Right to Carry in National Parks

This seems like good news.

The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), through the National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, has announced the final amended version of its changes to rules on carrying of firearms in national parks and wildlife refuges. DOI’s move will restore the rights of law-abiding gun owners who wish to transport and carry firearms for lawful purposes on most DOI lands, and will make federal law consistent with the state law in which these public lands are located. NRA led the effort to amend the existing policy regarding the carrying and transportation of firearms on these federal lands.

I spoke extensively about the right to carry in National Parks on the campaign trail, and am glad that this right has been restored. Let's hope the Obama Administration decides not to go to the trouble of reversing this sensible and overdue decisions.

Obama on Guns

From the Wall Street Journal:

“If you’ve got a gun in your house, I’m not taking it,’’ Obama said. But the Illinois senator could still see skeptics in the crowd, particularly on the faces of several men at the back of the room.

So he tried again. “Even if I want to take them away, I don’t have the votes in Congress,’’ he said. “This can’t be the reason not to vote for me. Can everyone hear me in the back? I see a couple of sportsmen back there. I’m not going to take away your guns.’’

“Even if I want to take them away, I don’t have the votes in Congress,’’

Let's keep it that way.
Vote Bosse for Congress tomorrow!

Bosse Earns 'A' Rating from NH Firearms Coalition

Receives highest rating on Second Amendment survey, Horn receives 'D'

(Hanover) Republican Grant Bosse has earned the highest grade awarded from the New Hampshire Firearms Coalition. Bosse and Bob Clegg each received an A rating on the NHFC's candidate survey. Jennifer Horn failed the organization's test, earning a D rating. Jim Steiner did not respond to the survey.

"Bob Clegg and I disagree on earmarks and health care, but we agree that the Second Amendment matters in every election," Bosse said. "Following the Heller decision, it's vital that we not only protect our Second Amendment rights, but expand them."

Grant Bosse is a staunch supporter of the Second Amendment, and is the only candidate pushing to expand Second Amendment protections. Bosse supports a Right-to-Carry in National Parks, and national reciprocity for gun owners.

"The Second Amendment is our first and last line of defense against tyranny, and is our most important civil right," Bosse continued. "Nancy Pelosi has already pledged to rebuild the DC Gun Ban. We need a Congress that will protect our Second Amendment rights, not erode them."

For more information on Bosse's superior grassroots campaign, go to www.Bosse2008.com.

You Must Be Friggin' Kidding Me!

The District of Columbia has denied Dick Heller's handgun application:

Dick Heller is the man who brought the lawsuit against the District's 32-year-old ban on handguns. He was among the first in line Thursday morning to apply for a handgun permit.

But when he tried to register his semi-automatic weapon, he says he was rejected. He says his gun has seven bullet clip. Heller says the City Council legislation allows weapons with fewer than eleven bullets in the clip. A spokesman for the DC Police says the gun was a bottom-loading weapon, and according to their interpretation, all bottom-loading guns are outlawed because they are grouped with machine guns.

Attention, District bureaucrats, Dick Heller has the right to keep and bear arms. He's always had it, but that right was recently affirmed by the Supreme Court, for crying out loud. He was the named plaintiff in the suit against you. He won. Approve the permit.

This is why gunowners need to keep fighting to restore our Second Amendment rights. Because the gun-grabbers in DC and elsewhere will try to thwart that right through bureaucracy when they failed to block it through legislation.

Hattip: Instapundit, of course.

From the Union Leader

Grant was featured in this morning's Union Leader. Grant submitted an op-ed on the Heller Supreme Court decision, and more importantly steps we must take down the road to protect the rights of gun owners.

Grant Bosse: Finally we can begin reclaiming our 2nd Amendment rights

THE U.S. SUPREME Court's decision in District of Columbia v. Heller holds that the 2nd Amendment contains an individual right to keep and bear arms. It's a little like the court told us that the sun rises in the east. It's gratifying that the justices got it right, but it's nothing we didn't know already, and it's a little disturbing that four of the nine justices didn't agree.


Political pundits are saying that the Heller decision is a relief to Barack Obama and Democratic gun-control supporters because it takes the issue off the table. The pundits are wrong. The Heller decision moves the debate over gun rights from the courts to the legislative arena.

By upholding an individual right to keep and bear arms, overturning the oppressive handgun ban in Washington D.C., but leaving room for local and state regulations, the court has put Congress and state legislatures front and center. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is already pushing for strict gun control restrictions "near schools," without saying how wide such a zone would be.

After Heller, we can follow Pelosi's lead and start to rebuild the wall between law-abiding citizens and their 2nd Amendment rights, or we can roll back the unneeded and harmful restrictions still on the books.

The first step would be to restore the right to carry in our national parks. Current policy prevents Americans from bringing their legal firearms onto many public lands, despite the threats hikers and campers face from predators, both animal and human. By turning our parks into "gun free zones," we've told criminals where to find unarmed victims miles away from any law enforcement.

We should also recognize the right to carry legal firearms across state lines. A national reciprocity law would give law-abiding citizens the freedom to bring their guns with them when they leave home. Cities like Chicago and states like New York would not be able to infringe on their 2nd Amendment rights just because they were passing through. These local gun control laws are likely to face their own legal challenges after Heller, but reciprocity would put a dent in them immediately.

The Supreme Court has read the clear meaning of the 2nd Amendment, and five of the nine justices understood what they read. But the anti-gun lobby will not stop. Neither can supporters of the 2nd Amendment. After Heller, just about everyone will say they support the 2nd Amendment, but voters need to look deeper. Even Barack Obama, who not only supported the D.C. handgun ban but has gone on record calling for even stricter gun control, now claims that the court got it right in Heller. Don't believe him.

New Hampshire gun owners were fooled once by Dick Swett, who claimed to support the 2nd Amendment, but proved in Washington to be a fair-weather fan of our constitutional rights. We've learned to demand more. We'll look beyond those paying lip service to the 2nd Amendment and praising the court for stating the obvious. Which candidates talk about gun rights, and which candidates will help solidify our 2nd Amendment rights by rolling back the gun control agenda and fully restoring our right to keep and bear arms?

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Hillsborough Republican Grant Bosse is seeking the Republican nomination in New Hampshire's 2nd District. He is a member of Gun Owners of New Hampshire and the New Hampshire Firearms Coalition, but does not claim to represent the official views of either organization.

From the Associated Press

The Associated Press wraps up reaction to the Heller case. Grant Bosse is the only candidate who goes beyond praising the Court's decision and advocates fully restoring our Second Amendment rights:

Congressional hopefuls Grant Bosse, Jennifer Horn and Bob Clegg also applauded the ruling — the court's first major pronouncement on gun rights. The Republicans hope to challenge Democrat Paul Hodes in the 2nd District race.

"Hopefully this decision will show the activist judges and liberal organizations that when the founding fathers wrote that 'the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed' they actually meant it," Horn said.

Bosse wants Congress to go even further, including lifting a ban on carrying weapons for self-defense in National Parks, "where hikers and campers face threats from predators, both animal and human." He also would lift bans on making weapons that are legal to own and would push for a federal law "honoring the rights of Americans to carry (weapons) across state lines without fear of prosecution."

Clegg said the ruling confirmed the Second Amendment's intent regarding gun ownership — and the role of government.

"The writers knew that protections of the citizen must be granted to protect us from the natural progression of new government, which tends to grow and attempt to increase their controls over the people," Clegg said.

Pelosi Calls for More Gun Control- Does Hodes Agree?

(Hillsboro) Hillsboro Republican Grant Bosse today asked Congressman Paul Hodes if he agrees with Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s call for more gun control laws in the District of Columbia, even as the Supreme Court has thrown out the District’s oppressive ban on handgun ownership.

In the wake of the landmark District of Columbia v Heller decision, the Court threw out the gun ban and reaffirmed an individual right to keep and bear arm. Pelosi responded by claiming that the Court decision leaves plenty of room for new gun control laws.

"I think it still allows the District of Columbia to come forward with a law that’s less pervasive," Pelosi said. "I think the court left a lot of room to run in terms of concealed weapons and guns near schools."

Paul Hodes has voted with Pelosi almost unanimously in his two years in Congress, which prompted Bosse to ask if Hodes would again follow the lead of Democratic leadership.

“Is Paul Hodes going to stand up to Nancy Pelosi, as she tries to rebuild DC’s oppressive gun laws, or will he support the rights of gun owners by rolling back unneeded restriction on the right to keep the bear arms?” Bosse asked.

Bosse is the most consistent support of gunowners’ rights in the Republican field to challenge Hodes. Following the Heller decision, Bosse noted that Congressional action was needed to secure the rights that the Supreme Court recognized.

Find more about Bosse’s campaign at www.Bosse2008.com.

Heller Reaction

Grant Bosse has been a steadfast supporter of the Second Amendment, and predicted not only today's decision, but the next step to protect the rights of gunowners:



ScotusBlog and the Volokh Conspiracy continue to provide invaluable reaction to the Heller decision.

Bosse Applauds Heller Decision

Urges Congressional Action to Guarantee Right of Gunowners

(Hillsboro) Hillsboro Republican Grant Bosse today applauded the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in District of Columbia v Heller, which overturned the District of Columbia’s oppressive ban on private gun ownership and affirmed the individual right to keep and bear arms found in the Second Amendment to the Constitution.

“While Jennifer Horn supported more gun control laws, and Bob Clegg has sponsored a bill to regulate local gun ranges, I have been a steadfast supporter of the Second Amendment,” Bosse added. “I don’t expect the Paul Hodes-Nancy Pelosi Congress to do anything to implement the Heller Decision, which is why we need to send people to Congress who understand the history and importance of the Second Amendment. We need candidates who support the Second Amendment out of principle, and not out of political expediency.”

Bosse called for lifting a ban on carrying weapons for self-defense in National Parks, where hikers and campers face threats from predators, both animal and human. He also advocated re-examination of archaic statutes banning the manufacture of firearms that are legal to own and operate, and pushed for a federal reciprocity law honoring the rights of Americans to carry across state lines without fear of prosecution.

“The Second Amendment contains a civil right, to protect ourselves, our families, and our communities,” Bosse said. “I’m thrilled that the Supreme Court has clarified this simple truth. Now we need Congress to implement this decision by rolling back the useless restrictions on the rights of Americans to keep and bear arms.”

Read the Court's opinion here.

Previewing the Heller Decision

Mike O'Shea at Concurring Opinions writes about what to look for when the Heller decisions comes down, possibly as soon as Monday:

1. Recognition of an Individual Right to Arms? The threshold issue. Will the Court recognize a genuinely individual right to arms, i.e., one that is not contingent upon participation in a state-regulated military organization? Like most observers, I interpreted the oral argument as revealing that there were between five and seven votes among the Justices for a genuine individual right.

2. What Purposes Does the Right Protect? Privately owned firearms can potentially serve a variety of legitimate purposes. Some of these are civic purposes: deterring tyranny; protecting against invasion or internal disorder; promoting military readiness through individual practice with firearms. Others are private, personal purposes: self-defense against criminal violence; hunting; participating in the shooting sports. Assuming that the Court recognizes an individual Second Amendment right to arms, will it interpret that right in a way that stresses protection for the private purposes of citizen arms — as urged by the provocative amicus brief of Professor Nelson Lund? Or will it emphasize the civic purposes of citizen arms — as it seemed to do in the 1939 Miller decision? Or will it (correctly, in my view) embrace both kinds of purposes, as do many state constitutional decisions? The answer to this question will greatly influence the success of future Second Amendment challenges to restrictive gun legislation. ...

Some kinds of restrictions (such as D.C.’s draconian “safe storage” requirements that do not allow a resident to keep any firearm in a usable defensive condition in her home) impinge most strongly on the private purposes of gun ownership. Others, such as bans on modern semiautomatic rifles, seem more likely to come into tension with the civic purposes of gun ownership, to the extent those are recognized as part of the Second Amendment.

There's much more there.

Hattip: Instapundit

Campaign Snapshot

Grant was the guest speaker at Tuesday night's Pelham Fish and Game Club Monthly Meeting. Grant talked about the need to defend the Second Amendment, and answered questions on freeing the economy, winning the war against Islamic Fascism, and securing our borders to curb illegal immigration.

Video Diary: Defending the Second Amendment

Grant has a new video from the Groveton Fish and Game Club Annual Meeting, where he outlines his strong support for the Second Amendment:

Exercising Our First Freedom

Thanks to the Gun Owners of New Hampshire, who hosted their annual Legislative Range Day at the Pelham Fish and Game Club. I had a chance to use several firearms for the first time, including the M-1 Garand and an elephant gun. I also shot some more familiar models, from the 9mm to the AR-15, and even a Barrett .50 caliber. That had a little kick to it.

I managed to do pretty well on the cowboy action course, hitting 10 out of 11 targets. My time was a little slow, so I doubt I'll be taking home any trophies. Oh, and we got to fire the two pound Revolutionary War era cannon.

While I certainly had a great time on the gun range this afternoon, I was also happy to spend the day talking with gun owners, about the Second Amendment, about their desire to exercise their constitutional rights of self-defense, and about the need to nominate candidates who understand the importance of these rights in maintaining our democratic society. As much as I support hunting and target-shooting, the Second Amendment isn't there for recreational purposes. It is a civil right, guaranteed under our Constitution, and designed as the first and last line of defense against a hostile government. It is vital that we understand these stakes, and that's why I'm confident in seeking the support of gun owners from across New Hampshire.

Second Amendment versus misleading statistics

In today's Union Leader, Evan Nappen calls out anti-gun activists and their misuse of statistics in arguing that gun control makes us safer:

The VPC also has to purposely limit its selectively picked data to states rather than cities. This is because the one jurisdiction with the strictest gun control in the entire nation is the District of Columbia. In D.C., all handguns are banned, long arms must be stored disassembled, locked and unloaded, and law-abiding citizens have no right to carry guns. According to the same 2005 CDC data relied upon by the VPC, D.C. has the highest rate of shooting deaths of any place in the United States! The district has well over double the national average.

On the air

Grant was on the air earlier this week, defending the 2nd Amendment on WTPL's "Against the Grain".

On the air

Grant just concluded an interview with Gardner Goldsmith on WTPL's Against the Grain, reaffirming his staunch defense of the 2nd Amendment. As Grant told Gardner, the 2nd Amendment is the only one with a waiting period before you can exercise your Constitutional rights.

Grant's support for the individual right to self-defense is contrasted by recent comments by Jennifer Horn, who supports "common sense restrictions to protect kids from guns."

When Gardner pressed Grant on this issue, Grant said we already have common sense protection for kids. They're called parents.

Dispatch from Jaffrey

Just got through meeting with the Rod and Gun Club at the Legion Post in Jaffrey. Next year is going to be critical for protecting Second Amendment rights. I'm optimistic that the Supreme Court will affirm an individual right to keep and bear arms, but that decision will lead to followup legislation. The people we send to Congress in November will write that legislation.

Town Meeting Day tomorrow. Always good to refresh my faith in democracy; slow, frustrating, better than anything else we've tried democracy.

Franklin Sportsmen's Show

A good crowd at the 11th Annual Franklin Sportsmen's Show at the Franklin Middle School.

Grant on NH Taxpayer Radio

Grant says that Paul Hodes was wrong to oppose the Surge, and he's wrong now.

NHTR Clip 1

Grant explains why the next Congress will be the most important for Second Amendment rights in a generation.

NHTR Clip 2

Grant argues that the strength of the American economy comes from people, bot government.

NHTR Clip 3

Grant says that bipartisanship is overrated, unless it's backed up by sound principles.

NHTR Clip 4

Grant quotes Mel Thompson to make a point about taxes and spending.

NHTR Clip 5