Happy New Year!
A special treat for the ladies of CCDL...new CCDL "Bling". We found a vendor to create our logo in sparkling rhinestones. The rhinestone logo heat transfer sheets will cost you $10, and can be applied with a household iron to your choice of fabric, or take it to a shop that has a heat press (call one close to you for availability and price).

Apply to a pink Tshirt, purple sweatshirt, or black tank...the choice is yours! We only ordered a few, so get yours on Tuesday at our general meeting!
Shown here applied to a grey sweatshirt (but you must see in person to truly appreciate the sparkle!):

Northeast Fishing & Hunting Expo:
Feb 17th-19th  CCDL Will be staffing a booth at the Expo in Hartford for the third year in a row to raise awareness and educate attendees of our mission of supporting pro 2A positions in Connecticut. We are currently seeking several volunteers to work with Executive members to help maintain a presence at our booth. If you are interested in pairing with a member to help, please contact our Membership Coordinator (Jeff Tang) here:  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

For more information about the show, please click on the link provided:
http://fishinghuntingexpo.com/pages/welcome.asp

Food Drive
CCDL is still collecting Non Perishable Food for the FAITH Food Pantry at St John’s Episcopal Church in Sandy Hook.
Please keep in mind that these folks need food all year long, not just during the holiday season. For this reason CCDL collects food at all meetings and events.

2A Rally Plans Are Under Way
For 2012 at the Capitol in Hartford. (Sat. April 28th, 2012 12:00pm-3:00pm Hartford)
In April 2010, CCDL Hosted the first 2A rally in many years in Connecticut with speakers from various groups and organizations as well as political candidates seeking office. We are pleased to once again host this event. It will be timed for the election cycle to offer a platform for pro 2A candidates.  Please join us on Tuesday at our monthly meeting, to learn how you can help.

Suitability Study/Permit Issues
CCDL Member E. Jonathan Hardy is heading up a state wide Suitability Study regarding permit issues in every town of CT. Many local issuing authorities are asking for additional information that is not required per the State of Connecticut to obtain your permit.  We've seen some local issuing authorities, go so far as to ask for, skin color, handicap information, medical information, dental information, credit data, three letters of reference, etc.  All of this is NOT required per the State and is just a barrier for those that want to maintain a certain amount of privacy and still obtain a permit.  For more information, click here.

Next Meeting January 10th, 7pm - 9pm

HR 822 Update:
This bill recently passed the US House of Representatives. CCDL has been following this closely.  HR 822, while expanding the Right to Carry for those with Permits, has faced much scrutiny due to the possibility that the Federal Government may regulate this Reciprocity through bad amendments. Claims have also been made about the Constitutionality of the bill by a number of different Constitutional Think Tanks as well.  Based on these considerations, the CCDL Executive Committee held no official position on 822. However the passage by the House should be considered somewhat of a victory for gun owners up to this point.
Now we wait for the Senate.
If you are in favor of 822 and wish to support it, you can contact both of your Connecticut Senators from our links page here: 
http://ccdl.us/links

How Connecticut Reps Voted:
Joe Courtney (2nd District) was the only Connecticut US Rep that voted in favor of this Bill. The other four Connecticut Reps opposed 822. Even though CCDL has not taken an official stance on this Bill, we do certainly want to acknowledge Joe Courtney for having the courage to vote for this Bill.
If you are from the 2nd District, and wish to thank him for his vote, you may contact Joe here: http://courtney.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=148
(Email is regulated by a zip code qualifier for only those within the 2nd District)

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Food Drive
CCDL has been collecting Non Perishable Food for the FAITH Food Pantry at St John’s Episcopal Church in Sandy Hook. This being the beginning of the Holiday Season, on Sunday, we delivered these donations. Thank you to all that donated food to this drive!
Please keep in mind that these folks need food all year long, not just during the holiday season. For this reason CCDL collects food at all meetings and events.
Happy Thanksgiving to all!
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CCDL Invites You!
Join us for an assortment of light refreshments to celebrate the holidays while we conduct our usual business at the December General Meeting on Tuesday December 13th.

June 14th 2011 (Groton, CT) – The Connecticut Citizens Defense League (CCDL) on Monday joined eighteen other gun organizations representing hundreds of thousands of gun owners from twenty states and the District of Columbia by signing an Amicus Curiae brief in Peterson v. Garcia, et al. This landmark court case, filed by the Second Amendment Foundation, seeks to redress an affront to the rights of American citizens by the city of Denver, Colorado which does not permit the lawful carrying of firearms by residents of many states like Connecticut. This court case falls perfectly in line with the goals of the CCDL, which seeks to protect the fundamental right of all Americans to keep and bear arms. Denver's anti-firearm law is heinous and does little but create victims out of otherwise well intentioned citizens, and therefore must not be allowed to stand.

"This is about more than gun ownership." said organization president Scott Wilson after signing the brief. "This lawsuit is about one state saying that citizens from another state, honest citizens who have passed rigorous background checks to receive a concealed carry permit in their home state and perhaps others, are criminals if they enter the city of Denver with a handgun. This unequal treatment can have no benefit but to create victims out of good Americans who must render themselves defenseless simply due to geographical location. Our utmost appreciation goes out to the Second Amendment Foundation for their hard work on this case."

The Colorado case is another milestone on the road that was laid down by Heller v. District of Columbia in 2008 and continued in McDonald v. Chicago in 2010. These cases have stemmed the anti gun tide of the last half decade that has helped increase the violent crime rate in many of America's cities by denying law abiding citizens the right to self defense. The CCDL is thrilled to be a signatory on this new Amicus Curiae and a part of these court cases, and hopes that by influencing firearm legislation out of state the benefits of firearm ownership will be better understood and appreciated at home in Connecticut.

For more information, please visit: http://www.ccdl.us/attachments/192_Peterson%20Amicus%20Brief%20-%20Filed.pdf

The Second Amendment Foundation may be reached at http://www.saf.org

About the CCDL:
The Connecticut Citizens Defense League is a non-partisan, grassroots organization devoted to advocating rights affirmed by the Constitutions of the United States of America and the State of Connecticut. We are especially dedicated to protecting the unalienable right of all citizens to keep and bear arms, for the defense of both self and state, through public enlightenment and legislative action.

The CCDL logo may be downloaded here: http://ccdl.us/images/CCDL/ccdl_logo.jpg

Attachments:

File	Description	File size
Peterson Amicus Brief - Filed.pdf		360 Kb
SAF - Release Amicus Denver.pdf		60 Kb