NRA Warns Of Legal Confusion Over Guns And Cannabis: Could Fed Ban Expand?

The National Rifle Association warns that court rulings challenging the federal gun ban for marijuana users have created a confusing legal landscape for cannabis users and gun owners alike.

While nearly half of all U.S. states have some form of legal cannabis and nearly 40 states have legal medical marijuana, the NRA noted that federal law continues to prohibit the possession of both. And, a 2024 survey indicated that 32% of Americans (107 million people) reported that they personally owned a firearm.

"Marijuana use is no longer limited to the domain of indigenous religious customs or youth-oriented counterculture and now includes a wide variety of people who use it for medicinal or recreational reasons," wrote the NRA in a recent blog post. "Many of these individuals are otherwise law-abiding and productive members of their communities and want to exercise their right to keep and bear arms. Yet federal law continues to ban outright the cultivation, possession, and distribution of marijuana, as well as the possession of marijuana paraphernalia."

Second Amendment Violations

The group cited several court decisions that ruled on the side of medical marijuana users not being put into a situation where they have to choose between their treatment and their Second Amendment right "to keep and bear Arms."

"Whatever position one takes on the use of marijuana, Americans deserve laws that are clear, that are consistently and fairly applied, and that comply with the U.S. Constitution, as it was understood when it was adopted and amended in relevant respects," noted the NRA.

Read Also: Cannabis Users Cannot Be Barred From Gun Ownership, U.S. Appeals Court Rules

What’s The Government Worried About?

The Department of Justice has long contended that medical marijuana users who own firearms pose a threat to public safety, increase the risk of suicide and are more prone to committing crimes to support their "drug habit." This position underpins the federal prohibition on gun ownership by cannabis users.

How Are Gun Makers Faring With Fed's No-Gun & Weed Laws?

Following a rise in gun purchases in the U.S. during the pandemic, sales dropped and then soon moved steadily back up. Over the past five years, online gun and ammunition sales have grown at a CAGR of 8.8% to $3.4 billion, including a 5.1% increase in 2024 alone, according to IBISWorld. 

Gun Makers Are Holding Their Own

“The growth in e-commerce and rising disposable incomes have been pivotal in fueling revenue growth for online gun and ammunition sales,” noted IBIS, which added that the gun market is projected to grow over the next five years.

Gun manufacturers, such as Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. SWBI, Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. RGR were both trading higher on Thursday – 0.69% and 0.76% respectively while American Outdoor Brands, Inc. AOUT is down 0.95%, Ammo, Inc. POWW is flat and gun-related Olin Corporation OLN is trading 1.22% lower.

Read Next:

• Trump Jr. Partners With GrabAGun: What Investors Should Know About E-Commerce Company Set To Trade As ‘PEW’

Photo: Benzinga edit with images by Matthew Sichkaruk on Unsplash and Pixabay on Pexels.