Stolen Rifle Alert & 2010 Primary Election: What to Expect (and what not to expect)

ASSOCIATED GUN CLUBS OF BALTIMORE, INC.
LEGISLATIVE OFFICE

P.O. BOX 20102 - TOWSON, MD 21284-0102
410-296-3947 Email: LVP@ASSOCIATEDGUNCLUBS.ORG

New in this issue:

General Election - Voter Registration Information

Candidate Recommendations Coming Soon!

Things We Can Expect in the 2010 Elections

Things We Should Not Expect From the 2010 Elections

The Rise and Rapid Demise of the Proposed Ban on Lead Ammunition

This & That - Election Chatter on the "Net"

Utah Concealed Carry Permit Course - September 4, 2010

Stolen Rifle - Springfield Armory M1 Garand

General Election - Voter Registration Information

A voter registration application may be submitted to your local board of elections or the State Board of Elections at any time.

However, an application must be postmarked by October 12, 2010, to vote in the 2010 General Election.

If you submit a voter registration application during the period that registration is closed, your application will be held at the local board of elections and processed when registration reopens. For the 2010 elections, registration will be closed from August 24, 2010, to September 27, 2010, and from October 12, 2010, to November 15, 2010.

Click here for the Maryland Voter registration form.

For additional information, click here.

Remember: If you are not registered to vote, you do not exist.

Candidate Recommendations Coming Soon!

To date, over 180 responses have been received and the monumental task of tabulating the results is in progress. Challengers have be vocal in their responses (this is typical). Responses from incumbents have been especially low among Democrats and about the same as in previous elections among incumbent Republicans.

Recommendations on which candidates deserve your support will be published prior to the September Primary Election - our target is Labor Day Weekend.

Following the primary we will then re-evaluate the candidates who won in the Primary Election and make recommendations for the General Election in November.

NOTE: Most voters will have already received a sample ballot from their city or county board of elections. Please help us to help you by doing the following:

Check the sample ballot and make of note of which Maryland Legislative District you are in.
Click on the update profile link update your profile to include your Maryland Legislative District.

Click here to update your profile.

What We Can Expect in the 2010 Elections

Three Republican Senators will not be seeking re-election for another term. All of the incumbent Democrats in the Senate are seeking re-election. However, depending on the outcome of the September primary election, as many as 5 incumbent Senate Democrats may not be returning (see below).

In the Maryland House of Delegates, 15 Democrats and 5 Republicans will not be returning to the seats they currently occupy in the House. Five of the 15 Democrats are vacating their House seats to challenge fellow Democrats who are incumbent Senators. This violates the unspoken rule that incumbent Democrats do not challenge fellow incumbent Democrats and signals a clear change in the atmosphere of party politics in Annapolis

The following Incumbents are either not running for re-election, or are giving up their current seat to run for another office (see notes*):

District 3:          Delegate Sue Hecht (D)
District 4:          Delegate Joseph Bartlett (R)
District 5:          Senator Larry Haines (R)             Delegate Tanya Shewell (R)
District 7:          Senator Andrew Harris*1 (R)       Delegate J. B. Jennings*2 (R)
District 8:          Delegate Todd Schuler (D)
District 14         Delegate Herman Taylor (D)   Delegate Karen Montgomery*3 (D)
District 16:        Delegate William Bronrott (D)
District 19:        Delegate Henry Heller (D)           Delegate Roger Manno*4 (D)
District 23:        Delegate Gerron Levi (D)
District 24:        Delegate Joanne Benson*5 (D)
District 28:        Delegate Murray Levy (D)
District 36:        Delegate Mary Walkup (R)
District 38:        Senator J. Lowell Stolzfus (R )    Delegate D. Page Elmore (Deceased)
                           Delegate James Mathias*6 (D)
District 39:        Delegate Saqib Ali*7 (D)
District 43:        Delegate Ann Marie Doory (D)
District 46:        Delegate Carolyn Krysiak (D)
District 47:        Delegate Victor Ramirez*8 (D)

NOTES:

Andrew Harris is vacating his Maryland Senate seat to run as a candidate for the Maryland 1st District Congressional Seat
J. B. Jennings is a candidate for Maryland's 7th District Maryland Senate seat vacated by Andrew Harris
Delegate Montgomery is vacating her House seat to challenge incumbent Senator Rona Kramer (D) in the Democratic Primary
Delegate Manno is vacating his House seat to challenge incumbent Senator Mike Leneett (D) in the Democratic Primary
Delegate Benson is vacating her House seat to challenge incumbent Senator Nathaniel Exum (D) in the Democratic Primary
Delegate Mathias is vacating his House seat to seek the nomination in the Democrat primary for the District 38 Senate seat vacated by retiring Republican Senator Stolzfus
Delegate Ali is vacating his House seat to challenge incumbent Senator Nancy King (D) in the Democratic Primary
Delegate Ramirez is vacating his House seat to challenge incumbent Senator David Harrington (D) in the Democratic Primary

What We Should Not Expect From the 2010 Elections

We should not expect others to do for us, the things we should be doing for ourselves.

We should not expect our pro-2nd Amendment candidates and incumbents to be re-elected without our active financial support and personal participation in candidate's campaigns.

We should not expect nor rely upon the "Tea Party" movement to have the same impact in liberal, heavily Democrat Maryland as it is having in more politically and ideologically balanced states.

We should not expect "shall issue" to become a legislated reality unless we elect a Governor and members of Maryland's General Assembly who believe in and trust "we the people", the law-abiding citizens who believed and trusted in them when we cast our votes.

The Rise and Rapid Demise of the Proposed Ban on Lead Ammunition

The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) was the first to raise the alarm in an email sent on August 25, 2010. The was followed by an email alert from the National Rifle Association (NRA) 2 days later.

The Center for Biological Diversity filed a petition with the Environmental Protection Agency to ban the use of ammunition containing lead cores under the Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA) of 1976.

The problems are: ammunition using many metals suitable for non-lead cores would potentially be deemed "armor piercing" and thus be banned, and the TSCA does not apply to ammunition.

Fortunately, the EPA responded to the public outcry and rejected the petition on the grounds that it lacked the authority to regulate ammunition. This does not mean that we have heard the last of this.

Brady Center Does Not Meet Better Business Bureau Standards

Research for a future article on the fund raising and spending habits of certain Maryland political action committees (PACs) produced an unexpected piece of information. The Brady Center is not listed on the Maryland Campaign Finance web site but a "Google" search did find a listing under the Better Business Bureau.

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) produces reports on charities as well as businesses. The BBB Accredited Business and Charities directory contains a listing for the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence. According to the BBB, the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence does not meet one or more of the 20 standards for Charity Accountability.

Click here for the BBB report on the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence.

Campaign 2010: The Politics of Palin - Endorsement Tracker

The Washington Post has a website dedicated to tracking what has become known as the "Palin Effect" on political campaigns with regard to candidates endorsed by Sarah Palin.

Palin has endorsed 42 candidates for various political offices. As the primary elections progress, 20 endorsed candidates have won, 10 have lost. Twelve primary elections (including Maryland where Palin has endorsed Brian Murphy) have yet to be held.

Click here for the Washington Post "Palin" Endorsement Tracker

This & That - Election Chatter on the "Net"

Gazette.net:
Phony polls, dirty tricks and empty promises

Voter discontent could change political landscape

UTAH CONCEALED CARRY PERMIT COURSE

PLEASE NOTE:

DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL WITH QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS COURSE, USE THE CONTACT INFORMATION BELOW.

UTAH CONCEALED CARRY
FIREARMS PERMIT COURSE
Honored In Approximately 30 States

Want "Peace of Mind" when traveling out-of-state? It's possible with a Utah CCW Firearm Permit.
Protect yourself and your loved ones when traveling to visit family or to a favorite vacation destination. As a Non-Resident of Utah and Law Abiding Citizen, you may obtain a Concealed Carry Firearm Permit from the State of Utah. The Utah CCW Permit allows you, as a Maryland resident, to carry a handgun in approximately 30 states. This permit does NOT allow you to carry in the State of Maryland, but it is recognized in all of our adjoining states including Delaware, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and Ohio, the gateway to the Midwest.