Minuteman Monthly Issue 25 August 2002 Thank you for visiting http://www.SaveTheGuns.com and thanks for subscribing to the Minuteman Monthly. The Minuteman Monthly is gaining many new subscribers each month and I want to thank you for your participation and your efforts toward saving the guns. Please be certain to keep your e-mail address current. A few subscribers have changed e-mail addresses without sending me a note. Many subscribers have the Minuteman Monthly sent to more than one address. If you need to change, add or update your e-mail address, just sent me a quick note. Minuteman_Monthly@SaveTheGuns.com =========================================== =========================================== Minuteman Monthly Quotes of The Month "When you become entitled to exercise the right of voting for public officers, let it be impressed on your mind that God commands you to choose for rulers, "just men who will rule in the fear of God." The preservation of [our] government depends on the faithful discharge of this Duty; if the citizens neglect their Duty and place unprincipled men in office, the government will soon be corrupted; laws will be made, not for the public good so much as for selfish or local purposes; corrupt or incompetent men will be appointed to execute the Laws; the public revenues will be squandered on unworthy men; and the rights of the citizen will be violated or disregarded. If [our] government fails to secure public prosperity and happiness, it must be because the citizens neglect the Divine Commands, and elect bad men to make and administer the Laws." Noah Webster 1758-1843 "At what point should we expect the approach of danger? By what means are we to fortify against it? Shall we expect some trans-Atlantic military power to step across the ocean and crush us? Never. At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us, it cannot and it will not come from abroad. If danger ever reach us, it must spring up from amongst us. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of free men, we will live through all time or die by suicide." Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) From an 1838 speech when he was just 29 years old. "Freedom is not a gift bestowed upon us by other men, but a right that belongs to us by the laws of God and nature." Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) ============================================== ============================================== Minuteman Monthly Gun Safety Tip of the Month My gun is jammed!!! What do I do now???? Inevitably, everyone who regularly fires a gun will run into a jam or malfunction at some point. Many accidents occur while attempting to clear a jammed firearm. It is essential to review two of the basic safe gun handling rules first. ALWAYS point the barrel of the gun in a safe direction. A safe direction is defined as a direction where if the gun discharged, nobody would get hurt. The best direction to point a gun is generally at the ground and to the side or more preferably downrange. This is the Golden Rule of Gun Safety. If everyone followed this one rule, it would bring an end to accidental firearm related deaths. ALWAYS keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to fire. There is a natural tendency to place the index finger inside the trigger guard. This MUST be avoided. Condition yourself to place your shooting hand index finger along the side of the frame. --------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------- If the jam is in a semi-automatic pistol or rifle (which are most common), follow the above gun handling rules, put on the safety catch, button or lever, then open and lock back the action, slide or bolt. Next remove the magazine. (Depending on the jam and the firearm, you may have to remove the magazine before locking back the action.) Now you can safely work on the jam from here. The chances are good that retracting the slide and removing the magazine will relieve the jammed cartridge or case. If you have a case that is seated too deeply in the chamber so that the extractor does not grab it, you should follow all the above procedures, then gently pry out the offending case with a miniature screwdriver or some such device being careful not to damage the loading ramp or the breech face. The most important thing about clearing a jammed case or cartridge is to make sure the firearm is pointed in a safe direction and your trigger finger is alongside the frame. ============================================= ============================================= This Month's Issue This month, is focused on the most important day of the year 2002. That of course being November 5th. At first, you might say, what is happening on November 5th? November 5th Tuesday, November 5, 2002 otherwise known as Election Day. I have spoken with countless gun owners who feel that their vote doesn't count because they live in an anti-gun state like Maryland, California, Illinois, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts or a few others. They think that they are so outvoted, that their individual vote won't make a difference. I am so frustrated with this pervasive attitude from gun owners who reside in traditionally anti-gun states. I live in one of these states myself. I live in Massachusetts. The people of Massachusetts got our Republic off to a great start, but unfortunately the Bay State has not been the same since then. The Gun Control Act of 1998 in Massachusetts is the most terrible piece of legislation that I had ever seen. This piece of legislation called for firearm testing that consisted of dropping firearms onto concrete from a height to make sure they won't fire. Another required test actually called for firearms with primed cases to be baked in an oven set at over 300 degrees to make sure the firearm will not fire. Believe me, I know how it feels to live and work in a vehemently anti-gun state. However, please listen to me on this... If every law abiding gun owner was registered to vote and made it to their polls on November 5th, we could really change the United States. We could bring concealed carry to states like Illinois. Gun manufacturers would start shipping firearms to Maryland again. One might even be able to lawfully carry a concealed firearm in Washington D.C. again. Let me ask America's lawful gun owners a single question... Why don't we all vote and vote pro-gun on November 5th? Just humor me and give it a try. Registering to vote in your state is as easy as writing down your name, address, phone number and choosing a political party. You will probably have to answer a few other harmless questions, swear that you are an American Citizen and that's it. It should only take ten minutes or less, to change America. If you are already registered to vote and plan on voting on November 5th, thank you for exercising this essential liberty. NOTICE: >>>> I know that I am most likely "preaching to the choir" on this, so I will ask you that, if you know a gun owner that is not registered to vote, please forward them this newsletter.<<<< ================================================ ================================================ Did You Know? SaveTheGuns.com sells books? http://www.vstore.com/vstorereading/savetheguns SaveTheGuns.com sells pin-on buttons and t-shirts? http://www.savetheguns.com/buttons_and_shirts.htm SaveTheGuns.com is a CheaperThanDirt.com affiliate? http://www.qksrv.net/click-1101834-1161489 SaveTheGuns.com needs contributions to stay alive? http://www.savetheguns.com/contributions.htm Sign up for PayPal today... Click this link https://secure.paypal.com/refer/pal=markel@tmlp.com CAN YOU HELP? SAVETHEGUNS.COM has had only $418.00 in contributions since January 2000. http://www.SaveTheGuns.com/contributions.htm ================================================ ================================================ Ladies and gentlemen, mark down my words on this; if gun owners don't make it to the polls in hoards on November 5th. We will continue to lose a majority in the United States Senate, while giving up control of the U.S. House of Representatives, and we will pay a price that we will regret for decades to come. It doesn't matter which political party you belong to, however, it is no secret that the Democrats have been no friend of the Second Amendment. The Libertarian Party and the Republican party have shown themselves to have a much more realistic view of crime control, while carefully balancing the freedom and liberty of the law-abiding citizen. That's the truth and the truth is what we're after here. WE CANNOT BE ASLEEP ON THIS ISSUE. POLITICIANS KNOW THAT ALBERT GORE LOST THE PRESIDENCY BECAUSE OF HIS ANTI-GUN STANCE. GUN CONTROL ADVOCATES ARE MYSTERIOUSLY SILENT ON THE ISSUE OF PRIVATE GUN OWNERSHIP, BUT IT IS MY HEARTFELT BELIEF THAT ONCE THE ANTI-GUN DEMOCRATS HAVE FULL AND COMPLETE CONTROL OF CONGRESS, WE WILL SUFFER BLOWS TO THE SECOND AMENDMENT LIKE NEVER BEFORE. ================================================ ================================================ For Poll Opening and Closing Times Poll opening and closing times on the November 5th Election Day 2002 can be found right here: http://www.fec.gov/pages/faqs.htm ================================================ ================================================ States and Voter Registration Deadlines These are the dates that you must be registered to vote by in order to vote in the general election on November 5th. ALABAMA October 25 ALASKA October 6 ARIZONA October 7 ARKANSAS October 6 CALIFORNIA October 21 COLORADO October 7 CONNECTICUT October 22 DELAWARE October 15 DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA October 6 FLORIDA October 7 GEORGIA October 7 HAWAII October 7 IDAHO October 11 ILLINOIS October 7 INDIANA October 7 IOWA October 26 KANSAS October 21 KENTUCKY October 7 LOUISIANA October 7 MAINE October 22 MARYLAND October 15 MASSACHUSETTS October 16 MICHIGAN October 7 MINNESOTA November 4 MISSISSIPPI October 6 MISSOURI October 9 MONTANA October 7 NEBRASKA October 25 NEVADA October 5 NEW HAMPSHIRE October 26 NEW JERSEY October 7 NEW MEXICO October 8 NEW YORK October 11 NORTH CAROLINA October 11 NORTH DAKOTA No Voter Registration OHIO October 7 OKLAHOMA October 11 OREGON October 15 PENNSYLVANIA October 7 RHODE ISLAND October 5 SOUTH CAROLINA October 5 SOUTH DAKOTA October 21 TENNESSEE October 4 TEXAS October 7 UTAH October 27 VERMONT October 26 VIRGINIA October 7 WASHINGTON October 21 WEST VIRGINIA October 16 WISCONSIN October 24 WYOMING October 7 ============================================== ============================================== Please forward this to every gun owner, gun club, family member and friend that you know. Feel free to print, post, quote and distribute the Minuteman Monthly as long as you credit http://www.SaveTheGuns.com with the information. Thank you for registering as a Minuteman Monthly Newsletter Recipient. ________________________ If you don't want this newsletter or the legislative alerts anymore, just send me an E-mail with "Unsubscribe MMM" in the subject line to: info@savetheguns.com Thanks, Marc Owner/Founder www.savetheguns.com