President Obama has apparently directed his anti-gun Justice Department to implement a dozen new firearm-related restrictions, to be enacted through presidential executive order—bypassing Congress—and enforced by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE), the congressional newspaper The Hill reports.

The new restrictions reportedly include new gun storage requirements, additional restrictions on certain handguns, and an expansion in the types and number of persons prohibited from firearm ownership.

Little is known of the specifics at this writing, which raises concerns among some gun owners and civil rights activists that Second Amendment protections may be unjustly, needlessly denied to worthy gun owners without the benefit of due process.

Use Your Power To get more information on these anti-gun Obama executive fiats as soon as the details emerge, click here.

In this month’s cover story of GQ magazine (British edition), American actor Vince Vaughn has this to say on the Second Amendment:

“I support people having a gun in public full stop, not just in your home. We don't have the right to bear arms because of burglars; we have the right to bear arms to resist the supreme power of a corrupt and abusive government. It's not about duck hunting; it’s about the ability of the individual. It's the same reason we have freedom of speech. It’s well known that the greatest defense against an intruder is the sound of a gun hammer being pulled back.”

Vaughn also stated: “Banning guns is like banning forks in an attempt to stop making people fat.”

Compared to the hypocritical anti-gun rants of fellow actor Liam Neeson, Vaughn’s courage to speak up for firearm freedom is encouraging. Gun owners will likely remember both at the box office.

Sturm, Ruger & Co. CEO Mike Fifer has announced the reinstatement of a 2011 program that pledges NRA-ILA support based on per-firearm sales. The new program—see it here—however, doubles the Ruger donation up to $4 million on sales between the 2015 and 2016 NRA Annual Meetings.

A1F has nothing to add to NRA-ILA Executive Director Chris W. Cox’s accolade on the Ruger initiative: “By supporting the NRA’s fight to defend the right to keep and bear arms, Ruger not only advances the rights of American gun owners and hunters—they also directly benefit the freedoms and safety of all Americans. That’s as visionary as it is vital to the rights and traditions we hold dear.”

Nothing to add except that perhaps it’s time for a new Ruger (like this one)?

Why are we not surprised!

Late last week we reported that anti-gun U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., had introduced legislation to require gun owners to purchase liability insurance or face a $10,000 fine. Now we find out that one of Maloney’s biggest financial backers is … drumroll please … the insurance industry.

Data provided by OpenSecrets.org show that PACs and individuals in the insurance industry rank third on Maloney’s donor list (up from fourth in 2012), providing Maloney’s campaign committee with nearly $90,000 for 2013-14. 

Maloney’s longstanding disdain of law-abiding gun owners is something that should outrage us all. The fact that she’s getting paid by those in the insurance industry to introduce such an asinine bill makes the situation all the more disgusting.

Today is the day declared “National Gun Violence Awareness Day” by Everytown and its allies, so if you see any friends or neighbors wearing orange, consider the possibility that they: a) don’t support your right to self-defense; and b) have a rather naïve view of what constitutes real activism. The color orange is supposed to relate to hunters’ safety gear, but the connection is unclear; mostly this is an opportunity for people to feel “socially conscious” while Bloomberg’s minions boast of ostensible “grassroots” support.

Some publications have suggested ways to make opposing statements today. We don’t disagree, but you have another alternative: Don’t participate in the hype. Actually go to the range; splurge on a new gun; take someone shooting for the first time. It’s that kind of quiet but productive activity that makes the NRA base so powerful—and that Everytown is still trying to figure out.

A Sebastian, Fla., cab driver wasn’t expecting anything out of the ordinary when he stopped to pick up two regular passengers just before 1 a.m. on Saturday. The men approached the vehicle as they had many times before, but this time, the 36-year-old pulled out a knife and demanded money from the 51-year-old driver. Upon seeing the knife, the driver pulled out his gun and shot the man in self-defense, prompting the would-be robber and the 34-year-old male relative who was accompanying him to flee.

Officers found both men by following a trail of blood to the suspect’s home. Despite efforts by police and paramedics, the suspected robber died on the way to the hospital. The incident is still under investigation, but police say the suspect was no stranger to the criminal justice system. “We’re familiar with him from previous calls,” Police Sgt. Steve Marcinik told the Vero Beach Press Journal.