|
|
Texas Gun Rights to SCOTUS: Protect AR-15s — And Stop Lower-Court Evasion
Submitted by:
Mark A. Taff
Website: www.marktaff.com
|
There
are no comments
on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments
|
Texas Gun Rights and the National Association for Gun Rights are asking the U.S. Supreme Court for more than another Second Amendment victory.
They want a ruling lower courts cannot evade.
The Supreme Court granted review June 30 in Viramontes v. Cook County and Grant v. Higgins, agreeing to decide whether the Second and Fourteenth Amendments protect the right to possess AR-15-platform and similar semiautomatic rifles.
On September 3, Texas Gun Rights and NAGR filed a merits-stage amicus brief supporting the challengers. |
Second Amendment: does "in common use" mean in common use?
Submitted by:
Mark A. Taff
Website: www.marktaff.com
|
There
are no comments
on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments
|
n its next term, the Supreme Court will take up “assault weapon” bans. Such bans refer specifically to the AR-15 rifle family and similar semiautomatic rifles. Not only are they emotional rather than rational, but they’re also an attempt to circumvent the Supreme Court’s Heller and Bruen decisions, which held, among other things, that the Second Amendment is not a second-class right and that controversies must be decided under the Strict Scrutiny standard, the highest standard of judicial review.
A primary issue is the “in common use” standard. |
Supreme Court Brief Makes the Case Against Banning Militia Arms
Submitted by:
Mark A. Taff
Website: www.marktaff.com
|
There
are no comments
on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments
|
Illinois’ and Connecticut’s so-called “assault weapons” bans are contradicted by history and law, an amicus brief filed in the Supreme Court Friday by Attorneys Kenneth T. Cuccinelli and Earl N. “Trey” Mayfield argued. The combined cases addressed in the brief are Viramontes v. Cook County and Grant v. Higgins, both challenges to bans on AR-15 and similar semiautomatic rifles.
Filed on behalf of “eleven nonprofit organizations and seven individuals,” the brief addresses “whether the rifles and magazines most suitable for militia service — and therefore… most clearly protected by the Second Amendment — may be banned on precisely that account.” |
AR: We Asked. Legislators Listened. Now Arkansas Must Decide.
Submitted by:
Mark A. Taff
Website: www.marktaff.com
|
There
are no comments
on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments
|
Issue 2 keeps “shall not be infringed” and strengthens the constitutional foundation supporting those words.
It expressly recognizes the right as natural, fundamental and individual. That makes clear that the right is not a privilege created by government. It belongs to the individual.
Issue 2 also recognizes that exercising the right requires more than the firearm itself. It specifically protects ammunition, firearm components and firearm accessories.
That matters because a government should not be able to recognize a right in theory while making the practical exercise of that right increasingly difficult through restrictions on the things necessary to exercise it. |
DE: New Delaware gun laws target dealers, ghost guns and violence prevention
Submitted by:
Mark A. Taff
Website: www.marktaff.com
|
There
are no comments
on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments
|
One of the new laws seeks to give people who possess guns without serial numbers a lawful path to register them. Another establishes a state Office of Gun Violence Prevention.
The third creates additional rules for gun stores and dealers and seeks to reduce illegal straw purchases.
"This is not about putting law abiding dealers out of business. This is about protecting families and our communities," Meyer said.
Under the gun dealer law, firearm stores will be required to obtain a new state dealer license and complete mandatory training every two years. Stores will also have to maintain detailed records of all sales and transfers and have surveillance cameras that can clearly see every gun buyer and seller. |
NM: Guns, who needs them?
Submitted by:
Mark A. Taff
Website: www.marktaff.com
|
There
are no comments
on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments
|
Gun violence is not a single problem with a single cause. It is a pattern, a predictable convergence of behaviors, access points, and environmental conditions. And because the pattern is predictable, the consequences are predictable. That means the solutions are also within reach with the courage to act.
So, who needs guns? Those who intend to harm others. Those who profit illegally and recklessly from selling weapons with no regard for the devastation left behind. Those who see guns as instruments of intimidation, retaliation, and destruction. |
Presidential Pardon Issued For Patrick “Tate” Adamiak
Submitted by:
Mark A. Taff
Website: www.marktaff.com
|
There
are no comments
on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments
|
In a closely watched and reported-on case by the Second Amendment Foundation’s (SAF) Investigative Journalism Project editor Lee Williams, Patrick “Tate” Adamiak today has been issued a pardon by President Donald Trump. Adamiak was wrongfully arrested, charged and convicted of illegally possessing a toy machinegun after Biden-era Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) agents stormed his house.
Four years ago, Adamiak was arrested and charged with illegally possessing two destructive devices, two inert RPGs that had holes drilled into their receivers and were stripped of internal parts. |
27 States Tell Supreme Court AR-15 Bans Violate the Second Amendment
Submitted by:
Mark A. Taff
Website: www.marktaff.com
|
There
are no comments
on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments
|
Tennessee, Kansas, and 25 other states say Illinois and Connecticut cannot ban rifles owned by tens of millions of Americans for lawful purposes.
Twenty-seven states are urging the U.S. Supreme Court to strike down Illinois’ and Connecticut’s bans on AR-15s and similar semiautomatic rifles, arguing that lawmakers cannot decide Americans have no “need” for one of the country’s most popular firearms.
The September 4, 2026, amicus brief was filed in support of the gun-owner petitioners in Viramontes v. Cook County, No. 25-238, and Grant v. Higgins, No. 25-556. The Court agreed in June to hear the two consolidated challenges, putting the constitutional status of commonly owned semiautomatic rifles directly before the justices. |
Trump Pardons Sailor Sentenced To 20 Years Over Toy Firearms
Submitted by:
Mark A. Taff
Website: www.marktaff.com
|
There
are no comments
on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments
|
President Donald Trump issued a pardon to a Navy sailor who was convicted on charges over collectible items such as a toy gun by the Biden administration.
Patrick “Tate” Adamiak, an active duty petty officer first class with the United States Navy, was arrested after a 2022 raid carried out by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Following a trial, in which pro-Second Amendment organizations accused ATF of tampering with evidence, Adamiak was convicted and sentenced to 20 years in prison. |
SC: 2 Florence men plead guilty to stealing 152 guns from Palmetto State Armory
Submitted by:
Mark A. Taff
Website: www.marktaff.com
|
There
are no comments
on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments
|
Two Florence men have pleaded guilty in connection with the theft of more than 150 guns from a Florence firearms dealer and illegally possessing firearms.
Benjamin Mercer Sr. and his son and co-defendant, Benjamin Mercer Jr., burglarized Palmetto State Armory, a federal firearms licensee in Florence in 2024, according to the South Carolina District Attorney’s Office. Prosecutors said 152 firearms were stolen. Officials said the weapons were valued at more than $100,000. |
Viramontes v. Cook County Brief: The Second Amendment Protects AR-15s
Submitted by:
Mark A. Taff
Website: www.marktaff.com
|
There
are no comments
on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments
|
Determining what the Supreme Court meant by the term “common use” has proven difficult for lower courts. Several decisions have split hairs as to AR-15s’ usefulness for self-defense as compared with other potential uses and lawful weapons. This approach wrongly assumes the Court has “severed” the link between the militia and Second Amendment protection.
Cato filed an amicus brief urging the Court to clarify that a “non-militaristic limitation” is atextual and ahistorical. The Constitution protects AR-15s because they are suited to self-defense and the militia. |
FL: Black Florida woman won’t face charges in fatal Walmart shooting under ‘stand your ground’ law
Submitted by:
Mark A. Taff
Website: www.marktaff.com
|
There
are no comments
on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments
|
A Florida woman who fatally shot a man during a confrontation in a Walmart parking lot in North Lauderdale will not face criminal charges, prosecutors announced Thursday.
Melissa Payne shot 62-year-old Bart Diguglielmo once in the abdomen on June 30 after the two became involved in a dispute over a parking space. Diguglielmo later died at a nearby hospital.
According to NBC Miami, the Broward County State Attorney’s Office determined Payne was protected under Florida’s “stand your ground” law, which allows someone to use deadly force if they reasonably believe it is necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm. |
SC: Spartanburg County Homeowner Shoots and Kills Intruder in 2 AM Break-In
Submitted by:
Mark A. Taff
Website: www.marktaff.com
|
There
are no comments
on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments
|
Sheriff deputies have concluded their initial investigation into a fatal residential shooting, confirming that an alert homeowner acted strictly in lawful self-defense when he deployed a personal firearm against an intruder attempting a forced entry around two in the morning.
According to sheriff office reports, emergency dispatchers received urgent 911 calls reporting an active burglary in progress. While deputies were en route, the homeowner retrieved a defensive firearm from a quick access safe after hearing violent physical impacts against an exterior door frame. |
NC: Cherokee man found not guilty of first-degree murder in 2024 shooting case
Submitted by:
Mark A. Taff
Website: www.marktaff.com
|
There
are no comments
on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments
|
A federal jury in Asheville has acquitted a Cherokee man of first-degree murder and related charges, ending a case that centered on whether he acted in lawful self-defense in a fatal shooting.
The jury returned verdicts of not guilty on all counts for Derrick Alan Cucumber at the U.S. Courthouse in Asheville on Thursday, Sept. 3, per a release from Frank Lay, Cucumber's criminal defense attorney. The trial was held before U.S. District Judge Martin Reidinger.
The law firm said Cucumber was held in pretrial confinement for about 22 months while awaiting resolution of the charges. After the verdicts, he was released and returned home to his family. |
MD: SAF Files Reply Brief with Supreme Court in 'Sensitive Places' Challenge
Submitted by:
Mark A. Taff
Website: www.marktaff.com
|
There
are no comments
on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments
|
In May, SAF petitioned the Supreme Court to hear the case challenging the constitutionality of Maryland's ultra-restrictive "sensitive places" carry ban, passed after the landmark Bruen ruling forced the state to begin issuing concealed carry permits. Lawmakers sought to circumvent Bruen by passing a new law prohibiting carry in an overlapping patchwork of newly defined areas deemed "sensitive places." Examples include mass transit facilities, establishments that serve alcohol, state parks, healthcare facilities, museums, stadiums and more. |
Armed Self-Defense Stories Underscore New Defensive Gun Use Data
Submitted by:
Mark A. Taff
Website: www.marktaff.com
|
There
are no comments
on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments
|
It’s safe to say that 2026 has thus far been something of a “banner year” for the Second Amendment. The right to keep and bear arms went 2-0 this summer at the Supreme Court, which also now appears likely to strike down bans on so-called assault weapons. The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division has increasingly taken up the fight on behalf of law-abiding citizens against some of the worst state violators of their Second Amendment rights. And now, we can thank Georgetown professor Bill English for dealing a devastating blow to the gun control narrative — with hard data. |
Tate Adamiak Pardoned!
Submitted by:
Mark A. Taff
Website: www.marktaff.com
|
There
are no comments
on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments
|
Former U.S. Navy sailor Patrick “Tate” Adamiak has been pardoned by President Donald J. Trump—effective immediately. He was one of several people pardoned by President Trump Friday.
Adamiak, who still had 16 years left to serve of his 20-year federal prison sentence, is now a free man.
He plans to continue his legal fight against the government since he never committed a single crime, and with his felony convictions completely overturned he can now fight as a free man. |
CO: NRA Sues Denver Over Nonresident Carry Ban
Submitted by:
Mark A. Taff
Website: www.marktaff.com
|
There
are no comments
on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments
|
Denver, Colorado, politicians have effectively managed to make it impossible for out-of-state gun owners, even those with carry permits in their home states, to legally carry a firearm in the city. And that fact isn’t sitting well with the National Rifle Association.
On August 31, the National Rifle Association and the Colorado State Shooting Association, together with members Greg Howeth of Hawaii and Zackary Dougherty of South Carolina, filed the lawsuit Howeth v. Denver in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado challenging the city’s carry prohibition for nonresidents. |
Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation Urges Supreme Court to Protect Hunters’ Firearms
Submitted by:
Mark A. Taff
Website: www.marktaff.com
|
There
are no comments
on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments
|
Today, September 4, the Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation, with Safari Club International, filed an amicus curiae brief in the United States Supreme Court in two cases challenging so-called “assault weapon” bans.
Semi-automatic rifles are the second most popular type of firearm in the country, behind handguns. In 2008, the Supreme Court held handguns could not be categorically banned because the Second Amendment protects firearms that are commonly used by ordinary American people. Semi-automatic rifles should receive the same protections. Yet, many states and localities ban them. |
LA: Louisiana second amendment sales tax holiday begins this weekend
Submitted by:
Mark A. Taff
Website: www.marktaff.com
|
There
are no comments
on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments
|
Sportsmen and outdoor enthusiasts across Louisiana can take advantage of state and local tax savings as the annual Second Amendment Weekend Sales Tax Holiday begins.
The three-day event runs from Friday through Sunday. During this window, individual purchases of qualifying firearms, ammunition, and hunting supplies are exempt from all state and local sales taxes.
Eligible purchases include shotguns, rifles, handguns, ammunition, archery equipment, hunting apparel, safety gear, optic scopes, tree stands, and decoy supplies. The tax exemption applies to over-the-counter retail sales, layaway transactions, and items ordered for immediate delivery. |
MA: SAF Files Amicus Brief in Massachusetts Challenging Carry Permit Denials
Submitted by:
Mark A. Taff
Website: www.marktaff.com
|
There
are no comments
on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments
|
"Bruen already resolved this question," said SAF Director of Legal Research and Education Kostas Moros. "A licensing official may check objective, ministerial criteria – prohibited-person status, completed training and the like. What the official may not do is decide whether an applicant 'may' pose a risk based on old, unproven allegations. Massachusetts' suitability standard is textbook subjective discretion, and it cannot stand." |
|
|
