The picture of the day is one that gun rights activists will love and that the gun control industry hates.
It is a screen capture of the BATFE’s Leadership page. I am happy to see that they didn’t waste any time in updating it. Gee, it is almost like the BATFE is trying to suck up to the White House.
One of the questions I have been getting with some frequency as a candidate for the NRA Board of Directors is, “Can I vote online?” I have to answer that they cannot and they must use the paper ballot that was mailed to them in the February issue of the various NRA magazines.
It is a reasonable question and with today’s technology the question really should be “Why can’t I?” We vote proxies for multi-billion dollar public companies online all the time with the option to use a paper ballot. We use DocuSign to sign off securely on mortgages and financial transactions. Judge Cohen called the paper and ink petition signature gathering process as very “20th Century” and “antiquated”. In his Final Order, while permitting the paper petitions to remain, he said the NRA must provide an online alternative.
It is doable and I know it is doable because I just voted that way this evening for the Dallas Safari Club Board of Directors. I realize that DSC is a much smaller organization but I can’t see why it could not work for a larger organization like the NRA.
I was given an Election Code and Voting PIN. The ballot had the names of five candidates plus spaces for three write-in candidates. I could vote for up to three candidates. I ended up voting for only two and the system questioned whether I wanted to vote for a third candidate before submitting my vote. I didn’t and it went through with no troubles. As you can see above, I even got a confirm that it was a success.
This system was run by a company called YesElections which was formerly known as Election-America, Inc. According to a PDF e-book that I downloaded, they are able to handle hybrid elections where members are sent a paper ballot with the option to vote it online.
I plan to follow up with them this week and ask is there a maximum limit on the number of voters that they can handle. I know there are other companies like ProxyVote that handle millions of proxy votes during Annual Meeting season. While the latter is exclusively for the financial world, YesElections seems to work with a wider range of clients ranging from associations to unions to educational institutions.
Read their e-book yourself. Can you think of any reason something like this could not be implemented for the 2026 NRA Board of Directors’ election?
I can’t.
With Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger (R-Guilford, Rockingham) as a co-sponsor of SB50, permitless concealed carry is on the move in North Carolina. This is a big switch from 2023 when Berger said enough pro-gun bills had been passed.
As the Grass Roots North Carolina alert below makes clear, you can help move these bills along. You may need to change the delimiter between email addresses to fit your own email program’s preferences. This is easy to do in MS Word using find and replace. Additionally, I’d suggest using BCC when mailing to the legislators urging the two bills passage in each chamber’s Rules Committee.
From GRNC:
| MAKE CONSTITUTIONAL CARRY NC LAW |
| Senate Bill 50 (“Freedom to Carry NC”) and House Bill 5 (“NC Constitutional Carry”) are in the process of becoming NC law. We are so thankful to Sen.Berger and Rep Kidwell for their sponsorship and support in this pursuit. GRNC has been pivotal in this endeavour as we presented a 7,000-signature petition to Berger in a press conference at his office, and thousands of emails were sent to legislators by GRNC supporters. Additional sponsors for HB 5 are Reps. Jay Adams (R-Catawba, ****), Ben Moss (R-Moore, Richmond, ****) and freshman Brian Echevarria (R-Cabarrus, ****). Additional sponsors for SB 50 are Sens. Danny Britt (R-Hoke, Robeson, Scotland, GRNC ****), Warren Daniel (R-Buncombe, Burke, McDowell ****), and Eddie Settle (R-Alexander, Surry, Wilkes, Yadkin, ****). Both bills are currently in their respective Rules, Calendar and Operations committees. |
| IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED! |
IMMEDIATELY CONTACT REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP: Contact both Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger and Speaker Destin Hall to thank them for their support and urge them to give prompt committee hearings to HB 5 and SB 50. Use the links provided in the previous sentence for their contact information. Call and/or email the two leaders to thank them and to encourage them to advance these bills. IMMEDIATELY CONTACT ALL RULES COMMITTEE REPUBLICANS: Both Rules Committees (for House and Senate) need to hear loud and clear that you want a prompt committee hearing for HB 5 and SB 50. See contact information below. Please send two messages. Below, find two copy-paste email lists, one for the House and one for the Senate. Below that, find the copy-paste email message. DONATE TO GRNC: We are still low on funds after our highly successful election effort. Please donate by going to: grnc.org/wp/2012/06/donate-to-or-join-grnc/ NC HOUSE Rules Committee (copy-paste email list): Reece.Pyrtle@ncleg.gov; Blair.Eddins@ncleg.gov; Brenden.Jones@ncleg.gov; Charles.Miller@ncleg.gov; Donna.White@ncleg.gov; Erin.Pare@ncleg.gov; Jimmy.Dixon@ncleg.gov; John.Torbett@ncleg.gov; John.Bell@ncleg.gov; Karl.Gillespie@ncleg.gov; Kelly.Hastings@ncleg.gov; Kyle.Hall@ncleg.gov; Neal.Jackson@ncleg.gov; Sarah.Stevens@ncleg.gov; Steve.Tyson@ncleg.gov; Ted.Davis@ncleg.gov; Tricia.Cotham@ncleg.gov; William.Brisson@ncleg.gov NC SENATE Rules Committee (copy-paste email list): Amy.Galey@ncleg.gov; Benton.Sawrey@ncleg.gov; Bill.Rabon@ncleg.gov; Brent.Jackson@ncleg.gov; Danny.Britt@ncleg.gov; Lisa.Barnes@ncleg.gov; Michael.Lazzara@ncleg.gov; Michael.Lee@ncleg.gov; Norman.Sanderson@ncleg.gov; Paul.Newton@ncleg.gov; Ralph.Hise@ncleg.gov; Todd.Johnson@ncleg.gov; Tom.McInnis@ncleg.gov; Vickie.Sawyer@ncleg.gov; Warren.Daniel@ncleg.gov |
| DELIVER THIS MESSAGE |
Suggested Subject: “Advance Constitutional Carry Bills HB 5 & SB 50” Dear Rules Committee Members: As a Grass Roots North Carolina member, I thank you for your support and strongly urge you to give a prompt committee hearing to permitless or “constitutional” carry bills HB 5 and SB 50. Fully 29 states have already adopted constitutional carry, with none of its naysayers’ dire predictions coming true. In fact, the Crime Prevention Research Center finds a small but significant reduction in violent crime among states which adopt permitless carry. North Carolina Republicans are now lagging their counterparts in other states. Accordingly, I strongly urge you to bring constitutional carry to a prompt committee hearing and floor vote. I will be monitoring your actions through Grass Roots North Carolina legislative alerts. Respectfully, |
Marty Daniel of Daniel Defense just endorsed the ElectANewNRA slate of candidates in a video message. I had heard many in the firearms industry were coming around to the reform side. That said, this is huge and I very grateful for the support from Marty.
You can view the whole 1:30 video below:
Pamela Hicks, ATF Chief Counsel since September 2021, was fired yesterday by Attorney General Pam Bondi. Hicks, a graduate of Duke Law, had served at ATF for a total of 14 plus years with additional service at the Department of Justice and Department of the Treasury. She had been promoted to Chief Counsel from the Deputy Counsel position. At the time of her promotion, an article by John Crump pointed out that Hicks had donated to Democrat candidates including Hillary Clinton along with Emily’s List. I’m sure that helped confirm her bona fides to the Biden Administration.
According to ABC News, Hicks was escorted out of her office upon being fired. Hicks posted a note on her LinkedIn page that said she had been fired but did not specify the reason.
Earlier today, I was served official notice from the Attorney General of the United States that I was being removed from my position as the Chief Counsel of ATF and my employment with the Department of Justice terminated. I have had the privilege of serving in the federal civil service for almost 28 years, including 23 as an attorney for the Department of Justice. Serving as ATF Chief Counsel has been the highest honor of my career and working with the people at ATF and throughout the Department has been a pleasure.
As The Firearm Blog notes, Hicks had a mixed batting record given the Biden-era rulings coming out of ATF such as the pistol brace rule.
Over the past few years, the ATF has been involved with cases such as the Pistol Brace Flip-Flop, where the feds were in the odd position of saying pistol-stabilizing braces were illegal and then saying they weren’t, and then saying they’d decide on a case-by-case basis with no real guidance.
These and other Second Amendment-suspicious situations do not indicate strong leadership or solid legal groundwork, and whether you were looking at the situation from an anti-gun or a pro-gun viewpoint, it is no surprise to see Hicks punted a few weeks after ATF Director Steven Dettelbach left. With a new director incoming, whoever that may be, the agency will also likely want to clean house of previous personnel and policies.
ATF quickly erased her from their page devoted to the bureau’s leadership. She still can be found on the older page which featured Steve Dettelbach as Director.
Of course, the gun control industry is upset by this.
Brady United President Kris Brown called the firing “chilling” and said “we are all at greater risk.” Everytown and The Cult of Personality known as Giffords have not posted anything as of yet concerning her firing. The latter seems more concerned with Kash Patel winning confirmation as the Director of the FBI.
As for me, I say it is a good first step. I hope more firings are to come.
Update: Hicks first job after graduation from Duke Law was with the law firm of Crowell and Moring. I was just reading an article by 2A scholar David Kopel on the Volokh Conspiracy regarding an amicus brief submitted by the NRA, FPC Action Foundation, and the Independence Institute in Smith & Wesson Brands v. Mexico. It was authored by he and NRA-ILA’s Joe Greenlee. The response attacking this brief came from none other than lawyers affiliated with Crowell and Moring.
Why am I not surprised? One must wonder if former Chief Counsel Hicks was involved in recruiting her former firm to submit the response brief.
This is also another case of Big Law wanting subvert gun rights.
Grass Roots North Carolina has issued an alert about the actions of the Pitt County (NC) County Commissioners. The commissioners have passed a firearms ordinance that makes discharge of a firearm between certain hours a misdemeanor. In the meantime, they are also considering a change to their zoning ordinances that make the discharge ordinance a moving target. I guess one should not be surprised that this is coming from a county named after a British prime minister.
From the GRNC Alert:
| PITT CO. CONTINUES ITS OVERREACH ITEMS ON AGENDA FOR 2/24/2025 MEETING |
“In Pitt County’s desperate attempt to “do something” about their imported criminal problem, they can’t seem to accurately define exactly what needs to be prohibited… In their repeated rewrites, they can’t even conform regulations to what the state already has in statute. It’s hard for them to make up definitions. “Propellants” are used in modern cartridges, not “explosives”. But it’s not our job to help them accurately rewrite their infringements.PITT CO.’s Latest firearm ordinance Discharging A Firearm at Night, criminalize “firearm” discharges at night between the hours of 9:30 PM until 6:30 AM as a Class 3 misdemeanor and a fine of not more than $500 and/or imprisonment for not more than thirty (30) days.At most, this should be a civil infraction or covered by a noise ordinance. This is a ham-fisted clumsily attempt to address noise complaints with overreaching criminal consequences. The ordinance is also a moving target dependent upon fluid “zoning” regulations and definitions changeable under Pitt County Zoning Ordinance 12. It’s just bad rulemaking open to interpretation and changeable via whim. Emotionally charged language criminalizes and over penalizes what should at most be infractions of law. Further more, this likely conflicts with the NC General assembly’s latest rulemaking on “downzoning” and has criminal implications. How can this possibly be enforced without complicated interpretations of zoning law. And why should any consequences be determined or adjudicated through a “zoning” board of appeals. GRNC is of course against unlawful, irresponsible and dangerous behavior that results in firearms rounds crossing into or across another person’s property or public areas. However, the Discharging a Firearm Across Property Lines ordinance is unnecessarily full of emotionally charged language with examples such as “parks”, “childcare facility”, “Schools”, “medical facility”, “park” or “recreational area”. Are other areas, locations not named, or not included not significant? These areas need to be removed, and legally defensible language used. GRNC urges every citizen to oppose these unnecessary infringements and write Pitt county commissioners: “GRNC strongly urges you to oppose the proposed ordinance. If the commission insists on passing this ill conceived ordinance into law, at least reduce the penalty for discharge of a firearm at night to a civil infraction.” |
| IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED! |
| CALL & EMAIL PITT CO. COMMISSIONERS: If you previously called, please do it again! Using the contact information and copy-and-paste message below, you can make your outrage heard to these meddling bureaucrats. ATTEND THE FEB 24th MEETING: The Pitt Co. Commission plans to vote on the ordinance on FEB 24th. We must again pack this meeting with angry gun rights voters. The meeting will be held at 6:00 PM at the Mark Owens, Jr. Auditorium, Pitt County Agricultural Center 403 Government Circle Greenville, NC 27834, Commissioners’ Auditorium, Greenville, NC 27834. A GRNC representative will be at the meeting. PLEASE CONTRIBUTE TO GRNC: Help us fight gun control while we promote Second Amendment principles. Please CLICK HERE to contribute. Bear in mind that GRNC is an all-volunteer organization, so you can be sure your donations are put to the best possible use. Any amount helps, and any amount is appreciated. CONTACT INFO Copy & paste list: (Note: The copy and paste list does not include Commissioner Lauren White, who opposes the ordinance. To express your thanks for her opposition, you may email her at her e-mail address listed below): rochelle@rochellebrown.net; ann.floydhuggins@pittcountync.gov; benji.holloman@pittcountync.gov ; king2006mac@yahoo.com; Chris.Nunnally@gmail.com; pittcounty.commissionerd2@gmail.com; mark.smith@pittcountync; mac1958@centurylink.net Phone numbers (all numbers 252 area code): Rochelle Brown 702-1987 Ann Floyd Huggins 252-757-1444 Benji Holloman 714-6311 Melvin C. McLawhorn 327-6559 Christopher Nunnally 917-7374 Mary Perkins-Williams 751-6686 Mark C. Smith 916-5171 Mac Manning 341-0001 Lauren already opposes the ordinances: So please give her your appreciation Lauren White, 341-5522, laurenashley318@yahoo.com |
| DELIVER THIS MESSAGE |
Suggested Subject: “Oppose PITT CO. Shooting Ordinances” Dear Commissioner, PITT CO.’s Latest firearm ordinances criminalize “firearm” discharges at night between the hours of 9:30 PM until 6:30 AM as a Class 3 misdemeanor and a fine of not more than $500 and/or imprisonment for not more than thirty (30) days. At most this should be a civil infraction or covered by a noise ordinance. This is a ham-fisted clumsily attempt to address noise complaints and an imported criminal problem. The ordinance is also a moving target dependent upon fluid “zoning” regulations and definitions changeable under Pitt County Zoning Ordinance 12. It’s just bad rulemaking open to interpretation and changeable via whim. Furthermore, this likely conflicts with the NC General assembly’s latest rulemaking on “downzoning” and has criminal implications. How can this possibly be enforced without complicated interpretations of zoning law. And why should any firearms consequences be determined or adjudicated through a “zoning board of appeals. GRNC and everyone, are of course against unlawful, irresponsible and dangerous behavior that results in firearms rounds crossing into or across another person’s property or public areas. However, the Discharging a Firearm Across Property Lines ordinance is unnecessarily full of emotionally charged language and locations with examples such as “parks”, “childcare facility”, “Schools”, “medical facility”, “park” or “recreational area”. Are other areas or locations not named not included or not significant? These areas need to be removed, and legally defensible language applied. I and GRNC strongly urges you to oppose the proposed ordinance. If the commission insists on passing these ill conceived ordinances into law, at least reduce the penalty for discharge of a firearm at night to a civil infraction. Respectfully, |
The Second Amendment Foundation is the beneficiary of Brownell’s 2A Day. 4% of sales – not just profits – will go to SAF, GOA, and Iowa Firearms Coalition.
| Brownells’ 2A Day is all about celebrating our Second Amendment rights—and what better way to do that than with an epic giveaway? One lucky winner will take home a Smith & Wesson Model 19 Classic, plus ammo, gear, and a $500 Brownells gift card to stock up on whatever else they need. What’s in the Prize Package? Smith & Wesson Model 19 Classic – A legendary revolver, reborn 1,450 Rounds of Ammo – Federal .357 Magnum, CCI Blazer 9mm, and Remington .223 NATO Hornady RAPiD Safe – Secure your firearms with RFID access Magpul Santini Eyewear & DAKA Gear – Tactical storage and polarized protection $500 Brownells Gift Card – Because there’s always something else to add to the kitDon’t miss your shot—enter now for a chance to win! Enter The Giveaway |
The event runs until February 23rd.
Our friends at the Falls Township Rifle and Pistol Association have been doing a deep dive into the voting statistics of the NRA. I used to say about 5% of voting members voted in each recent election. I was wrong. It is only marginally more than 3%! I have seen a greater turnout for municipal elections for coroner and Soil & Water Commissioner.
What this means is that the members of your average moderate sized gun club, if NRA voting members, could swing an election. The difference between being on the Board and being a runner-up is usually somewhere around 325 votes.
Semafor.com reported yesterday that Sarah Rogers of Brewer, Attorneys and Counselors, has been nominated by President Trump to the the Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy. This is confirmed by the White House as her name was included in a list of over 50 nominations for various positions that must be confirmed by the Senate.
The nominations include a New York lawyer, Sarah Rogers, who has defended the National Rifle Association on free speech grounds and litigated against content moderation. Her appointment to be the under secretary for public diplomacy — a role that had, in the Biden administration, been involved in efforts to combat false information on social media, signals that the Trump administration is planning to globalize its push to force social platforms to allow a wider range of speech…
Rogers has no obvious foreign policy experience, but brings a similar point of view on key issues around speech and social media platforms. A partner at the New York litigation boutique Brewer, Rogers represented the National Rifle Association alongside the ACLU in a winning appeal to the Supreme Court last March. She also represented the NRA against the New York State Attorney General, who was seeking to dissolve the organization, which the NRA beat back on First Amendment grounds.
I will acknowledge that Rogers was a co-counsel along with Bill Brewer and Noah Peters on NRA v. Vullo. However, and this is an important point, the counsel of record and the heavy lifter in this case at the SCOTUS was First Amendment law expert Professor Eugene Volokh of UCLA Law. Once the ACLU was brought into the case, you had as many as 10 of their attorneys working on the case while Prof. Volokh remained the Counsel of Record.
While Judge Cohen did mention the First Amendment in his ruling taking dissolution off the table in People of NY v NRA et al, it seems to me to be more of an after thought. He only devoted one paragraph to that argument. More important in his 42-page ruling was whether or not the New York Attorney General alleged facts sufficient to meet the standard for judicial dissolution. He found that she did not. He said you could not conflate “the Individual Defendants with the NRA writ large for purposes of dissolution is inappropriate here for the reasons” he discussed earlier. He went on to say it was the members of the NRA who had suffered the most harm and not the general public.
Rogers did participate in most of the hearings in the New York case as the primary litigator for the NRA. I will give her that.
Trump has in the past shown a certain affection for those educated at Ivy League schools. Rogers satisfies that criteria with an undergraduate degree from Dartmouth and a law degree from Columbia. The Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy heads the Bureau of Global Public Affairs (PR for the USA) and the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (cultivating personal ties with current and future global leaders). Without trying to be snarky, she will be running the fluffier stuff at the State Department.
While Ms. Rogers will be taking a cut in pay, I’m going to say it probably is worth it to get away from Bill Brewer and his shenanigans. Down the road, I’m sure she will be able to parlay her experience as an Under Secretary of State into a prime partnership with a New York or DC law firm.
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