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CRIME DATA SHOW U.K. GUN, KNIFE CRIME SPIKE; ‘CONTROL’ FAILED, SAYS CCRKBA

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BELLEVUE, WA – A new report from Scotland Yard reveals that a “significant spike in knife and gun offenses” has occurred in the United Kingdom, throwing cold water on the notion that restrictive British gun and knife laws have made that nation safer, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said today.

According to Scotland Yard, there has been a 42 percent increase in so-called “gun violence” and a 24 percent rise in “knife offenses” during the 2016-2017 financial year.

“All the rhetoric we’ve heard over the years about how the British solved their crime problem by having law-abiding citizens turn in their guns, and adopting strict knife and gun control has suddenly turned out to be wishful thinking, if not simply wrong,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb. “Like gun control efforts anywhere, the Brits have disarmed the wrong people.

“It is ironic that this news appears now, as America celebrates the 242nd anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, when American colonists resisted Britain’s attempt to confiscate arms from the militia,” he added. “British gun control then ignited a revolution. Now it is just resulting in a higher violent crime rate.”

The famous battles occurred on April 19, 1775 after someone fired “the shot heard ‘round the world.”

Scotland Yard’s report shows something else. There were 12,074 knife-related crimes in the 2016-2017 financial year, which demonstrates that criminals will resort to whatever weapon they can get their hands on against a unilaterally-disarmed public. This has happened at the same time that law enforcement budget cuts are in the news.

“British ruffians are no different than criminals in the United States,” Gottlieb observed. “They will take advantage of any weakness the see, whether in law enforcement or the public’s inability to defend against an attack. This is why we fight so hard to protect our nation’s constitutional right to keep and bear arms, and why our friends across the pond should seriously reconsider how their policies have made their citizens more vulnerable to people who routinely ignore the law.”


CCRKBA NAMES KNEELAND AS PROJECTS DIRECTOR

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BELLEVUE, WA – Lifelong Washington State resident and veteran Second Amendment activist Boyd Kneeland has joined the staff at the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms as its new Projects Director, succeeding the late Ray Carter, who passed away in 2016.

Kneeland brings a wealth of experience to the position. He formerly worked for the Second Amendment Foundation in 2003 in Communications, and he also serves as president of the Washington Arms Collectors, a statewide gun collector’s organization that puts on the largest gun shows in the Evergreen State. WAC is affiliated with both CCRKBA and the National Rifle Association.

Kneeland, 55, has had a career in the tech industry, and until recently was providing enterprise technical support for IT professionals.

A graduate of Bellevue’s Sammamish High School, he attended Bellevue Community College, and has lived in Bellevue since 1976.

In addition to his professional endeavors, Kneeland is also an NRA Training Counselor and certified firearms instructor.

As Projects Director, Kneeland will be working with state level grassroots gun rights organizations around the country. He and Carter had worked together in the gun rights community and at the Arms Collectors’ group on various activities.

CCRKBA URGES ILLINOIS GUN OWNERS TO ACT QUICKLY ON SENATE BILL 1657

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Illinois lawmakers are now considering Senate Bill 1657, a far reaching regulatory scheme aimed at firearms retailers that critics call “dangerous” an attempt to drive gun dealers out of business.

The Illinois House Judiciary Committee has passed SB 1657 earlier this week and it is now on “third reading,” which means it could come up for a vote at any moment. This legislation, according to its critics, adds mountains of red tape for Prairie State firearms dealers on top of the regulations already enforced by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms encourages its Illinois members to contact their state representatives about this legislation.

Richard Pearson, executive director of the Illinois State Rifle Association, said if the measure passes, it could be in direct conflict with existing state law. He also said it could cost firearms dealers more than $2 million, according to some estimates, and the number of gun retailers in the state could decline dramatically.

To find your lawmaker, visit the Illinois State Rifle Association’s website.

CCRKBA TO SEATTLE: ‘GUN VIOLENCE TAX IS A MONUMENTAL FAILURE!’

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BELLEVUE, WA – Almost two years after the City of Seattle adopted a hastily-crafted “gun violence tax” ostensibly aimed at reducing so-called “gun violence,” city police statistics show a startling 17 percent increase in the number of police calls for gunshots, and an alarming 30 percent increase in the number of shooting victims.

“That ‘gun violence tax’ is been a monumental failure, and we are challenging Mayor Ed Murray and the Seattle City Council to publicly admit it,” declared Alan Gottlieb, chairman of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, based in nearby Bellevue. “You simply cannot provide better evidence than the Seattle Police Department’s crime statistics of such a colossally stupid idea that has not worked.”

Almost immediately after the gun tax was signed by Murray, CCRKBA’s sister organization, the Second Amendment Foundation, was joined by the National Rifle Association and National Shooting Sports Foundation in an historic lawsuit to overturn the tax on the grounds that it violates the state preemption law that places sole authority to regulate firearms in the hands of the State Legislature. It is the first time all three gun rights organizations have partnered in a joint legal action.

SAF has also filed a separate lawsuit, along with the senior editor of its monthly magazine, TheGunMag.com, over Seattle’s failure to disclose revenue from the gun tax under the state Public Records Act. The city will only say the tax as brought in “less than $200,000,” which is well below revenue forecasts that ranged between $300,000 and $500,000 that were used to justify adoption of this gun control tax.

“The other night there was a homicide at Alki,” Gottlieb noted, “and the city is already ahead of previous years’ statistics on the number of reported shooting incidents. Thirty-six people have been shot so far this year, including four who have been killed. The Council and Mayor Murray should be ashamed now that the dismal failure of their gun control scheme has been exposed. They deceived Seattle citizens about how much their tax would raise and what it would accomplish, and they should be held accountable.”

THIRD FAST & FURIOUS REPORT SHOWS PATTERN OF OBSTRUCTION, SAYS CCRKBA

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BELLEVUE, WA – The third report on the House Oversight Committee’s investigation of the Operation Fast and Furious scandal strongly suggests that the Department of Justice under then-Attorney General Eric Holder engaged in obstruction of Congress, the Citizen’s Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said today.

“We took our time examining the 262-page report,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb, “and we are appalled. It has taken six years since hearings were held in 2011 on that Obama administration scandal for this report to be released, and what this document shows is a pattern of deliberate stonewalling by an administration that claimed to be the most transparent in history.

“The report notes how Holder withheld thousands of documents and reached out to President Barack Obama to provide cover with executive privilege,” he continued. “It took two years before a federal judge ordered the DOJ to produce some of those documents, and by then, public interest had waned, almost as if by design.

“Fast and Furious,” Gottlieb observed, “had all the earmarks of a rogue operation that was best described by one federal agent as ‘the perfect storm of idiocy.’ The most disappointing thing of all is that nobody in any government agency was ever held accountable. While some people retired or resigned their positions or were reassigned, and Holder was held in contempt of Congress, that just doesn’t seem like enough.

“Information was withheld from Congress,” he added, “and from the family of slain Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry. The report even acknowledges that officials closest to the operation thwarted efforts to provide complete and accurate responses to congressional inquiries. Who does that unless they have something to hide?

“If anything,” Gottlieb concluded, “this report is a disturbing look at how government operated under Barack Obama and how the Obama-Holder Justice Department tried to keep Congress and the public in the dark about a scandal of monumental proportions. The Obama administration allowed guns to fall into the hands of criminals, and then the Justice Department lied about it just to further their anti-gun agenda.”

ARMED CITIZEN NUMBERS EXPAND NATIONWIDE, SAYS CCRKBA

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BELLEVUE, WA – A new report on concealed carry in the United States, with an updated estimate of more than 16.3 million legally licensed armed citizens, shows that a growing number of Americans are taking responsibility for their own safety, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said today.

The 61-page report – “Concealed Carry Permit Holders Across the United States: 2017” – was released by the Crime Prevention Research Center this week. It was authored by CPRC founder John Lott, who will be speaking at the annual Gun Rights Policy Conference in Dallas Sept. 29-Oct. 1.

“John’s report comes at a critical moment when Congress should be discussing national concealed carry reciprocity legislation that was introduced in January,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb. “We’re impressed with the numbers as the report suggests that interest in personal protection has continued to grow this year.

“It is particularly important to note that in 11 states, the report says 10 percent of the adult populations are licensed to carry,” he continued. “Across several states, the number of women who are getting permits and licenses is far outpacing the number of men. The only people who would be discouraged by this news are gun control lobbyists and criminals, which raises questions about whose side the gun control people are on.”

Among the findings: Outside of California and New York, about 8 percent of the adult population is licensed to carry. While Barack Obama was in office, the number of concealed carry permits and licenses increased a stunning 256 percent. Increased concealed carry from 2007 through 2015 (the most recent year for which complete data is available) coincided with a decline in the national murder rate, from 5.6 to 4.9 per 100,000 population.

“Our hats are off to John Lott for assembling this data,” Gottlieb stated. “What this report demonstrates is that Americans are taking the initiative, exercising their right to not only own firearms, but to carry them responsibly. It’s a refreshing return of self-reliance because people have realized that when seconds count, police are minutes away, despite their best efforts to fight crime. This is just one more way we can make the Second Amendment great again.”

CCRKBA SAYS FOLLOW SAAMI GUIDELINES FOR CARE OF FLOOD-DAMAGED GUNS

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BELLEVUE, WA – Gun owners in the southeast, Texas and other areas where the summer is producing flooding and record storms can benefit from some timely advice on gun maintenance and restoration from flooding, and how to handle submerged ammunition, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said today.

The Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute (SAAMI) offers a very useful guide on the subject titled “Guidance on Firearms That Have Been Submerged or Exposed to Extensive Amounts of Water.” CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb advises anyone whose valuable firearms have been affected by flooding to get a copy.

Recovery from devastating environmental conditions involves time and attention to details. Proper gun care following a flood includes initial disassembly, cleaning with dry towels, and applying moisture-displacing lubricants to metal parts (barrel, action, etc.) without getting them on wood or synthetic materials. Optics should be cleaned and returned to the manufacturer for examination to determine whether seals have been damaged.

Such products as WD-40, Hoppes No. 9 MDL, Brownells LP-2 and similar products are recommended in the SAAMI bulletin. They are available at local gun shops, sporting goods stores and even hardware stores.

Always make sure firearms are unloaded prior to any maintenance or repair.

“Firearms can be damaged, but people shouldn’t simply write them off after a natural disaster like we’re seeing from this year’s hurricanes and tropical storms,” Gottlieb said. “We’re talking about valuable investments, and in some cases family heirlooms and guns can be saved.”

When it comes to ammunition, however, SAAMI’s advice is simple: “no attempt (should) be made to salvage or use previously submerged ammunition.” Rimfire ammunition is the most susceptible to damage by submersion, and even centerfire ammunition can be harmed. It is a good idea to contact a local law enforcement agency about ammunition disposal, SAAMI advises. Ammunition should not be shipped back to the manufacturer. Check SAAMI’s “Guidance on Ammunition That Has Been Submerged in Water.”

JOINT STATEMENT FROM SAF, CCRKBA ON ‘BUMP STOCKS’

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BELLEVUE, WA – In response to the senseless attack in Las Vegas, the Second Amendment Foundation and Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms have issued the following statement:

“The Second Amendment Foundation and Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms support a productive dialogue concerning “bump stocks,” National Concealed Carry Reciprocity and the proposed Hearing Protection Act.

“We recognize that banning firearms accessories is not a solution to violent crime.”


HALLOWEEN MASK DOESN’T HIDE MISSION OF GIFFORDS’ ANTI-GUN GROUP, SAYS CCRKBA

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BELLEVUE, WA – Changing the name of her anti-gun “Americans for Responsible Solutions” doesn’t change the mission of former Congresswoman Gabrielle “Gabby” Giffords’ lobbying group, and it won’t fool anybody, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said today.

Giffords and her husband, former astronaut Mark Kelly, announced that their organization will henceforth be known as “Giffords.” But CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb recalled that when Handgun Control, Inc. changed its name to the Brady Campaign several years ago, the group continued to lobby for every restrictive gun control scheme that came along.

“Leopards don’t change their spots and a chameleon that sheds its skin is still a chameleon,” Gottlieb observed. “Changing the name of a gun control group to simply echo your last name smacks of egotistical elitism, and it didn’t work for the Brady Campaign or Sarah Brady, either. They’re still recognized as one of the nation’s extremist gun prohibition lobbying groups.”

Published reports say the “Giffords” group is still lobbying on behalf of gun control efforts. Gottlieb noted that lately the group has been fighting reform legislation that would ease restrictions on noise suppressors for firearms and another bill that would provide national reciprocity for concealed carry permits and licenses.

“While we have great empathy for Gabby Giffords for the trauma she suffered at the hands of a madman, pushing schemes that erode the Second Amendment rights of honest citizens will not prevent the kind of outrage she suffered,” Gottlieb said. “Indeed, the gun control schemes that her group and other anti-gun organizations have promoted have been shown time and again to be incapable of preventing violent crimes, including the Las Vegas attack. Neither the man who attacked her or the maniac in Las Vegas used a suppressor either, but both passed background checks.

“Changing the name of a gun control organization is like putting on a mask for Halloween,” he concluded. “Eventually the mask comes off and you haven’t tricked anybody by treating them like fools.”

CCRKBA SAYS TENNESSEE LAWMAKERS ACTED CORRECTLY ON OVERRIDE

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BELLEVUE, WA – Today’s override by the Tennessee Legislature of Gov. Phil Bredesen’s veto of a bill allowing law-abiding citizens to carry firearms into restaurants and bars that serve alcohol will help dispel the myth that armed citizens cannot be trusted in such environments, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms stated.

The new statute retains the prohibition against armed citizens actually consuming alcohol, and it also allows restaurants to ban guns in their establishments. It takes effect on July 14 following a bipartisan 21-9 override vote in the Senate Thursday.

“For years, the gun prohibitionist lobby has perpetuated a sense of fear against armed citizens in various public venues, including restaurants,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb. “Yet in Washington State, where the Citizens Committee is headquartered, it has been legal for many years to carry firearms in restaurants that serve alcohol, and it has not resulted in the kind of violence predicted by opponents of the Tennessee measure.

“We are in agreement with Senator Doug Jackson,” he continued, “who correctly told reporters that this bill has been falsely portrayed as creating a threat to public safety and that is nonsense. We believe that, given time, the public will realize that all of the inflammatory rhetoric was nothing more than a campaign of manufactured hysteria.”

Seventeen Republicans and four Democrats voted for the override, while nine Democrats opposed it.

“Licensed citizens all across the country exercise their right of self defense while dining in restaurants that serve alcohol,” noted CCRKBA Legislative Director Joe Waldron. “These citizens are a model of constraint. It will be no different in Tennessee.”

REP. RICHARD HUDSON HONORED WITH ‘LEGISLATOR OF THE YEAR’ AWARD

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BELLEVUE, WA – Republican Congressman Richard Hudson has been honored by the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms as the 2017 “Gun Rights Legislator of the Year,” during this year’s Gun Rights Policy Conference in Dallas, Texas.

Congressman Hudson, who represents North Carolina’s 8th District, is sponsor of the proposed Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017. If passed, it would protect the rights of more than 16.5 million legally-licensed private citizens who have qualified under their states’ laws to carry a firearm for personal protection.

While Rep. Hudson was not able to attend the conference, he was honored by CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb, who recognizes the significance of the congressman’s proposed law.

“National reciprocity is an idea whose time has come,” Gottlieb said. “We were impressed when Congressman Hudson introduced the legislation earlier this year, and we know that millions of law-abiding gun owners across the country are hopeful it will pass.”

Under provisions of the proposed Act, legally-licensed or permitted citizens would be able to carry their sidearms in other states, in accordance with the laws of those states, without fear of prosecution.

“There are now 212 co-sponsors who have signed onto Hudson’s legislation,” Gottlieb noted. “That speaks volumes about the importance of this measure in all corners of the nation. Since the Second Amendment was incorporated to the states via the 2010 Supreme Court ruling in McDonald v. City of Chicago, there has been growing interest in reciprocity legislation, and no rational excuse for it not becoming law.

“We can think of no better recipient of this award than Rep. Hudson,” he concluded. “National reciprocity would help reinforce the Second Amendment as the cornerstone of the Bill of Rights.”

‘FINANCING GUN CONTROL, SAN FRANCISCO 49ers ARE LOSERS ON, OFF FIELD’: CCRKBA

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BELLEVUE, WA – While the San Francisco 49ers racked up their eighth consecutive defeat over the weekend, the team’s announcement last week that it is contributing $500,000 to gun control efforts just might seal their fate as losers on a different level in the eyes of millions of American gun owners, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said today.

“We’re throwing a flag on this play,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb. “After weeks of protests at various NFL games that have seen players disrespect the National Anthem, resulting in sliding television ratings and fan disapproval, giving a half-million dollars to people who attack gun rights is worse than a clipping penalty.

“The money is earmarked to support legislation in conflict with the constitutional right to keep and bear arms,” he added. “First the NFL disrespects the National Anthem, and now they disrespect our constitution.”

According to a report on ESPN, the money will also be used to support legislation that not only bans “bump stocks” but will also be aimed at prohibiting “silencers and armor piercing bullets.”

“The Hearing Protection Act might have a chance in Congress,” Gottlieb noted, “but for the Niners to give that kind of money to the opposition amounts to pass interference, and it should cost them more than 15 yards.

“Halfway into the season,” he continued, “San Francisco hasn’t put a single victory on the scoreboard. Now they’ve essentially insulted millions of NFL fans by helping bankroll the gun control effort. That’s like punting on a first down.”

“Professional football is supposed to be a sporting event that entertains and thrills fans,” Gottlieb observed, “not help finance efforts to erode their constitutional rights. Politics is threatening to ruin the games.

“By making this pledge to gun control,” he concluded, “the Niners are definitely off sides.”

ANTI-GUNNERS STYMIED BY FACTS IN TEXAS SHOOTING, SAYS CCRKBA

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BELLEVUE, WA – As more facts emerge from the tragic Sutherland Springs, Texas church shooting, gun prohibitionists and their cheerleaders in the media are stymied in their efforts to exploit this case, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said today.

“The perpetrator’s rampage was stopped by a law abiding citizen, using an AR15-type rifle,” noted CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb. “The shooter bought his guns at retail and passed background checks because the military failed to forward his criminal records to the National Instant Check System. Now it is being reported that the gunman once escaped from a mental health facility in New Mexico.

“Isn’t it ironic,” he mused, “that a private citizen, who the anti-gunners would prefer to be defenseless, used a rifle that gun control extremists have tried to ban with the claim that such guns do not belong in civilian hands?”

Gottlieb noted that Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton told two different cable news networks that adding more gun control laws that penalize honest citizens and interfere with their right of self-defense is not the answer.

“We stand in agreement with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton who told both MSNBC and Fox News that Kelley had already violated laws against murder, so another gun law would not prevent this from happening,” Gottlieb said. “Sunday’s incident proves that the kind of gun controls advocated by politicians and anti-gun groups would have prevented the heroic actions of Stephen Willeford and Johnnie Langendorff, and may have allowed the shooter to continue his rampage.

“Mr. Willeford’s heroic intervention and his pursuit of the wounded madman, with Mr. Langendorff, is exactly what the Second Amendment is about,” Gottlieb observed. “They followed the killer and kept him covered with a semiautomatic rifle until lawmen arrived.

“America is blessed to have men like these,” he said. “But gun control extremists? Not so much.”

LEGAL SYSTEM, GUN LAW FAILURES ALLOWED RANCHO TEHAMA RAMPAGE, SAYS CCRKBA

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BELLEVUE, WA – The horrible truth emerging in the aftermath of the Rancho Tehama Reserve rampage is that California’s legal system and restrictive gun control laws failed miserably, allowing killer Kevin Neal to remain loose and commit mass mayhem, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said today.

“After Assistant Sheriff Phil Johnston’s acknowledgement that his department knew, or at least suspected, that Neal had firearms in violation of a court order and did not take proactive steps, it is clear that the legal system in Tehama County, if not the entire state, is a train wreck,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb. “Johnston’s revelation that Neal had four guns illegally, and that he was able to manufacture two rifles at home prove that the state’s Draconian gun control laws are a joke to be laughed at by any criminal or crazy person who wants a gun.”

Johnston told reporters Wednesday that, “we’re seeing that the more restrictive that the laws come to people that purchase firearms, we’re going to see those criminal elements build their own. That’s what they do.”

“Sheriff Johnston’s astonishingly candid remark literally eviscerates California’s piecemeal gun prohibition strategy,” Gottlieb observed. “Here was a man who was out on bail, on multiple felony charges, and who was a walking violation of every major gun control law in the state.

“The explanation for not confronting Neal is simply outrageous,” he continued. “Johnston said Neal was ‘not law enforcement friendly.’ What a shock! Neal was facing felony prosecution, his neighbors had a restraining order and he had apparently been shooting guns that he wasn’t supposed to have, on his property. Of course he’s not going to be friendly, but that’s why we have search warrants and SWAT teams and jails.

“Two neighbors who reported him are dead,” Gottlieb noted. “Their restraining order was worthless. Gun laws that treat honest Californians like criminals failed to stop a real criminal.

“Our hats are off to the courageous deputies who stopped this madman,” he said. “But we are disgusted by the way the system failed. If this case proves anything, it’s that people who think gun control laws keep guns out of the wrong hands are sadly mistaken, and five new gravestones make that point clear.”

Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act On The Move

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The U.S. House Judiciary Committee began markup today on H.R. 38, the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017. The act may pass to the House floor as quickly as early next week. This important act would preserve your right to bear arms as you travel across state lines, and protect you from the current patchwork of varying state laws that can result in licensed owners unintentionally violating the law and suffering dire legal consequences. Your voice is needed now!

Representative Richard Hudson (R-NC-8) introduced the Act in January and has said about the committee hearing; “For me and the vast majority of Americans who support concealed carry reciprocity, this is welcome progress” Hudson continues “I want to thank Chairman Bob Goodlatte for his strong leadership to protect our Second Amendment rights.” The current version of the Act (which can be viewed at https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/38/text ) includes wording that would allow citizens of permit less states to carry with identification only and no permit as long as they respect the concealed carry laws of the state they are in.

As Judiciary Committee Chairman Goodlatte said “This bill is about the simple proposition that law-abiding Americans should be able to exercise their right to self-defense, even when they cross out of their state’s borders, that is their Constitutional right.”

The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms urges you to contact your member of Congress today and ask them to co-sponsor and vote yes on H.R. 38 the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017. You can find your U. S. Representative using zip code search at https://www.house.gov/representatives or simply call the House switchboard at (202)225-3121 and ask to speak to your representative.


‘FIX THE FIX NICS’ BILL WOULD MAKE LEGISLATION STRONGER, SAYS CCRKBA

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BELLEVUE, WA – When Congress considers legislation, possibly this week, to “fix” the National Instant Check System (NICS), it should also adopt amendments that will cut down on false positives and make other changes to prevent unwarranted denials, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said today.

“We’re calling it the ‘Fix the Fix NICS’ bill,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb, “because these amendments will make this legislation better.”

There are four suggested amendments that Gottlieb favors. One would require that NICS use all descriptors provided in conducting background checks because “too many people get denied who shouldn’t,” he said. Another amendment would add language requiring the Attorney General to take such actions as may be necessary, including withholding funds, to prevent a State imposing regulations that result in a Federal Firearms Licensee charging for a background check pursuant to section 922(t) of title 18, United States Code, and to penalize a State that does so.’’

An important third tenet would require the Attorney General to annually submit a written report to Congress that contains a detailed review of all background checks conducted by the NICS system “where people were initially denied from acquiring a firearm and then also those whose cases were deemed not eligible for prosecution, including a review of the process for making the determinations, each step included in that process, and a statistical analysis of the age, race, gender, and national origin of, or any other identifying information provided on a Firearm Transfer Record form (ATF Form 4473) about, the persons about whom the erroneous determinations were made.

A fourth amendment requires that all the numbers be disaggregated by age, race and gender. Gottlieb believes people are presently more likely to be denied if they are a minority.

“As it is now,” Gottlieb explained, “this ‘Fix the Fix NICS’ language will cut down on false positives. It also reduces the likelihood of imbalance.”

“It’s important for gun owners to contact their congressional representatives and encourage them to consider the ‘Fix the Fix NICS’ bill when it comes up for consideration,” he concluded.

CCRKBA HAILS CONCEALED CARRY RECIPROCITY VICTORY

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BELLEVUE, WA – Today’s passage of concealed carry reciprocity legislation by the U.S. House of Representatives is a victory for American gun owners and the Second Amendment, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said.

H.R. 38 was passed by the House and now moves to the U.S. Senate for debate and action.

“We’re one step closer to fully restoring the Second Amendment as it was originally intended,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb. “Now, if the Senate can follow the House lead and pass this measure, law abiding American gun owners will no longer have to fear wrongful arrest and even imprisonment for having a firearm for personal protection as they travel from state to state.”

Under the reciprocity legislation, states must honor the carry permits and licenses issued by all other states. No longer will honest citizens be harassed or prosecuted for exercising their constitutional right to bear arms evenwhen they travel in such states as New York, New Jersey, California, Maryland or the handful of other states that have abused their authority over the years, turning citizens into criminals.

“For decades,” Gottlieb observed, “the gun prohibition crowd has argued that gun owners should be licensed, same as drivers. Well, millions of them are licensed, and they should be afforded the same courtesy as automobile drivers who travel from state to state. After all, there is no constitutional right to drive a car, but there is a constitutionally-protected right to bear arms, and officials in those states need to recognize that.

“Now the battle moves to the Senate,” he said. “We’re encouraging American gun owners and especially the millions of citizens who have licenses or permits to carry, to contact their senators about this important legislation. The gun prohibition lobby is pulling out all the stops to defeat this legislation, and Second Amendment activists need to fight back.”

CCRKBA ANNOUNCES ITS PRIORITIES FOR THE 2018 LEGISLATIVE AGENDA

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BELLEVUE, WA – The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms today announced its legislative priorities for 2018, noting that the threat to Second Amendment rights remains formidable as Congress and state legislatures get back to business.

At the federal level, CCRKBA will focus its efforts primarily on passage of concealed carry reciprocity and the Hearing Protection Act that deregulates noise reduction devices for firearms. The reciprocity legislation was passed by the House of Representatives late last year and is now facing a difficult fight in the U.S. Senate. The hearing protection act also faces a tough battle on Capitol Hill, where opponents have pulled out all the stops.

“We need to raise at least $2.1 million for our direct and grassroots lobbying efforts to fund these priorities and advance gun rights,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb. “That’s less than ten percent of the $25 million that billionaire Michael Bloomberg has pledged to advance his anti-gun rights agenda.

“Anti-gun groups are working feverishly to kill the reciprocity bill in the Senate, using misinformation and hysteria,” he continued. “We really have our work cut out for us.”

At the state level, CCRKBA will devote considerable energy to stop the erosion of Second Amendment rights in eight battleground states: California, Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon and Washington. Elitist anti-gunners are using their wealth as a weapon against honest firearms owners whose only sin is the desire to be left alone to exercise their rights, Gottlieb said.

“The gun prohibition lobby sees opportunity at the state level and they are concentrating their efforts in the states where they have the cooperation of key legislators and anti-gun governors,” Gottlieb observed. “This doesn’t mean we’re ignoring the rest of the country. We’ll be plenty busy all over the map. We’ve specifically identified these issues, and these states, as our top priorities because this is going to be a critical year in which gun owners have a chance to determine our gun rights for decades to come.”

Washington State Action Alert!

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The Washington State House Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on five anti-gun bills. January 25th at 1:30pm in the John L. O’Brien building Hearing Room A. Join the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms and our state affiliate Washington Arms Collectors, and make your voice heard!

Express your support for the right to keep and bear arms (your Article1 Section 24 right under the Washington State Constitution) and join us at the John L O’Brien hearing room A, at 1:30pm (The John L O’Brien building is at 504 15th Ave SW, Olympia, WA 98501 arrive early to find parking.) Be sure to sign in to the House Judiciary Committee meeting using the sign-In kiosks located in the main hallway, indicating your opposition to further restriction of your right to keep and bear arms. Indicate “con” on HB1387, HB2293, HB2422, & HB2622. Further information about testifying at public meetings is here http://leg.wa.gov/legislature/Pages/Testify.aspx

Be sure to follow up with your Legislators and the members of the House Judiciary Committee with your polite request that they oppose any further infringement of your rights, committee contact information is listed at bottom. Find out who represents you at http://app.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/ then click their name for contact information.

HB1387: Sponsor Laurie Jinkins, D-27
http://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=1387&Year=2017
Annual licensing / registration of so called assault weapons and normal (10+) capacity magazines.

HB2293: Sponsor Ruth Kagi, D-23,
http://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=2293&Year=2017Prohibits carry of firearms in day care and early learning facilities.

HB2422: Sponsor Strom Peterson D-21
http://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=2422&Year=2017
Prohibits so-called “Large capacity magazines” (10 and more) with limited exceptions, any meeting the exceptions must be stored locked up or face criminal charges.

HB2666 Sponsor Nicole Macri D-43
http://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=2666&Chamber=House&Year=2017Creates a confusing patchwork of firearms law by killing our decades old state preemption statute.

Members of the House Judiciary Committee:
http://leg.wa.gov/House/Committees/JUDI/Pages/default.aspx

Laurie Jinkins (D-27) Chair (360) 786-7930 laurie.jinkins@leg.wa.gov
Christine Kilduff (D-28) (360) 786-7958 christine.kilduff@leg.wa.gov
Jay Rodne (R-5) (360) 786-7852 jay.rodne@leg.wa.gov
Paul Graves (R-5) (360) 786-7876 paul.graves@leg.wa.gov
Roger Goodman (D-45) (360) 786-7878 roger.goodman@leg.wa.gov
Larry Haler (R-8) (360) 786-7986 larry.haler@leg.wa.gov
Drew Hansen (D-23) (360) 786-7842 drew.hansen@leg.wa.gov
Steve Kirby (D-29) (360) 786-7996 steve.kirby@leg.wa.gov
Brad Kilppert (R-8) (360) 786-7882 brad.kilppert@leg.wa.gov
Dick Muri (R-28) (360) 786-7890 dick.muri@leg.wa.gov
Tina Orwall (D-33) (360) 786-7834 tina.orwall@leg.wa.gov
Matt Shea (R-4) (360) 786-7984 matt.shea@leg.wa.gov
Javier Valdez (D-46) (360) 786-7818 javier.valdez@leg.wa.gov

DON’T PENALIZE GUN OWNERS FOR GOVERNMENT FOUL-UPS,’ SAYS CCRKBA

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BELLEVUE, WA – The bombshell admission by the FBI that it was tipped about the suspect in Wednesday’s tragic school shooting, and yet did nothing, provides damning evidence that it is the government that should be blamed, not American gun owners, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said today.

“The FBI has admitted that it received a tip about the suspect’s disturbing behavior and comments on social media back in January, but didn’t follow up on the information,” noted CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb. “On top of that, the public has learned that police in Broward County had been called to the suspect’s residence more than 30 times over the past few years

“But who is being demonized as a result of the Parkland school shooting,” Gottlieb questioned. “That’s right, American gun owners. Why should they be penalized and see their rights eroded because government agencies screwed up? The gun prohibition lobby has been prattling non-stop since Day One that the country needs to add more restrictions on gun rights.

“Why should gun owners give up their firearms freedom and sacrifice their personal security when the government can’t provide the security these gun grabbers promise with all of their cockeyed proposals,” he wondered.

“Even before all the students had been evacuated from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, gun prohibition lobbying groups including billionaire Michael Bloomberg’s Everytown for Gun Safety and all of its satellite groups were clamoring for tougher gun laws,” Gottlieb noted. “They were all quick to blame gun ownership when the problem appears to be government incompetence, and this is not the first time it’s happened.

“The Texas church shooter’s criminal record should have prevented him from buying firearms,” Gottlieb said, “but the records weren’t forwarded by the military to the National Instant Check System. This wasn’t the fault of gun owners, but the government. And now anti-gunners want us to surrender our rights?

“Ronald Reagan was right,” Gottlieb concluded. “Government isn’t the solution to the problem. Government is the problem.”

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