Mediaboss Marketing

Updated at 6:15 p.m.

Nearly all of the 2016 GOP presidential hopefuls wereonstage Friday attheNational Rifle Association's annual leadership conference in Nashville, a GOP cattle-call of sortsthat gavethepotential candidates a chance to trumpet their Second Amendment bona fides.

Attendees heardfrom a majority of the GOP's first- and second-tier presidential primary contenders, former Florida governor Jeb Bush, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Indiana Governor Mike Pence, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, former Texas governor Rick Perry, former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson and businessman Donald Trump.

Notable absences? Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, both of whom have a prickly relationship with the NRA and were not invited to attend -- Paul because of his affiliation with another gun-rights group and Christie who scores low on the NRA's scorecard. Paul told Bloomberg that it was the group's loss, not his: "To not be invited, probably, will serve more to cast aspersions on their group than it would on me. Because my record's pretty clear. It probably looks a little bit petty for them not to invite a major candidate because I raised money for other Second Amendment groups."

For those candidates who made the cut, today wasa critical campaign stop. The Post's David A. Fahrenthold reported on the role of gun rights in the GOP last month:

Even for those who dont own [guns],they are a bellwether of individual liberty, a symbol of what big government wants and shouldnt have. ... As the 2016 campaign gets going, guns and hunting will inevitably be part of its political theater. That may offer a chance for longtime gun-owning candidates to stand out....Already, on the campaign trail, several contenders have used their support for guns as a way to signal broader conservative bona fides. In a party full of internal arguments, this is one thing few will argue with.

Find the speech highlights below.

Bobby Jindal

Biggest applause line: "You sometimes get the idea that president Obama and Hillary Clinton believe that these are just crazy right-wing ideas...But these are not the ideas of a right wing conspiracy. These are the pillars of our nation. And thats why I was glad to write the law in Congress after Hurricane Katrina ensuring that never again can the government seize your firearms after a disaster."

Biggest flop: "I remember the days when Hollywood actually liked the First Amendment. Well maybe they havent read the First Amendment lately. Theyre too busy dealing with record-low movie attendance."

See the original post:
GOP hopefuls flock to NRA cattle call

Last week, FBI Director James Comey once again campaigned for backdoors into the encryption programs of tech companies, writes Sunday Yokubaitis at the Daily Dot.

Tech execs say privacy should be the paramount virtue, he told the House of Representatives Appropriations Committee. When I hear that, I close my eyes and try to imagine what the world looks like where pedophiles cant be seen, kidnappers cant be seen, [and] drug dealers cant be seen.

The United States government is playing to fear, uncertainty, and doubt. The reality is the government already collects a tremendous amount of personal data about its citizens through the location data our phones give away, National Security Agency metadata programs and online shopping habits without our consent.

Encryption is how privacy-conscious Internet users fight back against the unblinking eye of government mass surveillance and protect themselves online. Even if the NSA can break some encryption technologies, were at least making it harder and more expensive for them to track law-abiding citizens en masse. When Comey asks for backdoors, he is really just asking to make his job easierwith dubious benefits and very serious risks.

We must protect encryption because backdoors are inherently insecure.

Todays Question: Is encryption the Second Amendment for the Internet?

Excerpt from:
Is encryption the Second Amendment for the Internet?

Gov. Scott Walkers vote against a concealed carry bill in 2002 resurfaced Friday as the likely presidential candidate addressed an annual convention of the National Rifle Association.

Democrats highlighted the vote which clashes with his otherwise lengthy record of supporting Second Amendment rights as yet another example of Walker shifting his position for political gain. The 2002 vote came just before Walker mounted a successful campaign for Milwaukee County executive.

But Walker spokeswoman Kirsten Kukowski countered that the reason Walker voted against the bill was because it came up after a lengthy late-night session and didnt follow the normal legislative process.

Gov. Walker was protecting the voters through transparency, Kukowski said. This is why the NRA has and continues to believe Gov. Walker stands up for Second Amendment rights, continually giving him good ratings year after year.

Walker didnt address his 2002 vote in his speech Friday, but highlighted how he has an A+ rating from the NRA as governor and had an A rating as a state legislator.

Im proud of that even though some on the left may say its a scarlet letter, Walker said in the speech. I say its a badge of honor.

The likely 2016 presidential contender has come under fire for shifting his position on various issues, including immigration, right-to-work, abortion, ethanol mandates and the Common Core education standards.

Add concealed carry to the list of issues Walker has changed his position on just to benefit himself, said Jason Pitt, a spokesman for the Democratic National Committee. If weve learned anything from Scott Walker over the past few months its that his constant pandering on issues has defined him as one of the least trustworthy candidates among the 2016 GOP field.

Kukowski said Walkers record of supporting the Second Amendment included:

Co-sponsoring a constitutional amendment in the late 1990s that added the right to keep and bear arms;

See more here:
As Scott Walker addresses NRA, concealed carry vote criticized

A Nevada Senate committee has passed a bill authorizing special license plates showing support for the Second Amendment.

The Senate Transportation Committee voted unanimously Thursday to pass Senate Bill 229, which is sponsored by Republican Sen. Don Gustavson. It now heads for a vote on the Senate floor.

The proposed license plate design features a frontiersman with a gun and the words "Battle Born" and "Protect the Second Amendment." It would cost more than the standard Nevada license plate design.

Proceeds from sales of the plate would benefit the Nevada Firearms Commission. The committee added an amendment specifying that the money must be used for gun training or gun safety education.

Republican Committee Chair Scott Hammond said he didn't want the funds to be funneled to political activities

To read more about bills in this session, click here.

Original post:
Nevada Panel OKs Bill to Create Pro-Second Amendment License Plates

The National Rifle Association says the only reason Sen. Rand Paul didnt get an invitation to its annual convention in Nashville this weekend was its inability to accommodate all the 2016 GOP presidential hopefuls.

But Republican insiders know that Paul is persona non grata with the countrys largest Second Amendment advocacy group because of his affiliation with another, more militant gun rights organization, its brash executive director, and his vast direct-mail network focused on hard-core conservative issues.

Story Continued Below

Nine Republican presidential contenders are set to address the NRAs annual convention, which is seen as a signature event for the GOPs base.

While Paul didnt make the cut, the NRA is not writing him off for good. He maintains an A rating with the group, which acknowledges Paul is good on Second Amendment issues. According to the NRA, he might have been offered a speaking slot, too, had he reached out. The explanation from Pauls camp is that hes busy with events on the trail following the official launch of his campaign on Tuesday in Kentucky.

But make no mistake: the NRAs snub of Paul is but the latest flashpoint in a long power struggle between the group and its rival, the National Association for Gun Rights.

Its also a reminder of the candidates deep anti-establishment roots, which some supporters fear could harm his presidential campaign, especially when they are tied to entities that could compromise the message of inclusion that Paul is shaping.

Dudley Brown, a pugnacious Coloradan, started the NAGR 15 years ago as a national companion organization to Rocky Mountain Gun Owners. He brands both organizations as the no compromises gun lobby, a less-than-subtle knock on the NRA for being too Washington-focused and less absolutist on Second Amendment issues.

The disdain is mutual the NRA once dismissed Brown as the Al Sharpton of the gun movement.

But Browns organizations are about far more than gun rights. Theyre closely connected to libertarian direct mail operations rooted in the National Right to Work movement and aimed at advancing a number of conservative causes, including sharp opposition to gay marriage and abortion rights.

Continued here:
The truth about the NRA's snub of Rand Paul