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In Memoriam: Mike Venturino
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Today’s affirmation-driven world of “me, me, me!” does a lousy job of accurately portraying a man’s impact on this earth. Thankfully, our late colleague and friend, Mike “Duke” Venturino, never placed much stock in such nonsense.
As one ages and acquires hard-earned wisdom, it becomes clearer that accomplishments are fine and expected from a lifetime of productive work, often leaving an indelible mark on this spinning ball we call home. |
CA: Tobacco Store Owner Shoots Robber Dead, 2 Others Arrested
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The incident occurred around 9 a.m. in the 10900 block of East Firestone Boulevard, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. The store owner’s partner was pepper-sprayed by one of the suspects, prompting the owner to grab his firearm and shoot, hitting one of the intruders.
After their getaway car was blocked in, all three suspects fled on foot. The suspect who was shot was found in a nearby alleyway. He was taken to the hospital but later died from his injuries, according to the sheriff’s department. His identity has not been released. |
DC: Suspect Claims Self-Defense For Fatally Shooting 13-Year-Old
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“Jason was defending his life and his family,” Julie Swaney, Lewis’ attorney, stated, adding that Lewis has a wife and four children.
Swaney claimed Lewis heard someone trying to break into his house, and was shot at by two people from a car, before shooting back. She argued this incident arose out of self-defense.
According to Swaney, Blake ran at Lewis in a threatening manner, which led to Lewis shooting and killing the 13-year-old.
The prosecution called on a Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officer who responded to the scene seconds after the incident occurred. Body-camera footage, shown in court, depicts the officer walking up to the residence as Lewis was rendering aid to Blake. |
TX: 75-year-old retiree who fatally shot neighbor claims it was self-defense
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Blue is charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in the June 27 shooting of 66-year-old neighbor Daryl Evans in the Fort Bend County area of Houston.
Evans' family claims Blue constantly harassed them about HOA rules and other things ever since they moved in across the street but Blue and attorney James Rivera claim Evans was the issue and even threatened Blue the day of the deadly confrontation.
"Ms. Blue said, 'Back off, back off,” Rivera said. "Scared to death, she had a pistol, he would not back off, she shot.” |
MD: Pro-gun group plans Supreme Court fight over Maryland ‘assault weapons’ ban
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Earlier this year, the Supreme Court declined to take up the case from a prejudgment posture, opting instead to allow the 4th Circuit to weigh the decision first.
Once the FPC appeals, it will become the first petition in a case regarding “assault weapons” from a final judgment since Bruen in 2022, according to the gun rights group. The high court more recently ruled in Rahimi v. United States, its first gun-related decision since Bruen, that kept in place a federal law restricting domestic violence offenders from possessing firearms. |
.380 vs. 9mm: Which Option is Best For Everyday Carry
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The best gun for self-defense is always the one you have immediate access to. In the concealed carry world, that firearm is typically a semi-automatic handgun due to its high magazine capacity, reduced felt recoil, and overall shootability compared to a revolver. Gunmakers, like Smith & Wesson, offer various carry options in multiple sizes. The new M&P Bodyguard 2.0, chambered in .380 ACP, is just 5.5 inches long, small enough to fit in your front pocket. S&W’s Shield Plus Series is a slightly larger 9mm handgun built for self-defense. |
OH: BFA asks Gov. DeWine to appoint pro-2A Senator to JD Vance's seat
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As you know, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump recently named Ohio Senator J.D. Vance as his running mate and vice presidential candidate.
If the Trump ticket wins in the November General Election, Vance will vacate his seat in the U.S. Senate, and Gov. Mike DeWine will need to appoint a replacement for the remainer of Vance's six-year term.
On behalf of Ohio's 4 million gun owners, Buckeye Firearms Association has asked DeWine to strongly consider respect for the Second Amendment as a key qualification for this appointment. |
MD: After being upheld, Maryland’s gun ban law expected before SCOTUS before others
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A challenge against Maryland’s gun ban is likely to make it to the U.S. Supreme Court before gun ban challenges from other states.
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Todd Vandermyde, a gun rights advocate and consultant for plaintiffs in one of Illinois’ challenges against the Land of Lincoln’s gun and magazine ban, said Maryland’s ruling is so bad it helps Second Amendment advocates heading to the Supreme Court.
“It just so flies in the face of the common use test, modern guns are protected, all the things that have been reiterated through [previous Supreme Court precedent], I think this thing is just so bad that they’re going to take it,” Vandermyde told The Center Square. |
AK: How did Rep. Mary Peltola end up with 176 long guns? Some questions the legacy media won’t ask
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He also served as refuge manager. Buzzy, in his own plane or in a USFW plane, could fly over the refuge and spot people with guns. He would know who was allowed to have them and who wasn’t on federal land, who had proper hunting permits and who didn’t, and it may be that situations occurred in which hunters not following the extensive regulations may have given up their guns to Buzzy Peltola in exchange for not being cited and having to show up in Bethel court.
Buzzy Peltola died last September in a plane crash while hauling moose meat out of a hunting lodge in rural Alaska. He’s not around to answer the questions... |
OR: Oregon’s “Ghost Gun” Ban Challenged in Court
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The Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) filed a lawsuit on Monday against Oregon’s “ghost gun” ban, using the Bruen decision as the tool of choice to dismantle the Beaver State’s Second Amendment infringement.
The bill, House Bill 2005 (HB 2005), was signed into law by Oregon’s Democratic Governor Tina Kotek last summer in defiance of the ruling by the Supreme Court from a year earlier. That ruling, in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen, requires that any government infringing on a citizen’s right to keep and bear arms must demonstrate “that the regulation is consistent with this Nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation.” |
Where does Tim Walz stand on guns and gun control? Here's his record.
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Randy Kozuch, chairman of the NRA Political Victory Fund, said Walz is a "political chameleon — changing his positions to further his own personal agenda."
"In Congress, Walz purported to be a friend of gun owners to receive their support in his rural Minnesota district," Kozuch said. "Once he had his eyes set on other offices, he sold out law-abiding Minnesotans and promoted a radical gun control agenda that emboldened criminals and left everyday citizens defenseless. Kamala Harris and Tim Walz cannot be trusted to defend freedom and our constitutional rights." |
NY: Rockland lawmakers require warning labels wherever guns are sold
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The Rockland County Legislature has voted unanimously to require warning labels to be posted wherever firearms are sold in the county.
The labels warn that access to a firearm in the home significantly increases the risk of suicide, homicide, and death during domestic disputes as well as the risk of accidental deaths of children or others. It also includes contact information for the National Suicide Hotline.
Besides being displayed at retailers, the warning would also be given to people seeking gun licenses in Rockland. |
Maps Show Where American Guns Are Trafficked Across Southern Border
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Immigration into the United States is being partly driven by gun violence — which itself is fueled by firearms bought in the U.S. and illegally transported back to Mexico by organized crime networks.
Over 200,000 firearms found in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico between 2015 and 2022 were linked back to the U.S., recent data from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) shows.
Migrants from those four countries make up the bulk of border crossings into the U.S. each year. |
US federal judge again dismisses Mexico's lawsuit against gun manufacturers
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A U.S. federal judge in Massachusetts again dismissed a $10 billion Mexican government lawsuit against six U.S. gun manufacturers on Wednesday.
Mexico had argued the companies knew weapons were being sold to traffickers who smuggled them into Mexico and decided to cash in on that market.
However, the judge ruled that Mexico had not provided concrete evidence that any of the six companies' activities in Massachusetts were connected to any suffering caused in Mexico by guns. |
CA: Armed Citizen Shoots Man Who Attacked Him With Metal Pipe, U-Haul Truck
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According to the San Mateo Police Department, the altercation began when the suspect drove to the location in a U-Haul truck and engaged in a verbal argument with the victim. As the argument intensified, the suspect returned to the truck, retrieved a metal pipe, and began assaulting the victim. The victim sustained multiple injuries to his head and arms from the pipe attack.
In an act of self-defense, the victim then pulled out a .22 caliber pistol and shot the suspect. Despite his injuries, the suspect managed to return to the U-Haul, reverse the vehicle, and attempt to run over the victim. However, instead of hitting the victim, the suspect crashed into the victim’s car. |
MD: ‘Excessively Dangerous’: Federal Court Upholds Maryland’s ‘Assault Weapons’ Ban
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A U.S. appeals court upheld a Maryland law banning assault-style weapons on Tuesday, ruling that the law does not violate the Second Amendment.
The Firearms Policy Coalition, Second Amendment Foundation, Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms and several Maryland citizens brought up the case challenging the constitutionality of the state’s “military-style assault weapons” ban, prohibiting the sale and possessions of the AR-15, AK-47 and Barrett .50 caliber sniper rifle, among others. The ban has been in place since 2013 following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting that killed 20 children and six adults in Connecticut. |
MD: 4th Circuit Defies Supreme Court, Upholds AR15 Rifle Ban in MD, Gun Owners File Petition for Cert
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The Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) has announced they will seek Supreme Court review in Bianchi v. Wilkinson, SAF’s challenge to Maryland’s assault weapons ban, after the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the law.
“Today’s decision from the 4th Circuit is unsurprising given their prior decision in Kolbe,” said SAF Executive Director Adam Kraut. “We believe, much like in Kolbe, the court’s analysis is flawed and that the challenged law is unconstitutional. We will be filing a petition for certiorari at the Supreme Court, as this case presents an excellent vehicle for the Court to settle this debate once and for all.”
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FL: Palm Beach gun owner part of legal challenge to Florida's ban on openly carrying firearms
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Second Amendment groups and a Palm Beach County gun owner Tuesday filed a federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of a Florida law that bars people from openly carrying firearms.
Gun Owners of America, the Gun Owners Foundation and gun owner Richard Hughes filed the lawsuit in South Florida and contended that the open-carry ban does not meet a legal test that such restrictions must be consistent with the nation’s “historical tradition” of firearms regulation. |
Hyde-Smith Cosponsors Bill To Prohibit State Excise Taxes On Guns & Ammo
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U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) recently cosponsored legislation to stop states from imposing excise taxes on firearms and ammunition, fees that drive up costs for sportsmen, hunters, and other law-abiding gun owners.
Hyde-Smith is an original cosponsor of the Freedom from Unfair Gun Taxes Act (S.4960), which would prohibit states from implementing excise taxes on firearms, ammunition, or their parts and components, to fund gun control programs. U.S. Senator James Risch (R-Idaho) authored the legislation. |
Is The Honeymoon Over Already? CNN Fact-Checks Tim Walz Over Stolen Valor Claims
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Just over two weeks after Vice President Kamala Harris took over the top of the Democratic Party’s 2024 ticket, media has finally shown some mild interest in tackling the difficult questions — about her newly-selected running mate, Governor Tim Walz (D-MN).
During a segment that ran on Wednesday, CNN addressed claims that over the years, Walz had embellished his 24-year military career in the Minnesota National Guard — or even that he was guilty of stolen valor. |
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QUOTES
TO REMEMBER |
Congress have no power to disarm the militia. Their swords, and every other terrible implement of the soldier, are the birthright of an American... The unlimited power of the sword is not in the hands of either the federal or state government, but, where I trust in God it will ever remain, in the hands of the people. — Tench Coxe, Pennsylvania Gazette, Feb. 20, 1788. |
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