Latest Anti-Gun Task Force Report Delivers Next Wish List for Michigan Prohibitionists

Opinion

Michigan Democrat Governor Gretchen Esther Whitmer Official Photo

Joe Biden has been out of office for over 300 days now, but his anti-gun legacy lingers, including in the form of a playbook left behind for anti-liberty governors (hello, Governor Gretchen Whitmer!) to consult.

NRA-ILA warned of the damaging directives as they unfolded then, and their pernicious effects are still in motion. Ahead of a massively consequential election year for Michigan in 2026, when all statewide offices are up for a vote, and where the balance of power hangs on a handful of seats, Governor Whitmer has turned to the next chapter of the gun-grab guide following her creation of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force last year. This next installment is the one on gun control that is – like a proctological exam – “good for your health.”

Last month, the Task Force released its latest report via the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS).

While there is nothing especially novel to report on from the predictable contents, this ongoing effort to classify gun ownership as a public health “crisis” in need of management by government bureaucrats presents a time-honored “cure” to Second Amendment rights.

The 50-page report ran the gamut with a main emphasis being on the usual attacks aimed at law-abiding citizens and not criminals:

• ban so-called assault weapons;
• institute waiting periods on firearm purchases;
• raise the minimum age to purchase firearms;
• ban “large capacity” magazines;
• ban privately made firearms;
• prevent concealed carry permit holders from using their licenses as permits to purchase firearms and instead require intentionally redundant bureaucracy and expense;
• expand red flag laws, and many other formulaic asks.

Funny how supposedly evidenced-based public health interventions look exactly like old-fashioned gun control.

Indeed, missing from the report was the correlation of how exactly these unconstitutional policies align with MDHHS’ stated mission and strategic priorities that the department “provides services and administers programs to empower the health, safety, and prosperity of the residents of the state of Michigan.”

The vehicle for this report being the MDHHS is a crucial part of the national firearm prohibition movement’s off-the-shelf blueprint. NRA-ILA has long been warning of the “public health” approach to gun control at the federal level, noting anti-gun states would follow suit. The directive starts with declaring gun violence (and, inherent in that, mere lawful firearm ownership) a public health crisis. Next, in order to address the crisis, a task force of “experts” is created followed soon by reports and recommendations fancifully packaged for consumption to bolster gun control policies as supposedly aligned with “the science” of politically disinterested “health researchers.”

Weaponizing health care “experts” in an effort to more easily fool the citizenry into rights-adverse “support” in hopes of convincing them this public health crisis needs to be managed by government is critically dangerous. While we know it, predict it, anticipate it, identify it, we cannot let up on fighting it.

Thankfully, at the federal level, President Trump immediately recognized the danger of this scheme and ordered the removal of former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy’s anti-gun tract, Firearm Violence: A Public Health Crisis in America, from the official Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) website shortly after taking office. He also reduced the workforce and tightened up the grant funding that were contributing to these efforts.

Unfortunately, the states with anti-gun governors still stay the course because ultimately, the facts, the research, the data, the relevance, and the efficacy of their gun control prescriptions have never, nor will ever, steer the agenda.

The end game of prohibition is predetermined. Every incremental step just conditions the public to support the next one. Precious few of the report’s suggestions addressed due process, self-defense, crime control, or mental health solutions but instead focused most recommendations squarely on law-abiding citizens. To reach the end game, they are the ones who must be persuaded (or bamboozled or steamrolled, as the case may be).

This anti-gun wish list is also more than carefully curated documents made to fortify gun control policies. It is also a campaign policy primer for anti-gun candidates for 2026. The Michigan Gun Violence Prevention Task Force was created in June of 2024 by order from Governor Whitmer and a legislative package soon followed that enacted various gun control measures such as red flag laws, mandatory storage, and universal background checks. That was never going to be enough,  and the next session’s infringements won’t be, either. Too many election year losses in Michigan led to the anti-gun power set up in Lansing, and while Republicans won back the House by a slim margin to hold the line in the legislature this session, the fight will be even more pitched in 2026.

This latest report is a wake-up call for the 2026 state elections, not just for Michiganders but for all citizens. Coordinated attacks using taxpayer funded resources and positions of power on Second Amendment rights is a concern for all time. The voice and vote of Second Amendment supporters are the only way to stop the next Task Force and these ominous playbooks.

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About NRA-ILA:

Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the “lobbying” arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess, and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Visit: www.nra.org

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Dhillon Announces 2A Section in Civil Rights Division, Gun Owners Wait to Celebrate

Dhillon Announces 2A Section in Civil Rights Division, Gun Owners Wait to Celebrate, iStock-2164280498

Yesterday, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon posted a video on X announcing a new Second Amendment section inside the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice. Last month, AmmoLand writer John Crump broke this story when the plans for the unit were first released. Now, with Dhillon’s on-camera announcement, gun owners have a better picture of what this new branch of the Civil Rights Division is supposed to do — and a lot of questions about whether it will actually stay pro-gun.

In her video, Dhillon states that the Second Amendment is “not a second-class right” and that, for the first time, the Civil Rights Division has created a specific section to “protect and advance our citizens’ right to bear arms” as part of its civil-rights work. She calls the right of law-abiding Americans to keep, bear, and use commonly known firearms “fundamental,” and promises that this Justice Department has “a lot of 2A work planned” on top of what it has already done.

On paper, that sounds huge, and it is something that gun owners should celebrate. For decades, the federal civil-rights bureaucracy mostly pretended the right to keep and bear arms didn’t exist. Now, the DOJ is saying the Second Amendment is as important to defend as the First Amendment, and that is a substantial shift.

What Will the 2A Section Do for Gun Owners

According to Crump’s earlier reporting and outside coverage, the new office, called the Second Amendment Section, is scheduled to formally open in early December. Its stated mission is to review state and local gun laws, permits, and policies for conflicts with Supreme Court precedent and the Second Amendment, and to step in when jurisdictions cross the line.

Dhillon’s video spells out the kinds of abuses this Section says it will target, and what is said is as telling as what is left out. Gun owners hoping that the Second Amendment Section will turn the DOJ’s opinion on NFA items in the right direction are likely to be let down. However, there are some positives we can hope to achieve before the next election cycle inevitably reverses all the good work done under this administration.

What gun owners have glimpsed from this DOJ so far is promising and far better than what we received in the past. We have already seen this DOJ go after the Los Angeles County Sheriff for their outrageous permitting delays. That lawsuit has specifically targeted LA Sheriffs for dragging out background checks and interviews for months or years, leaving people defenseless while their paperwork gathers dust. If you are a gun owner in an anti-gun state, this sort of action from the DOJ is what you have dreamed of for years. While Los Angeles is a good start, there are still other states, such as New York and New Jersey, that are notoriously restrictive on carry permits.

There have also been a few amicus briefs delivered by the DOJ that are worthy of celebration. In Barnett, Dhillon argued that the AR-15 can not be banned, and in Wolford, argued against unnecessary restrictions on carry on private property.

Dhillon also leans into the self-defense angle, arguing that the right to bear arms levels the playing field for people who would otherwise be easy victims. In her words, criminals are less likely to target a house protected by an armed citizen, and the Second Amendment “equalizes the ability” of women, people with disabilities, and others who might be more vulnerable to protect themselves.

The new Section is being sold as an enforcement arm with the same tools that the DOJ already uses in other civil rights contexts: investigations, lawsuits, amicus briefs, and statements of interest filed in key 2A cases around the country.

Great news — I’m excited to announce the new 2A section of @CivilRights!

The right of law-abiding American citizens to keep, bear, & use commonly known firearms is fundamental, and this @JusticeDept has a lot of 2A work planned, in addition to what we’ve already done! pic.twitter.com/L4Acg72k7A

— AAGHarmeetDhillon (@AAGDhillon) December 8, 2025

These moves are exactly what many gun owners said they wanted to see after Bruen: the federal government bringing the hammer down on states and counties that try to slow-roll or nullify the Supreme Court. The new Second Amendment Section is supposed to be the permanent home for that work.

Gun Owners Remain Cautiously Optimistic

If this Section achieves what Dhillon promises, it could mark a historic shift in how the federal government treats the right to keep and bear arms.

For regular gun owners, that could mean the ability to actually obtain a carry permit in previously restrictive states. If the DOJ starts treating months-long delays and sky-high fees as civil rights violations, counties like L.A. could be forced to clean up their act or face being dragged into federal court again. This would also include the ability to push back on post-Bruen “resistance” laws rapidly. Think “sensitive place” maps that cover half a state, private-property bans like Wolford, or prohibitions on common rifles and magazines. A dedicated 2A Section means there are lawyers within the DOJ whose entire job is to pursue those violations.

The Second Amendment finally being treated like other civil rights is something many gun owners, myself included, will have to wait and see before we believe it. For years, anti-gun politicians, aided by lawyers, have treated gun ownership as a privilege they could legislate and regulate out of existence. A Second Amendment unit within Civil Rights is, at the very least, a public acknowledgment that the right to keep and bear arms is a civil right that deserves enforcement, not just lip service.

If you’re a gun owner stuck in a hostile state, the idea of Trump’s DOJ sending federal civil-rights lawyers after your local sheriff, governor, or licensing bureau is pretty appealing.

Here’s the other side of the coin, and AmmoLand readers know this part well. Even as the DOJ talks tough about protecting the Second Amendment, the same department continues to take actions that undermine those promises. As this Section is being created, the DOJ is actively defending the National Firearms Act with anti-gun rhetoric that sounds like it was pulled straight from Everytown’s mission statement. They have repeatedly attempted to obtain membership lists of gun rights organizations, and they continue to defend Biden’s “engaged in the business” rule.

So while Dhillon is on X talking about a Second Amendment Section and promising aggressive enforcement, her own department and her “boss” are still in court defending the very gun-control laws that groups like GOA, FPC, SAF, and NRA are fighting to overturn.

All-in on 2A, or just a new label?

The big question now is quite simple: Will the Second Amendment Rights Section consistently go after states, cities, and agencies that violate the Second Amendment, eliminate magazine and assault weapon bans, and help establish the right to carry lawfully across all 50 states and local jurisdictions?

Or is this going to be a selective enforcement tool, while DOJ quietly protects federal gun-control schemes and legacy laws like the NFA?

The early signs are mixed. On the plus side, suing Los Angeles over CCW delays and backing gun owners in Illinois and Hawaii are real, concrete steps that anti-gun administrations simply never took. On the negative side, DOJ hasn’t backed off its defense of the NFA or the “engaged in the business” rule and has shown a worrying appetite for prying into gun-rights memberships.

For now, the new Section looks like a genuine opportunity and a test. If Dhillon and Bondi keep treating the Second Amendment as a real civil right, not just a slogan for speeches, this Section could become one of the most important tools gun owners have ever had at the federal level.

If they don’t, then “Second Amendment Section” will go down as just another D.C. brand name slapped on a bureaucracy that talks a big game while the government keeps coming after your guns. It also has to be questioned what this Second Amendment Section would mean under an anti-gun administration.

Remember that the same DOJ talking about protecting your rights is still defending the NFA in court using anti-gun rhetoric.

The Second Amendment Rights Section is here. Whether it ends up being a battering ram for gun rights or just a new sign on an old office door will depend on what cases the DOJ actually takes.

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About Duncan Johnson:

Duncan Johnson is a lifelong firearms enthusiast and unwavering defender of the Second Amendment—where “shall not be infringed” means exactly what it says. A graduate of George Mason University, he enjoys competing in local USPSA and multi-gun competitions whenever he’s not covering the latest in gun rights and firearm policy. Duncan is a regular contributor to AmmoLand News and serves as part of the editorial team responsible for AmmoLand’s daily gun-rights reporting and industry coverage.

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Department of Education Awards Nearly $1 Million for Constitutional Literacy Program

Department of Education Awards Nearly $1 Million for Constitutional Literacy Program, iStock-697763612

The fight for Second Amendment education just received a major federal boost. The University of Wyoming College of Law’s Firearms Research Center has secured a nearly $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to develop a nationwide program that will finally bring historically accurate, constitutionally grounded instruction about the Second Amendment into American classrooms.

This represents a solid victory for gun rights advocates who have long watched the Second Amendment either ignored in civics curricula or presented through a distorted partisan lens. The $908,991 grant will fund “Armed with Knowledge,” a two-year initiative designed to equip secondary school teachers across the nation with the resources they need to teach the constitutional right to bear arms with the same rigor and respect afforded to other fundamental freedoms.

Professor George Mocsary, who directs the Firearms Research Center and co-authored the first casebook on Second Amendment law, understands what’s at stake. “The doctrinal complexity of the Second Amendment is too often obscured by divisive discourse,” he explains. “We seek to provide a much-needed apolitical approach to an otherwise politically charged topic, emphasizing the legal and civic origins of the right to bear arms, connecting it to the early principles of the nation’s founding and examining its evolving role, through legal interpretation, in American culture over time.”

For too long, millions of American students have graduated without understanding the historical foundations of their constitutional rights. This program changes that. Teachers will gain access to primary sources, classroom-ready instructional videos, and opportunities to engage with scholars representing the full spectrum of views through regular webinars and a national conference. The initiative includes a free digital archive of historical legal sources, leveraging artificial intelligence to make constitutional scholarship accessible to educators nationwide.

Executive Director Ashley Hlebinsky frames the timing as particularly significant. “Our project will honor the nation’s 250th anniversary by allowing educators to engage with the complexity and nuance of the country’s founding documents,” she notes. “As the nation approaches its semiquincentennial, the ability to not only possess an intellectually rigorous grasp of constitutional text, structure and jurisprudence, but also to respectfully discuss and debate with those who possess a range of beliefs, has never been greater.”

The program addresses three critical objectives. It will deepen educators’ knowledge of the Second Amendment’s historical evolution and constitutional framework. It will strengthen their capacity to teach difficult constitutional subjects with confidence and nuance. And it will dramatically expand access to primary source materials that have been largely unavailable to K-12 educators.

An advisory committee comprising K-12 educators, scholars, public health experts, and representatives from UW’s College of Education will guide the initiative. This collaborative approach ensures the program serves real classroom needs while maintaining academic rigor.

“Through a deliberately layered program of professional development, artificial intelligence-assisted archival research and open-access instructional media, the Firearms Research Center will empower teachers to cultivate in K-12 students the habits of mind essential to critical inquiry, evidentiary reasoning and civic deliberation,” Mocsary says.

Since its founding in 2023, the Firearms Research Center has established itself as the premier nonpartisan research institution dedicated to Second Amendment scholarship. The center regularly hosts conferences and webinars, maintains a network of academic fellows with diverse perspectives, and partners with law enforcement on firearms safety education.

This federal investment signals recognition that constitutional literacy matters. For supporters of gun rights, this program represents something long overdue: a generation of students who will understand the Second Amendment not as a political football, but as a fundamental American right rooted in founding principles and constitutional tradition.

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About José Niño

José Niño is a freelance writer based in Charlotte, North Carolina. You can contact him via Facebook and X/Twitter. Subscribe to his Substack newsletter by visiting “Jose Nino Unfiltered” on Substack.com.

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12 New Jersey Municipalities Have Now Nullified Excessive Gun Carry Permit Fee

iStock-gustavofrazao 689431436

BELLEVUE, WA – The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, in conjunction with the New Jersey Firearms Owners Syndicate and National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action, is celebrating the 12th New Jersey municipality to pass a permit-to-carry fee rebate resolution.

A grassroots movement that began over the summer is spreading across the Garden State. On Nov. 25, Howell, N.J. joined 11 other towns in refunding their citizens’ permit-to-carry fees.

Post-Bruen, New Jersey lawmakers imposed additional and onerous fees to their permit-to-carry application process. A $50 fee was allocated to a victims compensation fund (since found unconstitutional by the U.S. 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals) and $150 to local municipalities. Englishtown was the first in the state to pass a resolution refunding the $150 fee back to applicants. The Howell council unanimously (with one member absent) resolved to refund $125 of its portion of the fee.

“There are now a dozen municipalities in the Garden State that have decided to respect the rights of their citizens by not imposing onerous fees on them to exercise a constitutional right,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb. “As more towns resolve that the law passed by the New Jersey legislature is unconstitutional, it weakens the grip the anti-liberty forces have on the people. We’re proud of the grassroots efforts of our members and the members of our partners — the NRA-ILA and NJFOS — in this fight.”

In addition to Howell and Englishtown, the following municipalities have also nullified their permitting fees: Beachwood, Butler, Dumont, Franklin Borough, Hardyston, Hopatcong, Medford Lakes, and Vernon. Cresskill and Readington passed ordinances, not just resolutions.

Howell Councilman Ian Nadel, who led the effort, observed, “The Second Amendment is the only Amendment that seems to be under repeated attack, especially in the state of New Jersey.”

Over $125,000 per year in exorbitant and unconstitutional fees have been eliminated for nearly 200,000 New Jerseyans with the passage of this resolution.

If you’re interested in raising a permit-to-carry rebate resolution in your jurisdiction, reach out to our boots-on-the-ground partners at NJFOS HERE. A copy of the joint policy brief with model resolution can be found HERE.

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Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms

With more than 650,000 members and supporters nationwide, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (www.ccrkba.org) is one of the nation’s premier gun rights organizations. As a non-profit organization, the Citizens Committee is dedicated to preserving firearms freedoms through active lobbying of elected officials and facilitating grass-roots organization of gun rights activists in local communities throughout the United States.

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Former DEA Deputy Chief Arrested on Money Laundering, Cocaine Trafficking, and Supplying Weapons to a Mexican Drug Cartel

Jail-Court-iStock-1135489412

Early morning on Friday, a federal task force from multiple law enforcement agencies raided the home of Paul Campo, 61, in the upscale Washington, D.C., suburb of Oakton, Virginia. Mr. Campo is accused of attempted money laundering, cocaine trafficking, and trying to provide firearms to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, or Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG).

The CJNG is known as the most violent of all Mexican drug cartels. The organization faces charges of narcoterrorism, terrorism, narcotics distribution, and money laundering in the US and charges of murder in Mexico. Mr. Campo was a career Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent. Serving as a Special Agent in New York before rising through the ranks. Campo was the Deputy Chief of the Office of Financial Operations, with a primary focus on drug cartel money laundering. He retired in 2016 after serving 25 years in the DEA. Mr. Campo went on to found Global Financial Consultants (GFC), which specializes in anti-money laundering and narcotics subject matter experts.

“The indictment of former Special Agent Paul Campo sends a powerful message: those who betray the public trust—past or present—will be held to account to the fullest extent of the law,” said DEA Administrator Terrance C. Cole.  “The alleged conduct occurred after he left DEA and was unrelated to his official duties here, but any former agent who chooses to engage in criminal activity dishonors the men and women who serve with integrity and undermines the public’s confidence in law enforcement.  We will not look the other way simply because someone once wore this badge.  There is no tolerance and no excuse for this kind of betrayal.”

According to government officials, over the past year, Campo and his alleged criminal conspirator, Robert Sensi, 75, of Boca Raton, Florida, agreed to launder about $12 million in drug proceeds for the CJNG and to convert about $750,000 in cash into cryptocurrency. What the two men didn’t know was that the CJNG members they thought they were dealing with were actually working for the United States government. The two men also provided payment for 220 kilograms of cocaine. They believed cartel drug dealers would sell the drugs on American streets for around $5 million. The men expected that the cartel would give them a cut of the proceeds. The retired DEA agent also offered to be a “strategist” for the cartel.

The men also agreed to procure various other firearms and military equipment for the cartel. Campo and Sensi agreed to provide the CJNG with AR-15s, M4 carbines, grenade launchers, and rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs). They also agreed to supply those they believed to be cartel members with commercial drones. Mr. Sensi, who has a history of mail fraud, defrauding the government, and stealing $2.5 million, also agreed to supply an unnamed Middle Eastern country with military-grade helicopters.

This incident isn’t the first time former and current DEA agents have been arrested on serious charges. Over the last 10 years, 16 DEA agents have been convicted of various crimes. In the previous year, retired DEA agent Joseph Bongiovanni was convicted of taking $250,000 in bribes from the Mafia. In 2020, another agent named Fernando Gomez pleaded guilty to trafficking firearms and helping La Organizacion de Narcotraficantes Unidos avoid detection from law enforcement, picking up money for the drug ring, and improperly accessing DEA records about a cooperator he believed had information about the drug organization.

Another DEA agent, José Irizarry, was involved with Colombian cartels in 2022. He was involved in money laundering pick-ups. The DEA claims that Irizarry worked alone, but the man told the Associated Press (AP) that dozens of other federal agents, prosecutors, and informants were in on the scheme. They even called themselves “Team America.”

Campo and Sensi were both denied bond at a hearing in a New York court on Friday. Both men are facing decades in prison if convicted.

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About John Crump

Mr. Crump is an NRA instructor and a constitutional activist. John has written about firearms, interviewed people from all walks of life, and on the Constitution. John lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and sons, follow him on X at @crumpyss, or at www.crumpy.com.

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‘Stand Your Ground’ Recalls Nightmare Ordeal After Lawful Self-Defense

Todd’s story offers cautions and lessons for all gun owners who believe in the right of self-defense. (StandYourGroundBook.com/Used with permission)

“In 2014, Barry’s life was turned upside down when he found himself facing charges of attempted murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and aggravated assault with intent to cause serious injury and bodily harm,” the synopsis for Stand Your Ground: One Man’s Self-Defense Nightmare explains. “It began when he was assaulted by a man outside a restaurant in Arizona, and he acted in self-defense by displaying his firearm. However, during the struggle, the weapon discharged when the attacker jumped on top of him, leading to a series of devastating accusations.”

The man is Barry D. Todd, of Yuma, AZ, a family man who has not just been a good, law-abiding citizen all his life, but an exemplary one. He’s a retired Army Captain with over two decades served “in  B Company (Rangers), the 3rd Ranger Company, multiple Ranger Airborne assignments in the 82nd Airborne Division, the 101st Airborne Division, the 10th Mountain Division, the 2nd Infantry Division (Korea), the 24th Mechanized Division, and V Corps (Europe).” Following the military, Todd became a financial advisor, ultimately founding his own firm that became Invicta Financial Group, “serv[ing] a select group of clients (families/businesses) who desire to achieve a higher quality of life by making smart choices about their money.”

That background information is necessary to understand what kind of man Todd is, and to emphasize that if being prosecuted for self-defense can happen to an upstanding citizen like him, it can happen to any of us. Stand Your Ground leads the reader through the series of events and seemingly overwhelming and disheartening obstacles Todd had to overcome. Todd’s ordeal shows us what can happen when the state, with unlimited resources, decides to put you in its sights, and demonstrates how when that happens, one needs  not only the wherewithal to fight for his rights, but  also an indomitable will not give up in despair.

Determined to accept nothing short of vindication, Todd refused to surrender and would not break.

So, what happened?

He went out with his wife and a “close knit circle of friends” to a local bar and grill to celebrate the growth of his business and to have a good time. There, he was accosted and threatened by another patron, who at first appeared amiable, and then, for reasons that are still not clear, became hostile. Todd tried to defuse the situation and left to retrieve a can of snuff from his car, but when he tried to reenter was assaulted and told by his attacker he would not let him back in. Determined to retrieve his wife, his wallet, and his phone, Todd warned him that he had a gun in his car and went to get it. Displaying, but not aiming the gun, his attacker — and a bystander, who did not realize who the real aggressor was — jumped Todd, and the gun was discharged in the struggle for it, resulting in the attacker being shot and wounded.

What followed was an arrest and then years of legal proceedings and multiple grand jury hearings pursued by a seemingly vindictive prosecutor determined to brand Todd  a criminal and punish him. Todd presents it all in a way that proceeds from narrative to actual courtroom transcripts, giving the book a sort of “Perry Mason” feel, especially as witnesses the prosecution was relying on to seal its case suddenly change their testimony on the stand when confronted with video evidence of what actually happened.

And spoiler alert: He’s a free man today with his rights intact.

As gun owners, Barry Todd’s story especially resonates with us. We know that something similar to what was forced on him, where we suddenly find ourselves having to defend ourselves against a previously unknown threat, could happen when we least expect it. And we know that police and prosecutors will often be personally and politically incentivized to treat us like criminals, and to interpret events to support their interests rather than ours. And speaking for myself, I’ve always found stories of the underdog who prevails victorious because he wouldn’t give up against all odds to be inspiring, that is, conduct and fortitude to aspire to should the trap ever close around me.

So instead of “just” a book review, I figured AmmoLand readers would benefit not from my second-hand interpretation, but from the man himself, who agreed to answer some questions:

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DC: I’m still not clear on what your assailant’s beef with you was.  Have you gotten a clearer feeling since on why he was mad enough at you to attack you, have you heard from him since, and do you foresee him still harboring resentment toward you and potentially posing a danger?

BT: No, I do not. I can share that in his statement he did not remember anything after playing darts, which according to the video was about 30 to 45 minutes prior to attacking. We believe he drank so much he had blacked out.

DC: If confronted with a similar situation today, would you do anything differently in terms of how you presented your gun?

BT: In Arizona – No, I followed the law to the letter.

DC: You initially made the decision not to talk to the police without the benefit of counsel. You then changed your mind and explained your side of things to the detective. What would you advise someone in a similar situation to do, and why?

BT: Don’t share anything with the police. In fact, I would recommend adhering to 3 lessons learned:

1. Have appropriate self-defense insurance.
2. Don’t’ talk to the police until you have your lawyer present.
3. Remember, you are the CEO of your legal team you are writing the checks. Read everything and hold them accountable.

DC: You generally had high praise for your attorney throughout. That said, his not realizing that Arizona had changed the law from “affirmative defense” to “justification defense” struck me as something I’d have had a real problem with. Can you explain the difference between the two, and how you handled it when you had to point it out?

BT: Part 1:

1. Affirmative defense means if you as a defendant claim self-defense you have to prove it was self-defense. In other words, affirmative defense has a presumption of guilt.
2. Justification defense means if you as a defendant claim self-defense the onus passes the prosecution to prove it wasn’t self-defense. In other words, it provides a presumption of innocence. Most people today do not realize that this is one of the cornerstones that makes us a Constitutional Republic. For many decades, the Lawfare has taken over our police forces and court systems to the pretense of protection & security for our citizens and all the while eroding our rights under the Constitution.

Part 2:  When my attorney called me after researching what I had shared on the changes in AZ law, he was extremely humble taking ownership for not researching the updated AZ laws and admitted I was correct. For that misstep he waived my next quarterly fee of $25k. We all need grace, and I learned from my years in the Rangers to be patient with those who commit errors of commission…. vs. errors of omission.

DC: How much time and money did this take from the time of your arrest until its conclusion, including making sure your business interests complied with all the state and federal requirements?

BT: Around $650,000 and nearly 8 years.

DC: You had the will and the wherewithal to fight this to the end. Most gun owners won’t have your financial resources to defend themselves with, and the temptation to take a plea and throw themselves at the mercy of the prosecution will be strong. You emerged from your ordeal determined to help others by setting up the Defense Resources Foundation.  Tell us about that, how it’s going, and what you look for in deciding who you’re in the best position to help?

BT: The Defense Resources Foundation was created to provide financial support to individuals who are being unfairly targeted or who are facing criminal charges after legitimately defending themselves. We’re still in the very early stages of building the foundation, and while initial book sales have been good, they haven’t yet reached the level we need to fully launch our mission. Every additional purchase goes directly toward helping us get off the ground so we can begin assisting people who desperately need support.

We focus our efforts on cases where there is strong evidence of lawful self-defense, clear signs of prosecutorial overreach, or situations where someone is being targeted because of their political beliefs. Those are the individuals we are in the best position to help—people who did the right thing but lack the financial means to protect themselves in court. Our goal is to ensure they aren’t left to face the system alone.

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You can order a copy of for Stand Your Ground: One Man’s Self-Defense Nightmare from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Dorrance, all linked on the standyourgroundbook.com website. And you can find out more about Defense Resources Foundation’s services and how to get involved at  defenseresourcesfoundation.org.

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About David Codrea:

David Codrea is the winner of multiple journalist awards for investigating/defending the RKBA and a long-time gun owner rights advocate who defiantly challenges the folly of citizen disarmament. He blogs at “The War on Guns: Notes from the Resistance,” is a regularly featured contributor to Firearms News, and posts on Twitter: @dcodrea and Facebook.

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This Is Why You Stay Armed: DOT Worker Killed in Brutal Mother-Daughter Attack ~ VIDEO

Opinion

Beware the shod foot!

On 17 Oct 25, an aging City of Baltimore DOT employee (unarmed) was out in the city. He approached (on foot) a parked car occupied by a woman and her teenage daughter in order to politely tell them that someone was waiting for the parking spot.

The teenage girl became instantly enraged, bolted from the vehicle, and immediately attacked the DOT employee with her fists. The girl’s mother also exited the vehicle and quickly joined-in, jumped on the DOT employee’s back, forcing him to the ground.

Both mother and daughter then kicked and stomped the DOT employee’s head severely enough to cause significant brain injury, which in fact proved ultimately fatal. The hospitalized DOT employee never recovered and died from his injuries the day before Thanksgiving.

The mother was subsequently arrested. She is a convicted felon, and was “out on parole” at the time of the incident. No signs the daughter has been arrested or charged.

Lessons:

1) This City employee was doing the job he is paid to do. The rest of us need to be acutely aware of the fact that our world is full of unstable people, and many among the “unstable” are precipitously homicidal in certain circumstances, as we see!

Accordingly, confronting unstable people, in any circumstance, is extremely dangerous. We are thus well-advised to be very good at minding our own business and not voluntarily inject ourselves into other people’s affairs.

“Road-rage” is not confined to roads!

2) Many fail to appreciate the dynamics and extreme dangers associated with a “gang-beating.” It does not take much to get knocked off your feet, and once you go down, you’re within easy range of lethal stomps and kicks. Being thus simultaneously attacked while on the ground by multiple assailants is often mortal (as it was in this case). Your attackers will probably not be barefoot, and concrete does not provide much of a “cushion!”

3) Gunfire will disperse most mobs, even homicidal ones, instantly! Smoothly drawing your concealed pistol and shooting accurately while on the ground are critical skills, and ones that will prevent you from being stomped to death!

4) As our Secretary of Transportation recently pointed out, “civility” is currently at a historic low in our civilization. Aggravated verbiage, particularly with people you don’t know, needs to be averted, but quickly de-escalated when unavoidable.

A little courtesy goes a long way!

5) Everyone, but especially those of us who go armed, need to periodically review the places we go and the people with whom we associate.

“Don’t be there” continues to be the best way to handle any dangerous situation.

“Get out of there” continues to be the second-best!

“The ‘moral high-ground’ gets real windy at night” ~ Tommy Norris (played by Billy Bob Thornton) in the 2024 “Landman” TV series.

/John

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About John Farnam & Defense Training International, Inc

As a defensive weapons and tactics instructor, John Farnam will urge you, based on your beliefs, to make up your mind about what you would do when faced with an imminent lethal threat. You should, of course, also decide what preparations you should make in advance if any. Defense Training International wants to ensure that its students fully understand the physical, legal, psychological, and societal consequences of their actions or in-actions.

It is our duty to make you aware of certain unpleasant physical realities intrinsic to Planet Earth. Mr. Farnam is happy to be your counselor and advisor. Visit: www.defense-training.com

John Farnam

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We are in dangerous times! We are SO CLOSE to our final funding goals! With your help we can make it!

The Pentagon Loves Warrior Talk — So Why Are Our Troops Still Disarmed Targets? ~ VIDEO

Teenager Stabbed 18+ Times at Miami International Airport, Stay Frosty ~ VIDEO

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‘Devil Made Me Do It’ Lawsuits Creep Back Into Courts

Opinion
By Larry Keane

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What’s old is new, again. That’s the case when it comes to public nuisance lawsuits. Those are those pesky lawsuits brought by municipalities that bring claims against entities alleging that their lawfully-made and lawfully-sold products or services are harmful to communities.

In reality, they’re a trial lawyer’s dream. They attempt to place the blame on remote third parties for the failings — and even the criminal actions — of those who are ultimately responsible for their own behavior. Lawsuits like these are an attempt to absolve an individual of responsibility for their own actions and instead, like a petulant child, claim that “the devil made me do it.”

That devil, of course, is the nearest target of that blame deflection. With public lawsuits, they also happen to be companies. Those companies represent deep pockets. Those trial lawyers see a payout. The activists working hand-in-glove with those trial lawyers see the reward in the devious notion that they can bleed those companies dry with legal costs and court fees, settlements, or even damage awards if they get lucky.

This is nothing new to those in the firearm industry. As Yogi Berra once said, “It’s déjà vu all over again.”

What’s Old is New

Think back to the late 1990s and early 2000s. That’s when public nuisance lawsuits against the firearm industry lawsuits were piling up. Over 40 big city mayors conspired through the U.S. Conference of Mayors with gun control activist lawyers from the Brady Center and greedy trial lawyers. Their plan was to haul firearm manufacturers and sellers into court to make the industry pay for the criminal misuse of legal, non-defective firearms lawfully sold after a background check to law-abiding Americans exercising their Second Amendment rights. These lawsuits amounted to suing Ford or General Motors for the harm caused by drunk drivers.

This legal nightmare for the industry began when New Orleans filed suit on Halloween Day in 1998 followed the next day by Chicago’s Democratic Mayor Richard Daley. The last of the municipal lawsuits was filed by then-New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer in June of 2000. All the cities were run by Democrat mayors, except for then-New York City Republican Mayor Rudy Giuliani whose case was taken over by Michael Bloomberg when he was elected mayor of the Big Apple. Even New York’s former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who was serving as President Bill Clinton’s Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, got involved when he organized dozens of local housing authorities to bring their own lawsuits against gunmakers and threatened the industry with “death by a thousand cuts.”

The majority of the states — 33 — saw the misuse of the legal system and passed their own state laws barring these lawsuits from clogging court dockets and bankrupting companies through legal fees. Congress finally acted. The bill that would become the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) passed out of the U.S. House of Representatives with a lopsided approval of 283–144. The same happened in the U.S. Senate, which passed the measure 65–31. President George W. Bush signed it in 2005. The PLCAA does nothing more than codify black letter tort law.

No other industry in America had been so targeted by such baseless, politically motivated lawsuits.

New Challenges

That hasn’t stopped today’s antigun politicians, lawyers and activists from dusting off the worn-out playbook to start it all over again. So far, 10 states — California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New York and Washington — enacted laws in an attempt to circumvent the PLCAA and allow these sorts of frivolous lawsuits. They use public resources (read taxpayer dollars and taxpayer-funded attorneys general) to bring about these frivolous lawsuits, often in coordination with Everytown for Gun Safety, that attempt to shift the blame for the criminal actions of an individual to companies that lawfully produce and lawfully sell firearms.

NSSF is challenging those laws. There are five challenges against those state laws pending in courts today. The problem these laws face is that they still run into the fact that PLCAA is federal law. The PLCAA simply says that these agenda-driven lawsuits can’t be brought against a manufacturer that had nothing to do with the criminal or wrongful misuse of their product. And these laws aren’t unique to the firearm industry, despite the rhetoric by antigun politicians and activists. Vaccine makers have similar protections. The 2005 Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act gives the Health and Human Services Secretary authority to provide legal protection to companies making or distributing the vaccines.

Manufacturers of medical devices, the airline industries and even online service and content providers are protected from frivolous lawsuits when defamatory information posted is by others.

Personal Responsibility

Sadly, that doesn’t matter much to trial lawyers and some politicians. They look for a convenient target and their bank account. It is legalized judicial extortion — it is a shakedown. The City of San Francisco just filed a lawsuit against 10 major food companies alleging they made, marketed and sold products that city officials claim the companies knew were harmful to the health of their customers, in this case, San Francisco residents. San Francisco’s lawyers claim this contributes to a “public health crisis,” language that is eerily similar to the claims they use against the firearm industry.

Just like the public nuisance lawsuits against the firearm industry in the late 1990s and early, 2000s, fast food giants faced similar claims against them during the same time period. In 2002, Joseph Connor — a 420-pound man — sued McDonald’s claiming his obesity was that fast food company’s fault. He claimed his obesity, which cost him a job, was due to their food products. That case was ultimately settled. In 2002, Caeser Barber of New York sued Wendy’s, Burger King, Kentucky Fried Chicken and McDonald’s, alleging the fast food giants failed to warn of the ill health effects. He ate at those restaurants four times a week and alleged his obesity, diabetes and multiple heart attacks were the fault of the restaurants. His case was dismissed with prejudice. In 2002, Gregory Himes, a 400-pound 15-year-old, along with nine other teens sued McDonald’s over their health-related concerns after eating at there every day since he was six. The class-action lawsuit was dismissed in 2010.

These all have a similar undercurrent. The lawsuits attempt to absolve individuals of responsibility of their decisions. In the case of fast-food restaurants, the individuals chose to eat at establishments. In the case of the firearm industry, lawyers representing the cities are attempting to absolve criminals that wrongfully misuse a lawfully-made and lawfully-sold product.

President Ronald Reagan offered sage advice that still holds true today. He said, “We must reject the idea that every time a law’s broken, society is guilty rather than the lawbreaker. It is time to restore the American precept that each individual is accountable for his actions.”

That time is now.

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	Ruger American Duty 9mm Luger Semi-Auto Handgun - Ruger American Duty 9mm Luger 4.2" Bbl (2)17rd Mag Ms Black	Brownells.com	$ 549.99
	Ruger .380 ACP/.357 Magnum/.38 Special/9mm/10mm/.40 Cal/.44 Magnum Handgun Cleaning Kit, Black	Palmetto State Armory	$ 27.99 $ 24.99

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About The National Shooting Sports Foundation

NSSF is the trade association for the firearm industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of thousands of manufacturers, distributors, firearm retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations, and publishers nationwide. For more information, visit nssf.org

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Stemming the Criminal Tide in Chicago—Feds Step Up Enforcement ~ VIDEO

Opinion

In August, the Trump White House released an article titled, Yes, Chicago Has a Crime Problem — Just Ask its Residents, which pointedly noted that for “13 consecutive years, Chicago has had the most murders of any U.S. city,” yet “Democrat politicians seem far more upset about the offer of [federal] assistance than the crime epidemic in their own backyards.”

In a horrifying example of an apparently random and unprovoked violent crime, last week a 26-year-old female passenger was set on fire on the Chicago subway. Information now available alleges that the man suspected of the attack purchased gasoline approximately 20 minutes before he approached the victim from behind, poured the liquid over her head and body, and “stood watching … as her body was engulfed in flames.” None of the other passengers, it is claimed, “stepped in to help after the woman was set on fire.”

According to local news source CWB Chicago, the suspect allegedly “has had 53 criminal cases filed against him in Cook County since 1993, including nine felonies;” all of the felonies “ended with guilty pleas, but only two resulted in jail sentences.” Lately, he was reportedly released on electronic monitoring (despite his extensive criminal history and the prosecutors’ request to keep him in custody) pending trial for aggravated battery causing great bodily harm after he allegedly beat a female social worker unconscious in August. CWB Chicago notes he “is the 19th person accused of killing or trying to kill someone in Chicago this year while on felony pretrial release.”

This is far from an isolated incident.

The White House article lists many of the city’s carjackings, “smash and grab” burglaries, shootings and other crimes, and CWB Chicago runs a separate section dedicated to offenses committed in and around Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) property. Over the last several weeks these have included “three men who robbed a 15-year-old boy at gunpoint aboard a Green Line train,” two men “wearing ankle monitors for pending cases” who “teamed up to mug a passenger aboard a Red Line train, a pregnant woman who was “violently attacked and robbed” in a CTA pedestrian tunnel, and a man “shot and critically injured during a robbery aboard a Red Line train.”

The state concealed carry law forbids licensees from carrying firearms on public transit unless the firearm is unloaded and stored so it is not immediately accessible, and the CTA code of conduct prohibits “[p]ossessing or carrying any weapon including, but not limited to, guns, clubs, knives, stun guns, tasers and explosive devices.” In September, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit upheld the prohibition on licensees carrying within CTA facilities as constitutional under the precedent set in Bruen, despite there being no historical tradition of banning firearms on public transit. A petition seeking review by the U.S. Supreme Court has since been filed.

There is one hopeful sign for Chicago’s beleaguered residents. U.S. Attorney Andrew S. Boutros, the top federal law enforcement official for the Northern District of Illinois, has stepped up prosecutions against violent criminals and firearm offenders under the “Project Safe Neighborhoods” (PSN) program. The program “is a federally funded, nationwide initiative that brings together federal, state, and local law enforcement and other stakeholders to identify the most pressing violent crime problems and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.”

Under Boutros, who was appointed to the position in April, there’s been an emphasis on increased enforcement and prosecutions: “Overall, federal criminal indictments in all program areas in the Northern District of Illinois in 2025 are up 45% (366 versus 252) compared to last year,” and the “number of defendants charged in all program areas in 2025 is up 52% (494 versus 325) compared to last year.” Boutros is clear that addressing illegal gun offenses and violent crimes “is a national priority for this Department of Justice, and it is a top priority of mine as U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois.”

As part of the federal Department of Justice’s crime reduction strategy, Boutros had earlier declared the entire rail system operated by the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), “including all train lines operating in every neighborhood from every part of the city,” to be part of a newly established PSN zone. The announcement marked the first time “anywhere in the country that the program will be deployed on mass transit.” The press release on the expansion warned that enforcement efforts in the zone would focus on illegal firearm possession, drug trafficking, robberies, carjackings, and other violent crimes. “For violent offenders arrested downtown or aboard CTA trains, criminal prosecutors will bring appropriate charges to achieve maximum deterrence and will seek pretrial detention and substantial prison sentences for defendants who pose a danger to the community.”

These were not just empty political promises, as on November 19, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago charged Lawrence Reed, the man suspected of setting the CTA passenger on fire, with the federal offense of committing a terrorist attack against a mass transportation system. The crime, a violation of 18 U.S.C. 1992, is punishable by a maximum sentence of life in federal prison.

While a complaint is not evidence of guilt and the defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt, the prosecution is a welcome indication that regardless of state and civic officials’ hitherto soft-on-crime, “defund the police” and anti-victim policies, the future for residents might not be one of perpetual lawlessness.

Prosecutions, though, are after-the-fact responses to criminal acts that have, in most cases, already occurred. A proactive crime prevention strategy would recognize that the need for self-defense is particularly acute on public transportation and allow responsible citizens to possess firearms in such public places where they are more vulnerable to attack. The state carry law and the CTA weapon ban only expose the folly of assuming that a gun-free zone means a crime-free zone, and ensure that when the need arises, law-abiding passengers remain easy pickings for Chicago’s crooks and thugs.

Live Inventory Price Checker

	Ruger American Duty 9mm Luger Semi-Auto Handgun - Ruger American Duty 9mm Luger 4.2" Bbl (2)17rd Mags Black	Brownells.com	$ 527.99
	Ruger .38 Caliber/.357 Cal/9mm/.40 Cal/.45 Cal Handgun Cleaning Kit, Black	Palmetto State Armory	$ 31.99 $ 28.09
	Ruger American Duty 9mm Luger Semi-Auto Handgun - Ruger American Duty 9mm Luger 4.2" Bbl (2)17rd Mag Ms Black	Brownells.com	$ 549.99
	Ruger .380 ACP/.357 Magnum/.38 Special/9mm/10mm/.40 Cal/.44 Magnum Handgun Cleaning Kit, Black	Palmetto State Armory	$ 27.99 $ 24.99

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About NRA-ILA:

Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the “lobbying” arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess, and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Visit: www.nra.org

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