Gun News of the Week: Trump Reassures NRA He Remains Steadfast in Defending Gun-Owners’ Rights
Plus: Bank of America's Invests in Remington Rebound
TOP STORY
Trump Reassures NRA He Remains Steadfast In Defending Gun-Owners’ Rights
In the aftermath of the Valentine’s Day school shooting in Parkland, Fla., gun rights advocates feared President Donald Trump’s ever-shifting rule-by-mood would prompt him to cast aside a constituency that stood by him when mainstream punditry dismissed him as a serious presidential candidate.
Trump met with gun control advocates, announced his support for firearms restrictions the National Rifle Association and other gun-rights groups have long opposed, including expanded background checks.
As if to assure gun owners that he remains committed to protecting their rights, Trump emphatically delivered a strong message of support for the gun rights at the NRA’s annual meeting in Dallas on May 4.
“You give your time, your energy, your vote and your voice to stand strong for those sacred rights given to us by God, including the right to self-defense,” Trump told the NRA. “And now, thanks to your activism and dedication, you have an administration fighting to protect your Second Amendment.”
It was the fourth consecutive year in a row Trump has addressed the NRA’s annual convention.
The NRA spent $30 million in support of Trump’s 2016 campaign.
In the immediate aftermath of Parkland, Trump hosted televised meetings with survivors of the shooting, victims’ families and offered a range of ideas during those sessions — including arming teachers who volunteer to carry guns in schools, something the NRA supports — but also suggested support for raising the minimum age to 21 for some gun purchases and expanding background checks.
He also suggested taking guns away from anyone considered dangerous without waiting for a court order. “Take the guns first, go through due process second,” he said.
But all that seems like old news in a world where the news — and the President’s allegiances — change moment-to-moment.
For this moment, Trump remembers loyalty goes two ways.
“Your Second Amendment rights are under siege,” Mr. Trump said. “But they will never, ever be under siege as long as I am your president.”
For more, go to:
— Trump says he won’t let right to bear arms ‘be under siege’
— Trump pledges to protect US firearms laws
— TRUMP AND PENCE ADDRESS NRA AMID TENSE GUN DEBATE
— Father of Parkland victim heckled by gun rights group as he speaks at rally near NRA meeting
— Anger in France, Britain over Donald Trump’s gun laws speech to the National Rifle Association
— Think All Millennials Support Stricter Gun Control? Think Again.
— There’s A Cheap And Effective Way To Reduce Gun Violence. Why Aren’t More States Doing It?
— Gun Control Activists Target Newspaper for Advertising a Gun Show
— Trump Embraces the NRA, Abandoning Flirtation With Gun Control
— Democratic Congressman: Let’s Force Gun Owners To Turn Over Their AR-15 And Other Rifles
CORPORATE HYPOCRISY
Pledge? What Pledge? Bank Of America’s Invests In Remington Rebound
Bank of America Corp is contributing $43.2 million to a $193 million financing package assembled by seven banks for Remington Outdoor Co. just weeks after it told the world it would not do business with firearms manufacturers that produce semi-automatic rifles.
That’s because it was all baloney and you were supposed to forget BoA ever said such a thing.
According to court documents reviewed by Tom Hals and Jessica DiNapoli of Reuters, the financing package is basically a bet by the banks that Remington will get back on stable footing as it emerges from bankruptcy in late May.
In April, BoA Vice Chair Anne Finucane told Bloomberg TV that “it is not our intent to underwrite or finance military-style firearms on a go-forward basis.”
Remington manufactures the AR-15, which gun control advocates have convinced gullible TV-educated people with no understanding of firearms is “an assault weapon.”
When asked if it had reneged on its pledge to longer do business with “assault weapons” manufacturers, BoA said it does not comment on client matters.
For more, go to:
— Bank of America’s loan to Remington tests its firearms pledge
— Ahead of NRA Speech, Cruz Bashes Big Banks Over Restrictions on Guns
— Dick’s Sporting Goods ramps up gun control push
— Remington, the Gun Maker, Is Set to Exit Bankruptcy
— Dick’s Sporting Goods ramps up gun control push, hires lobbyist
STATE ROUNDUP
Louisiana House OKs Version Of Campus Carry
The Louisiana House of Representatives on May 2 advanced a proposed bill that would allow people with conceal carry permits to bring guns onto school and university campuses statewide.
House Bill 602, sponsored by Rep. Blake Miguez, (R-Erath), passed in a 59-to-36 vote and moves onto the Senate.
Miguez said the bill excludes teachers, school administrators and students with concealed carry permits from carrying firearms on school properties but would allow visitors with a conceal carry permits to legally carry weapons within schools’ gun-free zones.
According to Louisiana State Police, 204,625 conceal carry permits have been issued to residents since 1996. During the same time period, the department reported it has denied 5,524 permits, suspended 2,522 permits, and revoked 1,250 permits statewide.
The permitting procedures of state police and the bill’s inclusion of a school’s choice to exclude certain venues or functions, such as a sports stadium, from the conceal carry option, are not enough for some school administrators.
John Nicklow, president of the University of New Orleans said in a statement to WDSU that, “Any bill that would allow people to bring firearms onto a college campus is very troubling. As institutions of higher education, we must prioritize the safety and welfare of our students and employees above all else.”
For more, go to:
— Louisiana bill seeks to loosen gun laws at schools
— Kansas: Legislators holster votes on conceal-firearm bill at close of ’18 session
— Massachusetts: This Is The Toughest Gun Law In America
— Illinois counties declare ‘sanctuary’ status for gun owners
— Pro- and anti-gun bills fail in Tennessee legislature
— Anti-gun group wants Florida assault weapons ban on 2020 ballot
— New Jersey: Assemblymen seek higher age for individuals purchasing rifles, shotguns
— Missouri: Traversing the Legislative Divide on Gun Regulation
— Oklahoma governor faces decision on gun carry without permit
— Dad of Parkland victim backs proposed Ohio gun law changes
— Texas Republicans tout gun rights, praise Sutherland Springs heroes at NRA convention
— California: Gavin Newsom goes after John Cox for calling gun laws ‘a waste of time’
— New York: In re-election mode, Cuomo pushing more gun restrictions
IN THE COURTS
NRA Sues ‘Carry Guard’ Insurance Provider For Breach Of Contract
The National Rifle Association on May 4 sued insurance broker Lockton Cos, alleging the firm breached its contract to administer an insurance program after it was, essentially, banned from doing so in New York and, likely, everywhere else soon.
The NRA suit came two days after Lockton agreed to pay a $7 million fine imposed by New York regulators for violating state law.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Missouri-based Lockton told New York officials it would cancel the 680 Carry Guard policies it sold over the past year to New Yorkers.
The company announced in February that it would stop providing brokerage services for all NRA-endorsed insurance programs.
The NRA acted appropriately at all times and relied on Lockton and its assurances that the program complied with state regulations, NRA lawyer William Brewer told the Wall Street Journal.
Lockton advertises Carry Guard as the nation’s “most complete self-defense membership program” on its website, referring to its plan as “comprehensive personal firearms liability insurance.”
New York regulators said the insurance unlawfully offered protection for certain acts of intentional wrongdoing and improperly provided coverage for acts of self defense.
For more, go to:
— National Rifle Association Sues Its Insurance Broker
— NRA Should Name Teens in Suit Over New Gun Law, Florida Says
— Student Sues Wisconsin Principal Over Ban On Gun T-Shirts
— Should schools have the right to ban shirts with images of guns?
