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AL: 1 Dead, 1 Injured In Self-Defense Shooting After 3rd Party Involvement
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A 23-year-old man was rushed to a nearby hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and is expected to recover. The other individual, identified as 51-year-old Reggie Coverson of Tuscaloosa, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Following a thorough investigation by the Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit (TVCU) and a review by the District Attorney’s Office, it was concluded that Coverson was the initial aggressor in the incident. Evidence indicated that Coverson had shot the 23-year-old, prompting a third man to intervene and shoot Coverson in self-defense. |
TN: Tennessee law expands college students’ self-defense options on campus
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A new law in Tennessee is stopping colleges, universities and other schools from banning non-lethal weapons, such as pepper spray or stun guns.
In April, Gov. Lee signed the Laken Riley Act of 2024. Under the act, students and staff can now carry non-lethal weapons on campuses for self-defense. Tennessee Senator Richard Briggs, who represents Knox County, says it’s a common-sense move.
″I think it was just a common sense response to just a horrible act that happened to what sounds like a very nice young lady,” he said, referring to Laken Riley. |
West Virginia, Tennessee Strengthen Campus Self-Defense
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Students at colleges in two southern states—West Virginia and Tennessee—will be a little better protected now, thanks to their state legislatures passing laws to increase self-defense options.
In West Virginia, Senate Bill 10, called the “West Virginia Campus Self-Defense Act,” was passed by the legislature and signed into law by Republican Gov. Jim Justice back in 2023. That law just took effect on July 1.
Under the new law, law-abiding carry permit holders can carry on the campus of a state institution of higher education. Current state law does not prohibit carrying of a defensive firearm on campus, but institution policy may lead to expulsion or termination of employment. |
Supreme Court sidesteps several new gun cases, including challenge to state assault weapons ban
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The Supreme Court sidestepped a new set of Second Amendment fights Tuesday, declining to hear a challenge to an assault weapons ban in Illinois and sending other gun cases back to lower courts, including a challenge to the law used to convict Hunter Biden.
The moves came after the justices upheld a gun law intended to protect victims of domestic violence, the first guns rights case following a landmark ruling two years ago that expanded gun rights. The court still has another firearm case on its docket for the fall, weighing a Biden administration appeal overregulation of difficult-to-trace ghost guns. |
LA: New permitless concealed carry law raises concerns about lack of training
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As of July 4, it is legal for Louisiana residents 18 and older to carry concealed guns without a permit or training.
Supporters believe the law enhances safety. Critics, including a New Orleans firearms instructor, are worried.
Dave Newman, owner of Concealed Carry NOLA and a state police firearms instructor, is s a supporter of the Second Amendment right to bear arms but stresses the importance of training.
“I want everybody to carry as long as they’re getting training and they’re willing to do so and they are comfortable with it,” Newman said.
Newmans says he has seen a significant drop in enrollment for his training courses since the law’s passage. |
NY: Federal lawsuit claims New York’s body armor ban is unconstitutional
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Local attorney John Elmore said it would be unjust and dangerous to reverse New York’s ban on body armor, but that’s the goal of a federal lawsuit filed in Western New York.
The lawsuit, filed by the Firearms Policy Coalition and a resident from Lakeview, claims the ban is unconstitutional under the Second Amendment. It also said the state’s ban infringes on the rights of law-abiding citizens to protect themselves and their families.
Two years ago, following the Tops grocery store shooting and other attacks across the country, the state enacted new restrictions on the purchase, sale and transfer of bulletproof vests. The restrictions include banning the use of body armor except for police, the military and other eligible professions. |
CA: Gun rights groups sue to block California’s new tax on firearms
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Gun rights groups filed a 2nd Amendment challenge Tuesday to a new California law that slapped an extra tax on firearm and ammunition sales in an attempt to reduce gun violence.
The Firearms Policy Coalition said it filed the complaint on its members’ behalf in San Diego County Superior Court. Other plaintiffs included the National Rifle Assn., the California Rifle & Pistol Assn. and the Second Amendment Foundation.
The new tax law (Assembly Bill 28), which went into effect Monday, imposes an 11% excise tax on the sale of firearms, firearm parts and ammunition. It’s expected to generate $159 million in its first year to help fund state programs for gun violence prevention and gang intervention. |
OK: How many guns were sold in Oklahoma last year? Firearm sales in state declining, data shows
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Gun sales in Oklahoma slightly decreased from 2022 to 2023 as the state ranks 13th in the nation for the number of gun deaths per 100,000 people in 2024.
Data from the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) was analyzed by SafeHomes.org, a safety product review site, to determine ownership of recently purchased firearms in each state
NICS estimates that 325,700 guns were sold in Oklahoma last year, a 7% decrease from 2022. According to Statista, the state sees 20.1 gun deaths per 100,000 residents. |
AZ: Nearly 150K guns sold in Arizona in first 4 months of 2024, report finds
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A review of firearm data from the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System found that firearm dealers and individuals sold about 5.5 million guns in the U.S. in the first four months of 2024, with Arizona making up almost 150,000 sales.
The review from SafeHomes.org, a safety product review site, came three days after the U.S. Surgeon General declared gun violence to be a public health crisis in a 39-page advisory. |
CA: California becomes 1st state to place a tax on guns and ammo
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“I’m stocking up on ammunition because there's a tax coming up,” he said.
He’s referring to California’s new 11% excise tax on firearms and ammunition that went into effect at the start of July. That tax — on top of Burbank’s 10.25% sales tax means a total of 21.25% added to the receipt.
Guns Direct owner James Janya said that essentially doubles what consumers had been taxed previously, and it really adds up.
“Say a $1,000 gun. You're over $200,” he explained, “and you still have to pay the state fee, the background check. So at the end of the day, the state's making a lot of money. A lot.” |
CA: New California firearms tax prompts Second Amendment lawsuit to block 'modern Jim Crow law'
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Aconsortium of Second Amendment advocacy groups and two residents filed suit seeking to block California’s new 11% excise tax on firearms, parts and ammunition.
The case, Jaymes v. Maduros, alleged that the Supreme Court has previously ruled that constitutional rights should not be subject to taxation, and sought to block the tax that went into effect July 1.
One of the precedents cited was Murdock v. Pennsylvania, in which the court sided with a Jehovah’s Witness who had been required to purchase a permit to evangelize door-to-door in Westmoreland County. |
NY: SCOTUS vacates NY Circuit Court gun control ruling
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On Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court vacated a ruling from the Second Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals in a case about New York’s Concealed Carry Improvement Act (CCIA). After that case—”Antonyuk, Ivan, at al. v James, Steven G., et al.“—the Gun Owners of America (GOA) argued that the circuit court misinterpreted and misapplied a previous Supreme Court decision, and the Supreme Court agreed. |
MD: Maryland Attorney General Urges Supreme Court to Uphold Federal Ghost Gun Regulations
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The Maryland Attorney General’s Office issued the following statement on Friday, July 5:
Attorney General Anthony G. Brown joined a group of 24 attorneys general urging the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold a federal rule that regulates ghost guns—untraceable weapons often made at home from kits—like other firearms. In an amicus brief filed in Garland v. VanDerStok, the coalition urges the Supreme Court to reverse a decision by an appeals court overturning the ghost gun rule and argues that the rule is a common-sense clarification of existing law that is necessary to prevent gun violence and help law enforcement to solve serious crimes. |
AL: Grocery store in Alabama removes ammo vending machine
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An Alabama grocery store has removed a vending machine after the legality of the machine was questioned during a pre-council meeting.
The vending machine doesn't sell drinks, snacks or toys but something very different.
"I got some calls about ammunition being sold in grocery stores, vending machines, the vending machines," Councilman Kip Tyner said during the meeting on Tuesday. "Is that? I mean, I thought it was a Lie. I thought it was a joke - but it's not."
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As for the Tuscaloosa grocery store, a manager for Fresh Value said the store removed the machine on July 3 because of a lack of sales. |
Exclusive Masters of Accuracy 1911s Show Off Hard Lockup
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Mark Brand once built upscale speedboats and race cars before transitioning to firearms with Les Baer Custom. After founding and running the AR department at Les Baer for many years, Brand branched off on his own. It seems he found his niche when he started Masters of Accuracy and began making his own custom firearms with a focus on high-end 1911s.
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Australia: Gun buyback rates double after Labor’s firearm laws pass Parliament
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WA firearm owners have rushed to hand in their guns in the wake of Labor’s tough new laws passing through Parliament last month, with the rate of buyback doubling in the last two weeks.
New figures released by the Police Minister’s office showed in the two weeks since the passage of the laws, WA firearm owners have handed 140 guns back per day on average under the buyback, compared to 74 a day in the week before the reforms. |
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