Earlier in the month, RLC chapter leaders from the DC, Maryland, and Virginia RLC affiliates gathered in the nation’s capital to discuss strategy for the 2010 election cycle.

Below is a photo from the event.  Thus far in 2009, the RLC has chartered new state chapter affiliates in Maryland, Alabama, Missouri, Tennessee, and Washington. Additionally, RLC chapters that were previously inactive (at least for a short period) have been revived in New Hampshire, Texas, and Virginia.

Front row, from left: Dave Nalle (National Chair), Aaron Biterman (National Press), Brett Guidry (DC Treasurer), Nancy Sellers (DC Secretary); back row, from left: Daniel Kamerling (guest), Rick Sincere (Virginia At-Large Board member), Steven Latimer (Virginia Vice-Chair), Matt Gagnon (Virginia Chair), Dr. Scott Pearson (guest), John Orlando (Maryland Chair), and Stephen Wright (Maryland Treasurer) plus his wife.

The Republican Liberty Caucus of DC hosted a small social meeting last night in the nation’s capital. The turnout was fairly good for an off-election year. Members elected a new Chair (Nena Bartlett), discussed future election strategy, delved into local and national political affairs, and determined that a presence on the web was necessary.

A photo of the group follows.

Some photos from the Republican Liberty Caucus of the District of Columbia:

RLCDC Secretary Nancy Sellers (center) and member Tim Andrews (far left) protest the Bush Administration’s bailout proposal on September 29, 2008.

Stephen, Aaron, Tommi, and Clark at a happy hour.

Nancy and Aaron at a Ron Paul for President fundraiser in Georgetown.

RLCDC members Craig Max and Michael Zurat at the Log Cabin Republican gathering at the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis, September 2008.

In June, the Arizona and DC chapters had their first affiliate meetings. The DC chapter is very close to chartering. [UPDATE Oct. 2008: The DC affiliate is now chartered. Join the RLCDC eGroup HERE to learn more.]

On July 15, the local chapter of the RLC — which is not yet chartered — sponsored a forum with RLC member Dick Heller of Heller v. DC, the Supreme Court’s recent gun case. The youthful audience asked questions of Mr. Heller and worked to formalize a charter.

RLC member Ken Rineer organized a meeting of RLC members and activists in Tucson, Arizona on July 29. Interested parties discussed chartering an RLC affiliate in Arizona. Additionally, Joe Higgins, Republican candidate for the Pima County Board of Supervisors (District 1), was the guest speaker.

DC and Arizona are expected to submit their charter paperwork to the RLC National Committee in short order.

In Indiana, a meeting was held at RLC organizer Kevin Van Linden’s house on August 17. The chapter submitted its Charter Application and affiliate by-laws to the National Committee for consideration shortly after their meeting. Photos from the meeting follow.

[UPDATE Oct. 2008: The RLC in Indiana is chartered and has its own web site.]

Additional chapters are working to charter RLC affiliates, including Connecticut, Mississippi, Missouri, and Wisconsin.

According to Gun Owners of America, “In open defiance of the Supreme Court’s decision striking down the Washington D.C. gun control law, the City Council passed an ‘emergency’ law that keeps in place almost all of the law that was ruled unconstitutional. Even Dick Heller, who brought the case against Washington’s gun ban, was rejected when he tried to register his handgun because any ‘bottom loading’ firearm is a ‘machine gun’ according to the D.C. police.”

The message continues, “According to Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution, Congress has the authority and responsibility to govern the District. It can simply repeal the District’s onerous gun law. Not surprisingly, however, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has no intention of allowing the D.C. gun ban repeal legislation to come to the floor, even though it is cosponsored by more than half of the members of Congress.”

“To free the bill from the Speaker’s death grip, Representative Mark Souder (R-IN) has filed a discharge petition to bring the bill directly to the floor. Rep. Souder needs 218 cosigners for the petition to be successful. There are currently 109 signers. There are not many days left in this legislative session, so it is vital that the discharge petition moves quickly. Please contact your representative and urge him or her to support the repeal of the D.C. gun ban and to sign the Souder discharge petition. You can visit the Gun Owners Legislative Action Center to send your Representatives a pre-written message on this issue.”

In related news, Dick Heller, et al., filed a complaint (For Declaratory Judgment, Injunctive Relief, and Writ of Mandamus) against the city today to force them to comply with the US Supreme Court ruling in the District of Columbia v. Heller and to protect our individual rights such as the right to defend ourselves in our own homes. Mr. Heller is an RLC member who recently spoke to the first meeting of the Republican Liberty Caucus of DC.

DC: The state RLC is attempting to charter and will hold its first meeting on July 15 at Brickskeller north of Dupont circle at 6:30pm.

Florida: The state RLC is working on a new web site that will debut shortly. Stay tuned.

Idaho: As detailed earlier in the blog, the state GOP Convention saw two rivals fight out debate on the platform and future direction of the party, with our pro-liberty faction coming out ahead. The new state chair is Norm Semanko.

Illinois: The state RLC met at the GOP Convention in Decatur on June 6 and 7. Unfortunately, the libertarian-leaning Steve Rauschenberger was defeated for the state committeeman seat by Pat Brady.

Maine: The state RLC is working on candidate endorsements.

Nebraska: The Nebraska RLC charter has been approved. In celebration of the new charter, the Nebraska RLC will hold its first event on July 11 at 5:30pm at the Double D Ranch (567 County Rd. C) in Ashland, Nebraska. Click here to view a PDF of the event invitation.

Nevada: An alternative GOP Convention was held recently, in protest of the previous Convention. See below post for additional information. The state party-sponsored Republican Convention will reconvene on July 26.

New Hampshire: The state RLC is working on candidate endorsements.

New York: The state RLC is working on candidate endorsements.

Ohio: The RLC has a new state contact in Ohio, retired Colonel John Mitchel. Mr. Mitchel is very involved with his community, is a member of his local GOP Committee, and has nearly 30 years of military experience. He is also an adjunct college professor. We look forward to his active involvement in chartering the Ohio chapter of the RLC.

Utah: The newly chartered state affiliate is working on candidate endorsements.

Dick Heller, pictured below, of Heller v. DC will speak at the first RLC meeting in the District of Columbia.

Earlier this week, the Supreme Court ruled in District of Columbia v. Heller. The High Court ruled that the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution protects an individual’s right to possess a firearm for private use. It was the second Supreme Court case in United States history to address definitively the question of whether the right to keep and bear arms is a right of individuals or a collective right that applies only to state-regulated militias.

Richard Heller, the plaintiff in the Supreme Court’s recent ruling in Heller v. District of Columbia, will be the featured speaker at the first meeting of the Republican Liberty Caucus of the District of Columbia. Dick is a longtime libertarian activist. Heller had applied for a handgun permit previously but was denied. Thus, of the six original plaintiffs in the case, a lower court ruled that only he had standing.

The meeting takes place on Tuesday, July 15 at 6:30pm at Brickskeller, north of Dupont Circle at 1523 22nd St, NW, Washington, DC. Once established, the RLC can serve as a vehicle for libertarians in DC to influence the Republican Party in DC and nationally. The RLC exists to endorse and recruit pro-liberty candidates, influence policy, and influence the leadership of the GOP. You can RSVP at our Facebook events page.