit. It comes from the taxes held out of the 8 months salary your chairman received last year plus the matching taxes on those withheld taxes.
As of August 12th we had finally managed to catch up our back bills and had $26 left in the account. Financially we are in one hell of a mess as always. As Chairman of one of the most successful SMROs in the country I have just about reached my boiling point at the number of clubs that so proudly do events for charities who in turn use that money to oppose our issues at the capitol while making use of the legislation we manage to get passed or killed at the capitol to benefit all riders Muscular Dystrophy, a favorite charity for the Harley Riders uses that money to lobby in support of mandatory adult helmet laws. Their claim is that money spent treating riders with head injuries could better be spent by them. I would say a good bit of it goes for six figure salaries for the executives who run MD and the cost of their lobbyist. Riders gladly support those expenses while the state secretary of TMRA 2 works three jobs to be able to serve the interest of riders in this state. I wonder how many of those will have a pistol on their bikes after Sept. 1st thanks to HB 823 that the Warriors helped write, rewrite and pass Oh for the days when the wave tossed around by passing riders today was a clenched fist held low on your thigh in passing as a way of saying “Balls – we gott’um, they don’t and we stand together as one.”

Sorry this is so long but I have not posted for a while due top the hectic pace at the capitol.

Ride Free – Ride Sober

Sputnik
State Chair TMRA 2

MRF E-MAIL NEWS
Motorcycle Riders Foundation
236 Massachusetts Ave. NE
Suite 510
Washington, DC 20002-4980
202-546-0983 (voice)
202-546-0986 (fax)
http://www.mrf.org (website)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:  Carol Downs, MRF Events & Conferences
downs@mrf.org (e-mail)

August 16, 2005

#05NR22 - MRF Meeting of the Minds Overflows into Second Hotel

Due to overwhelming registrations for this year's Meeting of the Minds, the host hotel has sold out of rooms for the conference. If you have not yet made your reservations for Meeting of the Minds in North Little Rock, you will now need to use our overflow hotel, The Clarion Hotel. They will honor the room rate for MRF Conference attendees. Be sure to mention you are with the MRF. The reservation number is 501-374-9000. The Wyndham and Clarion will be offering free shuttle service for conference attendees between hotels.

I also don't want you to forget to send in your conference registration. You can register with a credit card on-line at http://www.mrf.org or by calling the MRF office at 202-546-0983. You may also mail your registration to the MRF office at 236 Massachusetts Ave. NE, Suite 510, Washington, DC 20002. Conference registration is $70.00 for members and $80.00 for non-MRF members. I really encourage your attendance this year. We have outstanding workshops and very informative general sessions planned for this conference.

It has come to the attention of the MRF, some U.S. mail is being returned to the sender from the old PO Box address with a "no forwarding address" stamp. If you or a MRF member in your state, or SMRO mailed anything to the old PO Box, (such as conference registrations) and you get them returned, please resend to: 

Motorcycle Riders Foundation
236 Massachusetts Ave. NE #510
Washington, D.C. 20002

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Ride With The LeadersTM by joining the MRF at http://www.mrf.org/join.php or call 1-202-546-0983

Registration is easy and secure for the MRF Meeting of the Minds conference. Visit our website at http://www.mrf.org/events.php for further details and registration information.

Sign up today for the MRF's new roadside assistance program by visiting http://www.mrf.org/join.php  The program is available to MRF members and non-MRF members.

(c)All Information contained in this release is copyrighted.  Reproduction permitted with attribution.  The Motorcycle Riders Foundation, incorporated in 1987, is a membership-based, national motorcyclists' rights organization headquartered in Washington, DC.  The first motorcyclists' rights organization to establish a full-time presence in Washington, DC, the Motorcycle Riders Foundation is the only Washington voice devoted exclusively to the street rider.  The MRF established MRFPAC in the early 1990s to advocate the election of candidates who would champion the cause of rider safety and rider freedom.

The MRF proudly claims state motorcyclists' rights organizations and the very founders of the American riders' rights movement among its leading members.  The MRF is involved in federal and state legislation and regulations, motorcycling safety education, training, and public awareness.  The MRF provides members and state motorcyclists' rights organizations with direction and information, and sponsors annual regional and national educational seminars for motorcyclists rights activists, as well as publishing a bi-monthly newsletter, THE MRF REPORTS.

SOUTHERN CROSS CONFERENCE

We have established an organization called the Southern Cross Conference. It is structured much like the Mid South Mile except it consists of the Southern States from Texas to the East Coast, From Virginia down to Florida.
The purpose of SCC is to establish continuity at a Federal Level to utilize the combined voting strength of the Southern State’s Congressmen and Senators.
This enterprise has been a work in progress for some time by a lot of SMRO members and leaders especially from Virginia to South Carolina.
The planning stage is an ongoing process but the first meeting is scheduled to be held in Charleston SC on October 29th. It will be a weekend affair. To learn more about the Southern Cross Conference go to www.southerncrossconference.com

If anyone would like to consider making history by attending the First Annual SCC Meeting Click on www.southerncrossconference.com/SCC-Registration.pdf and register on line with credit card or print out and mail to address listed. Contact the state office if you plan to go so we could maybe all go together.

Sputnik
State Chair / TMRA 2

Date: 8/10/05From: texascoc@coctexas.org
Blood 4 Brothers Program
To Send a Reply or a Story to THE BULLETINPro or Con please E-Mail: texascoc@coctexas.org
THE BULLETIN is a news bulletin that contains information written, gathered and compiled by members and supporters of the Texas Confederation of Clubs. These members and supporters are dedicated in the Fight for Freedom from ALL Oppression, Discrimination and Harassment.
The Texas Confederation of Clubs DFW Region has started a new program in the DFW Area. It is called Blood 4 Brothers.
The DFW Region has teamed up with Carter Blood Care with 20 locations in 17 Cities. By going by one of the Carter Blood Care donation sites and donating blood, you can have your blood go into an account that can be used to help out a Texas COC Club Member or Independent Supporter that has been involved in a serious motorcycle accident. Here is your opportunity to give the gift of life to someone (brother / sister) who celebrates "Live to Ride and Ride to Live"!
When donating blood, be sure and give the Carter Blood Care Center the following information:
TX Confederation of Clubs #041296
For More Info Go To:http://www.coctexas.org/blood4brothers.htm
The Officers of the DFW Region of the Texas Confederation of ClubsThanks Each and Everyone for their Support for this Life Saving Program
Texas Confederation Of Clubstexascoc@coctexas.orgwww.coctexas.org

President Bush signed a comprehensive highway measure into law Wednesday morning in the home district of Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-IL). Flanked by the Secretary of Transportation, Hastert and throngs of Members of Congress, Bush declared that the $286.4 billion dollar package will "improve the safety of and modernize the nation’s highway system". He added "and in a fiscally responsible way, this bill does not raise any federal gas taxes" Bush then signed the legislation into public law.
Bush had been brandishing a veto threat of any proposal that spent more than $284 billion, but in the end, decided the measure was worthy legislation and a good compromise.
The legislation had been running on a series of unprecedented monetary extensions, many observers doubted that the package would ever see public law.
The package known as SAFETEA-LU or Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users, if you are not into brevity, marks a monumental victory for motorcyclists. The bill makes available $25 million dollars for motorcycle education and awareness campaigns, and calls for the organization of a motorcycle advisory council to advise the Federal Highway Administrator on road and road furniture design.
All of these provisions are a direct result of the efforts of the Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) and the various State Motorcycle Rights Groups and individual motorcyclists that traveled to Washington DC to lobby, contact their Members of Congress, or maintain a healthy relationship with their elected officials. The MRF would like to thank all of those that have worked on the inclusion of the motorcycle language. With out you, the highway bill would have once again ignored the needs of the motorcycle community.
"Now that the highway bill is public law, the individual states will be able to improve upon, or in some cases, implement rider ed programs and awareness campaigns." said Jeff Hennie, MRF Vice President of Government Relations "This groundbreaking legislation has the potential to save thousands of lives, something we should all be very proud of."

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Announcement of Meeting Change:
Due to some problems with our meeting room, the Big Spring Chapter of Texas Motorcycle Rights Association will have a slight change of schedule. The schedule for the rest of the year is as follows:
September 2005: No Meeting

October 4, 2005: Meeting will be held at the “In Town” location of New York’s Finest Hotdogs. 109 E. 2nd Street, Big Spring, TX 79720 @ 700 pm

November 2005: No Meeting

December 6, 2005: Elections, 7:00 pm, Location TBA after October Meeting.

2006: Monthly meetings to resume after the 1st of the year! 1st Tuesday
of each month @ 7:00 pm. Location TBA after October meeting.

Hopefully the change of season and change of scenery will boost attendance and participation. Every time you climb on your bike with out your helmet, remember why you have the freedom of choice. Remember who made it possible. Support your local TMRA2 Chapter. We Hope To See You There!

The Blonde Bomber
Big Spring Chapter Coordinator

UPDATE 7/30/05

Both House and Senate Convened, stood At Ease for nearly 8 hours then Adjourned until Monday Afternoon. Senator Shapiro says she will offer a different version of the School Finance Bill to be taken up by the senate. No committee hearings have yet been set to hear the new version. Quite possibly this one will move by rule change without public input.
We’ll see what changes are being offered come Monday.
All Tax Bills must originate with the House and we can be relatively certain a new HB 3 will be introduced when they convene.
These next articles are posted for your information. Use them as you see fit – or not.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/073005dnbushelmets.21afbf19.html
HELMETS FOR KIDS IN CARS Michael Fleming, amateur inventor and full-time Houston attorney, has filed a patent application for a new safety device for kids. It's called the Automobile Helmet. "The time has come for a helmet that protects children in autos," Mr. Fleming said. Actually the time is overdue. "Too many children are killed in car crashes from head injuries and too many who survive face a future filled with head injuries," Mr. Fleming said, citing government statistics that 2,500 children are killed and 294,000 injured annually in vehicle accidents. "A protective helmet must be produced to confront this problem," he said.
And how do parents who refuse to use seats belts persuade kids to not only belt up, but helmet up as well? Mr. Fleming thinks he has the answer: loading the helmet with electronics. "By building a helmet that allows a child to listen to music, watch a DVD movie or play a handheld game, I'm hoping they'll want to wear a helmet without complaint," Mr. Fleming said.
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Libertarians Propose Taking Breyer's Land
By ANNE SAUNDERS Associated Press Writer
(AP) - PLAINFIELD, N.H.-Libertarians upset about a Supreme Court ruling on land taking have proposed seizing a justice's vacation home and turning it into a park, echoing efforts aimed at another justice who lives in the state. Organizers are trying to collect enough signatures to go before the town next spring to ask to use Justice Stephen G. Breyer's 167-acre Plainfield property for a "Constitution Park" with stone monuments to commemorate the U.S. and New Hampshire constitutions.
"In the spirit of the ruling, we're recreating the same use of eminent domain," said John Babiarz, the Libertarian Party's state chairman. The plot mirrors the party's ongoing effort to get the town of Weare, about 45 miles to the southeast, to seize Justice David Souter's home. Souter's property is also the focus of a proposal by a California man who suggested the town turn the farmhouse into a "Lost Liberty Hotel."
Plainfield Town Administrator Steve Halleran said he didn't expect Plainfield voters to support the Breyer effort, but Logan Darrow Clements, of Los Angeles, said he's gotten support from thousands of people across the country for his Souter plan, and the town clerk in Weare said she had to return checks sent in by people wishing to donate to the Hotel Fund.
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The Senate passed S 397 to protect Manufacturers and Dealers from lawsuit if a person uses that weapon for illegal purposes.
On the gun legislation, Democrats offered a series of amendments but were beaten back, except in pressing for a measure that would permit lawsuits in cases in which a pistol lacked child-safety locks. Senator Craig said that change was acceptable to both the industry and the House since such locks were now virtually an industry standard.
Go to www://Thomas.loc.gov/ type in s397, click on s397ES and read section 5. That will allow you to see exactly what was added to the Bill. The NRA accepted this section planning to have it removed in conference committee.
Personal opinion:
Pretty risky plan that could backfire unless a lot of gun owners contact their Congressman. Ask them to pass their own gun Bill (currently introduced) and refuse to vote for a conference report that includes Section 5.
Congress is currently on a month vacation and can be reached in their home offices.

Don’t forget the District Advisor Meeting at the State office on Saturday August 13th at 1:00pm.

Sputnik