FROM: Fred Thompson

I know it seems a long way away. And I know that most of us are only now getting over the hyper-intense election of 2008. But there are election campaigns working now that will have a dramatic impact on your life, the lives of your family, and the future of nation. I am writing to you about one of the most important contests in the country, the battle for the U.S. Senate seat in Connecticut. Chris Dodd, the ultra-liberal Senator, has been exposed. The voters are turning against his brand of “do as I say, not as I do” of politics.

And we are in luck. We have a solid candidate, former Congressman Rob Simmons. Rob is currently running ahead in the polls. But an ocean of money is flowing against him, Every radical, left wing group in America is coming in to defend Chris Dodd. The unions are all in. And, we have to expect that the Obama machine will be put into full force. All of that – as intimidating as it may appear – is not enough to overcome the clear disdain of the people for Dodd’s actions.

Rob Simmons is the exactly the man to win this seat and remove Chris Dodd from the Senate. But he can’t do it alone. He needs the active help and financial support of every single American who values freedom and wants to see a return to fundamental First Principles. That is why I am asking you to make a donation to Rob Simmons for Senate today. You can make a donation by going to https://www.icontribute.us/robsimmons/initiative/thompson

I know times are tough and that money doesn’t grow on trees. But this is one of the most important investments you can make for the future of our nation.

The stakes are so very high, please click here https://www.icontribute.us/robsimmons/initiative/thompson and make the most generous contribution you can.

Piracy And The Right To Self Defense

Last month we reported on the arming of merchant mariners to allow them to defend their crews and ships from pirate attacks. We noted that, with the increase in pirate attacks on the high seas, many are now realizing that firearms and armed citizens can be as effective a criminal deterrent at sea, as they are on land.

New D.C. Rules Mark One-Year
Anniversary of Historic Heller Decision

Today, June 26, marks the one-year anniversary of the landmark D.C. v. Heller case, in which the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Washington, D.C.s handgun ban and affirmed that the Second Amendment protects an individual right. The Court ruled that the Second Amendment protects the individual right to possess and carry weapons in case of confrontation. This meaning is strongly confirmed by the historical background of the Second Amendment.

Tennessee: Localities Already Opting-Out of Park Carry Law!

As anticipated, Tennessee counties and municipalities have started to opt-out of the park carry law passed by the Tennessee General Assembly during the 2009 session. Please contact your local officials and respectfully ask them not to create a confusing patchwork of laws that will close off local parks to law-abiding permit holders, who simply wish to be able to protect themselves and their families. If you have any information on Tennessee counties and municipalities taking steps to opt-out of this important self-defense law, please contact the NRA-ILAs State and Local Affairs Division. Contact information can be found here.

North Carolina: Three Pro-Gun Bills Awaiting Action

As we reported last week, Senate Bill 928, North Carolinas Castle Doctrine bill, is currently stalled in the House Judiciary I Committee. House Bill 473, which would allow magistrates with a Right-to-Carry permit to carry concealed firearms into courthouses while on official business, is awaiting consideration in the House. Finally, House Bill 1132, legislation dealing with Right-to-Carry permit renewals, passed the Senate on Wednesday and the bill now returns to the House for concurrence. To learn more about these bills and how to take action in support of them, please click here.

Arizona: House panel broadens bill on guns in restaurants
- The Associated Press
An Arizona House committee has made dramatic changes to a Senate approved bill allowing people with concealed weapons permits to carry guns into businesses that serve alcohol. The version approved Thursday by the House Judiciary Committee eliminates a requirement in the Senate bill that a bar also must serve food to be covered.

Wyoming: 'Castle' law prompts prosecutors to drop case
- The Associated Press
Prosecutors have withdrawn a weapons related charge against a Wright man, citing Wyoming's "castle doctrine" law on self defense. An attorney says it may be the first time the year old statute has been used in Wyoming.

www.nraila.org

New Jersey: Ignoring known gun traffickers, Corzine targets gun rights instead
- New Jersey On-Line
Amidst an epic financial crisis, they've apparently decided that portraying the Governor as a gun banner is a distraction needed to win re election. But they haven't done their homework and have picked a discredited issue fabricated by the gun ban lobby that's going to badly misfire and embarrass the Governor, not only for what it focuses on, but also for what it ignores.

Urgent! The Arizona Senate & House Needs To Hear From You Today!

There are only a few days left before the 2009 Arizona legislative session is over, so keep the calls and emails going! Please contact your State Senator by phone and email to respectfully urge them to support HB2474 with only the Gould drafted and NRA supported amendments. It is urgent that you also contact your State Representatives by phone and email to urge them to vote to support SB1113, SB1168 and SB1243 on the floor in their current forms. Respectfully, let your Representatives know that a vote for a hostile amendment on ANY NRA-supported bill is a vote against the Second Amendment! Contact information for your State Representative can be found by clicking here. The word is the Senate will be working on Saturday, June 27. This could be an opportunity to personally tell your Senator how important these bills are to you. In order to confirm the Senate is working Saturday, please call the main number at (602) 926-3559 or Toll Free at 1-800-352-8404. The address to the capitol is 1700 W. Washington St. and there is free parking adjacent to it. For more detailed information about the bills listed above, please click here.

Delaware: Gun Records Protection Bill Heads to the Governors Desk

Yesterday, Wednesday, June 24, the Delaware State House unanimously passed Senate Bill 139, with two members absent. SB 139 would provide legal purchasers of firearms a source of redress in the Delaware court system if their firearms purchase records are improperly handled or stored by the Delaware State Police. It would also allow the successful party seeking an injunction to recover his or her attorneys fees and court costs. The bill now moves to Governors desk for his consideration. Please contact Governor Jack Markell (D) TODAY and urge him to support this crucial piece of legislation. Contact information can be found here.

California: Churches support right-to-carry
- The Examiner
This week some Southern California Church Leaders came to that very same conclusion, and took up a position advocating not only a very discreet security presence of professionals, but also took the advice of their consultants and adopted the policy of advocating concealed carry of handguns among the congregation.

Canada: Gun registry hasn't 'saved a single life'
- The National Post
As Parliament breaks for summer, the opposition is mobilizing to stop a private member's bill to scrap the long gun registry. Yet there is no convincing research showing that the gun registry has saved a single life.
www.nraila.org

House Speaker Needs Push To Allow Pro-Gun Bills To Be Considered During Upcoming Special Session In Texas

During the recently-adjourned session of the Texas Legislature, the Texas House failed to vote on any significant piece of pro-Second Amendment legislation -- including an NRA-backed bill that would allow hard-working Texans to transport and store lawfully-owned firearms in their private motor vehicles while parked at work. The bill would have prohibited enforcement of corporate "No Firearms" policies that extend beyond the physical workplace to include employee parking lots; these policies effectively prohibit workers from protecting themselves during their commute, as they have no way of storing guns in their cars and trucks once they park at work without risk of being fired. This important legislation passed the Senate unanimously, with over two months left in session. House leaders failed to set the bill for House floor action in a timely manner, and the bill died on the House Calendar without even a vote.

Nevada Will No Longer Recognize Utah and Florida Right-to-Carry Permits

Effective, July 1, Nevada will no longer recognize Right-to-Carry permits from Utah or Florida. They have, however, added Ohio and West Virginia as recognized states.

Report on arms smuggling to Mexico called incomplete
- The Los Angeles Times
A government audit of U.S. efforts to stop arms trafficking to Mexico was criticized Friday by a Republican lawmaker who said its conclusion that smuggled weapons from America were fueling the rise of violent Mexican drug cartels was based on incomplete data.

what about all the ak-47's and other euro guns?

www.nraila.org

D.C. expands list of allowed guns to avert lawsuit
- The Washington Post
The D.C. government released emergency regulations yesterday that greatly expand the models of handguns that District residents can own, a shift designed to stave off another lawsuit over its compliance with the Second Amendment.

www.nraila.org

Arizona: Senate panel OKs bill on concealed weapons
- The Associated Press
A bill to allow Arizonans to carry concealed weapons without state permits cleared an initial legislative hurdle Friday.

www.nraila.org

Michigan: MSU OKs exception to weapons ban for those with right-to-carry permits
- The Associated Press
Michigan State University has approved an exception to its campus weapons ban allowing people with permits to carry concealed weapons to walk or drive through campus with a gun.

www.nraila.org

Democrats and socialism

Thomas Jefferson once wrote, the natural progress of things
is for liberty to yield and government to gain ground, in
debate on the Bill of Rights James Madison wanted the
American people have the right to be armed in order to
prevent the kind of tyranny that dominated the rest of the
world especially Europe. Trust me,one of the reasons in the
past that we never got attacked directly is because of
private gun ownership. Countries that have gun control
still have high crime.

In the last century totalitarian regimes such as Soviet
Union and Nazi Germany successfully confiscated firearms
from their citizens in order to force them to submit more
easily.

The second amendment ensures that Americans have the
ability to secure their rights and defend them from
government suppression if necessary. It is that right that
a government of the people by the people and for the people
must never extinguish.

When someone stands on a stage, in a stadium, surrounded by
people giving a speech and he's the only one on this stage,
does that remind you of someone in 1930s Germany doing the
same thing with the cheering crowd. Is this the part of the
new world order that the Democrats are moving towards….

I used to like the Democratic Party, they were the party of
the people but now they are leaning towards things they
shouldn't, they are becoming socialistic, just as the
party's did in early Europe, before those countries were
taken over.We fought wars against socialism, it is not the
American way.

Someone once said Congress is brain-dead, well they have
been brain-dead for years, they're supposed to represent
the American people, but they only represent themselves in
their own self-interest while the American people are
losing their jobs, they vote themselves raises, give
themselves early retirement after one term, this is not why
we elected them to office.

They've known from me years they need to do something about
greenhouse gases, the environment, alternative energy, but
in the past have only paid lip service to these issues...
so here we sit 20 years later and nothing has been done.
But they attack items like the 2nd amendment and try to
change it,(this take our mind off of the things that are
really important) that they can`t do anything about,like
jobs,homes,food,etc…………….

It takes more than a new president to get issues corrected,
without Congress who are always in power, and still nothing
is ever done about the important issues,year after year.

Maybe we should vote them out and start over.

Gun Rationing
Obama voted in favor of legislation to prohibit law-abiding individuals from purchasing more than one gun a month. Illinois Senate, H.B. 2579, 5/16/03


Obama and Self-Defense
Obama opposes law that permits law-abiding citizens to carry firearms for self-defense. Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, 4/2/08 Chicago Tribune, 9/15/04


Apples And Oranges
According to a recent report for Congress on foreign country gun laws states, "From available statistics, among the [27] countries surveyed, it is difficult to find a correlation between the existence of strict firearms regulations and a lower incidence of gun-related crimes. [I]n Canada a dramatic increase in the percentage of handguns used in all homicides was reported during a period in which handguns were most strictly regulated. And in strictly regulated Germany, gun-related crime is much higher than in countries such as Switzerland and Israel, that have simpler and/or less restrictive legislation." (Library of Congress, "Firearms Regulations in Various Foreign Countries, May 1998")


Firearms Safety Certification
NRA has been certifying firearms instructors since the 1940`s, and has been expanding and improving its training program ever since.


Reckless Lawsuits
The legislatures of 33 states have passed laws prohibiting reckless lawsuits—attempts to hold manufacturers responsible for the criminal misuse of their non-defective products by third parties—against the firearms industry.


"Assault Weapons"
The center-fire rifle most commonly used for marksmanship training and competition in the United States is the AR-15, arbitrarily defined as an "assault weapon" under the former Clinton Gun Ban and currently under some states' laws.


To Keep And Bear Arms
In U.S. v. Verdugo-Urquidez, the U.S. Supreme Court observed, "The Second Amendment protects ‘the right of the people to keep and bear Arms.`"


U.S. V. Verdugo-Urquidez (1990)
The Supreme Court observed in U.S. v. Verdugo-Urquidez (1990) "`the people` seems to have been a term of art employed in select parts of the Constitution. The Preamble declares that the Constitution is ordained and established by `the People of the United States.` The Second Amendment protects `the right of the people to keep and bear Arms,` and the Ninth and Tenth Amendments provide that certain rights and powers are retained by and reserved to `the people.`"

NRA And Civil Rights
The National Rifle Association, founded in 1871, is America`s oldest civil rights organization--38 years older than the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and 59 years older that the American Civil Liberties Union.



President John F. Kennedy On Marksmanship Training
President John F. Kennedy knew the value of marksmanship training: "All of us, I am sure, 10 years ago thought that the need for the man with the rifle would be passing away from the scene in the 1960s. And it is true that there are a good many Americans tonight who are stationed underground in a hardened silo whose duty is to watch some tables and some dials and a button. "But the very size and magnitude of these new great weapons have placed a new emphasis upon what we call rather strangely conventional war, and they have made it even more mandatory that we keep the man with the rifle." (Address given at the Marine Corp Barracks, Washington, D.C., July 12, 1962)


Ernest Hemingway On The Great Outdoors
Ernest Hemingway remembers: "When you have loved three things all your life, from the earliest you can remember; to fish, to shoot and, later, to read; and when, all your life, the necessity to write had been your master, you learn to remember and, when you think back you remember more fishing and shooting and reading than anything else that is a pleasure." (Esquire, February, 1935, reprinted in the June, 1942, American Rifleman)


Targeting Guns
Each year in the United States guns are used three to five times as often for defensive purposes as for criminal purposes. (Targeting Guns: Firearms and Their Control, Gary Kleck, Aldine de Gruyter, 1997)


Children And Guns
The annual number of accidental gun deaths among children has declined 90% since 1975. Today, the odds against a child dying in a gun accident are a million to one. Seventy-eight times as many children die in accidents involving or due to motor vehicles, suffocation, drowning, fire, bicycles and falls. (National Center for Health Statistics)


Summer Olympics
The first gold medal awarded at the Summer Olympics goes to the winner of a shooting competition.


Conservation Dollars
Hunters write the big check for wildlife conservation in America, having contributed more than two billion dollars in tax dollars to the Pittman-Robertson Fund since 1937.


U.S. Presidents And The NRA
Eight U.S. Presidents have been NRA members. They are Ulysses S. Grant, Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Richard M. Nixon, Ronald Reagan and George Bush.


Medal of Honor
Two NRA Presidents—Brig. Gen. Merritt A. Edson (USMC) and Capt. Joe Foss (USMCR)—were awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for service in World War II.


Audie L. Murphy
Audie L. Murphy, the most decorated American combat soldier of World War II, was an NRA Life Member. Murphy received every one of this nation`s decorations for valor plus five decorations presented by France and Belgium.


NRA And WW I
During World War I, NRA earmarked all Life Membership dues to a special trust fund for promoting rifle practice. Recognizing this contribution to the national effort, prominent citizens such as Thomas Alva Edison became NRA Life Members.


U.S. Supreme Court Justice Joseph Story
According to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Joseph Story: "The right of the citizens to keep and bear arms has justly been considered, as the palladium of the liberties of the republic; since it offers a strong moral check against usurpation and arbitrary power of the rulers." (Commentaries on the Constitution, 1833)


State Constitutions And The Right To Keep And Bear Arms
Forty-four states have guarantees of the Right to Keep and Bear Arms in their constitutions.


Accidental Deaths And Firearms
Accidental firearm deaths are at an all-time low, among the entire U.S. population and among children in particular. In 2006, there were 642 accidental firearm-related deaths, including 54 among children. (National Center for Health Statistics)


The Brady Campaign And Gun Ownership
The Brady Campaign, formerly Handgun Control, Inc., opposes law-abiding citizens owning firearms for self-defense. ("To me, the only reason for guns in civilian hands is for sporting purposes."-HCI Chair Sarah Brady, Tampa Tribune, Oct. 21, 1993)


Concealed Handgun Laws
States that adopted nondiscretionary concealed-handgun laws saw murders decreased by at least 8%, rapes by 5%, aggravated assaults by 7% and robberies by 3%. The murder rates of women permit-holders fell by as much as five times the drop of their male counterparts. (More Guns, Less Crime, John R. Lott, Jr., University of Chicago Press, 1998)


President Theodore Roosevelt And Marksmanship Training
In his January 1908 address to Congress, President Theodore Roosevelt advocated the establishment at public expense of rifle ranges in all large public and military schools.


The Brady Act
When the Brady Act became law, 18 states and Washington, D.C.-which accounted for 63% of all violent crimes, including 58% of murders in the U.S.-were automatically exempt because they already had similar laws.


Violent Crime
Three out of four violent crimes committed in the U.S. do not involve firearms. Since 1991, the number of privately owned firearms in the U.S. has increased by 70-75 million, and the nation's murder rate has decreased 43%. (BATFE and FBI)


Project Exile
Within a year of launching Project Exile—which strictly enforces firearms laws against violent armed criminals—Richmond, Va., saw its homicide rate cut 41% from its 1994 high.


N.Y. City And Gun Registration
New York City's rifle-shotgun registration fee has risen 1733% since becoming law in 1967. When he sponsored the registration bill, City Councilman Theodore Weiss promised the fee would never be raised.


Schools And Guns
"While there is a good deal of violence in schools, virtually none of it involves guns," writes criminologist Gary Kleck, who estimates "that under 0.1% of students are caught carrying guns in school in any one-year period."(Targeting Guns: Firearms and Their Control, Gary Kleck, Aldine de Gruyter, New York, 1997)


School Violence
School violence is more than 23 times more likely to be unrelated to guns, according to a national survey of school principals. (Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics report "Violence and Discipline Problems in U.S. Public Schools: 1996-97")


Violence And The Entertainment Industry
The average American child watches 8,000 homicides and 100,000 acts of violence on television before completing sixth grade. (American Psychological Association)


Gun Registration And Crime
When District Attorney Evelle Younger studied 4,065 felonies in Los Angeles during Sept. 26-Oct. 21,1966, and found that firearms figured in 263 cases and that only a small percentage of those guns had been purchased from local retailers, the Los Angeles Times commented: "The study indicates that one argument of gun control proponents—that control over retail sale of weapons should be tightened—would have no effect on most Los Angeles crimes in which guns are used . . . doubts may be expressed that a registration law would have any practical effect on the criminal element."


President John F. Kennedy On Liberty
President John F. Kennedy said: "The protection of our rights can endure no longer than the performance of our responsibilities." (Speech to the 90th annual convocation at Vanderbilt University, May 18, 1963)


Nobel Laureate John Steinbeck On Bearing Arms
Nobel laureate John Steinbeck wrote: "And we may be thankful that frightened civil authorities and specific ladies clubs have not managed to eradicate from the country the tradition of the possession and use of firearms, that profound and almost instinctive tradition of Americans. For one does not really learn to shoot a rifle or machine gun in a few weeks . . . luckily for us, our tradition of bearing arms has not gone from the country, the tradition is so deep and so dear to us that it is one of the most treasured parts of the Bill of Rights—the right of all Americans to bear arms, with the implication that they will know how to use them." (Bombs Away, The Story of a Bomber Team From WWII, John Steinbeck, Paragon House, 1990)


Annie Oakley On Marksmanship Training
Annie Oakley on marksmanship training: I have often and persistently maintained that women should be prepared; not necessarily for war, although it would not be undesirable to have them ready for extreme emergencies in war times, but to defend themselves. "And if women and young girls would take up the practice and gain the skill, which requires but little effort, they would add to their happiness by falling in love with one of the finest of outdoor sports." (Arms And The Man, October, 1919)


1968 Gun Control Act
A film made by the IRS to explain the workings of the 1968 Gun Control Act was withdrawn from public viewing after encountering brisk opposition. The Washington Post termed the film "a sexy and violent movie," while NRA addressed its specific criticisms in a letter to one G. Gordon Liddy, Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Treasury.


Gun Show "Loophole?"
A survey of prison inmates indicated that only 0.7% had obtained their firearms from gun shows. ("Firearm Use by Offenders," Bureau of Justice Statistics, November 2000)


Queen Victoria
The opening shot fired at the British NRA`s first meeting at Wimbledon on July 1, 1860, was fired by Queen Victoria.


Rudyard Kipling And Arthur Conan Doyle
After returning from the Boer War, famed authors Rudyard Kipling and Arthur Conan Doyle promoted civilian marksmanship through the expansion of rifle clubs in England.


Women And Concealed Handguns
One additional woman carrying a concealed handgun reduces the murder rate for women about 3-4 times more than one additional man carrying a concealed handgun reduces the murder rate for men. (More Guns, Less Crime, John R. Lott, Jr., University of Chicago Press, 1998)


The Violence Policy Center And Prof. John Lott
The Violence Policy Center, an anti-gun splinter group, condemned Prof. John Lott`s landmark research on right-to-carry laws to ABC News without having read the first word of his study. (More Guns, Less Crime, John R. Lott, Jr., University of Chicago Press, 1998)


Sen. Charles Schumer And Prof. John Lott
William Simon, Olin Foundation president and former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, called U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer`s (D-NY) attack on John Lott`s research "an outrageous slander" and said "Schumer would have known that his charges were false if he had taken a little time to check his facts before rushing into print." (Wall Street Journal, Sept. 6, 1996)


Americans for Gun Safety And The Licensing And Registration Of Law-Abiding Americans
Americans for Gun Safety claims to respect the rights of gun owners but secretly lists the "passage of licensing and/or registration in the next Congress" is its "top national priority." (Americans for Gun Safety Partners Meeting, Oakland, Calif., Sept. 25-26, 2000)


The Police And Personal Protection
Police are under no legal obligation to provide protection for any individual. Courts have ruled the police have an obligation only to society as a whole. (Warren v. District of Columbia, 444 A.2d 1, 1981 )


The United Nations And Gun Control
The United Nations is urging member nations to hold public "destruction events" where confiscated and other collected firearms can be destroyed ceremoniously.


The United Nations And Gun Ownership
As a part of its attack on private gun ownership, the U.N. has endorsed government registration of all small arms and called for tracking of all transfers.


Handgun Bans: The British Experience
The crime rate in London is now higher than the crime rate in New York. Crimes with firearms have risen dramatically since the ban on handgun ownership was passed by Parliament. ("Gun law stalks Britain`s," The Express, May 14, 2001)


Federal Firearms Licenses
With the express intent of eliminating these small businessmen, the Clinton Administration reduced the number of firearms dealers by more than 200,000 by greatly increasing fees and directing BATF to expand its regulatory bounds.


Hunter Protection Legislation
Every one of the 50 states has passed hunter protection legislation that protects sporstmen from the interference of "animal rights" extremists.


Animal Rights Extremists
PETA, the extreme "animal rights" group, has called on the Boy Scouts of America to eliminate their fishing merit badge?


Range Protection Laws
Since 1994 the number of states with shooting range protection laws has increased more than five fold, from 8 to 45.


"Saturday Night Specials"
Studies for the Justice Department have found that "There is no evidence to suggest that criminals prefer smaller caliber guns . . . or cheaper weapons" and that "The often-assumed criminal preference for small, cheap handguns is not confirmed." (James D. Wright, et al., Under the Gun, 1983; Armed and Considered Dangerous, 1986.)


Brady Campaign (HCI) And Campaign Finance "Reform"
The anti-gun movement is not only in favor of gutting the Second Amendment; it also favors curtailing the First Amendment. The Brady Campaign endorsed the McCain-Feingold campaign finance legislation explicitly in the belief that it would help silence the free speech of gun owners. (San Diego Union-Tribune, April 15, 2001)


Firearm Safety
NRA has over 57,000 certified firearms instructors and coaches who teach basic gun safety and advanced marksmanship to hundreds of thousands of students each year.


Firearms Safety Training
Since 1982 NRA has trained in excess of 16 million people in firearms safety and marksmanship.


NRA Represents America
That polls indicate that 63% of Americans feel that NRA represents their views. That number is higher than the number who feel they are represented by the AFL-CIO. (Zogby International, January 2001)


NRA And Unions
That 20% of Union members are also NRA members. These members helped elect George W. Bush in 2000. (Zogby International, 2000)


Roughly 20 Million Americans Align Themselves With NRA
Polling data indicates that 10% of households claim to have an NRA member. That means roughly 20 million Americans align themselves with NRA. This number is obviously higher than actual NRA membership and is explained by the fact that many people who identify with NRA consider themselves members even if their membership has lapsed. (Zogby International, 2000)


NRA And Grassroots
19% of people living in rural areas claim to be NRA members. This strength in rural areas identifies NRA as being a truly grassroots organization, not one just financed by a few wealthy people in isolated areas. (Zogby International, 2000)


NRA And Lobbying
NRA was founded in 1871 with the intention of teaching marksmanship and gun handling to the American people. The necessity to get involved in politics was a relatively recent one, and came from the unreasonable pushes of gun control activists.


NRA And WW II
During World War II, many NRA members sent their privately owned firearms to the people of England to help defend against the Nazi onslaught. This effort was necessary because the British populace had been disarmed by Draconian gun control laws.


NRA And Law Enforcement
NRA`s Law Enforcement Activities Division (LEAD) trains more than 1,300 law enforcement officers a year in marksmanship and gun handling so that they may, in turn, instruct members of their departments.


The NRA Whittington Center
The NRA Whittington Center was founded in 1973 and is the most complete shooting center in the country. It hosts competitive events and offers world class hunting on a limited basis.


NRA -- Institute for Legislative Action
NRA`s Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) was founded in 1975 to protect the individual right to bear arms.


Civilian Marksmanship Program
In 1903, Congress enacted and President Theodore Roosevelt signed a law to provide federal funding for a program intended to increase civilian proficiency with military service firearms for national defense purposes. The law established the Civilian Marksmanship Program.



The President`s Match
The oldest target shooting match in the United States is The President`s Match, held each summer at the National Matches, at Camp Perry, Ohio. By tradition established by President Theodore Roosevelt, the winner of the match receives a letter of congratulations from the President of the United States.


Study Of The Federal "Assault Weapon" Law
The congressionally-mandated study of the federal "assault weapon" law found that: "At best, the assault weapons ban can have only a limited effect on total gun murders, because the banned weapons were never involved in more than a modest fraction of all gun murders." (Urban Institute, "Impact Evaluation of the Public Safety and Recreational Firearms Use Protection Act of 1994," March 13, 1997, p. 3.)


Semi-Automatic Firearms
Despite their modern, military appearance, firearms that have been labeled as "assault weapons" operate like other semi-automatic firearms, use the same ammunition as other firearms, and possess no feature or characteristic not available on other firearms.


Waiting Periods
Before Congress and President Clinton approved the Brady bill in 1993, laws delaying handgun purchases were known to have no effect on crime. During 1992, the most recent year of data available when the Brady bill was passed, California, the state with the most restrictive waiting period law (15 days on all firearm sales, retail and private) had total violent crime and murder rates 58% and 44% higher, respectively, than the rates for the rest of the country. (FBI)


Crime And Waiting Periods
Crime rates and crime trends in states where "waiting periods" have been imposed have been worse than in other states. (FBI)


Background Checks
Federal law requires a background check on anyone purchasing a firearm from a federally licensed firearm dealer, at a gun show or anywhere else.


Right To Carry
People who carry firearms as provided for by state right-to-carry laws are statistically more law-abiding than the public as a whole.


Right To Carry States Have Lower Violent Crime Rates
In 2007, RTC states had lower violent crime rates, on average, compared to the rest of the country (total violent crime by 24%; murder, 28%; robbery, 50%; and aggravated assault, 11%).


Handguns Are Effective Defensive Tools
Two of every three defensive uses of firearms are carried out with handguns. Private citizens benefit from handguns for the same reason that the police do: handguns are easy to carry and they are effective defensive tools. (Targeting Guns: Firearms and Their Control, Gary Kleck, Aldine de Gruyter, 1997)


Firearms And Self Protection
People who use firearms for protection are statistically less likely to be injured in a criminal attack than people who use other means of protection or no protection at all. (Targeting Guns: Firearms and Their Control, Gary Kleck, Aldine de Gruyter, 1997)


Right To Arms
Virtually all scholars who have studied the issue have concluded that the Framers of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights considered the right to arms to be an individual right.


The Second Amendment: An Individual Right
On June 26, 2008, the Supreme Court affirmed, in a 5-4 decision, the ruling of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in Parker v. District of Columbia (re-cast as District of Columbia v. Heller before the Supreme Court), that the Second Amendment protects a pre-existing, private, individually-held right, to keep arms and to bear arms, without regard to a person’s relationship to a militia.


Commentaries On The Laws Of England
In his Commentaries on the Laws of England (1765-1769), the foundation of all legal education in England and the U.S. for a century, the great English jurist, Sir William Blackstone, discussed "the principle absolute rights which appertain to every Englishman" under the English Bill of Rights of 1689, and observed, "[T]o vindicate these rights, when actually violated or attacked, the subjects of England are entitled . . . lastly, to the right of having and using arms for self-preservation and defense."


Second Amendment
There is no evidence that anyone associated with drafting, debating, or ratifying the Second Amendment considered the right to arms anything other than a right of individual citizens. (Stephen Halbrook, That Every Man Be Armed, University of New Mexico Press, 1984, p. 83.)

Read about the U.S. Supreme Court Decision in District of Columbia v. Heller here.



U.S. Supreme Court And The Tenth Amendment
Congress has no enumerated power to restrict the right to arms, and therefore has regulated firearms through its interstate commerce and taxing powers. However, twice in recent years the U.S. Supreme Court has invoked the Tenth Amendment to strike down federal "gun control" schemes, suggesting strong limitations on the authority of the federal government to restrict the possession and use of arms.


NRA And Criminal Justice
During the 1990s, NRA worked with state legislatures and governors to increase prison sentences, and reduce probation and parole for the most violent criminals, and to impose mandatory sentencing guidelines for repeat offenders. Today, NRA continues to lead the call for expansion of "Project Exile," a federal program that throws the book at felons who illegally possess firearms.


Felons And Gun Registration
In Haynes v U.S. (1968), the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that felons do not have to register illegally possessed guns, because the Fifth Amendment protects them against self-incrimination.


Violent Crime
Since 1991, the number of privately owned firearms has increased by 70-75 million and the nation's total violent crime rate has decreased 38%. The nation's murder rate has decreased 43%.


Violent Crime Trends
The FBI, criminologists, and sociologists credit many factors for the 38% decrease in violent crime since 1991, including improvements in the criminal justice system, law enforcement policies, and the economy, a reduction in the "crack" cocaine trade, and the aging of gang members. Gun control advocates claim that gun control is responsible for the decrease in crime, but since 1991 gun control has been scaled back at the federal, state and local levels, and the number of privately owned firearms has increased between 65-70 million.


Gun Laws
There are tens of thousands of gun laws at the federal, state, and local levels.


Firearm Tracing
Most firearms that are traced by the BATFE have not been used to commit violent crimes, and most firearms that have been used to commit violent crimes are never traced. That is one of the main reasons that the Congressional Research Service has concluded that the tracing system should not be used to make broad determinations about the kinds of guns that are used in crimes.


Right-to-Carry States
Since 1991, the number of privately owned firearms in the U.S. has increased by 70-75 million, the number of right-to-carry states has increased from 15 to 40, and violent crime has decreased 38%.


Foreign Countries
After studying gun laws and crime in 27 foreign countries, the Library of Congress concluded, "From available statistics, among countries surveyed, it is difficult to find a correlation between the existence of strict firearms regulations and a lower incidence of gun-related crimes."


"Armor Piercing Ammunition"
NRA helped to write the federal law prohibiting the manufacture of handgun ammunition capable of defeating bullet resistant vests. The anti-gun lobby lies when it claims NRA opposed the law.


Plastic Guns
In the 1980s, NRA helped write the federal law prohibiting handguns that cannot be detected by airport metal detectors and similar security systems.


Multiple Sales
Federal law requires a dealer to report to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and state or local law enforcement officials any sale of more than one handgun in a five-day period to an individual.


Eddie Eagle GunSafe Program
NRA's Eddie Eagle GunSafe Program, for children pre-K through 3rd grade, has been provided to more than 22 million children by more than 26,000 schools, civic groups, and law enforcement agencies.


Hunting On Wildlife Refuges
The National Wildlife Refuge System presently consists of 542 refuges comprising over 92 million acres. Of these refuges, 315 provide hunting opportunities.


Firearms Regulations
Since 1968, virtually every aspect of lawful firearms commerce from manufacture to retail sales has been strictly controlled, regulated and licensed by the U.S. Department of the Treasury through its Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. Few products have the oversight of nearly an entire federal agency. Most states also have a corresponding “BATF” regulatory and law enforcement agency that oversees firearms and enforces state firearms laws. Firearms also fall under all laws relating to negligent manufacture. Any manufacturer who sells an inherently unsafe firearm will very quickly find itself in court. Lastly, firearms are the only product for which an American citizen needs to receive the FBI’s permission—through the NICS—before making a retail purchase. For more information see Fables, Myths & Other Tall Tales about Gun Laws, Crime and Constitutional Rights.


Illinois Senate Debate # 3
Obama has supported banning hundreds of rifles and shotguns commonly used for hunting and sport shooting.
Illinois Senate Debate # 3:
Barack Obama vs. Alan Keyes, 10 /21/04


Handgun Ban
Obama endorsed a complete ban on all handguns. Independent Voters of Illinois/Independent Precinct Organization general candidate questionnaire, 9/9/96 Politco, 3/31/08


Supreme Court
Obama voted against the confirmation of Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito, two of the five Justices who affirmed an individual right to keep and bear arms in the landmark Heller case.


Obama Supports Local Restrictions on Your Gun Rights
Obama supports local gun bans in Chicago, Washington, DC, and other cities. "Obama: 'Common Sense Regulation' On Gun Owners' Rights," ABC News' "Political Radar" Blog, http://blogs.abcnews.com, 2/15/08. ()


Obama and the Leftwing Joyce Foundation
Barack Obama was a member of the Board of Directors of the Joyce Foundation, the leading source of funds for anti-gun organizations and “research.”
1998 Joyce Foundation Annual Report, p. 7.



Obama Wants to Ban Gun Shops
Barack Obama supported a proposal to ban gun stores within 5 miles of a school or park, which would eliminate almost every gun store in America.
Chicago Defender, Dec. 13, 1999



Gun Owner Privacy
Barack Obama voted not to notify gun owners when the state of Illinois did records searches on them.
Illinois Senate, May 5, 2002, SB 1936 Con., vote 26.



Obama and Firearms Owners Identification Cards
Barack Obama voted against a measure to lower the Firearms Owners Identification card age minimum from 21 to 18, a measure designed to assist young people in the military.
Illinois Senate, March 25, 2003, SB 2163, vote 18.



Obama and ammunition magazines
Barack Obama favors a ban on standard capacity magazines.
“Clinton, Edwards, Obama on gun control,” Radio Iowa, Sunday, April 22, 2007. ()



Obama and Ammunition Micro-stamping
Barack Obama supports mandatory micro-stamping.
Chicago Tribune blogs, “Barack Obama: NIU Shootings call for action,” February 15, 2008, ()



Obama and Mandatory Waiting Periods
Barack Obama supports mandatory waiting periods.
Independent Voters of Illinois/Independent Precinct Organization general candidate questionnaire, Sept. 9, 1996. The responses on this survey were described in “Obama had greater role on liberal survey,” Politico, March 31, 2008. ()

Fact Sheets

The following results are sorted by Item Date. Click here to sort the results by Title.


S. 843: Lautenberg Trying Again To Regulate Gun Shows
06/08/09 - Sen. Frank Lautenberg has once again introduced legislation to regulate gun shows. And as before, it calls for massive new government powers to register gun show customers, register gun owners, retain information on gun sales that take place at gun shows, heavily tax both gun collectors and gun sales, and require gun show promoters to police gun show customers, as if they were agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.


Gun Owner Blacklist Bill Introduced in U.S. House
05/21/09 - On April 29, U.S. Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.), the ranking Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee, who calls himself "a strong supporter of the war against international terrorism, both at home and abroad," introduced H.R. 2159, calling it the "Denying Firearms and Explosives to Dangerous Terrorists Act of 2009."


S. 941 and H.R. 2296: The “Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Reform and Firearms Modernization Act of 2009”
05/11/09 - Senator Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) have introduced S. 941, the “Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Reform and Firearms Modernization Act of 2009.” Reps. Steve King (R-Iowa) and Zack Space (D-Ohio) have introduced a companion bill in the House. The bills would roll back unnecessary restrictions, correct errors, and codify longstanding congressional policies in the firearms arena. These bipartisan bills are a vital step to modernize and improve BATFE operations.


H.R. 2324: Worse than S. 843?
05/11/09 - The Castle gun show bill (H.R. 2324) shares many unacceptable provisions with S. 843, but in key areas goes even further. Despite changes from the Lautenberg juvenile justice amendment of 1999 that it is based on, this bill fails to address gun owners` most significant concerns--and in several areas is even more restrictive than Lautengberg`s current bill, S. 843.


Right-to-Carry 2009
05/07/09 - There are 40 Right-to-Carry states. Thirty-six have "shall issue" laws, requiring that carry permits be issued to applicants who meet uniform standards established by the state legislature. Three have fairly-administered discretionary-issue carry permit systems. Vermont respects the right to carry without a permit. Alaska, one of the "shall issue" states, has its permit system for the purpose of permit reciprocity1 with other states, and has allowed carrying without a permit since 2003. Of the 10 non-RTC states, eight have restrictively-administered discretionary-issue systems, and two -- Illinois and Wisconsin -- have no permit system and prohibit carrying.


Sen. Crapo and Rep. Hastings Introduce Bills
to Allow Firearms for Protection in National Parks
04/27/09 - On March 24 and April 2, respectively, Rep. Doc Hastings (R-Wash.) and Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) introduced H.R. 1684 and S. 816 -- the "Preservation of the Second Amendment in National Parks and National Wildlife Refuges Act" -- to legislatively enact a regulation adopted by the Department of the Interior last year, allowing the carrying of firearms in national parks and wildlife refuges by people who have been issued permits to carry firearms after passing criminal background checks and meeting other state requirements.


H.R. 442, the "Veterans' Heritage Firearms Act”
03/27/09 - The "Veterans' Heritage Firearms Act of 2005," introduced by U.S. Representative Dennis Rehberg (R-Mont.), would provide a 90-day amnesty period during which veterans and their family members could register firearms acquired overseas between June 26, 1934 and Oct. 31, 1968, without fear of prosecution. Congress granted a limited amnesty in 1968, but most veterans did not receive enough notice to participate.


H.R. 1074 The Firearms Interstate Commerce Reform Act
03/25/09 - H.R. 1074, introduced by Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.), would remove several antiquated and unnecessary restrictions imposed on interstate firearms business since 1968.


The National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Bill
01/12/09 - The national Right-to-Carry (RTC) reciprocity bills, H.R. 197 (introduced by U.S. Reps. Cliff Stearns, R-Fla., and Rick Boucher, D-Va.) would allow any person with a valid concealed firearm carrying permit or license, issued by a state, to carry a concealed firearm in any other state.


The Gun Show Myth
11/07/08 - Gun shows are large, public events that for many decades have been held in convention centers and banquet halls, attended by gun enthusiasts, hunters, target shooters, law enforcement and military personnel, and their families. Under federal law, firearm dealers—persons engaged in the business of selling firearms for profit on a regular basis—are required to conduct background checks on anyone to whom they sell any firearm, regardless of where the sale takes place. Federal law also provides that a person who is not a dealer may sell a firearm from his personal collection without conducting a check.

To defeat their “divide and conquer” strategy, we must all stick together, regardless of which guns we personally own.

In the News |
New Jersey: Ignoring known gun traffickers, Corzine targets gun rights instead |
Arizona: House panel broadens bill on guns in restaurants | Wyoming: 'Castle' law prompts prosecutors to drop case | Pastor urges his flock to bring guns to church |

Senators take aim at Sotomayor's record | Guns key in court choice | Sen. Sessions questions Sotomayor's view on gun rights | Deal clears restaurant opposition to gun bill | Bid to expand knife ban doesn't cut it with critics | Will Sotomayor uphold Constitution? | Pennsylvania: NRA continues fight in lawsuit against city gun ordinance | Tennessee: Germantown aldermen to vote on banning guns in parks | South Africa: Gun law challenged in court |

Arizona eyeing new concealed weapons bill | California: Churches support right-to-carry |

Canada: Gun registry hasn't 'saved a single life' |

Report on arms smuggling to Mexico called incomplete |

D.C. expands list of allowed guns to avert lawsuit |

Cities' gun restrictions begin to topple
News Releases


Tennessee Legislature Overrides Governor's Veto of HB 962
Thursday, June 04, 2009


Tennessee House Votes to Override Governor's Veto of HB 962
Wednesday, June 03, 2009


NRA Appeals Seventh Circuit Ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court
Wednesday, June 03, 2009


Nevada Legislators Override Gov. Gibbons’ Veto of Apprentice Hunting Bill
Monday, June 01, 2009


Statement From Chris W. Cox, Executive Director NRA - Institute for Legislative Action On Governor Bredesen’s Veto Of House Bill 962
Thursday, May 28, 2009


Bi-Partisan Congressional Majority Moves To Restore Second Amendment in National Parks
Wednesday, May 20, 2009


National Rifle Association Files Suit Against Restrictive San Francisco Gun Ordinance
Wednesday, May 20, 2009


National Rifle Association Announces New Officers and Board Members
Tuesday, May 19, 2009


NRA’s Annual Meetings & Exhibits 2009: A Celebration of American Values
Phoenix, Arizona hosts several Acres of Guns, Gear & Outfitters

Tuesday, May 05, 2009


Montana Expands Self-Defense Rights for Law-Abiding Citizens
Tuesday, April 28, 2009

http://www.nraila.org/News/Archives/NewsReleases.aspx

----- Pre-written letter ----- Obama Pushing Treaty To Ban Reloading

send the letter below and protest

Dear Senator:

I am urging you, in the strongest terms, to oppose the Inter-American Convention Against Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Ammunition, Explosives, and Other Related Materials.

This anti-gun treaty was written by international bureaucrats who are either stupid or virulently anti-gun -- or both.

This treaty could very well ban the ability to reload ammunition, to put new stocks on rifles lawfully owned by American citizens, and, possibly, even ban BB guns!

There are too many problems with this treaty to mention them all in this letter. The rest can be read on the website of Gun Owners of America at:

http://www.gunowners.org/fs0901.htm

Please do not tell me the treaty has not yet been abused in this way by the bevy of Third World countries which have signed it. We do not expect the real ramifications of the treaty to become clear until the big prize -- the U.S. -- has stepped into the trap.

For all of these reasons, I must insist that you oppose ratification of the treaty.

Sincerely,