Litigation, follow-ups.

Judge Nelson Roman of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York ruled on Monday in the case in Frey v. Nigrelli that the gun-free zone that covers several city blocks in midtown Manhattan, New York City, does not violate the Second Amendment. In a strained, expansive decision, Judge Roman said that the ban is consistent with a historical precedent of essentially banning the Constitutional right in crowded places. Nope.

Regarding the recent 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision that upheld a Florida law barring people under age 21 from buying a gun. The Court noted more than a dozen 19th century state laws barring people under 21 from buying guns. Judge Robin Rosenbaum, who wrote the ruling, said that while those laws did not go back to the nation’s founding, they were relevant because they were passed around the time that the Constitution’s 14th Amendment was adopted, which extended the Second Amendment to state laws. We still don’t expect the ban to stand. There is a good chance the case will go to a full Eleventh Circuit panel, and one judge on the circuit has already requested that. The state’s complete reliance on laws passed during reconstruction (perhaps with a racist background?) and not during the founding era will likely be insufficient to prop up the law. Meanwhile, advancing in the Florida legislature is a bill that would lower the minimum age from 21 to 18 to buy rifles and other long guns in the state.

Somin: Judge Used Flawed Logic to Strike Down Missouri’s Second Amendment Protection Act.

U.S. District Judge Brian Wimes has ordered an administrative stay, which keeps the Missouri law in place temporarily while the state appeals its case to the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

5 Key Points From The Pistol Brace Lawsuit

Mexico, supported by Brady Bunch lawyers, has filed an appeal in the civil lawsuit against U.S.-based gun manufacturers, after a U.S. federal judge in September dismissed the $10 billion lawsuit seeking to hold U.S. gun makers responsible for facilitating the trafficking of deadly weapons across the border. Still no lawsuit against the ATF and DOJ for actually feloniously trafficking guns to drug cartels across the border.

Harvard Law: “Live fire” tests for CCW licenses are unconstitutional.

President Joe Biden’s new executive order this week claiming to “increase the number of background checks to buy guns, promote better and more secure firearms storage and ensure U.S. law enforcement agencies are getting the most out of a bipartisan gun control law enacted last summer,” apparently is primarily directing the ATF to tell FFLs to follow existing laws.

However, see what GOA has to say about it.

Dr. Lott weighs in.

Two Ohio men were arrested by federal undercover agents earlier this month after trying to send several dozen rifles to drug cartels in Mexico. But still no word on any arrests of the principals in the ATF’s various gunrunning schemes to drug cartels in Mexico. Apparently ATF has the franchise on that.

NRA appeals.

• The NRA filed an appeal Monday with the New York Supreme Court’s Appellate Division stemming from an ongoing 2020 suit NY Attorney General Letitia James filed against the Association, which originally sought to dissolve the organization. The NRA is arguing that James weaponized the powers of her office “to silence” the Second Amendment group.

Friends.

• Patriot Mobile

Enemies.

Red Dawn

• Operatives of the Taliban government in Kabul are trying to identify and retaliate against Afghans who cooperated with the 20-year American military and reconstruction effort, using fingerprint records, GUN records and other methods to sniff them out and target them for retribution, according to a U.S. government report.

Department of Idiocy.

• Townley Elementary School near Fort Worth went on lockdown last week after reports of shots being fired near the school. It was later determined that the shots were fired at a nearby gun range on private property. I wonder if this is a daily occurrence.

The Only Ones.

A Louisville KY, Metro Police recruit was shot in his body armor vest by an unidentified firearms instructor during training last week. Minor injury, major screw-up.

Greenville County, SC, deputies were securing their equipment after a training exercise when one of the deputies discharged a round from a Simunition gun in what was determined to be horseplay. In response, another deputy discharged his weapon, inadvertently striking the deputy in the foot, forgetting he had already transitioned back to his duty weapon with real ammo. The two unidentified deputies involved were placed on paid administrative leave and have since been disciplined. The investigation also determined an unidentified supervisor failed to monitor the handling of the firearms properly and will also face discipline.

Atlanta PD Major Michael O’Connor, who once had a role in policing the airport, was caught at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport trying to carry on a loaded Glock handgun. TSA and FBI agents instructed O’Connor to secure his gun (presumably unloaded, declared, and in checked baggage) before boarding the flight.

Hog Wild in MS. Not what you think.

ATF’s 2024 budget (pdf link). Aside from the pages and pages of verbiage that isn’t budget numbers, note that the cost per position sometimes ranges as high as $400-500k. The new initiative to “Combat Gun Violence” (sic) includes the equivalent of 50 full time positions at a cost of $25,578,000, or $511,560 each. The ATF’s FY 2024 budget request totals $1,875,466,000 for Salaries and Expenses alone. OK, I have no problem with defunding this particular police agency.

About those concealed carry permit holders.

• 0.03 percent of concealed carry permittees in Minnesota committed a gun crime last year. – Minnesota DPS.

Questions, we have questions.

You know, for the next time someone wants your vote.

• What did the Founders mean by “A well regulated militia?”
• What did the Founders mean by “being necessary to the security of a free State?”
• What did the Founders mean by “the right of the people to keep and bear arms?”
• What did the Founders mean by “people?”
• What did the Founders mean by “shall not be infringed?”
• How can a past Supreme Court opinion specifying protected arms as those being “in common use at the time” not apply to the types of firearms needed for militia service?

DGUs.

• The Armed Citizen – March 10, 2023 and here
• The Armed Citizen – March 13, 2023
• “Obituary Burglar” Shot Dead in Henderson, Nevada. I wonder if anyone will be burglarizing his home?

Tactics & stuff.

• Combat shotguns.
• Replacing/Modifying AR-15 Barrels to Avoid SBR Designation for Pistol Braces
• AR-15 Maintenance and Repair – Five Tips from Armorer’s School
• Four Pistol Reload Methods & Nine Magazine Tips
• Pistol Shooting Positions: Weaver Vs. Isosceles
• Miniaturized Red Dot Systems for Duty Handgun Use (pdf link)
• Church security (and here too)
• International Travel with Firearms
• You’re on your own, everywhere, every minute of every day!
• If you don’t have a safe backstop, don’t dry fire. Just a tip.

Geekeresting.

• Making a Real Halo M90 Shotgun.
• Cache of stolen museum guns found in attic.

Rambo…

• Was real.

Recall.

• Henry Repeating Arms has recalled certain lever action .45-70 Gov’t. rifles manufactured between December 14, 2022, and January 11, 2023 because, under certain conditions, it is possible that some of these rifles may unintentionally discharge without the trigger being pulled if the hammer is released or dropped from the cocked position. The fix is a new firing pin. If your rifle is affected, Henry will fix it, including free shipping and will include a $50 HenryPride gift card.

Industry news.

• GunsAmerica

The GunsAmerica online marketplace for firearms and shooting accessories has implemented a seller verification program for all sellers, who will now be required to go through a verification process to ensure they are legitimate and authorized to sell firearms. The verification process will be simple, straightforward, take less than a minute, and will include a liveness check and verification of the seller’s identity. This will provide buyers with the assurance that they are dealing with legitimate sellers to mitigate risk involved when purchasing a firearm online. Presumably this does not guarantee that a seller is reputable and honest.

• You go, girl

Kim Rhode recently scored her third major victory in a row in Doha, Qatar, following an individual gold medal in Women’s Skeet at the Morocco World Cup and the Team USA Spring Selection Match in Tucson, AZ. Rhode also triumphed in the Skeet Mixed Team event alongside Team USA member Vincent Hancock. Both Rhode and Hancock were perfect in the shoot-off to bring home another gold medal for the United States.

• WMA expansion

The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish acquired the L-Bar Ranch in late 2022, through the Pittman-Robertson Act; excise taxes paid by firearms, ammunition, and archery customers. The new property expanded the existing Marquez WMA to 68,000 acres—106 square miles—of public land soon to be open to hunters and birders and nature enthusiasts.

• The new Dillon Rifle Company. Yes, that Dillon, as in Dillon Aero and Dillon Precision.

Products.

Walther announced a new free red dot promotion in partnership with AMERIGLO. From 03/13/2023 through 04/17/2023, any law-abiding consumer who purchases a new, standard PDP or PDP F-Series will receive a free AMERIGLO Haven Handgun Red Dot Sight (MSRP Value: $379.)

Heckler & Koch’s HK March Mag-ness consumer rebate consists of two additional magazines with the purchase of a full-size VP9 pistol.

Taurus is offering a $25 rebate on any new Taurus G3 pistol, except the G3c, and a $50 rebate on any GX4 series pistol.

Black Hills tells us that its 10mm HoneyBadger’s 115 gr. solid copper projectile travels at 1600 fps and penetrates to 23″ in ballistic gelatin, while producing a 4.5″ wound channel, with terminal performance equal to or superior to a .44 Magnum 240-grain JHP but with more controllability. Note that the 23″ penetration may be more than you want to be liable for on the street.

FINALLY, a 1.75″ wide ratchet-adjustment CCW belt. From Nexbelt. A friend with a Nexbelt really likes his.

Bear Creek Arsenal now has .45 ACP and 10mm carbines. Built with AR-15 style controls, both are compatible with Glock pistol magazines. .45 ACP carbines will come in 7.5″, 10.5″, and 16″ barrel configurations and 10mm carbines will have 10.5″ and 16″ barrels initially, with more options expected. Both PCCs are suppressor ready.

Samson Manufacturing Corp. has released an M-LOK version of their popular K-Rail handguard series, for the AK-47 platform. Two versions are currently offered for stamped receivers, one with a sling loop cut and a non-sling loop version with integrated steel QD Sling Points.

The new Vortex Optics Defender CCW Micro Red Dot. $250 at MidwayUSA.