Firearm Legislation Action Alerts
Check this page often (or subscribe to the RSS feed for this page) to keep updated on the lastest action alerts about bills that could affect your rights.
Proposed PA Law Would Require All Firearm Sales To Go Through An FFL - March 27, 2013
Pennsylvania State Bill SB736
6 PA reps have introduced SB736, a proposed law that would require all firearm sales to go through an FFL.
From the bill:
Duty of other persons.--Any person who is not a licensed importer, licensed manufacturer or federally licensed firearms dealer and who desires to sell or transfer a firearm to another unlicensed person shall do so only upon the place of business of a licensed importer, licensed manufacturer, federally licensed firearms dealer or county sheriff's office
Contact your reps and tell them this will not be tolerated!
Update: After further review it appears section F of PA 6111 continues to define a firearm within this section as "The provisions contained in subsections (a) and (c) shall only apply to pistols or revolvers with a barrel length of less than 15 inches, any shotgun with a barrel length of less than 18 inches, any rifle with a barrel length of less than 16 inches or any firearm with an overall length of less than 26 inches"
What we have found within the law is a form of registration for gun shows and 'meets' (which is not defined) which could put gun show promoters under the juristiction of the AG's office, currently held by an anti-gun Democrat.
Law To Repeal Concealed Carry In Maine State Parks Introduced - March 27, 2013
Maine State Bill LD1173
A law that would reverse a previous law that allow concealed carry permit holders to carry in state parks was introduced in Maine Tuesday.
Only exceptions to the repeal are for 'qualified law enforcement'
Sponsors of the law are: Gerzofsky, Priest, Craven, Lajoie, Moonen & Plante
New York State Moves to Suspend Magazine Capacity Limit - March 26, 2013
State: New York
Late Sunday evening the NEw York legislature moved to suspend the magazine capacity limit that was included in the SAFE act that was rushed through last month.
Under the change, if magazines are loaded with more than seven bullets outside of a gun range or competition, they would be illegal. The punishments vary depending on if the magazine was within the owner's home and whether it's a first-time offense.
Propsed NJ Law Could Force Doctors To Report Patients - March 26, 2013
State Bill A3754
Mental health professionals are raising concerns about a bill that would require them to report to the attorney general any patients they feel are likely to harm themselves or others, allowing authorities to seize firearms from those who are registered gun owners.
The proposed legislation is a possible step that Gov. Chris Christie and the state Senate could take as they mull what to do to address guns in the wake of the Newtown, CT, mass shooting.
The Assembly has passed a series of bills focusing on guns, including A-3754, which would apply to psychiatrists, psychologists, doctors, nurses, clinical social workers, and marriage counselors.
Senate Votes Against UN Arms Treaty In Budget Amendment - March 23, 2013
Federal Bill
In a last minute amendment to the current US budget bill Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) introduced an amendment that would prevent the United States from entering into the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty in order to uphold the Second Amendment.
The amendment passed with a vote of 53-46. Later the Senate passed the budget bill and it now moves to the House.
Philadephia City Council Approves Illegal Gun Bans In Parks And Rec Centers - March 22, 2013
State: Pennsylvania
Knowing full well they are violating Pennsylvania preemption laws the Philadelphia City Council authorized Mayor Nutter to ban guns in city parks and recreational centers Thursday. The council vote was 15 to 2
"I want to make sure our facilities for our youngest citizens are safe," said the measure's chief sponsor, 8th District councilwoman Cindy Bass. "And this, I believe, will go a long way. I think it will spread the message."
City officials say the rules would regulate behavior, not guns but admit it will likely end up in court.
Pennsylvania has very strict laws disallowing any preemptive gun laws to be put into place by any city, town or county government.
If the mayor does in fact create such laws several rallies against the laws are planned.
South Dakota Passes Law Authorizing School Employees To Carry Guns - March 20, 2013
South Dakota State Bill HB1087
South Dakota became the first state in the nation to enact a law explicitly authorizing school employees to carry guns on the job, under a measure signed into law on Friday by Gov. Dennis Daugaard.
Representative Scott Craig, a freshman Republican in the South Dakota House who sponsored the bill, said he hoped the measure would shift the country's discourse on school safety.
The law leaves it up to school districts to decide whether to allow armed teachers. It remains to be seen, however, if many schools will permit guns in classrooms and whether the measure will reverberate nationwide. Mr. Daugaard, a Republican, said he did not think that many schools would take advantage of the option, but that it was important for them to have the choice available.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/09/us/south-dakota-gun-law-classrooms.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1&
Colorado Governor Signs Gun Control Laws - March 20, 2013
State: Colorado
Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper signed three new gun laws on Wednesday. The laws limit magazines to 15 rounds, make buyer pay for their own background checks and require universal background checks.
All three laws going into effect July 1st unless they are challenged in court.
http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/20/us/colorado-gun-control/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
Colorado Governor To Sign NEw Gun Laws Today - March 19, 2013
Colorado State Bill HB1224
Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper will sign legislation today that sets limits on ammunition magazines and expands background checks for firearms. The measures proposed are some of the strictest gun laws in the nation, and their passage comes after weeks of tense legislative battles.
The Colorado laws include a ban on ammunition magazines that can carry more than 15 rounds, and eight shotgun shells. The bill on background checks expands the requirement to sales and transfers between private parties and online purchases.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/03/19/colorado-governor-to-sign-gun-controls-into-law/
Feinstein Assault Weapon Ban Will Not Be Added To Main Gun Control Bill - March 19, 2013
Federal Bill SB150
Breibart.com and Politico.com are reporting this morning that Senator Feinstein has been informed her assault wepon ban will not be included in the new gun bill that is headed to the Senate floor next month.
"My understanding is it will not be [part of the base bill]," Feinstein said. "It will be separate."
Asked if she were concerned about the decision, Feinstein paused and said, "Sure. I would like to [see the bill moved], but the leader has decided not to do it."
They are also reporting universal background checks will not head to the floor either.
They can still be added as amendments so keep up the pressure!
Connecticut Panel Proposes Dracoian New Gun Laws - March 18, 2013
State: Connecticut
In the wake of the Sandy Hook shootings an advisory panel convened by the governor has been looking at potential new gun legislation. While this panel can not create laws they have come out with their recommendations today that could influence new laws in the state. To say they are Draconian is an understatement!
The 16-member commission of educators, academics, emergency responders, politicians and mental health professionals called for requiring a certificate of registration for any firearm that would be issued following the completion of a background check.
Registration would be distinct from a permit to carry a firearm, which the commission said should be required and renewed on a regular basis.
The mandatory background check would apply to the sale or transfer of any firearm, including private sales and exchanges at gun shows.
The commission proposed allowing the purchase of ammunition only for registered firearms and banning any magazine holding more than 10 rounds, while prohibiting all armor-piercing and incendiary bullets.
It would also require gun clubs to report any negligent or reckless behavior.
Background Checks Bill Advances in MN Senate - March 15, 2013
State: Minnesota
A bill that was supposed to find common ground on firearms continues to divide Minnesota lawmakers, even as powerful Democrats push forward with their own priorities on gun control.
On a party-line committee vote Thursday, Democrats sent to the Senate floor a measure that includes so-called 'universal' background checks - the main priority of gun-control advocates.
In the process, the Senate Judiciary Committee stifled competing gun legislation's chances of passage.
Proposed Washinton DC Legisation Would Require Residents To Aquire $250,000 Insurance Policy - March 14, 2013
State: District of Columbia
D.C. Councilmember Mary Cheh has proposed legislation that would require gun owners in the District to carry insurance.
If Cheh's bill is passed by the D.C. Council, all current and future gun owners will be forced to take out a $250,000 policy.
Cheh believes the insurance policy will ensure compensation for those who are harmed by firearms.
Chicago City Council Mull Even Tougher Laws - March 13, 2013
State: Illinois
Chicago City Council members meeting Wednesday will vote on expanding the city's already-strict gun laws, just two days after a 6-month-old girl was fatally shot in a gang-related incident.
The Council votes Wednesday on a proposal to expand the city's gun offender registry and database, NBC Chicago reports. The legislation would require any city resident convicted of a violent gun-related crime to register with city police - much as sex offenders do. They would also have to keep in touch with police and have their registration reviewed every four years, NBC says.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/mar/13/chicago-council-members-mull-even-tougher-gun-laws/
Texas Trys To Say Says 'NO' To New Federal Gun Legislation - March 13, 2013
State: Texas
Texas will protect gun rights from federal intrusion, lawmakers said in a state Capitol hearing Wednesday.
In a hearing, a select Texas House Federalism and Fiscal Responsibility Committee heard multiple bills that would stop federal gun-control proposals after the deadly Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting last year in Connecticut.
"Over the past few months we've seen legislation proposed on both the state and the federal levels that seek to limit the rights Americans enjoy under the Second Amendment, and we've also seen many bills that seek to counter these efforts," said state Rep. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, chairman of the special committee. "The intent behind these bills and this hearing is not to reject federal power where it is constitutionally exercised, but to help the state of Texas assert and maintain its sovereignty, particularly" with regard to the Second Amendment.
http://www.reporternews.com/news/2013/mar/13/texas-legislative-panel-hears-bills-that-would/
California Lawmaker Linda Sanchez Proposes 10 Percent Tax On Any 'Concealable Weapon' - March 12, 2013
Federal Bill
Amoung so many idiotic bills Rep. Linda Sanchez, D-Calif., proposed a bill that would impose a 10 percent tax on "any concealable" firearm. The revenue would be used to help fund a national gun buyback program. The bill is still in committee.
At the state level in California, Democratic state Rep. Roger Dickinson last month introduced a bill to impose a 5-cent tax on every bullet.
"A limited tax on ammunition is a small price to pay for better mental health care for children in our state," he said in a recent statement. The revenue from the tax would go toward screening young people for mental illness.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/03/11/lawmakers-eye-new-taxes-for-guns-ammo/
Nevada Assembly introduces new gun law proposals to tax bullets and guns - March 12, 2013
State: Nevada
A bill mandating background checks for gun purchases, prohibiting armor piercing bullets and taxing firearm sales was introduced Monday in the Nevada Assembly.
Majority Leader William Horne, D-Las Vegas, introduced AB234. It was one of two bills dealing with guns introduced Monday. The other, AB232, is at the opposite end of the gun debate spectrum and would allow the carrying of concealed firearms without a permit.
"I believe in the Second Amendment rights, but like any other constitutional amendment we have, there are certain restrictions - the Second Amendment is no different," Horne told The Associated Press in an interview.
New Proposed North Carolina Gun Law - March 8, 2013
North Carolina State Bill HB246
A proposed amendment filed this week to restrict what limits can be placed on gun ownership in North Carolina is the latest shot in the growing debate over nullification of federal laws.
Rep. Larry Pittman, R-Cabarrus, filed House Bill 246, dubbed "The Gun Rights Amendment," on Wednesday.
The bill, which would allow a person with a valid concealed handgun permit to carry it pretty much anywhere in North Carolina, also includes language stating that the state "shall never engage in a general confiscation of the weapons of its citizens and shall never cooperate in the effort of any other entity to do so."
http://ncleg.net/gascripts/BillLookUp/BillLookUp.pl?Session=2013&BillID=H246
Senator Feinstein Publicly States All Vets Have PTSD And Shouldn't Own Guns - March 8, 2013
Federal Bill
During the Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday Senator John Coryn proposed an amendment to Senator Feinstein's 'assault weapon ban' that would have allowed veterans to continue to purchase 'assault weapons' just like retired cops.
In response to the amendment Senator Feinstein publicly stated:
The problem with expanding this is that, you know, with the advent of PTSD, which I think is a new phenomenon as a product of the Iraq War, it’s not clear how the seller or transfer of a firearm covered by this bill would verify that an individual was a member or veteran and there was no impairment of that individual with respect to having a weapon like this.
Continuing she stated:
I think we have to - if you're going to do this, find a way that veterans who are incapacitated for one reason or another mentally, don't have access to this kind of weapon.
Now you can interpret this as you wish but to us it sounds like Ms. Feinstein has no clue what PTSD is and secondly feels the same people who defend our nation don't deserve their constitutional 2nd amendment rights.
Please contact Ms. Feinstein's office and tell her our troops are not cannon fodder for her political grandstanding!
Wilmington Delaware City Council Tries Pushing State To ENact Tougher Gun Laws - March 8, 2013
State: Delaware
While the city can't supercede the state in enacting gun laws, members of the council are sending a message to the General Assembly: pass tougher gun restrictions.
Councilwoman Hanifa Shabazz says the ordinance she introduced at last night's would amend the city's code to ban possession of firearms within 1,000 feet of a school and requires background checks for private gun sales and the reporting of lost and stolen firearms--all measures currently being proposed by Gov. Markell.
http://www.wdel.com/story.php?id=49548
