Category: Business

Ammo Under Pressure: Why America Must Reinforce Domestic Ammunition Production Now!

The U.S. ammo industry is facing a perfect storm. From new tariffs to hostile foreign suppliers, and explosive global demand, one thing is clear: America needs to make more of its own ammunition—and fast.

Bosnia Primers In The Crosshairs

According to a recent NYTimes.com article, Bosnia’s ammo manufacturers, like Ginex in Gorazde, are on edge. The small Balkan town that once supplied ignition primers for countless U.S. cartridges is now paralyzed by uncertainty, thanks to new tariffs announced by President Trump. Rates have fluctuated wildly—35 % one week, then revised to 10%—but even the lower number is enough to make American customers think twice.

These much-needed and well-deserved tariffs, aimed at protecting American industry, may ironically cut off supplies that many U.S. ammo makers rely on, at least in the short term, to keep production rolling. Without primers, bullets don’t go bang. Period.

SAAMI WARNS: U.S. Commercial Capacity Is Critical

According to a detailed report from SAAMI (Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute), U.S. commercial producers already carry the bulk of the load when it comes to total output—eclipsing even the federal government’s own Lake City Army Ammunition Plant. However, unlike the military, which produces only a handful of calibers, America’s commercial plants crank out over 130 different rifle rounds and 40 handgun types. They’re running at full tilt.

That’s why any disruption—be it government-mandated tracking rules*, foreign material shortages, or international tariffs—hits hard. Ammunition facilities in the U.S. move millions of components daily, and trying to micromanage every bullet is like asking UPS to track each peanut in a 40-pound bag. *CHALLENGES TO MARKING: SAAMI Report Page 3

China Cuts Off Key Components

In late 2024, China slammed the door on exports of two critical ingredients: nitrocellulose and antimony. Without these, there’s no smokeless powder, no primer compound, no ammo. China supplies over 63% of U.S. antimony—a key hardening element in bullets. American mines for these materials were shut down decades ago. Now, we’re scrambling to reopen sites like Idaho’s Stibnite Gold Mine, but that’ll take years.

The Military Isn’t Waiting

The U.S. Army just broke ground on a massive new 6.8mm ammo plant in Missouri to support its Next Generation Squad Weapon program. That’s great news for defense readiness—but make no mistake, that plant won’t be making your 9mm range ammo or .308 hunting loads. Most handgun, shotgun, and rimfire ammo still comes from private companies, not Uncle Sam.

What Smart Shooters Know

Dan Wolgin, CEO of Ammunition Depot, reminds shooters not to panic: “Most of our ammo is made right here in the USA.” But that doesn’t mean the risks aren’t real. Supply disruptions, material shortages, and panic buying can drive up prices or empty shelves faster than a Black Friday stampede. It’s not fearmongering—it’s math.

The Solution: Bring Ammunition Production Home

If COVID, Ukraine, and China taught us anything, it’s this: critical industries can’t be outsourced. America needs to:

  • Reopen domestic mines for critical materials like antimony.
  • Invest in smokeless powder production capacity.
  • Support the expansion of U.S.-based primer manufacturers.
  • Stop punishing American ammo makers with overregulation and unstable policies.
  • Encourage private capital and public-private partnerships to scale up ammo output.

Bottom Line

Tariffs, foreign restrictions, and global conflicts are squeezing the ammo industry from all sides. While big factories like Lake City are building new military stockpiles, everyday shooters could face shortages if commercial production doesn’t keep pace.

We can’t shoot our way to freedom if we don’t make our own ammo. It’s time to reinvest in American manufacturing and end our reliance on foreign powder, primers, and politics. The Second Amendment means nothing without the brass, powder, and lead to back it up.

Pro tip: Stock up now. Not because the world is ending—but because it’s smart to stay ready when everything else isn’t.

This was a no-brainer. But why it even got past the District Court level before getting thrown out is the problem.

SMITH & WESSON BRANDS, INC., ET AL. v. ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS

Here, the Government of Mexico sued seven American gun manufacturers, alleging that the companies aided and abetted unlawful gun sales that routed firearms to Mexican drug cartels. The basic theory of its suit is that the defendants failed to exercise “reasonable care” to prevent trafficking of their guns into Mexico…..

Held: 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, PLCAA bars the lawsuit.

The ‘Million Guns Sold A Month’ continues for the 63rd month.

Background Check Numbers Say Over 1 Million Guns Sold Last Month

As the country shifts gears heading into summer, gun sales remained historically strong, with over a million sold at FFLs in May.

At least 1,998,440 federal background checks were processed through the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System in May 2025, a number that is statistically flat when compared to the May 2024 figure of 2,000,505.

The firearms industry trade group, the National Shooting Sports Foundation, adjusts the raw NICS numbers to remove gun permit checks and rechecks and leave the base number of checks done for over-the-counter sales. The adjusted figure for May 2025 stands at 1,071,685. This is a slight 1.6 percent decrease compared to the May 2024 NSSF-adjusted NICS figure of 1,089,117.

A key metric, according to NSSF, is that the sales continue to cruise north of 1 million per month, something the industry has maintained every month since July 2019.

“Background checks for retail sale of a firearm continue to remain over 1 million each month, showing that the right to keep and bear arms is of critical importance to Americans across this country,” Mark Oliva, public affairs officer with the NSSF, told Guns.com via email. “Despite economic uncertainty, these law-abiding citizens are investing in their personal safety and security – even in states where elected officials are pulling out all stops to limit the ability to legally purchase a firearm.”

The data crunched by the trade group is just a baseline. It does not cover privately made firearms in most cases, nor does it cover face-to-face personal sales in most states. Also, the ATF allows gun license holders in at least 28 states to show their credentials instead of a Brady check, and those transfers are not captured statistically in the NICS process.

“Firearm purchases are not an insignificant matter, and these background checks, while not a one-for-one comparison to a firearm sale, demonstrate the priority Americans place on their ability to exercise their Second Amendment rights,” said Oliva.

When a state goobermint, even one supposedly as ‘gun friendly’ as Tennessee, is the point of contact for NICS, (when the system was designed for individual FFLs to query) it means that no matter how much they may disclaim, they are recording the transactions for their own state police registry.

‘We’ve lost quite a bit’: Gun shops across the state lose revenue as TBI troubleshoots firearm background check system outage

GOODLETTSVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Tennessee’s Instant Check System was down for days, causing sales losses for gun store owners across the state.

The firearm purchase login page for Tennessee FlexCheck, which is the system used across the Volunteer State, displayed an error message reading, “We are currently unable to run background checks.  We are working quickly to resolve it. Please check your emails for more information and updates.”

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, which helps oversee the system, told News 2 that the agency had been troubleshooting an outage. The TBI said that the outage was related to a “planned system change” from the agency’s vendor, which was outside of the organization’s control.

The vendor told the TBI they were working as quickly as possible to resolve the issue. It was tentatively restored around midnight Friday.

Phillip Arrington, who owns Goodlettsville Gun Shop and has been in the business for about 30 years, told News 2 the store had experienced about five or six outages so far this year — each lasting more than 24 hours — with other shorter outages throughout the year as well.

This outage lasted for about three days.

“It’s getting to a point where we can’t tell customers, ‘Yeah, we’ll get your background check! It’s an instant check!” Arrington told News 2. “It’s no longer an instant check because there is no pattern to when it’s going to be reliable.”

The TBI told News 2 that in 2024, TICS had been fully operational 99.46% of the time and is only closed on the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. The agency did not provide outage statistics for this year.

No firearms could be sold in the state of Tennessee due to the outage, Arrington said, nor could firearms be taken in on consignment or any pawned. Some customers have been unhappy and even angry as a result of the outage.

“We’ve lost quite a bit [of money], but nothing compared to what some of the bigger stores have lost,” Arrington added. “…We have nothing to tell our customers. It basically stops everything we’re doing. There’s no sense in advertising because we can’t sell anything.”

Additionally, the TBI confirmed that some agencies lost access to the National Crime Information Center as a result of the outage. Law enforcement agencies utilize the NCIC to input information about missing children as well as information about crimes and criminals — like apprehending fugitives.

Yeah, until the next demoncrap administration is in office and the feckless bureaucraps change their tune…..again.

ATF Issues New Guidelines for FFL’s, Ending Biden’s ‘Zero Tolerance’ Policy

Though the end of the Biden administration’s “zero tolerance” approach to federal firearms licensees was announced a few weeks ago, it took some time for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives to come up with a new national policy for compliance inspections of FFLs.

That policy was officially unveiled on Friday, with the agency declaring that the new guidelines for both FFLs and ATF agents will “promote fairness, consistency, and public safety.”

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.”

I can’t imagine Driscoll’s comments coming out of the mouth of former ATF Director Steve Dettelbach, who was happy to serve as Biden’s attack dog on the industry. Biden himself declared the gun industry an “enemy” in his 2020 campaign, but as Driscoll says, the industry (including individual gun dealers) are an inherent part of combatting illegal gun sales and gun trafficking.

So what’s actually changed? The ATF points to several major revisions from the previous policy.

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Now, the next question when this passes is whether or not they’ll still be treated as ‘firearms’, requiring a NICS check & 4473 when purchasing at a dealer (but not regulating individual manufacture for personal use) or not.

House passes ‘One Big Beautiful Bill,’ completely removes suppressors from NFA

In a historic vote early Thursday morning, May 22, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R.1, known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” effectively eliminating suppressors from the National Firearms Act (NFA) of 1934.

On May 14, the House Committee on Ways and Means completed a markup of the reconciliation bill, reducing the tax on suppressors from $200 to $0. However, even in that form, suppressors would still have been subject to other NFA regulations.

In response, Buckeye Firearms Association joined a coalition of organizations nationwide in signing an open letter to two House committees, urging Congress to eliminate unjust restrictions imposed by the NFA. The letter pushed for broader reforms, including the removal of firearm suppressors, short-barreled rifles, and short-barreled shotguns from the NFA’s regulatory framework.

After an intense 20-hour markup hearing in the Republican-controlled House Rules Committee late Wednesday night, the House this morning narrowly approved the bill in a 215-214 vote. The legislation now moves to the Senate, with Section 2 of the Hearing Protection Act securing the complete removal of suppressors from the NFA.

Dean Rieck, executive director of Buckeye Firearms Association, expressed enthusiasm about the vote.

“This is a great day for the Second Amendment,” Rieck said. “For too long, the government has treated the right to bear arms as a second class right. We thank the House for its effort and now urge the Senate to add back the language stripped from the bill concerning short-barreled rifles and short-barreled shotguns.”

With the bill advancing to the Senate, supporters urge lawmakers to keep up the momentum in protecting Second Amendment rights.

MISSING AIRLINE SLUMP

Just like the M.I.A. stock market crash, the long-promised airline travel slump is nowhere to be found.

I checked the most recent TSA statistics available on airline passengers. More than 2.8 million people passed through TSA checkpoints on the latest day available, Thursday, May 15. That was some 40,000 more than the equivalent day in 2024 (May 16) and over 200,000 more passengers than the same day in 2023 (May 18). Not a holiday weekend, not spring break, not yet the summer rush, just packed airports and packed planes on a random Thursday.

Yet this headline featured in Forbes last week,

‘Trump Slump’ Hits Expedia: Shares Fall 8% Due To Weak U.S. Travel Demand

Ah, yes, the much-promised, but little-seen “Trump Slump.” I had occasion to venture out to the local airport this afternoon for a passenger drop-off. Despite the Trump Slump and the surrounding city in its final death throes, the airport on a Sunday mid-afternoon was a complete zoo both inside and out.

Unfortunately, I fear that all too few departing passengers were traveling on one-way tickets.

[Update: it turns out that I was correct about yesterday (Sunday). TSA data show passengers over 2.9 million, some 86,000 above the equivalent day in 2024. Yesterday marked the biggest travel day since December 1, 2024, the Wednesday after Thanksgiving.]

Right on time comes this headline from the Baltimore Sun,

Despite economic concerns, Americans are set on getting away for Memorial Day weekend

Bon Voyage!

Did Suppressor Company Work Against Removing Them from NFA?Suppressors are NFA items, and there’s really not a good reason why they should be on the list. Yeah, I know the anti-gun fearmongering talking points and all that, but let’s be real here. They’re against anything that we might possibly want. These are the same kind of people who gave us Prohibition, and we all know how well that worked out.And, honestly, the NFA is a holdover from the last time these morons had their way, so I don’t care what they have to say. We all know that suppressors are safety devices.

Unfortunately, House Republicans essentially gutted the effort to remove them from the NFA list and the best we’re looking at getting is the $200 tax stamp being dropped to zero.

But just on suppressors.

However, a rumor has been going around. The allegation is that a suppressor company is actively working to keep suppressors on the NFA list.

Jared Yanis over at Gun & Gadgets hit the high points in a video on Thursday.

Now, he doesn’t say anything definitive, only reporting what he’s hearing, as to whether Silencer Central is lobbying Congress to keep suppressors on the NFA list.

The argument makes some sense. Their business model is heavily influenced by the fact that they’re NFA items and thus tightly controlled. It’s entirely possible that they’ll lose a lot of market share if suppressors are largely deregulated.

Yanis also goes into the lobbying efforts made by Silencer Central that are strangely timed, considering all that’s gone on.

Over at Ammoland, John Crump reported on these allegations, naming the company specifically, including some mention of the lobbying efforts.

They responded to Crump, however, and said this:

Official Response from Silencer Central:

“Silencer Central is closely monitoring the ongoing congressional hearings surrounding the Hearing Protection Act (HPA). We have always been vocal supporters of the HPA, as well as the current proposed provision of a $0 tax stamp. Our priority has always been, and will continue to be, advocating for deregulation and 2nd amendment rights, while supporting any win we can get for our customers regarding their firearm and accessory ownership rights along the way. Regardless of the ever-changing regulatory landscape, we remain focused on delivering exceptional service and standing by the community we’re proud to be part of.” — Brandon Maddox, CEO, Silencer Central.

This statement marks the company’s first formal public response to questions about its lobbying strategy and its position on removing suppressors from the NFA.

Maddox’s statement is pretty definitive.

Crump also notes that Maddox has favored a different approach to the HPA, calling for what he described as a “crawl, walk, run” approach. However, that was also while Joe Biden was president, and his argument then was simply that Biden would never sign the HPA, which is fair.

It also doesn’t mean that because he favored that approach, then that he’d sabotage an effort to achieve more here and now when the odds are far better than they were then.

For what it’s worth, I reached out to Silencer Central on Thursday for comment–this was before I saw Crump’s story–and I haven’t heard back as of this writing. If I do, I intend to ask them follow-up questions about the lobbying efforts Yanis outlined in his video.

Now, I don’t know anyone mentioned in this post personally except for Yanis, whom I count as a friend. I can’t say anything about how trustworthy Maddox is because I don’t know him, so I’m going to err on the side of trust until or unless something new comes out.

If any company is working to undermine pro-gun legislation from within the firearm industry, we need to know who it is so they can get the Bud Light treatment, but we need more than rumors before we take that step.

SCOTUS, Anti-Gun Lawfare, and the Importance of PLCAA

The Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act is an important bit of legislation that makes it a lot harder for people to sue gun companies because of what third parties do with the products they make and/or sell. It’s ridiculous we need such a law because only the mentally disabled would blame a company for making a product, selling it lawfully, only for some completely different party to do something.

I often liken it to suing Toyota over drunk drivers, and that’s for good reason.

As things are now, though, that protection is starting to crumble a bit. It’s being challenged left and right, with such a challenge currently before the Supreme Court, even as some states try to create workarounds that will let the lawfare against the firearm industry resume.

John Commerford at the NRA-ILA has some thoughts on the subject.

As we approach the 20th anniversary of the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act’s (PLCAA) passage coming up on Oct. 26, the law is imperiled by a new generation of anti-gun litigants seeking to exploit loopholes. In March, however, one such case—Smith & Wesson Brands v. Estados Unidos Mexicano—landed before the U.S. Supreme Court, where it received a chilly reception from skeptical justices across the ideological spectrum.

Most observers believe the plaintiffs overplayed their hand, although the reasoning the justices use to resolve the case will determine whether the PLCAA continues to protect the law-abiding gun industry as intended.

The PLCAA is ultimately about how the industry that enables Americans’ Second Amendment rights is regulated. Is it by relatively fixed and ascertainable statutes enacted by democratically elected legislators? Or is it by unpredictable, shifting and innumerable standards of “reasonableness” imposed after the fact by unelected judges at the behest of firearm prohibitionists?

That latter option promotes lawfare, which has been characterized as death by a thousand cuts. Lawfare practitioners may not care if they win their cases, because even one who is innocent before the law can succumb to the legal process itself.

The biggest cut is the expense of litigation. The lengthier and more complex the proceedings, the more likely the defendant will be unable to sustain a defense.

Another is reputational harm from accusations of wrongdoing, no matter how baseless, particularly if the media and public officials amplify the plaintiff’s case.

Commerford goes on to detail how the lawfare activists are using justifiable exceptions within the PLCAA and exploiting them to try and bring back their zealous attack on the one industry most vital to the right to keep and bear arms.

Gun companies can and should be able to be sued for misconduct. If they make a faulty barrel and it explodes, for example, they should be held accountable. Or, if their gun discharges in your holster, you might want to talk to a lawyer, and you should have that avenue available.

But the gun grabbers are trying to use this by claiming the companies’ marketing is misconduct, that by appealing to their customer base, they’re somehow responsible for what other people do.

The kicker is that many of these efforts don’t even try to present evidence that the criminal party even saw the marketing. That doesn’t matter to these folks, and that’s downright disgusting to me.

NSSF Data Shows Gun Sales Fell 3.4% from April 2024

The April 2025 NSSF-adjusted National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) figure of 1,174,294 is a decrease of 3.4 percent compared to the April 2024 NSSF-adjusted NICS figure of 1,216,116.

For comparison, the unadjusted April 2025 FBI NICS figure of 2,194,006 reflects a 2.1 percent decrease from the unadjusted FBI NICS figure of 2,240,434 in April 2024.

Additional insights on the month-over-month NICS data from GunBroker, NICS Reporting & Analysis(March 2025 data), available in the member portal under Industry Research.

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Trump Calls For Big Cuts to ATF Budget, Citing Attacks on Second Amendment

President Donald Trump’s discretionary budget request for fiscal year 2026 has officially been released by the White House, and while he’s not proposing the ATF be totally defunded, he is demanding a major reduction in spending for the agency.

Under the budget proposal released today, the ATF would receive $468 million less than this year’s budget of roughly $1.62 billion, and the administration is citing the Biden administration’s weaponization of the agency as the rationale for the cuts.

 The Budget bolsters the Second Amendment by cutting funding for ATF offices that have criminalized law-abiding gun ownership through regulatory fiat.

The previous administration used the ATF to attack gun-owning Americans and undermine the Second Amendment by requiring near universal background checks; subjecting otherwise lawful gun owners to up to 10 years in prison for failing to register pistol braces that make it possible for disabled veterans to use firearms; the imposition of excessive restrictions on homemade firearms; and the revocation of Federal Firearms Licenses, which shut down small businesses across the Nation.

The Budget re-prioritizes resources toward illegal firearms traffickers fueling violent crime and crime gun tracing that State and local law enforcement need to track down dangerous criminals, such as MS-13 gang members.

With proposed cuts to the FBI and DEA as well, expect Democrats claim that it’s Trump who’s interested in defunding the police, and for gun control groups to raise hell in particular about the ATF’s budget, which they’ll portray as a gift to the firearms industry and its CEOs (Giffords, in particular, has been doing a lot of targeted messaging about gun company CEOs ever since the CEO of United Healthcare was assassinated on a New York street last December).

In fact, unnamed sources are already complaining to the press about what Trump’s proposed budget would mean. From Reuters:

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Latest Look at Gun Buying Downright Fascinating

Americans buy a lot of guns. Many of those are gun folks buying their dozenth or so firearm, but many others are new gun owners buying for the very first time. It’s a glorious thing that we can do here in the United States that many people in other places simply cannot do. Not like we can.

Sure, some people have a problem with it, but the truth is that we’re buying guns and we’re buying a lot of them.

That’s according to a new Rasmussen poll.

A recent Rasmussen survey revealed what gun dealers and manufacturers already knew, and anti-gunners didn’t like hearing: Despite a downturn in gun sales, Americans are still buying guns, and for the past five years those purchases have surpassed one million per month.

This is happening despite efforts in several states to make buying guns increasingly difficult.

According to Rasmussen, 19 percent of American adults say they, or someone in their household, bought a gun in the past year. Sixty-four percent (64%) of all American Adults say the main reason most people purchase a gun is for self-defense, the veteran polling firm revealed, which says a lot about the public confidence in the ability of law enforcement to respond quickly to violent crime.

Headline news such as the reported raid on an underground nightclub in Colorado Springs, during which more than 100 people were arrested—allegedly many of them illegal aliens—and police recovered drugs and guns, might alarm more people enough to buy a firearm….

Political persuasion plays into Rasmussen’s findings. Republicans (71%) are far more likely than Democrats (60%) to believe self-defense is the primary reason for owning a gun. Among Independents, 61 percent think personal protection is the main reason. Likewise, according to Rasmussen, Republicans are more likely to say they or someone in their household bought a gun within the last year.

On the flip side, Democrats are much more likely to think it is too easy to buy a gun, Rasmussen noted.

Nothing shocking about that by any stretch, really. I’m less than thrilled that anyone would believe it’s too easy to buy a gun in this day and age, but I’m not surprised by it, either. The fact that I can walk into a gun store right now and walk out with just about anything in the store if my pockets are deep enough, regardless of what hurdles I have to clear, will always be “too easy” to some people.

But there’s another interesting tidbit that I found interesting.

And here’s an alarming—albeit maybe not surprising—revelation in the Rasmussen survey: “A majority (54%) of government employees believe it’s too easy to buy a gun nowadays, compared to 45% of private sector workers and 40% of retirees.”

While that really doesn’t necessarily play any significant factor in anything–government workers are still just one vote each–the truth is that at least some of those folks work for the ATF.

I wouldn’t be surprised to learn this opinion was overrepresented at the ATF, either, though there’s no way to know that one way or the other.

Either way, it’s amusing.

The report also notes that The Trace has updated its estimate of guns in America to 512 million firearms.

My take on that?

Until every man, woman, and child has a few dozen guns, I won’t consider us even close to having enough.

As for what point hits “too many,” such a number does not exist.

If that fact makes some heads explode, well, so be it.

This is the way it’s been in Europe for quite a while. Major parts of a gun are serialized, and restricted. You can see this on Glocks and other European made guns where the serial number is on the frame, slide and barrel. Just like for ammo, if the tyrant demoncraps in California do happen to pass such a crap-for-brains law,  people who are interested enough will simply cross the state line to buy.

Beyond ‘Ghost Guns’: California Democrats Push Background Checks for Gun Barrels

California Democrats are pushing legislation to require background checks for gun barrel purchases, effectively taking the “ghost gun” regulatory push to its logical conclusion.

The bill, Senate Bill 704, is sponsored by state Sen. Jesse Arreguín (D).

SB 704 singles out firearm barrels among the many other parts of firearm, requiring a background check for any replacement barrel or aftermarket barrel upgrade purchase:

Commencing on July 1, 2026, this bill would, except as specified, prohibit the sale or transfer of a firearm barrel, as defined, unless the transaction is completed in person by a licensed firearms dealer. The bill would require the licensed firearms dealer to conduct a background check of the purchaser or transferee and to record specified information pertaining to the transaction, including the date of the sale or transfer.

Moreover, SB 704 specifically outlines how the costs of performing background checks for barrels must be handled, making clear that the legislation literally creates “a new crime,” albeit a misdemeanor, in the state California.

Gun rights proponents have long warned that the Democrats’ use of terminology like “ghost guns”–and the resulting regulation of said “guns”–would lead to background checks for aftermarket firearm parts. State Sen. Arreguín’s legislation is doing just that.

Additionally, the National Association for Gun Rights (NAGR) warns that with a background check, SB 704 would end online barrel sales via the requirement for face-to-face transactions.

NAGR said, “We have warned that this was always the end goal. Target the secondary market — driving up the cost of repairing and maintaining firearms in an effort to win through attrition. The ultimate objective is a complete ban on online sales.”

Reform Minded Board Members Sweep NRA Officer Elections

At the NRA Annual Meetings last weekend I interviewed then-First Vice President Bill Bachenberg for the Bearing Arms’ Cam & Co podcast. During our conversation Bachenberg talked extensively about the reforms he’d like to see implemented within the group, starting with a president who knows a thing or two about running a business.

The NRA, for all its work as an advocacy, litigation, legislative, educational, and training organization, is a non-profit corporation, and Bachenberg believes someone with business acumen and a background in running successful companies is critical in restoring both faith and financial soundness to the organization.

Bachenberg spoke openly about his plan to challenge incumbent president Bob Barr for election, along with a reform-minded slate of additional officers: then-2nd Vice President Mark Vaughn, and Rocky Marshall, who’s been a longtime advocate for increased accountability and transparency.

Though officers are elected annually, traditionally they serve two-year terms, so this was a challenge to a sitting president, and was widely seen as a contest between those who are willing to acknowledge past failings within NRA leadership and those who still want to defend Wayne LaPierre and the misspending from other top executives, or at least refuse to truly acknowledge them.

Well, the 76 board members voted for new officers today, and it was a clean sweep for the reformers. From the NRA Public Affairs office:

Today, the Board of Directors of the National Rifle Association of America (NRA), elected Bill Bachenberg of Pennsylvania as President of the NRA and Doug Hamlin as NRA Executive Vice President & CEO. The meeting of the Board of Directors followed the 154th NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits where over 70,000 NRA members, their families, and supporters of the Second Amendment gathered at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia to check out the latest guns, gear, and accessories from over 600 exhibitors.

“I am deeply honored to be entrusted by my colleagues on the Board to serve as President of the NRA,” said Bill Bachenberg, NRA President. “We are at a pivotal point in our Association’s history as we work to reach out to new members, build upon the trust of existing members, and provide the gold-standard programs that American gun owners expect. As the Nation’s oldest civil rights organization, the NRA plays a critical role in protecting and advancing freedom in America.”

The NRA Board of Directors also elected Mark Vaughan of Oklahoma as NRA First Vice President and Rocky Marshall of Texas as NRA Second Vice President.

“As we conclude a very successful NRA Annual Meeting in Atlanta, I know one thing for sure: NRA’s best days are ahead of us,” said Doug Hamlin, NRA Executive Vice President & CEO. “This Association is moving forward, full speed ahead, to support the shooting sports, train new gun owners, and defend the sacred right to self-defense. I thank the dedicated staff of the NRA who work day and night on behalf of NRA’s millions of members and America’s more than 100 million firearms owners.”

Following Mr. Hamlin’s reelection, he reappointed John Commerford as the Executive Director of the NRA Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA) and Josh Savani as the Executive Director of NRA General Operations.

The Board of Directors also reelected Sonya B. Rowling as NRA Treasurer, Robert Mensinger as NRA Chief Compliance Officer, and John C. Frazer as NRA Secretary.

The 2026 NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits will take place in Houston, Texas, from April 17-19, 2026.

Frazer’s retention as NRA Secretary is a bit of a surprise, not only because he was part of the old regime but because he was implicated in Letitia James’ lawsuit against the NRA (a jury held that he made false statements but did not cause financial harm to the organization and should not be held liable for damages). Whatever their reasons, enough reformers felt comfortable with Frazer in his current role that he was re-elected.

Today’s election results are a clear sign that the Wayne LaPierre days of the NRA are, for better or worse, over. The fact that former NRA-ILA Executive Director Chris Cox, who resigned after being placed on administrative leave by LaPierre during the NRA’s meltdown in 2019, was warmly welcomed at an event celebrating the Institute for Legislative Action’s 50th anniversary was another telling indication that Wayne LaPierre’s influence over the NRA and its leadership is on the wane, if not wiped out completely.

For several years a growing number of NRA members and board members have been advocating for making some big changes to the organization; not in terms of its mission, but its ability to succeed in that mission. There is a recognition that trust needs to be rebuilt, that the institutional arrogance of the past should no longer exist, if it was ever justified to begin with.

The NRA’s been knocked down a peg, and it wasn’t only because of Letitia James’ attempt to dissolve the organization and rob millions of members of their community. To pretend that isn’t the case only hurts the organization. Denial isn’t an option, and it wasn’t just the reformers who won today. I’d say the realists won too.

I’ve said along along that the Second Amendment community needs a strong NRA, and (casting all journalistic neutrality aside and speaking as a Benefactor Life Member) I’m thrilled that the reform slate swept the elections.

I believe this is the moment that many disgruntled and reform-minded NRA members have been working (or at least waiting) for, and after speaking with multiple board members and NRA leadership Doug Hamlin, John Commerford, and Josh Savani, I can honestly say in my more than 20 years of connections with the organization I’ve never seen the sense of energy and purpose that I witnessed in Atlanta.

I’m not saying the NRA is all the way back, but I’m optimistic that the efforts to rebuild and reform that led to today’s election results will now be able to kick into overdrive, and I’m excited to see what comes next.

BLUF
In rebuttal, Francisco effectively summarized the core of the case: The PLCAA is “not just about protecting the manufacturers, the distributors and the retailers, but it’s about protecting the right of every American to exercise their right under the Second Amendment to possess and bear firearms. That right is meaningless if there are no manufacturers, retailers and distributors that provide them in the first place.”

What Supreme Court Justices Had to Say About Mexico’s Attempt to Demolish Our Second Amendment

Mexico has extinguished its constitutional arms right and now seeks to extinguish America’s,” stated the NRA’s amicus brief in the U.S. Supreme Court case Smith & Wesson v. Estados Unidos Mexicanos. The oral argument took place on March 4, and the Court’s decision is expected by the end of June. Based on the Justices’ questions during oral argument, there is reason for cautious optimism that the Court will enforce the federal statute that prohibits abusive lawsuits designed to destroy American firearms businesses.

The roots of the current Mexico case go back to 1998, when the gun-ban group Handgun Control, Inc., orchestrated meritless lawsuits by big-city mayors to attempt to bankrupt American firearms companies through the sheer cost of litigation. Handgun Control, Inc., later changed its name twice, and now calls itself Brady United.

In response, two-thirds of the states enacted legislation to forbid such abusive suits. Then in 2005, a bipartisan Congress passed and President George W. Bush (R) signed a federal statute called the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) to stop the frivolous suits. Given the new law, most judges promptly dismissed the abusive suits.

Yet two decades later, the Mexican government is in American courts attempting to accomplish what the previous lawsuits did not, namely bankrupting the American firearms industry—and thereby making the exercise of Second Amendment rights impossible.

The allegations in the Mexico case are updated versions of the same bogus allegations from the earlier suits: American firearms businesses that obey all of the many laws about firearms commerce should be held financially liable for criminal gun misuse. Mexico wants $10 billion from American firearms businesses, plus court-ordered, drastic restrictions on the firearms industry.

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Tennessee Bill Would Strengthen Protection For Firearm Industry In The Volunteer State

A measure that is on the move in the Tennessee Legislature would significantly strengthen legal protections for those in the firearm industry in The Volunteer State.

SB1360 has passed both chambers with overwhelming majorities and is headed for Gov. Bill Lee’s desk for his signature.

Of course, the federal Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, passed in 2005, was designed to protect gunmakers and sellers from frivolous lawsuits targeting their legally made, lawfully sold products. But many states have also passed state protections, also, to further bolster that protection.

Tennessee passed its version of the PLCAA back in 2023. The new bill further fortifies that law by expanding legal protections to include private sellers, suppressor manufacturers and magazine producers; prohibiting Tennessee courts from recognizing or enforcing out-of-state or foreign court judgments that conflict with Tennessee’s pro-Second Amendment public policy; and penalizing bad-faith litigation by imposing triple damages on out-of-state plaintiffs and their attorneys who attempt to enforce hostile judgments in Tennessee courts.

The measure states: “In a qualified civil liability action brought against a dealer, manufacturer, or seller of a qualified product, the complaint must allege that the dealer, manufacturer, or seller of the qualified product directly caused the damages alleged. The burden of proof is on the plaintiff to demonstrate by clear and convincing evidence that the civil liability action is not barred by this section. If a court determines a civil liability action is barred by this section, then the court shall dismiss the civil liability action with prejudice for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted.”

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Gov. Gianforte to Gunmakers Fleeing Colorado’s Firearm Ban: ‘Montana Is Open for Business’

Anticipating the rush of gunmakers fleeing Colorado after the state’s recent adoption of a semiautomatic firearm ban, Gov. Greg Gianforte (R) is letting the manufacturers know: “Montana is open for business.”

Breitbart News reported that Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) signed the semiautomatic firearm ban on April 10, 2025, and it takes effect in August 2026. In addition to banning America’s most popular rifle–the AR-15–Colorado’s ban also prohibits AK-47s, numerous semiautomatic shotguns, and even a number of pistols.

Gov. Gianforte released a video on April 23, 2025, describing Colorado’s new gun control as “one of the most restrictive gun bans ever adopted in the United States.”

He noted that the gun control bans not only the selling of numerous semiautomatic firearms, but also the manufacturing of the guns.

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Gianforte noted, “This is on top of the liberal state’s existing ban on ‘high capacity’ magazines. That’s just crazy.”

He then pointed out, “Colorado is ranked in the top 10 states with the biggest gun industries. So, to all gun manufacturers in Colorado, my question is simple: Do you want to move back to America? Montana is open for business.”

A press release accompanying the video noted that Montana is a constitutional carry state which “[prohibits] the enforcement of any federal law, executive order, rule, or regulation that infringes upon ownership, possession, transfer, or use of any firearm, magazine, or firearm accessory.”

Gianforte summarized his message by saying, “In Montana, we embrace freedom and the free enterprise system. Come on home to America, right here in Montana.”

ATF Targeting Old Men in Rural Missouri

The entire State of Missouri can rest much easier now. The ATF has made the Show-Me State a much safer place. Two rule breakers from small Missouri towns were indicted by a federal grand jury last week. Their crimes? They’re accused of selling guns without a federal license. Their ages? One was 75 and the other was 81 years old.

This, friends, is not a sick joke. The ATF actually publicized the arrests in a press release, which was sent out last week.

“According to an indictment returned this week, Aubrey Foxworthy, 81, of California, Missouri, was charged with dealing firearms in Morgan and Moniteau Counties from approximately June 2, 2023, through September 9, 2024. He did not have a federal firearms license to deal firearms. Foxworthy was also charged with possession of a rifle with a barrel length less than 16 inches and that rifle was not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record,” the press release states. “According to an indictment returned this week, Philip Leroy Rains, 75, of Popular Bluff, Missouri, was charged with dealing firearms in Morgan County from approximately April 1, 2023, through April 4, 2024. He did not have a federal firearms license to deal firearms.”

Each man now faces five years in a federal prison and fines of up to a quarter-million dollars for the no-FFL charges, but Foxworthy faces an additional 10 years in prison and fines of up to $10,000 for whatever the ATF considered an unregistered short-barreled rifle. Nowadays this could be a legal firearm with a brace. Unfortunately, if things go the ATF’s way, Foxworthy could leave federal prison in 2040 at the ripe age of 96.

Foxworthy could lose a lot more than just his freedom. According to his indictment, the ATF also ordered him to turn over all of his guns, and the 81-year-old had a decent collection.

The ATF wants 197 of Foxworthy’s personal firearms, according to a list attached to his indictment. The guns are about what you’d expect a lifelong gun owner to have in his safe. Almost all are American made: Ruger, Colt, Winchester, Savage, Browning, Remington, Marlin, Mossberg, Henry and Smith & Wesson. The ATF also wants Foxworthy’s ammunition, and the list claims he had more than 16,000 rounds.

Because the ATF prepared the list, there are four firearms identified as “machineguns,” but the type, manufacturer and calibers are listed as “unknown.” Also, Foxworthy was not charged with the illegal possession of any machineguns. This makes sense in a sick way, because experience has shown when the ATF can’t identify a firearm, they usually just consider it a machinegun.

The list also shows that Foxworthy owned a dozen Winchester Model 94 rifles. The serial number of one rifle shows it was manufactured before 1896. Depriving the man of that rifle is a sin, especially since it will likely be kept or even resold by some nameless ATF agent.

Calls to Foxworthy’s defense attorney were not returned.

Takeaways

Who hasn’t seen an old man at a flea market with a couple guns for sale either on a folding table or laying on a blanket in the bed of his pickup?

It’s classic Americana, right? There is certainly no crime or criminal intent.

Unfortunately, Joe Biden robbed us of this for a few years. Biden’s “engaged in the business” rule required anyone who made a profit on a single gun sale to obtain a federal firearm license.

“Under this regulation, it will not matter if guns are sold on the internet, at a gun show, or at a brick-and-mortar store: if you sell guns predominantly to earn a profit, you must be licensed, and you must conduct background checks,” former Attorney General Merrick B. Garland announced about a year ago.

The press release shows that both arrestees’ alleged law-breaking occurred while Biden was napping at the White House. Besides, it was easier for the ATF. Their agents are much less likely to be shot or scared if they harass a couple old men, rather than going after big-city gangsters armed with full-auto Glocks with Glock switches.

Truth be known, Attorney General Pam Bondi or her staff should examine all of the ATF’s cases made during Biden’s term. Some were much worse than this one.

I certainly hope that whoever is actually in charge of the ATF today will take this into account and drop all charges against Messrs. Foxworthy and Rains.

The ATF has put each of them through enough. I hope that Foxworthy gets to keep his guns, too, especially the pre-1896 Model 94.

To do anything else would be a real crime.

Reformers Gain Ground in National Rifle Association Board Election

The National Rifle Association holds an annual election for their board of directors. 25 directors–who serve three years each–are selected by voting members. The 2025 BOD election results were just released, as reported by the “American Rifleman.”

Previously reported–Part One and Part Two–there are two different slates or camps eyeing or occupying spots on the board.

One group self-describes as NRA 2.0, colloquially referred to as “reform candidates,” or “reformers.” The other, an “old guard” of several incumbents and newcomers alike, call themselves Strong NRA. NRA 2.0 accuses Strong NRA of being a so-called “Cabal.”

In the wake of turmoil caused by former CEO and Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre and a lawsuit filed against the Association by New York Attorney General Letitia James, already skeptical members started to get more vocal. This led to an organized cadre of four reformer candidates getting elected to the BOD in 2024. For 2025, NRA 2.0 had 28 candidates.

What were the results of the election? Who came out on top? Were there any disappointments?

According to the “American Rifleman,” these are the election results:

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