“The investigation revealed that the [alleged suspect] had physically assaulted an adult male family member and had stabbed an adult and an adult female family member,” RPD said in a public alert. “The [alleged suspect] had also attempted to stab an adult female family member when an involved party discharged a firearm, striking the decedent and preventing any further injuries to family members.”
Sunday, June 29, 2025
FL: Hialeah - Fight leads to Defensive Shooting
Police said two groups of UPS employees got into an argument after work and someone threatened to get their friend, Ernest, who had a gun.
Another man involved in the fight ran to his family's car and when Ernest approached with a hand in a bookbag the man's brother shot Ernest in an act of self-defense, police said.
Officers found Ernest hiding in his car with a gunshot wound to his leg, and he was taken to a local hospital.
MO: Benton - Homeowner Shoots, Kills Home Invader
According Scott County Sheriff Derick Wheetley, around 11:30 p.m. Thursday, deputies with the Scott County Sheriff’s Office responded to a reported home invasion and shooting on County Highway 244, which is between Benton and Oran.
“Upon arrival, deputies discovered that a homeowner had shot and killed an intruder who was attempting to forcibly enter the residence,” Wheetley said in a news release Friday, June 27. “Preliminary reports indicate that the homeowner was alerted to the intrusion and acted to protect themselves. The homeowner fired four shots, all of which struck the suspect.”
Saturday, June 28, 2025
FL: Cape Coral - Armed Victim Stops Attack
According to the Cape Coral Police Department, officers responded around 11:40 p.m. to reports of gunfire on the Midpoint Memorial Bridge.
Officers found that a man had been attacked and the victim responded by shooting the other man, who was then taken to a hospital with gunshot wounds.
MT: Billings - Neighborhood Dispute ends with Gunfire
BILLINGS, Mont. – A shooting took place on Burlington Avenue in Billings following a neighborhood disturbance.
Law enforcement officials responded to the incident around 11:00 a.m. Captain Kent O'Donnell and Sheriff Mike Linder provided information about the response. Officers and medical personnel were called to the scene after a dispute between two male neighbors escalated, resulting in one being shot.
Friday, June 27, 2025
President Trump Brags about HPA in Big Beautiful Bill
President Trump is energetically pushing to pass his One Big Beautiful Bill. On June 3, 2025, the White House published 50 Wins in the One Big Beautiful Bill. The One Big Beautiful Bill does not do everything which needs to be done. It does not cut spending as much as needs to be done, because the Republican majorities in the House and Senate are extremely thin. There are many excellent policy changes in the One Big Beautiful Bill. The policy decisions become law with the One Big Beautiful Bill, beyond Presidential Executive Orders, so they carry more weight and cannot be reversed by a change in Presidents.
For Second Amendment Supporters the most consequential change in the One Big Beautiful Bill is listed as number 34. From whitehouse.gov:
Here are 50 reasons why President Donald J. Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill is the best chance in a generation to pass critical reforms for which Americans voted:
34. It safeguards Second Amendment rights by removing tax and registration requirements for firearm silencers and eliminating silencers from the National Firearms Act.
The removal of silencers from the National Firearms Act appears to be the third legislative rollback of unconstitutional Federal gun control in the last 90 years. There have been many state legislative victories.There have been significant court victories. Contrary to the "all or nothing" crowd, this has resulted in significant restoration of some of the rights protected by the Second Amendment. Incrementalism is working. The protection afforded by the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) was passed by Congress. It is important, but the PLCAA did not roll back existing law.
According to this correspondent's memory, the two previous Federal level legislative victories which rolled back existing law were:
The Firearms Owners Protection Act, passed in 1986. It was not a complete victory, but it repealed the recordkeeping requirement for retail ammunition sales, allowed ammunition to be sold mail-order, and rolled back some of the worst abuses of the ATF, as allowed by the 1968 Gun Control Act (1968 GCA). It requiring 1968 GCA violations to be intentional in order to be felonies. Unfortunately, it contained a provision putting a cap on sales of machineguns to citizens, although the language of the law in not clear on that result. It was a mixed victory. It made silencer parts into contraband.
Looking at the debate from 1986, the ignorance of the legislators is astounding. It was asserted, without any evidence, that silencers had no legitimate purpose( Halbrook, p. 59).
The next legislative victory came in 2009, under President Barack Obama. Several hunting and Second Amendment groups had lobbied to change National Park Service (NPS) regulations which banned carrying firearms in National Parks. They were effective. Congress told the NPS to change the regulations. The NPS agreed, then reneged on the agreement. The majority in Congress, from both parties, were not happy with this blatant thwarting of their power. They passed the removal of the ban in the form of a law and included the legislation in a credit card "reform" which President Obama wanted very badly. President Obama signed the big bill. Legal carry of firearms (if allowed by the state) in national parks became the law of the land in 2009.
The Hearing Protection Act (HPA) in the One Big Beautiful Bill removes silencers from the National Firearms Act (NFA) and places them under the far less restrictive Gun Control Act of 1968. . The NFA has been the cornerstone of gun control in the United States. The major purpose of the NFA Bill was to gain federal control for licensing and registration of handguns. That failed when the NRA compromised with the Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) administration to remove handguns while not opposing the effective ban of machineguns, short barreled rifles and shotguns, and silencers. The bill which passed was a shadow of what had been proposed. It became the blueprint for the ultimate goal: Registration and licensing of all firearms in the United States. The NFA never made any sense. It is based on false premises. It never accomplished any of its stated goals. It never reduced crime.
The effect of the inclusion of silencers in the NFA was catastophic. It ensured millions of Americans would suffer severe hearing loss.
The major thrust of the NFA was the banned weapons had no utility. Removal of silencers from the NFA recognizes that silencers have utility and that firearms have utility by ordinary people. Removal of the requirement for registration and special taxes acknowledges that registration and taxes are infringements on rights protected by the Second Amendment. Under the 1968 GCA, federal registration is not allowed. Private sales are legal in the vast majority of states.
If the HPA passes, the next, obvious removal will be short barreled rifles and short barreled shotguns. There is no rational reason to have them in the NFA when the Supreme Court has firmly established handguns as arms protected by the Second Amendment.
The HPA keeps Silencers/suppressors under the purview of GCA 1968 so as to comply with the requirement of a number of states that silencers be legal under federal law. The removal of registration requirements and the tax means silencers will become ubiquitous. They will become as common as firearms are. In practice, this means they will become as untraceable and unregistered as firearms are, over time.
Silencer deregulation will act to swell the ranks of gun owners and Second Amendment supporters. Shooting firearms is far more pleasant and safe with silencers/suppressors.
Do not allow the perfect to be the enemy of the good. The HPA is not perfect, but it is good.
Update:
A Senate committee has included the Short Act to remove short barreled shotguns and rifles from the National Firearms Act in the big beautiful bill.
©2025 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.
Gun Watch
MO: Joplin - Domestic Defense, New Boyfreind Shoots Old Boyfriend
According to the Joplin Police Department, officers responded to a reported shooting just after 10 p.m. at 1329 Grand Ave. The caller said her ex-boyfriend, Steven Williams, 27, of Joplin, arrived at her home and was causing a disturbance.
The woman and another man, Teegan Hasty, 24, thought Williams had left the property. That’s when Hasty went outside to see if Williams had done any damage. Police say Williams had apparently not left the residence, and the two got into a physical altercation. JPD says they believe Williams assaulted Hasty and that’s when Williams was shot.
OH: Akron - Woman Shot in Home Invasion
The 25-year-old Akron woman who was shot in her home by masked invaders earlier this week said she grabbed a gun to try to protect herself. No arrests have been made.
The suspects are either men, or male teens, who entered the back door of Jasmine Scaffidi's home on East Crosier Street. At least three had guns.
Thursday, June 26, 2025
Scandinavian Brown Bears vs Lower 48 States Hunting Correlated to reduced Fatal Attacks
The brown bear (ursus arctos) populations of the world are essentially the same animal, although known by different names. The European brown bear, the Hokkaido brown bear in Japan, the brown bear in Russia, the grizzly bear and kodiak bears in Alaska, and the grizzly bears in Canada and the lower 48 states are genetically the same bear with minor variations. Brown bears are complex mammals which can learn and adapt. Brown bears quickly learn whether humans are dangerous or not. When brown bears are actively hunted, they learn humans are dangerous predators and learn to avoid humans. When the bears are not hunted, bears learn humans are not dangerous.
A study done in Scandinavia, published in 2018, shows human injuries and deaths inflicted by brown bears in Sweden and Norway from 1977 - 2016. There were two deaths and 42 injuries which were not fatal. The bears in Sweden were first protected in 1913. The bear population was estimated to be 130 in 1930. Regular hunting was resumed in 1943. By 1977 the bear population had increased to about 500. By 2008 the population had increased to 3,300. It had been reduced to 2,800 by 2016. 41 of the 44 incidents in the Scandinavian study happened in Sweden. The three which happened in Norway were very close to the Swedish border with Norway.
The brown bear population in the contiguous 48 states between Canada and Mexico increased rapidly during the same period. This allows a comparison with bears in the lower 48 United States from about 1975 to 2016.
In 1975, the United States declared the brown bear to be endangered in the lower 48 states. In the lower 48, there was extremely limited hunting of brown (grizzly) bears in Montana from 1977 to 1991. The population rose from between 700 - 800, mostly in National Parks, in 1977 to near 2000 by 2016. There was no legal hunting for brown (grizzly) bears in the lower 48 United States after 1991.
The population of Sweden (10.5 million) is more than twice the population of Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming added together (3.7 million). Sweden covers about 174 thousand square miles. The three states cover about 328 thousand square miles. In Sweden, most of the hunting for moose and bears is done with trained dogs.
Over the 40 years of the Swedish study, two people were killed by bears. One was a hunter. Both he and his dog were killed near the bear's den. The other was a man who was killed outside a hunting lodge at night. His body had a blood alcohol level of .27. There had not been any fatal bear attacks recorded in Sweden in the previous 100 years. In Sweden, the bears have been continually hunted since 1943.
In the lower 48 states, the ban on hunting coincided with increasing numbers of fatal attacks on humans by bears. Over the same 40 year period of the Swedish study, from 1977 to 2016, there were 17 fatal attacks on humans by wild brown (grizzly) bears in the lower 48 states. One of those fatalities was a hunter, who was attacked while processing an elk he had taken.
The Swedish paper found a high correlation with the number of bear attacks and the number of bears. Alaska has some parks where bears are not hunted, but brown bears have been hunted from 1977 - 2016 in most of the state. Alaska had similar numbers of human fatalities per bear per year as happened in Scandinavia. From the study:
The 2 fatalities in 39 years in Scandinavia (1977–2016) contrasts, for instance, with the 55 fatalities caused by brown bears in Alaska in 135 years (1880–2015) [43], i.e., there was one fatality every 19.5 years in Scandinavia vs. one fatality every 2.5 years in Alaska. However, the brown bear population is ~10-times larger in Alaska [43] than in Scandinavia, where human population density also is higher.
The Swedish paper did not attempt to determine the efficacy of firearms in defending against bears:
We have no data on bluff charges or close encounters that did not end in an injury or fatality, nor data on how many bears charged, were shot at, and did not injure the hunter.
In the Scandinavian brown bear study, most injuries were inflicted by bears on hunters (32 of 42). It appears the hunters in Sweden have been protecting the non-hunters by conditioning bears to fear and avoid humans. In contrast, most of the people killed by bears in the lower 48 states were non-hunters (16 of 17).
There were more brown bears in Sweden during this period than in the lower 48 states. The number of fatal bear attacks on humans, per bear, are about ten times higher in the lower 48 states than in Sweden or in Alaska. The ability of hunters to instill fear of humans in brown bears seems clear. More research is necessary to determine what methods of hunting brown bears work better than others to condition the bears to respect and avoid humans.
©2025 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.
Gun Watch
FL: Orlando - Domestic Defense, Armed Samaritan uses Gun to Stop Stabbing Attack
A man accused of stabbing a woman outside the Mall at Millenia on Monday was scared away by an armed witness before being caught in another county, according to Orlando police.
Alinton John, 41, faces charges of resisting an officer without violence, aggravated assault and attempted murder, records show.
AZ: Phoenix - Domestic Defense: Woman Shoots, Kills Boyfriend who Attacked he
A woman is no longer in police custody as officers investigate what led up to her shooting and killing her boyfriend Monday morning in north Phoenix, police said.
It happened around 1:30 a.m. near 22nd Avenue and Butler Drive, which is north of Northern Avenue. Police said there was some sort of fight between the unidentified woman and 46-year-old Tony Garcia that led to the gunshot.
Wednesday, June 25, 2025
Wired Re-Creates Assassin's Pistol and Silencer
Writer Andy Greenberg at Wired.com has replicated the pistol/silencer combination used to assassinate UnitedHealthCare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City. The task took him several days and thousands of dollars worth of time, machinery and parts. Greenberg does a credible job of explaining the process, and the lengths he had to go through to do so legally.
With personal advice from an acknowledged 3D gun printing expert, a serious budget from Wired, and a licensed silencer manufacturer, Greenberg succeeded in the State of Louisiana. The action took place in Louisiana because much would have been illegal under New York State law. Taking the gun back to New York State would also have been illegal. Greenburg turned in the finished frames to the police in Louisiana. From wired.com:
All of that meant that the only real legal hurdle to my experiment in 3D printing a Glock-style ghost gun was a flight from New York to New Orleans, where a gun range on the east edge of the city had agreed to host me and my WIRED video colleagues as we built and test-fired the weapon. James Reeves, the owner of that range as well as a lawyer and gun-focused YouTuber, assured me that it would all be fully above board, so long as I was only making my ghost gun for my own use and not selling it or transferring it to anyone else. “It’s a free country down here in the great state of Louisiana,” Reeves said.
Greenberg spends words worrying about the ability of people to make their own effective weapons without government permission or registration. The unstated assumption is government laws forbidding people from making their own guns, or making it more difficult to do so, make us more safe. The assumption has not been validated in real life. In spite of numerous academic studies, gun control laws have very little effect when put into practice. Some studies show a reduction in homicides committed with guns, but no reduction in overall homicides. Similarly, suicides committed with guns may be reduced, but not overall suicides. Other studies show some reductions in homicides and violent crimes when firearms can be legally carried. Academic John Lott says every case he has found, where guns or handguns are banned, has seen homicide rates increase. It is clear the effects of such laws are, for better or worse, small, and can be negative as much as positive. Greenberg never mentions the Constitution or the Second Amendment. He does not consider negative effects of gun control.
The pistol Greenberg was able to produce took a fair amount of tuning, with the aid of his expert adviser, to become moderately reliable. Every component of the pistol was obtained on the advise of his expert. Greenberg did not mention whether the homemade silencer was effective or not. It functionally changed the pistol from a semi-automatic to a manually operated repeater.
Greenberg concludes with this paragraph, after turning in his two printed frames to the police:
I wondered what their reaction would be in another 10 years. By then, perhaps, partially and even fully 3D-printed ghost guns will be commonplace. America’s gun control system, after all, has shown no sign of keeping up with the pace of DIY firearm technology. Unless that changes, it’s safe to expect a future with more ghost guns than ever, and more people—like a certain alleged CEO killer—ready to use them.
Greenberg does not ask the obvious question. Why should readers be concerned? Americans have always been able to make their own guns without legal intervention from the government. Until 1968, it was legal to purchase handguns, rifles and shotguns in most places in the United States, without any government permission. Most could be purchased through the mail. It is only in the last few years, with hyperbole about "ghost guns" promoted in the media, that a few governments within the USA have worked to make the process of making your own gun difficult and potentially illegal.
After the 1968 Gun Control Act, homicides rose for most of the next 30 years.
Analysis:
It would have been easier for Brian Thompson's murderer or nearly anyone to purchase a factory made pistol on the black market, or to simply steal one. If a person knows how to obtain illegal drugs, or knows someone who does, they have a way to procure items in the black market. Many drug addicts commit burglaries, and firearms are favorite target.
There are over 500 million firearms in the United States, with the number increasing by 15-20 million a year. If the purchaser wanted a "ghost gun", it is much easier to remove a serial number than to manufacture a complete firearm. In Japan, where gun control laws are extreme and harsh, the assassin of popular PM Abe made his double barreled electrically fired pistol and ammunition, without 3D printing or any sophisticated tech.
Why did Brian Thompson's murderer decide to use a 3D printed firearm and a 3D printed silencer? Why do so when the silencer made the pistol less effective, and it would have been much easier to obtain a factory made pistol in Pennsylvania, where the murderer was apprehended? It is likely the suspect did so in order to promote gun control. This would make the murder serve double-duty: increase scrutiny of insurance companies through terror, and promote gun control at the same time. As a Leftist, "social justice" activist, it is not surprising the assassin would want to push gun control.
The major thrust against "ghost guns" is because they are not traceable, and/or registered with the government. There are already hundreds of millions of firearms in the United States which are not traceable or registered with the government. The brass ring of those pushing for a disarmed population is universal gun registration. The ability of people to make their own guns without government permission destroys the possibility of universal gun registration.
©2025 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.Gun Watch
KY: Louisville - Domestic Defense, Disarm, Brother Shot During Struggle for Shotgun
Upon arriving at the scene, officers learned there was a domestic violence altercation between two brothers, one an adult and the other 17 years old, that escalated when the younger brother grabbed a shotgun and pointed it at his older brother. The adult brother reached for the gun causing a struggle that resulted in the shotgun going off, hitting the younger brother in the calf.
TN: Memphis - Altercation in Bar, 1 Dead, 1 Wounded
One man was taken to the hospital in non-critical condition, and the other man was pronounced dead on the scene.
Tuesday, June 24, 2025
A Slice of American Gun Culture: Be Rich, Be Frank
Buck taken with Model 94 Winchester
On the Internet news aggregator/discussion site, freerepublic.com, one of the posters/contributors posted an abbreviated version of the story to follow. This correspondent contacted Brad Cloven, the author. Brad fleshed it out a bit and included some excellent photographs. This correspondent did a little light editing, and believes it is a story worthy of a wider audience. It is more than a hunting and gun collecting story. It is a slice of the American gun culture you seldom see in the old media. From Brad Cloven:
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About 4 years ago, an online acquaintance I eventually knew In Real Life named “Rich”, (last name withheld for his family’s anonymity) and I were chatting about firearms. He mentioned he had a Winchester Model 94 lever action in .30-30, octagonal barrel, takedown, open sights, that his Great Grandfather had bought new in Seattle in 1898. Rich had no heirs who would care to have it. So, we kinda agreed that if-and-when he ever considered disposing of it, that he would call me, as I live just 40 miles away.
Two years passed, and Rich called: “I have four kinds of cancer, and I’ll be out in about 3 months.” Tragic. He had had a fascinating and good life, a loving wife and daughter, a great place in the woods, a 1973 Ford F250 HiBoy in pristine condition ... and a gun collection.
“How’d you like to come buy me out?” he said. “What all do you have?” I asked. He listed out about 22 firearms, including the Model 94. “That’s a few more than I can handle, but can I bring a relative and friend?”
Model 1894 manufactured in 1898
So, a few weeks later, my brother-in-law, best friend and I went to Rich’s. He had them all carefully laid out on the dining room table. My U.S. Army Lt. Col. Ret. (artillery) brother-in-law saw the Springfield 1911, sat down in front of it and put his arms around it. That was going to be his, a 1942 WWII US Army model. I had dibs on the Model 94 and a Ruger Blackhawk flattop in .357.
We had a nice lunch with Rich and his wife and got down to business. We divvied up the guns among us three depending on our interests, taking 20 out of 22 guns. I ended up with several nice pieces.
We had a gentlemanly negotiation in which Rich offered them to us for too little money, we upped our offers, and settled on prices about 1/3rd of market. With several thousand dollars in a nice tall stack, Rich tapped them into place and said, “When we’re all done here, I’m taking this down to the Senior Center and donating it.”
And so, we have in our friend circle a drinking toast
“Be Rich!”
Which means exactly: “Be generous beyond any reasonable expectation.”
We went back to visit Rich two more times before he passed, and played poker and drank whiskey with a larger group of guys who had heard the story. I was out of country for the memorial service, but my best friends went.
Nowadays, the Ruger Blackhawk .357 with Buffalo Bore Heavy 357 Mag Outdoorsman bullet is my just sufficient anti-Griz gun.
The Model 94 was a bit tricky. It had a headspace problem, and I tried for a couple of years to get that fixed, but nobody with skills and parts could get it done. Eventually, I tried different ammo which largely eliminated the problem, and worked closely with an Oklahoman gunsmith I encountered in Tel Aviv to understand that the problem was never going to be dangerous for shooting.
So, this fall, I hunted Mule Deer in SE Washington State with Rich’s Model 94. That territory is wide open, with long shots being the norm. This fall, I heard of about 12 bucks that were taken (3 points on one side minimum), the shortest shot was about 300 yards, and the longest was 600 yards.
Wide open area of the hunt
700 yards up on that rugged mountain several years ago, I encountered a guy named “Frank” (Frank Xavier Reisinger, Jr., Scappoose, OR) who was 97 at the time. He had shot a nice buck the year before at age 96 at 413 yards, verified by rangefinder. His family had helped him out with the meat.
Frank is a WWII Navy Submariner. He’s tough as nails. I’ve seen him up there several years including this past Fall of 2024 at the same place, posted up for Mule Deer.
I asked him how he stays in such good shape: “Before I get up out of bed each morning, I stretch and flex all my muscles, move all my joints as far as they can go, then I get up and use my 5-pound weights. I had to back off of the 10 pounders last year. Then I go for a walk.”
Frank, WWII Submariner, on the mountain, with gear
On the eighth day of hunting season this past year, Frank hurt his hip on the top of that mountain. “Yeah, I had to crawl out with my rifle and pack back to the Jeep and waited a few hours for the family to come back down and take me back to camp.” Frank turned 101 years old this past November. He says it’s a 50/50 chance he’ll be hunting next year … at 102.
So, we have a toast in my friend group:
“Be Frank!”
Which means exactly: “Live to a ripe old age and stay in great shape.” On to my hunting story. I had 7 days of poor luck, with dozens of does, and several legitimate shots on 2x2 bucks that didn’t meet the 3-point criteria. But I’m regularly stalking big groups of deer as close as 25 yards, so I’m feeling pretty good about the possibility of getting a short shot with open sights.
On Day 7, I ran into a young guy who spent more money on his scope than I had in everything on me. The dude was totally kitted out. I have no idea how many thousands of dollars his rifle scope cost. His rifle was a wonder of modern technology, with silencer / muzzle brake, a spectacular carbon fiber tripod brace for his spotting scope and rifle, etc.
He and I discussed the herds we had seen, and how we had followed each other’s footprints around the area a couple of miles out past the last road. We got friendly fast, and he told me of a couple of bucks out in a certain cliff area that was way too hard for me to hike at age 63. But we agreed that he’d go hike the cliffs, and if he knocked a buck down to where I was, he’d be happy if I shot it.
94 Winchester on the bank of the Snake Rive
For the next couple of days, I set up to intercept any buck he moved my way. Day 8, lots of does, and 2 different 2x2s at 50 yards. No shot. Day 9, I’m up in this crenelated basalt wall perch with grass sticking out the top, a perfect hide. There are about 20 does and fawns splayed out below me. No bucks ... until one rounds the corner about 350 yards out, way too long a shot for open sights. So, I track him in with the binoculars until he’s at about 200 yards, and I can’t count how many points, but it’s a forest of tines up there, so I’m sure he’s legal.
Then he wanders left into some thick undergrowth, and I lose him. I keep looking out further to the left to see if he’s after the does on the far side of the thicket. Nothing. Dang. Lost him. I go back and scan the right side of the thicket, and he’s come back out, is at 100 yards and closing! I set Rich’s Model 94 in a slot of the basalt, pull back the hammer and peer through the tall grass while the buck comes straight at me. No shot.
He stops at 75 yards, turns left 90 degrees, and gives me the perfect side to side shot. Drilled him through both lungs.
I’m so freaking excited! But he’s kinda loping around the field like he might make a run for it. I’d hate to lose him in the thicket, the wide-open country, or have him suffer any. So, as he’s stumbling away at 80 yards, I take a head shot. Miss. At 100 yards, head shot, miss. At 125 yards and lurching about, head shot, connected through the brain and out the right eye socket. He drops in place.
That’s a dead deer, so I’m comfortable walking right up. Yup. He’s a goner. 7:15 a.m. Rack is huge on a medium sized animal, 4 points x 5 points. Well over 200 pounds.
Luckily, it’s a cold morning and I’m hard up against a mountain to the South. I know I have lots of time before the sun hits the carcass.
Brad and the buck (image is reversed)
I don’t have my butchering gear and bags with me, and I could use some help. I hike out 2 miles, go to Frank’s camp for assistance, and nobody but the lady of the camp is there. So, I head back in with my meat pack and knives, and get busy butchering.
As I’m going through the motions, I notice the small entry wound, and no exit wound. Weird. Skinning my way down the far side, and my knife hits the mushroomed .30-30 bullet just under the skin. I’ve got in hand the bullet that took the deer!
Bullet recovered from buck and .30-30 case
When I’m almost done at 11 a.m., two guys from Frank’s camp show up to help. One carries out the head, the other carries out one hind quarter, and I carried out about 65 pounds of meat and bones in my pack, all of us in one trip! Back at Frank's camp, I have a great picture of me, Frank, the head of the buck, and the rifle in its rack.
Got the meat down on salted ice water immediately. Gave away all my excess food and beer to Frank’s camp mates. Beat feet back to civilization with a whole lot of excellent venison for the year.
All of which is to say,
********
THANK YOU, MY DEARLY DEPARTED FRIEND, RICH.
********
I will never have a more meaningful hunt.
And to all my fellow Hunters and Firearms Enthusiasts:
BE RICH!
BE FRANK!
Brad Cloven
Tacoma, WA
NC: Queen City - Alleged Assault, Argument, Gunfight, Two Wounded
Investigators said Pride later told officers he had gone to the Food Lion after getting a call from his son, who said he’d been “jumped and assaulted.” Pride said he picked up his son nearby and returned to the Food Lion, where his son pointed out the Nissan.
CMPD reported that Pride admitted to arguing with the Nissan driver, then claimed he saw the man raising a gun, triggering him to fire his own weapon four times.
After pulling off, Pride reported that he heard additional gunshots and that his son was shot.
Following the shooting, Pride allegedly told officers at the scene that he “hoped he had killed” the victim. Family at the scene told police that Pride had hidden his gun behind his home on Yorkford Drive. CMPD officers reported that they later recovered the weapon.
The Food Lion itself was also hit during the shooting. At least one bullet entered the store, which was open at the time and had employees and customers inside. Thankfully, no one was hurt.
PA: Philladelphia - Man Attempting Break-in Shot, Killed
Here, police said, a 47-year-old man was shot in the chest during, what officials believe, was a break-in attempt.
The victim, officials said, was pronounced at about 11:12 a.m.
During the evening, officials said someone attempted to break into a home on that block when a person in the home produced a gun, leading to the deadly shooting.
However, as of about 5:40 a.m., police officials were not able to clarify if the victim in this incident was a resident of the home or was possibly involved in the alleged break-in attempt.
AL: Cheap Guns Opportunity in Montgomery on June 28, 2025 ?
On June 28, 2025, there will be a gun turn-in (buyback) in Montgomery, Alabama, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. From blackbeltnewsnetwork.com:
On June 28 CrimeStoppers will host a gun buyback event at Bryant Missionary Baptist Church in Montgomery.
Anyone who is interested in surrendering a gun can bring in a rifle or shotgun for $50, a functioning handgun for $100 and an assault style/semi-auto rifle for $200.
The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Church is on Norman Bridge Road, #3645. The guns can be turned in anonymously. Guns are to be unloaded with ammunition turned in separately. The turn-in is an annual event in Montgomery. It was started in 2017. In 2018, 73 firearms were turned in. Some of the firearms were decent quality guns. In 2018, gift cards worth $50 were being given out for working handguns. Here are some of the handguns turned in, for $50 in 2018:
In the above image, there are what appears to be a Smith & Wesson 1917 revolver in .45 ACP, a Smith & Wesson Model 36 revolver, a Beretta tip-up semi-automatic in .22 Short or .25 ACP, and a Colt 1903 model semi-auto, probably in .32 ACP.
In the larger picture, there is a High Standard Military HD and a TEC-22. One of the long guns turned in appears to have been a Remington Model 30, with a scope mounted on it. There is a sporterized Lee Enfield and at least one air rifle.
In the Montgomery 2019 gun turn-in event, 100 firearms were turned in. It was reported by wsfa.com that "Any guns that cannot be used in officer training will be destroyed." This correspondent suspects the policy was in effect since the first event in 2017. It may be the Smith & Wesson revolvers, the Colt and Beretta Semi-autos, and the scoped centerfire rifles were all usable for training.
In 2023, a gun turn-in event resulted in 89 firearms being turned in, with $6,450 being paid out in gift cards. It appears about a hundred firearms are turned in every year. After the 2018 event, AL.com reported:
CrimeStoppers Executive Director Tony Garrett said, just as last year, the majority of guns collected were from residents who were not gun users.
This is common. Many of the people turning in guns do not know how much the firearms are worth. There are often a number of bargains available at these events, to private purchasers who are willing to pay cash for the desirable firearms which uniformed people want to turn in. Private purchasers allows the organizers of the event to take more guns out of the hands of people who do not want them, and place them into the hands of responsible, legal owners.
Private purchases appear to be legal in Alabama. Alabama is a fairly gun-friendly state. Rifles and shotguns may be the best bargains, as they will only bring $50 in gift cards at this turn-in. Nothing is being paid for ammunition, so there could be some good deals. Sometimes the best deals occur when the organizers run out of gift cards.
For those who attend these events, do your homework. Know what the Alabama laws are. It is best to have more than one person present. Take some pictures to memorialize the event. Be polite and reasonably well dressed. A sign notifying others of your interest in purchasing firearms, and your obvious legal status, is a good idea. Those who show up early and are willing to stay late have the best chances of obtaining the best deals.
©2025 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.
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Monday, June 23, 2025
MI: Wayne - Man Assaults Church, Church Members use car, guns to stop Attack
“A parishioner struck the gunman with his vehicle as the gunman shot the vehicle repeatedly,” Strong told reporters. “At least two staff members shot the gunman, causing the fatal wounds.”
Police described the suspect as a 31-year-old white male with no known connection to the church. His motive remains unclear, but it appears he was suffering from a mental health crisis, Strong said.
The shooting occurred around 11 a.m. in Wayne, a city of about 17,000 people located about 25 miles (40 kilometers) west of Detroit. The person who was shot in the leg was treated for non-life-threatening injuries, the chief said. Nobody else was hurt.
OK: Oklahoma City - Gunfight outside of Club, two Wounded
An individual was trying to get into the after-hours club, but was denied entry by a security officer, and a confrontation between the two happened shortly after, leading to the security officer being shot in the hip, officials said.
The security officer shot that individual in the back as the person was attempting to flee the area; however, officers were able to later locate them.
Police say both individuals suffered non-life-threatening injuries and the shooting is under further investigation.
GA: Forsyth - Two Minors Wounded in Gunfight
According to the release, a minor was found with a gunshot wound and was brought to a medical facility for further care. The release added officers learned a second minor involved in the shooting arrived at a hospital.
The police department said the two minors knew each other, and that an investigation showed that an argument between the two caused a shootout.
The police department identified a third suspect that was involved in the shooting, but was not injured.
Sunday, June 22, 2025
John Lott Expounds on FBI Politicized Resistance to Data Sharing (corruption?)
At the NRA Annual Meeting in Atlanta during 2025, noted researcher and author, John Lott, gave several seminars. They included three seminars on "Gun Control Myths", a seminar on "Hollywood's Bias Against Guns", and two seminars on "The FBI Crime Data is Politicized and a Mess". This correspondent considers John a colleague and a friend, and has read and studied John's academic work for decades.
When attending the seminar on The FBI Crime Data is Politicized and a Mess on Sunday, April 27th, much of the material was familiar. Some material was unfamiliar. This correspondent accepted the FBI had refused to cooperate by withholding data when John was part of the first Trump administration in 2020. The resistance was much more extensive than previously understood. A voice recording of John's presentation is available at the Crimeresearch.org.
John Lott found significant anomalies in the way the FBI handles "active shooter" data. John and the Crime Reduction Research Center has shown many "active shooter" incidents are missing or mischaracterized in FBI data. In the National Instant background Check System (NICS) data, it appears most of the denials are false positives. Hard data on the errors found in the NICS system are not available. John has pointed out there are very few prosecutions of people who have been denied by the NICS system compared to the number of those denied. John stated NICS denials are often based on the phonetic spelling of the last name. The denials are not done with high levels of certainty. Because many people in the same ethnic group have similar sounding names, and because Blacks and Hispanics have much higher rates of felony convictions than Whites or Asians, it is likely Black and Hispanic people are denied from purchasing firearms in the NICS system at a much higher rates than people who are not Black or Hispanic.
In October of 2020, John Lott was appointed as a senior adviser for research and statistics at the Office of Justice Programs. This was the second time he had worked for the government in D.C. When John got to DC, John went to the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) and proposed a study of the NICS denials including data on race and sex. The BJS thought it was a great idea.
The the BJS sent the request for data to the FBI. went through the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS). The BJS thought the idea of analyzing the NICS data was very good. When the Bureau of Justice Statistics contacted the FBI, The FBI responded, claiming there was no way we can get this done before January 20th. In any case, we are sure the Biden Administration will not be interested. After more emails and calls, the FBI response was: we just can't think of any reason why anyone would want to break down this data by race and sex.
John responded: You guys break down everything by race and sex. What's the big deal with this?
The BJS tells the FBI, it is not your decision to make. We decide what to look at and study. Your job is to collect and give us the data. The FBI refuses and the BJS persists. Finally, the FBI says the BJS will have to submit a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. Such a response is very unusual between federal governmental agencies.
On the day before Thanksgiving, John gets a call from Grover Norquist, who John had written a book with. Mark Meadows, the Chief of Staff, asked Grover for ideas for projects in the Department of Justice, which can be finished before the Biden administration takes power on January 20th. John suggests the active shooter data study and the NICS denial and data study. The suggestions are sent up the chain of command. Three projects are approved for completion. John's suggestions are two of them. The AG, Bill Barr, orders the FBI to stop mucking around and send the data to the BJS.
The day after the request by Barr, Politico runs an article questioning why John was working in the Department of Justice.
The Monday after Thanksgiving, all the Democrats on Senate Judiciary Committee wrote a letter to AG Bill Barr asking him how he could ever hire a person such as John Lott. Barr responds by having a picture taken with John Lott.
The FBI dithers and delays. After a couple of weeks,the BJS receives the data, but something is wrong with it. It does not make any sense. The BJS complains, and the FBI apologizes, says they do not understand what went wrong. There are more delays, then the FBI sends another batch of data, which still doesn't make an sense. This sequence happens a couple more times. The last time the FBI sends data which does not make sense is on January 19, 2021. Then the Biden administration takes power.
The Biden administration is not interested in having the FBI send data to the Bureau of Justice Statistics. Eventually, the BJS issues a report which includes a section about errors in the NICS system. The Biden administration pulls that section from the report before the report is published.
Analysis: It is clear the FBI does not want anyone outside the FBI to analyze the NICS data, or to have access to the data showing the statistics of errors in the NICS data. The reason is likely such analysis would show the NICS system to be fundamentally flawed. It is likely the flaws are such that Black people and Hispanics are denied approvals with false positives at much higher rates than everyone else.
John Lott has not been asked to take a position with the new Trump administration. It is early, and many thousands of appointments remain to be filled.
John believes the big problem is virtually all the data people at the FBI have the same political views. It is difficult to fire all of them because they retain significant, useful, institutional knowledge.
©2025 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.
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AZ: Heber - Domestic Defense, Victim Shoots Related Person
Deputies responded to a report of a shooting on Duck Lake Road in Antelope Valley. A preliminary investigation indicated that a victim of domestic violence discharged a handgun resulting in one person being injured.
The injured person was flown to a hospital for advanced care.
The
department thanked the Show Low Police Department, Winslow Police
Department, Pinetop-Lakeside Police Department, Navajo County Attorney’s
Office, and Navajo County Victim Services for their assistance in the
ongoing investigation.
TN: Chattanooga - Confrontation at Home Leads to Two Men Shot, Killed
Officers arrived on the scene just after 6 p.m. to find a 49-year-old and a 50-year-old suffering from life-threatening gunshot wounds. The men were transported to the hospital, where they died, according to a press release.
"The preliminary information says the two men came to the residence to confront the shooter and at least one of the deceased men pulled out a gun," the written statement said. "The claim is that the shooter shot the two men in self-defense."
The shooter waited at the scene for police, the release said.
Friday, June 20, 2025
CA: Simi Valley - Domestic Defense, Husband Shoots Wife's Ex Boyfriend
"The female was reporting that her ex-boyfriend had broken into the residence," explained Simi Valley PD Sgt. Rick Morton. "The current husband confronts the ex-boyfriend and at some point there was an altercation where the shooting occurred."
When first responders arrived at the home, the suspect was taken to an area hospital where he was declared dead.
During the investigation, it was revealed the suspect was the wife’s ex-boyfriend and that he was armed with a knife when he broke into the garage.
The couple had multiple issues with the suspect at the home and the woman had a temporary restraining order against her ex in the past.
PA: Domestic Defense? Man Shot Attempting to Break In
Investigators told Action News that a large metal pipe-wrench that was found next to the man offered clues to what may have happened.
Police said they believe the man may have been trying to break into a home when he was shot.
The shooting happened in the 2100 block of North 21st Street, around 10:30 pm. on Tuesday.
The victim, said to be in his late 20s to early 30s, was shot in the face.
"We're getting preliminary information from females at this time that the male who was shot was using this large pipe wrench to try to force entry into the property, where he knew at least one or two of the females that were inside," said Chief Inspector Scott Small with the Philadelphia Police Department. "So it's possibly domestic related."
Thursday, June 19, 2025
ATF Restored: Firearms Commerce in the United States, 2024
The ATF has restarted publication of Firearms Commerce in the United States. The report for 2024 has been published in May of 2025. This is the "normal" time for the report to be published. One of the insidious actions during the Biden administration was the deliberate hiding of information from the American Public.
The Firearms Commerce in the United States Statistical Update had been continually published from 2011 to 2021.
Then publication stopped. There was no announcement. When questioned about it, staff from the ATF claimed there was no change. The report would be published as normal. The report never was published. No report was published in 2022, 2023, or 2024. The publication of the 2024 report in May of 2025 is a welcome return to normalcy.
The 2021 report showed total firearms manufactured from 1986 - 2019. The 2024 report shows firearms manufactured from 2013 - 2023. The number of firearms manufactured lags other reports because the information is considered sensitive, and could be used for competitive advantage. Therefore it is withheld for a year.
Somewhere, a decision was made to show only the previous 11 years of data, from 2013 to 2023. The data overlaps data from previous reports, so it is all available. The 2024 report shows a drop of firearms manufactured in the United States from 2022 to 2023. In 2022 the number was reported as 13,395,031. In 2023 the total was reported as 9,772,259, a drop of 27%!
There are some areas which deserve further attention. The 2024 report shows a total number of registered silencers as 3,536,623 as of May of 2024. In May of 2021, the number was reported as 2,664,774. Less than a million additional silencers registered over those three years seems to contradict some other reporting. The NSSF obtained information showing 4.8 million silencers registered to Americans as of July of 2024, with 2,193,123 added from May of 2021 to July of 2024. It is probably a reporting glitch. This correspondent suspects the number of registered silencers is over 5 million at present.
The number of short barreled shotguns registered with the ATF increased from 162,267 to 165,180 from the 2021 report to the 2024 report. It is a very small increase. This is explained with the ATF ruling that pistol grip firearms over 26.1 inches long, chambered for shotgun shells, are not technically "shotguns", but are simply firearms. Bullpup shotguns such as the Keltec KSG, KS7, and KS410, have significant magazine capacities, are just over 26 inches long, and have shoulder stocks. They do not require payment of a $200 tax and all the intrusive National Firearms Act (NFA) paperwork. The Taurus Judge and Smith & Wesson Governor revolvers which fire both .45 Colt and .410 cartridges are available. There is little reason to manufacture and register NFA short barreled shotguns when those alternatives can be acquired without the $200 tax.
Analysis:
The Biden administration was one of the least transparent in history. While talking to radio show host Russ Clark, this correspondent traded anecdotes on the difficulty of obtaining information from the Center for Disease Control (CDC), the FBI, and the ATF. The information was previously easily available over the Internet.
The return of the Firearms Commerce in the United States is a welcome example of the return to transparency with the Trump administration. So far, reports which would normally have been published in 2022, 2023, and 2024 remain missing. They may never be reconstructed. This correspondent would like to see the missing reports published for historical continuity, and as a check on accuracy. Mistakes which would be caught in annual reports can be missed when a span of three years is unreported.
©2025 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.
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Firearms Commerce in the United States 2024
pretty good numbers.
WI: Wawatosa - Gunfight over Car, Victim Wounded in Leg
According to police, the investigation revealed a subject was attempting to steal a vehicle in a parking lot when the owner of the vehicle confronted the subject – and they exchanged gunfire.
The vehicle owner suffered a gunshot wound to the leg and was taken to the hospital.
The suspect fled the scene before police arrived.
TN: Memphis - Car Jack Suspect shot, Killed
A man is dead after an attempted carjacking at a Midtown gas station on Monday morning, according to the Memphis Police Department.
The MPD responded to the shooting at 2:16 a.m. at a gas station on East Parkway and Young Avenue, across the street from the Liberty Bowl. A man was pronounced dead on the scene.
Preliminary information shows this was the result of an attempted carjacking.
Wednesday, June 18, 2025
AL: Mobile - Brothers Fight, Domestic Defense, 1 stabbed, 1 Shot
Two brothers allegedly injured each other during an argument in the 4800 block of Sollie Road, officials said.
According to officials on the scene, the two brothers began arguing, and one brother took out a knife and stabbed the other. The man who was stabbed then pulled out a gun and shot his brother.
OK: Oklahoma City - Domestic Defense Woman Shoots Larry Gamble Jr.
In the early morning hours of Sunday June 15th, police were called to a domestic disturbance at a residence near SW 134th St. and S. May Ave. Officers arrived and found the victim, Larry Gamble Jr. shot to death. Investigators learned Gamble Jr. was involved in an altercation at the time he was shot.
The shooter and all other involved people were interviewed and released. The case will be presented to the Cleveland County DA’s office for review.
Monday, June 16, 2025
Update on First Recorded Fatal Florida Bear Attack
The initial investigation of the first fatal bear attack which has been recorded in Florida has been released. From From naplesnews.com:
A post-mortem exam of the bears found Markel's partial remains in the body of a 263-pound male. Tests confirmed that bear's DNA also was on Markel, in his home and on the body of a family dog.
The entire report is available from myfwc.com. Several things stand out in the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission report. While it may seem trivial to some, the first sentence shows an bias toward minimizing the danger of bear attacks:
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has concluded its initial investigation into what is confirmed to be the first fatal Florida black bear attack in state history this week in Jerome, Florida.
This is almost certainly *not* the "first fatal Florida black bear attack in state history. Much depends on how you define "state history". Many would say "state history" extends to the entire historical record. The state of Florida seems to agree. The first written records of Florida were made in 1513. From fl.gov:
Written records about life in Florida began with the arrival of the Spanish explorer and adventurer Juan Ponce de León in 1513. Sometime between April 2 and April 8, Ponce de León waded ashore on the northeast coast of Florida, possibly near present-day St. Augustine. He called the area la Florida, in honor of Pascua florida ("feast of the flowers"), Spain's Eastertime celebration. Other Europeans may have reached Florida earlier, but no firm evidence of such achievement has been found.
A more accurate description of the fatal attack in 2025 would be to describe it as the "first recorded" fatal black bear attack in state history. From 1513 until 1845, when Florida became a state, is over 330 years, during which very few written records of wildlife confrontations were kept. Almost certainly, black bears in Florida killed some people during that period, before cartridge firearms became available, when Florida remained mostly wilderness. When black bears were mostly subdued in the USA, In a previous AmmoLand article on the attack, a relative reports a bear killing a family dog as the relative watched on Monday morning. Then the relative stated the relative as missing, and his camper was "destroyed". The relative had last seen her grandfather the night before.
The relative of 89-year-old Robert Markel called 911 to report that a bear had killed Markel’s dog as the relative had watched, and that the elderly relative was missing. The call was made about 7 a.m. From fox4news.com:
“No, he’s gone completely. His whole camper was destroyed,” the 911 caller said. “He’s not in there. He’s 89-years-old…he can’t run. He literally can’t even walk without falling over,” he added.
The granddaughter told deputies on scene the last time she saw her grandfather was 7:30 p.m. Sunday.
The call appears to make clear the dog was killed after Robert Markel went missing, his trailer was trashed by something, (presumably the bear), and almost certainly after Markel was dragged a hundred yards, away, killed, and his body covered in dirt and leaves. The report appears to put such a sequence in doubt. From the report:
The remains of 89-year-old Robert Markel were found approximately 100 yards from his home. Investigators noted several key findings: (1) evidence indicating a physical encounter between a bear and a person near the residence; (2) a dog recently killed by a bear in close proximity to a person; and (3) signs that a bear had entered the residence itself. The exact sequence of events remains unclear.
One of the three bears killed by investigators had remains of Markel in its digestive system. It was a male which weighed 263 lbs. All three bears killed had DNA which matched the DNA found at the scene. The FWC report shows in the year before the attack, three bears were relocated and "hazed" and one other bear was killed.
The FWC received 16 bear-related calls within a 10-mile radius of nearby Copeland between May 5, 2024, and May 4, 2025, resulting in five site visits, five capture efforts, three bears that were relocated and hazed, and one bear that was humanely killed.
The FWC report does not say if any of bears "relocated" matched the DNA of the bears which were killed near the attack site. "Relocated" bears have a long history of returning to the area where they were captured.
If the DNA of the "relocated" bears matches that of the three bears at the attack site, the FWC might be found legally liable. Such was the case in Arizona with the attack on a camper on Mt. Lemmon, near Tucson, AZ. This correspondent would expect DNA samples to be routinely taken from any captured bear. FWC has a fiscal duty to the public to attempt to shield themselves from lawsuits. They also have a duty to the public to warn them of potential dangers. They have a duty to preserve evidence and scientific data.
©2025 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.
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which extends from Florida became a state in 1845. It is
MS: Taylorsville - Armed Victim Shoots, Kills Suspect in Attempted Carjack
A man was shot and killed after attacking a motorist who was attempting to help him, police say.
According to Taylorsville Police Chief Gabe Horn, shortly after midnight on Saturday, a driver stopped to help an alleged stranded male motorist.
The man who appeared to need help then reportedly tried to carjack the Good Samaritan’s vehicle, leading to a struggle.
During the altercation, the Good Samaritan shot and killed the alleged stranded motorist.
May 2025 Firearm Sales Recorded by NICS Near Level
The National Instant background Check System (NICS) numbers are in for May of 2025. The adjusted numbers show very little change from May of 2024, only 1.6% lower than May of last year. The number of firearm sales is over a million, as calculated by NSSF. While down from May of 2024, May of 2025 is still the sixth highest number of firearms sales recorded in the NICS system over the last 26 years. According to the FBI numbers, total NICS background checks in May of 2025 were 2.2% lower than than in May of 2024, so both sales and background checks have moved slightly lower.
For several years, this correspondent has been calculating and estimated number for firearms sales using the raw numbers provided by the FBI. The estimate was handgun checks + long gun checks + other (firearm) checks + 2.5 x multiple checks. The difference between this formula and that used by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) has been found to be negligible. Both are estimates, and are within a couple of percent. In the future, the NSSF figures will be used. This correspondent is a long time media member of NSSF.
The rate of decline in firearm sales in May of 2025 was only 1.6%. It is a very small number. As the year progresses, the number of sales recorded by NICS compared to the number of actual firearm sales may go down for structural reasons. The ATF maintains a list of permits which may be used as a substitute for the Brady Law check (NICS check). Two states have been added to the 27 previous states and Puerto Rico which have at least one permit which qualifies. Alabama and Michigan have been added to the list, after a review by the Trump administration. Both have permits which qualify as substitutes for the NICS check required by the Brady Law. Alabama has about 816 thousand permit holders. Michigan has about 843 thousand permit holders. Together that makes about 1.66 million gun owners who do not need to obtain a separate NICS check when the purchase a firearm from a federal dealer.
There are about 250 million adults in the USA as of 2025. About 20 million have felony convictions. Therefore, roughly 230 million are eligible to purchase firearms from a federal dealer. If 1.66 million of those no longer need to go through a NICS check to satisfy the Brady Law, we should expect the number of Firearms sales checks to decrease by about .72 percent. It is a small number, but nearly half of the small sales drop estimated in May of 2025.
Politically motivated riots in California may spur some people on the edge to purchase firearms in June. If the riots grow, expect firearms sales to rise. If the riots fizzle out, this correspondent expects firearm sales to remain about the same as last year.
According to NICS adjusted data assembled by the NSSF, the last 12 months show an overall slight decline.
All months are still showing over a million firearm sales per month. May of 2025, according to NSSF calculations, is the 70th consecutive month of firearm sales over 1 million. The estimated total of modern firearms in private hands in the United States, is 533 million as of the end of May, 2025.
©2025 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.
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TX: San Antonio - Homeowner Discovers Burglar, Gunfight ensues
According to the San Antonio Police Department, a couple was sleeping in their home when the wife woke up her husband, hearing a noise.
The husband went to inspect the scene when he found a man glaring at him through one of the rooms. The homeowner shot the suspect several times, causing them to flee.
The suspect jumped out of a window and shot back at the homeowner, striking the home.
Saturday, June 14, 2025
Man Shoots, Kills Mountain Lion after Repeated Attacks near Buckeye, AZ
A mountain lion attacked a man and his dog near Buckeye, Arizona, on May 25, 2025, about 10 p.m. The attacks occurred in Verrado, which is near the Skyline Regional park. Buckeye is a bit closer to Phoenix than it is to Yuma. This correspondent has traveled within a few miles of the attack location numerous times. It is a relatively wild stretch of desert, but close to human developments. People in the developments say there have been numerous sightings of mountain lions over the last few months. From azcentral.com:
Officials said the man engaged in "a brief altercation" with the wild animal, successfully "kicking the lion off of his dog." But it continued to follow them as they began walking back toward their home.
When the mountain lion attempted to approach again, the man shot and killed it.
Officials said the animal was slain in self-defense. State wildlife managers picked up the carcass, and no citations were issued.
Mountain lions, as well as coyotes and bobcats, frequently view pets, and occasionally, humans as prey. Most pet owners are unwilling to stand by and allow a mountain lion to kill and eat their pet or their children or themselves.
Because of an intense campaign to humanize animals, combined with a high level of prosperity and urbanization, there is a significant percentage of humans who believe any animal attack on humans is justified, but a human defense against an animal attack is not justified. Fortunately, this is a small, but often vocal minority. Here is a sample of such comments on the facebook page which has this article:
Sheri Caldwell: Why did he have to kill him? Why didn't he call somebody to take him away
Matt Muyres: The lion probably didn't attack, but was walking peacefully, and the idiot loves killing animals for fun
Cheryl Chase: Dont walk ur dog at night and u wont have any problems
These are a small minority of the posts. Most of the posters views the pet protector's actions as laudable. Posts such as these:
Pedro Gonzalez: Good for him and his dog. If the lion wants to continue to attack, theres no other option.
Morgan Elizabeth: If it was the lion or my dog. The lion would get shot. I’m protecting my pet and me.
One of the most astute posts was about the mountain lion having the wrong attitude:
Trev Meyer: Well done. Mountain lion should have known better when seeing or smelling a human go the other way.
This has been the most common response of mountain lions to humans for the century from 1870 to 1970. During that time period there were only 9 or 10 fatal mountain lion attacks reported. Most were attacks on children. Mountain lions were generally unprotected and often shot if they were seen. Mountain lion hunting with hounds was common. From 1971 to present there have been 18 fatal mountain lion attacks reported. This has coincided with a significant increase in protections for mountain lions. The rate of fatal attacks has increased roughly 4X. Both mountain lion and human populations have increased.
The number of attacks is much, much greater than the number of fatal attacks. Man is the most deadly land predator in the world. In the United States mountain lion habitat, humans are often armed. Mountain lions are likely killed in defense of self, others, pets, or livestock at least ten times as often as mountain lions kill a person. It is hard to know how many mountain lions are scared off by armed and unarmed people. Probably more than ten times as many mountain lions are successfully scared off as are killed by humans.
The sex or age of the mountain lion which was killed was not known at the time of writing. Most confrontations where lions are killed are with younger lions. This particular lion was said to be thin. Nearly all predators, including mountain lions, produce more offspring than can be supported by the existing range. The excess lions have to find a territory which can support them. Either they displace a lion with a current territory (which then dies of wounds or has to find another territory) or they die of starvation. Man helps to keep mountain lion populations in check through hunting. Hunting opens up territories for younger lions to occupy, so they do not need to explore to find a new territory for their own.
All mountain lions die. They mostly die by starvation as the population exceeds the food supply. Sometimes older lions are forced from their territories by younger lions. It is more common for younger lions to search for an unoccupied territory after being chased out by a more mature lion than it is for a younger lion to successfully displace an older lion.
Lions also die by accident or by injury incurred as they attempt to kill their prey. A lion researcher this correspondent knew fifty years ago described how one lion they were tracking ran headlong into a sharp broken limb, hidden by tall grass in a meadow. It impaled itself down the throat, and died. The lion was probably pursuing a deer.
In the case in Buckeye, Arizona, it appears the lion was starving and desperate. This caused it to make a fatal mistake in the prey selection process.
©2025 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.
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WA: North Seattle - Robbery Suspect Shot by Armed Victim
At 12:49 a.m., a caller reported a shooting near North 102nd Street and Aurora Avenue North. Officers arrived and found a man with a gunshot wound to the abdomen. They provided lifesaving aid until Seattle Fire Department medics arrived and transported him to Harborview Medical Center in serious condition.
Officers learned the man exited his vehicle and confronted another man on the street and attempted to take his property. During the encounter, the second man fired a gun striking the 47-year-old. The shooter then got into a vehicle and fled the scene. Officers searched the area but were unable to locate the suspect or the vehicle.
What was observed at the NRA Annual Meeting in Atlanta, 2025
Who would have thought a corrupt and racist New York Attorney General would have been the agent used by divine providence to effect the reform of the National Rifle Association?
Neal Knox and his reformers nearly succeeded in taking over the NRA in the 1980's and early 1990's. Neal Knox - The Gun Rights War is a collection of writings by Neal, edited by his son Chris. The goal of Neal Knox and his organization was to make the NRA management and finances more transparent and to focus the NRA on being more effective politically. Those efforts were stymied by the "old guard" wielding power inside the NRA. It has been alleged the insiders saw the primary role of the NRA as a money raising machine to line their pockets.
NRA salaries and perks multiplied after the Knox reformers lost against NRA insiders. The insiders controlled the NRA magazines and the nominating committee for the Board of directors.
After Neil Knox' tragic death in 2005, his son, Jeff Knox, continued to operate the Knox organization with attempts to reform the NRA and to bring transparency to the NRA finances.
Corrupt New York AG Letitia James filed a lawsuit against the NRA in 2020. The purpose of the lawsuit was to dissolve the NRA.
“The NRA’s influence has been so powerful that the organization went unchecked for decades while top executives funneled millions into their own pockets,” said Attorney General James. “The NRA is fraught with fraud and abuse, which is why, today, we seek to dissolve the NRA, because no organization is above the law.”
Letitia James failed in her attempt to destroy the NRA. Instead, the oversight of the New York court was enough to allow reform candidates to be elected to the board of directors. Jeff Knox and reform candidates for the board won overwhelming support and four board seats in the 2024 NRA annual election. The four reformers received some of the highest vote totals.
With the pressure and oversight of the New York court, the NRA reform group was able to put forward a nearly complete slate of reform candidates for the 2025 annual election. Ordinarily, 25 of 75 members of the board are up for elections. Because of the loss of some board members, 30 seats were available in 2025. The reformers won 20 of the 30 seats. They now have about 40 of 75 board members. It should be enough to enact the significant reforms to start rebuilding the NRA. The numbers are not exactly precise, because some existing board members joined the Reform group during this difficult time. Jeff Knox shows a good breakout of how the vote turned out.
On reaching the Georgia World Congress Center on April 25, I was lobbied by old friends to vote for Charles T. Hiltunin III, to fill what is known as the 76th director slot, chosen by NRA voters at the annual meeting.
Hiltunin, a reformer, was actively campaigning, as was Tom King, considered a member of the "old guard". I was pleasantly surprised to see the voting conducted well with a secret ballot and checking voting eligibility. There were few votes cast in the race, considering the attendees numbered about 70,000. Hiltunin won with 389 votes to King's 194 votes, out of a total of 824 votes. 241 votes were scattered among 15 other candidates.
The overall tone of the membership was optimistic at the 2025 annual meeting of the NRA. It seemed the voices of the membership were being heard, in a real way, for the first time in decades. This correspondent noted women were roughly 25% of the attendees, with about 5% children. There were significant numbers of minority groups present.
Analysis:
The National Rifle Association has duties and responsibilities to manage national matches and target shooting programs. It has the most extensive firearms training programs in the country. It is the hope of this correspondent the never ending push of fund raising will be toned down to a reasonable level. At some point, this correspondent simply put funding requests in the trash without reading them.
Because of disgust with how the internal affairs of the NRA were being managed, this correspondent stopped sending them money after the attempt at reform by Neal Knox failed. The current reform effort appears to be succeeding. It is doubtful Letitia James ever thought her attempt to destroy the NRA would be the seed of reform and rejuvenation.
©2025 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.
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