Why Fourth of July is Celebrated!

■Fourth of July Celebration

The Declaration of Independence

Philadelphia: John Dunlap, July 4, 1776
 Purchased through the generosity of friends and alumni of Williams College

American independence from Great Britain was declared by means of a broadside printed by John Dunlap, an Irish immigrant, on the night of July 4, 1776, by vote of the Continental Congress immediately following its vote to approve the text of the Declaration. Copies were delivered to John Hancock, then President of the Congress, in the morning of July 5th, and sent by him to the state governors that day and on the 6th. Among these were the copies read by Colonel John Nixon from a platform in the yard behind the Pennsylvania statehouse on July 8th, and by George Washington to his troops in New York on July 9th. Viscount Admiral Richard Howe intercepted a copy and dispatched it to London on July 28th.

A copy was also preserved by the Secretary of the Congress, Charles Thompson, in his minutes book; and it was to this text that a scribe, commissioned by the Congress, turned when preparing the ceremonial manuscript copy of the Declaration on parchment, preserved at the National Archives in Washington, D.C., which was signed by members of the Continental Congress on August 2, 1776. The printed Declaration of Independence thus predates the famous copy, signed by John Hancock et al., by nearly a month. The printed copy bears only the names, in type, of Hancock and Thompson on behalf of the Congress, and of the printer John Dunlap; it was the promulgation of an act of Congress and needed nothing more. The text of the ceremonial copy differs from that of the printed original only in its title: it became a “Unanimous Declaration” only later in July 1776, when New York State’s members of Congress changed their vote from abstention to the affirmative.

It is interesting to note, when considering the Declaration of Independence, the often-cited “intent of the Founding Fathers”, and the high prices manuscripts by those who signed the ceremonial copy command in the marketplace, that some delegations to the Continental Congress changed between July 4 and August 2, 1776. Therefore some who voted to approve the Declaration of Independence had retired from Congress before the ceremonial copy was prepared, and so never signed, while some who signed on August 2nd had not been in Congress on July 4th and so never voted on that auspicious day. The Chapin Library’s copy of the Dunlap broadside is one of only twenty-six known to survive, including fragments, of perhaps one or two hundred printed (the precise number is not known). It is also one of the best preserved copies, and the only one to have a physical connection to someone who both voted for independence and signed the ceremonial Declaration: Joseph Hewes of North Carolina. Hewes somehow obtained a copy of the broadside from John Hancock – members of Congress do not seem to have received copies as a matter of course – and wrote on it a docket, “Declaration of Independence”. Hewes died three years later, but his papers survived. The Chapin Library was fortunate to be able to raise the necessary funds to buy the Hewes copy of the Declaration from Christie’s, New York, when it came on the market in April 1983. See here for the names of the friends and alumni of Williams College who contributed to this important purchase.

Never forget what this means even today!

Scientist Tesll U.S.FWS African Lion is not Endangered

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: JUNE 26, 2013

Scientists Tell U.S.FWS African Lion Is Not Endangered

Washington, DC – Today, experts on the status of the African lion explained to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) that the African lion is not on the brink of extinction. Their testimony contradicts the claims in a petition filed by several anti-rights groups asking the service to list the African lion as endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

Safari Club International Foundation (SCI Foundation) participated in an exclusive workshop hosted by the FWS. SCI Foundation Conservation Chair Dr. Al Maki outlined current conservation efforts across the lion’s range and focused on Tanzania’s successful management of the species.
“Today’s presenters and scientists agreed with SCI Foundation’s position that the majority of African lion populations are secure,” said SCI Foundation President Joe Hosmer. “We are glad that SCI Foundation’s extensive lion population research could shape today’s important conservation and thus prove the African lion is not on the brink of extinction.”

“With years of experience researching lions in southern Africa, I was originally concerned that the FWS’s deliberations would not be based on the best available science,” Dr. Paula White. “I was pleased to see that the overwhelming evidence that was presented today demonstrated that lions are certainly not on the brink of extinction.”

“Lions reproduce like rabbits making habitat and prey the primary factor. Habitat and prey are secured for at least 100 years in the world’s largest protected areas,” stated John J. Jackson, President of Conservation Force.

“After today’s successful meeting, the FWS will be faced with a decision whether to list the African lion on the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Our expectation is that it will not be necessary as the scientific research demonstrates that there are strong stable lion populations throughout southern and eastern Africa,” said Dr. Al Maki. “The fact is that 70% of all African lions live in strongholds that are large, stable and well-protected.

Stay informed on world issues with hunting. Follow me on Facebook, thanks Cal

Outdoor Channel Pulls Production from Colorado!

I like this, the powere of the people to keep our guns rights.

 OUTDOOR CHANNEL PULLS PRODUCTION FROM COLORADO DUE TO CO SENATE BETRAYING 2ND RIGHTS!


From: Michael Bane
Date: Tue, Mar 5, 2013 at 4:09 PM
Subject: OUTDOOR CHANNEL Pulls Productions from Colorado
 To: Senator Steve King

Dear Senator King;
I met you yesterday after the so-called "public hearings" on the anti-gun bills; as I mentioned, I am an Executive Producer for OUTDOOR CHANNEL. I currently have four series in production, including GUN STORIES, the top show on OC, with several additional series in development. My series focus on guns, hunting, shooting and the outdoors.

This morning I met with my three Producers, and we made the decision that if these anti-gun bills become law, we will be moving all of our production OUT of Colorado. We have already canceled a scheduled filming session for late this month. Obviously, part of this is due to our own commitment to the right to keep and bear arms, but it also reflects 3 lawyers' opinions that these laws are so poorly drafted and so designed to trap otherwise legal citizens into a crime (one of our attorneys referred to them as "flypaper laws") that it is simply too dangerous for us to film here.

I can give you chapter and verse on the legal implications if you need, but suffice to say that the first legal opinion was so scary we went out and got two others. Al three attorneys agreed.
We are relatively small potatoes in television, but our relocation of production will cost Colorado a little less than a million dollars in 2013.

Secondly, we have proudly promoted Colorado in our productions (and have been moving more and more production into the state); now we will do exactly the opposite. What does this mean for Colorado? The community of television producers is a small one. Last week I had lunch with a major network producer who was looking to locate his new reality series in Colorado. That producer is also a shooter, and the new reality series will now be based out of Phoenix. That lunch cost Colorado over a million in economic impact.

Thirdly, according to numbers I received from the National Shooting Sports Foundation (for whom I used to work) yesterday, hunting had an almost $800,000,000 impact on Colorado in 2012, driving as many as 8330 jobs. Next month I will be in Texas meeting with most of the top outdoor/hunting producers, and the Number One agenda item will be Colorado. Already, hunting organizations and statewide hunting clubs around the country are pulling out of Colorado, and we expect this trend to accelerate rapidly.

The message we will take to our viewers and listeners is that these proposed laws are so dangerous to hunters and any other person, be she a fisherman or a skier who brings a handgun into the state for self-defense, that we cannot recommend hunting, fishing or visiting Colorado.. We reach millions of people, and, quite frankly, we have a credibility that Colorado government officials can no longer match. Colorado Division of Wildlife is already running ads trying to bring more out-of-state hunters to Colorado...in light of the flood of negative publicity about these proposed laws, I can assure you those ads will fail.

We estimate that as many as one-quarter to one-third of out-of-state hunters will desert Colorado in the next 18-24 months, which will quite frankly be a disaster for the hunting industry in Colorado and have a devastating effect on our western and northern communities (certainly cities like Grand Junction).

This is not a "boycott" in the traditional sense of a centralized, organized operation; rather, it is more of a grassroots decision on where shooters, hunters and other sportsmen are willing to spend their money. Look at the collapse of the Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show in February. That venerable multimillion dollar trade show chose to ban modern sporting rifles and standard capacity magazines, and within three weeks it collapsed as all vendors and sponsors pulled out.

Colorado is going to pay a huge price for laws that will do nothing. Thank you, sir, for your support.

Best.


Michael Bane

California Gun Control Bill Hearings!

Gun Control Bills Scheduled for Committee Hearings TODAY and TOMORROW

, It will not be often that we choose to forward political information to you. But, we feel that the current topics being addressed at the State need to reach you. Whether you are an avid hunter who uses firearms in the field or a fly fisherman that has no interest in picking up a gun...HEAR THIS NOW!These Gun Control, Anti-Gun Bills WILL HURT EVERY SPORTSMEN.

The effects may not be seen on the grand scale immediately, but you can be sure that it will be seen if even one of these bills is allowed to infringe on our rights. The California Legislature will have its first hearing on AB 711 tomorrow April 16 in the Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee. Most in the outdoor community are opposing this bill.

COHA is opposing AB 711 on the basis that the legislature has delegated wildlife issues to the Fish and Game Commission and should not undermine that authority. The NRA is opposing AB 711 citing that misguided scientific data has been used prior to push anti-lead and anti-hunting agendas. SCI (Safari Club International) opposes AB 711 and has added that the alternative non-toxic (non-lead) projectiles on the market may also be being targeted as illegal because they are capable of penetrating some bullet proof vests.

The NSSF, (National Shooting Sports Association) also opposes AB 711. Wilderness Unlimited opposes AB 711, based on all of the above reasons and the fact that the ammunition manufactures do not have a prayer to fulfill our ammo requirements with reasonable products in the time allotted under the constraint of the proposed bill. At the very least, proposed gun control bills will take immediate effect on the Wilderness Unlimited community. When one group is affected in WU, we all are. Read more on AB 711 and the rest of the Bills below. We URGE you to take notice of the matter at hand and do what you can to help spread the word and share your opposition with your State Legislator. Regards,WU The following is being shared from theNRA-ILAContact your State Legislators in Sacramento TODAYMany anti-gun bills are scheduled to be heard in committee this Monday and Tuesday. Call AND e-mail your state legislators urging them to OPPOSE the bills listed below. Remind them that a criminal by definition does not obey or respect the law and any legislation infringing on gun owners will do nothing to affect criminals or their access to and misuse of firearms. Instead, urge them to focus on meaningful legislation relating to school safety, mental health issues, marketing of violence as entertainment for our children and the collapse of federal prosecutions of violent criminals.

On Monday, April 15 in the Assembly Committee on Revenue and Taxation at 1:30 p.m. in Capitol room 126 Assembly Bill 760 (Dickinson) imposes a sales tax of .05 cents per ammunition component (complete cartridge, bullet or case).

On Tuesday, April 16 in the Assembly Committee on Water, Parks and Wildlife at 9:00 a.m. in Capitol room 437 (Click here to listen to this hearing):Assembly Bill 711 (Rendon) BANS the use of all lead ammunition for hunting. On Tuesday, April 16 in the Assembly Committee on Public Safety at 9:00 a.m. in Capitol room 126 (Click here to listen to this hearing):Assembly Bill 231 (Ting) expands the law for Criminal Storage of Firearms and child access. On Tuesday, April 16 in the state Senate Committee on Public Safety at 9:00 a.m. in Capitol room 4203:Senate Bill 47 (Yee) expands the definition of "assault weapons" to BAN the future sale of rifles that have been designed/sold and are equipped to use the "bullet button" or similar device, requires NEW "assault weapon" registration of ALL those semi-auto rifles that are currently possessed to retain legal possession in the future, and subjects these firearms to all other "assault weapons" restrictions. Senate Bill 53 (DeLeon) requires persons to buy an annual ammunition purchase permit, requires the registration and thumbprint of the purchaser for each ammunition purchase, and bans online and mail order sales of ammunition to Californians.

Senate Bill 108 (Yee) requires mandatory locked storage of firearms within a locked house regardless of whether anyone is present.

Senate Bill 293 (DeSaulnier) BANS the sale of conventional handguns, if the state Department of Justice approves the sale of "Owner Authorized Smart" handgun technology. Senate Bill 299 (DeSaulnier) turns victims of firearm theft into criminals for failing to report the loss of their firearm within 48 hours.

Senate Bill 374 (Steinberg) expands the definition of "assault weapons" to BAN the future transfer of all semi-auto rifles that accept detachable magazines (including those chambered for rimfire cartridges) and virtually all semi-auto rifles with fixed magazines (primarily those chambered for rimfire cartridges), requires NEW "assault weapon" registration, requires registration of ALL those semi-auto rifles that are currently possessed to retain legal possession in the future, and subjects these firearms to all other "assault weapon" restrictions.

Senate Bill 396 (Hancock) BANS the POSSESSION of any magazine with a capacity to accept more than 10 cartridges, including currently legally possessed "grandfathered" large capacity magazines. Senate Bill 567 (Jackson) expands the definition of shotgun for "short-barreled shotguns" that are illegal to own.

Senate Bill 755 (Wolk) expands the list of persons prohibited from owning a firearm. Your state Senator and Assemblyman MUST hear from you TODAY urging them to OPPOSE the anti-gun bills listed above.

Don't forget to forward this alert to your family, friends and fellow gun owners throughout California and urge them to do the same. We need all of California gun owners and Second Amendment supports to continually call AND e-mail their state legislators.

The California Legislature needs to know that this tyranny against law-abiding citizens needs to stop. You can write your representative here urging them to OPPOSE the anti-gun bills listed above. Please feel free to also copy and paste all the bill information to ensure your state legislators know which bills to OPPOSE. You can also send a letter to all elected officials in California here. Please feel free to copy and paste all the bill information above to ensure the elected officials of California know which bills to OPPOSE.

You can also find information about anti-gun and pro-gun legislation in California at www.calnra.com. Help NRA Get Californians Connected With NRA's California ResourcesHelp the NRA expand its California network to keep all pro-Second Amendment Californians better informed about legislation in Congress, Sacramento, and locally that threatens your right to keep and bear arms, as well as developments in Second Amendment litigation and regulatory enforcement actions.

Please forward this email to your family, friends and fellow gun owners, whether they belong to the NRA or not! Encourage them to sign up for California NRA's Stayed Informed e-mails here. And follow NRA through these additional connections: Websites: NRA-ILA, NRA-ILA California, NRA ILA Legal Update, CalNRA.com, CRPA.org, CalGunLaws.com, HuntforTruth.orgFacebook Pages: NRA's page, CalGunLaws.com page, NRA Members' Councils' page, Hunt for Truth pageThe NRA recognizes that California is one of the most active Second Amendment "battleground states," so for decades NRA has devoted substantial resources to fighting for the right to keep and bear arms for Californians.

The NRA has full-time legislative advocates in its Sacramento office fighting ill-conceived gun ban proposals. NRA coordinates a statewide campaign to fight ill-conceived local gun bans and regulations. And NRA has been litigating cases in California courts to promote the right to self-defense and the Second Amendment for many years. NRA's California legal team continues to work pro-actively to strike down ill-conceived gun control laws and ordinances, and to protect the Second Amendment rights of California firearms owners.

For information about NRA's litigation efforts, see www.nraila.org/legal/litigation.aspx

Nevada Big Game Draw is Open!

The big game tag application process is now open. Applications must be received through the mail 5 p.m., and through the Internet by 11 p.m. by April 15 to be eligible for the drawing. You will be officially notified of the draw results by June 10. However, initial tag draw results will be posted online at huntnevada.com within 48 hours of the actual draw, which is usually held in late May.

Hunters can review hunt choices in the 2013 Big Game Seasons and Application Regulations book, which is posted online at ndow.org and available at NDOW offices and license agents statewide. NDOW will once again hold tag application workshops in Las Vegas (March 28) and Reno (March 27). The workshops include information on Nevada's big game management, tag quotas and allocations, draw odds, and bonus points. NDOW staff will explain common application errors, the computerized draw system and any new procedures or regulations for this year's drawing.

When selecting a hunt, it is always important to do your homework and know what to expect from the units you are applying for. The NDOW website is a valuable tool with several resources to help sportsmen select the right hunts. In an effort to make things easier, NDOW has placed the Top 10 Big Game Tag Application Resources on one page. The page includes maps, hunter information sheets, bonus point tables and hunt statistics and draw odds.

Take a Shot at One of Nevada's Specialty Tags

Nevada Dream Tags

The Nevada Dream Tags Program is a raffle that allows resident and nonresident sportsmen a chance at the hunt of a lifetime while also contributing to Nevada's wildlife habitat. The tags are similar to other western states' raffle tags and "hunt of a lifetime" tags.

All that is required to get started in the raffle is to first purchase a Resource Enhancement Stamp (RES) for $10. Once you have your stamp, you can purchase an unlimited number of raffle tickets for each species available for only $5 each. You can purchase both the RES Stamp and the raffle tickets at Nevada Dream Tag.
One of the best aspects of this raffle is the ability to purchase tickets for your family and friends. Anyone can go online and purchase their favorite hunter chances at the hunt of a lifetime for their birthday or Christmas or any special occasion.
 Tickets for the Nevada Dream Tag raffle are available now and will be sold until June 30. The winners will be announced in early July.

Partnership in Wildlife (PIW)

Partnership in Wildlife (PIW) is a voluntary and optional participation program that offers unique hunting opportunities to hunters for a few statewide big game tags. A person with a PIW tag may hunt in any unit with an open season for the species listed on the tag, during the season dates when that unit is open for that species, and only with the weapon authorized to be used during that open season.

Applicants who are eligible and apply for hunts in the first big game drawing of the year can apply for PIW hunts at the same time. Marking the PIW box with your initials for the same species you applied for in the first drawing will let us know that you want to participate in the PIW drawing for some very special tags. (Doe, cow, depredation and junior hunt applicants are not eligible for PIW hunts.) The PIW tag fee donation is $10 for each species applied for. If successful for a PIW hunt tag, the entire tag fee the participant submitted with their main draw application will pay for the PIW tag. If unsuccessful in the PIW draw, $10 of the tag fee received will be placed in the Wildlife Heritage Trust Account. The remainder of the tag fee received from an unsuccessful applicant for a big game tag will be refunded to the applicant.

Silver State Tags

The Silver State Tag is similar to the state's Heritage Tags and will provide lucky recipients with the opportunity to hunt a specific big game animal statewide in those hunt units where there is an established season for the species specified on the tag. But unlike the Heritage Tags, which generally sell at auction for thousands of dollars, Silver State Tags will be available through Nevada's normal tag application process at a far lesser price.

Tag applicants can expect to pay a nonrefundable application fee of $20 plus the $3 predator control and $2 online convenience fee, which brings the total to $25 for mule deer, Nelson (desert) bighorn sheep and pronghorn antelope. An additional $5 is required for the elk application. Tag recipients will be charged the current fees established for the tag received. Applications may only be submitted electronically at Hunt Nevada.

In addition to expanded choice of hunt location, tag holders also will have an extended season in which to harvest their game animal. Tag holders also can use their legal firearm of choice throughout the season's duration – bow, muzzleloader or rifle.

Hope this is helpful. I have drawn four mule deer tags, two antelope tags over the past 15 years so you can draw.