NRA-ILA GRASSROOTS ALERT: Vol. 20, No. 10 03/08/2013

Senate Judiciary Committee Begins Consideration of Feinstein's "Assault Weapons" Bill

On March 7, the Senate Judiciary Committee, led by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), began consideration of several bills, including anti-gun Sen. Dianne Feinstein's S. 150--the "Assault Weapons Ban of 2013."

The controversial bill has already been met with much resistance. During debate on the bill, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) pointed out that "Congress and President Clinton tried a so-called assault weapons ban 19 years ago and we have the benefit of hindsight as well as some research to examine the lackluster results of that decade-long experiment. According to the Department of Justice's own study it was completely ineffectual in reducing murder or violent crime rates."

Cornyn continued, "So, are we really going to pass another law that will have zero effect, and pat ourselves on the back and say 'We've accomplished something wonderful?' Well, we tried this experiment once and it failed, and I think it promotes symbolism over seriousness to repeat that mistake."

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Watch: More Advice from Joe Biden?

You Can Help Defeat Proposed U.N. Arms Trade Treaty

Just as NRA warned would happen, following last November's presidential election, the Obama administration immediately moved forward with its plans to support a United Nations Arms Trade Treaty. On Wednesday November 7, the U.S. Mission to the U.N. made clear its support for renewed ATT negotiations, casting a vote in favor of a resolution that calls for a "Final United Nations Conference on the Arms Trade Treaty" to be held in New York City from March 18-28.

If signed, the ATT would be a legally binding treaty that would require parties to the treaty to adhere to the treaty's provisions, many of which (as proposed in a month-long meeting last July) are incompatible with our Second Amendment rights.

NRA Ad: Biden's New (Bad) Advice Still Not Advisable

As we reported last week (More (Bad) Advice from Biden), Vice-President Joe Biden has a knack for putting his foot in his mouth--repeatedly.

Biden's latest "advice" came in an interview with Field and Stream, in which Biden said to people wanting to protect their homes, "…you want to keep someone away from your house, just fire the shotgun through the door.”

His statement is, of course, irresponsible and completely absurd.

Almost One-Third of State Sheriffs' Organizations Now Oppose Obama Gun Control

According to a recent Washington Examiner article, a total of 14 sheriffs' associations now oppose President Obama's proposed gun control measures.

The article notes that sheriffs' associations in South Carolina, California and, most recently, Nevada, have joined the growing group of other state associations in demanding that Obama stop going after law-abiding gun owners and instead focus on improving the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.

Extra! Extra! Read All About It! Anti-Gun Public Health Researchers Conclude That Gun Control Works!

In January, President Obama “issued a presidential memorandum directing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other scientific agencies to research the causes and prevention of gun violence--and he called on Congress to provide >0 million to pay for it.” Federal law currently prohibits the CDC from using the taxpayers’ money to pay anti-gun researchers to conduct studies that advocate gun control.

It was no surprise, then, when on March 6 the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), a longtime supporter of gun control, published a summary of a study--in this case partially funded by the anti-gun Joyce Foundation--purporting to show an association between several dozen state-level gun control laws on gun prohibition activist groups’ wish-list, and firearm-related suicide and homicide rates.

Outrage of the Week

We regularly report on outrageous cases involving over-zealous school officials enforcing one-size-fits-all, zero-common sense, "zero-tolerance" rules.

Well, here we go again. This latest outrage involves a seven-year-old Baltimore, Md. student who, according to a recent Daily Caller article, was suspended for two days for the horrendous act of shaping a breakfast pastry into what his teacher thought looked like a gun.

According to the young student, he was eating a strawberry breakfast pastry during snack time and was biting off pieces in an attempt to shape it into a mountain. Apparently, the teacher thought the student's handiwork instead looked like a gun, and promptly escorted him to the principal's office.

TSA Changes Carry-On Rules: Scopes and Small Knives Now Allowed

The Transportation Security Administration has made a number of changes to the list of items allowed to be included in carry-on baggage. Of main interest to gun owners is that riflescopes are now specifically allowed. Click here to read the language and to print a copy to take with you when you travel.

The policy change on scopes came about as a result of discussions between TSA officials and NRA-ILA, and is welcome news for hunters and shooters who would prefer to keep a close tab on their expensive and fragile optics. Previously, the TSA treated them as gun parts. Travelers can still check their scope in checked baggage if they prefer, whether attached to a firearm or not.