At GOA, we’ve been hard at work fighting for your Second Amendment rights, here’s what we did…
From defeating the ATF’s “Engaged in the Business” rule in federal court, to winning a Supreme Court case regarding gun owners who use marijuana, and exposing the injustice of a failure in Texas law that ended with a gun owner arrested — GOA has been busy.
You deserve an update.
Recently,
Gun Owners of America defeated ATF’s tyrannical “Engaged in the Business” rule, where a federal judge vacated the rule in its entirety.
Gun owners nationwide can breathe a sigh of relief that the rule is now dead.
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The Supreme Court ruled 9-0 last week that the federal government cannot prosecute someone solely because they use marijuana while owning a firearm.
This is a massive win for gun rights, and a huge rebuke to the federal government, who attempted to preserve their ability to prosecute otherwise law-abiding gun owners who use marijuana.
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And finally, we worked last week to highlight a case out of Texas where a gun owner — who happens to be NBA player James Harden — was arrested over a technicality in Texas law, having a handgun outside a holster while in a vehicle.
Even in “pro-gun” states like Texas, where constitutional carry is the law of the land, ridiculous gun control laws like these jail gun owners unjustifiably and often.
We’re demanding that Texas abolish this unconstitutional law.
GOA’s legal team won a major victory recently against the ATF & DOJ in our case GOA & Texas v. ATF.
This case was a challenge to the Biden-era “Engaged in the Business” rule, which essentially criminalized private sales of firearms, requiring sellers to obtain a Federal Firearms License (FFL) and run a background check before doing so.
In reality, the true plan behind this rule was to create a universal background check system without any act of congress. Instead, ATF would simply arrest those who did not comply.
Combine this with the fact that prior, the Biden Administration mandated that all background check forms be held by ATF indefinitely, further growing ATF’s illegal registry of guns and gun owners.
When the rule was released, GOA along with the Attorney Generals of 4 states, sued the ATF over the enforcement of this blatantly unconstitutional rule.
Recently, a federal judge agreed with us, vacating the rule and declaring that the ATF may not apply the final rule to anyone — including individuals and organizations that are not parties in our case.
Although we are celebrating the win in this rule being vacated, ATF still maintains an illegal registry.
We’re working to dismantle this registry with the help of Congress, and we won’t let up until ATF’s illegal registry is completely abolished.
In a 9-0 decision, the Supreme Court ruled that the government cannot automatically strip someone of their Second Amendment rights just because they regularly use a controlled substance like marijuana, without any evidence that they are actually dangerous.
GOA’s amicus brief in United States v. Hemani argued that the government handpicked the most unsympathetic plaintiff possible, with alleged connections to foreign terror groups.
We asked SCOTUS to look past the plaintiff and evaluate the issue at hand, the blanket ban on firearm ownership by those who unlawfully use controlled substances. The court seems to have done just that.
Even though the ruling is narrow, this is a win for gun rights. It also opens opportunities for challenging other gun control laws, specifically on the state level.
Some of the most anti-gun states specifically use their liberal marijuana laws against those who want to use this drug — which has legitimate medical uses — and also enjoy their Second Amendment right.
And in Texas, a “pro-gun” constitutional carry state, we watched as NBA star James Harden got arrested and charged because his legally owned handgun was sitting in the cup holder of his car instead of in a government-approved holster.
He wasn’t accused of threatening anyone, firing a shot, or committing any violent crime, yet the system treated the mere presence of a visible handgun as a criminal offense.
If an internationally known NBA player can be arrested, with conditions banning him from possessing firearms while his case winds through court, imagine how an ordinary gun owner would be treated in this exact same situation.
Our rights are not subject to holster mandates, visibility rules, or anything else for that matter.
That’s why we’re calling on Texas lawmakers to abolish this law, so a situation like this never happens again.
Texas legislators would do well to remember, the Second Amendment is a right, not a privilege.
And finally, GOA’s annual convention, GOALS, is on the horizon.
The Gun Owners Advocacy and Leadership Summit is being held this year on August 1st & 2nd in Des Moines, IA.
Come out and see your favorite manufacturers, handle all sorts of new products and hear from the top voices in the Second Amendment community.
Explore over 150,000 square feet of guns and gear, with over 200+ of the biggest brands in the firearms industry all showcasing the latest and greatest.
And with fantastic speakers like Brett Cooper, Lena Miculek, Ken Paxton, Brandon Herrera, John Lovell, and more!
The best part? It’s FREE for GOA members.
Don’t miss out! Register here.
That’s all for now, but just know that we’ll be working hard to protect and restore the Second Amendment.
Keep an eye out for more updates from GOA in your inbox, coming soon.
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