Bloomberg Ad Inadvertently Portrays Limits of Gun Control Agenda

With $50 million, one would think Michael Bloomberg and his anti-gun cronies could afford to conduct some focus testing. However, judging from the reaction to the latest fear-mongering ad from Bloomberg’s Everytown group, the ex-mayor and his astroturf activists are clueless when it comes to women and firearms.

The ad depicts a mother and child alone in a house. A man begins pounding on the door, demanding entry. The woman calls 9-1-1 and explains that her “ex” is trying to break in, and she has a restraining order against him. While the woman is still on the phone, the man bursts through the door and grabs the child. As the unarmed woman futilely attempts to stop him, he pulls a gun. The screen fades to black, and a gunshot is heard.

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Court Declares District of Columbia’s Ban on Bearing Arms Unconstitutional

The nation's capital, long infamous for its strict gun control, is now one step closer to being forced to comply with the Second Amendment. On Saturday, July 26, the United States District Court for the District of Columbia issued a decision in Palmer v. District of Columbia, which challenged D.C.'s ban on carrying firearms in public for self-defense. The court's decision prohibits D.C. officials from enforcing certain provisions of local law that interfere with the constitutional right to bear arms outside the home.

FDIC Backpedals on Operation Choke Point as Victims Fight Back

This week, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) released a new Financial Institution Letter purportedly aimed at “clarifying its supervisory approach to institutions establishing account relationships with third-party payment processors (TPPPs).” As we have reported, FDIC is among a number of federal agencies involved in Operation Choke Point, an enforcement program that claims to target financial fraud, but that many say is being used to choke off banking services to legitimate, although politically-disfavored, businesses.

Washington Post Quotes Bloomberg Researcher in Swipe at Right-to-Carry

On Tuesday, three days after the District of Columbia’s ban on carrying handguns outside the home was struck down in federal court, Washington Post staff reporter Emily Badger teamed with anti-gun researcher Daniel Webster, of Michael Bloomberg’s School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University, in an attempt to disparage John Lott’s research on the effect of Right-to-Carry laws.

Massachusetts Legislature Breaks New Ground in Gun Control

Last night, in the waning hours of Massachusetts’ legislative session, its House and Senate passed H.4376. Seemingly out of definable categories of persons to deny the right to arms, this bill would make Massachusetts the first state in which an individual’s right to acquire any type of firearm would be subject to the discretion of a government official. The bill went through numerous versions, some better and some worse than H.4376. At one hopeful point, the discretionary provision was removed from the Senate version of the bill. After lobbying by several current and former Massachusetts police chiefs -- the very sorts of officials whose authority over individual rights would be expanded under the bill -- a “compromise” was reached by a committee of the House and Senate.

Please Urge Your U.S. Representative to Cosponsor and Support Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act

The "Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act of 2013" (H.R. 2959)--introduced in the U.S. House by Reps. Richard Nugent (R-Fla.) and Jim Matheson (D-Utah)--would allow any person who is not prohibited from possessing or receiving a firearm under federal law and who has a valid concealed firearm permit, to carry a concealed handgun in any state that issues its own residents permits to carry concealed firearms. Persons carrying a handgun in another state pursuant to H.R. 2959 would be subject to the laws of that state with respect to where concealed firearms may be carried. Similar legislation to H.R. 2959 passed the House in 2011 by an overwhelming bipartisan vote of 272-154.

Please Take Action on Proposed Ban on the Sale and Trade of Ivory

In past Grassroots Alerts, we addressed the Obama Administration's proposal to ban the trade and sale of legally owned ivory within the United States.

The NRA supports efforts to stop poaching and the illegal trade of ivory. However, banning lawfully-owned domestic ivory will have no impact on elephant poaching in Africa. On the contrary, such a ban would affect only honest, law-abiding Americans by making their possessions valueless. Please see this New York Times article highlighting the broad spectrum of people who will be harmed by the ban.

NRA Freedom Action Foundation's "Trigger the Vote" Voter Registration Campaign

The NRA's Freedom Action Foundation (NRA-FAF) recently announced the kickoff of its 2014 "Trigger the Vote" voter registration campaign, and also unveiled its captivating new ad, "Father and Son." The campaign once again enjoys the support of Honorary Chairman Chuck Norris, and will soon be releasing exclusive new videos featuring Norris that can't be seen anywhere else.