NRA-ILA

On Wednesday, January 27, the Kansas House Committee on Federal and State Affairs is scheduled to consider permit recognition legislation
The post Kansas: Permit Recognition Legislation to be Considered on Wednesday appeared first on AmmoLand.com.

Washington State legislature is already introducing magazine and carry bans. IMG NRA-ILAU.S.A. -(AmmoLand.com)- Next week, anti-gun legislation, Senate Bill 5078 and Senate Bill 5038, are scheduled for hearings in the Senate Law and Justice Committee.  New year, same old tired attempts to further wring your right to self-defense away from you.  Please contact committee members and ask them to OPPOSE anti-gun legislation, SB 5078 and SB 5038.

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On Monday, January 25, the committee will consider Senate Bill 5078, a measure that will ban the manufacture, possession, sale, transfer, etc. of magazines that “are capable of holding” or hold more than ten rounds of ammunition.  This includes conversion kits or parts from which any such magazine may be assembled.  These so-called “high capacity” magazines are in fact standard equipment for commonly-owned firearms that many Americans legally and effectively use for an entire range of legitimate purposes, such as self-defense or competition.  Those who own non-compliant magazines prior to the ban are only allowed to possess them on their own property and in other limited instances such as at licensed shooting ranges or while hunting.  Prohibited magazines have to be transported unloaded and locked separately from firearms and stored at home locked, making them unavailable for self-defense.  Any violation of this measure is a gross misdemeanor punishable by a maximum of 364 days in jail and/or a fine of up to $5,000.

On Tuesday, January 26, Senate Bill 5038 will be considered by the Senate Law and Justice Committee. As drafted, the bill makes it a crime to openly carry, on the person or in a vehicle, a firearm or other “weapon” if the person is participating in or attending a “demonstration” in a public place. “Demonstration” is loosely defined to mean any behavior by at least one person expressing views or airing grievances that is intended to or attracts an unspecified number of onlookers (a “crowd”). The bill also prohibits openly carrying a firearm or other weapon within 1,000 feet of a demonstration in a public place after a law enforcement officer advises the person to leave.  The intent of the bill is called into question because a single person expressing their views on the sidewalk could be considered a “demonstration” under SB 5038.  Senate Bill 5038 potentially causes those who are engaging in otherwise lawful activities to become criminals because of the actions of others.

Again, please contact members of the Senate Law and Justice Committee and ask them to OPPOSE Senate Bill 5078 and Senate Bill 5038.​  If you would like to submit written or live testimony, you can do so by clicking here and selecting the Senate Law and Justice at the top, as well as the correct meeting date and bill for which you want to submit testimony.
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

Pennsylvania Game Commission to consider expanded Sunday Hunting. IMG NRA-ILAU.S.A. -(AmmoLand.com)- Coming off a successful hunting season where additional Sunday hunting opportunities were permitted in Pennsylvania for the first time, the state game commission will have a discussion about expanding Sunday hunting for the 2021 season during its upcoming January meeting.  The meeting will take place virtually, however, the public has been invited to comment.

On Saturday, January 23, the Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners will have their first meeting of the year.  In addition to setting 2021-2022 season dates and regulations, the Commission is also slated to discuss expanding Sunday hunting opportunities.

The NRA-backed Sunday hunting legislation was signed into law in November of 2019.  During the 2020 hunting season, three Sunday hunting dates were added to the season:  one during the archery deer season, one during the November bear season, and a final Sunday date during the deer rifle season. Specifically, the Commission is exploring adding game species to two of the three Sunday hunting dates this year.  Hunters would be allowed to pursue several small game species including pheasant, rabbit, grouse, and squirrel among other species.

NRA-ILA urges members to submit short statements of support for expanded Sunday hunting.  These expanded opportunities are critical to successful hunter recruitment and conservation funding.  Comments can be emailed to the commission at [email protected]
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

Vermont introduces several new gun bills to committee. IMG NRA-ILAU.S.A. -(AmmoLand.com)- While the Capitol in Montpelier is atypically quiet for January, the COVID situation has not prevented the Legislature from moving forward with their business.  Session is underway remotely.  Instead of meeting in cramped rooms under the dome, lawmakers are logging in to video conferences to discuss bills.  And although leadership had indicated weeks ago that the session would be confined to COVID-related business, there is some indication that there could be a deviation from that plan.

As a result, we have been closely monitoring all Statehouse activity for potential threats to the Second Amendment.  Vermont NRA members should be aware that a handful of gun bills have already been introduced.

S. 31 by Sen. Alison Clarkson would do several things.  In addition to creating a 72-hour waiting period, it would create a mandatory storage provision, allow family members to initiate “red flag” protection orders, and prohibit “large-capacity” ammunition magazines from being manufactured in Vermont.  This bill has been assigned to committee, however, no action has been scheduled.

S. 4 by Sen. Phil Baruth would create a 48-hour waiting period on firearm transfers.  Similar legislation was introduced in the previous session, but it failed to pass.  Like S.31, this bill has been assigned to the committee, but no hearing has been scheduled.
On Wednesday, the Senate Judiciary Committee began preliminary committee work via Zoom on another bill by Sen. Baruth, S.30.  This week’s online meeting included a “walk-thru” from legislative staff and testimony from several statewide elected officials.  This legislation would prohibit firearms at daycare facilities, hospitals, and publicly owned buildings.  Several questions and concerns were raised by committee members.  The committee will resume discussing the bill next week, and it is expected that these hearings will continue to occur over the coming weeks.
Please follow NRA-ILA alerts, as we will continue to keep members informed of any public hearing notices and votes as they are scheduled.  
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

Yesterday, Iowa’s Senate passed the Range Protection & Preemption Bill. IMG NRA-ILAU.S.A. -(AmmoLand.com)- Today the House Judiciary Committee will hear House Study Bill 9 to propose an amendment to the state Constitution affirming and recognizing the right of Iowans’ to keep and bear arms as a fundamental individual right. Please contact committee members and ask them to SUPPORT HSB 9.

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This is a multi-year, multi-session effort. In the 2019-2020 General Assembly, both chambers passed Senate Joint Resolution 18. Now, House Study Bill 9 must pass during the subsequent session, the 2021-2022 General Assembly, in order for the amendment to be put on the ballot for Iowa voters in 2022. Currently, Iowa is one of six states that do not have a right to keep and bear arms amendment in their state Constitution, including California, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, and New York.

Again, please contact committee members and ask them to SUPPORT HSB 9.

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

Trump filed an executive order to expand LEO carry rights. IMG NRA-ILAU.S.A. -(AmmoLand.com)- On January 18th, President Trump signed an “Executive Order on Protecting Law Enforcement Officers, Judges, Prosecutors, And Their Families.” The order aims to provide for more federal law enforcement officers, prosecutors, and judges to be able to carry firearms for personal protection.

The order implements several policy changes, but the primary change is “to remove any undue obstacle preventing current or retired Federal law enforcement officers from carrying a concealed firearm as allowed under the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act of 2004 (“LEOSA”).” LEOSA, also commonly referred to by its bill number H.R. 218, is a federal law that generally provides that certain current and retired law enforcement officers can carry a firearm notwithstanding certain state laws restricting the carry of firearms.

To implement this new policy, the order requires federal agencies that employ law enforcement officers to submit a report to the president regarding their implementation of the order within 30 days of the date of the order.

In addition to the LEOSA policy change, the order also implements a change in policy for carrying rights for federal prosecutors. Under current law, some prosecutors have been made special Deputy United States Marshals. The order requires the attorney general to create a new regulation to provide a clear policy for the process of making prosecutors special deputies.
The final change the order makes requires the attorney general to submit legislation to expand upon the existing protections of LEOSA.
With President Biden taking office only a few days after the signing of this new order, it’s not clear how the new administration will implement the order. Biden was a member of the Senate when H.R. 218 passed with unanimous consent. However, he has since become increasingly hostile to any Americans exercising their right to bear arms. Without presidential action, the affected agencies must comply with the order.
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

Virginia has provided a stark example of how gun control is aimed at harassing law-abiding gun owners. IMG NRA-ILA
U.S.A. -(AmmoLand.com)- Virginia has provided a stark example of how gun control is aimed at harassing law-abiding gun owners rather than improving public safety.

As part of Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam and the General Assembly’s sweeping attack on gun rights in 2020, anti-gun lawmakers enacted legislation that made it more difficult for gun owners to obtain the required training for a Right-to-Carry permit.

Prior to January 1, applicants had been able to prove their competence with a handgun by providing proof of “Completing any firearms training or safety course or class, including an electronic, video, or online course, conducted by a state-certified or National Rifle Association-certified firearms instructor.” HB 264, signed into law by Gov. Northam on March 23, removed the electronic, video, or online course options and required a qualifying firearm training or safety course to take place in-person.

Such legislation is always aimed at inconveniencing gun owners rather than improving public safety. In his book More Guns, Less Crime, Economist John Lott noted that “the presence or length of the training periods typically show no effect on crime…” and “there is no doubt that longer training requirements discourage some people from getting permits.”

However, this legislation is particularly galling given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the government’s response to it. Just as the state government is encouraging Virginians to social distance, including distance learning, it has cut off a vital distance learning tool for gun owners. The problem has been exacerbated by Northam’s onerous COVID-19 restrictions on indoor shooting ranges.
Northam signed HB 264 11 days after declaring a state of emergency in response to COVID-19. At that same time, Northam took measures to protect the state’s workforce by banning state employee travel.

Further, the governor directed the state Secretary of Administration “to implement a phased transition to teleworking for state employees” and directed state agencies “to limit in-person meetings and non-essential, work-related gatherings.”

According to Northam, the work of the state government is capable of being done remotely, but remote learning for firearms owners is unacceptable.
Virginia’s premier state educational institutions were quick to shift to distance learning at the outset of the pandemic. For instance, on March 11 the University of Virginia announced that it would be moving all courses online – 12 days before Northam’s attack on gun owner online learning. The state appears to be so comfortable with the adequacy of distance learning that it has determined it should not stand in the way of someone securing a terminal degree from the second oldest college in America. On March 30, the College of William & Mary announced that it would require all Ph.D. dissertations to be defended remotely.
Despite the protestations of many parents, distance learning has been deemed adequate for the children of Virginia’s largest county. As of January 15, 2021, the Fairfax County Public Schools website stated, “Students will receive virtual instruction 5 days per week. The week will include 4 days of live, face-to-face online instruction with teachers Tuesday through Friday.” Fairfax County plans to keep the virtual model in place at least until February 2.
In order to promote distancing in response to COVID-19, the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles has even waived certain training requirements for Class B commercial driver’s licenses.
To their credit, the Virginia Senate attempted to temporarily resolve the online carry injustice in August. The Senate unanimously passed SB 5041, which would have delayed the in-person training requirement until July 1, 2021. The House of Delegates failed to pass the measure.
Gun owners across the country should take note of the flagrant double-standard at work in Virginia. The state’s eager embrace of distanced work and learning for all but firearms training reveals that HB 264 was never about the inadequacy of remote firearms education, but rather just a convenient means to attack gun owners.

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

Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) finalized an NRA-supported rule to end politically-motivated discrimination. IMG NRA-ILAU.S.A. -(AmmoLand.com)- On January 14, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) finalized an NRA-supported rule to end politically-motivated discrimination in the provision of financial services. The new regulation is now set to take effect on April 1.

As we reported last month, the rule follows a long pattern of banks refusing or curtailing service to lawful industries that have been targeted by political activists in and outside of the government. These have included businesses in the firearm and ammunition sectors.

Banks have tried to justify these actions against viable, financially-sound customers on the basis of “reputation risk.” That is, even though the customers’ own financial houses are in good order, the bank insists it could suffer possible adverse consequences by transacting with them from angering those who oppose the customer’s products or activities.

Taken to its logical extreme, however, this means that the only businesses allowed to operate in the private sector would be those deemed acceptable by the social grievance lobby, which continually expands its targets and its demands. This small, vocal minority – whose members disproportionately come from elites in technology, media, entertainment, and academia – does not necessarily represent the will of the free market generally or of the body politic.
Nearly 7,000 comments were submitted in response to the rulemaking, including many by financially-sound firearm-related businesses that nevertheless have had difficulty finding or maintaining banking relationships.

The NRA submitted its own comment to the rulemaking, noting, “Some of the most shameful episodes in our nation’s history have arisen from the systematic exclusion of certain American citizens from participation in the financial markets.” It wasn’t just the ends sought by these tactics that were illegitimate and immoral, the comment argued, but the tactics themselves.

The NRA’s comment also detailed how Second Amendment related businesses were specifically targeted by the Obama/Biden administration under Operation Choke Point, a government program that pressured banks to drop or curtail businesses with disfavored industries.
Once that wrongdoing was brought to light and discontinued, however, private activists put their own pressure on banks, insisting that they drop gun-related businesses or establish “best practices” for gun industry customers that mirror the terms of longstanding but unsuccessful gun control proposals.
The comment additionally made the point that the handful of large national banks that would be affected by the rule enjoy considerable government subsidies and protections that limit the ability of new competitors to enter the market and challenge the dominance of the existing banks. These included, of course, massive taxpayer-funded bailouts following the financial crisis of 2008.
The NRA’s comment further explained that activists would not lose their voices under the rule and could continue to advocate for whatever positions they support through other means, including through the legislatures and courts, which feature more deliberative and constitutionally-answerable procedures.
The finalized rule keeps intact the provisions most relevant to discrimination against Second Amendment related companies. In particular, it would require covered banks to provide fair access to all the products they offer to law-abiding customers who are able to satisfy predetermined “quantitative, impartial risk-based standards.” It would also prohibit the banks from coordinating with others to “deny … any person a financial service the covered bank offers.”
The new rule comes at a time when a variety of private institutions are making sweeping decisions to limit transactions with industries or even lone individuals that have incurred the wrath of political activists.

The OCC rulemaking draws a hard line at the use of financial exile as a political maneuver. Any American who believes in the basic principles of fairness and non-discrimination should welcome it.
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

Montana’s Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to consider permitless carry laws today. IMG NRA-ILAU.S.A. -(AmmoLand.com)- Today, the Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to consider Permitless Carry Legislation, House Bill 102.  Please contact committee members and ask that they SUPPORT House Bill 102.

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House Bill 102 will strengthen Montana’s self-defense laws by allowing law-abiding Montana gun owners to carry a firearm for self-defense throughout the state without first having to obtain a government-mandated permit to do so.  Further, this bill will remove some of Montana’s “gun-free zones” from the list of prohibited places and stop the unnecessary disarming of Montanans as they go about their day-to-day lives.

Again, it is important that you please contact members of the Senate Judiciary Committee and ask them to SUPPORT House Bill 102.

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