Election

• Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, 48, who Donald Trump has nominated to be the next US Surgeon General, accidentally fatally shot her father when she was 13.
• Blake Masters, an Arizona venture capitalist who previously ran for US Senate against extreme gun-banner Mark Kelly (Gabby Giffords’ space cadet husband), is apparently on the short list for BATFE Director. “The Second Amendment is not about duck hunting. It’s about protecting your family and your country. Without gun rights you have no rights.” – Blake Masters
• Donald Trump on Wednesday reversed course and selected David Warrington as his top White House lawyer, reassigning his previous choice, William McGinley, to a role working with Elon Musk’s outside government efficiency group. Warrington is Chairman of the Board for the National Foundation for Gun Rights.

Legislation

• In the next week, the U.S. House of Representatives could consider the EXPLORE Act, an outdoor recreation package that would, among other things, provide for more recreational shooting opportunities on federal lands.  all your US Representative at (202) 225-3121 and ask that they request a floor vote on this bill before the close of the 118th Congress.

Litigation

• We have a report that if the president pardons someone – like, say, Hunter Biden – that person can no longer invoke the Fifth Amendment’s right against self-incrimination to avoid testifying before Congress or grand juries. If those pardoned refuse to testify, they can face new charges for criminal contempt. Will President Biden now pardon everyone complicit in all of his and Hunter’s schemes? This could be interesting.
• The US Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals seems skeptical of ATF’s administrative ban on forced reset triggers. Probably because they do not meet the statutory definition of a banned machine gun, which is itself unconstitutional.
• The US Supreme Court on Monday declined to take up a defendant’s Second Amendment challenge to unconstitutional Hawaii laws that make it a crime to carry handguns or ammunition in public without a government-issued permission slip. Apparently even though SCOTUS justices recognized the errant law, the case – Christopher L. Wilson v. Hawaii – isn’t “ripe” enough for the Court’s intervention.
• US Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Harvie Wilkinson tells a whopper. I guess the reason judges and lawyers aren’t sworn to tell the truth like witnesses are is so they can lie to us.
• Still percolating in Illinois. A three-judge panel on the US Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals has stayed a lower court decision striking down Illinois’ ban on so-called assault weapons and large capacity magazines, allowing the law to remain in effect while the state’s appeals continue.
• The New York State Police Superintendent has removed the illegal requirement for a New York State-issued driver’s license on the Empire State’s concealed carry permit application after being sued by Gun Owners of America (GOA) in Higbie v. James.
• Grassroots report.

The Only Ones

• An unidentified law enforcement “professional” negligently shot himself while alone in an office on the campus of the Lead Hill School District [AR] last week. The district superintendent declined to identify the officer out of “respect for his privacy,” and said that they are working with law enforcement to ensure that “all safety protocols continue to be followed.” No word on any respect for the safety of all the potential victims for which the school is responsible, or on why they want to “continue to follow” protocols that failed. But the superintendent’s name is Tami Richey.

• An unidentified Detroit Police officer is under investigation and has been placed on “no gun status” after ballistic analysis revealed she shot two innocent bystanders while responding to a call on the city’s west side.
• An unidentified Volusia County [FL] Sheriff’s Office deputy suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the leg Tuesday in an incident at a Deltona Walmart.
• Veteran San Antonio Police Officer William Kasberg was arriving for state-mandated Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) at a closed school Tuesday and was reportedly gathering his belongings to take inside when his pistol went off accidentally, killing him.
• Secret Service Failure

DGUs

• Yes, you can kill a mature Grizzly Bear with a .410 and birdshot, but I don’t recommend it.
• Again, play stupid games, win stupid prizes.
• A Bronx bodega worker who allegedly shot one of two armed robbers with a gun he allegedly found in the store’s bathroom just hours earlier is facing criminal weapons charges after cops said the gun is illegal. A couple of observations: He has the right to keep and bear arms, which he was doing. That right cannot be infringed, which includes government permission and licensing. AND, he did exactly what those pompous self-serving cops would have done. So you first, Barney Fife.
• Wife saved from polar bear by unarmed husband. Husband saved by armed neighbor.
• Brookhaven [MS} police said a vehicle owner shot and killed a suspect believed to have been involved in a vehicle burglary at a car wash. No word on charges.
• The Armed Citizen: American Rifleman – December 9, 2024

NRA

• NY v. NRA final judgment is filed. The highlights are that the current Audit Committee members are no longer committee members and anyone who served on the Audit Committee between 2014 and 2022 is barred from serving on it, period. The members of that committee will now be elected by the entire NRA Board. The Nominating Committee must annually nominate 20 additional candidates who had not served as directors prior to 2022. NRA must create an online method for signing petitions for Board candidates. Judgment is entered for NRA against LaPierre and Wilson for $4.3 and $2 million, respectively, with 9% interest, dating from the jury verdict in February, and those amounts cannot be negotiated or settled for less without prior court consent. The NRA shall hire a consultant to work with the Chief Compliance Officer and staff so as to advise the Board on implementing the directives from the court and to advise on best governance practices. This consultant must be court approved and cannot have appeared as a witness for the NRA in this case.
• NRA Executive Vice President & CEO Doug Hamlin has appointed John Commerford as Interim Executive Director of the NRA Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA) and Josh Savani as the Executive Director of NRA General Operations. Commerford and Savani are both longtime NRA staff members. We hope they are an improvement.
• More from the Old Guard.

Tactics & Stuff

• There’s stupidity in pretending. Farnam.
• Defensive pistol trigger pull weight: Approximately 5 lbs. or more. I don’t care what else you think you know.
• What gun should you carry? Only you can answer that. But here are some expert choices. Also, your carry gun must meet three criteria:

• Will Dabbs postulates on the type of firearm used in the assassination of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Since Dabbs’ column was penned, police have found a handgun and suppressor in possession of the suspect charged with the fatal shooting, and are confident they were fabricated with a 3D-printer. Why the man had not disposed of the evidence is a mystery to me.
• Related: Meanwhile, NYAG Letitia James’ gun “buyback” scheduled for tomorrow (12/14) limits payment for homemade or 3D-printed guns to a total of $25, regardless of how many are turned in. Perhaps those guns aren’t the threat the Left says they are.
• Send the Kids Outdoors, Improve Their Mental Health.
• Big rifles.

Recall

• Academy Sports + Outdoors has recalled Vietnamese-made Redfield 12-gun and 18-gun fireproof safes because in some instances the mechanical internal locking plates were found prone to alignment failure, allowing unauthorized users to open the safes and access the contents. (details)

Products

• Palmetto State Armory has new Stoeger STR-9MC micro 9mm pistols for just $150 after rebate, until Jan. 15.
• DEGuns.net has new inventory on the ATI Schmeisser 5.56/.223 AR15 60-round Magazine, for just $30 plus $5 shipping.
• Rainier Arms has Amend2 Mod 2 AR15 223 Rem/5.56 NATO 30 Rd Magazines at just $6 each plus $10 shipping when you buy 10.
• GrabAGun.com has the FN 509 Compact 9mm 3.7″ Barrel 24-Round pistol with a 5 Magazine Bundle for just $380 after rebate. That’s around half price.
• Ruger and Magpul Industries have collaborated to introduce the new RXM™ 9mm polymer-frame striker-fired pistol with a removable stainless steel Fire Control Insert (FCI) set inside an interchangeable Magpul® Enhanced Handgun Grip (EHG™). Ruger and Magpul will be offering a variety of grip frames.  In other words, it’s Ruger’s mashup of the Sig P320 and the Glock G19. In fact, it is compatible with most Glock Gen 3 parts, holsters and magazines. The next thing you know, they will be copying 1911s. $400 at grabagun.com.
• Lipsey’s has an exclusive new Ruger Blackhawk Bisley Flattop in .41 Magnum, built on the midsize frame, traditionally used for .357 Magnum guns. That should make it a “perfect packin pistol,” in Taffin’s parlance. Blued or stainless, 5.5-inch barrel. $890.
• The Girsan Regard MC X is a Beretta 92/M9-style pistol that features a spiral-fluted and threaded barrel along with a two-tone Cerakote finish, accessory rail and smooth double/single-action trigger for just $519. Limited lifetime warranty.
• Intruder in a Box biomechanically mimics the human torso with layers simulating skin, bone, muscle and internal organs.
• Webworms, beware – XM42-X Flamethrower.