The NRA has been through tough times:
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The 1994 assault weapons ban.
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The “academic” consensus that gun control would control gun crime.
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“Conservative” presidents like Ronald Reagan signaling support for gun restrictions.
The latest setback involved Wayne LaPierre, the previous EVP and CEO. He wisely and courageously rebuffed the post-Sandy Hook mass shooting hysteria with “The only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is with a good guy with a gun.” Recently, LaPierre was found liable for misappropriating NRA funds. Internal dramas exploded to the forefront, distracting from the core mission: protect the gun rights of Americans and ensure full enforcement of the Second Amendment.
The good news is that the NRA is getting back on track, based on the latest meeting of the South Bay, Los Angeles County NRA chapter in Redondo Beach, CA.
California is about as hostile as it gets for gun rights, and Los Angeles is one of the most hostile sections on top of that. Why would the NRA show any signs of hope, let alone comity, there?
Four reps from the NRA addressed the club: Grassroots National Manager David Holbrook, Grassroots Managing Director Lexi Higgins, Grassroots Field Coordinator Darius Diggs, and California state director Clay Kimberling. They gave upbeat updates. The worst of the NRA leadership drama is over. Better executives are now in place, and their focus is winning, even in gun-control hellhole California.
State Director Kimberling discussed key bills, good and bad, working their way through the state capitol. In the midst of all the bad news, one good bill passed: AB 1948. Newsom recently signed off on this legislation, which allows CCW permit holders to renew their permits only every three years, instead of every two years. I had to press in on this news, since Newsom is the last guy who would want to look pro-gun.
Kimberling explained that sheriffs’ departments throughout the state were complaining about their increased permit renewal backlogs, and they need some relief. Starting June 30th, 2026, California residents who obtain a CCW can wait three years before having to renew. Of course, we would prefer to carry without having to obtain a permit, but every step towards freedom is better than nothing.
Unfortunately, one of the notorious pieces of legislation in Sacramento, as if the hyperbole seems unfitting or unnecessary, is Senate Bill 948. The radical former mayor of the People’s Republic of Berkeley, CA (and now state senator), Jesse Arreguin has filed this bill.
This legislation would require every prospective gun owner in the state to take a four-hour training class before they could take the firearms safety certificate questionnaire — in order to have permission to buy guns! What’s the real purpose? National Manager Holbrook explained that SB 948 is about enacting a de facto gun ban. How many are prepared to jump through a bunch of hoops, take extra time, and spend $200 at a shooting range looking for a trainer so they can get the four hours in, and then take a written test, which they also must pay for? Can you imagine any state imposing a set of certificated requirements for you to publish an opinion? Or to write a blog?
Can you imagine any state requiring you to take a class and be certificated so that you could assert your 4th amendment rights against unreasonable search and seizure? All of this is ridiculous. And yet this is the latest deceptive legislative scam that California gun-control fanatics are pushing. The legislation has already passed the state senate and it’s facing a vote before the State Assembly appropriations committee in the next month. There is some good news, however, as even some Democrat lawmakers are uncomfortable with the extra, onerous requirements in SB 948.
Of course, the NRA and its grassroots networks have found success not just in stopping bad bills, not just in getting good bills to pass, even in California, but have won key court cases with their excellent legal team. From the NYPRA v Bruen in 2022 to today, the United State Supreme Court and lower courts have rendered more decisions favoring gun rights and upholding the strength of the Second Amendment.
Aren’t legal victories a good enough remedy for dealing with bad laws coming out of California? It’s important to recognize that California Democrats are pushing horrific gun laws precisely so that they can bleed gun owners and gun rights groups dry with vexatious litigation and forced appeals. The whole purpose of the left’s legal onslaught against our constitutional rights is about discouraging citizens from exercising them in the first place!
The four NRA advocates could not make it clearer: don’t stop making the phone calls, don’t stop confronting your representatives, don’t stop making your voices heard.
James Ma, the South Bay NRA chapter leader, stressed winning not just at the state level but the local level. Gun control advocates are using every tool, including targeting local planning commissions so that gun stores cannot open in cities. In 2022, Torrance, California, was considering a gun store in the Downtown area. Gun owners and gun rights activists throughout the region were convinced that the mayor and a majority of council members would do the common-sense thing and allow the gun store to open. However, the local school district and local indivisible groups lined up and induced high school students to attend the city council meeting all calling for the gun store to be denied.
And they won. This loss reminded everyone that the price of Liberty is eternal vigilance, and gun owners need to stay alert. The NRA leaders stressed this principle, too.
One of the most engaging of the four speakers, Darius Diggs, reminded the South Bay audience of how free and open gun culture is next door in Arizona. The residents of the Grand Canyon State don’t even have to obtain a Firearms Safety Certificate to purchase guns. How much are California gun owners willing to tolerate? This is outrageous! Diggs invited the room to join the NRA as FrontLines Activist Leaders. Don’t just make phone calls from home. Network with fellow gun owners and Second Amendment advocates. Come prepared to testify for and against gun-related bills in Sacramento.
The NRA leaders left the South Bay NRA chapter with one final point: the fight for gun rights matters even in the bluest of states. Most gun control plots emanate out of California. If we can stop them here, we keep them from advancing across the country.
According to Managing Director Higgins, the Trump Administration has been the most gun friendly administration in our nation’s history. She identified steady victories from the Trump DOJ, plus their ongoing lawsuits and piecemeal legislative victories, passing good policy and stopping a lot of bad legislation. With these victories, California can be a battleground for long-term victory in the fight to protect our constitutional rights
The upbeat but serious speeches from the four NRA advocates encouraged everyone with hope and purpose. The large turnout for the chapter meeting showed that the NRA outreach is working. A new spirit is invigorating the NRA, and if gun owners sense hope in California, gun owners across the country should too.
Editor’s Note: President Trump and Republicans across the country are doing everything they can to protect our Second Amendment rights and right to self-defense.
Help us continue to report on their efforts and legislative successes. Join Bearing Arms VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.
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