Litigation

• The Supreme Court’s Next Second Amendment Case Just Got Even More Interesting.
• It seems Hawaii can’t do anything right.
• The US Department of Justice asked the US Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals to “hold in abeyance,” or delay, proceedings in Firearms Policy Coalition v. Attorney General Pam Bondi, a case regarding concealed carry of firearms at federal post offices. In October of 2025, a district court struck down the carry ban, ruling against the DOJ, and issuing an injunction against enforcement. The DOJ then asked the court to limit the pro-2A ruling and injunction to only those named in the lawsuit. On December 1, 2025, the DOJ appealed the decision to the Fifth Circuit. Then on January 5, 2026, the DOJ requested that the Fifth Circuit delay its own appeal, claiming that two important Second Amendment cases before the Supreme Court could have relevant outcomes for the post office carry case. But the upcoming cases — other than being Second Amendment cases — are totally unrelated and irrelevant: the federal drug user ban and Hawaii’s unconstitutional private property carry ban. Laughably, the same DOJ is currently revising its own regulations to gut its broad drug user ban. The Fifth Circuit denied the abeyance request.
• Last week, a federal jury found Walmart negligent for selling a shotgun used in a suicide and awarded the family of the victim — who worked at the store — millions in damages. The verdict followed a 10-day civil trial in Maryland that focused on communications among employees inside a Walmart store 45 miles south of Washington. The family of the suicidal 23-year-old said store managers knew he was suicidal and did nothing to ensure that he couldn’t buy a gun from the store. The complaint alleged that the retailer violated Maryland gun laws and company policy by selling the arm after store management had been made aware of his mental health struggles, though it appears that the verdict was silent on whether or not any laws were actually broken. Instead, the plaintiffs argued that Walmart’s store managers acted as “corporate agents” of the company, and if they knew he was suicidal, the entire corporation was aware as well.
• A South Carolina hunter who was arrested by game wardens during a 2024 sting operation in Greenville County is now suing the state’s Department of Natural Resources. The charge against the hunter, Shane Huffman, was dismissed due to insufficient evidence, and Huffman is now claiming in the lawsuit that he was falsely arrested and maliciously prosecuted. It seems all that Huffman did was look at a decoy deer through his binocular at night.
• Grassroots judicial report.

Government & Enemies

• ICE – Several national and state gun-rights groups have demanded investigations into the killing of a lawfully-armed Minnesota man by immigration agents after Assistant United States Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli posted, “If you approach law enforcement with a gun, there is a high likelihood they will be legally justified in shooting you.” By that logic it would also be legally justified to shoot an armed cop or assistant US attorney. New York Post coverage indicates that the man was shot multiple times after he was disarmed. The deceased had a recent history of confronting and attacking ICE agents and vehicles, though I’ve only heard of obstruction in this instance. This appears to be a case of going stupid places and doing stupid things with stupid people. The gun groups have also properly dressed down Mr. Essayli for his nonsense. Meanwhile Donald J. Trump — the most pro-gun president in history — said in reference to the incident, “You can’t have guns. You can’t walk in with guns.”
• And there’s the possible Sig P320 issue.
• The US Department of Justice filed an anti-gun statement of interest in Rare Breed Triggers’ lawsuit against Hoffman Tactical, saying that the government, through ATF, has a strong interest… in discouraging unregulated manufacture of and in limiting the sale and distribution of forced reset triggers.
• New York ignores federal law. Well maybe they haven’t heard about it – it’s only 40 years old.
• Canada’s Gun Buyback Pilot Flops Spectacularly

NRA

• Board election. You should now have your ballots in your latest NRA magazine. All ballots must be received – not merely postmarked – by March 29, 2026. You have two months to get them in but I wouldn’t wait. If you vote for more than 29 candidates, your ballot will become void. This is true even though 35 candidates will win seats of varying length. Here and here are some endorsements, FWIW.
• About the NRA Foundation and The Friend of the NRA Dinners.

You’re On Your Own (YOYO)

• Former Uvalde school police officer Adrian Gonzales — who had a duty to act — was charged with 29 counts of child abandonment or endangerment for the victims of the Uvalde school massacre who were shot while he stood around outside, waiting. After deliberating for only seven hours, the jury found Gonzales not guilty of all charges. There is only one more trial stemming from the 2022 mass murder. Gonzales’ former police chief, Pete Arredondo, faces 10 counts of abandoning or endangering a child.

Except for sometimes

• Indiana Conservation Officers and local first responders rescued five duck hunters after their boat froze in the White River near Haysville last Saturday

The Only Ones

• Father killed by Phoenix police after calling 911 during shooting, family says
• We reported in our July 19, 2024 newsletter on the case of an Illinois woman who called the sheriff’s office to report a possible intruder, only to be killed by a responding deputy. Now-former deputy Sean Grayson, 31, who was convicted of second degree murder last October, was sentenced Thursday to 20 years in prison. He could have simply exited the house.

DGUs

• The Armed Citizen (American Rifleman) – Jan. 23, 2026 and Jan. 26, 2026
• Sometimes a DGU isn’t enough.

Not a DGU

• Providence man dies after assault by group of 11- and 12-year-olds

Tactics & Stuff

• The February Rangemaster newsletter is out.
• Last week I attended a church security seminar by Ed Monk, focused on stopping mass shootings. It was free and about two hours long. Ed is a leading expert on the topic and has an excellent presentation. However I personally didn’t learn much because apparently I’ve been paying attention all along. To summarize the whole thing: ARMED CONGREGANTS who will shoot. That’s it. A good guy with a gun has to ALREADY BE THERE. Pretty much any alternate plan will cost lives in such a massacre. I did find it both laughable and extremely sad that a “No Firearms” sign was posted outside of the building (a church) where this was held. Who is really so profoundly stupid to post that? (Also, such a sign at a church in Mississippi has no meaning, since churches — without signs — are restricted places named in the state gun law that are treated exactly like other places that have signs. The sign is redundant and state law is both stupid and unconstitutional.)

Industry News

• Glock’s first rifle, the GR-115 (an AR-15) is being issued to some UK police units.

Products

• Apparently the Colt Detective Special is out of production. Mistake.
• Ammunition Depot has the Rattlesnake Tactical RTAC RT15 .223/5.56 NATO 16″ 30+1 Lightweight Black AR-15 on sale for just $293.54 with code Winter5P.
• Banish has new shotgun suppressors. The Banish 20 is for 20-gauge use, and the Banish 410 is for the .410 bore. These mimic the design of the Banish 20 but scale it down to these smaller bores and retain the half-circle design of the original, with the bulk of the suppressor body off to the sides and below the bore to keep the view clear down the sights. Three choke tubes will be included with each silencer.

• Speaking of suppressors, Third Echelon Development has developed a suppressor to fit double-barreled Bond Arms derringers. Yeah, I know.
• Benchmade’s new Codex87 Horizon Edge knife edge technology.
• Winchester’s new AA Super Spreader target loads in 12 gauge feature a hinged wad and specialized shot column that creates 70% larger patterns at 20 yards compared to standard loads. 1 or 1-1/8 oz., #8 shot. $16/25.
• Caldwell has some new Claycopter target throwers (including the manually-powered Rip-Launcher that retails for $100), and a technology that allows you to aim your target’s trajectory with your phone. Targets are reuseable, biodegradeable and nontoxic.
• Magpul’s “Tactical LEGOs”
• In a way-back throwback to its roots, Seecamp will be producing its LWS-25, a .25 ACP pocket pistol. Very similar, but not exactly the same as the original from the 1970s. Just because.
• The new RISE Armament Rev 535 Slide-and-Snap AR Trigger for compatible mil-spec lowers simply slides into place and installs in under 60 seconds, often without removing the grip or safety selector, by way of built-in pins that eliminate loose hardware, tools, set screws, and threadlocker, all while still providing reliable anti-walk and anti-rotation security. I bet even Tom Gresham can do that. $280.
• DIY Gatling Gun.
• Fully engraved 20th Anniversary Taurus Judge. Presented without comment.

What I’m reading.

• Oathkeeper
• Circumstantial Guilt: The Murder Trial of DEA agent Brad Dixon