GRNC Alert 01-05-14: Town Leaders Taunt Gun Owners & Good News from Pitt County

TOWN’S LEADERSHIP DEFIES STATE LAW

This Tuesday, January 7th, Kernersville Town Aldermen will meet to discuss the illegal gun-ban signs that they have elected to leave in place in town parks. As you read below, you’ll see why this meeting of the Town Aldermen is a “must attend” for anyone serious about defending gun rights. If you’re tired of witnessing the blatant abuse of power by elected officials and bureaucrats, here’s your chance to make a difference.

It is no longer legal to post signs like the one pictured below, so they must come down in order for Kernersville to be in compliance with state law (S.L. 2013-369). Unfortunately, Kernersville town leaders have made no effort to remove the offending signs, and except for Town Alderman Keith Hooker, it looks like Kernersville leadership plans to continue its defiance.

Even after GRNC gun rights supporters flooded them with e-mails and phone calls insisting they comply with the law, and promising them that failure to do so would result in costly legal action, it looks as though Kernersville town leaders may very well continue to thumb their noses at gun owners, state law, and the local tax payers. The word is that the Kernersville mayor and several of the aldermen will continue to rally around a muddled analogy recently voiced by Town Attorney, John Wolfe, regarding the illegal “No Firearms” postings:

“Remember that Kernersville does not put up signs at every intersection that say you can turn right on red. There are laws that say you can turn right. Where people are allowed by law to carry a weapon they should not need signage. People should be aware of the law.”

Of course, by this logic, if Kernersville followed the parks example for traffic signs, it would have to mark all intersections “no right on red,” regardless of whether it was actually legal, and list the ordinance number governing right turns. The result would be the same: Drivers would assume a right turn was prohibited.

In Tuesday’s meeting, if the aldermen choose to continue following Wolfe’s advice, advice that is based on a false analogy and encourages lawlessness, they will be sending a strong message to the tax paying citizens of Kernersville, as well as gun owners across the state. That message is:

Only to stand in prideful defiance, Kernersville town leaders are entirely comfortable ignoring state law and intimidating law-abiding gun owners. As a matter of self-indulgent insolence, we will march Kernersville into court, and spend tens of thousands of the voter’s dollars to engage in a legal battle that the town cannot win.

Disrespecting law-abiding gun owners, brazenly breaking the law, and casually spending oodles of other people’s money. These are things that we commonly see from activists in the extreme anti-gun crowd. This is not the attitude and behavior one would expect from elected town leadership, and it is not acceptable.

Of course, it should also be noted that if the aldermen follow Town Attorney Wolfe’s advice, Wolfe may very well stand to bring in some hefty legal fees while representing the town on this losing issue. While this is likely not a nefarious plot by Wolfe to line his own pockets on the backs of Kernersville taxpayers, it should not be lost on anyone that there is a potential conflict of interest here. Mr. Wolfe should not be advising the town to act unlawfully in the first place. But most assuredly, Wolfe should not be advising the aldermen to make reckless choices from which Wolfe may stand to profit. 

Please stand up for your gun rights, and help Kernersville citizens shield their pocketbooks from expensive litigation. Attend the Meeting of the Town Aldermen, this Tuesday, at 7:00 PM. Watch for the GRNC volunteer at the door so you can wear a “Guns Save Lives” sticker. The Aldermen need to know that they must comply with the law, and that gun-owning voters are willing to stand up for themselves on this issue. You will find more details about the meeting below. Also, please contact the aldermen prior to the meeting to encourage them to obey the law. Below, you will also find the aldermen’s contact information, and a suggested message you can use.

IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED!

• Attend the Board of Aldermen Meeting on Tuesday, January 7th, at 7:00 PM. Look for the GRNC volunteer at the door, and wear a “Guns Save Lives” sticker in the meeting to let the aldermen know why you’re there.

• Phone Kernersville Town *Aldermen and the Mayor. Tell them that illegal gun bans will not be tolerated. Let them know that you are familiar with state law, and it is unlawful to post signs that needlessly confuse the public and intimidate lawful gun owners. Demand that they bring Kernersville into compliance with state law, or face costly legal consequences, consequences that you will fully support.

• E-mail Kernersville Town *Aldermen, the Mayor, and the Town Attorney. Use the suggested e-mail message provided below to let Kernersville elected leadership know that they are acting outside the law by posting gun-ban signs in parks. Below you’ll also find a copy-paste e-mail list that you can use to deliver this message.

• Please contribute to help Rights Watch International (RWI) fight for your rights. Click here or go to: http://rightswatch.org/donate
  RWI takes on the legal battles that are required to protect the rights of gun owners like you. Financial support to win these battles is needed.

* Currently, Town Alderman Keith Hooker, is the one voice of reason in Kernersville town leadership. If you contact him, please do so by e-mail (khooker@toknc.com). Thank him for his display of courage, and encourage him to keep fighting for what is right.

Board of Aldermen Meeting Details:

When:	Tuesday, January 7, 2014; 7:00 PM
Where:	Council Chambers
	Kernersville Municipal Building
	134 E. Mountain St.
	Kernersville, NC 27284

CONTACT INFO

Phone Numbers:

Mayor Dawn H. Morgan:	336-996-5949 or 336-407-3082
Alderman Kenny Crews:	336-993-6735
Alderman Irving Neal:	336-416-3437 or 336-993-5425
Alderman Joe L. Pinnix Jr.:	336-978-9004
Alderman Tracey H. Shifflette:	336-312-6752 or 336-996-4049

Copy-Paste E-mail List:

dmorgan@toknc.com; jpinnix@toknc.com; khooker@toknc.com; ineal@toknc.com; tshifflette@toknc.com; jgwolfe@jgwolfelaw.com; kcrews@toknc.com

DELIVER THIS MESSAGE

Suggested Subject: “Respect the Taxpayers: Remove Illegal Signs“

Dear Mayor Morgan, Town Aldermen and Mr. Wolfe,

Even though it is unlawful to do so, it is my understanding that Kernersville Town Aldermen, aside from Alderman Hooker, intend to leave in place signs that ban guns from city parks. I understand that the aldermen may choose to do this based on advice from the town’s attorney, John Wolfe. I am writing to inform you that Mr. Wolfe’s advice is erroneous, and following his lead will be very costly for Kernersville taxpayers.

Kernersville cannot win a legal battle that begins with town leadership brazenly disregarding a clearly written state law. If these illegal signs remain in place, you will be responsible for legal fees amounting to tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars, dollars which will be spent in vain. This is quite a large sum that the aldermen will have to answer for when the Kernersville voters begin asking questions.

I insist that you order these signs removed in order to bring Kernersville into compliance with state law. Failure to do so will trigger litigation that I will support in any way I can. Do what is right and remove the illegal signs.

I will continue to monitor your actions on this issue via alerts from Grass Roots North Carolina.

Respectfully,

WILDLIFE CLUB STANDS FOR GUN RIGHTS

On a positive note, GRNC is happy to report that the board of the Pitt County Wildlife Club (PCWC) has voted in favor of gun rights!

During hunter safety courses, the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (WRC) has insisted on posting the PCWC’s clubhouse against the lawful carry of firearms. Fortunately, the PCWC determined that a WRC-imposed gun ban, within their own clubhouse, was a dog that just wouldn’t hunt. On Friday, in a 7-2 vote, the board stood on principle and affirmed that, until the WRC’s anti-gun policy changes, they are no longer welcome to conduct courses at the PCWC.

Hunter safety classes that are already on the calendar will be completed as scheduled, but subsequent RWC classes will  not be allowed unless the RWC agrees to end their anti-gun policy. 

We applaud the PCWC’s board for standing up to the WRC, and in doing so, standing up for gun rights across the state. Kudos to the PCWC!

Copyright Info

GRNC Sponsors

Corporate Benefactors

Corporate Patrons

Corporate Sponsors