NRA Activates its Members on Rubio D.C. Gun Bill, Rubio Introduces Bill Before NRA Speech, NRA Raises Rubio Rating

Press Release

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today reiterated that she will fight Senator Marco Rubio's (R-FL) attempt "to abuse the District of Columbia's right to self-government to bolster his run for the presidency." She said that, not coincidentally, just before his speech at the National Rifle Association's (NRA) upcoming annual meeting, Rubio introduced his bill to wipe out almost all of the District of Columbia's local safety gun laws. At the same time, according to the Washington Post, the NRA upgraded Rubio's rating from a B-plus to an A this year, a rare non-election year action, even though he was not expected to be rerated until 2016. On Friday, the NRA, which has long sought to repeal D.C.'s gun laws, sent a "Grassroots Alert" to its members asking them to urge their Members of Congress to cosponsor the bill. The bill is the first and only gun possession bill Rubio has introduced as a senator.

"There must be a more principled way to run for president than bullying the District of Columbia and violating your own federalism, local government principles by intruding in a local jurisdiction's purely local affairs," Norton said. "Like Senator Ted Cruz last month, Senator Rubio, in advance of an expected presidential run, targeted the District of Columbia Home Rule Act to curry favor with the far-right and raise his profile at the expense of a local jurisdiction he does not represent. It is a cheap tactic unworthy of any person seeking to be president. Senator Rubio and the NRA both claim to want to limit the power of the federal government. Yet, with their bill, they are trying to expand federal power by overturning the gun laws of a local jurisdiction."

The Rubio bill, which was also introduced in the House by Representative Jim Jordan (R-OH), would eliminate D.C.'s ban on assault weapons and large capacity magazines, repeal D.C.'s registration requirements, block D.C. from prohibiting guns in many District-owned buildings, and prohibit D.C. from passing gun laws in the future. Although D.C.'s post-Heller gun laws have been challenged and have withstood constitutional attacks, far-right gun forces continue to insist that the nation's capital should have no gun safety laws.

Rubio has introduced only two gun bills as a senator. In addition to the D.C. gun bill, this year he introduced the Firearms Manufacturers and Dealers Protection Act of 2015, which involves financing for gun dealers and manufacturers.

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