By Tanya Metaksa
What’s New—United Nations: Anti-gun activity still working at the UN; Federal: Department of Commerce new export rules proposed; Department of Commerce regulations opposed by NSSF; California: the legislature is in recess, but bills are still pending; Colorado: Aurora City Council considering Opting out of banning concealed carry in government buildings; New Hampshire: Gov. Sununu signs HB1188.
United Nations
The International Community does not and has never approved of the United States’ Second Amendment. As a result, the international community, especially the United Nations, is extremely anti-gun. The United Nations has several international regulations that are aimed at our rights. In June, the UN Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade on Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects (PofA) held a conference, which concluded on June 28. During the conference, there was a push by not only governments but also anti-gun Non-governmental Associations (NGOs) to increase international regulations on ammunition and personally manufactured firearms. While most of these efforts did not come to fruition, a new Open-Ended Technical Expert Group was formed that only included governments and “invited” experts, excluding any NGOs that would be interested.
In the 1990s, NRA-ILA began an effort to work with US pro-gun groups and those from other countries, such as Great Britain, Australia, Italy, Germany, and others, to combat UN anti-gun efforts. They then applied for and received NGO status at the UN, which allowed them to participate in UN gun control programs.
Federal: Department of Commerce regulations
On June 27, 2024, the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) sent a letter to Gina Raimondo, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce, opposing the interim final rule to revise and add unnecessary regulations to firearms license requirements. NSSF summarized their objection:
“NSSF disapproves of the IFR because it implements overreaching and needlessly harsh policy changes that will directly affect all firearm exports. The IFR adds unnecessary controls on sporting shotguns and optical sighting devices to the U.S.’s most trusted partners and allied countries listed in EAR Country Group A:1, which includes NATO countries.”
They conclude with the following: “We question the need for these industry-wide process changes when international crime guns recovered and traced by ATF are less than 1% of the total number of firearms legally exported from the U.S. under approved export licenses.”
State Legislation and local communities
States that are still in session: California (in recess), District of Columbia, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire (recess), New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio (recess), Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico
California: The legislature is in recess until August 5, 2024. The bills are now before the Committee on Appropriations: AB1252 officially makes AG Bonta’s Office of Gun Violence Protection part of the CA DOJ and creates a state-supported Commission to End Gun Violence, and AB2917 expands the criteria for implementing the Gun Violence Protective Order to consider any threats directed toward any group or location.
Colorado: When Governor Polis signed a bill earlier this year to ban concealed carry in all government buildings, there was a provision that local governments could opt out. As a result, several municipalities have taken advantage of this provision. Now, the Denver suburb of Aurora has a proposal to bring it before the city council to opt-out.
New Hampshire: On Friday, July 12, Governor Chris Sununu (R-New Hampshire) signed HB1186, “an act relative to firearm purchaser’s privacy,” into law
