Feed aggregator

Last night, the Colorado Senate advanced SB 25-003, a semi-auto ban which will bar the sale of almost all semi-automatic rifles, pistols, and shotguns which accept a detachable magazine. Sadly, it received support from both Democrats and Republicans and passed by vote of 19-15.

SB 25-003 was also amended, with an “exemption” for Colorado residents who wish to enter a permit to purchase system and take multiple state-run tests in order to buy semi-automatic firearms.

Gun Owners of America opposes this legislation and is urging the every member of the Colorado House of Representatives to OPPOSE and vote NO  SB 25-003.



Maryland is once again seeing gun related bills move through the General Assembly. Some of these bills continue to push for stripping Marylanders of their constitutional rights, while the other set of bills hold positives that would be beneficial to those wishing to exercise their Second Amendment rights in Maryland. Please see the list of bills below:

Oppose:

• HB 387 — Imposes an 11% tax on firearm sales by licensed dealers, both within and outside the state of Maryland.
• HB 937 — Doubles the sales and use tax rate for sales of firearms, firearm accessories, and ammunition from 6% to 12%.

These taxes would undoubtedly be passed along in the form of price increases for gun owners. Secondly, the justification for these bills is to fund programs that seek to “decrease gun violence” in Maryland. As a reminder, gun violence figures in Maryland have gone UP during the same time that Marylanders’ Second Amendment rights have been restricted. This includes the passage of “Assault Weapons” ban in 2013.

• HB 1287 — Bans any semi-automatic pistol that COULD be converted into a machinegun. While this legislation is specifically targeting “Glock switches,” it is worded ambiguously enough to potentially include ALL semi-automatic pistols. Similar legislation was introduced in New York last year, where it rightfully died in committee.
• SB 444 — Would require all firearms turned in at gun buyback programs to be destroyed.
• HB 1050, and its companion bill SB 943 — Requires firearms to be surrendered to law enforcement when responding to domestic violence protection orders. Prohibits possession of firearms for the duration of the order. Creates additional “Task Forces” aimed at further justifying disarming of Maryland citizens.

Support and monitor:

• HB 354 — Reduces penalties related to wearing, carrying, or transporting a handgun without a permit.

Maryland had previously increased penalties for carrying a handgun without a permit (the Gun Safety Act of 2023) in defiance of the Supreme Court’s Bruen decision in 2022. An example under current law is that if one person illegally carries a handgun in a car full of others, every individual in the vehicle can be arrested and charged. HB 354 would prevent Marylanders from being guilty by proximity.

• HB 353 — A constitutional carry bill that repeals the requirement for a handgun permit and allows those over the age of 21 to wear, carry, and transport a firearm.

This bill should be supported with amendments that would also include the right for 18 – 20 year-olds to wear, carry, and transport firearms as well.

Contact your State Legislators and urge them to SUPPORT the pro-gun bills and OPPOSE the anti-gun bills. Reach out to your legislators immediately in the form above and urge them to take action on these gun bills.

PA Supreme Court to Hear GOA’s, GOF’s Challenge to Philadelphia’s Unconstitutional Private Firearm Manufacturing Ban 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

February 18, 2025 

Philadelphia, PA — Gun Owners of America (GOA) and Gun Owners Foundation (GOF), together with several individual gun owners, are pleased to announce that the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has granted our petition for allowance of appeal. This means that the Pennsylvania high court will now hear our challenge to the City of Philadelphia’s unconstitutional ban on the private manufacture of firearms. 

GOA’s lawsuit challenges Philadelphia’s ordinance that restricts the manufacturing of firearms, components, and attachments for personal use.  We argue that the ban violates Pennsylvania’s preemption statute, the Uniform Firearms Act (UFA), along with infringing Article I, Section 21 of the Pennsylvania Constitution, which guarantees the right to bear arms. 

Philadelphia’s ordinance, which prohibits the private manufacturing of firearms through processes like 3D printing or completing unfinished firearm frames, directly contradicts state law, which preempts all local firearm regulations. GOA’s petition argued that the Philly ordinance infringes upon the constitutional right to self-defense and violates the UFA, which gives the General Assembly exclusive power to regulate firearms. 

We will now be asking the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to reverse the Commonwealth Court’s decision (which upheld the ordinance), and confirm that the UFA broadly preempts Philadelphia’s ordinance, restoring the uniform protection of the right to keep and bear arms across Pennsylvania. 

Erich Pratt, Senior Vice President of GOA, issued the following statement: 

“Philadelphia’s efforts to regulate firearm manufacturing go against the core of Pennsylvania’s firearm preemption law and violate the rights of its citizens. With the Pennsylvania Supreme Court now agreeing to hear this case, we are hopeful that Pennsylvanians’ rights will be protected from Philadelphia’s unconstitutional tyranny at the local level.” 

Sam Paredes, on behalf of Gun Owners Foundation, added:  

“This is a critical moment for gun owners across Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s decision to take up this case shows the importance of safeguarding our enumerated right to keep and bear arms. Philadelphia’s overreach needs to be stopped, and we believe the Court will uphold the law and protect citizens’ rights.” 

GOA spokesmen are available for interviews. Gun Owners of America is a nonprofit grassroots lobbying organization dedicated to protecting the right to keep and bear arms without compromise. GOA represents over two million members and activists. For more information, visit GOA’s Press Center. 

-GOA- 

On March 2, 2025, Firearms Industry Consulting Group Attorney Dillon Harris will join Ron Mest Sports and several other presenters for the 4th Annual Firearms Safety and Law Seminar at Pike Township Sportsmen's Association to speak on a number of topics relevant to both new and experienced firearms owners. This is a full-day seminar with … Continue reading 4th Annual Firearms Safety and Law Seminar with Ron Mest Sports on March 2, 2025 →

Wasting no time during this 2025 legislative session, anti-gunners in the Virginia General Assembly have blasted over 10 different gun control bills through the House and Senate.

It is now up to Governor Glenn Youngkin to veto these bills.

Please contact Gov. Youngkin and tell him to veto these unconstitutional gun control bills!

Here’s a breakdown of the bills we need Youngkin to veto:

•         SB891 institutes an unconstitutional and dangerous five-day waiting period after purchasing a firearm. A right delayed is a right denied.
•         SB886 bans Virginian’s from upgrading triggers in their firearms. 
•         SB883 puts individuals convicted of misdemeanor offenses on a gun ban list. 
•         SB881 bans Virginians from making homemade firearms.
•         SB880 expands dangerous ‘gun free’ zones in Virginia, nearly eliminating all forms lawful carry of a firearm in public. 
•         SB848 bans 18-, 19-, and 20-year-old adults in Virginia from purchasing semi-automatic firearms. 
•         SB744 creates age restrictions for certain firearm transfers.
•         SB1450 allows lawfare to be waged on firearms manufacturers in Virginia from the anti-gun Left.
•         SB1134 is a “lock up your safety” bill which forces law-abiding citizens to keep their firearms behind lock and key. 
•         SB1110 and SB1182 further expands so-called “gun free” zones. 
•         HB1960 further expands age restrictions on owning or purchasing firearms.

But the anti-gunners aren’t stopping there.

Many more gun control bills are working there way through the Virginia House.

HB1607, which has passed through the Virginia House and is awaiting a final vote in the Virginia Senate is a full-on “assault weapons” ban which will bar the sale of semi-automatic rifles, pistols, and shotguns.

It also arbitrarily bans standard capacity magazines.

Virginia is facing a full-on assault in 2025.

We need Gov. Glenn Youngkin to VETO every single gun control bill heading to his desk.

So please contact Governor Glenn Youngkin and tell him to VETO every single piece of anti-gun legislation.

Pro-gun Virginians need to make sure that Gov. Youngkin fulfills his constitutional duty and opposes every word of gun control.



Thank you so much for taking action on our alerts! The Legislature is hearing you loud and clear in Cheyenne, but we still need you to keep speaking out!

In fact, were it not for the efforts of GOA and its members, we would have forfeited the incredible Second Amendment victories that we achieved here in Wyoming over recent years.

I have news to report to you today, but first, let me explain where we’ve been in order to explain what we need to do now. 

In 2022, GOA fought to pass Wyoming Statute 9-14-203 which imposed a Criminal Penalty of imprisonment for not more than one (1) year, and a fine of not more than two thousand dollars ($2,000.00), for state or local officials who infringe on your Second Amendment Rights.

While no law is perfect, many around the country regard this law as the nation’s strongest Criminal Second Amendment Protection Act (SAPA) because it is a serious deterrent for officials who would infringe on your Rights!

Since the passage of the 2022 law, GOA has worked in Cheyenne every year to add a process allowing citizens to take civil action against a governmental entity that infringes on our Second Amendment Rights. This concept would remove governmental immunity and allow citizens to hire an attorney and seek financial damages from Agencies and Departments.

Sadly, some dishonest groups and many legislators have played political games with these facts and misrepresented these issues to the people of Wyoming for years!

Recently, 8 Wyoming Legislators proposed SF0196, and a House mirror bill HB0283, that would have destroyed the criminal penalty in Wyoming law for Wyoming officials who infringe on your Second Amendment Rights.

They falsely claimed this was “advancing Second Amendment Rights.”

Don’t take our word for it, download the identical bills, as introduced into the Legislature (HB0283 and SF0196), and look at the language on page 4 striking the Criminal Penalty that many around the country call America’s best!

NOW FOR THE GOOD NEWS!

Due to pressure from our members, Legislators heard the voice of GOA, and during a February 3rd Senate Committee Meeting, SF0196 was amended by the Committee to reinstate the criminal penalties!

What this means is that SF0196 NOW DOES NOT DESTROY the criminal penalties that protect your Rights!

THE QUESTION BECOMES WHAT HAPPENS MOVING FORWARD?

GOA has worked for many years to establish civil processes allowing citizens to go to court against agencies and departments that infringe on your Second Amendment Rights! This would be in addition to our criminal protections!

With two additional Amendments, SF0196 can now provide those civil processes. The bill needs to better define “public officers” and “peace officers” in order to ensure there are no loopholes for Agencies, and the bill needs a Severability Clause to protect the law from Court challenges. 

The fight is far from over.

Please click the TAKE ACTION HERE, or in the graphic at the top, and contact your elected Representative and Senator. Tell them you support keeping Criminal Penalties in Wyoming law and establishing a process allowing Citizens to sue Agencies and Departments when Rights are violated.

GOA will be on the ground to fight this fight through the end of the 2025 Legislative Session. Please stay tuned for more information soon regarding how you can help strengthen Second Amendment Protections in Wyoming.

P.S. Ask the Wyoming Legislature to keep Criminal Penalty Protections in law and establish a process allowing Citizens to sue Agencies and Department in Civil Court when Rights are violated!

We now only have 19 days until Pam Bondi must submit her report outlining recommended actions for the President to take to restore the Second Amendment.

Up until the deadline, GOA will bombard the White House with a series of campaigns to ensure this becomes the most comprehensive pro-gun executive action in history.

Our first focus was on removing Biden’s executive orders and the ATF’s zero-tolerance policy that has led to countless gun stores being shut down across America.

Now, our focus is on the need for the President to surround himself with pro-gun advisors.

First off, we want the Trump administration to replace the failed White House Office of Gun Control with a constitutionally-minded office to oversee implementation of this Executive Order and to advise the President on anything Second Amendment-related that comes up during his term.

Next, it’s mission critical that the President appoint a pro-gun ATF Director – NOT an entrenched “seasoned bureaucrat” who will do business as usual.

That means someone who will:

• Stand up to ATF’s rogue officials;
• Help President Trump downsize the federal government (including ATF);
• Unravel Biden’s weaponization of law enforcement (especially ATF);
• Scale back the ATF’s infringements of constitutional rights; and
• Return freedom to the hands of the people to whom it belongs.

Business as usual simply cannot continue at ATF.

And finally, the ATF’s illegal gun registry MUST be permanently deleted.

Anti-gunners love to ask, “why do you NEED your firearm?” Well, we want to know why the ATF “NEEDS” a digital searchable database of 920 MILLION records on gun owners.

We have a constitutional right to keep and bear arms. But the ATF has ZERO right to a gun registry.

To ensure the White House takes the above three executive actions, we’re asking GOA members like YOU to add your name to our pre-written letter today.

Please add your name to our pre-written letter urging the White House to replace the White House Office of Gun Control with a pro-gun office, appoint a pro-gun ATF Director, and DELETE the ATF’s illegal registry of gun owners.

The Second Amendment has suffered decades of abuse at the hands of the federal government.

That’s why we’re proposing that the White House set up an entire office whose sole purpose is to carry out the mission of this executive order: protect the Second Amendment, restore lost rights, and help make America safe again.

We’ve seen how quickly politicians bend a knee before the anti-gun lobby as soon as a tragedy strikes.

This office would help restrain politicians and ensure they’re guided by logic, evidence, and the law of the land rather than by a knee-jerk reaction to appease the hysterical anti-gun media.

The federal government has been so deeply influenced by anti-gunners for so long that it’s infected nearly every tentacle of the executive branch.

In fact, a recent Federalist article by John Lott – a former senior advisor for research and statistics at the Department of Justice – reveals how Biden’s FBI was distorting gun data, which was, in turn, used to justify the implementation of gun control.

This new pro-Constitution and pro-gun office would also be able to provide the TRUTH when it comes to reporting on crime and firearms data.

And given that reforming the FBI is a top priority for President Trump – as evident by his nomination of pro-gun Kash Patel to lead the agency – this is yet another reason why the President needs a full office dedicated to pro-gun oversight throughout the entire executive branch.

As always, Gun Owners of America’s ultimate goal is a TOTAL REPEAL of every single infringement on your God-given right to keep and bear arms.

Until that moment comes, we need millions of gun owners like YOU to help us set the stage.

So please, add your name to our pre-written letter urging the White House to replace the White House Office of Gun Control with a pro-gun office, appoint a pro-gun ATF Director, and DELETE the ATF’s illegal registry of gun owners.



In a shocking move, Republican Attorney General Dave Sunday filed a petition to overturn a pro-gun legal victory for 18-20 year-olds to carry firearms in Pennsylvania.

In Lara v. Paris, a three-judge panel on the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals struck down Pennsylvania’s laws preventing 18-to-20-year-old adults from openly carrying a loaded firearm outside of the home during a declared state of emergency.

This was a clear win for gun owners in Pennsylvania, and litigation could have stopped there. But PA’s Attorney General, Dave Sunday, snatched defeat from the jaws of victory by requesting an en banc review of the case.

What that means is that ALL of the judges in the 3rd Circuit can now hear Lara again, and they could overturn the panel’s previous pro-gun decision, returning young adults to second-class citizen status.

I am flabbergasted by AG Dave Sunday’s actions. On his 2024 candidate survey, Mr. Sunday indicated that he OPPOSES laws that would take away the rights of 18-20-year-olds to buy and possess firearms. But AG Sunday’s recent petition for the en banc review does just the opposite.

Even more puzzling is that Dave Sunday should know better from his own life experience. After high school, Dave enlisted in the United States Navy (see photo above), so he should be adamantly opposed to any law preventing 18-20-year-olds serving our country from possessing a firearm.

That’s why I need you to send a message to Dave Sunday (by using the form above), expressing your displeasure over his recent petition for the en banc review. Let him know that you expect him to uphold his promises and withdraw the petition in Lara v. Paris.

Wyoming’s Pro-Gun Majority Needs to Act to Counter Anti-Gun Voices

The GOA-backed “Repeal of Gun Free Zones Bill,” is being debated in the Senate!

However, the voice of Wyoming’s pro-Second Amendment majority is taking a back seat to Colleges, Universities, many local officials, and many unelected bureaucrats who don’t believe you have a right to protect yourself in areas where only criminals will be armed!

GOA fought hard to pass this bill in 2022 and 2023, and we ultimately got it over the finish line in 2024, only to have Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon veto it.

Now in 2025, Representative Haroldson (R – Wheatland) has worked the legislation through the Wyoming House for the second straight year!

Despite passing the House, there is still strong opposition at Hearings and through e-mail and letter writing campaigns.

It is time to make your voice heard in Cheyenne!

Please click the TAKE ACTION HERE, or the graphic at the top, and make your voice heard by telling your elected Senator to support efforts to Repeal dangerous Gun-Free Zones in Wyoming.

GOA will be working to ensure this bill passes the Legislature without weakening Amendments, so stay tuned for more information about how you can help strengthen Second Amendment Rights in Wyoming.

P.S. Ask the Wyoming Senate to repeal dangerous Gun Free Zones!

Gun Owners of America and 2A Allies Challenge Massachusetts’ Unconstitutional Ban on Firearms for 18- to 20-Year-Olds 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

February 14, 2025 

Washington, D.C. — Gun Owners of America (GOA), Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC), the National Rifle Association (NRA), the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF), Gun Owners Action League (GOAL), and Commonwealth Second Amendment (Comm2A), alongside plaintiff Mack Escher, have filed a lawsuit challenging Massachusetts’ unconstitutional restrictions on 18- to 20-year-old adults possessing, purchasing, or carrying semiautomatic firearms and handguns. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, argues that the state’s laws violate the Second and Fourteenth Amendments by infringing upon the constitutional rights of young adults. 

Under H.B. 4885, Massachusetts has enacted a law that completely bans 18-to-20-year-olds from acquiring, possessing, or carrying semiautomatic firearms and handguns, leaving them defenseless and stripping them of their fundamental rights. The plaintiffs argue that this ban has no historical precedent and directly contradicts Supreme Court rulings that affirm the Second Amendment’s protection of firearms for self-defense.  And as the complaint makes clear, historically, 18-year-olds were even required to keep and bear the same sort of common firearms that older citizens owned. 

GOA and its 2A allies are seeking a court order declaring the law unconstitutional, a permanent injunction against its enforcement, and an award for attorney’s fees and costs. 

Erich Pratt, Senior Vice President of GOA, issued the following statement: 

“The government has no right to pick and choose which Americans can exercise their Second Amendment rights. Massachusetts’ unconstitutional ban on young adults owning firearms for self-defense is an egregious attack on the rights of law-abiding citizens. If an 18-year-old can serve in the military, vote, and enter contracts, they absolutely have the right to defend themselves. GOA will fight to ensure this unconstitutional law is struck down.” 

Sam Paredes, Gun Owners of America Board Member, added: 

“This lawsuit is about holding Massachusetts accountable for violating the Second Amendment. There is no historical tradition of banning young adults from keeping and bearing arms. This law is just another attempt by anti-gun politicians to strip fundamental rights away from law-abiding citizens. GOA and its allies will not stand by while Massachusetts tramples on the Constitution.” 

GOA spokesmen are available for interviews. Gun Owners of America is a nonprofit grassroots lobbying organization dedicated to protecting the right to keep and bear arms without compromise. GOA represents over two million members and activists. For more information, visit GOA’s Press Center. 

-GOA- 

BOSTON (February 14, 2025) – Today, Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) announced that it has filed a new federal lawsuit challenging Massachusetts’s ban that prevents 18-20-year-old adults from acquiring, possessing, or carrying handguns and semiautomatic firearms. The complaint in Escher v. Noble can be viewed at firearmspolicy.org/escher.

Great News. 

Gun Owners of America has been working with pro-gun Tennessee State Senators and Representatives to update an important law which protects firearms manufacturers.

The pro-gun legislators that are sponsoring this bill are Senator Joey Hensley and Representative Monty Fritts. They are true patriots that are helping us restore Second Amendment rights!

Much like the federal law which was passed in 2005, Tennessee’s current PLCAA protects the firearm industry against the business-ending lawfare that anti-gun litigants had been waging against manufacturers and dealers alike.   

This is a great law – but we believe it can be stronger, offering even better protections from anti-gun activists.  

Here is what the update will do.  

House Bill 873 would amend the Tennessee state version of the PLCAA by expanding protections to additional entities (like individuals who privately sell firearms) and add additional categories (like suppressors and firearm magazines) while also heavily restricting bad-faith “public nuisance” anti-gun litigants. 

Contact your State Senator and Representative and tell them to support this important legislation! 

But most importantly, the proposed legislation would declare that frivolous, anti-gun litigation is against Tennessee’s public policy, and empower Tennessee state courts to refuse recognition of foreign state court judgments obtained elsewhere against domestic industry members.   

To that end, a foreign litigant seeking to enforce a foreign anti-gun judgment against a domestic industry member would be required to certify that such judgment does not violate the state’s public policy – and if they are wrong, the anti-gun litigant would incur a penalty that is triple the foreign judgment, payable to the domestic industry member.   

And for the cherry on top, this penalty would apply not just to the anti-gun litigant, but also to its lawyers personally. 

This is a massive upgrade! 

Contact your State Senator and Representative and tell them to support this important legislation! 

HB 873 will help not only protect the Second Amendment rights of manufacturers and citizens, but it will hold anti-gun lawfare activists accountable when they try to drag law-abiding companies and citizens through the court system in an effort to bankrupt them. 

So please use the form above contact your legislators and tell them to support HB 873, and make sure it receives a vote immediately!

Since January, GOA has been tracking a mix of gun bills in the Rhode Island Assembly. This list includes pro-gun legislation which helps to restore the Second Amendment rights of Rhode Island residents.

Unfortunately, alongside these pro-gun bills are several anti-gun bills and proposals that are moving through the legislature as well. The list can be seen below:

Support:

• SB 142 – Constitutional carry for all residents over the age of 21.
• SB 65 – Adds an appeal process for those who have been denied a carry permit.
• SB 146 – Allows for out of state concealed carry permits to be valid in Rhode Island.
• SB 144 – Permits possession or use of device that muffles sound on any firearm longer than 17”.
• SB 150 – Would re-legalize silencers in the state of Rhode Island. *Not* a suppressor freedom bill – residents would still need to comply with all current federal law.

Oppose:

• HB 5069 – Limits acceptable reasons for a person to request/apply for a concealed carry license.
• HB 5130, and its companion bill, SB 59 – Would require all “crime guns” to be submitted to the ATF for testing and tracing.
• HB 5443 – Allows individuals to voluntarily add themselves to a watchlist that would restrict their right to purchase or possess a firearm.
• HB 5436 – An “assault weapons” ban to prohibit the future possession, purchase, sale, control, and manufacture of commonly owned firearms.

As a reminder from our previous alert, Governor McKee’s FY 2026 budget proposal that was submitted to the General Assembly ALSO included a so-called “assault weapons” ban. This latest piece of accompanying legislation is an affront to your Second Amendment rights. Now is the time to send them a message that your constitutional rights matter!

Contact your State Legislator and urge them to SUPPORT the pro-gun bills and OPPOSE the anti-gun bills. Reach out to your legislators immediately in the form above and urge them to take action on these gun bills. 

We only have 24 days until Attorney General Pam Bondi submits her report to President Trump outlining what gun control he should repeal by executive action.

Gun Owners of America has identified dozens of infringements that we would like to see President Trump target and repeal with executive action. This email is the beginning of a campaign to highlight each and every infringement to the Trump Administration—so stay tuned for further updates.

We will need your continued grassroots activism to highlight to the White House just how much our rights have been trampled upon and to help pass along suggestions for how to fix these issues using executive action.

The first thing on President Trump’s chopping block should be the unconstitutional gun control that Joe Biden tyrannically imposed on millions of law-abiding gun owners!

At a minimum, President Trump must find a way to do ALL of the following…

…Stop Biden’s ban on 40,000,000 pistols with attached stabilizing braces.
…Revoke the ATF’s “Engaged in Business Rule” that restricts private firearm sales.
…End the ATF’s “Zero-Tolerance” policy targeting gun stores.
…Withdraw the “Frame and Receiver Rule.”
…Revoke Biden’s no-destruction of 4473’s rule and eliminate the national gun registry that the ATF has illegally assembled.

With the report due in just 24 days, GOA is planning to bombard both Attorney General Pam Bondi and President Trump with letters urging them to repeal ALL of Biden’s gun control.

This will be only the FIRST in a series of grassroots campaigns that we’ll need your help with as we pressure the White House to rip up as much gun control as humanly possible.

And make no mistake: That is just a start. GOA’s ultimate goal is to eviscerate EVERY single piece of gun control on the books!

But until that moment comes, we need millions of gun owners like YOU to help us pave the way by chipping away at everything we can.

Please add your name to our pre-written letter urging President Trump and his Attorney General Pam Bondi to REPEAL Joe Biden’s unconstitutional gun control.

Gun owners formed a vital part of President Trump’s winning coalition last November.

On the campaign trail, he pledged to roll back Biden’s gun control, explicitly promising to stop Biden’s pistol ban, revoke the “Engaged in Business” rule, and end the ATF’s “Zero-tolerance” policy.

President Trump centered his entire campaign around listening to the American people, Erich.

This is his chance to back up his words with action.

With only days until the Attorney General’s report is set to be finalized, it’s vital that gun owners speak out and keep up the pressure on his administration until Biden’s gun control is completely REPEALED.

So please, add your name to our pre-written letter urging President Trump and his Attorney General Pam Bondi to REPEAL Joe Biden’s unconstitutional gun control.

The GOA-backed “Repeal of Gun Free Zones Bill,” championed by Representative Jeremy Haroldson (Republican from Wheatland), passed the Wyoming House in January and now is on the move in the Senate!

GOA fought hard to pass this bill in 2022 and 2023, but anti-Second Amendment liberals stopped the Legislation.

We ultimately got it over the finish line in 2024, only to have Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon veto it. Now in 2025, Representative Haroldson has worked the legislation through the Wyoming House for the second straight year!

Despite passing the House, there is still strong opposition from opponents who don’t believe you have a right to protect yourself in areas where only criminals will be armed!

So, we still have work to do in the Wyoming Senate! There is also the possibility of a Conference Committee between the House and Senate or a Governor’s veto.

Please click the TAKE ACTION HERE, or the graphic at the top, and contact your elected Senator and tell them to support HB0172 to Repeal dangerous Gun-Free Zones in Wyoming.

GOA will be working to ensure this bill passes the Legislature without weakening Amendments, so stay tuned for more information soon regarding how you can help strengthen Second Amendment Rights in Wyoming.

P.S. Ask the Wyoming Legislature to Support Your Second Amendment rights by supporting HB0172!

Gun Owners of America and Hyperion Munitions Announce New Pro-Freedom Ammo Partnership at SHOT Show 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

February 11, 2025 

Washington, D.C. — Gun Owners of America (GOA) is proud to partner with Hyperion Munitions to launch a co-branded 9mm ammunition line, reinforcing GOA’s commitment to defending the Second Amendment while providing gun owners with top-tier products they can trust. 

Unveiled at SHOT Show 2025, this collaboration marks a significant milestone in uniting firearm advocacy and high-performance ammo. Hyperion Munitions, a leader in precision-engineered ammunition, has joined forces with GOA to offer premium ammo that directly supports the fight for gun rights nationwide. 

John Fahrner, Senior Development and Marketing Officer at GOA, issued the following statement: 

“GOA has always fought to protect the rights of gun owners, and this partnership with Hyperion Munitions is another step in ensuring that freedom-loving Americans have access to high-quality ammunition. With every purchase, gun owners are supporting the battle against unconstitutional gun control while equipping themselves with some of the best ammo on the market.” 

Key Features of the GOA x Hyperion Munitions 9mm Ammo: 

Premium Performance – Designed for smooth cycling, enhanced accuracy, and minimal recoil. 

Unmatched Reliability – Manufactured to the highest standards using top-quality components. 

Pro-Freedom Mission – A portion of proceeds goes directly to supporting GOA’s advocacy efforts. 

The GOA x Hyperion Munitions 9mm ammo will be exclusively available through GOA Caliber Club participating stores. To find a participating Caliber Club store, click here. 

GOA spokesmen are available for interviews. GOA is a nonprofit grassroots lobbying organization dedicated to protecting the right to keep and bear arms without compromise. It represents over two million members and activists. For more information, visit GOA’s Press Center. 

-GOA- 

Gun Owners Of America Applauds President Trump for Signing Second Amendment Executive Order 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

February 7, 2025 

Washington, D.C. — Gun Owners of America (GOA) applauds President Trump for taking bold action to fulfill one of his key campaign promises. In signing an Executive Order today, President Trump laid out a plan for dismantling what he previously referred to as “all of the Biden [gun control] disasters.”  

This historic move sets the stage for a broader restoration of Second Amendment rights. GOA is thrilled to see President Trump delivering on the promises he made to gun owners across America, starting with this executive order initiating a whole-of-government approach to restoring gun rights. 

At the 2024 Gun Owners Advocacy and Leadership Summit (GOALS) in August, President Trump vowed to “always listen to Gun Owners of America.” His actions today show he intends to honor that pledge. GOA stands ready to work alongside this administration to protect and expand the rights of law-abiding gun owners nationwide. 

Aidan Johnston, GOA’s Director of Federal Affairs, issued the following statement: 

“Gun owners fought hard to elect a president who would take a sledgehammer to Biden’s unconstitutional gun control policies, and today, President Trump proved he’s serious about that fight. We hope that this executive order is just the first of many victories reestablishing our Second Amendment rights during the Trump administration. GOA will not rest until every illegal gun grab from the Biden administration is fully repealed and the Second Amendment is fully restored.” 

Erich Pratt, Senior Vice President of GOA, added: 

“By planning to dismantle Biden’s anti-gun agenda and rein in the ATF, President Trump is making good on his word to protect and defend the Second Amendment. The ATF has been weaponized for too long against law-abiding Americans, and it’s past time to rein in this rogue agency. GOA looks forward to working with this administration to restore and expand gun rights across the country.” 

GOA spokesmen are available for interviews. GOA is a nonprofit grassroots lobbying organization dedicated to protecting the right to keep and bear arms without compromise. It represents over two million members and activists. For more information, visit GOA’s Press Center. 

-GOA- 

Since January, GOA has been tracking a mix of gun bills in the Rhode Island Assembly. While updates on these bills will be coming to you soon enough, something that stood out to us was Governor McKee’s FY 2026 budget proposal that was submitted to the General Assembly.

The budget included a so-called “assault weapons” ban to prohibit the future possession, purchase, sale, control, and manufacture of commonly owned firearms. 

To quote Governor Mckee directly [1:02:30]:

“Year after year I’ve stood here and asked the General Assembly to send an assault weapons ban to my desk. This year I’m sending you a budget, to the General Assembly, for the first time, will include a ban on assault weapons. Let’s finally get this done.”

The effort is unlike previous attempts in the sense that the Governor is willing to sidestep the legislative process in favor of strongarming his proposal, as a few key Assembly Members have stood in the way of passing previous gun bans.

Take Maryland, California, or New York, for example.

Every single one of these states has implemented an “assault weapons” ban, yet none of them have seen a decrease in violence. These bans simply don’t work. Instead, what they accomplish is stripping normal, law-abiding gun owners of their rights and ability to defend themselves, while failing to stop violent criminals who defy such bans anyway.

Governor McKee’s proposal directly infringes on the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens and completely defies the Heller, McDonald, and Bruen decisions from the Supreme Court.

So now is the time to send a message to the Assembly and the Governor that your constitutional rights matter!

Tell your State Legislator and Governor Mckee NO to an “assault weapons” ban. Reach out to your legislators immediately in the form above and urge them to take action against this proposal.

Several reports now indicate that ATF has access to and utilizes facial recognition technology (FRT) to identify gun owners. In fact, two Government Accountability Office reports confirm that ATF does have access to various facial recognition systems including Clearview AI, Vigilant Solutions, and other systems owned by other federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial law enforcement agencies.[1] GAO described the Clearview AI database as:

“[A] web-based facial recognition service using 30+ billion facial images sourced from publicly-available websites, including news media, mugshot, and social media websites, among others.”[2]

A 2021 GAO report found that ATF did not have sufficient accountability mechanisms “to track what non-federal systems with facial recognition technology are used by employees.”[3] According to testimony given to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, ATF “initially used these services without requiring their staff to take training on topics such as how the technology works, what photos are appropriate to use, and how to interpret the results.”[4]

GAO scolded federal agencies, stating that they “must consider the potential impact of its use on civil rights and civil liberties[, b]ecause the potential for error and the potential to misidentify someone could lead to the arrest and prosecution of an innocent person.”[5] GAO was also concerned that government use of FRT can have “a chilling effect on an individual’s exercise of their First Amendment rights.”[6] Similarly, ATF’s use of Facial Recognition Technology could have a chilling effect on the People’s exercise of their Second Amendment rights. Ultimately, GAO recommended that:

“The Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives should, after implementing a mechanism to track non-federal systems, assess the risks of using such systems, including privacy and accuracy-related risks.”

According to GAO, ATF is reported to have conducted at least 549 facial recognition searches on gun owners between October 2019 and March 2022.[7] GAO indicates “as of April 2023, ATF… reported that they had halted their use of such services.”[8] However, the most recent reports suggest otherwise. Senator Ron Johnson discovered that:

“[P]hotos… were sent to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) for facial recognition… The ATF was apparently requesting the photos… for facial recognition purposes. It is unclear… why ATF would be the agency responsible for conducting facial recognition”[9]

Indeed, it is unclear why ATF, the agency tasked with enforcing federal alcohol, tobacco, and firearms laws, should have access to a facial recognition system in the first place.

New Jersey Police Used Clearview AI to Identify Gun Owners

In New Jersey (a state with a firearm purchaser database, handgun registration, and universal registration checks) the government utilized Clearview AI to identify whether suspects owned guns. In an interview, Attorney General Grewal said that “the Clearview app was used to get the name of the individual… We wanted to find out: does this person have firearms?”[10] Ultimately, the Attorney General ordered all New Jersey police to cease using the software for arrests and prosecutions because it was racist and inaccurate.[11]

ATF Could Use Facial Recognition Software in Conjunction with National Gun Registry

In recent years, ATF has admitted to Congress that it possesses nearly one billion gun and gun owner records. A 2022 report by Gun Owners of America details that this registry is both digital and searchable.[12] By ATF’s own admission this registry is “not searchable by name” because “ATF is the only agency that pays Adobe” to disable search functionality of ATF’s PDF gun registry. However, ATF could simply re-enable the functionality to search its digital registry by name.

Indeed, Senate appropriators are already advocating for “Law Enforcement Advanced Analytics” funding “to implement software using advanced analytics to correlate open source, commercial, and native agency data.” Apparently, ATF is “increasingly rely[ing] on the analysis of huge volumes of information, including open-source information” in the course of its enforcement of gun control on the American people.[13]

It seems as if ATF is preparing to use Clearview AI in conjunction with its illegal gun registry to identify gun owners and what firearms they own—just like the New Jersey police have already done. 

[1] U.S. Government Accountability Office. (2021). Facial Recognition Technology: Federal Law Enforcement Agencies Should Better Assess Privacy and Other Risks (Report No. GAO-21-518) [PDF file]. https://www.gao.gov/assets/D21518.pdf , 11.

[2] U.S. Government Accountability Office. (2023). Facial Recognition Services: Federal Law Enforcement Agencies Should Take Actions to Implement Training, and Policies for Civil Liberties (Report No. GAO-23-105607) [PDF file]. https://www.gao.gov/assets/830/828859.pdf , 11.

NOTE: Clearview AI’s website now presently advertises over 50 billion facial images.

[3] U.S. Government Accountability Office. (2021). Facial Recognition Technology: Federal Law Enforcement Agencies Should Better Assess Privacy and Other Risks (Report No. GAO-21-518) [PDF file]. https://www.gao.gov/assets/D21518.pdf , 26.

[4] USCCR. (2024, March 8). Civil Rights Implications of the Federal Use of Facial Recognition Technology [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVs8MGHgQSw&t=1973s , 32:53.

[5] USCCR. (2024, March 8). Civil Rights Implications of the Federal Use of Facial Recognition Technology [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVs8MGHgQSw&t=1973s , 30:19.

[6] USCCR. (2024, March 8). Civil Rights Implications of the Federal Use of Facial Recognition Technology [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVs8MGHgQSw&t=1973s , 30:46.

[7] U.S. Government Accountability Office. (2023). Facial Recognition Services: Federal Law Enforcement Agencies Should Take Actions to Implement Training, and Policies for Civil Liberties (Report No. GAO-23-105607) [PDF file]. https://www.gao.gov/assets/830/828859.pdf , 16.

[8] U.S. Government Accountability Office. (2023). Facial Recognition Services: Federal Law Enforcement Agencies Should Take Actions to Implement Training, and Policies for Civil Liberties (Report No. GAO-23-105607) [PDF file]. https://www.gao.gov/assets/830/828859.pdf , 17.

[9] Senator Ron Johnson. (2024, July 21). Sen. Johnson Releases Preliminary Findings on Review of July 13, 2024 Assassination Attempt on Former President Trump [Press release]. https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/2024/7/sen-johnson-releases-preliminary-findings-on-review-of-july-13-2024-assassination-attempt-on-former-president-trump , 3-4.

[10] CNN Business. (2020, February 10). Is this facial recognition app going too far? We tested it  [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGJNXG2vmZw&t=113s , 1:53.

[11] Difilippo, D. (2022, February 25). A.G. Mulls Statewide Policy on Facial Recognition Technology. New Jersey Monitor. https://newjerseymonitor.com/2022/02/25/a-g-mulls-statewide-policy-on-facial-recognition-technology/

[12] Johnston. ATF’s Illegal Gun Owner Registry. 2022.

[13] S. Rept. 118-198 to accompany S. 4795.


Pro-gun State Legislators have introduced SF 352, a bill that would provide Constitutional Carry to the great people of Minnesota.

Under SF 352, a person will be able to carry a concealed firearm in most places in the state, without having to beg the government for a permit. The bill removes the need for a license and makes it optional.

SF 352 also lifts restrictions on where someone may carry a firearm including in a motor vehicle, snowmobile, or boat. Constitutional Carry is especially important at a time when crime is at a record high in many anti-gun cities, with citizens needing to defend themselves much more often.

Twenty-nine other states currently recognize that Americans have the right to carry a gun for self-defense without first getting the government’s permission to exercise their constitutional rights. These states, not coincidentally, are among the safest in the country.

It’s well past time that Minnesota joined these states and repeal the unreasonable and unconstitutional limits on its citizens to exercise their Second Amendment rights.

We would also like to acknowledge the great senators who are sponsoring this bill: Dr. Bill Lieske, Nathan Wesenberg, Calvin K. Bahr, Steve Green, and Steve J. Drazkowski. These legislators are strong advocates for your second amendment rights and we look forward to working with them to fight for you.