Elections in a Post-Heller/McDonald Era
By John C. Sigler, President
Fifty Caliber Institute (FCI)

John C. Sigler

Election Year 2010 will be a year like no other for gun owners and Second Amendment activists. This year, unlike previous election years, we now know that the Supreme Court recognizes the Right to Keep and Bear Arms as both an individual right and a fundamental right that is protected from both federal and state infringement.

But what we don’t know is what all of that means for our .50 MBG target rifles and for the shooting sports in which those rifles are used. Here are some facts to be considered:

1. Both the Heller and McDonald decisions were handed down by a deeply divided Supreme Court - both were 5-4 decisions.
2. Both the Heller Court and the McDonald Court focused their decisions on the concept of self defense in the home.
3. Both the Heller Court and the McDonald Court observed that some "reasonable restrictions" on the right to keep and bear arms were permissible and would survive scrutiny by the Court.
4. Anti-gun zealots like the Brady Campaign, Mayors Daley and Bloomberg, and others, have praised McDonald and Heller as "solid authority" for further restrictions on ownership and possession of firearms.
5. Chicago, Washington, D.C. and other jurisdictions have already made post-Heller/McDonald changes to their laws that are profoundly hostile to the rights of law-abiding citizens.
6. A new round of post-Heller/McDonald lawsuits are already being litigated in a number of jurisdictions, testing the outer boundaries of the meaning of those two landmark decisions.

1. President Obama has already appointed two anti-gun nominees to the United States Supreme Court, one of whom will be voted upon this week for confirmation - NRA and others have called upon their members to ask their Senators to oppose the most recent of these nominees - Elena Kagan.
2. This Election Year there are 36 seats in the United States Senate up for grabs as well as every one of the seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.
3. The United States Senate is responsible for confirmation of all federal judges, not just the Supreme Court - and remember, Heller and McDonald were 5-4 decisions.
4. Additionally, the United States Senate is responsible for ratifying all treaties, including any antigun treaty that might come from the United Nations, the Organization of America States, or elsewhere - remember, President Obama has already sent one anti-gun treaty (The CIFTA Treaty) to the Senate where it is currently pending.
5. Finally, each of the State Legislatures that we elect in each of our home states in 2010 will be responsible for re-drawing both Congressional and state legislative district lines in 2011.

With two years left on President Obama’s term and with an anti-gun treaty awaiting Senate action; and with numerous federal judicial vacancies to be filled (including the possibility of one or more on the Supreme Court); and with redistricting at stake; and the probability of additional antigun legislation forthcoming in multiple jurisdictions at all levels, this is the most important election year of your life!

In a post-Heller/McDonald world where far too many anti-gun politicians are looking for a gun to ban that has nothing to do with self defense and which will test the outer limits of constitutionality, how long do you suppose it will be before someone decides to make a test case out of our .50 BMG target rifles? Like I said, this is the most important election of your life.

Now is the time for each and every one of us to become involved, to take a stand, and to work for pro-gun candidates at all levels. Now is the time to become a volunteer, a worker, and vocal supporter of pro-gun candidates at all levels in your area.

Now is the time to dig deep into your jeans and pull out that extra money you were saving for that next "gizmo" that was going to make you the next "World Champion", and to invest that money in the next pro-gun Senator or Representative from your home State; or to contribute to the next state legislator from your home district who you know will protect and defend your right to keep and bear arms, especially your right to own and compete with your .50 BMG.

This post Heller/McDonald election year will be like no other, because pro-gun, pro-freedom patriots like you will step to the plate like never before and defend your freedom as a law-abiding citizen to own and use your .50 BMG for lawful purposes.

(Editor’s note: Truer words probably have never been written. Our country is at a crossroads for many reasons and our right to Keep & Bear Arms is but one of them. The leadership of FCI encourages everyone who reads this newsletter to get involved and stay involved in a fight that will have a far reaching impact on our lives, regardless who wins or loses in the coming elections. If we want the change to benefit us, we need to work hard for it. - Jb)

NRA Awards Fifty Caliber Shooters Association (FCSA) ‘NRA Club of the Year’

The NRA has notified the leadership of the Fifty Caliber Shooters Association that FCSA has been selected as the "NRA Club of the Year" for 2010. This selection is made based on an evaluation of the contributions a club has made in several areas of achievement. FCSA is very proud to accept this award which will be given at the Fall Board of Directors meeting in Washington DC in September.

Barrett M82A-1 .416/.50 BMG Semi-Auto: