What Did Trump Promise Mexico’s President on Guns?

President Trump has hit the pause button on his tariff threat to Mexico after discussions with his counterpart south of the border, but President Claudia Sheinbaum says that while her country will increase the number of military troops at the border to counter the drug cartels’ trafficking of fentanyl, Trump has agreed to “work jointly to avoid the entry of guns to Mexico.”

Sheinbaum’s comments came during her press conference on Monday. The Wall St. Journal covered Sheinbaum’s remarks, but she apparently didn’t announce any details of the supposed agreement between Trump and herself. 

“There are rocket launchers that come from the U.S. illegally,” Sheinbaum said she told Trump. “How is that possible?”

Mexico says that upwards of 70% of the weapons used by the country’s organized crime groups are smuggled from the U.S. “For the first time, the U.S. government will work jointly to avoid the entry of guns to Mexico,” she said at her daily news conference on Monday. 

Mexico is suing U.S. gun manufacturers and arms dealers in federal courts to try to end the illegal trafficking of weapons to the country.

If Sheinbaum’s end of the deal involves sending 10,000 troops to the U.S.-Mexico border to combat fentanyl trafficking, what is Trump supposed to do in return? Increasing border patrols is one thing, but Sheinbaum’s interest in targeting gun dealers and manufacturers suggests she might have something else in mind

Sheinbaum also hit back after Washington accused her government of having an “intolerable alliance” with drug trafficking groups.

“We categorically reject the slander made by the White House against the Mexican government about alliances with criminal organizations,” Sheinbaum wrote earlier on social media.

“If there is such an alliance anywhere, it is in the U.S. gun shops that sell high-powered weapons to these criminal groups,” she added.

U.S. gun stores aren’t selling rocket launchers to cartel members, despite Sheinbaum’s claims. In fact, one of the major sources of U.S.-manufactured arms that end up in the hands of the cartels were diverted there by Mexican law enforcement and the military. As CBS News reported more than a decade ago:

The State Department audits only a tiny sample – less than 1 percent of sales – but the results are disturbing: In 2009, more than a quarter (26 percent) of the guns sold to the region that includes Mexico were “diverted” into the wrong hands, or had other “unfavorable” results.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation‘s Larry Keane, who speaks for gun manufacturers, said he understands the potential for abuse.

“There have been 150,000 or more Mexican soldiers defect to go work for the cartels, and I think it’s safe to assume that when they defect they take their firearms with them,” Keane told CBS News.

If Sheinbaum really wanted to curtail cartel access to U.S. firearms she could order a halt to the direct sales to Mexican law enforcement and the military, but that would mean pointing the finger at the corruption within her own government instead of scapegoating the U.S. firearms industry.

I don’t think Trump is interested in stopping those sales either, to be honest, but the question still remains: what “help” did Trump offer, exactly? 

Gun control groups like Brady are calling on Trump to “craft a plan to ensure that gun manufacturers do not do business with those who break the law, fund the ATF, and instead of diverting agents to focus on immigration enforcement, allow them to focus on holding rogue gun dealers accountable.” 

Trump has yet to do undo the ATF rules enacted under the Biden administration, which has already exasperated many Second Amendment advocates. Now he also needs to offer up specifics about his agreement with Sheinbaum to put gun owners at ease.

Combatting the cartels shouldn’t result in an emboldened ATF or actions against the firearms industry, but that’s exactly what Sheinbaum and her allies in the American gun control movement are demanding.

Attempted carjacking goes awry: Car owner opens fire hitting 2 of 4 teen suspects

After having a gun pulled on him, a Southwest Philadelphia resident shot at four teenagers – hitting two 13-year-olds – who were allegedly trying to steal his car from behind his house Tuesday evening, police said.

The incident unfolded in the alleyway between the 5900 blocks of Bellmar Terrace and Windsor Avenue just after 6 p.m., Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said.

According to Small, a neighbor called the man to tell him they saw what looked like four teenagers trying to steal his Honda that was parked in the alleyway behind his house in the Kingsessing section of Southwest Philadelphia.

The man went into the alleyway and confronted the teens, Small said.

There are additional resources for people or communities that have endured gun violence in Philadelphia. Further information can be found here.

One of the teens pulled out a gun and the car’s owner responded by firing at least seven shots at the group, according to Small. All four teens ran away.

When officers responded to the scene they found two 13-year-olds suffering from gunshot wounds just one block away, Small explained. One teenager had a gunshot wound to his lower back and the other had one gunshot to his leg.

Both of the teens were taken to a nearby hospital by police where they were listed in stable condition, officials said. They are each being questioned by police.

The two other teens in the group were found by police just two blocks away and the car’s owner was able to identify them as the suspects.

Small told NBC10 that the car’s owner does have a legal permit to carry and is cooperating with police.

The entire incident was captured on private surveillance cameras, Small explained.

The Unexpected Silencer Lawsuit in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals
Sanchez v. Bonta 24-5566

Many years ago, a wise, white-haired, old lawyer told me that lawsuits are not won because you have the law on your side. Lawsuits are lost by the guy who makes the first fatal procedural error.

That is why I spent well over a year preparing before I filed my California Open Carry lawsuit in November of 2011, and that is why my lawsuit is still standing today. I haven’t made a fatal procedural mistake. When the State’s attorney argued to the Court of Appeals that it could affirm the 2014 judgment of the district court on any grounds, the State’s attorney did not, and could not, point to any grounds by which the three-judge panel could have affirmed.

And so you can imagine my surprise when, after receiving an email PACER notification yesterday, I read the “briefs” and final judgment in this civil lawsuit challenging California’s silencer ban. The Order read:

ORDER FILED. Lisa B. Fitzgerald, Appellate Commissioner.

The court is inclined to appoint pro bono counsel to represent appellant in this appeal. Appellant may file a written objection within 14 days. If appellant does not object, the court will appoint counsel and set a new briefing schedule. [Entered: 02/03/2025 02:36 PM]

This is both impressive and curious.

The Order states, “The Court is inclined…” The Court is a three-judge panel that was picked long ago. Three-judge panels are formed long before they are assigned a particular case on appeal. Internally, two rosters of three-judge panels are formed. One roster consists of judges who will hear cases that will dispose of cases in unpublished memorandum opinions. The other roster consists of judges who will decide cases on the merits, via published, precedential opinions.

Each appeal goes through an internal screening panel of staff attorneys and judges. Most appeals are disposed of without any opinion being published because they suffer from some fatal procedural defect, such as filing a late notice of appeal.

Those cases that survive the initial screening process are assigned to a panel on one of the rosters.

In this particular case, it could have been assigned to a panel on either roster. But regardless of which roster the screening panel assigned it to, at least two judges think the case should be decided in a published, binding opinion.

That doesn’t mean the case will result in a published, binding opinion, but it is far more likely than not, given that the panel has, sua sponte, decided to appoint pro bono counsel to represent the Plaintiff-Appellant in his appeal.

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BLUF:
Most importantly, Trump and Musk should keep their ears to the ground, to see what sort of sedition might be brewing among these soon-to-be-former elites.

Because something will be.

Smashing the ‘rice bowls’ — Why elites are lashing out at Trump and Musk’s reforms.

Philosopher Eric Hoffer once wrote, “Nothing is so unsettling to a social order as the presence of a mass of scribes without suitable employment and an acknowledged status.”

As President Trump, Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency get on with their business of trimming waste, fraud, abuse and graft from the federal budget — a business that is vitally important, given the government’s parlous financial outlook — they need to keep this in mind.

Less than two weeks in, DOGE teams poring over federal spending records are discovering all sorts of problems.

“Career Treasury officials are breaking the law every hour of every day by approving payments that are fraudulent or do not match the funding laws passed by Congress,” Musk reported Sunday.

Money from the US Agency for International Development and other agencies is going for organizations shipping illegal migrants to the United States or paying their expenses upon arrival — which then oppose, on “humanitarian” grounds, any effort to stem the flow.

Musk and hedge-funder Bill Ackman wrote that the government funded non-governmental organizations to get around laws that are supposed to keep taxpayer dollars out of party politics and dangerous scientific research.

USAID officials even tried to physically stop DOGE technicians from accessing the computers that contained information on payments, leading Musk to comment, “USAID is a criminal organization. Time for it to die.”

Meanwhile Trump suspended payments to NGOs and nonprofits until a formal re-evaluation of the nature, purposes and legality of the spending is complete at each grant-making agency.

It’s a safe bet that once they’re re-evaluated, far fewer grants will be made.

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Homeowner shoots intruder during break-in in North Carolina

GOLDSBORO, N.C. (WNCN) – A Goldsboro homeowner shot a man who police said attempted to break into a home on Sunday evening.

According to the Goldsboro Police Department, officers responded at around 5:48 p.m. to a ShotSpotter alert on the 600 block of W. Oak Street. While investigating the alert, police said a man arrived at the hospital with apparent gunshot wounds.

“During the course of the investigation, it was determined that the subject at UNC Health Wayne was shot during an incident in the 600 Block of West Oak Street,” Goldsboro police said in a news release on Monday.

Investigators determined the shooting victim was suspected of breaking and entering to terrorize at a home at that address, resulting in a resident shooting him in self-defense, police said.

The suspect, later identified as 30-year-old Deshaun Jamarion James, was subsequently transported to another hospital for treatment. As of Monday morning, he’s listed to be in critical condition, according to Goldsboro police.

Nobody living inside the home was harmed during the incident. Police said at least one of the victims and the suspect were “acquaintances.”

“The investigation is ongoing,” the news release stated.

‘Second Amendment Summer’ tax holiday on guns and ammo in DeSantis’ proposed budget
DeSantis unveiled his proposed $115.6 billion budget for the 2025-2026 fiscal year during a news conference in Tallahassee on Monday

A new sales-tax “holiday” on guns and ammunition is one of several included in Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ new proposed state budget.

DeSantis unveiled his proposed $115.6 billion budget for the 2025-2026 fiscal year during a news conference in Tallahassee on Monday.

The budget includes a number of temporary tax savings, or “holidays,” that the governor’s office says will provide around $296 million in temporary tax savings.

Many of the tax holidays are returning after they were included in previous budgets.

But among the new ones is the “Second Amendment Summer” sales-tax holiday, which would run between Memorial Day and the Fourth of July.

The measure would temporarily remove sales taxes on ammunition, firearms and related items and would save shoppers an estimated $8 million, according to the governor’s office.

“We are unveiling the ‘Second Amendment Summer’ tax holiday, so from Memorial Day to the Fourth of July, you can get your ammunition, your firearms, and your accoutrements tax free in the state of Florida,” DeSantis said Monday.

Another new savings measure in the budget is a “Marine Fuel” tax holiday. That two-month holiday would provide a 29.5 cents per gallon reduction of the motor fuel taxes levied on commonly used boat fuels, saving boaters $27 million, the governor’s office said.

Among the measures returning would be the 14-day “Back-to-School” sales tax holiday that exempts certain school supplies, clothing, computers and other items ahead of the start of the school year.

Here’s what you can get tax-free during Florida’s back-to-school sales tax holiday. As the calendar inches closer to the start of a new school year, parents are busy helping their children get ready by stocking up on school supplies. NBC6’s Kris Anderson has more on Florida’s back-to-school tax holiday.
A pair of “Disaster Preparedness” sales tax holidays are also included, which apply to certain supplies at the start and height of hurricane season.

Also returning would be a 7-day “Tool Time” sales tax holiday on certain power tools and equipment used by skilled trade workers.

A “Freedom Month” sales tax holiday would also return in July, which includes boating, fishing and camping supplies like pool toys, tents, and even kayaks. Outdoor supplies such as grills and bicycles will also be tax-free.

Hattiesburg man shot, killed by security guard during incident at chicken-processing plant

JONES COUNTY, Miss. (WDAM) — A security guard may have saved the lives of others Wednesday afternoon after shooting and killing an armed man in the parking lot of a Jones County chicken-processing plant.

Jones County Coroner Burl Hall said Wednesday night that 21-year-old Lorenzo Hawthorne, of Hattiesburg, died outside the facility at Southern Hens., Inc,, on Moselle-Seminary Road after an exchange of gunfire with a company security guard.

Hall said the body will be sent to the state Crime Lab for autopsy.

The security guard had not been identified Wednesday.

In a statement issued early Wednesday evening, Southern Hens., Inc., said the incident started about 2 p.m. that afternoon as a workplace dispute.

“On January 29, 2025, at about 2:00 pm, at its plant in Moselle, Mississippi, an employee of Southern Hens had a dispute with another worker at the plant and left the secured area of the plant and retrieved a gun from the parking lot,” the statement read. “ He fired at least five shots in the parking lot area and when he turned the gun on the plant security guard, he was shot and killed by the guard.”

The release said Jones County Sheriff’s Department personnel were on-site. The company said all nonessential employees at the plant were released for the remaining work day as soon as it was cleared by JCSD.

The company said all employees who may have witnessed the encounter will be offered counseling.

“Thoughts and prayer go out to the families affected by this shooting,” the statement concluded.

JCSD Investigator Stephen Graeser confirmed that the shooter was a Southern Hens’ employee.

Graeser said the shooter fired multiple rounds with an AR-15-style rifle outside into vehicles where workers were.

Workers fled the scene, and no one was hurt at that time, Graeser said.

Graeser said the shooter than tried to make his way into the plant, where he was confronted by security.

Multiple rounds were exchanged between the shooter and a security guard, with the shooter dying from gunshot wounds, Graeser said.

Some Southern Hens employees were calling the security guard a hero.

“The guy got fired from his job,” Southern Hens employee Kelvin Snyder said. “He got mad, went out to his truck, got a gun … he shot off three shots, he missed.

“The security guard jumped up and ran behind the guard shack. He shot off three more shots, he missed. The security guard jumped up and hit him in the chest and the top … He was planning to come inside the plant. Like I seen him. He was walking, fixin’ to come in the plant, and they stopped him.

“They stopped him with two shots.”

The shooting remains under investigation.

Trump nominee will review Biden restrictions on firearms exports

WASHINGTON, Feb 3 (Reuters) – President Donald Trump’s nominee to head the Commerce Department said on Monday he will review the Biden administration’s year-old restrictions on firearms exports that were aimed at limiting foreign criminal groups acquiring U.S. guns.

Nominee Howard Lutnick said in written comments that if confirmed he would “ensure the department reviews this policy and takes appropriate action.”

After a temporary export pause on firearms exports in 2023, the Biden administration in April 2024 imposed restrictions on sales to non-governmental users in 36 countries where the State Department determined the firearms were at high risk of diversion.

At the time, the Commerce Department forecast the restrictions would reduce average annual U.S. firearms exports by 7% or $40 million.
Lutnick was responding to a question from Senator Eric Schmitt who said the policy “cost U.S. manufacturers and exporters hundreds of millions of dollars annually.”

An industry association estimated in 2023 that the sales loss would be $238 million a year.

Then-Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said the rules would limit diversions of guns to drug cartels, criminal groups, gangs and others. “The days of exporting military-style weapons to civilians in unstable countries are over,” Raimondo said.

The Senate Commerce Committee will vote on Lutnick’s nomination on Wednesday.

D.C. Federal Judges Join the Resistance
Overriding the President’s Control of the Department of Justice

U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell (Nice when PID is provided)

Some judges have seized upon a new form of resistance to President Trump’s policies and agenda — Refusing to dismiss criminal cases with prejudice in accordance with the President’s instructions to the Attorney General. Three of the eight federal district judges in D.C. who are on senior status,1 joined by one of their colleagues, have tried to undercut Presidential authority in this manner.

This article will consider one such case before Senior Judge Beryl A. Howell. Judge Howell has frustrated the President’s clear intent by refusing to dismiss indictments against Nicholas DeCarlo and Nicholas Ochs with prejudice. She did this despite the fact that, as she admitted, “It has long been settled that the Judiciary generally lacks authority to second-guess those Executive determinations, much less to impose its own charging preferences.”

In her explanatory Memorandum and Order (“Memorandum”) Judge Howell not only refused to dismiss the indictments with prejudice but went out of her way to take gratuitous and irrelevant shots at the President and the pardons he granted pursuant to his Constitutional powers.

The Presidential Amnesty Proclamation

The date he was inaugurated, President Trump a signed a Proclamation that essentially granted amnesty for all “offenses related to events that occurred at or near the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021.” The Proclamation addressed separately defendants who had been convicted and those who had been indicted but not convicted. Of those who had been convicted, they either had their sentences commuted “to time served as of January 20, 2025,” or were granted a “full, complete and unconditional pardon” for their offenses.

However, there were other defendants who were still subject to pending indictments for which there were not yet final convictions. For these, the President’s Proclamation directed the Attorney General “to pursue dismissal with prejudice to the government of all pending indictments against individuals for their conduct related to the events at or near the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021.” (bolded emphasis added)

The “dismissal with prejudice to the government” clause was intended to ensure that the government would never again be able to prosecute this category of defendants who were not yet burdened with a final order of conviction. It was the functional equivalent of a pardon. Judge Howell has now done everything she can to thwart that Presidential intent.

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I’ve thought for years that many, if not most, demoncraps have either been paid off by the moslems or have actually converted to islam.

Biden Admin Quietly Funneled $3 Mil to Palestinian Government ‘Security Forces’ for Weapons Training—After Its Members Carried Out Attacks on Israelis.

Trump admin ‘must conduct rigorous oversight of this type of funding, which the Biden administration quietly noticed at the 11th hour,’ says Rep. McCaul

The Biden administration, weeks before leaving power, funneled more than $3 million in taxpayer cash to the Palestinian Authority Security Forces (PASF), according to a nonpublic notice transmitted to Congress that was reviewed by the Washington Free Beacon. Those funds allowed the PASF to conduct “firearms and ammunition” training—and came after its members carried out scores of attacks against Israelis.

The Jan. 3 funding notice outlined more than $20 million in funding for regional security projects, including those in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Lebanon, and Jordan. Just over $3 million of these funds were earmarked for the PASF, which the United States is training to handle security operations in the war-torn Gaza Strip. As it does so, the PASF is reportedly seeking more than $680 million from the American government over the next four years.

That spending—both past and, potentially, future—is drawing concerns in both Israel and Washington, D.C., given PASF’s deep and longstanding ties to terrorism carried out against Israelis.

PASF members conducted more than 1,500 terror attacks against Israel in 2023—attacks that came with the Palestinian government’s backing, according to a Palestinian Media Watch investigation shared with the Free Beacon. More than 60 percent “of the number of Martyrs in the West Bank” are affiliated with the Palestinian Fatah movement, which sponsors the PASF, “and most of them are members of the [PA] Security Forces or their sons,” the investigation found. Nearly 400 Palestinians imprisoned for terrorism are known PASF members.

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