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MSNBC Reporter Unwittingly Discovers the Importance of the Right to Keep and Bear Arms

Friday, May 3, 2019

MSNBC Reporter Unwittingly Discovers the Importance of the Right to Keep and Bear Arms

Sometimes even the worst of the media inadvertently stumbles upon the truth.

On April 30th, MSNBC reported that the socialist government of Venezuela was running over its citizens with armored vehicles amidst protests of the government’s ongoing tyranny.

MSNBC reporter Kerry Sanders, seeking to explain how the government could oppress the population to this extent, invoked the disparity of power between the government and the people. In doing so, he unwittingly managed to explain why America’s founding fathers saw fit to enshrine the right to keep and bear arms within the Bill of Rights.

Sanders noted: “You have to understand, in Venezuela gun ownership is not something that is open to everybody. So if the military have the guns, they have the power and as long as Nicolas Maduro controls the military, he controls the country.”

The result, particularly when coupled with socialism’s contempt for individualism and self-determination, is the unchecked abuse of authority at the cost of innocent lives.

It was a connection so obvious that even MSNBC couldn’t miss it.

These admissions, however unwitting, were a refreshing contrast from the usual MSNBC rhetoric, which tends to favor the most far-reaching forms of gun control. Even gun control advocate Bernie Sanders – who favors a nationwide ban on America’s most popular rifles, as well as on the standard capacity magazines Americans rely on for self-defense –isn’t anti-gun enough to avoid MSNBC’s criticism on the issue.

But while the political elite hide behind the guise of “common-sense gun laws,” in reality they believe that they should be the only ones protected by guns. The rest of the population, in their view, is not to be trusted.

Now the world is being forced to confront the reality of how that has worked out in Venezuela.  

After years of pushing anti-gun rhetoric, MSNBC accidentally made one of the most powerful cases for the Second Amendment, showing that without it law-abiding citizens will not have the means to protect themselves from criminals or from the most blatant forms of government oppression.

The men and women of the National Rifle Association have understood this since 1871.

And while it’s taken MSNBC a while to catch up to the rest of us, we hope it’s a lesson they won’t soon forget.

For the people of Venezuela, unfortunately, the lesson arrived too late.

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North Carolina: Update on Permitless Carry

Tuesday, December 16, 2025

North Carolina: Update on Permitless Carry

In September, the North Carolina General Assembly briefly returned from recess and re-referred Senate Bill 50, Freedom to Carry NC, to the House Rules Committee.

NDAA 2026: A Win for Surplus Firearms Collectors and the Second Amendment

News  

Monday, December 15, 2025

NDAA 2026: A Win for Surplus Firearms Collectors and the Second Amendment

It is indeed that time of year. Time for the 65th annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). This critical federal legislation specifies the budget and policies for the United States Department of Defense for the next fiscal year. 

2025 Litigation Update

Wednesday, December 31, 2025

2025 Litigation Update

In 2025, the National Rifle Association defeated New Mexico’s 7-day waiting period for firearm purchases, the ATF’s “engaged in the business” rule, the ATF’s “pistol brace” rule, a lawsuit seeking to ban lead ammunition in ...

Virginia: Gun Control Looms on the Horizon – Make Plans to Attend Lobby Day in January!

Monday, December 22, 2025

Virginia: Gun Control Looms on the Horizon – Make Plans to Attend Lobby Day in January!

Anti-gun legislators in Richmond have already begun filing legislation ahead of the upcoming Virginia General Assembly session. 

Michigan: Firearm Safety Education Bill Signed Into Law

Friday, December 26, 2025

Michigan: Firearm Safety Education Bill Signed Into Law

On Tuesday, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed House Bill 4285 into law, allowing middle and high schools to offer courses on hunter safety and responsible firearm ownership.        

CPRC’s Latest Report Outlines the Robust State of Concealed Carry in America

News  

Monday, December 22, 2025

CPRC’s Latest Report Outlines the Robust State of Concealed Carry in America

Dr. John Lott’s Crime Prevention Research Center (CPRC) has released its latest annual report on the state of concealed carry in the United States. 

DOJ Defends Federal Firearms Registration in NRA Challenge to the NFA

Thursday, December 18, 2025

DOJ Defends Federal Firearms Registration in NRA Challenge to the NFA

In the NRA’s case, Brown v. ATF, the Department of Justice filed its opposition to the plaintiffs’ motion for summary judgment, along with its own cross-motion, defending the National Firearms Act of 1934’s registration requirement for suppressors, short-barreled ...

SCOTUS Denies Cert in NRA-ILA Challenge to NFA Short-Barreled Rifle Restrictions

Monday, December 15, 2025

SCOTUS Denies Cert in NRA-ILA Challenge to NFA Short-Barreled Rifle Restrictions

The U.S. Supreme Court denied certiorari in Rush v. United States, a challenge to the National Firearms Act of 1934’s restrictions on short-barreled rifles.

U.S. House Passes Reconciliation Bill, Removing Suppressors from the National Firearms Act

News  

Second Amendment  

Thursday, May 22, 2025

U.S. House Passes Reconciliation Bill, Removing Suppressors from the National Firearms Act

Earlier today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R.1 the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which included Section 2 of the Hearing Protection Act, completely removing suppressors from the National Firearms Act (NFA).

DOJ (Again) Goes to Court to Defend 2A

News  

Monday, December 22, 2025

DOJ (Again) Goes to Court to Defend 2A

We recently reported that the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced it had created a new section under its Civil Rights Division—the first ever dedicated to protecting the constitutional right to keep and bear arms.  

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Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the "lobbying" arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.