Maryland Shall Issue Needs Your Help

The President of Maryland Shall Issue has requested our help in getting the word out. We've seen what happened in New York and Maryland could be next. Gov. Martin O'Malley (D-MD) like Andrew Cuomo has his eyes on the White House and is not above trashing the Second Amendment to get there.

From Patrick:

We published our "Call To Action" a few days back and folks have been hitting their reps in the statehouse pretty solid. Lawmakers are on alert, and we haven't even seen the full text of the coming bills yet. We are told that O'Malley was looking to catch up to Cuomo, but this was before yesterday's presser with Obama. That is being viewed by some up here with mixed feelings. It seemed more propaganda than motion, and with Harry Reid suggesting he won't let an AWB move, there are bets back and forth on which direction O'Malley will swing, and just how hard he will press. I think we are going to have one hell of a fight, either way.

The Call To Action can be found here. If you are a Maryland resident, you need to keep checking the Maryland Shall Issue website for updates.

I had the pleasure of meeting Patrick at the 2012 Gun Rights Policy Conference. He and Maryland Shall Issue are really on top of things and know how to leverage technology to their advantage. I'm glad he's on our side and not the side of the gun prohibitionists.

A GRPC Roundup

I won't be able to do much in the way of posting about the Gun Rights Policy Conference today due to work and teaching tonight. However, I wanted to post some links to stories and posts about the conference.

USAToday had a story on the conference which featured a picture of Miguel of the GunFreeZone blog wearing his Gunwalker T-shirt and holding up the SAF's Keep Calm and Carry poster. I'm still looking for the video from a local Orlando TV station that featured the backs of my and Miguel's heads. Still, a picture in USAToday definitely trumps that!

Kenn Blanchard has video up of Emily Miller's speech at the conference which can be seen here. It presents a much more accurate picture than that of a certain so-called gun blogger who was responsible for the Gun Blog Black List being formed. I refuse to link to him but I'm sure you can find it by using Google as he is the master of search engine optimization (SEO).

Robb Allen whom I got to meet for the first time has a series of posts up on the conference including this one.

Here is Joe Huffman's take on the first day of the GRPC. It was a pleasure to finally meet Joe.

The now famous Miguel has a number of posts up on the conference and they can be found here, here, and here.

Congratulations to Sean Caranna of Florida Carry and the blog All Nine Yars for being named a Defender of Liberty award recipient by the SAF.

Derek Ward, the author of Zombie Strike and a gun blogger, was at the conference. I enjoyed meeting Derek and he has a number of posts on GRPC up on his blog.

All in all it was a good conference and I'll be posting more on it through out the week.

Madison Rising At GRPC

Madison Rising performed both nights at the Gun Rights Policy Conference and I think they were a big hit despite the amount of gray hair that many of us had.

(L-R) Alex Bodnar, Steve Padelski, Sam Fishman, us, Dave Bray

In one of those stranger than fiction coincidences, we got an email on Saturday from the Complementary Spouse's 69-year old uncle with a link to Madison Rising playing The Star Spangled Banner saying how it was an amazing rendition. We, of course, rubbed it in a little by saying we just heard it in person.

There are many ways to get the message of freedom out. Madison Rising is one of them and a damn good one at that.

Important Update On CCW At GRPC In Orlando - It's Legal In The Hotel

Thanks to the industrious work of Miko Tempski, Board Member of the CCRKBA, we have the definitive answer on whether the Hyatt Regency Orlando Airport is considered a part of the airport for concealed carry purposes.

It is not!

Miko receved the following from the Orlando Police Department's airport division a few minutes ago:

 From: John O'Grady
Subject: Fwd: Airport Firearms Carry and attached hotel
To: miko.temski

Mr. Tempski, I am in receipt of the below email request. In short you are correct in your interpretation of the FSS. The Hyatt Hotel is it's own property so legally carrying a weapon is OK. Carrying a firearm in the terminal is prohibited. If you have any other questions or concerns please contact me directly.

Regards, John O'Grady Orlando Police Department Division Commander Orlando International Airport

Thus while you can't legally carry within the airport terminal, you can carry in the hotel itself. I just confirmed with the hotel that it can be accessed without entering the terminal.

Thanks again to Miko for getting a definitive answer from law enforcement. I should know not to trust public affairs and marketing!

UPDATE: Thanks to Markofafreeman in the comments below we have some directions on how to enter the hotel if you are driving without entering the terminal: If you drive, go up to the 4th floor parking, following the signs for the Hyatt. As advertised, the entrance is right there and you don't need to enter via the terminal.

Carrying Concealed At The Gun Rights Policy Conference

A comment to a post by Miguel at GunFreeZone.net started me looking into Florida's concealed carry laws and prohibited locations. The Gun Rights Policy Conference will be held at the Hyatt Regency Orlando Airport which is located in the main terminal of the Orlando Airport. I confirmed with the Hyatt that they are actually considered part of the airport terminal (or so the Front Desk said).

According to Florida Statue Section 790.06 (12)a, you are prohibited from carrying in the following locations:

(12)(a) A license issued under this section does not authorize any person to openly carry a handgun or carry a concealed weapon or firearm into:

1. Any place of nuisance as defined in s. 823.05;

2. Any police, sheriff, or highway patrol station;

3. Any detention facility, prison, or jail;

4. Any courthouse;

5. Any courtroom, except that nothing in this section would preclude a judge from carrying a concealed weapon or determining who will carry a concealed weapon in his or her courtroom;

6. Any polling place;

7. Any meeting of the governing body of a county, public school district, municipality, or special district;

8. Any meeting of the Legislature or a committee thereof;

9. Any school, college, or professional athletic event not related to firearms;

10. Any elementary or secondary school facility or administration building;

11. Any career center;

12. Any portion of an establishment licensed to dispense alcoholic beverages for consumption on the premises, which portion of the establishment is primarily devoted to such purpose;

13. Any college or university facility unless the licensee is a registered student, employee, or faculty member of such college or university and the weapon is a stun gun or nonlethal electric weapon or device designed solely for defensive purposes and the weapon does not fire a dart or projectile;

14. The inside of the passenger terminal and sterile area of any airport, provided that no person shall be prohibited from carrying any legal firearm into the terminal, which firearm is encased for shipment for purposes of checking such firearm as baggage to be lawfully transported on any aircraft; or

15. Any place where the carrying of firearms is prohibited by federal law.

If the Hyatt Regency is legally part of the terminal at the Orlando Airport, carrying concealed even with the proper license/permit is forbidden. People traveling to the conference who would normally be carrying should be aware of this. I knew you couldn't carry in the bar portion of restaurants but I didn't know about the airport portion of the law.

If you have any different information as to the status of the Hyatt Regency Orlando Airport, please share it in the comments below.

UPDATE: I just spoke with Vera of the Public Affairs Department of the Orlando International Airport regarding this issue. I asked specifically whether the Hyatt Regency was considered part of the main terminal for the purposes of concealed carry. She replied, "It is in the airport." Unless we hear differently from the Orlando Police Department, I would operate under the presumption that concealed carry is not allowed at the Hyatt Regency.  See my separate update - the Orlando PD, airport division says the hotel is a private holding and is NOT part of the airport for CCW purposes.

One More Day Until GRPC!

We are getting excited. It is only one more day before we board a Delta jet to Orlando for the Gun Rights Policy Conference. There will be old friends to see, new friends to make, and a chance finally to meet people you only know from the Interwebs.

The Complementary Spouse is making lists of stuff we shouldn't forget while I'm trying to figure out which Hawaiian shirts to pack. We all have our priorities!

You can read the agenda here.

As I've said before, if you live anywhere in the area you should attend for at least Saturday. It's free to attend, you'll get tons of free books on Second Amendment topics, and you'll learn a lot. Plus Madison Rising will be playing the National Anthem!

Agenda For 2012 GRPC

The agenda for the 2012 Gun Rights Policy Conference has been released and I've posted it below. The Second Amendment band Madison Rising will be doing the National Anthem as well as playing at both the Friday and Saturday night receptions. How cool is that!

27th Annual Gun Rights Policy Conference
September 28-30, 2012
Hyatt Regency Orlando, Florida, Airport

FRIDAY, September 28, 2012—Regency Ballroom
7:00 p.m. Registration Table Opens
7:00–9:00 p.m. Reception with Cash Bar
Co-hosted by Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA) and Second Amendment Foundation (SAF)
Music by the patriot rock band Madison Rising

SATURDAY, September 29, 2012—Intercontinental Ballroom
7:30 a.m. Registration Table Opens
Beverages hosted by Women & Guns Magazine

8:00 a.m. CALL TO ORDER
Moderator—Julianne Versnel, publisher, Journal on Firearms & Public Policy, director of operations, SAF
Color Guard—University of Central Florida, Air Force ROTC
National Anthem performed by Madison Rising
Invocation—Rev. Anthony Winfield, chaplain, Elmhurst Hospital Center, New York City

8:10 a.m. State of the Gun Rights Battle
Welcoming Remarks
The Road Traveled—Joseph P. Tartaro, executive editor, TheGunMag.com, president, SAF
The Road Ahead—Alan M. Gottlieb, chairman, CCRKBA and founder, SAF

8:30 a.m. The Most Dangerous Election of Our Lifetime
Maria Heil, board member and spokesperson, National Rifle Association

8:45 a.m. Federal Affairs Briefing
Mark Barnes, president, Mark Barnes and Associates
Jeff Knox, managing director, Firearms Coalition, gun issues columnist
Larry Pratt, executive director, Gun Owners of America
Joe Waldron, legislative director, Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms

9:15 a.m. State Legislative Affairs Briefing I
Hon. Sam Slom, Minority Leader Hawaii Senate, trustee of the Second Amendment Foundation
Sandra Barreras, Puerto Rico, Damas de la Segunda Enmienda
Jim Irvine, president, Buckeye Firearms Association
Richard Nascak, co-executive director, Florida Carry.org.
Patrick Shomo, president, Maryland Shall Issue Inc.

9:45 a.m. Beverage break hosted IAPCAR

10:00 a.m. State Legislative Affairs Briefing II
Stephen Aldstadt, president, Shooters Committee on Political Education (SCOPE, Inc.) NY
Thomas Bolioli, secretary, Commonwealth Second Amendment, Inc.
Don Moran, president, Illinois State Rifle Association
Tony Montanarella, president, California Rifle & Pistol Association
Philip Van Cleave, president, Virginia Citizens Defense League

10:30 a.m. Global Gun Control: Down but Not Out
Gary Burris, founder, Lone Star Shooting Association
Sheldon Clare, president, National Firearms Association of Canada
Julianne Versnel, publisher, Women & Guns, director of operations, Second Amendment Foundation
Maj. Gen. Allen Youngman, USA (ret.), executive director, Defense Small Arms Advisory Council

11:00 a.m. “Stand Your Ground” Laws under Fire
Eric Friday, Esq., counsel for Florida Carry
Jon Gutmacher, Esq., firearms instructor, attorney and author of Florida Firearms -- Law, Use & Ownership

11:20 a.m. Protecting the Right to Protect
Mark O’Mara, Esq., defense attorney for George Zimmerman

11:45 a.m. Q & A on Morning Panels

12:00 Noon Recess and break to prepare for box luncheon

12:15 p.m. Awards Luncheon Hosted by CCRKBA and SAF
Speakers:
U.S. Representative. Joe Barton (R-Texas 6th Dist.)
Ambassador Donald A. Mahley
Otis McDonald, lead plaintiff, McDonald v. City of Chicago
Awards presentations

1:30 p.m. Recess Break

1:45 p.m. Fine-Tuning Arms Rights in the Courts
David Jensen, Esq., SAF counsel in Kwong vs. Bloomberg, Moore v. Madigan and Piszczatoski v. Maenza
Donald Kilmer, Esq., counsel to CalGuns Foundation and SAF
David Kopel, Esq., research director, Independence Institute, co-author, Firearms Law & the Second Amendment
Dan Schmutter, Esq., legal counsel, Association of NJ Rifle & Pistol Clubs

2:15 p.m. The Second Amendment and the Legal Community
Bobbie K. Ross, Esq., Chair, Second Amendment Civil Rights Litigation Subcommittee, American Bar Association

2:30 p.m. The Realities of Self-Defense in Washington, DC
Emily Miller, senior editorial page editor, The Washington Times and author of Emily Gets a Gun

2:45 p.m. The “Fast and Furious” Fiasco
David Workman, senior editor, TheGunMag.com, Seattle Gun Rights Examiner

3:00 p.m. Beverage service hosted by KeepAndBearArms.com

3:15 p.m. Those Dangerous Gun-Free Zones
John Lott, PhD, commentator for FoxNews.com and Wall Street Journal

3:30 p.m. Breaking the Establishment Media’s Stranglehold
Robert Farago, publisher, TheTruthAboutGuns.com
Bob Harvey, host, Bullseye Radio Talk Show
Fredy Riehl, editor and press coordinator, Ammoland.com
Mark Vanderberg, Gun Rights Radio Network

4:00 p.m. How Gun Rights Are Really at Risk if They Steal the Election First
John Fund, senior editor The American Spectator and columnist for National Review Online

4:15 p.m. The 2012 Elections: A Nation at the Crossroads
Alan Gottlieb, chairman, AmeriPAC, chairman, CCRKBA
Stephani Scruggs, president, Unite in Action and national chair, The 912 Project
Kirby Wilbur, chairman, Republican Party of Washington, SAF trustee

4:45 p.m. Growing State Gun Rights Networks
Gene Hoffman, chairman, CalGuns Foundation
Brent Carlton, president, Commonwealth Second Amendment Inc.
Sean Caranna, co-executive director, Florida Carry.org

5:15 p.m. Which Case Will Be the Next RKBA Case to Go to SCOTUS?
Alan Gura, SAF chief counsel and lead attorney, D.C. v. Heller, McDonald v. Chicago and Ezell v. Chicago

5:30 p.m. Q & A on afternoon panels

6:00 p.m. Announcements and Adjournment

6:30-9:30 p.m. Reception with Cash Bar—Regency Ballroom
Hosted by Second Amendment Foundation and National Shooting Sports Foundation
Entertainment by patriotic rock band Madison Rising


SUNDAY, September 30, 2012—Intercontinental Ballroom
8:30 a.m. Registration Table Opens
Beverage service hosted by TheGunMag.com

8:50 a.m. CALL TO ORDER
Moderator: Peggy Tartaro, editor of Women & Guns, board member CCRKBA

9:00 a.m. Growing the Gunowner Base in the Popular Culture War
Alan Korwin, author, After You Shoot, Bloomfield Press Richard Mgrdechian, president, Madison Rising
Neil Schulman, screenwriter, journalist, filmmaker
Peggy Tartaro, editor, Women & Guns magazine, board member, CCRKBA

9:35 a.m. The Supreme Court: A Majority of One
David Kopel, Esq., adjunct professor of Advanced Constitutional Law, Sturm College of Law, University of Denver
Joseph P. Tartaro, executive editor, TheGunMag.com, president, SAF

10:00 a.m. The Many Faces of the Second Amendment
Rev. Kenneth V. Blanchard, pastor, firearms instructor, blogger
Doug Ritter, founder and chairman, KnifeRights.org
Erik Royce, founder, TruckerGuns Foundation
Linda Walker, board member, National Rifle Association<

10:30 a.m. Is Patient Privacy Dead after Florida Court Ruling?
Timothy Wheeler, MD, director, Doctors for Responsible Gun Ownership, a project of the SAF

10:45 a.m. The Academic Front in the Gun Rights Battle
David Burnett, Students for Concealed Carry
Brian Patrick, associate professor of communications, University of Toledo

11:05 a.m. The Anti-Gunners’ Homeland Security Gambit
Charles Heller, executive director, Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership
Benjamin Smith, director of Strategic Affairs, Unite in Action, and contributor to Breitbart and Fox News

11:25 a.m. Countering Media Bias
Don Irvine, president, Accuracy in Media
Malia Zimmerman, editor, Hawaii Reporter, director, Hawaii Rifle Association

11:45 a.m. Q & A on Morning Session

12:00 Noon Report of the Resolutions Committee
Genie Jennings, W&G columnist
Stephen Aldstadt, president, SCOPE, Inc.
Linda Farmer, Georgia gun rights activist
Jeff Knox, managing director, Firearms Coalition, gun issue columnist
Don Moran, president, Illinois State Rifle Association
Herb Stupp, Vice Chairman CCRKBA
Miko Tempski, director, CCRKBA
Linda Walker, board member, National Rifle Association
Robert Wiest, SAF board of trustees, Tennessee activist

1:00 p.m. Closing remarks and adjournment
Alan M. Gottlieb and Joseph P. Tartaro

It's Crunch Time For Second Amendment Film Project

October 5th is the deadline for pledges of support to Dead Patriot Films and their project Assaulted: Civil Rights Under Fire. I received this email from the producer Kris Koenig today:

We're at the bottom of the seventh and it's not looking good for us, but this is America and we never give up.  I still believe we can reach our goal by Oct 5th. Why? We each know three friends that can join this campaign.  We just need our friends to match our pledges to reach the target.

Please email, Facebook and tweet this project (http://kck.st/OllEYn) to everyone you know.  Let them know why this is important to you and why getting this film made should be important to them.  Remember, if each of us bring three of our buddies to this campaign, we'll easily round the bases and launch this film.

Thank you,

Kris

They have a goal of raising $65,000. As of a few minutes ago, they've received a bit over $23,000 from 317 backers. I've made a pledge and would encourage you to do so as well.

In his email, Kris states that he'll be at the Gun Rights Policy Conference this coming weekend in Orlando. I hope to meet up with him and learn more about this project.

And if you haven't registered for the conference, it isn't too late! While pre-registration is officially closed, you can still register at the door. This will make my third GRPC and I can barely wait until Friday. If you live within driving distance and have an interest in Second Amendment rights, you owe it to yourself to attend.

GRPC 2012 - Who's Going?

The 2012 Gun Rights Policy Conference kicks off this coming Friday evening in Orlando.

I am trying organize a little get-together for gun bloggers and podcasters. It will probably be Saturday evening after the reception. I've contacted a few bloggers that I knew were going to attend the conference but I'm sure I've missed others.

So, if you are going to GRPC 2012 and are a gun blogger or podcaster, either leave a comment or contact me at jpr9 AT earthlink DOT net. I'll be back in touch with you with more details.

More On Gun Rights Policy Conference 2012

The Second Amendment Foundation released information on a number of their confirmed speakers. These include Emily Miller of the Washington Times and "Emily Gets Her Gun" fame, perennial favorite Alan Gura, George Zimmerman's attorney Mark O'Mara, and Congressman Joe Barton of Texas.

The 27th Annual Gun Rights Policy Conference attracts leaders from across the country, including Alan Gottlieb, chairman of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms; Joseph Tartaro, president of the Second Amendment Foundation; Maria Heil, board director of the National Rifle Association; Larry Pratt, executive director of Gun Owners of America and many others.

Also scheduled: Attorney Alan Gura, winner of the landmark Supreme Court Second Amendment Heller and McDonald cases; Criminal Defense Attorney Mark O’Mara; Columnist and Fox News contributor John Fund; John Lott, author of More Guns, Less Crime, and Emily Miller, senior editor of The Washington Times.

Texas Congressman Joe Barton will be the featured Saturday luncheon speaker.

The Gun Rights Policy Conference offers an opportunity for grassroots gun rights activists from across the country to gather under one roof for the opportunity to network, exchange strategies and hear from national gun rights leaders on major issues relating to firearms litigation and politics.

This year’s agenda includes panel discussions on Campus Concealed Carry, Gun rights litigation after the Heller and McDonald rulings, the UN threat to gun rights, Federal and State legislative updates, Media Bias, Self-Defense and Right-to-Carry, Open Carry and Stand Your Ground laws.

For more information and registration: www.saf.org.

Alan Gottlieb was the guest in the first hour of Tom Gresham's GunTalk on Sunday, Sept. 2nd. During the interview, he said that there will be a surprise guest speaker whom he couldn't name for "security reasons". The speaker will be announced on Saturday, Sept. 29th when he (or she) is scheduled to speak.

I have no special knowledge and no one has tipped me off to who he or she might be. However, I could think of at least two to three people that might fit that bill given that the conference is in Florida.

Bloomberg Declines An Invitation

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is almost as big a media whore as the senior senator from New York, Chuck Schumer. Given half a chance he'll pontificate about salt and sugar and guns and breast milk ad nauseum.

That is why I agree with Alan Gottlieb of the Second Amendment Foundation and CCRKBA that it is strange that Bloomberg declined an invitation to speak at the 2012 Gun Rights Policy Conference. He would look brave for going before a group of gun rights activists and he'd get tons of publicity out of it. Moreover, while in Orlando, he could check on how his taxpayer paid MAIG regional coordinator is doing.

Alan sent out a notice about Bloomberg's declining his invitation this afternoon.

BELLEVUE, WA – New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has been challenging President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney to speak out about gun control, but Bloomberg declined a chance to do it himself at the annual Gun Rights Policy Conference (GRPC) in September, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms noted.

According to CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb, Bloomberg was invited to the 27th annual event, scheduled Sept. 28-30 in Orlando, Fla., but he turned it down.

“What does it say about someone who demands that others shill for his agenda, but when given the chance to take his fight to the gun rights community, he retreats,” Gottlieb wondered. “Mayor Bloomberg is always quick with his tongue in front of a friendly media audience, or in the confines of a broadcast studio, but when he has an opportunity to meet with people who have differing viewpoints about a fundamental civil right, he takes a powder.”

This will be the first time in its history that the GRPC is held in the Sunshine State. Among the anticipated speakers will be Mark O’Mara, defense attorney representing George Zimmerman, the man now charged in the death of Trayvon Martin. The announcement has stirred considerable media attention for the upcoming event.

“It seems odd for a guy like Michael Bloomberg, who rushes to every television news camera and microphone, to avoid what could be a major media event,” Gottlieb mused. “He’s been complaining about the ‘deafening silence’ from Romney and Obama, but when he is offered the chance to confront gun owners, whose rights he wants to see trampled, he voluntarily puts on a muzzle.

“Mayor Bloomberg has spent the past several months,” he said, “establishing himself as a Nanny State monarch, telling people give up their guns, to drink less soda, eat fewer fries and forego giving baby formula to newborns. He’s good at criticizing people he calls gun ‘nuts,’ but lately he seems a few cashews short of a full can, himself.

“Perhaps he’s worried that a trip to Orlando might end with a sunburn,” Gottlieb concluded. “From all indications, he’s had a little too much sun already.”

Zimmerman's Attorney Mark O'Meara To Speak At 2012 GRPC

Alan Gottlieb of the Second Amendment Foundation sent out an email notice last night saying that George Zimmerman's attorney, Mark O'Meara, is scheduled to be one of the speakers at this year's Gun Rights Policy Conference in Orlando.

From the email:

George Zimmerman's criminal defense attorney Mark O'Mara in the Trayvon Martin case has just confirmed to speak at the Gun Rights Policy Conference!...

This year GRPC will be action-packed. With over 50 speakers hand-picked from the leadership of the Gun Rights Movement, the topics to be presented promise to have an impact that will help direct the path of our cause for years to come. Invited speakers this year include: myself, Joe Tartaro, Alan Gura, Otis McDonald, John Lott, Alan Korwin, Massad Ayoob, David Kopel, John Snyder, as well as staff from the Second Amendment Foundation, Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, National Rifle Association, National Shooting Sports Foundation, KeepAndBearArms.com, and Gun Owners of America. A number of elected political leaders have been invited as well.

For more information on the Gun Rights Policy Conference or to register online, go to the SAF's GRPC page.

I plan to be there and I'd urge you to make it if you can.

GRPC 2012

The Gun Rights Policy Conference is set for September 28-30 in Orlando, Florida. Alan Gottlieb and the good folks at the Second Amendment Foundation have a knack for picking the right place at the right time. Of course, when the location of this year's conference was announced at the end of the 2011 conference in Chicago, no one other than family knew George Zimmerman from Trayvon Martin.

I've attended two of the Gun Rights Policy Conferences - San Francisco in 2010 and Chicago in 2011 - and both have been great events. I got to hear great speakers but more importantly I got to meet very interesting people such as Alan Gura, David Sigale, Dave Kopel, and Tom Gresham.

I've already booked both the plane tickets and room for the Complementary Spouse and myself. The conference location, the Hyatt Regency Orlando Airport, is rated as one of the ten best airport hotels in the world by Peter Greenberg of the Today Show. And at the conference rate of $99 a night, it is about the same cost as the Holiday Inn Express for a lot nicer room.

In addition, the conference is free to attend and you come home with a stack - and I mean stack - of books on shooting and the Second Amendment.

From SAF on the GRPC:

Come meet national gun rights leaders and your fellow grassroots activists at the 27th Annual Gun Rights Policy Conference (GRPC 2012) in Orlando, FL at the Hyatt Regency Orlando International Airport hotel on September 28, 29, & 30, 2012. This is your once-a-year chance to network, get an insider’s look and plan pro-gun rights strategies for the coming year.

Past GRPCs have outlined victory plans and made public the latest firearms trends. They allow you a first-hand chance to hear movement leaders–and make your voice heard.

This year we’ll take a look at critical issues such as: city gun bans, “smart” guns, concealed carry, federal legislation, BATFE policies, legal actions, gun show regulation, state and local activity. We’ll also review the 2010 elections, discuss the 2012 Presidential race and analyze Right to Keep and Bear Arms court cases.

Pre-registration is now open and SAF has a variety of methods to register. They really need you to pre-register so they can get an accurate count on the numbers of attendees.

An online registration form is available here.

Books, monographs and other materials—enough to start a Second Amendment library—are free, as are Saturday luncheon, Friday and Saturday evening receptions and morning and afternoon beverage breaks. Other meals, travel and lodging are to be paid by attendee.

Alternate Registration
Phone registration is available by calling 425-454-7012.

You may also register for the 2012 GRPC by printing, completing, and returning to us the pdf flyer & registration form. This file requires the no-cost Adobe Acrobat Reader™ or other pdf software. This pdf file is suitable for printing flyers and distributing to your friends, family, coworkers, and associates.
2012 GRPC Flyer

If you can get away for a long weekend or you live in Florida, you owe it to yourself to attend. I understand that Joe Huffman of the View from North Central Idaho and Robb Allen of Sharp as a Marble will both be attending. I hope to see other bloggers there as well.