Grassroots Legislative Update—11/20/23
By Tanya Metaksa. Nov 20, 2023
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What's New—
U.S. Congress: H.R. 4366 which was included in H.R. 869 that failed in the House Nov. 15;
Illinois: latest registration numbers;
New Mexico: anti-gun legislators are warming up for the 2024 session;
Pennsylvania: House Judiciary Committee: two bills were approved by the House Judiciary Committee on Nov. 14;
News of the Day: Poll show increase in support for self-defense;
New York:The saga of Councilwoman Inna Vernikov continues.
U.S. Congress:
H.R. 5893, Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2024. H.Res.869, providing for consideration of H.R. 5893 and freezing Iranian funds involved in the 2023 hostage deal between Iran and the U.S. failed on Nov. 15.
Legislation and local communities
The following states are currently in session: California, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Wisconsin. All the rest have adjourned for 2023.
The following states allow bills from the 2023 session to carry-over to the 2024 session: Alaska, California, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma; Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee; Vermont, and Washington.
Illinois: Latest numbers for Illinois' gun ban registry:
Persons completing a Disclosure: 3439
Total Disclosures: 10,064
Firearms Disclosures: 6,592
Accessory Disclosures: 3,411
Ammunition Disclosures: 61
New Jersey: ANJRPA announced ATTORNEY EVAN NAPPEN will provide you with the information you need to stay on the right side of the law. This event will be held Sunday 12/3/2023 1:00pm – 4:00pm at: Cherry Ridge Range, 100 Range Rd. Highland Lakes, NJ 07422
New Mexico: The 2024 legislative session is a "budget session" that lasts only 30 legislative days. Despite that bills infringing on magazine capacity, waiting periods, and red flag legislation allowing the police to petition for extreme risk protection orders (ERPO) that they would then enforce by confiscating firearms upon the serving of the ERPO. Prefiling of legislation begins Jan. 2, 2024.
Pennsylvania: House Judiciary Committee: The following two bills were approved by the House Judiciary Committee on Nov. 14, 2023: HB941 would hold parents/guardian legally liable for minors under 18 years of age who misuse a firearms and HB1629 would force gun owners to keep all firearms in their home under lock and key. Pennsylvania is one of the states where legislation carries over from the first year to the second year of the legislative session.
News of the Day for Second Amendment supporters
Marquette Law School poll on self-defense support increasing: FPC tweets New Marquette Law School poll finds that 67% of US adults support "an individual's right to carry a handgun for self-defense outside the home," up from 64% in September:
New York: The saga of Councilwoman Inna Vernikov continues. In our Nov. 11 Grassroots Update we covered the saga of Councilwoman Inna Vernikov (R-Brooklyn). She appeared in court on Nov. 2 for an arraignment and pleaded Not Guilty. According to the Nov. 17 edition of The City: "Southern Brooklyn Councilmember Inna Vernikov is going to be cleared of an illegal gun charge, the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office told THE CITY on Friday."
None of the police officers monitoring the rally on Oct. 12, noticed her handgun so it wasn't until the following day when she turned herself, her handgun and her pistol permit in to the NY police department that it became available. A few weeks later when the NY police department inspected the handgun the mechanism did not include a recoil spring assembly, "making the gun inoperable." The Brooklyn DA's office said the charges will be dismissed at her January hearing or before.
According to The City story, "A New York law, passed last year, prohibits the possession of firearms at "sensitive locations" including protests — even for licensed gun holders like Vernikov. But state case law holds that for prosecutors to prove a possession charge, the firearm must be operable."
