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KY: Committee approves concealed carry for young adults
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Legislation has been introduced in the Kentucky House that would allow 18- to 20-year-olds to carry a concealed firearm.
Rep. Savannah Maddox, R-Dry Ridge, is the primary sponsor of House Bill 312. She was joined by primary co-sponsor Rep. Josh Bray, R-Mount Vernon, to testify on the bill during Wednesday’s House Judiciary Committee meeting.
“Right now, in Kentucky, citizens who are 18, 19, or 20 years old can legally vote. They can sign contracts. They can join the military, serve in combat, start a family, own a business, and possess a firearm,” Maddox said. “Yet, currently under the law, these same adults are prohibited from carrying that same firearm concealed for self-defense.” |
Response Brief Filed In SAF’s Second NFA Challenge
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The Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) and its partners have filed a response brief in the second of the organization’s two lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of the National Firearms Act (NFA) registration scheme.
Filed with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, the brief voices the organization’s opposition to the Government’s motion for summary judgment in Brown v. ATF.
Until President Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the NFA established a $200 tax and registration regime on certain classes of firearms including silencers, short-barreled firearms and “any other weapons” (AOWs), drawing from Congressional authority to levy taxes. |
HI: Supreme Court Seems Likely To Strike Down Hawai‘i Gun Restrictions
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The Supreme Court seemed likely to strike down Hawai‘i restrictions on carrying guns into stores Tuesday in the justices’ latest firearm case since their landmark decision expanding Second Amendment rights.
The Trump administration backed the challenge to the law barring guns in places like malls and hotels unless the property owner specifically allows them. It’s sometimes referred to as a “vampire rule,” for its permission requirement.
Hawai‘i, on the other hand, said the measure is aimed at ensuring private owners have the right to decide whether they want firearms on their property. |
The Supreme Court Just Got Caught in Its Gun Rights Contradictions
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The Supreme Court is running into a problem: There appears to be a gap between what the court writes in its opinions and what the justices in the majority actually mean.
Over the last year, the conservative justices have chastised lower court judges for not following their unsigned orders in unrelated cases. Those orders often don’t have a majority opinion upon which other judges can rely, and they typically aren’t seen as a final view on the merits. |
New Canadian gun ban doomed to fail … spectacularly
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Just to legally own a firearm in Canada, citizens must first pass government-approved firearms training. They can then apply in writing for a federal gun license, which has its own hazards. The application process requires citizens to list every “conjugal relationship” they have had in the past two years. Of course, any previous sexual partner can stop the entire firearm application cold. And then there’s a massive and invasive background check.
Any American gun owner would scream just at this, but for gun-owning Canadians, things may soon get a whole lot worse. |
FL: Neighbors shaken up after attempted kidnapping leads to deadly self-defense shooting
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New Year's Eve that should have been filled with celebration turned into a terrifying ordeal for a Bradenton family when investigators said a woman walking her dog was stalked and nearly abducted, leading to a fatal self-defense shooting.
The Manatee County Sheriff's Office said a homeowner shot and killed 36-year-old Nicholas Palomo after he appeared to stalk the homeowner's wife and followed her home in the Mill Creek neighborhood in Bradenton. |
OH: Man was found guilty of murder. But the judge threw out jury's verdict
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A man who was found guilty of murder, then a month later saw the judge throw out the jury’s verdict will remain out on bond while he awaits another trial.
The case against Kenneth Thompson, 33, involves an extremely unusual set of circumstances.
Among them: The same jurors who found him guilty in November 2025 said they would have each voted to acquit Thompson if they had been allowed to consider self-defense, according to Thomspon’s attorneys. |
AZ: Mayes warns Arizona self-defense laws could clash with masked ICE raids
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Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes in an interview this week warned that Arizona's "Stand Your Ground" law could create a "combustible situation" with masked ICE agents.
Why it matters: Mayes' comments could escalate tensions between federal officials, state leaders and protesters as expectations of large-scale ICE raids in Arizona build.
And Mayes, who faces a tough reelection race in November, will almost certainly be forced to defend the controversial statement on the campaign trail. |
MD: Fourth Circuit Reaffirms That the Second Amendment Does Not End at the Storefront Door
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While the U.S. Supreme Court was hearing oral arguments in Wolford v. Lopez, a challenge to Hawaii’s carry restrictions, a panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit struck down Maryland’s attempt to impose a sweeping “default ban” on lawful concealed carry on private property open to the public.
The case, Kipke v. Moore, is an NRA-supported case challenging Maryland’s sweeping carry restrictions enacted as part of the Gun Safety Act of 2023.
Part of the ruling is an important reaffirmation that the Second Amendment is not a second-class right, as the Fourth Circuit struck down Maryland’s “vampire rule.” |
MD: Appeals court upholds most of Maryland ban on weapons in schools, parks, other public places
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A federal appeals court Tuesday upheld Maryland’s law banning guns in a wide range of public settings, from school grounds and government buildings to parks, sports venues and areas within 1,000 feet of a public demonstration.
A three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that most of the dozen places identified in Maryland law fall under the U.S. Supreme Court’s definition of “sensitive places,” where government has the authority to restrict the Second Amendment right to bear arms. |
HI: SCOTUS Scolds Hawaii For ‘Relegating’ Americans’ Second Amendment Rights To ‘Second-Class Status’
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The Democrat-run state of Hawaii received a brutal grilling from the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday for attempting to restrict their citizens’ Second Amendment rights.
The vigorous cross-examination came during oral arguments for Wolford v. Lopez, which centers around a legal challenge brought by Hawaii residents against a law restricting concealed carry throughout the state. As The Federalist previously reported, the statute criminalizes carrying a gun on private property open to the public unless the carrier receives “express authorization” to do so from the property’s owner, manager, or lessee. |
MD: Appeals Court Blocks Maryland Public Gun Ban
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The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals struck down Maryland's prohibition on the concealed carry of guns on private property held open to the public, ruling the restriction was unconstitutional.
The three-judge panel unanimously on Tuesday upheld the district court's ruling to overturn the concealed carry ban in such places as shopping malls, restaurants, or parks that are not government-owned.
"Maryland's rule would effectively declare most public places 'gun-free zones,'" Judge Roger L. Gregory wrote in a 94-page decision. "But that likely stretches the sensitive places doctrine too far." |
HI: Justice Clarence Thomas' Response to Hawaii Gun-Control Law, Grounded in Racist Black Codes
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The most conservative member of the Supreme Court, Justice Clarence Thomas, slammed Neal Katyal, the lawyer defending Hawaii’s so-called "Vampire Rule," which requires explicit permission to carry concealed firearms on private property open to the public, such as shops and restaurants. Thomas criticized the legal argument for relying on the racist “Black Codes” that restricted the freedoms of newly freed slaves after the Civil War as justification for curbing Second Amendment rights in Hawaii, calling it self-defeating because the 14th Amendment, specifically its Privileges or Immunities Clause, was designed to prevent exactly such restrictions. |
HI: Did Hawaii Just Use a Racist 'Black Code' to Justify Its Gun Control Law?
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The Supreme Court heard arguments on Tuesday on Hawaii’s strict concealed carry law and things got heated — and possibly racist — when the state’s attorney defended the law using 19th century laws specifically aimed at preventing black Americans from exercising their Second Amendment rights.
The law, which went into effect in 2023, prohibits people from carrying a firearm into a private business or property like a restaurant, store, or office building without first getting permission from the owner.
Other states like Texas allow gun owners to have their firearms in these locations unless the owner posts a sign prohibiting it. |
FPC Court Brief Slams Trump DOJ's Defense of NFA
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Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) today announced the filing of a combined reply and opposition brief in Jensen v. ATF, an FPC-backed federal lawsuit challenging key provisions of the National Firearms Act of 1934 (NFA). FPC is supporting the litigation as part of its nationwide program of strategic litigation to eliminate unconstitutional laws and policies that restrict the right to keep and bear arms. The brief and more information about the case are available at firearmspolicy.org/jensen.
The new filing comes as the Trump Administration's Department of Justice continues a sustained pattern of aggressively defending the NFA and other federal gun control in court... |
Sixth Circuit Weighs Second Amendment Rights of Illegal Immigrants
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Do illegal immigrants have Second Amendment rights? The Sixth Circuit just said no, though the panel couldn’t agree on why. Authorities found three firearms when searching the home of Milder Escobar-Temal, a Guatemalan citizen who entered the U.S. illegally over a decade ago and who was suspected of abusing his 14-year-old stepdaughter. He was charged under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(5)(A), which prohibits individuals unlawfully present in the U.S. from possessing firearms. Escobar-Temal argued this provision violates his Second Amendment rights. A Sixth Circuit panel unanimously rejected that claim, but the judges splintered on their reasoning. |
NRA Partners with 'We the Free' Streaming Network
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The National Rifle Association is proud to announce a groundbreaking partnership with We the Free, an online streaming service dedicated to Second-Amendment-based American lifestyle content. This collaboration unites the nation's oldest civil rights organization with one of the fastest-growing digital platforms for freedom-loving Americans, delivering high-octane entertainment and expert firearm content directly to millions of viewers—at a discounted rate exclusive to NRA Members. When you subscribe through the NRA's unique We The Free link, a portion of the proceeds is shared with the NRA to support its work defending the Second Amendment. |
HI: U.S. Supreme Court conservatives appear skeptical of Hawaii handgun limits
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Conservative U.S. Supreme Court justices signaled skepticism Tuesday toward a Hawaii law that restricts the carrying of handguns on private property open to the public without the owner’s permission, appearing ready to expand gun rights again.
The court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, heard arguments in an appeal by challengers to the law of a judicial ruling that Hawaii’s measure likely complies with the U.S. Constitution’s Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. The appeal is backed by President Donald Trump’s administration. |
HI: Majority of Supreme Court appears skeptical of Hawaii gun law
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Can a Hawaii gun owner bring a concealed handgun to the grocery store? How about to a beachside restaurant, or into a gas station?
A 2023 state law requires gun owners to get permission before carrying a firearm onto private property otherwise open to the public, but a majority of Supreme Court justices signaled skepticism Tuesday about the constitutionality of the statute.
Several Hawaii gun owners and a gun rights group, who had sued over Hawaii’s law, argued it collided with the Second Amendment by making it a crime for gun owners to bring their guns into shopping malls, coffee shops and other privately owned businesses without first getting sign-off from the owner. |
HI: Wolford v. Lopez Challenges Supreme Court’s 2nd Amendment Framework
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In Bruen, the court invalidated a long-standing New York statute. This law mandated that individuals demonstrate “proper cause” to obtain a public carry handgun license. The current case challenges a Hawaii law that requires gun owners to obtain explicit permission from a business owner or manager before bringing a firearm onto the premises.
This stipulation functions as an indirect ban on public firearms, as few businesses are likely to grant such permissions. Consequently, gun owners often unwilling to leave their weapons behind may find themselves unable to carry firearms in most public venues. |
HI: SCOTUS Weighs Hawaii “Vampire Rule” As Gun Owners Challenge Default Ban On Carry In Most Private Businesses
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The Supreme Court heard nearly two hours of argument Tuesday, January 20, 2026, in Wolford v. Lopez, a Second Amendment case that could decide whether states can make “no guns” the default rule for private property that’s open to the public—unless the owner gives express permission.
At the center is a Hawaii law passed after New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen (2022). Hawaii’s rule generally bars licensed concealed carriers from bringing a handgun onto private property open to the public unless the property owner affirmatively says “yes.” |
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TO REMEMBER |
| A nation can survive its fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within. An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and carries his banner openly. But the traitor moves amongst those within the gate freely, his sly whispers rustling through all the alleys, heard in the very halls of government itself. For the traitor appears not a traitor; he speaks in accents familiar to his victims, and he wears their face and their arguments, he appeals to the baseness that lies deep in the hearts of all men. He rots the soul of a nation, he works secretly and unknown in the night to undermine the pillars of the city, he infects the body politic so that it can no longer resist. A murderer is less to fear. ~ Marcus Tullius Cicero (42B.C) |
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