A twist on an inaccurate old anti-gun talking point is making the rounds on social media. On September 10, anti-gun public relations professional Wendy Zipes Hunter tweeted about a purported recent trip to drug store. Hunter claimed, “Couldn’t buy Claritin D today because my drivers license just expired - govt rule- wish the govt was that strict about buying guns.”

During a break in Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearings on Sept. 4, the father of a school shooting victim approached Kavanaugh and tried to shake his hand.

Gun rights advocates are stepping into the fight to push conservative federal appeals Judge Brett Kavanaugh across the finish line and onto the U.S. Supreme Court where they expect him to break potential ties on liberal gun control efforts.

Wilson recently expanded their Glock customizations. I happened to have a Glock 43 in the safe so I was all in. But I still couldn't believe the final product.

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Those who follow international news are painfully aware that France has seen a disturbing amount of terrorist attacks carried out within its borders over the last several years. Most are familiar with the January 2015 attack on Charlie Hebdo, the satirical newspaper based in Paris, which left 12 dead and 11 wounded. Later that year, the horror continued with a coordinated group of attacks in November that left 130 dead and more than 400 injured. Most of the carnage took place at the Bataclan theatre during a concert.

Convincing those who try to blame tragedy on law-abiding gun owners that their “solutions” simply don’t work is a daunting, and usually unrewarding, task. The latest example of this sad fact comes out of Coral Springs, Florida. An organization called 4FNow—the 4F standing for “Fewer Firearms, Fewer Funerals”—is promoting a gun turn-in program this Saturday, September 15, as part of its response to the horrific crimes committed earlier this year at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. And while this is a completely voluntary operation, it will do nothing to achieve their claimed goal of keeping “kids safe from gun violence.”

Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) is no fan of the Second Amendment. As California attorney general, she sided with local officials who refused to issue concealed carry permits to qualified, law-abiding applicants unless they could demonstrate an extraordinary need to carry a gun beyond concern for personal safety. More recently as a U.S. senator, Harris has co-sponsored legislation to ban firearms and magazines millions of Americans own to defend themselves and their loved ones, including the iconic AR-15.

For someone who has previously falsely accused the NRA of funneling foreign money into domestic politics, it must be that David Hogg either forgot he was in Canada recently or failed to appreciate that it’s also illegal under U.S. law for Canadian citizens to vote in U.S. elections or contribute to U.S. political campaigns.

The M1 carbine was designed as a Personal Defense Weapon of sorts. It combined the portability of a handgun with the magazine capacity of an autoloading rifle.

The post The M1 Carbine and The Story of Jack Lucas appeared first on GunsAmerica Digest.

A $75 pawnshop find proved to be pretty hard to kill, despite some 12 gauge stippling. In the above, the 704 Tactical channel pits their working pre-owned Hi-Point C9 9mm semi-auto — which they picked up to work on slide cuts, coatings, and basic gunsmithing — against a Mossberg 500 stoked with No. 8 birdshot. While it gets peppered, losing sights, grips, and trigger, most of the damage turns out to be cosmetic. Adding a new trigger and linkage from Hi-Point (which was covered by the company’s almost insane lifetime warranty), he gives it another go below.

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Anderson Manufacturing announced a new red dot sight, introducing consumers to the Advanced Micro Dot.

While its official name — the Anderson Manufacturing Advanced Micro Dot with Removable Base and Rotary Knob — is a mouthful, the Advanced Micro Dot itself looks to offer shooters an easier means to quickly and efficiently acquire targets downrange. Featuring a 2 MOA dot, the Advanced Micro Dot offers both elevation and windage adjustments of 60 MOA.

“AM-MD-AD-RK features a 2 MOA dot, meaning that the dot itself appears to cover roughly 2 inches of target at 100 yards. The 2 MOA dot offers an excellent compromise of both speed and accuracy,” Anderson Manufacturing said in a press release.

The red dot offers an IP57 waterproof as well as a fogproof design. (Photo:Anderson Manufacturing)

The red dot delivers fully multi-coated lenses in addition to 11 brightness settings. Compatible with night vision setups, the Advanced Micro Dot offers IP57 waterproofing and fogpoofing in addition to battery life of up to 50,000 hours on its medium setting with a single CR2032 battery.

Weighing 5.4-ounces and measuring 2.54-inches, the Advanced Micro Dot is constructed from 6061 aluminum with a Type II anodized matte black finish. The red dot fits any industry standard micro mount and also features a removable base.

Available from Anderson Manufacturing, the Advanced Micro Dot is in stock with a MSRP of $154.

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The J. Clark Salyer NWR, located along the Souris River in north-central North Dakota, will be open to moose hunters for the first time due to the order. The 58,700-acre refuge is the largest in North Dakota and is among 30 across the nation where hunting and fishing opportunities were recently expanded. (Photo: Tom Koerner/USFWS)

U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke this month announced the expansion of hunting and fishing opportunities at national wildlife refuges in 22 states.

Among the changes, which increase access to more than 251,000 acres of federal lands for sportsmen, are opening Montana’s Swan River National Wildlife Refuge to big game hunting and Pennsylvania’s John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge to white-tailed deer hunting for the first time. Zinke made the announcement Friday, stressing the country’s outdoor heritage and the importance of the user-pay model.

“American sportsmen and women contribute over a billion dollars a year to fund conservation. Without hunters and anglers, we wouldn’t be able to conserve wildlife and habitat; and, without access to our public lands like National Wildlife Refuges, many hunters would have nowhere to go,” said Zinke. “The last thing I want to see is hunting to become an elite sport, rather than a tradition passed on from generation to generation. Today’s announcement protects critical conservation funding, and ensures sportsmen have access to public lands for generations to come.”

Refuge systems opened for the first time for hunters besides Heinz and Swan River as part of the order include Florida’s Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge which will see wild turkey hunts as will New Jersey’s Edwin B. Forsythe refuge. The Umbagog National Wildlife Refuge, which straddles Maine and New Hampshire, will be opened to turkey hunters as well.

Michigan’s Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge, Minnesota’s Glacial Ridge and Wisconsin’s Trempealeau refuge will be opened to certain gamebird and small game species for the first time. Those seeking Eurasian-collared dove and Gambel’s quail can find both in New Mexico’s Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge. Likewise, moose hunters will be able to expand their operations to two facilities in North Dakota — the J. Clark Salyer and Lostwood NWRs. Ohio’s Cedar Point and Ottawa refuges will be opened for the first time for some game, including deer.

Among the changes first proposed in May are expanded hunting opportunities in Arkansas’ Felsenthal National Wildlife Refuge and California’s San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Illinois will see NWRs at Cypress Creek, Great River, and Hackmatack increase hunting options. Indiana’s Patoka River National Wildlife Refuge, as well as Maine’s Moosehorn and Rachel Carson refuges, will also see expansions.

In Maryland, the Blackwater NWR and Patuxent River facility will see expansions while Montana’s Charles M. Russell refuge is to see more big game hunting. Oregon sportsmen will have more hunting options at the Cold Springs and Upper Klamath NWRs. In the Beehive State, Utah’s Bear River refuge will see more migratory game bird and upland game hunting as would Pennsylvania’s Cherry Valley NWR.

During the public comment period on the changes, some 504 submitted feedback, many anonymous. Comments ranged from self-professed sportsmen who backed the changes to those from environmental and animal rights groups who stood against them. Organizations applauding the expansion included the National Wild Turkey Federation, various state conservation agencies, the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, the Quality Deer Management Association, and Delta Waterfowl.

Those against the increased access to hunting included the Humane Society of the U.S., which specifically challenged the bear hunting expansion at the Swan River NWR. The group Imagine Our Florida questioned expanded hunting in that state, citing potential dangers to the endangered Florida panther.

According to USFWS surveys and data, some 103 million Americans, or 41 percent of the United States’ population, pursued wildlife-related recreation to the tune of some $156 billion in 2016. These included an estimated 32 million target shooters and 11.5 million hunters. The expansion will produce an estimated increase of 17,575 user days yielding approximately $711,000 in recreation-related expenditures, as noted by the QDMA.

Founded in 1903 by President Theodore Roosevelt, there are some 560 refuges in the National Wildlife Refuge System – a network of lands set aside and managed by USFWS specifically for wildlife. Hunting within guidelines under the new plan expands the sport to 377 of that number.

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One of England’s premiere gun makers, Holland & Holland, had a double barreled big game rifle show up at Rock Island Auction Company during their annual Premiere Firearms Auction last week.

Unlike other firearms up for auction, this rifle is relatively modern, having been made in the last 20-30 years. “People don’t usually think of engraving at this level as being capable in the modern age. They think ‘They don’t make ’em like they used to’ and this [gun] is the counterpoint to that,” said Joel Kolander, RIA interactive production manager.

The gun — blurring the line of functional artwork — has amazing scrollwork around the receiver and side locks. The design sports gold inlaid tigers on either side and appear to be creeping out of the vine work. On the under, two hunters perch atop an elephant as they look for the tigers.

Ultimately the gun didn’t reach the desired price tag of $150,000, so it will go back to the consignor.

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A study published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association purports more people suffer when active shooters use semiautomatic rifles.

Researchers from the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston analyzed FBI data on nearly 250 mass shootings since 2000 — excluding the Las Vegas massacre as a “major outlier” and San Bernardino because it involved two suspects. Gunmen used semiautomatic rifles in 25 percent of the incidents, but managed to strike nearly twice as many victims as compared to shooters armed with handguns, shotguns and other non-semiautomatic long guns.

Overall, 718 people died and 898 sustained injuries in these incidents, defined by the FBI as “an individual actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a confined or populated area.” Although a similar proportion of victims tended to die no matter the firearm used — roughly 44 percent — the data suggests the number of people both killed or wounded in each incident nearly doubled when shooters used a semiautomatic rifle .

Dr. Adil Haider, a trauma surgeon at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, told the Associated Press the study doesn’t suggest the semiautomatic rifle itself is deadlier than a handgun, but that its just more efficient.

“Active shooters are hell-bent on killing people,” he said. “The big difference — and this is not such a big surprise — is if you give them a semi-automatic, they’re able to shoot twice the number of people.”

The FBI didn’t specify what types of firearms were used in each attack, so researchers used media reports to confirm whether the shooter used a semiautomatic rifle or some other weapon. The limitation, researchers say, highlights the need for a centralized database on mass shootings “to inform the debate on an assault weapons ban.”

“Firearms in general, regardless of the type, are extraordinarily lethal weapons,” said Dr. Cassandra Crifasi, deputy director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research, in an interview with the Associated Press. A self-described shooting sport enthusiast, Crifasi said she brings a different perspective to the research. “The main thing is that there are gun owners like me … who support common sense solutions to reducing gun violence,” she said.

Doctors for Responsible Gun Ownership, however, has long criticized the Journal of the American Medical Association for using “junk research” to tout gun control for decades.

“A recent press release from the president of the American Medical Association after the Orlando terrorist attack shows this bias clearly,” said Dr. Sean Brodale in his remarks at the 2016 Gun Rights Policy Conference.  “I look at this and think, these are doctors, they are highly educated and should know how to look at evidence and come to a reasonable conclusion — but they don’t.”

Dr. Robert Young, the group’s executive editor, told Guns.com Thursday while the data may be accurate and the outcome obvious — “all things being equal, a rifle is capable of faster, more accurate fire than a pistol, and may accept larger magazines, so it makes sense that mass murderers choosing them would be able to kill and wound more people” — it’s not ‘noteworthy’ to say as much.

“The only conclusion should be that we should keep trying to find ways to tell in advance who might be most dangerous to possess any firearm, because all kinds are used, and still the largest number of deaths and injuries overall are committed with handguns,” he said.

In June, Dr. David O. Barbe, AMA president, told members the association “must not back down from addressing gun violence” — the same way it combated stigmatized beliefs surrounding the HIV/AIDS epidemic, opposed the tobacco industry and promoted universal vaccinations.

The AMA recommends Congressional lawmakers ban “assault-type” rifles and high-capacity magazines, implement age restrictions on gun and ammo sales, expand domestic violence restraining orders to include dating partners, advocate for schools as gun-free zones, support gun buy-back programs, seize guns from high-risk individuals and oppose concealed carry reciprocity.

“While we will not all agree on every proposal introduced on gun violence, we can all agree that the issue must be addressed . . . and that the only responsible way forward is for women and men of good faith to continue to search for and advocate science-based solutions,” Barbe said. “That is true physician leadership.”

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A former high-profile Pasadena police spokesman faces federal time in his connection to illegally selling more than 100 firearms without a license over a three-year period.

Vasken Kenneth Gourdikian, 48, last week signed a plea agreement with federal prosecutors on charges of engaging in the business of dealing in firearms without a license and making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm. While law enforcement officers in the state are not prohibited from selling off-roster firearms to the public, Gourdikian admitted in the plea agreement that he “made a business of dealing firearms without a license, in part, by abusing exemptions made available to him under California law as a sworn peace officer.”

The 22-year veteran of the Pasadena Police Department came to the attention of authorities in 2017 for selling guns not approved under California’s Safe Handgun requirements. Gourdikian, using online gun forums, bought and resold at least 108 guns since 2014, including about 80 “off-roster” firearms which he could buy directly from licensed firearms dealers due to a state exemption for peace officers.

Prosecutors say he sometimes posted guns for sale online the same day he picked them and up even had his supervisors approve waiting period waivers to speed up the process and escape California’s gun rationing mandates, producing letters from his chief attesting that the gun was to “be used off duty and is not being purchased for resale.” On at least one occasion, he bought a gun from a dealer and lied on the transaction form saying that he was the actual buyer, although it was intended to go to another person. His dealings culminated with selling a gun to an undercover agent last February.

“Mr. Gourdikian used his position as a law enforcement officer to purchase firearms generally not available to the public so he could turn around and illegally sell them for profit,” said U.S. Attorney Nick Hanna in a statement. “His actions clearly violated federal law and introduced unauthorized firearms into the community. By his participating in these illegal acts, Gourdikian compromised public safety and violated the public’s trust.”

Gourdikian will be back in court on Sept. 20 to change his plea. While federal prosecutors recommend a prison sentence of 30 months, and his attorney is seeking a that he be given probation in lieu of jail time, the plea agreement is non-binding to the court and Gourdikain may get as much as 15 years.

He resigned from the Pasadena Police Department this March after he was indicted on federal charges but is still entitled to his pension at age 50.

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The unprimed brass comes in either a 50 or 100 count bag. (Photo: Federal Premium)

Federal Premium adds to its reloading supplies, bolstering its product offerings with a wide range of unprimed brass in a variety of rifle and handgun calibers.

The unprimed brass includes all of the industry’s favorite rounds — like .223, 9mm, .45 ACP, .300 Win Mag and .308 Win., among others — in addition to the new crowned favorite .224 Valkyrie. In total, Federal Premium boasts 17 calibers distributed in 50 or 100 count packs.

“Reloaders who insist on the best trust Federal Premium brass cases,” Federal Premium said in a news release. “The company has been producing the industry’s finest brass since the early 1950s, when the first centerfire rounds rolled off its machines, and the tradition continues today.”

The unprimed brass offers precise dimensional tolerances for the best accuracy possible. The brass features consistent volumes and reliable performance. Federal Premium said the unprimed brass delivers case shoulders and necks that are annealed for longer life in addition to easier resizing.

The unprimed brass series is currently shipping to dealers nationwide with prices ranging from $29 to $49.

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Grizzly bear in a field at Yellowstone National Park (Photo: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service)

A federal judge in Montana this week added more ice to a freeze on the opening of the grizzly bear season in two states.

U.S. Judge Dana Christensen issued a second 14-day injunction from his Missoula courtroom Thursday as part of a lawsuit brought by animal rights activists and Native American tribes. The legal action is halting the first grizzly hunts in Wyoming in 44 years and the first in Idaho in 22. Christensen, a 2013 appointment to the federal bench by President Obama, agreed with the groups’ argument that the 23 tags in the hands of local hunters may lead to lasting harm.

“If the Court does not extend the temporary restraining order, as many as 23 bears may be killed in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem,” Christensen said. “Their death would cause irreparable injury to the Plaintiffs.”

The case, supported by almost 30 groups to include the Humane Society, Center for Biological Diversity, National Parks Conservation Association, Northern Cheyenne Tribe, and Sierra Club, took issue with the decision by federal wildlife officials to allow the population of grizzly bears in the Yellowstone area to be managed by local conservation agencies. The diverse groups against the hunt, ranging from tribes who hold the bear as sacred to wildlife watchers and animal rights advocates who have backed anti-hunting measures nationwide, are concerned the state conservation agencies don’t have the animal’s best interest in mind.

The Yellowstone grizzly, banned from hunting under the Endangered Species Act after their population fell to as low as 136 animals in 1975, has now rebounded to well over 600, a fact that led federal officials to delist the animals from the act’s protections last year. With that, Wyoming and Idaho proceeded to allow limited hunting of the bears from the greater Yellowstone ecosystem outside of the park, set to begin Sept. 1. The bears, which now range in an area larger than the states of New Jersey and Massachusetts combined, have been the subject of a few high-profile encounters with humans as their population swelled, including at least three deaths since 2011.

The order from Christensen brought howls from the federal government and attorneys for Idaho and Wyoming conservation agencies. In more than 75 pages of motions filed Thursday, the assorted government organizations argued that the court’s injunction will harm businesses such as outfitters and guides who were banking on the planned bear seasons while culling 23 animals from a herd of over 600 was simply responsible game management. Further, they pointed out the sportsmen who were fortunate enough to win the agency-run lottery process for a bear tag were being denied a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Finally, they say those who are seeking to reverse the planned hunt altogether are unlikely to win their case on its merits, making the injunction an unneeded delay of the inevitable.

“Plaintiffs cannot rely on pure speculation alone; they must present this Court with credible evidence of imminent harm to their actual interests. They have failed,” said Coby Howell, an attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice.

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The Senate Judiciary Committee this week voted to put off Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination vote after Democrats, spearheaded by U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, asked for a delay.

Kavanaugh, following a week of hearings, was scheduled for debate by the committee on Thursday to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, which now, after an hour-long debate, won’t take place until Sept. 20.

Dems on the committee sought but failed to have more records released from the judge’s past time in the George W. Bush White House at the same time that Feinstein sparked media buzz with talk of a mysterious letter, reported by the Intercept on Wednesday, concerning an alleged incident involving Kavanaugh, 53, and a woman while they were in high school.

“I have received information from an individual concerning the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court,” said Feinstein in a statement. “That individual strongly requested confidentiality, declined to come forward or press the matter further, and I have honored that decision. I have, however, referred the matter to federal investigative authorities.”

Speaking to the letter forwarded to the FBI, Kerri Kupec, a White House spokeswoman, pointed out in a release Thursday that, “Throughout his confirmation process, Judge Kavanaugh has had 65 meetings with senators — including with Sen. Feinstein — sat through over 30 hours of testimony, addressed over 2,000 questions in a public setting and additional questions in a confidential session. Not until the eve of his confirmation has Sen. Feinstein or anyone raised the specter of new ‘information’ about him.”

The Senate’s top Republican, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, spoke on the chamber’s floor, standing up for the jurist who has been a U.S. Court of Appeals judge for more than a decade and has answered more submitted questions from lawmakers than every Supreme Court nominee in history combined.

“But by trying to slime Judge Kavanaugh, the Democrats are only underscoring one of his most impressive traits — his widely-acclaimed talent for thinking through all parties’ perspectives and engaging fairly with the full range of views, regardless of his personal beliefs,” said McConnell, who has vowed to get the judge confirmed by the end of the month. “This and all the other specious attacks that were trotted out said nothing about Judge Kavanaugh’s actual record.”

Gun argument

Kavanaugh’s record of interpretation of the Second Amendment has drawn much attention during his confirmation hearings. In 2011, he dissented from the majority in the D.C. Circuit’s ruling on Heller II, which challenged the city’s prohibition on “assault weapons,” saying in part, “In my judgment, both D.C.’s ban on semi-automatic rifles and its gun registration requirement are unconstitutional under Heller.” The judge went on to say that the guns were in common use and are protected under the Constitution.

While in front of the Judiciary Committee, he stood his ground on questioning from Feinstein and others, based on his Heller II dissent, on if semi-auto rifles such as those banned in D.C. were protected under the Constitution since they were in common use. His answers, to the effect that they were protected, drew condemnation from gun control advocates and prominent Democrats.

“We’re all well aware that assault weapons are prevalent in our country. That’s like saying water is wet,” said Brady Campaign co-president Avery Gardiner. “What Judge Kavanaugh doesn’t seem to understand is that assault weapons are weapons of war that have no business in places of peace.”

Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton this week picked up the argument in a Twitter broadside, concluding with “In sum: Kavanaugh doesn’t think judges should consider public safety or allow common-sense gun laws. Meanwhile, 96 Americans are killed with guns every day.”

Judge Kavanaugh dissented when the D.C. appeals court ruled in 2011 that the city could ban semiautomatic rifles and require handgun registration. He argued that courts shouldn't consider the public safety benefits of gun laws: "Our task is to apply the Constitution."

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) September 13, 2018

In sum: Kavanaugh doesn't think judges should consider public safety or allow common-sense gun laws. Meanwhile, 96 Americans are killed with guns every day.

Call your senators: (202) 224-3121

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) September 13, 2018

During her failed bid for the White House in 2016, Clinton went on record against the Supreme Court’s 2008 Heller ruling itself after expressing an interest in an Australian-style gun ban.

Meanwhile, gun rights groups such as the National Rifle Association have said the Kavanaugh appointment, which would keep the nation’s high court in a conservative majority until a current justice dies or retires, is so important that “The Second Amendment is at stake. America is at stake.”

"This is our opportunity to protect the one freedom that guarantees all the others—the freedom that makes America different from every other country on earth. The #SecondAmendment is at stake. America is at stake."—@ChrisCoxNRA. @NRA #Kavanaugh #SCOTUS #DefendTheSecond #2A #NRA pic.twitter.com/8ejzRvRC92

— Support NRA-ILA (@SupportNRAILA) September 5, 2018

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Smith & Wesson doesn’t invest in smart gun technology because consumers don’t want them — making a shareholder proposal to report on the gun maker’s “efforts to produce safer firearms” useless, top executives said.

Parent company American Outdoor Brands reiterated its stance on the development of user-authorized “smart gun” technology in regulatory filings this week, noting current efforts pose liability risks for the entire industry.

“Smart gun technology is not commercially available today or reliable, and, in fact, could potentially cause more injuries, not less,” the gun maker said in its Sept. 10 filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. “If the opposite were true, it would be used extensively by law enforcement agencies since it was originally designed for that purpose. Not one law enforcement agency uses such technology.”

The gun maker argues the technology provides no recourse should a battery die or the user authorization functions otherwise fail. It could also provide a false sense of security, leading to unsafe storage practices and other “unintended consequences.”

“A person relying on a firearm to protect his or her life, or the life of a loved one, does not have the liberty of rebooting the device, recharging the battery, removing a glove, or drying his or her hands,” the company said.

It’s the same position Smith & Wesson first detailed in a letter to BlackRock — an investment firm with major holdings in AOBC and other publicly traded gun makers — after the financial industry caved to public pressure over gun laws and demanded manufacturers answer to their role in preventing mass shootings.

“We are a manufacturing company, not a technology company, and we are poorly situated to hire those with the knowledge and expertise to develop such technology and to otherwise compete with technology companies who are far more knowledgeable in this area,” Chief Executive Officer James Debney said in the letter, dated March 6. “In fact, to divert significant resources to these initiatives would be irresponsible when the most recent market research shows there is very little interest or desire among firearm consumers for “smart gun” products, even if they were available.”

Still, the response provided little comfort to some investors. Last month, the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary backed a resolution for a gun violence risk report, drawing the support of at least two proxy advising firms ahead of the gun maker’s annual meeting Sept. 25.

Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) argued the proposal deserves shareholder support, even if the gun maker fears the backlash of creating the first smart gun, saying “there is reason to believe that smart gun technology could be employed to make guns safer in the U.S. and that any engineering problems could be overcome if there was a market for the product.”

“Nothing could be further from the truth,” Smith & Wesson said in its filing. “It is remarkable that ISS is substituting its judgment for ours on what firearms we should develop, market, and sell to our customers.”

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The Edmonds City Council Tuesday night unanimously approved an offer by two law firms to provide pro bono defense of the city’s recently passed gun storage ordinance. The firms involved are the litigation team for Everytown for Gun Safety and Summit Law Group of Seattle. Under the City of Edmonds ordinance approved July 24, those failing to secure their firearms could face a civil infraction of up to $500. If a child or other prohibited person gains access to a firearm that should have been secured, the violator can be fined up to $1,000. If someone is hurt as a result of that person gaining access, the fine increases to up to $10,000.