Administration

• The Trump administration’s DOJ says machine guns aren’t protected by the Second Amendment, ridiculously arguing in court that “Machine guns are atypical weapons not protected by the Second Amendment because a reasonable person would not expect them to be used in militia service.” Lady, what are you smoking? And what happened to Pam Bondi’s Second Amendment & Civil Rights Task Force? The case is about a Glock switch.
• US Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum last week announced the expansion of hunting and fishing at over 42 wildlife refuges and hatcheries nationwide, opening 87,000 acres of public land managed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service in Alabama, California, Idaho, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, North Carolina, Texas, and Washington. Importantly, whereas the Biden administration had made inroads to ban traditional ammo and tackle from federal lands, Burgum’s announcement said they will instead try to mirror state laws.

Litigation

• The US Supreme Court has now relisted Snope v. Brown – the Maryland “assault weapons” ban challenge – 13 times. That’s not just some bureaucratic delay. It’s a signal. It means the nine justices are circling this case, taking it seriously, and possibly gearing up to act.
• But SCOTUS has also denied cert in Antonyuk v. James, which directly challenged New York’s open defiance of the SCOTUS Bruen decision.
• The US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in Pasadena, CA, last Friday upheld a federal law preventing all felons from possessing firearms, rejecting a challenge by a California man who said the ban should not apply to non-violent felons like himself. The Court erroneously said the government showed the “permanent and categorical disarmament” of felons was consistent with the country’s historical tradition of firearms regulation, and with the 2nd Amendment of the US Constitution.
• The Washington state Supreme Court has ruled 7-2 that so-called “large-capacity magazines” are not “arms” protected by the constitution, and therefore the state ban on such magazines is legal. The case is known as State v. Gator’s Custom Guns. An appeal is forthcoming.
• Jeffrey Rupnow, the father of 15-year-old Abundant Life private school shooter Natalie Rupnow in Madison, Wisconsin was arrested last week on two charges: intentionally selling a dangerous weapon to a person under the age of 18, a felony, and contributing to the delinquency of a child, also a felony. Natalie was a 15-year-old girl who killed a fellow student and a teacher and injured two others at the school before killing herself last December.
• Grassroots report.

Suppressors deregulation controversy

• An unidentified source told Ammoland News that former NRA head lobbyist Chris Cox (reportedly one of the good guys NOT involved in EVP Wayne LaPierre’s scandal), is now lobbying to keep suppressors subject to the onerous licensing and tax requirements in the National Firearms Act. Cox has emphatically denied the allegations. Since the accusing source seems to be hiding, I tend to believe Cox.
• More.
• Silencer Central opposes…
• You can take action on suppressors.

NRA

• Longtime NRA lobbyist, board member and former president Marion P. Hammer (one of the most egregious Wayne LaPierre acolytes and perhaps the only NRA Board member to receive a salary – a handsome one) is suing the NRA in federal court, claiming the group she helped build and protect for over 45 years has turned its back on her, breached its contract, and is misusing her name and image without permission. Her lawsuit also suggests that she lacked the foresight to invest in her own qualified retirement accounts.
• WLP’s documented lies.
• The antigunners are saying that the NRA is getting back on track. Good to know. Here’s our chance to prove them right.

Friends

• More than half of the state attorneys general in the nation consider Hawaii’s ban on carrying a firearm in so-called “sensitive” places so egregious that they have asked the US Supreme Court to take up a case challenging the ban. On May 5, 26 AGs filed an amicus brief in the case Wolford v. Lopez in support of three residents and the Hawaii Firearms Coalition in their lawsuit to overturn the ban, known as Act 52. The law prohibits the carry or possession of firearms in designated “sensitive” places, including bars and restaurants serving alcohol, parks and beaches, banks and financial institutions, and other areas. The signatory states are Montana, Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming, along with the Arizona legislature.

Enemies

• A rogue (allegedly) ATF agent is pushing a bizarre reinterpretation of what constitutes “permanent” barrel attachment, claiming that the legal “pin and weld” method as “not permanent.”
• More on ATF. More here also.
• And more: How ATF falsely charged former sailor with possessing destructive devices. From my time in courtrooms when called for possible jury selection, we have been told that the law is “what the judge SAYS it is,” and not what was passed by the legislature or printed in the official code books. My attitude is that if you are asking me to convict someone of breaking a criminal code, not only do you have to make your case that he actually committed the act in question, but you have to supply me with a printed copy of the actual law he supposedly broke. I haven’t been on a jury in such a case, but I ain’t trusting a judge, let alone a prosecutor.
• The FBI botched its investigation of the 2017 congressional baseball shooting. Is anyone surprised?
• New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center: Have bad teeth? Blame guns. Really.
• A Democratic National Committee panel has found that gun ban activist David Hogg and a colleague were not properly elected to be among its five vice chairs earlier this year, and voted to void his election, paving the way for his removal (mainly because he worked against some Democrat elected officials). The DNC will vote later this year on whether to remove Hogg. There may be another election for those positions, and Piglet might still be a candidate.

Enemies

• A rogue (allegedly) ATF agent is pushing a bizarre reinterpretation of what constitutes “permanent” barrel attachment, claiming that the legal “pin and weld” method as “not permanent.”
• More on ATF. More here also.
• And more: How ATF falsely charged former sailor with possessing destructive devices. From my time in courtrooms when called for possible jury selection, we have been told that the law is “what the judge SAYS it is,” and not what was passed by the legislature or printed in the official code books. My attitude is that if you are asking me to convict someone of breaking a criminal code, not only do you have to make your case that he actually committed the act in question, but you have to supply me with a printed copy of the actual law he supposedly broke. I haven’t been on a jury in such a case, but I ain’t trusting a judge, let alone a prosecutor.
• The FBI botched its investigation of the 2017 congressional baseball shooting. Is anyone surprised?
• New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center: Have bad teeth? Blame guns. Really.
• A Democratic National Committee panel has found that gun ban activist David Hogg and a colleague were not properly elected to be among its five vice chairs earlier this year, and voted to void his election, paving the way for his removal (mainly because he worked against some Democrat elected officials). The DNC will vote later this year on whether to remove Hogg. There may be another election for those positions, and Piglet might still be a candidate.
• Self-proclaimed “Gun Safety” advocates object to actually teaching gun safety in schools. In other words, they lie. Surprise.
• Not exactly gun related, but we have word that racist Mississippi 2nd District Congressman Bennie Thompson (D) is calling on President Donald Trump (R) to “put politics aside” when nominating someone to the position of FEMA Administrator. Bennie, have you met yourself?

DGUs

• The Armed Citizen:
  • America’s 1st Freedom – May 9, 2025
  • American Rifleman – May 9, 2025
  • American Rifleman – May 12, 2025

Not a DGU

• More on the bear attack. No. Shoot the furry devil.
• A Time to Kill. Sometimes there is one. Eccl. 3:3.

Tactics & Stuff

• Another hunter mistaken for turkey shooting. I hear that mistaken-for-turkey is the most common type of mistaken identity intentional shooting accident while hunting.
• About those unintentional discharges. Food for thought, though the anonymous author makes his own mistakes as well.

Industry News

• Colt’s Manufacturing Company LLC has issued a recall of its CBX Precision and CBX Tac Hunter rifles. Colt has learned that, for some CBX rifles, if the trigger is pulled while the manual safety is engaged (in the “safe” position), the trigger may not fully reset. This could result in an unintentional discharge of the rifle when the manual safety is moved to the “fire” position, without a further pull of the trigger. This same event has happened with quite a few brands of rifles. You can get a cash refund or swap for a nice Colt revolver.
• BANISH Suppressors announced that it has been named the official suppressor brand of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. That’s probably gonna slow down their quick draws.
• CBC Global Ammunition, a Brazilian company that also owns the Magtech, MEN and Sinterfire brands of small-caliber ammunition, plans to build a new $300 million ammo plant at the MidAmerica Industrial Park in northeastern Oklahoma. The factory will be capable of producing centerfire cartridges from 9mm to 12.7mm for the military, law enforcement, and sports and hunting markets. That will be CBC’s third US facility.
• 150 years of rifle history.

Products

• A new ammo search site, BulletScout.com, incorporates shipping costs directly into its rankings, offering buyers a more accurate view of total costs. This site also calls out memberships for brands like Target Sports USA, which offer even larger savings, and it groups identical ammo products together, making it easy to spot the best deal across multiple vendors.
• Shooters Choice SC has the Stoeger 31792 STR-9SC optics ready 9mm 3.54″ pistol with (2) 10+1 magazines for just $150 after manufacturer rebate.
• Bear Creek Arsenal now has an AR platform chambered in .17 Mach 2, and uppers in .338 ARC, available in both 16-inch and 10.5-inch configurations.
• The Strike Industries Blast Shield for A2 Birdcage Flash Hider. Overpriced at $100.
• The new Strike/XLogic AK Widow Flash Hider ($46) and Ghost Muzzle Brake ($60) are designed for slightly different user groups, with the Widow capable of still allowing for the mounting of an AKM bayonet and improving flash suppression, and the Ghost Muzzle Brake redirects felt recoil and helps control muzzle flip with its 6 port brake system.
• HS Strut’s next-generation Undertaker Pro Choke Tubes feature modern designs for the latest turkey ammo. These extended chokes promise to deliver tight patterns due to unique internal groove technology that separates pellets from the wad, preventing the wad from spinning and concentrating more pellets on the intended target. All five models in the new lineup are rated for use with various ammo types, including steel, lead, bismuth and TSS. 12 ga. only. $38. Available for:
  • Remington
  • Winchester/Browning Invector/Mossberg/Maverick/Weatherby/Ithaca
  • Beretta/Benelli Mobil
  • Beretta Optima Plus

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