February Gun Sales Up Over Last Year.

Gun sales were brisk again in February, with background checks for gun purchases rising over February of last year.

The February National Shooting Sports Foundation-adjusted National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) figure of 1,265,320 is a 3.5 percent increase from the 1,222,980 in February 2025. For comparison, the unadjusted February 2026 FBI NICS figure of 1,933,972 reflects a 13.5 percent decrease from the unadjusted FBI NICS figure of 2,236,637 in February 2025.

In fact, the new figure of over 1 million monthly gun sales continued in February, marking the seventh consecutive month with more than 1 million background checks, after the single month in July 2025 with fewer than 1 million. As most readers likely recall, before July, when the number fell below 1 million, the previous streak of months with over 1 million background checks had lasted nearly six years.

“February’s adjusted background checks show that the desire for lawful gun ownership is alive and well,” said Mark Oliva, NSSF managing director of public affairs. “When instances of lawlessness and concerns for personal safety arise, Americans will respond by exercising their Second Amendment rights to both keep and bear arms.”

According to the NSSF, the top five states for overall Adjusted NICS checks and handgun NICS checks in February were Texas, Florida, California, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. Top states for long gun NICS checks were the same but in a different order: Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania, California, and Virginia.

Ruger Sets the Record Straight on Competitor Beretta’s Attempt to Seize Control of Ruger

MAYODAN, N.C.-On February 24, 2026, Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE: RGR) (“Ruger” or the “Company”) received a notice from Beretta Holding S.A. (“Beretta”) stating Beretta’s intention to nominate four candidates for election to Ruger’s Board of Directors at the Company’s 2026 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. The Company, in consultation with its advisors, is reviewing the notice in accordance with Ruger’s established procedures and applicable law.

To date, Ruger has not publicly responded to Beretta’s characterization of Ruger’s actions and decisions. However, because of mischaracterizations and omissions in Beretta’s communications, Ruger feels it is necessary to set the record straight.

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“blast radius”

D.C. Claims Chaos Will Ensue if Magazine Ban Disappears

Last week a three-judge panel on the D.C. Court of Appeals (which is the highest local court in the District) ruled the District of Columbia’s ban on ammunition magazines that can hold more than ten rounds violates the Second Amendment. These magazines are “arms”, the court concluded, and they are unquestionably in common use for lawful purposes, which means that they’re protected by the U.S. Constitution.

Now the District of Columbia is hoping to reverse that decision through an en banc review, and is asking the Court of Appeals to keep the ruling from taking affect while it appeals.

In its request, the District claims that the panel’s decision “has created uncertainty and chaos” and that the “blast radius of the decision is potentially massive”, arguing that the opinion also impacts “exceedingly common charges governing unlicensed and unregistered firearms.”

I think D.C.’s licensing and registration requirements are equally unsound from a constitutional perspective, but there’s nothing in the panel’s decision that impacts those statutes. The opinion released by the court deals exclusively with the District’s prohibition on commonly owned magazines, and the only uncertainty resulting from the decision is whether or not the ban is still actively being enforced.

The U.S. Attorney’s office has already declined to pursue charges against any legal gun owner caught with a “large capacity” magazine, though the D.C. Attorney General’s office has continued prosecuting possession cases.

The D.C. Court of Appeals hasn’t granted the District’s request, but the opinion will likely remain on hold while the en banc review is being considered. The court has set an expedited briefing schedule that will conclude next Wednesday, and a decision on granting or denying the en banc request could come by the end of next week.

There’s an easy way to ensure there’s no confusion over the panel’s decision: let it stand and take effect.

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CCL holder shoots intruder in South Side break-in, Chicago police say

CHICAGO (WLS) — A CCL holder shot a man who was breaking into his home on Saturday, Chicago police said. It happened at about 2:39 a.m. in the 5100-block of S. Loomis Boulevard, police said.

A 59-year-old man was breaking into a garage and was confronted by the homeowner. CPD said the homeowner, a valid CCL holder, pulled out a gun and shot at the alleged intruder.

The suspect was shot in the right calf and was taken to the University of Chicago Hospital. He is expected to be OK. Chicago police said charges are pending.

CPD Area One Detectives are leading the investigation.

Boy, 11, shoots, kills mom’s boyfriend who attacked her inside home, police say

An 11-year-old boy shot and killed his mother’s boyfriend after the man attacked her inside a Philadelphia home late Thursday night, police said.

The shooting occurred around 11:30 p.m. inside a home along the 1100 block of South Peach Street. Police said a 30-year-old man, identified as Jaimeer Jones-Walker of Lansdowne, Pennsylvania, was arguing with his girlfriend inside the bedroom of her home.

Police said Jones-Walker didn’t live at the home and he double parked on the street before entering his girlfriend’s house. The woman told police that Jones-Walker attacked her during their argument.

“It was verbal and possibly turned into a physical altercation,” Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said.

The woman’s 11-year-old son then grabbed a handgun and fired one shot, shooting Jones-Walker in the face, according to investigators.

Police and medics were called to the scene and found Jones-Walker unresponsive inside the second-floor bedroom. He was pronounced dead by medics at 11:59 p.m.

Both the woman and her son remained at the scene and are cooperating with the investigation, police said. Officials said the gun that was fired is legally registered to the woman.

Shyreea Blocker, a resident in the neighborhood, told NBC10 she heard the commotion that led to the shooting. She also said she would often hear the couple fighting.

“Like arguing and fighting but that’s nothing new with them,” Blocker said. “It’s a shame. It shouldn’t be like that.”

Another resident, Gilbert Blocker, told NBC10 he was concerned about the impact the shooting will have on the boy.

“The things he’s going to suffer in his heart if he has any feelings, is going to last him not just now but for the rest of his life,” he said.

Sources told NBC10 the boy is currently staying with another family member.

Expert weighs in after child accused of killing mom’s boyfriend

A Philadelphia mother says that her 11-year-old son pulled out a gun to protect her. NBC10’s Siobhan McGirl spoke with an expert about how domestic violence affects children and what resources are available.

“It’s disturbing and sad. And I feel apprehension about what is going to happen with this child, what is going to happen with his mother,” Director of Philadelphia’s Office of Domestic Violence Strategies Azucena Ugarte told NBC10. “Experiencing violence in the home has long term effects, but we know that children are resilient.”

No arrests have been made in the shooting and no charges have been filed. Police continue to investigate.

Women in South Africa take up guns and martial arts for protection against gender violence

BRONKHORSTSPRUIT, South Africa (AP) — At the command of a female instructor, a line of girls and women, some wearing pink ear protectors, shoot five rounds at a target with 9 mm pistols as they undergo firearm training at a range in the agricultural town of Bronkhorstspruit just outside South Africa’s capital, Pretoria.

The group, some as young as 13 and others up to 65, are looking for ways to protect themselves in a country where gender-based violence is such a critical problem that it was declared a national disaster by the government in November.

“Check your grip, check your line of sight,” shouts Claire van der Westhuizen, the lead female instructor at Lone Operator shooting range, as women with well-manicured nails reload for another round.

The training course is specifically designed for women and offers practice in real-world scenarios like self-defense firing while lying on their stomachs and backs.

Femicide rates in South Africa are among the highest in the world, according to U.N. Women, the United Nations agency for gender equality. A South African study in 2022 found more than 35% of South African women aged 18 and older had experienced physical or sexual violence at some point. In most cases, the perpetrator was an intimate partner.

Joining ‘a family of support’

Sunette du Toit, a working 51-year-old grandmother, was pushed to take up firearm training after surviving a home invasion by five men who tied her up and ransacked her house, she told The Associated Press.

“I was not in a position to defend myself at that point,” du Toit said. “I had to do this (firearm training) for myself to gain my confidence back to be able to move in public, and even in my own house, without feeling vulnerable.”

She called the women’s firearm training group “a family of support.”

Firearms in South Africa are heavily regulated. Anyone who wants to own a gun for self-defense must be over 21 and pass proficiency tests and background checks.

Various self-defense trainings for women are popping up throughout the country.

Trump Says He Won’t Sign Any New Legislation Until the SAVE Act Is Passed

President Donald Trump has signaled that the SAVE America Act is now the single greatest legislative priority ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. He announced Sunday morning on Truth Social that he would not be signing any other bills until the Senate forces the election integrity bill through the gridlock of the silent filibuster.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has said that he is completely fine with shutting the Senate down, and that Democrats pass the bill to secure American elections under end circumstances. Polling numbers have shown that Democrats are wildly opposed to the will of even their own voters, as a new poll has shown that half of Democrat voters support voter ID measures. The poll showed that nearly 70 percent of independents want these common sense measures as well.

The bill is such a high priority for Republicans that Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton indicated that he would be willing to suspend his campaign against Sen. John Cornyn if GOP leadership would end the silent filibuster to pass the SAVE Act.