Firearms Policy Coalition

The anti-gunners never stop working on ways to eviscerate the Second Amendment.

Via Guns.com:

Gun control groups Moms Demand Action and Everytown for Gun Safety rallied more than 200 activists Tuesday to march at the Texas Capitol in Austin.

The activists came in droves to lobby against recent proposals in the Texas House of Representatives that would loosen gun restrictions in the state. The groups held speeches on the steps of the capitol building and then headed inside to try and speak to their lawmakers.

According to KVUE – ABC News, Moms Demand Action spokesperson Alexandra Chasse said that she respected the Second Amendment but had grave concerns about recent bills that had been proposed.

“The laws that are proposed here today would put dangerous hands one step closer to being able to carry in more places and that’s why we’re here today,” Chasse said. “Responsible gun owners, the majority of Americans and the majority of gun owners understand that common sense solutions are the right ones for making American safer.”

Read more here.

Oregon anti-gun Governor Kate Brown was inaugurated to her first full term as Oregon’s chief executive Monday.

In her first press conference of her new term, Brown reaffirmed her desire for harsher gun control after conceding that her desire for a high capacity magazine ban lacks support in Salem. Via The Oregonian:

Brown was also asked about her gun-control agenda, which now includes two ideas for closing loopholes, dropping a plan floated over the summer to ban high-capacity magazines.

The governor cited a lack of support.

She’ll still pursue legislation to close so-called loopholes that allow gun sales without a background check, or to some people with domestic violence convictions.

Read more here.

Ma. A.G Maura Healey is at it again.

Via Guns.com:

State Attorney General Maura Healey’s office and a Worcester gun dealer have settled a case that involved selling handguns that were not Massachusetts-compliant.

The Gun Parlor has agreed to end sales of handguns that do not meet state-mandated safety regulations, specifically load indicators and magazine safety disconnects, and pay $10,000 in fees and costs associated with an investigation into the store while $25,000 in fines will remain outstanding and will be waived if the shop remains in compliance for two years.

“In Massachusetts, we rely on gun dealers to help ensure responsible gun ownership and use by following the law,” Healey said in a statement Monday. “Today’s agreement requires this Worcester gun dealer to come into compliance with our firearm safety laws and regulations, and do its part to prevent access to unsafe and illegal weapons in our communities.”

Read more here.

The battle is brewing in New Mexico.

Via Washington Times:

Currents in the national debate over gun regulations are converging on New Mexico as the state Legislature prepares to meet.

A Republican state lawmaker pre-filed legislation this week to allow people to carry a concealed handgun without a concealed carry license if they can meet essential requirements. Missouri, West Virginia and Idaho enacted similar measures last year that allow concealed weapons without a permit.

GOP Sen. Steven Neville of Aztec says his proposal will be a tough sell in New Mexico’s Legislature, where Democrats hold a majority.

Leading Democratic lawmakers want to close the so-called gun show loophole by requiring background checks on nearly all private firearms transactions. Another anticipated proposal would make it illegal for aggressors in domestic violence cases to possess a firearm while under a protective order.

Read more here.

Gov. Jerry Brown seems to be aiming for Obama’s “gun salesman of the year” title.

Via CBS San Francisco:

As the year 2016 comes to a close, gun sales are skyrocketing in California, according recent state data.

Stricter gun control kicks in for 2017 and it seems an arms rush is on.

Lawmakers passed a package of bills to strengthen California’s already tough gun laws then voters reinforced them by passing even more measures. People who own magazines that hold more than 10 rounds will be required to give them up starting Jan. 1. Buyers must undergo a background check before purchasing ammunition and will be barred from buying new weapons that have a device known as a bullet button.

More than double the amount of semi-automatic rifles have been sold this month compared to last year at the same time.

Over all, nearly one million guns were purchased in the state this year.

Read more here.

Ammo imports are looking to set a record.

Via Breitbart:

As gun sales have skyrocketed over the past 19 months, ammunition sales have also surged, with “17,850 tons” of imported ammunition being sold in the past 12 months.
That is nearly 18,000 tons of ammo in a year’s time and approximately “2,865 tons of bullets” that were imported in November alone.

CNN Money pointed to figures from research firm Panjiva, which show ammunition imports for last month were up 200% over where they were a year ago. Panjiva’s Chris Rogers said, “It’s very unusual in an import industry like this to see such a big move. It tells you that there’s a customer demand that’s not being met by U.S. manufacturers.”

Panjiva identifies the top foreign importer as “Poongsan Corp.” of South Korea. “Fiocchi Munizioni of Italy and Prvi Partizan of Serbia” are next in line, as far as foreign ammunition importers go.

Read more here.

The bricks of the West Coast Wall of Gun Control continue to be laid.

Via the Seattle Times:

Spurred by the recent killings of three teenagers in Mukilteo, state Attorney General Bob Ferguson will propose legislation next year to ban the sale of assault-style weapons and high-capacity magazines in Washington.

The legislation, which has not yet been written, would ban semi-automatic assault-style weapons — like the AR-15 rifle that police say was used by the 19-year-old accused gunman in Mukilteo in July — as well as any magazine that holds more than 10 rounds of ammunition.

“Military-style weapons are designed for killing people,” Ferguson said. “These weapons have no place in civilian use.”

Ferguson and other speakers noted repeatedly that the accused Mukilteo shooter bought the rifle legally but wasn’t old enough to buy a beer.

Read more here.

More great news coming out of Florida.

Via Guns.com:

A Republican lawmaker has filed a bill that would make Florida the 46th state to adopt lawful open carry of handguns while dropping a number of mandated gun free zones.

The measure, filed late Friday by the new head of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Greg Steube, R-Sarasota, would modify state law to allow for open carry as long as one had a valid concealed carry permit.

Steube, a former state representative who sponsored pro-gun legislation in his stint in the Florida House, was tapped to replace outgoing Senate Judiciary Chairman Miguel Diaz de la Portilla, R-Miami, who repeatedly blocked gun reforms.

Steube’s measure, SB 140, is sweeping in the respect that it not only authorizes Florida’s 1.6 million concealed carry permit holders to carry openly, but also trims away a number of long standing gun free zones. Among the areas affected would be secondary schools, career centers, and local government meetings.

Read more here.

And sales will only keep growing in December.

Via Guns.com:

Federal background checks for gun sales in 2016 hit 24.7 million after another record-breaking month in November.

The FBI processed 2,561,281 applications for the National Instant Criminal Background Check System last month — making it the biggest November in the system’s 18-year history and the second busiest month for checks this year.

This year’s background checks, a known proxy for gun sales nationwide, exceed the 2015 total by more than 1.6 million, a 7 percent increase overall.

Checks for long guns surged 29 percent over October and more than 67 percent over February — the biggest single month this year for background checks, according to federal data.

Read more here.

“We do not believe that citizens in Texas should have to pay for the right to defend themselves,” Stickland said.

Via Fox 4:

There’s a move by lawmakers to go beyond just reducing the fees to carry a weapon. They feel like there should be no fees at all.

Current state law requires a five-hour class that costs between $75-100, a $140 license fee to the state and a $10 fingerprint free. And once people get a license, there is a $70 renewal fee every five years. Texas has what may be the most expensive fees in the nation.

But some lawmakers in the legislature don’t think citizens should have to pay for their constitutional right to carry…

…Bedford Republican State Rep. Jonathan Stickland, who also authored the open carry measure that is now law in Texas, is leading the charge for constitutional carry without having to pay license fees.

“This would make it optional. We do not believe that citizens in Texas should have to pay for the right to defend themselves,” Stickland said.

Read more here.

The anti-gunners keep trying to force manufacturers out of business with these lawsuits…

Via NPR:

Granting the request of relatives of victims of the Newtown school shootings, Connecticut’s Supreme Court has accepted their lawsuit against Remington Arms, maker of the rifle that killed 20 students and six teachers in 2012.

The suit had been dismissed in October, when Superior Court Judge Barbara Bellis ruled that, as NPR reported, ” Congress, through the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, has broadly prohibited lawsuits against the makers, distributors and sellers of guns ‘for the harm solely caused by the criminal or unlawful misuse of firearm products … by others when the product functioned as designed and intended.’ ”

The gun’s design and intended use are at the heart of the plaintiffs’ case, as the families’ attorneys say that the weapon never should have been offered for sale in the civilian marketplace.

Read more here.

“You don’t need a gun to try on a pair of jeans and it’s really out of respect for the safety of our employees and consumers shopping in our stores, says the 59-year-old vegan and former U.S. Army captain.”

Via Fortune:

A few weeks after a deeply divisive election campaign might not seem like the most opportune time for a retailer to step into that hottest of debates in America: gun rights.

But the tense political climate hasn’t stopped Levi Strauss & Co from asking customers to refrain from bringing guns into its U.S. stores even when local law allows them to.

Levi Strauss Chief Executive Chip Bergh made the request in an open letter to customers posted on LinkedIn on Wednesday, aware of the potential to anger many customers, and is seeking to reassure them by saying the move is all about safety and not a political statement.

Read more here.

They’ll use anything to further their anti-gun agenda…

Via PJ Media:

What was originally reported as an “active shooter situation” at Ohio State this morning was soon revealed to be a car-ramming/stabbing terrorist attack by an 18 -year-old Somali Muslim refugee named Abdul Artan.

While events were still unfolding, a number of liberals embarrassed themselves on Twitter by pushing a gun-control narrative before the facts surrounding the attack were established. Here are the top five hot-takes from lefty gun-grabbers who couldn’t let the crisis at Ohio State go to waste:

1. Lt. Governor of California Gavin Newsom:

My thoughts are w/Ohio State this AM. We cannot let an average of 1 school shooting/wk be the normal in America. Too many lives are at stake

— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) November 28, 2016

Read the rest here.

Can’t say we’re surprised…

Via Fortune:

Gun background checks in the U.S. hit a record number on Black Friday, the FBI said.

The bureau processed 185,713 background checks for gun buyers through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, about 400 more checks than it did on the same day in 2015, the FBI’s Stephen Fischer said…

…Gun sales are usually high on Black Friday because of steep discounts, although sales expectations for the 2016 holiday season are low since Donald Trump—a gun rights supporter—won the presidential election. Prior to the election, gun enthusiasts bought a record number of pistols and rifles in fear that Hillary Clinton would win the election and restrict ownership laws.

Despite the drop-off in sales following the election, gun dealers have said purchases are regaining momentum.

Read more here.

A new law allows most gun owners over age 21 to be armed in public as long as the pistol is concealed

Via the Seattle Times:

There is a growing demand for concealed carry permits in Idaho after a new law went into effect this year.

KIFI-TV reports that the law allows most gun owners over the age of 21 to be armed in public places as long as their pistol is hidden by clothing, a purse or holster.

CrimeResearch.org says that nearly 8 percent of Idaho’s population has a concealed carry permit. SmartGunLaws.org says that number is expected to rise with the new law.

Read more here.

The Department of Defense will allow privately owned firearms to be carried on base!

Via Military.com:

The Pentagon recently released detailed guidance that allows U.S. military personnel to carry privately owned, concealed firearms on base, a move that the Army’s service chief argued against publicly.

“Arming and the Use of Force,” a Nov. 18 Defense Department directive approved by Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Work, lays out the policy and standards that allow DoD personnel to carry firearms and employ deadly force while performing official duties.

But the lengthy document also provides detailed guidance to the services for permitting soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Coast Guard personnel to carry privately owned firearms on DoD property, according to the document.

Read more here.

The Mexican Senate is currently debating the right to self defense.

Via Mexico Daily News:

The pros and cons of gun control were debated this week at an event organized by a Senator who last month proposed a constitutional change that would permit the carrying of firearms.

National Action Party (PAN) lawmaker Jorge Luis Preciado wants to modify the 10th article of the constitution so as to allow weapons to be carried in vehicles or kept on business premises to allow people to defend themselves against criminals.

Various national and international experts, representatives of non-governmental organizations and media figures debated the issue in Mexico City yesterday, defending the proposal on self-defense grounds or panning it as a trigger for more violence

American crime specialist John Lott said that homes without guns are more vulnerable to criminal attacks.

As an example he offered the United Kingdom, where 59% of home robberies occur when homeowners are present, compared to the U.S., where that figure drops to just 13% “because thieves fear being shot at.”

Read more here.

Gun sales continue to grow.

Via Fox 2:

FBI figures show the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) is running more checks than ever before. Nearly 25 million background checks will have been completed by year’s end.

By proxy, that means more guns being sold than before and local shops say their sales are getting better every year.

A key group driving sales – women.

Women are helping propel firearm background checks and gun sales to an all-time high.

Steve King, owner of Metro Shooting Supply, says it’s astonishing how fast women are getting locked and loaded.

“If I could open a new store it would cater to women and self-defense and it has been growing the past five years,” he said.

King says they have shooting lessons everyday and not only are the classes full, but women make up 80 percent of the class.

Read more here.

Would you support Giuliani for a cabinet position even though he has historically been a gun control advocate?

Via Guns.com:

President-elect Donald Trump is rumored to be considering Rudy Giuliani for a cabinet position, a move that has onlookers questioning how Republicans in the Senate will vote for him, given their voting record on President Obama nominees with similar views on gun control.

Giuliani was the mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001, and was a big gun control advocate in those years. He’s gone back and forth on elements of the issue, but as recently as July, he snubbed the NRA, saying he supported gun bans for people on the terror watch list. Now, he’s rumored to be Trump’s top pick for Secretary of State.

The Republican controlled Senate would have to confirm Giuliani next year. And their standards for Obama nominees the last eight years have involved a pro-gun test. It’s unclear if Senate Republicans will hold to that test, or defer to the party’s new head of state.

Read more here.

Gun sales are still moving up, but buyers’ demographics are expanding.

Via CBS 12:

Gun sales usually surge going into the holidays, but this year, experts expect a shift in buyer demographics.

With Donald Trump headed to the White House, gun retailers are seeing more women and the elderly buying their first gun.

“The request from people in the general public has been increasing,” said Robert Boike, a volunteer at Home Safety Academy, a Lake Park-based firearm training facility.

Boike said he is already seeing a shift in the clientele following the outcome of the election.

”We anticipate more and more people will be interested,” added Boike.

Read more here.