FROM: CURTIS CLEMENTS
SUBJECT: THE DSSA NEEDS OUR SUPPORT
As gun owners, you have all probably heard or seen the old expression about guns only having two enemies – rust and politicians. Well, we can deal with the first one on an individual basis, but effectively fighting the second enemy requires a collective effort from each and every one of us. So, please take the few minutes needed to read the rest of this note, as a personal favor to me, yourself and our fellow gun owners, present and future.
As members of DR&PC, you are all already members of the NRA. The NRA is our first line of defense at the national level, and a major help at the state and local levels, but our most effective defender at the state level is the Delaware State Sportsmen’s Association, or DSSA. DSSA was responsible for getting Article 1, Section 20 (http://www.delcode.delaware.gov/constitution/constitution-02.shtml#P95_7849) added to the Delaware State Constitution a couple of decades ago, guaranteeing our right to keep and bear arms at the state level. More recently, DSSA helped lead the successful legal challenge to the ban on carrying concealed firearms in state parks. In between, they have been remarkably successful in fending off legislative attacks on our rights, many of which never make it out of committee thanks to their work. But right now, they need our help to fight off the most serious threats to our rights since the words “The British are coming; the British are coming” echoed across the countryside.
What threats you ask? Well, House Bill No. 300 for starters, which purports to ban bump stocks, like the one reportedly used in the Las Vegas mass shooting, but which is written is such a way as to potentially criminalize almost any routine rifle trigger modification or replacement, if such modification could “accelerate the rate of fire” of the firearm, even without turning it into a fully-automatic one. There is no grace period, no grandfathering provision and no compensation for any items that would be banned. If passed and signed into law by Governor Carney, thousands of us could instantly become felons, just because at some time in the past, we legally purchased a product that the anti-gun crowd, backed by billionaires Michael Bloomberg and George Soros, now believes that they have the political leverage to take away from us. The cynic (or maybe the realist) in me says that turning law-abiding gun owners, who have done nothing wrong, into instant felons is the real purpose of this bill. The legislators who are sponsoring this bill know about its flaws, but they do not care, because a) they think that they can get the votes to pass it and b) they believe the liberal courts will uphold it, state and federal constitutions be damned. Don’t just take my word for it. Go a read the bill yourself. You can find it at: https://legis.delaware.gov/Search?searchTerm=HB%20300&assemblyId=149. And as you read it, remember that DSSA is actively fighting on this front right now.
And House Bill No. 300 is just the beginning. Bloomberg and Soros plan to spend $100M (yes; one-hundred million dollars) in 2018 to pass state-level gun restrictions in 14 blue states, one of which is Delaware. Bans on AR-platform rifles, magazine capacity restrictions and any other “common sense gun safety measures” that they can come up with are likely to be proposed. Just look at the bills that they have succeeded in getting passed in Maryland, New York and Connecticut in recent years, and you will have a pretty good idea of what we could be in for, here in Delaware.
Now, as many of you are aware, there was a vote this past week on a proposed amendment to our club bylaws, to require all members to also be or become members of the DSSA, starting with the 2018-2019 fiscal year. Those of you who were at the meeting know that I spoke out and voted against that by-law amendment. My vote, however, was not because I did not want to support DSSA; I just did not agree with making it a mandatory requirement. In fact, after hearing the DSSA representatives and legislative members who spoke at the beginning of the meeting, I was more convinced than ever that supporting DSSA was an essential thing to do. That said, I believe that it is the responsibility of every Delaware gun owner to voluntarily support DSSA.
Did you know that currently, less than 50 of our almost 350 members belong to DSSA? The politicians in Dover respond to numbers, recognizing that members of organizations like DSSA are voters, who can either help them or hurt them at the ballot box come Election Day. Joining DSSA, so that you can be counted in those numbers, is absolutely critical. So please, if you are not currently a member, go to the DSSA web site (https://dssa.us/join-dssa/) and sign up today! The cost of an annual membership is only $25.00. If you can afford a couple of boxes of ammo, you can afford that, lol! I was already an annual member, so I upgraded to a Life membership. That is a bit more expensive, but if you can afford it, please consider it. Remember that DSSA is going up against organizations being funded by anti-freedom billionaires, willing to spend whatever amount is necessary to take away our rights, so every dollar counts, too!
The time to join DSSA is NOW, and when you join, let them know that Delaware Rifle and Pistol Club sent you!! Remember, the guns they save may be your own!!!!