NRA-ILA

Last Thursday, January 20, the Judiciary Committee held its first hearing to consider Constitutional Carry legislation, Legislative Bill 773. IMG  NRA-ILA
U.S.A. -(AmmoLand.com)- Last Thursday, January 20, the Judiciary Committee held its first hearing to consider Constitutional Carry legislation, Legislative Bill 773.  NRA Members and Second Amendment supporters submitted more than twice the amount of written testimony in support of the legislation than those who opposed it.  While the first hearing was a success, the fight to preserve our right to self-defense is not yet over.

New York billionaire Michael Bloomberg’s personal gun control operation, Mom’s Demand Action, is in Nebraska opposing LB 773.  Please email the House Judiciary Committee and respectfully ask them to SUPPORT LB 773.  The overwhelming majority of Nebraskans want this bill passed.

CLICK HERE TAKE ACTION!
Don’t forget to forward this email to your family, friends, and fellow gun owners. Ask them to email the committee and respectfully urge them to SUPPORT LB 773. Nebraska needs all its law-abiding gun-owners and Second Amendment supporters to help push LB 773 through the legislative process and onto the Governor’s desk!

About NRA-ILA:
Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the “lobbying” arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess, and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Visit: www.nra.org

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The Massachusetts state-building. IMG NRA-ILA
U.S.A. -(AmmoLand.com)- Today, January 25th, the Joint Committee on the Judiciary will hold a public hearing on two anti-gun bills.  NRA members and Second Amendment supporters are invited to attend this meeting remotely starting at 10:00 AM, to oppose S.2607 and H.4303.  Click here for information on how to attend this meeting and make your voice heard.

S. 2607 and H. 4303 alter Massachusetts’ so-called “assault weapons” ban by prohibiting the manufacture of these firearms, with very limited exceptions.  This legislation constitutes a direct attack on the Second Amendment and the fundamental rights of law-abiding Massachusetts citizens.

A pair of Department of Justice-funded studies of the federal “assault weapon” ban of 1994 – 2004 found the ban ineffective because “assault weapons” are rarely used to commit violent crimes. This legislation is misguided, will not improve public safety, and will do nothing to prevent criminals who are already prohibited from possessing a firearm from obtaining one.  This is an arbitrary ban that is simply anti-gun virtue signaling.

Again, for more information on how to attend this meeting and make your voice heard, click here.  Your NRA-ILA will continue to monitor this legislation and keep you informed of its status.
Stay-tuned to www.nraila.org for further updates on issues affecting our Second Amendment rights.

About NRA-ILA:
Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the “lobbying” arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess, and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Visit: www.nra.org

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We all knew who the finger-pointers and tattletales were in junior high school. A disproportionate number of them, it seems, now populate America’s anti-gun lobby. IMG NRA-ILA
U.S.A. -(AmmoLand.com)- We all knew who the finger-pointers and tattletales were in junior high school. A disproportionate number of them, it seems, now populate America’s anti-gun lobby.

The oft-rebranded gun control organization currently calling itself Brady United Against Gun Violence (Brady) launched a website this week called The Gun Store Transparency Project.

This site is the result of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) litigation Brady engaged in against the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to obtain certain ATF reports from inspections of Federal Firearm Licensees. Brady is now making those reports available to the public.

These reports, however, are not a random or representative sampling of ATF’s inspection efforts but contain only those “in which the ATF issued an FFL a Warning Letter or more severe remedy … .”
In other words, the site completely ignores any inspection report — which in 2020 comprised over 60% of them — that did not result in findings of violations or sanctions.
Brady claims the purpose of the website is so “the American public will no longer be kept in the dark about businesses that contribute to gun violence in their communities, and whether federal authorities are failing to hold them accountable.”
But is every business cataloged on the site “contributing to gun violence in their communities” simply because it was found, in some fashion, to be in non-compliance with the reams of federal laws and regulations that apply to licensed gun sellers?
The answer, of course, is no.
There is no mystery to which sorts of violations will land an FFL in serious trouble with ATF. The agency publishes them on its own website:
In addition to a refusal to allow an IOI to conduct an inspection, each of the following violations, absent extraordinary circumstances, will also result in ATF issuing a notice of revocation:

Transferring a firearm to a prohibited person
Failing to conduct a required background check
Falsifying records
Failing to respond to a trace request

These are the sorts of violations that pose the most obvious risk of a firearm falling into dangerous hands or that could impede law enforcement authorities from conducting a legitimate regulatory or criminal investigation.

None of these, however, appear on the ATF’s list of the 10 “most frequently cited violations during ATF firearms inspections” in 2020.
Instead, these “violations” are mostly the types of bookkeeping errors that are likely to occur in any context in which transactions are subject to a highly bureaucratic process that involves multiple ledger entries, forms, requirements for the production and recording of identification, and database inquiries.
Examples of the most common “violations,” according to the ATF, include “[f]ailure to complete forms as prescribed” and missing signatures or dates.
Indeed, one of the reasons the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) itself doesn’t always work as intended is because the millions of mostly government forms and computer entries on which it relies are themselves commonly incomplete, ambiguous, or simply erroneous.
This is why the ATF inspection process is not always or even usually a harshly punitive endeavor. Rather, it can also serve to help these heavily regulated businesses identify areas of operation or processes that need to be improved. The process, for example, includes a post-inspection conference so the FFL has an opportunity to respond to the alleged violations, initiate corrective actions, ask questions, and review relevant federal firearms laws and regulations with the inspectors.
This is also why the NRA supported the landmark Firearms Owners Protection Act in 1986, which ensured that the ATF inspection process could not be abused by anti-gun administrations simply to reduce the number of FFLs by any means possible.
To some degree, the process is similar to a student’s report card, which can help with self-assessment and identify areas in need of improvement. But, just as academic report cards are not necessarily or usually about finding a pretext to kick the student out of school, ATF compliance inspections are not necessarily or usually aimed at shutting down the FFL.
There is no college degree specifically aimed at running a gun shop. FFLs are often small businesses that face the challenge not just of complying with federal law but the business, licensing, and zoning laws of states and localities as well. Some learning inevitably occurs on the job. It is hardly surprising that boxes sometimes get missed on forms, serial numbers get transposed, or someone forgets to make a copy of an identification document.
Fortunately, these scrivener-type mistakes rarely have any material impact on public safety. That ATF usually recognizes this is laudatory and does not mean the agency is lax in holding industry members accountable.
As much as Brady may hate the idea, commerce in firearms is a legitimate, constitutionally protected business in the United States. There is nothing inherently shady or suspect about it, and members of the firearms industry should not be portrayed as criminals or public menaces for every mistake that winds up on a bureaucratic report. The inspectors themselves, after all, have to justify the work that they do and would risk total irrelevance and constantly diminishing resources if their labor didn’t generate some sort of corrective action now and then.
Ironically, Brady’s effort mostly underscores that FFLs operate within a heavily regulated environment and still mostly manage to do so safely, accurately, and with high levels of compliance.
It is true, as Brady asserts, that the ATF does not have the resources to inspect every single FFL right up to the legal limit. But the big picture that emerges from the ATF’s own published data from inspections that do occur strongly indicates that would be a waste of time and resources, anyway.

About NRA-ILA:
Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the “lobbying” arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess, and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Visit: www.nra.org

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The NRA, very obviously, protects the Second Amendment rights of Americans and are not journalists. But, neither is CNN. IMG NRA-ILA
U.S.A. -(AmmoLand.com)- Everytown for Gun Safety produced a report that received favorable coverage on CNN and in The Hill without so much as a basic due-diligence level of questioning. True journalism has been replaced with activism in many newsrooms, so allow us to present a basic response to this new Everytown analysis. The NRA, very obviously, protects the Second Amendment rights of Americans and are not journalists. But, neither is CNN.

Here’s how CNN described the study: “A new study published Thursday by a leading non-profit organization that focuses on gun violence prevention found that there is a direct correlation in states with weaker gun laws and higher rates of gun deaths, including homicides, suicides and accidental killings.”

Sounds comprehensive and rigorous, right?

It is not. Everytown took each state’s overall rates of “gun violence deaths” from the CDC, which includes homicides, suicides, accidents, and other cases. So right away, there is a serious issue here in that laws designed to reduce homicides likely have no effect on suicides and vice versa. Laws designed to reduce accidents are unlikely to reduce self-inflicted harm. This should not be a controversial critique. Combining deaths without regard for intent undermines real efforts to address societal problems.

That’s not what Everytown wants. The senior vice president of law and policy at Everytown told CNN that, “We think this is going to be a really important tool for lawmakers, reporters and advocates that have been looking for the kind of visual tool that can make that case clearly.” They – Everytown – want gun control and explicitly designed this analysis to support gun control.
Everytown tallied a score for each state’s amount of gun control. Previous efforts to grade states on their level of gun control were arbitrary and did not distinguish between types of gun control. Everytown tried to make this new analysis more robust by applying different values to different gun control policies, but the result is a muddled mess that is only slightly less arbitrary.
Look at the methodology section. This meets every definition of arbitrary, as different point values are given to different policies without actual scientific evidence supporting any of the policies. Are 12 policies each worth half a point the same as one policy worth six points? At some point, this becomes an exercise in inflation as Everytown is essentially repeatedly quantifying the same difference. This is really just a ranking of Everytown’s preferred gun control.
Including metrics unrelated to private gun ownership, namely those related to regulations on police officers’ on-duty actions and rights, or those that require non-existent technology like microstamping show that Everytown wanted to drive up the difference between anti-gun states and those without burdensome gun control. A larger difference between California and Idaho or Mississippi, the highest-graded gun control and the two lowest graded, makes the point much more dramatic.
Remember a few paragraphs ago where we mentioned the problem of combining suicide and homicide? Idaho has a “worse than average” “gun violence rate” while California’s is “better than average.” Idaho’s overall rate is more than twice that of California’s, but the states have different problems. Idaho had a suicide rate of 15.2 per 100,000 population in 2020 and a homicide rate of 1.4 per 100k. California had a suicide rate of 3.9 per 100k and a homicide rate of 4.4 per 100k. Does anyone really believe that laws designed to combat murder in California will have any effect on suicides in Idaho?
These are not the only states so over-generalized. Let’s consider the case of Alaska. Alaska is listed in the “national failure” category based on its gun control score of 9 points and its “gun violence” death rate of 23.5 per 100,000 population. More than three-quarters of Alaska “gun violence” deaths are self-inflicted (76%).
Everytown reports that Iowa lost 40% of its gun control score for repealing two onerous gun control policies in 2021, but the score is then pitted against 2020 mortality data. How can laws repealed (or enacted) have any impact on mortality in the prior year?
Looking at the list of gun control values, some questionable weighting decisions stand out. A fugitive from justice prohibitor is worth up to three times as many points as a felony prohibitor. Federal law prohibits both fugitives and felons from possessing firearms.

These critiques do not require the suspension of disbelief or deep inherent pro-gun values. These are simple issues with a simple analysis being presented as evidence. The “evidence” is weighted by those who desire a certain outcome and presented as scientific.
It is not.
Other factors – like poverty, mental health services, domestic violence victims’ services, and socioeconomic status – should be considered if the goal is to identify factors contributing to “gun violence” or identify which factors save lives.
But that isn’t Everytown’s goal; their goal is to enact absolute gun control. The problems identified with this Everytown analysis are simple, but they are not mere oversights. They were intentional – a feature, not a bug. Everytown will do whatever it takes to promote their anti-gun agenda.

About NRA-ILA:
Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the “lobbying” arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess, and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Visit: www.nra.org

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Illinois take action nra-ila
U.S.A. -(AmmoLand.com)- Tomorrow, the House Judiciary-Criminal Committee will hear a number of anti-gun bills. Please file witness slips against House Bills 2541, 3144, 3661, and 4296. The hearing will be held by video conference. Click here for information on filing witness slips or participating in the hearing.

In addition, you may click the button below to contact committee members and ask them to OPPOSE House Bills 2541, 3144, 3661, and 4296.

CLICK HERE TAKE ACTION!
House Bill 2541 repeals the requirement that the respondent of an order of protection facing the loss of Second Amendment rights receive notice of a hearing and an opportunity to participate in it. In addition, it requires that the loss of rights last for a minimum of two years, rather than for the duration of the order of protection.

A person subject to the suspension of a Constitutional right should be entitled to high evidentiary standards, an opportunity to be heard, and the right to face his or her accusers. Civil liberties advocates from across the political spectrum have expressed concerns about these schemes and how the procedure may lead to abuses, due to insufficient due process protections.
House Bill 3144 further victimizes gun owners who suffer loss or theft of their property if they don’t report a lost or stolen firearm within 72 hours of discovering them missing, by increasing failure to comply to a Class 4 felony for a third offense and a Class 3 felony for subsequent offenses.
House Bill 3661 revokes for one year, the FOID cards of gun owners whose firearms are lost or stolen in three separate incidents within a two-year period.
House Bill 4296 increases arbitrary zones where law-abiding citizens are left defenseless by prohibiting concealed carry permit holders from carrying firearms at many recreation areas, including campgrounds, golf courses, boat launches, Illinois Nature Preserves, and Land and Water Reserves, among others. This bill contains no provisions to add active measures to keep armed criminals out of these areas, such as increased police presence, metal detectors, or security guards.
Again, please file witness slips and ask committee members to OPPOSE House Bills 2541, 3144, 3661, and 4296.

About NRA-ILA:
Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the “lobbying” arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess, and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Visit: www.nra.org

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Last year, the Senate Judiciary Committee, chaired by Senator Liz Brown, refused to take up similar legislation, which passed the House by a vote of 65- 31 IMG NRA-ILA
U.S.A. -(AmmoLand.com)- After two years of opposition from Governor Holcomb’s administration and stonewalling by the Republican-controlled Senate and President Pro Tempore Rod Bray, Hoosier’s are demanding action on Lawful Carry legislation, also known as Constitutional Carry.

Last year, the Senate Judiciary Committee, chaired by Senator Liz Brown, refused to take up similar legislation, which passed the House by a vote of 65- 31, denying gun owners in Indiana an opportunity to be heard. This year, the same committee blocked NRA-backed amendments to Lawful Carry and refused to allow a vote at the time of the hearing.

In the last year, five states have enacted similar legislation, and neighboring Ohio is poised to send their own bill to the Governor’s desk. Twenty-one states have now recognized the right of their law-abiding citizens to carry a concealed firearm in public without a government-issued permit. It is time for the Senate and Governor Holcomb to take action and show Hoosiers where they stand on this important piece of Second Amendment legislation.

Contact Senate President Pro Tempore Rod Bray and ask him to send NRA-backed HB 1077 to the Corrections and Criminal Law Committee and allow it to receive a full hearing and vote.
TAKE ACTION CLICK HERE
House Bill 1077 allows any law-abiding adult who is legally eligible to obtain a carry permit, to carry a handgun without first having to obtain government permission. This ensures that citizens have their right to self-defense without government red tape or delays. It does not affect previously issued carry permits and allows citizens who still wish to obtain a permit in order to carry in other states recognizing Indiana permits, to do so.
NRA would like to thank bill sponsors, Rep. Ben Smaltz, Rep. Matt Lehman, Sen. James Tomes, Sen. Eric Koch, Sen. Mark Messmer, and Sen. Erin Houchin, as well as Rep. Jim Lucas, for their continued efforts to advance Second Amendment rights in Indiana. Again, please contact Senate President Pro Tempore Bray and ask him to send NRA-backed HB 1077 to the Corrections and Criminal Law Committee and allow it to receive a full hearing and vote.

About NRA-ILA:
Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the “lobbying” arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess, and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Visit: www.nra.org

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The Pennsylvania Senate Judiciary Committee voted to advance House Bill 979 on a 9 to 5 vote Wednesday. IMG NRA-ILA
U.S.A. -(AmmoLand.com)- A bill that would strengthen Pennsylvania’s preemption statute and further prevent local governments from adopting their own gun control, passed a Senate Committee this week.  The Senate Judiciary Committee voted to advance House Bill 979 on a 9 to 5 vote Wednesday.

This legislation strengthens preemption, preventing municipalities from creating a patchwork of local gun laws across Pennsylvania that could be inconsistent with state law and subject otherwise lawful gun owners to different firearm regulations as they travel within the Commonwealth.  It also provides plaintiffs who challenge these laws in court an opportunity to recover attorney fees and court costs if they successfully make their case.

This legislation will likely get a vote from the full Senate next week. HB 979 passed the House last summer, and final Senate approval next week would advance this critical Second Amendment legislation to the Governor.

Please continue to follow NRA-ILA alerts for the latest updates in Harrisburg.

About NRA-ILA:
Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the “lobbying” arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess, and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Visit: www.nra.org

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Washington’s Supreme Court heard the NRA-ILA’s case challenging new gun storage laws. IMG NRA-ILA
U.S.A. -(AmmoLand.com)- On January 3, the Biden Administration’s Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that it would be finalizing a new rule on firearm storage for Federal Firearm Licensees (FFLs). The DOJ additionally announced an update to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATFs) “Best Practices” Guide for FFLs.

The new storage rule, which was first proposed by the Obama Administration in 2016, makes four substantial changes to federal firearms law.

First, the rule updates the regulatory definitions of “rifle,” “shotgun,” and “antique firearm” to match statutory changes that took effect in 1998.

Second, the rule defines “secure gun storage or safety device,” which generally tracks the existing statutory definition, but also includes a requirement that the secure gun storage or safety device be compatible with the firearms offered for sale by the licensee.
Third, the rule adopts ATF’s existing practice of requiring firearm dealers to certify that secure gun storage or safety devices are available at any location where firearms are sold to non-licensees.
Fourth, the rule extends the certification requirement to manufacturers and importers when they sell firearms to non-licensees.
The rule will take effect on February 3, 2022. FFLs that engage in transactions with non-licensees should ensure that they have suitable locks or safes available for any firearms that they sell.
While the storage rule may not seem like a substantial change to federal firearms law, the Biden Administration has already proposed two other rules that would make drastic changes to federal law. As NRA-ILA has covered before, the administration has proposed a new rule to effectively ban pistol stabilizing braces and another rule that drastically alters key definitions in federal law.
The regulations pages for these proposed rules now indicate that the “frame or receiver” rule will be finalized in June while the stabilizing brace rule will be finalized in August. These dates may not reflect when the rules are actually finalized, so please check back regularly to www.nraila.org for updates on these terrible rules.

About NRA-ILA:
Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the “lobbying” arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess, and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Visit: www.nra.org

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The 9th Circuit sided with the NRA-ILA on Thursday when it struck down a Los Angeles County order closing gun shops during the pandemic. IMG NRA-ILA
U.S.A. -(AmmoLand.com)-  The Ninth Circuit sided with the National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA) on Thursday when it struck down a Los Angeles County order that forced gun stores and shooting ranges to close in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. NRA-ILA originally challenged this order in March of 2020 and filed an appeal a year later.

“The court today rightfully recognized that Los Angeles County violated Second Amendment rights when it shut down gun stores and ranges in the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Michael Jean, NRA’s director of the Office of Litigation Counsel. “This is an important decision. It ensures that California — or any state — cannot use a crisis to trample on the Constitutional rights of citizens.”
The decision highlights that these orders, which prevented the exercise of basic constitutional rights like acquiring and practicing with firearms, could have been “perpetually extended if the County so decided.”

Given the current state of the world and the periodic resurgence of COVID-19 continuing to affect daily life, this decision ensures that states cannot restrict the fundamental rights of Americans for any reason. In this spirit, the decision concludes by citing Justice Gorsuch’s words: “Even in times of crisis—perhaps especially in times of crisis—we have a duty to hold governments to the Constitution.”

NRA-ILA also challenged overbearing COVID-19 restrictions in New Mexico and New York. In addition to Los Angeles County, NRA-ILA challenged four additional counties in northern California.
The case is captioned Martinez v. Villanueva. NRA-ILA was joined by local gun stores and ranges, the California Gun Rights Foundation, the Firearms Policy Coalition, and the Second Amendment Foundation in this lawsuit.

About NRA-ILA:
Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the “lobbying” arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess, and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Visit: www.nra.org

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The Assembly Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety voted to advance three bills that will improve self-defense in Wisconsin. IMG NRA-ILA
U.S.A. -(AmmoLand.com)- Tuesday, the Assembly Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety voted to advance three bills that will improve self-defense in Wisconsin. They now go to the Assembly Committee on Rules for further consideration. Please contact committee members and ask them to SUPPORT Assembly Bills 498, 518, and 495.

Assembly Bill 498 lowers the minimum age to apply for a concealed carry permit from 21 years old, to 18 years old. Adults aged 18-20 are old enough to vote, serve on a jury, serve in the military, and enter into contracts. It is unreasonable for the law to discriminate against them by preventing them from exercising a fundamental right to defend themselves and their families.

Assembly Bill 518 grants universal recognition to concealed carry permits held by non-Wisconsin residents, issued by any other state. It repeals the requirement that such recognition be only for permits from states on an arbitrary list maintained by the Wisconsin Department of Justice. This reform recognizes that visitors traveling to Wisconsin should not be left defenseless simply by crossing a state line.

Assembly Bill 495 allows adults who are licensed to carry firearms to drive onto school grounds to pick-up or drop-off their students without first having to unload and store away their firearms in their vehicles. So-called “gun-free zones” simply disarm law-abiding citizens and leave them defenseless against the criminals who ignore such arbitrary boundaries.
Again, please contact committee members and ask them to SUPPORT Assembly Bills 498, 518, and 495.

About NRA-ILA:
Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the “lobbying” arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess, and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Visit: www.nra.org

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