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Here
are some of the top stories we brought you in the NRA-ILA Grassroots
Alert in 2012. With what will be a critically important 2013, we must
increase our efforts to ensure we're prepared to meet the great
challenges we will face next year. We will continue to provide you with
information in future Alerts to ensure our mutual success.
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• Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) announced that U.S. Attorney General
Eric Holder would testify before the House Oversight and Government
Reform Committee about his role in the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,
Firearms and Explosives’ now-infamous “Operation Fast and Furious.”
• A federal district court in Washington, D.C. issued a ruling
upholding an Obama administration policy that requires federally
licensed firearm retailers in states bordering Mexico to report multiple
sales of semi-automatic rifles.
• NRA vowed to appeal a decision by a federal court in Texas, which
held that the Second Amendment doesn’t protect any right to keep or bear
arms outside the home. The decision, handed down by U.S. District Judge
Sam Cummings of the Northern District of Texas, came in the case of
Jennings v. McCraw, in which a group of law-abiding 18- to 20-year old
adults challenged the state law prohibiting issuance of concealed
handgun licenses to persons under 21, who are treated as adults for
virtually every other purpose under the law.
• In a move that stunned members of the House Oversight and Government
Reform Committee, the chief of the criminal division in the U.S.
Attorney's Office in Arizona, Patrick J. Cunningham, cited his Fifth
Amendment rights against self-incrimination and refused to testify.
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• U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder testified before the House
Oversight and Government Reform Committee regarding his role in the
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' gun running
operation known as “Fast and Furious.” During the hearing, Holder
continued to deny any foreknowledge of the botched operation.
Representative Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), chairman of the House committee,
led the charge in questioning Holder on his involvement and knowledge.
When Issa asked Holder if he had been briefed on the wiretaps presented
in this case, Holder responded, "These wiretaps are very voluminous,
read well kinds of things. I have not read them." The U.S. Attorney
General has an obligation to the American people to know what is going
on under his watch, but throughout the hearing Holder continuously tried
to distance himself from the activities of his staff. NRA-ILA
Executive Director Chris W. Cox wrote an op-ed for the Daily Caller
regarding U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder’s appearance.
• NRA attended a United Nations Arms Trade Treaty meeting in New York
City. The so- called "Arms Trade Treaty Preparatory Committee" was
attended by almost 500 U.N. delegates and non-governmental organization
(NGO) representatives. NRA was the leading pro-firearm NGO at the U.N.
and continued its strong and clear position that any Arms Trade Treaty
must in no way impact gun owners’ rights.
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• An NRA-supported case ended in victory for residents of the District
of Columbia’s public housing system, as the D.C. Housing Authority
finally changed its lease provisions to allow lawful gun possession in
its properties. The D.C. Council’s Committee on the Judiciary began work
on a bill to roll back a few of the most extreme provisions of the
District’s post-Heller anti-gun laws. The version of the bill passed by
the committee would eliminate the District’s mandatory five-hour
training requirement (including one hour of live fire). Instead,
would-be gun owners would only have to watch a video presentation on gun
safety—an easier alternative that even the District’s police department
had favored all along. Among other changes, the bill would also end the
requirement that handguns registered in the District be test-fired for
ballistic identification, a requirement that has proved useless in the
handful of states that have imposed it, and postpone the implementation
of a California-style “microstamping” requirement.
• The Washington state Supreme Court declined to review an October
decision by the state Court of Appeals, reaffirming that the gun ban in
Seattle's parks is illegal. This order marks a final victory for
Seattle-area gun owners, the National Rifle Association, and the Second
Amendment Foundation, who had joined together to block enforcement of
the ban.
• A federal judge ruled a key portion of Maryland’s gun laws
unconstitutional. Judge Benson Everett Legg declared that Maryland's
requirement for a "good and substantial reason" to obtain a
concealed-carry permit violates the Second Amendment protection of the
right to keep and bear arms.
• U.S. Senator John Thune (R-S.D.) introduced Senate Bill 2213, the
"Respecting States' Rights and Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act." NRA
strongly supports this measure. Under this self-defense bill, an
individual who has met the requirements for a carry permit, or who is
otherwise allowed by state law to carry a handgun, would be authorized
to carry a handgun in any other state that issues such permits or does
not prohibit concealed carry, subject to the laws of the state in which
it is carried.
• A video from 1995 surfaced featuring U.S. Attorney General Eric
Holder--who was then the U.S. Attorney for the District of
Columbia--saying that he supported using Hollywood, the media and
government officials in order to “really brainwash people” into opposing
firearm ownership. NRA has been saying for years that Attorney General
Eric Holder, our nation's chief law enforcement officer, is an antigun
extremist. He's been toeing the Obama antigun ideological line for his
entire life, and now the video provides more evidence.
• A federal district court in Illinois wrongly ruled that the Second
Amendment does not protect a right to carry firearms for self-protection
outside the home. The NRA funded this challenge to Illinois' ban on
citizens' ability to carry firearms legally outside their homes and
businesses for self-defense, and will also be supporting an immediate
appeal to the Seventh Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals--and to the Supreme
Court if necessary. The decision in the case of Shepard v. Madigan
misread the Supreme Court's Second Amendment decisions and will continue
to deprive law-abiding Illinoisans of the right to protect themselves
effectively against crime on the streets.
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• The Illinois Supreme Court unanimously denied an attempt by Cook
County, Ill., to dismiss a challenge to the county's California-style
ban on countless types of common semi-automatic firearms. The National
Rifle Association supported the case brought by the NRA's state
affiliate, the Illinois State Rifle Association.
• Mexican president Felipe Calderon continued Mexico's tradition of
blaming America for its self-induced problems, and continued his
personal habit of blaming America's gun laws for the fact that his
policies have failed to dismantle Mexico's drug cartels and,
regrettably, that his failure has contributed to a severe increase in
murders in Mexico. At a White House news conference held in conjunction
with his meeting with President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Stephen
Harper of Canada, Calderon essentially repeated the claim he made during
a speech to Congress in 2010, that Mexico's murder rate increased when
the U.S. "assault weapon" ban expired. Through a translator, Calderon
said that "The expiring of the assault weapons ban in the year 2004
coincided almost exactly with the beginning of the harshest -- the
harshest -- period of violence we've ever seen."
• The Canadian Senate voted 50-27 to abolish their useless long-gun
registry. The passage of Bill C-19 means that registration records for
seven million ordinary long guns are to be destroyed.
• The Environmental Protection Agency denied for the second time a
petition by the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) and other
anti-hunting groups asking the EPA to impose a nationwide ban on the use
of ammunition containing lead. The petition was essentially a
repetition of a similar petition submitted by the CBD in 2010. The EPA
found that the new petition was “almost identical” to the earlier
petition, had no “substantive difference,” and “contains no new
information” as compared to the earlier petition.
• H.R. 4089, the “Sportsmen's Heritage Act of 2012”, passed the U.S.
House of Representatives by a bipartisan vote of 274 to 146. This bill
will protect and enhance opportunities for recreational hunting, fishing
and shooting. H.R. 4089 is a compilation of four different bills.
• Anti-gun Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) put a "hold" on the
“National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act of 2012”, and the “Respecting
States' Rights and Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2012”. In keeping
with her anti-gun record, Feinstein took action in an effort to oppose
the quick passage of the bills. The "hold" does not prevent passage of
the bills; it just prevents the legislation from passing by an already
unlikely "unanimous consent" vote. In a letter to Senate Majority Leader
Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Judiciary Committee Chair Pat Leahy (D-Vt.)
Feinstein called the bills "dangerous" and said that they would "create
potentially life threatening situations for law enforcement officers."
• The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations
approved, by a vote of 30-19, an amendment offered by Rep. Denny Rehberg
(R-Mont.), to prohibit the use of federal funds to carry out the
BATFE's requirement that firearm dealers in the four southwestern border
states file "multiple sales" reports on individuals who buy more than
one detachable-magazine semi-automatic rifle of greater than .22 caliber
in a five-day period.
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• Rep. Darrell Issa--chairman of the House Oversight and Government
Reform Committee--sent out a draft Contempt Order against Holder to
members of the committee. The document makes a case for holding the
beleaguered U.S. Attorney General in contempt of Congress due to his
ongoing refusal to cooperate with the “Fast and Furious” investigation.
While not actually citing Holder with contempt, the document does
establish grounds for the charge. According to a release by the
committee, the documents explain what happened in "Fast and Furious,"
the hardships faced by the family of murdered Border Patrol agent Brian
Terry in getting truthful answers about his death, how whistle-blowers
have faced retaliation for their actions, and the violent crime and
narco-terrorism in Mexico that "Fast and Furious" has enabled.
• The U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 5326--the
appropriations bill for the Departments of Commerce and Justice,
Science, and Related Agencies fiscal year 2013--by a vote of 247-163.
One of the most important ways that Congress has protected the Second
Amendment is through a number of general provisions included in various
appropriations bills, and 11 provisions to protect the Second Amendment
were included in the bill.
• Iowa Governor Terry Branstad (R) announced that he will nullify the
traditional ammunition ban in Iowa. In July 2011, the Iowa Natural
Resources Commission (NRC) imposed the ban--after the topic was debated
and resoundingly rejected by the legislature--following the enactment of
the first dove-hunting season since 1918. The NRC slipped in the ban
on the use of all traditional ammunition while setting bag limits and
other regulations with regard to the reenacted Iowa dove-hunting season.
• U.S. House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), Majority Leader Eric Cantor
(R-Va.), and Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), joined House
Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa
(R-Calif.) in sending a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder
demanding full cooperation with the ongoing Congressional investigation
into the infamous "Fast and Furious" operation, and the tragic death of
Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry. According to a press release by Rep.
Boehner, the letter asserted that the Department of Justice has not
sufficiently complied with a Congressional subpoena seeking answers on
the operation, and questioned whether false information that was
provided-- and later withdrawn--"was part of a broader effort by your
Department to obstruct a Congressional investigation."
• The Bureau of Land Management announced that it was abandoning the
effort to ban recreational shooting on the Sonoran Desert National
Monument in Arizona. BLM released a new proposed management plan that
protects "monument objects and values" through best management
practices, but does not close the monument to shooters. This
announcement is a major victory for gun owners, as it reversed BLM's
intent to close the half million-acre SDNM to recreational shooting.
The original SDNM plan mirrored BLM's decision last year to drive
shooters out of the Ironwood Forest National Monument, also in Arizona.
• During consideration of the Fiscal Year 2013 State, Foreign
Operations and Related Programs Appropriations Bill, Senator Moran
(R-Kan.) took additional steps to safeguard our rights and joined Sen.
Jon Tester (D-Mont.) in offering an amendment to protect the rights of
American gun owners from being undermined by the proposed Arms Trade
Treaty. The amendment passed by a voice vote. The amendment will block
any taxpayer dollars from being used to advocate or agree to any
provision that would restrict in any way the rights of United States
citizens under the Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United
States, or that would otherwise regulate the domestic manufacture,
importation, assembly, possession, use, transfer or purchase of
firearms, ammunition or related items.
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• An en banc panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued its
ruling in Nordyke v. King. The Court ruled that it would hold the
County to its concession that the gun show promoter plaintiffs could
hold a gun show on the Alameda County fairgrounds property, so long as
the guns were secured to the exhibit tables with a wire cable.
• The Louisiana Senate passed Senate Bill 303, a constitutional
amendment protecting the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, by a 34 to 4
vote. This bill previously passed in the state House by a 77 to 22, and
will now be placed on the ballot in November for voters to ratify.
• Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker (R) won the recall election for
Governor in Wisconsin defeating rabidly anti-gun Milwaukee Mayor Tom
Barrett. Scott Walker has proven his dedication to the Second Amendment
by signing into law Right-to-Carry legislation, castle doctrine
legislation, and the Hunting Heritage Act during his short tenure as
Wisconsin’s chief executive. Scott Walker also supported statewide
preemption of firearm laws and an amendment to the Wisconsin
Constitution guaranteeing the individual right to keep and bear arms.
NRA was fully vested in this race with a comprehensive campaign that
included tens of millions of online ads and hundreds of thousands of
television, radio and print ads. The media campaign was also
supplemented by a concentrated advocacy and Get-Out-The-Vote phone and
mail program. All-in-all, almost two million pieces of advocacy mail
were sent and phone calls made in this remarkable victory for freedom.
NRA’s media campaign was complemented with a strong grassroots effort,
utilizing Campaign Field Representatives to conduct literature drops,
canvassing and volunteer efforts across the state in the months before
the election.
• The United States District Court for the Northern District of
Illinois ruled that it is unconstitutional for Chicago to treat people
with non-violent misdemeanor convictions the same as convicted felons.
The NRA-supported case, Gowder v. Chicago, involves plaintiff Shawn
Gowder, who was convicted as a first-time offender for mere possession
of a firearm in violation of Illinois law in 1995. His misdemeanor
record did not block him from getting a state Firearm Owner's
Identification card, so he could still legally possess a gun in
Illinois.
• The U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution holding
Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr. in contempt of Congress for failing
to turn over subpoenaed documents about his department's response to
the "Fast and Furious" operation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,
Firearms and Explosives. The resolution passed by a bipartisan vote
of 255 to 67.
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• As called for in a resolution adopted by the U.N. General Assembly in
2009, a conference began in New York City to draft the treaty's
language. The United Nations Conference on the Arms Trade Treaty is one
of the most serious threats to American gun owners in decades. NRA
Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre addressed the conference and
made the position of the NRA and American gun owners crystal clear: No
treaty that includes civilian arms is acceptable. This speech is the
culmination of nearly 20 years of NRA involvement in U.N. gun control
issues in general, and the push for an Arms Trade Treaty in particular.
The Conference on the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty (U.N. ATT)
breaks down and will not report a draft treaty to the member nations.
This is a big victory for American gun owners, and the NRA is being
widely credited for killing the U.N. ATT.
• The U.S. Government Accountability Office confirms that the number of
Americans exercising the right to carry firearms for personal
protection is skyrocketing. GAO investigators gathered information
from state authorities nationwide about the number of permits issued,
eligibility requirements for those permits, and the extent to which
states recognize permits issued by other states. The researchers also
conducted a more in-depth review of nine selected states. While
information on eligibility requirements and reciprocity is easily
available online (for example, on NRA-ILA's "Gun Laws" page), some of
the statistical information in the report is remarkable. With hard
numbers or estimates from all but three of the 49 states that have laws
allowing for issuance of carry permits, the GAO reports that there were
about 8 million active permits in the United States as of December 31,
2011. That's about a million more than previous estimates by scholars.
• In their latest attempt to protect whistleblowers from BATFE
reprisal, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.)
sent a letter to BATFE Acting Director B. Todd Jones, asking him to
clarify the comments he made in a video message sent to agency
employees. In the video, entitled "Choices and Consequences," Jones
states, "Choices and consequences mean, simply, that if you make poor
choices, that if you don't abide by the rules, that if you don't respect
the chain of command, if you don't find the appropriate way to raise
your concerns to your leadership, there will be consequences." In their
letter, the lawmakers told Jones that his message "could be interpreted
as a threat" to whistleblowers, and reminded him that BATFE employees
have the "right to talk to Congress and provide Congress with
information free and clear of agency interference or retaliation"--a
right expressly protected by federal law.
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• U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) and U.S. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy
(D-N.Y.) introduced legislation that would impose sweeping new--and not
so new--restrictions on ammunition sales. The bills, S. 3458 and H.R.
6241, are known as the “Stop Online Ammunition Sales Act.” The bill
itself has four elements: (1) A federal licensing requirement for
ammunition sellers; (2) Recordkeeping on all ammunition sales; (3)
Reporting of all sales of more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition to anyone
without a federal firearms license within five consecutive business
days; and (4) A photo identification requirement for all non-licensees
buying ammunition, “effectively banning the online or mail order
purchase of ammo by regular civilians.”
• NRA offers its sincere congratulations to shotgunner Kimberly Rhode,
who, on July 29, won a gold medal in women's skeet shooting, becoming
the first American to win individual medals in five straight Olympics.
In her dominating win on Sunday, Rhode tied a world record with 99
points out of a possible 100. Rhode's Olympic journey began in 1996 at
the Atlanta Summer Games, where she won in double trap. She went on to
medal in Sydney, Athens, Beijing, and, now, London.
• A U.S. government report disclosed that Mexican drug cartel
operatives used a firearm from the infamous scheme in a failed attempt
to assassinate a high-ranking Mexican law enforcement official.
• The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and
Government Reform filed a civil lawsuit seeking to circumvent President
Obama's executive privilege claim and force the Department of Justice to
hand over subpoenaed documents.
• BATFE’s William McMahon, who, as the agency's Assistant Deputy
Director for Field Operations approved its catastrophic and deadly “Fast
and Furious” operation, is being allowed to receive his six-figure
federal paycheck for nearly half a year, while working full-time as
investment bank J. P. Morgan’s executive director for global security
and investments in the Philippines. As the Washington Post reports,
"McMahon was one of five ATF officials recently singled out in a
congressional report on the botched gun operation. The report alleged
that McMahon knew that no safeguards were in place to prevent a large
number of guns from getting into Mexico, but he made no effort to stop
them." Fox News says "The [double-dipping, two-paycheck] arrangement
allows McMahon to retire [from the BATFE] in December with a full
government pension."
• The Springfield, Illinois, State Journal-Register reported that the
state's attorney in McLean County (Bloomington area) announced that he
would not enforce certain Illinois gun control laws that violate the
Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. In particular, the county's
top prosecutor, Ronald Dozier, singled out the Illinois law that
requires a person to possess a Firearm Owners Identification Card to be
able to buy a gun.
• Included in the 2012 Republican platform is a strong statement of
support for the individual right to keep and bear arms, which goes
beyond a generic statement of support for the Second Amendment and
includes specific statements on key issues of concern to gun owners.
The inclusion of specific issues, such as the right to self-defense,
opposition to the semi-auto ban, and support for interstate
Right-to-Carry reciprocity makes this the most pro-Second Amendment
position ever included in a major party platform. The NRA commends the
GOP for taking a strong and unambiguous stance in support of our
fundamental, individual right to keep and bear arms.
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• Democrats release their platform language on firearms: “We recognize
that the individual right to bear arms is an important part of the
American tradition, and we will preserve Americans' Second Amendment
right to own and use firearms. We believe that the right to own firearms
is subject to reasonable regulation. We understand the terrible
consequences of gun violence; it serves as a reminder that life is
fragile, and our time here is limited and precious. We believe in an
honest, open national conversation about firearms. We can focus on
effective enforcement of existing laws, especially strengthening our
background check system, and we can work together to enact commonsense
improvements--like reinstating the assault weapons ban and closing the
gun show loophole--so that guns do not fall into the hands of those
irresponsible, law-breaking few.” As if to signal that the Democratic
Party is ready to follow Obama's lead on the issue, Senator Dianne
Feinstein (D-Cal.) announced in her keynote speech to the convention's
California delegation that she intends to reintroduce an "updated"
version of the 1994-2004 "assault weapons" and "large" magazines ban.
• The Department of Justice Inspector General's report on the "Fast and
Furious" scandal was released, and while it found 14 officials from the
department and its Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives
responsible for the reckless program, it failed, unfortunately, to hold
Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr. responsible for the actions of
those under his supervision. The report provides a valuable account of
the operation and the department's response, concluding that the
operation "quickly grew into an investigation that lacked realistic
objectives, did not have appropriate supervision within ATF or the U.S.
Attorney's Office, and failed to adequately assess the public safety
consequences" of letting guns flow freely into Mexico.
• To take a closer look at where Obama stands on issues related to the
Second Amendment, NRA-PVF unveiled--GunBanObama.com. The website is
loaded with features and information that helps educate Second Amendment
advocates.
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• The National Rifle Association's Political Victory Fund announced its
endorsement of Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan for President and Vice
President. NRA's Executive Vice President, Wayne LaPierre, and NRA-ILA
Executive Director, Chris W. Cox, made the announcement in Fishersville,
Virginia, during a rally with both Gov. Mitt Romney (R) and Rep. Paul
Ryan (R-Wisc.) in attendance. Also attending, and performing at the
press conference, was country music superstar and NRA Life Member Trace
Adkins.
• Cook County, Illinois Board President Toni Preckwinkle announced
plans to penalize, through taxation, the sale of guns and ammunition
sold in the City of Chicago and its suburbs. The intent and consequence
of this measure will be to drive up the price of guns and ammunition,
thereby burdening law-abiding gun owners and impeding their fundamental
right to self-defense.
• A ruling by the Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals upheld the
federal law that bans dealer sales of handguns to law-abiding adults
between the ages of 18 and 20. The decision, in the case of National
Rifle Association v. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and
Explosives, involved a challenge to the law by several young adults,
joined by the NRA on behalf of its members in the same age group. In our
briefs, we pointed out that the age limit is inconsistent with the laws
America's founders passed, and with court decisions interpreting other
constitutional rights such as the First Amendment's protection of free
speech. Most important, though, is that the age limit is inconsistent
with the Supreme Court's 2008 decision in District of Columbia v.
Heller, which found that the Second Amendment protects the right of "all
Americans" to keep and bear arms—handguns in particular—for
self-defense. But under the Fifth Circuit's ruling, lawful young adults
can only exercise the right to possess handguns by obtaining them
through gifts or other transfers that are, ironically, far less
regulated at the federal level than dealer sales.
• A key "Fast and Furious" whistleblower, John Dodson, called on
Fortune Magazine to retract a story on the scandal that the Department
of Justice Inspector General's report showed to be full of inaccuracies.
Agent Dodson took the additional step of suing Time, Inc, the owner of
Fortune, for libel. The suit claims that the article is "fictitious in
the sense that it contains facts that Defendant knew to be false prior
to publication."
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• The second of three parts of the joint staff report on the "Fast and
Furious" scandal was released by House Oversight and Government Reform
Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) and Sen. Chuck Grassley
(R-Iowa), ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee. While
the first report looked at the actions of those who actually implemented
the disastrous program, this report focused on the management and
oversight of the operation by senior Department of Justice
officials--or, to put it more accurately, the lack of management and
oversight by those officials. The report outlined how the
administration's policy decisions set the stage for "Fast and Furious".
• The FBI released its Crime in the United States report for 2011. For
the 18th time in the last 20 years, the nation's violent crime rate has
gone down. In 2011, as compared to 2010, the total violent crime rate
decreased 4.3 percent, to a 41-year low, down 49 percent since the
all-time high in 1991. The murder rate decreased 2.1 percent, to a
48-year low, down 52 percent since 1991. Meanwhile during the last 20
years, the number of privately-owned guns has risen by about 130
million, including several million "assault weapons," about 60 million
handguns, and countless millions of ammunition magazines that hold more
than 10 rounds.
• Despite Obama winning a second term, congressional make-up as it
pertains to the gun issue, remains relatively unchanged, and NRA
achieves a number of victories on Election Day. Approved by 74% of
voters, Louisiana now has the strongest state constitutional protection
of the right to keep and bear arms in the country. Voters in Idaho,
Kentucky, and Nebraska passed meaningful right to hunt constitutional
amendments. We hired 25 Campaign Field Representatives (CFRs) in 13
battleground states, who in turn marshaled thousands of volunteers, who
participated in precinct walks, volunteer phone banks, and marshaled
support at gun shows. Fred Barnes, executive editor of the Weekly
Standard, singled out the NRA's work in a coalition of organizations as
having "put together a massive GOTV effort focused on swing voters in
key states" which "averaged 1.8 million phone calls per day in recent
days." In the races in which CFRs were deployed, we were victorious in
70% of those races.
• Almost immediately upon his reelection, the Obama administration
moved forward with its plans to support a United Nations Arms Trade
Treaty. On Wednesday November 7, the U.S. Mission to the U.N. made clear
its support for renewed ATT negotiations, casting a vote in favor of
resolution A/C.1/67/L.11. The resolution calls for a "Final United
Nations Conference on the Arms Trade Treaty" to be held in New York City
from March 18-28.
• Anti-gun Senator Dianne Feinstein's (D-Calif.) staff met with the
legal staff of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
to discuss a new and very comprehensive "assault weapons" ban. According
to a ShootingWire.com article, Feinstein's rumored "assault weapons"
bill "would ban pistol grips and 'highcapacity' magazines, eliminate any
grandfathering, and would ban sales of 'weapons in possession.'"
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• The United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit ruled that
Illinois' total ban on carrying firearms for self-defense outside the
home or business is unconstitutional. The case involves lead plaintiff
Mary Shepard, an Illinois resident and a trained gun owner, who is
licensed to carry a concealed handgun in both Utah and Florida. The
National Rifle Association is funding this case. The Illinois State
Rifle Association is a co-plaintiff in this case.
• NBC sportscaster Bob Costas deservedly came under fire for a "sports
commentary", where he blamed the tragic murder-suicide committed by
Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher on America's "gun culture."
Costas shamefully exploited the tragedy in order to espouse his views
on gun control. The inspiration for Costas’ rant was the work of
Foxsports.com columnist Jason Whitlock, who said, “I believe the NRA is
the new KKK.” NRA-ILA Executive Director Chris W. Cox wrote an op-ed
for the Daily Caller regarding Costas's ill-conceived rant.
• The nation mourns the horrific tragedy in Newtown, CT. While the
gun-ban machine ramps up its calls for additional gun control laws, NRA
calls for improved security at our nation’s schools and a renewed
emphasis on the strengthening the nation’s mental health system and
examining violence in our pop culture.
• Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.)—author of the federal “assault
weapon” and “large” ammunition magazine ban of 1994-2004—has announced
that on the first day of the new Congress—January 3rd— she will
introduce a bill to which her 1994 ban will pale by comparison. On Dec.
17th, Feinstein said, “I have been working with my staff for over a year
on this legislation” and “It will be carefully focused.” Indicating the
depth of her research on the issue, she said on Dec. 21st that she had
personally looked at pictures of guns in 1993, and again in 2012.
According to a Dec. 27th posting on Sen. Feinstein’s website and a draft
of the bill obtained by NRA-ILA, the new ban would, among other things,
adopt new definitions of “assault weapon” that would affect a much
larger variety of firearms, require current owners of such firearms to
register them with the federal government under the National Firearms
Act, and require forfeiture of the firearms upon the deaths of their
current owners. For more info, please visit
http://nraila.org/FeinsteinGunBanBill.
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