New York – -(AmmoLand.com)- We have been discussing a number of bills introduced in Congress that are often below the radar of Second Amendment supporters for various reasons. Sometimes, they are not given a lot of press. Other times, they simply seem insignificant. They may not even target our rights directly.
One piece of legislation under the “not a lot of press” category is S 1519, the Protecting Communities and Preserving the Second Amendment Act of 2019. This is legislation introduced by two Second Amendment champions, Senators Charles Grassley of Iowa and Senator Ted Cruz of Texas.
Unlike a lot of the other legislation we have covered, this bill is much more comprehensive. In it, we have fixes to the National Instant Check System, we have something close to the FOPA improvement for travelers introduced by Senator Daines, we have efforts to tackle straw purchases, the expansion of Project Exile, and a host of other provisions that represent significant improvements for those who exercise their Second Amendment rights – or who might wish to do so.
According to a release by Senator Grassley’s office, he and Senator Cruz have been pushing this bill since 2013. That year, when these provisions were introduced as an alternative to anti-Second Amendment legislation favored by the Obama Administration, these provisions secured 52 votes in the Senate, being defeated by a filibuster carried out by anti-Second Amendment extremists.
“Our bill takes necessary steps to ensure that the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms is not infringed and takes commonsense actions to prioritize school safety, punish and deter bad actors, and improve record submissions to NICS. Senator Cruz and I have worked diligently on this bill in the past, and I look forward to this continued partnership,” Grassley said in the release.
In a statement released by his office, Senator Cruz said, “Our bill seeks to increase support for school safety funding, ensure agencies accurately submit records to the NICS, and develop a federal task force to prosecute criminals who illegally purchase a firearm. I urge my Senate colleagues to take a stand with the people of our country and to vote in support of this legislation to stop criminals from getting guns once and for all.”
One other benefit of this bill is that it would not be hard to add additional pro-Second Amendment provisions to it – like Lindsey Graham’s Federal Firearms Licensee Protection Act of 2019, the Home Defense and Competitive Shooting Act, or HR 5301 by Kevin Hern. Those would make this bill even better than it already is.
Second Amendment supporters should contact their Representative and Senators and politely ask that they support S 1519, as well as amendments that would add HR 5301, the Home Defense and Competitive Shooting Act, and the Federal Firearms Licensee Protection Act to this bill. They also should take the time to thank Senators Grassley and Cruz for their efforts over the last seven years to advance this legislation. This legislation would mark a huge step towards the protection of our rights if signed into law.
About Harold Hutchison
Writer Harold Hutchison has more than a dozen years of experience covering military affairs, international events, U.S. politics and Second Amendment issues. Harold was consulting senior editor at Soldier of Fortune magazine and is the author of the novel Strike Group Reagan. He has also written for the Daily Caller, National Review, Patriot Post, Strategypage.com, and other national websites.
Here we go again with the “politely ask”. How about we “politely ask” these two legislators to get some balls and sponsor real legislation. Maybe a bill to repeal Joe Biden’s Gun Free Zones Act. Or how about reviving the bill for National Reciprocity that died in the House because the Turtle wouldn’t bring it up in the Senate?
Asking a Tyrant nicely to just please stop it has worked exactly how many times?
We need to DEMAND a Nationwide Constitutional Carry. There shouldn’t be one more law passed. If anything Laws need to be removed or consolidated. There are way to many laws for anyone to even keep track of. And we never get to play the I DIDN’T KNOW defense.
Are you kidding me? You’re advocating “Fixing” a already corrupt unconstitutional NICS system that needs to be REPEALED? How idiotic. The NICS is unconstitutional. You don’t ask your tyrant for permission to buy, carry in anyway, sell, trade or possesses arms. This just adds another way the Feds can deny innocent Americans from owning arms. REPEAL NICS don’t make it ‘stronger’ to deny rights. This is infuriating gun owners are supporting these things that have denied thousands if not millions of innocent gun owners their right to bear arms. SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED. 99.9% of the criminals do not go… Read more »
Ok, so there are many ways to approach th 2A issues. Nothing gets done with complaining and critizing! Let’s get behind these bills and do something positive!!
Harold, here you go again trying to mislead the less astute. Not so with the regular readers of Ammoland! WHY in God’s good name do we need an inferior statute to defend a superior document? The 2nd Amendment is, in law, a superior law to mere legislation by virtue of its inclusion to the Constitution. Why do we need more words on paper when criminals in high office and their jack-booted thugs (modern day redcoats) routinely ignore the law and their OATH to the Constitution. If they ignore the SUPREME law of the land, they will ignore all other laws… Read more »
“The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” and “If a man has no sword (the assault weapon of that day) let him sell his cloak (his outer garments) and buy one.” Luke 22:36 Man is given the right and the mandate to keep and bear arms from the LORD HIMSELF, it is further written into law as the 2A. Anyone saying otherwise is lying and is evil. There are times when the LORD delivers the enemy into your hands but you are still required to fight. Anyone who would purport to or actually… Read more »
@DP, Yackup advocates YOU taking up arms. I suggest that he do it first. Lead the way yack boy.
Yack up (Ralph?) is just a liar. He is paid to troll for the mentally disabled, and hopefully get them to commit illegal acts so his superiors at the Freaking Bunch of Idiots can claim yet another “success story”!
https://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/crime/item/14528-fbi-celebrates-duping-another-mentally-ill-man-into-fake-terror-plot
https://thefreethoughtproject.com/fbi-groom-mentally-ill-right-wing-terrorist/
Etc. etc… The list goes on, ad nauseam.
@Knute Knute, OMG. The Fat Boy Institute is just too corrupt to let them continue as an agency.
Jacob, Ralph, if this is true, you should be ashamed of yourself. You and anybody who has a hand in what you do. It is nobody’s business to instigate violence. Satan entrapped Eve in the same manor. You might want to look up the punishment he rightfully earned. I expect that anybody who does in like manor, to “set up” somebody, will earn the same punishment.
Arm up, carry on.
@Jacob – Are yo really replying to @DB? If so, you really misunderstood his post. To quote you “read it”
Jacob; This nation came into existence because of corrupt, tyrannical government overreach. The colonies had humbly protested for decades to king George, parliament and the bought and paid for politicians that he had put into office here in the colonies. The more we complained the worse the atrocities got. Taxes, embargos, tribunals, beatings, false charges leading to captivity and murder became common place. Still, the colonials complained until…. the British tried gun control. The British marched to Lexington and then to Concord in an effort to deprive the colonials of their arms, cannon and powder. That was how our nation… Read more »
There are no Constitutional gun laws. NICS is not Constitutional, and neither is any “Fix NICS” legislation. All gun laws are an infringement on the second amendment.
No right is absolute, including the 2A. The question is how to put stops on the assinine rules liberals are coming up with.
Every amendment in the bill of rights is absolute.its only infringed upon when we the citizens allow our rights to be taken
Bill of Rights are not only inalienable, they are supposed to be untouchable by government. The right to bear arms shall not be infringed.
@Duck, You must not confuse contractual rights or statutory rights with Constitutionally enshrined Rights. If a right is not absolute, then it is not a Right.
Duck: The abuse of rights are to be limited. The removal of those abusing or violating rights should be removed without limits. The question is now how, but when these “assinine” rulers will be removed.
Absolutely.
We need to ensure SCOTUS enforces Article VI. It would solve many current issues fabricated by the DNC elites. SCOTUS has been known to look the other way, we cannot allow this to happen. If they are derelict of their constitutional duties they must be defunded, disbarred, and discharged from office.
I know I’m not alone in saying that when (and not if!) it comes down to it, I will be at the ready. If you haven’t already, and want to prepare yourself even more so than you already are, may I recommend reading “The Art of War.”? An army equipped with ten thousand highly trained operatives, can defeat entire armies made up of lesser men. You just have to know how to apply the proper strategy, is all. Why duke it out on the battlefield like Pawns when in just twelve strategic moves you can own the opposition, in their… Read more »
quote: “increase support for school safety funding, ensure agencies accurately submit records to the NICS, and develop a federal task force to prosecute criminals who illegally purchase a firearm.” DETAILS, please.. what plans are in place on which to waste this “school safety finding”? More metal detectors,, more uniformed snarly coppers to intimidate the kids, video surveillance systems, or funds to assist in providing th excellent training provided in the FASTE Saves Lives programme? If its the latter, specify that. No loopholes. NAME theprogramme and funds earmarked to provide it. HOW to “ensure agencies submit records to NICS… will there… Read more »
@Jacob – Wouldn’t you prefer to fix the laws restricting your rights rather than blame a system designed to prevent you being sent to prison for possession? I’d say the problem isn’t with NICS but the laws it is designed to uphold.
@Finnky, Is this the same one that was insulting us about supporting the republican party, not long ago? Does he go both ways or is it the troll that came in from the cold?
NICS is sort of like an axle with a fwe wheels on it. It has a valid place, bot those wheels…. oh my. Most of em need either tossed out or seriously modified. Case in point: as long as “felony” includes things like walking into a bar with your carry weapon concealed, and getting “made”, or getting behind on your child support payments, or driving in excess of come arbitrary number above the posted speed limit (whichis insanely too low, calculatedly so), or shooitng nuisance feral cats on your own rural property, I will oppose NICS. The limited “speshul peepul… Read more »
From the text above, this sounds like a gun controller’s wet dream, institutionalizing and in some cases making worse many of the already abhorrent gun control measures presently in place.
Grassley and Cruz should instead lean on Barr to start hauling states into federal court and challenging the state-level measures this bill seeks to block. We could use one of these cases to be rerouted to SCOTUS for a final determination. Then we would know with certainty whether our republic can be saved.
Aren’t you tired of waiting? Doesn’t your inquiring mind want to know?
@FFL, Grassley and Cruz can not lean on Barr. Trump is Barr’s boss. And Barr is pretty busy just now cleaning our Main Justice and getting investigations going against certain elites.
I am all for being aware of what others think. This is the reason for “freedom of expression”. That said, I do not understand why Harold has a regular column on this site. Yes, I understand that this is a free site; but the space given to Harold by the “editors” could be used to post information and essays more consistent with the balance of site content. … While I want to know what Senators Cruz and Grassley are advocating, neither (IMHO) is a strong supporter of the Second Amendment. … And, as others have expressed, I do not understand… Read more »