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| NEWS LEGAL & LEGISLATION Gun Purchases Rise as Usual Suspects Resort to Usual Tricks | |
| The FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) reported this week that the number of firearm-acquisition background checks in June was the highest for that month on record. Of 1,529,057 total firearm NICS checks in June, over 825,000 related to firearm acquisitions, over 10 percent more than in June 2014. Another 632,000 checks were conducted in relation to firearm permits. The increase in NICS checks was partly in reaction to gun control supporters' predictably opportunistic attempt to promote their background check legislation on the basis of the abominable crime that took place at the Emanuel A.M.E. Church in Charleston, South Carolina, last month. Within hours of the crime, the Brady Campaign called for "expanding Brady background checks on all gun sales," Everytown claimed "It's time for gun sense in America," and the Violence Policy Center blamed the crime on "unfettered access to guns." | |
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| NEWS GUN LAWS Former CNN Anchor After Self-Defense Shooting: “If you don’t want to carry please don’t. Then, shut the f--- up about it.” | |
| Former CNN Anchor After Self-Defense Shooting: “If you don’t want to carry please don’t. Then, shut the f--- up about it.” Last week we shared the harrowing story of former CNN Headline News anchor Lynne Russell and husband Chuck de Caro, who exercised their right to armed self-defense to stop a gun-wielding robber who forced his way into their Albuquerque, N.M. motel room. Both Russell and de Caro are Right-to-Carry permit holders, and in an interview with Fox News following the shooting Russell had some choice words for anyone that would deprive them of the right to bear arms. | |
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| NEWS Federal Regulators Breathe Life into Marijuana Businesses Even as They Seek to Choke Out FFLs | |
| By now, knowledgeable members of the pro-gun community are well aware of Operation Choke Point (OCP) and its effect on lawful firearm-related businesses. As we have often reported (here, here, and here, for example), OCP is a deliberate attempt by federal regulators to pressure banks to sever or avoid business relationships with legitimate industries that are considered politically objectionable, including firearms and ammunition sales. The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has issued reports condemning the participation of both the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) in the program. Internal investigators at both agencies have also launched their own probes into allegations of abusive practices under the guise of OCP. According a recent article by State Net (a provider of legal research tools), however, the administration’s use of banking regulators for political purposes goes both ways. Titled “Cashed Out: Legal Weed Outlets Flush In Cash Struggling To Find Banks,” the piece recounts the “unique problem” facing prosperous marijuana businesses operating legally under state laws that are finding banks reluctant to provide them with services. This is perhaps not surprising, given that marijuana distribution is still, after all, a federal crime, and banks that knowingly do business with marijuana dispensaries could expose themselves to criminal prosecution. According to the article, “That prohibition could even chain out to include security companies that provide legal weed outlets with security or transportation services.” | |
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| LEGAL & LEGISLATION NEWS Plaintiffs in Chicago-Area Lawsuit Assert a "Civil Right" to Force Suburbs to Enact Gun Control Laws | |
| We at the NRA have seen a lot of strange legal theories asserted by gun control advocates over the years, but a lawsuit filed on Tuesday by a group of Chicagoans still managed to distinguish itself in this dubious tradition by asserting that the plaintiffs have a "civil right" to specific forms of gun control. The basis of the lawsuit is a May 27, 2014 "study" published by the City of Chicago entitled, "Tracing the Guns: The Impact of Illegal Guns on Violence in Chicago." The report finds that a disproportionate number of guns recovered from crime scenes in Chicago from 2009 to 2013 originated at gun shops in the three suburban villages being sued. Of course, it's hardly surprisingly that most Chicago crime guns originated outside the city, as sales of firearms within the city itself (as well as mere possession of handguns) were unconstitutionally banned for much of the reporting period covered by the study. | |
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| NEWS LEGAL & LEGISLATION Proposed Seattle Gun Tax is Bad Policy and Bad Law | |
| Counter to Washington state law, Seattle City Council President Tim Burgess has announced plans for a local ordinance that would impose new taxes on firearms and ammunition sold within city limits. The proposal lays out a $25 tax on firearms and $.05 for every round of ammunition sold. The city council’s Education and Governance Committee is set to take up the legislation on July 15. | |
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| NEWS Disgraced Police Chief Blames Milwaukee's Murders on "Weak" Gun Laws | |
| On Friday, USA Today reported that Milwaukee Police Chief Edward Flynn is blaming what he calls Wisconsin’s “absurdly weak” gun control laws for an increase in murders in Milwaukee during the first half of 2015. | |
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| NEWS Diverse Chicagoans Exercise Their Right-to-Carry | |
| A recent report by the Chicago Sun-Times reveals the diversity of the Chicagoans choosing to exercise their Right-to-Carry, offering some rare good news regarding the city’s beleaguered gun owners. According to a Sun-Times analysis of Right-to-Carry permit data obtained from the Illinois State Police, the city zip codes with the most permit-holding residents span from “upper middle-class, safe and predominately white neighborhoods” to “high-crime, minority neighborhoods.” Delving into further detail, the article states “Chicago’s highest concentration of permits is in the 60617 ZIP… According to the census, about 55 percent of the residents in 60617 are black, 34 percent are Hispanic and 7 percent white.” | |
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| NEWS LEGAL & LEGISLATION Maine Governor LePage signs NRA-backed bill for Permitless carry | |
| The National Rifle Association won another victory for gun owners today as Maine Gov. Paul LePage signed Legislative Document 652 into law, allowing anyone over the age of 21 to carry concealed without a permit. | |
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| NEWS LEGAL & LEGISLATION Judge Slams Brady Campaign for Frivolous Lawsuit that Costs Plaintiffs Over $200K | |
| NRA priority legislation provides the foundation for Lucky Gunner Win! Sometimes victory is years in the making. A recent court victory, however, reminds all of us how important the NRA-ILA's legislative victories can be, even many years or decades down the road. Our hat is off to all the NRA members who answered the call to action while we waged a seven year pitched battle to protect firearm manufacturers and dealers against frivolous lawsuits for the criminal misuse of firearms and ammunition. Your calls, emails, and letters from so many years ago were answered in the affirmative earlier this week. NRA supporters will remember that on October 26, 2005, President George W. Bush signed into law S. 397, NRA-ILA's priority legislation known as the "Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act" (PLCAA). This legislation was meant to protect the firearm industry from a coordinated campaign of antigun lawsuits claiming gun manufacturers and dealers were responsible for the criminal acts of third parties who were unknown to them and totally beyond their control. | |
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| LEGAL & LEGISLATION "Lawful Purpose and Self Defense Act of 2015" Introduced to Curb BATFE Abuse | |
| Chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources Rob Bishop (R-UT) introduced H.R. 2710, the "Lawful Purpose and Self Defense Act of 2015." This bill would remove BATFE's authority to interpret or reinterpret the "sporting purposes" clauses in federal law, which only serve to undermine the core purpose of the Second Amendment. Under Chairman Bishop’s legislation, all lawful purposes – including self-defense – would have to be given due consideration and respect in the administration of federal law. | |
VIDEOS
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In this News Minute from the NRA Institute for Legislative Action, Jennifer Zahrn reports that President Obama is renewing his call for gun control after yet another deadly weekend in his hometown of Chicago. Also, this week, New Hampshire Governor Maggie Hassan vetoed legislation that would have protected the Second Amendment rights of New Hampshire's law-abiding gun owners. |
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Learn how actress and model Kelly Carlson empowered herself by learning to shoot after a frightening home invasion. Later in the episode, meet real estate agents from Ohio who are getting concealed handgun licenses to better protect themselves when showing vacant homes to unfamiliar people. |
| STATE GRASSROOTS ROUND-UP |
