NATO gets Trumped
Litigation
- A three-judge panel of the Ninth US Circuit Court of Appeals has unanimously upheld an earlier preliminary injunction against a section of the California Business & Professional Code that had been used by the state to ban gun-related advertising in Junior Sports magazine, in a case brought by the Second Amendment Foundation and others. California Business and Professions Code § 22949.80 prohibits advertising of any “firearm-related product in a manner that is designed, intended, or reasonably appears to be attractive to minors.” (In other words, junior shooters and hunters. – JP) The case is known as Junior Sports Magazines v. Bonta. Now let’s see what an en banc court does with it.
- Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey is issuing a Civil Investigative Demand (CID) to Google, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram, within Meta Platforms, Inc., to determine whether they have been illegally suppressing lawful speech and commerce related to guns and ammo on their platforms. (Yes.)
- US District Judge William Martinez of Colorado dismissed a lawsuit filed by survivors of the 2022 Club Q mass shooting against the El Paso County (CO) Board of County Commissioners and former Sheriff Bill Elder, ruling that they cannot be held liable for refusing to use Colorado’s “red flag” law on a mass shooting perpetrator prior to the attack.
- The 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan upheld a New York public nuisance law exposing the gun industry to possible civil lawsuits for violence by people who use their products. The law lets New York, local officials and the public sue manufacturers, wholesalers and dealers for “endangering” people’s safety and health through legal sales of firearms and ammunition. The case is National Shooting Sports Foundation Inc et al v James, 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, No. 22-1374. I expect this is not the end of that.
- Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is threatening the liberal City of Austin with a lawsuit over a city contract with anti-gun Wex Bank that Paxton says runs afoul of a state law and caused one gun-related company to close its doors.
Legislation
- Well, they did it, sort of. Congress passed the reconciliation bill, commonly known as the One, Big, Beautiful Bill (OBBB), H.R.1, which includes language that eliminates the burdensome and unconstitutional $200 transfer and manufacturing excise taxes imposed by federal law on suppressors, short-barreled firearms, and “any other weapons” as defined by the National Firearms Act (NFA). The unconstitutional NFA registration requirement remains, as does the $200 tax for machineguns and other destructive devices.
- Pro-rights groups have filed a federal lawsuit (with more reportedly pending) to dismantle the remaining provisions of the NFA, noting that in the Supreme Court only narrowly upheld the NFA solely as a tax statute – not as a firearms regulatory law – in the case Sonzinsky v. United States (1937), where the Court ruled the NFA was permissible under Congress’s taxing power. But once the tax is reduced to $0, the constitutional justification for the law collapses. Of course the extra tax on a constitutional right was unconstitutional all along. Can you imagine a $200 excise tax on Bibles that doesn’t apply to other reading materials, or an extra tax on hiring a lawyer? Maybe a tax on claiming a 5th Amendment defense or for having a jury trial? The case is Silencer Shop Foundation v. Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Case No: 6:25-cv-00056-H in the US District Court for the Southern District of Texas.
- Meanwhile, the OBBB brings a boost to the ammunition industry and presumably will effectively lower prices and raise availability.
NRA Debacle
- On June 30, Lisa Supernaugh (ousted former assistant to former NRA Director of General Operations Joe DeBergalis, and former assistant to former NRA treasurer/CFO Woody Phillips – who himself was found liable for damages to the NRA and banned from nonprofit management by the court) filed a $1.2 million lawsuit against NRA, in Fairfax County Circuit Court. In it, she alleges that she was forced out after reporting illegalities, and that her termination violated New York and Virginia “whistleblower” legal protections.
Enemies
- Professor Carol Lewandowski of Eastern Maine Community College.
- William Jonathan Drayton Jr., known by his stage name Flavor Flav (I had to look it up), is an American rapper and television personality and a founding member of rap group Public Enemy. He’s now publicly asking for the government to ban access to guns across America. Perhaps we should ban public enemies and defend against them.
- United Nations’ Attack on Ammunition Formally Begins. Molon labe.
- AI (actually the creators of AI) is coming for you. My limited experiences with AI have been pretty uniformly lousy and I don’t use or trust it beyond generating a summary of given information.
Department of Idiocy
- The Canadian Government has commissioned a study, hoping to figure out why gun owners may not want to turn in their recently banned firearms. Really. Apparently Canada’s governminions are just as stupid as others.
The Only Ones
DGUs
- California Homeowner Shoots Knife-Wielding Intruder, Later Identified as Wife’s Ex-Boyfriend
- Man arrested after allegedly impersonating US Marshal during attempted robbery in west Houston
- Louisiana Man Shoots Co-Worker in Self-Defense After Co-Worker Repeatedly Strikes Him in the Head
- Homeowner Shoots Armed Intruder After Suspect’s Gun Misfires During Alleged Attack
- I Hear You Knocking, But You Can’t Come In!
- The Armed Citizen:
Not a DGU
- Family dog kills baby. Why you should ALWAYS carry.
- Another one.
Tactics & Stuff
- An interesting discussion about a murder/self defense case and self defense liability products (legal defense funding).
- Police warn that “door-kicking” trend could end tragically for kids and homeowners.
- “Just call 911”
- Gas vs. inertia shotguns. A good primer. I mostly prefer inertia guns.
Industry News
- ACLDN sale. CCW Safe has acquired Armed Citizens Legal Defense Network and will be leading the organization into the future. We’ll see how that works. Or hopefully we won’t, because we won’t need the benefit.
- Sig Sour. Another case of cop leg from a Sig P320. From the video it appears to me that the pistol fired just as it was being bumped (in the holster) by a backpack or strap. This could indicate that the pistol was in an incompatible holster and is not itself defective. Just a possibility.
- Meanwhile, an FBI evaluation just went public confirming that a Michigan State Police officer’s SIG Sauer M18 (built on the P320 platform) fired without the trigger being pulled. Further, the FBI’s Ballistic Research Facility even got the same results with a brand-new M18, and found that normal movements by a law enforcement officer can make the striker safety lock useless if the sear fails, allowing it to go bang. OK Sig, your move.
- GrabAGun going public. GrabAGun, Donald Trump Jr.’s profitable company with $100 million in revenue in 2024, is set go public in a special purpose acquisition company merger with Colombier Acquisition Corp II on July 16 (Perhaps not coincidentally the same day I get my SS deposit). After the merger, the company will trade as GrabAGun Digital Holdings Inc with the ticker “PEW” on the NYSE.
Products
- RCBS has announced the launch of the RCBS Reloading Hub – a new, comprehensive online destination at RCBS.com with a small but growing library of how-to articles, videos, and tips covering the entire handloading process, from getting started with the right press and die set up procedure, to topics such as case prep, trimming, and bullet casting. The platform also gives a breakdown of the essential gear needed to begin reloading, making it easy for newcomers to confidently step into the world of handloading. FREE.
- Palmetto State Armory has the Camillus CARNIVORE X 18 inch Titanium Bonded Machete (with trimming knife) on clearance for just $18 plus shipping and tax. You might want to buy multiple items to prorate the shipping cost.
- Amazon has Walker’s Unisex Adult’s Lightweight Foldable Hearing Protection 22 dB Noise Reduction Pro Low-Profile Earmuffs for as little as $8.
- Chiappa Firearms has announced its semiauto WWII Commemorative M1 Carbine, a limited release of the iconic arm chambered in .22LR and 9mm. With an alloy receiver and 18-inch (M1-22) or 19-inch (M1-9) steel barrel, it weighs 5.5 lbs. I noticed they also have a bunch of Sharps and “Little Sharps” (.22) rifles.
- The Benelli Nova 3 12 ga. 3″ pump shotgun now weighs just 6.7 lbs, while the shorter tactical model is 6 lbs.
- GrabAGun has Kel-Tec shotguns on sale.
- Taurus has reintroduced its Raging Judge 513 as a limited production model. It’s the snubnosed stainless revolver chambered in .45 Colt / 3″ .410 Bore / .454 Casull. $1200.
- Or if you don’t need the Casull, you can save a ton at PSA.
- (We note that Taurus is shifting some manufacturing capacity to the US, which will presumably eventually avoid the threatened 50% tariff.)
- Streamlight has announced the ProTac HP-X USB and ProTac HP-X handheld tactical-sized flashlights. Both models deliver 800 lumens, 105,000 candela, and a beam distance of 648 meters. The ProTac HP-X USB includes a Streamlight SL-B26-protected Li-Ion USB rechargeable battery pack, featuring an integrated USB-C charge port for on-the-go charging. This USB model provides up to 31 hours of run time and recharges in five hours. The ProTac HP-X includes two CR123A lithium batteries and delivers up to 24 hours of run time. Both have the usual Streamlight Ten Tap button switch and pocket clip and both are pricey at nearly $200.
- The Streamlight Wedge Buy Pack, No. 88823, features 12 Wedge EDC lights, two units of each color: coyote, black, purple, red, orange, and blue. Stocking stuffer time? It’s not on their website yet.
- Surefire has its XC2-B-GN Compact Handgun WeaponLight + Green Laser on sale this month for just $299. Regular price is $699.
FOR SALE
- We have a 2011 Dodge Charger R/T Road & Track for sale. High mileage, looks and runs great. $6250. Email me if interested.