Gregory Kielma • December 30, 2025
A Pro 2A Counter Analysis of the GIFFORDS Gun Law Scorecard
Gregg Kielma
A Pro 2A Counter Analysis of the GIFFORDS Gun Law Scorecard
Gregg Kielma
12/30/2025
Gabby Gifford’s
“gun law score card” a real time look at points and counterpoints that make sense. Have a comment, please let me know.
Let’s Take a LOOK
The GIFFORDS Gun Law Scorecard is often presented as an authoritative measure of firearm safety. But when you strip away the branding and look at the mechanics, it becomes clear that the scorecard is less a scientific evaluation and more a political grading sheet. From a Second Amendment perspective, the scorecard’s flaws are not subtle — they are foundational.
1. The Scorecard Starts With Its Conclusion and Works Backward
The GIFFORDS scorecard doesn’t discover that restrictive states get higher grades — it defines it that way. If a state passes the policies GIFFORDS prefers, it gets an A. If it expands gun rights, it gets an F. The outcome is predetermined. This is not analysis. This is advocacy dressed up as data. A true safety assessment would measure outcomes first and policies second.
Kielma Reflects:
The scorecard does the opposite.
2. It Treats Correlation Like Proof — and Ignores Everything Else
The scorecard leans heavily on the idea that “stronger gun laws equal lower gun death rates.” But this ignores the obvious: States differ dramatically in demographics, crime patterns, policing, economics, and culture. Violence is a complex social issue. The scorecard reduces it to a single variable: Did you pass the laws we like?
Kielma Reflects:
That’s not science. That’s confirmation bias.
3. It Completely Erases Defensive Gun Use
One of the most glaring omissions is the total absence of lawful defensive gun use — a major component of the national firearms landscape. Millions of Americans use firearms each year to stop assaults, home invasions, robberies, and violent crimes. These incidents save lives. They prevent tragedies. They matter. The scorecard pretends they don’t exist.
Kielma Reflects:
A tool that claims to measure “gun safety” but ignores the safety benefits of lawful ownership is not a neutral tool.
4. It Punishes States for Expanding Constitutional Rights
Under the GIFFORDS system, a state can reduce crime, improve training access, and strengthen enforcement — and still get downgraded simply for recognizing constitutional carry or streamlining permitting. In other words: If you respect the Second Amendment, you lose points.
Kielma Reflects:
That alone tells you what the scorecard is really measuring.
5. It Measures Laws on Paper, Not Safety in Practice
A state can have dozens of restrictive laws but weak enforcement. Another state can have fewer laws but aggressively prosecute violent offenders.
The scorecard doesn’t care. It rewards the existence of laws, not their effectiveness.
Kielma Reflects:
This is like grading a fire department based on how many hoses they own, not how well they put out fires.
6. High Grades Don’t Guarantee Low Crime — and Low Grades Don’t Guarantee High Crime
If the scorecard’s theory were airtight, the map would be simple: A grade states would be the safest, and F grade states would be the most dangerous. Reality doesn’t follow that pattern.
Kielma Reflects:
Crime is driven by criminals, not by the legal status of a tool. The scorecard’s simplistic model cannot account for that.
7. It Ignores the Most Important Factor: Training and Culture
Firearms instructors, safety professionals, and responsible gun owners know that safety is built through:
• Education
• Training
• Community culture
• Responsible handling
• Enforcement of existing laws
Kielma Reflects:
The scorecard measures none of this. It treats legislation as the only variable that matters — a view that anyone with real world firearms experience knows is incomplete at best.
Kielma’s Parting Shot:
The GIFFORDS Gun Law Scorecard is not a neutral assessment of public safety. It is a political tool that:
• Rewards states for aligning with a specific policy agenda
• Ignores defensive gun use
• Penalizes constitutional rights
• Overlooks enforcement and real world behavior
• Relies on correlation instead of causation
• Excludes training, education, and culture
A pro 2A perspective doesn’t reject safety — it demands real safety, grounded in evidence, experience, and respect for constitutional freedoms.
Gregg Kielma
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Being Prepared for the 2026 Hurricane Season By Gregory Kielma, Tactical K Training & Firearms The 2026 Hurricane Season is shaping up to be another year where preparation isn’t optional it’s essential. Florida has seen record heat, rising insurance pressures, rapid population growth, and increasingly unpredictable storm behavior. None of that is meant to create fear. It’s meant to reinforce a simple truth: preparedness gives you control, confidence, and options when the weather turns. Whether you’re protecting a home, a business, or a family, the goal is the same build layers of readiness before the first storm forms. Start With Awareness and a Plan Storms don’t give you time to “figure it out later.” Your plan should be written, practiced, and known by everyone in the household or workplace. Key elements of a solid plan: Where will you go if evacuation becomes necessary Multiple routes out of your area A communication plan if cell networks fail A designated out‑of‑state contact A plan for pets, elderly family members, and anyone with medical needs For businesses, include: Who secures the building Who handles digital backups Who communicates closures and reopening A plan removes panic. It replaces it with action. Strengthen Your Home or Business Before the First Storm Florida structures take a beating every year. Small improvements now prevent major losses later. Exterior protection: Inspect your roof for loose shingles or soft spots Clear gutters and drainage paths Trim trees and remove dead limbs Install or test shutters Reinforce garage doors—one of the most common failure points Interior protection: Surge protection for critical electronics Elevate valuables and important documents Know how to shut off water, power, and gas If you own a business, walk your property as if you were a storm: What can break? What can blow away? What can flood? Fix those points now. Build a Realistic, Usable Supply Kit For Your Home or Business A hurricane kit isn’t about stockpiling, it’s about independence. After a major storm, help may take hours or days to reach your area. For homes and families: Water: 1 gallon per person per day (minimum 3–7 days) Non‑perishable food Medications and medical supplies Flashlights, headlamps, and batteries Battery bank for phones First aid kit Copies of important documents Cash in small bills Tools, gloves, tarps, duct tape For businesses: Backup power for essential systems Printed employee contact lists Hard copies of insurance documents A plan for securing inventory and equipment Preparedness isn’t about fear it’s about not being dependent on luck. Protect Your Digital Life In 2026, digital readiness is just as important as physical readiness. Back up important files to the cloud and an external drive Photograph your home, business, and valuables for insurance Store digital copies of IDs, insurance policies, and receipts Keep chargers, power banks, and a small solar panel if possible When the power goes out, your digital preparation keeps you moving. Understand Post‑Storm Safety Most injuries happen after the storm, not during it. Be cautious with: Downed power lines Flooded roads Carbon monoxide from generators Unstable structures Contaminated water If you evacuated, don’t rush home. Wait for official clearance. Your safety comes first. Mindset: Prepared, Not Paranoid Preparedness is a discipline, not a reaction. It’s the same mindset we teach in every Tactical K class awareness, planning, and responsible action. A hurricane is a natural event. Your response is a choice. When you prepare early, you protect: Your family Your property Your business Your peace of mind And you set an example for your community. Kielma’s Parting Shot The 2026 Hurricane Season will bring challenges, just like every season. But Floridians are resilient, and preparation is part of our way of life. Start now. Strengthen your home, your business, and your plan. Build your layers of safety before the first storm forms. If you need help building a plan, creating a checklist, or preparing your family or business, Tactical K Training is here to support you with practical, real‑world guidance.
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Convicted Felon Sentenced to 87 Months in Trafficking Nine Firearms, Including to Buyer Who Said He Was ‘At War’ Thursday, April 30, 2026 U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Columbia WASHINGTON - Brandon Smith, 34, a previously convicted felon residing in the District of Columbia, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 87 months in prison for conspiring to traffic at least nine firearms to a prohibited buyer over the course of six months, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. “Brandon Smith was already on supervised probation for a violent felony when he chose to traffic firearms, and he continued even after being told the buyer intended to use them for violence,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “Over the course of six months, he arranged the sale of at least nine guns—including one with an obliterated serial number—to a prohibited individual. This was not a momentary lapse in judgment, but a sustained and deliberate effort to arm someone who could not legally possess firearms. My office remains committed to holding accountable those who endanger our communities by trafficking illegal guns.” On Jan. 9, 2026, Smith pleaded guilty before Judge Howell to conspiracy to commit trafficking in firearms. In addition to the 87-month prison term, Judge Howell ordered Smith to serve three years of supervised release. Federal prosecutors had requested a 108-month prison term. According to court papers, beginning in November 2023, ATF opened an investigation after a confidential source reported that Smith, then on supervised probation for a violent felony, was actively advertising firearms for sale by texting photographs of guns to prospective buyers, including individuals with prior felony convictions. During the next six months, Smith sold or arranged the sale of nine firearms to a buyer on six separate occasions. During the transactions, Smith sold his own personal carry firearm on multiple occasions when a supplier failed to deliver, then purchased a replacement for himself afterward. In early January 2024, as Smith and the buyer discussed an upcoming transaction, the buyer told Smith he needed the firearms because he was “at war” after his cousin had been killed. Smith proceeded with the sale. The buyer had also told Smith he was serving a criminal justice sentence at the time of the transactions. Smith acknowledged that he, too, was “on papers.” Smith arranged a total of six transactions from Nov. 30, 2023, through May 30, 2024, resulting in the sale of nine firearms. At least one of the firearms had its serial number obliterated. On Oct. 26, 2024, MPD officers conducted a traffic stop on the 1600 block of 16th Street SE and found Smith in the front passenger seat of a parked vehicle. Officers observed open containers of alcohol and discovered a satchel at his feet. Inside the satchel, in plain view, was a loaded Glock Model 19X 9mm handgun with a round in the chamber and 16 additional rounds in the magazine. The bag also contained a bank card and government-issued identification in Smith’s name. Smith has prior convictions for Simple Assault (2011), Attempted Robbery (2013), and Robbery and Possession of a Firearm during a Crime of Violence (2016), for which he was sentenced to five years in prison. He was serving a term of supervised probation from the 2016 conviction at the time of the firearms trafficking conspiracy. This investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Office, and the Metropolitan Police Department. The matter was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan M. Horan. Convicted Felon Sentenced to 87 Months in Trafficking
