National Park carry

[xd.40]

Reposting some things from VCDL's website... Slow day at work :)

03/06/07 - ACTION ITEM: National Park carry is NOT OVER!!!

**URGENT** **URGENT** **URGENT**

VCDL has just learned from our sources on Capitol Hill that the
Department of the Interior (DOI) is **livid** over the National Park
Service's (NPS) asinine rejection letter sent to VCDL concerning
VCDL's Petition for Rule Making!

(http://www.vcdl.org/pdf/NPS_Denial_of_VCDL_PRM.pdf)

That petition would allow a law-abiding citizen to carry a handgun
for self-defense in a National Park if the state in which the park is
located allows such carry.

Apparently the National Park Service DID NOT CLEAR that rejection
letter with their parent - the Department of the Interior!

The Department of Interior had been telling VCDL and key
Congressional members that DOI would seriously consider VCDL's
petition.

The ensuing NPS rejection letter made DOI look like fools and liars.
DOI doesn't like that at all, and I don't blame them.

The word that I am hearing is that the Department of the Interior is
investigating how to OVERTURN that rejection letter and soon!!!

We have an incredible opportunity to save TWO years of work and pull
off a victory for all gun owners! But we must make our voices heard
LOUD AND CLEAR.

I need all of you to do the following FOUR things NOW and URGENTLY no
matter where you live, as this this is a NATIONAL effort:

********

1. CALL the DOI Legislative Affairs and leave a message for the
Secretary of the Interior, Dirk Kempthorne.


Say something like this:

"I encourage Secretary Kempthorne to implement the Virginia Citizens
Defense League's Petition for Rule Making that the National Park
Service has rejected out-of-hand. Law-abiding citizens should be
allowed to protect themselves and their families while visiting a
National Park."

PLEASE MAKE THAT CALL - WE WANT DOI'S TELEPHONE LINE LIT UP BIG TIME!

Mr. Kempthorne's telephone number in Washington, DC is: 202-208-7351

********

2. Call your U.S. Senators and Congressman. Their names, phone
numbers and email addresses can be found by clicking here and
entering your zip and address:

http://capwiz.com/nra/officials/congress

Say something like this:

"Please have the Senator [Congressman] contact the Department of the
Interior's Secretary, Dirk Kempthorne, and ask him to overturn the
National Park Service's rejection of the Virginia Citizens Defense
League's Petition for Rule Making. Law-abiding citizens should be
allowed to carry a handgun to defend themselves while visiting a
National Park if the state in which the park is located allows such
carry!"

PLEASE MAKE THAT CALL - WE WANT CONGRESS' TELEPHONE LINES TO LIGHT UP
AS BRIGHTLY AS DOI'S!

********

3. After calling your Senators and Congressman, follow up with an email.

Here is a sample email you can use:

Please ask the Department of the Interior's Secretary, Dirk
Kempthorne, to overturn the National Park Service's arbitrary
rejection of the Virginia Citizens Defense League's Petition for Rule
Making and to implement that petition!

VCDL's Petition for Rule Making, representing over ONE MILLION gun
owners, would allow law-abiding citizens to carry a handgun for
self-defense in a National Park as long as the state in which that
National Park is located allows such carry.

The National Park Service's rejection letter was not only asinine,
but condescending towards America's gun owners.

My family member and I are given but one life each. I ask that you
make sure that I can defend those lives while visiting a National
Park!

Please let me know what you are going to do.

********

4. After calling and leaving a message for DOI, follow up with an
email to Secretary Kempthorne:

Email address:

exsec@ios.doi.gov

Suggested email subject:

Please approve VCDL's Petition for Rule Making!

Suggested email text:

Dear Secretary Kempthorne,

I ask that you approve and implement the Virginia Citizens Defense
League's (VCDL) Petition for Rule Making that would allow a
law-abiding citizen to carry a handgun for self-defense in a National
Park as long the state in which the park is located allows such carry.

The National Park Service sent a rejection letter to VCDL listing
four very poor reasons for the rejection. None of the reasons listed
legitimately justifies denying a person the right to defend the only
life they have been given.

The Petition, representing over ONE MILLION gun owners, was basically
rejected out-of-hand.

Please let me know what the Department of the Interior is going to do
regarding this matter.

Sincerely,
[YOUR NAME]
[YOUR ADDRESS]

********

OK, ladies and gentlemen - let's ROLL!

Please spread this alert far and wide! We need gun owners from all
over the country to make this happen!

************************************************** *************************

[FOP201]

12/17/07 -
:)
47 Senators, including Virginia's Senator Webb sign and send a letter to the Department of the Interior urging them to implement the changes in VCDL's petition for rule making.

The following note was in the NRA-ILA email alert from 12/17/07-
Note: The NRA initiated and worked closely with Senator Crapo on this letter and appreciates his bipartisan effort to get 47 Senators to sign a letter to Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne requesting a change in policy allowing state law to govern the carrying and transportation of firearms in national parks and wildlife refuges, as is the case of national forests and BLM lands. We have been working for nearly five years to change this policy and applaud the strong Senate support for this policy change expressed in this letter.


Bighammer.net welcomes NRA-ILA to actively participating in the effort to repeal the NPS ban on self defense.

Contacts:

Principals involved in the process to amend CFR 36, Regulation 2.4 to amend the National Parks self defense ban.

Bighammer.net - Contact Bighammer.net with questions concerning the Petition or to submit documemnts to the timeline.

Dirk_Kempthorne: Secretary of the Interior. Presides over DOI & NPS.
David Verhey: Acting Assistant Secretary / Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fish, Wildlife & Parks.
Paul Hoffman: (202) 208-4416. FORMER Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fish, Wildlife & Parks. Met with the Petitioners, assigned the petition for review.
Doug Domenech: (202) 208-5647. Department of the Interior Office of the Secretary White House Liason. Met with Petitioners.
Karen Taylor-Goodrich: (202) 208-???? Nothing else needs to be said.
Michael Sozan: (202) 224-4024 - Assistant to Senator Jim Webb.
Jerry Case: (202) 208-4206. Petition reviewer at NPS.
Sean Carney: (202) 225-1492. Legislative Assistant to US Representative Tom Davis.
Chris Lopez: (202) 225-1492. Legislative Assistant to US Representative Tom Davis.
Michael Sozan (202)-228-5177. Legislative Director for US Senator Jim Webb.
Tack Richardson: (202) 224-2023. Legislative Correspondent to US Senator John Warner.
Mr. Kelly Simpson: (202) 225-4711. Legislative Assistant to US Congressman Virgil Goode.
Brooke Roberts: (202) 224-2752. Legislative Assistant to US Senator Larry Craig
Deborah Tekavec: (202) 225-2065. Legislative Assistant to US Representative John Murtha.
John Hugya: (202) xxx-xxxx Legislative Assistant to US Representative John Murtha.
Jeffrey Vorberger: (202) 225-5121. Legislative Assistant to US Representative John Peterson.
Alex Davis: (202) xxx-xxxx Legislative Assistant for US Senator Bob Casey.
Nate Berry: (202) 225-5836. Legislative Assistant to US Representative Todd Platts.
Bill Dolbow (202) 225-2815. Deputy Chief of Staff to US Representative Eric Cantor. :)

[snowman]

I sent all the e-mails to all representatives