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.
Share the post "VOTE! Today is Election Day — Let Your Voice Be Heard"
NOTE: The above image (with time count-down) was captured Wednesday morning 11/2/22. But the clock is ticking. CLICK HERE for the current time remaining. Register now, and be sure to vote in this election.
Get out and vote people. It’s not too late to register to vote in many states — you can do so in person or remotely. It’s absolutely vital that all Americans who believe in the Second Amendment and personal freedom vote in this November election. The Biden administration is pushing for further restrictive gun control measures, and Blue State politicians wish to restrict CCW, limit your gun purchases, and ban many types of guns outright. For example, Ballot Measure 114 in Oregon would create a published, searchable database of gun members and require a special state permit to buy or sell a firearm.
The forces against freedom are relentless, and they will not be satisfied until gun rights are gone. Just look at what is happening in Canada. Prime Minister Trudeau recently imposed a complete ban on sale, transfer, and importation of handguns. Don’t want that to happen here in America? Then get out and VOTE.
The Gunvote.org site has helpful links that provide information on registration and voting in all 50 states. Use that site to find out WHERE and WHEN you can vote in your jurisdiction. Now more than ever it is vital for ALL American gun owners to make their voices heard.
REGISTER and VOTE People — DO IT!
The last day to vote in most states will be Tuesday, November 8, 2022.
Share the post "Vote in the Election — Make Your Voice Heard & Protect 2A Rights"
By a 217-213 vote, the U.S. House of Representatives narrowly passed a bill that would ban mag-fed semi-automatic rifles for the first time since 2004, with two Republicans voting for the measure and five Democrats voting against it. This article features the NSSF’s response to this new legislation, which would ban sales of AR-type rifles and some pistols.
NSSF Denounces Unconstitutional Gun Ban Passed by U.S. House of Representatives
NSSF, the firearm industry trade association, condemns the U.S. House of Representatives’ passage of H.R. 1808, the “Assault Weapons Ban of 2022″, as amended. The legislation ignores the Constitutional right, upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court, for law-abiding Americans to keep and bear arms that are in common use. NSSF estimates that there are over 24.4 million Modern Sporting Rifles (MSRs) in circulation in America between 1990 and 2020.
“This legislation is as dangerous as it is revealing of the contempt for which the House Democrats hold for the Constitution and the U.S. Supreme Court”, said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF’s Senior Vice President and General Counsel. “Chairman Jerrold Nadler admitted during debate in his committee that he didn’t care the legislation was unconstitutional and defied Supreme Court precedent. Democratic representatives are not fulfilling the interest of ‘the People,’ instead representing special-interest gun control groups that seek to disarm law-abiding citizens and scapegoat them for crimes committed by others.”
The MSR remains the most-popular selling centerfire semiautomatic rifle in the United States today. There are more MSRs in circulation today than there are Ford F-Series trucks on the road. The Supreme Court upheld that commonly-owned firearms are lawful for private ownership in both the Heller and Bruen rulings. Banning of an entire class of semiautomatic firearms can be viewed as nothing short of an outright infringement of Second Amendment rights — rights which belong to the people and not the government. This legislation, however, also includes some semiautomatic shotguns and handguns.
This legislation does nothing to improve public safety, as it doesn’t address criminals acting without regard for law or innocent life. Instead, it will put the lives of those who obey the law at greater risk by denying them an entire class of firearms that are used for home defense.
The previous 1994 Assault Weapons Ban proved to be ineffective at reducing crime. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) concluded the “assault weapons ban” did not result in crime reduction. (See Analysis).
The FBI’s Uniform Crime Report shows more murders were committed by individuals using knives, fists and clubs than by those using any rifle – not just MSRs like AR-15s.
Share the post "House of Representatives Votes to Ban Modern Sporting Rifles"
Marlin 1895 Background image from Sportsmans Arms, Petaluma, CA.
Are the days of private gun sales numbered nationwide? Democrats in the U.S. House of Representative have introduced an extreme gun control measure, H.R. 8, that would regulate all private gun sales, circumventing state laws covering gun rights. American Military News reports: “A new bill restricting private gun sales is expected to move to the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives this week for a vote. The bill, H.R. 8, was introduced by [House] Democrats. H.R. 8 plans to stop Americans from conducting private gun sales as they have been since 1791. Instead, they will be required to conduct background checks on prospective buyers before they can sell their own property. The House Judiciary Panel is expected to send the bill to the floor for a vote on Feb. 13.”
Background Checks Would Be Required Nationwide for ALL Private Party Gun Sales
This new legislation would essentially require that ALL gun sales, even between private parties, be subject to Federal NICS background checks.* On the surface, this seems to have some appeal, but there is little convincing evidence that such legislation will produce a meaningful reduction in gun violence. Why? Criminals obtain guns illegally (though theft and the black market), and nearly all the mass shooters in recent years have used weapons that were obtained legally, AFTER the perpetrators had passed normal FBI background checks.
Despite these facts, supporters of H.R. 8, say it is time to outlaw private gun sales. Rep. Henry C. Johnson (Democrat, Georgia) claimed: “Because background checks are not required for sales by unlicensed gun dealers, guns end up in the hands of dangerous people. The failure of Congress to pass universal background check legislation has eroded our sense of safety on the streets, in our schools, and even in our places of worship.”
Conversely, gun rights supporters state that H.R. 8 will NOT have the desired effects. Rep. Doug Collins (Republican, Georgia) stated: “I appreciate the efforts of those who want H.R. 8 and many who have signed on, but similar gun control measures would not have prevented Columbine, San Bernardino, Charleston, or other tragedies. You go to the Bureau of Prisons, when they put out their statistics, most criminals — as you well know — do not get their guns from legal sources.”
* Some states, such as California, already require background checks, made through an FFL, for private-party transfers. But in many other states, a private party can still sell a firearm to another private party, provided there is compliance with applicable state and local laws.
Share the post "Universal Background Check Legislation Introduced in Congress"
Last week, lame duck U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) revived her crusade to ban semi-automatic rifles along with all magazines holding more than ten (10) rounds. Feinstein’s new legislation, the “Assault Weapons Ban of 2019″, would ban “the sale, manufacture, transfer and importation of 205 military-style assault weapons by name.” Also included would be certain firearms that accept “a detachable ammunition magazine and [have] one or more military characteristics including a pistol grip, a forward grip, a barrel shroud, a threaded barrel or a folding or telescoping stock.” The federal legislation would also outlaw a variety of adjustable stocks plus stabilizing braces for pistols. Magazines would be banned if they “hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition”.
Feinstein and lead co-sponsors Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) say their legislation is needed to end mass shootings and “rid the streets” of “military grade weaponry”.
However, it is unclear that this sweeping gun ban would have any significant effects, other than restricting the rights of law-abiding gun owners. According to the NRA-ILA: “The firearms the bill targets are … the most popular class of centerfire rifles in America, with some 16 million having entered then stream of commerce in the U.S. since the previous national ban expired in 2004. Law-abiding Americans use them for every type of lawful purpose, including personal and home defense, hunting, marksmanship competitions, and recreational target practice.”
Semi-Auto Rifles Are Rarely Used in Crimes
The NRA-ILA states: “While law-abiding Americans have adopted semiautomatic rifles in droves, they are not the firearm of choice for violent criminals. Year after year, the FBI’s statistics tell a consistent story: rifles of any sort are used less often as a murder weapon than other types of common firearms, as well as knives and cutting instruments, clubs and other blunt objects, and even hands, fists, and feet. Feinstein’s bill would ban firearms that are actually under-represented in nationwide violent crime trends.
The NSSF Opposes Sen. Feinstein’s Latest Gun Control Bill:
The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the trade association for the firearms and ammunition, today announced that it opposes the Assault Weapons Ban of 2019 introduced in the U.S. Senate[.]
The legislation introduced by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, like earlier versions, relies on wrongfully defining commonly-owned semi-automatic rifles based on certain cosmetic features. The new version of this legislation, however, expands ways to ban the most-popular center-fire rifle in America. Since the original Assault Weapons Ban expired in 2004, more than 16 million of these rifles have been legally purchased for lawful purposes.
“It is disappointing to see politicians continue to pursue a failed policy agenda that has proven ineffective in improving public safety and will deny law-abiding citizens their Constitutional right,” said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF Senior Vice President of Government and Public Affairs and General Counsel. “Despite what proponents may say, the record shows that Sen. Feinstein’s original 1994 Federal Assault Weapons Ban had no demonstrable impact on reducing crime and this one would be equally ineffective.”
Since the original ban, firearms ownership has increased while the criminal misuse of firearms has steadily dropped. FBI crime statistics demonstrate there is no justification for banning modern sporting rifles. Senator Feinstein continues to mislead the American public by demonizing semi-automatic rifles based on external, cosmetic features that have no bearing on the function of a firearm[.]
Share the post "New “Assault Weapons” Ban Introduced in Congress"
Today is election day. Make sure you get out and vote. Let your voice be heard. These are challenging times for firearms owners. There are many groups and politicians in this country who want to ban all handguns, ban all semi-automatic rifles, and yes, even repeal the Second Amendment. If you believe in the Constitution, believe in the Second Amendment, it is vital that you get to the polls and cast your vote.
There are many other important issues at stake in this election — control of Congress, infrastructure spending, foreign policy, immigration policy, Federal Lands policies, and that’s just on the national level. State and local elections are important too. So be an involved citizen and exercise your right to vote.
Your Vote Is Your Voice
The NRA Institute for Legislative Action states: “Our Second Amendment rights are being threatened by the anti-gun forces like never before. If you have been following the news, more than likely you have seen the fervor with which our opponents are pushing their agenda.
We need America’s Second Amendment supporters to speak out by using their vote on Election Day to reject this anti-freedom agenda and elect lawmakers to office who support the Second Amendment.”
Share the post "Vote This Election Day — Let Your Voice Be Heard"
Report by NRA Institute for Legislative Action
On July 14, 2017, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 2810, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2018. Included in the bill is a provision that would make U.S. Army surplus model 1911 .45 ACP pistols available to the American public through the Civilian Marksmanship program (CMP).*
In November of 2015, then-President Obama signed the NDAA for Fiscal year 2016 into law with language that authorized the Secretary of Defense to transfer 1911s no longer in service to the CMP for public sale. That language made the transfers subject to the Secretary’s discretion and capped them at 10,000 per year. Unsurprisingly, no actual transfers were made under the program while Obama remained in the White House.
This year’s language, however, would effectively make the transfers mandatory and would remove the yearly cap. Currently, the military has some 100,000 excess 1911s sitting in storage at taxpayer expense. The CMP’s sales of 1911s would be treated as other retail sales under the federal Gun Control Act, including the attendant background checks and point of sale record keeping.
TAKE ACTION TODAY
If you would like to see 1911 sales return to the CMP, please contact your U.S. Senators and Representative and urge them to keep the House language on this matter intact in the final bill they send to the president. You can contact Senators and Representative at 202-225-3121.
* Upon completion of the Senate NDAA, the House and Senate will convene a conference committee to resolve the differences in their bills. Please urge your representatives to retain the House language regarding the 1911s in the final bill.
Share the post "Army Model 1911 Pistols for CMP? Report from Congress"
Thunder Beast Arms suppressors are popular with tactical competitors and hunters.
Hopefully, in the near future, it will be much easier to purchase a suppressor for your firearm. Legislative efforts to reform the laws governing suppressors are moving forward in the U.S. Congress.
On January 9, 2017, Congressman Jeff Duncan (R-SC), co-chair of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus (CSC), introduced H.R. 367 to remove suppressors from National Firearms Act control and treat them the same as long guns, replacing the outdated federal transfer process with a NICS background check. The measure picked up 42 Republican co-sponsors and one Democrat co-sponsor. Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) introducted the similar Hearing Protection Act of 2017 (S. 59) in the U.S. Senate.
The new silencer reform legislation has a key backer — Donald Trump, Jr., the President’s son. “It’s about safety. It’s a health issue, frankly.” Trump Jr. explains in a video interview with Joshua Waldron, the founder of SilencerCo.
Donald Trump Jr. Talks about Suppressors and Shooting Safety
Donald Trump Jr. Talks about Suppressors
“I’ve had the privilege of being able to hunt in Europe, where some of the strictest gun laws in the world exist. Guess what… virtually every hunting gun there is suppressed. It’s about safety. If you had that kind of noise levels in any other industry as you would in shooting sports, OSHA would be all over the place. It’s about safety.” Trump Jr. said the current U.S. suppressor laws are “arbitrary policies by people who don’t know what they’re talking about.” He says it’s time the U.S. follow the lead of European nations, and adopt sensible suppressor policies, “because if Europe can do it, American better well be able to do it.”
NSSF Supports Hearing Safety Act
The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) supports efforts to make silencers/suppressors easier to purchase. “This legislation will enable gun owners to have better access to hearing protection products and improve safety for the shooting sports by removing extensive wait times for burdensome paperwork processing that does not advance public safety,” said Lawrence Keane, NSSF senior VP and general counsel.
“Anyone who has ever worried about hearing loss from shooting might want to lend their ears to this cause” said Emily Taylor, an attorney at the Houston law firm of Walker & Byington.
Current law imposes signficant barriers to suppressor ownership, Taylor explained: “Currently, the manufacture, purchase, and possession of firearm silencers are regulated by the ATF and must comply with the requirements laid out in the National Firearms Act (NFA). Anyone who wants a firearm suppressor must first get approval from the ATF and pay the required tax. An extended waiting period comes along with the time it takes the ATF to process these requests.”
“The Hearing Protection Act seeks to amend the law so that firearm silencers are treated the same way as long guns,” Taylor added. “The bill would make it so that there is no longer a tax associated with the transfer of a firearm silencer, and anyone who pays a tax on a silencer after October 22, 2015 could receive a refund of such tax. Lastly, the bill would preempt certain state laws that tried to impose taxes or registration requirements on firearm silencers.”
H.R. 788 will help States build and maintain shooting ranges with Federal funding assistance.
Federal Legislation has been introduced that will help build and maintain shooting ranges. H.R. 788, the Target and Marksmanship Training Support Act of 2017, was introduced in Congress by Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) and a bipartisan group of 23 co-sponsors. The provisions of H.R. 788 will help States fund public shooting ranges with Federal Firearms Excise tax revenues.
“This legislation [H.R. 788] would provide state fish and game agencies more flexibility to use Pittman Robertson excise taxes dollars raised from the sale of firearms and ammunition to enhance existing public shooting ranges and to build new ones to meet the growing need for additional places for target shooters to participate in their sport,” said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF Senior V.P. and General Counsel. “Public shooting ranges provide hunters a place to sight-in rifles and shotguns before hunting seasons, for people to take firearm safety and hunter education courses, and for recreational target shooters to enjoy their sport.”
Since 1937 almost $11 billion has been raised for wildlife conservation through the Pittman-Robertson excise tax on the sale of firearms and ammunition. States are permitted to use some of those funds for hunter education courses and for public shooting ranges under a restrictive formula that has largely discouraged state agencies from building and enhancing public shooting ranges. H.R. 788 will help states use Pittman Robertson revenues by increasing the limit on Federal funding of shooting ranges from 75 to 90 percent. This means states could begin work on range facilities with 10 percent State-supplied funding, instead of the current 25 percent. It would also allow Federal Excise funds to be made available and accrue for five years for land acquisition or range construction.
In addition, the legislation would limit frivolous lawsuits arising from the use of Federal land for target practice and encourage Federal agencies to cooperate with state and local authorities for maintenance of ranges on federal lands.
Story by NRAHuntersRights.org and NRAblog.com
Shown above is the Belfast Wildlife Area rifle range in Kindards, SC. Belfast was the first public, unmanned shooting range opened and paid for completely with funds raised by NRA Grants and the Wildlife and Sportfish Restoration Program … an act made possible through Pittman-Robertson grants. Several other state Natural Resource Departments have followed suit.
Legislative History: The Target and Marksmanship Training Support Act was previously introduced as H.R. 2406, the SHARE Act (Title II), and the Bipartisan Sportsmen’s Act in the last Congress, as well as a stand-alone bill H.R. 2463 in the 113th Congress.
Photo Credit: Top photo shows Mainville Sportsman Club (PA) and Union Co. Sportmen’s Club (PA), both sites of IBS Matches.
Share the post "New Legislation Could Help States Use Fed Money for Gun Ranges"
The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) hailed the recent bipartisan introduction of the Export Control Reform Act of 2016 in the U.S. House of Representatives, H.R. 6176, as well as the companion Senate bill, S. 3405, and called on Congress to pass this important legislation.
“The Export Control Reform Act of 2016 seeks to complete what the Obama administration itself began by transferring the export licensing and enforcement oversight of sporting and commercial firearms to the Commerce Department from the State Department,” said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF senior vice president and general counsel. “We would especially like to thank the sponsors: House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.); Congressmen Henry Cuellar (D-Texas); Tom Marino (R-Penn.); Gene Green (D-Texas); and Steve Stivers (R-Ohio) for their timely bipartisan leadership as well as Senator Steve Daines (R-Mont.) for sponsoring a companion bill in the Senate.”
In August 2009, with the support of the business community including NSS, the Obama administration launched the Export Control Reform (ECR) Initiative. The Initiative’s purpose is to both improve America’s global competitiveness by reducing unnecessary restrictions on exports of commercial items and enhance national security by focusing the State Department’s attention and resources on guarding truly sensitive defense items and technologies. As former Defense Secretary Robert Gates once said, the ECR Initiative’s purpose is “to build a higher fence around a smaller yard.”
The administration has transferred, or is in the process of transferring, to Commerce from State, export licensing responsibility for virtually all commercial, non-military items. The only remaining items yet to be transferred are sporting and commercial firearms and related products. While we have patiently waited for the administration to make ECR progress on our products, small manufacturers, component parts suppliers, distributors, and exporters in our industry, and even gunsmiths and individuals, have to continue to comply with unnecessary regulations and to pay an annual minimum registration fee of $2,250, regardless of whether they actually export. Under the State Department’s Cold-war era export licensing regime, American companies are unable to compete globally on a level playing field.
“Because the administration has not moved forward in a timely manner to complete its own ECR Initiative, it is now time for Congress to move forward with legislation complete the ECR and reduce unneeded and burdensome regulations while improving our global competitiveness, create American jobs and enhance national security,” Keane said. [Editor’s Note: One goal of the ECR initiative is to reduce the burden of ITAR compliance for gunsmiths who do not export any products. SEE ITAR Registration Requirements Report.]
Share the post "Export Control Reform Act Could Benefit Firearms Industry"
The U.S. House of Representatives. in a decisive 242-161 vote last week. passed H.R. 2406, the Sportsmen’s Heritage and Recreational Enhancement (SHARE) Act. Because the SHARE Act is the most important pro-sportsmen and pro-hunting legislation in a generation, this legislation was a top priority for the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF). Twelve Democrats joined the Republican majority to ensure passage. Only four Republicans voted against the SHARE Act. All attempts to amend the legislation with unfavorable provisions were defeated. Favorable amendments were passed. Read the NSSF press release.
Safeguarding Social Security Beneficiaries’ Second Amendment Rights
Nineteen members of the U.S. House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee have challenged plans by the Obama administration to provide the names of disabled Social Security beneficiaries to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). This would result in the classification of these beneficiaries as “prohibited persons” who are not allowed to acquire firearms. The Representatives say this proposal would violate the spirit of the Americans with Disability Act and threaten the Constitutional rights of law-abiding older Americans.
In their joint letter to the Commissioner of the Social Security Administration, the Representatives argue convincingly that plans to classify older citizens as “prohibited persons” for NICS purposes is unconstitutional:
It has come to our attention that the Social Security Administration is considering a policy to provide the names of Social Security beneficiaries who have a “representative payee” to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) in an effort to limit [their] Second Amendment rights. This would be a dangerous overreach, and we urge you to abandon any such plan.
The representative payee system is vital for beneficiaries who need assistance managing their own finances. Millions of responsible seniors and people with disabilities rely on a representative payee. Simply using this system does not mean beneficiaries are a risk to themselves or others.
Providing information on individuals who have a representative payee to the NICS is a broad overreach of authorities and violates beneficiaries’ constitutional rights. This policy runs counter to the aims of the American with Disabilities Act (ADA)[.]
Old age or a disability doesn’t make someone a threat to society. Having a representative payee should not be grounds to revoke constitutional rights. We strongly urge you to halt any steps to provide information on Social Security beneficiaries or Supplemental Security Income recipients to the NICS.
Share the post "Congress Members Oppose Efforts to Deny Social Security Recipients’ Gun Rights"
Who Should You Vote For?
