Blog 9/14/23

Weekly Spotlight 9/8/23 – 9/14/23 


Launching the USCCA-FSL Action Fund to Help Responsible Gun Owners Become Citizen Lobbyists

Thanks to the voices and actions of millions of America’s law-abiding gun owners, the fight to protect the Second Amendment continues to build momentum.  But as many important battles still lay ahead, it’s critical that citizens weigh in on state and national policies that could impact their God-given right to self-defense. 

Amid President Biden’s radical gun control agenda, state efforts to restrict where law-abiding citizens may carry, proposals to ban entire classifications of firearms, and even the California Governor’s proposed “28th Amendment” to the Constitution, it’s more important than ever for Second Amendment advocates to have the tools and support they need to make their voices heard.  Building a new generation of citizen lobbyists across the country to advocate for the rights of law-abiding gun owners will be key to changing the national conversation around guns in the years to come.

The newly-launched U.S. Concealed Carry Association For Saving Lives Action Fund (USCCA-FSL Action Fund) will do just that. 

The USCCA-FSL Action Fund will provide responsibly armed Americans with a national platform to make their voices heard in Washington D.C. and in state capitals across the country – empowering and educating gun owners to join the political process and create awareness of issues impacting responsible gun owners.  As more citizens experience gun ownership and training firsthand, this coalition to defend Second Amendment rights from over-zealous lawmakers will be increasingly influential.  

The Action Fund will build off the momentum created over the last two years by the USCCA For Saving Lives Super PAC, which was our organization’s first major foray into direct political advocacy.  We utilized the USCCA-FSL to highlight candidates and policies that promote the Second Amendment and fought back against legislation that inhibits or criminalizes that right.  Now, the USCCA-FSL Action Fund fills the prominent void of a legitimate, effective entity whose sole mission is to educate and equip responsible gun owners with the knowledge, messaging and advocacy tools to create a new generation of citizen lobbyists at the grassroots level.

The USCCA-FSL Action Fund is the next step in the USCCA’s continued growth in the advocacy, education and grassroots mobilization that will help provide opportunities for everyday gun owners to make their voices heard. 

Read the USCCA-FSL Action Fund’s Legislative Priorities TODAY!

OTHER NEWS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED

California lawmakers in a key committee agreed to move forward with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s call for a constitutional convention to add a set of gun control measures to the U.S. Constitution, despite concerns the process itself could result in other law changes nationwide. The Senate Public Safety Committee on Tuesday voted 3-1 to move forward with the measure known as Senate Joint Resolution 7. State Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, did not vote, stating he could not support the measure for the uncertainty of what a constitutional convention could look like. 

The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms joined in an amicus brief to the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals supporting a lawsuit against Montgomery County, Maryland, challenging county “sensitive places” designations. Joining CCRKBA are the California Rifle and Pistol Association, Second Amendment Law Center, Second Amendment Defense and Education Coalition, Guns Save Life, Federal Firearms Licensees of Illinois, Gun Owners of America, Gun Owners of California, and the Gun Owners Foundation. They are represented by attorneys C.D. Michel and Anna M. Barvir at Michel & Associates of Long Beach, Calif. The case is known as Maryland Shall Issue, Inc. v. Montgomery County.

Gun sales across the United States reached over 1 million for 49 consecutive months, according to new data even as the Biden administration tries to crack down on firearms. The FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System showed just over 2 million federal background checks occurred in August 2023. When the figure was adjusted by the National Shooting Sports Foundation to more accurately reflect likely retail firearms sales, that number decreased to nearly 1.12 million checks last month, according to Guns.com. “This has happened every month for more than four years continuously,” Mark Oliva, the foundation’s public affairs officer, said. 

Gun rights activists have threatened to sue Los Gatos over its recent concealed carry ordinance, which prohibits guns in sensitive places like schools and places of worship. Michel and Associates, law firm representing the California Rifle & Pistol Association and the Second Amendment Foundation, recently sent a letter to the town saying the concealed carry ordinance approved this summer infringes on the constitutional rights of gun owners. “Specifically, the ordinance makes it so that firearms are prohibited to be carried – even by those with a permit – in town property, public transit and places of worship,” the letter reads.

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