Tennessee Republican Governor Bill Lee signed a bill into law earlier this week that prohibits financial institutions, such as banks and credit card companies, from specifically tracking gun and ammunition purchases.
<a href="https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/BillInfo/Default.aspx?BillNumber=HB2762" target="_blank" rel="noopener">House Bill 2762</a>, also called the &#8220;Second Amendment Financial Privacy Act,&#8221; prohibits financial institutions from requiring gun retailers to use a specific merchant code &#8220;that distinguishes a firearms retailer from a general merchandise retailer or a sporting goods retailer.&#8221; All retailers are assigned merchant codes based on what they sell, allowing banks and credit card companies to track purchasing patterns and protect against fraud. Gun retailers&#8217; merchant codes are usually included with those of other shops, like sporting goods stores.
State Rep. Rusty Grills, a Republican, introduced the legislation earlier this year after credit card companies Visa and Mastercard <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/visa-to-categorize-sales-at-gun-stores-in-win-for-gun-control-advocates" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> plans to separately categorize firearm and ammunition purchases in 2022.
The &#8220;Second Amendment Financial Privacy Act&#8221; also prohibits financial institutions from declining credit card transactions &#8220;based solely on the assignment or non-assignment of a firearms merchant category code&#8221; and outlaws government entities from keeping a registry of privately owned firearms or gun owners in the state.
Rep. Grills told The Daily Wire in a phone conversation on Thursday that he introduced the legislation to &#8220;protect the Second Amendment rights of all those in Tennessee&#8221; by preventing financial institutions from creating &#8220;a database&#8221; of gun buyers, a possibility Grills said is troubling because many corporations are being led by &#8220;capitalist woke folks.&#8221; Grills added that this new law will preempt any potential future efforts by institutions to interfere with Tenesseeans&#8217; Second Amendment rights.
&#8220;We would rather be able to protect our rights from the beginning rather than have to fight for our rights back at the end,&#8221; Grills said.
The bill passed the state House and Senate earlier this month before it was signed into law by Gov. Lee on Tuesday.
In 2022, the International Organization for Standardization (IOS) — which develops proprietary, industrial, and commercial standards — <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/exclusive-global-standards-body-approves-new-merchant-code-gun-sellers-2022-09-09/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">approved</a> a new merchant code specifically for gun retailers.
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Shortly after the IOS approved the change, credit card companies took the step of categorizing gun purchases separately from all other purchases. At the time, congressional Democrats were also <a href="https://twitter.com/SenWarren/status/1567214955690135552?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1567214955690135552%7Ctwgr%5Ef5ec583f964c1dc4fbe19556fa5ca458046587c1%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fnews.dailywire.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D728687action%3Dedit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">urging</a> Visa, Mastercard, and American Express to &#8220;do more to help stop mass shootings.&#8221;
Those three credit card companies, however, paused plans to track gun purchases a few months later after Republican lawmakers and attorneys general <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/23-republican-ags-warn-credit-card-companies-to-abandon-plan-to-identify-gun-sales" target="_blank" rel="noopener">warned</a> the payment processors of the constitutional ramifications of their proposal. But in February of this year, Visa, Mastercard, and American Express moved forward with a plan to potentially track gun purchases in California, CBS News <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/american-express-visa-mastercard-gun-merchant-code/">reported</a>.
While multiple Republican-led state legislatures have passed bans on the specific merchant code for gun retailers, California passed a law requiring gun retailers to adopt the merchant code by May 2025.

Gun Store

Tennessee Governor Signs Bill Preventing Financial Institutions From Conducting Unauthorized Surveillance Of Gun Buyers

Banks

Bill Lee

credit card

General

Guns

Politics

Second Amendment

Tennessee

President Joe Biden made numerous <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/06/28/bidens-false-claim-that-2nd-amendment-bans-cannon-ownership/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">false claims</a> about the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/second-amendment" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Second Amendment</a> during an interview that aired this week on Univision.
Biden made the remarks during the interview, which aired Tuesday, when asked by Enrique Acevedo about his anti-gun agenda, especially as it pertains to parts of the country that have large numbers of Latinos that have experienced mass shootings.
When asked if he would take &#8220;executive action&#8221; to limit America&#8217;s Second Amendment rights if he wins re-election, Biden responded: &#8220;Absolutely. Look, I, along with Dianne Feinstein, passed the first limitation on assault weapons and the number of bullets that could be in a rifle. The idea anybody needs 100 rounds on a rifle and an AR-15.&#8221;
Biden falsely claimed that &#8220;we don&#8217;t have background checks for anybody purchasing a weapon.&#8221;
Biden, claiming that he taught the Second Amendment in law school, also falsely claimed that the Second Amendment was written with limitations on what Americans could own.
&#8220;From the very beginning, there were limitations. You couldn&#8217;t own a cannon,&#8221; he falsely claimed. &#8220;You couldn’t. … You could own a rifle or a gun. They weren’t weapons of war.&#8221;
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WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
BIDEN: &#8220;I used teach the Second Amendment in law school &#8230; From the very beginning, there were limitations. You couldn&#8217;t own a cannon!&#8221;
(Not true) <a href="https://t.co/EhJ4XVLQM1">pic.twitter.com/EhJ4XVLQM1</a>
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) <a href="https://twitter.com/RNCResearch/status/1777888189631414473?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 10, 2024</a></blockquote>

TOPSHOT-US-POLITICS-BIDEN-HEALTHCARE

Biden Makes Numerous False Claims About Second Amendment During Univision Interview

Executive

Joe Biden

Univision

A judge in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/washington" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Washington</a> ruled that the state’s ban on magazines that hold more than 10 rounds is unconstitutional, but the state Supreme Court granted an emergency appeal to pause the judge’s decision, meaning the restriction stays in effect for now.
On Monday, Cowlitz County Superior Court Judge Gary Bashor <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24536660-state-of-washington-v-gators-custom-guns-inc-ruling-and-orders-23-2-00897-08" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ruled</a> in favor of a Washington gun shop that sued the state after lawmakers banned magazines holding more than 10 rounds in 2022. Bashor rejected the state&#8217;s arguments that the magazines were not suitable for self-defense and that the legislation was common sense. 
“This Court must find there exists no set of facts where the Court can find such a generalized ban or restriction on an am (or an instrument that facilitates self-defense) as constitutional under the Washington Constitution,” Bashor <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24536660-state-of-washington-v-gators-custom-guns-inc-ruling-and-orders-23-2-00897-08">wrote</a> in his 55-page decision. “The United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights exist to define the outer limits of what Legislatures and Courts are allowed to do. Amending the Constitution and Bill of Rights cannot be done simply by enacting a law, or by a pronouncement from a Court.&#8221;
Bashor added that he found that large capacity magazines (LCMS) are classified as arms under the State Constitution and that members of the public commonly owned them for lawful purposes. 
“The State has not provided evidence that LCMs are NOT commonly and lawfully owned or possessed by civilians for lawful purposes, including self-defense. The State: instead chose to provide expert opinions concluding only that LCMs are not commonly ‘fired for self-defense purposes’, or are not the best choice for self-defense, neither of which are relevant metrics,” he wrote. 
Bashor, who has been a judge in the rural county since 2011, also pointed to the Founding Fathers in his decision. 
“There was no appetite to limit gun rights by the Founders. Though the specific technology available today may not have been envisioned, the Founders expected technological advancements,” Bashor wrote. “The result is few, if any, historical analogue laws by which a state can justify a modern firearms regulation.”
After Bashor&#8217;s ruling, Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson, a Democrat, <a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/was-ban-on-high-capacity-gun-magazines-ruled-unconstitutional/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">filed</a> an emergency appeal before the state’s high court, arguing magazine capacity limits are constitutional. 
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“Every court in Washington and across the country to consider challenges to a ban on the sale of high-capacity magazines under the U.S. or Washington Constitution has either rejected that challenge or been overruled. This law is constitutional,” Ferguson said. 
Washington State Supreme Court Commissioner Michael Johnston sided with Ferguson, keeping the law in effect while the appeal continued. 
The magazine restriction was one of the many gun control policies adopted in recent years by Washington’s Democratic-controlled legislature and Democratic Governor Jay Inslee, including a ban on the sale of AR-15s and similar rifles.

State Of Illinois Passes Illinois  Assault Weapons Ban

Judge Says Washington’s Restrictions On Gun Magazine Capacity Are Unconstitutional

Constitution

Courts

Gun Control

Gun Laws

Gun Rights

U.S.

Washington

The Biden Administration continues to champion efforts to take legally purchased guns away from American citizens after Vice President Kamala Harris <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/vp-harris-pushes-gun-control-in-parkland-visit-promotes-new-push-for-red-flag-laws">touted</a> “red flag laws” as an effort to tackle gun violence during a recent visit to Parkland, FL.
During her visit, the vice president announced the creation of a national office that would focus on the implementation of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/23/red-flag-laws-gun-control">red flag laws</a> in states that currently have these laws in place. The Department of Justice (DOJ) would oversee the office which raises alarm bells for supporters of the Second Amendment and Republican <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/republicans-blast-biden-admins-red-flag-operation-will-violate-second-amendment-rights">lawmakers</a> on Capitol Hill are raising concerns that this so-called “red flag” operation would indeed violate the Constitution.
Meanwhile, the courts are telling American citizens that illegal immigrants have the right to legally possess a weapon after an Obama-appointed federal judge in Illinois <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/judge-rules-illegal-immigrants-have-gun-rights-protected-second-amendment">ruled</a> that our Constitution protects the rights of individuals who enter this country illegally.
Law-abiding American citizens are frustrated, and they have a right to be.
Approximately 986 different bills to restrict gun <a href="https://www.billtrack50.com/blog/important-gun-law-changes-in-2023/">rights</a> were introduced in the first half of 2023, according to the most recent data available.
My home state of Illinois enacted a law in 2023, <a href="https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/publicacts/102/PDF/102-1116.pdf">Public Act 102-1116</a>, which prohibits the sale and distribution of so-called “assault weapons” and high-capacity magazines. Citizens who owned these previously legal weapons could keep them, only if they <a href="https://isp.illinois.gov/Home/AssaultWeapons#:~:text=Illinois%20residents%20cannot%20lawfully%20purchase,e)%20within%20the%20link%20above.">registered</a> their weapons with the State.
Gun laws do not stop criminals from using guns while committing crimes. Criminals, by definition, do not care about gun laws. <a href="https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IF/IF11121/1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Federal law</a> requires a criminal background check for all firearm sales and transfers by licensed dealers. The challenge is that most criminals do not legally obtain their guns.
Moreover, semi-automatic weapons are not the weapon of choice when committing a crime. According to <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/04/26/what-the-data-says-about-gun-deaths-in-the-u-s/">Pew Research Center</a>, in 2020 “handguns were involved in 59% of gun murders and non-negligent manslaughters. Rifles — the category that includes “assault weapons” – were involved in 3% of firearm murders.” This means that approximately 408 people were killed by semi-automatic firearms in 2020.
In <a href="https://www.inquirer.com/news/philadelphia-gun-arrests-2021-convictions-vufa-20210330.html">Philadelphia</a>, people who are accused of illegally carrying a gun have seen their chances of being convicted in court decline from 63% in 2017 to 49% in 2019.
This is why the recent ruling by an Obama-appointed district court judge for the Northern District of Illinois, Sharon Johnson Coleman, is so concerning.
Judge Coleman ruled that a federal ban on undocumented immigrants owning firearms is <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/03/20/us-news/illinois-judge-rules-illegal-migrants-can-carry-guns/">unconstitutional</a> and dismissed charges against an illegal named Heriberto Carbajal-Flores, who was arrested in 2020 for violating a federal law which prohibits non-citizens from possessing guns. Judge Coleman’s ruling stated that since this illegal immigrant had no criminal record, and the circumstances behind his arrest were not violent, he should not be deprived of his Second Amendment right to bear arms.
Case in point, being in the United States illegally was not enough cause to deny this individual his Second Amendment rights.
Judge Coleman seems to have forgotten one important fact; being in the country illegally is a violation of 8 U.S.C. § 1325, which makes it a <a href="https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/immigration-prosecutions#:~:text=%C2%A7%201325%20makes%20it%20a,entering%20or%20attempting%20to%20enter." target="_blank" rel="noopener">felony</a> to unlawfully enter the United States.
In <a href="https://www.williamsnickl.com/can-i-own-a-gun-after-a-felony-conviction-in-illinois/#:~:text=Once%20you%20are%20convicted%20of,in%20the%20last%2020%20years" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Illinois</a>, it is illegal for a person convicted of a felony to possess a firearm.
Any person desiring to legally purchase a firearm in the state of Illinois must obtain a Firearms Owners Identification Card (FOID Card). To be eligible for a <a href="https://www.ispfsb.com/Public/Faq.aspx#:~:text=To%20be%20eligible%20for%20a,been%20convicted%20of%20a%20felony." target="_blank" rel="noopener">FOID</a> card, amongst other regulations, a person must not be an alien who is lawfully present in the United States.
You cannot even enter a gun shop or buy ammunition without a FOID card in the state of Illinois.
So, this individual&#8217;s firearm must have been illegally obtained which is another federal violation. Yet, this Obama-appointed judge ruled that he could keep his weapon and cannot be prosecuted for any of his numerous crimes.
On the flip side, a law-abiding American citizen in Illinois, who legally obtains a firearm is now, by definition, a felon, for not registering his or her weapon with the state police.
The Biden administration’s DOJ may want to think twice before coming after a citizen’s right to bear arms — a right guaranteed by our Constitution. Maybe the government and the judiciary should enforce the gun laws that are already on the books before looking to punish legal gun owners and award criminals.
* * *
Jim Nelles is a Navy veteran and supply chain consultant based in Chicago. His articles have appeared in the Washington Examiner, Newsweek, Foxnews.com, and the Daily Wire. He has served as a chief procurement officer, chief supply chain officer, and chief operations officer for multiple companies.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

US-POLITICS-SHOOTING-GUNS-HARRIS

Operation ‘Red Flag’: Disarm Citizens, Arm Illegal Immigrants

Illinois

Kamala Harris

Parkland Shooting

Readers Pass

The Biden administration is renewing its push for stricter gun control and an assault weapons ban with the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/doj-launches-national-resource-center-to-aid-authorities-in-taking-firearms-from-people-deemed-threat-to-themselves-or-others">creation</a> of a new national office to push “red flag laws.”
Vice President Kamala Harris traveled to Parkland, Florida, on Saturday and toured the halls of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, the site of a 2018 mass shooting in which a former student of the school killed 14 students and three staff members and wounded 17 others. After the tour, Harris delivered a speech pushing legislation on gun control.
“You know, part of what I talk to families about is the fact that one of five families in America has a family member that has died because of gun violence,” Harris said, according to <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/vp-harris-pushes-gun-control-site-parkland-school-shooting-victims-dad-calls-slap-in-the-face" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fox News</a>. “That the leading cause of death for the children of America is gun violence.”
A report from Pew Research last year found that gun-related deaths among teens jumped by about 50% between 2019 and 2021. One expert <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/teen-violence-drove-spike-gun-deaths-contrary-popular-talking-point-expert">said</a> that the data suggested that the rise in gun deaths is closely tied to an increase in juvenile crime during the COVID pandemic and lockdowns.
Harris did not discuss the impact of lockdown policies but instead focused on firearms and echoed President Joe Biden’s calls for an assault weapons ban and other gun control measures. She also promoted a new office, the National Extreme Risk Protection Order Resource Center, to aid states that have passed red flag laws. The Department of Justice <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/doj-launches-national-resource-center-to-aid-authorities-in-taking-firearms-from-people-deemed-threat-to-themselves-or-others">announced</a> the launch of the center on Saturday morning.
“We have to understand the facets of this and when we do reflect and review and, dare I say, study what happened here at Stoneman Douglas, we must be willing to have the courage to say that on every level, whether you talk about changing laws or changing practices and locales, that we must do better,” she said.
“Of the 21 that have passed red flag laws, I challenge the others to come on over,” Harris said. “We got some resources for you to help you implement the work that you have done that has been the work of a leader on this tragic issue.”
In general, red flag laws authorize courts to temporarily restrict a person’s access to firearms after receiving a complaint about the individual’s mental state or concerns that the person may have violent tendencies.
According to the White House, the Biden administration has <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/03/23/fact-sheet-vice-president-harris-announces-gun-safety-solutions-while-continuing-efforts-to-keep-schools-safe-from-gun-violence/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">allocated</a> $750 million toward funding red flag law programs, crisis intervention programs, mental health courts, and other state-level actions. The Department of Justice has awarded just $238 million of the funds since 2021.
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Former President Donald Trump, the presumed Republican candidate against Biden in 2024, promised in a speech last month to roll back Biden’s actions on firearms.
“Every single Biden attack on gun owners and manufacturers will be terminated on my very first week back in office, perhaps my first day,” Trump <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2024/02/09/trump-promises-nra-that-if-elected-no-one-will-lay-a-finger-on-your-firearms-00140818" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> the crowd at a National Rifle Association event.
RELATED: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/doj-launches-national-resource-center-to-aid-authorities-in-taking-firearms-from-people-deemed-threat-to-themselves-or-others">DOJ Launches National &#8216;Resource Center&#8217; To Aid Authorities In Taking Firearms From People Deemed &#8216;Threat To Themselves Or Others&#8217;</a>

VP Harris Pushes Gun Control In Parkland Visit, Promotes New Push For ‘Red Flag Laws’

VP Harris Pushes Gun Control In Parkland Visit, Promotes New Push For 'Red Flag Laws'

Elections

Florida

President Joe Biden’s Department of Justice announced on Saturday the launch of the National Extreme Risk Protection Order Resource Center — to the surprise of some congressional Republicans.
Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a Saturday <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-launches-national-extreme-risk-protection-order-resource-center" target="_blank" rel="noopener">press release</a> that the new national resource center “will provide our partners across the country with valuable resources to keep firearms out of the hands of individuals who pose a threat to themselves or others.” Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPOs), commonly referred to as “red flag” laws, allow authorities to confiscate firearms from a person whom a court deems to be a risk to himself or others. ERPOs also prevent a person from buying or possessing a gun for the duration of the order.
“The establishment of the Center is the latest example of the Justice Department’s work to use every tool provided by the landmark Bipartisan Safer Communities Act to protect communities from gun violence,” Garland said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Justice Department Launches the National Extreme Risk Protection Order Resource Center
🔗: <a href="https://t.co/xH1deJu4SB">https://t.co/xH1deJu4SB</a> <a href="https://t.co/zUj0woxwrf">pic.twitter.com/zUj0woxwrf</a>
&mdash; U.S. Department of Justice (@TheJusticeDept) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheJusticeDept/status/1771512584883015897?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 23, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The resource center, which was launched with a new <a href="https://erpo.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">website</a>, is described as “a resource for implementers” that will “provide training and technical assistance to law enforcement officials, prosecutors, attorneys, judges, clinicians, victim service and social service providers, community organizations, and behavioral health professionals responsible for implementing laws designed to keep guns out of the hands of people who pose a threat to themselves or others.”
The National ERPO Resource Center website also provides a state-by-state guide for red flag laws across the country, along with specific information on each state’s ERPO law. Currently, 21 states and the District of Columbia have red flag laws on the books.
Republicans in the House and Senate were surprised to learn of the DOJ&#8217;s new gun-control resource center. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepThomasMassie/status/1771521716805669016" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reposted</a> the DOJ’s announcement on X and asked, “What the hell is this evil?”
“A Federal Red Flag center; We did not authorize this. Announced, of course, just hours after the omnibus passes,” Massie added.
“Oh, really?” Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) <a href="https://twitter.com/chiproytx/status/1771521734358757641" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in response to the DOJ announcing the resource center.
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Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) simply <a href="https://twitter.com/BasedMikeLee/status/1771553244180869500" target="_blank" rel="noopener">commented</a> on the DOJ’s post, “Nope.”
Dana Loesch, a Second Amendment advocate and critic of red flag laws, said the DOJ’s National ERPO Resource Center “is an attack on due process.”
“This won’t apply to Hunter Biden, illegal aliens, or cartel members that Dems fight to arm. This is an attack on due process and ignores existing law that provides a way to adjudicate someone ineligible,” Loesch <a href="https://twitter.com/DLoesch/status/1771544901030727689" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a>. “All previous tragedies were preventable without removal of due process.”
President Biden has fought to implement more gun control on a national level, issuing an <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-unveils-effort-to-crack-down-on-firearm-industry-enhance-background-checks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">executive order</a> last year expanding background checks for firearm purchases. Biden has also <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-vows-ban-assault-weapons-come-hell-high-water" target="_blank" rel="noopener">promised</a> “to ban assault weapons again come hell or high water and high capacity magazines.&#8221;

Attorney General Merrick Garland

DOJ Launches National ‘Resource Center’ To Aid Authorities In Taking Firearms From People Deemed ‘Threat To Themselves Or Others’

DOJ Launches National 'Resource Center' To Aid Authorities In Taking Firearms From People Deemed 'Threat To Themselves Or Others'

Biden Administration

Chip Roy

Dana Loesch

Merrick Garland

Mike Lee

Thomas Massie

A bill that would allow any non-felon <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/louisiana" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Louisiana</a> resident to concealed carry a gun without a permit has passed both the state House and Senate and is expected to be signed by Governor Jeff Landry (R-LA). 
The Republican-backed proposal, SB 1, passed the House on Wednesday by a 75-28 vote and the Senate 28-10 last week. If signed, Louisiana would be the 28th state to enact a constitutional carry-style law. 
The Louisiana bill <a href="https://legis.la.gov/legis/ViewDocument.aspx?d=1348797">says</a> “that law-abiding persons eighteen years of age and not otherwise prohibited may carry a concealed weapon lawfully without a permit,” removing previous requirements for concealed carry in the state. 
“People are getting raped, murdered, carjacked and assaulted,” <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/bill-allowing-permitless-concealed-carry-louisiana-heads-governors-107656008" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Louisiana state Rep. Mike Johnson on Wednesday. “A vote for this bill today gives the citizens of Louisiana the right to defend themselves.”
Republican state Sen. Blake Miguez was the sponsor of the legislation and noted it would take effect on Independence Day if signed. 
“Thank you to the LA House of Representatives for passing<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SB1?src=hashtag_click"> #SB1</a> (Constitutional Carry) without amendments. It will now head to Governor Jeff Landry’s desk for signature with an effective date of July 4th this year, in honor of the our nation’s Independence Day,” he said. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Thank you to the LA House of Representatives for passing <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SB1?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SB1</a> (Constitutional Carry) without amendments. It will now head to Governor Jeff Landry’s desk for signature with an effective date of July 4th this year, in honor of the our nation’s Independence Day. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/2A?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#2A</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/lalege?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#lalege</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/lagov?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#lagov</a>
&mdash; Blake Miguez (@BlakeMiguezLA) <a href="https://twitter.com/BlakeMiguezLA/status/1762902046422733024?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 28, 2024</a></blockquote>
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The proposal was passed after Landry asked the state legislature to pass tougher punishments for crime as well as pass a constitutional carry bill in a special session.
“While criminals carry guns without regard for the law, lawful gun owners are our most law-abiding citizens. Their armed presence helps deter violent crime,” Landry <a href="https://gov.louisiana.gov/index.cfm/newsroom/detail/4425" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. “It is time Louisiana join 27 other states who have created a constitutional right to carry a firearm without the government’s permission. This body has repeatedly passed it. Now you have a governor who will sign it.”
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A constitutional carry bill was <a href="https://apnews.com/article/la-state-wire-gun-politics-laws-government-and-politics-e3d0715cb75456ffcb58391bf2850cb4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">vetoed</a> in June 2021 by then-Governor John Bel Edwards (D-LA) after both the state House and Senate passed the measure overwhelmingly. 
The governor’s office changed hands earlier this year after Landry <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/republican-jeff-landry-elected-louisiana-governor-by-huge-margin-flips-state-red" target="_blank" rel="noopener">won</a> over 50% of the vote in Louisiana’s “jungle primary” in October 2023. Since Landry won over 50% of the vote the race did not go on to the general election. 
Landry ran on getting crime under control and improving the economy and public school system. His campaign website blasted “woke” district attorneys for being soft on crime, and he says that as governor, Louisiana would “hold everyone, and I mean everyone, accountable for violent crime.&#8221;

Todd Settergren of Setterarms gun shop, handles pistols inside his display case on Friday Jan. 13, 2017, in Walnut Creek, Ca. Settergren says California gun laws have gone too far and he welcomes the chance that the federal government under the Trump admi

Louisiana Legislature Sends Constitutional Carry Bill To Republican Governor

Concealed Carry

Louisiana

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/wayne-lapierre" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wayne LaPierre</a>, the longtime CEO of the National Rifle Association, announced his resignation Friday, <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/wayne-lapierre-announces-resignation-nra-chief" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to Fox News.
LaPierre worked for the organization for nearly five decades, joining in 1977, and has served as its executive vice president and CEO since 1991, Fox noted. His resignation will be effective January 31, and NRA President Charles Cotton said that Andrew Arulanandam, head of general operations, will step in as interim CEO.
&#8220;With pride in all that we have accomplished, I am announcing my resignation from the NRA,&#8221; LaPierre said in a press release obtained by Fox News. &#8220;I’ve been a card-carrying member of this organization for most of my adult life, and I will never stop supporting the NRA and its fight to defend Second Amendment freedom. My passion for our cause burns as deeply as ever.&#8221;
“On behalf of the NRA Board of Directors, I thank Wayne LaPierre for his service,&#8221; Cotton said in the press release. &#8220;Wayne has done as much to protect Second Amendment freedom as anyone. Wayne is a towering figure in the fight for constitutional freedom, but one of his other talents is equally important: he built an organization that is bigger than him.&#8221;
LaPierre, 74, attributed his resignation to concerns about his health.
LaPierre&#8217;s resignation comes as a lawsuit brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James against the NRA is set to go to trial next week, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/05/us/wayne-lapierre-nra-resigns/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to CNN. The suit alleges that the NRA violated laws concerning non-profits and accuses its leaders of using the non-profit&#8217;s money for personal use. The suit seeks to dissolve the organization.
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“The NRA’s influence has been so powerful that the organization went unchecked for decades while top executives funneled millions into their own pockets,” James said after she announced the suit in August 2020.
After James filed the suit, then-NRA President Carolyn Meadows <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/06/politics/ny-ag-announcement/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told CNN</a> it was a &#8220;baseless premeditated attack on our organization and the Second Amendment freedoms it fights to defend. It’s a transparent attempt to score political points and attack the leading voice in opposition to the leftist agenda.&#8221;
James has been highly critical of the NRA since before she was attorney general, <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2020/08/19/nra-lawsuit-ny-ag-letitia-james-past-comments/5606437002/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">calling</a> it a &#8220;criminal enterprise&#8221; and a &#8220;terrorist organization&#8221; during her 2018 campaign for the position.
&#8220;The NRA continues its defense of a lawsuit by the New York Attorney General, and LaPierre is an individual defendant in that action. It is well-known that the NYAG vowed to pursue the NRA when she was candidate for her office and, upon being elected, filed a lawsuit to dissolve the Association in August 2020. Trial proceedings in that case begin Monday,&#8221; the NRA said in its <a href="https://home.nra.org/statements/nra-evp-wayne-lapierre-announces-resignation-from-nra/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">press release</a> announcing LaPierre&#8217;s resignation.

Leading Conservatives Gather For Annual CPAC Event In National Harbor, Maryland

Wayne LaPierre Resigns As NRA CEO

National Rifle Association (NRA)

Social Issues

Wayne LaPierre

A gun control group is being investigated by a New Mexico sheriff for running a gun buyback program.
San Juan County Sheriff R. Shane Ferrari announced in a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/FerrariForSheriff/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> posted to Facebook last week that he is looking into New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence (NMPGV) over the possibility that the group violated a state law mandating a background check for most firearm transfers.
“I want to inform you that I am investigating San Juan County citizens’ complaints on ‘New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence’ gun buyback program not complying with New Mexico State Law 30-7-7.1 ‘Unlawful sale of a firearm without a background check,’” the sheriff wrote.
NMPGV ran a private gun buyback program in Farmington, New Mexico, in which representatives went door-to-door offering gift cards in return for gun owners to turn over their firearms. The group said it disassembled any firearms that it received, according to <a href="https://thereload.com/new-mexican-gun-control-group-faces-investigation-over-gun-buyback/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Reload</a>.
New Mexico’s universal background check law was signed in 2019 by Democratic Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham. The law&#8217;s exemptions are narrowly limited to law enforcement, those with federal firearms licenses, and transfers between immediate family members.
“Reviewing the law I do not see where they are exempt from having to undergo a background check and are required to like anyone else. A sale is taking place (gift cards $100 and up), it is advertised as a purchase and called a ‘buy back,’” the sheriff’s post said.
“Some may question the exemption ‘to law enforcement’ meaning if we (law enforcement) purchases the gun we don’t need a background check,” the sheriff continued. “There are currently law enforcement agencies using tax dollars to purchase unwanted firearms (gun buyback) under the Governor’s current health order. Those are lawful and covered as exemptions in the law. However, law enforcement is required to obtain a court order for destruction or other disposition.”
NMPGV expressed regret that the sheriff had chosen to investigate the group in a post on social media.
“It is tragic to see Sherif Ferrari care more about 9 destroyed guns than the safety of his community from gun violence,” the group <a href="https://twitter.com/NMPGVnow/status/1737480321619161140" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.
“Guns were destroyed at their homes.  Why this has so many holsters in a twist is beyond comprehension. Why aren&#8217;t we talking about the real issue of gun violence in Farmington and San Juan County. Crickets every time we ask those questions,” the group said in another <a href="https://twitter.com/NMPGVnow/status/1737643416937521524" target="_blank" rel="noopener">post</a>.

Smith & Wesson M&P-15 semi-automatic rifles

Gun Control Group Under Investigation For Possibly Breaking Law With Buyback Program

Law Enforcement

New Mexico

A federal judge has blocked a far-reaching <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/california" target="_blank" rel="noopener">California</a> law that would have banned carrying guns almost everywhere in public, including at places like churches and playgrounds. 
U.S. District Judge Cormac Carney ripped into the law in his decision, saying that it violated the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/second-amendment" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Second Amendment</a> and openly defied the Supreme Court. The law would have heavily restricted anyone, even people with permits, from carrying in public. The California Rifle and Pistol Association (CRPA) sued to block the law after California Governor Gavin Newsom signed it in September. 
Carney <a href="https://apnews.com/article/california-gun-laws-concealed-carry-c7ebb8506ed99f41b59455350647c0b6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> the law was “sweeping, repugnant to the Second Amendment, and openly defiant of the Supreme Court.”
The judge, a George W. Bush appointee, also took aim at the law’s restrictions of permitted gun owners. 
“Although the government may have some valid safety concerns, legislation regulating [concealed carry] permitholders — the most responsible of law abiding citizens seeking to exercise their Second Amendment rights — seems an odd and misguided place to focus to address those safety concerns,” Carney <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-12-20/federal-judge-blocks-new-california-law-barring-guns-in-many-public-places" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.
“They have been through a vigorous vetting and training process following their application to carry a concealed handgun,” he wrote. “The challenged SB2 provisions unconstitutionally deprive this group of their constitutional right to carry a handgun in public for self-defense.”
Newsom decried the judge’s decision, claiming that it defied “common sense.”
“Defying common sense, this ruling outrageously calls California’s data-backed gun safety efforts ‘repugnant,’” Newsom said. “What is repugnant is this ruling, which greenlights the proliferation of guns in our hospitals, libraries, and children’s playgrounds — spaces which should be safe for all.”
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Chuck Michel, president of the CRPA, praised the judge’s decision. 
“California progressive politicians refuse to accept the Supreme Court’s mandate from the Bruen case and are trying every creative ploy they can imagine to get around it,” Michel said. “The Court saw through the State’s gambit.”
“We are all safer and criminals are deterred when law-abiding citizens can defend themselves,” Michel added. 
The law would have banned carrying guns in private businesses, unless the business expressly put up a sign saying that individuals were allowed to carry. Guns would have been banned on public transportation, at public gatherings, in parking areas, in parks and at playgrounds, sports venues, casinos, hospitals and clinics, churches, and banks, according to the L.A. Times. 
Democrat State Attorney General Rob Bonta plans to appeal the judge’s decision.

US President Joe Biden Speaks At Welcome Reception For APEC Leaders

Judge Blocks California’s ‘Repugnant’ Ban On Carrying Guns In Most Public Places

California

Gavin Newsom

The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/supreme-court" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Supreme Court</a> on Friday agreed to take up a challenge to a ban on bump stocks put in place by former President Donald Trump after a mass shooting in Las Vegas in 2017.
The Biden administration asked the high court to uphold the Trump-era policy. Gun rights supporters also requested the court take up the issue and strike the ban down, according to <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/supreme-court-review-trump-era-ban-gun-bump-stocks-rcna121466" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBC News</a>.
The ban has been litigated in lower courts for years. Federal courts have reached differing conclusions on the issue, which is whether the Trump administration had the authority under the National Firearms Act of 1934 and Gun Control Act of 1968 to ban bump stocks.
The United States has long banned machine guns, which are capable of firing multiple rounds per each time the trigger is pulled. A bump stock is a device that can be attached to a semi-automatic firearm and reduce the length of time between trigger pulls by harnessing the gun’s energy from recoil.
Officials estimate over half a million bump stocks were sold in the United States before the Trump administration ordered them turned over to authorities, according to <a href="https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/4292410-supreme-court-trump-era-bump-stock-ban/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Hill</a>.
The case hinges on the boundaries of executive authority outlined in federal gun laws.
“The interpretive rule did not alter or enlarge the scope of the statutory prohibition on possessing or transferring new machineguns,” the Justice Department said in a court filing, according to The Hill. “The rule instead merely served to inform the public of ATF’s considered view that bump stocks are ‘machineguns’ as Congress defined that term.”
But gun rights proponents disagree. Gun shop owner and firearms instructor Michael Cargill is one of the challengers to the Trump-era reinterpretation of the law. Cargill’s legal team says that use of a bump stock does not fundamentally change the weapon into an automatic firearm.
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“A weapon is not a machine gun if something more is required of the shooter than a single function of the trigger to produce more than one shot,” Cargill’s Supreme Court <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/22/22-976/268622/20230607180529147_22-976%20Garland%20v%20Cargill%20Brief%20in%20Opp.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">brief</a> said.
“The plain meaning of that sentence is that a weapon is not a ‘machinegun’ if something more is required of the shooter than a single function of the trigger to produce more than one shot. And, as the Final Rule concedes, the shooter must do considerably more than pull the trigger once if he wishes the weapon to fire multiple shots,” the brief says.

U.S. Supreme Court

Supreme Court Agrees To Take Up Challenge To Trump-Era Bump Stock Ban

Donald Trump

Supreme Court

Washington D.C.

Florida Governor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/ron-desantis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ron DeSantis</a> pushed back on calls for red flag laws and other gun control laws in the wake of the shooting in Maine this week, saying that he does not believe they are appropriate because they violate a person&#8217;s due process rights.
The Republican presidential candidate made the remarks during a CNN interview Thursday night with Kaitlan Collins on &#8220;The Source&#8221; after 18 people were killed and more than a dozen were injured in Maine after a mentally disturbed man opened fire at two locations this week.
He noted that he views red flag laws as different than someone who is not mentally competent to own a firearm.
&#8220;I think red flag laws have been abused, because people can just lodge a complaint,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Sometimes they&#8217;ll take somebody&#8217;s firearms. And here&#8217;s the thing. It&#8217;s not even Second Amendment, but it is a Fifth Amendment due process issue. Can you take someone&#8217;s property without having an adjudication? So I think it&#8217;s different.&#8221;
When asked if he would support red flag laws if elected president, DeSantis responded: &#8220;No, I don&#8217;t think that&#8217;d be appropriate at all.&#8221;
&#8220;I think the mental health issue in our country, part of it is we do need more institutionalization, there are some people who are dangerous to society, a lot of them get put back on the streets, it will require more resources, but I think that that&#8217;s appropriate,&#8221; he said.
He said that the other part of fixing the issue was to hold violent criminals accountable by keeping them in prison for a very long time and not letting them back out on the streets.
&#8220;If you look at most of the crimes that are committed in this country, it&#8217;s people that have been in the justice system before and have gotten a slap on the wrist,&#8221; he said. &#8220;That&#8217;s happening all over this country, and we will hold people accountable.&#8221;
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He noted that his state&#8217;s crime rate is at a 50-year low because his administration has enabled law enforcement to do their jobs.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Unlike Donald Trump, <a href="https://twitter.com/RonDeSantis?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RonDeSantis</a> will never support a red flag law as president.
“So it’s safe to say a President DeSantis would not sign any kind of national red flag law?”
DeSantis: “No” <a href="https://t.co/b8GM3J6eLw">pic.twitter.com/b8GM3J6eLw</a>
&mdash; DeSantis War Room 🐊 (@DeSantisWarRoom) <a href="https://twitter.com/DeSantisWarRoom/status/1717718152992166150?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 27, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Ron DeSantis

DeSantis Pushes Back On Calls For Gun Control, Red Flag Laws: We ‘Need More Institutionalization’

DeSantis Pushes Back On Calls For Gun Control, Red Flag Laws: We 'Need More Institutionalization'

Crime

Maine

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