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TX: APD: Deadly altercation at downtown Austin bank determined to be act of self defense
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Austin Police said a deadly altercation in downtown Austin Wednesday was determined to be an act of self defense.
Police responded to a disturbance call at the Plains Capital Bank at West Fifth Street and Colorado Street around 3:45 p.m. When they arrived, they found an unresponsive man on the floor. The man, who has not yet been identified by police, was later pronounced dead on the scene.
Police said the man, who was using a wheelchair, had previously entered the bank “on multiple occasions and harassed employees.” According to their investigation, police said the man was asked to leave by a security guard. During that interaction, the man punched the guard in the face. |
Why “Reasonable Belief” Can Decide a Self-Defense Case
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Feeling afraid during a confrontation is natural. But in a self-defense case, fear alone is not enough to justify the use of deadly force.
Lesson 5 in the 36 Lessons for Armed Defenders series by CCW Safe focuses on a critical legal concept: reasonable belief. For a self-defense claim to succeed, a defender must not only believe they faced an imminent threat of serious harm or death — that belief must also appear reasonable when examined later by investigators, prosecutors, and potentially a jury.
This creates one of the most difficult challenges for armed citizens. Self-defense decisions often happen in seconds, but those same decisions may later be analyzed for days or weeks in a courtroom. |
IL: Second Amendment advocate William Kirk in Quincy with a warning to gun owners
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Defense attorney and host of a popular YouTube show on gun rights, William Kirk, was in Quincy Thursday evening with a warning to gun owners.
“Gun control is not about the gun, it’s about the control,” Kirk said. “It’s not gun control, it’s civilian disarmament. All gun control legislation ever does is affect the lawful, responsible gun owners, who are not the ones out there committing the crime.”
Kirk was the guest of the Quincy Chapter of Guns Save Life, Inc., which has 11 chapters throughout the state of Illinois. The mission is to educate about and protect the Second Amendment of the US Constitution, which is the right of the people to keep and bear arms. |
VA: Newly empowered Virginia Democrats take aim at gun rights
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For decades, Virginia‘s firearms policy has mirrored much of the South and the Mountain West. Open carry is allowed without a permit, the state recognizes many out-of-state concealed carry licenses, and it has resisted regulatory steps common in New York and California. In most of Virginia, firearm ownership is viewed as an everyday fact of life instead of a cultural or political statement.
With Abigail Spanberger‘s election as governor and a Democratic majority in the state legislature, that could very well change. |
Friendly Reminder: The Legal NFA, Suppressor Wars Aren’t Over
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The battle to protect recent gains for proponents of the Second Amendment is still facing legal fights in 2026.
As we head into midterm election season, and just a few months since the repeal of the $200 NFA tax on common firearm items like suppressors, legal battles continue to circle like sharks in the nation’s courts.
The attorneys for George Peterson are fighting a lower court ruling by a three-judge panel that determined “firearm accessories” like suppressors are not protected under the Second Amendment. |
Gun rights groups split over carry bills
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Two competing federal proposals — national reciprocity and national constitutional carry — are fueling divisions among gun rights advocates. Supporters of reciprocity see it as a practical step to standardize concealed carry across states, while constitutional carry backers argue for permitless nationwide carry as the only true reflection of the Second Amendment. The debate comes as Congress reconsiders reciprocity legislation and Sen. Mike Lee pushes a broader constitutional carry bill, with President Trump signaling support. |
SC: Family claims self-defense in fatal stabbing, calls for justice
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No charges will be filed against a man who stabbed another man in Beech Island Monday. That’s prompting strong reaction.
The case is causing some buzz on social media since the news that Christopher McRae would not be charged in the death of Michael Harvey. Some saying the altercation was result of months of harassment by McRae towards the Harvey family. Others laying blame at Harvey’s feet.
Now Harvey’s family is speaking out, saying he was protecting his family, and calling for justice. |
AMAC Supports National Constitutional Carry Act
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On behalf of AMAC Action, the advocacy affiliate of AMAC – Association of Mature American Citizens, with over 2 million members nationwide, I write to express our strong support for your National Constitutional Carry Act.
As a conservative seniors organization representing Americans who deeply value constitutional liberty, personal responsibility, and the rule of law, we appreciate your leadership in defending our members’ Second Amendment rights. For many older Americans, the right to self-defense is essential. Seniors are often among the most vulnerable members of society and should not face unnecessary bureaucratic obstacles when exercising a constitutional right intended to protect their safety and independence. |
TN: Tennessee Bill Aimed At Repealing “Intent To Go Armed” Statute Progressing In House
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A Tennessee bill that seeks to repeal the state’s “intent to go armed” statute passed in the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee in a 7 to 2 vote along party lines on Wednesday.
The legislation now moves on to the House Judiciary Committee and is scheduled to be heard on Wednesday, March 18th, 2026.
Sponsored by Representative Chris Todd (R-Madison County-District 73), in summary, House Bill 2064 (HB2064) , “repeals the criminal offenses of unlawfully carrying a firearm or club with the intent to go armed and carrying or possessing a weapon in or on public parks, playgrounds, civic centers, and other public recreational buildings and grounds; ... |
New Court Split Could Force Supreme Court to Decide Magazine and AR-15 Ban Cases
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The legal fight over so-called “large capacity” magazine bans and semi-automatic rifle restrictions may be heading straight toward the U.S. Supreme Court. A new round of filings from some of the nation’s most experienced constitutional litigators has added serious momentum to that possibility.
Constitutional attorney Mark Smith of the Four Boxes Diner explains the significance of newly filed supplemental briefs in two major Second Amendment cases. Those filings argue that a fresh appellate court ruling has created the kind of legal conflict the Supreme Court typically requires before stepping in. |
Plaintiffs Seek Supreme Court Review In Criminal Case Over Suppressor Registration
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Since the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill last year removed the $200 tax on suppressors, short-barreled rifles (SBRs), short-barreled shotguns (SBSs), and firearms classified as “any other weapons,” the National Firearms Act (NFA) is basically a tax law without taxes. That’s why at least three lawsuits have been filed in different courts across the nation challenging the remainder of the law.
One such case, Peterson v. United States, could be headed to the U.S. Supreme Court after the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that “firearm accessories” such as suppressors are not protected by the Second Amendment. |
Federal Legislators Introduce Measure To Safeguard Against Firearm Registration
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Two Republican lawmakers have introduced a federal measure that would prohibit states, localities, or any other organization from using federal funding and background check information to maintain gun registries.
On February 25, U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Mississippi, and U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Arizona, reintroduced S 3916, the Gun-owner Registration Information Protection (GRIP) Act. The measure would clarify existing law prohibiting states or local entities from using federal funds to store or disclose sensitive, personal information related to the legal ownership or possession of firearms. |
PA: Police: Homeowner Warned Intruder He Was Armed Before Fatal Shooting During Break-In Attempt
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A homeowner in Somerset Township shot and killed a man early Sunday morning after the individual allegedly broke a kitchen window and attempted to enter the residence, according to Pennsylvania State Police.
Troopers with Pennsylvania State Police in Somerset were dispatched to a home on Locust Street at approximately 2:05 a.m. on March 9 after receiving a call from the homeowner reporting an attempted break-in.
According to police, the homeowner told dispatchers he had been awakened by loud banging on his kitchen window and a man demanding entry. |
OR: Making the red flag fly: Examining a nearly decade-old law
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Another legislative session is over and new laws are about to go into effect that will change things, some things, in Oregon. Right?
What people around government know and everyone else should, is that passing a law is one thing and getting it to work as intended is a whole different matter.
Consider legislation from nine years ago and working only in part: the red flag law.
A decade ago, many Second Amendment advocates argued that the problem with persistent shooting deaths was not so much the broad availability of guns as the ability of specific dangerous people to get hold of them. |
VA: Locals and Legislators React to Virginia’s Assault Firearms and Magazine Legislation
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Virginia lawmakers have approved a controversial bill that would restrict the sale, transfer, importation, and manufacture of certain semi-automatic firearms and high-capacity magazines, sending it to the governor’s desk for final consideration. Senate Bill 749, if signed into law, would prohibit these activities for firearms defined in the legislation as “assault firearms,” along with certain large-capacity ammunition feeding devices. Violations could be charged as a Class 1 misdemeanor. |
TX: Brandon Herrera gets Trump endorsement for 23rd Congressional District
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President Donald Trump on Wednesday endorsed Brandon Herrera for Texas’ 23rd Congressional District, days after the YouTuber became the district’s Republican nominee amid incumbent Rep. Tony Gonzales’ withdrawal from the race.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump applauded Herrera’s support for many of Republicans’ top campaign issues including school choice, border security and protecting “our always under siege Second Amendment.” Herrera, a gun rights activist, had criticized Gonzales for his vote on a bipartisan gun safety bill in the wake of the 2022 school massacre in Uvalde, which is in the district. |
Dangerousness, Immigration Status, and the Second Amendment After Rahimi
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In United States v. Rahimi (2024), the Supreme Court reaffirmed that the Second Amendment permits legislatures to disarm individuals who pose a “credible threat” to the safety of others. The Court upheld 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(8), which bars firearm possession by individuals subject to certain domestic violence restraining orders, emphasizing that when an individual presents a demonstrated danger, temporary disarmament fits comfortably within our historical tradition.
But Rahimi did not resolve a critical question: Can legislatures treat entire categories of people as dangerous, and disarm them categorically? |
AL: Gun-rights group pushes back on Alabama’s ‘Second Amendment Sales Tax Holiday’
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A proposal to create a tax-free weekend for firearms and ammunition has drawn an unexpected critic: one of Alabama’s leading gun rights organizations.
BamaCarry, in an email Thursday, sharply criticized legislation that would establish a “Second Amendment Sales Tax Holiday” during the last weekend in August, just ahead of hunting season.
The group’s objection is not the holiday itself but that it stops short of eliminating taxes entirely. The organization argues that the constitutional right to firearms should “never come with a government-imposed price tag.” |
FL: Nondangerous felons retain gun rights in Florida
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Before his trial in Florida, Morgan’s defense team made a motion that the state firearm law, 790.23, is “unconstitutional both facially and as applied to him.” However, the trial court denied his motion. Morgan then pleaded no contest to the felon in possession Florida charges but appealed his conviction. He was sentenced to two days in jail and court costs.
Last month, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier issued a response to Morgan’s appeal, which said that his conviction for possessing a firearm by a felon violates the Second Amendment.
AG Uthmeier actually agreed with Morgan’s legal team. |
WY: Local Law Enforcement Supports Veto of SF 101
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While the bill passed both the Wyoming State Senate and the House, Governor Mark Gordon vetoed the measure.
Speaking to Bigfoot99, Rawlins Police Chief Mike Ward said state lawmakers claimed the bill was intended to prevent Wyoming law enforcement from assisting the federal government in enforcing any bans on weapons, magazines, or accessories. However, Chief Ward described Senate File 101 and its associated Senate Enrolled Act as “wolves in sheep’s clothing,” with the wolf being the wording of the bills and the sheep being the Second Amendment. |
AL: Pro-life, pro-Second Amendment businessman Doug Harwell hopes to bring Christian, conservative values to SD34
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On the public safety front, Harwell is pushing more funding for the District Attorney's office, new prisons and jails and a state-of-the-art mental health hospital in his district. He supports immigration enforcement and says if someone is in the country illegally, they should leave and stop costing taxpayers.
Harwell said he is pro-Second Amendment and pro-life.
"We have a moral compass," Harwell said. "It's very important. God has to be first and we have to respect that this country was built off that. We got to go back to that. I think in anything that we look at when we start removing God and prayer, you can see the results." |
What Is the Federal Gun Rights Restoration Program?
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The Gun Control Act (18 U.S.C. § 921 et seq.) makes it a crime for many people with felony convictions or certain misdemeanor domestic violence offenses to possess firearms. A seldom‑used provision in federal law technically lets the government review requests to restore firearm rights. But in the 90s, Congress cut off the money needed to run that process. In practice, this left most Americans with no real way to legally regain gun ownership after finishing their sentences.
That began to shift after recent Supreme Court Second Amendment cases, which spurred more challenges to lifetime gun bans for nonviolent offenses. |
Guns Bills and Firearm Laws to Watch in 2026
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Staying informed about these changes is essential. New laws can affect how firearms are purchased, transported, stored and carried. Some proposals would expand assault weapon bans, while others create new permit requirements or extreme risk protection order systems.
Below is a breakdown of gun bills and firearm laws to watch in 2026, including federal provisions already passed and state legislation that could significantly impact gun owners if enacted.
Federal and State Gun Laws and Bills to Watch in 2026
The following table summarizes the most significant federal and state firearm laws and proposed gun bills that could affect gun owners in 2026. |
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