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Trump Rallies the 2A Faithful in Pennsylvania

Tuesday, February 20, 2024

Trump Rallies the 2A Faithful in Pennsylvania

On Friday, February 9, President Donald Trump took the stage at the NRA Presidential Forum held in Harrisburg, Penn., to the approving cheers of the thousands in attendance.  The Forum was one of the culminating events during the nine-day NRA Great American Outdoor Show—dubbed The World’s Largest Outdoor Show—an annual event that celebrates hunting, fishing, and outdoor traditions.  This year’s event saw the most attendees ever, with more than 200,000 people making their way through 650,000 square feet of exhibit area, viewing more than 1,000 exhibitors.

Trump started things off with the proclamation, “Your Second Amendment will always be safe with me as your President.”  He added, “When I’m back in the Oval Office, no one will lay a finger on your firearms.”

The crowd roared its approval, and the 45th President of the United States went on for more than an hour making his case for being elected the 47th on November 5, 2024.

With thousands of NRA members, hunters, and other outdoor enthusiasts gathered, the former president delivered one of his trademark performances, transitioning smoothly from boilerplate campaign stump speech exposing the policy failures of the current administration to jabbing at the members of the media in attendance—yes, he used the term “Fake News”—to riffing on the myriad problems (cognitive issues, corruption allegations, historically low approval polls, etc.) confronting Joe Biden.

But what the vast majority of the crowd was there to hear was what Trump would do to defend our Right to Keep and Bear Arms.  And they were not disappointed.

He spoke about Biden’s “non-stop war on gun makers, dealers, and sellers designed to put the entire industry out of business.”  If elected, Trump promised, “Every single Biden attack on gun owners and manufacturers will be terminated my first week; maybe my first day (in office).”

He said he would fire Steve Dettelbach, the anti-gun Biden appointee who is the current director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).  Under Dettelbach, the ATF has implemented a number of anti-gun policies (some of which are facing serious legal challenges), such as the new rule on pistol braces and efforts to create its own interpretation of the federal laws on firearm transfers.  Trump also referred to ATF policies that have been implemented that are being abused to shut down licensed gun dealers for minor paperwork errors.

To help show the difference between how different he and Biden are when it comes to the firearms industry, he reminded the crowd that he had made sure to designated dealers and manufacturers as “critical infrastructure” during the 2020 pandemic, so that they could remain in operation, even as some states with anti-gun governors and local authorities tried to force them closed.  Trump pledged to reverse ATF’s Draconian new regulations and policies, although the courts may take care of some before he gets into office if he is elected in November.

In addition, the former president said he would fire United States Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, another anti-gun Biden appointee, whose position can have a considerable impact on hunting and recreational shooting on public lands.  As a contrast, Trump pointed out that, while president, he opened up “millions of acres of public land” for recreational use.

When it comes to personal protection, Trump stated clearly, “You have a right to self-defense.”  He also noted that he would work to ensure national Right-to-Carry reciprocity is finally achieved, should he win in November.

The former president also referenced the landmark decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen; and it should always be remembered that three of the six justices who came down on the side of our right to self defense outside the home in that decision were appointed by Trump.  He even recounted how he, during an appearance at the 2019 NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits in Indianapolis, Ind., officially announced he was pulling the United States out of the United Nation’s anti-Second Amendment Arms Trade Treaty.

You can watch his entire speech here, but for those interested in seeing the real thing in person, he promised to be at the 153rd NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits in Dallas, Tex., which takes place this year on May 17-19.

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North Carolina: Update on Permitless Carry

Tuesday, September 30, 2025

North Carolina: Update on Permitless Carry

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

Federal Court Strikes Down Biden Administration’s “Engaged in the Business” Rule in NRA Case

Thursday, October 2, 2025

Federal Court Strikes Down Biden Administration’s “Engaged in the Business” Rule in NRA Case

Yesterday, in Butler v. Bondi, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama held that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives exceeded its statutory authority by issuing its 2024 Final Rule expanding ...

First Affirmative Lawsuit in Support of Gun Owners Filed by Trump’s DOJ

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Monday, October 6, 2025

First Affirmative Lawsuit in Support of Gun Owners Filed by Trump’s DOJ

California officials’ egregious foot-dragging over the issuance of carry permits has finally attracted the ire of the federal Department of Justice (DOJ). 

President Trump’s GOP Leads Polling on Crime and Guns, To No Surprise

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Monday, October 6, 2025

President Trump’s GOP Leads Polling on Crime and Guns, To No Surprise

A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll revealed that Americans know the President Donald Trump-led Republican Party has a better plan than their Democratic Party opponents on crime and gun control.

NRA Files Amicus Brief in Fifth Circuit Case Challenging the Federal Switchblade Act

Friday, October 3, 2025

NRA Files Amicus Brief in Fifth Circuit Case Challenging the Federal Switchblade Act

Yesterday, the National Rifle Association filed an amicus brief in Knife Rights, Inc. v. Bondi, urging the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals to reverse the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas’s decision upholding the Federal ...

Trump Administration Repeals Biden Era Firearms Export Crackdown

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Monday, October 6, 2025

Trump Administration Repeals Biden Era Firearms Export Crackdown

Last Monday, the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) at the U.S. Department of Commerce published a final rule that reversed a crackdown on the commercial export of firearms from the U.S. to other countries.

Trust in Mass Media Craters to New Lows, in Single Digits With Republicans

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Monday, October 6, 2025

Trust in Mass Media Craters to New Lows, in Single Digits With Republicans

There’s an old saying that rings especially true to Second Amendment supporters: If you don’t read the news, you’re uninformed.

Alphabet Eases the Reins on Censorship; Will Gun Content Eventually Benefit?

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Tuesday, September 30, 2025

Alphabet Eases the Reins on Censorship; Will Gun Content Eventually Benefit?

With the free speech debate recently co-opted by one TV host’s use of false and incendiary remarks about his political opponents, it might have been easy to miss another important First Amendment story last week. 

Canada’s Public Safety Minister on Gun Ban & Confiscation: “Don’t Ask Me to Explain the Logic”

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Monday, September 29, 2025

Canada’s Public Safety Minister on Gun Ban & Confiscation: “Don’t Ask Me to Explain the Logic”

There have been multiple developments on the Canadian gun grab and ban in the last few days, but the most astounding has got to be a leaked bombshell recording of the Liberal Public Safety Minister, ...

U.S. Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Challenge to Hawaii’s Private Property Default Carry Ban

Friday, October 3, 2025

U.S. Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Challenge to Hawaii’s Private Property Default Carry Ban

Today, the U.S. Supreme Court granted the petition for certiorari in Wolford v. Lopez, a challenge to Hawaii’s law forbidding carry on private property open to the public (such as restaurants, gas stations, and grocery stores) ...

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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.