The North Carolina Senate is being forced back for a special session to deal with the wording of some the proposed constitutional amendments that will be on the ballot in November. One of the amendments to be voted on deals with making hunting and fishing constitutional rights under the NC Constitution. That's nice but the reality is that Republicans in the State Senate think such an amendment will placate gun owners despite their sitting on a bill authorizing permitless concealed carry.
The Republican majority still think backing hunting is supporting the Second Amendment and gun rights. That might have been fine when all you had was Gun Culture v. 1.0 but we have moved to Gun Culture v. 2.0 and beyond.
Grass Roots North Carolina recognizes this and they also recognize that this special session is an opportunity for the Republicans to actually do something with regard to gun rights.
GOP SENATORS CAN
STILL EARN YOUR VOTE
For better or worse, a judge has effectively forced the NC Senate to convene a special session in order to fine-tune the language in some of this November’s proposed amendments. This is great news for both gun owners and GOP senators.
Republicans Have Miscalculated
During this year’s regular session, NC Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger, Rules Chairman Bill Rabon, and other Senate Republicans have completely ignored gun owners. Had they simply passed HB-746 (permitless concealed carry), they would have lived up to their recurring campaign rhetoric, as well as their party’s platform. Instead, they chose to punt, perhaps to avoid an issue they perceived to be controversial. Unfortunately, that’s not courageous and that’s certainly not leadership. Disregarding pro-gun voters, who are basically the Republican base, is ill advised preceding a mid-term election where majorities are up for grabs, and Republicans need every vote they can scrounge. With that in mind, perhaps it’s fair to say that Senate leaders have miscalculated.
The Good News for Senate Republicans
By a serendipitous twist, NC senators now have a chance to redeem themselves in the eyes of their base, and just in the nick of time. With a special session convening this coming week, there is no reason GOP leaders can’t give HB-746 a hearing, and make sure it comes to the floor for an up or down vote. This simple action would please the grass roots voter, while ensuring more freedom and a greater level of safety for all North Carolina citizens.
Good News for Gun Voters
The good news for gun owners is that the NC Senate may actually use this opportunity to show you, the gun-rights voter, that they haven’t forgotten you. They may actually do the right thing, even if it’s only to court your vote in November. No matter the reason, the right thing is still the right thing, and perhaps we should expect Republican senators see it our way this coming week.
Please Encourage Senate Leaders
Of course, our public servants will need some encouragement if they are to get this done. Below, see how you can easily contact Senate leadership and urge them to grab this opportunity and use it to impress their voting base, while making North Carolina both safer and freer.
IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED!
- PHONE SENATE LEADERS AND YOUR REPUBLICAN SENATOR: Find phone numbers below. Deliver the following phone message (if there is no answer, please leave a message or call back):
Hello, I am a pro-gun voter, and I am calling to express disappointment in this year’s short session, but also enthusiasm over the opportunity we have in this week’s special session. By using this session to pass HB-746, the permitless concealed carry bill, Senate Republicans have a chance to redeem themselves in the eyes of their voting base, and just in the nick of time. This mid-term election will surely be precarious for Republicans, and with their recent snub of gun voters, I am not terribly excited about pulling the lever for them. I insist that HB-746 be given a hearing and be brought to the floor for a vote. Make this happen or risk an unmotivated voting base in November. Thank you.
- EMAIL ALL REPUBLICAN SENATORS: Below, find copy/paste email list(s), along with a copy/paste email message you can use, which is provided under ‘Deliver This Message.’
CONTACT INFO
Senate Leader Phil Berger: (919) 733-5708
Senator Rules Chair Bill Rabon: (919) 733-5963
Find your GOP senator’s phone number (click on the ‘Senate’ tab, search by county, district, or your voter registration): https://www2.ncleg.net/RnR/Representation
NC Senate Republicans copy/paste email *list(s):John.Alexander@ncleg.net; Deanna.Ballard@ncleg.net; Chad.Barefoot@ncleg.net; Dan.Barrett@ncleg.net; Tamara.Barringer@ncleg.net; Phil.Berger@ncleg.net; Dan.Bishop@ncleg.net; Danny.Britt@ncleg.net; Harry.Brown@ncleg.net; Bill.Cook@ncleg.net; Warren.Daniel@ncleg.net;
Jim.Davis@ncleg.net; Cathy.Dunn@ncleg.net; Chuck.Edwards@ncleg.net; Rick.Gunn@ncleg.net; Kathy.Harrington@ncleg.net; Ralph.Hise@ncleg.net; Rick.Horner@ncleg.net; Brent.Jackson@ncleg.net; Joyce.Krawiec@ncleg.net; Michael.Lee@ncleg.net; Tom.McInnis@ncleg.net; Wesley.Meredith@ncleg.net;
Paul.Newton@ncleg.net; Louis.Pate@ncleg.net; Ron.Rabin@ncleg.net; Bill.Rabon@ncleg.net; Shirley.Randleman@ncleg.net; Norman.Sanderson@ncleg.net; Vickie.Sawyer@ncleg.net ; Jeff.Tarte@ncleg.net; Jerry.Tillman@ncleg.net; Tommy.Tucker@ncleg.net; Trudy.Wade@ncleg.net; Andy.Wells@ncleg.net
DELIVER THIS MESSAGE
Suggested Subject: "Motivate Your Base: Pass HB-746 Now"
Dear Senator:
After a terribly disappointing short session, I am writing to express both enthusiasm and hopefulness over an opportunity for Senate Republicans to redeem their snub of gun-rights voters. This coming week’s special session presents a golden opportunity for Senate Republicans to live up to their pro-gun campaign language, and to satisfy the pro-Second Amendment principles documented in the Republican Party platform.
Basically, pro-gun voters are the base of the Republican Party. That is why it was so surprising to see Senate leadership ignore this critical voting bloc leading up to a mid-term election, one that is sure to be precarious for Republicans. Both polling and history tell us that Republicans will need all the votes they can scrounge in 2018. With majorities on the line, new attention to HB-746 (permitless concealed carry) is the sure path to motivating the base, and I demand that you pursue this during the coming week.
Until now, Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger, Rules Chairman Bill Rabon, and other Republican leaders in the Senate, have let me down. Frankly, I am not excited about voting for increasingly unreliable and complacent Republican candidates, and it’s fair to assume that many other voters are similarly hesitant. A substantive and long-overdue show of support for gun rights, by passing HB-746 during this special session, would go a long way to shrink the chasm GOP senators have opened between themselves and their voting base. More importantly, passing HB-746 would make North Carolina both safer and freer for all of its law-abiding citizens.
I insist that you do the right thing during this special session. Do what it takes to give HB-746 a hearing and see that it is brought to the floor for an up or down vote. I will be monitoring your actions on this matter through alerts from Grass Roots North Carolina.
Respectfully,
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