‘Stand Your Ground,’ Self-Defense and the Rhetoric That Emboldened Recent Shooters Pro-gun groups on the right have for years promoted the right to armed self-defense and warned of pervasive threats.
Gregory Kielma • June 18, 2023
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Pro-gun groups on the right have for years promoted the right to armed self-defense and warned of pervasive threats. Experts and critics say the recent shootings of innocent people are the consequence.
Ringing the wrong doorbell, pulling into the wrong driveway, accidentally getting in the wrong car: Mundane, everyday mistakes ended in the shootings of several young people – and the death of one of them – last month when the men on the receiving end of the errors reached for their firearms and decided to shoot.
The shootings captured public attention nationwide, breaking through the unfortunate white noise of pervasive gun violence for their brazenness and similarities. They have reignited the fight over so-called “stand your ground” laws expanding the legal protections around self-defense. And critics, too, have pointed to the incidents as the natural end result of a society flooded with firearms.
But experts and gun control advocates say the shootings are a symptom of a much broader cause: the proliferation of rhetoric on the pro-gun right and among conservatives in general about persistent, pervasive threats, danger and crime, and also of guns as the only means of personal safety against the criminals that lurk around every corner.
“For seven years, all of us here today have been engaged in an epic struggle against the corrupt forces and communist maniacs – and they’re all over the place – that are absolutely trying to destroy our country,” former President Donald Trump said this month in a speech at the National Rifle Association’s annual meeting. “They want to take away your guns while throwing open the jailhouse doors and releasing bloodthirsty criminals into your communities.”
Wayne LaPierre, the embattled chief executive officer of the pro-gun organization, expressed similar sentiments.
“You don’t need the government to tell you the sky is blue, water’s wet or that you have the God-given right to self-defense,” he said.
‘This Could Happen to Anybody’
In Kansas City, Missouri, Ralph Yarl, a Black teenager, rang the wrong doorbell on April 13 while trying to pick up his siblings from a friend’s house. The octogenarian homeowner inside the house shot Yarl in the head in what he said was self-defense, in an action prosecutors say had a “racial component.” Two days later in upstate New York, a car full of young people pulled into the wrong driveway while looking for another friend’s house. The homeowner shot at the car from the porch. Twenty-year-old Kaylin Gillis died. And just days after that, a man shot two teenage cheerleaders in Elgin, Texas, after one of them tried to get into his car by accident, thinking it was her ride. She realized her mistake, exited the car and tried to apologize. But the man opened fire. Yarl’s shooting made headlines in part because it highlighted issues relating to race, and public attention quickly turned to the other shootings in the days after. Though the U.S. experiences gun violence at the highest rate of any developed nation, the shootings broke through the news cycle in part because they easily inspired empathy.
Gun Control and Gun Rights Cartoons
“This could happen to anybody. I mean, there was a racial factor involved in at least one of these. But beyond that, it's just like, this could happen to me or this could happen to my kid,” says Michael Lawlor, an associate professor of criminal justice at the University of New Haven and a former member of the Connecticut House of Representatives. Lawlor, a Democrat, also served as the state’s undersecretary for criminal justice policy.
Focus turned, then, on Missouri’s “stand your ground” law, which is like a law of the same name that is in place in Texas. Gun rights advocates have pushed for years to enact the measures, which expand protections around the use of force when acting in self-defense. Under the law, a person has the right to use deadly force when acting in self-defense anywhere they have a legal right to be, and without first retreating – in other words, using force does not have to be a last resort. The laws burst onto the public debate stage in 2012, when Florida police noted it as the reason they refused to arrest George Zimmerman, who fatally shot Trayvon Martin, a Black unarmed teenager. Zimmerman was later charged and then acquitted.
New York has a similar, albeit more limited, law called the “castle doctrine” that allows for use of force by a person defending their own home – or castle, so to speak. And the passage of “stand your ground” laws has happened in concert with a focused emphasis by the pro-gun right on crime, threats, and self-defense. While promoting firearms as a tool for self-defense is not a new idea, the expansion of laws allowing for use of deadly force may contribute to a climate where gun owners are more ready to do so, says Matthew Lacombe, an associate professor of political science at Case Western University who specializes in gun politics, the NRA and political ideology.
“The NRA narrative that you might use guns for armed self-defense is not new. What is newer is liberalization of particularly state-level laws pertaining to how, when and why you can use lethal force to defend yourself,” Lacombe says.
The men who perpetrated the recent shootings will likely not be covered under such laws, Lacombe notes. But in a wider context, “it's probably the case that the general shift legally has encouraged more and more people to think about self-defense in these terms, encouraged more people to buy guns specifically for self-defense purposes, and in some ways emboldened them in terms of what they see as a reasonable use of them,” he says. The NRA Institute for Legislative Action, which has championed the laws, did not respond to a request for comment about the recent shootings and self-defense laws.
Politicians and advocates for more restrictive gun control laws have pointed the finger at “stand your ground” laws for such an embodiment.
“I think we now have a shoot-first, ask-later policy in this state – or at least that is what people have interpreted it to be,” Missouri state Rep. Maggie Nurrenbern, a Democrat, was quoted by The Kansas City Star as saying in the wake of Yarl’s shooting. Nurrenbern introduced a measure in the legislature earlier this year to limit the state’s law, but the bill went nowhere. The context around the laws, including a focus on firearms as a means for self-defense as opposed to other uses, Lacombe says, is critical for understanding what effect they may have on society.
“It's not just the laws, it's also the sort of marketing campaigns and rhetoric surrounding the laws, which I think have increasingly turned the gun-rights space into one focused on armed self-defense specifically, as opposed to other uses of guns,” Lacombe says.
Part of that context also includes a pervasive narrative pushed by pro-gun advocates and the NRA that has intertwined gun rights and core values like freedom, making expansive gun rights a core part of the conservative ideology – even identity. “Owning a gun isn't just having an object that you might use for recreation or self-defense, but it's more of a sort of symbol of who you are and what you stand for. And part of that relates to self-sufficiency,” Lacombe says of the narrative. “We think of self-sufficiency as being politically coded – you know, ‘I don't need handouts’ – but it's also in recent years come to even involve notions of protection.”
Fear and Freedom
Republicans have in recent years emphasized crime and threats in their electoral messaging around – a threat they say is posed by an “invasion” of illegal immigration, the threat posed by criminals emboldened by Democrats’ soft-on-crime policies, the threat of eroding rights and norms.
“The sinister forces trying to kill America have done everything they can to stop me, to silence you, and to turn this nation into a socialist dumping ground for criminals, junkies, Marxists, thugs, radicals and dangerous refugees that no other country wants,” Trump told the crowd at the Conservative Political Action Conference earlier this year. “If those opposing us succeed, our once-beautiful USA will be a failed country that no one will even recognize – a lawless, open-borders, crime-ridden, filthy, communist nightmare.”
Trump is considered the current front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. His comments echo narratives threaded through many right-leaning news and commentary shows and other forms of media, as well as the electoral strategies of other candidates.
Fear is an old and effective political motivator, experts say, and that motivation was also on display at the NRA’s annual meeting earlier this month, with speeches replete with warnings about self-defense, crime and protecting freedoms from those who want to take it away by force.
“Threat is a pretty powerful motivator, so associating support for gun rights with addressing different types of threats is something that historically has worked pretty well for the NRA,” Lacombe says.
Lawlor, the criminal justice professor, and former state legislator, describes fear and threat as a “political business model” that shifts and changes in topic over the years but remains a pervasive strategy.
“In 2004, the presidential election was all about gay marriage. Right now, it’s all about drag queens. A couple of cycles ago, it was all about immigrant caravans. There is always something that can be that thing that everyone should fear,” Lawlor says. “And so, we're back to crime now. That's where we are now – that you should be scared that someone's going to steal your car or break into your house.”
Though crime rates vary by city, the violent crime rate in the U.S. overall has plummeted since the 1990s, when gang violence associated with an epidemic of crack cocaine fueled urban homicide rates. In fact, violent crime rates have been slashed by more than half – though polling shows that Americans believe the number has gone up, despite the data.
The result of threat-based rhetoric, Lawlor argues, can be what happened in Missouri – a senior citizen “who's watching Fox News all day with the volume all the way on max, has a gun, of course, to protect themselves, and he's been told that sooner or later, some Black guy is going to show and try and kill you or break into your house or whatever.”
‘There's a 16-year-old kid knocking on his door by mistake, and – boom, right? So this outcome is predictable,” he says.
Louisiana House Rejects Firearm Storage Mandate, Advances Two Pro-Gun Measures Story by Mike Jenkins The Louisiana House of Representatives took decisive action on several firearm-related bills Thursday, defeating a measure that would have mandated specific firearm storage practices while approving two bills aimed at expanding gun rights. The two pro-gun bills now head to the State Senate for further consideration. The Senate will now take up both HB 393 and HB 407 for additional policy committee hearings. These two bills join another pro-gun measure, HB 289, already in the Senate and eligible for a committee hearing. Authored by Representative Dewith Carrier, HB 289 is a pro-Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) bill. It aims to further protect the firearm and ammunition industry from being held liable for the criminal misuse of their legally manufactured and sold products by third parties. HB 289 has been referred to the Senate Judiciary C Committee and could receive a hearing as early as next week. In other legislative activity, SB 101, a pro-gun bill authored by Senator Blake Miguez, is poised for a House floor vote next week. This bill seeks to eliminate some gun-free zones, allowing individuals legally carrying under constitutional carry provisions or with out-of-state concealed carry permits recognized by Louisiana to carry in more locations across the state. Please make a small donation to the Tampa Free Press to help sustain independent journalism. Your contribution enables us to continue delivering high-quality, local, and national news coverage. Connect with us: Follow the Tampa Free Press on Facebook and Twitter for breaking news and updates. Sign up: Subscribe to our free newsletter for a curated selection of top stories delivered straight to your inbox.
Kristi Noem From The....THE BLAZE! Kristi Noem’s bombshell letter hits Harvard where it hurts Owen Anderson May 24, 2025 Ivy League academics mocked traditional values for decades. Now they’re panicking as their utopian vision crumbles — without a savior in sight. Picture a Harvard University faculty lounge: a ring of professors clustered around Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s letter, one of them furrowing his brow and murmuring, “Wait, are we the baddies?” Such moments of self-awareness, alas, remain forever just beyond the reach of our academic elite. The very institutions that lecture us daily about our original sin — racism — have, with impressive irony, perfected the art of racial discrimination. We are now at the far end of a 75-year arc that began with William F. Buckley Jr.’s “God and Man at Yale” and ends, aptly, with Harvard losing federal funds over the consequences of its own institutional neglect. The problems Buckley identified — contempt for Christianity and American ideals chief among them — have not only remained; they have metastasized. The very professors who made a career of moral hectoring have, predictably, become the thing they claimed to hate. How did we get here? On Thursday, Noem sent a letter to Harvard informing the school that it had lost its certification for the Student and Exchange Visitor Program. This came after Harvard repeatedly ignored federal requests to disclose statistics related to anti-Semitic activity on campus. According to the letter, Harvard fosters a hostile environment for Jewish students, tolerates pro-Hamas sympathies, and sustains racially discriminatory diversity, equity, and inclusion policies. Sign up for the Blaze newsletter By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, and agree to receive content that may sometimes include advertisements. You may opt out at any time. Harvard is now learning the lesson that Christian colleges grasped nearly half a century ago: Government money comes with government strings. But why did it take Harvard so long to recognize this? The answer is disarmingly simple — until now, those strings were always in harmony with Harvard’s ideological tune. Federal dollars came bundled with leftist priorities, and thus the elite saw no need to question them. Christian colleges, in contrast, often declined the money to preserve their mission of faithfulness to Scripture. What’s astonishing is that Harvard — the oldest corporation in the Western Hemisphere, chartered in 1650 — still behaves as though it needs government money. Its endowment, by the latest count, stands at more than $53 billion. Yet judging from the panic issuing from the president’s office, one might think bankruptcy was imminent. The reason? DEI is embedded so deeply into Harvard’s research infrastructure — even in the sciences — that stripping funding from DEI-tainted grants strikes at the university’s financial core. In academic circles, panic now masquerades as prophecy. Professors speak as though the world is ending — though, given their long record of failed doomsday predictions about climate catastrophe, one might be forgiven for tuning them out. I remember, early in my career, being told by an administrator that Al Gore’s book was a “road map to the future.” It turned out to be more of a road map to irrelevance. Global warming’s great success was posting more failed predictions than Hal Lindsey. But now the panic is personal. It’s not the planet they fear losing. It’s their world — their imagined utopia of managed speech, redefined morality, and subsidized ideology. That world is slipping through their fingers, and they have nothing left but their performances of alarm, such as reading an indigenous land acknowledgement, confessing their privilege, employee training about infinite genders, and giving a voice to the voiceless. This explains the despair among leftist academics. Even as the broader world shows signs of improvement, economically, culturally, and even morally, they howl louder. Why? Because the improvement is happening without them — or worse, despite them. They believed they were changing the world by sermonizing about “whiteness” and “heteronormativity.” Instead, they became a punch line. They trained a generation of DEI advocates with the promise that there would always be government work, but those jobs disappeared faster than the edibles at a faculty party. This is why Noem’s letter cuts so deeply. It documents, officially and unambiguously, the discriminatory policies of Harvard University. The very professors who made a career of moral hectoring have, predictably, become the thing they claimed to hate. As we turn the page on this chapter of the failed American university, we should remember that Buckley, despite his critique, was ultimately optimistic. He knew that donors, parents, and students were no longer represented by Ivy League ideology, even as those schools embraced collectivism in his day. He believed they would reject the communitarian ideologies of these universities. And they have! Now, as the last gasps of those failed philosophies echo through Harvard Yard, we too have reason to be hopeful. Parents, donors, and students are awakening, and they’re asking for something better. American ideals and Christianity are back on the menu at the schools that matter. Perhaps, at long last, we are remembering what once made Harvard great in the first place: Veritas.
Nevada Man Sentenced to 46 Months in Prison for Threatening U.S. Senators A Las Vegas man who pleaded guilty to threatening a U.S. Senator from Nevada and threatening family members of two United States Senators was sentenced today to over three years in prison followed by three years of supervised release. “The threats against these U.S. Senators and their families were vile, dehumanizing, and shameful,” said Sue J. Bai, head of the National Security Division. “Today’s sentence reflects the Department’s firm resolve to holding accountable those who seek to intimidate and harm our public officials. Such threats of violence have no place in our country.” “With today’s sentencing, the defendant will pay the price for making threats of violence,” said Assistant Director Donald M. Holstead of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division. “It is unacceptable to threaten public officials or anyone else, and the FBI will work with our law enforcement partners to identify and hold accountable anyone who engages in such illegal activity.” According to court documents, from Oct. 11 to 25, 2023, John Anthony Miller left numerous threatening voicemails at the offices of two U.S. Senators. Miller threatened to assault and murder a U.S. Senator with intent to impede, intimidate, and interfere with U.S. Senator while engaged in the performance of official duties, and with intent to retaliate against the U.S. Senator on account of the performance of official duties. The following week, on Oct. 24 and Oct. 25, Miller threatened to assault and murder a member of the immediate family of two U.S. Senators, with intent to impede, intimidate, and interfere with the U.S. Senators while engaged in the performance of official duties, and with intent to retaliate against the U.S. Senators on account of the performance of official duties. Miller pleaded guilty to one-count of threatening a federal official and two-counts of influencing, impeding, or retaliating against a federal official by threatening a family member. U.S. District Judge Jennifer A. Dorsey presided over the sentencing hearing. The FBI Las Vegas Field Office investigated the case with valuable assistance provided by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the U.S. Capitol Police. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jacob Operskalski and Daniel Schiess for the District of Nevada prosecuted the case. To report suspected threats or violent acts, contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324) or file an online complaint at www.tips.fbi.gov. If someone is in imminent danger or risk of harm, contact 911 or your local police immediately.
Attorney General Pamela Bondi, DEA, & USAO New Mexico Announce Results of Historic Drug Bust On May 6, 2025, Attorney General Pamela Bondi, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico, announced the outcome of a weeklong, multi-agency enforcement operation targeting one of the largest drug trafficking organizations responsible for flooding communities with fentanyl and other illicit narcotics.
Maryland drug trafficker sentenced to five years in prison for firearms offense U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Virginia ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Maryland man was sentenced today to five years in prison for possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. According to court documents, on Dec. 7, 2024, an officer of the Pentagon Force Protection Agency (PFPA) initiated a traffic stop after she observed Kaleel Malcolm Nagbe, 21, of Baltimore, holding a cellphone as he was driving on the Pentagon Reservation. As she approached the vehicle, the officer detected the odor of marijuana and asked Nagbe to exit the vehicle. After being informed that PFPA officers would be conducting a probable-cause search of the vehicle, Nagbe reentered the vehicle and attempted to drive away. Another PFPA officer then leaned into the vehicle and grabbed Nagbe. Both officers prevented Nagbe from driving away and secured him after a brief struggle. During a search of the vehicle, officers located approximately 13 pounds of marijuana in the trunk and multiple clear baggies in the passenger compartment that bore images of characters from the cartoon “Codename: Kids Next Door.” The baggies bore a QR code that, when scanned with a cellphone, were linked to an Instagram account that advertised marijuana for sale using the same cartoon packaging. When officers searched Nagbe they located a loaded firearm in his underwear. The firearm had a round of ammunition in the chamber and 16 additional rounds in the magazine. The firearm was equipped with a machinegun conversion device, rendering it capable of firing automatically. On Jan. 4, 2023, Nagbe was convicted in the Montgomery County, Maryland, Circuit Court of possession of a regulated firearm by a person under 21 years of age, and was sentenced on April 23, 2023, to five years in prison, with all but the 367 days he had already spent in custody suspended. Nagbe was on probation for that conviction at the time of the current offense. Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Anthony A. Spotswood, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division; and Chris Bargery, Director of the Pentagon Force Protection Agency, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Michael S. Nachmanoff. Assistant U.S. Attorney John C. Blanchard prosecuted the case. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:25-cr-6. Contact Press Officer USAVAE.Press@usdoj.gov Updated May 22, 2025
Seven-Time Convicted Felon Sentenced To More Than Two Years For Attempting To Illegally Purchase A Firearm U.S. Attorney's Office, Middle District of Florida Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Corrigan has sentenced Stephen K. Gainous (38, Jacksonville) to 30 months in federal prison for making a false statement to a federally licensed firearms dealer during the attempted purchase of a firearm. Gainous pled guilty on February 14, 2025. According to court documents, Gainous completed an ATF Form 4473 during the attempted purchase of a firearm from a federally licensed firearms dealer. Gainous indicated on the required paperwork that he was not a felon. This was a false statement, in that Gainous was previously convicted of seven felonies, including battery on a child, making a false statement during the acquisition of a firearm, possession of cocaine, criminal use of personal identification, and fraudulent use of a credit card. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Brenna Falzetta. This is another case uncovered through the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). All NICS denials are reported to federal law enforcement and are reviewed daily for potential criminal prosecution. Federal law makes it a felony offense to make a false statement to a firearms dealer when trying to buy a gun. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. Updated May 22, 2025
Pam Bondi ATF Updates National Policy on Federal Firearm Licensee Inspections To Promote Fairness, Consistency, and Public Safety The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives today issued an updated national policy for administrative actions related to compliance inspections of federal firearms licensees. The guidance promotes clear, consistent and fact-based decisions that uphold ATF’s commitment to public safety and respect for Second Amendment rights. The policy replaces the 2021 Enhanced Regulatory Enforcement policy, also known as the "zero-tolerance" policy. It directs industry operations investigators to consider all circumstances of an inspection rather than applying automatic outcomes, ensuring ATF uses its regulatory authority fairly and effectively. “This update is about getting it right and making sure we’re focused on public safety,” ATF Acting Director Daniel Driscoll said. “Under the previous policy, some licensees were being penalized for simple mistakes such as, forgetting to put their license number on forms. This new guidance gives our investigators the discretion to tell the difference between an honest mistake and a real threat to public safety. Law-abiding dealers deserve a system that treats them fairly, not like suspects. They are our partners and the first line of defense in our efforts to combat firearms trafficking.” The policy provides investigators and field leadership clearer guidelines for evaluating violations, weighing mitigating and aggravating factors, and determining the proper response—from education and warnings to administrative actions. Decisions must factor in whether licensees self-reported issues, implemented corrective actions, or present a continuing threat to public safety. These updates support the administration’s efforts to increase transparency and public confidence in government oversight, reaffirming ATF’s commitment to accountability and legitimate business practices. Key points of the updated policy • Context-driven enforcement: Serious, willful violations may lead to administrative action, while minor or clerical errors may be addressed with education or warnings. • No automatic revocation: Removes the prior policy’s presumption of license revocation, instead considering intent, compliance history and public-safety risks. • Stronger public-safety focus: Investigators must evaluate whether continued operations pose a public-safety threat or contribute to violent crime, and whether the licensee demonstrates the ability to comply moving forward. • Clear legal standards and timelines: Defines key terms such as “willful” and “knowing” and establishes uniform timelines for reviews, actions and coordination. • Support for lawful industry engagement: ATF continues early intervention and collaboration with responsible licensees, while firmly addressing repeat or serious violations. ATF conducts compliance inspections as part of its mission to ensure firearms are sold, transferred and documented in accordance with federal law. The revised policy ensures inspections are fair, consistent and focused on reducing violent crime while protecting the rights of responsible gun owners. Compliance inspections also support ATF’s broader efforts to combat firearms trafficking. By examining dealer records and business practices, industry operations investigators can identify suspicious patterns—such as straw purchases or missing inventory—that may indicate firearms are being diverted into illegal markets. These findings assist in criminal investigations and help reduce violent crime by preventing guns from falling into the wrong hands. ATF is the federal law enforcement agency responsible for regulating the firearm industry and enforcing laws related to firearms and violent crime. For more information, visit atf.gov or follow @ATFHQ on X. Contact: ATF Public Affairs Division, Liaison2@atf.gov
Have you ever had to use your concealed carry? Kielma say’s, this from an avid reader of my blog. Your thoughts? Unfortunately, yes. I was pumping gas into my 2011 mustang boss 5.0 when a Hispanic looking man came up from behind me and when he yelled HEY! I turned around and he had a gun pointed at my face. He told me in broken English to stop what I was doing so I stopped pumping gas and hung up the gas pump. While still pointing his gun at me he got in my car and locked the door. When he tried to start my car, he suddenly realized that the key was not in the ignition. He turned towards me, and I had already pulled my micro desert eagle .380 out of my pocket and now I was pointing it at his head. The idiot tried to reach for his gun which he had placed next to him on the passenger seat. I screamed “RIGHT THERE” at the top of my lungs. He looked scared and I used my key to unlock the door, and I ordered him out of my car. I pistol whipped him hard across his face and ordered him on the ground. I told him that he had really fucked up and that I was going to kill him. I guess he decided to take a chance, and he got up and started running down the street. I decided to just let him go because I didn't want to kill anyone after all. When he was a block away, I went into the tiger mart and asked the clerk if they had a security video. He said we have cameras, but the machines haven't worked for a long time. I decided screw it because there's no proof and I left. I still have that scumbag’s gun. FYI never leave your keys in the ignition when you're pumping gas and keep your head on a swivel. If you live in a carry state buy yourself a good compact handgun and get a CCP.
States Move to Ban Glocks Over Full-Auto Conversion Panic Scott Witner - You read that right— California and Illinois lawmakers are pushing bills to ban Glock pistols. Why? Because some criminals have illegally installed so-called “Glock switches” to convert them to full-auto fire. These devices, also known as auto sears, are already federally banned, heavily prosecuted, and undeniably illegal under the National Firearms Act. But that’s not enough for anti-gun legislators. Instead of punishing criminals, they’re coming after law-abiding gun owners—again. From Banning Devices to Banning Guns The logic behind these proposed bans is just as ridiculous as it sounds: Since some criminals have illegally modified Glock pistols, the solution must be to ban Glocks altogether. In California, Assembly Bill 1127 seeks to outlaw the sale of Glock pistols and any other handgun that could potentially be converted to full-auto. Meanwhile, Illinois’ HB4045 is aiming for the same target. And you can bet other blue states are watching closely. As Gun Owners of America National Director Mark Jones warned in a recent interview, this trend could spread. “Our citizens need to be vigilant and not think it cannot happen here,” said Jones. “Colorado has shown us that with their transformation over a decade.” Even in pro-gun states like Wyoming, gun owners are being warned not to get too comfortable. Elections have consequences, and the anti-gun crowd is playing the long game. Let’s Be Clear: Full-Auto Conversions Are Already Illegal Glock pistols, like the overwhelming majority of modern handguns, are semi-automatic—one round fired per trigger pull. The “Glock switch” alters the pistol’s internal mechanism to make it fire fully automatic, which is illegal unless you own a properly registered machine gun manufactured before 1986 (and good luck affording one). These devices are typically imported illegally from China and other black market sources. They’re unreliable, unsafe, and built with all the quality you’d expect from a sketchy ePacket shipment. Not only are they illegal to possess under federal law, but installing one can seriously damage your firearm—or injure the user. Yet instead of focusing on those criminals, lawmakers want to punish the millions of Americans who legally carry and depend on Glock handguns for self-defense. Banning Glocks Won’t Survive Constitutional Scrutiny The push to ban handguns like Glocks isn’t just unconstitutional—it’s already been ruled that way. George Mocsary, director of the Firearms Research Center and professor at the University of Wyoming College of Law, pointed out that the Supreme Court’s 2008 Heller decision explicitly affirmed the individual right to own handguns. “It’s just an effort by these states to harass the people who own these Glock handguns lawfully,” Mocsary said. That precedent is crystal clear: You can’t ban handguns just because a few bad actors break the law. And trying to justify a ban based on the hypothetical that someone might commit a felony with an aftermarket part? That’s like banning pickup trucks because someone might use one to flee a robbery. What This Means for Gun Owners If these bills pass, don’t expect them to stop at Glock. Any pistol with a polymer frame and a modular fire control group could be next. Heck, even metal-framed classics could be targeted if someone finds a way to hack them. And for those traveling through California or Illinois with a concealed carry permit? Be careful. Even if your permit is recognized, your legally-owned Glock could make you a criminal under these new laws. “It certainly could impact travel,” said Jones. “Even if traveling with a reciprocal permit, you need to comply with the laws of the state where you go.” A Desperate New Gun Control Tactic Jones summed it up best: This isn’t about safety—it’s about control. “Specifically, to these switches, it is already a federal felony to illegally convert a weapon to full auto,” he said. “This is already illegal, so more unconstitutional gun control isn’t the answer.” These proposals aren’t just misguided—they’re proof that anti-gun legislators will never stop at regulating illegal behavior. Their real goal is to chip away at lawful gun ownership, piece by piece. And now they’re coming for America’s most popular handgun.
ATF issuing suppressors for the ‘health and safety’ of its agents, but what about us? Lee Williams The ATF admitted it issues $1,300 rifle suppressors for the “health and safety” of its law enforcement agents, “due to the extensive training and quarterly firearms qualifications they must complete,” according to our story published Wednesday. But those three words chosen by the ATF – health and safety – set off a bomb among readers, and rightly so, because of how those of us who aren’t ATF agents are treated if we want to protect our own health and safety. Why do law-abiding Americans have to pay $200, submit a federal application, and jump through a series of legal hoops just to purchase a single silencer? Besides, most of us shoot a lot more than at quarterly firearms qualifications, so our hearing is at serious risk. One reader pointed out that suppressors are safety devices for the ATF but are considered a privilege for those of us who aren’t ATF agents. Unfortunately, he is 100% correct. The ATF is completely wrong in its reasoning. We can all agree that suppressors offer a tremendous boon to health and safety, but shouldn’t civilians receive the same benefits as our lowliest federal agents? We should be able to purchase them anywhere, anytime we want, without any federal forms, waiting periods or especially $200 fees. Doesn’t the American public deserve the same level of health and safety that ATF agents receive, especially since we’re already funding theirs through our tax dollars? If the ATF is correct and suppressors are true health and safety devices, why isn’t there one included in the box with every new gun purchase? The ATF already requires gunmakers to include padlocks and keys with every new sale. Why not suppressors, too? Why do American citizens have to take second place to federal agents? Don’t we have the same right to safeguard our own health and safety? H.R.404 – Hearing Protection Act Just four months ago, Congressman Ben Cline (R-VA) reintroduced the Hearing Protection Act (HPA), which was designed to reduce “the overly burdensome barriers required to purchase a firearm suppressor to ease access for law-abiding citizens simply trying to obtain the hearing protection they need.” “Americans who enjoy hunting and target shooting should be able to do so safely and legally without facing burdensome government regulations,” Rep. Cline said. “The Hearing Protection Act will reclassify suppressors, making it easier for law-abiding gun owners to protect their hearing while enjoying recreational activities. It’s time to ensure that our Second Amendment rights are upheld, allowing responsible citizens to enjoy their freedoms without unnecessary obstacles.” As it stands now, Cline’s bill has 76 cosponsors, and every single one is a Republican. The bill was assigned to the Committee on Ways and Means, and the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period of time that will be determined by the Speaker of the House, The bill drew strong support from the gun community, including the American Suppressor Association (ASA), the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the National Rifle Association (NRA), and the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF). While representatives from all of the organizations were quoted in the bill’s press release, no one said anything better or more relevant than Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF’s senior vice-president and general counsel. “Congressman Cline’s Hearing Protection Act will have the federal government recognize firearm suppressors for what they are. These are accessories to a firearm that make recreational shooting and hunting a safer experience,” Keane said. “These safety devices reduce the report of a firearm to a level that won’t cause instant and permanent hearing damage. Despite Hollywood’s depictions, they do not mask the sound of a firearm. The focus should be on removing barriers to safe and responsible use of firearms and dedicating resources to ensuring firearms are safeguarded from those who should never possess them. Strict regulatory control of firearm accessories, and the parts of those accessories that have no bearing on the function of a firearm, is unnecessary and not the wisest use of federal resources. NSSF thanks Congressman Cline for his leadership for ensuring safe and responsible use of firearms and dedicating necessary resources where they are most needed.” The Second Amendment Foundation’s Investigative Journalism Project wouldn’t be possible without you. Click here to make a tax-deductible donation to support pro-gun stories like this.
