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Cities Seek to Close Gun Stores, Claim Exercise of Second Amendment Rights “Non-Essential”

Friday, March 20, 2020

Cities Seek to Close Gun Stores, Claim Exercise of Second Amendment Rights “Non-Essential”

In San Jose, California, police have ordered a gun shop to close. Local officials insisted it is a “nonessential” business and therefore may not operate during the “shelter in place” directive currently affecting the area. Philadelphia officials are now making similar claims, even as buyers flock to local gun sellers. But make no mistake: the “essential” character of the right to keep and bear arms was settled in 1791, and no public official has the authority to revisit that decision.

Law enforcement agencies across the country are announcing steps to reduce enforcement or even free convicted criminals, supposedly in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Philadelphia, in particular, has gone further than most, announcing an end to arrests for offenses as serious as burglary and auto theft (a message relayed – we can’t make this up – by Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw).

It is ironic, to say the least, that police somehow have time to focus on duly-licensed gun stores, even as officials are essentially offering amnesty to actual criminals.

Americans aren’t dumb. And many are old enough to have learned lessons from history.

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to unfold, there are plenty of stories of people working heroically to respond, as well as innumerable acts of kindness and charity occurring between neighbors and community members that will never be reported. Today’s heroes are as likely to be truckers, grocers, nurses, and farmers as credentialed talking heads.

But for many in media and politics, the episode is just one more opportunity to try to score points against the president and his supporters and to opportunistically advance an old agenda. The same elite who have squandered their credibility with one false accusation and prediction of impending doom after another have found they have no rhetoric left to describe what real catastrophe looks like. The biggest disaster they can imagine is already befalling them, and that is the loss of their own prestige.

So Americans struggle as best they can to extract reliable information from the noise, even as they wonder how their kids will be educated, their families will be fed, and the roof kept over their heads.

In that landscape, it is entirely predictable and, yes, essential that people revert to the basics that have sustained this nation since its founding, including faith, family, and the Bill of Rights. And there is no more basic imperative, in good times and bad, than providing for the safety and security of families and loved ones. The record-breaking activity in firearm sales is evidence that Americans will never be scolded, intimidated, or browbeaten into abject dependence.

The United States Supreme Court could not have been clearer in its landmark Heller decision. “The very enumeration of the right takes out of the hands of government—even the Third Branch of Government—the power to decide on a case-by-case basis whether the right is really worth insisting upon,” the court wrote.

In other words, the “essential” character of the Second Amendment is not up for debate.

For 149 years, the National Rifle Association and its members have withstood every challenge that has tested America, including world wars, natural disasters, disease pandemics, and social upheaval. More recently, we have stood up to coordinated efforts by corrupt officials to use their authority to try to discredit and destroy us, because they know our combined strength stands in the way of their plans to subvert basic freedoms in America.

The United States, the NRA, and America’s gun owners will prevail in the current crisis with our rights and our heritage as the freest nation on earth intact. The liberty of our children and future generations depends on our actions now, and we will not shrink from doing our duty to protect and defend the Constitution and your right to defend yourself.

We will also remember how overreaching officials – like those in San Jose and Philadelphia – exploited the crisis to assail the right to keep and bear arms. Those memories will only steel our resolve in the never-ending campaign to secure our liberties.

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Court Rules Federal Machinegun Law Cannot Be Justified under Bruen

News  

Tuesday, September 3, 2024

Court Rules Federal Machinegun Law Cannot Be Justified under Bruen

A district court in Kansas has ruled that the federal law prohibiting the possession of “machineguns” failed the test set out in New York State Rifle & Pistol Ass’n, Inc. v. Bruen (2022).

Never Enough: German Government Pushes Knife Control in Wake of Terror Attack

News  

Tuesday, September 3, 2024

Never Enough: German Government Pushes Knife Control in Wake of Terror Attack

No summary available

Kamala Harris is an Existential Threat to the Second Amendment and Supports Gun Confiscation

News  

Monday, July 29, 2024

Kamala Harris is an Existential Threat to the Second Amendment and Supports Gun Confiscation

Since President Joe Biden unceremoniously dropped out, or was forced out, of the 2024 presidential race on July 21, Vice President Kamala Harris has been effectively coronated as the Democratic presidential nominee.

California: Anti-Gun Bills Pass Legislature, Heading to Governor’s Desk

Wednesday, August 28, 2024

California: Anti-Gun Bills Pass Legislature, Heading to Governor’s Desk

Yesterday, the California legislature passed two anti-gun bills that will now head to Governor Newsom for his signature. NRA Members and Second Amendment supporters are encouraged to contact Governor Newsom today and urge him to veto ...

Massachusetts: Gov. Healey Signs Radical Gun Control Into Law

Thursday, July 25, 2024

Massachusetts: Gov. Healey Signs Radical Gun Control Into Law

On Thursday, July 25th, Governor Maura Healey (D) signed H. 4885, "an act modernizing firearm laws," one of the most extreme gun control bills in the country, into law.

Oregon: “Ghost Gun” Law Takes Effect over Labor Day Weekend

Tuesday, September 3, 2024

Oregon: “Ghost Gun” Law Takes Effect over Labor Day Weekend

Over the weekend on September 1st, House Bill 2005, Oregon’s “ghost gun” law, took effect. 

Press Covers for Kamala Harris’s Clear Record on Gun Confiscation

News  

Tuesday, August 20, 2024

Press Covers for Kamala Harris’s Clear Record on Gun Confiscation

The legacy media has mostly given up the pretense of carrying out its once-professed mission – holding power to account. At this point, no reasonable person expects the regime press to cover legitimate news that ...

Georgia: Governor Kemp Signs Gun Owner Financial Privacy Bill

Wednesday, April 24, 2024

Georgia: Governor Kemp Signs Gun Owner Financial Privacy Bill

On Monday, April 22nd, House Bill 1018 was signed into law by Governor Brian Kemp. HB 1018 prohibits the use of firearm/ammunition specific merchant category codes by payment processors.

California: State Legislature Adjourns as More Gun Control Heads to the Governor’s Desk

Wednesday, September 4, 2024

California: State Legislature Adjourns as More Gun Control Heads to the Governor’s Desk

On August 31, the California legislature adjourned after passing three anti-gun bills in the final days of the 2023-2024 session. These bills will now head to Governor Newsom for his signature. Please click the Take ...

Kamala Harris and the Democratic Party Platform: Threats to the Second Amendment

News  

Tuesday, August 27, 2024

Kamala Harris and the Democratic Party Platform: Threats to the Second Amendment

With the release of the 2024 Democratic Party Platform, the national Democratic Party has once again confirmed its extreme anti-gun positions.

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NRA ILA

Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the "lobbying" arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.