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ALEC’s Stand Your Ground Laws Have Created a Deadly Culture of Shoot-First Vigilantism
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In early October, a Florida state senator introduced legislation to repeal the state’s controversial “Stand Your Ground” law allowing individuals to use deadly force in self-defense outside their homes. Florida was the first state to enact such a measure, and in the 18 years since its passage, studies have shown that more Floridians are dying because of it.
“The data is clear: homicide rates and gun deaths are higher where these discriminatory, dangerous policies are on the books,” Sen. Shevrin Jones (D-34), the bill’s sponsor, told the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD). |
CA: California’s newest batch of gun restrictions won’t make the state safer
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Despite his claim that California is “the freedom state,” Gov. Gavin Newsom is passing unconstitutional laws that will make Californians less free and less safe.
In late September, Newsom signed the “Gun Violence Prevention and School Safety Act,” or Assembly Bill 28. The controversial bill will affect how Californians purchase and carry legal firearms, creating a prohibitive excise tax on gun and ammunition purchases. |
FL: Homeowner Lawfully Uses AR-15 to Stop Armed Attacker
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In an incident that unfolded on June 4, 2023, Palatka Police Department officers were dispatched to 6710 St. Johns Avenue following a report of a shooting. The chaotic series of events that ensued would eventually lead to the arrest of Semaj Atkins, 21, of Gainesville, FL.
Upon arrival at the scene, officers made contact with Phillip Bryant, 31, a resident of Palatka, who confessed to firing shots at Atkins. Bryant recounted the terrifying moments when Atkins, armed with a pistol, approached his front door and pointed the firearm directly at him. In a swift reaction, Bryant managed to deflect the gun and secure himself inside his apartment, all the while fearing for his and his children’s safety. |
KY: Lexington mother gets probation in deadly stabbing after judge says she acted in self-defense
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Jennifer Kashuba, 37, previously faced charges of murder, abuse of a corpse and evidence tampering for the death of 40-year-old James “Jimmy” Medlock. But as her court case unfolded, a grand jury found reason to reduce her charge to manslaughter. Fayette Circuit Judge Julie Goodman later ruled Kashuba shouldn’t face the manslaughter charge either.
Kashuba ultimately pleaded guilty to one count of evidence tampering. Goodman sentenced her to one year of probation Thursday. During that time, Kashuba must be employed and assessed for mental health counseling, Goodman ruled. She will be staying at a local domestic violence shelter immediately after her release Thursday morning. |
VA: Bond Denied For Man Who Shot YouTube Prankster In Loudoun County
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The man, Adam Colie, was found not guilty of aggravated malicious wounding and use of a firearm in commission of a felony last month. However, a jury convicted him of discharging a firearm in an occupied building.
Colie had a bond hearing on Thursday, where he was denied bond. His sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 21.
Colie could face up to 5 years in prison, based on Virginia's sentencing guidelines. |
NY: Judge strikes down recent NYC rules restricting gun licensing as unconstitutional
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A federal judge on Tuesday struck down recent provisions in New York City’s gun restrictions as unconstitutional, saying officials have been allowed too much discretion to deny gun permits to people deemed “not of good moral character.”
Judge John P. Cronan in Manhattan said in a written ruling that the “magnitude of discretion” afforded to city gun licensing officials under facets of the city’s administrative code violated the Constitution’s 2nd and 14th amendments. |
TX: Blame Texas If U.S. Domestic Abusers Can Get Guns Next Year
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Thanks to a Texas case being heard in front of the U.S. Supreme Court next month, domestic abusers may once again be free to purchase and own firearms without restriction.
The case is United States v. Rahimi. Zackey Rahimi is an Arlington man who went on a shooting spree in December 2020 and January 21. Though no one was injured or killed, Rahimi fired his gun during several emotional outbursts, including after a traffic accident and following his credit card being declined at a Whataburger. |
U.S. Senate Passes John Kennedy Amendment to Protect Veterans’ Second Amendment Rights
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Under current law, the VA is required to send a beneficiary’s name to the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) whenever a fiduciary is appointed to help a beneficiary manage his or her VA benefits.
Ultimately, VA employees decide whether veterans receive help from a fiduciary.
Kennedy’s amendment would prohibit the Secretary of Veterans Affairs from transmitting a veteran’s personal information through the VA fiduciary program to NICS unless a relevant judicial authority rules that the beneficiary is a danger to himself or others. |
'Veterans already have a difficult time': Therapist, veteran react to amendment making it easier for vets to buy firearms
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“We're going to oversee this one small group, right, of individuals that served their country, served a sacrifice for their country, and they come back, busted and broken and are seeking help from the VA. But now that they are seeking help through the VA, they've potentially put themselves in jeopardy of not being able to, you know, have a second amendment right or whatever restricted from them. And to me, that's concerning," Cook said.
But part of a spending bill working its way through Congress eliminates the requirement to report those vets. Vestavia therapist Charles Kessler said it could mean more vets get the help they need. |
Major Second and First Amendment cases headline November sitting
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Less than two years after their landmark decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, in which the court struck down New York’s handgun-licensing scheme, the justices will hear argument in another major gun-rights case: United States v. Rahimi, a challenge to the constitutionality of a federal ban on the possession of guns by individuals who are subject to domestic-violence restraining orders. Rahimi is an important case in its own right, but it is also significant as an opportunity for the justices to say more about how the lower courts should apply the “history and tradition” test outlined in Bruen.
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NY: New York training requirement for concealed carry license challenged in Second Circuit
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New York’s gun regulations faced another challenge Thursday in the Second Circuit, as a civil rights lawyer claimed the state’s 18-hour training requirement for a concealed carry license is not consistent with the Second Amendment.
Known as the Concealed Carry Improvement Act, the law creates new requirements for people seeking to a license to carry concealed weapons. The law also bans firearms in “sensitive locations” in the state, including public transit, sports venues, houses of worship and Times Square. |
Statement by Vice President Kamala Harris on the Mass Shooting in Lewiston, Maine
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Let us also continue to speak truth about the moment we are in. Gun violence is the leading cause of death for children in our nation. It does not have to be this way.
It is a false choice to suggest we must choose between either upholding the Second Amendment or passing reasonable gun safety laws to save lives. Congress can and must make background checks universal. Pass red flag laws. Ban high-capacity magazines. And renew the assault weapons ban. |
CA: Guns or mental illness, or just guilt
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The Lewiston, Maine, massacre tends to restart the age-old observation, “It’s not guns, it’s mental illness.” No, it’s just guilt, and the shootings du jour are probably going to continue, UNLESS we get a progressive Congress that is not beholden to the gun lobby.
Some long-term attention needs to go to clarifying the Second Amendment, which does not say the mentally ill nor anyone else should be entitled to a gun, as many believe. Eliminating mental illness will never be possible, but eliminating weapons, especially those designed to kill, is entirely possible and has been done successfully in many cities and countries, Australia for one. To me, it’s a no-brainer. |
OH: Governor DeWine addresses mass shootings in Maine
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"Our hearts certainly go out to the victims and their families. It's just a horrible, horrible, horrible tragedy. We pray that the law enforcement will be safe as they work to try to catch this person," said DeWine.
Back in 2019, after the Oregon District mass shooting, DeWine pushed for legislation to keep guns away from people with mental illness. The state hasn't passed it nor acted on it yet, but he says it's sensible, and protects Second Amendment rights while protecting people's lives. |
CO: Challenges from gun rights groups put Colorado gun laws on hold
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The far-right group has sued multiple times over gun control measures passed at the local and state level, stopping them from taking effect.
RMGO sued Boulder, Superior, Louisville and Boulder County last year for their bans on so-called assault weapons and large-capacity magazines. As that case continues, those bans still can't be enforced.
"It's very frustrating that as we try to do these measures to reduce those guns deaths that there are lawsuits filed against these very reasonable common sense gun measures," Boulder Mayor Aaron Brockett said. |
Asked about shootings, new House speaker says, ‘It’s not guns’
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It was against this backdrop that new House Speaker Mike Johnson sat down with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, and fielded a question about those advocating new safeguards to prevent future slayings. The Louisiana Republican responded:
“At the end of the day, the problem is the human heart. It’s not guns, it’s not the weapons. At the end of the day, we have to protect the right of the citizens to protect themselves, and that’s the Second Amendment. And that’s why our party stands so strongly for that. ... This is not the time to be talking about legislation. We’re in the middle of that crisis right now.”
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DeSantis says he wouldn't nationalize Florida's 'red flag' law
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"I don't think it's an issue with red flag. I think red flag has been abused because people can just lodge a complaint. Sometimes they'll take somebody's firearms and here's the thing, it's not even Second Amendment as much as Fifth Amendment due process issue. Can you take someone's property without having an adjudication? So I think it's different. I don't think it would have mattered in this case. I do think a commitment, an involuntary commitment would have done the trick," he said. "But I think what's ultimately effective is holding people accountable either through mental adjudication if they're, if they're crazy or convicting them when they're committing crimes." |
MA: Massachusetts Lawmakers Pass Sweeping Anti-Gun Measure
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We warned Firearms News readers back in late June that anti-gun Massachusetts lawmakers were pushing forward with a punitive package of gun-control laws that would further infringe on the rights of lawful gun owners. Now, the state House of Representatives has overwhelmingly passed the measure. Calling it “An Act Modernizing Firearms Laws,” the House passed H. 4135 by a 120-to-38 vote. The measure now heads to the state Senate for consideration. The legislation imposes some of the most restrictive anti-gun laws in the country. |
ME: Will Maine’s Permissive Gun Laws Change After the Lewiston Shooting?
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In Maine, which suffered the deadliest mass shooting in its history on October 25, guns are a fact of life. Nearly half of all households own one, mostly for hunting and recreation, sometimes for self-defense. The state’s gun access laws are permissive — there are no background checks on private sales, and residents don’t need a permit or training to carry a concealed gun in public. Its gun homicide rate is so low that it’s been hard to justify the need for tighter regulation. And with no history of public mass shootings to point to, this arrangement seemed to be working. |
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