Sanctions Related to Ukraine Conflict Hit Firearms Manufacturer Molot and Their VEPR
The US Treasury Department today released the latest round of sanctions going into effect surrounding the conflict in Ukraine. These sanctions, which the department says underscore the U.S. commitment to a diplomatic solution to the crisis in Ukraine, are hitting close to home for fans of certain imported firearms.
The Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) reinforced existing sanctions on Russia by designating a range of individuals and entities involved in the ongoing conflict under four Executive orders (E.O.s) related to Russia and Ukraine. The sanctions, according to the release, will remain in effect “until Russia fully honors its obligations under the Minsk Agreements.”
Along with 37 other entities, the list names Molot-Oruzhie, manufacturer of the popular VEPR series of firearms, including the AK-47-style VEPR-12 semi-auto shotgun, similar in appearance and function to the Kalashnikov Concern’s Saiga.
Molot Oruzhie, OOO is designated by the Treasury Department’s sanction list under the section of Designations Related to Officials of the Russian Government and Sanctions Evasion, which also targets five other entities pursuant to the previous White House’s 2014 Executive Order 13661, which authorizes sanctions on any individual or entity that has provided material or other support to persons operating in the arms or related materiel sector in the Russian Federation.
Specifically, the release reads: Continue reading
Branco: Out of Left Field
Notice a trend? It reminds me of a conversation from the series Justified where Chief Deputy Mullen tells US Marshall Raylan Givens “You see, ten days ago you shot a man in Miami. Put it like this: you were in the first grade; bit a kid every week? They’d start to think of you as a biter.”
A.F. Branco – A Radical Liberal Terrorist “James Hodgkinson, a radical liberal terrorist and Bernie sanders supporter, shoots Republicans during baseball practice.”
Branco: DNC Political Hitman
“The media have become political assassins for the democrat party out to destroy Trump, conservatives, and anyone who support them.”
NSSF Backs President’s Selection of Gorsuch for Supreme Court
The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the trade association for the firearms, ammunition and related industries, tonight expressed its strong support for President Donald Trump’s nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit to become an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court.
“We are pleased to lend our support to President Trump’s nomination of Judge Gorsuch to the Supreme Court and urge the Senate to approve his nomination in as expeditious manner as possible,” said Lawrence Keane, NSSF senior vice president and general counsel. “We are confident that Judge Gorsuch will serve our nation with distinction as an Associate Justice of our nation’s highest court and that his service will do honor to the legacy of the late Justice Antonin Scalia in the protection of the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Americans.”
About NSSF
The National Shooting Sports Foundation is the trade association for the firearms industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of more than 12,000 manufacturers, distributors, firearms retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations and publishers. For more information, visit www.nssf.org.
Trump Inauguration Garners Enthusiastic Response from SHOT Show Attendees
After spending eight unsure years years of worrying about forthcoming gun control laws that would further infringe upon rights ostensibly protected by the US Constitution, firearms enthusiasts and industry members breathed a sigh of relief as the 45th President was sworn in on the last day of the 2017 SHOT Show.
Team GunLink members who stuck around through the end of the show were in the press room during the official swearing in ceremony – as were many other members of the media. There, the transition from President-Elect to President Donald Trump elicited a boisterous round of applause and a standing ovation from many, and cheers were heard from exhibitors and attendees alike who filled the hallways and downstairs show floor areas.
The reaction was no surprise, given the political environment and near constant threats against Second Amendment rights over the past decade and the perceived sea change in that environment.
The perception is not only reinforced by President Trumps loud proclamation of support for Second Amendment rights during his campaign, but also his creation of a “Second Amendment Coalition” that is populated by half a dozen political representatives and big-name industry players like Ronnie Barrett, Marty Daniel, Alan Cors, Kim Rhode, and Josh Waldron – true supporters of the Right to Keep and Bear arms, to be sure. Continue reading
Firearms Industry Group Backs Sessions for AG
Firearms industry group National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) has released a statement backing President-Elect Donald Trump’s pick for Attorney General.
The trade association for the firearms, ammunition and related industries, today expressed its strong support for the nomination of the U.S. Senator from Alabama as the 84th Attorney General of the United States.
“During the last eight years, through numerous attacks on our Second Amendment liberties, Senator Sessions has worked tirelessly to protect the rights of law-abiding citizens, including through his staunch support of the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act.” said Lawrence Keane, NSSF senior vice president and general counsel. “We are confident that with Senator Sessions as the top law enforcement officer in the nation that our public will be safer, that criminals will be taken off the streets, that justice will be served, law enforcement priorities will take precedence over politics and the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Americans will be respected.”
Frankly, we here at GunLink are just excited to see someone other than anti-gun Eric Holder or Loretta Lynch filling the roll, whose duties as the head of the United States Department of justice include being at the helm of the BATFE.
