Merry Christmas!
By Tanya Metaksa
What’s New—US Congress: 3D Gun Safety Act was being considered for floor action in the US Senate, Senator John Barrasso objects; Illinois: SCOTUS refuses appeal for temporary injunction in Langley v. Kelly; latest registration numbers; California DOJ proposes regulation excluding NRA certified instructors from those that can train people for concealed carry permits; Kentucky: The Interim Joint Committee on Judiciary held a meeting on Dec. 15; New Mexico: Democrat legislative leaders going after law-abiding gun owners; News of the Day for Second Amendment supporters: Fox News: Article; gun-toting Republican NY City Councilwoman Inna Vernikov is in the news again. 2024 GRPC dates set: Sept. 27 – 29, 2024 in San Diego, CA.
U.S. Congress
US Senate: Early last week it appeared that Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) was trying to bring up S.1819 under unanimous consent. S. 1819, 3D Printed Gun Safety Act, to prohibit the distribution of 3D printer plans for the printing of firearms, and for other purposes.If one Senator objects, the attempt will fail. Thanks to pro-gun Senator John Barrasso’s objection the Democrats political ploy was stopped. Both S.1819 and H.R. 4074 had been introduced in June 2023 and have been languishing in the Judiciary Committees since.
State Legislation
The following states are currently in session: Michigan, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Wisconsin. All the rest have adjourned for 2023.
The following states allow bills from the 2023 session to carry-over to the 2024 session: Alaska, California, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma; Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee; Vermont, and Washington
States not in session in 2024: Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, Texas
California: SB2 that was signed earlier this year and becomes effective the first of 2024, instituted an overhaul of the CCW program that is administered by the CA DOJ. On Dec. 8 the DOJ issued “emergency regulations” that remove NRA certified instructors as CA concealed carry teachers. The consequence of this proposal will be to make the training less available and more expensive.
Illinois: SCOTUS on Dec. 14, did not issue a temporary injunction against the Protect Illinois Communities Act in the case of Langley v. Kelly. The PICA now goes into effect on Jan. 1, after US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit on Nov. 3, voted 2-1 to uphold the law. The case will continue as the request to SCOTUS and the Seventh Circuit was for a Temporary Injunction.
Latest numbers for Illinois’ gun ban registry: With almost 2.5 million FOID cards issued in the state, current endorsement affidavits for assault weapons, assault weapon attachments, .50 caliber rifles, and .50 caliber cartridges as of Dec. 8. The database on the website has not been updated since Dec. 8. All registrations are required to be submitted by January 1, 2024.
Persons completing a Disclosure: 6,141
Total Disclosures: 18,457
Firearms Disclosures:12,086
Accessory Disclosures:6,254
Ammunition Disclosures:117
SCOTUS Langley v. Kelly: on Dec. 14, SCOTUS did not issue a temporary injunction against the Protect Illinois Communities Act in the case of Langley v. Kelly. The PICA now goes into effect on Jan. 1, after US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit on Nov. 3, voted 2-1 to uphold the law. The case will continue as the request to SCOTUS and the Seventh Circuit was for a Temporary Injunction.
Kentucky: The Interim Joint Committee on Judiciary held a meeting on Dec. 15. The agenda for this meeting was to discuss both the Judiciary in Kentucky and violent felonies. Two draft bills on violent felonies were introduced but no action was taken.
New Mexico: The Democrat controlled legislature and Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham appear to be targeting law-abiding gun owners in the 2024 legislative session. The Courts, Corrections & Justice Committee have endorsed a 14-day waiting period on all firearms purchases and a ban on carrying near polling places and ballot drop boxes. Gov. Lujan has said she will support Senator Marin Heinrich’s GOSAFE bill that he introduced last session. A description of this unconstitutional bill can be found here.
News of the Day for Second Amendment supporters:
Don’t miss your chance to hear from some of the nation’s most influential 2A advocates at the 2024 Gun Rights Policy Conference! Next year’s 50th anniversary GRPC is set for Sept. 27 – 29 in San Diego, CA. More details to come, but make sure to mark those dates on your calendar!
Fox News: Article with a headline “Female Gun Ownership explodes as women vow to be their own first responders.”
Republican council member Inna Vernikov, who brought an inoperable gun to a protest, has made the news again. According msn.com,“New York Republican City Council member Inna Vernikov wore a striking blue and white evening dress emblazoned with the Jewish star…the Israeli flag…at the annual Manhattan Republican Club gala.”
An interesting chart on Right-to-Carry in Texas and the United States.
