Many organizations and individuals help to assure that the laws under which we live protect our national sovereignty while maintaining individual freedoms, especially those dealing with the second amendment.  Periodically, some of my friends, and certainly many legislators, seem to forget that the core purpose of the second amendment is to maintain the balance of power that exists between the government and the governed.  A secondary purpose is to allow citizens a means to protect themselves from other citizens with sporting purposes a distant third place.  Having just gained freedom from a despotic government, the writers of the United States Constitution clearly understood the need to maintain the balance of power between the government and the governed.  Representatives of the colony of New York refused to even consider signing until it was clearly stated that citizens had the right to bear arms in defense of themselves.  This position was readily accepted by all colonies.  Thus, rhetoric that guns arbitrarily selected as “assault rifles” have no sporting purpose are empty arguments.  The citizens of Nazi Germany discovered the hard way what “reasonable gun control laws” and rules similar to current suggestions “to close gun show loopholes” meant when they no longer had the means to defend themselves.  We recognize the significant slaughter of innocent people following similar rules in communist nations, but how many think of the fact that even in modern English speaking countries such as England and Australia, individual citizens no longer have the means to defend themselves against a large bully with a baseball bat.  While “mass shootings” have become rare in these “civilized countries”, I am not anxious to live in a society where the physical size and poor disposition of a few mean that I am no longer safe even in my own home.  I firmly believe that most of you feel the same way.

One of the local individuals deserving our thanks at the forefront of our fight to maintain pro-gun legislation is CMSgt Bob Lusk (USAF-Ret).  Chief Lusk was recently recognized for his efforts as one of three Jay Littlefield memorial NRA-ILA Volunteers of the Year.  Chief Lusk has served as the central Indiana NRA Institute for Legislative Activities (ILA) Election Volunteer Coordinator for the past nine years.  He pays close attention to upcoming legislative activity on both a state and national level and quickly dispenses information to volunteers willing to respond when member action is needed.  If you attend the Indy 1500 Gun and Knife show, please be sure to drop by the NRA/ISRPA/NRA-ILA booth by the exit and congratulate Chief Lusk on his well-deserved recognition.  Bring along some friends and encourage them to join the ISRPA and/or NRA while you are there.

Partly due to your efforts and organizers such as Chief Lusk, we currently have a strong pro-second amendment governor and many supportive legislators in Indiana.  However, it is important for all of us to monitor potential legislation and periodically remind our legislators of our views.  Other than our website, the ISRPA currently does not have a mechanism to alert members when your attention to legislative activities is needed.  If you would like to be alerted when your help is needed on a state or local level, please send your email address and home address to the following address:            This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .  Please be assured that both pieces of information will remain confidential, available only to limited ISRPA officers to direct legislative activities, and will not be shared with any other organization, or to the best of our ability, with any government entity.  We promise to send alerts only when your action is needed and will not inundate your email with trivia.  If you would like to volunteer to help with legislative or other activities, please indicate you interest in your email.

For those of you who are voting NRA members, please consider supporting State Senator Johnny Nugent in his effort to be re-elected to the NRA board of directors.  Senator Nugent has worked with the ISRPA in his strong support of the second amendment in Indiana since 1978 and has served diligently on the NRA board of directors for 6 years.  I believe he will continue to guide the NRA to take strong positions such as the December 21 position put forward by Executive Director Wayne LaPierre suggesting that what was needed was not more gun control but rather the elimination of unenforceable “gun free” zones by allowing responsible individuals to carry guns in schools.  (However, everyone with whom I have spoken believes that local and state authorities, not the federal government, should be responsible for school safety.)

Please let us know how you would like to work through the ISRPA to best serve the citizens of Indiana in the coming year.

Have a great 2013!

Safe shooting,

Bill Jordan, President, ISRPA