Thomas Jefferson—who needs no introduction among friends, but whose love of liberty might make him a stranger in some circles—is credited with saying “you get the government you deserve.” He was right on one level; in a democratic system, voters get the governments they elect.

Recently, a national anti-gun group calling itself “Mayors Against Illegal Guns,” which is founded and funded by billionaire extremist New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, launched ads attacking Governor Brian Sandoval (R) for indicating that he would veto anti-gun Senate Bill 221 if it reached his desk.  Please contact Governor Sandoval, and respectfully express your opposition to Senate Bill 221 and encourage him to stand strong and continue to defend the rights of law-abiding gun owners in Nevada.

The General Assembly has been in recess, but will reconvene in Dover next Tuesday, June 4.  Two anti-gun measures are eligible for consideration by the House, and could be voted on as soon as next week.  Contact your state Representative and urge his or her opposition to House Bill 58 and House Bill 67!

The General Assembly has been in recess, but will reconvene in Dover next Tuesday, June 4.  Two anti-gun measures are eligible for consideration by the House, and could be voted on as soon as next week.  Contact your state Representative and urge his or her opposition to House Bill 58 and House Bill 67!

My newest piece starts this way:
Gun control, an already difficult task, just got even more difficult. The 3D printing revolution is well under way. This wonderful new technology will allow small companies and even individuals to manufacture a wide range of items, such as medical devices that fit each individual’s unique size and shape. However, it is increasingly obvious that guns and gun parts can be made, even including entire assault weapons. Unfortunately, the initial regulatory proposals will likely increase crime. As usual, new technology is hard to stop, and the Department of Homeland Security last week declared: "Limiting access [to 3D-printing to make guns] may be impossible." Until now the stumbling block has been to design a gun that would be sturdy enough, something that can withstand the explosion when a bullet is shot down the barrel. In other words, you don’t want the gun to go off like a grenade in your hands instead of hitting the target. . . .

Yesterday, the New Jersey Senate passed multiple dangerous gun control bills.  Some of these bills will now go to the Governor for his consideration, while others will be returned to the Assembly for concurrence with Senate amendments.  Unfortunately, the state Senate failed to use their opportunity this session to instead make easy fixes to longstanding issues that have plagued law-abiding gun owners in the Garden State.  Among the fixes still desperately needed are clarification of current law to prevent law-abiding gun owners from being turned into criminals over minor technical transportation violations, enforcement of the thirty-day permit issuance deadline already required by law but ignored by permitting authorities, and extension of handgun permits to one year.

I just don't see why anyone would think that it is appropriate to go political, let alone heavy handed political, in a commencement speech.  One is presumably supposed to give a talk about life's lessons.  Yet, Oprah seemed to think her role at a commencement speech at Harvard was to give a political speech.  The fact that she doesn't know what she is talking about almost seems besides the point.
Oprah Winfrey fired some political shots during a commencement speech at Harvard University on Thursday. . . .
Winfrey went on to address gun control, arguing that “the vast majority of people in this country believe in stronger background checks.”
“Because they realize that we can uphold the Second Amendment and also reduce that violence that is robbing us of our children,” she said, referencing the Sandy Hook shooting last year. . . .
Moving on to immigration, the talk show host endorsed “a clear path to citizenship for the 12 million undocumented immigrants who reside in this country.” . . .A discussion on the problems with background checks is here and a discussion on the political support for them is here.  At least if one is going to go heavily political at a university, one hopes that the speaker has something deep to say, not warmed over generalities.

The lamestream media told you:

By PHILIP ELLIOTT -- WASHINGTON (AP)- - The Associated Press' president and chief executive says the government's secret seizure of two months of reporters' phone records has already had a chilling effect on newsgathering, a week after the subpoenas were revealed publicly.

In his first television interviews since the AP reported the Justice Department seizure, Gary Pruitt on Sunday said it has made sources less willing to talk to AP journalists and, in the long term, could limit Americans' information from all news outlets (emphasis added). He called it "unconstitutional" and a violation of the First Amendment.

''The people of the United States will only know what the government wants them to know and that's not what the framers of the Constitution had in mind when they wrote the First Amendment,'' he said. In a separate interview Pruitt said, ''I can tell you we are positively displeased and we do feel... violated.'' http://tinyurl.com/nmmd9jk

The Uninvited Ombudsman notes however that:

Still clueless even after government agents "violated" them, the AP leader (and his minions judging by their ongoing behavior), believes government interference might restrict news the American public gets, and that the "news" machine's cozy relationship with government isn't already among the main limitations on information the public receives. "Chilling" effects on reporters is such a remote factor it is hardly worth mentioning.

"The public is actually lucky that government agents illegally collected a ton of information from the AP," said The Uninvited Ombudsman, "as this woke up that slumbering giant to the normal levels of abuse the public routinely faces." Awakened and outraged, the AP may actually do something, where it otherwise snores so loudly you can't hear its mind-numbing banter. Government overreach and rights violations in Second Amendment issues are legendary and well known, despite news blackouts. 

Reporters, especially AP reporters, are already one of the greatest restrictions on news the American public gets. See, for example, any of these 123 reports: http://www.gunlaws.com/PageNineIndex.htm.

For grotesque ethical violations in the "news" that are fun but infuriating, look here: http://www.gunlaws.com/NewsAccuracy.htm.

Anything outside the approved mainstream narrative is suppressed or distorted beyond recognition, a fact known by anyone who carefully follows a subject of interest to them. The AP is famous for taking government handouts and spoon-feeding them to the public with no reporting whatsoever.

Among the most abused and suppressed areas of news, as readers of Page Nine know, are anything not left of center, such as firearms, religion, abortion, taxation, Tea Party activity, classical economics, classical education, Western civilization, capitalism, public morality, the entertainment industry, the purpose of government or even the news media itself. The most basic political questions are never even asked: http://www.gunlaws.com/the%20liberty%20poll.htm

Using a popular media technique, we could take Pruitt's words above out of context, and use them to summarize the standard model of AP reporting for many stories: "The people of the United States will only know what the government wants them to know." That's an exact quote. An accent might provide some clever color, just for fun: "Ze people of ze United States vill only know vat ze government vants zem to know." Maybe not so funny.

The lamestream media told you:

Seoul, South Korea -- North Korea fired three short-range guided missiles into its eastern waters on Saturday, a South Korean official said (emphasis added). It routinely tests such missiles, but the latest launches came during a period of tentative diplomacy aimed at easing tensions, according to Sam Kim, reporting for the Associated Press. The story was picked up by every major mainstream news outlet. http://tinyurl.com/ayz7u3q

The Uninvited Ombudsman notes however that:

The United States had South Korea make an announcement to the AP, for reasons that were unclear, about North Korea's routine test firing of missiles. The U.S. typically makes such announcements, and frames the context. In this case, the launches were described relative to "tentative diplomacy" aimed at easing tensions.

It is the U.S. that monitors all North Korean missile launches from our ground-based visual, radar, radio, infrared and microwave monitoring stations, as well as seismic, piloted, drone, naval and satellite observations posts, and from spies all around North Korea. Most of South Korea's monitoring capabilities are directly tied to U.S. support.

"There is always a reason why the U.S. allows its allies to make reports instead of doing it directly, but it's unclear why they let the South Koreans do it this time," a knowledgeable observer pointed out. The lapdog AP reported the report that was reported, without reporting, in typical "news reporting" fashion.

In other news, U.S. agents chose to inform the AP directly that North Korea withdrew two mid-range "Musudan" missiles recently, and pointed out that the North is banned from ballistic missile launches under U.N. Security Council resolutions, as if that's meaningful. Why they didn't have the South make this announcement was also unclear, but the AP dutifully carried the handout they were handed.

No one involved pointed out that these U.N. resolutions are meaningless wastes of paper, ignored by everyone and serve no purpose other than to fill newspaper space, thereby contributing to deforestation and global whining.

Two misguided anti-gun bills, LD 265 and LD 267, were defeated on first reading in the Maine Senate yesterday. 

Your immediate action is needed!  The state Senate could vote soon on Senate Bill 700, harmful legislation that will only penalize law-abiding gun owners.  SB 700 seeks to criminalize otherwise lawful private firearm transfers done without a background check, imposes burdensome requirements for compliance and carries steep penalties for any misstep or violation in the process.  This legislation could be voted on at any time and it’s critical that it be stopped!  Contact your state Senator now and urge his or her opposition to Senate Bill 700.

Yesterday, the state Assembly Natural Resources and Sporting Heritage Committee unanimously approved a bill of importance to sportsmen and hunters in the Badger State, Assembly Bill 194.  AB 194, sponsored by state Representative Mary Czaja (R-35), would allow all hunters the opportunity to use a crossbow during the same time period as the big game archery season.  This bill would help increase hunter participation and preserve Wisconsin’s rich hunting heritage.  

Yesterday, the state Assembly Natural Resources and Sporting Heritage Committee unanimously approved a bill of importance to sportsmen and hunters in the Badger State, Assembly Bill 194.  AB 194, sponsored by state Representative Mary Czaja (R-35), would allow all hunters the opportunity to use a crossbow during the same time period as the big game archery season.  This bill would help increase hunter participation and preserve Wisconsin’s rich hunting heritage.  

Stuart Taylor has a tough piece here on additional abuses in Obamacare. From Forbes:
A little-noticed part of President Obama’s Affordable Care Act channels some $12.5 billion into a vaguely defined “Prevention and Public Health Fund” over the next decade–and some of that money is going for everything from massage therapists who offer “calming techniques,” to groups advocating higher state and local taxes on tobacco and soda, and stricter zoning restrictions on fast-food restaurants.

The program, which is run by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), has raised alarms among congressional critics, who call it a “slush fund,” because the department can spend the money as it sees fit and without going through the congressional appropriations process. The sums involved are vast. By 2022, the department will be able to spend $2 billion per year at its sole discretion. In perpetuity. . . .

As someone who recently tried to set up a 501(C)(3), the law is very simple: you make a proposal and the IRS is just supposed to check to see if what you propose is legal.   If you are worried about whether they will do what they promise to do, that is for later investigations.  These investigations are completely inappropriate.  From McClatchy:
A group of anti-abortion activists in Iowa had to promise the Internal Revenue Service it wouldn’t picket in front of Planned Parenthood.

Catherine Engelbrecht’s family and business in Texas were audited by the government after her voting-rights group sought tax-exempt status from the IRS.

Retired military veteran Mark Drabik of Nebraska became active in and donated to conservative causes, then found the IRS challenging his church donations.

While the developing scandal over the targeting of conservatives by the tax agency has largely focused to date on its scrutiny of groups with words such as “tea party” or “patriot” in their names, these examples suggest the government was looking at a broader array of conservative groups and perhaps individuals. Their collective experiences at a minimum could spread skepticism about the fairness of a powerful agency that should be above reproach and at worst could point to a secret political vendetta within the government against conservatives. . . .

Since the Supreme Court's decisions in District of Columbia v. Heller (2008) and McDonald v. City of Chicago (2010), some anti-gun politicians have resurrected a decades-old idea: If you can't ban guns, why not tax them so heavily that no ordinary person can afford to exercise his Second Amendment rights? The latest movement on that front is in our nation's capitol, where District of Columbia Council member Mary Cheh (D-Ward 3) introduced Bill 20-170, the "Firearm Insurance Amendment Act."  The measure would require D.C. residents to purchase liability insurance--of no less than $250,000--before being allowed to purchase a firearm.  The liability insurance policy would specifically need to cover any damages resulting from negligent acts, or willful acts that are not undertaken in self-defense, involving the use of the insured firearm while it is owned by the policy holder.  Under B20-170, individuals who currently possess firearms in D.C. would have to purchase liability insurance within 30 days of its effective date.

As attacks on our Second Amendment rights increase, there is a predictable uptick in the number of internet rumors concerning firearms and ammunition.  In particular, NRA-ILA receives frequent inquiries regarding ammo shortages.  A rumor that surfaced earlier this year was actually a variation of an old one, and claimed that George Soros owns "most of the ammunition manufacturing companies and many arms manufacturers," and that he's "selling ONLY to the government right now."   This simply isn't true. As noted in a past statement by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, "George Soros does not own ANY manufacturers of ammunition or firearms.  No manufacturer of either guns or ammunition has been ordered by the government to limit or alter its supply channels.  All manufacturers are trying their best to catch up to this market, but it's a simple matter of supply vs. demand.  There is way too much demand for manufacturers to meet with supply.  There is not enough tooling, infrastructure or raw materials at the ready anywhere in the entire world to keep up with current consumer demand.  And that's why we are seeing shortages."

How would you like a new Buck knife, made in the USA?  Enter our NRA Giveaway on Facebook and you could be one of five lucky winners!  You can enter by visiting our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/NationalRifleAssociation and clicking on the orange and red "NRA Giveaway" app--it's right below our cover photo. Or you can click here to enter: https://www.facebook.com/NationalRifleAssociation/app_125715150851867 We are very happy to report that, thanks to your on-going support, NRA's Facebook page has exploded in popularity and currently boasts over 2,390,000 "likes"! Our Facebook page allows us to reach many potential members and supporters with our pro-gun, pro-freedom message.  It provides an opportunity for our members to communicate with each other and with us.

As we recently reported, on April 2, the United Nations General Assembly voted 153-4 to pass the Arms Trade Treaty, with the United States voting in favor and several countries abstaining. The vote in the General Assembly pushed the treaty process forward after negotiations twice failed to deliver on the goal of developing the treaty by consensus. The Obama Administration is expected to sign the treaty soon after it is opened for signature on Monday, June 3--just days from now.  The ATT threatens the rights and privacy of American gun owners.  Signatories will be encouraged to keep information on the "end users" of arms imported into their territory and supply such information to the exporting country.  Exporting nations, nearly all of which have civilian firearm control regimes far harsher than the U.S., will be encouraged to take the firearm control laws of an importing country into account before approving a transfer of arms.  And the treaty also encourages states to adopt domestic legislation to carry out the treaty's mandates.