NRA-ILA GRASSROOTS ALERT: Vol. 20, No. 11 03/15/2013

U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee Passes Semi-Auto and Private Sales Bans

On March 12 and 14, the Senate Judiciary committee held two working sessions to deal with gun-related bills.

The result of those hearings was the passage of Sen. Charles Schumer’s (D-N.Y.) S. 374, the "Fix Gun Checks Act of 2013"--which would criminalize virtually all private firearm sales, even temporary transfers--and Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s (D-Calif.) S. 150, the "Assault Weapons Ban of 2013."

Both of these bills pose a direct threat to our Second Amendment rights and both were passed on party-line votes, with committee Democrats supporting the bills and all Republicans voting no.

NRA-ILA Executive Director Chris W. Cox Sets the Record Straight on Inaccurate NBC Story

On Tuesday, NRA-ILA Executive Director Chris W. Cox released a statement rebutting allegations made in an article that had appeared the same day on NBCNews.com. The NBC article falsely reported that NRA will not oppose legislation being negotiated in the U.S. Senate that would mandate background checks for all gun purchasers.

As Mr. Cox noted in his statement, the NBC story alleged that NRA would not oppose expanding the background check system to include all private firearm sales, "provided the legislation does not require private gun sellers to maintain records of the checks." This statement is completely untrue. NRA opposes criminalizing private firearms transfers between law-abiding individuals, and therefore opposes an expansion of the background check system. NRA continues to support meaningful efforts to address the problems of violent crime and mass violence in America, through swift and certain prosecution of violent criminals; securing our schools; and fixing our broken mental health system.

Watch the Latest Grassroots News Minute

Watch: More Advice from Joe Biden?

Congresswoman Admits "Assault Weapons" Ban is "Just the Beginning"

As reported by Breitbart.com this week, anti-gun U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) was interviewed at a rally on February 13, and admitted to the reporter that proposed gun and magazine ban legislation (S. 150, the "Assault Weapons Ban of 2013") is "just the beginning" of a broader gun control agenda that will eventually include handguns.

According to the article, Schakowsky--who has a well-deserved "F" rating from NRA's Political Victory Fund--told the reporter, "We want everything on the table. This is a moment of opportunity. There’s no question about it."

"We’re on a roll now," Schakowsky continued, "and I think we’ve got to take the--you know, we’re gonna push as hard as we can and as far as we can."

Don't Believe Everything You Read

Whenever NRA reviews other organizations' surveys or polls that claim to represent the views of NRA members, we do so with a suspicious eye. Our membership rolls are not released, so it's impossible for organizations that have no access to the NRA's membership list, to "test the pulse" of NRA members as effectively as NRA can.

That's why we viewed with skepticism a recent Pew Research poll, particularly its supposed findings regarding "NRA Households." While NRA does not dispute everything in the poll, the results cited do show some now-familiar inaccuracies. We know the findings are inaccurate because we recently completed our own polling, of our own members.

Attend the 2013 NRA-ILA Annual Meeting Grassroots Workshop!

At no time in recent history has it been more important for NRA members and Second Amendment supporters to be effective activists in our campaign to protect and preserve our Second Amendment rights. Our freedom is under attack like never before, on multiple fronts!

As such, your attendance at this year's FREE NRA-ILA Grassroots Workshop in Houston is a critical step toward ensuring the future of our gun rights. This Workshop has been a staple of NRA's Annual Meetings for decades, and is one of the most popular seminars of the week, attended by hundreds of freedom-loving NRA members.

Attend Firearms Law Seminar in Houston

The 16th Annual Firearms Law Seminar will be held on Friday, May 3,, 2013, as part of NRA's Annual Meetings. The gold standard in firearms CLE classes, this day-long seminar provides legal instruction for practicing attorneys who represent firearms owners and licensed dealers, attorneys wishing to expand their practice to such clients, and others having an interest in Second Amendment law.