Viewpoints

There are groups that undermine and manipulate systems across America to end hunting, trapping and fishing. These same “less-than-honest” groups also often then exploit wildlife and conservation issues in the name of raising dollars for their devious causes. The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance has identified a dozen organizations that have taken efforts in the past year to prevent you from hunting or trapping:

On Wednesday, Illinois Senate Democrats advanced bans on semiautomatic rifles and pistols and some magazines.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation said Wednesday that it had conducted a record number of instant background checks on those wishing to buy firearms in December

The call for stricter gun control in this game-changing environment after Newtown is inevitable. These discussions will go on for some time and we will pay careful attention to the arguments on both sides. But for now, Gun Tests magazine chooses to focus on the immediate and the practical.

The National Rifle Association broke its silence on last week's shooting rampage at a Connecticut elementary school that left 26 children and staff dead. NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre addressed the media on Friday. Here is the full transcript:

Last week, a gunman shot and killed 20 children and six adults in Newtown, Connecticut. The Connecticut State Police have released the names and dates of birth for 26 people who died on Friday, Dec. 14, 2012, during and after the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Please use the comment thread below to remember the deceased and to express support for their families. Following is a list of the deceased, including names and dates of birth, supplied by state police. If police update this information, those updates will be reflected here.

Writing at National Review Online, John Fund says there are a few things you won’t hear about from the saturation coverage of the Newtown, Conn., school massacre:

Changes to Michigan’s concealed weapons law passed the state House last week, allowing gun owners who take additional training classes and who shoot and pass additional qualifying courses to carry their weapons in places such as schools, day care centers, stadiums and churches.

The Gun Owners of America warns that the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) could impact all Americans, including gun owners, by allowing them to be indefinitely detained without trial, based on simple membership in certain pro-gun groups or because of particular firearm-related activities.

A Christmas Tree at FOB Fenty, Jalalabad, Afghanistan.

Former Gun Tests and American Gunsmith contributor Bryce M. Towsley has written a new novel called The 14th Reinstated. The book lays out a frightening and dark scenario of how the world may look in a few years, and readers will pray it is not a prophecy of the future.

The Second Amendment Foundation has won a huge victory for the right to bear arms outside the home, with a ruling in the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals that declares the right to self-defense is 'broader than the right to have a gun in one's home.'