NRA initially withheld comment about the horrible crime that took place in Newtown, Connecticut last week, out of respect for the families of the crime's victims and other residents of that community, and while law enforcement officials there conducted their investigation. However, President Obama and a usual cast of characters, in keeping with their longstanding practice of not letting any crisis go to waste, quickly used the tragedy to push their gun ban agenda.



Obama took to the national airwaves to plead his case for additional gun control laws, and appointed longtime gun control supporter Vice-President Joe Biden to head a task force to formalize the president's gun control plans by no later than January.



The administration's efforts are being aided and abetted by their anti-Second Amendment allies in Congress, particularly Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-N.Y.), Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA). As we previously reported, Sen. Feinstein's crusade to ban more guns preceded the Newtown shootings. As early last month, Feinstein started to refine her most recent "assault weapons" bill that "would ban pistol grips and 'high‑capacity' magazines." Though the public has not seen the final wording of her impending legislation, there is no question what the zealous senator would do, if she could. After getting her first "assault weapon" and "large" magazine ban imposed in 1994, she told a reporter, "If I could have gotten 51 votes in the Senate of the United States for an outright ban, picking up every one of them – Mr. and Mrs. America, turn them all in – I would have done it."



And, if you think the latest gun control debate will be limited solely to legislation to ban semi-autos and "large capacity" magazines, think again. Calls have already been renewed to subject all private sales of firearms to background checks, even among family members and friends, and to end mail-order sales of ammunition.



We knew that this fight was coming. But it's now crystal clear that this latest round is on an expedited track and the corresponding rhetoric has been amped up exponentially.



And the fight is not limited to the U.S. Congress; anti-gun action has already begun at the state level, with several states already jumping into the fray. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) went so far as to say “Confiscation could be an option. Mandatory sale to the state could be an option. Permitting could be an option…"



Our formula for success will remain unchanged and your activism will remain key. NRA's four million members and the tens of millions of other law-abiding American gun owners must stand united and stay active! NOW is the time for you to contact lawmakers in Washington, D.C., and in your state, and let them know that gun bans and other restrictions on our Second Amendment rights are not the solution.



To find contact information for your elected officials, use the "Write Your Reps" feature at www.NRAILA.org. Click here for tips on effective communication with your lawmakers, and don't forget to visit www.GunBanFacts.com for the FACTS on semi-auto bans.



This battle will determine whether our lawmakers have the backbone to implement solutions that will provide immediate dividends and safety, or whether they will go back in time and focus on the failed policy of gun bans.



If our opponents succeed, our rights won't be affected simply for a few years, but for generations to come!