SAF Files Amicus Opposing Forced ATF Adoption of Extreme Gun Definition

BELLEVUE, WA – The Second Amendment Foundation today filed an amicus brief in a federal case that is trying to force the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to define certain firearms components as “firearms.”

“Forcing ATF to adopt the new approach to classification of certain gun components that the plaintiffs in this case are demanding would greatly expand ATF authority beyond the 1968 Gun Control Act,” said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. “If their effort succeeds, it would violate rights protected by the Second Amendment by imposing restrictions on otherwise lawful Second Amendment activity excluded from the GCA.”

Consistent with congressional intent under the GCA, ATF long ago determined that unfinished frame and receiver blanks without any machine work or indexing have not yet reached a stage of manufacture in which they are classified as firearm frames or receivers under the GCA. Read more

NSSF: Arkansas Stand Your Ground Bill in Jeopardy

Arkansas Member Alert: Stand Your Ground Bill in Jeopardy
SB 24 was voted down in the House Judiciary Committee

In Arkansas yesterday, Senate Bill 24, the critically important Stand Your Ground legislation, was voted down in the House Judiciary Committee. In a procedural move to save the bill, your representative will have the opportunity tomorrow, February 4, to vote to pull the legislation out of committee and send it directly to the House floor for a vote by the full House of Representatives. Read more

Virginia: Background Checks for Gun Rentals Advances to Senate Floor

Virginia Alert: Background Checks for Gun Rentals Advances to Senate Floor

Action Required: Contact Your Virginia State Senator Immediately

Senate Bill 1250, a bill requiring background checks for gun rentals, is advancing through the Virginia Senate and NSSF® needs you to contact your state senator in opposition to SB 1250. SB 1250 is likely to come up for a vote in the very near future.

As drafted, SB 1250, by Senator Creigh Deeds, would require a background check to be conducted for ALL firearm rentals. However, there is much uncertainty with the bill. The one thing that is certain is that the Virginia State Police is not allowed to utilize the full NICS database, meaning they will be relying on an incomplete state database. If someone was adjudicated mentally ill in another state, that record would likely not be included in Virginia’s system.

NSSF urges all members to contact your state senator immediately and urge him or her to vote “NO” when SB 1250 comes up for a vote. To find out who represents you in the Virginia Senate click here.

Important talking points for when you reach out to your state senator to voice your opposition to SB 1250: Read more

CCRKBA: Jackson Lee’s H.R. 127 Gun Control Bill “Insanity on Steroids”

BELLEVUE, WA – Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee’s H.R. 127, a gun control measure requiring gun owner licensing, psychological evaluations, retroactive gun registration and separate licensing for modern sporting rifles is “insanity on steroids,” the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said today.

“Over the years,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb, “we’ve seen some astonishingly bad legislation originate on Capitol Hill, but this one takes the term ‘abomination’ to an entirely new level. One look at this bill and you wonder whether Congresswoman Jackson Lee ever heard of the Bill of Rights, which includes the Second Amendment.”

H.R. 127 would require the owner of any firearm to supply the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with the make, model and serial number of every gun he or she owns, and that includes guns people may have owned for years. They would also have to report the identity of any person to whom, and any period of time during which, the firearm will be loaned to that individual.

The licensing requirement mandates that the license applicant undergoes a criminal background check, and then submits to a psychological evaluation to determine whether the person is psychologically unsuited to possess a firearm. Successful licensees must show they have an insurance policy which will cost $800.

“H.R. 127 is a constitutionally-challenged monstrosity,” Gottlieb stated. “It ignores the fact that the Second Amendment protects a fundamental right to keep and bear arms, not some strictly-regulated government privilege. Government cannot require a psychological evaluation to exercise a right enumerated in the Constitution. Read more

Biden Administration Halts Fair Banking

“The first salvo in the gun control fight has begun and the Biden Administration has fired the first shot by improperly interfering in the affairs of the OCC which is an independent agency,” says the National Shooting Sport Foundation’s Senior Vice President and Counsel Larry Keane.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) has “paused publication” of its rule to ensure large banks provide all customers fair access to their services. The OCC proposed the rule in November to “codify more than a decade of OCC guidance that stating that banks should risk assessments of individual customers, rather than making broad-based decisions affecting whole categories or classes of customers, when providing access to services, capital and credit.” The firearms industry was one of those “classes” being denied services.

NCLA to Present Oral Arguments in Bump Stock Case

WHO: NCLA Litigation Counsel, Caleb Kruckenberg

WHAT: NCLA will present oral arguments via teleconference before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit in the case of Aposhian v BarrNCLA is challenging ATF’s Final Rule that went into effect on March 26, 2019 banning bump stock devices, on behalf of Clark Aposhian of Salt Lake City, Utah. After a panel of the Tenth Circuit upheld the Final Rule in a split decision, the en banc Court vacated that decision and ordered the parties to answer important questions about the application of Chevron deference. At issue, in this case, is whether a court can apply Chevron deference even when an administrative agency declines to invoke it. For more information visit the case page here.

WHERE: Follow this link to listen live: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HS425e5i2TI

WHEN: Wednesday, January 28, 2021, at 1:00 pm EST

Washington State Magazine Ban Scheduled in Senate Committee

NSSF Needs Your Help in Opposing this Bill

NSSF® has been working on your behalf this session to kill a multitude of anti-firearm industry bills at the legislature and to inform you about all legislation impacting your business and the industry in general.

Last week we informed you about SB 5078, which if passed would make it a criminal offense to manufacture, possess, distribute, import, sell, purchase or transfer a magazine with a capacity greater than 10 rounds. Read more

Judge Rules New York Lawsuit Against NRA Can Proceed

A New York State Supreme Court judge has ruled the a lawsuit from the state against the National Rifle Association can proceed. Last week the NRA announced its intent to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and reincorporate in Texas. In their motion to dismiss, the NRA asked the court to prevent New York Attorney General Letitia James from suing in state court and change the venue to Albany. In his ruling, Judge Joel Cohen ruled, “it would be inappropriate in these circumstances to find that the attorney general cannot pursue her claims in state court just because one of the defendants would prefer to proceed in federal court.”

SAF Sues BATFE Over Arm Brace Violations

The Second Amendment Foundation today filed a lawsuit in federal district court against the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Department of Justice, alleging violations of the Administrative Procedures Act relating to its flip-flop regulation of arm braces on semiautomatic pistols.

SAF is joined by Rainier Arms, LLC and two private citizens, Samuel Walley and William Green. The lawsuit also names acting ATF Director Regina Lombardo and Acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen, in their official capacities. The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Dallas Division. The case is known as SAF et. al. v. BATFE, et. al.

“There are several issues at play in this case,” said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. “It concerns the failure of the agencies and its officials to abide by long-established and Congressionally-mandated rulemaking requirements, threatening rights protected by the Second Amendment. This is especially important to disabled persons because these devices were originally developed to benefit shooters with physical disabilities. Read more

NRA Announces Reincorporation Plan

The NRA announced a restructuring plan that positions us for the long-term and ensures our continued success as the nation’s leading advocate for constitutional freedom – free from the toxic political environment of New York.

The plan can be summed up quite simply: We are DUMPING New York, and we are pursuing plans to reincorporate the NRA in Texas.

To facilitate the strategic plan and restructuring, the NRA and one of its subsidiaries filed voluntary chapter 11 petitions in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas, Dallas Division. As you may know, chapter 11 proceedings are often utilized by businesses, nonprofits and organizations of all kinds to streamline legal and financial affairs.

Under the plan, the NRA will continue what we’ve always done – confronting anti-gun, anti-self-defense and anti-hunting activities and promoting constitutional advocacy that helps law-abiding Americans. Our work will continue as it always has. No major changes are expected to the NRA’s operations or workforce.

Importantly, our plans do not impact your membership at any level. Read more

1 50 51 52 53 54 141