In early December, the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), through the National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, announced the final amended version of a change to rules on carrying firearms in national parks and wildlife refuges. The change will restore the right of law-abiding gun owners to transport and carry concealed firearms for lawful purposes on most DOI lands, according to the laws of the states in which these public lands are located. 

The new rule, which takes effect today, allows Right-to-Carry permit holders to carry concealed firearms in national parks and wildlife refuges in states that recognize their permits. The new rule will also put an end to the patchwork of regulations that governed different lands managed by different federal agencies. In the past, Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service lands allowed the carrying of firearms, while lands managed by DOI did not.

The Second Amendment Book Bomb Hits #1 in Law, #12 in History, #24 in Nonfiction at Amazon.com!  On America's Bill of Rights Day (December 15), the Second Amendment Book Bomb was launched by the Independent Institute to communicate the importance of the Bill of Rights' Second Amendment for the protection of liberty. With your help, constitutional rights can be pushed to the top of national book bestseller lists, making a loud and clear statement that the Second Amendment right to arms is unalienable!

U.S Forest Service Considering Use of Motorized Vehicles to Retrieve Game in the Kaibab National Forrest!  The U.S. Forest Service has released a Travel Management Project (TMP) for the Tusayan Ranger District, Kaibab National Forest.  Three management alternatives for motorized use of roads and trails are presented, including the use of motorized vehicles to retrieve game. 

Help Defend Your Gun Rights One Easy Click At A Time: We now have a revolutionary yet simple tool that will allow you to stay connected to NRA-ILA and raise valuable contributions to defend our Second Amendment rights without spending a dime!  It's the NRA-ILA Toolbar, and you can make a difference by downloading and using it. 

Grassroots Minute Video:  To view the most recent "Grassroots Minute" video, please click here:  http://blip.tv/file/1653499. 

           He's not even in office, yet he's fired the opening salvos in a war against the future of the Second Amendment, our hunting and shooting traditions, and YOU.

           Obama's FIRST attack on YOU: Appointing Illinois Congressman Rahm Emanuel to be White House Chief of Staff. In Congress, Emanuel earned an "F" rating from NRA, and while working in the Clinton Administration, he was known as the "point man on gun control." He is an avowed enemy of the Second Amendment and will wield enormous power in the battle for the future of our firearm freedoms.

           Obama's SECOND attack on YOU: If Hillary Clinton is confirmed as Secretary of State, she'll rip the Second Amendment right out of the Bill of Rights. She'll be our nation's top diplomat with the power to determine whether the United Nations will pass, and Obama will sign, a global gun ban treaty that will surrender our Second Amendment rights and our national sovereignty.

           Obama's THIRD attack on YOU: Nominating ex-Senator and former Majority Leader Tom Daschle-an avowed enemy of NRA-to be Secretary of Health and Human Services. NRA was responsible for defeating Daschle when he ran in South Dakota for re-election to the Senate. If Daschle is confirmed, he could hold the ultimate power to declare guns a "public health menace" and regulate away our essential liberties.

           Obama's FOURTH attack on YOU: Nominating Eric Holder to be Attorney General. As former Assistant Attorney General, Holder was a key architect and vocal advocate for the Clinton era's sweeping gun ban agenda. He supported national handgun licensing, mandatory trigger locks, and ending gun shows as we know them.

           Just recently, Holder opposed the District of Columbia's Heller decision that declared the Second Amendment an individual right. Holder also called for reviving the Clinton gun bans and, as Attorney General, would fight in court to prevent the landmark Heller decision from being made applicable to state and local governments.

           Worst of all, if Holder is confirmed as the nation's top law-enforcement officer, he would control BATFE and wield enormous power to harass gun owners and sue America's arms makers out of existence.

           Obama's FIFTH attack on YOU: In the job application for the Obama Administration, he made it clear that gun owners are second-class citizens and told 80 million gun owners not to even bother applying for a job. In the "White House Personnel Data Questionnaire" he asked:

           "Do you or any members of your immediate family own a gun? If so, provide
           complete ownership and registration information. Has the registration ever
           lapsed? Please also describe how and by whom it is used and whether it has
           been the cause of any personal injuries or property damage."

           This chilling notice to gun owners-that they are not welcome to serve in his Administration-shows the deep hostility for Americans' Second Amendment Freedoms that Obama and his Administration have in their hearts.

           On its face, that question endorses gun registration-a mandate in only five states in our nation-and buys into the anti-gun premise that firearms are inherently dangerous and gun owners are prone to misusing them.

           That's an outrageous mindset, especially for the President-elect whose sworn duty will be to uphold the U.S. Constitution, including our right to keep and bear arms.

           Obama CLEARLY wants to make gun registration the law of the land.

           First for employees under his control...AND THEN FOR YOU.

           Working with a Congress dominated by gun haters like Nancy Pelosi, Dianne Feinstein, John Conyers, Henry Waxman, and Charles Schumer!!!

           Rubbing salt in gun owner wounds is the Brady Campaign, which just issued a completely bogus poll claiming that two-thirds of the Americans-including 60% of all gun owners-favor gun registration, licensing of firearm owners, and other sweeping restrictions on our firearm freedoms!

           That's why we need the strongest possible commitment from EVERY NRA member, starting today. That's why I'm hoping you'll validate your new NRA membership card the moment you receive it.

           Because our greatest strength is you.

           Only by working with you can NRA hold the line against these threats from every quarter. We are the one force that has the strength to keep Americans free and our rights intact for future generations. With you at our side, we will fight and we will prevail against all odds.

           Thank you for your loyalty to NRA and the cause of Freedom.

Fairfax, VA - The U.S. House of Representatives voted today to approve the National Rifle Association (NRA)-backed "Second Amendment Enforcement Act" in an overwhelming bi-partisan vote of 266-152. The Act, passed as an amendment to H.R. 6842, will overturn the District of Columbia's gun control restrictions that defy the recent Supreme Court ruling by continuing to limit D.C. residents' right to self-defense. This bill is necessary to enforce the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in District of Columbia v. Heller.

Following passage, Chris W. Cox, NRA's chief lobbyist remarked, "From the moment the Supreme Court overturned this failed gun ban, elitist politicians have sought to undermine the Court's decision with bogus emergency regulations that all but stop residents from exercising their Second Amendment rights. NRA wants to make sure D.C. residents are able to protect themselves and their families."

On June 26, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled "the District's ban on handgun possession in the home violates the Second Amendment, as does its prohibition against rendering any lawful firearm in the home operable for the purpose of immediate self-defense."

A bi-partisan group of Congressmen introduced legislation this summer to force the D.C. Council into compliance with the Supreme Court after the council enacted 'emergency' gun-control restrictions on its residents after D.C.'s gun ban and self-defense ban were overturned.

The Second Amendment Enforcement Act will:

• Repeal the District's ban on semi-automatic handguns. Semi-automatic pistols have been the most commonly purchased firearms in the United States over the last 20 years, and therefore a ban on those firearms is unconstitutional as decided by Heller;
  
• Restore the right of self-defense by repealing the requirement that firearms be disassembled or secured with a trigger lock in the home;
  
• Reform the current D.C. registration system that requires multiple visits to police headquarters; ballistics testing; passing a written test on D.C. gun laws; fingerprinting; and limiting registration to one handgun per 90 days. The current system is unduly burdensome and serves as a vehicle for even more onerous restrictions; and
  
• Create a limited exemption to the federal ban on interstate handgun sales by allowing D.C. residents to purchase handguns in Virginia and Maryland. Currently there is only one licensed firearm dealer in the District, and the District government is standing in the way of additional dealers opening their doors. A 40-year old federal law prohibits residents from purchasing handguns outside of the District.

'I'd like to thank Congressmen Travis Childers, John Dingell, John Tanner, Mike Ross, Mark Souder, Bill Sali and Robin Hayes for their leadership. NRA will continue our work to bring the Second Amendment to D.C. residents, but we call on the Senate now to take up this historic legislation," concluded Cox. "The American people should know where their elected representatives stand on this critical civil rights legislation before the November elections."