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Obama names anti-gunner to high court

Sotomeyer named to fill Supreme Court Vacancy

President Barack Obama has appointed 2nd Circuit Court Judge Sonia Sotomeyer to fill the Supreme Court vacancy caused by retired Justice David Souter.

Sotomeyer is expected to be aggressively liberal on the high court, should her nomination be confirmed by the Senate.

While David Souter was no friend of gun owners, it appears Sotomeyer may be militantly anti-gun.

As a circuit court judge she ruled in the Maloney v. Cuomo case that the Second Amendment didn't apply to states because of the incorporation clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Her ruling was struck down on appeal.

She also believes, contrary to the separation of powers out lined in the Constitution, that the role of the court is to "make policy."

We can expect an aggressive form of liberal activism from Justice Sotomeyer who has said, "a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male..."

Liberals have even expressed some concern over her temperament and intellectual grasp of complicated cases. Liberal standard bearer The New Republic even published an editorial outlining the liberal case against her nomination.

With Sonia Sotomeyer, one thing is clear; she will not be a friend of the Constitution as a Supreme Court Justice.

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Posted by: Luke O'Dell
Date: May 26, 2009; 11:54 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.

No Fly List might become "No Gun" List

NY Rep introduces bill to turn "No Fly" list into "no gun" list

Notorious Anti-gunner Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy has introduced a bill that would takes name from the so-called "no fly list" and place them in the National Instant Criminal Background Check system as ineligible to purchase a firearm.

H.R. 2401, the so-called "No Fly, No Buy Act of 2009" uses provisions of the Patriot Act and the Brady Bill to attack the Second Amendment rights of American travelers.

It should be no surprise that McCarthy, an anti-gun leader extraordinaire, would introduce such a bill. In recent years, such legislation by McCarthy wouldn't have stood much a chance of passage, but with Barack Obama in the White House and Nancy Pelosi banging the gun control gong in the House, this legislation has real support.

While this may seem like an innocuous bill to some, the so-called "No Fly" list is a highly inaccurate collection of names of suspected terrorists and completely innocent citizens.

A simple Google search brings up a myriad of instances where innocent Americans' names were placed on the so-called "No Fly List." Worse yet, the software used by Homeland Security is ancient and does not communicate well with the software used by airlines to track reservations.

A five year old Seattle boy was detained and kept from his mother, because his name was on the the "no fly list."

An Iraq War Veteran and decorated United States Marine was prevented from flying because his name was also on the no fly list.

Even m embers of Congress have found their names on the no fly list. Senator Ted Kennedy found his name on the list and despite his position of privilege, it took him weeks of direct personal appeals to get his name removed.

Even as recently as last fall, th e Maryland State Police put 53 non-violent political activists on the "no fly" list simply because of their political views. This should certainly cause gun owners to squirm after the Department of Homeland Security has already made it acceptable for state and local law enforcement agencies to classify gun owners and gun rights activists as "domestic terrorists."

Some estimate that there are thousands of innocent names on the list which now has now grown to over 1 million names.

Additionally, many experts believe that keeping the list and corresponding software has cost the U.S. government over $1 billion, with not clear return on investment.

With all the of problems associated with the "no fly" list, passage of H.R. 2401 could be a huge problem for gun owners. With virtually no due process or real legal recourse for getting your name off the list, McCarthy has opened the door for a bureaucratic denial of firearm rights.

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Posted by: Luke O'Dell
Date: May 19, 2009; 11:07 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.

Senate Passes National Park concealed carry

Sen. Coburn passes amendment to allow guns in parks

On Tuesday, Senator Tom Coburn (R - OK) successfully amended the so-called Cram-Down credit card reform bill to include language that allows concealed carry in National Parks.

From Fox News:

The Senate on Tuesday voted in favor of a measure, 67-29, that would allow Americans to carry firearms in national parks, if their state laws permit them to possess a gun, with 27 Democrats voting in support.

But because the measure was passed as an amendment to a broader bill seeking reform of the credit card industry, the move jeopardizes the reform bill, whose lead sponsor, Sen. Chris Dodd, opposed the firearm amendment...

The Coburn amendment to the credit card bill would allow states to determine whether or not legal gun owners can carry guns in state and national parks. It prohibits the Department of Interior secretary from making any rule or enforcing any regulation that goes against that determination.

Coburn cited statistics, including 41 rapes, 92 robberies, 16 kidnappings and 5,944 other felony violations taking place in national parks last year.

"Even though parks are relatively safe, oftentimes the best deterrent is for criminals to know someone else might also have a gun," Coburn said.

While the conference committee in the House may not accept the Coburn amendment, I believe it marks a significant moment for gun owners.

Despite the objections of seasoned anti-gunners like Connecticut's Chris Dodd, Democrats are feeling pressure to appear in favor of gun rights. Senate Majority leader Harry Reid (D - NV), who faces a tough reelection in Nevada this cycle, voted in favor of Coburn's amendment, as did Virginia's nominally pro-gun Senator Jim Webb (D).

Reid may be the short-term lynchpin to stop future gun bans, especially the rumored attempt to renew the assault weapons ban. Reid's 2110 re-election campaign continues to make him vulnerable to pressure from gun owners.

While the elite liberal media is busy reporting on President Obama's seachange in Washington, it appears that gun owners are still a force that the Democrats and anti-gun Republicans are afraid to irritate.

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Posted by: Luke O'Dell
Date: May 13, 2009; 2:51 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.

Anti-gunners set sights on body armor

The Brady Campaign wants gun control for body armor

From this past weekend's Parade Magazine:

"There are no background checks, no federal regulations unless you are a violent offender—and even then you can buy them at gun shows or online," says Daniel Vice, senior attorney at the Brady Center To Prevent Gun Violence...

Nick Taylor, manager of a store that sells bulletproof vests online, says body armor provides potentially lifesaving protection for civilians—everyone from judges to journalists.

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Posted by: Luke O'Dell
Date: May 13, 2009; 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.

Anti-gunner Carolyn McCarthy about to reintroduce assault weapons ban

New York Rep McCarthy to introduce anti-gun legislations

While discussing her possible primary campaign against newly appointed Democrat Senator Kristen Gillibrand, McCarthy mentioned reintroducing the assault weapons ban.

From NewsDay.com:

McCarthy said that next week she plans to introduce an assault weapons ban - legislation that is anathema to the NRA and that could pose a problem for Gillibrand.

"I think the assault weapons bill will be a test," McCarthy said Wednesday in an interview.

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Posted by: Luke O'Dell
Date: May 8, 2009; 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.

DHS Continues to label gun owners

Homeland Security has created an extremist lexicon with gun owners included

A recently leaked report from the Department of Homeland Security has revealed their internal definitions of "domestic terrorists." This list of definitions dovetails with DHS recent report on rightwing extremism that drew considerable criticism from veterans activists and conservative groups. (Read my thoughts on the original report here.)

Among the definitions of various hate groups like the Aryan Prison Gangs, gun owners find themselves lumped into definition of members of the "militia movement."

From the Washington Times:

The same Homeland Security Department office that categorized veterans as potential terrorists issued an earlier report that defined dozens of "extremists" ranging from black power activists to abortion foes. The report was nixed within hours and recalled from state and local law enforcement officials.

Whites and blacks, Christians and Jews, Cubans and Mexicans, along with tax-hating Americans were among several political leanings listed in the "Domestic Extremism Lexicon" that came out of the Office of Intelligence and Analysis (I&A) in late March.

The lexicon lists definitions for key terms and phrases used by Homeland Security analysts "that addresses the nature and scope of the threat that domestic, non-Islamic extremism poses to the United States," the report said.

You can download and read the full Department of Homeland Security Domestic Extremism Lexicon here.

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Posted by: Luke O'Dell
Date: May 6, 2009; 10:26 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.

Specter's defection could lead to assault weapons ban

Switch from Republican to Democrat puts more assault weapons ban pressure on Reid

With Senator Arlen Specter's party switch, the balance of power in the Senate has shifted completely over to the Democrats.

Specter, as recently as yesterday, has ducked the question of his support of an assault weapons ban renewal:

Now the Democrats have a filibuster proof majority in the United States Senate, it is more imperative than ever that gun owners put pressure on Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV).

As I've written about before, Senator Reid is facing a very difficult re-election in Nevada. Reid is clearly in his most vulnerable position of his political career. Now is the time for gun owners to put pressure on Majority Reid, who can singlehandedly block introduction of an assault weapons ban in the senate.

Please take a moment and sign the National Association for Gun Rights petition to Majority Leader Reid. Click here to sign the petition.

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Posted by: Luke O'Dell
Date: April 29, 2009; 12:10 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.

Jimmy Carter supports gun ban with illogic

Cater wants to ban only guns that kill people

In a New York Times opinion editorial former President Jimmy Carter expressed his support for renewal of the assault weapons ban. Carter's logic made about as much sense as his ill-fated term as President.

Carter claims he only wants to ban guns that are used to "kill policemen or go to a school or workplace to see how many victims we can accumulate before we are finally shot or take our own lives. That’s why the White House and Congress must not give up on trying to reinstate a ban on assault weapons, even if it may be politically difficult."

Carter's hoplophobia is off the charts. You can read the full opinion piece here.

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Posted by: Luke O'Dell
Date: April 27, 2009; 4:54 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.

DHS head doesn't think gun ban will stop Mexican violence

Napolitano doesn't think that assault weapons ban would reduce violence in Mexico

From Politico.com:

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Sunday that she doubts a new ban on assault-style weapons in the United States would help curtail the violence spawned by warring drug cartels in Mexico.

“I’m skeptical that it would, in part because there are large stockpiles of those assault weapons already now in Mexico,” she said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “That’s a congressional action...It would be very controversial. And we need to act now.”

“We can’t wait for any legislative action,” she added. “We’ve got to work now, and actually do more to enforce the existing law, which we can do, because it is illegal to export arms from the United States into Mexico.”

You can watch the video here:

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Posted by: Luke O'Dell
Date: April 20, 2009; 10:54 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.

White House restricts questions about "extremist" report

So much for open government, Obama henchman restricts questions about report attacking gun owners, veterans

According to Politico.Com, a Washington D.C. political journal, the White House is attempting to strictly limit questions about the recently published Department of Homeland security report that called gun owners and veterans "homegrown terrorists."

From their report:

The GOPers - by that we mean Rep. Eric Cantor's office - are pouncing on an interview today on "Morning Joe" with Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, under this subject line: "Administration Permits Only One Question, No Follow-Ups About Extremism Report."

Today the Secretary went on Morning Joe but they were only allowed to ask one question.

"Apparently, when the Democrats promise an open administration, they really only mean open as long as you ask the questions they want asked and no follow-ups on controversial topics that everyone is reporting on," staffer Joe Pounder wrote in an email.

Anyway check out the transcript:

MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough: “I want to have a discussion afterwards about that interview.”

MSNBC’s Mika Brzezinski: “Now, we should be clear, they only wanted one question.”

Scarborough: “Yeah. So this morning, I got a call that she [Janet Napolitano] was going to be on the show and they said we could only ask one question …”

Brzezinski: “That was the agreement.”

The Obama Administration was elected on a platform of "change," claiming that they were going to change the tone in Washington. However, actions speak louder than words. The Obama Administration is only interested in one thing: advancing their radical, anti-gun and anti-freedom agenda.

Related Posts:

Obama minion stands by "extremist" report

Obama's Government thinks YOU are a threat - report calls gun owners extremists

You can read the full report here: Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment.
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Posted by: Luke O'Dell
Date: April 16, 2009; 12:14 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.

Obama minion stands by "extremist" report

Homeland Security Secretary Napolitano calling gun owners "homegrown terrorists"

From the Washington Times:

"The document on right-wing extremism sent last week by this department´s Office of Intelligence and Analysis is one in an ongoing series of assessments to provide situational awareness to state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies on the phenomenon and trends of violent radicalization in the United States," Ms. Napolitano said in a statement.

"I was briefed on the general topic, which is one that struck a nerve as someone personally involved in the Timothy McVeigh prosecution," Ms. Napolitano said.

"Let me be very clear: we monitor the risks of violent extremism taking root here in the United States. We don´t have the luxury of focusing our efforts on one group; we must protect the country from terrorism whether foreign or homegrown, and regardless of the ideology that motivates its violence," Ms. Napolitano said.

The report continued:

"Rightwing extremism," the report defines in a footnote on Page 2, goes beyond religious and racial hate groups and extends to "those that are mainly antigovernment, rejecting federal authority in favor of state or local authority, or rejecting government authority entirely."

"It may include groups and individuals that are dedicated to a single issue, such as opposition to abortion or immigration," said the report, which also listed as suspect gun owners and veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

Napolitano has also come under fire from veterans groups, after the report singled out returning military veterans as potential domestic terrorists.

Even the American Legion has expressed outrage over the report:

American Legion chief David Rehbein on Tuesday blasted the report as "incomplete, and, I fear, politically-biased" and took special aim at its warning that returning veterans having difficulties reintegrating society could be recruited by right-wing groups for possible terrorist attacks.

In a letter to Napolitano, Rehbein underlined the document's mention of Oklahoma City bombing author Timothy McVeigh's US Army background and called it "as unfair as using Osama bin Laden as the sole example of Islam."

"The American Legion is well aware and horrified at the pain inflicted during the Oklahoma City bombing, but Timothy McVeigh was only one of more than 42 million veterans who have worn this nation's uniform during wartime," said Rehbein, who group comprises some 2.6 million members.

You can read the full report here: Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment.
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Posted by: Luke O'Dell
Date: April 15, 2009; 4:17 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.

Obama's Government thinks YOU are a threat

The Department of Homeland Security has published a report saying that gun owners are radical extremist

The report titled: Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment compared white supremacists to gun owners, to pro-life activists, and to illegal immigration opponents.

The report even went so far as to claim that military veterans pose an especially large threat to the United States: Returning veterans possess combat skills and experience that are attractive to rightwing extremists. DHS/I&A is concerned that rightwing extremists will attempt to recruit and radicalize returning veterans in order to boost their violent capabilities.

The report goes on to say that gun owners are violent criminals: Many rightwing extremist groups perceive recent gun control legislation as a threat to their right to bear arms and in response have increased weapons and ammunition stockpiling, as well as renewed participation in paramilitary training exercises. Such activity, combined with a heightened level of extremist paranoia, has the potential to facilitate criminal activity and violence.

The report continues: Unlike the earlier period, the advent of the Internet and other informationage technologies since the 1990s has given domestic extremists greater access to information related to bomb-making, weapons training, and tactics, as well as targeting of individuals, organizations, and facilities, potentially making extremist individuals and groups more dangerous and the consequences of their violence more severe. New technologies also permit domestic extremists to send and receive encrypted communications and to network with other extremists throughout the country and abroad, making it much more difficult for law enforcement to deter, prevent, or preempt a violent extremist attack.

In what has become a standard move by the White House, the Obama Administration uses its underlings to advance their radical, anti-freedom agenda while publicly distancing themselves from the report.

From the Washington Times: The White House has distanced itself from the analysis. When asked for comment on its contents, White House spokesman Nick Shapiro said, "The President is focused not on politics but rather taking the steps necessary to protect all Americans from the threat of violence and terrorism regardless of its origins. He also believes those who serve represent the best of this country, and he will continue to ensure that our veterans receive the respect and benefits they have earned."

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Posted by: Luke O'Dell
Date: April 14, 2009; 11:17 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.

Pelosi waffling on assault weapons ban

Speaker of the House Pelosi said she is willing to compromise on renewal of the assault weapons ban

Speaking on Good Morning America Pelosi cited recent violent incidents as a need for renewal of the assault weapons ban. This is a reversal an earlier position, when asked in late February if she supported renewal of the assault weapons ban, Pelosi simply said she supported enforcing existing gun laws.

From The Hill, a Washington D.C. political trade newspaper:

The ball is in Congress's court to craft a compromise in reinstating regulations on assault weapons, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) acknowledged Tuesday.

During an interview on ABC's "Good Morning America," Pelosi said that the Congress will work to find some middle ground between the previous ban, which expired in 2004, and the precedent laid by the Supreme Court in a ruling enumerating more concrete gunowners' rights last term.

"We have to find some level of compromise," Pelosi said, citing 53 victims of gun violence nationwide in less than a month. "And we have to rid the debate of the misconceptions people have about what gun safety means."

Pelosi indicated that new regulations might entail registration and prohibitions on transporting some firearms across state lines.

Despite 65 Democrat House members publicly stating their opposition to renewal of the assault weapons ban, Pelosi appears willing to force President Obama's anti-gun agenda through the House of Representatives.

Pelosi's willingness to work with Obama reinforces gun owners need to put pressure on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

Reid, who voted against the first assault weapons ban, is facing a tough reelection in Nevada and has expressed an unwillingness to anger gun owners. Reid has the power as Senate Majority Leader to prevent the assault weapons ban from even coming up for a vote on renewing the assault weapons ban.

Please take a moment and sign our petition to Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) calling on him to block renewal of the assault weapons ban.

You can sign the petition by clicking here.
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Posted by: Luke O'Dell
Date: April 8, 2009; 10:41 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.

More anti-gunners join chorus for renewal of the assault weapons ban

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Senator John Kerry have both called for the renewal of the assault weapons ban to protect Mexico

Senator Kerry (D-MA) expressed the need for renewal of the assault weapons ban to curb violence in Mexico.

Kerry told Fox News: "Americans are worried that the cartels will turn our cities and neighborhoods into the next front in the war. Drug trafficking and the ruthless violence it spawns know no borders. So far, the United States has largely been spared. But it is in our national interest, and it is our solemn obligation, to take steps today to help curtail the killing in Mexico," he said.

With a total disregard toward the Constitutional rights of American Citizens, Kerry: "...said the U.S. must "revive the ban on importing assault rifles into the United States," which he attributed to the flood of weapons finding their way to Mexico. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms reports that the U.S. is responsible for close to 90 percent of the high-powered weapons that find their way to the Mexican drug cartels.

In addition to Kerry's statements, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has stated she favors renewal of the assault weapons ban to protect the interest of the Mexican government.

From the New York Daily News:

Secretary of State Clinton called for a new assault weapon ban in the U.S. on Thursday in hopes of cutting off arms flowing to Mexican drug gangs - and was immediately blasted by the gun lobby.

On her two-day visit to Mexico, Clinton told MSNBC it'd be "a very heavy lift" to get Congress to take up the issue...

Under tight security yesterday in Monterrey, Mexico, Clinton said the drug-related violence along the border was "intolerable for honest, law-abiding citizens of Mexico, my country or of anywhere people of conscience live."

"We can worry about what's coming north," Clinton said, "but the Mexican people are worried about what's coming south: assault weapons, bazookas, grenades."

Mexican officials and newspapers hailed Clinton's blunt admissions that the "insatiable" appetite for drugs in the U.S. was contributing to the violence.
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Posted by: Luke O'Dell
Date: April 1, 2009; 1:37 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.

Court suspends concealed carry in National Parks

Clinton appointed judge bows to pressure from Sarah Brady, blocks rule change to allow concealed carry in some National Parks

From the Washington Post:

A federal judge yesterday blocked a last-minute rule enacted by President George W. Bush allowing visitors to national parks to carry concealed weapons.

U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly issued a preliminary injunction in a lawsuit brought by gun-control advocates and environmental groups. The Justice Department had sought to block the injunction against the controversial rule.

The three groups that brought the suit -- the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, the National Parks Conservation Association and the Coalition of National Park Service Retirees -- argued that the Bush action violated several laws.

In her ruling, Kollar-Kotelly agreed that the government's process had been "astoundingly flawed."

There is no doubt that this ruling is a set-back for our right to keep and bear arms.

This preliminary injunction against the last-minute rule change could have been avoided. Had the Bush Administration actually cared about the rights of gun owners, they would have changed these rules years ago.

Instead, the Bush Administration was legacy shopping, hoping to mollify the very gun owners that they ignored for the eight years of his presidency.

There is some hope that this injunction might be lifted upon appeal, but the Judicial system is far from a friend of gun owners.
____________________________
Posted by: Luke O'Dell
Date: March 16, 2009; 11:45 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.

DoD reverses stance on once-fired brass

Department of Defense succumbs to pressure, reverses stance on selling once-fired brass

After working with Armed Services Committee Member Congressman Doug Lamborn's (R-CO) office to verify and pressure the Department of Defense, we're happy to hear that the Department of Defense has decided to rescind it's ban on the sale of once-fired military brass.

Information given to Lamborn's office indicates that once-fired military brass was identified as a sensitive munitions item.

The primary focus of the DRMS mission is to protect national security by ensuring property is properly identified for reutilization and disposition and not released for public sale when to do so would jeopardize national security.

During the past two years, DRMS revised its processes to further ensure only appropriate items were made available for public sale. To strengthen current controls and to mitigate future security risk, the DOD issued policy that prohibits the sale of military unique items controlled by the Department of State through its Munitions List. Small arms cartridge cases are identified as a sensitive Munitions List item and were held pending review of the policy relating to the category of items in which cartridge cases were included. Upon review, the Defense Logistics Agency has determined the cartridge cases could be appropriately placed in a category of government property allowing for their release for sale.

In addition to Congressman Lamborn's office, Senator John Tester (D-MT) and Max Baucus (D-MT) also pressured the Department of Defense to allow sales of once-fired brass to civilians by sending a letter to Vice Admiral Alan Thompson of the Defense Logistics Agency.

While some have claimed sole responsibility for the reversal of this outrageous policy, pressure was exerted from a number of different sources.

To everyone who contacted a Member of Congress or the Department of Defense, well done.
____________________________
Posted by: Luke O'Dell
Date: March 16, 2009; 11:45 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.

Obama Administration policy to force ammo prices through the roof

Department of Defense officials are suspending all sales of once-fired brass

We have verified through multiple sources that the Department of Defense is suspending the sale of all once-fired brass cartridge cases.

This will drastically reduce the availability of inexpensive ammunition, and is bound to drive up the already rising cost of ammunition.

From Georgia Arms:

"Effective immediately DOD Surplus, LLC, will be implementing new requirements for mutilation of fired shell casings. The new DRMS requirement calls for DOD Surplus personnel to witness the mutilation of the property and sign the Certificate of Destruction. Mutilation of the property can be done at the DRMO, if permitted by the Government, or it may be mutilated at a site chosen by the buyer. Mutilation means that the property will be destroyed to the extent prevents its reuse or reconstruction. DOD Surplus personnel will determine when property has been sufficiently mutilated to meet the requirements of the Government. "

What's at stake?

The price of target ammunition is not the only issue at stake. By mutilating once-fired brass cartridge cases, the government will lose 80% of the value of the cartridge cases as a commodity.

According to Denver Bullet, a company that reloads once-fired military brass, a pound of once-fired government brass runs around $2.00, while that same pound of scrap brass sells for $0.35. With international commodity prices falling, the price of scrap brass could fall even lower. In addition to the loss of value of brass cartridge cases as a commodity, the government will pay to ship and melt the mutilated once-fired brass to smelting furnaces in places like Alabama.

This massive mismanagement of taxpayer funds is clearly a policy decision driven by the Obama Administration's war on gun owners, rather than sound fiscal policy.

What you can do?

Contact your member of congress and members of the Armed Services Committee.

Congressional Democrats are very conscious of their position with gun owners. This makes them even more conscious of the demands and desires of their constituents. Many attribute the 1994 Republican take over of Congress to gun owners outrage over the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban.

From the New York Times:

But there is one issue that retains the power to leave Democrats quivering: gun rights. Gun issues still persistently tie the party in knots and have been used by Republicans to stall two major bills this year, with more likely to come.

“It is a hot-button issue,” said Representative Allen Boyd, Democrat of Florida, a longtime hunter and one of the moderates who typically split from the more liberal wing of the party to support the rights of gun owners. “Some people around here know they can use it as a wedge issue, and they try to do that.”

It is a particularly hot-button topic with veteran Congressional Democrats who believe the party’s strong support for a 1994 assault weapons ban was the real reason they lost control of the House that year — not the House bank scandal, the failed health care initiative, the Contract with America or Newt Gingrich.

When you contact your member of Congress, tell them that taxpayers and gun owners deserve more than platitudes and policy driven grudges from the Obama Administration.

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

How to Contact your U.S. Senators:
By E-mail: Click here.
By phone: (202) 224-3121.
By Mail:
Office of Senator (Name)
United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510

How to Contact your U.S. Representative:
By E-mail: Click here.
By phone: (202) 224-3121.
By Mail:
Office of Representative (Name)
United States House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515

Click here to contact the Members of the House Armed Services Committee.

____________________________
Posted by: Luke O'Dell
Date: March 16, 2009; 11:45 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.

Conceal Carry in Parks Rule in Limbo

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar has ordered a review of all Bush Administration policy changes, may strip conceal carry rule

In a token gesture to gun owners, the Bush Administration changed Department of the Interior rules to allow concealed carry in some National Parks.

Now the Obama administration is reviewing the rule change.

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar has called for a review of a new concealed gun rule in national parks.

The rule went into effect Jan. 9 in the final days of the Bush presidency. It allows patrons at national parks to carry a concealed gun on park property.

It should come as no surprise to any one that the anti-gun Obama Administration is carrying out a behind the scenes war on gun rights. Despite his campaign trail promises, President Obama is showing his true colors. Once again he's taking his cues from Sarah Brady. The Brady Campaign has filed a lawsuit in Federal Court calling for a suspension of the Bush Administration's rules.

With Sarah Brady's allies calling the shots in D.C., I have little doubt that Secretary Salazar won't remove the right to carry in National Parks.
____________________________
Posted by: Luke O'Dell
Date: March 9, 2009; 2:45 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.

Reid, Pelosi offer lukewarm opposition to Holder's assault weapons ban

Senate and House Democrat leaders are far from ecstatic about taking on gun owners over assault weapons

Attorney General Eric Holder's trial balloon comments about reauthorizing the assault weapons ban were received negatively by Democrat leaders in the House and Senate.

The Hill, a Washington D.C. political newspaper, is reporting that both Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi are expressing some opposition to the idea of reintroducing the assault weapons ban.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) will join House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) in opposing any effort to revive the 1994 assault-weapons ban, putting them on the opposite side of the Obama administration.

Reid spokesman Jim Manley said the Nevada Democrat will preserve his traditional pro-gun rights voting record.

"Sen. Reid would oppose an effort [to] reinstate the ban if the Senate were to vote on it in the future," Manley told The Hill in an e-mail late Thursday night.

It was not immediately clear whether Reid would block the bill from the Senate, but his opposition casts serious doubt on its chances. Also, Manley noted that Reid voted against the ban in 1994 and again when it expired in 2004.

Reid's stance joins him with Pelosi, who told reporters Thursday that the administration had not checked with her before Attorney General Eric Holder told reporters the administration would attempt to reinstate the ban. Pelosi gave a flat “no” when asked if she had spoken to Holder or any other administration officials about the issue.

“On that score, I think we need to enforce the laws we have right now,” Pelosi said at her weekly news conference. “I think it's clear the Bush administration didn’t do that.”

Reid, who many believe is worried about his reelection, may be worried about angering gun owners in Nevada and across the country. Now more than ever, gun owners across the country must make their voices heard.

Politicians must know that their reelection hangs in the balance. they must know that support of gun control, especially reauthorizing the assault weapons ban, will put their reelection in jeopardy.

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Posted by: Luke O'Dell
Date: March 2, 2009; 3:15 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.

Lou Dobbs weighs in on Holder, assault weapons ban

CNN's Lou Dobbs sharply criticized AG Holder and President Obama over assault weapons ban

CNN's Lou Dobbs takes Eric Holder to task for his anti-gun, pro-Mexican Government comments about renewing the assault weapons ban, simply to help Mexico.

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Posted by: Luke O'Dell
Date: March 2, 2009; 12:40 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.

The battle begins: Holder calls for passage of permanent assault weapons ban

Attorney General Eric Holder announced yesterday that President Obama would pursue passage of a permanent Assault Weapons Ban

After meeting with his Mexican counterpart, Attorney General Eric Holder announced that the Obama Administration is planning to pursue a permanent Assault Weapons Ban.

From ABC News:

"As President Obama indicated during the campaign, there are just a few gun-related changes that we would like to make, and among them would be to reinstitute the ban on the sale of assault weapons," Holder told reporters.

"I think that will have a positive impact in Mexico, at a minimum," said Holder. He went on to say that he believed that passage of the assault weapons ban would be vital to ensuring domestic stability in Mexico, ridiculously implying that Mexican drug cartels are buying guns from American gun stores.

Since when is it the job of the U.S. Government to police Mexico? Since when are law-abiding American gun owners responsible for the conduct of criminals and thugs in another country?! Why should we pass legislation that will only benefit another country, at the expense of U.S. citizens?

Holder also went on to say that he believed that the Heller Decision would allow for a permanent re-authorization of the assault weapons ban.

"I think closing the gun show loophole, the banning of cop-killer bullets and I also think that making the assault weapons ban permanent, would be something that would be permitted under Heller," Holder said.

This emphasis on policing Mexico's violent drug cartels sheds more light on portions of the recently passed stimulus bill

The stimulus bill included $10 million grant to the notoriously anti-gun Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE) to fund their task force to stop Mexican gun running. This could very well mean that the Obama administration intends to use $10 million of the so-called stimulus package to maliciously prosecute gun owners.

While Holder was cagey about a time line on this issue, one thing is clear: we have a difficult fight ahead of us.

Holder declined to offer any time frame for the reimplementation of the assault weapons ban, however.

"It's something, as I said, that the president talked about during the campaign," he said. "There are obviously a number of things that are -- that have been taking up a substantial amount of his time, and so, I'm not sure exactly what the sequencing will be."
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Posted by: Luke O'Dell
Date: February 26, 2009; 10:47 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.

Stimulus: Lots of Anti-Gun Pork, but no new gun laws

Internet rumors abound, but text of H.R. 45 isn't included in the recently passed stimulus bill

Despite a viral internet rumor, the recently passed liberal-pork filled stimulus package did not include the text of H.R. 45, President Obama's National Gun Registry and Citizen Disarmament Act.

I've personally read through the bill twice, and have verified with our sources on Capitol Hill that the stimulus package is free of any new gun control laws.

The bill does, however, include money for a national healthcare database, and a $10m grant to the notoriously anti-gun Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE).
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Posted by: Luke O'Dell
Date: February 12, 2009; 2:45 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.

Stimulus: There goes your privacy... and your guns

Health care database pork in stimulus could be bad news for gun owners

Sections of President Obama's Stimulus package include funds for a national database of health records. H.R 1, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, President Obama's porcine, economic 'stimulus' package would provide funds for the creation of a national health records database.

From the Senate Website, funds includes:

States and health care providers to facilitate and expand the electronic exchange of health information including upgrades to meet new federal privacy and compatibility standards for early adopters of health IT, investments in pilot initiatives to test best practices in health IT;

These are the very health records that the National Association for Gun Rights fought so hard to keep out of H.R. 2640 (from the 110th Congress).

H.R. 2640, which passed with N.R.A. support and was signed by President George W. Bush, allows government psychiatrist to rule the guns owners are a "danger" to themselves and others and make them ineligible to own firearms.

An electronic health records database will only make it easy for anti-gun health professions to take away our constitutional rights.
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Posted by: Luke O'Dell
Date: February 12, 2009; 2:45 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.

Anti-gun crusader Holder confirmed

Eric Holder confirmed as Attorney General

Eric Holder's nomination as attorney genera has been confirmed by the U.S. Senate on a 75-21 vote. Eric Holder in now in charge of prosecuting gun owners and leading the notoriously anti-gun Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE).

We have chronicled Attorney General Holder's extensively anti-gun record here.

Only the most conservative of the United States Senators voted against confirming Holder's nomination.

Senators who voted against Holder's confirmation:

Barrasso (R-WY)
Brownback (R-KS)
Bunning (R-KY)
Burr (R-NC)
Coburn (R-OK)
Cochran (R-MS)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Crapo (R-ID)
DeMint (R-SC)
Ensign (R-NV)
Enzi (R-WY)
Hutchison (R-TX)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Johanns (R-NE)
McConnell (R-KY)
Risch (R-ID)
Roberts (R-KS)
Shelby (R-AL)
Thune (R-SD)
Vitter (R-LA)
Wicker (R-MS)

Idaho Senator Mike Crapo had this to say about Holder. From the Idaho Press-Tribune:

"Throughout his career, Holder has argued that the Second Amendment to the Constitution is not an individual right," Crapo added. "The United States Supreme Court recently ruled to the contrary, and, while he acknowledges the Court's ruling, Holder refuses to articulate how his support for various gun control measures will be affected. Given his long-standing 'collective rights' interpretation of the Second Amendment and his enthusiastic support for aggressive gun control measurers, one can reasonably conclude that Holder's views on the Second Amendment are not in the best interests of law-abiding gun owners. Holder's interpretation of this fundamental right certainly deserves a 'nay' vote..." [Emphasis added]
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Posted by: Luke O'Dell
Date: January 28 2009; 11:14 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.

Brits fed up with gun control

The British people are taking to street protest over Government gun bans

Watch a video of the protest:

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Posted by: Luke O'Dell
Date: January 30 2009; 12:45 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.

BATFE continues persecution of gun owners

Firearms expert and manufacturer maliciously prosecuted for following department guidelines

Len Savage, a nationally recognized firearms manufacturer and expert is being prosecuted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE) for creating non-controlled replacement parts for historic firearms.

Mr. Savage's company, Historic Firearms LLC, created a .22 LR conversion for legal N.F.A. machine guns. Upon submitting the part to the BATFE for approval, Mr. Savage was given notice that the part her created had been determined by the BATFE to be a fully functional machine gun, controlled under the 1934 National Firearms Act, and would be forfeit.

In a letter to the BATFE, Mr. Savage points out that the excessive and contrived testing procedures used by the BATFE to test his part would have made any commercially available conversion kit, illegal.

From World Net Daily:

The dispute is over a part he submitted to the agency that he is proposing for an existing line of legal machine guns in the U.S. The part would convert the weapons to operate with ammunition that costs 1 or 2 cents per shell, instead of 25 cents or more...

Savage said he submitted the part to the BATFE, even though it technically was not a gun, and was stunned to get a response that not only was his repair part a gun, it was a machine gun, and he had only hours to "register" it properly. And all it took was some metal, a length of chain, some duct tape and some plastic wire ties for the federal inspectors to make his gun part operate in that fashion, he said he was told...

"If the criteria FTB applied to the testing of our latest submission was applied to testing the many caliber conversion uppers that are sold at retail with no restrictions, such as the .22 long rifle MAC upper made by 'Flemming,' (1) all of them would fire in fully automatic mode until the ammunition supply was exhausted, (2) there would be no way for the shooter to stop fire," he wrote.

Many in the firearms community believe that Savage is being maliciously targeted by the BATFE for his testimony against the dubious agency in the David Olofson case.

National firearm columnist David Cordea weighs in:

With that criteria, given enough added parts that are not part of the submitted design, I know a lot of people who could turn a banana into machine gun.

Why are they doing this, especially since many other caliber conversion uppers exist that are not so classified? Will this area be revisited? Or is this payback for Savage testifying on behalf of David Olofson and in other cases?

In a Guns Magazine commentary, Cordea summed up the Olofson case, Len Savage's involvement and the BATFE's ridiculous "testing" procedures:

Olofson, you see, had loaned one of his rifles, and it malfunctioned at a range, firing off short bursts before jamming. This was called to the attention of local authorities who seized the rifle, an Olympic Arms AR-15. They in turn called BATFE, who decided to make a federal case out of it, charging Olofson with illegally transferring a machinegun.

Enter Len Savage (See “Failing the Test,” July 2005), President of Historic Arms, LLC, brought in by Olofson’s defense to testify the automatic fire was not by design or intent, but rather by mechanical failure, and that the firearm in question was simply a semiautomatic rifle that needed to be repaired.

The opposition would have none of that. Savage was not permitted to personally examine the rifle — not even to touch it. He was required to observe as the ATF officer opened it for inspection. His professional credentials were challenged by the prosecution, who wanted his testimony excluded, even though Savage is a firearm designer by profession, and the government’s expert witness received all of his training in the 2-1/2 years he’d been with the bureau. Then the prosecution reneged on its pledge not to sequester witnesses, and had Savage removed from the courtroom so he could not hear the government’s testimony.

So in the end, it didn’t matter this was merely a case of a “hammer follow.”

It didn’t matter the rifle in question had not been intentionally modified for select fire, or that it did not have an M16 bolt carrier or sear, that it did not show any signs of machining or drilling, or that that model had even been recalled a few years back. It didn’t matter that, when asked if he’d test fired the gun, Savage testified “From my examination and from what I saw on the [ATF test] video I wouldn’t want to attempt it … the video shows the guy who was shooting it was so afraid to fire it from the shoulder he had to hold it out in front of him. So he knew it was dangerous.”

It didn’t matter the government had repeatedly failed to replicate automatic fire until they replaced the ammunition with a softer primer type. It didn’t even matter that the prosecution admitted it was not important to prove the gun would do it again if the test were conducted today.

What mattered was the government’s position that none of the above was relevant because “[T]here’s no indication it makes any difference under the statute. If you pull the trigger once and it fires more than one round, no matter what the cause it’s a machine gun.”

You can read David Cordea's blog, The War on Guns, here.
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Posted by: Luke O'Dell
Date: January 28 2009; 11:14 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.

NAGR joins Facebook

National Association for Gun Rights joins social networking site

The National Association for Gun Rights has started a cause on the popular social networking site Facebook.

The emergence of social networking sites as platforms for grassroots political activism is a new concept, but gun owners need to be on the cutting edge of the latest technology. Sites like Facebook will allow the National Association for Gun Rights to better connect with a technologically active gun owners.

You can join the National Association for Gun Rights' Facebook cause by clicking here.
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Posted by: Luke O'Dell
Date: January 28 2009; 11:14 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.R. 45: Universal Gun Registration

IL Dem pushes for Big Brother gun registration

Illinois Representative Bobby Rush has introduced legislation to require universal registration of firearms.

H.R. 45 -- Blair Holt's Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act of 2009 -- not only requires the registration of all firearms, but also requires a firearms license to purchase a firearm.

To purchase a firearm a person would be required to pass a written firearms examination, release all health records -- including mental heath records -- to the Attorney General's office, and submit to a two day waiting period, as well as pay an "appropriate" fee of $25 per firearm.

Additionally, every firearm sale would be recorded in a database, which would track the serial number, make, model and identity of the owner. The legislation would also make all private sales of firearms illegal, and a felony offense.

In addition to these regulations, the legislation includes excessive regulations and penalties for bureaucratic missteps from simple failures to report address changes to failure to report stole weapons.

This legislation is only the first step in the Obama Administration's attempt to fulfill Sarah Brady's gun-control wish list.

"What about the Heller Case?" you ask, "doesn't that protect our rights?" In short, no. During his confirmation hearing Attorney general Nominee Eric Holder stated, "I also think that making the assault weapons ban permanent would be something that would be permitted under Heller, and I also think [it] would be good..."

The next two years are going to be a pivotal time for gun owners. Gun owners -- like you and me -- simply must stay engaged. Obama, if anything, is sensitive to the pendulum of public opinion and good will. Grassroots gun rights activists must make their voices heard to stop these, outrageous attacks upon our firearms freedoms. ____________________________
Posted by: Luke O'Dell
Date: January 27 2009; 11:06 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.

Group tries to profit off gun control legislation

Ammo Accountability group has patents on technology used to enforce legislation they sponsor

A visit to the website Ammunition Accountability.Org -- they also run a mirror .com site -- would lead you to believe that they were a grassroots conglomeration of concerned citizens and civic leaders with an unimpressive, low-tech website.

That couldn’t be further from the truth.

The Ammunition Accountability Act and corresponding website are run by a company that developed the technology necessary to enforce the same legislation they lobby for. In other words, the founders of the Ammunition Accountability Act are pushing legislation which will have a direct and substantial financial benefit to them.

The legislation calls for each individual piece of ammunition produced to be etched or stamped with a unique serial number. This patented technology was developed by Russ Ford and his business partners Steve Mace and John Knickerbocker of Seattle, Washington.

Ford and his associates were unable to convince any ammunition manufacturers to use their technology, so they hired a lobbyist to push for state-level ammo tagging legislation.

Ostensibly Ford and company are billing this legislation as a way to stop violent crime by tracking handgun and “assault weapon” ammunition.

However, the sample text of their legislation -- provided on their website -- would outlaw the ownership of all non-tagged ammo of any caliber. Additionally, the legislation would require a state-run database to track each ammunition serial number and information on who purchased each round of ammo.

Not only does the legislation directly aim to financial benefit Ford and his business partners, but it will push most ammunition manufactures out of business, and make home reloading ammunition illegal.

Their legislation has been introduced in 18 states, however none of introduced pieces of legislation have gotten beyond committee hearings in any state. All the introduced bills died on their respective calendars when each state legislative session adjourned sine die.

Ammunition Accountability is little more than a couple of anti-gunners trying to cash in our hoplophobia.
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Posted by: Luke O'Dell
Date: January 7 2009; 10:34 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.

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.
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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.
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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.
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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 Associated 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.

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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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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:

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

The National Association for Gun Rights, Inc. is approved as a non-profit tax-exempt advocacy organization under section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code. Contributions or gifts to NAGR are not tax deductible for IRS purposes.

Not paid for at taxpayer expense.