Blog 2/28/24

Weekly Spotlight 2/23/24 – 3/1/24

Kansas Bill Highlights Greater Need for 2A Protections Against Federal Interference 

Since coming into office, President Biden has called for numerous, overly restrictive gun control policies that would only hurt law-abiding citizens: universal background checks, a federal ban on so-called “assault weapons” and bans on standard-capacity magazines, to name a few.  Last September, the President took it one step further when he unveiled the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention to help coordinate these encroachments on our constitutional rights.  

Despite the narrative being pushed at the national level, more and more states have removed the restrictive red tape that makes it more difficult for responsible gun owners to exercise their right to protect themselves and their loved ones.  For example, last year Florida and Nebraska became the 26th and 27th state, respectively, to enact constitutional carry.  Thanks to the ongoing efforts of state legislators, South Carolina and Louisiana may soon join this majority. 

Critics have been quick to latch onto the misconception that these laws will lead to more crime.  But as the USCCA-FSL Action Fund previously highlighted, recent evidence is putting these misconstrued arguments to rest.  Since constitutional carry was legalized in Florida last July, the Sunshine State has seen a decrease in violent crime rates across its biggest cities, including a six percent drop in murders and homicides in Jacksonville. 

But states have not stopped at constitutional carry in protecting the right to self-defense.  For example, Kansas Representative Michael Houser (R-KS-1) introduced House Bill 2803, legislation that would create the “Kansas Gun Rights Preservation Act” to prohibit the allocation of state resources to enforce federal gun control measures.  Representative Houser’s proposal highlights the need for greater protection of Second Amendment rights at the state level amid an increasingly anti-gun owner agenda pushed by the Biden Administration. 

Proposals like the Kansas Gun Rights Prevention Act are increasingly important. Despite a permitless carry law already existing in Kansas, more protections from federal interference are helpful to ensure law-abiding citizens can continue to freely exercise their right to self-defense. 

The USCCA-FSL Action Fund is here to ensure you stay in-the-loop on important state-level legislation like House Bill 2803, and we encourage you to help advocate for these pro-2A measures.  That’s why we created a brand-new state legislative updates page, where you can find everything you need to know about gun-related legislation making its way through legislatures at the state level.  Only by staying informed and getting involved will we be able to protect our Second Amendment rights.  

Check out our brand-new state legislation page!

OTHER NEWS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED

Louisiana’s Legislature is likely to expand gun rights for law-abiding citizens during a three-week Special Session called by Republican Gov. Jeff Landry designed to crack down on crime that begins at the Capitol Monday. Two bills have been filed to allow adults 18 and older to carry concealed handguns without the training or permits that are required now. A third has been filed that would provide a level of immunity from civil liability for someone who uses a concealed handgun to shoot a person in self defense. Previous efforts to expand concealed carry either stalled in the Senate or were vetoed by former Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards, but Landry included the issue in his Special Session order, signaling his support.

Federal regulation around gun laws has prompted some Wyoming lawmakers to work to enshrine gun rights for residents at the state level. Three bills were forwarded to the Senate floor by members of the Senate Agriculture, State and Public Lands, and Water Resources Committee on Tuesday. These bills would broaden access to gun ownership in the state, with one or two taking a stance against gun law regulation by the federal government.

The incessant cries for new gun control laws after shootings continue to run into the reality that gun laws already on the books were violated leading up to those shootings. But Democrats and activists don’t care because their goal is to crack down on law-abiding gun owners. The Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl parade shooting spawned the same gun control talking points from politicians and left-wing pundits alike. Despite knowing nothing about any of the details of the shooting, we were told that now was the time for gun control or, as President Joe Biden put it, “Today’s events should move us, shock us, shame us into acting.”

Former President Donald Trump, the Republican frontrunner in the 2024 presidential race, said on Friday he had firmly protected gun rights while in the White House and vowed if re-elected to undo all restrictions enacted by President Joe Biden. Speaking to thousands of supporters at an event organized by the National Rifle Association (NRA), Trump promised to rescind a rule curbing sales of gun accessories known as pistol braces and other regulations put in place by the Biden administration.

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