Gun Stories of the Week: Kansas Attempts to Woo Gunmakers into State
TOP STORY Bloomberg-financed anti-gun fanatics caught lying again A Vermont gun dealer has retained an attorney and is considering suing...
TOP STORY
Bloomberg-financed anti-gun fanatics caught lying again
A Vermont gun dealer has retained an attorney and is considering suing Everytown for Gun Safety for defamation after the hysterical, half-witted group financed by anti-gun fascist Michael Bloomberg posted a poorly researched “report” claiming he was selling guns illegally over the Internet.
Bobby Richards of Crossfire Arms in Mount Holly “believes Everytown misappropriated his firm’s logo for its report and defamed him as the company’s owner, according to the Burlington Free Press.
According to Breitbart News, Bloomberg’s hacks issued an apology on Jan. 30 for listing Richards among 49 “unlicensed Vermont sellers.” The Everytown “report” presented Crossfire and Richards “as vehicles for the unlicensed sale of firearms to felons, fugitives from justice, domestic violence abusers, and other unspecified criminals.”
According to The Washington Times, Everytown issued the following apology and correction: “A previous version of this report incorrectly stated that we identified 1,106 ad posted by unlicensed Vermont sellers offering firearms for sale. We inadvertently included 49 ads posted by licensed dealers in Vermont in this total. The new version of the report reflects data based on the updated total of 1,058 gun ads posted by unlicensed dealers.
Richards, however, told the Burlington Press that he and his company abide by “all federal and state laws pertaining to firearms.” He’s retained attorney Rachel Baird of Torrington to review his legal options.
This is not the first time a Bloomberg-financed fringe group has been nailed for allowing ideology rather than facts guide their campaign to diminish the Constitution. On Dec. 13, according to Breitbart News, Everytown’s list of “100 school shootings” since Sandy Hook includes non-school shootings, shootings that did not occur, and accidental discharges of firearms, which were legally possessed on campuses.
Also, on Sept. 6, Breitbart News reported that Bloomberg’s Mayors Against Illegal Guns (MAIG) used the name of Ridgecrest, Calif., Mayor Dan Clark “illegally” when listing the number of mayors who supported their gun control push.
For more, go to:
Gun dealer retains lawyer for possible lawsuit against gun control group
Facing possible lawsuit, gun control group apologizes for misinformation
STATE LEGISLATURE ROUNDUP
Kansas, Missouri reps to discuss bi-state gun legislation
Missouri and Kansas lawmakers are proposing similar legislation that, if adopted, would restrict firearms for those charged with domestic violence or stalking restraining orders or convictions.
While the Kansas bill is gaining traction in Topeka, the Missouri version has received a cool reception among Missouri legislators in Jefferson City with one key state representative calling the proposal a “publicity stunt” with no chance of passage. Rep. Joe Don McGaugh, (R-Carrollton) said the bill is unconstitutional because it doesn’t include enough protections for gun owners.
In Nevada, state Sen. Debbie Smith told the Associated Press on Jan. 28 that he’ll introduce a bill this legislative session to keep guns away from people convicted of domestic violence, before acknowledging that the proposal faces an uphill battle in the Republican-controlled Legislature.
“By toughening penalties and taking guns out of the hands of domestic abusers, we can protect women, particularly those who have faced abuse,” Smith told the AP.
For more, go to:
Kansas, Missouri reps to discuss bi-state gun legislation
Bill would ban guns for people convicted of domestic abuse
Governor right to veto gun-related legislation
Gun-control debate returns to Colorado Capitol
Oregon Senators hope more democrats mean more gun control
Is trouble brewing again between Florida sheriffs, NRA over gun evacuation bill?
New Hampshire bill draws line in the sand on federal gun control
As Battle With NRA Looms, Philadelphia Scales Back Its Gun Laws
Vermont gun owners: Abandon background-check bill
Texas bill to allow use of deadly force by teachers against students
Bill to repeal gun-free zones in Wyoming advances
Texomans React to a Bill that Would Allow Concealed Weapons on College Campuses
Gun Rights’ Groups to Texas Pols: Grow a Spine on Open Carry
REGULATORY INNOVATION
North Dakota becomes ninth state to enact ‘Shall Certify’ legislation
The North Dakota Legislature on Jan. 30 unanimously adopted a “Shall Certify” law that denies police chiefs and county sheriffs the discretion over who can and can’t own National Firearms Act-regulated items, becoming the ninth state to remove arbitrary whim from the process that “allows” gun owners to exercise a Constitutional right.
Just a week after introducing a measure making it easier for gun owners to obtain NFA-regulated items by mandating local law enforcement to approve legal paperwork, the North Dakota Senate passed it 47-0.
According to the NFA Freedom Alliance (NFAFA), “Shall Certify” legislation is drafted to compel a chief law enforcement officer within a specific jurisdiction to certify any applicant who is not classified as a prohibited gun possessor under state or federal law. The legislation also provides a clear appeals process for any applicant denied certification.
Approximately two decades of “shall issue” concealed carry laws have shown that such policies work well at the state level, the NFAFA says. “If the federal government enacts the proposed changes to the NFA application process, ‘Shall Certify’ legislation will be not only preferable but necessary,” the NFAFA says. “Without it, the impact on the NFA industry and NFA owners will be devastating. The NFAFA has the necessary knowledge and experience and is the only organization to make this issue its number one priority.”
To legally own an NFA item—such as a silencer, short-barreled rifle or machine gun—a local chief law enforcement officer must sign an individual’s application before completing the transfer. In North Dakota, as in most states, the individual officer can technically approve or deny for arbitrary reasons. Now, these sheriffs and police chiefs are required to sign off on these applications as long as the individual can legally possess the item.
“All this law does is put a 30-day deadline in for law enforcement in which they forward the paperwork to the federal government,” Sen. Kelly Armstrong, the bill’s sponsor on the floor before last week’s vote, told the AP.
On Nov. 1, Oklahoma joined Alaska, Arizona, Kansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio and Utah as the eighth state to enact “Shall Certify” legislation. North Dakota becomes the ninth.
For more, go to:
It’s unanimous: ‘shall certify’ legislation sails through North Dakota Senate
Kentucky: “Shall Certify” Legislation Passes in Senate Committee, Sent to Senate Floor
Arizona: “Shall Certify” Legislation Passes in Senate, Goes to Governor for Signature
Kansas: House Committee Passes “Shall Certify” Legislation
Oklahoma: Shall Certify legislation takes effect November 1
Shall Sign legislation signed into law in four states
What is ‘Shall Certify’ legislation?
WOOING GUNMAKERS
Kansas’ firearm-friendly environment drawing interest from firearms manufacturers
Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback is aggressively lobbying to lure firearms manufacturers to the state, urged on by conservative lawmakers who think easing gun restrictions could make Kansas more attractive to manufacturers under legislative attack in their home states.
“We wouldn’t be in the game if it weren’t for our openness to guns and the Second Amendment,” Kansas Commerce Secretary Pat George told the Associated Press on Jan. 29.
Gun and ammunition manufacturing is a $13 billion business in the United States, employing about 46,000 people. The industry generated $1.4 billion in profits in 2014, according to market research company IBISWorld.
The Legislature’s actions send a strong message to gun makers in other parts of the country, especially New England’s manufacturing-rich “Gun Valley,” that Kansas won’t regulate manufacturers out of business.
While Kansas hasn’t landed any big-name manufacturers, which probably has as much or more to do with the companies’ bottom line as it does with Second Amendment politics. However, act
Nationwide, gun manufacturers are becoming anxious as state legislatures enact tougher restrictions after the mass shootings in Newtown, Conn., and Aurora, Colo.
Among manufacturers Kansas wants to woo:
—Beretta USA, which has decided to move its manufacturing operations out of Maryland after the state passed a law banning 45 semiautomatic weapons and gun magazines holding more than 10 rounds. The company broke ground on a new $45 million plant in Gallatin, Tenn. It will employ 200 workers, a company official said. Meanwhile, the Maryland law is facing a challenge in federal court.
—Rifle manufacturer PTR Industries, which moved 20 jobs to South Carolina from Bristol, Conn., after Connecticut expanded its semi-auto ban. Connecticut also banned the sale and purchase of ammunition magazines holding more than 10 rounds. Connecticut “literally legislated the company out of business,” PTR spokesman Bob Grabowski said.
—Kahr Firearms Group last spring broke ground on a new headquarters and a research unit in northeastern Pennsylvania after deciding to move out of New York after that state banned high-capacity ammunition magazines and assault weapons. Eventually, Kahr will add manufacturing facilities at its new Pennsylvania site.
For more, go to:
Kansas on the hunt for firearm makers
Increasingly gun-friendly Kansas is on the hunt for makers of firearms
Firearms Industry Concerned About What Obama Will Do in Next Two Years