At the National Rifle Associations annual meeting in Indianapolis Friday, six potential Republican candidates for president touted their pro-gun bona fides and pledged allegiance to the Second Amendment.

But none got quite as personal as Rick Santorum, a runner-up for the 2012 nomination. The former Pennsylvania senator said every member of his family is an NRA member, including 5-year-old daughter Bella. He and his wife, Karen, have conceal-and-carry permits. She even owns more guns than him now.

The default gift for most men is to buy flowers on a special occasion, Santorum said. For me, the safe bet [is] ammo.

He wasnt done.

(PHOTOS: Rick Santorums career)

Santorum warned the activists against putting too much stock in the platitudes of others.

Lots of folks are going to come out when things look easy and say all the right things, he said, but when things get tough and you know that happens particularly on the Second Amendment one of the things you need to look at iswhether the person theyre sleeping with also happens to hold the same position they do on this issue.

Now, in my case, the person I sleep with is my wife, he added. That is not always the case in politics!

The crowd roared.

And I can tell you, he said, you are safe with me.

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Party of guns: 2016ers speak to NRA

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A liberal former Supreme Court justice, still outspoken and influential in retirement, is pushing to change the Constitution's Second Amendment in a way that could lead to massive gun confiscations in states.

John Paul Stevens, 94, who retired in 2010, would rewrite the Second Amendment in a way that would allow only state militia members to be armed, a radical change from the current lay of the land spelled out in several high court decisions.

In his new book Six Amendments: How and Why We Should Change the Constitution, being played up in the media, Stevens would make clear that only militias, not citizens, have a right to guns.

The current wording is: A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. His proposal would read: A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms when serving in the militia shall not be infringed.

In his book and interviews to promote it, Stevens said that shootings like the December 2012 school slayings in Newtown, Conn., sparked his anti-gun plan and made him more passionate about speaking out against private gun ownership, especially of handguns.

He told the PBS NewsHour that federal judges should not be involved in deciding gun ownership. Well, it would be my ultimate hope that legislatures would decide the issues, and not be hampered by constitutional restrictions, because clearly, legislators are in a much better position than judges are to decide what could be permissible in different contexts.

Stevens added, The effect of the Second Amendment as it is now construed is to make federal judges the final arbiters of gun policy, which is quite, quite wrong, I think, and quite contrary to what the framers intended when they drafted the Second Amendment, to protect states from the danger that a strong federal armed force would have been able to the states of their own militias.

The National Rifle Association was quick to react. We strongly disagree with his viewpoint, said spokesman Andrew Arulanandam from Indianapolis, where the NRA is holding it's week-long annual meeting. Our Founding Fathers believed that the Second Amendment is the one right that secures all the others; while former Justice Stevens may disagree with them, this remains a historical fact, he told Secrets.

In his book, Stevens claims that the court has wrongly expanded the Second Amendment. One decision he seems mad about was written in 2008 and ruled that the Second Amendment protects a civilians right to keep a handgun in his home for self-defense.

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Ex-Supreme Court justice pushes gun grab, 2nd Amendment rewrite

Sacramento, California (PRWEB) April 24, 2014

Following a landmark Ninth Circuit decision correctly holding that the Second Amendment protects a fundamental right to bear arms for self-defense outside of our homes, Assemblyman Tim Donnelly (R-Twin Peaks) has introduced the most sweeping reform of Californias handgun carry license laws since their establishment in 1923.

AB 1563 fixes Californias handgun carry license system by implementing a fair, efficient, and effective framework that eliminates the burden on local law enforcement while still requiring background checks and that licensees be law-abiding people, said Donnelly of the bill. What were doing is unwinding decades of unconstitutional laws and replacing them with a framework that respects our Second Amendment rights, bringing us in line with dozens of other states.

Under the existing system, sheriffs and municipal chiefs of police, who each have local rules that vary widely, are empowered to issue licenses to their residents. In many cases, these local agencies failor outright refuseto follow existing state law, creating a maze of different regulations riddled with discretionary abuse and unequal treatment of applicants. Some cities and counties have continued to deny law-abiding people their pre-existing right to bear arms, despite the court decisions. AB 1563 will consolidate the license processes under the states umbrella by establishing a single, objective standard under the jurisdiction of one issuing authority.

Californians deserve the same treatment of their Second Amendment rights as they expect for the rest of the Bill of Rights, continued Donnelly. The great disparity in policy and process across hundreds of California licensing authorities begs for a uniform system that protects their civil rights, conforms to precedent, and furthers the states narrowly-tailored interest in regulating the right to carry.

California is expected to see a skyrocketing number of handgun carry licensees, with some estimates reaching over 1.4 million new permits over next 24 monthsa striking increase from the 56,000 reported in 2013 by the California Department of Justice.

Brandon Combs, president of California Association of Federal Firearms Licensees (CAL-FFL), the bills sponsor, said, Our current system, nearly a century old, is riddled with discretionary abuse and practices that chill the exercise of rights our Founders knew to pre-exist government itself. Its time for California to go mainstream and join the 41 other states that have a fair and objective system. AB 1563 takes California out of the civil rights Stone Age.

Our civil rights do not end at the city, county, or state lines. When the only people who are legally carrying in downtown Los Angeles are residents of Orange County, the system needs to be scrapped and fixed for good. AB 1563 does just that, said Donnelly.

AB 1563 will be heard in the Assembly Public Safety Committee on Tuesday, April 29, 2014.

California Association of Federal Firearms Licensees (CAL-FFL) is Californias most tenacious and complete advocacy group for Second Amendment and related economic rights. CAL-FFLs thousands of members include firearm dealers, training professionals, shooting ranges, collectors, consumers, and others who participate in the firearms ecosystem. CAL-FFL advances the interests of its members and the general public through direct lobbying, legal actions, education, and public outreach. To join CAL-FFL, please visit calffl.org/join.

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Assemblyman Tim Donnelly Introduces Sweeping Handgun Carry License Reform Bill AB 1563