Setting the Stage for Gun Control to be a 2016 Campaign Issue?
Clinton Joins Obama in Call for Additional Restrictions on Constitutionally Protected Rights
“You never want a serious crisis to go to waste. And what I mean by that is an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before.” – Rahm Emanuel
Although the quote above is from 2008, the concept is nothing new for anti-gun zealots on the left, including Emanuel’s political cronies. The current mayor of Chicago – a prime example of the failures of gun control – has close ties with many other anti-gun politicians, including President Obama and 2016 democrat front-runner Hillary Clinton, and it is obvious that they are sharing the same playbook.
Emanuel was first appointed as the finance committee director for Bill Clinton’s presidential bid in 1992, before going on to be Clinton’s Assistant to the President for Political Affairs. Emanuel was later serving as Senior Advisor to the President for Policy and Strategy when when the 1994 “Assault Weapon Ban” (another fine example of the failures of gun control) was enacted. After a stint as a US Congressman representing Illinois’s 5th district, Emanuel was appointed by the Obama administration to serve as White House Chief of Staff following the 2008 election. Perhaps it was during all of this close time together that Emanuel shared his strategy of capitalizing on crises to push unpopular political agendas like the ones that top democrats are now espousing with renewed vigor in the wake of the recent tragedy at a Charleston, South Carolina, church. Continue reading
Anti-Gun Group Uses Trick Photography to Hide Paltry Numbers
As reported by NRA-ILA, 
pro-gunners apparently were not the only ones in Nashville last weekend for the NRA Annual Meetings and Exhibits. Moms Demand Action for Gunsense in America were apparently there also, but nobody seemed to notice. Until they got caught creatively spinning “facts.” Big shock there.
The social media post by MDA reads “Just blocks from the NRA convention, hundreds of moms, dads and kids gathered today to show that we’ll go anywhere to bring the message of gun sense to America! Join our fight, we’re just getting started.”
Hundreds, you say? That’s cute, compared to the nearly 80,000 that attended the NRA meetings down the street. And “hundreds” might seem reasonable if you take the accompanying photo at face value. However, as usual, one just cannot seem to take anything this group says at face value.
It just so happened that there was another photographer in the area that captured the real story with this photo. What was claimed to be “hundreds” of anti-gun zealots shows the actual anemic turnout for their photo op was really only a few dozen – including the children that were dragged to the event for their dose of indoctrination. Perhaps technically since there have been slightly more than one hundred there, they feel comfortable calling it “hundreds.”
So how did they do it? Trick photography, of course. They arranged people in a funnel shape with a few people in the front, fanning out toward the rear so that the attendees filled the field of view – and no more – to give the appearance of a large crowed as far as the eye can see.
Just a reminder that when you see the anti’s propaganda machine output, caveat emptor!
It’s a Wrap on the 2nd Highest Attended NRA Show
78,865 Attend 2015 NRAAM in Nashville
Nearly 80k attendees made their way to visit the 550+ exhibitors in Nashville for the 2015 NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits – the world’s longest running Shooting & Hunting Show. Although not record high attendance, those numbers make it the 2nd largest NRAAM on the books. This should come as no surprise since the NRA show is the place to be for non-industry members to find out about the latest and greatest innovations in the shooting and hunting world and to have the opportunity to interface directly with manufacturers and vendors.
GunLink staff was only able to attend one day of the show – a weekday, no less – but could tell that it would be a well attended event. We made the trek to Nashville the previous day to attend the Official Glock 43 Launch Party at a nearby indoor range and then stuck around for the first day of the show, during which we had the opportunity to visit with many of the preeminent manufacturers in the industry as well as a number that are new to the scene.
Although the NRAAM obviously centers around firearms, shooting, and hunting, that isn’t all the show is about. The show is a great place to rub elbows with like-minded individuals and enjoy the camaraderie with fellow members of the shooting community. It is also a great opportunity to take in some entertainment throughout the Country Jam and Freedom Festival featuring live music and comedy acts from big-name headliners. For those seeking enlightenment, there are also educational tracks and leadership forums that provide great information for those wishing to take a break from the exhibit floor or entertainment venues.
Next year’s NRAAM will be in Louisville April 20-22, 2016 and the following year in Atlanta April 28-30, 2017. Make your plans to attend now. Admission is free for NRA members and their immediate families. Save $10 on membership dues by joining or renewing now HERE.
Check out some of the 2015 NRAAM photos below. Continue reading
NRA-ILA: Stop ATF’s Ammo Ban
Urge Your U.S. Representative to Sign Congressional Letter to ATF on Proposed Ammo Ban
As NRA has been reporting since the night the news broke, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE) is moving to infringe upon the rights of law-abiding gun owners with a drastic reinterpretation of a nearly 30-year-old law regulating so-called “armor piercing” ammunition. So draconian is BATFE’s new “Framework” that it would prohibit the manufacturing, importation, and sale of M855 ball ammunition, one of the most popular cartridges for the most popular rifle in America, the AR-15. Not coincidentally, the AR-15 is among the firearms the Obama Administration has unsuccessfully sought to outlaw. If they can’t ban the pie, so the thinking apparently goes, they might at least get the apples.
In an effort to thwart BATFE’s attempted action, NRA has worked with U.S. Representative Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, to draft a letter to BATFE expressing the lawmakers’ opposition to the proposed Framework. To read a copy of the letter, please click this link.
According to the letter, “The idea that Congress intended [the ‘armor piercing’ ammunition law] to ban one of the preeminent rifle cartridges in use by Americans for legitimate purposes is preposterous.” It goes on to state that the law “should be construed in accordance with the Continue reading
NRA-ILA: BATFE To Ban Common AR-15 Ammo
M855 ‘Armor Piercing’ Classification Could Drastically Impact Ammunition Availability
In a move clearly intended by the Obama Administration to suppress the acquisition, ownership and use of AR-15s and other .223 caliber general purpose rifles, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives unexpectedly announced today that it intends to ban commonplace M855 ball ammunition as “armor piercing ammunition.” The decision continues Obama’s use of his executive authority to impose gun control restrictions and bypass Congress.
It isn’t even the third week of February, and the BATFE has already taken three major executive actions on gun control. First, it was a major change to what activities constitute regulated “manufacturing” of firearms. Next, BATFE reversed a less than year old position on firing a shouldered “pistol.” Now, BATFE has released a“Framework for Determining Whether Certain Projectiles are ‘Primarily Intended for Sporting Purposes’ Within the Meaning of 18 U.S.C. 921(a)(17)(c)”, which would eliminate M855’s exemption to the armor piercing ammunition prohibition and make future exemptions nearly impossible.
By way of background, federal law imposed in 1986 prohibits the manufacture, importation, and sale by licensed manufacturers or importers, but not possession, of “a projectile or projectile core which may be used in a handgun and which is constructed entirely . . . from one or a combination of tungsten alloys, steel, iron, brass, bronze, beryllium copper, or depleted uranium.” Because there are handguns capable of firing M855, it “may be used in a handgun.” It does not, however, have a core made of the metals listed in the law; rather, it has a traditional lead core with a steel tip, and therefore should never have been considered “armor piercing.” Nonetheless, BATFE previously declared M855 to be “armor piercing ammunition,” but granted it an exemption as a projectile “primarily intended to be used for sporting purposes.”
Now, however, BATFE says that it will henceforth grant the “sporting purposes” exception to only two categories of projectiles: Continue reading
ATF Receives Nearly 9,500 Comments on Proposed NFA Trust Rule Change 41P
Responses include 100+ pages from David M Goldman, 17 from NRA-ILA
The Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (BATFE) received 9,479 comments filed regarding docket ATF-2013-0001: Machine Guns, Destructive Devices and Certain Other Firearms: Background Checks for Responsible Persons of a Corporation, Trust or Other Legal Entity with Respect to Making or Transferring a Firearm.
The proposed rule change is summarized on its regulations.gov site as: “The Department of Justice is planning to finalize a proposed rule to amend the regulations of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) regarding the making or transferring of a firearm under the National Firearms Act. As proposed, the rule would (1) add a definition for the term “responsible person”; (2) require each responsible person of a corporation, trust or legal entity to complete a specified form, and to submit photographs and fingerprints; and (3) modify the requirements regarding the certificate of the chief law enforcement officer (CLEO).”
In layman’s terms, what 41P does is require anyone obtaining an NFA firearm as a legal entity (e.g. an NFA Trust, LLC, or Corporation) to submit fingerprints, photographs, and proof of US citizenship along with their local Chief Law Enforcement Officer’s (CLEO) approval for each purchase or transfer. In many jurisdictions, this results in de facto ban on NFA firearms where the CLEO refuses to approve NFA transfers either because they are ignorant of NFA items or are outright anti-gun.
Among the comments received is a 17 page document filed by Chris Cox on behalf of the National Rifle Association’s Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA). In his comments, Cox references a number of other comments, including those filed by NFA Gun Trust Lawyer Blog’s David M. Goldman in his 55 page submission accompanied by another 88 pages of supporting exhibits. Cox goes on to point out their three main objections to the change:
First, its requirements are not authorized by the NFA and are therefore illegal for the Bureau of
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to impose. Second, the requirements could effectively block even those who are lawfully entitled to receive and possess NFA firearms from doing so under the very regime Congress created, and most states recognize, for this purpose. On the other hand, ATF has articulated no reason why the current regime has proven unworkable or how imposing these additional burdens on responsible, law-abiding persons would enhance public safety.
The comments appear to be overwhelmingly in opposition to the changes in 41P and articulate many reasons why the proposal should not be implemented. The BATFE must now review all of the submitted comments and replies before making a decision – which is expected to come in early 2015.
