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Grassroots Spotlight: Meet Jay M. Littlefield Award Winners Rick Coufal and Dennis Barthenheier

Monday, February 13, 2023

Grassroots Spotlight: Meet Jay M. Littlefield Award Winners Rick Coufal and Dennis Barthenheier

The annual NRA-ILA Jay M. Littlefield Award recognizes individual NRA members for their meritorious defense of the Second Amendment. Late last year, awards were presented to two individuals for their selfless commitment to upholding and supporting the Second Amendment.

Dennis Barthenheier, owner of Wisconsin Firearms Training Center in Brookfield, Wisconsin, received the award for his invaluable work with the NRA-ILA Grassroots Division over the past five years. Combining his passion for the Second Amendment, with his business, Wisconsin Firearms Training Center, he continually serves as a beacon for pro-Second Amendment activities in Wisconsin.

Dennis is always willing to generously let NRA, local volunteers, and pro-2A activists use his business and resources for so many important grassroots events focused on educating and engaging many in Wisconsin in support of our rights. He additionally lends his own personal time to the cause and has assisted NRA-ILA with other endeavors outside his business, such as NRA State Conferences and other events.

Rick Coufal has been volunteering directly with the NRA-ILA in Oregon for just a few short years, but has made a huge impact!  He has been instrumental in important grassroots outreach in Oregon as a Frontlines Activist Leader, as well as the Legislative Director for the NRA affiliated State Association. Rick went above and beyond the call by not only helping the new NRA-ILA PNW Grassroots Coordinator get acclimated to the region, but also helped to staff numerous gun shows and legislative events that contributed to his accumulation of more than 120+ volunteer hours in a single year. Most recently he was an integral part of the Oregonians for Freedom Committee, which was instrumental in fighting the atrocious Oregon gun control ballot initiative. A U.S. Army Veteran, he has always been a wealth of knowledge and commitment and one day aspires to serve the NRA in a greater capacity on the Board of Directors.

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New Jersey: Attorney General Sends Subpoenas to Statewide FFLs Seeking Customer Records

Saturday, May 16, 2026

New Jersey: Attorney General Sends Subpoenas to Statewide FFLs Seeking Customer Records

Last year, the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office filed a lawsuit against Glock, Inc. under the state’s public nuisance law. This week, in connection with that lawsuit, FFLs across the state started receiving subpoenas demanding ...

Virginia: Spanberger Signs Unconstitutional Gun Bills into Law

Thursday, April 23, 2026

Virginia: Spanberger Signs Unconstitutional Gun Bills into Law

Today, April 23rd, Governor Spanberger Signed HB1525 and SB727/HB1524 into law. 

UPDATE: Legislation Introduced to Protect Veterans’ Second Amendment Rights

News  

Monday, May 5, 2025

UPDATE: Legislation Introduced to Protect Veterans’ Second Amendment Rights

The Chairmen of the House and Senate Committees on Veterans’ Affairs, U.S. Representative Mike Bost (R-IL-12) and Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS), as well as Senator John Kennedy (R-LA), have reintroduced the Veterans 2nd Amendment Protection Act ...

Virginia: Spanberger Doubles Down on Semi-Auto Ban, NRA Doubles Down on Lawsuits

Thursday, May 14, 2026

Virginia: Spanberger Doubles Down on Semi-Auto Ban, NRA Doubles Down on Lawsuits

On the night of May 14th, Governor Spanberger once again proved she has no concern for the 2nd Amendment by signing SB749/HB217 - legislation that bans certain semi-automatic firearms, including many semi-automatic rifles, pistols and ...

New York Times Acknowledges Semi-Auto Rifles Aren’t Just Common, But “Ubiquitous”

News  

Monday, May 18, 2026

New York Times Acknowledges Semi-Auto Rifles Aren’t Just Common, But “Ubiquitous”

In the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case District of Columbia v. Heller (2008), that acknowledged the Second Amendment protects the individual right to keep and bear arms, Justice Antonin Scalia noted some of the arms ...

NRA Announces State Lawsuit Challenging Virginia’s “Assault Firearm” and Magazine Bans

Thursday, May 14, 2026

NRA Announces State Lawsuit Challenging Virginia’s “Assault Firearm” and Magazine Bans

Today, the National Rifle Association announced the filing of a state lawsuit challenging Virginia’s newly enacted bans on “assault firearms” and magazines capable of holding more than 15 rounds.

Tell Your Member of Congress to Protect Veterans Second Amendment Rights!

News  

Friday, May 15, 2026

Tell Your Member of Congress to Protect Veterans Second Amendment Rights!

The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote as early as next week on the Veterans 2nd Amendment Protection Act.

Reading, Writing and Overreacting: Tiny Toy Leads to School “Weapon” Suspension

News  

Monday, May 18, 2026

Reading, Writing and Overreacting: Tiny Toy Leads to School “Weapon” Suspension

Parents and others have expressed concerns over a continuing decline in student literacy rates and math skills. At the same time, there’s a worrying erosion of common sense and critical thinking on the part of ...

Massachusetts Officials Embrace Gun Control, Avoid Crime Control, and Force Citizen Action

News  

Monday, May 18, 2026

Massachusetts Officials Embrace Gun Control, Avoid Crime Control, and Force Citizen Action

Massachusetts has among the most restrictive gun control laws in the country. The Bay State is one of an exceedingly small group of states, along with Illinois, to require a license to merely own any ...

NRA Files Federal Lawsuit Challenging Virginia’s “Assault Firearm” and Magazine Bans

Thursday, May 14, 2026

NRA Files Federal Lawsuit Challenging Virginia’s “Assault Firearm” and Magazine Bans

Today, the National Rifle Association, Firearms Policy Coalition, Second Amendment Foundation, and two NRA members filed a lawsuit challenging Virginia’s newly enacted bans on “assault firearms” and magazines capable of holding more than 15 rounds.

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NRA ILA

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.