NRA Silent On Medical Marijuana Patients’ Gun Rights

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NRA Silent On Medical Marijuana Patients’ Gun Rights

BY TOM ANGELL
SEPTEMBER 2ND, 2016

When there’s a policy development that affects gun rights you can usually count on the National Rifle Association (NRA) to have something to say about it.

But the firearms lobby’s most powerful organization had nothing to say this week after a federal court upheld a policy preventing medical marijuana patients from purchasing guns.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported:


Representatives of the National Rifle Association weren’t available for comment.

And a Reuters report said:


A representative for the National Rifle Association could not immediately be reached for comment.

While the NRA’s news channel has since tweeted a few links to news articles about the ruling, the organization has not issued any commentary about its position on the matter.

The Wednesday ruling by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit concerns a U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosive policy that requires people purchasing guns from federally licensed dealers to fill out a form which asks, “Are you an unlawful user of, or addicted to, marijuana, or any depressant, stimulant, narcotic drug or any other controlled substance?”

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read more:
http://www.marijuana.com/blog/news/2016/09/nra-silent-on-medical-marijuana-patients-gun-rights/

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NRA still has not commented two and a half months later. GOA has weighed in.


Legal Marijuana Poses a Problem for Gun Buyers
Firearm purchases by drug users are prohibited by federal law; Alaska Republican is taken aback

By GARY FIELDS and KRISTINA PETERSON
Nov. 18, 2016

Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s husband and sons ordered her a new Benelli 12-gauge shotgun as a gift, but when the Alaska Republican—and enthusiastic duck hunter—went to pick it up, she was puzzled by a question on the federal background form she had to fill out.

The form asked if she used marijuana for medicinal or recreational purposes, both of which are legal in Alaska. If she answered yes, she would be unable to get the gun, because federal law prohibits anyone who uses illegal drugs from buying a firearm.

The senator doesn’t use pot, but she was taken aback by the notion that an activity that is legal in her state could block gun ownership. “I don’t like marijuana—I voted against legalization—but we passed it,” she said in an interview. “Now, you’ve got this conflict.”

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At issue are the applications that would-be gun buyers must fill out when they visit licensed firearms dealers. Question 11(e) on ATF Form 4473 asks whether the purchaser is an unlawful user of, or addicted to, marijuana.

Under ATF guidance distributed to gun dealers, anyone who answers affirmatively can’t buy a firearm. If a dealer has reason to believe the would-be gun purchaser is a marijuana user, the ATF says it is the dealer’s responsibility to halt the sale of a firearm or ammunition.

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The issue can be tricky, especially for those who oppose drug use but support gun rights. Perhaps for that reason, gun-rights groups have been relatively quiet on the issue. The National Rifle Association, for example, didn’t respond to requests for comment.

Officials at Gun Owners of America highlight the medicinal-marijuana issue. “GOA finds it very troubling that the Obama administration would use medical issues to ban law-abiding Americans from owning firearms,” said the group’s executive director, Erich Pratt.

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read more:
http://www.wsj.com/articles/legal-marijuana-poses-a-problem-for-gun-buyers-1479154520
http://archive.is/22fVc