New Posts: February 22, 2013
Please forward this information to your family, friends, and fellow gun owners!
Minnesota: Senate Committee Concludes Two Days of Hearings, But the Fight for our Second Amendment Rights is Just Beginning
Today, the Senate Judiciary Committee concluded its two-day marathon of hearings on multiple dangerous anti-gun bills. As previously reported, these bills are the beginning of an all-out assault on our constitutional Right to Keep and Bear Arms. Although this Committee has not yet scheduled a vote on any of this legislation, gun owners and sportsmen across Minnesota must actively express opposition before Committee action is taken.
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Iowa: Expansive Gun Control Bill Introduced
This week, long-time anti-gun state Senator Jack Hatch (D-17) introduced Senate File 233 seeking to criminalize the private transfer of firearms. SF 233 would make it a crime for a private individual to transfer his or her legally-owned firearm without going through a federal firearm licensed dealer (FFL) to conduct a background check on the transferee. Exceptions are made only for “immediate family members” and individuals possessing permits to acquire or carry. The provisions would apply to all gun sales, gifts, loans, rentals or trades between friends, neighbors, co-workers or more-distant relatives. These restrictions would also apply to temporary transfers during hunting or target practice. SF 233 has been assigned to the Senate Committee on Education although a hearing date has not been scheduled at this time.
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Vermont: Unnecessary Gun Control Bill Unveiled in Montpelier
House Bill 335 and House Bill 336, both sponsored by Representative George Till (D-Chittenden-3), were introduced this week in the Vermont House of Representatives. These bills do nothing to address public safety or crime, and they represent yet another attack on the Second Amendment rights of lawful gun owners.
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Illinois: House Speaker Madigan Orders House to Consider Firearm Legislation Next Tuesday
NRA-ILA has just learned that beginning at noon next Tuesday, February 26 , the Illinois House will be considering various gun control proposals and other firearm-related legislation. It is not yet clear what measures will be considered. At this moment, there is a strong possibility that among the various extreme anti-gun measures, a deeply flawed concealed carry bill will be heard.
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Colorado: Senate Is the Last Line of Defense to Halt Rights-Infringing Legislation
The future of our Second Amendment rights lies in the hands of a few key senators in the Colorado Senate. If you do not contact these elected officials in opposition to these ineffective and fanatical anti-gun bills being pushed through the legislature, your firearms freedoms could be stolen away in a matter of days. The Senate is expected to hear the following anti-gun legislation the first week of March:
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South Dakota: Right-to-Carry Reform Advances to House Floor
The South Dakota House Local Government Committee voted unanimously yesterday to extend the validity of the state Permit to Carry a Concealed Pistol from four to five years. Senate Bill 166, introduced by state Senator Larry Rhoden (R-29) and state Representative Gary Cammack (R-29), now goes to the full House of Representatives where it is eligible for final action.
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Rhode Island: Registration and Gun Tax Bill Would Dismantle Gun Ownership in Rhode Island
Legislation introduced in Providence last week represents one of the strongest attacks on the Second Amendment in Rhode Island in years. House Bill 5573, sponsored by representatives Linda Finn (D-72), Edith Ajello (D-1), Maria Cimini (D-7), and Christopher Blazejewski (D-2), would require all firearms in the state of Rhode Island to be registered – both pistols and long guns. Current law specifically prohibits the keeping of such a list, and this legislation would directly overturn that law. Criminals do not use registered guns, and this bill would do nothing to address crime or public safety. Registration is a dangerous and costly practice that has proven to be a failure in other states and countries.
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New Jersey: Assembly Passes Over 20 Anti-Gun Bills
Yesterday, the New Jersey State Assembly passed over 20 pieces of anti-gun legislation that we previously reported on here. These bills now go to the state Senate and can be heard at any time, so please begin contacting your state Senator. We have been told that action on these bills is likely to happen in March or April, however, continue to follow NRA-ILA alerts. When these bills do start to move in the Senate, New Jersey Second Amendment supporters will need to protest in record numbers against them.
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Nevada: Concealed Carry Legislation on the Move
Senate Bill 76, a measure that would improve the concealed carry weapon (CCW) firearms qualification process, is scheduled to be heard by the Senate Judiciary Committee this Wednesday, January 27 at 9:00 a.m. in room 2149 of the Legislative Building, located at 401 S. Carson St., Carson City. The hearing will also be video conferenced to Room 4412 of the Grant Sawyer State Office Building, located at 555 E. Washington Ave., Las Vegas.
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Connecticut: Governor Malloy Bypasses Bipartisan Legislative Task Force, Fast Tracks a Disenfranchising Set of Proposals
Contact Governor Malloy NOW at 860-566-4840 in opposition to his deeply flawed legislative recommendations! Earlier this year, the Bipartisan Task Force on Gun Violence Prevention and Children’s Safety was established to discuss legislative proposals concerning three areas: mental health, school security and “gun violence.” The purpose of this Task Force was to hold public hearings, informational forums and private meetings to discuss and propose concise legislative recommendations to the Connecticut General Assembly.
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New Mexico: House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee Tables House Bill 402 Gun/Magazine Ban on Close 3-2 Vote
Last night, the House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee voted to table House Bill 402 by state Representative Stephen Easley (D-Eldorado), which would ban the future possession and restrict the transport and storage of so-called “assault weapons” or “large-capacity ammunition-feeding devices.” Thanks to the NRA members who showed up in opposition to this measure and waited for about six hours for it to be heard in Committee. Members of this Committee who voted to table HB 402 are listed below, and we need to thank them for their support:
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Maryland: Senate Bill 281 Passes Out of Committee in the Dark of Night
Late last night, Governor O’Malley’s gun control package, Senate Bill 281, was passed by the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee by a 7-4 vote. This all-out assault on your right to self-defense now goes to the Senate Floor where it will likely be heard and voted on next week. Several amendments listed below were added to this bill, but it remains an affront to law-abiding citizens throughout the state of Maryland, and must be strongly opposed in its current state.
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Montana: Swift Action Needed as Pro-Gun Bills Advance
House Bill 240 and House Bill 358 passed in the House Judiciary Committee and are on the second reading calendar in the Montana House of Representatives TODAY.
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Homeowner kills career criminal, NBCDFW, Dallas, Texas, 02/18/13, The Dallas Observer, Dallas, Texas 02/19/13
A homeowner in Dallas, Texas heard a suspicious noise in his house, went to investigate, and discovered a man attempting to crawl through a window. The homeowner retrieved a gun and shot the home invader, killing him. In comments to local media, Dallas Police Sergeant described the homeowner’s actions, ending with “according to the law, the castle doctrine, he used deadly force.” The deceased intruder’s mother came to the scene after hearing about shooting, but wasn’t surprised by the outcome, stating of her son, “Yeah, it’s something he would do.” Police records confirm her statement, showing the home invader had half a dozen arrests for theft.
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Feinstein to Hold Another (Anti-) Gun Hearing Next Week
On January 30, the U.S. Senate Judiciary committee held a hearing entitled, "What Should America Do About Gun Violence?"
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Pressure Mounting on President, Attorney General Regarding Lack of Prosecutions for NICS Denials
As detailed in a February 21 press release, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and U.S. Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) are pressing U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and the Justice Department to explain why they have failed to prosecute the vast majority of convicted felons and fugitives from justice who are failing background checks under the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.
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Take it from Jim. Don't Worry About Gun Registration
Jim Kessler, in a "fresh thinking" Third Way memo posted online this month, says that Americans will have nothing to fear if Congress imposes a law that criminalizes private gun transfers by requiring FBI background checks on sales, gifts, and trades of firearms between family members, friends, co-workers, neighbors and other acquaintances, along with the small percentage of non-dealer transactions that take place between strangers.
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California: Anti-Gun Legislators Think More Restrictive Laws will Reduce Crime Problem
Do you currently legally own a Ruger 10-22, Mini 14, Marlin Camp Carbine, Remington 742 and/or any other semi-automatic,rimfire and/or centerfire rifle that accepts an ammunition magazine? If you do, then the anti-gun Senate Democrats think you are a criminal and believe you should have to register that rifle or surrender it. On Wednesday, Senate Bill 374 was introduced by state Senate President Darryl Steinberg, Senator Loni Hancock and Senator Leland Yee. This is one of the most sweeping anti-gun bills that has been introduced in California. SB 374 changes the definition of assault weapon to include VIRTUALLY ALL semi-automatic rimfire and centerfire rifles that do not have a fixed magazine as an "assault weapon" and it does not stop there.
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Another Court Victory for the Right to Carry in Illinois
On February 22, the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit issued an opinion, which refused Illinois' request for a rehearing of Shepard v. Madigan before the entire court. The previous decision in the case, by a three-judge panel of the court, struck down Illinois' complete ban on carrying firearms outside one's home or business for self-defense. Today's decision lets stand the strong interpretation of the Second Amendment offered in Judge Richard Posner's December 11 opinion, and brings Illinois one step closer to the rest of the country in respecting the Right to Carry.
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NRA ramps up campaign against proposed gun control measures
On Thursday, readers in local newspapers in five key states Arkansas, Louisiana, Maine, North Carolina and West Virginia will see an NRA ad headlined in bold: "Will Obama's gun control proposals work? His own experts say 'No,'" the group told CNN.
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The NRA was right: Biden says cops in the schools is a good idea
It may not stick, but the Obama administration might be getting a late education in the value of guns. When President Obama first exploited the tragedy at Newtown for more gun control, Wayne LaPierre, the CEO of the National Rifle Association, suggested putting armed guards in the schools. Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg of New York, certain Democratic members of Congress and the cable channel MSNBC hooted at the idea, calling it everything from "irresponsible" to "shameful." These folks are now recovering from the early attacks of hysteria.In an interview at the White House, hosted by Parents magazine and posted on Facebook, Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. said that when he wrote the "Biden crime bill" in 1994 as a senator from Delaware, it included the provision for putting police officers in schools. "We found that those school resource officers were of value in many schools," he told the audience. "We haven't been funding them of late. We think they should be funded."
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States consider insurance rule
Lawmakers in at least half a dozen states, including California, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York and Pennsylvania, have proposed legislation this year that would require gun owners to buy liability insurance much as car owners are required to buy auto insurance.
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New Jersey: Assembly passes package of gun bills
The state Assembly today passed 22 bills intended to curb gun violence despite protests from Republicans, who said Democrats were putting shoddy legislation on too fast a track.
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Oregon: Bills abandoned baring sales of semi-automatic rifles, magazines
Highly publicized bills that would ban the sale of high-capacity gun magazines as well as semi-automatic miltary-style rifles now appear to be off the table at the Oregon Legislature.
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South Dakota: House committee votes to extend concealed weapons permits
A South Dakota House panel advanced a proposal Thursday that would add a year to the state's concealed weapons permit, but the sponsor of the plan acknowledged other gun law changes he's seeking won't be approved this year.
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NRA Ad: Biden's "Advice" Not Advisable
As often as he puts his foot in his mouth, it's a wonder Vice-President Joe Biden can walk. The often irascible and unpredictable Biden said this week, in an online Facebook town hall "chat" sponsored by Parents Magazine, that women who have to protect their homes and families from intruders should just walk outside and fire two blasts from a double barreled shotgun.
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Gun Turn-in Participants Miss Out on Cash, Have Privacy Violated
The term "gun buyback" is a misnomer, in that a government cannot buy back something that it never owned in the first place. However, in Santa Fe, N.M., organizers of a city-sponsored event billed as a gun "buyback" even managed to get the "buy" part wrong, and violated the privacy of the participants in the process.
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