NRA-ILA GRASSROOTS VOLUME 22, NUMBER 2
NRA-ILA GRASSROOTS VOLUME 22, NUMBER 2
Extra, Extra! Media Mogul Bloomberg Stages Anti-gun Indoctrination Camp for Suggestible Reporters
Pro-gun websites and message boards have been abuzz this week with news that Michael Bloomberg’s anti-gun cabal, Everytown for Gun Safety, is partnering with the Columbia Journalism School to offer a two-day workshop for media figures who cover guns and gun issues. While none of us here have the benefit (if that’s what you’d call it) of a graduate degree from the Columbia School of Journalism, we do our best to bring you the scoop on all the gun news that fit to print. Here’s our rundown of what’s at stake with Bloomberg’s latest gun control effort.
LEGAL & LEGISLATION
Interstate Transportation of Firearms and Ammunition Bill Introduced
U.S. Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-Va.) recently introduced H.R. 131, a bill that would more comprehensively address the interstate transportation of firearms and ammunition for law-abiding gun owners. Current federal law guarantees the right of law-abiding persons to transport firearms between two locations where they have a legal right to possessand carry them, regardless of state or local laws that would otherwise apply. The firearm must be cased or otherwise not readily accessible. Unfortunately, anti-gun local officials are using overly restrictive state licensing laws to harass and prosecute travelers who have made every effort to comply with the law, resulting in seized guns that are sometimes never returned, delayed travel, legal fees, and sometimes even unnecessary guilty pleas.
D.C. Mayor’s “Hatred” of Guns Illustrates Need for Congressional Action to Restore Rights
Big city mayors often have the luxury of sharing their unfiltered thoughts in a way that politicians subject to more ideologically diverse constituencies can’t afford. This trait was on full display January 8, when recently inaugurated District of Columbia Mayor Muriel E. Bowser addressed the anti-gun Washington Interfaith Network, gathered at D.C.’s St. Augustine church. Bowser told the crowd, “You have a mayor who hates guns,” adding, “I swear to protect the Constitution and what the courts say, but I will do it in the most restrictive way as possible.”
NEWS GUN LAWS
Another Week, Another Executive Gun Control Action: BATFE Reverses Prior Position on Pistol “Stabilizing Braces”
Earlier today, BATFE released an Open Letter on the Redesign of “Stabilizing Braces.” This letter articulates BATFE’s official position on the use of pistol stabilizing braces like the Sig Sauer SB15. It concludes that “[a]ny person who intends to use a handgun stabilizing brace as a shoulder stock on a pistol (having a rifled barrel under 16 inches in length or a smooth bore firearm with a barrel under 18 inches in length) must first file an ATF Form 1 and pay the applicable tax because the resulting firearm will be subject to all provisions of the NFA.”
NEWS
Jewish Leader Calls for Civilian Firearms to Combat Terror
Following the recent terror attacks in France, which included a hostage standoff inside a kosher market in Paris, one Jewish organization is calling for greater civilian access to firearms. In a January 13 letter to European leaders, General Director of the European Jewish Association, Rabbi Menachem Margolin, stated, “We hereby ask that gun licensing laws are reviewed with immediate effect to allow designated people in the Jewish communities and institutions to own weapons for the essential protection of their communities, as well as receiving the necessary training to protect their members from potential terror attacks.”
NEWS
Anti-Gunner Chimes in From La-La Land
Is it our imagination, or are gun control supporters really getting “out there” lately? Take Pittsburgh Post-Gazette columnist Dan Simpson, for example. On Tuesday, Simpson didn’t just exaggerate or engage in hyperbole. If he had, we might not have noticed, because those things are a dime a dozen when you’re talking about gun control supporters.
NEWS LEGAL & LEGISLATION
NRA Files Lawsuits to Protect 2nd Amendment Rights in Pennsylvania
Today the National Rifle Association, on behalf of its 5 million members across the country, filed lawsuits against the cities of Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and Lancaster for refusing to comply with a state law that prohibits local governments from enacting gun control ordinances.
The NRA Takes Pennsylvania Law Breakers to Court
In this news minute from your NRA-ILA, Jennifer Zahrn reports on the lawsuits the NRA has filed against the cities of Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and Lancaster, Pennsylvania and also highlights the NRA’s current efforts to protect the right to hunt, fish, and harvest wildlife in Texas.
NRA News Commentators Ep. 102 “How to Defend Free Speech” with Colion Noir
NRA News Commentator Colion Noir asks how can you watch a group of men shoot 12 people with AK-47s in a gun-control utopia and still want to relegate self-defense to a seven-round pistol?
