“Second Amendment? — We don’t give a damn.” That could be the mantra of many Democratic Party members of Congress. Now a radical anti-gunner from New Jersey has introduced new Federal legislation, H.R. 584, that would prevent all Americans from purchasing ANY quantity of ammunition online. All ammo sales would have to be in person with photo ID.
Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ) (“Watson Coleman”) has revived legislation that would prohibit the sale of ammunition online. Last month, Watson Coleman introduced the Stop Online Ammunition Sales Act of 2023, a new version of restrictive legislation she authored in the past. The bill has been listed as H.R. 584 and referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary. As of February 24, 2023, H.R. 584 had 23 co-sponsors*, all woke Democrats, including the radical Rashida Tlaib, noted for her calls to defund the police (which shows how little she actually cares about reducing crime).
This unconstitutional bill, according to the NRA-ILA, would implement all of the following:
1. FORCE purchasers to submit a photo ID in person every time one buys ANY ammunition.
2. REPORT the identity of ammo purchasers to the U.S. Attorney General if the ammo buyers purchase more than 1,000 rounds within a 5-day period.
3. REGISTER ammunition buyers in a database maintained by the U.S. Department of Justice.
You know what the DOJ would do with the database of ammo buyers. It would be used to identify gun owners, creating a de facto registry of gun owners. That’s in direct violation of Federal law which forbids such a registry.
Guns.com reports: “The proposal [H.R. 584] would establish the licensing of ammunition dealers who then would be required to confirm the identity of customers seeking to purchase ammo by verifying a valid photo I.D. in person. As such, it would place a prohibition on the current widespread practice of buying ammo online and having it shipped directly to the customer’s door. The measure would also require these vendors to report all purchases of more than 1,000 rounds within a five-day period by the same person to the U.S. Attorney General as well as local and state law enforcement.”
Effects If ‘Stop Online Ammunition Sales Act’ Becomes Law
From a practical standpoint, this legislation would make ammunition much more difficult to buy in large quantities. And specialized ammo, for less popular chamberings, could be almost impossible to get, if people could only shop at local retail outlets. Being able to shop a dozen or more online vendors allows shooting enthusiasts to get a wide variety of ammo types at competitive prices. For example, with AmmoSeek.com, you can see the best rimfire and centerfire ammo deals from dozens of vendors.
Watson Coleman and her anti-Second Amendment co-sponsors want to make it MUCH more difficult to obtain ammunition, and she would be delighted if the cost of ammo doubled or even tripled. She hates firearms and hates gun owners.
Regarding H.R. 584, GunsAmerica contacted Alan Gottlieb, founder of the Second Amendment Foundation. Gottlieb was critical of the one-sidedness of legislation in that it presupposes all ammunition sold online ends up in the hands of criminals. Gottlieb noted: “Day in and day out men and women save their lives with ammunition they have bought online and the only response from Democrats is to call for bans on the sale of ammunition.”
Additional cosponsors of the bill include:
Jake Auchincloss [D-MA-4]
Joyce Beatty [D-OH-3]
Earl Blumenauer [D-OR-3]
Andre Carson [D-IN-7]
Joe Courtney [D-CT-2]
Jason Crow [D-CO-6]
Danny Davis [D-IL-7]
Madeleine Dean [D-PA-4]
Diana DeGette [D-CO-1]
Susan DelBene [D-WA-1]
Mark DeSaulnier [D-CA-10]
Glenn Ivey [D-MD-4]
Sydney Kamlager-Dove [D-CA-37]
Barbara Lee [D-CA-12]
Zoe Lofgren, Zoe [D-CA-18]
Betty McCollum [D-MN-4]
Kweisi Mfume [D-MD-7]
Seth Moulton, Seth [D-MA-6]
Eleanor Holmes Norton [D-DC-At Large]
Donald M. Payne, Jr. [D-NJ-10]
Mike Quigley [D-IL-5]
Rashida Tlaib [D-MI-12]
Jill Tokuda [D-HI-2]
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In response to an unprecedented, partisan attack on the firearm industry, lead by the Democratic administration in Washington, Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. President & CEO Mark Smith responded this week with the following statement:
“A number of politicians and their lobbying partners in the media have recently sought to disparage Smith & Wesson. Some have had the audacity to suggest that after they have vilified, undermined and defunded law enforcement for years, supported prosecutors who refuse to hold criminals accountable for their actions, overseen the decay of our country’s mental health infrastructure, and generally promoted a culture of lawlessness, Smith & Wesson and other firearm manufacturers are somehow responsible for the crime wave that has predictably resulted from these destructive policies. But they are the ones to blame for the surge in violence and lawlessness, and they seek to avoid any responsibility for the crisis of violence they have created by attempting to shift the blame to Smith & Wesson, other firearm manufacturers and law-abiding gun owners.
It is no surprise that the cities suffering most from violent crime are the very same cities that have promoted irresponsible, soft-on-crime policies that often treat criminals as victims and victims as criminals. Many of these same cities also maintain the strictest gun laws in the nation. But rather than confront the failure of their policies, certain politicians have sought more laws restricting the 2nd Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens, while simultaneously continuing to undermine our institutions of law and order. And to suppress the truth, some now seek to prohibit firearm manufacturers and supporters of the 2nd Amendment from advertising products in a manner designed to remind law-abiding citizens that they have a Constitutional right to bear arms in defense of themselves and their families.
We are proud of our 170-year history. We are proud of the commitment of our employees to making a quality product. We are proud to provide law-abiding citizens and law enforcement – our customers – with the tools to provide for their security and independence. We are proud of our responsible business practices.
We will continue to work alongside law enforcement, community leaders and lawmakers who are genuinely interested in creating safe neighborhoods. We will engage those who genuinely seek productive discussions, not a means of scoring political points. We will continue informing law-abiding citizens that they have a Constitutionally-protected right to defend themselves and their families. We will never back down in our defense of the 2nd Amendment.”
It didn’t take long. Democratic Party politicians in Washington are moving to ban semi-auto, modern sporting rifles. During his campaign, Joe Biden promised to ban so-called “assault rifles” and now Democratic U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (CA) has introduced legislation to do just that. Feinstein’s New Senate bill, introduced as the Assault Weapons Ban of 2021, is Feinstein’s latest attempt to block gun purchases and scuttle the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. An identical bill has been introduced in the House of Representatives by Congressman David N. Cicilline (D-R.I.).
God forbid Feinstein should craft legislation to actually deal with the crime, drug abuse, homelessness, and crumbling infrastructure in her home turf of San Francisco, California. No, she doesn’t care about that. That’s because she has no answers, and she knows that Democratic-party policies have fostered ALL those problems. So she wants to target guns once again, though there is zero evidence that past semi-auto gun bans have had a measurable effect on overall, national violent crime rates.
• Bans the sale, manufacture, transfer and importation of 205 military-style assault weapons by name. Owners may keep existing weapons.
• Bans any assault weapon with the capacity to utilize a magazine that is not a fixed ammunition magazine and has one or more military characteristics including a pistol grip, a forward grip, a barrel shroud, a threaded barrel or a folding or telescoping stock. Owners may keep existing weapons.
• Bans magazines and other ammunition feeding devices that hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition, which allow shooters to quickly fire many rounds without needing to reload. Owners may keep existing magazines.
• Requires a background check on any future sale, trade, or gifting of an assault weapon covered by the bill.
• Requires that grandfathered assault weapons are stored using a secure gun storage or safety device like a trigger lock.
• Prohibits the transfer of high-capacity ammunition magazines.
• Bans bump-fire stocks and other devices that allow semi-automatic weapons to fire at fully automatic rates.
Senator Feinstein declared: “We’re now seeing a rise in domestic terrorism, and military-style assault weapons are increasingly becoming the guns of choice for these dangerous groups. I’m hopeful that with the new administration and Democratic control of the Senate, we can finally … remove these deadly weapons from our communities.” NOTE: This is disingenuous to say the least. If Feinstein was really concerned about “domestic terrorism” she would be doing something about Antifa and BLM rioters.
In the Senate, the Assault Weapons Ban is cosponsored by Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Tom Carper (D-Del.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Mark R. Warner (D-Va.), Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.).
Read those names. Notice that there is not ONE Republican on the list. This anti-gun legislation is pure partisan politics folks, pushed by a biased, career politician and supported by a Democratic Party President who is suffering from dementia. While Feinstein and Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer hide behind fences and razor wire, with thousands of armed National Guard troops serving as their “palace guards”, they seek to destroy your right to armed self-defense as guaranteed by the Second Amendment. Without question, after these corrupt politicians ban all mag-fed semi-autos, they will come after other guns, until their mission of disarming America is accomplished.
* There are certain “carve-outs” in the legislation. The bill exempts by name more than 2,200 guns for hunting, household defense, or recreational purposes. The bill also includes a grandfather clause that exempts all weapons lawfully possessed at the date of enactment.
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Gander Outdoors in Kenosha, WI — reader-submitted photo on GMToday.com
The ammo and primer shortage is real, and it’s here to stay — well into 2021. That’s what industry experts tell us: “With [ammunition] demand far outstripping supply and inventory levels in the channel at all-time lows, we see strong demand continuing[.]” — Christopher Metz, CEO of Vista Outdoor
Certain types of ammunition, 9mm Luger for example, are very difficult to find these days. And what IS available is often marked up 300-400% over 2019 prices. Demand has far exceeded supply. And the ammo shortage won’t end any time soon. Vista Outdoor’s CEO Metz added: “Despite us producing flat-out for six months, there is no buildup of inventory at any of our customers. In fact, every one of them would like significantly more. Simply put, consumer demand continues to outpace our ability to supply.”
Ammunition Shortage Impacts Primer Supply
Rifle and pistol primers are nearly sold out everywhere, with some less-than-reputable vendors now charging 4-5 times the normal price. So what’s going on here — why can’t you find primers? One reason is that primer producers such as Federal and CCI are using the vast majority of the primers they make to complete their loaded ammunition, which is flying off the shelves.
What is causing the ammo panic buying and primer shortage?
There are a number of key reasons:
1. Concerns over the recent election and potential Democratic Party control of U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Senate, and the White House;
2. General worry and paranoia caused by the COVID-19 pandemic;
3. Fear of new legislation banning guns and restricting ammunition purchases;
4. Social unrest and rioting led by BLM and left-wing activists and tolerated/encouraged by Blue State government officials; and perhaps most importantly,
5. The vast increase in the number of new gun buyers.
Huge Increase in Gun Purchasing in 2020
2020 will probably set an all-time record for gun purchasing in the USA. This spike in gun buying has been propelled by the greatest annual increase in gun ownership in U.S. history. According to data from the NSSF, roughly 6.2 million Americans purchased their first firearm in 2020. A NSSF dealer survey estimates that 40% of all gun sales were conducted to purchasers who have never previously owned a firearm. And women accounted for 40.2% of first-time gun purchases. We’ve never seen that kind of spike in gun ownership in a single year. This is unprecedented.
Ammo Shortage Will Continue for Many Months, Well into 2021
What are the prospects for greater availabilty of loaded ammo in the months ahead? Not so good according to Vista Outdoor CEO Christopher Metz whose company operates Federal, CCI, RCBS, Alliant, Blazer and many other shooting industry brands. Metz declared: “We currently have over a year’s worth of orders for ammunition.” That value of those back-orders exceeds ONE BILLION dollars. “This is unprecedented for our company. With demand far outstripping supply and inventory levels in the channel at all-time lows, we see strong demand continuing[.]”
There is some good news however — the former Remington ammo factory will start cranking out ammunition again. The American Rifleman reports: “Vista Outdoor has purchased the [Remington Outdoor] ammunition factory in Lonoke, Arkansas [and will resume] production at or near full capacity. The Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette reports 300 employees furloughed by the former owner of the plant will soon be recalled to join nearly 400 still working at the facility.”
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With the 2020 Presidential election just 65 days away, and more riots in the streets, it may be time to think about getting that AR-platform rifle. Getting it while you still can. Democratic Party nominee Joe Biden and his VP candidate Kamala Harris both support banning of AR-type rifles. And Biden and Harris have praised Canada’s sweeping semi-auto gun ban carried out by Prime Minister Trudeau through dictatorial executive action (without parliamentary approval). The official Democratic Party Platform includes these provisions:
— Banning the manufacture and sale of ARs and modern sporting rifles
— Halting and criminalizing online firearm and ammunition sales
— Forcing states to require licenses for owning any firearms
— Instituting delay processes for background checks
— Criminalizing private firearm transfers
And during her Presidential campaign (before she was selected as Biden’s VP), Kamala Harris declared: “Upon being elected … I will give the United States Congress 100 days to get their [sic] act together and have the courage to pass reasonable gun safety laws. And if they fail to do it, then I will take Executive Action”. That’s a chilling threat…
Got the message? The Dems want your guns. And the first guns they want to take away are the “evil” black rifles. As Robert “Beto” O’Rourke said famously: “Hell yes we’re going to take your AR15″.
AR Purchase Option — Lower Receiver
The restricted part of an AR15 is the lower receiver. This is the section that must be purchased through an FFL, with a background check. You can later add an upper (or multiple uppers), which can be purchased directly from a supplier. But the lower is what you need. If you’re short on cash, but want to get an AR, grab a lower and then add a complete upper receiver later.
One leading vendor of AR lowers is Palmetto State Armory (PSA). PSA has plenty of stripped lowers and complete lower receivers in stock right now at attractive prices. Here are two offers on 8/29/2020:
Complete AR15 Lower Receiver — $209.99
This complete Palmetto State Armory lower receiver is fully assembled and ready for your complete Upper. This unit is machined from 7075-T6 Aluminum Forgings, hardcoat anodized. The lower comes with M4 Stock and Standard Carbine Buffer. The bolt and carrier fit .223 Rem/5.56×45 case heads.
Stripped AR15 Lower Receiver — $74.99
This PSA Stripped Lower Receiver is machined from 7075-T6 Aluminum Forgings, hardcoat anodized. It does NOT include trigger group and pins for operation. You must purchase those items separately. This is just the bare lower receiver.
How an AR15 Works — 3D Animation
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After the NRA cancelled its 2020 Annual Meetings and Exhibits in Nashville, TN, there were grave concerns about the NRA losing support…and members. NRA leaders were worried that the cancellation of the much-anticipated NRA convention in Music City might lead to a mass exodus of members.
In fact, just the opposite occurred. A quite remarkable thing has happened. With the nationwide fears over the Coronavirus pandemic, American adults of all ages, all walks of life, and all political persuasions are now rushing out to buy firearms. And these new, first-time gun owners are signing up by the thousands with the NRA. Many of them are young, urban, and otherwise “liberal”. Some are avid CNN watchers who tweet “Orange Man Bad” and think AOC is cool. But they want their guns, and they want them now.
These new young/urban gun buyers are mad that they can’t get their guns “right now”. Believing the “fake news” from CNN and other anti-gun mainstream media, they thought they could get guns without background checks or waiting periods. Millenials and Gen-Xers, raised on instant gratification, can be “triggered” by waiting periods.
Millenials and Gen-Xers Join NRA Ranks in Droves
In recent decades the NRA has become less diverse, which the majority of its members being older, conservative “red state” males. Now that is changing, with a wave of new gun-buying by younger, urban populations, male and female, of all ethnic groups. It seems the interest in self-defense sweeps across all age groups, even Millenials and Gen-Xers. And remarkably, the new NRA sign-ups cross party lines.
A surprising number of new gun owners list themselves as Democrats, who remain hostile to President Trump. However, after buying guns and joining the NRA, many of these urban Democrats now say they support the Second Amendment and the right to “Keep and Bear Arms” (at least for themselves).
According to estimates received from the NRA sources, half of the new members are under 35 years of age, most live in urban metropolitan areas, and over 70% live in “Blue States”, some of which are being hit the hardest by the Coronavirus pandemic.
Why are young, urban Democrats joining the NRA? These new gun owners saw first-hand that Democratic Party-sponsored gun control laws have left them defenseless and vulnerable in a time of crisis. They are turning away from Beto, Biden and the Gun Grabbers.
One 27-year-old from Baltimore stated: “Look, yeah I was anti-gun, but with all the demands on police and first responders, I don’t see any option but to have a gun for self-defense. I’m still a registered Democrat, but yeah I’m joining the NRA because I know Biden and company will take the guns away.”
Record Numbers of FBI Background Checks for Gun Buyers
The FBI ran more than 3.7 million NICS firearm background checks 2020 in March, smashing the previous record as Americans armed themselves amid growing fears about the Coronavirus pandemic. The NICS system ran 3,740,688 background checks in March, which is 33% higher than the previous record of more than 2.8 million, which was set in February. The February numbers were a 34% uptick from the same time in 2019. Source: FOX News 4/2/2020.
Fears about the Coronavirus have resulted in a dramatic public opinion shift regarding gun ownership. Urban liberals and registered Democrats are now lining up to buy guns:
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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[.]
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Dark Day for 2nd Amendment Rights
California Governor Jerry Brown acted on several firearms-related bills on Sunday, October 9th. Gov. Brown waited until literally the last hour on Sunday to act on firearms-related legislation sent to his desk this session. Several anti-gun and anti-industry bills were signed into law, including long-gun registration. “Sadly, the steady erosion of the Second Amendment in California continues,” said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF senior vice president and general counsel. “Gov. Brown has now proven that he no more respects freedom and the individual right protected by the Second Amendment than his predecessor. These bills will increase costs for the taxpayer and the state’s retailers, most of whom are small mom-and-pop businesses. It will cost the state jobs and tax revenue, all the while doing absolutely nothing to reduce crime.” Below are summaries of the gun-related bills signed into law by Gov. Brown:
AB 809 (Feuer, Democrat, West Hollywood): Long-gun registration: SIGNED INTO LAW. In a nutshell, AB 809 mandates long-gun registration, starting January 1st, 2014. The bill does this, essentially, by treating long guns the same as handguns. The bill requires FFLs to make long gun sales information available to the California Dept. of Justice, and imposes new requirements on persons bringing long guns into the state. AB 809 also burdens “peace officers” with responsibilities for the compilation and retention of long-gun information.
SB 819 (Leno, Democrat, San Francisco): SIGNED INTO LAW. This bill allows the California Department of Justice (DOJ) to use Dealer Record of Sales (DROS) funds for purposes unrelated to administration of background checks. There is currently a lawsuit pending that challenges the past misuse/misappropriation of these funds by the DOJ. The DROS fee now becomes a sanctioned revenue stream for the DOJ.
AB 144 (Portantino, Democrat, La Canada): SIGNED INTO LAW. This bill bans open carry in the state. This revokes a long-standing right of California citizens that has been in effect for more than a century. The bill would make it a misdemeanor to openly carry an unloaded handgun on the person or in a motor vehicle in public areas and would make it a misdemeanor to openly carry an exposed handgun in a public place or public street. Existing laws otherwise ban open carry of loaded handguns and ban concealed carry without a permit — something virtually impossible to obtain in many California Counties.
SB 610 (Wright, Democrat, So. Central Los Angeles): SIGNED INTO LAW. This bill, which modifies the state’s concealed-carry application process, may actually benefit CCW applicants in a modest fashion. First, the bill provides that no concealed carry applicant would be required to obtain liability insurance as a condition of the license. This bill also provides that the applicant would not be required to pay for training courses prior to a determination of good cause being made.
Brown Vetoes Vague Ammo Registration Bill
One source of good news was Gov. Brown’s veto of SB 427 (De Leon, Democrat). This was sort of a re-run of an earlier bill (“handgun ammunition registration”) that Gov. Schwarzenegger signed into law. That statute was successfully challenged in court as unconstitutionally vague. The case is on appeal. DeLeon’s revived bill required registration of specified calibers but also contained vague language regarding “handgun ammunition.” In vetoing the bill for now, the governor said, “Let’s keep our powder dry on amendments until the court case runs its course”.