24th Annual Gun Rights Policy Conference

[Guest Phantom6]

I'm leaving tomorrow and heading up to St. Louis for the 24th Annual Gun Rights Policy Conference. Anyone else going? This is a national conference that is held each year to discuss topics important in the fight to maintain and expand the rights of firearms owners. This years event is being held at the Renaissance St. Louis Airport. Two prominent Tennesseans will be part of the program. State Senator Doug Jackson speaks Saturday and Gun rights activist Bob Wiest will be part of the panel regarding the Resolutions Committee on Sunday. Lots of other speakers such as the former Congressman (R-GA) and 2008 Libertarian Presidential Candidate, the Hon. Bob Barr and Wayne LaPierre, executive vice president of the NRA. Alan Gura, the attorney who argued the DC v. Heller case and co-counsel in the new McDonald v. Chicago case and lots of others.

The agenda for the conference is as follows-

FRIDAY, September 25, 2009—Renaissance Ballroom

7:00 p.m. Registration Table Opens

7–10:00 p.m. Buffet Reception with no-host bar

Co-hosted by Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms and National Rifle Association (NRA)

SATURDAY, September 26, 2009—Concourse Ballroom

7:30 a.m. Registration Table Opens

Continental Breakfast hosted by Women & Guns Magazine

8:15 a.m. Call to Order

Moderator—Julianne Versnel Gottlieb, publisher, Women & Guns and Journal on Firearms and Public Policy

Pledge of Allegiance—Herbert Stupp, board member, Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms

Invocation—Rev. Anthony Winfield

8:30 a.m. State of the Gun Rights Battle

Welcoming Remarks

The Road Traveled—Joseph P. Tartaro, editor of Gun Week, president, Second Amendment Foundation (SAF)

The Road Ahead—Alan M. Gottlieb, chairman, Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms and

founder, Second Amendment Foundation

8:45 a.m. Federal Affairs Briefing

Charles H. Cunningham, director, federal affairs, NRA Institute for Legislative Action

Jake McGuigan, director of government affairs, National Shooting Sports Foundation

John Snyder, public affairs director and board member CCRKBA, trustee of SAF

John Velleco, legislative director, Gun Owners of America

Ralph Walker, first vice president & legislative director, National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association

9:30 a.m. State Legislative Affairs Briefing

State Sen. Doug Jackson (D-Tennessee)

State Sen. Phillip Journey (R-Kansas)

Chuck Michel, Esq., legislative counsel, California Rifle & Pistol Association

Tim Oliver, VP MissouriCarry.com, director, Learn To Carry LLC, and LearnToCarry.com

Richard Pearson, executive director, Illinois State Rifle Association

10:15 a.m. Break and refreshments sponsored by KeepAndBearArms.com

10:30 a.m. US Sovereignty, the UN and International Treaties

Tony Bernardo, executive director, Canadian Institute for Legislative Action

Silvia Gentile, Italian attorney, FISAT (Italian Guns Shooting History Association)

David Kopel, author and research director, The Independence Institute

Gary Mauser, special envoy, National Firearms Association

11:15 a.m. Questions & Answers on Federal, State and International Briefings

11:30 a.m. Special Address

Wayne LaPierre, executive vice president, National Rifle Association

11:50 a.m. Recess and break to prepare for luncheon

12:00 p.m. Awards Luncheon

Hosted by CCRKBA and SAF

Hon. Bob Barr, former Congressman (R-GA), 2008 Libertarian Presidential Candidate

Gary Mauser, professor emeritus, Simon Fraser University, Canada

Awards presentations

1:30 p.m. Recess Break

1:45 p.m. Building upon the Heller decision

Alan Gura, Esq., attorney who argued DC v. Heller case, co-counsel in McDonald v. Chicago

Gene Hoffman, chairman, CalGuns Foundation

Donald Kilmer, Esq., attorney who argued Nordyke v. King case

David Young, author, Founding Fathers’ View of the Second Amendment

2:45 p.m. Guns and the Tenth Amendment: Federalism in the 21st Century

Gary Marbut, president, Montana Shooting Sports Association

Declan McCullagh, Chief Political Correspondent, CBSNews.com

Patricia A. Stoneking, president, Kansas State Rifle Association

3:15 p.m. Break and refreshments hosted by KeepAndBearArms.com

3:30 p.m. On Campus Safety: The Battle Continues

Olivia Alexander, Kansas coordinator, Students for Concealed Carry on Campus

Jonathan Ratliff, Missouri State director, Students for Concealed Carry on Campus

Paul Ready, central region director, Students for Concealed Carry on Campus

4:00 p.m. The Supreme Court, the Bill of Rights and Government Czars

Alan M. Gottlieb, chairman, Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA) and founder, SAF

Curt Levey, executive director, Committee for Justice

4:30 p.m. Expanding Self Defense and the Right to Carry

Jeff Knox, operations manager, The Firearms Coalition

State Sen. Phillip Journey (R-KS)

Brian Anse Patrick, associate professor, Univ. of Toledo, author, Rise of the Anti-Media: In-Forming

the American Concealed Weapon Carry Movement (Lexington Press, November 2009)

State Sen. Sam Slom (R-HI), trustee of the Second Amendment Foundation

5:00 p.m. The Widening Attack on Knives and Ammunition

Scott Hattrup, Executive Director, National Association of Arms Shows

Jake McGuigan, director of government affairs, National Shooting Sports Foundation

Doug Ritter, founder, Knife Rights Inc.

Ralph Walker, first vice president, National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association

5:30 p.m. Question & Answers on Saturday afternoon sessions

6:00 p.m. Announcements and Adjournment

6:30-9:30 p.m. Reception with Cash Bar—Renaissance Ballroom

Hosted by National Shooting Sports Foundation and Second Amendment Foundation

SUNDAY, September 27, 2009—Renaissance Ballroom

8:15 a.m. Registration Table Opens

Continental Breakfast hosted by The New Gun Week

8:50 a.m. CALL TO ORDER

Moderator: Peggy Tartaro, editor of Women & Guns, board member CCRKBA

Invocation—Rev. Gregory Curtis

9:00 a.m. Labor Pains and Gun Rights

Jim Church, Michigan activists, former NRA board member, UAW member

John Cushman, president SAFE Inc., NRA board member, Teamsters member

Joseph P. Tartaro, editor of Gun Week, president of SAF

9:30 a.m. Countering the Media Bias against Guns

Charles Heller, Liberty Watch Radio

Don Irvine, president, Accuracy in Media

Dave Workman, senior editor, The New Gun Week

Malia Zimmerman, editor, Hawaii Reporter

10:00 a.m. Will the Second Amendment be a Victim of the Mexican Drug Wars?

Chris Knox, communications director, The Firearms Coalition

David Kopel, author and senior policy analyst, The Independence Institute

Joe Waldron, legislative director and board member, CCRKBA

10:30a.m. Open Carry and Public, High Profile Events

Brian Anse Patrick, Assoc. Prof., University of Toledo, author, Rise of the Anti-Media: In-Forming The American Concealed Weapon Carry Movement (Lexington Press, November 2009)

Jim Perdiew, president, Handgun Club of America

John Pierce, co-founder, OpenCarry.org, writer, Minneapolis Gun Rights Examiner

Phil Van Cleave, president, Virginia Citizens Defense League

11:15 a.m. Reciprocity Issues with Gun Free School Zones

John Fenter, board member, Virginia Citizens Defense League

Phil Van Cleave, president, Virginia Citizens Defense League

11:30 a.m. Keeping Your Family Safe

Timothy Wheeler, MD, director, Doctors for Responsible Gun Ownership, co-author of Keeping Your Family Safe

Rev. Anthony Winfield, chaplain, Elmhurst Hospital, NY, NY, author of Self-Defense and the Bible

John Wipfler MD, co-author of Keeping Your Family Safe

12:00 p.m. Report of the Resolutions Committee

Don Gaikins, president, Gateway Civil Liberties Alliance

Kevin Jamison, Esq., author of Gun Rights of Missouri

Genie Jennings, Women & Guns columnist

Richard Pearson, president, Illinois State Rifle Association

Harold Schroeder, chairman, SCOPE Inc., and NRA board member

Timothy Wheeler, MD, director, Doctors for Responsible Gun Ownership

Robert Wiest, Second Amendment Foundation board of trustees, Tennessee activist

1:00 p.m. Closing remarks and adjournment

Alan M. Gottlieb and Joseph P. Tartaro

I am sure that after looking over the agenda you can see why I am soooo looking forward to attending this conference. I'll be reporting each evening here on the goings on in St Louis. Hopefully I can provide some pictures as well.

[Guest digiears]

I'll be there Saturday all day. I put this on my calendar last year and I've been patiently waiting. It's close enough for me in St Louis!

I'll be tweeting if at all possible:

http://twitter.com/Shepherds_abide

Edited September 25, 2009 by digiears
adding twitter address

[Guest Phantom6]

Interesting folks here at the confrence. Spent much of the evening talking to Gary Mauser, professor emeritus of Simon Fraser University in Canada. The most memorable thing that Dr. Mauser said this evening was don't let them (the gun control group) get their nose even one inch under your tent.It all started so quietly in Canada and now the law is knocking on doors collecting firearms from people who have let their permits to own firearms lapse. They will never get that right back." That's some scary stuff.

Lookingforwaqrd to the meat of this confrence tomorrow.

[towerclimber37]

Mike, I would say that fella has an excellent point!

let us know how the rest of the conference goes, will ya?