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| NEWS White House, Media Mislead on Crime Trends, Ignore Evidence that Could Save More Lives | |
| Tragedy strikes – and the White House immediately shifts into exploitation mode, trying to use raw emotion to push "solutions" that don’t fit the facts. From Charles C. W. Cooke at National Review comes a timely reminder, however, that despite well-publicized crimes, the nation as a whole is getting safer and less violent. As Mr. Cooke notes, the U.S. firearm homicide rate peaked in 1993 and has fallen dramatically since then. Meanwhile, he adds correctly, gun control has been rolled back and the number of firearms in private hands has increased dramatically. Yet 88% of the public were unaware of favorable crime trends in a May 7, 2013, Pew Research Center Poll. Mr. Cooke attributes this knowledge gap, in part, to the increasing prevalence of “round-the-clock news” and more powerful forms of social media. | |
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| NEWS Walmart Discontinues Selling America’s Most Popular Rifle | |
| Americans acquiring the most popular rifle in the country will now be doing so only from traditional firearm dealerships and full-service sporting goods stores, which— as it happens —typically have the most extensive selections of firearms and accessories from which to choose, and employees who support the Second Amendment and who can answer firearm questions with expertise. Walmart said this week that it will no longer sell AR-15s and other “semi-automatic weapons,” and from now on will sell only the kinds of firearms used “by hunters and people who shoot sporting clays and things like that.” The Associated Press reports that Walmart claims its decision wasn’t political, but was rather because sales of the rifle have declined. | |
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| NEWS Call Guinness, New Record in Gun Control Stupidity | |
| Despite the best efforts of the Brady Campaign and Michael Bloomberg's Everytown, a small group in suburban Chicago has managed to break new ground in gun control stupidity. The achievement took place August 25th at a rally protesting a new Mariano's grocery store in Northbrook, Ill. organized by Peaceful Communities. The company's offense? Not forbidding licensed carry inside their suburban locations. | |
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| NEWS Martin Scorcese: Pathetic Hollywood Hypocrite | |
| After producing some of the most violent movies ever to come out of Hollywood, rife with the most graphic portrayals of the most vicious, brutal murders imaginable, Martin Scorcese wants the world to believe he’s a redeemed man. The Guardian reports that for purposes of his next film, Scorcese will participate in something called the Gun Neutral/One Less Gun campaign, the gist of which is to destroy real guns whenever fake guns are used on screen. | |
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| LEGAL & LEGISLATION Smoke and Mirrors: Seattle Sales Tax | |
| This week, the NRA, the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF), firearms retailers, and private gun owners filed a lawsuit against the City of Seattle, alleging that its new firearms and ammunition sales tax ordinance is illegal and unenforceable. Earlier this month, Seattle passed the Firearm Tax and Ammunition Tax ordinance which imposes a new $25 sales tax on the retail sales of firearms, plus a per-round sales tax of two to five cents on ammunition. The ordinance is slated to go into effect on January 1, 2016. A failure to pay the tax is punishable by a fine of up to $5,000, imprisonment of up to 364 days, or both. | |
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| NEWS Research Findings a Blow to Anti-gun Academics | |
| For decades, anti-gun academics have attacked firearms and firearm owners by conducting “research” that purportedly offers insight into the psyche of gun owners. The dubious findings of these psychology studies typically portray gun owners in a negative light, and are frequently published in uncritical academic journals, and then touted by gun control activists and the mainstream media as legitimate science. However, as a study published this week in the journal Science reveals, the entire field of psychology research warrants severe skepticism; and consequently the field’s frivolous attacks on gun ownership. | |
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| LEGAL & LEGISLATION Federal Court Finds Due Process Violation in NY County's Confiscated Gun Policy | |
| This week, a federal court ruled that the Nassau County Sheriff’s Department could not rely on its "retention policy" to keep guns seized from a woman without providing her with a due process hearing. | |
VIDEOS
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In this News Minute from the NRA Institute for Legislative Action, Jennifer Zahrn reports that the NRA, along with the National Shooting Sports Foundation and the Second Amendment Foundation, has filed a lawsuit against the city of Seattle for violating a Washington state law that prevents cities from creating their own firearm regulations. |
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Introduced in December 2012, the NRA's National School Shield program focuses on providing schools across the country with tips and tools on improving security measures and developing security strategies. Sit down with the experts who created the program and school administrators preparing to implement it on this episode of NRA All Access. |
| STATE GRASSROOTS ROUND-UP |
