The sale did not take place, and as the teen selling the item walked away, a third teen approached him and began to struggle with him over the item, officials said.
A relative of the teen who owned the item got out of a nearby vehicle and was shot twice by the alleged robber, officials said. The relative, who also had a gun, said he returned fire, hitting the robber once.
Chart produced with tools provided at Real Time Crime Index. Time of Bruen decision added.
On June 23, 2022, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) issued a decision in N.Y. State Rifle & Pistol Ass’n v. Bruen. Prior to the Bruen decision, Courts of Appeal in Progressive dominated Circuits, such as the Ninth and Second circuits, had refused to honor Second Amendment precedent established in the Heller and McDonald decisions. Bruen admonished the lower courts for creating a procedure to treat the Second Amendment as a second class right. Bruen created a simple test to determine if a statute was allowed by the Second Amendment.
The Bruen case clarified that "bear" in the "right to keep and bear arms" protected the right to be armed in public places with arms which can be carried by or on a person. The limitations to this right were stated to be the same limitations as they were understood by the public in 1791 when the Bill of Rights was ratified. Anti-Second Amendment pundits predicted more violent crime and homicides.
As of the latest numbers from October of 2025, the 12 month running average of violent crime has dropped 14% since June of 2022. The drop in murders is even more pronounced at 39%. The numbers are from the tools provided by the Real Time Crime Index. The index does not track all crime. It tracks a sample using the numbers provided by 570 agencies. The relative proportions of the sample are said to track within 2% of proportions of FBI numbers in the Uniform Crime Reports. Agreement to within 2% of overall proportions, in this sort of measurement, is quite good. If the Real Time Crime Index shows a rise or fall in crime numbers, it essentially mimics what is happening in the FBI numbers. The 570 reporting agencies cover over half of the crimes reported in the United States.
After the initial wave of anti-Second Amendment propaganda subsided, approval of the Bruen decision returned to about 2/3 of the respondents. The Second Amendment is popular in the United States of America.
The drop in violent crime and in homicides is coincident with implementation of the Bruen decision. It started before President Trump was elected to his second term. It is also coincident to the election of a Republican majority in the House of Representatives, which placed some restraint on the excesses of the Biden administration. 2022 is also coincident with a retreat from some of the anti-police and pro-criminal policies pushed by what became known as "Soros" prosecutors such as Kimberly Gardner in Saint Louis, Missouri.
Cause and effect are not easy to determine. A return to the rule of law clearly works to reduce crime. The far-left notion of police as the cause, rather then the cure for crime has not held up in real-world situations. It cannot be proven the Bruen decision was instrumental in reducing violent crime and homicides. The fact that violent crime and homicides fell after the Bruen decision make it unlikely restoration of rights protected by the Second Amendment increases violent crime. It is more likely restoration of rights protected by the Second Amendment is a contributor to lower violent crime and homicide rates.
©2025 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.
Gun Watch
According to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, they received a call at around 6:40 p.m. on Monday, and the caller stated he shot the driver after he used his vehicle to ram through the gate of the caller’s property and drive towards him.
The person who was shot was airlifted to a hospital in Tyler, and his condition is currently stable, according to authorities.
Simmons had been shot in the throat, police said. He was taken to an area hospital where his non-life-threatening injuries were treated before he was released and taken to the Hampton County Detention Center, according to the release.
Simmons was charged with first-degree domestic violence (of a high and aggravated nature), police said.
The charge stems from an assault early Monday morning, according to the release. At about 4 a.m., officers responded to a person who wanted to meet with law enforcement regarding an incident involving his mother and her boyfriend, later identified as Simmons, police said. The person said he fired a shot to defend his mother, who was being attacked by her boyfriend, according to the release.
One person was hospitalized Monday night following a shooting that stemmed from an argument at a Norwalk hotel, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department told NBC4 Investigates.
Deputies responded at about 9:15 p.m. to the Saddleback Hotel on Firestone Boulevard after a reports of an assault with a deadly weapon. After an argument, one person deployed pepper spray on the other individual, who then opened fire, the agency said.
The gunshot victim was hospitalized in fair condition.
An update clarified the firearm used belonged to the girlfriend of the defender.
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According to Melissa Criswell, deputy chief of the Muncie Police Department, information gathered by detectives “substantiates that Brown forced his way into the residence while armed” and was shot by a resident of the house.
Brown was taken by ambulance to IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The man who allegedly shot Brown, 33-year-old Danny Martin Songer, was arrested on suspicion of obstruction of justice and unlawful carrying of a handgun.
Image of grizzly bear by Troy Nemitz, used with permission.
In an article published in Molecular Biology and Evolution, Italian researchers mapped the genetics of European Marsican Brown bears (ursus arctos). They found evidence indicating the bears had been selected by human hunting pressure to be less aggressive. From yale.edu:
To investigate, Italian researchers mapped the genes of Marsican bears and compared them with the genes of brown bears in Slovakia and the U.S. Their study, published in Molecular Biology and Evolution, found clear evidence that the Marsican bears had been selected for lower aggression.
The study has confirmed what naturalists, ranchers, hunters and wildlife managers assumed to be true. Grizzly bears (ursus arctos) in the lower 48 states of the United States were known as especially aggressive since they became widely known in the Anglosphere after the Lewis and Clark expedition. Lewis and Clark first reported on ursus arctos as described to them by Indians on the Missouri river. From the Lewis and Clark Journals, Lewis, April 13, 1805:
the Indians give a very formidable account of the strengh and ferocity of this anamal, which they never dare to attack but in parties of six eight or ten persons; and are even then frequently defeated with the loss of one or more of their party.
Lewis at first thought the "white" (ursus arctos) bears were actually wary and shy:
tho' we continue to see many tracks of the bear we have seen but very few of them, and those are at a great distance generally runing from us; I thefore presume that they are extreemly ware and shy; the Indian account of them dose not corrispond with our experience so far.
Their experience and opinion of grizzly bears (ursus arctos) soon changed to concur with what they had heard from the Indians. From Lewis, May 11, 1805:
I must confess that I do not like the gentlemen and had reather fight two Indians than one bear; there is no other chance to conquer them by a single shot but by shooting them through the brains, and this becomes difficult in consequence of two large muscles which cover the sides of the forehead and the sharp projection of the center of the frontal bone, which is also of a pretty good thickness.
In 100 years of settlement and intense hunting, ursos arctos in the Americas had been selected so only those who fled from humans survived. The last 50 of those years included the development and wide spread use of cartridge firearms. One of the last redoubts of the grizzly population in the lower 48 states was in the mountains of the New Mexico/Arizona border. Montague Stevens spent years actively hunting grizzly bears in the area, from 1889 to 1901. In his book, Meet Mr. Grizzly, he says, on page 251:
He will seldom attack a man unless the latter first molests him. As a matter of fact, he would rather run away than fight.
Stephen Herrero believed selection by hunting was the reason black bears seldom attack people. The same logic applies to grizzly bears. From his paper:
It is well known among dog breeders that it is possible to selectively breed for or against aggression. It is highly likely that this selection would also be possible for bears.
The reverse is also true. If humans do not select out aggressive bears, bears which are willing to be aggressive are favored, because they have access to human related food supplies. Grizzly bears in the lower 48 states are much more aggressive than grizzly bears in Alaska, where hunting of ursus arctos is commonly allowed. It only takes a few generations for bears to learn to be aggressive and to reinforce aggression as a viable selection force. In the lower 48 states the federal government has enforced a ban on hunting for roughly 10 generations of grizzly bears (at about 5 years per generation). At the beginning of this vast experiment, the State of Montana Department of Fish and Game submitted a statement pleading for regulated hunting. From the federal register, FR-1975-07-28, p. 31735:
By contrast, a regulated sport hunt, will create an adequate fear of man. In a seasonal sport hunt, bears are exposed to relatively large numbers of humans for a limited time, and consequently learn to avoid all areas where humans are encountered. It is this avoidance of man which will reduce numerous depredations and threats to human safety.
In 1975, the Montana wildlife managers believed a hunting take of 25 bears a year would be sufficient to maintain an aversion to humans by grizzly bears.
The relatively small population of grizzly bears in the lower 48 states now kill more people than 20 times their population does in Alaska. From 1975 to present, 24 people have been killed by wild ursus arctos in the lower 48 states. During the same period, 20 people were killed by wild ursus arctos in Alaska.
©2025 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.
Gun Watch
Winnebago County Sheriff’s Deputies were called to a home in the 2000 block of Anjali Way, near AMC Showplace 14, around 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, December 26th.
A victim reported that he interrupted a burglary at his home. According to police, the victim struggled with King and a shot was fired.
King fled the scene, but later showed up at a Rockford hospital suffering from a gunshot wound.
According to the Barnesville Police Department (BPD), officers were sent to the home on Kate Ct. at around 1:50 a.m. Thursday, when they spoke with a woman who said 35-year-old Gregory Young, her ex-boyfriend and children's father, kicked in the door of her home.
She told police an argument began, leading to a shooting between Young and another man inside the home. BPD said the 31-year-old man was shot in the abdomen, and Young fled the scene.
Police now have warrants out for Young's arrest for two counts of aggravated assault, reckless conduct, 2nd degree home invasion, and possession of a firearm in the commission of a crime. BPD said he has not been apprehended and is last known to be traveling north in a 2006 Chevrolet 3500 Pickup truck with a North Carolina license plate tag.
Davis and Jenkins were booked on suspicion of attempted robbery with a deadly weapon, conspiracy to commit robbery, burglary while in possession of a gun or deadly weapon, and assault with a deadly weapon.
They were both still hospitalized as of Thursday, and it's unclear when they could make their first court appearances in person.
Davis has priors arrests for theft in 2019 and domestic battery in 2020 and pleaded no contest to both charges, per court records. Jenkins pleaded no contest to a reckless driving charge in 2021.
LVMPD said officers responded around 4:05 p.m. Tuesday to reports of gunfire coming from Haven Oaks Place, part of a residential community near Sky Vista Drive and Red Red Canyon Road. They learned a homeowner shot two men when they allegedly approached him in his garage while they were armed.
The incident occurred around 2 p.m. on Pardee Road near Goddard Road when a silver SUV in the left lane attempted to merge right, but the driver of a gray hatchback wouldn't allow it, according to Taylor Police Detective Phillip Wengrowski.
When the SUV finally moved in front, both vehicles became stuck in traffic. That's when the front seat passenger of the SUV exited his vehicle and approached the hatchback.
"The driver of the second vehicle saw the front seat passenger approaching him. He exited his vehicle with a mace and retreated to the rear of his vehicle," Wengrowski said.
The hatchback driver warned the SUV passenger to back up while spraying mace. The passenger then lifted his shirt to reveal a firearm tucked in his waistband.
"Once the individual who maced saw the gun, he retreated back into his vehicle," Wengrowski said.
Jayden Carson, 25, of Little Rock told police that a man he knew only as "Nate" pulled a gun in the parking lot at 10300 N. Rodney Parham Rd. around 8 p.m. and tried to steal a pair of Nike Jordan sneakers Carson had listed on Facebook Marketplace for $365, the incident report states.
Carson took cover behind an SUV and drew a gun, firing two rounds at the man, who fired one back. Carson wasn't injured and he told police he thought he hit the man, who fled the area on foot, followed by the car he'd arrived in. Officers weren't able to find the man.
The shooting occurred at 8:51 a.m. inside the building at 5223 Frankford Ave. Two men got into a fight, and one man took out a gun and shot the other in the shoulder, according to SEPTA spokesperson John Golden. The fight continued over the gun, and the original shooter was shot in the hand by the man with the wounded shoulder, Golden said.
Both men were hospitalized and taken into police custody. SEPTA police transported one man to Jefferson Torresdale Hospital, and the other to Temple University Hospital. Both men are in stable condition.
Davis says Jones broke the front door of the home on Jones Lane at about noon Monday and made threats of harm to family members. He left the home momentarily and retrieved a steel pipe jack handle from his vehicle in the driveway and returned to the front door a second time, threatening and demanding money. Family members described him as being enraged and belligerent and possibly on some type of illegal drug. He tried to enter the home again but a family member fired one shot from a shotgun in order to protect the residents from harm. Jones died at the scene. Justice of the Peace Chris Ingram has ordered an autopsy.
They arrived and found one person, only identified as a 25-year-old man, suffering from a gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene, firefighters said.
LAPD detectives said that the incident stemmed from an attempted robbery. They believe that three people attempted to rob a man, who shot one of the suspects. The other two suspects are believed to have run from the area following the shooting.
The circumstances surrounding the shooting remain under investigation.
The Arkansas Capitol
On November 14, 2025, the Arkansas Attorney General (AG), Tim Griffin, clarified Arkansas law about the legal carry of firearms. The three question to be answered included: publicly owned buildings or facilities, the legal definition of an "athletic event" is in Arkansas law, and what type of carry is prohibited in statutorily prohibited spaces. The questions were asked by The Honorable Sonia Eubanks Barker, a Republican state representative with a pro-Second Amendment reputation.
AG opinions are not binding on judges. They are statements of what the Attorney General believes the law to be. They are often taken into account by prosecutors when determining whether to prosecute in a given circumstance.
AG Griffin's response was detailed and encyclopedic. It is well crafted and an excellent read. The response explains Arkansas statutory law about the carry of firearms in considerable detail. The response also explains some of the intricacies of law and statutory interpretation. In addition to the lengthy response, the AG provides brief summaries of his findings. AG Griffin found:
1. Arkansas statutes do not prohibit the open carry of firearms in municipal parks or athletic events. The statutes prohibit concealed carry at athletic events, and both open and concealed carry in municipal buildings and facilities unless the person has a endorsement to the Arkansas Concealed Carry permit showing they completed required training.
2. Athletic event is defined. “athletic event” refers to organized sports activities—such as games, contests, or practices affiliated with school, leagues, or other entities—and does not include unorganized play."
3. The prohibited places list for concealed carry in A.C.A. § 5-73-306 only applies to people carrying concealed weapons. There are numerous other statutes which contain more general prohibitions on the carry of weapons generally, whether openly or concealed. People with the endorsed Arkansas Concealed Carry permit are exempted from many of the prohibitions on concealed carry in A.C.A. § 5-73-306.
The laws governing where loaded concealed firearms may be legally carried in Arkansas have a long history as the legislature struggled to reform old law to be more compliant to the Second Amendment. Arkansas today is a Constitutional Carry state. People who may legally own firearms may legally carry handguns in most public places, openly or concealed, without a permit. The intricacies of the law are in what places the legislature has designated where loaded firearms are not legally permitted at this time.
The Arkansas Legislature has approved a ballot measure to amend the Arkansas state Constitution with a strong protection of the right to keep and bear arms.
Analysis:
The statutes referred to by Arkansas AG Griffin were enacted, in large part, as incremental changes to reduce the number of "gun free" zones in the state of Arkansas. A person who intends to carry firearms for defense of self and others in Arkansas is advised to read the statutes and read AG Griffin's opinion on the statutes. Such reading will help to educate them about areas where carry of firearms are prohibited.
Obtaining a state endorsement on an Arkansas Concealed Carry permit significantly reduces the number of prohibited places in Arkansas law. The endorsement is available through certified Arkansas firearm safety instructors and requires eight hours of training including live fire. The courses cost about $100 to $150 and require at least 100 rounds of ammunition. Renewal of the license is required every five years. A renewal course is required, which is reported to take about 30 minutes for a fee of about $40. Arkansas permits/licenses are only available to Arkansas residents.
©2025 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.
Gun Watch
A caller, who resides in the building, informed dispatch that an individual was attempting to break into his apartment and that a firearm was discharged, according to the release.
When officers arrived, they found a 35-year-old gunshot victim lying outside the apartment where the reported attempted entry occurred, according to the release.
Officers began administering medical aid until Kankakee Fire Department EMS arrived. The victim was taken to a local hospital, where the victim was later pronounced dead, according to the release.
The department said the caller was able to push the suspect back outside and secure the door. The caller told dispatch he believed the suspect with under the influence of drugs or intoxicated.
“While officers were attempting to gain access to the property through secured gates and fencing, the caller contacted dispatch again, stating the suspect had opened a window and was attempting to enter the apartment while yelling at him and his family,” FSPD said.
The department said the caller then fired one shot, and the suspect left the window.
Officers, who had arrived shortly after the first call, found the suspect, later identified as Wayne Nance, roughly 50 feet from the caller’s apartment door with a single gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Deputies said the investigation revealed a man from Mauldin drove to the home in an attempt to persuade a woman in the household to return with him to his home. Officials said the two had previously been in a non-marital relationship and after separating, the woman returned to her family on Coffee Road.
Officials reported the man drew a weapon, but other people at the residence removed the weapon from him. Deputies said the man then drew a second weapon and began firing, striking the woman and the two men at the home.
The sheriff’s office said another man at the home fired shots at Gibbs, but no one was injured by this.
Deputies said the woman and one of the men underwent surgery and are now “stable but serious condition.” The second man was treated and released.
According to officials, Gibbs drove away from the residence and stopped his vehicle in the parking lot of an elementary school on Coffee Road. He was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) released a report in 2024 detailing updated data about traces involving Privately Made Firearms (PMF), sometimes referred to as "ghost guns" in the media. The data covers traces from 2017 through 2023. ATF also publishes overall trace data for firearms for the covered years.
The total number firearms traced in the seven years 2017-2023 was 288,0257. Of those, PMF traced are 92,702, or 3.2% of the total. The number of PMFs traced has been growing. In 2023, 5.4% of the total firearms traced were PMFs. Of the total homicides involving firearms from 2017 to 2023, only 1.5% were associated with PMFs. There were 1,349 homicides associated with PMFs and 87,341 homicides associated with manufactured firearms. For manufactured firearms, there were .031 homicides per trace; for PMFs there were .015 homicides per trace.
There were more than twice as many homicides per manufactured firearms traced as there were homicides for Privately Made Firearms (PMF) traced.
The ATF data showed how many traces were associated with attempted homicides. For manufactured firearms, there were .0054 attempted homicides associated with firearms per trace. For PMF, there were .0037 attempted homicides per trace. Of total homicides and attempted homicides associated with manufacured firearms, attempted homicides were 15%. Of total homicides and attempted homicides with PMF, attempted homicides were 20%. It appears homicide attempts with PMF are less likely to result in death.
Not only were PMF less than half as likely to be used in a homicide per trace, when attempted homicides are considered, PMF are less likely to result in a death.
Homicides and attempted homicides are involved in a small amount of firearms traces. They are associated with about .036 of traces of manufactured firearms and about .019 of traces of PMF. Most traces of manufactured firearms are for victimless crimes such as possession, firearm under investigation, and carrying a concealed weapon. These account for about 67% of traces of PMF and about 60% of traces for manufactured firearms. Of manufactured firearms traced, 80.4% are handguns. Of PMF traced, 64% are handguns.
If Privately Made Firearms are traced at roughly the same percentage as manufactured firearms in the United States, then approximately 3.2% of the private stock consists of PMF or about .032 x 500 million or 16 million PMF in the United States. If the latest figures from 2023 are used, .054 x 500 million or 27 million PMF exist in the United States.
It is likely PMF are oversampled in firearms traces because of administrative emphasis on recording PMF. Some states have statutorily criminalized PMF possession; this could explain the higher level of victimless crimes in the PMF statistics. 56% of PMF traces are from California, Illinois, and Maryland.
PMF are difficult to trace because they lack a serial number. They are no more difficult to trace than most of the 500 million firearms in the USA. Once a firearm has been sold, there is no registration system in the USA, only an ability to trace the firearm to the first retail sale. Privately sold, gifted, or inherited firearms are not easily traced after a few years. Firearms more than 20 years old become practically untraceable. Stolen firearms become virtually untraceable. Firearms registration by the Federal government is illegal in the USA and in some states. Few states register firearms. The practice of firearm registration is Constitutionally suspect. Almost 300 million firearms in the United States are more than 20 years old.
Analysis: Firearms traces are seldom used to solve violent crimes. Tens of millions of dollars are spent on firearms registration. In Canada, over a period of 60 years and tens of thousands of police hours, the Canadian Department of Justice could not identify a single instance where handgun registration helped to solve a crime. If the same resources were used for police and detective work, many lives could be saved and crimes prevented. Resources are limited. It is best to use them wisely. Private individuals have been making their own firearms since well before the Constitution was ratified. The tradition will continue. It is a time honored part of the right to keep and bear arms.
©2025 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.
Gun Watch
RPD Chief David Smith briefed the media Saturday morning, saying officers responded to reports of a man breaking into the house of his ex-girlfriend, possibly with a gun, around 10:15 p.m. Officers tell us the caller, the woman’s current boyfriend, told police he had his legally-owned pistol on him at the time.
RELATED: ‘It’s what we signed up for’: RPD chief speaks out after three officers shot, suspect killed
When officers got to the scene, they found the suspect on the side of the house — that’s when bullets started to fly.
Chief Smith says the suspect pulled out a gun and starting shooting at officers and the victim. RPD officers and the victim shot back, and the victim was shot multiple times.
The suspect ran from the scene, but an officer found them near Arnett Boulevard and Thurston Road. Again, the chief says the suspect immediately pulled out a gun and shot at the officer. That officer shot the suspect, and the suspect died at the scene.
According to a report from the Memphis Police, the caller told dispatch that a man had been using an axe to break into a home. The caller reportedly said that they "had him on the ground."
When officers arrived on the scene, they reportedly found the suspect lying on the ground with an axe next to him. Memphis Police report that when officers asked the suspect about his injuries, he told the officers that he must have tripped and fallen on his axe.
The suspect was taken to Regional One Hospital in critical condition. According to the Memphis Police, it was only then that it was determined that the suspect had been shot.
More Here
The New Zealand government is working to reform its complicated and draconian firearms law.
In 2019, a far-left ideologue mass murdered dozens of Muslims in New Zealand. One of his goals was to promote draconian gun laws in New Zealand and in the United States. He succeeded in New Zealand. Many extreme restrictions on firearms and ownership were piled onto already restrictive laws. Far Left PM Jacinda Ardern was successful in pushing through the draconian law on a wave of media maximized emotion. As part of the pushback to these draconian exercises of power, the Hon. Nicole McKee was elected as a member of parliament for the ACT party in the election of 2020. Associate Minister of Justice, Hon. Nicole McKee was interviewed in 2024 by deerstalkers.org.nz:
Labour's firearm law changes in 2019 affected everybody, not just hunters. Although, in saying that, hunters are a massive part of the licenced-firearms-owning community. I recall when the kids were small, and hubby was studying, the only way we got meat on our table at home was when I went out and hunted for it. We could not afford supermarket meat.
The real motivation came in 2019. I was running my own business, running firearms licencing courses in rural and isolated communities. I realised when the 2019 changes came into effect that they would affect everybody, not just the hunters, as I mentioned, but also target shooters, collectors, pest controllers and so on.
In the New Zealand election of 14 October, 2023, the three conservative parties won 67 seats, while the far left parties dropped 21 seats to a total of 55. This was a tremendous repudiation of the far left in New Zealand. Gun owners are only 5% of the population of New Zealand. Nicole McKee was elected to the New Zealand Parliament in 2020. She is a member of ACT, a conservative/libertarian party in New Zealand. ACT has 11 of the 67 conservative seats. The conservative coalition government started a process to reform the draconian gun law shortly after being elected. McKee is heading up the effort. From the Hon Nicole McGee June 1, 2024:
“Cabinet has agreed to the registry review terms of reference and the review is now underway,” Associate Minister of Justice, Hon Nicole McKee says.
The Hon Nicole McKee has been keeping people informed of the new government's progress on reforming the disastrous and confusing laws passed in 2019. Here are excerpts from her releases. Americans will realize defense of self and others, or militia use for the common defense, are not mentioned. From an September 11, 2024 release:
“I am focused on producing the best firearms laws in the world – laws that are easy to comply with and improve public safety.
“The previous Labour Government’s rushed, knee-jerk law changes have not made New Zealanders safer. More people were convicted of a firearm-related offence in 2023 than in 2019 – up 18 per cent.
From a December 17, 2024 release:
“Most firearms users are law abiding and responsible people. Many New Zealanders use firearms to hunt for food for their families, to control introduced pests, in farming and agriculture, and in sporting and competitive events. All these activities are legitimate. They are all important because they benefit communities and help protect our natural environment.”
“The safety of our communities is at the heart of an effective firearms regime; it is important that everyone has confidence in how firearms are controlled. For that reason, everyone has a role to play in the rewrite of the Act. This upcoming round of public consultation is the first step in hearing from all New Zealanders about their views.”
From a release on March 2, 2025:
Firearms Prohibition Orders (FPOs) are made by the court when offenders have committed serious violent offences. They are in force for 10 years – prohibiting offenders from holding a firearms licence, and from being around or accessing firearms. Breaching the conditions of an FPO is a criminal offence, and offenders that do breach conditions can be liable for up to seven years in prison.
Legal Firearms Owner is abbreviated as LFO in the releases. From a November 11, 2025 press release by the Hon. Nicole McKee, Associate Minister of Justice:
“The current law has been modified dozens of times since it came into force over 40 years ago with many of those changes being rushed through with little to no scrutiny. The result is a complex, confusing and bureaucratic patchwork that makes it difficult for LFOs to comply while not adequately keeping the public safe.
“The new law will be written in plain English, structured logically and with public safety at its core. It makes it much more difficult for firearms to get into the hands of criminals while allowing LFOs to continue to use their firearms safely and responsibly.
Some parts of the reform effort appear to be making the law more severe. New Zealand does not have a Second Amendment. Firearms owners are only five percent of the population. From Hon. Nicole McKee's release:
“Penalties for over 60 Arms Act offences will be increased, and eight new offences will be created – including new offences to reduce firearms entering the black market such as for straw buying and possessing a firearm with identification markings intentionally removed.
The Hon Nicole McKee is an impressive woman. She appears to be doing the best she can with the situation as it exists. With only five percent of the population as legal gun owners and no Second Amendment, she is pushing for the rule of law when it comes to firearm ownership in New Zealand. The assumption is firearms ownership will be legal if the rules are followed. She is focusing on making the rules clear and easy to follow. It may be the best which can be expected in New Zealand. The law is in the formative stage. We will not know the particulars until it actually passes the New Zealand parliament.
©2025 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.
Gun Watch
Tonight, a Huntsville security guard is recovering after police say he was shot during an attempted car robbery.
Upon arrival, officers from the South Central Area Command were directed to an apartment, where they found a man with an apparent gunshot wound.
Police rendered aid until paramedics arrived. The injured man was transported to Sunrise Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
According to LVMPD, the homeowner told investigators that a man entered his apartment uninvited and unannounced, which led to a physical altercation.
“A physical altercation ensued,” said Lt. Robert Price of LVMPD’s Homicide Section. “The homeowner produced a firearm and shot that individual.”
Bella Coola Elementary School shown in Bella Coola satellite image from Google Maps
On November 20, 2025, a bit before 2 p.m., a group of elementary school children were attacked by a grizzly bear, not far from their school. At least two adult men were with the children. It appears they and two others, including at least one child, were severely injured during the attack. At least one of the men is reported to have been severely injured while fight the bear and protecting the children. Two of the victims were listed in critical condition, two others were listed as serious, and seven others were treated at the scene with less serious injuries.
Emergency Health Services spokesman Brian Twaites said in a statement that the attack happened on a trail near Highway 20, and two ambulances and a community paramedic responded.
“Paramedics provided emergency medical treatment to four patients and transported them to hospital. Two patients were in critical condition and two were in serious condition,” he said.
The attack is said to have occurred on a trail near Highway 20 and the Four Mile residential development in Bella Coola, British Columbia, Canada. The Acwsalcta elementary school is located about two blocks from the highway, inside the Four Mile subdivision. Dense woods are across Labouchere Avenue from the elementary school between Highway 20 and the Bella Coola River. Here is a description of the Four Mile Subdivision:
Four Mile Subdivision is located at Bella Coola British Columbia. It is part of the Bella Coola Region and consists of much the same regional terrain and wilderness surroundings. The majority of the population there is also the Nuxalk Tribal Band. This area is more of the residential part of Bella Coola with more sightings of the Sasquatch and other Mysterious Creatures that inhabit the region. Four Mile Subdivision is located on the east side of Bella Coola. Four Mile Subdivision also has a school within and a sand and gravel pit.
One of the defenders is one of the victims in critical condition. A facebook post from Shani Hance named two defenders as relatives, cousins Russell and Nick. One mother of a child involved in the incident, Veronica Schooner, writes that bear spray was used.
Schooner said her son and other pupils had been hit with bear spray as the teachers fought off the bear.
As this is Canada, none of the defenders had a firearm. Canadian regulations make it very difficult for most people to possess the most effective defense against bear attack, handguns. Handguns tend to be more effective than long guns, because it is easier to keep a handgun on the person, and under control during a bear attack.
The bear is reported to be "on the loose". Authorities are asking people to stay inside. One poster on facebook states this has been a bad year for bears, with bears breaking into houses, and more bears than usual being seen. From Michelle Fawcett on facebook:
There is a lot of unusual grizzly activity in the valley this year, like house break ins and higher grizzly population in general. And now this attack. So very tragic.
British Columbia banned most grizzly bear hunting in December of 2017. Many predicted the number of bear attacks would increase because grizzly bears would become less fearful of humans. The Bella Coola valley has a very high concentration of grizzly bears.
The monetary support for banning the hunting of grizzly bears came mostly from Nature United, a radical deep green organization. It is an affiliate of the Nature Conservancy.
James Shelton avidly studied bear attacks in the area and wrote several books about the subject. He predicted bear attacks would increase when hunting pressure was reduced.
This article has relied on early reporting from several sources including the Canadian Press and Facebook. More details well come to light as an investigation is done.
Analysis: The people who live in Bella Coola tend to be hunters by tradition and inclination. They have lived with grizzly bears a long time. They know the best way to avoid conflict with grizzly bears is kill the bears who become too familiar with humans. This teaches the surviving bears to avoid humans. When the scent of humans becomes associated with the remains of dead bears, bears learn humans are dangerous. As bears cause more and more problems in Bella Coola, expect more and more bears to be killed in unsanctioned ways. Nearly any projectile which penetrates a bear's abdominal or thoracic cavity will cause death. The difference is whether it happens in minutes or days.
©2025 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.
Gun Watch
Atlanta Police say they responded to the call for the 15 year-old who was shot at the same time a call about a robbery came in nearby.
The 15-year-old died at the scene. Investigators say they believe he was attempting to rob a man when the man shot him.
Witnesses said they were there as police found a weapon on the teen’s body.
“The police did pull off a gun from him,” one witness said.
Police have not released the victim’s name.
It’s not clear if that shooter will face charges. Police continue to look for evidence.
A 72-year-old man is dead after a shooting on Burrell Street in Birmingham.
The Birmingham Police Department says Eddie Jemison was found in the road just before 6:30 p.m. on December 16, 2025. Jemison was taken to UAB Hospital where he was pronounced deceased.
Police say Jemison and another man had been in an argument before the shooting. The suspect remained at the scene and is being held on a 48-hour felony extension at the Birmingham City Jail.
(snip)
Wednesday afternoon, police said the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office has determined this case to be Justified. No criminal charges will be filed.
Australian Police officer near tree, shortly before he takes out the terrorist. The distance is 130 feet, 43 yards. It appears closer because of camera distance and angle.
More details are emerging from the chaos of the Jihadi terrorist attack on Bondi beach. A video from Australian Broadcasting Corporation gives some of the details. In 5 minutes and 52 seconds, 103 gunshots were fired. Time sense during life and death situations often stretches out, because the mind speeds up. The phenomena is called tachypsychia . At about 1.5 minutes into the event, the older terrorist is disarmed. By 3.5 minutes, he is back at the footbridge, shooting back toward the area where he was disarmed. At 3.5 minutes, the terrorists are taking incoming fire and ducking for cover as rounds impact nearby. At about 4 minutes, the police officer can be seen approaching the younger terrorist from behind, as discussed in the previous article.
A source from Australia, who has been very reliable, says he has seen video, not released to the public, which shows the officer, who took cover behind the tree, is the officer whose shot disabled the younger terrorist. Recent updates show it is likely the same officer killed the older terrorist less than a minute earlier. The source said he estimated the distance to be 40 meters or 130 feet. With that information and Google Maps, this correspondent was able to estimate the direction of the officer from the footbridge and make a good guess as to which tree the officer was behind. The distance to the terrorist position was measured at 130 feet!
The Google Maps satellite view also showed the distance from the position of the older terrorist when he rearmed and started firing again, to where the disarm occurred. It was 50 yards, or 150 feet.
The location of the disarm is distinguished by the palm tree and the picnic table. 50 yards is a plausible shot for buckshot. After the older terrorist had rearmed, he was observed shooting in the direction of the disarm at the palm tree. He takes careful aim with a red dot sight. It seems likely he was the one who wounded Ahmed Fatih Al Ahmed, the hero who had disarmed him a couple of minuets previously.
The person who threw a bottle at the older terrorist as he retreated and attempted to get the shotgun to work has been identified as Reuven Morrison, a Soviet born Jew, 62 years old. He was wounded as he attempted to bring the terrorist shotgun into play. He was wounded alongside Ahmed Fatih Al Ahmed. Reuven died at the hospital. It has been reported the shotgun had jammed during the disarm.
Ahmed Fatih Al Ahmed has been reliably identified as a Muslim immigrant from Syria. There are Maronite Christians from Lebanon in Sidney with a similar name. They have clarified a member of their family was not the person who did the disarm.
43 yards is a respectable pistol shot, even from the supported barricade position the officer had at the tree. Not all defensive situations are at close range. Eli Dicken fired 10 shots from 40 yards at the mass murderer in the Greenwood Mall in Indianapolis on July 17, 2022. He hit the killer with eight of ten shots. Vic Stacy fired his six inch Colt Python from 56 yards to take down Charles Conner, who had killed two people and was firing at a Texas Deputy at the Peach House RV park near Early Texas on July 29, 2012. The Python has a reputation for superb accuracy. Stacy believes he hit Conner four times, three after he fell down. Both Eli Dicken and Vic Stacy were recognized for their brave and effective actions.
Long distance precision pistol shooting is not common in defensive situations. As the three incidents show, it happens. Typical Glock handguns are capable of shooting 2.5 inch groups at 25 yards, or 10 inch groups at a hundred yards. Most handgunners have a difficult time shooting that well. It can be done with a supported position. Such precise shooting is much easier with optical sights, such as the now common reflex or red dot sights. With a Veridian green dot sight on a KelTec PR57, this correspondent was able to keep five shots inside 9.5 inches, centered, on a 100 yard target from a hasty rest. Shots were fired at about three seconds intervals.
Dedicated target pistols are capable of 1 inch groups at 25 yards. Most people do not carry target grade handguns as everyday carry. A close friend who has participated in numerous pistol competitions and Camp Perry rifle events has told me he can engage man sized targets at 200 yards with a target grade Glock 10mm and red dot sight. He says hits are not difficult with the red dot, as the necessary hold over does not obscure the target. This correspondent has not discovered any documented defensive situations where a pistol was used at over 125 yards.
©2025 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.
Gun Watch
Police said the sequence of events started bout 10:40 p.m. Monday when a patio door and back door of a home in the 1300 block of Speight Avenue were kicked. An arrest affidavit filed in the case stated the homeowner in fear for his life fired five or six shots at the door that had been kicked open, striking the man trying to enter in his left forearm.
Witnesses reported seeing a white Dodge Charger circling the area before the incident, then after the shots were fired reported seeing a man run to the car as it drove off. Police reported all of this activity was caught on security cameras.
About forty minutes later police were called to Scott & White Hillcrest hospital on a report of a man coming in with a gunshot wound.
As officers worked the two incidents, the wounded man was identified as a suspect in the burglary. An arrest affidavit stated that a shoe impression on the door that had been kicked in matched the suspects shoe sole, with the design and pattern a match. They also reported matches from security cameras of clothing and shoes worn by the suspect .
When officers arrived, they found a 31-year-old man suffering from a gunshot wound. Police identified the victim as Avery Lewis.
Investigators said Lewis jumped into a parked delivery truck in a threatening manner. As a result, the driver, Robin Volson, fired a handgun in self-defense.
After firing the weapon, Volson immediately contacted Alexandria Police to report the incident. Officers then secured the scene and began their investigation.
Lewis sustained moderate injuries. Emergency responders transported him to a local hospital for treatment.
Police later determined the incident may connect to a prior shooting on November 8, 2025. That earlier incident occurred in the 1800 block of Henry Street.
The Henry Street case involved a home invasion investigated by the Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Office. During that incident, Volson shot and killed the intruder, Devante Thomas.
In the week prior to November 21, 2025, Leamington police, part of the Warwickshire police, confiscated a collection of 129 antique bladed weapons from a single household in Whitnash, England. The police posted a photograph of the antiques which were confiscated. It was a sort of trophy photograph. The price of an average house in Whitnash is reported to be £364,457 or $488,372. From msn.com:
A spokesman for Leamington Police said: "Now we can't claim to have seized all the knives pictured through proactive patrols during this #OpSceptre week however after concerns were raised to us earlier this week we have seized 129 bladed articles from a property in Whitnash which clearly in the wrong hands could have caused serious harm.
Later in the article, the police added this:
The police spokesman added: "This means that in most cases it is an offense to possess any of the above articles anywhere. If found guilty of possessing a weapon like this you can face up to 4 years in prison, an unlimited fine or both."
There is a problem with the police actions and the statement above. None of the items pictured are illegal to possess, even with the recent changes in English weapons law. An excellent synopsis of the problem has been posted on Youtube. From Youtube video by antique dealer and expert in edged weapons, Matt Easton:
The UK police seem to have wrongly seized a collection of antique weapons. So Leamington police, part of Warwikshire police earlier this week, proudly boasted on their socials that they had seized 129 edged weapons from a property in Witnash. The problem is that all of the items pictured are completely legal to own.
Posts on facebook in reply to The Leamington Police post are universally critical. Not one comment defending the police was observed at the time this article was written. Here is a typical comment:
Respectfully, these are all clearly historic and/or antiques, all of which are exempt under the Offensive Weapons Act 2019. If the owner was not fit to be in possession of them then I can understand but I beg of you not to destroy these items, they’re of historic significance, they could be auctioned off to support the constabulary or donated to a museum or suitable collector.
The number of antique swords or other bladed military weapons used in crime in the UK is so close to zero, this correspondent has been unable to locate an example.
Analysis: When legislatures assume a problem is caused by an inanimate object, rather than by voluntary actions of individuals, they pass laws based on a false notion of causality. Weapons do not cause crime. People use weapons as tools to facilitate both defense and crime. When the focus is on the weapon in stead of individual actions, crime is not reduced. Alternative weapons are easily found or constructed. Weapons are easily constructed out of everyday items. The most commonly used knives in British crime are kitchen knives. A camera on a strap becomes a slung-shot. Sharpen the point on an umbrella, and it becomes a deadly weapon. The inanimate object is not the problem. The problem is the mind behind the object.
©2025 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.
Gun Watch
According to investigators, a neighbor stepped outside after hearing the commotion and saw Quinn actively attacking the woman with a knife. The neighbor ordered him to stop, but deputies say Quinn continued the assault.
At that point, the neighbor fired a weapon, striking Quinn. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
At 9:03 p.m. in the 3500 block of West Lexington Street, a 34-year-old man was in an argument with a 47-year-old man. The 34-year-old drew his firearm, and the 47-year-old, a licensed concealed carry holder, drew his firearm and shot the 34-year-old in the leg and hand. He was taken to Mt. Sinai in serious condition.
Bystander is in white shirt. Terrorist has light colored pants. Shotgun with extended magazine is pointed to the left, under the arms of the struggling men.
The recent terror attack at Bondi beach, near Sydney, Australia started about 6:45 p.m on December 14, Australian time. Two terrorists opened fire with long guns on a Jewish celebration of the first day of Hanuka. 16 people are reported dead, including one of the two attackers. Two police officers are among the 38 people killed or wounded, according to wikipedia. In a dramatic video from 9 Australia News, a bystander, later identified as Ahmed al Ahmed, surprises one of the terrorists from behind. He puts the terrorist, who is armed with a shotgun with an extended magazine and a red dot sight, into a headlock and wrestles the shotgun from the terrorist. He points the shotgun at the retreating terrorist, but does not or cannot fire. He has been reported as having no knowledge of firearms. An older man approaches the retreating terrorist and throws a bottle at him.
The other terrorist, armed with a bolt action rifle with a telescopic sight, waves for his confederate to join him on a foot bridge. About 1:20 in the video, the terrorist who was disarmed has rearmed with another long gun and started shooting again. The man who threw the bottle has taken the shotgun and attempts to use it, he does not appear to be successful. The man who threw the bottle is wounded, retreats, and falls down or is shot down.
At about 1:46 a police officer approaches behind the terrorist who is armed with a scoped rifle. The officer has a handgun out and aimed at the terrorist, but does not appear to shoot.
The terrorist turns and sees the officer. The officer still does not appear to shoot, but ducks behind a tree. The officer still has the pistol aimed at the terrorist, but does not appear to shoot. The video is cut off at that point.
The man who tackled the terrorist and disarmed him is a hero. It is unfortunate he knew nothing about firearms, and could not shoot the terrorist. The terrorist was able to retreat, rearm and continue his attack against innocent people. The man who threw the bottle is also a hero. It is not clear which of the terrorists wounded the man who did the disarm, or who wounded the man who threw the bottle.
The terrorist who retreated had a medium sized bag and a backpack. It was impossible to know what was in them at the time he was disarmed. The lesson is clear: do not allow an active shooter to retreat if it can be avoided. They may have other weapons, they may have explosives, they may continue the attack.
This correspondent does not see any evidence of the police officer at the tree with the pistol pointed at the terrorist who was armed with a rifle, as having fired a shot. It would be expected some motion of recoil would be noticed, and a shot would be heard on the video.
A clear picture and timeline of the event is not yet available. Casualty figures are not final. More information should become known in the next few days.
Good news from X: "The Australian National Imans Council (ANIC), the council of Imams NSW and the Australian Muslim Community unequivocally condemn the horrific shootings in Bondi."
©2025 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.
Gun Watch
The man was involved in a fight between two groups. He shot at someone in the other group, who then shot back and hit him. The shooting happened in the 800 block of Sixth Street SW just before 10 p.m., the release states.
The man who was shot was taken to a hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.
According to police, when officers arrived they located a 21-year-old man who had sustained a gunshot wound.
Background information indicates the suspect arrived at the location and entered the victim’s home, where an argument over property happened.
Police said during the argument, shots were fired and the suspect was also struck.
A 24-year-old man, who police believe is involved in the incident, sustained a laceration during the struggle.
South Dakota Governor Larry Rhoden has announced one of his priorities for 2026 will be to deregulate Silencers in South Dakota. Governor Rhoden stated he announced his decision support on December 4th. From dakotabroadcasting.com:
After congress passed the One Big Beautiful Bill earlier this year, silencers or suppressors were deregulated on a federal level. Governor Rhoden says he plans to bring legislation to deregulate these firearm accessories on the state level…
December 8, 2025, South Dakota Senator Casey Crabtree announced he is introducing a bill to deregulate silencers in the state. Governor Rhoden announced his support for the measure shortly after Senatore Crabtree. Brandon Maddox, CEO of Silencer Central also pronounced his support. From dakotawarcollege.com:
“Silencer Central is proud to support South Dakota’s proactive deregulation of suppressors as ‘controlled weapons,’ and we hope the federal government will quickly follow our home state’s pro-gun, pro-freedom initiative,” said Brandon Maddox, founder and CEO of the Sioux Falls-based suppressor retailer. “Earlier this year, we won a huge national victory as the One Big Beautiful Bill removed the $200 stamp fee on suppressors and other common firearms. Now, Senator Crabtree’s bill carries that momentum forward for South Dakota.”
Senator Casey Crabtree is a Republican and Majority Whip in the South Dakota Senate. Bills he introduces have a habit of being passed. He is running for the United States House of Representatives in 2026. The South Dakota United States House member, Dusty Johnson, will be leaving office to run for the South Dakota Governor's office in 2026.
When both the Governor and the Majority Whip in the Senate openly support a bill where their party has overwhelming supermajorities in both the Senate and the House, the odds of the bill becoming law are very good. The South Dakota Senate has 3 members of the Democratic Party and 32 members of the Republican Party. The South Dakota House has Six members of the Democratic Party and 64 members of the Republican Party. The South Dakota Legislature will open their 2026 session at noon on January 13, 2026. The timing of a bill is subject to many internal legislative dynamics.
A bill has yet to be filed, because the South Dakota legislature is not in session. South Dakota CHAPTER 37-35 states that silencers made of basic materials in South Dakota are not subject to federal regulation, as long as they stay within the borders of South Dakota. South Dakota 22-14-6 prohibits possession of controlled weapons, but exempts anyone who:
(2) Has a valid state or federal license issued pursuant to law for such weapon or has registered such weapon with the proper state or federal authority pursuant to law;
The definition of controlled weapons is found in 22-1-2(8):
(8) "Controlled weapon" includes any firearm silencer, machine gun, or short shotgun, as those terms are defined in subdivisions (17), (23), and (46) of this section;
Analysis: One method to remove the state regulation of silencers in South Dakota may be to remove the word silencer from 22-1-2(8). Silencers would no longer be considered "controlled weapons", if this reading of the law is correct. More details will be revealed when a bill is introduced to the legislature.
Silencer Central may be the largest manufacturer and distributor of silencers in the United States. Silencer Central is based in South Dakota.
©2025 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.
Gun Watch
Upon arrival, police said they found Daniel Neish walking toward them with gunshot wounds to his legs and hip while holding a handgun.
Officers said they secured the gun and provided “tactical medical aid” before Neish was eventually taken to Broward Health Medical Center for treatment of non life-threatening injuries.
A second man, who said he was inside the house at the time, told police that Neish pointed a gun at him, and he fired back in self-defense, according to investigators.
Cellphone video appears to show what went down after one man pulled a knife and the officer pulled a gun.
Officials say the confrontation escalated when the driver of a Volkswagen, 31-year-old Wallace Fisher, got out of his car and approached the driver of a Toyota.
Police say the verbal altercation at the driver's side window turned physical and Fisher allegedly pulled out a knife and took a swing inside the car.
It is unclear in the video if he is holding the knife as he takes a swing.
"The boy swing, he punched him and immediately three shots went off," Eyewitness Rob Parker said.
That is when the driver of the Toyota, 33-year-old Anthony Simon, an off-duty Kingston police officer, discharged his firearm and shot Fisher, authorities say.
The shooting happened after a man, identified by Harrison County Coroner Brian Switzer as Dangelo Rayjvon Murphy, 29, forced his way inside with a hammer and a knife and attacked two women who live in the home in an alleged act of domestic violence.
“As he gets in, they go to barricade themselves in a room,” Ducré said. “He starts slashing at them. One of the women had defensive wounds on her.”
While Murphy was trying to break into the room where the injured woman had taken shelter, the second woman retrieved a gun and shot him, Ducré said.
Billboards advertising guns and gun events are becoming more common.
Elon Musk has championed the First and Second Amendments in the United States Bill of Rights. However, X, formerly Twitter, has a policy which forbids the promotion of weapons and weapons accessories around the world. In effect, this bans paid advertising for all weapons and weapons accessories, even so far as to include airsoft guns, air guns, paintpall guns and imitation guns. From business.x.com:
This policy applies to monetization on X and X’s paid advertising products.
What's the policy?
X prohibits the promotion of weapons and weapon accessories globally.
Examples of weapons and weapon accessories include:
- Guns, including airsoft guns, air guns, blow guns, paintball guns, antique guns, replica guns, and imitation guns
- Rental of guns (other than from shooting ranges)
- Stun guns, taser guns, mace, pepper spray, or other similar self defense weapons
- Swords, machetes, and other edged/bladed weapons
- Fireworks, flamethrowers, and other pyrotechnic devices
- Knives, including butterfly knives, fighting knives, switchblades, disguised knives, and throwing stars
Most large platforms have caved to anti-Second Amendment propaganda. The X policy probably pre-dates Elon Musk's purchase of Twitter. Elon Musk has been a strong proponent of the Second Amendment. The X policy on weapons could change in the future, as these decisions are privately made by each platform.
Comcast Corporation, banned advertisements promoting guns or gun sales in 2013. Time Warner banned some gun advertising in 2013. From opb.org:
So what this means is that the main sort of conventional media channels for advertising of other consumer products are not available to gun manufacturers. For example, Comcast and Time Warner have initiated bans on firearms in 2013. Other major television broadcasters like ESPN and Fox and CBS do not accept advertisements for firearms or ammunition. And major digital and social media platforms like Google, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, prohibit ads for firearms and ammunition.
Such broad bans are having unintended consequences. Advertising is decentralized today and targeted. Nationwide TV ads may not be cost effective for firearms. This may not hold true for X, or Facebook, or YouTube.
Being banned on large platforms sends a subtle message that guns are bad. The absence of gun advertisement is unlikely to convince anyone that guns are not useful. Programming, both fiction and factual, show many example where guns are used for positive purposes. Anyone who studies history sees many examples where those with guns rule those without guns. Advertising bans on major outlets and networks push people who sell guns and related products to advertise in other ways. In today's fractured and partisan media, this means gun related channels such as AmmoLand, and popular gun influencers are able to attract more advertising dollars. People who are interested in purchasing guns find them in places where guns are valued.
It is similar to what happened after the Gun Control Act of 1968. The act pushed most casual sellers of guns and ammunition out of the marketplace. When this correspondent grew up, it appeared about half the retail outlets sold guns and ammunition. It was common to see them sold in many different stores. After 1968, gun sales moved into specialized gun stores. The gun stores became centers for the spread of political information, and nodes of political networks to organize gun owners. They still serve that purpose. The Internet has become a more effective method of organizing and informing Second Amendment supporters. Influencers on the Internet provide more specific, accurate, and detailed reporting on Second Amendment issues than anything on old large legacy media.
This correspondent would like to see Elon Musk make a political statement by allowing for firearms, ammunition and accessories to be advertised on X. It could help X stand out from Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and others. It could enhance X's reputation as the freedom brand. Elon Musk would gain credibility as backing his views with his actions. This correspondent does not worry about it. Elon Musk has already demonstrated he is a Second Amendment advocate.
The effort to ban gun advertising has backfired. It has not worked. Consider the number of guns in today's society. Since the Internet became popular, about 1995, the number of private firearms has skyrocketed. In 1995 there were about 243 million privately owned firearms in the United States. In the last 30 years, the number has increased to about 540 million, (as of December, 2025) an increase of nearly 300 million firearms in 30 years. The number of firearms per person in the United States has increased from .890 in 1993 to about 1.57 firearms per person in the USA today, based on 540 million private firearms in the USA and a 2025 population of 343 million.
Some of this stupendous increase is because firearms today take much less labor to make, distribute and purchase. They are often of better quality. The same goes for ammunition. Firearms and ammunition today take much less of a person's time to acquire.
The nature of reality itself plays a role. Firearms increase an individuals personal power. A person with increased personal power has advantages over those without. Firearms are great equalizers. A 100 pound woman with a pistol can intimidate a 250 pound man without one. When both have firearms, parity is accomplished.
The ban on advertising for weapons has not had the effect those who pushed for it desired. Society has moved to re-establish the Second Amendment as a guarantee of empowerment for the weak and a limit on government power.
©2025 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.
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