Nra Life Of Duty

This videos tells the story of an inspirational WWII Veteran named Jim Allen who served as a paratrooper in Operation Market Garden and then went on to work as a smokejumper for the U.S. Forest Service.

Read more about Jim in the magazine at: http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/5ebcda68#/5ebcda68/74.

About:
Established in 1871, the National Rifle Association is America’s oldest civil rights and sportsmen’s group. Four million members strong, NRA continues its mission to uphold Second Amendment rights and to advocate enforcement of existing laws against violent offenders to reduce crime. The Association remains the nation’s leader in firearm education and training for law-abiding gun owners, law enforcement and the military. Visit: www.nra.org

Fifty Caliber Institute

Choctaw, OK --(Ammoland.com)- The Fifty Caliber Institute (FCI) recommends the following persons for election or re-election to the NRA Board of Directors.

Most supporters of FCI are members of NRA and are eligible to vote in the election of the NRA Board of Directors.

We are asking everyone who is eligible to vote, to please do so.

This election is just the beginning of what will be the most important election in the history of America, and a vote for the people listed here will help to keep America strong.

John C. Sigler-Dover, DE

John C. Sigler-Dover, DE
Current Fifty Caliber Institute (FCI) President, Member of FCSA and has served as a sitting member of the BoD of FCSA. Former President of NRA and current Chairman of the Republican Party for the state of Delaware. John has been a strong supporter of the rights of the fifty caliber shooting community since the day he was introduced to shooting the .50 bmg at Reno, NV. in 2001.

While serving as the President of NRA, John took the opportunity to come to Raton, NM and shoot in the FCSA World Championships in 2005.

US Navy veteran (submarines) 1967-1971. Retired Police Captain, Dover, DE and is a practicing Atty. In Delaware & Maryland.

Ronnie Barrett-Murfreesboro, TN

Ronnie Barrett-Murfreesboro, TN
Current NRA Board member and long time member of the Fifty Caliber Shooters Association (FCSA). Ronnie has been one of the best friends of the fifty caliber shooting community since FCSA was formed in 1985. He has led by example as one of the strongest supporters of our 2nd Amendment rights as a manufacturer and a vocal supporter of legislation protecting fifty caliber shooters across America. A consistent donor of firearms to FCI for fundraising purposes since FCI was created and the most successful manufacturer of fifty caliber firearms in the world. Ronnie has never said ‘no’ when called on short notice to appear and testify on behalf of the fifty caliber shooting community.

Joseph P. DeBergalis Jr

Joseph P. DeBergalis Jr.-W. Seneca, NY
Current Member of the NRA Board of Directors and Fifty Caliber Shooters Association (FCSA). Chairman of NRA’s “Education and Training” Committee, V. Chair of “Action Pistol” and member of Law Enforcement Activity and Sport Shooting Committees. VP-Operations of NYS Rifle and Pistol Association (with direct oversight of all shooting sports) Strong supporter of the fifty caliber community and NY-based .50 Caliber shooting events. Match Chairman of AR15.com/Rockcastle Pro Am Three-Gun Championship, the 3 Gun Nation Championship and Finale. 2005 NRA-ILA “Volunteer of the Year,” and staunch 2AD Advocate. Joe is a Law Enforcement Officer in NY and is currently serving in a sensitive position.

Robert L. Viden-Glassboro, NJ

Robert L. Viden-Glassboro, NJ
Current NRA Board member and long time member of the Fifty Caliber Shooters Association (FCSA). Bob is an activist who is a no nonsense, no compromise advocate of all 2nd Amendment rights and who has testified along with the Fifty Caliber Institute (FCI) in the state legislature of New Jersey on anti-fifty caliber legislation. Bob currently serves as Chairman of the Range Development Committee at NRA and is the owner of a shooting range in NJ. Bob also sits as a member of the important Legislative Policy Committee at NRA and is very instrumental in the political decision making on that committee.

David G. Coy- Adrian, MI

David G. Coy- Adrian, MI
A four term member of the NRA Board of Directors and a member of the Fifty Caliber Shooters Association (FCSA). A gun rights activist with a strong background in economics and financing who is a tenured Professor at Adrian College in Michigan and endorsed by the Michigan Rifle & Pistol Assoc. David is a dedicated no compromise 2nd Amendment Rights activist who has organized picket line protests against the Brady Campaign and debated prominent anti-gun activists at the University of Michigan.

Steven C. Schreiner-Englewood, CO

Steven C. Schreiner-Englewood, CO
Former NRA Board member and member of the Fifty Caliber Shooters Association (FCSA). The President and Founder of the Colorado Firearms Coalition (CFC) and virtually a full time gun rights lobbyist in the Colorado Legislature. Steve is a former US Army officer with service as an Airborne-Ranger in Vietnam and the recipient of the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, Bronze Star (with V) and the Silver Star during his tours of duty. Steve is a dedicated 2nd Amendment Rights activist who has led the fight on several fronts in the state of Colorado to protect our constitutional rights to own and carry firearms. Steve is also the proud owner of a Barrett M82-A1 semi-auto .50 BMG rifle.

William A. Bachenberg-Bethlehem, PA

William A. Bachenberg-Bethlehem, PA
Bill is a current member of the NRA Board of Directors and a member of the Fifty Caliber Shooters Association (FCSA). He is a dedicated supporter of the 2nd Amendment and is co-owner of a sporting clays range in PA where he is renown for his ability to raise funds to support 2nd Amendment related projects. Bill is a dedicated supporter of promoting youth related projects and promoting the shooting sports to handicapped and disabled shooters. Bill currently sits on the Disabled Shooters Committee at NRA and serves as Vice Chairman of the Urban Affairs Committee and The Shotgun Committees.

Please give serious consideration to voting for the above candidates when you are casting your ballot for NRA Board of Directors. All of these candidates are strong supporters of the Fifty Caliber Shooting Sports.

John Burtt-Chmn

About:
The Fifty Caliber Institute is an national organization dedicated to the advancement of the .50 caliber shooting sports. FCI has a tradition of proud service to America’s law enforcement and military services, helping to make our streets and nation safer. Drawing on top experts ranging from firearm manufacturers to aerospace engineers, FCI rebuts wild anti-gun claims with clear, documented facts. If you want the honest truth, look to FCI. Visit: www.fiftycal.org

FirearmsCoalition.org

Manassas, VA --(Ammoland.com)- As magazines containing ballots for the 2012 NRA Board of Directors Election have been arriving in people’s mail boxes over the past week (if you got a ballot, you’re eligible to vote if you didn’t you aren’t).

I have been receiving requests for guidance as to which candidates I feel are worth supporting.

This year I am only endorsing one candidate, Maria Heil, and asking voting members of NRA to cast ballots with only Mrs. Heil’s name marked. While I do not know Mrs. Heil personally, she comes highly recommended by friends whose opinions I deeply respect. I think Mrs. Heil would be a diligent worker for our rights as gun owners and as NRA members within the Board of Directors. I believe she would bring some much-needed new energy to the board.

While there are several incumbent directors up this cycle who I think have done a good job of serving the members, I am disinclined to offer endorsements. I believe all of those good directors will easily win reelection without my help, or yours, and every vote cast for someone else dilutes any vote cast for Maria Heil. This technique is called “Bullet Voting” – voting for only one or a few candidates rather than an entire slate.

The 25 candidates with the highest number of votes win seats. Since there are only 31 candidates running, attempting to vote for a full slate invariably boosts the chances of another candidate bumping your favorite out of a seat. Just one vote difference can cost a seat.

There are 76 seats on the NRA Board of Directors. Each year 25 seats are up for election to a 3-year term and one seat is filled for a 1-year term by a vote of members present at the Annual Meeting. There also might be one or two “out of cycle” seats that need to be filled due to a resignation or death, but there are none of those this year so there are only 25 seats up for election. As usual, most of those seats will be filled by reelected incumbents, but this year there are a handful of Directors who either decided not to run again or who have fallen out of favor with Wayne and company and were snubbed by the Nominating Committee.

Either way, this creates an opportunity for a petition only candidate like Maria Heil to actually win a seat. The odds are still long, but not as bad as usual when 24 of the 25 seats are almost certain to go to incumbents.

It is an embarrassment that the greatest political action organization in the country generally gets participation from only about 7% of their members eligible to vote, but that’s the case. While that is a sad testimony to how seriously flawed the NRA election process is (and NRA’s unwillingness to address the problems) it also represents an opportunity.

In years past, my father and other dedicated NRA members have been able to shift the makeup of the NRA Board by running a short slate of alternate candidates and getting some of the 83% who normally don’t vote at all to Bullet Vote for that slate. Control over the NRA publications by Wayne and company, and their willingness to play dirty pool, made winning those seats almost impossible, but things are changing. The power of the internet could overcome the iron grip of the NRA-created millionaires who control the organization, but it would require cooperation and coordination among committed rights activists. Most importantly, a group of qualified, willing, reform candidates must be found and promoted. Those interested in putting together such an effort for 2013 and beyond are invited to contact me about it.

Until such a broad-based effort can be mounted, the best we can hope for is to try and keep good directors serving and get an occasional independent voice like Maria Heil inserted into the mix.

Jeff Knox Director, The Firearms Coalition Founder, GunVoter.org NRA Endowment Member.

About:
The Firearms Coalition is a loose-knit coalition of individual Second Amendment activists, clubs and civil rights organizations. Founded by Neal Knox in 1984, the organization provides support to grassroots activists in the form of education, analysis of current issues, and with a historical perspective of the gun rights movement. The Firearms Coalition is a project of Neal Knox Associates, Manassas, VA. Visit: www.FirearmsCoalition.org

President Of NRA To Attend Eastern Sports & Outdoor Show

Eastern Sports & Outdoor Show

HARRISBURG —-(Ammoland.com)- National Rifle Association (NRA) president, David A. Keene will be among the dignitaries and thousands of hunting and fishing enthusiasts celebrating the opening of the Eastern Sports & Outdoor Show on Saturday, February 4 in the State Farm Show Complex, Harrisburg.

Keene is scheduled to participate in opening of the Show and then appear in the Show’s VIP Lounge from 12:30 P.M. to 1:30 P.M. to meet and talk with guests who have purchased VIP Packages. At 3:30, he is scheduled to help man the NRA Booth to meet and talk with Show guests.

“We are very pleased and excited to have David Keene, the president of the NRA, coming to the Eastern Sports & Outdoor Show. It really puts an exclamation point on what this Show is all about,” says Chris O’Hara, Event Director, Eastern Sports & Outdoor Show.

In addition to being NRA president, Keene is an attorney, columnist, political activist and lobbyist who has written, spoken and lobbied on behalf of hunters, shooters and firearms owners for decades. He has worked in the White House and Congress and has been involved in nearly every congressional battle over gun rights since the early 1970s.

A lifelong hunter, Keene has helped save hunter-friendly conservation programs in Africa, and assisted the international hunting community when major airlines threatened to stop carrying hunting arms to Africa.

Keene attended the University of Wisconsin Law School, where he was the national chairman of Young Americans for Freedom. Since then, he has been a John F. Kennedy Fellow at Harvard University’s Institute of Politics, a First Amendment Fellow at Vanderbilt University’s Freedom Forum, and a member of the Board of Visitors at Duke University’s Public Policy School.

For more information on the Show, List of Exhibitors, or a complete schedule of seminar speakers, contests and family entertainment offered at the 2012 Eastern Sports & Outdoors Show, visit www.easternsportshow.com.

Online ticket sales for the Show are open and discount tickets can be purchased at: EasternSportShow.com/tix

The Eastern Sports & Outdoor Show presented by Outdoor Channel and Comcast. Now in its 57th year, the Show has grown to be the largest outdoor hunting and fishing event of its kind in North America. With more than 1,200 exhibitors, The Eastern Sports & Outdoor Show brings the passion for the outdoors–indoors–by bringing outdoor sports enthusiasts of all ages from across the country to view the latest and best in hunting and fishing gear, shop for ATV’s and RV’s and plan & book hunting and fishing trips with outfitters & charters from around the world. The Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show also offers a wide range of seminars presented by experts along with hunting- and fishing-related contests and family-oriented entertainment. The Eastern Sports & Outdoor Show is sponsored in part by Cabela’s, Thompson/Center Arms, and Progressive Insurance. Chevy is the official truck of the Eastern Sports & Outdoor Show.

National Rifle Association

FAIRFAX, Va. --(Ammoland.com)- Enjoy this exclusive coverage brought to you by NRA Life of Duty correspondent Chuck Holton on the Gunsite Academy.

Gunsite Academy is an organization that offers firearms training to elite military personnel, law enforcement officers and free citizens of the US.

Watch more from Chuck Holton on the NRA Life of Duty network at http://www.nralifeofduty.tv/#/home/search/chuck%20holton.

About:
Established in 1871, the National Rifle Association is America’s oldest civil rights and sportsmen’s group. Four million members strong, NRA continues its mission to uphold Second Amendment rights and to advocate enforcement of existing laws against violent offenders to reduce crime. The Association remains the nation’s leader in firearm education and training for law-abiding gun owners, law enforcement and the military. Visit: www.nra.org

National Rifle Association

FAIRFAX, Va. --(Ammoland.com)- NRA’s Competitive Shooting Division is unveiling the NRA Club Champion Challenge, a new recreational shooting event for people of all ages and skill levels held at the local clubs and ranges.

Geared towards local shooting clubs, ranges, and civic organizations, the NRA Club Champion Challenge encourages recreational and experienced shooters to try a variety of disciplines and courses of fire. This friendly form of competition promotes participation amongst club or range members as they battle for awards and bragging rights.

“New grassroots programs such as the NRA Club Champion Challenge are a fantastic way to get shooters of every skill level out on to the firing line,” said Mike Krei, Director of NRA Competitive Shooting. “This is a fun, recreational event is designed to encourage participation and introduce people to competitive shooting or new disciplines.”

To hold an event, organization must choose at least three of the fourteen offered courses of fire. Designed to fit almost any range, the courses of fire range from air rifle to hunting rifle to tactical pistol and skeet shooting. Materials provided by the NRA include Championship belt buckles for the winners and medals for the other top shooters.

The NRA Club Champion Challenge is designed for all shooters, from beginners up to expert-level competitors. Through the NRA Club Champion Challenge, participants compete side-by-side, promoting sportsmanship and the ability for seasoned competitors to mentor those who are less experienced.

Fees for the NRA Club Champion Challenge are just $10 per competitors and $5 for juniors. Any club or organization may participate as NRA membership is not required to either hold or compete in an event.

For more information on the NRA Club Champion Challenge, including program standards and courses of fire, visit www.nraclubchamp.com or contact NRA’s Competitive Shooting Division at 1-877-NRA-MATCH or compadmin@nrahq.org.

About:
Established in 1871, the National Rifle Association is America’s oldest civil rights and sportsmen’s group. Four million members strong, NRA continues its mission to uphold Second Amendment rights and to advocate enforcement of existing laws against violent offenders to reduce crime. The Association remains the nation’s leader in firearm education and training for law-abiding gun owners, law enforcement and the military. Visit: www.nra.org

Friends of NRA

FAIRFAX, Va. --(Ammoland.com)- The National Rifle Association is proud to announce that MidwayUSA has donated $50,000 to become a Friends of NRA National Corporate Partner for the third consecutive year.

The donation will provide funding for NRA Foundation programs such as the Youth Hunter Education Challenge, Women on Target®.and the Eddie Eagle GunSafe program.

“By partnering with an organization like the NRA, Brenda and I are helping to protect the rights of all Americans,” said Larry Potterfield, Founder and CEO of MidwayUSA. “Thanks to our customers, who love the NRA just as much as we do, our sponsorship is something we can do and something we should do. We are committed to doing what we can to help change the future.”

Midway USA

An industry leader in shooting and reloading supplies, MidwayUSA was founded in Columbia, Missouri back in 1977. Over the years, the company has developed a strong commitment to Friends of NRA and the shooting sports. Co-owner Brenda Potterfield, for example, previously served as Vice President of the NRA Foundation’s Board of Trustees.

“The shooting and hunting industry has long supported Friends of NRA,” said John da Silva, National Manager of Events & Marketing for Friends of NRA. “Both Larry and Brenda Potterfield appreciate the significance of our mission and generously provide support through MidwayUSA at the local and national levels.”

Friends of NRA is a grassroots fund-raising program that fosters community involvement and allocates 100% of their net proceeds to qualified local, state, and national programs. Working with the NRA’s field staff, thousands of volunteers nationwide participate in the program by organizing committees and planning events in their communities.

Learn more about Friends of NRA at www.friendsofnra.org. Contact Event Services Manager Jeremy Greene at (703) 267-1354 or jgreene@nrahq.org to find out how to become more involved.

For additional information on MidwayUSA, visit their website at www.midwayusa.com or call 1-800-243-3220.

About:
Established in 1871, the National Rifle Association is America’s oldest civil rights and sportsmen’s group. Four million members strong, NRA continues its mission to uphold Second Amendment rights and to advocate enforcement of existing laws against violent offenders to reduce crime. The Association remains the nation’s leader in firearm education and training for law-abiding gun owners, law enforcement and the military. Visit: www.nra.org

Scott L. Bach | Good NRA Leadership

AmmoLand Gun News

Manasquan, NJ --(Ammoland.com)- Freedom rest on our shoulders — let’s stand proud and defend it together”‘ says three term NRA Board member Scott Bach. “If all we have left to muster is sheer force of will and bold intention, we will always find a way to defend freedom – always.”

These words embody the spirit of a tenacious Second Amendment activist, who has devoted more than a decade to defending gun rights both nationally and on the “front lines” of the Northeast – where politicians who control government are hostile to firearms freedoms.

As president of the Association of New Jersey Rifle & Pistol Clubs for the past six years, and more recently as its first executive director, Bach has defeated numerous gun bans against near-impossible odds in a State House controlled by anti-gunners.

Bach has used the courts to advance Second Amendment rights, suing the State of New Jersey twice to overturn unconstitutional handgun laws, and held various agencies and municipalities accountable for infringing our freedoms.

Bach has championed Right to Carry and is credited with improving carry laws in several states. He also became a bear hunt advocate after a confrontation with a black bear near his home and he helped to reinstate New Jersey’s hunt after a 30-year ban.

An attorney licensed in four states, Bach served more than 12 years in law enforcement, archiving the rank of axillary captain in a large municipal police department. He also served as a U.S. congressional staff member and in special programs for a U.S. Court of Appeals judge and the U.S. Attorney’s office.

At NRA, Bach serves on the Executive Committee as vice chair of the Public Affairs Committee and on the Legislative Policy Committee. He is and avid shooter and makes regular media appearances.

• View Scott Bach NRA Election flyer here: http://www.scribd.com/doc/79255295/Scott-Bach-NRA-Election-Flyer-2012
• Hat Tip to American Rifleman for the Bio: www.americanrifleman.org/
• Scott Bach’s website http://www.bachbio.com/

NRA Election Profiles and compiled yearly by AmmoLand Shooting Sports News to help educate and introduce Board Member Canidates to AmmoLand readers and influence the NRA Board make up.

Please Re-Elect Scott Bach & Bob Viden To The NRA Board Of Directors

New Jersey Second Amendment Society

New Jersey --(Ammoland.com)- Bob Viden and Scott Bach are up for re-election to the NRA Board of Directors.

It is critical to keep Bob and Scott on the NRA Board to ensure that New Jersey has the strongest possible representation at NRA Headquarters.

Your support is vitally needed in the upcoming election. Ballots for voting members will be in the February, 2012 issue of your NRA magazine. See below for more info on Bob & Scott.

If you have not already received your ballot to vote for your choice for NRA Board Members, you will shortly. I would like you to strongly consider both Scott Back and Bob Viden for these positions. It is extremely important that New Jersey maintain its position of having two members from NJ on the NRA Board.

I have known Scott Back since I founded the NJ2AS and he has been continually supportive of our efforts. I wholeheartedly endorse Scott and Bob for re-election to the Board. I hope that you will join with me in voting for our New Jersey representation on the NRA.

For further information please visit www.bobslittlesportshop.com/nrainfo.html and www.bachbio.com

About:
New Jersey Second Amendment Society – Our mission is to promote the free exercise of Second Amendment rights within the community and Legislature of New Jersey, to educate the community regarding the enjoyable, safe, and responsible use of firearms, and to engender a sense of camaraderie and fellowship among the members and their families. Visit: www.nj2as.com

National Rifle Association

FAIRFAX, Va. --(Ammoland.com)- The NRA Life of Duty team has just released a new piece of bonus footage from the Keni Thomas Patriot Profile Feature “From Mogadishu to Nashville”.

In this video, Keni speaks to the impact that his father’s military career had on him.

Keni went on to serve his country as a U.S. Army Ranger and is currently inspiring people with his music as a country singer.

View the full feature on the NRA Life of Duty Network at http://www.nralifeofduty.tv/#/patriotprofiles/VideoModule/351.

About:
Established in 1871, the National Rifle Association is America’s oldest civil rights and sportsmen’s group. Four million members strong, NRA continues its mission to uphold Second Amendment rights and to advocate enforcement of existing laws against violent offenders to reduce crime. The Association remains the nation’s leader in firearm education and training for law-abiding gun owners, law enforcement and the military. Visit: www.nra.org

National Rifle Association

FAIRFAX, Va. --(Ammoland.com)- Long before Al Gore “created” the Internet, gun owners were busy perfecting grassroots networking.

Today, gun owners have an almost unlimited number of ways to spread information crucial to our community. And, while the Internet is certainly an indispensible tool for protecting our rights, an unfortunate side effect has been the fast and easy spread of rumors.

The latest of these, appearing on Internet message boards and in emails, warns of a growing trend of gangsters marking the license plates or wheels of vehicles parked at shooting clubs, gun stores, ranges and gun shows. According to the rumor, the thieves later spot or follow the marked vehicles and break into them to steal guns while their owners are elsewhere.

The reports go on to claim that the tactic has reached “epidemic” proportions in San Antonio, Texas, and specifically, at the National Skeet Shooting Association and National Sporting Clays Association’s National Shooting Complex.

Naturally, the NSC investigated the matter thoroughly. They concluded that the rumor is false on several counts.

First, all of the “suspicious” vehicle markings reported to the NSC turned out to be routine—placed there by those who manufactured, owned or serviced the vehicles. The online reports also suggest that the NSCA National Championship was a particular target of gun thieves. In reality, there were no reported gun thefts at the 2011 event. A claim that a police chief in San Antonio met with 400 shooters to discuss the trend is also false. (To read the NSC’s full statement, go to http://tiny.cc/5ytnp .)

Gun theft is a serious concern for all gun owners, who should certainly take reasonable precautions to protect their firearms from criminals. But the truth of this story should also remind us that there’s no need to panic—and that it’s always worth taking a few moments to check out tales like this before passing them on. After all, it would be a tragedy if shooters were discouraged from pursuing the activities they love and exercising their Second Amendment rights due to rampant urban legends.

About:
Established in 1871, the National Rifle Association is America’s oldest civil rights and sportsmen’s group. Four million members strong, NRA continues its mission to uphold Second Amendment rights and to advocate enforcement of existing laws against violent offenders to reduce crime. The Association remains the nation’s leader in firearm education and training for law-abiding gun owners, law enforcement and the military. Visit: www.nra.org

Congressional Action Needed to Stop Obama/Holder Gun Registration Scheme

National Rifle Association

FAIRFAX, Va. --(Ammoland.com)- Last week, a federal district court in Washington, D.C. issued a ruling upholding an Obama administration policy that requires federally licensed firearms retailers in states bordering Mexico to report multiple sales of semi-automatic rifles.

The case was brought by two NRA-backed firearms retailers and by the National Shooting Sports Foundation acting on behalf of its affected members.  Plaintiffs have already filed an appeal—but while we await the outcome, your help is urgently needed in seeking congressional action to end this illegal policy.

Devised by Attorney General Eric Holder’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the plan requires all of the 8,700 firearm dealers in California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas to report all sales of two or more semi-automatic rifles within five consecutive business days, if the rifles are larger than .22 caliber and use detachable magazines.

In July, the Justice Department announced that it would proceed with the controversial reporting procedure.  During consideration of the FY 2012 Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations bill, pro-gun U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.) offered an amendment in committee to prohibit the use of funds for the unauthorized reporting plan and the amendment was passed by a vote of 25-16.  Unfortunately, the Rehberg amendment did not make it through the appropriations process.

Much has transpired since then regarding BATFEs’ failed “Operation Fast and Furious,” and evidence is now clear that “Fast and Furious” was used as justification to force the multiple sales reporting requirement.

In early December, CBS News reported that BATFE “discussed using their covert operation “Fast and Furious” to argue for controversial new rules about gun sales.”  In particular, agency officials wanted guns to fall into Mexican drug cartel hands and be traced back to gun dealers in the U.S. to make a case for requiring the multiple sales reporting.

According to CBS, “Emails show they discussed using the sales, including sales encouraged by ATF, to justify a new gun regulation called Demand Letter 3.  That would require some U.S. gun shops to report the sale of multiple rifles or ‘long guns.’”

CBS singled out a July 14, 2010 email sent by BATFE Field Operations Assistant Director Mark Chait to Bill Newell, the agency’s Special Agent in Charge in Phoenix, where “Fast and Furious” was based.  In the email, Chait asked Newell to “see if these guns were all purchased from the same [licensed gun dealer] and at one time.  We are looking at anecdotal cases to support a demand letter on long gun multiple sales.”

Last March, U.S. Sens. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Richard Burr (R-N.C.) introduced S. 570 — “a bill to prohibit the Department of Justice from tracking and cataloguing the purchases of multiple rifles and shotguns.”  The bill would prohibit the use of federal money needed to fund the multiple sales reporting requirement.

It is imperative that you contact your U.S. Senators and ask them to cosponsor and support S. 570.  You can find contact information for your elected officials by using the “Write Your Representatives” tool at www.NRAILA.org, or you can call your U.S. senators at (202) 224-3121.

S. 570 currently has 33 cosponsors.  To see if your senators are cosponsors, please click here:  http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d112:SN00570:@@@P

Again, it is critically important that you contact your U.S. Senators as soon as possible and urge them to cosponsor and support S. 570.  Ask your Senators to defund, and defeat, the Obama/Holder Gun Registration Scheme.

About:
Established in 1871, the National Rifle Association is America’s oldest civil rights and sportsmen’s group. Four million members strong, NRA continues its mission to uphold Second Amendment rights and to advocate enforcement of existing laws against violent offenders to reduce crime. The Association remains the nation’s leader in firearm education and training for law-abiding gun owners, law enforcement and the military. Visit: www.nra.org

Challenge to Chicago's Ban on Guns Outside the Home Goes Forward

National Rifle Association

FAIRFAX, Va. --(Ammoland.com)- On January 19, a federal judge in Chicago allowed NRA-supported plaintiffs to move ahead with a challenge to that city’s laws that ban anyone from possessing or carrying a handgun except in his or her home, and that ban possession or carriage of a long gun anywhere outside his or her home or place of business.

The case, Benson v. City of Chicago, challenges several of the anti-Second Amendment restrictions that were enacted days after the city’s handgun ban was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court. Other issues contested in the case include the city’s ban on nearly all firearm transfers and on the operation of gun stores, as well as its law that allows each Chicago license holder to keep only one “assembled and operable” firearm within the home.

On the carry issue, the city had argued that this count of the complaint should be dismissed, claiming that there was no way the courts could provide relief because the same conduct was prohibited statewide by Illinois law anyway.

In the ruling, Judge Edmond E. Chang of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois pointed out that Chicago’s ordinance actually was more strict than state law: Illinois does allow people to possess and carry guns in their places of business, or in another person’s home.

Briefs on the remaining issues in the case will be filed between now and April.

About:
Established in 1871, the National Rifle Association is America’s oldest civil rights and sportsmen’s group. Four million members strong, NRA continues its mission to uphold Second Amendment rights and to advocate enforcement of existing laws against violent offenders to reduce crime. The Association remains the nation’s leader in firearm education and training for law-abiding gun owners, law enforcement and the military. Visit: www.nra.org

National Rifle Association

FAIRFAX, Va. --(Ammoland.com)- NRA will appeal yesterday’s 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.

(NRA is also a party on behalf of its members in this age group.) Judge Cummings ruled that it was unnecessary to address the state’s discrimination against young adults because “the right to carry a handgun outside of the home … seems to be beyond the scope of the core Second Amendment concern articulated in Heller [v. District of Columbia].”

Unfortunately, this is only the most recent of several court decisions that have misread Heller in that way. Heller, of course, only directly addressed gun possession in the home, for a very simple reason: The plaintiffs in that case only challenged Washington, D.C.’s limits on possession in the home, rather than its restrictions on carrying firearms outside the home.

More importantly, the Supreme Court in Heller never said the Second Amendment doesn’t apply outside the home. Rather, it said that the home is the place “where the need for defense of self, family, and property is most acute”—implying that there are other places where the need may be less acute, but still exists.

Likewise, the Court suggested that it would uphold bans on carrying guns in “sensitive places”—which implies that carrying in places that are not “sensitive” would be protected under the Second Amendment.

The NRA will appeal the Jennings decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and to the Supreme Court if necessary. Although the Supreme Court recently declined to hear two cases addressing the right to bear arms outside the home, several others are working their way through the courts. These include the NRA-supported cases of Peruta v. County of San Diego, which challenges discriminatory permit issuance under California law and Shepard v. Madigan, challenging Illinois’ complete denial of any lawful way to carry firearms for self-defense outside one’s home or place of business. Peruta is pending in the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals and Shepard is awaiting action in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois.

For the latest news on these and other NRA-supported cases and to subscribe to our online Legal Update newsletter, go to www.nraila.org/legalupdate.

About:
Established in 1871, the National Rifle Association is America’s oldest civil rights and sportsmen’s group. Four million members strong, NRA continues its mission to uphold Second Amendment rights and to advocate enforcement of existing laws against violent offenders to reduce crime. The Association remains the nation’s leader in firearm education and training for law-abiding gun owners, law enforcement and the military. Visit: www.nra.org

Gun Rights Examiner David Codrea

USA --(Ammoland.com)- “Wayne LaPierre Falsely Claims ‘All’ The NRA’s Money Comes From Small Donors,” Chris Brown of Media Matters sneers in triumph.

He’s focusing on an interview with Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre by Glenn Beck, where the association head was asked about how NRA could hope to match union political contributions. LaPierre’s response:

“We raise it all through 5, 10, 15, 20 dollar contributions that Americans are willing to preserve freedom. And they’re willing to support it. But, you know, that’s what NRA is about. I mean, I always say we’re about our membership and we’re about giving voice to our membership.”

GOTCHA, Brown would have us believe:

“LaPierre’s claim that the NRA’s fundraising is based exclusively on small dollar donations is false. The reality is that under LaPierre’s leadership, the NRA has built extensive financial ties to the gun industry and other corporations.”

The thing is, LaPierre wasn’t talking about “NRA fundraising” in general. He was clearly responding to a specific question about NRA political contributions.

Continue reading on Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/gun-rights-in-national/media-matters-desperation-to-smear-nra-comes-out-election-hit-piece

About David Codrea:
David Codrea is a long-time gun rights advocate who defiantly challenges the folly of citizen disarmament. He is a field editor for GUNS Magazine, and a blogger at The War on Guns: Notes from the Resistance. Read more at www.examiner.com/gun-rights-in-national/david-codrea

National Rifle Association

FAIRFAX, Va. --(Ammoland.com)- The National Rifle Association is pleased to announce that Brunton Outdoor Group has agreed to serve as Title Sponsor of The NRA Foundation’s Friends of NRA television show for the second consecutive year.

Friends of NRA, hosted by retired Major League Baseball player Matt Duff and professional shooter Jessie Harrison, airs Sundays at 10:00 PM EST on the Outdoor Channel.

The show follows Matt and Jessie across the United States as they explore the history and impact of Friends of NRA, the multi-million dollar grassroots fund-raising program.

“Brunton is honored to sponsor and support this wonderful show,” said John Smithbaker, Brunton President and CEO. “Friends of NRA captures the essence of the American Spirit of independence, community and our ever so important 2nd Amendment Rights and heritage. Like the NRA, Brunton is not only a brand, but a collective of people from all walks of life pulling together to support our way of life.”

Brunton

“Brunton has been key in the development of Friends of NRA TV,” said Kyle Weaver, Managing Director of NRA’s Field Operations Division.

“As Title Sponsor, they have led the way for us to produce a great television show exposing all of the amazing things Friends of NRA is doing for the shooting industry. We are proud to have Brunton as a partner.”

About Brunton: A renowned manufacturer of equipment for the outdoor enthusiast, the Brunton brand has been known for its quality, reliability and long life. Their expansive list of products includes binoculars, shooting scopes, tripods and more. See their website at http://www.bruntongroup.com for additional information.

About Friends of NRA: The Friends of NRA television show follows Matt Duff and Jessie Harrison as they travel across the country experiencing the impact made by the NRA. Learn more by visiting their website at http://www.friendsofnra.tv. For sponsorship inquires, contact Event Services Manager Jeremy Greene at (703) 267-1354 or jgreene@nrahq.org

Barrett MRAD Rifle

Barrett Firearms

Murfreesboro, TN --(Ammoland.com)- Barrett, a company world renown for providing high-end firearms, optics, ammunition and training, is honored once more with a Golden Bullseye Award from an NRA Publication.

In 2010, the Barrett Model 98B was named the American Rifleman, Rifle of the Year. Now for 2012, Shooting Illustrated honors the new Barrett MRAD bolt action .338 Lapua Magnum rifle with the same prestigious title.

Winners are chosen by a seven-member committee consisting of editors, graphic designers and veteran NRA Publications staff, representing more than a century of collective experience in shooting and hunting for the purpose of acknowledging the finest products available in shooting sports.

Barrett MRAD Multi-Role Adaptive Design Long-Range Rifle

To qualify for consideration for a Golden Bullseye Award, the MRAD met the following criteria:

• Recently introduced and available to consumers prior to the selection for the Golden Bullseye Awards
• Used/tested by a staff member or regular contributor to the magazine and/or affiliated media
• Reliable in the field, meeting or exceeding the evaluator’s expectations
• Innovative in design and function•Readily perceived as a value to the purchaser
• Styled in a manner befitting the shooting and hunting industry, and perhaps more importantly, its enthusiasts

“The Golden Bullseye Award honors our winners for bringing to market products remarkable in their utility to shooters and hunters,” said Joe H. Graham, Executive Director of NRA Publications. “The award is a symbol of excellence and innovation in firearms, accessories and related equipment.”

The MRAD offers a more portable marksmanship solution capable beyond 1500 yards. Additionally, the MRAD is the Barrett submission for SOCOM’s Precision Sniper Rifle (PSR) Program in which the MRAD meets or exceeds all of the key thresholds proposed and has caught the attention of discerning clients who appreciate this rifle’s ultimate accuracy and operational enhancements. The MRAD follows in the tradition of the Barrett M107, where durability and ruggedness meet precision and accuracy.

Barrett will be presented with the Golden Bullseye Award for 2012’s Rifle of the Year at the 2012 NRA Annual Meeting and Exhibits in St. Louis, Missouri, on Friday, April 13th, 2012. In addition to the trophy, the Barrett MRAD will be featured in an editorial overview of the Golden Bulleye Awards in the April issue of American Rifleman and American Hunter and the May issue of Shooting Illustrated.

Barrett is a family owned and operated company specializing in .50 BMG rifles. Barrett manufactures rifles, ammunition, optics and other related accessories for civilian sport shooters, law enforcement agencies, the United States military and over 63 foreign allied militaries worldwide. For more information please go to barrett.net/press or contact the above listed.

National Rifle Association's Women's Programs

National Rifle Association

FAIRFAX, Va. --(Ammoland.com)- The National Rifle Association’s Women’s Programs Department is pleased to announce the launch of the Women’s Outdoor Adventure, an exciting new event developed by women, for women.

Scheduled for April 30-May 7, 2012 at the Rockcastle Shooting Center in Park City, Kentucky, the inaugural Women’s Outdoor Adventure is an eight-day shooting and outdoor event.

Aimed at introducing women to a variety of firearms, the Women’s Outdoor Adventure also features exciting outdoor activities as well as fun and relaxing social events.

“The Women’s Outdoor Adventure is an opportunity for ladies to foster their interest in shooting and the outdoors, all while enjoying the camaraderie of like-minded women,” said Bill Poole, Director of NRA’s Education & Training Division. “We want the attendees to leave with a well-rounded knowledge of firearms and the desire to continue participating in the shooting sports.”

Attendees will enjoy the thrill of learning to shoot on the world-class ranges of the Rockcastle Shooting Center while receiving instruction from the country’s top female shooters and firearms instructors. From trying their hand at shooting rifles, pistols, and shotguns during exciting multi-gun competition, to the fun of sporting clays, attendees will have the opportunity to explore a wide variety of shooting disciplines in a supportive, encouraging setting.

Cowboy Action Shooting is also on the agenda for the Women’s Outdoor Adventure, with attendees being transported back in time to the Old West on Rockcastle’s western town shooting range. Finally, attendees will take the NRA Personal Protection Inside The Home Course, designed to help women incorporate a firearm into their home defense plan.

In addition to time on the range, ladies will enjoy riding a zip line, canoeing, horseback riding, and playing a round of golf at the Cave Valley Golf Club. Other activities include touring natural caves in the area, a wine and cheese social at the Cave Valley Winery, a ladies hunting apparel fashion show, a cowboy-style cookout, and performances from local musicians.

Reservations for the Women’s Outdoor Adventure are made on a first come, first served basis, and space is limited to just 40 women. The deadline to register is March 15, 2012.

For more information on the Women’s Outdoor Adventure or to download the event application, please visit http://www.nrahq.org/women/woa.asp or contact Ann Marie Foster at 703-267-1413 or afoster@nrahq.org. You can also visit Ann Marie Foster at SHOT Show in the NRA Booth #14540.

About:
Established in 1871, the National Rifle Association is America’s oldest civil rights and sportsmen’s group. Four million members strong, NRA continues its mission to uphold Second Amendment rights and to advocate enforcement of existing laws against violent offenders to reduce crime. The Association remains the nation’s leader in firearm education and training for law-abiding gun owners, law enforcement and the military. Visit: www.nra.org

Gun Rights Examiner David Codrea

USA --(Ammoland.com)- “For Bob McDonnell, VP Talk Won’t Go Away,” a November Roll Call headline declares.

“GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney…may choose Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell…as his running mate if he secures the nomination next year,” the accompanying photo caption reads.

But why settle for Number Two? There’s a “Draft McConnell” website (the site owner behind the move is masked by proxy domain registration) claiming:

“We Don’t Have to Settle

“A recent report by Rhodes Cook, Senior Columnist at the Center for Politics, shows that it’s not too late for a Republican to enter the 2012 Presidential race. Bob McDonnell has a strong conservative record, and he can win the general election. Sign the petition to encourage him to run today!”

And in the “Bob on the Issues” sidebar section, we see this prominent position:

“Pro-Gun Record”

Indeed, on his gubernatorial campaign website, we see:

“National Rifle Association Endorses Bob McDonnell for Governor…

“…Chris Cox, NRA Institute for Legislative Action executive director, noted, “’Bob McDonnell is an effective leader for Virginia hunters and gun owners. His opinions and actions as an attorney general have protected and enhanced the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Virginians. His zero-tolerance attitude toward criminals makes him the best choice for governor. We ask every Virginia hunter, gun owner and Second Amendment advocate to vote McDonnell for Governor this November.’”

What’s not to like?

How about this?

Continue reading on Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/gun-rights-in-national/will-va-s-mcdonnell-be-an-acceptable-candidate-for-gun-owners

About David Codrea:
David Codrea is a long-time gun rights advocate who defiantly challenges the folly of citizen disarmament. He is a field editor for GUNS Magazine, and a blogger at The War on Guns: Notes from the Resistance. Read more at www.examiner.com/gun-rights-in-national/david-codrea

Gun Rights Examiner David Codrea

USA --(Ammoland.com)- “Romney secures front-runner status with New Hampshire win, looks to take momentum into South Carolina,” Fox News reports. This follows the former Massachusetts governor’s win in Iowa.

Not escaping media notice is a new meme: “Conservatives squirm.”

See?

See again?

The thing is, they’re right—and no one is squirming more than gun owners. That’s because, in spite of trying to clean up his image with the help of the NRA, they will never forget his words and deeds when he had the political power to make a difference…

Continue reading on Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/gun-rights-in-national/romney-should-make-conservatives-squirm

About David Codrea:
David Codrea is a long-time gun rights advocate who defiantly challenges the folly of citizen disarmament. He is a field editor for GUNS Magazine, and a blogger at The War on Guns: Notes from the Resistance. Read more at www.examiner.com/gun-rights-in-national/david-codrea

National Rifle Association

FAIRFAX, Va. --(Ammoland.com)- Sporting goods wholesalers across the country are teaming with the National Rifle Association (NRA) to provide benefits to U.S. military personnel, law enforcement, and first responders.

The National Association of Sporting Goods Wholesalers (NASGW) has now signed on to support the NRA Life of Duty program, which serves all those who wear a uniform and carry a firearm to protect the American people.

Participating NASGW members aim to raise $2 for each firearm sold in December while other members are providing a donation to the program.

“Every penny of the proceeds will be used to purchase special NRA Life of Duty memberships for American heroes. We owe these brave men and women who risk life and limb daily for our safety and freedom an immeasurable debt of gratitude. NRA is humbled to help them in this modest but meaningful way,” said NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre.

Through NRA Life of Duty (LOD), qualified active duty personnel receive valuable benefits including $25,000 in life insurance, hefty discounts on gear, and access to top-quality stories­­ ––about heroes just like them–– through the LOD network and a unique digital magazine, NRA American Warrior.

Even better, thanks to generous donors, these memberships are provided at no cost to the service person, law enforcement officer, or first responder.

“This is an opportunity for our members to participate in a fantastic program that will benefit our active military,” said Jack Baumler, chairman of the board of NASGW. “When the board first heard about the program at the NRA convention, we decided then and there that we should participate.”

Seven NASGW members have signed on thus far for the fundraising effort: Gunarama Wholesale Inc. (Spokane, WA), L.M. Burney Distributors (Waco, TX), Lipsey’s (Baton Rouge, LA), W L Baumler Co. (Lorain, OH), Jerry’s Sports Center Inc. (Jenkins Townships, PA), Camfour Inc. (Westfield, MA) and Ellett Brothers (Chapin, S.C.).

“We are excited about this project,” said Ellett Brothers Chairman Hewitt Grant. “We can think of no better group to honor.”

Laurie Aronson, president and CEO of Lipsey’s, agrees. “We hope this will make more than 10,000 memberships into NRA Life of Duty available,” she said.

These NASGW members join a number of companies that have already stepped up to support NRA Life of Duty. Brownells is the presenting sponsor, and Brownells Law Enforcement Division: PoliceStore.com, Colt, FNH USA and Roll of Honor are also participating.

“We strongly encourage everyone to find a way to support NRA’s Life of Duty,” said NASGW President Maurice A. Desmarais. “With donations or discounts, this is a way to really say ‘Thank you’ to the men and women who protect our freedom, and our lives, every day.”

SPONSOR NRA LIFE OF DUTY
You, too, can sponsor NRA Life of Duty memberships for those serving in the military and law enforcement or as first responders. A $50 membership includes gear discounts and the NRA American Warrior digital magazine, as well as as $25,000 in accidental death insurance for qualified LOD members, plus $2,500 for members seriously injured in the line of duty. Those who wish to sponsor NRA Life of Duty memberships for men and women at home and abroad can do so by visiting http://NRALifeOfDuty.tv/sponsor or calling 1-877-NRA-GIVE. To become a corporate sponsor of NRA Life of Duty content or to provide gear discounts to NRA Life of Duty members, please e-mail Nicole Capossela at ncapossela@nrahq.org.

ABOUT THE NRA
Established in 1871, the National Rifle Association is America’s oldest civil rights and sportsmen’s group. Four million members strong, NRA continues its mission to uphold Second Amendment rights and advocates enforcement of existing laws against violent offenders to reduce crime. The Association remains the nation’s leader in firearm education and training for law-abiding gun owners, law enforcement and the armed services. For more information, visit NRA.org.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL ASSOCIAITON OF SPORTING GOODS WHOLESALERS
The National Association of Sporting Goods Wholesalers is comprised of wholesalers, manufacturers, and independent sales reps––both national and international––all of whom are primarily involved with hunting and shooting sports equipment and accessories.

NRA Names Stoeger M3500 - Shotgun of the Year

Stoeger Firearms

ACCOKEEK, MD --(Ammoland.com)- The Stoeger Model 3500 3½-inch Magnum competed in a rigorous comparison test and evaluation conducted by the editors of American Rifleman and is named the “2012 Golden Bullseye Shotgun of the Year.”

The award will be presented to Stoeger at the 2012 NRA Annual Meeting on May 15-18, in St. Louis, Missouri.

At the heart of the Stoeger M3500 is the proven Inertia Driven operating system; simple and efficient with only three moving parts in the bolt for lightning-fast, reliable operation.

Unlike older gas-system guns, the M3500’s Inertia Driven action is contained primarily within the receiver; giving the Stoeger M3500 a better, more centered balance and swing. With no propellant gas venting into the action, the M3500 stays cleaner longer and is inherently more reliable.

The M3500 handles a full range of loads, from 2¾-inch field loads up to the potent 3½-inch Magnum, without adjustment. For reliability and performance, no other 3½-inch semi-auto in its price range compares. With the proven rugged design of its operating system, the Stoeger’s Model 3500 will handle just about any hunting challenge, providing a great value for hunters.

All M3500s come with four choke tubes (Full, Modified, Improved-Cylinder and Extra-full turkey), and a shim kit for drop and cast adjustment. The receiver is drilled and tapped and a Weaver-style scope base comes standard. A threaded steel recoil reducer is included and can be installed in the buttstock to reduce recoil when using Magnum loads. The M3500 is available in three different finishes — Matte black synthetic, Realtree® APG™ or Realtree® Max-4™.

“Earning this prestigious award from the NRA Publications group fittingly recognizes Stoeger’s commitment to quality, reliability and value, and we are honored,” said Stephen McKelvain, Benelli USA’s VP of Marketing & Communications. “The M3500 is just another example of that commitment to ever-increase the quality of Stoeger products and still maintain a value price that makes them the perfect choice for hunters everywhere.”

SPECIFICATIONS: Gauge: 12 Gauge Barrel Length: 24”, 26” & 28” Sights: Red Bar Front Sight Metal Finish: Black synthetic, Realtree Max-4Ô, Realtree APG Stock Material: Synthetic Average Weight: 7.5 lbs. Overall Length: 46”, 48” & 50” Length of Pull: 143/8” Drop at heel: 2.5” Drop at Comb: 1.5” MSRP: $629 – $719

For the latest news and product information visit www.benelliusa.com

National Rifle Association

FAIRFAX, Va. --(Ammoland.com)- From the first moment that the American people became aware that senior BATFE officials ordered agents in the field to allow guns sold in the U.S. to be smuggled on an all-but-certain path to Mexico’s vicious drug cartels, many of us have wondered “why.”

What possible legitimate purpose could be fulfilled by allowing a large number of guns —over 2,000, by some estimates— to disappear across our southwestern border without the Mexican government’s knowledge?

There has been only one logical answer possible. Someone within the BATFE or higher in the Department of Justice wanted the smuggled guns to be recovered at crime scenes in Mexico, and traced to sources within the U.S., so that the Obama Administration could claim a need for one or another gun control measure being pushed by anti-gun groups.

Someone who values gun control more than the lives of innocent people killed by cartel operatives armed with the BATFE’s “walked” guns. Someone who believes, as one BATFE official put it, that “to make an omelet, you have to break some eggs.”

Until now, there was no proof, however. Recently, CBS News reported that the BATFE “discussed using their covert operation Fast and Furious to argue for controversial new rules about gun sales.” In particular, agency officials wanted guns to fall into Mexican drug cartel hands and be traced back to gun dealers in the U.S. to make a case for requiring dealers to report individuals who buy more than one detachable-magazine semi-automatic rifle over .22 caliber in a five day period.

According to CBS, “emails show they discussed using the sales, including sales encouraged by ATF, to justify a new gun regulation called Demand Letter 3. That would require some U.S. gun shops to report the sale of multiple rifles or ‘long guns.’”

CBS singled out a July 14, 2010 email sent by BATFE Field Operations Assistant Director Mark Chait to Bill Newell, the agency’s Special Agent in Charge in Phoenix, from which Fast and Furious was based.

In the email, Chaits asked Newell to “see if these guns were all purchased from the same [licensed gun dealer] and at one time. We are looking at anecdotal cases to support a demand letter on long gun multiple sales.”

Pro-Second Amendment U.S. Senator John Cornyn (Texas), the senior Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Immigration, Refugees and Border Security subcommittee, quickly responded to CBS’s revelation, saying “If these reports are true, even by Washington standards this reaches a new level of arrogance and corruption.” With Attorney General Holder again appearing before Congress to testify about Fast and Furious this week, Sen. Cornyn added, “again, the Attorney General has some explaining to do.”

Also, CBS reported another means by which Mexico’s drug cartels have acquired a large enough number of U.S.-made firearms to partially explain the high tallies repeated time and again by Mexican president Felipe Calderon, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Attorney General Eric Holder, and other gun control supporters.

Apparently, hundreds of firearms sent to Mexico by U.S. firearms manufacturers, through Direct Commercial Sales approved by the State Department since 2006, cannot be accounted for by Mexican officials and are presumed to have made their way to the cartels.

As CBS reporter Sharyl Attkisson relates it, “The Mexican military recently reported nearly nine thousand police weapons missing. Yet, the U.S. has approved the sale of more guns to Mexico than ever before.” The government of Mexico now buys more U.S.-made firearms than Iraq, whose security forces American and allied troops trained from the ground up, after the fall of Saddam Hussein.

Providing some insight into the scope of the problem, after one U.S.-made rifle sold to the Mexican military ended up in a cartel arms cache, the State Department asked Mexico to account for 1,030 more rifles, but received no reply. Between 2006 and 2009, 2,400 firearms were sold to Mexico through direct sales. But trying to avoid further embarrassment, State refuses to provide the numbers for 2010 and 2011.

Attkisson says, “With Mexico in a virtual state of war with its cartels, nobody is tracking how many U.S. guns are ending up with the enemy.”

About:
Established in 1871, the National Rifle Association is America’s oldest civil rights and sportsmen’s group. Four million members strong, NRA continues its mission to uphold Second Amendment rights and to advocate enforcement of existing laws against violent offenders to reduce crime. The Association remains the nation’s leader in firearm education and training for law-abiding gun owners, law enforcement and the military. Visit: www.nra.org

Aaron Zelman, Ted Nugent and the NRA

Jews For The Preservation Of Firearms Ownership

Washington, DC --(Ammoland.com)- Aaron Zelman was no fan of the NRA. On occasion he was accused of “bashing” “The Gun Lobby”.

It was surprising that almost ten times more communication came our way supporting Aaron’s “zero tolerance” of the National Rifle Association.

There is no question that Aaron’s in-your-face attitude affected the NRA over the years. We’d like to think that it put “The Big Guys” back on a truer course towards freedom. Since Aaron’s passing, the NRA has done the right things with Eric Holder and the despicable “Operation Fast and Furious”, the insidious poison of the U.N. “Small Arms Treaty”, and the drive towards nationwide concealed carry.

[But] their political grading of politicians is still pretty cheesy.

Times have changed. JPFO no longer holds the animosity that Aaron felt so deeply in his bones about the NRA.

However, let’s not let our guard down. Here’s a classic refresher on the difference between JPFO and the NRA. Some ignorant criticism arose from this article from mentally challenged folks who thought it was actually a hit at Ted Nugent.

Aaron Zelman

Ted and Aaron were Brothers in Arms. (Read Ted’s memorial comments about Aaron on the Tribute Page.) Ted never formally answered Aaron’s “open letter”. It was a “between-a-rock-and-a-hard place” situation for Ted. We are sure, however, that Ted got the message delivered upstairs to the big wigs at the NRA.

Were you listening, Wayne?

Protecting you by creating solutions to destroy “gun control”

About:
Jews For The Preservation Of Firearms Ownership Mission is to destroy “gun control” and to encourage Americans to understand and defend all of the Bill of Rights for everyone. Those are the twin goals of Wisconsin-based Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership (JPFO). Founded by Jews and initially aimed at educating the Jewish community about the historical evils that Jews have suffered when they have been disarmed, JPFO has always welcomed persons of all religious beliefs who share a common goal of opposing and reversing victim disarmament policies while advancing liberty for all.

JPFO is a non-profit tax-exempt educational civil rights organization, not a lobby. JPFO’s products and programs reach out to as many segments of the American people as possible, using bold tactics without compromise on fundamental principles. Visit www.JPFO.org – Copyright JPFO 2011

Obama Says He Won't Be Bound by Gun Control Ban in Omnibus

NRA News

Fairfax, VA --(Ammoland.com)- NRA-News is a valued partner that continues to cover breaking gun rights news with a new and improved short video format in the “NRA News Minute” videos.

To view the current firearms or gun rights news video, please click above:

Cam Edwards talks to John Frazer, NRA-ILA Director of Research & Information about a recent declaration by the Obama Administration that they will not abide by the recent bans on funding Gun Control passed in a recent Minibus appropriations bill.

Read More on these topics:

• Congress Packs Firearms Riders in Minibus
• Administration & Media Collaboration Continues Gunwalker Misdirection
• Bill Defunds United Nations If Arms Trade Treaty Is Adopted

About:
Established in 1871, the National Rifle Association is America’s oldest civil rights and sportsmen’s group. Four million members strong, NRA continues its mission to uphold Second Amendment rights and to advocate enforcement of existing laws against violent offenders to reduce crime. The Association remains the nation’s leader in firearm education and training for law-abiding gun owners, law enforcement and the military. Visit: www.nra.org

National Rifle Association

FAIRFAX, Va. --(Ammoland.com)- In all of my years fighting on behalf of the National Rifle Association to defend the Second Amendment, I never thought I would see a White House so vehemently opposed to gun ownership that it would be willing to arm violent criminals and endanger American lives in pursuit of a gun control agenda.

Readers will recall that a little over two months ago, in this same space, I wrote:

“I would like to believe that President Barack Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder — no matter how much they oppose our Second Amendment rights — would never break the law and endanger human lives in their mission to score political points against gun owners…

“However, to believe all of this, I would have to ignore a lot of facts.”

And now, according to new documents obtained by CBS News, we are faced with the fact that the Obama administration helped transfer illegal guns to drug cartels in Mexico to build a case for gun control — specifically, gun registration — here in America.

“If these reports are true, even by Washington standards this reaches a new level of arrogance and corruption,” remarked Senator John Cornyn (R-TX). Unfortunately, Sen. Cornyn is not exaggerating.

On July 14, 2010, Mark Chait, who served as Assistant Director for Field Operations for the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco and Explosives (BATFE) sent an email to Bill Newell, BATFE’s special agent in charge of operation “Fast and Furious.” Chait’s email said:

“Bill, can you see if these guns were all purchased from the same (licensed gun dealer) and at one time? We are looking at anecdotal cases to support a demand letter on long-gun sales. Thanks.”

Just six months later, after a press conference to announce arrests made in “Fast and Furious,” Chait emailed Newell again, saying:

“Bill–well done yesterday… (I)n light of our request for Demand letter 3, this case could be a strong supporting factor if we can determine how many multiple sales of long guns occurred during the course of this case.”

“Demand letter 3″ is a letter sent to U.S. firearms dealers in the four southwest border states, demanding that they register sales of more than one semi-automatic rifle to the same person within five business days.

Under its “Fast and Furious” operation, Obama’s BATFE had been forcing licensed firearms dealers to sell semi-automatic rifles to shady straw purchasers, who would then supply them to drug cartels in Mexico.

Chris W. Cox, Executive Director, NRA Institute for Legislative Action

About Chris W. Cox:
As the NRA’s chief lobbyist and principal political strategist, Chris oversees eight ILA divisions: Federal Affairs; State & Local Affairs; Public Affairs; Grassroots; Finance; Research & Information; Conservation, Wildlife & Natural Resources; and Office of Legislative Counsel. Chris also serves as chairman of NRA’s Political Victory Fund (NRAPVF), the Association’s political action committee.

About:
Established in 1871, the National Rifle Association is America’s oldest civil rights and sportsmen’s group. Four million members strong, NRA continues its mission to uphold Second Amendment rights and to advocate enforcement of existing laws against violent offenders to reduce crime. The Association remains the nation’s leader in firearm education and training for law-abiding gun owners, law enforcement and the military. Visit: www.nra.org

WWII Vet Walter Hughes Reciunts - A Dangerous Encounter

National Rifle Association

FAIRFAX, Va. --(Ammoland.com)- Join NRA Life of Duty as we follow a group of patriots who take the meaning of “answering the call of duty” to new heights.

WWII paratrooper Walter Hughes expounds upon a dangerous German encounter behind enemy lines during the Battle of the Bulge in 1944.

NRA Life of Duty presented by Brownells has just released another riveting story from WWII Paratrooper Walter Hughes. This time, Walter recounts a particularly memorable experience from The Battle of the Bulge.

View the full feature on the NRA Life of Duty network at: http://www.nralifeofduty.tv/#/home/VideoModule/342

About:
Established in 1871, the National Rifle Association is America’s oldest civil rights and sportsmen’s group. Four million members strong, NRA continues its mission to uphold Second Amendment rights and to advocate enforcement of existing laws against violent offenders to reduce crime. The Association remains the nation’s leader in firearm education and training for law-abiding gun owners, law enforcement and the military. Visit: www.nra.org

List of Congressmen Calling for Holder’s Resignation Continues to Grow

National Rifle Association

FAIRFAX, Va. --(Ammoland.com)- Attorney General Eric Holder remains embroiled in controversy over the highly publicized and ill-fated “Operation Fast and Furious.”

When we reported on this issue on December 9, 52 U.S. Representatives, two U.S. Senators, and multiple GOP Presidential candidates had called on Attorney General Eric Holder to resign as a result of the scandalous “Fast and Furious” operation.  As of this week, at least 90 congressmen have either signed Rep. Paul Gosar’s (R-Ariz.) “no confidence” (in Holder) resolution or believe he should quit.

According to a December 20 article in The Daily Caller, Gosar’s “no confidence” resolution alleges that Holder’s actions have proven he is not “competent, trustworthy and beyond reproach,” and that he has sought to “cover up” mistakes rather than cooperate with Congress “in disclosing the events and circumstances and transparently addressing the issues.”

The article further notes that, including Gosar, there are 81 members of Congress who no longer trust Holder to continue to hold office, and 60 congressmen have now demanded that Holder resign.  Between the two lists, which don’t perfectly overlap, there are now at least 90 members of the House who don’t approve of Holder.

In addition to the 60 congressmen, two U.S. Senators, all of the top GOP presidential candidates and two sitting governors have demanded that Holder resign.

NRA has also called for Holder’s resignation.  In fact, NRA-ILA has prepared a video that all freedom-loving Americans need to watch showing that Holder’s actions prove he can’t be trusted with the sanctity of our freedoms, the powers of his office, or the lives of our law enforcement officers.  To watch the video, please click here.

Please help spread the word and forward this video to family, friends and fellow gun owners.

To view a NRA News video of reporter Ginny Simone talking with Rep. Sensenbrenner about Holder’s appearance before the House Judiciary Committee, please click here.

To view videos of Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) questioning Holder before the House Judiciary Committee, please click here and here.

About:
Established in 1871, the National Rifle Association is America’s oldest civil rights and sportsmen’s group. Four million members strong, NRA continues its mission to uphold Second Amendment rights and to advocate enforcement of existing laws against violent offenders to reduce crime. The Association remains the nation’s leader in firearm education and training for law-abiding gun owners, law enforcement and the military. Visit: www.nra.org

National Rifle Association

FAIRFAX, Va. --(Ammoland.com)- Data recently released by the National Center for Health Statistics shows that in 2008, the number and per capita rate of firearm accident deaths fell to an all-time low.

There were 592 firearm accident deaths (0.19 such accidents per 100,000 population) in 2008, as compared to 613 accidents (.20 per 100,000) in 2007.

In 2008, the chance of a child dying in a firearm accident was roughly one in a million.

Firearm accidents accounted for 0.5% of all accidental deaths; well below the percentages accounted for by motor vehicle accidents, falls, fires, poisonings, and several other more common types of mishaps.

Firearm suicides rose in 2008 because total suicides rose, but the percentage of suicides accounted for by those misusing firearms remained steady, at just barely over half. This is down from about 60% during the 1980s and early 1990s. The firearm suicide rate remained at just under 6 per 100,000, as it has been every year from 1999 forward. Contrary to claims made recently by some gun control advocates, firearm suicides among children are extremely uncommon, and in 2008, fell to an all-time low.

Firearm homicides (including self-defense, but excluding lawful shootings by police) declined in 2008. More recent data reported by the FBI, shows that criminal homicides declined in 2008, again in 2009, and again in 2010, to a 47-year low.

About:
Established in 1871, the National Rifle Association is America’s oldest civil rights and sportsmen’s group. Four million members strong, NRA continues its mission to uphold Second Amendment rights and to advocate enforcement of existing laws against violent offenders to reduce crime. The Association remains the nation’s leader in firearm education and training for law-abiding gun owners, law enforcement and the military. Visit: www.nra.org

Arsenal’s SGL12 Semi-Auto Saiga 12-Gauge Shotgun

National Rifle Association

FAIRFAX, Va. --(Ammoland.com)- This year, NRA-ILA worked with pro-gun legislators to include a provision in the 2012 Commerce, Justice and Science appropriations legislation to help prohibit the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives from banning the importation of shotguns that are currently legally imported.

That legislation was a part of a consolidated appropriations bill that Congress passed to fund major portions of the federal government for the remainder of fiscal year 2012.

Unfortunately, some inaccurate reports have claimed that this provision would repeal the “sporting purposes” test for importation of firearms.

While NRA supports repeal of the “sporting purposes” test, the provision included in the recently enacted bill does not achieve this goal.

The provision supported by NRA-ILA was prompted by a recent BATFE “study” that sought to reinterpret the “sporting purposes” test in a manner that would have banned the import of certain shotguns that are currently legal to import.

The new provision prevents, at least in the short term, the expansion of any shotgun bans under the “sporting purpose” language, thus preserving the status quo.

About:
Established in 1871, the National Rifle Association is America’s oldest civil rights and sportsmen’s group. Four million members strong, NRA continues its mission to uphold Second Amendment rights and to advocate enforcement of existing laws against violent offenders to reduce crime. The Association remains the nation’s leader in firearm education and training for law-abiding gun owners, law enforcement and the military. Visit: www.nra.org

NRA - ILA

Charlotte, NC --(Ammoland.com)- H.R. 2055 —the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2012— has been passed by the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate and has been sent to the President for his expected signature.

This bill contains three NRA-backed provisions that will strengthen our Second Amendment rights and prohibit your federal tax dollars from being used to advance an anti-gun agenda.

Stopping Your Tax Dollars From Funding Anti-Gun Studies
One of the protections expanded and strengthened can be found in Sec. 218 of the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education (Labor-H) division of the bill. This section prevents the National Institutes of Health (NIH) from using taxpayer dollars to promulgate junk science designed to paint legal gun ownership as a public health hazard.

Since 2002, the NIH has spent nearly $5 million on this “research” even though their counterparts at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have been prevented from funding similar studies since being blocked in 1996 by a NRA-backed provision.

The following are just a few examples of the anti-gun research funded using taxpayer dollars:

• $2,639,453 was spent by the NIH to investigate whether adolescents 10-19 years old who were treated at the hospital for a gunshot wound were more likely to have consumed alcohol and/or carried a firearm during the time period surrounding their injury than victims of a non-gun assault. Basically, the researchers wanted to know why teenagers who possess firearms illegally and engage in underage drinking and consort with those who do the same-were likely to be involved in violent situations.
• $1,980,327 was allocated by the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, a division of NIH, to determine the relationship between gun violence and the presence of bars and liquor stores. The researchers posited that communities could lower homicide and suicide rates by improving zoning regulations for “alcohol outlets.”
• $35,933 in federal funding was used to “understand the determinants of firearm ownership and storage practices” and “measure attitudes and beliefs about firearms” among parents. The study was funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development through NIH, and aimed to solidify the notion that a “home free of hazards” was essential to children’s safety and well-being.

These junk science studies and others like them are designed to provide ammunition for the gun control lobby by advancing the false notion that legal gun ownership is a danger to the public health instead of an inalienable right.

No Tax Dollars to Lobby and Promote Gun Control
The second is a new NRA-backed provision that is found in Sec. 503 of the Labor-H division. This section prevents federal funds from being used for lobbying efforts designed to support or defeat the passage of legislation being considered by Congress, or any state or local legislative body. Too often, community action groups are utilizing federal money to lobby for increased regulation of firearms including trigger locks, bans on semi-automatic rifles, regulated magazine capacity, etc. This funding subverts the Second Amendment and allows anti-gun Administrations to fund grassroots gun control efforts using taxpayer dollars.

We are grateful that H.R. 2055 prohibits further use of this gun control scheme.

Protecting Historic Firearms and Spent Brass Casings from Destruction
Finally, a long-standing provision, found in Department of Defense (DOD) Sec. 8017 division A, preserves the opportunity for American gun owners to purchase surplus firearms that are no longer of use to the U.S. military. This includes M-1 Carbines, M-1 Garand rifles, M-14 rifles, .22 caliber rifles, .30 caliber rifles and M-1911 pistols. Starting in 1979, different versions of this language have prevented these firearms from being needlessly destroyed.

In 2009, Congress amended this language at the urging of the NRA to prevent the destruction of spent brass casings, a boon for gun owners and reloaders concerned about the rising price of ammunition.

About:
Established in 1871, the National Rifle Association is America’s oldest civil rights and sportsmen’s group. Four million members strong, NRA continues its mission to uphold Second Amendment rights and to advocate enforcement of existing laws against violent offenders to reduce crime. The Association remains the nation’s leader in firearm education and training for law-abiding gun owners, law enforcement and the military. Visit: www.nra.org

Leupold’s Mark 8 1.1-8x24 mm CQBSS Riflescope

Leupold Tactical Optics

BEAVERTON, Ore. --(Ammoland.com)- Leupold’s Mark 8 1.1-8×24 mm CQBSS riflescope has received the prestigious 2012 “Optic of the Year” Golden Bullseye Award presented by the National Rifle Association’s (NRA) American Rifleman magazine.

Golden Bullseye Awards acknowledge the finest products available in the shooting sports. Winners are selected by a seven-member committee comprised of editors, graphic designers and veteran NRA Publications staff.

“We pushed the envelope with this scope to give American warfighters and competitive shooters the optical edge they need to accomplish their mission in the most demanding environments,” said Kevin Trepa, vice president, tactical division for Leupold & Stevens, Inc.

“We greatly appreciate this Optic of the Year recognition for the Mark 8 CQBSS because the award criteria are in line with our own standards: reliability in the field, meeting or exceeding performance expectations, and innovation in design and function.”

Pat Mundy, communications manager for Leupold & Stevens, added, “We are thrilled to receive this award because we have such high regard for American Rifleman magazine and its staff. We are honored that they selected the Mark 8 CQBSS as their Golden Bullseye winner for optics in 2012.”

Leupold’s Tactical Optics Division introduced the Mark 8 1.1-8x24mm CQBSS riflescope to meet cutting-edge military requirements. Engineered for combat, the Mark 8 CQBSS also makes a superior optic for competitive three-gun shooters and home-defense carbines. It features state-of-the-art auto-locking turret knobs, as well as a lens system that provides operators with both the speed of a super-bright red dot sight and the capability of an 8-power precision sniper scope in one rugged, field-proven unit. For more information on the Mark 8 CQBSS, go to www.leupold.com or call 1-800-LEUPOLD.

Leupold & Stevens, Inc., the preeminent American-owned and -operated optics company, employs hundreds of people in its state-of-the-art facility near Beaverton, Ore. Leupold is a fifth-generation, family owned company whose products are sold worldwide to hunters, competitive shooters, American military warfighters, law enforcement personnel and wildlife observers. The product line includes rifle, handgun and spotting scopes; binoculars; rangefinders; trail cameras; mounting systems; and optical tools and accessories.

Leupold & Stevens, Inc. is a Charter Supporter of the Hunting and Shooting Sports Heritage Foundation.

• Leupold & Stevens, Inc., P.O. Box 688, Beaverton, OR 97075-0688, U.S.A.
• Phone: (800) LEUPOLD or (503) 526-1400 • Fax: (503) 352-7621 • www.leupold.com

Eddie Eagle Gunsafe Program

FAIRFAX, Va.--(Ammoland.com)- The Eddie Eagle GunSafe Program, NRA’s groundbreaking gun accident prevention course for children, has surpassed yet another milestone by reaching its 25 millionth child.

Created in 1988 by past NRA President Marion P. Hammer, in consultation with elementary school teachers, law enforcement officers, and child psychologists, the program provides pre-K through the third grade children with simple, effective rules to follow should they encounter a firearm in an unsupervised setting: “If you see a gun: STOP! Don’t Touch. Leave the Area. Tell an Adult.”

“Now that 25 million children have gone through the Eddie Eagle program, we can concentrate on reaching the next 25 million with this important life saving message,” said Kayne Robinson, NRA Executive Director of General Operations.

Volunteers for the Eddie Eagle program might come from diverse backgrounds, but they share a commitment to protecting children from gun accidents.

Those involved include teachers, NRA members, law enforcement officers, and community activists who teach the program, as well as private donors and Friends of NRA participants who raise funds to pay for the program’s educational materials.

More than 26,000 educators, law enforcement agencies, and civic organizations have taught the program since 1988.

“We’re here to help make a difference in their lives,” said Eddie Eagle program manager Eric Lipp. “Through the assemblies, videos and everything else, we hope that our program leaves a lasting, positive impression on all who attend.”

Law enforcement’s partnership with Eddie Eagle has proven to be very effective. Along with schools and libraries, law enforcement agencies are one of the few groups allowed to purchase an Eddie Eagle mascot costume. NRA also offers free Eddie Eagle materials to any law enforcement agency, hospital, or educational facility across the nation. To receive these free materials, or to purchase an Eddie Eagle costume, please contact the Eddie Eagle Department at 800-231-0752.

The Eddie Eagle program has been praised by numerous groups and elected officials, including the Association of American Educators, the Youth Activities Division of the National Safety Council, the National Sheriffs’ Association, the U.S. Department of Justice (through its Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency), and 26 state governors.

Funds raised through Friends of NRA and distributed through The NRA Foundation (www.nrafoundation.org) enable budget-strapped schools and police departments to teach the program at minimal or no cost. The NRA encourages citizens nationwide to participate in heightening gun accident prevention awareness within their local communities. Schools, law enforcement agencies, civic groups, and others interested in more information about The Eddie Eagle GunSafe Program, or persons who wish to see if free materials are available in their communities, should call the Eddie Eagle Department at (800) 231-0752 or visit www.nrahq.org/safety/eddie/.

National Rifle Association

FAIRFAX, Va. --(Ammoland.com)- The National Rifle Association is accepting applications from high school sophomores and juniors across the country for the National Youth Education Summit (Y.E.S.) from June 25 – July 1, 2012 in Washington, DC.

Forty-five outstanding students are chosen each year to travel to the nation’s capital for a seven day, all expense paid educational experience. The summit encourages young adults to become well-rounded citizens by learning about the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, how the federal government works and the importance of being active in civic affairs.

Activities on this year’s schedule include:

• Meeting national leaders from Capitol Hill and around Washington, DC
• Guest speakers at NRA Headquarters and the National Firearms Museum
• Informative tours at historic sites and monuments in and around Washington, DC
• Competitive debates with other high school students from across the nation

“I would recommend this trip for anyone interested in learning what it means to be an American,” said past participant Amanda Krpan. “You don’t have to be experienced with firearms to enjoy the week – there’s more going on then you can image. It will exceed your expectations just like it did mine!”

In addition to the week in Washington DC, Y.E.S. participants compete for $30,000 in college scholarships. The first round of awards totals $10,000 and is given at the conclusion of the Y.E.S. program. A second round of scholarships is comprised of $20,000 and involves a second application, available to the participants after they go through the Y.E.S. program. Since the program’s inception in 1996, more than $340,000 in scholarships has been awarded.

Entry into the program requires submission of a completed application form, high school transcript, three-page essay on the Second Amendment, personal statement, and three letters of recommendation. Interested students should have their application post-marked no later than February 1, 2012.

For additional information on the 2012 Youth Education Summit and how to apply, please visit www.friendsofnra.org/yes, or call 1-800-672-3888, ext. 1342.

California Rifle and Pistol Association

Sacramento, CA --(Ammoland.com)-In a victory for self-defense civil right activists, a Los Angeles Superior Court Judge has ordered the City of Los Angeles to produce documents relating to the LAPD’s policies and procedures for processing applications for a carry license.

In 1992 and 1994, the City’s unlawful refusal to properly process carry license applications was challenged in two lawsuits. To settle the suits, LAPD agreed to a court ordered application processing procedure.

The LAPD agreed to a definition of “good cause” that was articulated in the settlement, and agreed that all citizens who request a carry license permit application would be provided a carry license application at any LAPD station house, along with a copy of the LAPD’s procedure for handling the application, and the procedures for appealing the denial of a carry license application. The settlements also resulted in the establishment of a Citizens Advisory Review Panel, made up of appointed citizens who would review carry license applications denied by the LAPD and make recommendations regarding whether the Chief should reverse the denial.

A memorandum discussing these suits is posted here.

The LAPD has repeatedly failed to honor its legal obligations under the settlements. It has not made carry license applications and a written copy of the carry license policy and appeal process available at all station houses. And it has ignored the recommendations of the Citizens Advisory Review Panel and has instead enacted a de facto policy of again issuing no carry licenses, despite whatever showing of good cause the applicants might make.

To rectify this situation two new legal actions, financed by NRA and CRPAF through their Legal Action Project, were filed.

The first is a motion to enforce the court’s old order in the 1994 case, Assenza v. City of Los Angeles. Some of the original plaintiffs from that Assenza case seek to force the LAPD to reinstate its agreed-to policy of providing applications and copies of its written policy at all LAPD station houses. In support of its motion, NRA grassroots activist citizens were recruited to investigate the LAPD’s practices and submitted declarations about their recent attempts to get carry license applications. They were frustrated by uncooperative officers at individual station houses, all of whom had a complete lack of understanding of the LAPD’s application process, and who in almost all instances could not provide a carry license application to the requesting citizen, much less a copy of the LAPD’s written policy.

Perhaps most egregiously, LAPD officers bluntly told citizens that unless they were celebrities, they shouldn’t even bother filling out the carry license application because they would be denied a carry license as a matter of LAPD policy.

The second recent legal action is a new lawsuit, Davis v. City of Los Angeles. The nine plaintiffs in this new lawsuit, some of whom have had carry license applications pending and unresolved with the LAPD for years, have been subjected to a litany of abuses by LAPD in its handling of their carry license applications relating to LAPD’s continued failure to comply with the original Assenza judgment. These abuses include not only the failures to provide applications and copies of the written policies at LAPD station houses, but also refusals to timely consider their applications, failures to respond to inquiries regarding the status of applications, failures to acknowledge the availability of the Citizens Advisory Review Panel as a method of appealing denial, and failure to give any weight to recommendations by the Citizens Advisory Review Panel.

As part of the Davis lawsuit, NRA/CRPA sought documents relating to the Chief Charlie Beck’s review of the recommendations of the Citizens Advisory Review Panel, documents showing any evaluation, assessment, and decisions about the positive recommendations of the Citizens Advisory Review Panel, and documents relating to the current City and County of LA residents with active carry license licenses issued by Chief Charlie Beck. The City refused to turn them over. So the Court was asked to intervene.

In ordering the City to produce the documents, the Court noted that the City’s attempt to justify its refusal to turn them over consisted of mere “boilerplate objections,” some of which were not made “in good faith.”

We’ll keep you posted as the case develops…

Seventeen years ago the NRA and CRPA joined forces to fight local gun bans being written and pushed in California by the gun ban lobby. Their coordinated efforts became the NRA/CRPA “Local Ordinance Project” (LOP) – a statewide campaign to fight ill-conceived local efforts at gun control and educate politicians about available programs that are effective in reducing accidents and violence without infringing on the rights of law-abiding gun owners. The NRA/CRPA LOP has had tremendous success in beating back most of these anti-self-defense proposals.

In addition to fighting local gun bans, for decades the NRA has been litigating dozens of cases in California courts to promote the right to self-defense and the Second Amendment. In the post Heller and McDonald legal environment, NRA and CRPA Foundation have formed the NRA/CRPA Foundation Legal Action Project (LAP), a joint venture to pro-actively strike down ill-conceived gun control laws and ordinances and advance the rights of firearms owners, specifically in California. Sometimes, success is more likely when LAP’s litigation efforts are kept low profile, so the details of every lawsuit are not always released. To see a partial list of the LAP’s recent accomplishments, or to contribute to the NRA or to the NRA/CRPAF LAP and support this and similar Second Amendment cases, visit www.nraila.com and www.crpafoundation.org.

About:
The California Rifle and Pistol Association “CRPA,” founded in 1875, is dedicated to defending the rights of law-abiding citizens to responsibly use firearms for self-defense and the defense of their loved ones, for sport, and for all other legal activities. CRPA is the official state association of the National Rifle Association. A California non-profit association, CRPA is independently directed by its own Board of Directors. CRPA’s members include law enforcement officers, prosecutors, professionals, firearm experts, the general public, and loving parents. CRPA has always worked to reduce the criminal misuse of firearms and firearms accidents, while actively promoting and organizing the competitive shooting sports and Olympic training programs in California. We are proud to say that many CRPA competitors are among the best in the world. Visit: www.crpa.org

NRA - ILA

FAIRFAX, Va. --(Ammoland.com)- Here are some of the top stories we brought you in the NRA-ILA Grassroots Alert in 2011.

With what will be a critically important 2012, we must increase our efforts to ensure we’re prepared to meet the great opportunities and challenges we will face next year.

We will continue to provide you with information in future Alerts to ensure our mutual success.

January:

• The Ohio Supreme Court issued a ruling upholding Ohio’s firearms preemption law and siding with both the state’s and NRA’s position, as outlined in a “friend of the court” brief filed with the court.  The case, City of Cleveland v. State of Ohio, stemmed from the city’s scheme to establish a series of restrictive gun laws despite Ohio law, which clearly prohibits such municipal gun ordinances.
• The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011 was signed into law.  The legislation included several provisions developed by NRA-ILA and pro-Second Amendment members of Congress, that provide practical benefits to gun owners while protecting the privacy and Second Amendment rights of gun-owning military personnel and their families and civilian employees of the Department of Defense.
• U.S. Reps. Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.) and Leonard Boswell (D-Iowa) introduced H.R. 420 — the “Veterans’ Heritage Firearms Act.”  The legislation would provide a limited amnesty period for veterans who served overseas before 1968.  During the amnesty period, the veterans would be able to register war relic firearms without fear of prosecution. This amnesty would also extend to a veteran’s lawful family members.

February

• U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) asked the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to respond to allegations that it allowed suspicious firearm transactions to proceed, and that a gun sold in one of those cases may have been involved in a shootout that claimed the life of a U.S. Border Patrol agent.
• The U.S. House voted for an amendment to H.R. 1 offered by Reps. Denny Rehberg and Dan Boren that prohibits the use of federal funds for a new and unauthorized multiple sales reporting scheme proposed by BATFE. The measure passed the chamber with broad bipartisan support.
• In 2009, the Obama administration approved the importation and sale of collectible, American-made M1 Garand rifles and M1 carbines from South Korea. However, the administration reversed its decision in March 2010, deciding instead to prevent these rifles –legal to make and purchase in the United States—from entering the country.  S. 381—the Collectible Firearms Protection Act—and its House companion bill, H.R. 615 were introduced.  The bills seek to once again allow these American-made firearms to be re-imported and sold in the U.S.
• NRA worked with a coalition of the nation’s largest hunting and conservation groups to address the wolf management crisis.  The coalition thanked members of Congress for taking several steps in the right direction for wolf conservation, and reminded Congress that all wolves in the Rockies and Great Lakes area are recovered and should now be managed by state biologists. The coalition supports all four pending bills in the House and Senate to move recovered wolf populations to state wildlife management.
• H.R. 822, was introduced in the U.S. House by Representatives Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.) and Heath Shuler (D-N.C.).  The measure would allow any person with a valid state-issued concealed carry permit to carry a concealed firearm in any state that issues concealed firearm permits, or that does not prohibit the carrying of concealed firearms. A state’s laws governing where concealed firearms may be carried would apply within its borders. The bill also applies to Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and U.S. territories.  H.R. 822 would not create a federal licensing system.  Rather, it would require the states to recognize each others’ carry permits, just as they recognize drivers’ licenses and carry permits held by armored car guards.
• A peerless friend of gun owners, retired U.S. Sen. James A. McClure, R-Idaho—who aggressively led the advancement of the Second Amendment cause in the U.S. Senate for two decades—died on February 26.

March

• U.S. Sens. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and John Ensign (R-Nev.) introduced S. 570 — “a bill to prohibit the Department of Justice from tracking and cataloguing the purchases of multiple rifles and shotguns.”  The bill would prohibit the use of federal funds for a multiple sales reporting scheme proposed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
• NRA-ILA Executive Director Chris Cox sent letters to key leaders in Congress calling for hearings to examine the firearms trafficking investigations tactics employed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Those tactics have allegedly allowed firearms to fall into the hands of Mexican criminal organizations, with the knowledge of the BATFE.   In the letters sent to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) and Ranking Member John Conyers (D-Mich.) and their counterparts in the U.S. Senate, Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Ranking Member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Cox wrote that the BATFE project “reportedly allowed over 2,000 firearms to be sold to individuals already linked to Mexican drug cartels.  Many of those transactions were reported as suspicious by the licensed firearms dealers themselves, but BATFE reportedly encouraged them to proceed with these sales, which the dealers would otherwise have turned down.”
• Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad (R) signed legislation authorizing a mourning dove hunting season. With this historic expansion of hunting opportunities through SF 464, the Legislature and Governor demonstrated their steadfast commitment to sportsmen and gun owners.
• Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback (R) signed into law House Bill 2013 and Senate Bill 152. HB 2013 enables residents of Kansas to purchase long guns in non-contiguous states and residents of non-contiguous states to purchase long guns in Kansas.  SB 152 allows persons licensed to carry a concealed firearm to lawfully carry their firearm while hunting.
• “Permitless Carry” legislation, Senate File 47, and “Castle Doctrine” legislation, House Bill 167, were signed into law by Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead (R).
• House Bill 1079, signed into law by Gov. Dennis Daugaard (R), clarifies that residents of non-contiguous states may purchase long guns in South Dakota.
• Gov. Steve Beshear (D) signed into law House Bill 308.  The legislation will implement the federal NICS Improvements Amendments Act by enabling residents of Kentucky, who have lost their firearm rights because of a mental health-related commitment or adjudication, to petition a court to have them restored.

April

• The continuing resolution for FY 2011 included a general provision that delists certain populations of wolves from the Endangered Species Act.  Wolf populations in Montana and Idaho as well as portions of Utah, Oregon and Washington would be declared recovered by reinstating the 2009 ruling from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), paving the way for regulated wolf hunting seasons.
• The NRA, and American gun owners, lost a loyal friend on April 16, 2011, when former U.S. Rep. Harold L. Volkmer died in his hometown of Hannibal, Missouri. He had just celebrated his 80th birthday, and was pleased to read the hundreds of cards he had received from grateful gun owners.
• The Mexican government continued its attempt to blame the American gun community for Mexico’s internal strife, and retained the New York City-based law firm of Reid Collins & Tsai to examine its options for suing U.S. gun manufacturers and distributors.  Such lawsuits have been used for decades as a tactic by anti-gun groups and governments in their attempts to bankrupt gun manufacturers and circumvent the political process.  However, the “Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act” protects firearm manufacturers, distributors, dealers and importers from lawsuits brought about as a result of “the harm solely caused by the criminal or unlawful misuse of firearm products or ammunition products by others when the product functioned as designed and intended.”
• U.S. Senators Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and John Thune (R-S.D.) and U.S. Representatives Jeff Miller (R-Fla.), Mike Ross (D-Ark.), Bob Latta (R-Ohio) and Heath Shuler (D-N.C.), introduced legislation to protect traditional lead ammunition and fishing tackle from a potential ban by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
• Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin (R) signed into law the “Fraudulent Firearms Purchase Prevention Act.”  Senate Bill 856 protects lawful firearm retailers from illegal gun sting operations.
• Gov. Jack Dalrymple (R) signed into law two pro-gun reforms.  House Bill 1438 allows North Dakota workers to store their firearms in locked personal vehicles on publicly accessible parking lots without fear of being fired.  House Bill 1269 will grant persons who have lost their firearm rights because of a mental health commitment or adjudication the right to petition to have them restored.
• Senate File 456, signed into law by Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad (R), is designed to improve the language under last session’s “shall-issue” law and allow Iowa state law to meet the requirements set forth in the federal NICS Improvement Amendments Act.
• Gov. Jan Brewer (R) brought pro-gun reforms to the state of Arizona by signing key pieces of legislation.  Senate Bill 1469 strengths the current “Castle Doctrine” language by broadening the definition of reasonable use of force, including deadly force, to provide greater protection for those forced to defend themselves or family from an attacker.  House Bill 2645 is designed to meet the requirements of the federal NICS Improvement Amendments Act by enabling persons who have lost their firearm rights because of a mental health-related commitment or adjudication to petition a court to have them restored.
• Gov. Dave Heineman (R) signed Legislative Bill 512 into law.  LB 152 requires the state to provide information concerning mental health adjudications to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) database and sets up a relief from disabilities process.  In addition, LB 512 makes numerous improvements to Nebraska’s right-to-carry laws.

May

• On May 1, Navy SEALS provide America with an historic event that will forever be seared in our memories:  the killing of Osama bin Laden — the mastermind behind the September 11 terrorist attacks on our nation.
• NRA filed its formal comments on the “ATF Study on the Importability of Certain Shotguns.”  The “study,” published in January, proposed to ban the importation of any shotgun, regardless of action type, if it has one or more supposedly non-”sporting” features.
• NRA challenged the constitutionality of Illinois’ complete and total ban on carrying firearms for self-defense outside the home or place of business.  The case, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois, is Shepard v. Madigan. The lead plaintiff is church treasurer Mary Shepard; joining her is the Illinois State Rifle Association, NRA’s state affiliate.
• Rep. Bob Gibbs (R-Ohio) and Rep. Jason Altmire (D-Pa.) introduced H.R. 1865, the Recreational Lands Self-Defense Act, which is designed to protect the rights of gun owners on lands owned or managed by the Army Corps of Engineers.
• Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels (R) signed into law five pro-firearm bills:  Senate Enrolled Act 506 (Transport Permit Reform), Senate Enrolled Act 292 (Firearm Preemption Reform), Senate Enrolled Act 94 (Non-Contiguous State Firearm Purchase), Senate Enrolled Act 411 (Parking Lot), and Senate Enrolled Act 154 (allows loaded firearms on off-road vehicles on private property if the person has permission to be on the property).
• The FBI estimated that the number of violent crimes decreased 5.5 percent from 2009 to 2010, including a 4.4 percent decrease in the number of murders.  Because the U.S. population increased during the period, the figures imply that the total violent crime per capita rate and the murder rate decreased more than six percent and five percent, respectively.  This brings the violent crime to a 37-year low and the murder rate to a 47-year low.
• Assembly Bill 217, signed into law by Gov. Brian Sandoval (R), allows residents of non-contiguous states to purchase long guns in Nevada.  It also allows Nevada residents to purchase long guns in non-contiguous states.

June

• The U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals conclusively and forcefully held, without need for oral argument, that the National Rifle Association has the right to recover attorneys’ fees in its lawsuits against the city of Chicago’s and the village of Oak Park’s unconstitutional gun bans. The court held that NRA was a prevailing party in the case of National Rifle Association v. City of Chicago and Village of Oak Park.
• Congressional hearings held by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform revealed that the gun smuggling investigation known as “Fast and Furious,” implemented out of the Phoenix Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives office, was conducted in a reckless manner that led to the illegal sale of thousands of firearms. Many of those firearms ended up in the hands of Mexican drug cartels and other criminals, and may have contributed to the death of Border Patrol agent Brian Terry.
• A proposal by U.S. Rep. John Campbell (R-Calif.) and Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) to prohibit necessary and legal practices used to effectively manage wildlife and predator species was overwhelmingly defeated in the House of Representatives.  The amendment to H.R. 2112—the Agriculture appropriations bill—was strongly opposed by NRA and other pro-hunting organizations.  It was pushed by the Humane Society of the United States and other radical anti-hunting groups.
• Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) signed into law Senate Bill 321, worker protection/parking lot legislation.  The Governor also signed legislation to extend the Right to Carry to your boat or personal watercraft (House Bill 25); to allow properly permitted landowners or helicopter owners to contract with third parties to ride on helicopters and take depredating feral hogs and coyotes (House Bill 716); to prevent rules restricting a foster parent’s ability to transport a foster child in a private vehicle if a handgun is present (House Bill 2560); and to limit the ability of local governments to sue owners or operators of sport shooting ranges (Senate Bill 766).
• Lawful firearm retailers are protected from illegal gun sting operations such as those by anti-gun New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.  Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley (R) signed HB 450, Fraudulent Firearms Purchase Prevention legislation
• Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R) signed into law Legislative Document 35.  This key piece of legislation prohibits an employer from banning an employee with a valid concealed firearms permit from keeping a firearm in the employee’s vehicle as long as the vehicle is locked and the firearm is not visible.
• Gov. Rick Scott (R) signed into law Senate Bill 234 and House Bill 45.  SB 234 brings reform to Florida’s “Right-to-Carry” law and allows residents to purchase long guns in other states.  HB 45 stops local politicians and governments from violating Florida law by providing penalties for willful violations.
• Louisiana residents may purchase a long gun in any state with the passage of Senate Bill 39—signed into law by Gov. Bobby Jindal (R).
• Gov. John Kasich (R) signed House Bill 54 into law.  HB 54 brings Ohio in compliance with federal law to provide for the restoration of firearm rights for certain individuals.
• Gov. Bev Perdue (D) signed into law House Bill 650.  HB 650 contains “Castle Doctrine” language, Fraudulent Firearms Purchase language, allows Right-to-Carry permit holders to store firearms in their vehicles when parked on the grounds of certain state properties and courthouses, allows for the purchase of rifles and shotguns by North Carolina residents in other states, and makes other improvements.

July

• NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre and NRA-ILA Executive Director Chris W. Cox joined Gov. Scott Walker (R) as he signed the Wisconsin Personal Protection Act into law. This made Wisconsin the 49th state to give law-abiding citizens an option to carry a concealed firearm for personal protection.
• Gov. Tom Corbett (R) signed Pennsylvania “Castle Doctrine” legislation into law.  This common-sense measure permits law-abiding citizens to use force, including deadly force, against attackers in their homes and any place where they have a legal right to be.  It also protects individuals from civil lawsuits by attackers or attackers’ families when force is used.
• The Obama administration formally announced that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives will require firearm dealers in the southwestern border states to file “multiple sale” reports on detachable-magazine rifles larger than .22 caliber. Under the plan, each dealer will be required to report to the BATFE any sale of two or more such rifles to a single individual within five business days.
• NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre drew a line in the sand on behalf of American gun owners at the United Nations.  LaPierre spoke to the UN’s Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) Preparatory Committee, the group drafting an international treaty that will supposedly control all non-nuclear arms, worldwide, including civilian firearms. He told the audience of delegates from approximately 150 U.N. member states that the NRA would vehemently oppose any UN treaty that in any way restricts American gun owners’ rights.
• Gov. Jay Nixon (D) signed into law House Bill 294.  HB 294 expands a variety of firearm rights for Missouri gun owners, and addresses a number of Right-to-Carry issues.  HB 294 finally lowered Missouri’s Right-to-Carry minimum age requirement (formerly the oldest in the nation) from 23-years old to 21-years old.
• Gov. Jack Markell (D) signed into law House Bill 48.  This new law updates Delaware state law to meet the requirements set forth in the federal NICS Improvement Amendments Act. In addition to conforming Delaware law to the NIAA, this legislation also repeals Delaware’s instant check for firearm purchases and moves all background checks to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS).

August

• NRA supports a lawsuit challenging the Obama administration’s demand that Federal Firearms License holders report multiple sales of certain long guns in Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas. The suit asserts that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives lacks statutory authority to demand these reports.
• Riots, looting, violent assaults and arson left London and other UK cities looking like war zones.  The current bedlam showed us what a disarmed country looks like and how little is left when free men and women surrender the right to own a firearm.  Chris Cox wrote a compelling op-ed on “Britain’s Criminal Utopia” for the Daily Caller.
• The Iowa Administrative Rules Committee met to review the Natural Resource Commission’s (NRC) final rule for Iowa’s first dove hunting season in nearly a century.  In a 9-1 bipartisan vote, legislators overwhelmingly rejected the NRC’s underhanded attempt to include a statewide traditional ammunition ban in the final rule.  This vote allowed for a “session-delay” of the lead ammunition ban, meaning the legislature will have to act during the next legislative session to remove the ban from the final dove rule.  However, Iowa’s first dove season will proceed and will not include a traditional ammunition ban.
• In what can only be described as “Washington D.C. logic,” the three BATFE agents who were responsible for the “Fast and Furious” debacle in Phoenix were promoted.  The Department of Justice announced the appointment of U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota, B. Todd Jones, to serve as Acting Director of BATFE, replacing Kenneth Melson.  The DOJ also announced that Dennis Burke, U.S. attorney for the district of Arizona, resigned.  And the Wall Street Journal reported that Emory Hurley, the assistant U.S. attorney responsible for the day-to-day operations of “Fast and Furious,” was removed from his post and reassigned to the department’s Civil Division.

September

• Senators Jim Webb (D-Va.) and John Boozman (R-Ark.) introduced S. 1588—“The Recreational Land Self–Defense Act.“  S. 1588 is the Senate companion bill to H.R. 1865 and is designed to protect the rights of gun owners on lands owned or managed by the Army Corps of Engineers.
• The Obama campaign launched a new website, AttackWatch.com. The purpose of the site is to give Obama supporters a way to report “attacks” on the president, implying that any criticism must be based on lies or misinformation.  When it comes to firearm issues, it’s this site that is misrepresenting President Obama’s record on guns.
• In what promises to be a continuing debate on the rights of law-abiding citizens, the Oregon Court of Appeals ruled that banning firearms on the grounds of Oregon’s public universities exceeded the scope of the university system’s authority, thereby opening up the state’s campuses to individuals who hold valid concealed handgun licenses.
• The New Hampshire House voted to override the Governor’s veto of Senate Bill 88.  SB 88 is now law, and establishes that the law-abiding have the right to defend themselves from assault wherever they have a legal right to be when they believe there is an imminent threat to their life and well being.

October

• A divided federal appeals court upheld the District of Columbia’s controversial ban on semi-automatic rifles and so-called “large capacity” magazines, but asked a lower court to reconsider certain aspects of its gun registration system.
• The “Veterans Second Amendment Protection Act,” which was added to H.R. 2349 as an amendment, passed the House.  The bill will provide individuals receiving veterans’ benefits with added protection against loss of the right to possess firearms due to mental health decisions.
• House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) subpoenaed the Justice Department in the “Fast and Furious” scandal.  The subpoena seeks documents and all communications between the office of Attorney General Eric Holder, his deputies, and the White House in connection with the now-infamous Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosive’s failed operation.
• U.S. Sens. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Mark Begich (D-Alaska) introduced the Senate companion bill to H.R. 58, the “Firearms Interstate Commerce Reform Act,” which was reintroduced in the U.S. House in Jan. 2011.  This common sense reform to broaden lawful interstate sales of firearms has been an NRA priority for many years.

November

• NRA launched an ad campaign to tell President Obama to fire Attorney General Eric Holder.  The cauldron that is the “Fast and Furious” scandal continues to boil, with an increasing number of members of Congress now calling for Attorney General Eric Holder’s immediate resignation.  Meanwhile, the White House and the Justice Department remain silent and stubbornly continue to ignore the demands to remove Holder.
• The Washington state Court of Appeals affirmed that a gun ban in Seattle’s parks is illegal.  The decision comes more than a year after a King County judge sided with several area gun owners, NRA, the Second Amendment Foundation.
• The ongoing effort to fully vindicate the fundamental, individual right to carry a concealed handgun for self-defense took a major step forward with House passage of H.R. 822, the “National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act of 2011.” The bill, sponsored by Reps. Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.) and Heath Shuler (D-N.C.), which had 245 cosponsors, was approved by an overwhelming bipartisan vote of 272-154.
• The final conference report on the combined Fiscal Year 2012 Agriculture, Commerce/Justice/Science (CJS) and Transportation/Housing/Urban Development (THUD) Appropriations bill was passed by both the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate, and was signed into law. This conference report contains 12 provisions that strengthen legal protections for the Second Amendment.
• NRA will fight the proposal by the Obama administration and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to drastically restrict recreational shooting opportunities on public lands. NRA is particularly concerned about the stated motive of this action. A spokesman for the BLM told U.S. News and World Report that the proposed ban was being enacted in response to “urbanites” who “freak out” when they hear shooting on public lands. The spokesman also acknowledged that the impetus for this restriction was not rooted in safety, but to reduce “social conflict.”
• The Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism held a hearing on Sen. Charles Schumer’s (D-N.Y.) S. 436.  Dubbed by anti-gunners the “Fix Gun Checks Act,” the legislation would eliminate private sales and gun shows as we know them and expand the range of persons prohibited from owning firearms.

December

• NRA opposition helps defeat the nomination of Caitlin Halligan to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.  Halligan had a record of attacks on the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Americans.  NRA’s opposition to this nomination began in March 2011, when we expressed our concerns to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary
• Gov. Scott Walker (R) signed Assembly Bill 69 into law.  This law provides essential protections for law-abiding citizens who defend themselves and their families from a criminal looking to do them harm.

About:
Established in 1871, the National Rifle Association is America’s oldest civil rights and sportsmen’s group. Four million members strong, NRA continues its mission to uphold Second Amendment rights and to advocate enforcement of existing laws against violent offenders to reduce crime. The Association remains the nation’s leader in firearm education and training for law-abiding gun owners, law enforcement and the military. Visit: www.nra.org

NRA - ILA

Charlotte, NC --(Ammoland.com)- NRA-ILA grass roots news continues to cover break gun rights news with a new and improved format for the “Grassroots News Minute” video!

To view the current video in its new format, please click above:

Krista Cupp discusses the purpose of Obama’s Fast & Furious was to pile on more Gun Control Laws and make the Second Amendment the fall guy and on the continuing calls for Eric Holder to resign.

Read More on these topics:

• Attorney General Eric Holder Blames Americans for Gun-Running
• Fire Eric Holder
• Eric Holder has Been Served

About:
Established in 1871, the National Rifle Association is America’s oldest civil rights and sportsmen’s group. Four million members strong, NRA continues its mission to uphold Second Amendment rights and to advocate enforcement of existing laws against violent offenders to reduce crime. The Association remains the nation’s leader in firearm education and training for law-abiding gun owners, law enforcement and the military. Visit: www.nra.org

National Rifle Association

FAIRFAX, Va. --(Ammoland.com)- NRA Life of Duty presented by Brownells has released the newest addition to their Victory in Afghanistan series – a collection of reports detailing the rebuilding efforts put forth as the withdrawal of U.S. Troops from Afghanistan continues.

This video serves as an impactful reminder of the sacrifices being made by our troops – who express their gratitude towards the American public for keeping them in their thoughts this holiday season.

Visit for more reports from LtCol Oliver North on the NRA Life of Duty network at http://www.nralifeofduty.tv/#/cololivernorth/list/dosortsearch,37.

About:
Established in 1871, the National Rifle Association is America’s oldest civil rights and sportsmen’s group. Four million members strong, NRA continues its mission to uphold Second Amendment rights and to advocate enforcement of existing laws against violent offenders to reduce crime. The Association remains the nation’s leader in firearm education and training for law-abiding gun owners, law enforcement and the military. Visit: www.nra.org

National Rifle Association

FAIRFAX, Va. --(Ammoland.com)- Join NRA Life of Duty as we follow a group of patriots who take the meaning of “answering the call of duty” to new heights.

Look for the “Smokejumper” full feature in the upcoming weeks.

About:
Established in 1871, the National Rifle Association is America’s oldest civil rights and sportsmen’s group. Four million members strong, NRA continues its mission to uphold Second Amendment rights and to advocate enforcement of existing laws against violent offenders to reduce crime. The Association remains the nation’s leader in firearm education and training for law-abiding gun owners, law enforcement and the military. Visit: www.nra.org

Anti-Gun Judicial Nominee Caitlin Halligan

An appeal was made yesterday in Gun Rights Examiner for gun owners to contact their senators and oppose confirmation based on the nominee’s anti-gun track record. At the time the report was filed, Gun Owners of America had put out an alert requesting this action. Later in the day, the National Rifle Association released a letter it had sent to the Senate opposing Halligan.

Continue reading on Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/gun-rights-in-national/republicans-block-halligan-confirmation

About David Codrea:
David Codrea is a long-time gun rights advocate who defiantly challenges the folly of citizen disarmament. He is a field editor for GUNS Magazine, and a blogger at The War on Guns: Notes from the Resistance. Read more at www.examiner.com/gun-rights-in-national/david-codrea