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Armed, Trained & Responsible: The Forgotten Half Of American Gun Culture
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American gun culture is often reduced to a debate over rights. Who has them, who shouldn’t and where may the government draw lines … if anywhere? But, historically, rights were only half the equation. The other half was responsibility.
Early Americans were not merely expected to own firearms. They were expected to know how to use them, maintain them and exercise judgment in their use. Gun ownership was active not passive. Competence was assumed. That tradition deserves revival. |
Hegseth Signs Memo Allowing Soldiers to Carry Personal Sidearms on DOW Property
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Military policy on carrying personal firearms just got flipped by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, who signed a memo directing military base commanders to allow personnel—“namely, uniformed service members”—to carry privately owned firearms “while in their nonofficial duty capacity on DOW property within the United States.”
Hegseth signed the memo while announcing the new policy on a video posted on “X” on Thursday. In his announcement, which ran just over 2 minutes, 30 seconds, Hegseth noted, “Before today, it was virtually impossible—most people probably don’t know this—for War Department personnel to get permission to carry and store their own personal weapons aligned with the state laws where we operate our installations. |
KY: “Provisional Licenses” Denied: Governor Vetoes Kentucky’s Age 18-20 Carry Bill
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The divide between Kentucky’s executive branch and its GOP-led legislature widened this week as Governor Andy Beshear officially vetoed a pair of bills aimed at expanding Second Amendment protections. At the center of the controversy is House Bill 312, which would have authorized the Kentucky State Police to issue “provisional” concealed carry licenses to adults aged 18 to 20.
Currently, Kentucky law requires residents to be 21 to obtain a concealed carry permit (CCDW), though the state has operated under “permitless carry” for those 21 and older since 2019. |
Firearms Policy Coalition Releases 2026 State Freedom Index — See How Your State Ranks on Gun Rights
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Mark A. Taff
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The Firearms Policy Coalition has released its 2026 FPC Freedom Index, a state-by-state ranking that measures how well each state protects the right to keep and bear arms. The index is designed to give gun owners and policymakers a clear, objective look at where their state stands on some of the most consequential areas of firearms regulation.
FPC describes the index as a “principled and objective approach” to state rankings, built to cut through the political noise that has long clouded these comparisons. The goal is straightforward: show gun owners exactly where their state falls short, and give state legislators a target to shoot for. |
The Best Tactical Lever-Action Rifles
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The Tactical Lever-Action Rifle might not sound high speed, but it has a lot more packed under the hood than you might expect.
When it comes to tactical shooting, everybody and their brother seem wrapped up in a sordid love affair with the AR-15. Their lightweight, ergonomic, user-friendly design, not to mention their suave good looks, has made them America’s firearms sweetheart. Unfortunately, despite their popularity, AR-15s get thrown more than their fair share of shade. |
ME: Appellate court says Maine's 3-day waiting period on guns is likely constitutional
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And in February 2025, a federal District Court judge in Maine blocked enforcement of a law that he described as "indiscriminate" because it applied to all gun buyers.
But on Friday, a three-judge panel on the First Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston disagreed.
"The (law) briefly delays acquisitions of firearms from commercial dealers," reads the ruling. "But it does not prevent a law-abiding and responsible citizen from obtaining and then keeping or bearing a firearm after fulfilling the waiting period requirement. In our view, this likely renders the (law) a burden on, but not an infringement of, the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms." |
NY: Syracuse man said he killed in self-defense; prosecutor says bullet wound proves that’s a lie
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Pizarro’s attorney, Nicholas DeMartino, argued that other witnesses and a grainy video corroborate Pizarro’s testimony that Carmona approached him and confronted him.
Carmona did have a gun on him that day. He had also previously threatened Pizarro’s life after he heard Pizarro had punched a close friend of his.
Pizarro told the jury he knew Carmona had killed someone as a teenager and served time for murder.
Pizarro also testified that Carmona had shot him a few months prior. Copani argued there is no proof Carmona was the one who shot Pizarro.
Pizarro told the jury he was scared for his life as soon as he saw Carmona arrive on Sabine Street that day. |
TN: Shooting of MTSU professor found to be self-defense
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The tragic shooting that claimed the life of a MTSU professor has been deemed self defense after an investigation revealed strange behavior and drug use by the professor. The investigation has determined that drugs and paranoia lead to the events last December, leaving an innocent man having to defend himself from a crazed and armed woman.
According to results of an investigation into the case, released by District Attorney General Bryant Dunaway, MTSU Professor Ashleigh E. McKinzie was leading a double life and was showing increasingly erratic behavior.
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Is the DOJ really pro-Second Amendment?
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Dhillon talks the talk, but also apparently walks the walk, as I explained in Harmeet Dhillon shoots for us all only a few weeks ago. It was the story of Dhillon’s visit to a range and some foolishly misogynistic tweets aimed at her thereafter. Name one other federal official even remotely associated with guns who has visited a range, appeared to really be a gun owner and shooter, and who made their practice public? Sure, politicians occasionally do photo ops carrying shotguns and brand new “hunter” clothing with the price tags still attached when running for office, but that’s not Dhillon. |
Canada: How Canada's largest gun control effort in decades is missing the mark
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Heidi Rathjen has been calling for a ban on assault-style rifles since 1989, when a gunman opened fire on her classmates at Montreal's École Polytechnique.
The shooting, in which 14 women were killed and more than a dozen injured, was a turning point for Canada, changing how the country viewed gun violence.
More than two decades later, after another deadly mass shooting in 2020, Ottawa did roll out a ban on some 2,500 models of such "assault-style" weapons. |
CT: Man’s charges reduced after state says Hartford double-homicide was in self-defense
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The men were later identified as Lavante Brown, a 19-year-old student at Weaver High School from Hartford, and Aydin Davis, a 16-year-old student at University High School of Science and Engineering (UHSSE) from Bloomfield.
According to Chaney’s legal team, his murder charges were lessened to manslaughter and reckless endangerment. The state then realized the shootings were in self-defense and that Chaney was a licensed gun permit holder, according to the Freeman Law Firm.
Chaney was sentenced to 155 days in jail after pleading guilty to second-degree breach of peace, which is a misdemeanor. The firm stated the sentence was also for time served. |
Hegseth to allow service members to carry personal weapons onto military bases
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Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth says he plans to allow service members to carry personal firearms on military bases, pointing to recent shootings and what he called the need for better personal protection in a newly shared video.
In the video posted to X on Thursday, Hegseth said he is signing a memo that will direct base commanders to approve requests for troops to carry privately owned weapons, with the assumption that those requests are valid. He added that if a request is denied, commanders will have to provide a detailed explanation in writing. |
OH: Casey Putsch for Ohio Governor: The Real Deal When It Comes to Guns
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Mark A. Taff
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“Should Ohio Gun Owners Push for Putsch?” I asked in “Ramaswamy's Ohio Governor Bid.” The article highlights the Second Amendment position of both Ohio GOP pick Vivek Ramawamy and of his primary challenger, automotive designer Casey Putsch, who calls himself “the ONLY truly Pro-2A candidate for Ohio Governor.” The Democrat in the race, Dr. Amy Acton, is, of course, solidly in the anti-gun camp.
With Ramaswamy being a known quantity in terms of media coverage and establishment campaign support, Firearms News sought to learn more about Putsch’s detailed views on the right to keep and bear arms. Unfortunately, a looming deadline meant there was no time for answers to a “gun rights questionnaire” sent to him before the article was posted. |
Trump seeks record defense boost, new gun rights office in FY2027 budget
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President Donald Trump’s fiscal 2027 budget proposal requests a record $1.5 trillion for defense — a 42% increase — while cutting non-defense discretionary spending by 10%. The plan includes funding for a new Justice Department office to protect Second Amendment rights and a firearm rights restoration initiative. It also proposes deep cuts to agencies such as the EPA, SBA, and State Department, reflecting the administration’s priorities ahead of the 2026 midterms. |
Secretary of War Signs Memo Ending Gun-Free Zone Policy on Military Bases, Restoring Second Amendment Rights for Service Members
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Secretary of War Pete Hegseth signed a directive this week that ends what he called an effectively gun-free zone policy across War Department installations, allowing uniformed service members to request permission to carry privately owned firearms for personal protection.
Hegseth announced the policy change in a video posted to X, framing the move as a restoration of a fundamental constitutional right that had long been denied to the military’s own personnel. Under the previous system, carrying a personal firearm on post was described as “virtually impossible” for most service members unless they were actively training or serving as military police. |
MA: Massachusetts Erupts at Governor Healey as New Firearms Law Angers Weapon Owners: ‘Straight up fear mongering’
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In a post shared on the Massachusetts Reddit by user TootTootUSA, new gun laws that went into effect recently have caused a firestorm of drama and controversy. Registered firearm owners complain that this new rule heavily restricts their 2A Amendment rights.
With the new restrictions on folks specifically targeting people renewing their licenses, the State Police has issued new lists of approved testing sites and personnel, which quickly spiraled into anger over the law and how much it further restricts pre-existing firearm owners. Here is some of what they had to say about Governor Healey and the new restrictions. |
IL: Darren Bailey Joins IGOLD Lineup in Springfield as Gun Owners Rally Against Pritzker-Era Restrictions
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Illinois gun owners will gather in force on April 15 in Springfield, and this year’s Illinois Gun Owners Lobby Day (IGOLD) just added a major name to its lineup: Darren Bailey.
The annual event, hosted by the Illinois State Rifle Association, will take place at the Bank of Springfield Center – just blocks from the Illinois State Capitol – where hundreds of Second Amendment supporters are expected to rally, hear from speakers, and lobby lawmakers.
Bailey’s addition to the speaker list signals a clear message: gun owners are not backing down as Democrats in Springfield continue to push restrictive firearm policies. |
WI: Wisconsin Court Rules Drug Dealing Justifies Lifetime Gun Ban
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A federal appeals court has delivered a major blow to those seeking to overturn gun restrictions for felons, ruling that individuals with “dangerous” criminal histories do not have a Second Amendment right to own firearms.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit issued the decision Thursday in the case of United States v. Edlando Watson. The court specifically addressed whether the federal law barring felons from possessing guns is constitutional when applied to someone previously convicted of dealing drugs. |
FL: AG James Uthmeier breaks precedent on nonviolent felon gun rights
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Mark A. Taff
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In the case of Morgan v. State of Florida, Uthmeier reversed his own office’s position and argued that Florida’s blanket ban on firearm possession by all convicted felons is unconstitutional when applied to people convicted of nonviolent offenses. The Second Amendment, he wrote, permits the government to disarm felons whose convictions show they are dangerous, but not all felons as a categorical matter. In a supplemental brief, Uthmeier applied the Supreme Court’s text-and-history test to argue that firearm prohibitions for nonviolent felons cannot be justified.
That’s a correct reading of the Constitution, one that is long overdue. |
KY: Kentucky Gov. Beshear vetoes bill to lower age for concealed carry permit
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Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear vetoed a bill this week that would have lowered the age to have a concealed carry permit in the state.
House Bill 312 sought to lower the age to get a concealed carry permit from 21 to 18 in Kentucky.
Beshear vetoed that bill, along with House Bill 78, which sought to “establish liability protections for manufacturers and sellers of firearms against specified legal actions arising from criminal or unlawful use of firearms or ammunition,” according to the Kentucky legislature. |
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