GOA:
WV: Setting the Record Straight on SB 1071

In recent days, West Virginia Senate President Randy Smith released a public statement regarding SB 1071, the Public Defense and Provisioning Act. His comments have created confusion about the bill’s drafting, legality, and level of expert review.

It is essential that West Virginians have the full and accurate factual record. Many of the claims made about SB 1071 do not reflect the truth, and the following information provides a clear, fact-driven response based on verifiable legal authorities and documented expert analysis.

A Bill with Momentum — and an Unexpected Intervention

The fight for modern firearms equality began in early February. West Virginia made national history when it became the first state in America to introduce legislation authorizing the lawful sale of post-1986 machine guns under the federal carve-out in 18 U.S.C.922(o)(2)(A).

SB 1071 immediately ignited excitement among legislators, industry leaders, and grassroots supporters. Other states quickly took notice—several have already copied West Virginia’s language, and more are preparing to introduce their own versions.

A flash poll conducted by Gun Owners of America showed overwhelming enthusiasm among West Virginians, with 94 percent saying their out-of-state family and friends would be more likely to move to West Virginia if this bill became law. The momentum was real, and the nation was watching.

SB 1071 was introduced by Senator Chris Rose, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and the committee advanced the bill with overwhelming support. But immediately after that vote, the bill seemed to vanish.

Chairman Tom Willis, who had reported the bill out of Judiciary, was himself confused about why it had not moved to the Finance Committee as expected. This unusual stall prompted West Virginians across the state to begin calling their Senators, demanding Sen. Chris Rose (left), sponsor of SB 1071, stands with Senate President Randy Smith.
answers about what had happened to a bill that had just passed committee with overwhelming support.

In response to the growing public concern, Senate President Randy Smith publicly stated that he personally made the decision to halt SB 1071, clarifying that the choice did not come from Chairman Willis or the Judiciary Committee. This admission dramatically shifted the understanding of events. What many initially believed to be procedural delay within Judiciary now appeared to be a direct intervention from Senate leadership.

Additionally, several advocates and legal experts have raised serious concerns that President Smith may have been relying on information provided by an outside individual who strongly opposed SB 1071 and may have misrepresented key legal facts about the bill.

According to these observers, this misinformation appears to have played a significant role in shaping the Senate President’s decision—ultimately stopping a bill that had strong public support, clear legislative interest, and validation from some of the most respected constitutional attorneys in the country.

This context is essential for understanding how SB 1071 was derailed and why an accurate factual record matters as West Virginians evaluate what happened and determine the path forward.

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If you developed Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) sometime after getting the COVID19 vaccination, there is strong evidence that the latter is related to the former. Symptoms of PMR are aching joints, especially in the shoulders and pelvis, which can be debilitating

BREAKING STUDY: COVID-19 “Vaccination” Linked to 6,800% Higher Odds of Debilitating Autoimmune Muscle Disease
CDC/FDA data reveal a massive safety signal for polymyalgia rheumatica—an autoimmune inflammatory disease causing severe muscle pain and debilitating stiffness.

by Nicolas Hulscher, MPH

A new study titled “Association Between COVID-19 Vaccination and Polymyalgia Rheumatica: A Review and Case Series Report” reports a powerful safety signal linking COVID-19 vaccination to polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR)—a debilitating autoimmune inflammatory disorder characterized by severe muscle pain and systemic inflammation.

The paper was authored by Dr. Erik Nilssen, Dr. James Thorp, Claire Rogers, Kirstin Cosgrove, Dr. Steven Hatfill, Dr. Drew Pinsky, Dr. Kelly Victory, Dr. Alejandro Diaz-Villalobos, Nicolas Hulscher (myself), and Dr. Peter A. McCullough.

In our analysis, we examined reports from the CDC/FDA Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) and detected a striking disproportionate increase in PMR cases following COVID-19 vaccination compared with other vaccines. We also report three clinical cases of polymyalgia rheumatica observed in recent medical practice following COVID-19 vaccination or spike protein exposure.

Polymyalgia rheumatica primarily affects adults over age 50 and can leave patients with crippling shoulder, neck, and hip pain, profound morning stiffness, fatigue, and elevated inflammatory markers. Many patients require long-term corticosteroid therapy to control symptoms.

Massive Safety Signal Detected in U.S. Vaccine Database

We analyzed reports from the CDC/FDA Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) spanning 1990–2026 and identified:

  • 2,227 cases of polymyalgia rheumatica reported after COVID-19 vaccination
  • 233 cases after influenza vaccination
  • 526 cases after all other vaccines combined

After adjusting for the duration of vaccine availability, the safety signal became striking.

The odds ratio over time (ORt) for PMR following COVID-19 vaccination compared with influenza vaccination was:

69.4 (95% CI: 51.4–93.6, p < 0.0001, Z = 27.7)

When COVID-19 vaccination was compared with all other vaccines combined, a similarly strong signal persisted:

30.7 (95% CI: 23.1–40.8, p < 0.0001, Z = 23.6)

For context, regulators define a vaccine safety signal as a disproportionality measure of ≥2.

These findings exceed that threshold by more than an order of magnitude, indicating an unusually strong association between COVID-19 vaccination and reports of polymyalgia rheumatica.

The extremely large Z-scores—23 to 27 standard deviations above expected values—indicate that the probability of this signal occurring by chance is extraordinarily small.

BLUF
Mexico’s attempt to sway U.S. courts with an opinion from IACHR runs into the problems that, unfortunately, have plagued Mexico. NSSF is sympathetic to the victims in Mexico who have suffered under the criminal violence wrought by narco-terrorist drug cartels. However, until Mexico addresses corruption and crime on their side of the border, this won’t be resolved.
The problem isn’t from U.S. firearm manufacturers or retailers

Mexico Tries to Use International Courts to Attack American Gun Makers and It Doesn’t Go Well.

Mexico’s hope to appropriate a human rights court to bolster its chances in frivolous lawsuits against U.S. firearm manufacturers and retailers is disappearing like a vapor in breeze.

The Inter-American Court of Human Rights published an advisory opinion at the request of Mexico’s government. NSSF filed an amicus brief with the IACHR arguing that Mexico was attempting to improperly influence sovereign U.S. courts by co-opting an international human rights court that has no jurisdiction on pending decisions. Predictably, the IACHR leaned into the opinion anyway.

But if this was the boost for which Mexico was searching in its pending lawsuits, authorities there will be disappointed. They got platform shoes, not a platform with which they can walk in when they press their claims.

There are a couple reasons for that. First, U.S. courts are sovereign. Courts in the United States answer to the U.S. Constitution, from which all U.S. law stems. Second, the U.S. Supreme Court already dismissed one of their flagship and erroneous claims that U.S. firearm manufacturers are somehow responsible for the criminal violence and harms caused by narco-terrorists in Mexico. Lastly, there are growing and continuing reports of widespread corruption and arms smuggling within Mexico.

What the IACHR Said

The IACHR wrote in its opinion that companies have an obligation to supervise distribution of firearms to avoid “human rights violations,” but it didn’t name specific companies. In fact, it didn’t list U.S. firearm manufacturers at all. The IACHR also held that governments must guarantee effective judicial remedies for violations of human rights but, despite Mexico’s demand that the IACHR reject laws like the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, the IACHR did not even criticize, much less reject, these sensible procedural protections for the firearms industry.

The most egregious portion of the opinion noted that the IACHR takes pains to observe that human rights obligations are “transnational.” That means that companies in one country should be responsible for human rights violations that occur further down the chain. That can’t be interpreted as anything other than a swipe at U.S. companies.  However, here again, no companies are named.

The IACHR’s opinion will obviously have no bearing on the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc., et al. v. Estados Unidos Mexicanos. In that case the Court held that the PLCAA bars Mexico’s claims that firearm manufacturers “aided and abetted” illegal firearms trafficking to narco-terrorist drug cartels in Mexico. NSSF filed an amicus brief supporting U.S. firearm manufacturers in that case. The Supreme Court rejected Mexico’s theory of liability in a 9-0 decision written by Justice Elena Kagan. It explained that the lawsuit is barred by the PLCAA because “Mexico’s complaint does not plausibly allege that the defendant gun manufacturers aided and abetted gun dealers’ unlawful sales of firearms to Mexican traffickers.”

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Breakthrough to Strengthen Bones Could Reverse Osteoporosis.

esearch points to a key bone-strengthening mechanism at work in the body, which could be targeted to treat the bone-weakening disease, osteoporosis.

Led by scientists from the University of Leipzig in Germany and Shandong University in China, the 2025 study identified the cell receptor GPR133 (also known as ADGRD1) as being crucial to bone density, via bone-building cells called osteoblasts.

Variations in the GPR133 gene had previously been linked to bone density, leading researchers to turn their attention to the protein it encoded.

The team ran tests on mice in which the gene was either absent or could be activated using a chemical called AP503.

In the absence of the GPR133 gene, the mice grew up with weak bones, resembling the symptoms of osteoporosis. However, when the receptor was present and activated by AP503, bone production and strength improved.

Watch the video below for a summary of the findings:

New Court Split Could Force Supreme Court to Decide Magazine and AR-15 Ban Cases

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.

Attorneys representing gun owners in Duncan v. Bonta and Gator’s Custom Guns v. Wentz have now filed supplemental briefs at the Supreme Court pointing to a critical development.

The filings cite the recent decision in Benson v. United States, where the District of Columbia Court of Appeals ruled that the District’s ban on magazines capable of holding more than 10 rounds violates the Second Amendment.

That decision directly conflicts with rulings from other courts that have upheld similar bans. In particular, the federal Ninth Circuit previously allowed California’s magazine ban to stand in Duncan v. Bonta, while the Washington Supreme Court upheld its state’s restrictions in Gator’s Custom Guns v. Wentz.

This disagreement between courts is known as a “split of authority,” and it is one of the primary triggers that pushes the Supreme Court to grant review. When different courts interpret the Constitution in conflicting ways, the justices often step in to settle the matter once and for all.

According to the new briefs, that moment may have arrived.

The ruling in Benson did more than simply strike down Washington D.C.’s magazine restrictions. The court issued a detailed opinion explaining that magazines capable of holding more than 10 rounds are commonly owned and widely used for lawful purposes.

Under the framework established in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, firearms regulations must be consistent with the nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation. The D.C. court concluded that bans on commonly owned magazines do not meet that test.

In other words, the court found that these magazines fall squarely within the types of arms protected by the Second Amendment.

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Vanished: Air Force General Connected to UAP and Space Warfare Projects Goes Missing

Retired U.S. Air Force Major General William Neil McCasland, 68, has been missing since February 27. But what makes his disappearance so strange is that investigators have discovered McCasland’s connections to highly sensitive space weapons programs and Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP), the term that replaced UFOs. Yeah, that’s not weird or anything, right?

Someone last spotted McCasland near his home in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at around 11 a.m. local time. Law enforcement officials say he left his phone behind and has not contacted any of his friends or family since he went missing. Could we be looking at a real-life X-file unfolding before our eyes? It’s certainly odd that he had all of these connections to things the government doesn’t want us to know about.

McCasland, a retired astronautical engineer, earned several degrees from the U.S. Air Force Academy, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard. During his time in the military, he also held a number of positions that gave him access to extremely sensitive information.

The major general served at the Pentagon for a time where he ran several programs related to space weaponry. McCasland also served as the chief engineer on the Global Positioning System program within the Department of Defense and worked as program director for the Space Based Laser Project Office. Sounds like some really sophisticated stuff with serious national security implications.

McCasland also worked for a while as commander of the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. This base has a long-rumored history as a “storage” facility for debris allegedly collected from the UFO crash in Roswell, New Mexico. Of course, the powers that be have denied it, but Wright-Patterson also hosted Project Blue Book, a military program that studied UFO sightings between 1952 and 1969. The operation investigated 12,618 sightings during its existence.

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Hero ROTC cadet fatally stabbed ISIS-supporting Old Dominion gunman to prevent more carnage

A heroic ROTC student fatally stabbed the crazed ISIS-linked gunman who opened fire inside an Old Dominion University classroom Thursday, preventing further carnage, law enforcement sources said.

Shooter Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, 36, gunned down an instructor before the unidentified cadet jumped into action to put an end to the suspected terror attack on the Virginia college campus, according to sources.

Jalloh, who was previously convicted of trying to support ISIS, walked into the classroom and asked if it was an ROTC class, sources told The Post.

When someone told him it was, he began his trail of bloodshed, which the FBI is investigating as an act of terrorism.

Within an hour of the shooting, school officials said there was no longer a threat to staff or students.

“The shooter is now deceased thanks to a group of brave students who stepped in and subdued him – actions that undoubtedly saved lives along with the quick response of law enforcement,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement.

The instructor, a retired military officer, was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Two other victims were also wounded in the hail of bullets, but appear to be in stable condition, authorities said.

One of the victims brought themselves to the hospital, said Old Dominion University Police Chief Garrett Shelton at a press conference.

Both wounded victims are members of the Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps at the university, said Lt. Col. Jimmy Delongchamp.

“We will continue to coordinate with the university and law enforcement agencies as they investigate the incident,” Delongchamp told the Associated Press. “There’s still a lot more stuff we have to work out.”

Jalloh, a naturalized US citizen from Sierra Leone, was a member of the Virginia National Guard before he was sentenced to 11 years in prison for attempting to provide material support to ISIS, but was released from custody early in 2024, sources said.

“Old Dominion University faced a tragedy on our main campus,” Old Dominion University president Brian Hemphill said in a statement.

“I am grateful for the swift response of our police officers, emergency management personnel, and our partners at the City of Norfolk who promptly assisted the injured.”

The synagogue’s own security force TCOB.
Verbum sapienti sat est (A word to the wise is sufficient)

Michigan Synagogue Attacker’s Vehicle Registered to a Dearborn Resident from Lebanon

FOX News’s Bill Melugin indicates the vehicle driven into Temple Israel synagogue in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan, was registered to a Dearborn resident from Lebanon.

According to Melugin:

I’m told by three law enforcement sources that the vehicle used in the attack at a Michigan synagogue today is registered to a naturalized U.S. citizen from Lebanon who lives in Dearborn, MI. I have a name, but am waiting for confirmation that name matches the badly burned corpse that was driving the vehicle.

Breitbart News reported that the attacker drove into the Temple Israel building Thursday and was engaged by security and killed.

NBC News noted that a “security guard was injured” and “eight first responders were being treated” for unknown injuries as well.

There is a school at Temple Israel and no students or staff were injured.

The Old Dominion University Shooter Has Been ID’d and It Looks Like Islamic Terrorism

Earlier, we reported on a shooting at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. That shooting wounded two individuals and the shooter is deceased.

Now we reportedly have the identity of the shooter: Mohamed Jalloh. This is the same Mohamed Jalloh who was previously convicted of supporting ISIL.

Jalloh was arrested in 2016, according to a press release from the Department of Justice, “attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).  According to the complaint, Jalloh is alleged to have attempted to provide services by assisting in the procurement of weapons to be used in what he believed was going to be an attack on U.S. soil committed in the name of ISIL.  In addition, the complaint alleges that Jalloh attempted to provide material support to ISIL by providing money to assist in the facilitation of individuals seeking to join ISIL.”

Jalloh is a naturalized citizen from Sierra Leone, and he reportedly traveled overseas several times in attempts to join ISIL. He was released in 2024 under the Biden administration.

These are all excellent questions. Why wasn’t he deported? Why was he released from prison?

We do not have to live like this.

Meanwhile, Democrats continue to keep the Department of Homeland Security shut down in a push to defund the agency and abolish ICE.