NRA Applauds Introduction of Sportsmen’s Heritage and Recreational Enhancement Act
The National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA) applauds the introduction of H.R. 3668, the Sportsmen’s Heritage and Recreational Enhancement (SHARE) Act. Introduced by Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-SC), the bill will reduce burdensome regulations on America’s sportsmen, enhance access to public lands and simplify the purchasing process for firearm suppressors.
“The SHARE Act is critical legislation that will protect America’s hunters and recreational shooters and help preserve our outdoor heritage,” said Chris W. Cox, executive director, NRA-ILA. “This bill contains many important reforms to federal law that will remove unnecessary restrictions on our Second Amendment freedoms and hunting heritage.”
A key aspect of the bill is the Hearing Protection Act (HPA), which would eliminate burdensome and expensive regulations on suppressors. In addition, the bill would ensure greater protections for carrying lawfully-possessed firearms on land managed by the Army Corps of Engineers; require public lands management plans to facilitate hunting, fishing and recreational shooting; reform the outdated “sporting purposes test” that currently muddies federal gun control law regarding the importation of rifles and shotguns; and make critical reforms to the interstate transportation provisions of the Firearm Owner’s Protection Act (FOPA).
“On behalf of America’s gun owners and sportsmen, I would like to thank Rep. Duncan for introducing this important legislation. All Americans deserve access to our rich outdoor heritage and the tools that help making hunting and shooting safer,” concluded Cox.
CMP Sales of 1911s One Step Closer With House Passage of 2018 NDAA
On Friday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 2810, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2018. Included in the bill is a provision that would make U.S. Army surplus 1911 .45 ACP pistols available to the American public through the Civilian Marksmanship program (CMP).
In November of 2015, then-President Obama signed the NDAA for Fiscal year 2016 into law with language that authorized the Secretary of Defense to transfer 1911s no longer in service to the CMP for public sale. That language made the transfers subject to the Secretary’s discretion and capped them at 10,000 per year. Unsurprisingly, no actual transfers were made under the program while Obama remained in the White House.
This year’s language, however, would effectively make the transfers mandatory and would remove the yearly cap. Currently, the military has some 100,000 excess 1911s sitting in storage at taxpayer expense. Transfer of these historically-significant firearms would ease a burden on the government’s heavily indebted balance sheet and help preserve important artifacts from the era when the U.S. military defended Western Civilization from worldwide fascism and aggressive Communist expansion.
The CMP’s sales of 1911s would be treated as other retail sales under the federal Gun Control Act, including the attendant background checks and point of sale record keeping. The design of the pistols dates back to the late 19th Century, and they come equipped with a seven-round magazine. One would think this would render the sales harmless in the eyes of the “reasonable gun safety regulation” crowd, but we’re not holding our breath.
The NRA thanks House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-TX) and Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL) for their steadfast support of this important provision.
Upon completion of the Senate NDAA, the House and Senate will convene a conference committee to resolve the differences in their bills. If you would like to see 1911 sales return to the CMP, please contact your U.S. Senators and Representative and urge them to keep the House language on this matter intact in the final bill they send to the president. You can contact Senators and Representative at 202-225-3121.
A New Day for the Second Amendment: Donald Trump Addresses the NRA
President Trump to NRA Members: “You came through for me, and I am going to come through for you.”
The drumbeat of fake news continues as the elites disappointed by the 2016 election dedicate themselves to “resisting” the Trump administration.
Among their many false narratives is that Americans are no longer interested in firearms now that Barack Obama is out of the White House.
At least two big groups of people didn’t get that memo.
One is comprised of the 2,045,564 Americans who were queried through the FBI’s firearm background check database in April 2017. This was the second busiest April ever for that system. In fact, each month of Trump’s presidency has seen over two million firearm-related background checks. Only in 2016, when Americans faced losing their Second Amendment rights forever, did the FBI run more checks during a January to April period.
The other group included the nearly 82,000 people who attended the NRA’s Annual Meetings and Exhibits in Atlanta, Georgia in late April. This was our second-highest total of attendees ever. Fifteen acres of guns and gear on display at the Georgia World Congress Center said all that needed to be said about the vitality of America’s firearms industry.
But those weren’t the only encouraging signs that greeted the NRA’s extended family reunion in the Peach State. Our Annual Leadership Forum drew an impressive line-up of speakers. Besides three sitting U.S. Senators (Georgia’s David Purdue, Alabama’s Luther Strange, and Texas’ Ted Cruz), we heard from Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and Florida Governor Rick Scott. Lt. Col. Allen West and Milwaukee County Sheriff David A. Clarke provided a distinguished presence from the uniformed ranks. And rounding out the guest list were Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt, former Major League Baseball great Adam LaRoche, and campus carry advocate Antonia Okafor. Continue reading
NRA Launches New Facebook Page
We figured something was up when the National Rifle Association‘s old Facebook page @NationalRifleAssociation began transitioning to a NRA-ILA (Institute for Legislative Action) page recently. Well, now it’s Facebook Official.
The NRA has now officially announced the launch of their new Facebook page with an easier to remember (and tag) handle @NRA. Head on over and connect with them today (and, while you’re at it, be sure to like @GunLink.info as well).
The gun rights organization’s Executive Vice President, Wayne LaPierre said of the launch, “I’ve told our members many times, NRA doesn’t get its power from our headquarters building in Washington; our power comes from our members and their unflinching commitment to the Second Amendment.”
LaPierre went on to encourage all NRA members and gun owners to not just follow the new main NRA page, but also those of the other arms of the group, including NRA-ILA (which you may already follow from before the transition), NRATV, their various publications, and their new CCW insurance program, Carry Guard.
Established in 1871, the National Rifle Association bills itself as America’s oldest civil rights and sportsmen’s group boasting more than 5 million members who fight to defend the Second Amendment and provide firearms safety training and education. If you are not already a member, you can join the National Rifle Association here and save on membership dues.
Concealed Carry Reciprocity Effort Gains Steam in Congress
Earlier this year, we shared details of NRA-backed concealed carry reciprocity legislation pending in Congress. The momentum behind those bills continues to build, with each attracting dozens of co-sponsors.
Sen. John Cornyn’s Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act now boasts 37 co-sponsors. And 194 of his House colleagues have signed onto Rep. Richard Hudson’s Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017.
Concealed carry reciprocity legislation recognizes that Americans’ Second Amendment right to bear arms doesn’t end at their states’ borders. While most states already recognize this and have provisions allowing for reciprocity for concealed carry permits from other jurisdiction, a minority of antigun states have made a point of arresting out-of-state residents who carry or transport otherwise lawfully owned firearms in their jurisdictions.
This sort of “zero tolerance” enforcement has nothing to do with public safety and everything to do with punishing people who believe in the Second Amendment. There is nothing legitimate about a state using its police powers to suppress the constitutional rights of fellow Americans.
That’s why your NRA has for years supported legislation to ensure that people who are federally eligible to possess firearms and who have state-sanctioned ability to carry concealed don’t lose their eligibility to do so simply because they cross state lines. This legislation would ensure that states would have to treat lawful concealed carriers from other states the same as lawful in-state concealed carriers. States would maintain their prerogatives over their own licensing regimes and the rules of behavior that govern concealed carry within their borders. Continue reading
F Stands for Fail: Washington Post Flip-Flops on Suppressors
The Washington Post — in one of its rare reversions to journalism – recently issued a fact check that handed Americans for Responsible Solutions and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) three Pinocchios for overstating the noise-canceling properties of firearm suppressors. “There is little that’s quiet about a firearm with a silencer, unless one also thinks a jackhammer is quiet,” the report concluded.
The context was the debate over the Hearing Protection Act (HPA). This bill would treat suppressors as if they were ordinary firearms for federal regulatory purposes, rather than the current practice of treating their sales as if they were machine guns, which are subject to much more cumbersome rules designed to discourage ownership.
Suppressors’ popularity has increased exponentially in recent years, as firearm owners have embraced the health-promoting and experience-enhancing benefits of their use.
And while they do decrease the report of firearms, they do not, as the Post fact check accurately reported, render them anywhere near “silent.”
Who could possibly argue with technology that can reduce hearing loss associated with firearm use? Certainly not the Washington Post, which in its March 20 fact check stated, “We obviously take no position on whether this proposed law would be good or bad …. “
Obviously. Continue reading
