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Grassroots Spotlight: Meet Jay M. Littlefield Award Winners Rick Coufal and Dennis Barthenheier

Monday, February 13, 2023

Grassroots Spotlight: Meet Jay M. Littlefield Award Winners Rick Coufal and Dennis Barthenheier

The annual NRA-ILA Jay M. Littlefield Award recognizes individual NRA members for their meritorious defense of the Second Amendment. Late last year, awards were presented to two individuals for their selfless commitment to upholding and supporting the Second Amendment.

Dennis Barthenheier, owner of Wisconsin Firearms Training Center in Brookfield, Wisconsin, received the award for his invaluable work with the NRA-ILA Grassroots Division over the past five years. Combining his passion for the Second Amendment, with his business, Wisconsin Firearms Training Center, he continually serves as a beacon for pro-Second Amendment activities in Wisconsin.

Dennis is always willing to generously let NRA, local volunteers, and pro-2A activists use his business and resources for so many important grassroots events focused on educating and engaging many in Wisconsin in support of our rights. He additionally lends his own personal time to the cause and has assisted NRA-ILA with other endeavors outside his business, such as NRA State Conferences and other events.

Rick Coufal has been volunteering directly with the NRA-ILA in Oregon for just a few short years, but has made a huge impact!  He has been instrumental in important grassroots outreach in Oregon as a Frontlines Activist Leader, as well as the Legislative Director for the NRA affiliated State Association. Rick went above and beyond the call by not only helping the new NRA-ILA PNW Grassroots Coordinator get acclimated to the region, but also helped to staff numerous gun shows and legislative events that contributed to his accumulation of more than 120+ volunteer hours in a single year. Most recently he was an integral part of the Oregonians for Freedom Committee, which was instrumental in fighting the atrocious Oregon gun control ballot initiative. A U.S. Army Veteran, he has always been a wealth of knowledge and commitment and one day aspires to serve the NRA in a greater capacity on the Board of Directors.

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The NFA’s New Era: What Has Changed, What Remains the Same, Items of Note

News  

Monday, October 12, 2026

The NFA’s New Era: What Has Changed, What Remains the Same, Items of Note

As we announced separately this week, ATF has determined that it will use its executive discretion to uniformly suspend enforcement of large portions of the National Firearms Act (NFA).

Federal Court Strikes Down NFA Registration Requirements for Suppressors, Short-Barreled Rifles, and Short-Barreled Shotguns in NRA Case

Wednesday, August 5, 2026

Federal Court Strikes Down NFA Registration Requirements for Suppressors, Short-Barreled Rifles, and Short-Barreled Shotguns in NRA Case

In another major victory for the National Rifle Association and law-abiding gun owners, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas today held that the National Firearms Act’s registration and approval requirements for ...

“I’m sorry, Dave, I’m afraid I can’t do that” – ChatGPT is Now “Completely Anti-gun”

News  

Monday, October 19, 2026

“I’m sorry, Dave, I’m afraid I can’t do that” – ChatGPT is Now “Completely Anti-gun”

More than half a century ago, Stanley Kubrick’s film, 2001: A Space Odyssey, introduced the world to HAL-9000, a sentient “supercomputer” with advanced artificial intelligence (AI) processing. When HAL, responsible for running the spacecraft, decides ...

For Better and for Worse, “Direct Democracy” Seeks to Alter Gun and Hunting Policy

News  

Wednesday, October 14, 2026

For Better and for Worse, “Direct Democracy” Seeks to Alter Gun and Hunting Policy

Not every important Second Amendment or hunting policy fight begins with a bill number.

Guardsmen’s Arrest Shows D.C. Still Lacks Common Sense, Proportionality on Guns

News  

Monday, October 12, 2026

Guardsmen’s Arrest Shows D.C. Still Lacks Common Sense, Proportionality on Guns

A lot of has changed for the better in the Nation’s Capital since Donald Trump returned to the White House. But the recent arrest of a young National Guardsman for an apparently harmless breach of ...

Scary Stories from the Crypt Keepers at Big Gun Control

News  

Monday, October 19, 2026

Scary Stories from the Crypt Keepers at Big Gun Control

‘Tis the Halloween season of fear and disguise, and, in step with the holiday, the gun control ghouls are embracing a familiar tradition of their own. When facts aren’t quite frightening enough, firearm prohibitionists often ...

Federal Court Strikes Down NFA Registration Requirements for Suppressors, Short-Barreled Rifles, and Short-Barreled Shotguns in NRA Case

Wednesday, August 5, 2026

Federal Court Strikes Down NFA Registration Requirements for Suppressors, Short-Barreled Rifles, and Short-Barreled Shotguns in NRA Case

In another major victory for the National Rifle Association and law-abiding gun owners, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas today held that the National Firearms Act’s registration and approval requirements for ...

Catch and Release: Fine for Fishing, Deadly with Violent Criminals

News  

Monday, October 19, 2026

Catch and Release: Fine for Fishing, Deadly with Violent Criminals

Our regular readers understand what should be axiomatic for all:  Violent criminals cannot prey on law-abiding citizens if they are behind bars.  Unfortunately, we are hearing more and more regularly that many in our criminal ...

Questions and Answers About the Texas NFA Case

News  

Monday, August 17, 2026

Questions and Answers About the Texas NFA Case

On August 12, we reported on an important development in the ongoing litigation over the National Firearms Act (NFA) filed by multiple plaintiffs in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. These included, ...

Polls Show Electorate’s Interest in Gun Control Waning

News  

Monday, October 19, 2026

Polls Show Electorate’s Interest in Gun Control Waning

In late July, the White House announced that through the first half of 2026, homicides were “on pace for the lowest level in at least 126 years.” In mid-August, the FBI released data showing that ...

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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.