One of those rumors is that there is a deal in the works to pass so-called Florida Loophole (restrictions on reciprocity of concealed carry licenses) along with Castle Doctrine. I talked to NRA’s State Liaison, John Hohenwarter, this week and asked if there was a deal to amend the Florida Loophole in exchange for moving Castle Doctrine. He assured me that there is no deal in the works, and Castle Doctrine should be able to pass as a clean bill.

We have discussed the history that shows the Senate is a tougher landscape for pro-Second Amendment legislation than the House. It’s important that you call your State Senator and tell them you want Castle Doctrine passed. The more they hear from us, the faster this can happen. Keep in mind that our opposition’s goal is to drag things out as much as possible, in the hope of exhausting us, and turning us against each other. Unfortunately, from what I’ve seen, there’s evidence that tactic is working. We can get Castle Doctrine, but only if we keep marching in the same direction.

Nearly half of all voters (44 percent) say they listened for the NRA’s message all, most, or some of the time. …

A sizeable 42 percent of independents also listened for the message of the NRA.

Among those who attend church weekly, … a 57 percent majority say they listened for the NRA’s message.

…a very strong majority of tea party voters (76 percent) say they listened for the NRA’s message.

[Among small business owners,] 53 percent majority said they listened for NRA’s message as well.

“These numbers show that the tea party and the NRA were the two major voices that influenced voter opinion in the midterm elections,” said Brad O’Leary, publisher of The O’Leary Report.

According to the report, more than two thousand voters were polled and the margin of error is approximately 2 points.

This interview covers some of the complexities of passing bills in Harrisburg, and juggling the inter- and intra-party struggles between the two chambers of the legislature. He also lets us know where to turn our attention in for future efforts to promote and defend the Second Amendment in the next legislative cycle.

My questions are bolded, with John’s answers in italics.

First, I want to thank you for taking the time to talk to my readers today. Can you tell us a bit about yourself, and your history with the gun rights issue here in Pennsylvania?

I was born and raised in Pennsylvania and currently reside in Lancaster County.  I’m a lifelong gun owner, hunter and shooting enthusiast.  I’m married and the father of three future hunters.  My professional experience is in the government relations field for the past 18 years, 12 years with NRA and six years for the Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs.

The big question on everyone’s mind is Castle Doctrine. It’s been a long, hard fight to get it, but it’s finally on the way to the Governor. Can you describe the difficulties that were encountered getting this bill through to final passage?

Over the last several legislative sessions, there have been a number of hurdles with this legislation involving the House, Senate and Governor’s Office. This session, “Castle Doctrine” legislation was introduced in both chambers – HB40 (Perry-R) and SB842 (Alloway-R).  Both pieces of legislation were stymied in committee during most of the legislative session.

Over the last several weeks there has been much misinformation concerning NRA activity with this legislation.  Therefore, I think it is important to share with your readers a brief overview of what occurred with “Castle Doctrine” over the last several months and ILA’s roll in the process.

In May of this year, Chairman Caltagirone made good on his commitment to allow a House Judiciary Committee vote on House Bill 40.  The legislation was voted out of committee and referred to the House Appropriations Committee where it remained blocked for several months by Chairman Evans.

Because Chairman Evans refused to move the bill, Representative Perry filed a discharge petition to force a committee vote to move the bill.  However, before the discharge petition had the opportunity to be voted by the House, Chairman Evans agreed to a House Appropriations Committee vote that resulted in the legislation being passed and moved out of committee and placed on the House Calendar.

During this time frame, NRA was also working on an alternative plan in the Senate by advocating a “Castle Doctrine” amendment to HB1926.  This plan of attack was supported by Senator Alloway, who agreed to offer the amendment, and was seconded by some members of the Senate republican leadership team.  Not knowing the future of HB40 in the House, this course of action would allow another option to pass the measure before the end of the legislative session.

However, NRA had opposition from some leaders in the Senate who were uncooperative in this effort despite intense lobbying efforts and overall support by a majority of the members of the Senate.  In fact, NRA had a commitment from House democratic leadership on concurrence if the Senate would send the bill to the House.  The reason the House agreed to this process was because of the high probability that a House floor flight would occur on HB40 opening the door to a flurry of bad amendments. Unfortunately at the time, the Senate did not cooperate with this effort.

So with time running out, NRA continued to lobby the House to pass HB40.  Finally, the Democratic House Leadership agreed to forge ahead and scheduled a vote.  The bill was passed by the House on October 5th and sent to the Senate where it was referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee.  Now the stage was set for a battle in the Senate and it was time to turn up the heat.

With only three days left on the Senate schedule, there were now two options available. Our office decided that the first option would be to pursue a Committee vote on HB40 and send a clean bill to the Governor’s Office.  However, this option had to occur on Tuesday, October 12th of the following week because of Constitution provisions that require a bill to be considered on three different days before being voted on the floor.

NRA was assured by republican leadership that a vote would occur in committee on Tuesday to allow a sufficient time period for legislative consideration.  However, amendments were now being drafted and efforts were underway to amend HB40 in committee with anti-gun/anti-hunting provisions.  In addition, republican support to kill the amendments in committee continued to dwindle throughout the day, which created a rift among republican members.

Less than 10 minutes before the committee vote, Senator Alloway and I had a meeting off the Senate floor with republican leadership concerning the pending vote.  At that time, our concerns were confirmed that HB40 was in jeopardy and the committee did not have the support to kill several amendments filed to the bill.  It was at that time the decision was made by Senate leadership to pursue the second option, which was to amend HB1926 and battle the amendments on the floor where they could be defeated.

Fortunately, the amendment process for Castle Doctrine was successful and the anti-gun amendment (Florida Loophole) offered by Senator Leach was defeated and all other amendments were withdrawn.  House Bill 1926 was passed and sent to the House for concurrence.  And as we all now know, the House concurred this week on the measure sending it to the Governor for approval.

There has been considerable criticism over the decision to amend HB1926 with Castle Doctrine rather than pushing through HB40, can you explain what the reasoning was there?

This is as an example of the misinformation that I was referring to earlier. If House Bill 40 would have been voted by the Senate Judiciary Committee, “Florida Loophole” would have been amended into the bill by a vote of 8-6 and there is a good possibility that mandatory reporting of lost and stolen firearms, as well as a ban on pigeon shoots, would have be amended into the measure as well.  The following would have been the roll call vote on the Senator Leach’s “Florida Loophole” amendment in committee based upon the roll call that was taken on the Senate floor on the same amendment:

Therefore, a decision was made by Republican Leadership to avoid the committee process and vote down the same amendments filed to HB1926 on the floor.  This course of action could still get a bill to the Governor’s desk since the House had 5 days scheduled for session after the November election.  Keep in mind, without NRA orchestrating an “Option 2”, “Castle Doctrine” would have died that week in the Senate.

However, it is unfortunate that there was a breakdown in the republican controlled Senate Judiciary Committee which ultimately killed HB40.  As a result, the NRA-PVF lowered grades and removed endorsements from sitting Senators who were up for election this cycle.

Any word on whether Rendell signs or vetoes the bill?

At this time,  no one knows what Governor Rendell will do.  I do believe that a veto is being considered and I ask all NRA members, gun owners and anyone else who values self-defense contact the Governor’s Office.

The Senate certainly presented some obstacles for getting Castle Doctrine passed. Any fear that the political climate in the Senate could get worse for gun rights? What are some things activists can do to help?

After going through this latest exercise in the Senate, we need to solidify support for a pro-gun agenda in the Republican Caucus.  NRA members and gun owners should contact their Senator between now and next year to reaffirm their support for protecting the 2^nd Amendment.

There has been criticism by some that NRA hasn’t worked well with other organizations here in PA. Is NRA willing to work with other groups?

Contrary to the criticism, NRA makes it a point to work with grassroots organizations not only in Pennsylvania but around the country.  We are fortunate to have some outstanding activists and organizations in the state that make the phone calls, write the letters, and otherwise engage with their elected officials.  These individuals make our job a lot easier.

I know at times it can be frustrating to some activists that not all the insider information is shared with the grassroots.  However, this is not always possible, and most activists recognize the nature of the business.  In fact, NRA’s legislative strategy is often so sensitive that wide knowledge could jeopardize the final outcome.

For example, when HB40 came up for a vote on the House floor, only a few people knew that republican leadership intended use House Rule 61 to cut off debate.   Our office was privy to this information; however, to send out an alert about this tactic would have jeopardized the legislation.

At the end of the day it’s about getting the job done and not about who gets the credit and I believe most activists and organizations are on the same page.

There are a lot of other issues facing Pennsylvania once we get Castle Doctrine passed. Can you discuss what might be future legislative priorities?

As you know, there are a number of issues on the horizon affecting gun owners and sportsmen in Pennsylvania.  For example, the usefulness of PICS, problems associated with lawful transportation of firearms, strengthening of the preemption statute and many others.  Our office will be looking at all these issues and others to prioritize our efforts for the next session.

Thanks for taking the time to talk to my readers today, and I hope we can get an opportunity to do this again sometime.

I want to thank you for the opportunity to discuss these important issues and look forward to a successful 2011-12 legislative session.

Rob Ciervo HAS been endorsed by the NRA Political Victory Fund, and his opponent decided to vote against gun owners & self-defense advocates on every single vote of his (hopefully) short legislative career. He is running to represent Newtown, Yardley, Lower Makefield & parts of Upper Makefield in State House District 31. Incumbent Rep. Santarsiero’s grade is now a D, and he has run to anti-gun groups seeking their support for his campaign. Gun owners in and around this area can support Rob Ciervo’s campaign by visiting his website.

Tommy Tomlinson running for re-election to Senate District 6 is now rated B+ and is NOT endorsed by the NRA Political Victory Fund. His recent vote to restrict the reciprocity agreements of concealed carry license holders was an unexpected vote against gun owners in Southeast Pennsylvania. If you’d like to contact Sen. Tomlinson and ask him why he voted against sportsmen in his district, his office number is (717) 787-5072 and his email address is rtomlinson@pasen.gov.

Here are all of the endorsed candidates on ballots in Bucks County & the rest of Pennsylvania’s 8th Congressional district:

Federal
US Senate – Pat Toomey
Congress – Mike Fitzpatrick

State
Governor – Tom Corbett

State House

• Marguerite Quinn
• Frank Farry
• Rob Ciervo
• Paul Clymer
• Gene DiGirolamo

State Senate

• Chuck McIlhinney

As NSSF has pointed out, there’s no real scientific basis for restricting lead ammunition. Just about all shooting ranges at this point are recycling their lead (it’s too valuable to just leave in the ground). California’s ban has not been shown to reduce lead levels in Condors, and has driven more people away from hunting. Additionally, it’s interfered with lawful self-protection in parts of California that are considered condor habitat.

Are the gloves coming off? The Obama Administration has, until now, been reluctant to antagonize gun owners. Perhaps now that his popularity is reaching new lows, he’s looking to appeal to an important part of his green base by beating up on gun owners and shooters. Having utterly failed to eliminate the Second Amendment by hook, now it would seem he’s proceeding to do it by crook; by demonizing gun owners and the shooting sports as environmental devils. Let’s hope this is about as successful as the President’s other endeavors.

There may be no vote a United States Senator casts that is more important than a vote to confirm a nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court. Now that the Court has clearly stated that the Second Amendment is a fundamental, individual right that applies to all law-abiding Americans, NRA members and gun owners expect a nominee to the Court to fully support, defend and preserve that freedom.

We have carefully examined the career, written documents and public statements of nominee Elena Kagan and have found nothing to indicate any support for the Second Amendment. On the contrary, the facts reveal a nominee who opposes Second Amendment rights and is clearly out of step with mainstream Americans.

Therefore, the NRA is strongly opposed to Kagan’s confirmation to the Court.

In testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, she refused to declare support for the Second Amendment, saying only that the matter was “settled law.”

This was eerily similar to the scripted testimony of Justice Sonia Sotomayor last year, prior to her confirmation to the Court. When pressed on the Second Amendment then, Sotomayor also referred to the issue as “settled law.”

But in the recently decided case of McDonald v. City of Chicago, Sotomayor ignored the “settled law” of the Heller decision and signed a dissenting opinion that declared, “I can find nothing in the Second Amendment’s text, history, or underlying rationale that could warrant characterizing it as ‘fundamental’ insofar as it seeks to protect the keeping and bearing of arms for private self-defense purposes.”

It has become obvious that “settled law” is the scripted code of an anti-gun nominee’s confirmation effort. The NRA is not fooled. No member of the U.S. Senate should be either.

With no judicial record, only Kagan’s political career can be reviewed. And this provides no reason to trust her with Americans’ firearms freedom. Throughout her career, she has repeatedly demonstrated a clear hostility to the fundamental, individual right to keep and bear arms under the U.S. Constitution.

As a clerk for Justice Thurgood Marshall, Kagan said she was “not sympathetic” to a challenge to Washington, DC’s ban on firearms. As a domestic policy advisor in the Clinton White House, a colleague described her as “immersed” in Clinton’s aggressive assaults on the Second Amendment. She was involved in Clinton’s scheme to ban more than 50 types of commonly-owned semiautomatic firearms – an effort described as “…taking the law and bending it as far as we can to capture a whole new class of guns.”

As U.S. Solicitor General, Kagan chose not to file a brief last year in the landmark McDonald case, thus taking the position that incorporating the Second Amendment and applying it to the states was of no interest to the Obama Administration or the federal government.

These are not the positions of a person who supports the Second Amendment and, in fact, represent a clear and present danger to the right to keep and bear arms.

Kagan’s record clearly reveals that she does not believe that the Second Amendment guarantees a fundamental right. In her recent testimony, she refused to acknowledge respect for the God-given right of self-defense.

She should not serve on any court, let alone be confirmed to a lifetime seat on the highest court in the land.

The NRA is strongly opposed to the confirmation of Elena Kagan to the U.S. Supreme Court. This vote matters and will be a part of future candidate evaluations.

The above statement was originally published by NRA-ILA.

You can contact Senator Arlen Specter at 202-224-4254 and Senator Bob Casey at 202-224-6324.

Josh Sugarmann, head of the Violence Policy Center, to his credit, at least has the ability to call a spade a spade and show they understand who won. Give the Bradys lemons they’ll make lemonade. Give Josh lemons he’ll just get more sour. VPC’s official statement is very much them, and can basically be summed up as “The gun lobby won, so now everyone is going to die!!!”

Before people get too excited, a lot of gun laws are going to be upheld even by strict scrutiny. Heller has already acknowledged that that government has an interest in keeping guns out of the hands of criminals, so there will be laws that will be permissible with that in mind. But strict scrutiny is a high standard, and there is much law that will fail to stand up to it. Will that be what the lower courts use? We shall see. But they can no longer hide from the fact that the Second Amendment, through the 14th Amendment, protects a fundamental right guaranteed to all Americans.

Well Dan Onorato is blaming Tom Corbett for the so-called “Florida Loophole,” showing that the candidate for governor in 2010 is not shy about sending his gun control views up the flag pole. This is in contrast to Ed Rendell, who conveniently dropped the issue like a hot potato during his 2002 and 2006 runs.

The biggest flaw in Onorato’s argument? Gun owners with concealed carry licenses are more law-abiding than the general population. The second biggest flaw? Tom Corbett was not yet in office to sign the Florida reciprocity agreement in 2001.

I’m convinced that Ed Rendell has convinced fellow Democrats that the NRA can’t touch them. His evidence? His two terms, and Barack Obama’s ten point win in this state. Except Rendell ran against two lackluster candidates, and so did Barry. Corbett isn’t a weak candidate. He’s a hard campaigner and a good fundraiser.

It’s absolutely important we send Dan Onorato packing this fall, or it’s going to be over for us in Pennsylvania. Democrats will say the NRA can’t hurt them, only then they will be right.

“So they essentially get a ‘get-out-of-jail free’ card when they’re stopped carrying a loaded firearm. They produce a Florida permit and our local law enforcement must honor that which is unacceptable given the arrest record and the background of many of these individuals.”

See, you get out of jail free, because you flash a legal license. Everyone knows, of course, the default for carrying a gun should be to go to jail.

He says the Sunshine State is less strict when it comes to handing out permits, looking only at convictions and not a person’s character.

The Sunshine State is not less strict. They require training, fingerprinting, and a 120 dollar application fee. So far they can point to one bozo out of thousands in the Commonwealth who have Florida licenses. Most Florida license holders, including myself, also have PA LTCs, and only retain Florida’s CWL for expanded recognition from other states.

Philadelphia sure does look at a person’s character though. Unpaid parking tickets? Well, no, you can’t have a permit. What kind of person owes the City of Philadelphia money? Had a gun stolen once? Well, we can’t have you exercising your right to bear arms. You’re not a suitable person.

The UFA, namely the Amendments of Act 17, were supposed to make Philadelphia shall-issue like the rest of the state. But they haven’t. Philadelphia routinely revokes permits for trivial and unlawful reasons. They represent only a smal fraction of statewide permit holders, yet represent a hugely disproportionate numer of revocations. Why do some people seek recourse in a Florida license? Because it’s cheaper than hiring a lawyer to fight a denial or revocation.

Lentz and all his gun hating buddies in the General Assembly need to understand this very simple fact: We’re going to flip the House back this fall, and if you shove this down our throats, we’re going to shove a whole lot of things down your throats you aren’t going to like, which include eliminating or severely limiting the discretion local jurisdictions may exercise in issuing Licenses to Carry Firearms. You want us to be responsible with guns, we’re going to demand officials be responsible with the law. If they can’t be, we’re going to change it.

From Roll Call:

Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a group led by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (I) and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino (D), is expected today to unveil a lobbying blitz to prod Congress to approve legislation that would require background checks on all firearm sales at gun shows.

The group will launch a six-figure media campaign that includes both national cable and selected state advertising spots as well as an online petition drive.

“The truth is the conventional wisdom is just wrong that you can’t do a gun issue,” said John Feinblatt, Bloomberg’s chief adviser for policy and strategic planning.

Six figures isn’t a huge sum for a national campaign, but it is a threat. The ads are targeted against senators in Virginia, Ohio, and Colorado. It shows that Bloomberg is willing to dump serious money into the issue in order to move the ball forward. NRA is very very good at playing the lobby and electioneering game. They are much less adept at media campaigns to shape public opinion. That’s always been the other side’s core strength against us.

In Pennsylvania, his allies are looking to take his campaign to a bigger stage. Bethlehem’s John Callahan is running for Congress on his record of trying to bring New York-style gun control to Pennsylvania. Here at home, he has worked closely with the Brady Campaign to try and end preemption across the Commonwealth. In the Northeast corner of the state, Bloomberg & Brady buddy Tom Leighton of Wilkes-Barre has joined their efforts that will shut down gun shows around the state and is trying to take that support to the state Senate.

In addition, there was a story last week about MAIG looking to hire an Ohio coalition coordinator with a $75,000 grant, much like Max Nacheman here in Pennsylvania. This is not good news for Ohio activists.

First, a word about predictions and notes about how competitive seats are at this time. In politics, a week can make or break a campaign. We are more than nine weeks out from the May primary election and many, many weeks from the November election. There is a strong air of anti-incumbent attitude this year, and actions in Washington may only strengthen it. That will have an impact on down-ballot races. Don’t take anything in this post as the final word on any race, especially grades which may change before the final election. Contact us if you want to get involved with campaigns in your area. We will continue to post new information pertaining to gun owners as we count down to the elections.

PA-8 – Bucks County with parts of Montgomery and Philadelphia Counties
incumbent

United State Congress
Democrats – Patrick Murphy
Republicans – Gloria Carlineo, Michael Fitzpatrick, Ira Hoffman, James Jones

The Republican race could be one to watch come May. The local GOP did not endorse a candidate, though party leaders are clearly upset at the request from all candidates that they stand down in the primary. Leaders have made sure to publicly announce their “unofficial” support for past Congressman Michael Fitzpatrick. While Fitzpatrick may have the name recognition on the GOP ballot, Carlineo is already giving him a bit of a run for his money as a fellow recruit into the National Republican Congressional Campaign’s Young Guns program which recognizes candidates based on fundraising and outreach benchmarks. Gun owners aren’t likely to learn much more in this race until a GOP candidate is chosen. Fitzpatrick was initially endorsed and A rated based on his questionnaire in 2004, but some news reports indicate that after the endorsement, he called for a ban on semi-automatic rifles. It is unclear if he has since changed his mind about supporting the gun ban or maintains a position similar to that of D+ rated incumbent Congressman Patrick Murphy who actually beat Fitzpatrick in 2006 for the same seat. All-in-all, the race for the GOP nomination and for the seat in November will be fascinating for political junkies, though possibly less thrilling for gun owners.

Pennsylvania Senate
District 4 – Abington, Philadelphia
Democrats – Leanna Washington, Lamont Thomas

This district, which is primarily in Philadelphia, does not appear to be competitive. The F rated incumbent has held the office since 2005, and her challenger appears to have only run for lowers offices in Philadelphia with little success. With no Republicans on the ticket, it is likely that Senator Washington’s name will be the only one on the ballot in November.

District 6 – Bensalem, Bristol (Borough & Township), Hulmeville, Ivyland, Langhorne, Langhorne Manor, Lower Southampton, Middletown, Northampton, Penndel, Warwick, Wrightstown
Republican – Tommy Tomlinson
Democrats – Bryan Allen, John Jordan

Senator Tommy Tomlinson has held his seat since 1995 and maintained a A rating and endorsement. There are two challengers from the Democratic side, but neither of which have a voting record on the issue or previous questionnaires. Bryan Allen received the endorsement of the Bucks County Democrats, so he will have key support in the primary election. Whether that turns into support at the polls remains to be seen, and whether either Democrat responds to the NRA questionnaire may also be up in the air given the lack of response by past candidates from the party in this race.

District 10 – Bedminster, Bridgeton, Buckingham, Chalfont, Doylestown (Borough & Township), Dublin, Falls, Haycock, Hilltown, Lower Makefield, Morrisville, New Britain (Borough & Township), New Hope, Newtown (Borough & Township), Perkasie, Plumstead, Sellersville, Silverdale, Solebury, Telford, Tinicum, Tullytown, Upper Makefield, West Rockhill, Yardley
Republican – Chuck McIlhinney
Democrat – Cynthia Philo

As a one-term incumbent, Senator Chuck McIlhinney will still have to run a good campaign to hold his seat. His competitor works primarily with downtown Philadelphia businesses, and has no record on the Second Amendment. Senator McIlhinney had an A rating when he ran in 2006. For now, there’s not much news out of this district. Because there is no primary for either candidate, we may not know until the summer just whether or not there is major competition for the seat.

District 12 – Upper Dublin, Upper Moreland, Upper Southampton, Warminster, Warrington
Republican – Stewart Greenleaf
Democrat – Ruth Damsker

With a B rating, incumbent Senator Stewart Greenleaf is seeking another term for the seat he has held since 1979. His opponent, though never having held an office for which she would earn a grade, has run on a ticket of gun control with current gubernatorial candidate Joe Hoeffel. Her joint answer to a questionnaire by a business group when she was running for office in 2007 called for a limit on firearm purchases which would stop collectors from buying matched sets and possibly even involve the creation of a gun owner registry. Otherwise, her positions are short on details other than “state gun laws need tightening.” While Ruth Damsker has won a county office in the area before, there doesn’t appear to be much commentary on the competitiveness of this race just yet.

District 24 – Durham, East Rockhill, Milford, Nockamixon, Quakertown, Richland, Richlandtown, Riegelsville, Springfield, Trumbauersville
Republican – Bob Mensch
Democrat – Bill Wallace

The incumbent, Senator Bob Mensch, only won this seat a short time ago in a special election. With his previous endorsement and A rating, Mensch will likely carry the support of gun owners again. His opponent, an art teacher, has no history on the Second Amendment. This seat has been in Republican hands for years, so it will likely be an uphill battle for Wallace.

Pennsylvania House
District 18 – Bensalem, Lower Southampton
Republican – Gene DiGirolamo

Incumbent Rep. Gene DiGirolamo doesn’t have any challengers on the ballot this year, which is great news for gun rights. He has maintained an A rating and held the endorsement from NRA-PVF.

District 29 – Buckingham, New Hope, Solebury, Upper Southampton, Warminster, Warwick
Republican – Bernie O’Neill
Democrat – Frank Feinberg

This race may not be terribly exciting for gun owners in the district, though that depends on the responses to the questionnaire by Frank Feinberg (or if he even answers the questions). Incumbent Rep. Bernie O’Neill has been in office since 2003, and he maintains a C rating. At this point, it’s unclear whether there’s a serious challenge here.

District 31 – Lower Makefield, Newtown (Borough & Township), Upper Makefield, Yardley
Democrat – Steve Santarsiero
Republican – Rob Ciervo

The incumbent Rep. Steve Santarsiero has only been in office for one term, so he’s hardly a shoe-in for the seat this time. In the last race, Santarsiero had a B rating. Opponent Rob Ciervo hasn’t held an office that requires a questionnaire at this point. Ciervo has definitely had a very public campaign with letters to the editor in the local paper and catchy fundraisers. This is a seat that formerly belong to the GOP, so it is possible for it to flip again.

District 140 – Bristol (Borough & Township), Falls, Middletown, Morrisville, Tullytown
Democrat – John Galloway
Republican – Jane Burger

Incumbent Rep. John Galloway holds a D rating, and he has held the office since 2007. The seat has been in Democratic hands for decades, so it makes any race for the seat an uphill battle. His opponent hasn’t held an office which would require a grade for the Second Amendment. It isn’t likely that this will be a highly competitive race.

District 141 – Bristol Township, Middletown
Republican – Rick Eccles, Kevin Glasson, Joseph Hogan
Democrat – Tina Davis, Melvin Howard, Mike Slipp

This is an interesting race since the incumbent is retiring after more than twenty years in office. The GOP has lined up behind candidate Rick Eccles while the Democrats have endorsed Tina Davis. Neither has a record on gun rights, so we’ll have to wait for their responses to the NRA questionnaire before we know if gun owners have a good option in this race after years of an F rated incumbent.

District 142 – Hulmeville, Langhorne, Langhorne Manor, Lower Southampton, Middletown, Penndel
Republican – Frank Farry
Democrat – John Toth

Rep. Frank Farry is a fresh incumbent, having only taken the office this term. However, he did manage to win in a year that had overwhelming support for the opposite party. Officially, he has no grade from NRA due to a mix-up with his campaign. But in an effort to show his respect for our communities, he did send a statement on his positions. His opponent has no record on the issue at this time, and it is unclear whether this will be a competitive seat. It would appear unlikely at this time, but being a new state representative, Rep. Farry can be expected to run a serious campaign again.

District 143 – Bedminster, Bridgeton, Buckingham, Dolyestown (Borough & Township), Durham, Nockamixon, Plumstead, Riegelsville, Tinicum
Republican – Marguerite Quinn
Democrat – Kathy McQuarrie

Holding the office since 2007, Rep. Marguerite Quinn may face quite a challenge this year. This C rated incumbent has an opponent who is a professional political activist – one who traveled the country for President Barack Obama since his early primary run. If her political company is any measure of her own views, it is unlikely that Kathy McQuarrie will any improvement for the Second Amendment. Until then, gun owners in the district will have to wait to see if she returns a questionnaire.

District 144 – Chalfont, Dublin, Hilltown, New Britain (Borough & Township), Silverdale, Telford, Warminster, Warrington
Republican – Katherine Watson

With no challenger on the ballot at this stage, B rated incumbent Rep. Kathy Watson shouldn’t have any trouble.

District 145 – East Rockhill, Haycock, Milford, Perkasie, Quakertown, Richland, Richlandtown, Sellersville, Springfield, Trumbauersville, West Rockhill
Republican – Paul Clymer
Democrat – Mary Whitesell

When A rated incumbent Rep. Paul Clymer initially indicated he would retire at the end of the term, it apparently started a local uproar that convinced him to get back in the race. His re-entry into the campaign sent some opponents scurrying since he has a history of dominating elections since he took office in 1981. According to some online sources, Mary Whitesell realizes this race does not lean in her favor.

District 151 – Abington, Horsham, Upper Dublin
Democrat – Rick Taylor
Republican – Todd Stephens

This is a re-match between two candidates who duked in out in 2008. Incumbent Rep. Rick Taylor has a D rating, and Todd Stephens never responded to NRA’s mailings. With a difference of 419 votes in favor of the Democrat in 2008, this could be the year the GOP takes back the seat it held before Taylor’s election in 2006. Based on the close vote margin in the last cycle that clearly favored his party, Rep. Taylor has reason to be nervous in this political environment.

District 152 – Hatboro, Upper Dublin, Upper Moreland, Philadelphia
Republican – Thomas Murt
Democrat – Robert McGuckin

Incumbent Rep. Thomas Murt holds a D rating, and has served the residents of the area since 2007 when he defeated a member of his own party who had establishment support. Little has been found on his opponent, so it is unlikely we will have any information on the race for gun owners until closer to the election.

District 153 – Abington, Upper Dublin
Democrat – Josh Shapiro
Republican – Tom Bogar

D rated incumbent Rep. Josh Shapiro is likely to keep his seat this time round, as he has won his last elections by solid margins – when he even had competition. On the other hand, candidate Tom Bogar is embracing new media to build a grassroots audience, so perhaps there’s more in store for this race than meets the eye. Since he’s a political newcomer, gun owners may have to wait to find out about Bogar’s policy views on our issues.

District 169 – Philadelphia
Republican – Dennis O’Brien

This A rated incumbent has no challenger at this stage of the race, and it is unlikely that an opponent will emerge with enough backing to defeat the candidate who has held the seat since 1983.

District 170 – Philadelphia
Democrat – Brendan Boyle
Republican – Marc Collazzo

Incumbent Brendan Boyle has only been in office for one term, but he won the seat by double digits. He refused to answer the NRA questionnaire when he ran, so it is unclear what his position on the Second Amendment is at this time. His opponent has not been in a position to answer a questionnaire. While this seat was in GOP hands not long ago, it may be an uphill battle now.

District 178 – Ivyland, Northampton, Upper Makefield, Upper Southampton, Warwick, Wrightstown
Republican – Scott Petri
Democrat – David Apfelbaum

Incumbent Rep. Scott Petri maintains a B+ rating and has been in office since 2003. There is confusion about his opponent since the Bucks County Democrats claim to have endorsed a Mr. Axelbaum while the list of candidates reported by the Pennsylvania Department of State indicates his name will be on the ballot as Mr. Apfelbaum. UPDATE: Mr. Apfelbaum is the candidate’s correct name, and he appears to maintain the party endorsement though they cannot spell his name. It is unlikely this race will be competitive since the Democratic nominee is young and inexperienced, running only an education platform. According to local media outlets, Apfelbaum is unable to answer many detailed questions about the issue.

This time we had some grassroots action ready to meet them. First in Radnor, which has tabled the bill until April. On the same day CeaseFire Pennsylvania was tying us up in Radnor, Mayors Against Illegal Guns pushed the same ordinance to Hatboro. Hatboro has rejected the ordinance route in favor of a resolution, which they will be hearing Monday March 22nd. We still oppose the resolution, which urges the General Assembly to pass a state L&S law, but we’ve made progress. Ambler Borough has decided not to pursue an ordinance a few weeks ago. Now word has it that Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, a bastion of liberalism even back when Delaware County was solidly Republican, has decided to table its Lost and Stolen ordinance.

This has to be huge embarrassment for Joe Grace, EVP of CeaseFire PA, and it’s a slap in the face to MAIG too. It’s no accident. It’s the work of gun owners getting involved, showing up, and making effective arguments to their elected representatives. We succeeded against a strategy that was designed to spread us thin and wear us out. It has, so far, failed to work. I know many readers were involved in these efforts, and we all owe them some thanks, especially to the people who were residents of these municipalities that showed up and spoke. Let’s hope we can keep pouring molasses over Bloomberg and Grace’s agenda. Let them have nothing without a fight.

As an organizer I start from where the world is, as it is, not as I would like it to be. That we accept the world as it is does not in any sense weaken our desire to change it into what we believe it should be — it is necessary to begin where the world is if we are going to change it to what we think it should be. That means working in the system[...]

Our youth are impatient with the preliminaries that are essential to purposeful action. Effective organization is thwarted by the desire for instant and dramatic change, or as I have phrased it elsewhere the demand for revelation rather than revolution. It’s the kind of thing we see in play writing; the first act introduces the characters and the plot, in the second act the plot and characters are developed as the play strives to hold the audiences attention. In the final act good and evil have their dramatic confrontation and resolution. The present generation wants to go right into the third act, skipping the first two, in which case there is no play, nothing but confrontation for confrontation’s sake — a flare-up and back to darkness. To build a powerful organization takes time. It is tedious, but that’s the way the game is played — if you want to play and not just yell, “Kill the umpire.”

Elaborating on this a bit further, he speaks of the importance of creating a reformation in pubic opinion before major political change can happen:

We will start with the system, because there is no other place to start from except political lunacy. It is most important for those of us who want revolutionary change to understand the revolution must be preceeded by reformation. To assume that a political revolution can survive without the supporting base of a popular reformation is to ask for the impossible in politics.

Men don’t like to step abruptly out of the security of familiar experience; they need a bridge to cross from their own experience to a new way.

Alinsky was also a big fan of fighting today’s battles on today’s terms, and focusing on your battles right now, rather than fighting today the battles you should be fighting tomorrow. Politically speaking, this can be an important reminder.

In the midst of the gassing and violence by the Chicago Police and National Guard during the 1968 Democratic Convention, many students asked me “Do you still believe we should try to work inside our system?”

These were students who had been with Eugene McCarthy in New Hampshire and followed him across the country. Some had been with Robert Kennedy when he was killed in Los Angeles. Many of the tears that were shed in Chicago were not from gas. “Mr. Alinsky, we fought in primary after primary and the people voted no on Vietnam. Look at that convention. They’re not paying any attention to the vote. Look at your police and the Army. You still want us to work in the system?”

It hurt me to see the American Army with drawn bayonets advancing on American boys and girls. But the answer I gave the young radicals seemed to me the only realistic one: “Do one of three things. One, go find a wailing wall and feel sorry for youselves. Two, go psycho and start bombing — but this will only swing people to the right. Three, learn a lesson. Go home, organize, build power and at the next convention, you be the delegates.”

Sometimes we all need to be reminded that with some effort, we actually can make a difference. Even at the federal level, we’ve seen major issues come down to the votes of one or two lawmakers. Swinging the races in individual districts is hardly an impossible task. In fact, with a group of dedicated activists, it can be much easier than people realize.

The book is littered with quotes and wisdom that are just as relevant to Second Amendment rights as they are to other causes. As much as this book may be a considered a tome of the left, I think it’s something anyone who wants to make a difference should read.

Date: Monday, January 11
Time: 7:00 to 9:00 pm
Location: Council Rock High School South Auditorium, 2002 Rock Way, Holland, PA 18966

It is unlikely NRA will get involved in a primary race among non-incumbents, so there is no endorsed candidate going into this event. This is merely an opportunity to be an educated voter and find out more about who is running for office.

Given the opportunity, you might want to introduce yourself as a Second Amendment supporter and let candidates know that you look forward to their response to the NRA questionnaire when it becomes available for 2010. Encourage them to contact NRA headquarters to find out more information.

An overwhelming, bipartisan majority of members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate have signed an amicus curiae, or “friend of the court,” brief supporting the NRA’s position that the Second Amendment is incorporated against the states through the Fourteenth Amendment. The amicus brief, bearing the signatures of 251 Members of Congress and 58 Senators, was filed with the U.S. Supreme Court today in the case of McDonald v. City of Chicago.

Enough members of the Pennsylvania delegation signed on, including both our Senators, that it’s easier just to list who didn’t sign on. Those are:

• Bob Brady (D, PA-01)
• Chaka Fattah (D, PA-02)
• Kathleen Dahlkemper (D, PA-03)
• Joe Sestak (D, PA-07)
• Allyson Schwartz (D, PA-13)
• Mike Doyle (D, PA-14)

Out of 19 districts, that’s actually a very good showing.

The actual House Bill is HB40. Look over it, it’s a pretty standard type bill. The major provisions are:

• Eliminates the duty to retreat within one’s home, including attached structures like porches, decks and patios. Exception for people who are using their property to further a criminal activity, so if someone is running a grow operation, and shoots someone breaking in to steal some pot, they can’t claim castle doctrine. Also applies to vehicles, including non-motorized vehicles.
• Eliminates the duty to retreat on the streets provided you are in fear of grave bodily injury or harm, and provided you are not engaged in criminal activity. Criminal activity is this instance is narrowly defined as to not include things like spitting on the sidewalk. If you’re a drug dealer, you won’t be able to claim castle doctrine if you end up in a gunfight with a rival.
• Clarifies the definition of loaded firearm to include magazines being secured in a separate pouch, rather than specifying a separate container, provided the magazine is secure, and the ammunition covered. This means you only need one range bag, provided it has a place to secure the magazines.
• Provides for civil immunity for actions that are ruled self-defense. If the perpetrator sues anyway, it’s a loser pays system, so you can recover attorneys fees. There is no civil liability immunity if you accidentally hit a bystander, so this is not absolute.

To there you have it. Contact the representatives below, especially if you live in one of their districts. No doubt there will be a lot of huffing and puffing by politicians, interest groups, and the media about the world will end if this passes. Many of them will never read the bill, or just have an agenda. But I have read it, and will continue to report.

If you aren’t sure who your representative is, please search here. Call, e-mail, tweet, or even leave a note on their Facebook walls – just make sure your voice is heard!

State Rep. Thomas Caltagirone (D-127) – (717) 787-3525 or e-mail him here

State Rep. Deberah Kula (D-52) – (717) 772-1858 or e-mail her here

State Rep. Kathy Manderino (D-194) – (717) 787-1254 or e-mail her here

State Rep. John Pallone (D-54) – (717) 783-1819 or e-mail him here
Find Rep. Pallone on Facebook!

State Rep. Don Walko (D-20) – (717) 787-5470 or e-mail him here

State Rep. Joseph Brennan (D-133) – (717) 772-9902 or e-mail him here

State Rep. James Casorio (D-56) – (717) 783-3483 or e-mail him here
Send @RepCasorio a message on Twitter!

State Rep. Paul Drucker (D-157) – (717) 705-2003 or e-mail him here

State Rep. Bryan Lentz (D-161) – (717) 787-8574 or e-mail him here

State Rep. Joseph Petrarca (D-55) – (717) 787-5142 or e-mail him here

State Rep. Josh Shapiro (D-153) – (717) 783-7619 or e-mail him here
Follow @josh_shapiro on Twitter! Find Rep. Shapiro on Facebook & follow his Facebook group.

State Rep. Greg Vitali (D-166) – (717) 787-7647 or e-mail him here

State Rep. Chelsa Wagner (D-22) – (717) 783-1582 or e-mail her here

State Rep. Ronald Waters (D-191) – (717) 772-9850 or e-mail him here

State Rep. Jesse White (D-46) – (717) 783-6437 or e-mail him here
Follow @jessewhite46 on Twitter and find Rep. White on Facebook!

State Rep. Ron Marsico (R-105) – (717) 783-2014 or e-mail him here
Find Rep. Marsico on Facebook!

State Rep. Mike Vereb (R-150) – (717) 705-7164 or e-mail him here
Follow @RepVereb on Twitter! Also find him on Facebook here and here, and check out his pages here and here.

State Rep. Tom Creighton (R-37) – (717) 772-5290 or e-mail him here

State Rep. Will Gabig (R-199) – (717) 772-2280 or e-mail him here

State Rep. Dick Stevenson (R-8) – (717) 783-6438 or e-mail him here

State Rep. Glen Grell (R-87) – (717) 783-2063 or e-mail him here

State Rep. Kate Harper (R-61) – (717) 787-2801 or e-mail here here
Find Rep. Harper on Facebook!

State Rep. Tim Krieger (R-57) – (717) 260-6146 or e-mail him here

State Rep. Bernie O’Neill (R-29) – (717) 705-7170 or e-mail him here
Find Rep. O’Neill on Facebook or join his group!

State Rep. Todd Rock (R-90) – (717) 783-5218 or e-mail him here

State Rep. Katie True (R-41) – (717) 705-7161 or e-mail her here

On Sept. 29, voters who normally cast ballots at Zion Lutheran Church must report to Springfield Church of the Bretheren at 920 Passer Road.

Voters affected by the temporary change will receive special postcards in the mail.

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Local media outlets report that polling locations in upper Bucks County could be moved just before a special election for the region’s Senate seat in district 24. The decision will likely be approved at tonight’s Board of Elections meeting. At this time, it appears to primarily impact Quakertown elementary schools which previously housed polls on Election Day.

The Bucks County Board of Elections is expected to vote at its Tuesday meeting to relocate these polls. If approved, the school district would no longer have to cancel classes on election days.

This issue came to a head this month when the district realized there would be significant scheduling problems and a cost associated with the special Sept. 29 election for the 24th state Senate District, a seat vacated with the resignation of Rob Wonderling. …

The following are the proposed polling place changes to be approved by the election board:

• Neidig Elementary to Trinity Lutheran Church, 102 N. Hellertown Ave.
• Quakertown Elementary to the James A. Michener branch of the Bucks County Library, 401 W. Mill St.
• Tohickon Valley Elementary to East Swamp Church, 2405 East Swamp Rd.
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• Richland Elementary to Strayer Middle School, 1200 Ronald Reagan Dr.

Although Strayer is a Quakertown district school, the building has a separate section that can accommodate voters without interfering with students. …

There is one other proposed polling place change associated with the special election.

The county is expected to move Springfield voters who normally cast ballots at Zion Lutheran Church to Springfield Church of the Brethren at 920 Passer Rd.

Zion Lutheran cannot accommodate voters on Sept. 29. The move, if approved Tuesday, would be temporary and voters would be back at Zion Lutheran for the general election on Nov. 3.

Should there be changes made to these proposed locations, we will notify the area’s gun owners.

The special election for the region’s Senate district currently has no endorsed candidate. The Republican nominee, Rep. Bob Mensch, has previously been endorsed for his House seat and maintained an A rating for his work on behalf of Pennsylvania’s sportsmen. The Democratic nominee, Anne Scheuring, has no voting record or grade at this time. Barbara Steever, the Libertarian nominee, is also unrated at this time.