Archives for December 2020

Candidates for 2021 Election of Directors

Ron Duplessis: Incumbent Director; Life Member of LSA; Life Member of NRA; Owner , President of several rifle and barrel manufacturing companies, including Carbon Six Barrels, Carbon Six Rifles, Mcgowen Precision Barrels, and Precision Cut Barrels, with plans to bring three different rifles and seven models to market in 2021; owns patent for the three lug bolt action rifle (Pat. No. 7975417); manufacturer that works with the National Sports Shooting Foundation (NSSF) and displays at the SHOT Show; Range Owner; accomplished shotgun shooter; extensive legislative and bill writing experience

John Grout: Incumbent Alternate Director; no information provided by candidate

Jay D. Hunt, III: Incumbent Director and Treasurer; First elected to LSA Board in 2006; Treasurer since 2008; Life Member of LSA; Benefactor Member of NRA; Life Member of Second Amendment Foundation; Life Member of Safari Club International; Hunter Education Instructor; NRA Range Safety Officer; former High Power Rifle Master level competitive shooter and Junior shooting coach; Retired Range Safety Officer and former Board member for Honey Island Shooting Range; Staunch supporter of Second Amendment Rights

Ronald “Buck” Kliebert: Incumbent Director; First elected to LSA Board in 2009; Member of the NRA; former Louisiana State High Power Rifle Team member from 2006-2011; Jr. High Power Rifle Coach; active competitive shooter holding NRA classifications in High Power Rifle (Master), Long Range Prone (Master), Mid-Range Prone (High Master) and Small Bore Prone (Expert); Staunch supporter of our Second Amendment Rights and would like to continue serving you as a director on the LSA board

Paul Prokop: Incumbent Director and Secretary; First elected to LSA board in 2012; Secretary since 2012; Life member of LSA; Benefactor member of NRA; High Power Rifle Master level competitive shooter; Retired Coast Guard Captain (O-6)

David J. Ramey: Incumbent Alternate Director; Life Member of LSA; Benefactor and Golden Eagle Member of NRA; LA CHP and Hunter Ed Instructor; Retired Range Safety Officer and former Board member for Honey Island Shooting Range; currently working as compliance officer and in-house Trainer/Instructor at Jefferson Gun Outlet & Indoor Range; Supported the Second Amendment in several states in the past when employed there

Ted A. Torres, III:  Served on the board of directors for the Louisiana Shooting Association from 2012 to 2019.  Served as the match director for NRA F-class and Field Precision Rifle competitions at Palo Alto Rifle and Pistol Club 2011-2015.  Previous owner of Ritten Precision, LLC specializing in building and accurizing of competition and long-range hunting rifles.  Passionate hunter and dedicated supporter of 2A rights.

Dwayne Vidrine: Incumbent Director;  First elected to the LSA Board in 2018; Life member of the LSA; benefactor member of the NRA; Registered Professional Engineer #25201, State of Louisiana; Member of the Palo Alt Rifle & Pistol Club and the Southeast Louisiana High Power Rifle Club; Active High Power Rifle and service pistol competitive shooter; Distinguished Rifleman #2276.; Staunch supporter of our Second Amendment Rights.

Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry Joins Legal Efforts Supporting NRA

Attorney General Jeff Landry has added Louisiana to a coalition of 16 states that have filed an amicus brief supporting the National Rifle Association’s lawsuit against the New York Attorney General, Letitia James.

The NRA’s lawsuit seeks to block James’s politically motivated attempt in a separate lawsuit to dissolve the NRA, which is the country’s oldest civil rights organization and leading Second Amendment advocacy organization.

“The New York Attorney General’s actions threaten the civil rights of five million NRA members – including citizens of Louisiana,” said Attorney General Landry. “I am proud to fight back against this partisan attack on the First and Fourteenth Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens who respect the constitutional right to keep and bear arms.

In August, James filed a lawsuit in New York state court seeking to dissolve the NRA. Separately, the District of Columbia Attorney General Karl Racine filed an action against the non-profit organization NRA Foundation; but the DC lawsuit tellingly did not seek dissolution.

Subsequently, the NRA responded by suing James in New York federal court – claiming that her dissolution lawsuit violated the First Amendment by seeking to punish the NRA for its constitutionally protected Second Amendment advocacy.

The amicus brief filed by Landry and his colleagues supports the NRA’s federal-court lawsuit. Landry and the other 15 state attorneys general argue that James sought dissolution because she does not like the NRA’s political advocacy, its members’ political views, and the organization’s defense of a fundamental constitutional right. When it comes to being arrested, it is crucial to know the kind of attorney to hire after getting arrested.

The brief argues that New York’s lawsuit violates the First Amendment because it was designed to retaliate against the NRA and its members for these constitutionally-protected activities. To hire a legal expert one can see here for more information.

The brief makes clear that state regulations of non-profits and charitable organizations are essential to protecting the public. But it also criticizes New York’s politically motivated enforcement of its regulations. Such regulations should never be used to attack a government official’s political opponents. When it comes to accidents, the suspended license after a DUI charge out of state is an issue that can only be fixed with the help of a powerful person or a good lawyer.

Louisiana is joined in the amicus brief by Arkansas, Alaska, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and West Virginia.

LSA Files Federal Lawsuit on Behalf of two Louisiana Residents

The Louisiana Shooting Association, the Second Amendment Foundation and the Firearms Policy Coalition filed a federal lawsuit on November 6, 2020 challenging federal law that prevents young adults from purchasing and owning handguns.

The suit was filed on behalf of two private citizens, Caleb Reese and Joseph Granich, both in the affected age group. The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana. Plaintiffs are represented by attorneys Raymond M. DiGuiseppe of Southport, NC, Adam Kraut and Joseph Greenlee from Sacramento, CA, and John W. Dillon from Carlsbad, CA, and George J. Armbruster III from Lafayette, LA. Kraut is FPC’s Director of Legal Strategy and Greenlee is the group’s Director of Research. The case is known as Reese v. BATF.

Named as defendants are the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Acting Director Regina Lombardo, and Attorney General William Barr, in their official capacities.

Neither Reese or Granich have criminal records. Both are over age 18, and thus have reached what is generically called the age of majority, which means adulthood. Yet they are denied full rights under the Second Amendment to purchase and own handguns, according to the lawsuit, which states, “The Handgun Ban prevents (them) from purchasing handguns of the makes and models of (their) choice, with full manufacturer warranty and support…in violation of (their) constitutionally enumerated rights.”

“While both of these young men were able to vote in the recent national elections, and they can pursue other activities as legal adults, they are prevented by law from purchasing and using handguns,” said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. “They can join the military and defend the nation, possibly at the risk of losing their lives. They can enter into contracts, start businesses, get married and even run for office. Preventing them from legally purchasing and owning handguns seems rather silly, and we believe their rights as adult citizens are being violated.”

“One mission of the Louisiana Shooting Association is to protect Americans’ right to keep and bear arms which necessarily includes their ability to acquire firearms,” said Dan Zelenka, Louisiana Shooting Association’s president. “Handguns are the firearm of choice for self-defense as well as for many types of sport shooting disciplines. Nothing in the Constitution would subject adults under the age of 21 to different rights and protections under the Second Amendment as adults over the age of 21. On behalf of our members who are currently banned under federal law, as well as our younger members who will soon be in that banned age group, the Louisiana Shooting Association is proud to be a part of this effort to stop the federal government from enforcing its unconstitutional ban.”

“The right to keep and bear arms is not a second-class right, and the law-abiding legal adults the federal government currently bans from purchasing handguns are not second-class people,” said FPC President and FPF Chairman Brandon Combs. “These adults have the fundamental, individual right to purchase handguns and handgun ammunition for all lawful purposes from the lawful retailer of their choice. If they can be asked to fight and die for our country then they can and must be guaranteed the full protection of the Constitution. FPC is committed to fighting for and protecting the rights of all responsible citizens regardless of their age. FPC will continue to fight forward and restore the Second Amendment throughout the United States in this and other cases.”

“People who must bear all the burdens of being an adult should not be denied the benefits of it, especially when those benefits stem from fundamental liberty interests guaranteed by the Bills of Rights,” said attorney DiGuiseppe. “Law-abiding adults who are under 21 years of age shoulder the same essential responsibilities as all other adults, and, in the eyes of the Constitution, they have the same fundamental rights. Yet, the federal government has denied these full-fledged citizens the right to purchase handguns and handgun ammunition, cutting off their ability to acquire the quintessential weapon of self-defense in America. That is unconstitutional. This lawsuit aims to restore the right and ability of these adults to purchase constitutionally protected handguns and ammunition for them in their lawful exercise of their Second Amendment rights.”

“Adults over the age of eighteen have the full protection of all rights under the Constitution,” added Kraut. “But the federal government’s ban singles out their Second Amendment rights for especially unfavorable treatment. And our nation’s history and tradition show that adults under the age of 21 not only have the same Second Amendment rights as those over the age of 21, they were often required to keep and bear arms. We look forward to striking down this unconstitutional ban and providing millions of individuals with access to their constitutional rights.”

“Throughout the colonial and founding eras, hundreds of laws required 18-to-20-year-olds to own firearms—law applying to both males and females, and laws related and unrelated to militia service,” Greenlee explained. “By comparison, there were no restrictions whatsoever as to adults in this age group. If we look to the original understanding of the Second Amendment, as the Supreme Court requires, it is clear that 18-to-20-year-olds were fully protected by the right to keep and bear arms. We seek to vindicate that right in this case.”

“This is the third federal suit SAF has filed so far this month,” Gottlieb noted. “Other suits include our challenge of New York City’s extremist carry law as well as the state of New Jersey’s Draconian carry permit scheme. This is part of SAF’s effort to win firearms freedom one lawsuit at a time. Our ultimate goal is to get these cases reviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court.”

2021 Annual Meeting and Elections

The Officers and Directors of the LSA met in a special virtual session on December 10, 2020 to discuss the upcoming 2021 Annual Meeting of the Members and Elections of the Directors. It was decided at that meeting that,

  1. The 2021 Annual Meeting will not be held to protect the members from the possible exposure to coronavirus 2019-nCoV, which can result in COVID-19, and
  2.  The Annual Elections of Directors will be held by a special electronic ballot.

The electronic elections will commence on Sunday, February 21, 2021 at 08:00 CST and will end on Sunday, February 28, 2021 at 07:59 CST. To vote in the election, you must be a member of the LSA as of Saturday, February 20, 2021. We will pull an electronic list of the members on February 20 in preparation for sending the electronic invitations by email. The invitation will be sent to your email on record.