New Group Plans to Fight Gun Control at Local Level : Thousand Oaks: President of NRA members council says it intends to be politically active as well as providing community programs and weapons safety classes.

The beginnings of what could be a new campaign to fight gun control locally started Monday night in Thousand Oaks with the first meeting of the East Ventura County National Rifle Assn. Members Council.

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The group, made up of NRA members, is taking the next several weeks to plan how it will organize locally, council President Mike Mason said.

“We want to be very visible in the community,” Mason said before the meeting, which drew about two dozen prospective members. “We plan on not only being politically active, but we also plan to support gun clubs and provide gun-safety training.”

Known for its powerful lobby in Washington--where it has opposed such measures as the assault weapons ban--the NRA only recently started to organize in cities and counties, using members councils. There are about 50 such groups in California, Mason said, adding that membership to the new council will cost $45 annually.

With community programs and gun-safety classes, the members councils will attempt to fend off bad press, which Mason said has unfairly tarnished the NRA’s image.

The organization made headlines recently by sending a fund-raising letter to members that referred to federal agents as “jack-booted thugs.” The letter prompted former President George Bush to cancel his membership.

Mason said that bad press has made the group wary of the media. But he pledged an openness that will help the local members councils influence local issues, and help the national organization stay in touch with its rank-and-file members.

“This is a way to take action on the grass-roots level,” Mason said.

Groups in the San Fernando Valley and the South Bay area of Los Angeles County have held political forums and sent their members information on candidates.

The South Bay Members Council supported an advisory measure on the Redondo Beach ballot this year. The city measure, which failed, supported the carrying of concealed weapons by gun owners with permits.

Simi Valley City Councilwoman Sandi Webb, who plans to serve on the local members council, said the group is still working out exactly what it will do locally. So far, the group has said it would hold a women’s self-defense class and shooting instruction programs for area youth.

Pressing local law enforcement agencies to approve more concealed-weapons permits is one possibility, Webb said. She recently asked the Legislature to allow gun-permit holders to carry concealed weapons.

“The carrying of concealed weapons issue and the whole attack on the Second Amendment are important for me,” she said. “I expect we’ll be working on those issues.”

The local group will try to avoid a controversial local measure supporting the right to carry concealed weapons, Webb said. But members will not rule out the possibility, she added.

Nor would she back away from the controversial “jack-booted thugs” statement.

“The only problem with that statement was that the idiots apologized,” Webb said.

“They were telling the truth,” she said. “They were telling it like it is. I don’t think all of those agents are like that. But a number of them are, and it’s scary, real scary.”