Toward the end of 2015, President Barack Obama signed into law the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which had some notable pro-gun provisions. Here are the high points that concern firearms.
The NDAA now allows the U.S. Army to transfer its surplus vintage firearms to the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) for public sale. Transferring these vintage pistols to the CMP will allow them to inspect, grade, and ultimately sell these pistols to the public through federally licensed firearms dealers.
Also, the NDAA included a provision requiring the Secretary of Defense to establish a process for commanders at military bases, reserve centers, and recruiting centers to allow service members assigned to that base or facility to carry a firearm. This NDAA provision is a good step toward restoring the Second Amendment rights of military personnel.
A third provision of note, the NDAA prohibits the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from banning traditional ammunition under the Toxic Substances Control Act. This provision is necessary because extreme anti-hunting groups have filed multiple petitions with the EPA to ban the use of lead ammunition. Those petitions have been rejected, but those groups use the administrative rejections as an excuse to sue the agency in pursuit of the same restrictions.
We applaud President Obama for making these common-sense changes.
We were gratified to see Washington D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier lay out the options for citizens who are caught in an active shooter situation, such as in the recent Paris attacks and in San Bernardino, California.
In an episode of 60 Minutes on Sunday, Nov. 22, Lanier told host Anderson Cooper, “Your options are run, hide, or fight. If you’re in a position to try and take the gunman down, to take the gunman out, it’s the best option for saving lives before police can get there.”
We could not agree more with the chief. She spelled out a sober, realistic view of the tactical predicaments people can stumble into.
However, we will point out that in D.C., Lanier actively prosecutes gun ownership by citizens. So, in our nation’s capital, as well as in Paris, citizens lack the ability to “fight” effectively in an active shooter situation or any other life-threatening scenario — because few to no guns are available to the public (legally). According to Emily Miller, the chief investigative reporter for Fox News Channel 5 in the city, D.C. has only granted 45 concealed handgun permits.
So, while we appreciate Chief Lanier’s truthfulness in her televised comments, we would appreciate it more if she would take the next step and recognize that self-defense is an inalienable right of every person, and that firearms facilitate self defense.
