Schumer Flubs Basic American History

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), sponsor of the Brady Bill and the “assault weapon” and “large” magazine ban when he was in the House of Representatives, probably shouldn’t be the go-to guy for historical arguments against the individual right to keep and bear arms.

The Washington Times reports that Schumer said on Tuesday Thomas Jefferson was the architect of the Bill of Rights. As the Times notes, Jefferson was overseas serving as minister to France during the Constitutional convention and the congressional debate over the Bill of Rights.

Schumer can perhaps console himself that both Jefferson and a pivotal author and champion of the Bill of Rights, James Madison, had a lot in common.

(Sen. Schumer, take notes.) Jefferson and Madison were both from Virginia. Both later became president of the United States. And both supported the right to arms.

Accused Arms-Smuggler Gets Nearly 300,000 Votes in California Election

On Tuesday, over 287,000 Californians cast their votes for San Francisco-area State Sen. Leland Yee in the Democratic Party’s Secretary of State primary election. You might recall Sen. Yee is a long-time anti-gunner and, in 2006, received an “A+” rating from the Brady Campaign and was named to the group’s so-called “Gun Violence Prevention Honor Roll.”

The strange thing here is not just that Yee is currently under federal indictment on arms smuggling charges (no doubt his supporters would say he is still entitled to the presumption of innocence). The votes for Yee are even more curious considering he dropped out of the race in March.

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Post-Heller D.C. Continues to Experience Historically Low Homicides

In 1989, District of Columbia Mayor Marion Barry felt obligated to offer a rationalization for his city’s horrific homicide rate, stating, “Outside of the killings, we have one of the lowest crime rates in the country.” This week, Washington’s WTOP radio station filed a report highlighting just how far D.C. has come from the days when it was referred to as the nation’s “murder capital.”

The article points out that “[f]rom 1990 through 1995, the city averaged more than 430 homicides annually… In 2012, D.C. totaled just 88 homicides.” Further, although there was an increase in homicides in 2013 and the first portion of 2014, the piece makes clear that “from an historical perspective, the rate is extremely low.”

U.S. Senate Approves Appropriations Bill

Last week, we reported on the U.S. House passing the FY15 Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations bill, which contained a number of pro-gun general provisions.

This week, the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee approved the senate version of the bill. The measure includes numerous long-standing safeguards for the Second Amendment. No anti-gun amendments were offered during consideration of the bill.

We will continue to keep you updated as the process moves forward.

Ask Your U.S. Rep. to Oppose Wide-Ranging Gun Control Bill–H.R. 4783

Last week we reported that U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.), chair of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, had introduced what he is calling “the Promoting Healthy Minds for Safer Communities Act of 2014.” In truth, we noted, the bill — H.R. 4783 — is largely composed of gun control measures that mirror, and supplement, acts being pursued in the states by the likes of Michael Bloomberg and his “Everytown” gun control cabal.

Ask Your U.S. Representative to Cosponsor and Support “The Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act of 2013”

The “Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act of 2013” (H.R. 2959)–introduced in the U.S. House by Reps. Richard Nugent (R-Fla.) and Jim Matheson (D-Utah)–would allow any person who is not prohibited from possessing or receiving a firearm under federal law and who has a valid concealed firearm permit, to carry a concealed handgun in any state that issues its own residents permits to carry concealed firearms. Persons carrying a handgun in another state pursuant to H.R. 2959 would be subject to the laws of that state with respect to where concealed firearms may be carried. Similar legislation to H.R. 2959 passed the House in 2011 by an overwhelming bipartisan vote of 272-154.

Does Your Candidate Make the Grade? Primary Grades and Endorsements Available on NRA-PVF.org!

With freedom hanging in the balance, this year’s elections will almost assuredly be the most important in your voting lifetime! You’ve no doubt heard that said before, but with the stakes enormously high, the importance of this year’s elections simply cannot be overstated.

In the coming days and weeks, the NRA Political Victory Fund (NRA-PVF) will continue to announce endorsements and candidate ratings in hundreds of federal and state primary races. You need to be fully informed in order to make a sound decision. For up-to-the-minute information on NRA-PVF candidate grades and endorsements, and to see what you can do to help elect pro-Second Amendment candidates, please visit the NRA-PVF website: www.NRAPVF.org.

Update on the Obama Administration’s Proposed Ban on the Domestic Sale of Ivory and Importation of Elephant Trophies

In recent Grassroots Alerts, we addressed the Obama administration’s proposal to ban the trade and sale of legally owned ivory within the United States (click here to see the initial alert). The NRA supports efforts to stop poaching and the illegal trade of ivory, but this proposed ban on legally owned ivory sold domestically will have no impact on poaching of elephants and the illegal ivory trade. On the contrary, this ban will only affect honest law-abiding Americans by making their possessions valueless. Please see this New York Times article highlighting the broad spectrum of people who will be harmed by the ban.

Order Your NRA-ILA Yard Signs Today!

It has been estimated that well-placed campaign signs can account for four percentage points on Election Day. Think back to the 2000 presidential election, where 537 votes in Florida separated George W. Bush from Al Gore, and four percentage points seems like a landslide! While you are focused on the November 4 election, some gun owners may not be aware of what’s at stake for the future of the Second Amendment on Election Day.