Montana Attorney General Knudsen Leads 18-State Effort Calling On UPS And FedEx To Clarify Gun-Purchase Tracking Polices
Seventeen state Attorneys General joined Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen today in asking major shipping companies to clarify new policies that allow them to track firearm sales with unprecedented specificity and bypass warrant requirements to share that information with federal agencies.
Reports from Montana federal firearm license (FFL) holders made to Attorney General Knudsen’s office indicate that UPS and FedEx are now burdening them by requiring them to ship separately and track firearms, firearms parts, and firearm products so gun purchases can be tracked and retain documents about what specific items those shipments contain and make that information available to the companies upon request.
Knudsen and the coalition of attorneys general sent letters on November 29, 2022 to leadership at both companies requesting additional information on their new policies and the possibility that the effort was coordinated in part with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
“These demands, in tandem, allow [UPS/FedEx] to create a database of American gun purchasers and determine exactly what items they purchased… In doing so you, perhaps inadvertently, give federal agencies a workaround to normal warrant requirements. This allows [UPS/FedEx] to provide information at will or upon request to federal agencies—information detailing which Americans are buying what guns,” Attorney General Knudsen’s letters state. “Additionally, we recommend that you consider taking actions to limit potential liability moving forward, including the immediate cessation of any existing warrantless information sharing with federal agencies about gun shipments.”
In addition to requesting updated FFL-related shipping policies from the two companies, Attorney General Knudsen asked them to clarify the following:
Did UPS/FedEx enact these policies with the goal of information sharing with the ATF or any other federal agency;
Did UPS/FedEx enact these policies at the request of officials in ATF, a different federal agency, or on its own initiative;
If UPS/FedEx implemented these policies at the request of a federal agency, please identify that agency, the officials who made that request, the nature of that communication, and any legal authorization cited by those officials;
If UPS/FedEx changed its policies on its own initiative, please explain why it made those changes;
Did UPS/FedEx communicate or coordinate with each other in making these changes;
Did ATF or other federal agency employees help draft the updated shipping agreements?
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen led the effort. In addition, Attorneys General from Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming signed one or both letters.
Today, November 8, 2022, is election day. Control of Congress is at stake, and many state Governorships are being decided. With oppressive inflation and record illegal immigration, the nation is at a crossroads. This is a very important juncture in our nation’s history. In many respects the future of individual American freedoms and the Second Amendment will turn on the results of this election. YOUR VOTE COUNTS.
If you have not already voted — either by mail or via early in-person voting, VOTE today.
— If you are set to vote in-person, drive to the polling place and VOTE.
— If you have a vote-by-mail ballot, be sure to fill it out, verify it (as required) and take it to the Post Office or official ballot pick-up location in your area.
There are many tight races in the nation — the Senate races in Pennsylvania and Georgia as examples. In many states, a few thousand votes could decide the outcomes. So your vote CAN make a difference.
Who Should You Vote For?
Every American should vote for the candidates he or she believes are best qualified to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate, and state legislatures. In making that decision, VOTE for POLICIES not personalities. Who supports the Constitution? Who will defend the southern border? Who supports the Second Amendment? Who supports religious freedom? Who supports U.S. energy independence and lower fuel costs? Who supports the rights of parents of school kids? Who supports lower taxes? Who opposes the weaponization of the FBI and DHS?
Let Your Voice Be Heard — VOTE TODAY.
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Last week, it was reported that the Biden administration seeks to limit the sales of Lake City-produced ammunition. Specifically, Biden’s team intends to prohibit commercial (public) sales of 5.56x45mm NATO ammo produced at the Lake City Ammunition Plant in Missouri. The move could result in a reduction of the commercial production of 5.56×45 (.223 Rem) caliber ammunition by over 30 percent (30%).
The sales restriction would dramatically reduce availability of ammunition for America’s most popular centerfire rifle caliber, and the ammo most commonly used in AR-15 platform rifles. This could result in a significantly increased cost for all centerfire .223 Rem and 5.56×45 ammunition, because overall supply would be drastically reduced.
Lake City-produced ammo, which exceeds the U.S. government’s requirements, has long been made available to the private commercial market. Lake City’s output, according to some estimates, accounts for one-third of the 5.56×45 ammunition available to U.S. consumers.
News of the move was broken by Larry Keane, NSSF Senior V.P. and General Counsel. This past week, Keane published a tweet, which stated: “The U.S. Military is actively considering shutting down the sale [of] M855/SS109 ammo from Lake City to the commercial market”.
Lake City Ammunition Plant Produces over 1 Billion Rounds Annually
Lake City is a sprawling ammunition plant in Independence, Missouri, originally established by Remington in 1941 to manufacture and test ammunition for the U.S. Army. It is currently owned by the government and operated by private contractors and produces well over a billion rounds of ammunition per year.
Commentary about the Potential Ammunition Sales Restrictions:
The Truth about Guns Blog commented: “The motivation here is obvious. The Biden administration is attempting to further spike the price of ammunition, squeezing the owners of America’s favorite rifles — the scary black ones that the president assures us are only good for killing people and taking down Kevlar vest-wearing deer. The hapless Biden administration [is] trying to make shooting most AR-15 rifles as expensive as possible for Americans who own between 20 and 25 million AR-platform guns.
The NRA-ILA states: “Gun prohibition advocates have a long-standing desire to ban the AR-15 and other types of semiautomatic long guns outright. Joe Biden in particular loves to brag of authoring the so-called ‘assault weapons’ ban that Bill Clinton signed into law in 1994. Congress, however, allowed the ban to expire 10 years later, after a Department of Justice-sponsored study was unable to substantiate any significant crime reduction benefit from it.
Close followers of Second Amendment issues will remember that these same [5.56×45] rounds were targeted by the Obama/Biden administration under the guise of relabeling them ‘armor piercing ammunition’, which is banned from commercial sale by federal law. The resulting … furor from the Second Amendment community was so intense that it culminated in Obama’s ATF director, B. Todd Jones, quitting his job.”
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In many respects the future of individual American freedoms and the Second Amendment will turn on the results of this election. YOUR VOTE COUNTS.
If you have not already voted — either by mail or via early in-person voting, VOTE today.
— If you are set to vote in-person, drive to the polling place and VOTE.
— If you have a vote-by-mail ballot, be sure to fill it out, verify it (as required) and take it to the Post Office or official ballot pick-up location in your area.
Who Should You Vote For?
Every American should vote for the candidate he or she believes is best qualified to run the nation for the next four years. In making that decision, VOTE for POLICIES not Personalities. Who supports the Constitution? Who supports the Second Amendment? Who supports Religious Freedom? Who supports hard-working small-business owners? Who supports Lower Taxes? Who supports vital U.S.-based industries? Who stands against Antifa agitators who want to burn our cities down?
This is a very important juncture in our nation’s history.
Let your voice be heard — VOTE today.
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Election Day is just 52 days away. On November 3, 2020, Americans will head to the polls. For gun owners, this may be the most significant Presidential election in a generation. The Democratic Party, as stated in the DNC platform and Democrat-sponsored Bills now in Congress, intends to severely restrict gun rights, require a federal license for gun ownership, ban online ammo sales, and ban whole classes of firearms.
Nearly 5 million Americans are first-time gun buyers. We hope they, along with ALL gun owners, will vote on November 3rd, and remember which candidates support the Second Amendment. As the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) states: “Current events across the United States demonstrate why the Founding Fathers 230 years ago had the foresight to recognize why the right to keep and bear arms would still be vital today.”
Target shooters, hunters, and gun owners must work together to defend their Constitutional rights. On Election Day 2020, vote to protect America’s firearms freedoms: #GUNVOTE.
Hornady Contributes $500,000 to 2020 #GUNVOTE Effort
#GUNVOTE is a vital NSSF campaign to encourage America’s gun owners to register to vote and vote for candidates who support the Second Amendment and gun rights. Go to Action.gunvote.org to learn how to register to vote in your state, and find your polling place.
Hornady Manufacturing, maker of ammunition, tools, and reloading components, has contributed $500,000 to the NSSF’s #GUNVOTE voter registration and education campaign.
“A historic number of Americans have jumped off the fence to purchase firearms so far this year, and it’s critical for gun owners old and new to be educated and vote in November,” said Steve Hornady, President of Hornady Manufacturing. “The Second Amendment has never faced a threat like it does today. It is crystal clear why our right to keep and bear arms is now more important than ever. Making this contribution to NSSF’s #GUNVOTE campaign will ensure the firearm and ammunition industry has the resources needed to educate gun owners, target shooters and hunters about what is at stake in this election. Hornady Manufacturing is proud to support this critical voter registration, education and mobilization campaign.”
SIG Sauer Contributes $250,000 to 2020 #GUNVOTE Effort
SIG Sauer, a world-leading firearms maker, has contributed $250,000 to NSSF’s #GUNVOTE voter registration and education campaign. This campaign seeks ensure that America’s gun owners exercise their right to vote so they can protect the Second Amendment.
“SIG Sauer believes it is imperative for all gun owners to be registered to vote and to know where the candidates at all levels of government stand on the Second Amendment so that on election day they can make informed choices to protect their rights”, said SIG Sauer CEO Ron Cohen. “Our contribution to the #GUNVOTE campaign represents SIG Sauer’s wholehearted belief in the NSSF #GUNVOTE effort”.
With the Presidential election looming, the stakes have never been higher. Joe Biden and his VP candidate Kamala Harris have pledged to enact new laws that could result in rifle confiscation, criminalization of private sales, and banning of online guns and ammo purchases. In addition, Biden and Harris have called for new gun taxes, while Harris has advocated banning guns by Executive Action — rule by fiat, bypassing the legislative process.
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Election Day is just 61 days away. On November 3, 2020, Americans will head to the polls. For gun owners, this may be the most significant Presidential election in a generation. The Democratic Party, as stated in the DNC platform, intends to severely restrict gun rights, and ban whole classes of firearms.
Nearly 5 million Americans are first-time gun buyers. We hope they, along with ALL gun owners, will vote on November 3rd, and remember which candidates support the Second Amendment. As the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) states: “Current events across the United States demonstrate why the Founding Fathers 230 years ago had the foresight to recognize why the right to keep and bear arms would still be vital today.”
Smith & Wesson Contributes $500,000 to 2020 Gunvote Effort
#GUNVOTE is a vital NSSF campaign to encourage America’s gun owners to register to vote and vote for candidates who support the Second Amendment and gun rights. Go to Action.gunvote.org to learn how to register to vote in your state, and find your polling place.
Firearm manufacturer Smith & Wesson has contributed $500,000 to the NSSF’s #GUNVOTE® voter registration and education campaign. This is the largest donation the campaign has received to date.
“This election cycle marks a crossroads in the future of the firearms industry and of our very freedom to bear arms,” said Mark Smith, President and CEO of Smith & Wesson. “We must ensure the Second Amendment is protected at every level. It is critical that hunters, recreational target shooters, and all those seeking to exercise their constitutional right to protect themselves and their families be educated and vote in November. [Voters’] choices at the polls will impact the future of all Americans’ free exercise of their constitutional rights.”
Six Companies Will Match NRA-ILA Donations Dollar-for-Dollar
The NRA-ILA has joined forces with with six companies that have pledged to match $1 million in donations made to NRA-ILA through November 15, 2020. The six participating companies are: SIG SAUER, Kel-Tec, Credova, Rock Island Auction Company, Taurus, and Davidson’s Gallery of Guns. If you make a donation to the NRA-ILA, your donation will be matched, dollar-for-dollar, by these six companies. If you give $50, they give $50. If you give $100, they give $100. The maximum matching is $1,000,000.
“These patriotic businesses are pledging vital resources to support and defend the Second Amendment because they understand that our right to own a gun in defense of ourselves and our families is on the ballot in November. By working together with such partners, our membership intends to defeat those … trying to strip our rights away”, said Jason Ouimet, executive director, NRA-ILA.
Through this Partners for Patriotism campaign, anyone who makes a donation to NRA-ILA between now and 11/15/2020 will have their donation matched. Folks can make donations of any size — whatever they can spare. Whatever individuals donate will automatically be doubled by the six participating companies.
With the Presidential election looming, the stakes have never been higher. Joe Biden and his VP candidate Kamala Harris have pledged to enact new laws that could result in rifle confiscation, criminalization of private sales, and banning of online guns and ammo purchases. In addition, Biden and Harris have called for new gun taxes, while Harris has advocated banning guns by Executive Action — rule by fiat, bypassing the legislative process.
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Who Should You Vote For?
