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FL: Deputies: Victim Stabs Intruder in Self-Defense During Early Morning Home Invasion
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Two men were arrested after Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies say they forced their way into a residence and attacked the occupant, before fleeing after one was stabbed.
According to a Broward County Sheriff’s Office booking report, Kobi Issiah Torrealba Ruiz, 18, of Lauderhill, and Christian Micheal Chirino, 38, of Lauderhill, were arrested on February 14. Deputies say they responded to a reported home invasion at a Tamarac residence at approximately 5:00 a.m., in which the victim told deputies the men forced their way into his home while looking for his nephew. |
WV: W.Va. House passes bill removing concealed carry permit requirement for young adults
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The West Virginia House of Delegates passed a bill Tuesday that would give young adults under the age of 21 the ability to carry concealed firearms without a permit and without training.
House Bill 4106, allowing constitutional carry for 18- to 20-year-olds, passed the House Tuesday morning in an 87-9 vote with three members absent or not voting. The bill now heads to the state Senate.
HB 4106 would grant individuals between the ages of 18 to 20 the right to carry concealed weapons without a permit. The bill repeals the crime of carrying a concealed deadly weapon without a license for the 18-20 age bracket. It repeals specific exceptions previously required for this age group to carry concealed weapons. |
VA Reverses Longstanding Policy, Restoring Due Process and Second Amendment Rights for Veterans
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In a move hailed as a long-overdue correction of a constitutional injustice, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced it will no longer report veterans to a federal firearm background check system solely because they require assistance managing their VA benefits.
The policy change ends a decades-old practice that, according to federal officials, stripped thousands of veterans of their Second Amendment rights without a court hearing, judicial ruling, or determination that they posed a danger to themselves or others. |
VA to Restore Gun Rights Arbitrarily Stripped from Some Veterans
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The Department of Veterans Affairs this week announced a reversal of a nearly 30-year policy that deleted the right to keep and bear arms from some vets because someone is handling their finances.
VA Secretary Doug Collins, under the direction of President Trump, on Tuesday announced the agency would restore due process protections and cease reporting veterans to the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System to be marked as a prohibited firearm possessor simply because they use an appointee-- typically a family member-- to assist in their financial affairs. The policy was originally implemented in 1998 during the Clinton administration. |
The NRA fires back at Trump administration
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The National Rifle Association and pro-Second Amendment advocacy groups are demanding a full investigation into the shooting of Alex Pretti. Earlier this year in Minneapolis — a city recently defined by violent protests and aggressive toward Immigration Customs Enforcement operations — Pretti was shot during a deliberate confrontation aimed at sabotaging federal immigration law. While he was a committed activist integrated into a network designed to disrupt ICE officers, he was also a citizen legally and lawfully carrying a handgun.
This pushback comes from the recent ICE crackdown labeled “Operation Metro Surge,” which has been largely successful with over 4,000 federal agents focused on arrests in the Twin Cities. |
NM: Bill that would have banned 'extremely dangerous weapons,' tightened dealer security, stalls
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A Senate bill that would have outlawed the sale of certain semi-automatic firearms capable of discharging dozens of rounds per minute and imposed new security measures on gun dealers has failed to move to the House floor, a lead sponsor of the legislation confirmed.
Sen. Debbie O’Malley, D-Albuquerque, told the Journal on Wednesday that the sweeping gun control bill, Senate Bill 17, stalled in the current 30-day session, which ends at noon Thursday.
"There’s so many bills, and they can get delayed because of, you know, a lot of questions, sadly,” she said. “But we’re not giving up.” |
Catching up with Supreme Court’s busy docket
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United States v. Hemani
A federal statute that is part of the Gun Control Act of 1968 states that “it shall be unlawful for any person . . . who is an unlawful user of or addicted to any controlled substance” to possess firearms or ammunition. Ali Hemani was indicted in 2023 for violating the federal statute (18 U.S.C. 922(g)(3)). The indictment alleged that in 2022, Hemani knowingly possessed a Glock 19 9mm pistol while being an unlawful user of controlled substances such as marijuana, promethazine, and cocaine. The gun was found in a closet in his parent’s home. The government did not allege Hemani was using drugs at the time he actually possessed the gun but that he was a regular drug user. |
CO: Colorado committee advances ban on 3D printing firearms
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Colorado’s House Judiciary Committee advanced a bill on Wednesday aiming to criminalize 3D printing guns.
Sponsored by Democrats in both chambers, the Prohibit Three-Dimensional Printing Firearms & Components bill, HB26-1144, passed out of the committee on a 7-4 vote along party lines. The bill would make possession of prohibited 3D printed parts or plans a class one misdemeanor with subsequent violations a class five felony.
A law passed in 2024 requires 3D printed frames and receivers to be serialized and made by licensed manufacturers. The 10th Circuit is currently reviewing a federal judge’s decision to deny an injunction in a challenge to the law led by the National Association for Gun Rights. |
SC: ‘Stand Your Ground’ Showdown Underway in South Carolina
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Ahigh-stakes, high-profile ‘Stand Your Ground’ immunity hearing began this week in Horry County, South Carolina — with sharply conflicting narratives over whether the fatal roadside shooting of 33-year-old Scott Spivey was lawful self-defense or the premeditated, violent end of a prolonged pursuit.
S.C. circuit court judge Eugene C. Griffith, Jr. is presiding over this pretrial immunity proceeding – which will determine whether defendants Charles Weldon Boyd and Kenneth Bradley Williams are shielded from civil liability under South Carolina’s Protection of Persons and Property Act, a.k.a. the ‘Stand Your Ground’ law. |
NC: Durham man fatally shot before crashing car may have opened fire first, autopsy says
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Documents from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner released to The N&O on Tuesday indicate Whitley was fatally shot after opening fire at a residence. An investigative report states the driver of a black SUV fired at the Lodestone Drive home about 1:35 a.m. “Six 9 mm casings were found in the road,” the report states. “The resident of the home fired from the yard with a handgun and three 9 mm casings were found in the yard.” When the vehicle left, the resident called 911, according to the report. Shortly after, someone called 911 to report an SUV had crashed into a wooded area behind a home on Wake Forest Highway. |
Think Canada-style gun grab couldn't happen in US? It already is.
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There’s a self-soothing notion that the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution keeps the excesses of an overreaching government away from the gun safes of law-abiding gun owners. That notion is just that. It’s veneer-thin, just a wisp away from the shifting political winds that are already blowing across several states that could usher in Canadian-style gun confiscation to the United States.
The fact is that the Second Amendment requires constant vigilance against politicians who would disarm Americans “for their own safety.” That’s why NSSF is battling proposed bans — and even illegal dispossession — of lawfully owned firearms and magazines in states like Virginia and New Mexico. |
NSSF Salutes VA Secretary Collins for Protecting Veterans' Second Amendment Rights
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NSSF®, The Firearm Industry Trade Association, salutes Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Doug Collins for protecting veterans' Second Amendment rights by eliminating the policy of reporting veterans who require a fiduciary to assist in financial affairs to the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) to be included as a prohibited person for purchasing or possessing a firearm.
Rolling back this three-decade-old policy has been a longstanding NSSF priority that unduly robbed veterans of their Second Amendment rights to keep and bear arms. Needing assistance organizing financial matters is not a prohibiting factor to deny any individual the ability to legally purchase or possess a firearm. |
Pro-2A Voters Need to See Results Before 2026 Midterm Elections
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As I write this, we are fast approaching the 2026 midterm elections. Sounds like a lot of time, but it’s not.
The conventional wisdom says Congress changes parties at the midterms. With the razor-thin margins Republicans hold now, damage control has to be a priority.
There’s a four-seat majority in the House; all 435 seats are up for grabs. Fifty-one representatives are retiring or leaving to run for other offices. The majority of them are Republican.
There’s a six-seat majority in the Senate. However, that includes at least two RINOs (Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski), who can be counted on to join the Democrats on 2A issues.
Thirteen Democrats and 20 Republicans are retiring. |
MO: Judge Says Plaintiff Can Pursue Nominal Damages from Jackson County in Dispute Over Local Gun Law
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A federal judge in Missouri has partially dismissed a high-profile Second Amendment lawsuit challenging a now-repealed Jackson County ordinance that restricted firearm sales and possession for young adults under 21, allowing only a narrow claim for nominal damages to proceed.
In an order issued February 10, 2026, U.S. District Judge Beth Phillips granted in part and denied in part defendants’ motion to dismiss the case brought by 18-year-old Leonard Wilson Jr., Gun Owners of America (GOA), Gun Owners Foundation (GOF), and the State of Missouri against Jackson County, the county sheriff, and prosecutor (in their official capacities). The court denied the plaintiffs’ motion for a preliminary injunction. |
DOJ Suggests ‘Frail And Elderly Grandmother’ Who Uses Medical Marijuana Could Own Gun—While Defending Overall Federal Ban
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As in multiple related cannabis and gun cases, the Justice Department argued that disarming people who use marijuana does not constitute a violation of the Second Amendment because the law is grounded in historical precedent with the country’s founding. Specifically, the federal government claimed there are relevant historical analogues prohibiting gun ownership by the mentally ill, those who induce terror and “habitual drunkards.”
“Because Baxter’s marijuana use makes him a particularly dangerous gun possessor, this Court should affirm the denial of his motion to dismiss,” DOJ said. |
AZ: Widow's fight to destroy gun that killed police officer blocked by Arizona lawmakers
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"I want it destroyed," Erfle said in an interview with 12News last October.
"It doesn't deserve a second chance. My husband didn't get a second chance. Why would this weapon get a second chance?"
Republican State Rep. Quang Nguyen of Prescott had introduced a bill that would have required the destruction of weapons used to commit certain crimes. A 14-year-old Arizona law requires law enforcement agencies to sell confiscated weapons.
Nguyen's bill was scheduled for its first committee hearing on Wednesday, Feb. 18.
Instead, the legislation was replaced by a so-called "strike everything" bill - a new piece of legislation with the original bill number. |
AR: State Senator Ronald Caldwell earns National Rifle Association endorsement
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State Senator Ronald Caldwell announced today that he has received the endorsement of the National Rifle Association, recognizing his legislative record defending Second Amendment rights in Arkansas.
The NRA’s endorsement reflects Caldwell’s consistent support for constitutional freedoms and his record of backing legislation that protects the rights of law-abiding citizens. During his thirteen years in the Arkansas Senate, Caldwell has supported measures strengthening individual liberties, protecting private property rights, and opposing government overreach that impacts Arkansas families. |
NJ: Third Circuit Court Strikes Down Challenge To New Jersey’s 3D-Printed Firearm File Statute
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When is a 3D-printed gun file protected speech? That’s a hard question to answer, but according to the Philadelphia-based 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals, not when such a file is distributed in the state of New Jersey.
On February 12, the 3rd Circuit Court unanimously ruled in the case Defense Distributed v. Attorney General of New Jersey a lower court decision throwing out the challenge to a state law that criminalizes the distribution of certain digital instructions or code that can be used to 3D-print firearms to unlicensed individuals was the correct decision. |
GOA Launches New Digital Magazine
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Pro-gun rights group Gun Owners of America has announced it is launching its first-ever digital magazine, an exclusive membership benefit for GOA members.
According to Felisha Bull, Director of Communications for GOA, the new magazine will build upon the success of GOA’s State of the Second Podcast and will expand the State of the Second brand into long-form storytelling and analysis, tailored specifically for gun owners. |
NM: Democrats’ gun grab collapses as major anti-2A bills go down in flames
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In the final stretch of New Mexico’s legislative session, two sweeping gun control measures championed by progressive Democrats have effectively collapsed — a major victory for New Mexicans’ Second Amendment rights.
Senate Bill 17, the so-called “Stop Illegal Gun Trade and Extremely Dangerous Weapons Act,” was rolled indefinitely in the House Judiciary Committee, halting what critics described as one of the most aggressive gun control packages ever introduced in New Mexico. Meanwhile, Senate Bill 261, which sought to dramatically expand so-called “gun-free zones” around polling places and ballot drop boxes, failed to advance out of the House Government, Elections and Indian Affairs Committee ... |
FPC Files Motion to Enjoin New Jersey’s Short-Barreled Rifle Ban
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What: Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) filed a motion for summary judgment in FPC v. Platkin, its lawsuit challenging New Jersey’s total prohibition on “short-barreled rifles” (SBRs), defined in state law as those with a barrel shorter than 16 inches or an overall length under 26 inches.
Who: FPC is joined in the case by five individual FPC members, along with High Caliber Ordinance LLC and Louie G’s Outdoors. Plaintiffs are represented by Chad Flores of Flores Law and Bradley Lehman of Whiteford, Taylor & Preston. |
AZ: FBI asks gun store owner to check firearm sales against list of names in Guthrie case
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As the search for Nancy Guthrie is now in its third week, a gun store owner in Arizona says that the FBI recently asked him for help in identifying possible suspects.
According to Fox News, Phillip Martin, co-owner of Armor Bearer Arms, says he was visited by FBI agents recently who brought along a list of names. The agents asked Martin if he would be willing to check his records to see if any of the names on the list matched those of people who bought a firearm from Martin in the last year.
Martin said the list had approximately 18 to 24 names on it and included photos of each person. Martin was hesitant at first, but eventually complied with the FBI’s request. |
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