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Litigation Highlight: Plaintiffs File Second Amendment Challenge to Federal Ban on Mailing Firearms
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In mid-July, two gun-rights groups and an individual plaintiff wishing to mail a handgun to her father filed suit in federal court in Pennsylvania alleging that the federal ban on mailing firearms through the U.S. Postal Service violates the Second Amendment. This federal restriction dates to 1927—as the complaint notes, it was the first federal gun control law[1] and pre-dates the National Firearms Act by almost a decade. The lawsuit, which is still in its early stages, implicates tricky questions surrounding legislative intent and how historical tests can account for technological innovation.
Filed on July 14, the Pennsylvania case is captioned Shreve v. United States Postal Service. |
Old Ugly
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“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder” is nowhere better displayed than with two guns I recently saw at the NRA’s Whittington Center this past June. The guns couldn’t be more different, as are the owners, the first being a custom single-action sixgun built by Hamilton Bowen.
The other is a well-used, beat-up relic of a rifle nicknamed “Old Ugly” (OU) by famed Alaskan bear guide Phil Shoemaker. The rifle, a much-altered Whitworth Mark X .458 Winchester Magnum, is a prime example of Alaskan bushcraft and ingenuity.
Every alteration was performed with the goal of “customizing” the rifle by improving functionality, pointability, and more importantly, reliability for its owner. |
OH: Here’s where you can carry guns in Ohio. It may be more places than you think
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Ohio has some of the most permissive Second Amendment laws in the country. Recently, the state passed new protections against registries and liability insurances and in 2022, it became legal to carry without a permit. In fact, Ohio gun laws provide some of the broadest rights for gun owners and in 2025, the state ranked 30th out of 50 in the strength of its gun laws, according to Everytown for Gun Safety As long as you meet certain requirements, you can own and carry a firearm — openly or concealed — in Ohio if you’re at least 21, and Weapons Carry Licenses are not necessary in most circumstances.
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US Supreme Court to consider law barring illegal drug users from owning guns
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The US Supreme Court will consider whether a law banning habitual illegal drug users from possessing guns violates the constitution.
The Trump administration requested the review after a lower federal court in Texas ruled in favour of a man who was charged under the statute but argued it violated his constitutional right to possess a firearm.
The government is seeking to preserve the law and restore the charge, arguing it is necessary to prevent individuals who pose "unique dangers to society" from owning guns. |
MA: Massachusetts Air Force veteran guns case: Funds raised to release Kyle Culotta from jail
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Police in Gardner found Culotta with three handguns, five rifles, and a “fully stocked military-style ammo” case in Jackson’s vehicle that he was driving during a traffic stop, authorities said.
The veteran did not have a Massachusetts license to carry firearms, but informed police officers that he had weapons in the car and a pistol in his pocket when he was pulled over driving Jackson’s vehicle, which had expired auto insurance, court documents said.
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Out-of-staters typically need a nonresident temporary license unless they meet a handful of exemptions. Massachusetts does not recognize gun licenses from other states. |
OK: Self-defense claim leads to dismissal of murder charge in Miami
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A murder charge was dismissed on Wednesday for an Ottawa County man after testimony showed the fatal shooting was in self-defense.
Travis Christian Wilbur, 36, appeared in Ottawa County District Court for the Jan. 5, 2024, death of Matthew Vincent Locastro, 27, of Miami.
An autopsy report showed Locastro died from a gunshot wound to his head. Court records show Locastro was shot in the left eye, and the autopsy report spells out the path of the fatal bullet. His toxicology report showed he tested positive for methamphetamine and amphetamine, and his blood alcohol level registered at .18, which is over twice the legal limit in Oklahoma. |
MS: Register now for the 2026 PowWow women’s training weekend at Boondocks Firearms Training Academy
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Boondocks Firearms Training Academy is working on lining up top-notch speakers and training for the 2026 PowWow, to be held April 17-18, 2026.
The PowWow is an annual weekend of hands-on firearm training and community-building exclusively for women. The event aims to provide participants with exposure to industry-leading instructors, product demonstrations, and a supportive environment for skill development.
In the past, training sessions have included room clearing, carjacking avoidance, hand-to-hand self-defense, “shoot or don’t shoot,” and competitive shooting among others. Instructors are a combination of Boondocks staff instructors and experts from all over the country. |
OH: Columbus Man Found Not Guilty in 2024 Circleville Fatal Shooting
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A Pickaway County jury has found 42-year-old Jaison McLean of Columbus not guilty in connection with a 2024 shooting that left one man dead outside McLean’s towing business in Circleville.
The verdict was delivered Thursday, October 23, 2025, following a multi-day trial in the Pickaway County Court of Common Pleas. McLean had faced charges of voluntary manslaughter, felonious assault, and involuntary manslaughter stemming from the August 13, 2024 incident that occurred on Corwin Street. |
Do potheads have a right to bear arms? The Supreme Court will decide.
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The Supreme Court has spent much of the past two decades expanding the Second Amendment right to bear firearms. Since its landmark 2008 ruling declaring an individual right to keep firearms in the home for self protection, the justices expanded that right to outside of the home for self defense.
In so doing, the court created a new test to decide challenges to federal and state gun restrictions. Gone was the balancing test that weighed the right to own guns against the interest in the government to promote the public safety of its citizens. In its place, a 6-3 majority ushered in a new litmus: whether the gun control measure at issue falls within the nation’s history and tradition of gun regulation... |
NC: 83-Year-Old Benson Man Shoots Grandson in Alleged Act of Self-Defense
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A family dispute in Benson, North Carolina took a violent turn Wednesday evening when an 83-year-old man allegedly shot his 27-year-old grandson in the back with a shotgun. The incident occurred around 5:44 p.m. on East Kennedy Circle, prompting a swift response from the Benson Police Department.
When officers arrived, they discovered the younger man suffering from a gunshot wound to his left back. He was quickly transported to WakeMed in Raleigh, where he is reportedly in stable condition. |
SC: South Carolina Man Shot, Killed After Kicking in Apartment Door
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A man is dead after he forced his way into a South Carolina apartment and was shot by the occupant, according to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department. The incident occurred around 10:30 p.m. Sunday on Bayfield Road in Columbia. When deputies arrived, they found the man suffering from a gunshot wound. He was transported to a nearby hospital where he later died. Authorities have not released his identity.
According to investigators, the resident told deputies that the man kicked in the apartment door uninvited. Fearing for his safety, the resident grabbed a firearm and fired. |
CA: Armed Woman Fatally Shoots Man After Sexual Assault in Compton Store
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Authorities in Compton are investigating a fatal shooting that took place inside a beauty supply store after a disturbing confrontation escalated to violence. According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the incident happened around 3:30 p.m. on October 19 at a store located in the 1300 block of Alondra Boulevard.
Officials say the incident began when an unidentified man followed a woman into the store and inappropriately groped her. Store employees quickly intervened and demanded the man leave. However, things took a turn for the worse when he began yelling at staff and customers, throwing products off the shelves, and acting aggressively. |
I just took Everytown’s online firearm training course …
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Everytown’s new firearm training classes are about as honest and realistic as the journalism produced by its paid staffers at the Trace. In fact, the amount of anti-gun propaganda produced by Everytown’s Train Smart instructors may actually exceed the anti-gun propaganda shoveled out by the kids at the Trace. Suffice it to say, it’s a close race.
The fun began with a 1.5-hour video class called “The Smart Guide to Buying a Gun.” Cost was $20. Students can take the class live or on-demand. There are two additional classes, including an 8-hour trip to the range, which you watch from home. |
It's Important During the Shutdown That Americans' Rights, Including 2nd Amendment Rights, Are Not Violated: Rep. Ben Cline
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Rep. Ben Cline (R-Va.) discussed with NTD's Luis Martinez the Trump administration's efforts to keep Americans safe with the latest strike on drug-carrying vessels coming from Latin America and deploying the National Guard to enforce federal immigration law. Cline discussed his request to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the Justice Department to continue processing gun applications to protect Americans' Second Amendment rights during the government shutdown. Cline also discussed the need to keep the government funded and open while working on policy issues. |
NH: SAF Lawsuit Challenges Unwarranted Search Of High School Senior’s Truck
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Just because a person is known to be a gun owner doesn’t mean that authorities can search his or her vehicle at a whim without regard to Fourth Amendment protections.
Most of us would agree with that statement simply out of respect for the U.S. Constitution. And, in fact, that’s the very argument the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) is making in a court battle just launched in Washington State.
As background, 18-year-old Hillsboro-Deering High School senior Jack Harrington lawfully owns a handgun and sometimes keeps it in his truck in full compliance with all federal and state laws. However, he always removes the gun when he drives his truck to school. |
Trump DOJ Asks Supreme Court For Delayed Schedule In Case On Marijuana Users’ Gun Rights
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The Justice Department is asking the U.S. Supreme Court for more time to submit briefs in a case justices recently agreed to hear that concerns the constitutionality of a federal ban on gun ownership by people who use marijuana and other drugs.
In a motion from the Trump administration that was sent to the court on Thursday, DOJ said there was mutual agreement between its attorneys and those representing the respondent in the case that the current deadline for briefs and reply briefs should be revised because of the “press of other cases.” |
WI: Children’s suffering is not worth it
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I then want to go into some facts that are unique to the US. Guns are the leading cause of deaths among children. Violent crime (not just gun crime) in the US is higher than any other developed nation, with a unique emphasis on gun violence. School shootings are only a problem in the US with hundreds of deaths per year. There have been 288 school shooting deaths in 2025 alone. The next closest is Mexico with eight, South Africa with six, then Nigeria and Pakistan with four.
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NJ: Will New Jersey Vote for Freedom?
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In the 2021 New Jersey gubernatorial election, Republican Jack Ciattarelli received 1,255,185 votes to Democrat Phil Murphy’s 1,339,471. This close call for Murphy shocked the New Jersey political establishment. Polls had been showing Murphy to be as much as 20 points ahead in a state that then had about a million more registered Democrats than Republicans. In the end, the difference was not even close to a million—it was about 84,000 votes. Part of the reason for this close election for an incumbent was that Second Amendment advocates had shown up to vote against a candidate who blamed them and American freedom for crime. |
Armed Citizens Aren’t ‘Vampires’
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In 2022, the Supreme Court struck down restrictions on concealed carry permits that states like Hawaii used to eliminate the right of public carry for most ordinary, law-abiding citizens. In response, Hawaii and several other states passed a series of spiteful measures—including the so-called Vampire Rule now before the court—intentionally designed to make as many public places as possible off-limits to gun owners.
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NH: Bill to strengthen 2nd Amendment on public property moves ahead
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A bill reinforcing the exclusive authority of the Legislature to regulate the use of weapons on public property narrowly cleared a House committee Wednesday.
A key House committee endorsed a bill to strengthen the Legislature’s authority over access to weapons on public property Wednesday. Critics maintain it could prevent banning them at public events such as the New Hampshire Air Show last month. Here, U.S. Navy Blue Angels flew in formation during the 2025 event at the Pease Air National Guard Base in Newington. |
Mexican government bought US guns used in cartel crimes
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For years, escalating violence and bloodshed in Mexico was blamed on U.S. gun smuggling and lax firearm laws. American-made weapons litter Mexican crime scenes.
But what if the truth is far different? A former federal agent is flipping the script with a jaw-dropping twist: Many of the U.S. guns used in cartel crimes were bought by Mexico’s own government.
Deadly shootouts and clashes with police are a daily reality among Mexico’s killer cartels. As a result, Mexico’s gun homicide rate is two to three times worse than the U.S., with over 21,700 gun murders in 2022. It’s a flashpoint in the debate over firearms and crime and who’s to blame. Mexico and gun control advocates have long blamed smuggling and America’s loose gun laws. |
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