U.S. District Judge James Robertson, in his first ruling in National Rifle Association of America, Inc., et al. v. Janet Reno, denied NRA's request for a preliminary injunction to end the FBI's registration of gun buyers whose lawful purchases are subject to a National Instant Check System (NICS) check. NRA's motion also sought the destruction of all records collected so far. Judge Robertson, a Bill Clinton appointee, ruled the Justice Department's claim it needed to maintain records for six months for "auditing" purposes "reasonable." However, he addressed only one of numerous points NRA made in showing that FBI is clearly violating federal law prohibiting the registration of gun owners, not only under the Brady Act itself, but also under the 1986 Firearms Owners' Protection Act. NRA now must wait to see how Janet Reno and the FBI respond to this initial ruling before we can determine what our next steps should be from a legal perspective. In the meantime, it is critical that all pro-Second Amendment activists contact their federal lawmakers and urge them to pass remedial legislation that will put an end to this registration scheme.

      U.S. Senator Bob Smith (R-N.H.) will soon introduce language to correct the abuse of NICS by the FBI. Please urge your U.S. Representative and both U.S. Senators to support Senator Smith's efforts to eliminate registration through NICS checks. You can contact your federal lawmakers by calling (202) 224-3121, and asking to be transferred to the appropriate offices.

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