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National Association for Gun Rights

Official Gun Rights Blog

RNC candidates talk guns

Candidates debate for RNC Chairman included superfluous talk of guns

Candidates for Chairman of the Republican National Committee debated yesterday, and did their best to appear pro-gun.

From The National Journal's Hotline Blog:

WASHINGTON -- The six men vying to lead the Republican Party out of the era of a botched war tried today to outgun each other, quite literally, during a 90-minute debate sponsored by Americans for Tax Reform.

When moderator Grover Norquist asked how many firearms the candidates own, the current RNC chairman, Mike Duncan, who despite presiding over his party’s 2008 electoral trouncing is reapplying for his job, noted proudly that he claims four handguns and two rifles.

Rival Katon Dawson, chairman of the South Carolina GOP, said that he has “too many to count.”

Former OH Secretary of State Ken Blackwell was willing to count. Seven, he said, adding: “And I’m good.”

MI GOP chairman Saul Anuzis said he has two guns, but in case the RNC’s 168 committee members, who will vote this month for the next party chairman, wanted to verify his stash, Anuzis said, perhaps only half jokingly, that he is not allowed to carry them in Washington.

Chip Saltsman, who managed Mike Huckabee’s presidential campaign, offered up a list so long it was hard to track the pistol persuasion.

And GOPAC head Michael Steele, a one-term lieutenant governor of blue state MD, was the only man on the panel to say that he hasn’t a single firearm.

While it appears that most of the candidates are doing their best to keep firearms manufacturers in business during these difficult economic times, how many guns you own has nothing to do with your public policy positions.

While I respect a man with a love of firearms and a full gun safe, ultimately I'm only concerned with whether the next RNC Chairman will vigorously fight against any and all forms of gun control.

Public policy matters, not whether the head of the RNC prefers 1911's or Glocks.
____________________________
Posted by: Luke O'Dell
Date: January 6, 2009; 10:19 PM

National Association for Gun Rights is dependent upon the support of our members. If you would like to help support NAGR, contribute by clicking here.

AG Nominee Update

Eric Holder's Attorney General confirmation hearing to begin January 15

President-elect Barack Obama's notoriously anti-gun Attorney General nominee Eric Holder is scheduled to begin confirmation hearings on January 15.

(Read more about Holder's anti-gun record here, here and here.)

Industry internet magazine Politico.Com reports that Holder's confirmation hearings are expected to be the most partisan and contentious of any of President-elect Barack Obama's current cabinet nominees.

Senate committee chairmen expect to begin confirmation hearings for Barack Obama's Cabinet picks shortly after Congress returns to work next week, with only one — Attorney General nominee Eric Holder — expected to face any significant opposition from Republicans.

Holder's confirmation hearing is scheduled for Jan. 15, five days before Obama takes the oath. Aides to Republicans and Democrats on the Judiciary Committee and sources close to Holder say they're braced for a tough fight over his role in the Elian Gonzalez controversy, his relationship with Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, and most of all in his role in former President Bill Clinton's pardon of Marc Rich.

Republicans are pressing Holder for records on those issues and others.

Gun owners must make their voices heard. Contact your Senators and tell them Eric Holder is unacceptable as Attorney General.

Click here to find out who your U.S. Senators are.

How to Contact your U.S. Senators:
By E-mail: Click here.
By phone: (202) 224-3121.
____________________________
Posted by: Luke O'Dell
Date: January 5, 2009; 10:15 PM

National Association for Gun Rights is dependent upon the support of our members. If you would like to help support NAGR, contribute by clicking here.

National Park Ban Update: Sarah Brady Sues

Sarah Brady sues to block new regs allowing concealed carry in some National Parks

The anti-gun Brady Campaign is suing the U.S. Department of the Interior to prevent them from implementing new rules that would allow legal concealed weapons permit holders to carry concealed handguns in some states.

The new rule allows an individual to carry a concealed weapon in national parks and wildlife refuges if, and only if, the individual is authorized to carry a concealed weapon under state law in the state in which the national park or refuge is located. (You can read my take on the rule change here.)

In its official statements the Brady Campaign once gain indicated it's complete lack of understanding of even basic firearms laws.

The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, America’s largest anti-gun organization, sued the Department of the Interior today to prevent the implementation of the controversial administrative rule allowing loaded and concealed firearms in national parks and wildlife refuges.

“The Bush Administration’s last-minute gift to the gun lobby, allowing concealed semiautomatic weapons in national parks, jeopardizes the safety of park visitors in violation of federal law,” said Brady Campaign President Paul Helmke, in a press release. “We should not be making it easier for dangerous people to carry concealed firearms in our parks.”

In a phone interview with NewWest.Net, Daniel Vice, Senior Attorney for the Brady’s Legal Action Project, said his group “is looking at all options,” but thought it was vital to file the lawsuit as soon as possible instead of waiting to let the rule go into effect and work through the long political process of trying to get the Obama administration to overturn it.

Many other groups also oppose the rule, he noted, but at this point the Brady Campaign is going it alone with this lawsuit with no co-plaintiffs.

“The rule would allow concealed guns on the National Mall,” Vice pointed out,” and it takes effect only 11 days before the inauguration.”

The Washington Post had estimated that as many as five million people will be in Washington D.C. to celebrate the Obama inauguration, predicting that the celebration might be “the single biggest gathering of people America has ever seen.”

“This rule affects both rural and urban parks like the Liberty Bell,” Vice said. “Some of our members are now afraid to take their kids to Ellis Island.”

The National Mall may be a National Park, but under the new regulations since the District of Columbia doesn't allow conceal carry, no one can legally carry on The Mall. The same goes for Ellis Island, since virtually no one can carry in New York, most gun owners still aren't allowed to carry at the Statue of Liberty.

I think the Brady Campaign should ask for it's money back, since clearly their lawyer Mr. Vice doesn't know anything about firearms laws.

You can read a PDF of the legal complaint here.
____________________________
Posted by: Luke O'Dell
Date: December 30, 2008; 1:46 PM

National Association for Gun Rights is dependent upon the support of our members. If you would like to help support NAGR, contribute by clicking here.

Open Carry trying to gain ground in Texas

OpenCarry.Org is pushing for an open carry law in the Lonestar state

Despite the polular belief that Texas is one of the most pro-gun states in the country, open carry of a firearms is illegal in Texas. OpenCarry.Org members in TX has collected over 50,000 petitions and recuirted bill sponsors for legislation to legally recognize open carry in TX.

From OpenCarry.Org:

Last week’s open carry radio ad barrage over the Houston Metroplex was enough to make anybody’s holiday, pushing the online petition to decriminalize open carry of handguns in Texas over 50,000 signatures! See http://www.petitiononline.com/texasoc/petition.htm.

Even better, Houston’s own Representative Debbie Riddle, co-author of Texas’ Castle Doctrine law, has told constituents and members of the Texas Open Carry Working Group (led by petition founder and Austin resident Ian McCarthy) that Riddle has drafted and is planning to introduce an open carry bill.

And in more great news, at least two more Representatives and one Senator are rumored to be warning up open carry bills of their own. And from other reliable information leaking out of Austin, apparently the Texas prosecutors and law enforcement lobbies will not oppose these open carry bills provided the bills include a requirement that unconcealed handguns be carried in holsters.[1]

But now OpenCarry.org turns to the great panhandle of Texas to get Amarillo and Lubbock into the fire before the New Year begins. We are counting on the long standing pro-gun panhandle sentiment to seal the deal on open carry reform in Texas.

You can donate to OpenCarry.org's Texas operations, here.

Texas residents can sign the open carry petition here.
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Posted by: Luke O'Dell
Date: December 30, 2008; 10:22 AM

National Association for Gun Rights is dependent upon the support of our members. If you would like to help support NAGR, contribute by clicking here.

AG-Nominee Eric Holder update

Holder was part of the Clinton/Reno Waco cover up, personally removed whistle blower

U.S. Attorney James W. Blagg, who dared to publicly question the Department of Justice cover-up of the Waco/Branch Dividian Disaster, was personally removed from the investigation by then-Deputy Attorney General, and Clinton foot-soldier, Eric Holder.

From the Associate Press, September 14, 1999:

WASHINGTON--The federal prosecutor who raised questions about a possible Justice Department cover-up in the Waco standoff was abruptly removed from the case along with his boss, according to a court filing made public Tuesday.

Deputy Attorney General Eric Holder recused U.S. Attorney James W. Blagg in San Antonio and assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Johnston in Waco, Texas, from any further dealings in criminal or civil proceedings related to the siege. [Emphasis added]

Holder appointed the U.S. attorney in a neighboring district as a "special attorney to the U.S. attorney general."

The court filing in Waco provides no explanation for the decision to recuse the U.S. attorneys' office for the Western District of Texas, to which Blagg and Johnston are assigned, but said the action took effect last Friday.

...

Johnston, in a letter made public Monday, wrote Reno recently warning that aides within her own department were misleading her about federal agents' roles.

"I have formed the belief that facts may have been kept from you and quite possibly are being kept from you even now by components of the department," Johnston wrote in an Aug. 30 letter.

Johnston also has been at odds with Blagg, his superior, and other Justice officials over the investigation of the government's actions during the standoff with the Davidians at their compound outside Waco. It was Johnston who pressed Justice Department officials to allow independent filmmakers to review evidence sifted from the charred ruins of the Davidians' compound--evidence that led to the FBI's recent admission that potentially incendiary tear gas canisters were fired on April 19, 1993.

That disclosure, after six years of denials, sparked a furor on Capitol Hill and has led to congressional inquiries and Reno's appointment of an independent investigator.

Blagg, Johnston and the Justice Department provided no immediate comment.

This same notoriously anti-gun partisan Eric Holder has been nominated by President-elect Obama to oversee the FBI and the BATFE.

Read more about Eric Holder's anti-gun record, here and here.

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Posted by: Luke O'Dell
Date: December 29, 2008; 11:33 AM

National Association for Gun Rights is dependent upon the support of our members. If you would like to help support NAGR, contribute by clicking here.

The 2006 Brady Registration Act Report

Statistics on 2006 Brady checks were released today; fails to stop criminals

Not surprisingly the release of 2006 Brady Registration Act statistics reveal just how unsuccessful the entire program has been. The Brady Registration Act and the National Insta-Check System's (NICS) fundamental flaw is at their very core. Violent criminals, drug dealers and gang bangers don't buy guns from gun stores or sporting good shops. The very people who the anti-gunners were ostensibly trying to keep guns away from, avoid going through NICS checks in the first place.

In 2006 there were:

8,000,000+ NICS checks

117,000 denials (125,000 denials, offset by 8,000 reversals on appeal)

273 persons charged

73 convictions

More directly put, only 1.46% of people who submitted a NICS check were denied. That means in 2006 over 98.54% of citizen who were forced to submit to background checks to exercise their Second Amendment Rights shouldn't have had to go through the check in the first place.

supposedly the point of these unconstitutional background checks is to keep guns out of the hands of criminals. Instead these checks are calling into question the very rights of the citizens that the Bill of Rights was written to protect.

Rocky Mountain Gun Owners, Colorado's no compromise gun rights group, has a good write up on the history of the Brady Registration Act. You can read the full story on how the Brady Registration Act became law here.

You can read the full Brady Registration Act 2006 Enactment report here.

____________________________
Posted by: Luke O'Dell
Date: December 29, 2008; 10:24 AM

National Association for Gun Rights is dependent upon the support of our members. If you would like to help support NAGR, contribute by clicking here.

H.S. Precision/Horiuchi update

H.S. Precision holds it's ground on murder Horiuchi

Despite the outrage of gun owners across the country, H.S. Precision doesn't believe that using a murderer to sell their tactical rifles is a ban thing.

Their only response to gun owners righteous outrage was to remove all product testimonials from their next catalog, instead of disavowing Horiuchi and his murderous actions..

From the company website:

To Our Valued Customers:

H-S Precision has received comments relating to individual testimonials in our 2008 catalog. All of the testimonials focused on the quality, accuracy and customer service provided by H-S Precision.

The management of H-S Precision did not intend to offend anyone or create any type of controversy. We are revising our 2009 catalog and removing all product testimonials.

Sincerely,

The Management of H-S Precision

____________________________
Posted by: Luke O'Dell
Date: December 17, 2008; 10:24 AM

National Association for Gun Rights is dependent upon the support of our members. If you would like to help support NAGR, contribute by clicking here.

Negative repercussions of Heller Case continue

D.C. City Council passes even more restrictions on firearms ownership

We have talked extensively in the past about the truly negative consequences of the Heller Decision -- click here to view the National Association for Gun Right's Truth about Heller page.

Yesterday, the District of Columbia passed additional regulations on the private ownership of handguns. The Council's new regulations include requiring extensive -- and expensive -- firearms training, as well as a requirement to renew your license every six years. The renewal requires additional training and background checks.

It is important to keep in mind that these restriction are far more onerous than many states' concealed weapons permit process, and the District's permit is merely Big Brother's authorization to keep a handgun in your home.

Since the Heller Decision supposedly cemented the individual right to bear arms, the District of Columbia has passed such strict ordinances, some of which even directly flaunt portions of the Heller Decision that they have made handgun ownership too expensive or difficult for most citizens to pursue.

Current D.C. handgun ownership law:

Bans magazines capable of firing more than 10 rounds

Limits pistol registration to one pistol a month

Enacts so-called "safe-storage" laws, which those in the gun rights community call "Lock up your safety" -- which ironically were specifically found unconstitutional by the Heller Decision

Requires gun owners to spend at least one hour at the firing range and four hours in the classroom with an instructor before registration.

Requires a criminal background check for gun owners every six years.

The promoters of the Heller decision threw many gun owners under the proverbial bus with the overly narrow focus of the lawsuit. Lawyers like Alan Gura claimed that the only way to overturn the D.C. handgun ban was to ignore the related and significant questions of the Constitutionality of Brady Checks, the 1934 National Fire Arms Act, the 1968 Gun Control Act and the legislative and lower court use of the ridiculous "sporting purpose" definition.

In the end, the narrow focus of the Heller Decision was a symbolic victory at best. Dick Heller, the plaintiff in the case, was declined three times before he was finally issued a permit.

You can read the AP write up of the new D.C. handgun regulations here.

____________________________
Posted by: Luke O'Dell
Date: December 17, 2008; 10:24 AM

National Association for Gun Rights is dependent upon the support of our members. If you would like to help support NAGR, contribute by clicking here.

Anti-gunners pushing ammo bans

New website leading charge for ammo restrictions

AmmoAccountability.org is new website claiming to be a collaboration of interest groups pushing for so-called "ammo tagging."

"Ammo tagging" is an expensive technology that imprints a serial number on the base of every bullet. The serial number is unique to every box of ammo and would be stored in a centralized database, with the name of the person who purchased that particular box of ammo.

The group's sample legislation, includes government confiscation of all non-tagged ammo, a vast expansion of "existing firearms databases", and a state ammo tax to pay for the program. While the sample legislation says nothing about black powder projectiles or reloading, I suspect they would be banned as well.

You can read AmmoAccountability.org's sample legislation here.

Many in the firearms industry believe this sort of anti-gun program could push compliance costs through the roof and make ammo virtually unaffordable. Who needs to ban guns, if you make them too expensive to shoot?

This legislation has been introduced in 18 states.

____________________________
Posted by: Luke O'Dell
Date: December 15, 2008; 11:52 AM

National Association for Gun Rights is dependent upon the support of our members. If you would like to help support NAGR, contribute by clicking here.

Rep. Kirk announces plan to replace Obama

Anti-gunner throws hat in ring to replace Obama

Amid the storm surrounding Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich's pay-to-play scandal, Republican-in-Name-Only, Rep. Mark Kirk has made it clear he wants to run in a special election to fill the seat vacated by President-Elect Barack Obama.

While vacant Senate seats are normally filled by the state's Governor, the bribery scandal surrounding Blagojevich has led Kirk and others to call for a special election to fill the Senate seat.

From Politico.com:

Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn, who would succeed Gov. Rod Blagojevich if he resigned, said Thursday that, if he becomes governor, he’d rather appoint Obama's replacement than wait for a special election.

Kirk said he would not be satisfied if Quinn filled the vacancy.

“At this point, everyone is tainted. In order to restore the trust of the people of Illinois in their representatives, this decision should not be made by people connected to a corrupt government,” said Kirk.

“We should return this seat to the people who own it — not the corrupt government. In this state, trust has been broken between the state of Illinois and its people.”

Kirk is a notorious anti-gun Republican, who reintroduced and lead an effort to reinstate the Assault Weapons ban. You can read Kirk's H.R.6257 Assault Weapons Ban Reauthorization Act of 2008 here.

____________________________
Posted by: Luke O'Dell
Date: December 12, 2008; 10:49 AM

National Association for Gun Rights is dependent upon the support of our members. If you would like to help support NAGR, contribute by clicking here.

National Park Gun Ban partially overturned

The Department of Interior has issued new rules to partially over turn the National Park gun ban

Today the Department of Interior issued their long-awaited new rules regarding the carrying of firearms in National Parks.

The new rules:

...would allow an individual to carry a concealed weapon in national parks and wildlife refuges if, and only if, the individual is authorized to carry a concealed weapon under state law in the state in which the national park or refuge is located.

While these rules are certainly a step in the right they are a far cry from truly embracing our Second Amendment rights. Sadly, the fact remains that virtually no one can carry a gun at Minuteman Park in Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts. The very National Park that celebrates the armed uprising of our founding fathers, who were fighting against the British attempts to confiscate their firearms, remains closed to concealed carry.

We can -- and should -- celebrate this small tactical victory, but keep our long term goal of concealed carry in all National Parks in mind.

Read the full Department of Interior's full regulations and press release here.

____________________________
Posted by: Luke O'Dell
Date: December 5, 2008; 1:49 PM

National Association for Gun Rights is dependent upon the support of our members. If you would like to help support NAGR, contribute by clicking here.

Pentagon Plan: Deploy U.S. military to "protect" citizens

The Pentagon has released a plan to use over 20,000 uniformed troops for "domestic security"

President George W. Bush and his allies in Congress are continuing their crusade against personal freedom in the name of national security by pushing for a plan to use 20,000 uniformed U.S. military troops for domestic security.

The Posse Comitatus Act, passed in 1878, forbids the use of U.S. military forces for domestic security and law enforcement purposes.

Current Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, who will remain part of the Obama Administration, has expressed support for the plan, which is currently under going cost review by the Pentagon.

From the Washington Post:

The U.S. military expects to have 20,000 uniformed troops inside the United States by 2011 trained to help state and local officials respond to a nuclear terrorist attack or other domestic catastrophe, according to Pentagon officials.

The long-planned shift in the Defense Department's role in homeland security was recently backed with funding and troop commitments after years of prodding by Congress and outside experts, defense analysts said.

There are critics of the change, in the military and among civil liberties groups and libertarians who express concern that the new homeland emphasis threatens to strain the military and possibly undermine the Posse Comitatus Act, a 130-year-old federal law restricting the military's role in domestic law enforcement.

But the Bush administration and some in Congress have pushed for a heightened homeland military role since the middle of this decade, saying the greatest domestic threat is terrorists exploiting the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

Before the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, dedicating 20,000 troops to domestic response -- a nearly sevenfold increase in five years -- "would have been extraordinary to the point of unbelievable," Paul McHale, assistant defense secretary for homeland defense, said in remarks last month at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

...

The Pentagon's plan calls for three rapid-reaction forces to be ready for emergency response by September 2011. The first 4,700-person unit, built around an active-duty combat brigade based at Fort Stewart, Ga., was available as of Oct. 1, said Gen. Victor E. Renuart Jr., commander of the U.S. Northern Command.

If funding continues, two additional teams will join nearly 80 smaller National Guard and reserve units made up of about 6,000 troops in supporting local and state officials nationwide. All would be trained to respond to a domestic chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, or high-yield explosive attack, or CBRNE event, as the military calls it.

____________________________
Posted by: Luke O'Dell
Date: December 1, 2008; 12:06 PM

National Association for Gun Rights is dependent upon the support of our members. If you would like to help support NAGR, contribute by clicking here.

H-S Precision uses Fed murderer for marketing

Custom gun shop H-S Precision uses Vicki Weaver's murderer to sell guns to the FBI

South Dakota custom gun shop H-S Precision is using Lon Horiuchi as FBI Program Manager to sell their tactical rifles to the FBI and other federal agencies.

You can see Horiuchi used in an H-S Precision ad campaign:

Horiuchi was the FBI Hostage Rescue Team's sniper at Ruby Ridge, where he murdered Randy Weaver's wife Vicki as she held their young son. An Idaho District Attorney filed manslaughter charges against Horiuchi for his involvement in the botched raid on the Weaver household.

Horouchi was also involved in the disastrous raid on the Branch Dividian compound in Waco, TX. Three of the twelve 7.62x51mm sniper rounds fired at the Branch Dividian building were found at Horiuchi's position, though the Justice department has attempted to hide his involvement in the shooting.

A firearms manufacturer using a murderer like Horiuchi is rather like Adolph Eichmann endorsing a pesticide company.

Are you outraged by this?

I know I am, but there is something you can do. Join the boycott of H-S Precision by telling them you won't buy gun from a company that hires a murderer.

Tell them to dump Horiuchi or gun owners will dump them.

You can contact H-S Precision by phone, fax, e-mail or snail-mail at:

H-S PRECISION, INC.
1301 TURBINE DRIVE,
RAPID CITY, SD 57703
(605) 341-3006 TEL
(605) 342-8964 FAX
Email: info@hsprecision.com

You can read more about the FBI's cover-up of Vicki Weaver's murder by Lon Horiuchi, here.

____________________________
Posted by: Luke O'Dell
Date: November 26, 2008; 4:35 PM

National Association for Gun Rights is dependent upon the support of our members. If you would like to help support NAGR, contribute by clicking here.

Brady campaign declares victory

The Brady campaign is claiming that the 2008 election results are an endorsement of their unconstitutional, anti-gun agenda

Watch Brady Campaign President Paul Helmke talk about the 2008 election:

____________________________
Posted by: Luke O'Dell
Date: November 21, 2008; 2:17 PM

National Association for Gun Rights is dependent upon the support of our members. If you would like to help support NAGR, contribute by clicking here.

AG nominee thinks gun owners are terrorists

In October 2001 Holder compared gun owners to terrorists

In his October 2001 comments Eric Holder implied that only terrorists and criminals buy guns at gun shows. His remarks also included his case for strengthening the unconstitutional Brady Registration Act. Holder went so far as to say that there were "numerous" and "chilling" examples of terrorists being armed at gun shows, but only provided two, incidental and unrelated incidents as evidence.

Holder's comments included this statement:

Some citizens believe that they need to purchase firearms for self-protection. If the recent increase in firearms sales is attributable to people who may lawfully purchase firearms, that is the decision of the individual and not a matter that should be the subject of government oversight. If, on the other hand, any firearm purchased in this country falls into the hands of a terrorist because no background check was done, that is another national tragedy waiting to happen. Fortunately for our nation, there is an easy and safe solution.

One measure that is an essential part of any plan is the need to tighten our nation's gun laws, which allow the easy and legal sale of firearms to terrorists and criminals. While we are appropriately discussing requiring criminal background checks on airline pilots, baggage handlers and airport security personnel, federal law does not require background checks on all firearms sales. In the interest of national security, this should be changed immediately.

Additionally, Holder was part of Bill Clinton's "all-out war on guns."

This is the man that President-Elect Barack Obama wants running the BATFE.

____________________________
Posted by: Luke O'Dell
Date: November 20, 2008; 11:17 AM

National Association for Gun Rights is dependent upon the support of our members. If you would like to help support NAGR, contribute by clicking here.

Obama names anti-gun advocate to attorney general

AG nominee Eric Holder has a long history of support for gun control

Yesterday, President-Elect Barack Obama named former Clinton legal aide, Eric Holder to be his nominee for Attorney General. While part of President Clinton's legal team, Holder was a champion for closing the so-called "gun show loophole.

His 1999 statements regarding closing the so-called gun-show loop hole, including glowing remarks for the unconstitutional Brady Bill.

His statements to congress in 1999 included these comments:

My concern about easy access to guns in our society is built on my professional experience and the tragedies I have encountered in my work day life. But even more important, I am a father, and I want to be sure that we here in Washington do everything we can -- everything in our power -- to make our communities, our schools and our nation a safer place for our kids.

"Five years ago, Congress came together in a bipartisan way and passed one of the most important gun control measures ever -- the Brady bill...

But while the Brady law has done a lot to make this country safer, the law has a dangerous loophole that criminals and others who cannot legally buy guns at a licensed gun shop exploit. While everyone who buys a gun through a licensed dealer must undergo a background check to determine if they are eligible to buy a gun, the current law allows unlicensed sellers at gun shows to sell to anyone -- with no questions asked.

____________________________
Posted by: Luke O'Dell
Date: November 19, 2008; 10:23 AM

National Association for Gun Rights is dependent upon the support of our members. If you would like to help support NAGR, contribute by clicking here.

Obama scrubs website; hides gun control plans

Barack Obama has scrubbed any mention of gun control from his official website

Over the weekend, President-Elect Barack Obama's official transition website, Change.org, was scrubbed of any mention of his gun control agenda. Previously this website outlined his extensive plans to ban guns, concealed carry and violate gun owners civil rights.

While he may be trying to hide his agenda from the American people, his gun control plans. Daniel Pouzzner, editor of the Architecture of Modern Political Power, has re-assembled Obama's original agenda from the Google internet cache.

You can still read Obama's full agenda here: http://www.mega.nu/ampp/obama_agenda/urbanpolicy.html

Obama's gun control plan:

Address Gun Violence in Cities: As president, Barack Obama would repeal the Tiahrt Amendment, which restricts the ability of local law enforcement to access important gun trace information, and give police officers across the nation the tools they need to solve gun crimes and fight the illegal arms trade. Obama and Biden also favor commonsense measures that respect the Second Amendment rights of gun owners, while keeping guns away from children and from criminals who shouldn't have them. They support closing the gun show loophole and making guns in this country childproof. They also support making the expired federal Assault Weapons Ban permanent, as such weapons belong on foreign battlefields and not on our streets.

____________________________
Posted by: Luke O'Dell
Date: November 10, 2008; 10:05 AM

National Association for Gun Rights is dependent upon the support of our members. If you would like to help support NAGR, contribute by clicking here.

President-elect Obama outlines anti-gun agenda

Hidden with in his auspicious plans for "change" Obama has outlined his gun control goals

On his taxpayer funded transition website, President-elect Barack Obama is already indicating his eagerness to pursue anti-gun measures.

He's outlined his desire to strip gun owners of their civil rights, expand Big Brother license programs and renew the expired assault weapons ban. He even appears on the verge of flaunting the Supreme Court's Heller Decision, by pushing for safe storage laws.

From www.Change.Gov:

Address Gun Violence in Cities: As president, Barack Obama would repeal the Tiahrt Amendment, which restricts the ability of local law enforcement to access important gun trace information, and give police officers across the nation the tools they need to solve gun crimes and fight the illegal arms trade. Obama and Biden also favor commonsense measures that respect the Second Amendment rights of gun owners, while keeping guns away from children and from criminals who shouldn't have them. They support closing the gun show loophole and making guns in this country childproof. They also support making the expired federal Assault Weapons Ban permanent, as such weapons belong on foreign battlefields and not on our streets.

Now, more than ever before, gun owners face a hostile Congress and one of the most Anti-gun Presidents in recent memory. Gun owners, like you and me, simply must remain engaged in the political process.

____________________________
Posted by: Luke O'Dell
Date: November 7, 2008; 9:56 AM

National Association for Gun Rights is dependent upon the support of our members. If you would like to help support NAGR, contribute by clicking here.

Election Day

Gun owners face important test after the election

I'm sure many of you have only one thought today: "It's almost over."

The TV ads, the mail box full of letters and flyers, the endless automated calls. That will all end tomorrow.

But the battle will continue.

It appears that anti-gun Barack Obama will be elected President and will have anti-gun majorities in the House and the Senate. In order to preserve our freedoms, guns owners must be ready to engage in the political process.

Now is not the time to sit on the sidelines and wait for a better day. We can't afford to have grassroots activists "hunker in the bunker." I believe we will have to fight off at least two major attempts to pass another assault weapons ban, and a full-capacity magazine ban.

Additionally, we face death by a thousand paper cuts, with anti-gun majorities pushing for small, incremental expansions of current gun control laws. Gun owners are a proven and potent force in American politics, but only if gun owners are engaged.

We cannot allow ourselves to be disheartened by recent electoral losses. It was from the ashes of the 1970's liberal supermajorities that Conservative movement was spawned.

Through the hard work and sacrifice of grassroots gun rights activists, I believe that we can stymie the anti-gun forces in Congress.

____________________________
Posted by: Luke O'Dell
Date: November 3, 2008; 9:24 AM

National Association for Gun Rights is dependent upon the support of our members. If you would like to help support NAGR, contribute by clicking here.

Rifle maker bounces boss who supports Obama

Quisling Dan Cooper was fired by the board directors of Cooper Arms for his endorsement of anti-gun Obama

Cooper Arms of Montana announced that Dan Cooper, founder and part owner of the company had be removed as CEO by the board of directors.

The firestorm around Mr. Cooper arouse from his endorsement of anti-gun presidential candidate Barack Obama. Cooper also donated $3,300 to Obama's campaign.

After gun rights activists and bloggers began organizing a boycott of Cooper Arms, a custom hunting rifle manufacturer, the board of directors moved to distance itself from Dan Cooper.

Montana gunsmith Dan Cooper has been ousted as chief executive of the rifle company that bears his name after pressure from gun owners who are angry that he is supporting Democrat Barack Obama.

...Cooper contributed $3,300 to Obama's presidential campaign, according to election records complied by the non-partisan CQ MoneyLine.

...The company posted a statement Wednesday night on its website that said:

"The employees, shareholders and board of directors of Cooper Firearms of Montana do not share the personal political views of Dan Cooper. Although we all believe everyone has a right to vote and donate as they see fit, it has become apparent that the fallout may affect more than just Mr. Cooper. It may also affect the employees and the shareholders of Cooper Firearms. The board of directors has asked Mr. Cooper to resign as President."

Cooper Firearms employs 38 people, Cooper said Monday. Cooper started the company with two partners in 1990. It manufactures wood-stock bolt-action hunting rifles that start at around $1,600. ..."It's very simple supporting the second amendment is like being pregnant. Either you do or you don't,," said Jim Shepherd, who publishes the Outdoor Wire and other newsletters. "Is it right? It just is. It's the way it works. It's absolutism. Dan Cooper laughed at his customers. If that company does not take Cooper out of its name, they're dead."

You can read the full USA Today Article, here.

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Posted by: Luke O'Dell
Date: October 31, 2008; 11:08 AM

National Association for Gun Rights is dependent upon the support of our members. If you would like to help support NAGR, contribute by clicking here .

Politico.com get its right, McCain misses mark with gunowners

Industry online news website, Politico.com says McCain missed mark with gun owners

Politico.com's Roger Simon has written a very interesting piece about how John McCain's campaign has failed to connect with gun owners. I thought the article made a number of strong points particularly regarding the importance of gun rights in the national political debate.

If [sic] John McCain loses next Tuesday, you can expect some very long autopsies in the press pointing out exactly what he did wrong.

Why wait, however? Putting aside the question of Sarah Palin for the moment, one of the McCain’s biggest mistakes so far has been, in my opinion, his failure to exploit issues that Republicans usually do well with.

Take gun ownership.

Guns are a potent force in American politics. As I have pointed out before, had Al Gore won Tennessee, Arkansas or West Virginia — all winnable states — in 2000, he would not have had to win Florida, and he would have become president. But Gore lost all three states, and guns had a lot to do with it. Gun owners simply didn’t believe Gore when he said he was not going to take their guns away. (They did believe Bill Clinton in 1992 and 1996 when he said the same thing, but Clinton sold his “Bubba” image effectively and was far more trusted in small-town and rural America.)

This year, gun ownership seemed like a ripe issue for McCain to exploit.

Obama opened up the door in April, when he made his now famous comments at a private fundraiser in San Francisco about how when small town people “get bitter, they cling to guns or religion …as a way to explain their frustrations.”

And, at her acceptance speech at the Republican Convention, Palin, widened the issue to one of elitism and trust. (Yeah, yeah, I know she didn’t write the speech. But she delivered it well. Give her some credit.)

“I might add that in small towns, we don’t quite know what to make of a candidate who lavishes praise on working people when they are listening, and then talks about how bitterly they cling to their religion and guns when those people aren’t listening,” Palin said. “We tend to prefer candidates who don’t talk about us one way in Scranton and another way in San Francisco.”

The article continues:

But some gun owners don’t appear to be reassured. The Washington Post on Monday reported that while Americans are cutting back on purchasing some items because of a bad economy, purchases of “firearms and ammunition have risen 8 to 10 percent this year, according to state and federal data.”

One reason, the articles says, may be fear “that if Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois wins the presidency, he will join with fellow Democrats in Congress to enact new gun controls.”

But has McCain really exploited this? McCain did make a speech to the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance on Sept. 28, in which he did whack Obama over guns, but the speech did not get a lot of coverage and I don’t recall McCain devoting much time to the issue since.
Click here to read more about Jon McCain's support of gun control.)

McCain missed the mark with gun owners, because gun owners don't trust him.

You can read the full Politico.Com article McCain misses the mark on guns, here.

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Posted by: Luke O'Dell
Date: October 29, 2008; 09:45 AM

National Association for Gun Rights is dependent upon the support of our members. If you would like to help support NAGR, contribute by clicking here.

Gun control advocates masquerades as pro-gun group

Obama supporters, the American Hunters and Shooters Association, is run by Sarah Brady's henchmen

A number of our members have called and e-mailed, asking about the American Hunters and Shooters Associations' endorsement of Barack Obama.

Let me set a few things straight:

Barack Obama is no friend of gun owners. He's called us "bitter," he supports bans on handguns, full capacity magazines and regional outright bans on self defense. I strongly encourage you to visit on Presidential File page, which outlines the highlights of Barack Obama's anti-gun agenda. Click here to visit that page.

The American Hunters and Shooters Association (AHSA) is merely a front group for Sarah Brady's unconstitutional crusade against gun rights. The group was founded in 2006 by former staffers of the Brady Campaign to provide the appearance of being a gun rights group, while actively working to pass more gun control.

AHSA President Ray Schoenke is a long time supporter of anti-gun political candidates and causes like Handgun Control, Inc. who he has given over $5,000. Mr. Schoenke's wife Nancy even served on the Brady Campaign's board, before encouraging her husband to form AHSA.

Additionally, Paul Hemlke, current president of the Brady Campaign said this of the AHSA, ""I see our issues as complementary to theirs."

Make no mistake, there is a lot at stake for gun owners in this upcoming election. A lot of organizations and candidates will try to tell you that they are pro-gun. Remember, just because candidates or organizations says they're pro-gun in an election year, doesn't mean they actually are when it come to their voting record.
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Posted by: Luke O'Dell
Date: October 24, 2008; 10:15 AM

National Association for Gun Rights is dependent upon the support of our members. If you would like to help support NAGR, contribute by clicking here.

The election is only 12 days away

Voting is how gun owners can hold anti-gun politicians accountable

It is vital that gun owners make their voice heard. This is our chance to hold anti-gun politicians accountable. I strongly encourage you to read the Mike Rothfeld's Real Nature of Politics. It outlines exactly how grassroots gun owners -- like you and I -- can hold politicians feet to the fire during an election year.

I understand that many gun owners have been turned off by this year's Presidential candidates. Barack Obama is widely known to be anti-gun and John McCain is no true friend of gun owners either. Yesterday, we linked to an National Rifle Association article from 2001 that said McCain was on "the wrong side of the Bill of Rights." (See the News section of our website).

You may not be excited about the Presidential candidates, but your vote is important. The congressional elections this year could be the difference gun owners need to hold back the liberal's gun control schemes. Your voice -- your vote -- is vital in these important House and Senate races.

Please remember to cast your ballot on November 4th, and vote pro-gun rights.
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Posted by: Luke O'Dell
Date: October 23, 2008; 3:56 PM

National Association for Gun Rights is dependent upon the support of our members. If you would like to help support NAGR, contribute by clicking here.

Welcome to the Gun Rights Blog

Your source for news and insight from the front lines of the fight to protect our right to keep and bear arms.

Our desire for the National Association For Gun Rights blog is to provide gun rights activists with the kind of news, insight and opinion that is unavailable from the traditional, main stream media.

Please check back often. Executive Director Dudley Brown and I will be posting news and opinion pieces about the election, gun rights legislation and the Left's war on guns.

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Posted by: Luke O'Dell
Date: October 23, 2008; 11:56 AM

National Association for Gun Rights is dependent upon the support of our members. If you would like to help support NAGR, contribute by clicking here.