Senate Bill 318 and its companion bill, House Bill 766, create a new section of law that could greatly expand the list of individuals losing their firearm rights while receiving limited due process. NRA members and Second Amendment supporters are encouraged to contact their state Senator and state Representative and urge them to OPPOSE Senate Bill 318 and House Bill 766.

SB 318/ HB 766 would create a new class of prohibited possessors using misdemeanor convictions that go far beyond current federal law. Constitutional rights are generally restricted only upon conviction of a felony. The reasons for this are two-fold. It limits restrictions on constitutional rights to only the most serious offenses, and, perhaps more importantly, felony convictions provide greater procedural protections to the accused, which results in more reliable convictions. The right to keep and bear arms should not be treated as a second-class right and should be restricted only upon conviction of a felony.

Further, this legislation does nothing to empower victims. It also creates new victims because it does nothing to address the real, albeit rare, circumstances where false accusations are made. Bad legislation is only going to hurt more than it can help, and this extreme example of that goes far beyond what exists in federal law.

Again, please click the “Take Action” button above to contact your state Senator and state Representative and urge them to OPPOSE Senate Bill 318 and House Bill 766.