Litigation

• SCOTUS Chief Justice John Roberts warns elected officials (but not unelected government minions) about ignoring the Court. Well Johnny, if the courts would lock up the offenders, they would probably quit ignoring you. Also, the politicians’ enjoy protection of speech and debate, while unelected enforcers are the ones actually carrying out the unconstitutional offenses.
• The US Supreme Court has distributed two Second Amendment cases for conference on Friday, Jan. 10. The cases – Snope v. Brown and Gray v. Jennings – challenge gun bans in Maryland and gun and magazine capacity bans in Delaware. The conferences are for the purpose of deciding whether or not to accept the petitions to hear the appeals.
• The US Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that because alleged domestic abusers pose a clear threat of violence, the federal statute banning gun ownership by them is not unconstitutional under the Second Amendment and can be enforced. The decision was a reversal of its earlier decision, and judges took into account the 2024 SCOTUS ruling in United States v. Rahimi in reaching their latest conclusion.  he case is US v. Perez-Gallan.
• Update on US Third Circuit Court of Appeals combined cases of Siegel v. Platkin and Koons v. Platkin, which challenge New Jersey’s anti-gun “Bruen-response” law.
• Judge Dabney L. Friedrich of the US District Court for the District of Columbia has ruled that the BATFE rule titled Bump-Stock-Type Devices was issued in excess of ATF’s statutory authority and is therefore unlawful. Well, duh.
• An Ohio Court of Appeals struck down that state’s categorical prohibition on gun possession by people under criminal indictment.
• The Liberty Justice Center [Texas] has filed suit in the US District Court of Minnesota on behalf of two truckers licensed to carry in Texas, Florida and Georgia, challenging Minnesota’s failure to recognize other states’ firearm permits. No word on any suits challenging most states’ schemes to sell permission slips to practice Constitutional rights in the first place.
• Grassroots report.

NRA

• Apparently the Bill Brewer law firm, which has bled the NRA dry to the tune of over $100 million, has parted ways with the organization. Perhaps the well ran dry.
• According to a letter from NRA President Bob Barr, former NRA EVP Wayne LaPierre has “initiated” payment of the $4.6 million that the New York jury determined was owed to the NRA. I’m still waiting for criminal trials.

Study

• A paper titled “Psychopathy, Gun Carrying, and Firearm Violence,” published by the American Psychological Association (APA) in the publication Psychology of Violence did not find any correlation between legally carrying a gun and four psychopathic measures. The four facets are “affective” (lack of empathy), “interpersonal” (manipulative), “lifestyle” (impulsive), and “antisocial.”
  • (Commenter Stephen Wenger notes that the article uses the term “psychopathy,” which is not accepted by the American Psychiatric Association – the source for recognized diagnoses of mental disorders. The APA term is “antisocial personality disorder” and covers a spectrum. In general use, “sociopathy” is used for those who don’t make or maintain emotional connections with others but still have some form of conscience. The more extreme “psychopathy” is generally used for those who lack a conscience and have no remorse for their misdeeds. Thus, in so narrowing their sample, the authors further lessened the validity of their study.)

DGUs

• Ohio Homeowner Fatally Shoots Intruder
• The Armed Citizen:
  • America’s 1st Freedom – January 3, 2025
  • American Rifleman – January 3, 2025
  • American Rifleman – January 6, 2025

Jacktown

• The Jackson, MS homicide rate is down again for 2024, but is still the highest in the nation for the fourth year.

Enemies

• Gun grabbing folk singer Peter Yarrow died this week.

Oh, Canada

Yes, they ARE after your guns.

• AND YOU THOUGHT “GUN CONTROL” HERE WAS BAD?
• SKS and Canada!

Tactics & Stuff

• Church security. Sadly, I’ve recently seen first hand that some church leadership bullies simply don’t want to bother with their congregations being safer because that would be ever-so-slightly inconvenient to them personally.
• Old people guns. Ayoob.
• The Theory and Practice of “Israeli Carry.”
• Where Sears Got Its Guns. My very first firearm is a Sears brand, purchased about the same time this article was originally published.

Products

• SHOT Show is coming up.
• Bogus online ammo sites reminder.

• China’s “metal storm” gun fires 450,000 rounds per minute, per barrel, with at least five barrels. I wonder what the ammo budget is like?
• Ammunition Depot has the RTAC Medium Backpack with a Pistol Retention System marked down to $14.99 – that is 75% off the MSRP.
• For those using or considering small caliber defensive pistols, we hear that Black Hills has its very effective HoneyBadger ammo not only in 9mm, but also in .380 ACP and coming soon, .32 ACP.
• Henry Repeating Arms’ new Lever Action Supreme Rifle (LASR) features a free-floated blued steel barrel capable of sub-MOA accuracy, very smooth quad-bar action, match-grade 4-pound adjustable trigger, patent-pending windage and elevation adjustable trapezoidal rear sight, and ambidextrous controls ensure maximum control. It is box magazine fed (AR pattern) and comes with PMAGs. Available in .223 Rem/5.56 NATO and .300 Blackout. $1300.
• Mossberg’s newest pump-action shotguns are the 590R and 590RM (Mag Fed) 12-gauge shotguns with Rotary Safety Selector and AR-style ergonomics. They use 10-round detachable box magazines. ~$1100-$1200. (We note that although Mossberg and many others refer to detachable box magazine shotguns as “magazine fed” – which is true – most every repeating firearm is magazine fed, including ubiquitous shotguns with fixed tubular magazines.)
• There is also the Mossberg 590M Standoff pump action box magazine-fed firearm (think Shockwave). This 12-gauge, 2.75-inch pump action features a 14.25-inch heavy-walled, standoff barrel and is fed from the first production shotgun double-stack magazines (5, 10, 15, 20-round). $1050.
• Mossberg has added Slugster models in 12 gauge, 20 gauge and .410 bore to the Model 500 pump-action shotgun line. All three 500 Slugster models have adjustable rifle sights, 3-inch chambers with 5+1 total capacity, drilled and tapped receiver, black synthetic stock and forend, matte blue metal, and sling swivel studs. The 12 and 20-gauge versions have 24-inch fully rifled barrels with a 1:36 twist rate and the .410 features a 20-inch cylinder bore barrel. $518.
• And then there is Mossberg’s new Professional Series.
• FN’s SCAR 15P is a “lightweight” (5.65 lbs.) pistol version of its SCAR rifle. A piffle. 7.5″ barrel, .300 Blackout and 5.56x45mm. $3700.
• Blaser now offers a USA made R8 Silence barrel. Built using the company’s proven German design, this barrel with integrated silencer provides exceptional balance, noise dampening, and reduced recoil. Silence suppressed barrels ($3400) will fit existing Blaser R8 rifles with properly relieved forearm or when used with the replacement Ultimate forend ($600).

• Hornady’s new .338 ARC comes from a 6.5 Grendel parent case and fits in the AR-15 platform. Two loads to start: a 307-grain SUB-X lead core, hollow cavity Flex Tip bullet at 1,050 fps and a 175-grain HP at 2,075 fps.
• Federal’s new 7mm Backcountry steel-cased rifle cartridge operates at 80,000 psi (or higher) and throws bullets a bit faster than magnums but with a standard sized action and bolt face and shorter barrels. Now start necking it up and down.