My NRA-ILA Grassroots Article Contribution

My NRI-ILA Grassroots Article Contribution

"Freedom’s Voice Page 4July 2007" / The Activist Corner

--By Steve Berryman, Frederick, MD

[The following was published when the NRA asked me about how to get similar articles to http://infoservesme.blogspot.com/2007/03/i-got-published-by-wfmd-on-gun-issues.html published at the local level to benefit all of the Membership]

Grassroots contributions towards citizen gun rights begin at home. First you have to have a voiceand a message; the next step is the amplification!I’m Steve Berryman, and anyone that knows me knows my passion for gun rights for citizens. My approach is to bevery well informed on local politics and local gun laws as a first step. Without having something of interest andrelevance to say, your audience will quickly dismiss your message.Get your information from multiple sources—learn the issues that fire people up—then go find a parade and get infront of it. I use every outlet at my disposal, from personal networking, to blogging, letters to the editor, a MySpacepage, and my local drive-time radio show, WFMD’s “The Morning News Express” with host Bob Miller.I met Bob locally, and we became friends on multiple fronts as we were like-minded, community-oriented gents. I began to do regular call-insto the radio show while commuting from Frederick to Gaithersburg on I-270, a one hour ride. I called in accident information, and providedcommentary to “color up” his show with my perspectives on the topical issues of the day. Bob’s regular guests include everyone from theMayor of Frederick, MD, to School Board members, County Commissioners, and the Police Chief. Even Representative Roscoe Bartlett (R-6) calls in to get his voice on record.Having an audience gives you the ability to amplify your message, and in turn get others to do the same. It is critical to have the facts—supplied by NRA and NRA-ILA’s Grassroots Division, (let alone the 2nd Amendment!)—on your side! But it is the value of YOU thatbecomes the motor to power the Will of the People, and thus, protect our Freedoms. My message to you is to use both barrels and all of yourmedia outlets!By Steve Berryman, Frederick, MarylandTHE ACTIVIST’S CORNERPLEASE NOTE: All submission’s to “The Activist’s Corner” should be sent to freedomsvoice@nrahq.org. Please include yourname, address, phone number, e-mail, and if possible, a photo of yourself. Every submission will be reviewed and considered forpublication.

____________________________________________________________________And,

from Senator Shelby of Alabama:Freedom’s Voice Page 4July 2007IN THE SPOTLIGHT —U.S. SENATOR RICHARD C. SHELBY (R-AL)CONTACT INFORMATION FOR SENATOR SHELBY: 110 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20510-0103;Phone: (202) 224-5744; Fax: (202) 224-3416; Web Site: www.shelby.senate.gov; E-mail:

Senator@shelby.senate.gov.

NRA-ILA would like to commend the recent pro-Second Amendment actions of Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL).On June 29, the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee took action to reinstate language commonly knownas the “Tiahrt Amendment” into the Commerce, Justice, and Science appropriations bill. The amendment, offered bySenator Shelby, passed with broad bipartisan support. The Shelby Amendment language will keep sensitive firearmtrace information in the hands of law enforcement and out of the hands of politicians and special interest groupstrying to further their anti-gun crusades. The committee also rejected a Lautenberg-Feinstein Amendment thatwould have gutted the Shelby Amendment.The “vote in the Senate Appropriations Committee is a step forward in NRA-ILA’s ongoing fight to preserve traceinformation as a law enforcement tool and ensure it is not abused to advance political agendas,” said NRA-ILA Executive Director Chris W.Cox. “We know we will be engaged in a protracted battle with billionaire politicians and their allies here on the Hill. We will continue our hardwork to ensure that the Shelby Amendment remains American public policy as it has for the past five years.”The gun control lobby, its political allies, and trial attorneys have long coveted trace information. These data have been abused to harass andto further politically-motivated lawsuits against lawful firearm retailers and manufacturers, and to undermine the “Protection of LawfulCommerce in Arms Act.”All freedom-loving, pro-Second Amendment Americans (especially those in Alabama) should contact Senator Shelby and thank him for hisongoing commitment to protecting our rights!