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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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Fifth Circuit Rules Federal Switchblade Knife Restrictions Violate the Second Amendment

Friday, October 23, 2026

Fifth Circuit Rules Federal Switchblade Knife Restrictions Violate the Second Amendment

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has ruled that the federal Switchblade Act’s restrictions on the interstate commerce of switchblade knives violate the Second Amendment.

New York:  Gov. Hochul Signs More Gun Control This Week

Thursday, October 22, 2026

New York: Gov. Hochul Signs More Gun Control This Week

Gov. Kathy Hochul remains the scariest thing in Albany for law-abiding gun owners.  On Wednesday, October 21 the anti-gun governor of the Empire State signed a pair of gun bills into law.  We've knocked on ...

San Francisco Law Professor Purports to Channel Scalia on AR-15s; Ignores Scalia

News  

Monday, October 26, 2026

San Francisco Law Professor Purports to Channel Scalia on AR-15s; Ignores Scalia

Some arguments succeed by being true. Some attempt to succeed by confusing the debate and substituting misdirection for clarity. And some attempt to succeed merely by dogged persistence, refusing to die or go away, no ...

Different Election, Same Billionaire, Same Gun Control Agenda

News  

Monday, October 26, 2026

Different Election, Same Billionaire, Same Gun Control Agenda

Another election, same former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg working to shape the nation’s gun laws. For years, NRA has exposed Bloomberg’s relentless efforts to export New York style gun restrictions to the rest ...

Location, Location, Location: Study Finds Crime Concentration Correlates with Politics

News  

Monday, October 26, 2026

Location, Location, Location: Study Finds Crime Concentration Correlates with Politics

It’s well established that certain offenders remain disproportionately responsible for violent crime. A 2001 report on such “chronic offenders” in Minnesota concluded that over a four-year period, just five percent of offenders were responsible for ...

The NFA’s New Era: What Has Changed, What Remains the Same, Items of Note

News  

Monday, October 12, 2026

The NFA’s New Era: What Has Changed, What Remains the Same, Items of Note

As we announced separately this week, ATF has determined that it will use its executive discretion to uniformly suspend enforcement of large portions of the National Firearms Act (NFA).

NRA Files Amicus Brief Urging Ninth Circuit to Rehear Challenge to California’s Gun Store Surveillance Law En Banc

Friday, October 23, 2026

NRA Files Amicus Brief Urging Ninth Circuit to Rehear Challenge to California’s Gun Store Surveillance Law En Banc

The National Rifle Association of America, along with the America First Policy Institute and Knox Williams, founder of the American Suppressor Association, filed an amicus brief urging the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth ...

Jive Turkeys: Everytown Gears Up to Spoil Thanksgiving with Gobbledygook

News  

Monday, November 17, 2025

Jive Turkeys: Everytown Gears Up to Spoil Thanksgiving with Gobbledygook

Thanksgiving in America isn’t just about food, family and football. According to a survey published by casino.ca (with its Great Thanksgiving Family Feud Map), the holiday typically “comes with a slice of family chaos and a touch of ...

“I’m sorry, Dave, I’m afraid I can’t do that” – ChatGPT is Now “Completely Anti-gun”

News  

Monday, October 19, 2026

“I’m sorry, Dave, I’m afraid I can’t do that” – ChatGPT is Now “Completely Anti-gun”

More than half a century ago, Stanley Kubrick’s film, 2001: A Space Odyssey, introduced the world to HAL-9000, a sentient “supercomputer” with advanced artificial intelligence (AI) processing. When HAL, responsible for running the spacecraft, decides ...

NRA Files Amicus Brief Urging Fifth Circuit to Adopt a Test in Disarmament Cases that Ensures Peaceable Citizens Cannot Be Disarmed

Wednesday, October 21, 2026

NRA Files Amicus Brief Urging Fifth Circuit to Adopt a Test in Disarmament Cases that Ensures Peaceable Citizens Cannot Be Disarmed

The National Rifle Association and Second Amendment Foundation filed an amicus brief in United States v. Cordova, a case before the en banc Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals involving a challenge to the federal lifetime ...

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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.