WASHINGTON, D.C.
Chairman Thompson announces record bipartisan support for NICS funding
On Thursday, Gun Violence Prevention Task Force Chairman Mike Thompson (D-CA) announced that a record 196 Members of Congress have signed his letter to Appropriators requesting $100 million to fund the National Instant Background Checks System (NICS). Funding will allow states to update their databases and improve communication between states and the NICS system.
The Gun Violence Prevention Task Force was established after the tragedy at Sandy Hook and has grown to a membership of more than 165.
A portion of the letter reads: “The Act provides for grants to states to upgrade their electronic databases, incentives for states to transmit electronic records to NICS, penalties for states that do not comply, and requirements for keeping NICS up-to-date, including the removal of obsolete or erroneous records. The Act also provides financial incentives for states to develop “relief from disabilities” procedures for persons who have lost the right to possess a firearm due to a mental health adjudication or commitment but are later determined not to pose a danger to public safety.”
The letter goes on to note: “We fully understand the current constraints on the federal budget and appropriations process. Keeping people safe, however, must be Congress’s top priority. The NICS Improvement Amendments Act has been severely underfunded in years past, and the-all-too-frequent tragedies across our Nation unfortunately show that gun violence is still a very serious issue that plagues our country. Ensuring NICS has complete and timely information to keep firearms out of the hands of persons who cannot safely and legally possess them while at the same time protecting Americans’ Second Amendment rights will save lives. Consequently, we respectfully urge the Committee to fund the NICS Improvement Amendments Act at a level that at minimum of $100 million.”
—Submitted
LUCERNE
Ranch Fire Restoration Project progress topic of Next Sierra Club Lake Group General Meeting
District Ranger for the Upper Lake and Covelo Districts, Frank A. Aebly, PhD, and Fuels Officer of the U.S. Forest Service, Hinda Darner, will present progress on post-fire restoration activities within the Ranch Fire footprint at the next Sierra Club Lake Group’s general meeting. The meeting is slated at 6 P.M. on Thursday, March 26, at the New Paradigm College, 3700 Country Club Drive, Lucerne. The meeting is free and open to the public. It will also be available via live video conference for those not able to make it in person.
Restoration activities are primarily focused in the Upper Lake Ranger District above the towns of Nice and Lucerne. Much progress has been made with the Burned Area Emergency Response implantation complete, hazard tree removal along roads, and planning of a 40,000+ acre post-fire restoration project. The collaborative process of planning and implementing the North Shore Restoration project will be presented within the framework of shared-stewardship. The Environmental Analysis, funding sources, and opportunities for public involvement will be discussed.
For more information about the meeting contact Sierra Club Lake Group Conservation Chair, Victoria Brandon, at vbrandon95457@gmail.com or 707-994-1931. To register for the live broadcast option, visit: www.lakegroupevent.com
For more information about the Sierra Club Lake Group, visit www.sierraclub.org/redwood/lake or call 707-994-1931.
Founded in 1892, the Sierra Club is the most enduring and influential grassroots environmental organization in the United States. With more than three and a half million members and supporters, their charge is to defend everyone’s right to a healthy world. Through activism, education and outdoor activities, the Sierra Club plays an important role in influencing conservation policy and environmental history. For more information on the Sierra Club, visit www.sierraclub.org.
—Submitted
MENDOCINO/LAKE COUNTY
Milestone for Senior information and assistance at Community Care
March 2020 marks a milestone for Community Care’s Senior Information and Assistance Program. In 2006 the program expanded its service area to include older adults in all of Mendocino and Lake Counties. Each year it has responded to the questions of an average of 384 individuals, and approximately 293 of those annual inquirers have been first-time callers. Now in its 14th year of speaking with older adults and their loved ones from Point Arena to Clearlake Oaks, Senior Information and Assistance is pleased to report that it has served over 4,000 unique individuals.
Senior Information and Assistance not only offers referrals to callers about available programs and services for older adults, it also checks back with them to see if they were able to make a connection to those supports. This follow-up component is one of the things that brings callers back to Community Care months and years later as new needs and questions arise.
To learn more about area resources for adults ages 60 and older, Contact Senior Information and Assistance Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., by calling (707) 468-5132 or 1 (800) 510-2020, or visit www.SeniorResourceDirectory.org.
