Coalition of gun rights groups sues New Mexico over unconstitutional "cooling off" period
On October 19, a coalition of gun rights groups, along with a private citizen, filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the District of New Mexico challenging the state’s so-called cooling off period.
House Bill 129, effective May 15, 2024, mandates a seven-day waiting period that the state continues to enforce even though the Tenth Circuit held the law was unconstitutional in 2025 (on remand the district court entered judgment declaring the statute unconstitutional).
“It’s incredibly concerning that state officials would flaunt a federal circuit decision and publicly boast of their intentions to continue to enforce an unconstitutional law,” said SAF Executive Director Adam Kraut in a press statement.
The plaintiffs include: National Shooting Sports Foundation, Inc., National Rifle Association of America, Second Amendment Foundation, New Mexico Firearms Industry Association, New Mexico Shooting Sports Association, Calibers Shooting Sports Center, Omni Tactical USA, Right to Bear Arms, and Peter Hackett.
Gun rights group seeks clarification from Pennsylvania AG on NFA firearms
Gun Owners of America wrote to Pennsylvania Attorney General David Sunday on October 15 to ask for clarification of the state’s position on untaxed firearms such as short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns, and suppressors, specifically addressing the legality of owning such firearms without NFA registration.
The nine-page letter recaps both the landmark Texas District Court decision in August as well as the ATF’s October guidance on enforcement on the above firearms.
The letter also points out the unique legal status that GOA members in the state of Pennsylvania have, writing that, “GOA is a plaintiff in Silencer Shop, its Pennsylvania members are protected by the court’s permanent injunction, and not merely by ATF’s enforcement policy, which ATF may change at any time.”
Washington state quietly jacks fee for permit to purchase to $126
The battlefront against exercising the constitutionally protected right of keeping and bearing firearms often includes the chilling effect of fees, a favorite tactic used by blue states.
According to AmmoLand, beginning May 1, 2027, Washington will charge $126 for its permit to purchase, including $90 for the permit and $36 for the fingerprint background check. House Bill 1163, codified in part at RCW 9.41.1132, was signed into law by Governor Bob Ferguson in May of 2025.
Pennsylvania Senate votes 50-0 to pass measure requiring warrants for game wardens on private land
Game wardens have long been afforded extra-constitutional privileges that other branches of law enforcement do not have, namely, the ability to enter private land without a search warrant.
On October 6, the Pennsylvania Senate passed a measure aimed to remedy that in a 50-0 vote. Senate Bill 1431 would require every officer, employee, and representative of the Pennsylvania Game Commission to obtain a warrant to enter private land.
The bill now heads to the House for consideration. Each year, at least 844,000 hunters take to the land in the state, according to hunting license sales stats provided by the state.
Great 2A Insurance Town Hall streams to almost 9,000 viewers while sparks fly
On Saturday, October 17, for the first time ever, most of the major legal self-defense service providers in the nation got on the same stage to participate in a town hall event designed to answer audience questions about service and coverage.
The event was the brainchild of Bryan Kinney, founder and owner of California-based training provider Armed American Ordnance.
The event drew an in-person crowd and has streamed to nearly 9,000 viewers online. The two-hour session was driven primarily by audience questions, and sparked aggressive answers by the various providers.
Cook County and Connecticut file briefs in Viramontes SCOTUS case on AR-15s
The Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments in the first ever case addressing AR-15s (Wednesday, December 2) and the respondent briefs from Cook County and Connecticut, whose so-called assault weapons bans are being challenged, have been submitted.
The briefs contain ludicrous statements, including the assertion that AR-15s are no longer needed because the United States military now carries the responsibility for “repelling invasions, suppressing insurrections, and resisting tyranny.”
The Cook County brief even suggested that residents should move if they don’t like restrictions on their civil liberties: “Individuals who would prefer to live where unusually dangerous weapons are legal can ‘vote with their feet and move to a jurisdiction where their views have prevailed.'”
“While the arguments levied in support of the assault weapons bans we’ve challenged in these cases lack legal support, they weren’t unforeseen,” Second Amendment Foundation Senior Director of Litigation William Sack said in a statement. “What we saw from the opposition briefs was more of the same ill-conceived arguments that were adopted at least in part by the Second and Seventh Circuits.”
The Second Amendment Foundation has assembled a comprehensive thread summarizing the core arguments of the gun control side.
Smith & Wesson Acquires Savage Arms
On October 21, publicly traded Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. announced that it acquired Savage Arms. Smith & Wesson is primarily known for its handguns while Savage’s lineup includes mostly rifles and shotguns.
Mark Smith, president and chief executive officer of Smith & Wesson, commented, “The acquisition of Savage is a transformative step for Smith & Wesson and an important milestone in our strategy to be the undisputed market leader in the firearm industry. Savage’s brand heritage, culture, and longstanding reputation for performance and innovation align closely with our own, and the business meaningfully expands our presence in the hunting category.”
Savage, which has been producing firearms for more than 130 years, generated approximately $160 million of net sales for the 12-month period ending September 30, 2026, according to the press release.
Bend, Oregon Concealed Carry Permit Applications Surge After School Shooting
According to local reporting, hundreds of residents of Bend, Oregon have applied to local law enforcement subsequent to the tragic and deadly school shooting at a local school last week. The city has an estimated population of about 107,000 residents.
The increase in applications suggests that local residents may be coming to the realization that law enforcement is nearly always unable to stop a crime in progress, leaving individuals to be their own self-responders.
“Governor Tina Kotek will be calling for further restrictions on law-abiding citizens in light of the recent tragedy in Bend, Oregon. She refuses to admit that all of the policies that she and others have brought forward have created mass killing zones; there is nothing gun-free about them. As we all saw firsthand, a gun in the right hands of a law-abiding citizen saved many lives that day. The hero dad should never be afraid of potential prosecution because he did the right thing and protected those sweet, innocent children,” Oregon Gun Owners Action League founder Derek LeBlanc told News2A.
He went on to add, “I wrote legislation on Friday that will repeal ALL of the laws that put the public at risk in these mass killing zones. I look forward to advocating for viable solutions that will help keep Oregonians safer on behalf of our most vulnerable citizens, our children.”
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