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OH: Warning Shot Enough for Jury to Consider Self-Defense Claim
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In the Court’s lead opinion, Justice Melody Stewart stated that the Ohio self-defense law does not require an intent to harm or kill another, just the “intent to repel or escape force.” Shooting toward another with the intent to stop an aggressor is sufficient to justify a self-defense jury instruction, she concluded.
The Supreme Court remanded the case to the Clark County Common Pleas Court to vacate Wilson’s sentence and conduct further proceedings. |
FL: Florida bill on shooting bears in self-defense goes to DeSantis
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In an issue stemming from complaints about bears in Northwest Florida, the state House on Thursday gave final approval to a bill that would bolster self-defense arguments for people who kill bears on their property.
The House on Thursday voted 83-28 to pass the bill (HB 87), which opponents said will result in increased deaths of once-threatened bears.
The Senate approved the measure Feb. 21, meaning it is now ready to go to Gov. Ron DeSantis. Senators changed an earlier House version of the bill by spelling out that self-defense protections wouldn’t be available to people who lure bears with food or in other ways for purposes such as training dogs to hunt bears. |
OH: Warning shots get ‘self-defense’ protections too, Ohio Supreme Court rules
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Firing a warning shot in lieu of shooting a person can still be considered by courts as an act of self-defense, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled on Thursday.
In a split decision, the court ruled in favor of Tyler Wilson, who was convicted on charges of felonious assault with a firearm but not guilty of attempted murder. Four of the justices reversed lower court rulings that found a claim of self-defense isn’t viable from a person who didn’t shoot to wound or kill. But the Supreme Court held that Wilson’s shooting with a stated intent to “back [an aggressor] off” is protected by Ohio’s self-defense laws. |
ATF Director Laments Congressional, Americans’ Distrust To Upend Second Amendment
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The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Director Steven Dettelbach joined CBS’s Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan to talk about violent crime committed with firearms and the tools he wants from Congress. The problem is those requests have already been rejected by Congress for good reason. Those tools would violate federal law and would chip away at the rights of those who obey the law without actually addressing the problem of crime.
“I was in Baltimore a few weeks ago with the law enforcement there, and it’s like, almost a 20 percent drop in homicides, but looks to me the caveat is that for many years in this country, we’ve had a very serious gun crime problem,” Director Dettelbach explained.
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WY: Only A Veto By Gov. Gordon Can Save Wyoming’s Gun-Free Zones
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A bill to eliminate Wyoming’s gun-free zones easily passed its third and final reading in the state’s Senate on Thursday, advancing to Gov. Mark Gordon’s desk, where only a veto can stop it from becoming law.
If Gordon signs it or simply lets it pass into law, people with concealed carry permits can take concealed firearms into numerous places where they’re now forbidden.
Some of those places include public schools, community colleges and the University of Wyoming campus, the Wyoming Capitol building and county-run public hospitals. |
TN: One Bill Fails, Other Bills Rescheduled
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On Tuesday, March 5, anti-gun bill HB 1935 failed to pass out of the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee.
HB 1935 prohibited the sale of semi-automatic firearms with certain “features.” This is similar to prohibitions currently used in states like California, New York, and New Jersey.
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MO: Missouri urges court to uphold act declaring federal gun laws ‘invalid’ after KC shooting
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Missouri officials recently defended in court a far-reaching state law that declares some federal firearms laws “invalid,” a stark demonstration of how far the state has gone to thwart restrictions on guns.
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey’s Office urged the federal Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals to uphold the state’s Second Amendment Preservation Act or SAPA during oral arguments last Friday. The 2021 law, signed by Gov. Mike Parson, spurred confusion among law enforcement when it went into effect. |
FL: Florida Stand Your Ground…Against Bears
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Self-defense isn’t just for human threats…it can also be for threats from black bears, too, or at least that is what a bill under consideration in Florida would help clarify.
The Florida House is set to revisit a contentious bill aimed at strengthening self-defense claims for individuals shooting bears on their property, following a Senate amendment. The bill, initially passed by the House, received a 24-12 vote in the Republican-majority Senate. |
CA: California again violates Constitution by disarming individuals based on vacated offenses
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The U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of California granted summary judgment Feb. 28 to three individuals whose Second Amendment rights were unconstitutionally violated by the state of California. The case began over five years ago.
On Dec. 20, 2018, the case of Linton v Bonta (originally Linton v Becerra, the California AG at the time) was filed. Individual plaintiffs and several organizations, including Calguns, Firearms Policy Foundation, Madison Society Foundation, and SAF, sued the state of California for flagrantly denying the exercise of Second Amendment rights, the legal judgments of other states, the Full Faith and Credit clause of the Constitution, and the Fourteenth Amendment. From the lawsuit: |
SC: SC governor signs Constitutional Carry bill; firearms illegal at State House, officials say
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South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster on Thursday signed into law House Bill 3594, better known as the Constitutional Carry law.
Also known, as the South Carolina Second Amendment Preservation Act, the allows anyone who can legally own a gun to carry the weapon openly.
The law includes stiffer penalties for people who repeatedly carry guns in places where they are still banned like schools or courthouses or commit crimes while armed, whether they use the weapon or not. It also provides millions of dollars for free gun training across the state, which is needed to get a concealed weapons permit for any adult who wants it.
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SC: South Carolina governor signs new law allowing open carry of guns
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Any adult who can legally own a gun can now carry one openly in South Carolina after Gov. Henry McMaster signed a bill into law Thursday, just a day after it received final legislative approval.
Gun rights supporters have pushed for the law for nearly a decade, first allowing open carry for people who took the training to get a permit to carry a concealed weapon.
Encouraging that kind of training was one of the biggest roadblocks for the new law. A Senate proposal to provide millions of dollars for free gun training across the state needed to get a concealed weapons permit was part of what cleared the way. |
Biden gaslights America by claiming to stand for freedom and democracy
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The idea that Biden and the Democratic Party are defenders of freedom is an even bigger joke. Biden and his party despise the Second Amendment. Many of them despise the First Amendment as well, with Biden’s administration targeting the religious freedom of medical professionals and the free speech rights of pro-life protesters. Michigan Democrats last year passed a hate speech bill. Democrats have opposed school choice and opposed letting workers opt out of unions. The only “freedom” Biden and Democrats have consistently supported is the freedom to have your unborn child killed and thrown in a Planned Parenthood wastebasket.
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NRA Directors Election: Mark These 4 Candidates, Stop, & Mail In Your Ballot
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Those of you who are eligible to vote in the NRA Board of Directors election are receiving your ballot in your current issue of whichever NRA magazine you choose to receive. I usually get multiple inquiries asking which candidates to vote for.
Here is my recommendation.
First, some background. The NRA is in serious trouble. It is unknown if or how long the NRA will survive. We all hope the NRA will arise from its current problems even better and stronger than before, but that doesn’t seem to be the direction things are going right now. |
NRA Dethroned as Top Gun Lobby in DC
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Long a bane of anti-gun politicians, Democrats (typically one and the same) and the mainstream media, the National Rifle Association (NRA) has been often blamed as well as credited, depending on which side of the issue a person falls on, with effectively stopping much of the legislation in Congress that would whittle away citizens’ Second Amendment rights. But with ongoing troubles with its longtime leadership, legal challenges in court, lawsuits and even constituent anger over the organization’s spending and direction on certain issues, NRA is no longer the largest, most powerful gun lobby in Washington, DC. |
SC: South Carolina to Become 29th State Allowing Permitless Carry
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Republican South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster could sign a bill confirming full Second Amendment rights for his state’s citizens as soon as today.
The bill drops the legal age requirement from 21 to 18, and provides free (state-funded) gun classes to anyone in his state seeking training in the safe and legal use of firearms.
But the bill came at a cost, as compromise is the law of politics. After three failures, the red state’s Republicans were finally able to cobble together a compromise bill that made few happy but got the job done. |
IA: Iowans could buy 'Don't Tread on Me' license plates to fund gun groups under House bill
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Iowans could buy custom yellow "Don't Tread on Me" license plates under a bill that passed the Iowa House Wednesday.
The Iowa House voted 60-34 to pass House File 2639, which allows the Iowa Department of Transportation to issue custom Iowa license plates with the "Gadsden Flag," which was designed during the Revolutionary War in 1775 by Christopher Gadsden and was used by the Continental Marines.
The yellow flag depicts a coiled timber rattlesnake above the phrase "Don't Tread on Me." |
OH: Ohio Senate passes bill to protect privacy of firearms purchases
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In a recent decision by the Ohio Senate, Senate Bill 148 was passed with overwhelming Republican support to protect the privacy of firearms purchases. The bill, introduced by Senator Terry Johnson, aims to prevent financial institutions from assigning a specific code to identify purchases made at firearms retailers, ultimately safeguarding Second Amendment rights and financial privacy.
The bill, known as the Second Amendment Financial Privacy Act, prohibits government entities from keeping a list or registry of privately owned firearms or their owners. It also prohibits financial institutions from distinguishing firearms retailers from other retailers by assigning a firearms code. |
NY: Coalition wants New York City gun ban struck down
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A coalition of gun rights groups are asking a judge to strike down New York City’s ban on Tasers and stun guns, arguing that restrictions preventing civilians from owning electronic weapons are unconstitutional.
New York City Police began using them in 2008.
In a U.S. District Court filing, the Firearms Policy Coalition, Second Amendment Foundation say recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings striking down firearm restrictions make the city’s ban illegal and ask a federal judge to block the city from enforcing the restrictions.
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FPC and FPCAF File Supreme Court Response Brief in Their Lawsuit Challenging ATF’s Unlawful “Frame or Receiver” Rule
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In November 2023, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals held that portions of ATF’s “frame or receiver” rule are unlawful. In February of this year, the government filed a Petition for Writ of Certiorari, asking the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case, arguing the Fifth Circuit wrongly ruled on FPC and FPCAF’s favor. FPC and FPCAF agree with the government on a single point–that now is the time for the Supreme Court to hear this case. This will ensure that a final resolution can be reached on this issue for the entire country in the most efficient and expeditious manner possible. The brief in Garland v. VanDerStok can be viewed at FPCLegal.org. |
Biden Doubles Down on AR-15 Ban in State of the Union Speech
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Headed into a tough re-election bid, President Joe Biden signaled he would stay the course on his aggressive push for new gun restrictions during his speech to the nation on Thursday.
The President laid out his view of how the country is fairing and his agenda for a potential second term. Part of that agenda is to pass new gun restrictions. Biden indicated passing and signing a new ban on popular firearms such as the AR-15 and other so-called “assault weapons” was at the top of his priority list on that front.
“I’m demanding a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines,” Biden said in his State of the Union address. |
NY: Court fines gun maker $7.8M, bans it from selling parts in New York over ghost guns
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A federal court in New York just fined a gun maker in Florida $7.8 million and banned it from selling in New York forever.
What’s important here is the type of gun that was being sold: a ghost gun.
And News10NBC got in the Rochester Police Department’s gun room to see it.
Officer Brian Flint picked up the gun from an evidence case. It’s in a bag because it’s tied to an alleged crime.
“So that is what we commonly refer to as a ghost gun, a term that’s been coined,” he said.
Home-assembled guns with serial numbers have existed for a long time. But ghost guns are illegal in New York. They are assembled from parts with no serial numbers or makers’ marks. |
WY: Concealed guns could be coming soon to Wyoming schools, meetings
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A bill that would allow concealed carry of firearms in schools and government meetings is headed to Wyoming's governor after clearing the state Legislature by a wide margin Thursday.
What happens next is somewhat uncertain because Wyoming governors traditionally don’t say if they plan to sign or veto bills. Gov. Mark Gordon has not spoken publicly about the bill, but he is a Republican gun rights supporter. |
IL: New Bill Would Ban Guns From Illinois Polling Places
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When you vote, there are rules. Some are obvious: There’s no tampering with voting machines, stuffing ballot boxes, tearing down or defacing campaign posters or accepting money in exchange for a vote.
Other restrictions are less apparent. For example, it’s against state law to knowingly share a marked ballot, so no selfies at the voting machine.
On the other hand, you are welcome to go armed with information, like with a cellphone or printed voter’s guide. And depending on where you vote, it is also OK to be literally armed. |
NM: New Mexico governor signs bill that bans some guns at polls and extends waiting period to 7 days
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Some guns will be banned at voting locations and the waiting period for purchasing firearms is being extended to seven days under measures signed into law Monday by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.
The second-term Democrat was surrounded by city leaders and others inside a high school auditorium in Albuquerque when she signed four public safety measures that were passed by the Democratic-controlled Legislature during the recent 30-day session.
“This legislation strikes at the heart of issues that are keeping New Mexicans up at night,” Lujan Grisham said in a statement. |
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TO REMEMBER |
| Some writers have so confounded society with government, as to leave little or no distinction between them; whereas they are not only different, but have different origins ... Society is in every state a blessing, but Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one. — THOMAS PAINE |
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