F.O.P.'s Grassroots Effort Instrumental to Today's SuccessChuck Canterbury, National President of the Grand Lodge, Fraternal Order of Police, hailed the adoption of H.R. 218, the "Law Enforcement Officers' Safety Act," by voice vote. The legislation, sponsored by Representative Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R-CA) was considered on the House floor today under a suspension of the rules."The Fraternal Order of Police has been working on this legislation for a long time," Canterbury said. "We knew that we would win today's vote--every time this legislation has been considered by the House or the Senate it has passed."The bill, which exempts qualified active and retired law enforcement officers from State and local prohibitions with respect to the carrying of concealed firearms, is the F.O.P.'s top legislative priority. The legislation has wide, bipartisan support in both the House and Senate, with two hundred and ninety-three (293) and seventy (70) cosponsors, respectively.Last week, President George W. Bush wrote a letter to Canterbury recognizing the F.O.P.'s hard work on the bill, which he described as one which would "better protect our Nation from danger." The full text of the letter can be found on the F.O.P.'s web site: http://www.grandlodgefop.org/letters/ltr_040618_bush.pdf."With the strong support of President Bush, House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX), and other members of the House leadership, we got the opportunity to put this bill on the floor," Canterbury said. "But it was F.O.P. members that made the difference today--their calls to Representatives resulted in a lopsided victory for rank-and-file law enforcement officers."The legislation now goes to the Senate for further action. In March, the Senate approved an amendment virtually identical to H.R. 218 on a 91-8 vote, but the underlying bill was ultimately defeated."I have a great deal of confidence that President Bush will be able to sign the 'Law Enforcement Officers' Safety Act' before the end of this Congress," Canterbury said.The Fraternal Order of Police is the largest law enforcement labor organization in the United States, with more than 318,000 members.For more information or elaboration, please do not hesitate to contact the National F.O.P. Legislative Office at 202.547.8189 or via e-mail.