Several years ago, I wrote urging gun owners to lock-up their guns to keep them out of the hands of kids and prevent accidents.  Several incidents have brought this topic back to mind lately and my opinion has not changed.

First, I saw the report that North Carolina had two cases of guns at school on the same day!  Two different kids at two different schools appear to have brought a gun to school to show their friends.  One was a middle school student and the other one was only 6 years old!

Then, I got the following letter from the High School Principal of Powhatan County Schools here in Virginia (I added bold):

Good Afternoon Indian Families!
In the last two days, we received reports and found three weapons in locked student vehicles at Powhatan High School. Even though no threat of harm was made in any of the incidents, the mere presence of a weapon at school is a violation of the Code of Virginia and poses a potential danger to our school community. For each incident, staff, in conjunction with the Powhatan Sheriff’s Office, conducted a threat assessment. In addition, each incident resulted in student discipline and law enforcement being notified.  
We understand that there are community members who own weapons for a variety of personal and recreational uses outside of school time. We urge you to continue to talk with your children about personal and community safety, as well as the criminal and disciplinary consequences of bringing weapons to school. <remainder of the letter removed>

Even though we live in a pretty rural area, I was shocked by this letter.  I'm guessing these were similar situations of kids bringing guns to school show their friends (which is how the administration was informed).  Some high school seniors are adults and can purchase a rifle or shotgun.  I also know that most teenagers are capable of learning to safely handle and shoot guns because I've taught many to do so myself.  However, I don't think either of these is a good enough reason to let a kid have unfettered access to a firearm.  The good news is that that none of these recent incidents resulted in anyone getting injured or killed.   Hopefully, the gun owners involved will ensure their guns are no longer accessible to kids.

Last week I raved about Tippman Arms and how well they are handling the new rule from the ATF on pistol stabilizing braces.

Now Gun Owners of America and Tippmann have announced a partnership to help preserve our 2nd Amendment rights.  Check out the sweet-looking M4-22 Elite Tippmann is selling to raise money for the fight.  This is an excellent opportunity to get a lightweight, accurate and reliable rifle and support a good cause at the same time.   

While you are there, go ahead and join the Gun Owners of America!  It is important that we don't take gun rights for granted.  I'm a member of the GOA, NRA and VCDL.  If all U.S. gun owners would donate the amount of money they spend on one box of ammo per year to each gun rights organization, we would never have to worry about our rights being taken away.

Last month I wrote about the new ruling from the ATF on pistol braces.  This ruling has the potential to turn many law abiding citizens into criminals if it is allowed to stand.   I don't own any pistols with braces but, if I did, I would not register the gun as a short-barreled rifle (which would amount to accepting with the ATF's stance).   I would rather make them legal pistols or legal rifles.

I really love how Tippmann Arms is helping their owners comply.   They clearly explain how to make each type of their guns comply with the rule and are discounting the parts needed.  Notice that installation of parts AND shipping both ways is FREE! 

I've got a Tippmann Arms Elite rifle and it has really impressed me.  It is a high quality rifle, accurate, functions flawlessly and accepts many standard AR parts.  Seeing how the company has handled this situation will definitely ensure I buy more guns from them in the future.

My favorite part of the announcement from Tippmann:
"Here at Tippmann Arms we do not agree with this rule. We do feel it's important you know how not to stay out of trouble with the government.  Let the courts settle this issue."

Hard to believe that 2022 is over.  Do you have any New Year's Resolutions for 2023?  

I'd be privileged to assist if you'd like to learn to shoot as a new hobby or to prepare to protect yourself.  Our training calendar is open and I'm looking forward to another great year of training.  

If you are like the thousands of gun-owners who own a pistol with a stabilizing brace, I would recommend spending some time reading the articles below.  The ATF has issued a final ruling which basically declares pistols with stabilizing braces as Short Barreled Rifles (SBRs).  They aren't illegal but are highly-regulated by the NFA and require registration with the ATF.

I don't own any guns configured like this but I'm against the ATF changing the definition of guns whenever they want.  It is a dangerous precedent for the ATF passes a new ruling and suddenly thousands or millions of people who legally purchased guns are forced to register, turn-in or destroy their guns with no compensation.  

The ATF made a similar ruling with bump stocks during the Trump administration and I believe the Supreme Court recently disallowed  that rule.  It sounds to me like this new ruling will be challenged in court too but that will take years and gun owners may be stuck in-limbo.

ATF Posts Final Rule
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Everything is an SBR

Brace Owners have 120 days to Register

Five Reasons Not to Register your Stabilizing Brace

The Pistol Brace Rule is a TRAP
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Russia's strict gun-control policies didn't prevent an awful tragedy in Izhevsk last week where 15 were killed and 24 wounded in a school shooting.  The shooting took place at a school with first through eleventh grades.  11 of those killed and 22 of those injured were children.  The killer was a 34 year-old past student and he killed himself when his rampage was over.

According to the article, Russia has very strict gun control. "For example, handguns are banned from private ownership, as are automatic rifles and pistols. Certain rifles and shotguns may be owned, but private citizens must acquire a firearm license in order to own them."  

We aren't likely to get more details about what happened but it is clear that this guy was able to create a lot of carnage in a short time and likely not challenged by anyone who was armed.  

It shouldn't come as a surprise to law abiding gun-owners that after the June ruling of the Supreme Court upholding our Constitutional right to carrying a gun for self-defense, anti-gunners are coming-up with new and creative ways to limit our freedoms.  I saw several news items recently that have me shaking my head:

• First, the US Postal Service admitted to spying on pro-gun activists.  Seems like the Postal Inspectors should have lots of other things to work on than tracking social media accounts of those they don't agree with politically.  This is real Big Brother stuff though and, unfortunately, I'm sure what has been discovered is just the tip of the iceberg.  
• Several weeks ago Visa, Mastercard and American Express announced the tracking of gun store purchases.  This is concerning not only because it could result in a database of gun owners to be used for confiscation but because it could ultimately affect the income of gun stores and gun manufacturers.  From the article:  "This decision, which is already being hailed by radical anti-gun activists, is the first step towards backdoor gun control on law-abiding Americans," the senators wrote to the CEOs. "Any change that seeks to impact a United States citizen's ability to legally purchase a firearm belongs with Congress, not payment networks, international standard-setting organizations, or the financial institutions that some of you serve."

There's been a lot of talk about gun control and the 2nd Amendment since Russia's invasion of the Ukraine on February 24th and the Ukrainian government handed-out 18,000 fully automatic rifles in one day to anyone willing to defend their homeland.
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A great quote from the article:
​"Gun controllers," added law Professor Randy Barnett, director of the Georgetown Center for the Constitution, "have long insisted that Americans don't need guns for personal defense because they can rely on police protection, and they don't need guns to resist tyranny because small arms are no match for modern military. The events of 2020-22 have shown both claims to be unrealistic."

I agree with Professor Barnett.  The 2nd Amendment guarantees Americans the ability to protect ourselves from enemies within the country and from without.  The first shots of the American Revolution were fired on April 19, 1775 in the Battles of Lexington and Concord while the British soldiers were trying to confiscate weapons from the colonists.  Most of the colonists were not trained soldiers, they were farmers, innkeepers, sailors and everyday people and they fought off the biggest army in the world.  I'm hoping the situation in the Ukraine turns-out the same way.

US Ammunition manufacturers have stepped-up to support the Ukraine big time with 2 million rounds of 7.62 x 39 ammo donated to help them stop the Russian invaders.   

Did you hear about the $73 million about the settlement between Remington and some of the families of the Sandy Hook school shooting?

Several things to be clear on here:
1.  This case did not go to trial.  The Supreme Court of Connecticut allowed the lawsuit (which was completely baseless).   I think if the case had gone to trial that Remington would not have been found liable for a mentally ill person misusing their product.
2.  Remington is bankrupt and the settlement was between the insurance companies who currently own their assets and the plaintiffs.

Still, this is an awful precedent and one that, if allowed to continue, could destroy capitalism and our freedoms.  

As a law abiding gun owner, I also noted a couple of things in the article that frustrated me.  First, here's a quote from the plaintiff's lawyer:
"When it came to the military looking for the best weapon, the most lethal weapon, the most destructive weapon, and the weapon that could provide our soldiers, should they be forced to shoot and kill the enemies of our country and our freedom, they chose the AR-15," he said during the press conference. "The greatest military in the world…chose the AR-15."

The US military's primary rifle is an M4 capable of full-automatic fire, not an AR15.  This is an attempt to make a specific rifle evil, which is just ridiculous.  What if the killer's Mom had only owned a lever action cowboy-style rifle or a handgun, would he have still gone on a killing rampage?   Of course he would have! 

The truth is a gun is amoral, not good or evil.  The crazy person using this particular rifle to kill people at Sandy Hook was evil.  He killed his Mom and then went and killed a bunch of first graders at a school.  He could have done that just as easily with any number of weapons.  

Another quote from this attorney: "But they (the plaintiffs)…had the energy and drive and motivation to do one thing, and that was to do whatever they could so that other families…would not have to go through the kind of pain and loss that they had."

Are they seriously celebrating this settlement as making the world safer from mass shootings?  This lawsuit and settlement has done absolutely nothing to make people safer.  All this settlement did is line the pockets of the legal teams for both sides.  

I'm often asked if I teach rifle courses.  I typically say "yes, I can teach you to shoot a rifle but everything I know I learned from Project Appleseed."   Project Appleseed events provide two full days of training and shooting plus some bonus history lessons from the start of the American Revolution.   The instructors will take you from complete beginner to very proficient shooter in one weekend.  These events are  and are a TON of fun and great for the whole family.  I took my son for the first time when he was 12.   

If you are interested, check out Project Appleseed's site  and sign-up for a course.  There is a course next weekend with slots available.  The Appleseed team is also offering precision pistol courses.