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| NEWS LEGAL & LEGISLATION Senate Holds the Line on Second Amendment Rights | |
| On Thursday, December 3, the U.S. Senate took up H.R. 3762, the Restoring Americans’ Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act. Despite the seemingly innocuous title, the bill set up a dramatic showdown over Second Amendment rights. The bill was brought under budget reconciliation, an expedited legislative procedure for a budget resolution to meet fiscal targets. Under this procedure, the bill required only 51 votes to pass the Senate and was limited to 20 hours of debate. It was also subject to a rule which prohibits non-budget related provisions from being added. | |
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| USA TODAY No, Mr. President, the NRA is not to blame: Chris Cox, NRA-ILA Executive Director | |
| Just when we think that politics can’t sink any lower, President Obama once again proves us wrong by politicizing the tragedy in San Bernardino before the facts were even known. What we do know is that the American people are heartbroken by these horrific crimes — and despite what the president would have us believe — America’s law-abiding gun owners are heartbroken by these horrific crimes as well. At the same time, we are sick and tired of this president suggesting the men and women of the National Rifle Association are somehow to blame. | |
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| NEWS Following Paris Attacks, Police Challenge NFL No Gun Policy | |
| When attacking the Right-to-Carry, gun control advocates often cite what they view as a lack of sufficient training requirements for permit holders, contrasting these requirements with those placed upon police officers. For instance, in a document criticizing the Right-to-Carry, the Brady Campaign (then-Handgun Control Inc.) noted, “in stark contrast to the lack of CCW applicant training, police officers receive hundreds of hours of training in marksmanship and non-violent conflict resolution, including role-playing real-life scenarios, to ensure that their firearms are carried safely and not fired carelessly.” Similarly, the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence (CSGV) laments on their website, “[t]raining requirements-if there are any for permit holders-are no more rigorous than a single day-class in instruction.” However, as it turns out, many in the gun control community aren’t actually concerned with the amount of training an individual receives before exercising their Right-to-Carry, but are opposed to anyone exercising this right at all; as evidenced by the fact that they don’t want highly-trained police officers to go around armed either. Late last month, Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) National President Chuck Canterbury sent a letter to National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell requesting that the league change a 2013 policy prohibiting the lawful carry of firearms by off-duty and retired law enforcement officers at NFL facilities. The letter pointed out that terrorists select targets “based on the amount of death and injury they can inflict,” including, “[w]ell-attended venues and areas,” and that the current disarmament policy “weakens the safety and security of NFL players, personnel and fans.” | |
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| NEWS Firearm Purchases Set Another Record | |
| Background checks don’t stop criminals from getting firearms, but one thing is certain: the trend in the number of checks shows that Americans are acquiring firearms at an unprecedented rate. The FBI reports that the number of firearm-related background checks hit an all-time, one-day high on Friday, November 27, known in the retail world as “Black Friday.” There were 185,345 checks conducted for firearm purchases, carry and purchase permits, and miscellaneous firearm-related reasons last Friday. The previous high, 177,170, had been set on Friday, December 21, 2012, two days after President Obama announced that he intended to submit new gun control proposals to Congress and to “use all the powers of this office” to restrict the right to arms. | |
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| NEWS Maryland Deputy Attorney General: “we should ban guns altogether, period” | |
| As if enduring eight years of the rabidly anti-gun Martin O’Malley in the Governor’s Mansion weren’t enough, Maryland gun owners are now contending with at least one avowed gun prohibitionist in the state Attorney General’s Office. Undercover video of Maryland Deputy Attorney General Thiruvendran Vignarajah, shot by Project Veritas while he was attending a national conference of state attorneys general in New York City, reveals the supposed-public servant’s deep disdain for your rights. | |
VIDEOS
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In this News Minute from the NRA Institute for Legislative Action, Jennifer Zahrn reports that a pro-Second Amendment majority in the United States Congress was pivotal in keeping NRA-backed provisions in the National Defense Authorization Act, which was signed into law last week. The new law expands gun rights on stateside military bases, prohibits the EPA from banning traditional ammunition under the Toxic Substance Control Act, and saves taxpayer dollars by allowing gun collectors to buy vintage military surplus pistols from the government. |
