National Shooting Sports Foundation NSSF

The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the firearm industry trade association, welcomes and fully supports U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham’s (R-S.C.) introduction of S. 2449. IMG Jim Grant
U.S.A. -(AmmoLand.com)- The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the firearm industry trade association, welcomes and fully supports U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham’s (R-S.C.) introduction of S. 2449, the Federal Firearms Licensee Protection Act. The legislation would strengthen and enhance criminal penalties for thefts of firearms from federally licensed firearm retailers (FFLs). This legislation is a clear message to those violent criminals engaging in criminal activities that target firearm retailers for theft and robberies that community safety is a national priority. This bill helps provide for safer communities, assists law enforcement, and protects the livelihoods of firearm retailers.

“Criminals targeting firearm retailers to steal guns are on notice. Congress will not tolerate criminals who victimize these lawful businesses to further prey upon and threaten communities,” said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF Senior Vice President, and General Counsel. “Senator Graham has been a staunch advocate of holding criminals accountable for their misdeeds and protecting firearm retailers. This legislation does both and is the sort of bill our nation needs to make our communities safer. We thank Senator Graham and the 20 senators who joined to bring this much-needed legislation that tells criminals that Congress and the firearm industry will hold those committing crime responsible for their reprehensible actions.”
The Federal Firearms Licensee (FFL) Protection Act builds on the efforts NSSF has taken to address robbery and burglary of firearms through the partnership with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) on Operation Secure Store. As part of Operation Secure Store, NSSF matches ATF reward offers for information regarding these crimes that leads to the arrest and conviction of the criminals responsible and recovery of the stolen firearms. Additionally, NSSF helps educate firearm retailers on steps they can take to reduce the chance guns will be stolen from them during a burglary or robbery, and in cooperation with ATF, conducts retailer store security seminars, assists retailers with store security audits of their premises, and endorses and promotes the use of security products like smash resistant display cases.

NSSF has been advocating for decades for programs and policies that ensure firearms remain beyond the reach of those who should never possess them, including criminals that are already prohibited individuals. The firearm industry leads the way through the Real Solutions. Safer Communities campaign.

Bipartisan companion legislation was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by U.S. Rep. Connor Lamb (D-Pa.) as H.R.3252

About The National Shooting Sports Foundation
NSSF is the trade association for the firearm industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of thousands of manufacturers, distributors, firearm retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations, and publishers nationwide. For more information, visit nssf.org

NSSF, the firearm industry trade association, has entered into a partnership with Grand View Outdoors. IMG IMG NSSF
U.S.A. -(AmmoLand.com)- NSSF, the firearm industry trade association, has entered into a partnership with Grand View Outdoors, a division of COLE Publishing, to publish SHOT Business, a bi-monthly B2B publication, and SHOT Daily, the daily newspaper of NSSF’s SHOT Show. Grand View Outdoors and COLE Publishing have a deep bench of editorial and business talent, and many members of both staff proudly boast firearm familiarity, knowledge, and experience.

Derrick Nawrocki, President of Grand View Outdoors, brings a wealth of experience gained from a 25-year career in the outdoor and shooting sports media business. He has a proven history in B2B publishing, including new brand launches as well as established titles that have been in circulation for more than three decades.

“It is with great pride that Grand View Outdoors/COLE Publishing has established a media partnership with NSSF that ensures these well-established brands, SHOT Business and SHOT Daily, will continue well into the future,” Nawrocki says. “We will carry on their great tradition with goals that include communicating, promoting, and protecting our shooting, hunting, and outdoor trade markets. I personally have attended the SHOT Show since 1996 and am thrilled to be able to report that Grand View Outdoors now represents these great brands. We will bring our own strong tradition of B2B brands and other media to the table to strengthen and grow all involved.”
Slaton L. White, Editor of SHOT Business and SHOT Daily, is a 40-year veteran of outdoor media. As Editor of Field & Stream, he helped create an innovative package of deer hunting articles that earned the magazine recognition as a National Magazine Awards finalist. These awards honor print and digital publications that consistently demonstrate superior execution of editorial objectives and imaginative design. As Editor of SHOT Business, he has secured two Folio full-issue Editorial Excellence awards.

NSSF is the firearm industry trade association. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and shooting sports. As part of that mission, SHOT Business aims to support independent firearm retailers by helping them to run more efficient and profitable businesses.
“SHOT Business and SHOT Daily are invaluable resources for NSSF members and SHOT Show attendees,” said Joe Bartozzi, NSSF President and CEO. “We are thrilled to be working with COLE Publishing and Editor Slaton White to continue providing our industry members with the information they need to make informed business decisions. We look forward to a great partnership and seeing these trusted publications evolve over the coming years.”
For more information please contact Derrick Nawocki, [email protected].

About The National Shooting Sports Foundation
NSSF is the trade association for the firearm industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of thousands of manufacturers, distributors, firearm retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations, and publishers nationwide. For more information, visit nssf.org

By Larry Keane

The nation’s attention was drawn to Washington, D.C., last weekend and not because of politics. iStock-Matt Anderson-1130970886
U.S.A. -(AmmoLand.com)- The nation’s attention was drawn to Washington, D.C., last weekend and not because of politics. Criminals exchanged gunfire right outside Nationals Park, the Major League Baseball stadium in the nation’s capital. Videos showed fans scrambling for the exits in fear and surveillance cameras captured the incident. Police are working leads to bring the perpetrators to justice, including two suspects who were among the three people injured.

It was just one of several recent acts of criminal violence in the District, including the shooting death of a 6-year-old and gunfire outside of a well-known high-end restaurant. The proximity of the stadium, though, to media elites who attended the game brought increased attention.

During a time of heightened criminal violence and a mayor and city council who support defunding the police, one thing remains crystal clear. Criminals ignore and break laws, despite Washington, D.C., having among the nation’s strictest gun control policies. Law-abiding D.C. residents are limited when it comes to options to exercise their Second Amendment rights to protect themselves.
Squeezing Gun Rights
For decades, law-abiding Washingtonians seeking to purchase a firearm were required to navigate a labyrinth of paperwork, complete permit registration documentation, pay exorbitant fees, register firearms, and abide by purchasing limits per month. On top of that, there was only one location where a firearm could be transferred. Because that licensee was not a commercial firearm retailer that doesn’t actually sell guns, it only processed firearm transfers from outside jurisdictions. This forced Washingtonians to pay an additional $125 firearm transfer fee.
In an ironic twist of fate, the owner of that FFL called it quits in 2020, right at the point of rising crime during the coronavirus pandemic, because there was too much business coming through his door that he couldn’t keep up.
Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser, who supported funding cuts to law enforcement and who never met a gun control policy she didn’t love, scrambled and announced the Metropolitan Police Department would take over the transfer duties.
In January 2021, two FFLs were granted their licenses in Washington, D.C. Both only transfer firearms and don’t sell firearms in the District.
Failed Gun Control Legacy
Washington, D.C., was at the center of one of the most consequential U.S. Supreme Court gun rights cases. The 2008 District of Columbia v. Heller challenged the District’s strict gun laws and in a landmark 5-4 decision, the late Justice Antonin Scalia wrote that the Second Amendment is, in fact, an individual right, independent of service in a state militia and protects the use of firearms for lawful purposes, including self-defense. The decision nullified D.C.’s existing handgun ban and law that firearms remain unloaded, disassembled, and equipped with a trigger lock when in the home.
Restrictive gun laws are still in effect in Washington, D.C. Along with registration requirements, District gun owners are subject to universal background checks, must obtain a firearm license, can only possess ammunition for the firearm which has been registered with the Metro Police Department, must abide by magazine capacity restrictions, must endure a waiting period for firearms to be transferred and still face an outright ban on Modern Sporting Rifles (MSRs). Last year, Mayor Bowser signed a law banning home-built firearms, adding to the restrictions law-abiding gun owners must navigate and that criminals continue to ignore.
Meanwhile, carjackings in Washington, D.C., jumped 74 percent and police are deploying “bait cars.” This was revealed after two teen girls had charges dropped and one was sentenced for a fatal carjacking.  A fourth suspect is still at large. The District has a no bail, no bonds policy where 90 percent of those arrested are turned out on the streets before trial.

Even more frustrating is that the police unions are calling out to be allowed to do their jobs and are instead being hamstrung. The Washington, D.C., police union tweeted after the criminal violence outside of Nats Park, “It is a tragedy that elected officials won’t let us do our jobs.”
Washington, D.C., and other gun control jurisdictions like it, continue to impose restrictions on lawful gun ownership and ignore the real and rampant criminal activity plaguing their cities. With laws that are tough on law-abiding gun owners and soft on criminals, Washington, D.C., officials are telling residents they’re expected to be willing victims.

About The National Shooting Sports Foundation
NSSF is the trade association for the firearm industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of thousands of manufacturers, distributors, firearm retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations, and publishers nationwide. For more information, visit nssf.org

By Larry Keane

David Chipman’s charm offensive to win over U.S. Senate support is failing. IMG iStock-BrianAJackson 649236630
U.S.A. -(AmmoLand.com)- David Chipman’s charm offensive to win over U.S. Senate support is failing. The would-be director for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) nominated by President Joe Biden is in trouble and even the most ardent gun control supporters in Congress are admitting it.

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, said “there are a lot of issues” surrounding Chipman’s nomination, according to Politico. Sen. Durbin added that the whip count to line up the votes to confirm him “is not where we want it yet, but there’s always a chance.”

That’s not the same ringing endorsement Sen. Durbin had for Chipman at his confirmation hearing in May. Sen. Durbin introduced Chipman as “working tirelessly” for law enforcement safety and “advancing bipartisan commonsense measures to protect gun ownership.”
That’s a stretch even for Sen. Durbin. I’ve publicly made the offer and repeat it again. I’ve offered a crisp $100 bill to the first person who can name a single bill expanding Second Amendment rights that David Chipman has supported. No one has claimed the C-note because Chipman’s not a Second Amendment supporter.
Sen. Durbin wasn’t done there. He was so confident Chipman would sail through confirmation he called him, “singularly positioned to lead ATF.” He added, “His knowledge of the agency and its purview is unparalleled. In my estimation, he has what it takes: acumen, leadership experience, and commitment to lead the ATF.”
What Changed?
The reality is that Americans aren’t thrilled that President Biden nominated a gun control lobbyist to run the bureau with regulatory oversight over the firearm industry and law enforcement authority. It’s a move meant to punish the industry and pursue gun control outside of legislative channels.
NSSF conducted surveys in key states where some senators have yet to decide on Chipman and voters rejected his nomination. In Arizona, Maine, Montana, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, over half the likely voters told pollsters they wouldn’t support Chipman as head of ATF. In West Virginia, that was over two-thirds of likely voters.
NSSF shared the results with senators from those states. NSSF then purchased television advertising for the first time in the trade association’s 60-year history to remind voters to contact their senators and let them know to vote “no” on Chipman. That’s had an effect.
Senate Republican Whip John Thune (R-S.D.) announced from the Senate floor that he would vote against Chipman’s nomination due to his advocacy for gun control, including banning the AR-15 or Modern Sporting Rifle (MSR) and his disparaging of gun owners.
“I do not believe we can rely on Mr. Chipman to respect our Second Amendment rights or the Americans who exercise them, which is why I cannot vote to confirm him as director of the ATF,” Sen. Thune said.
Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) announced he wouldn’t support Chipman’s nomination over his vocal support for gun control measures. Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.) took to the Senate floor to denounce Chipman’s nomination.

“His statements have made one thing clear,” Sen. Braun explained. “If confirmed, he will fail to uphold the Constitutional right to bear arms.”
Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) issued a press statement explaining, “He is the wrong choice to lead the ATF for Americans, and I will firmly oppose his nomination.”
Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) tweeted a video of him objecting to President Biden and Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) “propping up yet another very controversial nominee.” He added in the tweet, “Chipman’s nomination is an attack on law-abiding gun owners and the #2A rights of all Americans.”
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) published an op-ed in Fox News warning, “Chipman has been on the wrong side of every debate about the Second Amendment, and if confirmed, he would implement a radical gun control agenda the Democrats couldn’t otherwise pass.”
Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) tweeted, “David Chipman is a partisan activist who is unfit to lead the ATF. His nomination is further proof that Democrats are determined to undermine the #2A rights of law-abiding Americans.”
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) published a statement opposing Chipman but also calling on President Biden to pull Chipman’s nomination or Sen. Schumer let the Senate finally vote and end the matter.
“Either Senator Schumer should let the Senate vote on this nominee or President Biden should withdraw his nomination, put forth a consensus nominee to lead this important agency, and live up to his commitment to work across party lines to restore Americans’ trust in law enforcement,” Sen. Rubio wrote in his statement.
Next Steps
Chipman’s nomination lingers because of a deadlocked 11-11 vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee. That means his nomination didn’t advance but can be discharged if Sen. Schumer makes a motion. Once that motion to discharge passes, Chipman’s nomination would be required to be voted upon immediately, according to the Senate’s power-sharing agreement. Sen. Schumer hasn’t made the motion because he knows the votes aren’t there.
There are just a few senators who haven’t made their position on Chipman known. U.S. Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.V.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), Angus King (I-Maine), Bob Casey (D-Pa.) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) have yet to publicly announce their position. That’s why NSSF is continuing to reach out to voters to remind their senators to vote “no” on Chipman.
This nomination might be growing wobbly, but it isn’t yet finished. As long as the nomination lingers in the Senate, the possibility remains that President Biden could install a gun control lobbyist who would politicize the ATF. The 5,000 agents of the ATF deserve a fair leader who won’t let gun control politics steer the agency, and the firearm industry depends on everyone taking action today.

About The National Shooting Sports Foundation
NSSF is the trade association for the firearm industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of thousands of manufacturers, distributors, firearm retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations, and publishers nationwide. For more information, visit nssf.org

By Larry Keane

Former sportscaster turned failed progressive political mouthpiece Keith Olbermann took a swing at what the Second Amendment says and means. IMG iStock 484139956
U.S.A. -(AmmoLand.com)- Ride the pine. Relegated to the minors. Missed the cut. All of the above. Former sportscaster turned failed progressive political mouthpiece Keith Olbermann took a swing at what the Second Amendment says and means and whiffed so badly he created a wind advisory.

Before last week’s Major League Baseball All-Star game, police arrested four individuals who brought firearms into a Denver hotel nearby, suspecting the possibility of a tragedy during the game. Olbermann, no stranger to moronic Twitter takes, pounced and posted a video to his Twitter account saying with no evidence an All-Star game tragedy was averted. He attempted to mock gun owners and their supporters by posing the question, “Consider again the holy Second Amendment to the Constitution and ask yourself this question. Why doesn’t the 2nd Amendment have the word ‘own’ in it? Why does it not say the right to own guns or a synonym for own?”

The FBI subsequently said there was no All-Star game plot. Olbermann should stick to sports, but that roster’s already full.
Step Into the Swing
It could be said for all the flaws contained in Olbermann’s rant, he’s not wrong. The word “own” doesn’t appear in the Second Amendment. The words “keep and bear arms” are there, however, enshrining the inalienable right of Americans to possess firearms – no ifs, ands or buts about it. Olbermann doesn’t have to look far to find the U.S. Supreme Court recognizing and upholding that right.
2008’s landmark Supreme Court ruling in District of Columbia v. Heller, authored by the late Justice Antonin Scalia, removes any doubt. The decision explains the Second Amendment enshrines a pre-existing individual right to keep and bear arms. This right is pre-existing, and yes, in order to keep something, it must be owned.
Bearing Arms’ Cam Edwards caught sight of Olbermann’s tweet and had a field day. “The FBI said that there is no evidence of a mass shooting plot connected to these arrests, and Scalia addressed the inane argument about ‘keep’ vs. ‘own’ in the Heller decision. Starts about halfway down on page 7. Go try to save a dog instead of peddling this nonsense.”
Double Play
Edwards wasn’t the only one calling foul on Olbermann. The Reload’s Stephen Gutowski went to bat against Olbermann’s logic. “The right of the people to keep and bear arms” doesn’t refer to people owning guns. Instead, it refers to the regulation of state militias? This is the argument you bellowed out with such confidence and condescension?”
Bearing Arms’ Tom Knighton did so too, observing, “This is the dumbest argument I’ve heard since people tried to say the Second Amendment only applied to muskets.”
Chris Loesch, Dana Loesch’s husband, and a Second Amendment advocate chimed in. “This is one of the most idiotic things I have ever listened to. I mean it’s utterly moronic.” There were plenty of additional responses stuffing Olbermann in his locker.
Call Up Relief
Olbermann might fit, but recent polling shows Olbermann is out in left field. Since Olbmann’s a statistics guy, here are some interesting numbers. Gallup shows support among Americans for more gun control has dropped by at least 10 points to the lowest levels in years. That includes more than five percentage points lower among self-described Democrats. Washington Post/ABC News polling shows similar trends.
These surveys align with what’s going on now. Americans in historic numbers have purchased (that’s “own” for Olbermann if he’s reading this) firearms in record numbers over the past 18 months, and are continuing.
Talking heads like Olbermann can keep barking from the cheap seats about firearms and their flawed and utterly discredited understanding of the Second Amendment. If Olbermann were to ever take a minute to stop adoring himself on Twitter, he’d see that the game changed and the bases aren’t the only thing that’s loaded.

Americans won’t stand for it and may send them back to the minors.  Maybe Olbermann should be sacked for this egregious error. Wait, I’m wildly mixing my sports metaphors. How about Twitter just censor him for spreading misinformation?

About The National Shooting Sports Foundation
NSSF is the trade association for the firearm industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of thousands of manufacturers, distributors, firearm retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations, and publishers nationwide. For more information, visit nssf.org

By Larry Keane

President Joe Biden seems to be following the only mantra he knows when it comes to confronting America’s rising crime worries: gun control. IMG iStock-484139956
U.S.A. -(AmmoLand.com)- President Joe Biden seems to be following the only mantra he knows when it comes to confronting America’s rising crime worries. Go after the Second Amendment and the firearm industry that makes the exercise of the right possible.

Gang violence? More gun control. Spiraling crime? Must need more gun control. Repeat offenders committing crimes within hours of no-bail release? Gun control.

President Biden’s been straw-man blaming the firearm industry for decades, but he went at it in earnest in 2019 when he declared during the Democratic presidential debates, “Our enemy is the gun manufacturers, not the NRA, the gun manufacturers.”
It’s as if The White House’s crime plan is written on the back of a shampoo bottle.
President Biden’s so confident in this idea, he invited police and city leaders to The White House to discuss a “Comprehensive Strategy to Reduce Gun Crimes.”
“While there’s no ‘one-size-fit-all’ approach, we know there are some things that work, and the first of those that work is stemming the flow of firearms used to commit violent crimes,” President Biden said to media gathered at the beginning of the conference. “And it includes cracking down on holding rogue gun dealers accountable for violating the federal law.”
He included additional nebulous and ill-defined agenda items, such as creating strike forces to target illegal gun trafficking, despite the fact they already exist and are perennially underfunded. The president avoided talk of police defunding and instead pushed plans to siphon recovery funds to fill the gaps where city officials abandoned their own citizens and struggling police departments. The third part is to rely on community violence interrupters, without defining who or what that means. Sounds like a new career option for “community organizers.” He’d increase mental health resources and job training. The final part is to give convicts job training.
“And this is going to help prevent crime and support young people to pick up a paycheck instead of a pistol,” President Biden said.
Rinse. Lather. Repeat.
Catching Actual Criminals?
What he didn’t say was how The White House was going to confront criminals preying on innocent Americans. It’s all gun control, all the time. Never the criminal — the actual problem.
Fox News reported the president already launched a “zero tolerance” policy against gun dealers he considers rogue. The president wants to hold firearm retailers that “willfully” transfer a firearm to a prohibited individual accountable. No one wants firearms in the hands of prohibited individuals. That’s why the firearm industry has several partnership programs with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) to prevent that under the Real Solutions campaign. It’s an exceedingly rare exception when a firearm retailer abuses a license and the firearm industry wants them to be held accountable.
The White House, however, gave early clues during the campaign that attacking the industry and not the criminal was their goal. During the campaign, the Biden-Harris ticket embraced a policy of using the ATF as a bludgeon against firearm retailers, threatening to yank licenses of retailers and manufacturers for minor clerical errors. The president’s nomination of the gun control lobbyist David Chipman to run the ATF is installing his man to execute that plan.

The Department of Justice’s own studies show retailers are following the law. The Bureau of Justice Statistics studies show that over 90 percent of convicted criminals that used a firearm in their crime obtain them through illicit means, mostly through theft or the black market.
That’s not a “rogue” retailer issue. That’s a criminal issue.
Americans Embrace Guns
Americans agree. A Washington Post poll found that 59 percent of Americans believe crime is a very serious problem. Meanwhile, support for new gun control laws is cratering to record lows, as Newsweek reported earlier this year.
Americans are acting on those convictions. There were 21 million background checks for the sale of a gun last year. Over 8.4 million people, according to NSSF retailer survey estimates, purchased a gun for the first time. Gun sales to African-Americans were up 58 percent. Hispanic-Americans bought guns at a 47 percent increased rate and Asian-Americans bought them at a 43 percent rate higher in 2020 than in 2019. Those trends are continuing.
President Biden’s gun control supporters are echoing his myopic distortion of focusing on eliminating gun rights for those who abide by the law. U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) told media “We have more guns in this nation than anyone who wrote the Second Amendment could ever have envisioned.”
He rattled off falsehoods about gun sales, claiming that guns are sold over the internet, when in fact, all retail firearm sales must be completed in a face-to-face transaction with an FBI National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) verification. In Sen. Durbin’s home state, there are among the strictest gun control laws, but among the highest crime rates.
Sen. Durbin doesn’t have an excess of guns. He’s got an excess of criminals.
Get Serious
That’s exactly what former Detroit Police Chief James Craig has been saying. Law-abiding gun owners aren’t the problem. It’s criminals run amok and no willingness by the federal, state, or local governments, including George Soros-funded District Attorneys, to take on the hard work of reigning them in.
“We don’t have a gun problem in America. What we have is a criminal problem…criminals don’t follow the law,” Craig said according to a Townhall.com report. “They’re going to get guns, so what do we want to focus on? Getting guns from law-abiding citizens?… it’s not about guns, it’s about criminals who have guns and they don’t get the guns legally. That’s the bottom line.”
Craig explained that the failing policies embraced by President Biden including no-bail policies, allowing police to be scapegoated for political ineptness and “defund the police” policies are emboldening criminals.
Focusing on gun control instead of arresting criminals won’t clean up America’s crime problem. It’s just rinse, lather, repeat.

About The National Shooting Sports Foundation
NSSF is the trade association for the firearm industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of thousands of manufacturers, distributors, firearm retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations, and publishers nationwide. For more information, visit nssf.org

By Larry Keane

The media is getting a lesson on the dangers of getting ahead of the facts when it comes to their reporting. This time, they blamed gun buyers for the spike in crime. iStock-1138299265
U.S.A. -(AmmoLand.com)- The media is getting a lesson on the dangers of getting ahead of the facts when it comes to their reporting. This time, they blamed gun buyers for the spike in crime.

Turns out, law-abiding citizens who buy guns aren’t the ones committing crimes. They’re buying guns because of the rise in crime. Media are getting wrong – again – and quietly backing off their antigun narrative, for the moment at least.

MSNBC’s Chris Hayes thought he had all the answers, or at least enough to mislead his shrinking audience of viewers. He predetermined that 21 million background checks last year – and over 8.4 million first-time gun buyers – are the problem in America. Those would be the guns that were bought, sold, and possessed by those individuals that followed the law, underwent a background check, and obtained them legally from licensed firearm retailers.
“America is a violent place,” Hayes told his viewers. “America has a lot of guns. And last year, Americans got a lot more guns and got more violent. Is it crazy to see a relationship between these two simple stark facts?”
Facts Be Damned
Yes, Chris. It is crazy. Sometimes it’s a question of which came first, the chicken or the egg. Sometimes it’s just egg on the face. To support his anti-gun narrative, Hayes took two completely different data points suggesting a causal relationship between them. He conflated correlation with causation. It is more than just crazy, it is irresponsible and an abdication of actual journalistic principles. Not to worry though. No one takes MSNBC seriously as a “journalistic” enterprise.
The Reload’s Stephen Gutowski took Hayes’ antigun pontifications to task. It wasn’t a hard task, nor did it have high hurdles. Gutowski relied on a tried-and-true method. He examined the facts.
Gutowski pointed out that the data Hayes was attempting to use to boost his antigun screed actually discredited his arguments. The charts he used to show the spike in gun sales were actually tables of background checks. Those would be the same FBI National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) that verified the individual purchasing a firearm is a law-abiding citizen who hasn’t been prohibited from possessing a firearm.
“That should give you insight into the people buying all those guns: namely, that they can pass a background check,” Gutowski tweeted. “It’s rather unlikely that a significant number of people who can pass an FBI background check to buy a gun then immediately turned around and murder someone.” Well, unlikely to everyone other than David Chipman who thinks gun owners are all future criminals in waiting.
Simple Research
Gutowski went on to explain it in further detail on his website. Fox News covered the backblast against Hayes from Gutowski. Bearing Arms’ Cam Edwards also took apart the blind accusations as “simplistic to the point of inanity.”
Edwards pointed to the fact that the gun sales spike started in March 2020 and in April, gun control darling Chipman, who is nominated to run the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), mocked gun owners as zombie apocalypse preppers. Edwards added that the Chicago Sun Times reported violent crime was spiraling out of control in May 2020, two months after Americans started buying guns in record numbers.
Even UC Davis Disagrees
Turns out, when the facts are objectively examined, the exact opposite of what Hayes alleges turns out to be true. Axios reported that a University of California-Davis Violence Prevention Research Program took a look at the facts. These university programs are normally incubators for antigun groupthink, so when they reach an opposing conclusion, it is worth noting.

Their study showed that there were 4.3 million firearm purchases above the norm from March through July 2020. There was also a 27 percent increase in firearm injuries at the same time.
“Researchers found no clear association between more gun purchases and increased gun violence… during the first two months of the pandemic when lockdowns were most severe,” Axios reported. The report stated that might be because those guns were sold to existing gun owners.
NSSF’s surveys demonstrate gun purchases as the causation of crime is not the case. Over 8.4 million times, that wasn’t the case. Those same surveys asked retailers not just who was buying guns, but why. Customers told firearm retailers it was because of concerns over personal safety.
That bore out in the types of firearms that were most popular. Typically, handguns comprise over half the guns sold in a typical year. That held true in 2020, but with 21 million background checks, that tells the industry that there were tens of millions of background checks for handgun sales. Those aren’t guns typically used for hunting. These would be a poor choice for ducks or deer, but an excellent choice for personal defense.
It’s not rocket science. It doesn’t take a university research center to mull over the data. It’s really simple. People are buying guns to protect themselves.
It’s the crime, stupid.

About The National Shooting Sports Foundation
NSSF is the trade association for the firearm industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of thousands of manufacturers, distributors, firearm retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations, and publishers nationwide. For more information, visit nssf.org

By Mark Oliva

Former Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe is showing Old Dominion voters that he’s ignorant of the most basic facts surrounding gun ownership. IMG iStock-884220580
U.S.A. -(AmmoLand.com)- Former Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe is showing Old Dominion voters that he’s ignorant of the most basic facts surrounding gun ownership. That’s not good news for Virginia gun owners, since McAuliffe is taking a second run at the Governor’s Mansion. This time, his antigun baggage is overflowing.

McAuliffe tweeted on July 6, “Call me crazy, but I think it should be easier to vote than it should be to buy a gun.”
Okay, Crazy… I’ll bite.

The former governor and former White House Chief of Staff just told Virginia voters he’s got no idea what the laws are surrounding voting or gun ownership in Virginia. That’s not a good way to start a general election campaign. So much for running on a platform of “informed experience.”
The torrent of Twitter backlash was as quick as it was severe. That’s deservedly so. He should know better on both subjects, but to help those who don’t live in the Commonwealth of Virginia, here’s a very basic rundown of the requirements.
Voting and Guns
Virginia voters are required to be 18, residents of the Commonwealth, and not be declared mentally incompetent by a court. Voters must register in their districts and present a valid identification that is verified by poll workers on voting day. Convicted felons are even now allowed to vote if they petition to have their voting rights restored following completion of their sentence. Voters in the most recent election during COVID were allowed to vote by mail as long as they provided proof of their identity and had a witness signature on the ballot envelope. In-person voting will allow for provisional ballots if an acceptable identification isn’t provided. And of course, there are absentee ballots.
Buying a gun in Virginia is stricter. Individuals buying a long gun must be 18. Those buying handguns must be Virginia residents and over 21. That’s federal law. Anyone buying any gun must present valid identification with proof of residence, complete the required federal background check forms, and pass an FBI background check for all firearm transfers (Virginia now has a universal background check law). Of course, that means that an individual must not be a convicted felon, declared mentally defective by a court, convicted of a domestic violence incident, or any one of 23 different categories.
If an individual wants to purchase a suppressor, that requires extra background checks, a $200 tax, fingerprints, photos, and chief law enforcement officer notification. Of course, there’s the wait for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) to process that, which can take nine months to a year.
Voter Beware
McAuliffe isn’t just woefully ignorant of gun and voting laws, he’s in the tank with gun control. He said in January he would push for an “assault weapons ban” that includes a standard magazine capacity ban and stand up an Office of Gun Violence Prevention. If that sounds familiar, it’s because it’s a carbon copy of what New York’s Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo just announced. Instead of using the tools at hand, he’s going to spend tax dollars to create more bureaucracy to chip away at gun rights.
That’s not all.  He’d bar adults under 21 from possessing handguns. They already can’t purchase them under federal law, but McAuliffe wants to take it further. He also wants to implement firearm purchase waiting periods.
The Federalist pointed out a response by Donald Trump Jr., a gun owner himself.

“It already is, and even you know that, but you also know that your lapdogs in the media will run your BS for clicks regardless of the facts because your ideologies are the same. Rinse and repeat… it’s the dem platform in a nutshell,” he tweeted.
Trump Jr. showed that Democrats seeking office are running on the same stale lies they’ve peddled for years about guns and voting, while refusing to face the facts about crime. For those like McAuliffe, it’s about blaming law-abiding gun owners at every opportunity.
Virginia voters, beware of charlatans peddling worn-out talking points to get more gun control.

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