Explore The NRA Universe Of Websites

APPEARS IN News

Hillary Remains Willing to Ignore Federal Firearms Law

Friday, May 6, 2016

Hillary Remains Willing to Ignore Federal Firearms Law

Last week, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton told viewers of an MSNBC “townhall” that her efforts to enact gun control would start her “very first day” as president. This week, a Washington Post article titled, “Can Clinton make good on immigration, guns?,” shed some light on her anti-gun plans. Rather than rely on the quaint notion that the legislative branch should be relied on to legislate, Clinton appears intent on bypassing Congress and pursuing her gun control agenda by executive fiat.

In describing her strategy, the article notes, “Clinton and her allies in and out of Congress are gradually building a legislative agenda that would focus on immigration issues in Congress while mostly relying on the executive power of the presidency to further gun restrictions that would have little chance of becoming law.”

Later on, the piece elaborates on one of Clinton’s contemplated executive measures, stating, “Clinton would go further than Obama to broaden requirements for background checks and narrow loopholes that allow largely unrestricted trafficking of guns online.” This is followed by a quote from Clinton campaign press secretary Brian Fallon, who told the Post, “Building on the steps pursued by President Obama, Secretary Clinton will take administrative action to require that any person attempting to sell a significant number of guns be deemed ‘in the business’ of selling firearms.”

The contours of Clinton’s plan to restrict the private transfer of firearms are unclear, however, even more hazy is just where Clinton thinks she would obtain the authority for such an action.

In January, President Barack Obama announced a series of executive actions on gun control. The centerpiece of the highly publicized effort was the issuance of ATF guidance clarifying when an individual must obtain a Federal Firearms License, and thus transfer firearms pursuant to a background check. At the time, the Obama administration made perfectly clear that they were doing everything within their lawful authority to pursue gun control administratively.

Just prior to the announcement of the new measures, Deputy Press Secretary Eric Schultz said of Obama’s gun control efforts, “he has asked his team to scrub existing legal authorities to see if there’s any additional action we can take administratively… The President has made clear he’s not satisfied with where we are, and expects that work to be completed soon.” In remarks announcing the new actions, Obama stated “we’re going to do everything we can to ensure the smart and effective enforcement of gun safety laws that are already on the books…” Further, a press release that accompanied the announcement of these measures, stated, “The President and Vice President are committed to using every tool at the Administration’s disposal to reduce gun violence.”

All of this came after Obama’s earlier high-profile administrative gun control efforts, which were announced in January 2013. Following the shooting in Newtown, Conn., Obama convened a task force led by Vice President Joe Biden to offer gun control recommendations, including measures they thought would be within the president’s authority to pursue unilaterally. After an extensive effort, the administration adopted 23 executive actions. Obama said of the task force’s proposals, “I intend to use whatever weight this office holds to make them a reality.”

Whether certain aspects of the Obama administration’s executive gun control measures fall within their legitimate authority is a contested matter. However, from their statements it is abundantly clear that Obama’s team has sought to reach the outer limits of their authority to regulate firearms under current federal law. The fact that Clinton believes she could do even more suggests that her and her team either do not understand federal firearms law, or that they are willing to go beyond what even the anti-gun Obama administration considers a legitimate use of executive authority.

This sort of brazen perversion of federal firearms law is nothing new for the Clintons. In 1998, President Bill Clinton used the Gun Control Act’s oft-abused “sporting purpose” test to prohibit the importation of 58 types of rifles. Prior to the ban, then-White House policy analyst Jose Cerda said “We are taking the law and bending it as far as we can to capture a whole new class of guns.”

This is all to show that getting involved in this year’s elections is now more important than ever.  To find out more about the variety of ways you can help ensure a victory for our Second Amendment rights this election season, please visit https://www.nraila.org/about/election-center/.

BY NRA-ILA Staff

TRENDING NOW
Nancy Pelosi: Pro-Gun Voters Made an Impact

News  

Monday, November 18, 2024

Nancy Pelosi: Pro-Gun Voters Made an Impact

Congratulations NRA members and other pro-gun voters! Once again, our votes helped make the difference.

Make Crime Illegal Again

News  

Monday, November 18, 2024

Make Crime Illegal Again

While less prominent than the red sweep of the nation’s electoral map and the triumph of President Donald Trump, another telling development following the 2024 elections was the number of Californians in ultra-progressive strongholds who ...

Gulfport City Council Votes to Create "Gun-Free Zone" for Law-Abiding Citizens

Friday, November 22, 2024

Gulfport City Council Votes to Create "Gun-Free Zone" for Law-Abiding Citizens

This week, the Gulfport City Council voted 4-3 to ban law-abiding citizens who legally open carry from bringing firearms into City Council Chambers during a public meeting. They also approved intrusive security measures, including wanding ...

Bloomberg’s Mayors, Back in the News!

News  

Monday, November 18, 2024

Bloomberg’s Mayors, Back in the News!

Just a few short weeks ago, we wrote about Michael Bloomberg’s controversy-dogged gun control organization, Mayors Against Illegal Guns (MAIG), and how another high-ranking member of the group had been indicted for allegedly committing serious ...

Federal District Court Strikes Down IL’s “Assault Weapon” and “Large-Capacity Magazine” Bans in NRA-Supported Case

Saturday, November 9, 2024

Federal District Court Strikes Down IL’s “Assault Weapon” and “Large-Capacity Magazine” Bans in NRA-Supported Case

Today, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois struck down provisions of the Protect Illinois Communities Act (PICA) that prohibit “assault weapons” and “large-capacity magazines” in an NRA-supported case, Barnett v. Raoul.

NRA Files Amicus Brief Arguing that Washington’s Magazine Ban Violates the Second Amendment

Friday, November 15, 2024

NRA Files Amicus Brief Arguing that Washington’s Magazine Ban Violates the Second Amendment

Today, NRA filed an amicus brief in the Supreme Court of the State of Washington in a challenge to Washington’s prohibition on magazines that hold over 10 rounds.

Michigan: Take Action Against "Gun-Free Zone" Bills Today!

Friday, November 15, 2024

Michigan: Take Action Against "Gun-Free Zone" Bills Today!

Yesterday, the Senate Committee on Civil Rights, Judiciary, and Public Safety SB 857 and SB 858 with amendments and the bills will now be eligible for votes on the Senate floor. Please use the take action button below and ...

Kamala for Gun Confiscation: In Her Own Words

News  

Monday, September 16, 2024

Kamala for Gun Confiscation: In Her Own Words

During the September 10 presidential debate, President Donald Trump correctly highlighted Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris’s support for gun confiscation. A visibly defensive Harris claimed, “We're not taking anybody's guns away. So stop with the ...

Missouri: AG Bailey Intervenes on County’s Assault on the Second Amendment

Friday, November 22, 2024

Missouri: AG Bailey Intervenes on County’s Assault on the Second Amendment

Missouri’s Attorney General Andrew Bailey took immediate action to stop the erosion of the Second Amendment by a County Commission bent on restricting the rights of law-abiding citizens who either reside or traverse within its ...

NRA Scores Legal Victory Against ATF; “Pistol Brace Rule” Enjoined From Going Into Effect Against NRA Members

Monday, April 1, 2024

NRA Scores Legal Victory Against ATF; “Pistol Brace Rule” Enjoined From Going Into Effect Against NRA Members

NRA Members Among the Largest Class Protected from Draconian Rule

MORE TRENDING +
LESS TRENDING -

More Like This From Around The NRA

NRA ILA

Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the "lobbying" arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.