NRA-ILA

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NRA-ILA Statement On Manchin-Toomey Defeat

April 17, 2013 by

Chris Cox, head of the NRA-ILA, issued the following statement following the Senate’s defeat of the Manchin-Toomey amendment by 54-46 this afternoon.

Statement from Chris W. Cox on U.S. Senate Defeat of Manchin-Toomey-Schumer Amendment

Today, the misguided Manchin-Toomey-Schumer proposal failed in the U.S. Senate. This amendment would have criminalized certain private transfers of firearms between honest citizens, requiring lifelong friends, neighbors and some family members to get federal government permission to exercise a fundamental right or face prosecution. As we have noted previously, expanding background checks, at gun shows or elsewhere, will not reduce violent crime or keep our kids safe in their schools.

The NRA will continue to work with Republicans and Democrats who are committed to protecting our children in schools, prosecuting violent criminals to the fullest extent of the law, and fixing our broken mental health system. We are grateful for the hard work and leadership of those Senators who chose to pursue meaningful solutions to our nation’s most pressing problems.

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NRA To Toomey And Manchin – Nope!

April 10, 2013 by

If Senators Toomey and Manchin thought their little attempt at bi-partisan gun control would fly with the NRA, they were mistaken. The NRA-ILA released the statement below regarding the Manchin-Toomey proposed bill.

Fairfax, Va. – Expanding background checks at gun shows will not
prevent the next shooting, will not solve violent crime and will not
keep our kids safe in schools. While the overwhelming rejection of
President Obama and Mayor Bloomberg’s “universal” background check
agenda is a positive development, we have a broken mental health system
that is not going to be fixed with more background checks at gun shows.
The sad truth is that no background check would have prevented the
tragedies in Newtown, Aurora or Tucson. We need a serious and meaningful
solution that addresses crime in cities like Chicago, addresses mental
health deficiencies, while at the same time protecting the rights of
those of us who are not a danger to anyone. President Obama should be as
committed to dealing with the gang problem that is tormenting honest
people in his hometown as he is to blaming law-abiding gun owners for
the acts of psychopathic murderers.

 TheHill has a little more on this here.

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Cops Don’t Think Gun Control Will Stop Mass Shootings

April 8, 2013 by 1 Comment

The law enforcement website, PoliceOne.com, conducted a survey of over 15,000 current and retired law enforcement officers regarding their attitudes towards gun control. Not surprising to those of us in the gun rights community, an overwhelming majority of cops thought gun control measures such as a new AWB wouldn’t stop mass shootings.

The NRA-ILA release on the survey is below:

FAIRFAX, Va. – PoliceOne.com released today the results of an extensive survey of about 15,000 active and retired law enforcement officers of all ranks and from departments ranging in size from less than 25 to more than 1,000.

These results strongly show that law enforcement officers do not support President Obama’s gun control agenda. They do, however, strongly support the Right-to-Carry by law-abiding Americans. The survey respondents are united in their desire for politicians to focus on keeping firearms out of the hands of the mentally ill and to reject unconstitutional gun control measures that infringe on Second Amendment rights.

“The American people, and particularly the members of law enforcement, want politicians in Washington to stop pursuing a failed political agenda and get to work fixing our broken mental health system, improving school security, and getting criminals off the streets,” said the executive director of NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action, Chris W. Cox.

The following are some key findings:

  • 99 percent said policies other than an “assault weapons” ban are most important to prevent mass shootings.


  • Almost 96 percent said that a ban on standard capacity magazines would not reduce violent crime.

  • More than 91 percent stated that the use of a firearm in the commission of a crime should have stiff, mandatory sentences, and no plea-bargains.

  • More than 91 percent stated they supported the Right-to-Carry by law abiding Americans.

  • More than 81 percent said that “gun buy-backs” do not reduce gun violence.

  • 80 percent believe legally armed citizens can reduce casualties in incidents of mass violence.

  • Nearly 80 percent said that a ban on private transfers of firearms between law-abiding citizens would not reduce violent crime.

  • More than 76 percent indicated that legally armed citizens are important to reducing crime.

  • More than 76 percent support the arming of trained and qualified teachers or administrators who volunteer to carry a firearm.

  • More than 70 percent said that a ban on “assault weapons” would not reduce violent crime.

  • More than 70 percent opposed the idea of a national registry of legal gun sales.

  • Nearly 68 percent said magazine capacity restrictions would negatively affect them personally.

  • More than 60 percent said that the passage of Obama’s gun control legislation would not improve officer safety.

Click here to read the complete survey: http://ddq74coujkv1i.cloudfront.net/p1_gunsurveysummary_2013.pdf

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About That Memo

February 26, 2013 by

The NRA-ILA has come out with a new ad based upon the leaked Depart of Justice memo that says an assault weapons ban (sic) and universal background checks are worthless unless draconian measures are added to it. The memo from Dr. Greg Ridgeway of the National Institute of Justice can be found here.

I wonder how soon Dr. Ridgeway will be thrown under the bus and returned to the RAND Corporation for stating the obvious. DOJ is already saying that the memo was “an unfinished review of gun violence research and does not represent administration policy.”

DOJ may say it doesn’t represent administration policy but it sure represents their thinking even if they haven’t officially adopted it yet.

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NRA-ILA On Win In 7th Circuit

February 23, 2013 by

The NRA-ILA was also pleased with the ruling from the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday that denied Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s request for an en banc hearing of the dual cases – Moore v. Madigan and Shepard v. Madigan.

They released this statement yesterday.


Fairfax, Va. – The United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit ruled on December 11, 2012, that Illinois’ total ban on carrying firearms for self-defense outside the home or business is unconstitutional. Today, the same court sitting en banc denied the State of Illinois’ petition to rehear the case. The case involves lead plaintiff Mary Shepard, an Illinois resident and a trained gun owner, who is licensed to carry a concealed handgun in both Utah and Florida. The National Rifle Association is funding this case. The Illinois State Rifle and Pistol Association is a co-plaintiff in this case.

On September 28, 2009, while working as the treasurer of her church, Ms. Shepard and an 83-year-old co-worker were viciously attacked and beaten by a six-foot-three-inch, 245 pound man with a violent past and a criminal record. Ms. Shepard and her co-worker were lucky to survive, as each of them suffered major injuries to the head, neck and upper body. Ms. Shepard’s injuries required extensive surgeries and she continues physical therapy to this day attempting to recover from her injuries.

In the ruling which was upheld today, Judge Richard Posner ruled that Illinois’ ban on carriage is unconstitutional. The Judge went on to say, “One doesn’t have to be a historian to realize that a right to keep and bear arms for personal self-defense in the eighteenth century could not rationally have been limited to the home. . . . Twenty-first century Illinois has no hostile Indians. But a Chicagoan is a good deal more likely to be attacked on a sidewalk than in his apartment on the 35th floor.”

“Today’s decision is a major victory for the Second Amendment and all the law abiding citizens of Illinois who wish to both to keep arms, and to bear arms,” added Chris W. Cox, executive director of NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action. “It is now clear that no state can deny law-abiding residents the right to carry a firearm for self-defense outside the home. We have been fighting this case for years and are prepared to keep fighting until the courts fully protect the entire Second Amendment.”

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Reasonable Gun Control?

February 13, 2013 by 1 Comment

I think Chris Cox of the NRA-ILA hits the nail on the head in this short video. Administration documents show that an effective AWB would require mandatory gun buybacks while universal background checks would require gun registration to be effective. Thanks but no thanks!

After watching this video with Chris Cox and watching Jessie Duff on TV, I think the NRA should reconsider having Wayne LaPierre be the number one spokesman for the NRA. While Wayne has been in the fight for a long time, I think Chris and Jessie give a more up-to-date and appealing face to the gun rights battle.

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Why Pass New Laws If You Won’t Enforce Existing Ones?

January 19, 2013 by 2 Comments

Jim Baker, the NRA-ILA Director of Federal Affairs, represented the NRA at the meeting last week with Vice-President Joe Biden and his task force. During that meeting, Baker emphasized the need to enforce existing gun laws. One of the items he mentioned was the low prosecution rate for falsifying answers on the ATF Form 4473.

Biden’s response?

“And to your point, Mr. Baker, regarding the lack of prosecutions on
lying on Form 4473s, we simply don’t have the time or manpower to
prosecute everybody who lies on a form, that checks a wrong box, that
answers a question inaccurately.”

The Daily Caller article summarized the lack of prosecutions:

In 2010, prosecutors considered just 22 cases of information falsification, according to a 2012 report to the Department of Justice by the Regional Justice Information Service. Forty additional background-check cases ended up before prosecutors for reasons related to unlawful gun possession.

In all, prosecutors pursued just 44 of those 62 cases. More than 72,600 applications were denied on the basis of a background check.

Bear in mind that each false answer on a Form 4473 carries a penalty of up to 10 years in Federal prison.

It isn’t just falsifications of Form 4473 that the Obama Administration seems not want to prosecute. In the table below, the number of firearms cases files and the number of convictions in US District Court is summarized by fiscal year for the period FY 2001 to FY 2010. A Federal fiscal year begins on October 1st of the preceding year. Thus, FY 2001 began on October 1, 2000. FY 2010 is the latest year in which statistics are available.

FY
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
Cases Filed
5,875
7,412
9,111
9,403
9,008
8,472
8,103
7,891
7,650
7,089
Convictions
4,925
5,563
6,786
7,889
8,690
8,706
8,111
7,886
7,941
7,642
Federal Firearms
Offenses, Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics, SUNY-Albany School of
Criminal Justice
http://www.albany.edu/sourcebook/

The number of  cases brought involving violations of Federal firearms laws is currently at the lowest level since FY 2001. That year the responsibility was part Clinton and part Bush. It is obvious that US Attorneys in the Bush Administration took violation of firearms law more seriously than do the US Attorneys in the Obama Administration. Comparing the high year of prosecutions under Bush – FY 2004 – with the first full year under Obama – FY 2010 – prosecutions have dropped by 33%. This is for all firearms prosecutions which includes felon in possession among other things.

Jim Baker points out the disconnect between pushing new firearms laws when you don’t prosecute existing laws.


“We think it is problematic when the administration takes lightly the prosecutions under existing gun laws and yet does not seem to have a problem promoting a whole host of other gun laws,” Baker told TheDC.

“If we are not going to enforce the laws that are on the books, it not only engenders disrespect for the law but it makes law-abiding gun owners wonder why we are going through this exercise we are going through now,” he added.

With an approximately 20,000 firearms laws already on the books in the United States, one more law passed won’t stop criminals. Some of the laws being promoted by the Obama Administration and the gun control forces in Congress would, however, make it harder for the average, law-abiding citizen to protect him or herself from the criminal class.

Is that what we really want criminal law to do? The answer is obviously a resounding no.

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Gun Prohibitionists At Work In Illinois Lame-Duck Session (Updated)

January 2, 2013 by 2 Comments

You have to wonder just how committed to democracy and representative government are those politicians who would push for gun bans. I think most people would understand that in the state of Illinois unfortunately power politics trumps democracy and representative government. So it is with the latest moves in Illinois to introduce an assault weapons (sic) ban.

From ISRA:


The ISRA has learned from a credible source that Illinois Senate President John Cullerton will introduce a so called “assault weapons” ban on Wednesday when the legislature returns for its “lame duck” session. Cullerton hopes to ramrod the bill through and get it to Governor Quinn for signature by Friday. If he is successful at doing so, nearly every gun you currently own will be banned and will be subject to confiscation by the Illinois State Police.

Based on what we know about Cullerton’s bill, firearms that would be banned include all semiautomatic rifles, pistols, and shotguns. Pump action shotguns would be banned as well. This would be a very comprehensive ban that would include not only so-called “assault weapons” but also such classics as M1 Garands and 1911-based pistols. There would be no exemptions and no grandfathering. You would have a very short window to turn in your guns to the State Police to avoid prosecution.

ISRA is asking that people in Illinois call your State Senator on Wednesday and politely tell him or her that you are a law abiding firearm owner and that you strongly oppose Cullerton’’s gun ban.

From the NRA-ILA:


URGENT: Illinois Anti-Gun Legislators That YOU Voted Out of Office to Use Their Last Remaining Days in Legislature Exploiting Lame Duck Session and Holiday Break To Impose a Draconian Gun Ban

The NRA-ILA has just learned that anti-gun legislators backed by Governor Quinn are deceptively trying to sneak through a new draconian gun ban as early as Wednesday while the legislature convenes for the Lame Duck Session from January 2 to 9. You voted many of these anti-gun legislators out of office, and now, in their last days as law makers, they want to quietly trample on the rights of all law-abiding gun owners in Illinois. It is imperative that you contact your state legislators

IMMEDIATELY and continue to do so over the next few days. The Lame Duck Session will end on January 9, so this bill will be moving at lightning speed through both the House and Senate, with very little time to spare. Your phone call or email will play an important role in halting this assault on your Second Amendment rights.

The NRA-ILA will continue to send updates on this matter as details become available to us. However, it is of the utmost importance that you act NOW to stop this gun ban and registration scheme. Call and email IMMEDIATELY and let your voice be heard on this matter.

To reach the main line for the Illinois General Assembly, please call 217.782.2000.

Contact information for your state legislators can be found by clicking here.

 Kurt Hofmann has more on this move in his column in the St. Louis Gun Rights Examiner.  Thirdpower at Days of Our Trailers blog has more as well as a suggestion to leave (polite) messages on the Illinois Senate Democratic Causus’ Facebook page. You can reach that here.

UPDATE: Sebastian reports that the attack on gun rights in the state of Illinois is far broader than previously thought. In addition to an AWB, there will be restrictions on ranges, magazines, a lost or stolen requirement, etc. Go to his post here and read the whole thing. If you are a resident of Illinois, get to work. If you have family or friends in Illinois, let them know so they can get to get work calling their state representatives.

UPDATE II: The NRA-ILA has released an alert stating that the vote could come as early as this afternoon on the AWB and magazine bans. Their alert is below:

If you own a semi-automatic firearm or detachable magazine, they may be banned and you could become a felon unless you act NOW

As the Illinois Senate convenes this afternoon for its Lame Duck session, anti-gun legislators led by Senate President John Cullerton and backed by Governor Patrick Quinn (D) are deceptively trying to sneak through a sweeping draconian gun and magazine ban in Springfield. In their last days as lawmakers (some were defeated for reelection and others retiring), these legislators are attempting to quietly trample on the rights of all law-abiding gun owners in Illinois. The many restrictions contained in this legislation are subject to changes, however, this latest attack on your Second Amendment rights as currently drafted would turn law-abiding owners into felons for possession of nearly all common semi-automatic firearms or detachable magazines. Not only would such a ban include classic firearms like the 1911 and common handguns like Glocks, this ban would also outlaw common hunting guns like the Ruger 10/22 and Remington 740 series.

It is imperative that you contact your state Senator IMMEDIATELY to express your opposition and continue to do so every day this week. The Lame Duck session starts today and ends on January 9, so this legislation will be moving at lightning speed in both the Senate and House, with very little time to spare. At this time, it is rumored that both the semi-auto and magazine ban bills will be sent to the Executive Committee this afternoon. Please contact those members (listed below) as well as your state Senator. Your telephone calls will determine the outcome of this assault on your Second Amendment rights.

Anti-gun politicians are attempting to sacrifice your constitutional rights as a scapegoat for the criminal acts of lunatics and violence in Chicago by gangs and drug dealers. Don’t let them succeed in banning your firearms or magazines as an excuse for stopping criminals from misusing them. Criminals — by definition — violate laws, especially gun control laws, including often: murder, rape, robbery, drug-dealing, gang violence, firearm theft, carrying concealed firearms without a license/permit, federal gun-free school zones. They do not obey gun bans, register their firearms, or get subjected to any gun control schemes (like the lone state ban on carrying concealed firearms for self-defense) that only affect and penalize law-abiding citizens like you.

The NRA-ILA will continue to send legislative updates as details become available. However, it is of the utmost importance that you act NOW to stop this gun and magazine ban. Call your state Senator and members of the Executive Committee IMMEDIATELY and express your opposition to banning firearms or magazines.

To reach the main line for the Illinois General Assembly, please call 217-782-2000.

Contact information for your state legislators can be found by clicking here.

Senate Executive Committee:

Senator Don Harmon, Chairman, (D-39)

(217) 782-8176

Senator Ira Silverstein, Vice Chairman, (D-8)

(217) 782-5500

Senator James F. Clayborne, Jr., (D-57)

(217) 782 5399

Senator Maggie Crotty, (D-19)

(217) 782-9595

Senator John J. Cullerton, Senate President (D-6)

(217) 782-2728

Senator Kimberly A. Lightford, (D-4)

(217) 782-8505

Senator Antonio Munoz, (D-1)

(217) 782-9415

Senator Jeffrey M. Schoenberg, (D-9)

(217) 782-2119

Senator Donne E. Trotter (D-17)

(217) 782-3201

Senator Dale A. Righter, Minority Spokesperson, (R-55)

(217) 782-6674

Senator William E. Brady, (R-44)

(217) 782-6216

Senator John O. Jones, (R-54)

(217) 782-0471

Senator David S. Luechtefeld, (R-58)

(217) 782-8137

Senator Matt Murphy, (R-27)

(217) 782-4471

Senator Christine Radogno, (R-41)

(217) 782-9407

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NRA-ILA On Illinois Governor’s Proposed AWB

August 2, 2012 by

The NRA-ILA released a harsh and detailed response yesterday to Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn’s amendatory veto of Senate Bill 681. You can read it below:

Gov. Quinn uses a previously NRA-Backed Ammunition Purchase Reform Bill as Vehicle for Gun Ban

Yesterday, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn (D) vetoed the NRA-backed ammunition purchase reform bill, Senate Bill 681, after this common sense legislation had passed with overwhelming bipartisan support in the Illinois legislature (previously reported on here). In a crass attempt to exploit the recent tragedy in Colorado and seek media attention, Quinn used his Amendatory Veto powers in a foolhardy attempt to impose more draconian gun control in Illinois. Quinn rewrote the entire bill as an amendment to the Illinois Criminal Code that includes an onerous ban on the manufacture, possession, delivery or sale of commonly-owned semi-automatic firearms (inaccurately referred to as “assault weapons”), .50 caliber rifles and cartridges and “high capacity” magazines in Illinois. Quinn’s amendment additionally tramples on the rights of Illinois citizens by creating a de facto statewide registration scheme for currently-owned firearms and magazines.

If this amendment is accepted by the Illinois General Assembly, law-abiding citizens in Illinois will be subjected to restrictions far beyond the scope of even the misguided Clinton Federal “Assault Weapons“ Ban that expired in 2004 and any other in existence in the country today. The repercussions of such a gun ban would be disastrous. As demonstrated by the failure of the assault weapon ban of 1994-2004 to produce the crime-reducing results proponents claimed it would, Quinn’s ban would do nothing to increase safety in Illinois and would only further restrict the rights of already law-abiding citizens throughout the state.

Using the well-worn anti-gun tactic of confusion, by conflating certain popular semi-automatic firearms with machine guns by using the term “assault weapon,” this legislation targets many of the most popular guns used for hunting and competition, as well as many models and magazines (those that hold more than ten rounds) used for self-defense. Banned items would include many familiar and popular firearms, such as:

  • Turkey hunting shotguns with pistol grips, like the Benelli Super Black Eagle II;
  • Plinking and target rifles with thumbhole stocks, as often seen on customized Ruger 10/22s;
  • High-power target rifles — even including the 1994-2004 versions of rifles like the M1A and AR-15 that were made to comply with the now-expired federal ban — because all of those rifles had handguards that “encircle” the barrel;
  • Any detachable-magazine semi-automatic rifle with even a partial handguard, potentially including common hunting rifles like the popular Remington 740/7400 series, Browning BAR, and many more like them.


This gun ban would even apply to the individual parts themselves (stocks, pistol grips, handguards, folding or telescoping stocks, etc). Possession, manufacture, delivery or sale of any of these items would be a felony.

Worse yet, this amended bill would impose a massive statewide gun registration scheme. Anyone who already possesses one of the banned guns or parts would have to provide proof of ownership and register each one with the State Police within ninety days of the effective date. This registration requirement spans from the firearm itself to individual parts and magazines that fall under the ban.

Governor Quinn and his band of anti-gun Chicago politicians would like to see their vicious attack on the Second Amendment play out across Illinois, even as Chicago—with the state’s most restrictive gun laws—is on track to tally more than 500 murders this year.

The repercussions of such a gun ban would actually be just the opposite of what proponents claim and the results would be disastrous. Firearms manufacturing is estimated to be a $250 million dollar industry in Illinois. Not only would this gun ban be devastating to law-abiding citizens in Illinois, it also would wreak havoc on an entire industry, killing jobs and driving a healthy contributor to the Illinois economy out of state. This legislation in no way promotes the safety or well-being of Illinois citizens, but is merely another attempt by gun-hating Chicago politicians to use misinformation to push draconian gun bans that will only affect gun owners, sportsmen and law-abiding citizens concerned about self-defense.

Your Action Is Needed! The Illinois General Assembly will reconvene on August 17th for their special session, and could vote on the Governor’s amendment to Senate Bill 681. Contact your state legislators TODAY and demand they oppose the Governor’s gun ban!

Contact information for all state legislators can be found by clicking here.

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Chris Cox On The Arms Trade Treaty

July 12, 2012 by 1 Comment

Ginny Simone of NRA News interviewed Chris Cox, head of the NRA-ILA, about the UN’s Arms Trade Treaty yesterday. This interview was after Wayne LaPierre spoke to the delegates of the ATT talks and presented the NRA’s position.

Chris made some good points in this interview. Perhaps the best was when he said that “our freedoms shouldn’t be dumbed down to an international standard; the truth is that international standards need to be brought up to United States (levels).” Given that the ATT has countries like Iran in a leadership role I don’t see this happening. That said, Chris is correct.

Another important point that Chris made was that treaties hang around forever until such time as there is a President and Senate willing to ratify it. Unlike a bill passed in one house of Congress that dies at the end of that Congressional session if the other house doesn’t pass it, an international treaty hangs around like a Zombie.