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June 17, 2016 |
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U.S. Senate to Vote Monday on Gun Control Measures; Call Your Senators today, Monday  Following a 14-plus hour filibuster by Democratic senators this week, the U.S. Senate is expected to vote Monday on up to four gun control proposals, two from each party, offered as amendments to the Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations bill. The proposals will need 60 votes to meet procedural requirements. NSSF Thursday issued an Action Alert urging calls to your U.S. senators' offices to oppose old and previously defeated gun-control measures now being sponsored under a new anti-terrorism label by Sens. Feinstein, Schumer, Murphy and Booker. Call your U.S. Senators today and Monday and urge them to oppose the amendments offered by these Senators. Read this account from The Hill. NSSF will keep you informed of developments.
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Demystifying the Terrorist Watch List In the wake of the tragic terrorist attack in Orlando, news has focused on the FBI's consolidated terrorist watch list, the Terrorist Screening Database. This deeply flawed list of over one million names and aliases has come under scrutiny during government audits for problems ranging from names not being added that should have been to inclusion of individuals who are not the subject of a terrorist investigation. Under current law, more than 95 percent of people on the list would automatically be prohibited from purchasing a firearm because they are not American citizens or legal U.S. residents. Considering the list reportedly includes or has included at least 72 employees of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and several members of Congress from both sides of the aisle, it is hard to argue that the list is accurate enough to justify denying fundamental civil liberties. Regardless, if an individual on the list attempts to purchase a firearm, the FBI is immediately notified when the mandatory FBI background check is run and has the ability to delay the purchase to further investigate. The list is ripe for reform efforts, which should be undertaken before any discussion of restricting the Second Amendment rights of Americans.
Weekly Standard: Washington Won't Ban 'America's Gun' At NSSF, we do not take any vote in the U.S. Congress for granted, believing that our liberties and the protection of the lawful commerce in firearms are best protected through grassroots action. In that spirit, we welcome the insight offered by Christian Lowe in a new essay in the Weekly Standard that rightly points out that the politically demonized AR-15 rifle …" isn't some esoteric firearm that's somehow way outside the norm and can therefore be easily dismissed as a scary 'weapon of war,' banned with barely a whimper from the public. While that might have been possible in 1994, millions of gun owners today revere the AR-15 as a symbol of American exceptionalism and have come to rely on it as the go-to rifle for recreation in the field and defense of the home."
Not Buying the Public Health Prescription The American Medical Association's latest effort to obtain federal funding for "gun violence" research is not going anyplace soon on Capitol Hill. The AMA this week said it would "actively lobby" to lift long standing Congressionally-imposed restrictions on such research by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). However, Republican members of Congress, including some belonging to the House Doctors Caucus say they won't write the AMA's prescription for research. The NSSF's Larry Keane told The Hill, "Our view is that criminal violence involving firearms is a criminal justice The CDC should focus on its mission, which is addressing diseases and illnesses like cancer and preventing an outbreak of the Zika virus."
Calif. Committees Approve Gun Control Measures, Again
Additionally, the following bills were approved by the Assembly Public Safety Committee and will advance to the Assembly Appropriations Committee: SB 880 and SB 1235.
New Jersey Smart Gun Bill Hearing Monday
It's important to point out that this legislation is opposed even by smart gun manufacturers. NSSF opposes this new attempt at a mandate and continues to stress that consumers in the free market should be allowed to make purchase decisions, and not have them imposed by ill-informed New Jersey legislators.
U.N. Bluster Sets Stage for 2018 Debate NSSF and SAAMI staff attended the recent sixth biennial meeting of the United Nation's "Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects" (PoA). During this meeting, participating countries debated an "outcome document" that is supposed to suggest country-level actions on reducing "illicit trade" in firearms, covering everything from marking/tracing to firearms and ammunition "stockpiles". This document paves the way for further action in 2018, when debate over including ammunition in a revised PoA will be high on the agenda. Read remarks by SAAMI representative Nico Wirtz delivered during the meeting. For more about the meeting, read the National Review Online story.
N.H. Governor Signs Hunting with Suppressors into Law
House Panel Minority Report Disappointing NSSF joins Safari Club International is expressing disappointment with a report issued by Democrats on the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee titled "Missing the Mark," which ironically is exactly what it does. "We are disappointed with the report's multiple attempts to blur the line between hunting and poaching. SCI, and hunters everywhere, deplore the act of poaching and fully support prosecution of poachers," SCI says in a statement. NSSF concurs and supports SCI's effort to correct the record.
ATF Has Amended A&D Recordkeeping
Register for 2016 Import/Export Conference
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The California Assembly and Senate Committees on Public Safety met this week and approved a number of anti-gun measures. The following bills were approved by the Senate Public Safety Committee and will be considered by the Senate Appropriations Committee on Monday: 
The New Jersey Assembly Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing Monday on A1426, "smart gun" legislation. The hearing is set for at 10 a.m. in Committee Room 12, State House Annex, 4th floor. While repealing the overall "smart gun mandate" could be viewed as a positive development, this bill would actually impose a new mandate requiring all retailers in the state to carry in inventory at least one model of an authorized user technology-equipped firearm. In addition, the bill also creates a new Personalized Handgun Authorization Commission that will meet on a monthly basis to approve and implement smart guns regulations in the state.
New Hampshire Gov. Maggie Hassan last Friday signed into law the NSSF-supported bill legalizing the use of suppressors for hunting in the Granite State. New Hampshire now becomes the 40th state to allow hunters to go afield with suppressed firearms. NSSF supports state legislation that provides hunters with this valuable means of protecting their hearing.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has published a final rule, effective immediately, amending the charts for acquisition and disposition in 27 C.F.R. §§ 478.125 and 478.125a. 
