NFA update

• ATF released an Open Letter and companion FAQ explaining how it will treat the National Firearms Act items whose making and transfer taxes Congress zeroed out in the One Big Beautiful Bill. Under the guidance, ATF will not enforce the requirement to apply for and receive ATF approval before making or transferring short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns, suppressors and “any other weapons.” It also will not enforce the NFA’s registration, tax-stamp or related requirements for those items. Individuals must still file Form 20 before taking an SBR or SBS across state lines. The policy applies to EVERYONE, not only the parties to a lawsuit. The $200 tax and the full NFA regime remain in place for machine guns and destructive devices, and nothing in the letter supersedes state or local law.
• More.
• Also see Mississippi AG statement “it is our opinion that ATF Form 4 for suppressors is voluntary for Mississippians as well.”
• Should You Keep Your AR-15 Arm Brace?
• Stephen Wenger notes: To play it safe should a hostile administration take office at some point, it is strongly suggested that you become a GOA member and keep your membership active, as GOA members are specifically exempted under the original injunction. You should consider being a GOA member before purchasing, or making, any of the affected NFA items to make sure you are protected… (SW: Note, as I’ve stressed repeatedly: “Material changes in legal or factual circumstances could cause NFA enforcement to resume. For example, Congress could impose a new tax on NFA firearms, the district court’s injunction could be dissolved or overturned, or the Department could rescind the enforcement guidelines… Federal law does not generally permit subsequent registration of unregistered NFA items nor are there provisions that would automatically grandfather unregistered NFA firearms. There are narrow exceptions that exist at the Attorney General’s discretion. The NFA permits the Attorney General to hold an amnesty for up to 90 days to facilitate registration of unregistered items. The Internal Revenue Code also has provisions authorizing certain forbearances of taxing provisions. The Attorney General is not required, however, to hold an amnesty or to provide forbearance. That decision would be made by the Attorney General at the time the injunction is dissolved.” While VCDL recommends GOA membership as a means to be covered by the current injunction, that injunction also covers members of CCRKBA and SAF has been offering dual membership – SAF/CCRKBA – for $25/year.)
• Word is that after last week’s release of the NFA guidance by the ATF, the sales of suppressors skyrocketed to a point where most manufacturers have sold out most of their near-term allotments and won’t be able to replenish stocks until Q-1 of 2027, if not longer.

Litigation & Government

• DOJ Moves to Moot Under-21 Pistol Sales Challenge After Agreeing With Gun-Rights Plaintiffs.
• The SAF v. Contra Costa County (CA) case has been settled, with the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office backing down and agreeing his bizarre ban of concealed-carry permit holders using weapon-mounted flashlights, red-dot optic sights, or single-action 1911- and 2011-style pistols. Sheriff David O. Livingston is also an attorney and should have known better.
• On October 9, the Justice Department filed a controversial appeal to the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit seeking to reverse a Texas district court’s June final judgment prohibiting the ATF from enforcing the Biden-era “Engaged in the Business” rule. ATF Director Robert Cekada stated, “We agree: Biden’s attempt to impose universal background checks was unlawful. That’s why we proposed repealing it. The Judge ALSO threw out unrelated provisions that help the firearms industry, including definitions of ‘purchase’ and ‘sale.’ Our approach is clear: REPEAL what’s unlawful. KEEP what works.”
• The US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit issued two rulings Tuesday clarifying when the federal prohibition on gun possession by convicted felons can be enforced under the Second Amendment. In one case the court ruled that a federal ban on gun possession by convicted felons cannot be constitutionally applied to some people whose prior offenses did not involve violence or threats indicating a risk of misusing firearms, and ruled in a separate case that people convicted of crimes demonstrating a risk of physical violence through the misuse of firearms may presumptively be disarmed based on those convictions alone.
• Third Circuit Upholds Federal Machine Gun Ban, Silencer Registration Requirements.
• Grassroots Judicial Report—October 14, 2026.
• Gun Talk’s SCOTUS 2A docket preview.
• SCOTUS Gun Watch 10/13/2026.
• The Trump administration has published a 47-page report titled “Guaranteeing Fair Banking for All Americans” that details how firearms businesses faced discrimination from financial services providers for dealing in lawful and constitutionally protected goods. (More details here.)
• “That [doing justice] is not my job. It is my job to apply the law. My primary responsibility as a judge is to see that the game is played according to the rules whether I like them or not.” — Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes

NRA History–Board Size

• In my opinion, the board should have 11-19 members.

Enemies

• Anti-Gun Orgs Urge Clergy to Use Red Flag Laws to Grab Their Congregants’ Guns.
• Faiths United to Prevent Gun Violence.
• Faith Leaders for Ending Gun Violence.
• Jewish Women International.
• Presbyterian Church (USA).
• (Details on the above.)
• Michael Bloomberg’s Everytown gun ban group released its AI-company recommendations in a report titled “Artificially Assisted Gun Violence: Chatbot Risks and Preventative Steps for Responsible AI Companies in late September.” One day later, OpenAI pushed an update to its Commerce Policies carrying a prominent “Updated: 29 September 2026” stamp. In the update were lots of gun bans. (I don’t use AI, but can’t speak for my sources or companies I do business with. I do know that with the exception of searching for stuff, computer-generated information has been universally corrupt in my experience, and seems to be the realm of the weak-minded and lazy. But what do I know? I’m just an engineer who had to learn to derive the equations. — JP)
• Making my case.
• Anti-gun South Carolina Representative Michael Frank Rivers (D-121st District) who lost his bid for re-election in a June primary has been arrested on a felony gun-related charge stemming from an incident during the primary election on June 9.

The Only Ones

• 32-year-old David Gonzalez, an off-duty Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent from Texas was shot and arrested on felony charges after allegedly attacking a woman and her father after he was found sleeping on their California lawn.

DGUs

• “Nothing wrong with shooting as long as the right people get shot.” — Harry Callahan
• Woman Fatally Shoots Masked Intruder, Then Learns Who It Was
• Washington jewelry store owner opens fire after would-be thieves ram truck through storefront
• Man shot, killed during attempted robbery in Tuscaloosa
• Missouri Man Steals UTV But Owner Holds Him at Gunpoint
• Thrown Down, Prosthetic Leg Torn Off, Still Under Attack: Gray Man Fired Four Shots and the DA Calls It Self-Defense
• The Armed Citizen (American Rifleman) – October 9, 2026 and October 12, 2026

Not a DGU

• Random?

Tactics & Stuff

• “By far the safest course of action to take when you’re confronted by a criminal, and this is true for everybody, but it’s particularly true for women, is to have a gun.” — Dr. John Lott
• How to get your pocket picked.
• Fake CCW permits. In a nutshell, only go to your state or local GOVERNMENT agency that handles permits.
• Analysis: How to Survive Malfunctions in a Real-World Gunfight.
• Long Guns & Handheld Lights.
• Night Vision vs. Thermal: Which Is Best for Hunting?
• Another new First Person Defender video.
• Wounded bad guys.
• Goose loads.

Products

• Ruger is pausing production on several lines, and placing others on allocation.
• Review: The Beretta A300 Ultima Patrol…In 20 Gauge. They have black, gray, and tiger stripe in 20 ga. $1300. Still waiting for a pistol-gripped version.
• The Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute, Inc., (SAAMI) has announced the acceptance of a new rifle cartridge for SAAMI standardization. The 5.56 COMMERCIAL (abbreviated name 5.56 COMM) was introduced by Hornady Manufacturing Company with a 55-grain bullet traveling at a velocity of 3,400 fps and a Maximum Average Pressure of 62,000 psi.
• Hornady’s VEXIS Mobilis Safe line features patent-pending vein-scanning biometric technology. Simply hover your palm near the sensor. In less than half a second, your identity is verified and the safe unlocks. $5000+.
• Savage Arms has released their new Revel Tactical lever action rimfire rifle, which is probably an oxymoron. It has the usual black tactical stuff. .22 LR, .22 WMRF, .17 HMR. $629-659.
• World’s smallest range finder. 2.7 x 1.2 x 1.9 inches. Just $250.

What I’m reading

*************************

“The government is mainly an expensive organization to regulate evil doers, and tax those who behave. Government does little for fairly respectable people, except annoy them.” — E.V. Howe

*************************