Category: Gun Schtuff

If you do this and your vehicle doesn’t have an actual safe, or vault, you’re what’s termed a ‘Loot Drop’

Las Cruces police urge residents to stop leaving guns in unattended cars

LAS CRUCES, New Mexico (KVIA) — The Las Cruces Police Department is asking gun owners to stop leaving firearms in cars. The department says 75% of stolen firearms in Las Cruces since 2022 have been taken during automobile burglaries.

“Of the 578 firearms reported stolen between Jan. 1, 2022, and Sept. 24, 2025, 429 were taken from the gunowner’s vehicle,” a department spokesperson explained. 143 were stolen from houses.

“The increased number of firearms stolen from vehicles is a trend that’s been seen nationally.”

Police recommend that residents remove firearms, ammunition, magazines, and accessories from unattended cars. They also recommend you roll up your windows and lock the doors, remove guns before loaning a car to a friend or leaving it at a repair shop, and stop showing casual acquaintances and strangers your guns.

Trump Can (and Should) End Semi-Auto Import Ban Right Now

My first “evil black rifle” was an AK that I built from a kit. Yeah, I know, an evil “ghost gun,” though the term was still years away from becoming uttered, much less mainstream. A gunsmith friend told me to get an 80 percent receiver, a parts kit, and some compliance parts, then we all gathered at his workshop for a day of building AKs, general BSing, and some grilled burgers partway through the day.

It was an absolute blast.

We had to get a parts kit, though, because we couldn’t just import completed AKs, even modified to semi-auto only. During Bush Sr’s administration, he banned the import of semi-automatic firearms for “non-sporting purposes” such as those so-called assault weapons.

My parts kit was a Romanian AK that had the receiver cut in three places with a torch. Now, they also cut the barrels, all because people built guns.

However, as Trump has set this term as the most pro-gun administration in my lifetime, there’s something else he could do, and gun rights groups should be asking for it, as David Codrea notes at Firearms News.

“There’s something else Trump could do quickly that would not require Congressional approval,” this column reported online last November in Donald Trump and Republicans Owe Gun Owners, and It’s Time to Collect. Focused on pledges the president had made to gun owners to solicit their votes, the article explored decisions within the president’s power to make that would help make good on his promises.

What Trump could do, on his own authority, is end the 1989 import ban on semi-automatic rifles pejoratively designated as “assault weapons.” That ban, put in place by Republican President George H.W. Bush, imposed “a permanent import ban on 43 types of semiautomatic assault rifles, including the Chinese-made AK47 and Israeli-made Uzi carbine,” per The Washington Post. The rationale was they “were not being used for sport as required by the Gun Control Act of 1968.” This approved gun control by a Republican president opened the gates for many states and municipalities to ban military-styled semi-auto firearms nationwide without a peep from the Bush Administration or his anti-2A Attorney General William Barr who would later become President Trump’s “best people” attorney general during his first term.

The ban would be “very easy” to overturn, Firearms News Editor-in-Chief Vincent DeNiro assessed. But how? GCA ’68 was a law enacted by Congress. The classification of the semiautos was not.

“President Trump doesn’t even need Congress to get rid of the unconstitutional 1989 ‘assault weapons’ import ban, he just needs to order the BATFE to declare all imported semi-auto rifles as ‘sporting,’ which is what these same models are considered when domestically produced,” DeNiro explained last year. “If he wants to go down in history as a Second Amendment hero, he can make this happen on day one.”

That’s the absolute truth, but Trump didn’t do that on day one, unfortunately.

Still, he could do it now. Semi-autos are still imported. They’re made domestically as well. There’s literally no reason for this ban to be in place except to make it harder to lawfully own these firearms.

More than that, groups like Gun Owners of America, the Second Amendment Foundation, the NSSF, the National Association of Gun Rights, and the NRA should all be challenging the Trump administration to do just that. Lift the import ban. These weapons are, in fact, used for sports–three-gun competition is a sport, as is varment hunting, deer hunting, and so on–and the ban is wrong on every level.

President George H.W. Bush was not a friend of the Second Amendment. That’s clear as day, and he set the stage for the federal assault weapon ban in 1994 by this action. He made it clear that these particular rifles were too dangerous for regular citizens to own, at least in his view, and as the leader of the Republican Party at the time, it gave a green light to a lot of lawmakers that this was OK.

It wasn’t.

It’s time to end this and do it now.

Smith & Wesson Announces Grand Opening of World-Class Training Academy

Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ Global Select: SWBI), a leader in firearm manufacturing and design, announces today the grand opening of the new Smith & Wesson Academy.

At Smith & Wesson, our mission extends beyond the production of premium firearms – we are committed to empowering those who carry them. Continuing the esteemed legacies of both the former Smith & Wesson Academy and the Shooting Sports Center in Springfield, MA, which collectively were operational for decades between 1969 to 2017, the newly established Academy serves as a vital resource that reinforces our continued dedication to self-defense training, firearm proficiency, and firearm safety.

Situated on the 236-acre headquarters campus in Maryville, Tennessee, this state-of-the-art facility serves as a premier training destination, featuring pistol and carbine ranges, a multi-purpose flex range, a 300-yard rifle range, and a two-story immersive shoot house. The Academy’s design also incorporates classrooms, a fitness center, and offices that will house a team of world-class experts leading the training programs. Starting this weekend, a registration portal will be available on the Smith & Wesson Academy website for a variety of training courses focused on pistol, carbine, and rifle platforms. These courses will range from introductory skills and safety to advanced techniques.

The Smith & Wesson Academy team will be led by renowned instructor Mark “Coch” Cochiolo. Mark is a retired U.S. Navy Chief Warrant Officer with over three decades of service in Naval Special Warfare. Throughout his distinguished military career, he has operated in a range of elite roles, including special warfare operator, breacher, weapons instructor, training officer, and operational tester. Mark completed four SEAL deployments to the Western Pacific and served eight years with the Navy’s premier counterterrorism unit, where he conducted operations across Eastern Europe and the Middle East. His final assignment placed him in a senior leadership role as Chief Warrant Officer responsible for training and combat systems with Naval Special Warfare Unit Three (NSWU-3). Following his retirement from active duty, Mark transitioned to instruction, applying his operational expertise to train the next generations of Navy SEALs. As a contract instructor for Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training, he developed curriculum and trained more than 4,000 SEAL candidates in marksmanship and tactical weapons handling. Recognized for his precision, discipline, and leadership, Mark remains an influential figure in the special operations community.

“My decision to partner with Smith & Wesson stems not only from their strong alignment with my values but also from my personal experience carrying a Smith & Wesson for the past 30 years. Throughout my career, I have worked with a variety of firearm platforms, and I am grateful for the opportunity to leverage that experience in developing effective curriculum at the Academy, helping as many individuals become proficient with their firearms as possible. Smith & Wesson produces dependable, quality firearms – at the Academy, we’ll teach you how to use them,” said Mark “Coch” Cochiolo, Director, Smith & Wesson Academy.

August Gun Sales Climb Back Over the 1 Million Mark.

august 2025 gun sales

After the first monthly sales dip below 1 million in over five years last month, August gun sales popped back up of the million threshold. August’s total of 1.09 million gun sold, however, was a 9.9 percent decrease over the August 2024 total.

The NSSF’s Mark Oliva tells us that . . .

NSSF is encouraged to see the adjusted NICS background checks top 1 million in the month August once again. We know there is a strong and continued interest in lawful firearm ownership and these figures bear out the truth that Second Amendment rights are valued. These figures are more than data points. They represent Americans from all walks of life who are, quite literally, investing in their safety, security and freedom.

Here’s their press release on the August numbers . . .

The August 2025 NSSF-adjusted National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) figure of 1,091,342 is a decrease of 9.9 percent compared to the August 2024 NSSF-adjusted NICS figure of 1, 210,995. 

For comparison, the unadjusted August 2025 FBI NICS figure 1,743,509 reflects a 19.4% percent decrease from the unadjusted FBI NICS figure of 2,163,540 in August 2024.

    • Top-5 States for Adjusted NICS Checks:           TX, FL, CA, PA, VA
    • Top-5 States for FBI NICS Handgun Checks:    TX, FL, CA, PA, VA
    • Top-5 States for FBI NICS Long Gun Checks:   TX, FL, CA, PA, VA

Please note: Twenty-eight states currently have at least one qualified alternative permit, which under the Brady Act allows the permit-holder, who has undergone a background check to obtain the permit, to purchase a firearm from a licensed dealer without a separate additional background check for that transfer. The number of NICS checks in these states does not include these legal transfers based on qualifying permits and NSSF does not adjust for these transfers.

The adjusted NICS data were derived by subtracting out NICS purpose code permit checks and permit rechecks used by states for CCW permit application checks as well as checks on active CCW permit databases. NSSF started subtracting permit rechecks in February 2016.

Though not a direct correlation to firearms sales, the NSSF-adjusted NICS data provide an additional picture of current market conditions. In addition to other purposes, NICS is used to check transactions for sales or transfers of new or used firearms.

It should be noted that these statistics represent the number of firearm background checks initiated through the NICS. They do not represent the number of firearms sold or sales dollars. Based on varying state laws, local market conditions and purchase scenarios, a one-to-one correlation cannot be made between a firearm background check and a firearm sale.

How ‘Ghost Gun’ Rules Are Running Slap Into Reality

Privately made firearms, billed in the media as “ghost guns,” have been part of the fabric of America since before this country was a country. You often had to buy all of the parts, then assemble it yourself with a bit of woodworking.
Now, those days are back, and lefty politicians hate it. Sucks to be them.
See, today, the technology is different, but the principle is the same. You buy some parts, make some other things, and in the end, you’ve got a gun. Only now, with technology, while some are trying to ban “ghost guns,” they’re running straight into the reality that the digital landscape isn’t playing well with their hopes and desires.

“ There is a ghost in the shell, and authorities are attempting to exercise it before it becomes what radicals are calling the “new Second Amendment.”

According to law enforcement sources, 3D-printed ghost guns are one of the fastest-growing threats to public safety. In just three years, the ability for any New Yorker to produce a killing device in their own home has grown exponentially. In 2022, police said the lower receiver of a handgun could be made using most 3D-printers, leaving would-be gun manufacturers only to have to order the additional parts. Now, in 2025, about 96% of a firearm can be made in any home, leaving only screws and springs to be added to make it operable.
Police say this rapid progression of the deadly tech is being spearheaded by fringe groups through online chat rooms, open-source file-sharing websites and video platforms like Odysee. Cops say these gun aficionados are sharing their own designs on these pages, not necessarily because they are dangerous trigger-pullers themselves, but because they are looking for glory from their peers. However, once these schematics hit the web, anyone and everyone can access them.

The ‘New Second Amendment’

Dubbed “3D2A” and ”3D Printing For All communities,” these groups not only aim to share information with one another over the net but also to help perfect their designs, with the aim of making the weapons more durable, effective, and easier to use.
“I started this group due to too many people who want to control the actions of others. Free speech is encouraging, and like minds prosper. If you want to post about 3A stuff also, feel free. This group doesn’t restrict any topic; all I ask is no bashing members,” the description of one 3D printing Facebook group read. ”
The moment it became viable to 3D print the receiver of a firearm, any hope for gun control evaporated. Anyone with a few hundred dollars and an Amazon account–and some of them are unscrupulous enough to use someone else’s few hundred dollars via identity theft–can get the means of creating firearms all their own. The other parts needed are minor repair parts that not only aren’t serialized, but really can’t be.
Plus, if you somehow restrict those, someone out there will come up with designs that use off-the-shelf springs and screws.
Of course, lawmakers have banned “ghost guns” in a number of states, but how has that worked out for them? About the same as what we see when they banned felons from buying guns. It’s almost like criminals break the law as a matter of course, and that gun control only impacts criminals.
Whoops.
Then again, it’s not like these people can comprehend cause and effect. If they could, they’d have stopped being progressives years ago. Instead, we have this inane bunch running things in far too many states.
If it were just their proggie fellow travelers, I’d be fine with it, but there are good people trapped there who get caught up in this fiasco, and that’s a major issue, which is why they need to get this smacked through their thick skulls.

More good advice from fellow shootist Sheriff Wilson

Taking Care Of Your Guns
Your life may depend on it, so take good care of it.

As a young man I spent a lot of time around older shooters and old lawmen trying to learn as much as I could. One of the things that most of them had in common was how well they took care of their guns. Many of them were shooting guns from the pre-WWII era, but those guns were still in very good shape. When they shot them, they cleaned them and generally wiped them off at night with an oily rag. They generally understood how their guns worked and could replace worn parts when that became necessary.

The armed citizen doesn’t need to be a firearm expert, but they do need to know how their choice of a defensive firearm works. It is also important to know what type of failures are common to a specific type of firearm, how to spot them and what to do about it.

Many semi-automatic pistols should have their mainspring replaced on a regular basis; some gunsmiths advise that every 1,000 rounds would be a good interval. One should also learn how to check the extractor and ejector for excessive wear. Semi-automatic pistol shooters quickly learn to spot the malfunctions that are caused by a faulty or worn magazine. And for goodness sakes, a bad magazine belongs in the trashcan, not among your practice gear.

Revolver shooters need to make sure that each chamber in the cylinder lines up properly with the barrel; spitting lead is a good indication that this is not the case. In some revolvers the ejector rod can come loose and tie up the gun; preventing that is an easy fix if one knows what to look for. Some revolvers have an external screw on the front of the grip frame that puts tension on the mainspring and keeps it in place; this should be snug and tight to prevent misfires.

I think that we often fail to realize the wear and tear that guns can receive from the mini-explosions that we call shooting. Gun parts wear just a little bit every time we pull the trigger. If an armed citizen will take the time to visit with a good gunsmith, they can quickly learn wear-related and other problems that might occur in their particular firearm. Then regular cleaning sessions and just taking the time of give the gun a good once over can often catch the problem before a misfire or failure to fire occurs. Simply put, you may have to bet your life on it, so it is a good idea to make sure that gun is in good working order.

 

She Used to HATE Guns, Now She’s Getting Her Rhode Island Concealed Carry Permit.

As you may be aware, this is National Shooting Sports Month. Yes, that means you should get your ass away from your screen and out to a range somewhere and shoot a gun. Or two. Or more. This month is also an ideal time to take someone who’d new to shooting with you. Teach them the four rules. Get them started the right way. Then watch the smile on their face the first time they pull the trigger. The more shooters and gun owners we have, the easier it is to defend and extend our Second Amendment rights.

If you need help in convincing that noob you know to go out to the range with you, this video from YouTuber Gothix is a great tool for doing just that. Gothix — AKA Vanessa Rosa — is relatively new to guns and the whole shooting thing. But over the last couple of years since getting started, she’s come a long way.

And she’s done it in the deep blue gun rights hell that is Rhode Island. In fact, she’s now the Rhode Island state director for Women for Gun Rights. Watch the video and listen to hurdles she has to clear in order to buy a gun, ammo, and then, finally, take the test for her concealed carry permit in her benighted little state. If she can do it where she lives, so can you. And so can the person you’ve been trying to convince to go to the range with you.

Fiocchi America Moved into TKG’s Brands, Hevi Shifting from Oregon to Missouri

News came this week that Fiocchi’s U.S. arm will be moving under the same umbrella of ammo brands maintained by the Kinetic Group.

Formerly part of Vista Outdoor, last year’s purchase of several classic American ammunition brands, including CCI, Federal, Hevi, Remington, and Speer by the Czechoslovak Group, became TKG. As the Czechoslovak Group – which has held a majority stake in Fiocchi since 2022 and quietly became the 100-percent owner of that ammo company in April – the writing was on the wall that its U.S. operations would be consolidated with TKG.

“We’re excited to have Fiocchi of America officially join of our group of world-leading ammunition brands,” said Jason Vanderbrink, Chairman and CEO of TKG.

As part of the shift, Fiocchi America’s Ozark, Missouri, shotshell plant will become “a center of excellence for shotshell products,” and Hevi will move its operations from Oregon to Missouri. Fiocchi is also building a $42 million lead-free primer plant in Arkansas.

“Ozark is just outside of Springfield, Missouri, a fantastic location for ammunition manufacturing, the outdoors, conservation, and support of the Second Amendment. HEVI-Shot will have a great new home here and will continue its 25-year legacy of loading the best steel, tungsten, and bismuth shot for waterfowl and upland hunters,” said Vanderbrink.

Hevi was formed in Oregon in 2000 by a group of hunters frustrated by the performance of steel shot and eager to create better non-toxic loads.

ATF Pistol Brace Rule Tossed After DOJ Drops Appeal

The Biden-era ATF rule restricting pistol braces was vacated Thursday after President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice agreed to drop its appeal in a federal lawsuit, delivering a major victory to gun-rights advocates, Breitbart reported.

The move marks a significant reversal in federal firearms regulation and concludes a lengthy legal battle over the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives’ 2023 rule that reclassified AR-pistols with braces as short-barreled rifles under the National Firearms Act.

“This afternoon, Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) and the federal government agreed to a joint dismissal of the government’s appeal in our Mock v. Bondi lawsuit, a case that successfully challenged the Biden ATF’s ‘pistol brace’ ban and secured injunctive relief for gun owners while the case was being litigated to final judgment, which completely vacated the rule,” the Firearms Policy Coalition said in a statement.

The pistol brace rule was published in the Federal Register on Jan. 31, 2023, and was met with immediate legal opposition. It sought to bring AR-style pistols equipped with stabilizing braces under the purview of the National Firearms Act, subjecting owners to the same requirements as those purchasing fully automatic firearms. That included mandatory registration and additional federal scrutiny.

Gun-rights groups hailed the dismissal as a pivotal legal win. The company Daniel Defense, a prominent manufacturer of AR-15 rifles, also praised the outcome on social media, proclaiming the ban “terminated.”

Firearms Policy Coalition CEO Brandon Combs emphasized that the regulation contradicted Second Amendment protections.

“As we explained in the case filings, braced pistols are not short-barreled rifles. But either way, they are unquestionably arms protected under the Second Amendment,” he said. “We are thrilled to have secured this important win for liberty and excited to take on even more unconstitutional laws so you can exercise your rights when, where, and how you choose.”

The legal resolution comes as broader gun policy debates continue to unfold nationwide.

In June, the Supreme Court declined to hear a challenge to Maryland’s ban on assault-style rifles and high-capacity magazines, letting a lower court’s decision stand.

That state law, enacted in 2013 following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Connecticut, specifically bans the AR-15 and similar firearms. The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the law, ruling that Maryland may constitutionally prohibit the sale and possession of such weapons. The Supreme Court’s decision not to take the case was seen as a significant victory for gun-control advocates.

Although the AR-15 is banned in Maryland and eight other states, it remains legal in 41 states. The rifle is estimated to be in circulation in numbers ranging from 20 million to 30 million units, making it the most popular gun in America.

 

The Evolution of Law Enforcement Revolver Training: It all began with Theodore Roosevelt.

Law enforcement revolver training

Police revolver training goes back to the 19th century and President Theodore Roosevelt. Before he was the President of the United States, he was President of the New York City Police Commission from 1895 to 1897. When he began that position, New York policemen furnished their own revolvers for duty. Roosevelt was impressed by the .32 Colt New Police revolver and ordered 4,500 to be issued to the New York police. Being dismayed by the lack of proficiency of the officers, Roosevelt instituted a school of pistol practice. He required officers, or “roundsmen,” as they were called, to practice and qualify with their issued revolvers.

Formal police revolver training began to become more common in the 1920s and 1930s, at least for large organizations. The Los Angeles Police Department began marksmanship training for its officers in 1925. Its range facility was comprehensive enough to be the venue for the shooting events of the 1932 Summer Olympics. The LAPD Pistol Team and Los Angeles Sheriff Department Team were well known in the 1930s for their prowess at exhibition shooting.

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FPC WIN: Order Vacating Biden “Pistol Brace” Rule Stands, Government Dismisses Appeal

NEW ORLEANS (July 17, 2025) – This afternoon, Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) and the federal government agreed to a joint dismissal of the government’s appeal in our Mock v. Bondi lawsuit, a case that successfully challenged the Biden ATF’s “pistol brace” ban rule and secured injunctive relief for gun owners while the case was being litigated to final judgment, which completely vacated the rule.

“Today is a great day for freedom and the American people,” said Firearms Policy Coalition President Brandon Combs. “The dismissal of this appeal should be the final nail in the coffin of this unconstitutional Biden ATF assault on gun owners. As we explained in the case filings, braced pistols are not ‘short-barreled rifles’. But either way, they are unquestionably arms protected under the Second Amendment. We are thrilled to have secured this important win for liberty and excited to take on even more unconstitutional laws so you can exercise your rights when, where, and how you choose.”

“The government is finally retreating from the Biden Administration’s patently unlawful effort to turn millions of peaceable people into felons by decree,” said FPC Action Foundation President Cody J. Wisniewski, an attorney for the challengers. “This horrible rule was a perversion of our system of limited government, so we’re glad to see this case resolved in favor of liberty and the rule of law.”

“This is a clear-cut victory and monumental step in preserving gun rights for future generations and safeguarding the firearms ecosystem from regulatory overreach,” said David Farrell, a Maxim Defense vice president. “This important achievement is the result of tireless dedication from the entire litigation team, not to mention the many supporters who have stood with us every single day. When we fight boldly and stand united, freedom prevails.”

If you want to support this important pro-Second Amendment win and FPC’s dozens of cases working to strike down unconstitutional gun control laws, join the FPC Grassroots Army at JoinFPC.org.

Today’s filing in Mock can be viewed at firearmspolicy.org/mock. The Mock case is part of FPC’s high-impact strategic litigation program, FPC Law, aimed at eliminating immoral laws and creating a world of maximal liberty. FPC is joined in this case by two individual FPC members as well as Maxim Defense. FPC Action Foundation is counsel of record for the Plaintiffs, alongside Benbrook Law Group, P.C. and Cooper & Scully, P.C. Schaerr | Jaffe LLP represented the plaintiffs during the preliminary injunction appeal. FPC thanks FPC Action Foundation for its strategic support of this case.

The Jig is Up: Everytown Has Figured Out That Eliminating the $200 Transfer Tax is Just the Latest Step Toward Eliminating the NFA Completely

For over 90 years, the NFA has required that anyone interested in buying or building one of these weapons first submit an application to the ATF along with their fingerprints, a passport-style photo, and a $200 tax stamp before undergoing an enhanced background check. As the ATF notes, the $200 tax was “considered quite severe” in 1934 “to carry out Congress’ purpose to discourage or eliminate transactions in these firearms,” though it was never raised or adjusted to account for inflation. In today’s dollars, the figure would be well over $4,700.

But after January 1, 2026, those taxes will no longer be required for silencers, short-barreled firearms, or AOWs, making them significantly easier to obtain — jeopardizing public safety and resulting in an estimated $1.7 billion loss in tax revenue over the next decade.

The move is the latest attempt by the gun industry to chip away at the NFA. While NFA applicants previously had to be approved by the ATF and the chief law enforcement officers (CLEOs) in their areas, in 2016 — after lobbying from the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the gun industry’s trade association — the ATF ruled that applicants only had to provide copies of their forms to CLEOs. The NSSF also lobbied for the ATF’s revamped “eForms” application system, which has led to dramatically faster approval times. …

Repealing the tax provisions may have been a backdoor attempt to invalidate the NFA. After the House passed the budget bill, GOA immediately announced that they were filing a lawsuit — dubbed the “One Big Beautiful Lawsuit” — along with the Silencer Shop, SilencerCo, Palmetto State Armory, and others to remove silencers and short-barreled firearms from the NFA, arguing that “once the tax is reduced to $0, the constitutional justification for the law collapses.” The NRA, ASA, Firearms Policy Coalition, and Second Amendment Foundation announced that they would file their own lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the NFA. In a joint statement, the groups applauded Trump’s budget bill, which “serve[s] as a critical step towards our ultimate goal of dismantling the NFA once and for all.” 

— Greg Lickenbrock in Congress Cuts Taxes on Silencers and Short-Barreled Firearms

Gun Business: Indicators of Industry Unease Moving Toward Full-Blown

Earlier this week, I wrote that there was a climate of unease through the industry. Since then, that unease has become full-blown concern. That concern is reflected in Ruger’s quiet announcement of a reduction in headcount sent to employees last week from recently-appointed CEO and President Todd Seyfert (it was also disclosed in a filing with the SEC which is how we learned of it). Seyfert’s letter indicated a coming “organizational realignment” that would come with “severance and separation-related costs.”

Those costs were estimated at about three million dollars this year, but would produce “about $4 million in annual savings when fully implemented.” Translation: more to come.

“In support of our new structure— which is designed to improve alignment, efficiency and effectiveness — we made difficult but necessary personnel changes,” Seyfert wrote, “These moves were necessary for us to move forward with clarity and momentum.”

Included in the changes: “a leadership transition,” “inventory rationalization,” and “product repositioning.” Writing about the leadership changes, Seyfert referred to “right-sizing” Ruger’s Connecticut operations. In any business climate, especially today’s slowing one, “right-sizing” is generally considered a corporate euphemism for either layoffs of workers or termination of managers…or both.

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The Senate did it the easy way. They deleted everything but Machineguns and Destructive Devices from the list of definitions of what a NFA “Firearm” is.

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.

ATF Seeks to Criminalize ‘Pinned and Welded’ Muzzle Devices
Are we honestly dealing with rogue agents or a duplicitous administration?

ATF Seeks to Criminalize ‘Pinned and Welded' Muzzle Devices
Pinned and welded muzzle device. (Photo Provided by Firearms News)

If you’ve been keeping score on gun rights for as long as I have, chances are you were thrilled to show Kamala the door last November, but your expectations for a pro-Second Amendment Trump administration were tempered at best, and increasingly dismal the deeper you looked into it. If that’s how you felt, I’d say you have a realistic perspective. Believe me, I wish I could survive on words and promises, but years spent on this earth have taught me that the most reliable model for predicting future behavior is past behavior.

Another relevant life lesson is to avoid getting sidetracked by distractions, positive or negative, while maintaining focus on the bigger picture. That’s why it comes as no surprise that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is once again targeting gun owners with its “now it’s legal, now it’s not” routine, an all too familiar infringement dance for the firearms community.

We’ve been through this together with bump stocks, pistol braces, FRT triggers, and countless others, but it’s once more into the breach, dear friends, once more, this time concerning the long-since approved practice of pining and welding a muzzle device to a barrel to achieve a “permanent” legal length of at least sixteen inches. (Muzzle devices used in pin-and-weld custom gunsmithing include flash hiders, muzzle brakes, barrel extensions, fake suppressors, etc.) Plans for this new wave of attacks on our Constitutionally protected liberties were uncovered recently due to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request from the Second Amendment advocacy group, Gun Owners of America (GOA).

What GOA has uncovered may seem like yet another rogue agent working against the promises of United States Attorney General Pam Bondi and her big, beautiful boss, the President, but as a subordinate who can easily be fired, something the Trump administration is known for being quite good at, can we really call these actions rogue if the agent still has a job? Ahhh, therein lies the conflict. Suppose our anti-American, anti-Constitution agent still wears an ATF badge. In that case, this person is acting at the behest of superiors, who start to seem either apathetic or straight-up two-faced at some point.

Well, surprise, surprise, she does continue to report for duty at the ATF, and the treasonous little snake is no stranger when it comes to attacking gun rights or being a complete imbecile. So, don’t bother getting up, and please, give a not-so-warm welcome to Eve E. Eisenbice, the subversive reptile behind such hits as claiming a water bottle could be considered a firearm, classifying a cheek rest as a stock in order to charge a gun owner under the National Firearms Act of 1934 (NFA), and testifying in court that possession of pillows and potatoes can potentially count as suppressors. I know my sarcasm and abrasive disposition towards these traitors might make you wonder if I’m simply attributing ridiculous hyperbole to Eisenbice’s “career,” but I’m not. She did those things, and really is that stupid and dishonest.

So, how did her latest mastery of the perfidious arts come about? Great question! The ATF’s Firearms Technology Industry Services Branch (FTISB) was involved in a case concerning a Beretta pistol imported by Amchar Wholesale. The firearm in question used the standard blind pin method to pin and weld the muzzle device to the barrel. This involves installing the device, drilling a small hole in it that penetrates slightly into the barrel’s threads, inserting a steel pin to prevent the device from being unscrewed, and then welding over the pin to secure it in place.

What the ATF did in this case was place the pistol in a bench vise, attach a breaker bar, and apply an obscene amount of torque. What this accomplishes causes permanent damage that will require the firearm to be rebarreled to function once again as it was meant to. That is precisely what the agency did. They broke the gun in order to say that the muzzle device did not meet the permanent requirement.

Unfortunately, this is the best and safest method to permanently affix a muzzle device, as welding its circumference directly to the barrel can damage the heat treatment, raising safety concerns due to the likelihood of a catastrophic failure. And let’s be clear, any monkey with a breaker bar can destroy a firearm the way the ATF did. It’s simple physics. But the fact remains that a pinned and welded muzzle device cannot be removed without modification or destruction of the barrel’s integrity.

You may be reading this, wondering if we haven’t yet found the right loophole to avoid having a barrel slightly shorter than sixteen inches not count as a short-barreled rifle (SBR) under the NFA, requiring an onerous paperwork and approval process along with an illegal tax stamp on a Constitutional right to the tune of $200. The problem is that this pin-and-weld method isn’t a loophole. It is a lawfully approved and widely used practice, as confirmed by a 2006 letter from the ATF.

If the ATF continues to be allowed to run roughshod over law-abiding gun owners like they have ad nauseam, the results could be quite terrifying. Legally compliant rifles could become illegally possessed NFA items overnight, a charge that carries a hefty prison sentence. This is a horrifying manner of destroying the lives of Americans and their families at the treacherous impulse of dishonest government employees and agencies, and it’s all happening under the noses of senior officials like Pam Bondi, Daniel P. Driscoll, acting director of the ATF, and President Trump himself.

What’s worse is that the solution is so simple. It involves little more than a flick of the pen and less than a minute of conversation. What is that solution? Fire this loser. And I mean 100% out on her ass. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200. A fortuitous tax stamp reference, perhaps? No benefits, no pension, just a straight march to the unemployment line and a good riddance salute. So why the crickets from our supposed Second Amendment crusading leaders? That can only be answered one way if they don’t take swift action. They are complicit, by order or by turning a blind eye. It doesn’t matter which one, because either scenario is a death knell for any more fake talk from the administration and the Department of Justice (DOJ).

My final thoughts on the subject concern the fact that this conversation should never have reached the ears of any American. First of all, the Second Amendment is neither long, convoluted, nor complex. It requires no interpretation from the literate. Second, for a barrel to meet the arbitrary sixteen-inch legal rifle length with a pinned and welded muzzle device, it typically needs to be between 13.9 inches and 14.5 inches. Is 2.1 inches or any such measurement really what we’re spending millions to litigate and destroying lives over? The NFA itself is a significant stain on the integrity of the American government and the oaths taken by politicians and judges to preserve and defend the Constitution. As long as it exists, alongside all other gun laws on the books, including the Gun Control Act of 1968 (GCA) and the Hughes Amendment in 1986, these charlatans will continue to soil the sacrifices of so many brave Americans who paid the ultimate price for our freedom and liberty.