Litigation, Legislation, Government

• Last week, the en banc US Third Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in Cheeseman v. Davenport, formerly Cheeseman v. Platkin, that New Jersey’s complete ban on “assault firearms” and magazines capable of holding more than ten rounds unconstitutional under the Second Amendment, as applied to every semiautomatic rifle covered by the law, saying that semiautomatic rifles are “arms” and that 24 million AR style rifles in civilian circulation and owned by one in twenty Americans are “in common use.” The case was remanded for further proceedings, which means additional litigation is still coming. This creates a circuit split on both issues. There are two other gun ban cases before the US Supreme Court to be heard in the fall term, and more to be up for discussion.
• A three-judge panel for the US First Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday unanimously declined to revive a challenge to Massachusetts’ ban on the sale of “assault-style firearms.” The panel determined that a prior ruling upholding the state’s ban controlled the outcome of the case despite the plaintiff’s attempt to raise new Second Amendment arguments.
• The federal government has filed a motion to voluntarily dismiss its appeal in FPC v. Blanche — formerly FPC v. Bondi, a case challenging the ban on possessing and carrying firearms in US Post Offices, making our win final. Basically, the government didn’t have a case. A lower court in Oct. 2025 found the ban unconstitutional, citing that the first mail service in America was established in 1639, but the USPS waited until 1972 to specifically prohibit firearms on postal property. This dismissal means that ALL current and future SAF and FPC members nationwide are covered under the injunction, but the court still has to issue its final judgment. I have started carrying my membership card with me.
• Ninth Circuit Judge Says It’s Time for SCOTUS to ‘Benchslap’ Court Over 2A Rulings. A lot of judges and legislators should be in prison for violating the Constitution and deprivation of civil rights. We can dream.
• The US Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has agreed to rehear United States v. Squire en banc, opening a potentially sweeping challenge to the federal gun bans contained in 18 U.S.C. §922(g)(1). At issue is whether Congress can turn purely local firearm possession into a federal interstate-commerce crime merely because the gun once crossed a state line. I’ve noted for years that the bulk of federal laws and regulations (not just gun laws) are erroneously passed under authority of the Constitution’s commerce clause, which has nothing to do with most of these laws and regulations. Largely, our government is a farce.
• FPC has filed a new federal Second Amendment lawsuit in Louisiana called Pool v. Hodges, challenging Louisiana’s unconstitutional prohibition on issuing handgun carry permits to peaceable adults under 21.
• Justice denied.
• Grassroots Judicial Report—July 22, 2026.
• SCOTUS Gun Watch 7/21/2026.

Enemies

• Bill.com and Ramp are still illegally denying payment processing services to gun and ammo companies.

Mass shooting stats

• 86.8% of the fatalities and 81.4% of the injuries took place where no armed defenders were on scene.

The Only Ones (Also see the Gun Free Zone item below.)

• Decatur, IL Police to recruits: “don’t worry if you’re not good with firearms, it’s ok, we’ll get you to pass at the bare minimum”
• Imagine if all lawsuits settled for criminal mischief and abuse by cops came out of the police pension funds first… (h/t Bill Buppert)

DGUs

• Bat Fails, Gun Ends Attack: Tulsa Homeowner Stops Alleged Robber
• American Rifleman: The Armed Citizen – July 17, 2026 and July 20, 2026

Not a DGU

• Kidnapped US Forest Service employees released after more than 12 hours, say authorities
• Two Coyotes Attacked a 135-Pound Dog in an Alabama Backyard in Broad Daylight

Gun Free Zones

• Will California Gun Owner Face Charges After Shooting Knife-Wielding Man in ‘Gun-Free Zone’? Note that the “Only One” did nothing.

Tactics & Stuff

• More on open carry.
• Condition 3 carry. Don’t.
• The Urgent Case for Better Church Safety.
• Riding a bike.
• The food chain. Be at the top.
• Beretta’s 20-gauge A300 Defensive Shotgun – Part Two. Notes: This gun still needs to offer a proper stock length and pistol grip. My wife has a Beretta 20 gauge autoloader that we initially had some similar functioning issues with. It turns out it just needed some new gun break-in. A half box or so of 3-inch magnums did the trick. Also, no we cannot have non-yellow shells. Everyone else in the world knows the very good reason why 20 gauge shells are yellow.

Guns

• History of the M14 rifle.
• Why Does the .44 Special Keep Hanging On? Because it’s a very pleasant thumper.

Obits

• Greg Moats.
• Tom Marx.

Products

• PSA has Black Aces Tactical M4 style shotguns for just $250 (here and here).
• 1791 Industries is introducing its LiteRaider line of ultra-lightweight AR uppers and lowers built from Metal Matrix Composite, a material 33% lighter than aluminum while matching the strength profile of 7075-T6. Every little bit helps. You know, 10-pound AR-15s are just dumb. If I’m gonna carry a 10 lb. rifle, it will be an elephant gun.
• Glock has introduced its own 15-round magazine for its slimline models G43X and G48.
• The Sako 90 Grizzly combines the Sako 90 rifle action with a high-grade walnut stock. Very nice. (As an engineer I just have to point out that fluting a rifle barrel REDUCES “rigidity” — technically known as stiffness — compared to the same barrel before fluting.)