A new year means new guns laws. As 2024 state legislative sessions kick off, bills are being introduced, while laws are either taking effect or encountering challenges at both the state and federal level. Media reports are inundated with news about how these changes impact gun owners, making it challenging to sift through and locate the most important information. Each month, we’ll keep you informed so you stay up to date with the most important gun news.
December
U.S. House Supports Smith & Wesson in Supreme Court Case Against Mexico
The U.S. House of Representatives has filed an amicus brief supporting Smith & Wesson in its Supreme Court battle against the Mexican government. The case centers on allegations that the gun manufacturer’s marketing practices contributed to cartel violence. The House’s intervention underscores concerns about holding firearm companies liable for crimes committed with their products.
Rep. Massie Pushes for National Constitutional Carry Act
Representative Thomas Massie (R-KY) is urging Congress to pass his National Constitutional Carry Act, which would eliminate concealed carry permit requirements nationwide. Massie argues that the bill upholds Second Amendment rights, while opponents claim it could undermine public safety.
New York Eases ID Requirement for Concealed Carry Permits
New York has dropped the requirement for applicants to present a state-issued ID when applying for a concealed carry permit. The change, prompted by legal challenges from Gun Owners of America, aims to align the state’s gun laws with recent Supreme Court decisions. Gun rights advocates see this as a step forward, while critics worry about potential loopholes.
Ammoland, New York
Federal Court Upholds Illinois Assault Weapon Ban
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld Illinois’ ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. The ruling supports the state’s efforts to regulate firearms, but opponents argue the law infringes on Second Amendment rights and plan to escalate the case to the Supreme Court.
WCIA, Illinois
Trigger Manufacturers Appeal Court-Ordered Sales Ban
Manufacturers of rapid-fire triggers are urging the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals to lift a ban on their sale. The court had previously ruled that the devices violate federal law by enabling firearms to mimic automatic weapons. The companies argue the ban is overly broad and threatens the firearm accessory market.
Supreme Court Declines Hawaii ‘Spirit of Aloha’ Carry Case
The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear a case challenging Hawaii’s restrictive concealed carry laws. Known as the “Spirit of Aloha” case, it questioned the state’s permitting process post-Bruen. Gun rights groups expressed disappointment, citing the need for clarity on state compliance with the Bruen decision.
The Reload, Hawaii
Michigan Advances Gun Control Legislation
Michigan lawmakers have advanced bills targeting ghost guns, bump stocks and firearm destruction protocols. The proposed laws would tighten restrictions on untraceable firearms, prohibit devices that increase firing rates and mandate the destruction of seized weapons. The measures have sparked sharp debate between gun rights and gun control advocates.
Michigan Advance, Michigan
Wyoming Considers Concealed Carry in Schools with Enhanced Permits
A new bill in Wyoming seeks to allow concealed carry in schools for permit holders with enhanced training. Supporters argue it strengthens school safety, while critics express concerns about the risks of firearms in educational settings. The proposal has sparked a passionate debate within the state legislature.
Cowboy State Daily, Wyoming
November
Colorado Approves New Tax on Guns and Ammo
Colorado voters passed a ballot measure imposing a new tax on firearms and ammunition sales, marking the only major gun-related referendum this election cycle. The tax aims to fund gun violence prevention programs and public safety initiatives. Gun rights advocates have criticized the measure, warning it disproportionately impacts law-abiding gun owners.
The Reload, Colorado
Federal Court Upholds Colorado Ban on Gun Sales
A federal appeals court has ruled in favor of Colorado’s law banning firearms sales to individuals under 21. The decision aligns with recent legal trends focusing on age restrictions and firearms. Gun rights organizations have expressed concerns over the decision, arguing it infringes on constitutional rights.
The Reload, Colorado
Illinois Assault Weapons Ban Overturned by Federal Judge
A federal judge has struck down Illinois’ ban on semi-automatic firearms and high-capacity magazines, ruling it unconstitutional. The decision comes amid heightened debate over the Second Amendment and firearm restrictions. State officials plan to appeal the ruling, while gun rights advocates celebrate the decision as a victory for legal gun owners.
AP, Illinois
Pennsylvania DA Fights for Medical Marijuana Users’ Gun Rights
A Pennsylvania district attorney has filed a lawsuit challenging federal prohibitions that bar medical marijuana users from owning or purchasing firearms. The case highlights the ongoing conflict between state marijuana laws and federal gun regulations, with potential implications for gun owners nationwide.
KVTZ, Pennsylvania
Gun Owners of America Sues Memphis Over Local Gun Ordinances
Gun Owners of America has filed a lawsuit against the city of Memphis, arguing its gun ordinances violate Tennessee’s preemption laws. The lawsuit seeks to overturn regulations deemed more restrictive than state laws, citing concerns over constitutional rights and lawful gun ownership.
Fox, Tennessee
Firearms Industry Asks Trump to Dismantle Biden’s Gun Control Office
A leading firearms trade group has urged former President Trump to prioritize dismantling the Biden administration’s White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention. The group argues the office undermines Second Amendment rights and unfairly targets lawful gun owners.
Proposed Firearm Policies Spark Debate in Wyoming
Wyoming lawmakers and university officials are discussing new firearms policies for the University of Wyoming and the state Capitol. Proposals include tighter restrictions on campus carry and concealed firearms in legislative buildings, sparking backlash from gun rights advocates in the state.
WyoFile, Wyoming
October
Alabama Considers Ban on ‘Glock Switches’
Following the September mass shooting in Birmingham, Mayor Randall Woodfin called on lawmakers to pass a bill making devices that turn semi-automatic weapons into fully automatic weapons illegal. Though federal legislation already exists, a state ban would allow local police or sheriffs to arrest individuals found with these devices rather than simply turning the case over.
Alabama Reflector, Alabama
U.S. Violent Crime Dropped in 2023
According to FBI statistics, violent crime declined approximately 3 percent in 2023 from 2022. Murders and non-negligent manslaughter dropped almost 12 percent. America’s largest cities showed the largest decrease of 7 percent. The 2023 report is based on data from more than 16,000 law enforcement agencies.
Massachusetts Bans ‘Ghost Guns’
Gov. Maura Healey immediately implemented a law that was approved in July. The new law criminalizes possession of bump stocks and trigger cranks, expands the state’s so-called “red flag” law, bans unserialized guns and requires applicants for a gun license to complete live-fire training. Healey’s putting the law into effect immediately blocks any temporary suspension. Gun rights activists needed to file at least 49,716 signatures from registered voters to add the issue to the 2026 referendum.
AP, Massachusetts
Views on Gun Violence From the Vice Presidential Debate
Vice President nominees Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz shared differing solutions on how to address America’s gun violence. Vance encouraged increased security at schools, including stronger windows and doors that lock better. Walz pointed to Finland, another country with a high gun ownership rate, that does not share the U.S.’s experience with school shootings. While rebuffing the idea of turning schools into “forts,” Walz claimed there are reasonable solutions.
SCOTUS to Hear S&W v. Mexico
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) has accepted Smith & Wesson’s request to decide whether Mexico’s suit against the gunmaker should be tossed out. The case centers on the foreign government’s claim that the American firearms industry writ large, and Smith & Wesson in particular, is responsible for cartel violence south of the border. The Court will decide whether that claim is viable under the federal Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA).
Gun Ownership Increases Among Liberals
There’s a surprising trend of growing gun ownership among liberals in the United States, challenging the traditional association of gun culture with conservative white men. In 2022, 29% of Democrats or those leaning Democratic reported having a gun at home, up from 22% in 2010. Over half of Democratic voters who acquired guns after 2020 were first-time owners. Liberal gun owners cite various reasons for their purchases, including concerns about street crime and worries about deteriorating U.S. politics.
SCOTUS Hears Case on Gun Kits
This month, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case Garland v. VanDerStok. The case centers on the legality of President Biden’s executive order requiring sellers of unfinished firearms parts kits to treat them as completed firearms by engraving them with serial numbers, obtaining federal gun maker licenses, and performing background checks on their sale. The Supreme Court has already weighed in on the case twice before through its emergency docket, each time issuing a stay on lower court rulings to allow the ATF’s regulation to remain in effect while the case continued to work its way through the appeals process. The final decision will be made by summer 2025.
Alabama Democrats Seek Gun Control for 2025
Several House Democrats have pre-filed bills for the 2025 state legislative session aimed at degrading the state’s permitless carry law. State Rep. Chris England (D-Tuscaloosa) introduced House Bill 58, adding criminal penalties to certain aspects of the permitless carry law. House Bill 23, introduced by Rep. Kenyatte Hassell (D-Birmingham) would require a permit to carry certain weapons.
1819 News, Alabama
Ohio Considers Lifting Ban on Guns in Bars
Ohio’s state Supreme Court agreed to hear a challenge to the state’s law banning firearms in bars. The challenge was brought by a man accused of shooting the other in the neck after a bar fight in a men’s bathroom at 2 a.m.
Cleveland.com, Ohio
New York Gun Control Remains
New York residents can’t carry handguns in sensitive locations and must show evidence of good moral character when applying for a concealed carry license. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at New York left those provisions and other parts of the state’s Concealed Carry Improvement Act intact.
ABA Journal, New York
New York Joins States Tracking Gun Purchases
Governors in 17 different states have taken action to protect the constitutional rights of citizens from troublesome gun control schemes aimed at tracking the spending habits of law-abiding Americans through a shady firearm-specific Merchant Category Code (MCC) at guns stores. New York became the third state to enact the MCC, following California and Colorado.
Supreme Court Rules Against Penn. Lower Court
The Supreme Court overturned a lower court ruling from Pennsylvania that allowed residents under 21 to carry firearms in public, though the justices declined for now to hear arguments in the case themselves. At issue was a state law that barred 18-to-20 years olds from open carrying firearms during declared states of emergencies. The court’s decision tosses a federal appeals court ruling that found the law violated the Second Amendment. The Supreme Court did not explain its ruling and no dissents were noted.
CNN, Pennsylvania
New York Private Property Law Ruled Unconstitutional
A recently passed New York state law that bars licensed firearms owners to carry concealed on all private property is unconstitutional, according to a federal judge. The law makes it a felony for a concealed carry license holder to carry their firearm on all private property — unless the property owner expressly allows it. District Court Judge John Sinatra Jr. writes determined the state can’t enforce this rule on private property that is open to the public.
CBS, New York
Federal Judge Prepared to Throw Out Challenge to ‘Assault Weapons’ Ordinance
Rocky Mountain Gun Owners, the National Association for Gun Rights and five individual Coloradans filed suit in 2022 over local firearms ordinances that generally prohibited the sale, transfer and possession of large-capacity magazines and semi-automatic guns deemed “assault weapons,” with some variation. The plaintiffs based their challenge on the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen. Two years after the suit was filed against Boulder County, District Court Judge Nina Y. Wang says the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate why the ordinances injured them.
Denver Gazette, Colorado
September
Federal Judge Revokes Firearm Ban on Illinois Transit
In 2013, Illinois passed a Firearm Concealed Carry Act that made carrying a gun when using public transportation a misdemeanor. The ban covered all Metra commuter trains in the Chicago area as well as buses and trains operated by the Chicago Transit Authority and their facilities, including parking lots. Following New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, four Illinois permit holders challenged the provision. U.S. District Judge Iain D. Johnston determined the Illinois government failed to show the law was “consistent with this Nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation.”
Reason, Illinois
2025 Gun Law Changes
Arkansas lawmakers gave a preview of potential gun law changes during a meeting of the Arkansas Legislative Council. Under bills to be introduced during the 2025 legislative session, Arkansans would be able to carry guns at several new locations, including school campuses and bus stops. Other proposals include treating concealed carry violations similarly to traffic offenses rather than as misdemeanors or felonies and unifying the states licensing scheme for concealed and open carry.
Arkansas Advocate, Arkansas
Polymer80 Pauses Production
After the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives issued a rule that so-called “ghost gun” kits should be considered firearms under federal law, gun kit makers were hit by a wave of lawsuits. One such lawsuit resulted in Polymer80 and JSD Supply agreeing to stop selling kits in a large region around Philadelphia. Polymer80 appears to have now shut down completely, though some gun-rights advocates believe the company is waiting for a ruling from the Supreme Court on a Texas case that argues the ATF overstepped its authority.
Montgomery Mayor Restricts Permitless Carry
Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed signed a local ordinance into law requiring anyone carrying a concealed firearm to also carry a photo ID. The ordinance gives Montgomery police the ability to confiscate a concealed gun if the gun holder is not also carrying a photo ID. The firearm would remain in police custody until the gun holder pays a fine and provides proof of purchase to the local precinct within 30 days. The Montgomery Police Chief expressed support for the ordinance. The Alabama Attorney General disagrees with the measure but has not filed a lawsuit. Similar battles between local and state officials have taken place in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Savannah, Georgia. Mobile County Sheriff Paul Burch hopes to see restrictions on the permitless carry bill statewide, noting an uptick in violent crime. Specifically, Mobile County has seen an increase of at least 50 gun-related charges for those 20 or younger since the bill went into effect.
APR, Alabama
Felons Challenge Gun Ban
The ruling in New York Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen set off a wave of legal challenges to gun restrictions across the country. Those with felony convictions and therefore prohibited from possessing guns, have been the most frequent challengers. Of more than 2,000 federal court decisions citing Bruen over the past two years, 1,100 were from a challenge to the felon gun ban. Approximately 30 of the challenges have succeeded.
Gun Bans in California, Hawaii Stand
A three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit ruled that California was within its rights to establish gun-free zones in “sensitive places” like parks, beaches and businesses that serve alcohol. But the panel did remove some places from that list, finding they were not adequately backed by historical tradition. On appeal, the groups were joined by plaintiffs from Hawaii, who had challenged a similar law there prohibiting guns in certain places. The defendants in the Hawaii and California cases appealed, and the Ninth Circuit consolidated and decided on both cases.
California Further Restricts Gun Ownership
California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed several gun control measures, including one that allows the court to consider stalking and animal cruelty as grounds to restrict access to firearms. Under the new laws, a judge can consider stalking, acts of animal cruelty or threats of violence as evidence for a gun violence restraining order. A person who has a misdemeanor charge dismissed because they were found to be mentally incompetent will also be prohibited from possessing a gun. Current laws only apply such restrictions to cases involving felony charges.
AP, California
Biden Announces More Gun Control
President Joe Biden has announced a new executive order to combat gun violence in America, including a ban on unserialized 3D-printed firearms and a task force to assess the threat posed by 3D-printed guns. The order will tackle the two main emerging threats posed by 3D printers, which are machine gun conversion devices that can be printed with a 3D printer code online, and full firearms that can be printed via an illegally obtained code on the internet. Despite these guns already being illegal to purchase, the ATF recovered 5,454 between 2017 and 2021.
Washington’s Assault Weapons Ban Stands
A federal judge rejected another attempt to block Washington’s new law banning the sale of so-called “assault weapons.” This is the fourth time a court has ruled that the ban should remain in place while legal challenges continue. Ferguson first proposed a ban on the sale of assault weapons in 2017, in the wake of a mass shooting. The law, passed in April of 2023, prohibits the sale, manufacture and import of assault weapons in Washington state while allowing reasonable exemptions for manufacture and sale to law enforcement and the military. The law does not prohibit the possession of assault weapons.
Big Country News, Washington
August
Maryland’s Ban on ‘Assault Weapons’ Stands
A federal appeals court has upheld Maryland’s decade-old ban on military-style firearms commonly referred to as assault weapons. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to review the case in May. Maryland passed the measure after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012. It bans dozens of firearms, including AR-15s and AK-47s and limits gun magazines to 10 rounds.
AP, Maryland
State Fair of Texas Eliminates Concealed Carry
The State Fair of Texas says it will ban guns on its grounds in the wake of a shooting that injured three people last year. Fair officials announced the update while outlining the fair’s new safety and security policies. Because the State Fair of Texas is a private, not-for-profit organization, it can prohibit firearms within the fairgrounds. That includes gun owners with a license to carry or who practice constitutional carry, concealed carry and open carry. Other weapons, such as illegal knives, clubs, explosives, ammunition, and even replica or hoax weapons, are prohibited as well.
Fox 4, Texas
Maryland ‘Gun Free Zones’ Eliminated
U.S. District Judge George L. Russell several of Maryland’s recently adopted location restrictions for licensed concealed carriers. Maryland was one of the earliest states to respond to the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen decision with new restrictions, following just behind New York and New Jersey.
The Reload, Maryland
Constitutional Carry Clash in Louisiana
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette Science Museum was reclassified as a gun-free zone following Louisiana’s adoption of constitutional carry. With the adoption of the 1,000-foot boundary due to schools, that change meant it would be difficult to lawfully carry in much of downtown Lafayette. State Sen. Blake Miguez, who authored the constitutional carry bill, challenged the change as a direct attack on the right of Louisiana citizens to keep and bear arms. And Lafayette Mayor-President Monique Boulet issued guidance to the LPD to refrain from enforcing the law for the foreseeable future.
The Daily Iberian, Louisiana
Pistol Brace Ban Challenged
The ATF’s ban on pistol-brace-equipped firearms has hit another wall in court. A panel on the Eight Circuit Court of Appeals ruled two-to-one that the agency violated the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) when trying to reclassify the guns. The majority found the rule, imposed at the request of President Joe Biden, exceeded the ATF’s authority under federal law. It determined the agency’s rule was simply too vague to stand.
Delaware Governor Signs Sweeping Gun Control Legislation
Delaware Gov. Carny has signed four gun-related bills into law. House Bill 311 prohibits firearms on college campuses, and a Voluntary Firearms Do Not Sell Registry was created under House Bill 342. House Bill 270 requires safer handling of ammunition where it is sold, and unsafe storage of a firearm became a Class A misdemeanor under House Bill 155. “We’ve made a lot of progress to keep our communities safer since the start of this administration,” Carney said.
WDEL, Delaware
Machine Guns Legal
U.S. District Judge John Broomes dismissed criminal charges for machine gun possession, saying the government failed to meet its burden “to demonstrate through historical analogs that regulation of the weapons at issue in this case are consistent with the nation’s history of firearms regulation.”
AP, Kansas
Congress Pushes Back on Gun Control
Congresswoman Elise Stefanik has introduced a new bill in Congress that would essentially undo some of New York’s recent gun regulations, and bar similar measures across the country. The Modern Firearm Safety Act would bar New York and California from maintaining some of the most recent safety requirements for firearms. In a statement, Stefanik said the bill is a push to push back on gun safety or gun control bills at the state level.
July
GOP 2024 Platform Omits Gun Policy Pledges
Ahead of the Republican National Convention, the Republican party adopted a new 2024 platform stripped of all its previous gun policy pledges. Gun policy also went completely unmentioned in former President Trump’s official acceptance of the party’s nomination. In fact, during a USCCA-hosted panel discussion on gun rights, Trump campaign senior advisor Chris LaCivita suggested gun owners don’t vote, echoing a sentiment Trump shared during the NRA annual meeting in May.
Supreme Court Won’t Hear Assault Weapons Ban Case
The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear a series of challenges to Illinois’ assault weapons ban, issuing an order in which it denied the petitions for writs of certiorari in a half dozen cases after the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals last November upheld the ban. Illinois passed the sweeping ban on guns it classifies as assault weapons, as well as 15-round handgun magazines and 10-round long-gun magazines, after a shooter used an AR-15-style rifle to kill seven people at a Highland Park July 4 parade in 2022.
WTTW, Illinois
Supreme Court Sends Cases Back
The U.S. Supreme Court has sent a case concerning gun rights for marijuana consumers back down to a lower court after issuing a potentially relevant ruling in a separate Second Amendment case, and the Justice Department is now reiterating its position that cannabis use warrants a ban on firearm ownership. The high court has remanded several gun cases to their respective lower courts in light of the ruling in United States v. Rahimi, which affirmed the government’s right to restrict gun rights for a man with restraining orders for domestic violence.
Spokane Subverts Washington’s Preemption
Spokane took the final step in passing a local gun control measure despite lacking a constitutional review. The ordinance passed 5-2, though the city’s legal department hadn’t reviewed it before the meeting. The ordinance creates a new chapter in the Spokane Municipal Code, outlining restrictions against discharging a firearm within city limits and possession of a weapon, whether concealed or open carry, in “any public building used in connection with meetings of the governing body of the City of Spokane.”
The Center Square, Washington
New York Legislation Mandates Warning Signs in Firearms Stores
New York state Assembly and Senate voted to pass a bill that would require firearms dealers to post conspicuous signs in their stores warning potential customers of the dangers of guns. Shop owners who don’t post the signs within 90 days of when the bill is signed into law would be subject to a fine of at least $1,000, or 15 days in county jail.
Adirondack Daily Enterprise, New York
TSA Discovers Unloaded Handgun in Congresswoman’s Baggage
Republican Congresswoman Victoria Spartz may be in legal trouble after TSA detecting an unloaded handgun in her baggage. However, like the thousands of other Americans caught in a similar situation each year, Rep. Spartz may unexpectedly benefit from a new Supreme Court ruling against the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). More than 6,700 Americans brought a firearm into an airport checkpoint last year. The Supreme Court held in SEC v. Jarkesy that individuals have a right to seek trial by jury before an administrative agency imposes civil monetary penalties. Technically, it is a federal felony to attempt to board a commercial aircraft while carrying a concealed weapon. But the penalties are so harsh that the federal government declines to prosecute the vast majority of cases. The TSA usually imposes civil monetary penalties instead of federal felony charges.
Alec Baldwin Case Dismissed
The judge in Alec Baldwin’s involuntary manslaughter trial dismissed the case Friday, agreeing with the actor’s lawyers that prosecutors hid evidence that may have been linked to the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the Western movie “Rust” in 2021. “There is no way for the court to right this wrong,” said 1st Judicial District Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer. “The sanction of dismissal is the only warranted remedy.” The dismissal was with prejudice, meaning the involuntary manslaughter case against the actor cannot be filed again.
NBC, New Mexico
Massachusetts Legislature Approves Major Gun Law Reforms
The Massachusetts House and Senate sent Gov. Maura Healy a massive overhaul of the state’s gun laws this month. The conference committee report (H 4885) would give law enforcement tools to enforce stricter measures against so-called “ghost guns,” ban firearms in additional public spaces and expand the 2018 so-called red-flag law.
NBC, Massachusetts
Delaware’s Assault Weapon Ban Confirmed
A U.S. appeals court has upheld Delaware’s assault weapon and large-capacity magazine ban, which was challenged by a sportsmen’s group challenging the constitutionality of state law. In the opinion issued by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, the court ruled the case lacked merit. “They offered no details about how they would be harmed,” the court wrote, and an injunction is only used in extraordinary circumstances.
Cape Gazette, Delaware
Circuit Court Rules Minnesota Handgun Permit Law Unconstitutional
A federal appeals court has ruled Minnesota’s ban on 18- to 20-year-olds obtaining a permit to carry a handgun violates the U.S. Constitution. A three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the 2003 law runs afoul of both the Second Amendment and the 14th.
CNN, Minnesota
Federal Judge Rules Against ATF Ban on Forced Reset Triggers
A federal judge in Texas has overturned a Biden administration ban on forced reset triggers, after-market accessories that allow AR-15 type rifles to be fired more rapidly by automatically returning the trigger to its starting position after it is pulled. U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor in Fort Worth, Texas on Tuesday ruled that, opens new tab the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) had gone beyond its legal authority in 2021 when it decided to classify forced reset trigger-equipped guns as machine guns, which are illegal with very narrow exceptions.
Vermont’s Firearms Laws Remain Intact
A federal judge has rejected a bid by gun rights organizations to block the enforcement of two firearms laws passed in Vermont in recent years. The judge’s decision means that Vermont can continue to enforce its large-capacity firearms magazine ban, passed in 2018, as well as a 72-hour waiting period for firearms purchases, which passed last year.
VT Digger, Vermont
Wisconsin Drops Ban on Carrying While Fishing
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources agreed to rescind the rule barring anglers from carrying firearms. The lawsuit challenging the ban as a violation of the constitutional right to bear arms was brought by the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty. The DNR agreed to rescind the rule, enacted in 1999, as soon as possible and both sides submitted a joint motion to dismiss the lawsuit.
AP, Wisconsin
June
California Gun Sales Ban
A three-judge panel on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a ruling that firearms could not be bought or sold on property owned by the state. After one of California’s agricultural district associations barred gun shows at a San Diego County fairgrounds in 2018, gun show operator Crossroads of the West filed a lawsuit. As the case wound through courts, California passed a 2022 law barring gun sales on all state property.
The Press Democrat, California
Colorado Passes Multiple Gun Laws
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed into law eight bills passed by the legislature this year that tighten Colorado’s gun statutes. The laws impose new requirements on people obtaining concealed carry permits, the way firearms must be stored in vehicles and how weapons and ammunition are sold.
Colorado Sun, Colorado
Louisiana Refuses to Work With ‘Woke’ Banks
Louisiana Gov Jeff Landry signed the Firearm Industry Nondiscrimination (FIND) Act into law. SB 234 prohibits state agencies from entering into contracts with corporations that discriminate against the firearm industry.
NSSF, Louisiana
Research Shows Americans Support Gun Rights
A Pew Research Center poll found that 52 percent of registered voters believe it is more important to protect gun rights than it is to control gun ownership. However, feelings were heavily split along partisan lines.
Pistol Brace Ban Overturned
U.S. District Court Judge Reed O’Connor ruled in favor of Firearms Policy Coalition and its co-plaintiffs that challenged the pistol brace ban issued by the ATF.
New Mexico Recognizes South Dakota
The state of New Mexico is now recognizing reciprocity with South Dakota for the Enhanced Permit only. After a thorough review of South Dakota statutes and regulations, New Mexico found that South Dakota’s Enhanced Permit is either equally as stringent or more stringent regarding law and regulations pertaining to New Mexico concealed carry.
DRG News, South Dakota
May
Tennessee Allows Arming School Staff
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has signed legislation allowing teachers and school staff in the state to be armed in school buildings and campuses. State legislators approved the bill, which authorizes a faculty or staff member of a school to carry a concealed handgun on school grounds, subject to certain conditions including having approval from the principal and others to possess a gun.
CNN, Tennessee
Maine Gun Laws
Maine Governor Janet Mills (D) elected to allow LD 2238, which requires a 72-hour waiting period for all gun sales, to become law without her signature. However, Mills vetoed a separate measure aimed at banning bump stocks.
The Reload, Maine
Concealed Carry in Arkansas Stadiums
Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson (R) signed into law an expanded concealed carry bill that increases the number of places where people with concealed handgun carry licenses (CHCL) can bring a concealed gun. Under HB 1249, residents who get an additional eight hours of training will be able to bring their guns into state institutions of higher education, stadiums, airports and the Arkansas Capitol building. Currently, guns are prohibited at those locations.
Campus Safety Magazine, Arkansas
Federal Judge Does Not Block Colorado Ban
Colorado can continue to ban the sale of make-it-yourself gun kits that don’t include serial numbers on their components after a federal judge declined to issue a temporary injunction. According to Judge Gordan Gallagher, the law does not prevent the purchase of an unfinished frame or receiver but requires purchasers to have the frame or receiver serialized. Those requirements, the judge concluded, don’t infringe on the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.
CPR News, Colorado
Background Check Law Upheld
New York’s requirement that gun owners pass a background check for every ammunition purchase has been ruled constitutional according to a federal judge. U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci denied a request by gun-rights advocates to block enforcement of a New York law requiring ammunition sales to be handled by a licensed dealer and subject to a background check for the purchaser. He determined that the law fit within the country’s historical tradition of gun regulation.
The Reload, New York
Delaware Permit to Purchase
Delaware Gov. John Carney signed a “permit to purchase” handgun bill into law, aiming to reduce gun violence across Delaware. The law, which already faces a lawsuit less than four hours after it was signed, will require people to receive a permit and complete gun safety training before purchasing a handgun in Delaware.
Delaware Online, Delaware
Gun Violence Prevention
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore signed several pieces of public safety legislation into law, including House Bill 583 and Senate Bill 475, creating a Center for Firearm Violence Prevention and Intervention. As part of the state Department of Health, the center will focus on a data-driven public health approach to preventing gun violence and call for collaboration between state and local government agencies, hospitals and community-based violence intervention programs.
Another public safety measure signed into law was House Bill 947 — the Gun Industry Accountability Act — sponsored by Del. N. Scott Phillips (D-Baltimore County). It would let the attorney general or local state’s attorneys sue firearms manufacturers and gun dealers. Phillips said the legislation, which takes effect June 1, doesn’t target responsible and law-abiding gun owners.
WTOP News, Maryland
Background Checks Blocked in Texas
A federal judge in Texas blocked a Biden administration rule that expanded the requirements for background checks when selling a firearm. Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk granted an injunction against the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms to prevent the federal government from fully implementing the rule in Texas, though he also found that the states of Louisiana, Mississippi and Utah do not have standing in the case. The rule closes the “gun show loophole” for firearms dealers, requiring all people who sell firearms for a profit to be licensed and require background checks of buyers.
April
Iowa Permits for Teachers
After amending a bill allowing Iowa teachers and other school staff the opportunity to carry concealed on school grounds, the Iowa House and Senate have passed the legislation on to the governor’s desk. Permits to carry in school and the professional training requirements will be handled by the Department of Safety.
Siouxland Proud, Iowa
Americans Prefer More Rounds
According to a report by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, approximately three out of every four detachable magazines sold in the last 30 years have been capable of holding more than 10 rounds of ammunition. The report provides fresh insight into just how popular so-called large capacity magazines — typically defined by states that ban them as those capable of holding more than ten rounds — have become among American gun owners. It suggests they remain highly sought after despite the political controversy surrounding them.
West Virginia University Allows Carry on Campus
The West Virginia University Board of Governors unanimously approved carrying on campus, to go into effect on July 1. The Campus Self Defense Act sets the parameters for people with concealed handgun permits to carry on public college and university campuses and includes directives for weapons storage in dorms and other buildings, and exceptions where the schools may still prohibit weapons, such as at events at the football stadium and the Coliseum.
Dominion Post, West Virginia
Biden Administration Enforces Background Checks at Gun Shows
Thousands more firearms dealers across the United States will have to run background checks on buyers when selling at gun shows or other places outside brick-and-mortar stores, according to a Biden administration rule that will soon go into effect. The rule specifies that anyone who sells firearms predominantly to earn a profit must be federally licensed and conduct background checks, regardless of whether they are selling on the internet, at a gun show or at a brick-and-mortar store.
Washington’s Magazine Ban Unconstitutional
Cowlitz County Superior Court Judge Gary Bashor ruled that Washington’s ban on magazines that hold more than 10 rounds violates both the Washington state and U.S. constitutions. He issued an immediate injunction to stop the state from enforcing the ban, which has been in place since 2022. Attorney General Bob Ferguson filed an emergency appeal to the state Supreme Court seeking to keep the law in effect during the appeals process, which was granted, keeping the ban in place for the time being.
OPB, Washington
California Sued by Non-Residents
The Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) filed a new federal lawsuit against California Attorney General Rob Bonta (D). The suit alleges that the state’s residency requirement for gun carry permit applicants, along with its refusal to recognize the validity of permits issued by other states, acts as an unconstitutional total ban on the right to bear arms for non-residents. Only a handful of other states currently refuse to recognize permits from other states, or issue permits to non-residents.
The Reload, California
March
Tracing Gun Crimes Without a Federal Gun Registry
The ATF is prohibited by federal law from creating a centralized database of registered gun owners. Steven Dettelbach, director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said Sunday that without a federal gun registry, the agency has to go through a “system of records” to trace crime guns.
Reducing New Mexico Gun Violence
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has signed legislation intended to mitigate gun violence. Two of the bills that passed were a seven-day waiting period for firearm purchases and updating the ban on firearms near polling places.
Politico, New Mexico
Biden Stands Behind Gun Restrictions
Headed into a tough re-election bid, President Joe Biden signaled he would stay the course on his aggressive push for new gun restrictions during his State of the Union address. Biden indicated passing and signing a new ban on popular firearms such as the AR-15 and other so-called “assault weapons” was at the top of his priority list on that front.
Holding Gun Makers Liable for Shootings Rejected
A federal judge on Friday rejected a challenge to a Washington state law that cleared the way for lawsuits against the gun industry in certain cases. It requires the industry to exercise reasonable controls in making, selling and marketing weapons, including steps to keep guns from being sold to people known to be dangerous or to straw buyers. It allows the attorney general or private parties, such as the family members of shooting victims, to sue for violations or damages under the state’s Consumer Protection Act.
NBC, Washington
California Gun Sale Restriction Denied
U.S. District Judge William Q. Hayes has ruled that California cannot limit how many firearms a lawful buyer can purchase in a month. Hayes found the one-gun-a-month restriction violated the Second Amendment.
The Reload, California
Magazine Ban Stands
Rhode Island’s ban on possessing ammunition magazines capable of holding more than 10 rounds doesn’t violate the Second Amendment, a three-judge panel for the First Circuit Court of Appeals ruled. Upholding a lower court’s denial of a motion for a preliminary injunction against the magazine ban, the panel ruled “large-capacity magazines” are rarely used in self-defense and the ban imposes “no meaningful burden” on Rhode Islanders’ ability to defend themselves.
The Reload, Rhode Island
Utah Encourages Armed Teachers
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox has signed a bill encouraging educators to carry a gun or keep one in their classroom. The legislation will fund annual training for teachers to learn how to defend classrooms against active threats. It builds upon a state law enacted last year that waived concealed carry permit fees for teachers.
The Guardian, Utah
Firearms and Bail
A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that barring defendants out on bail from possessing firearms while they are awaiting trial was constitutional even after a landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling in 2022 that expanded gun rights. The panel rejected arguments by two defendants in California that the pretrial firearm restrictions violated their right to keep and bear arms under the U.S. Constitution’s 2nd Amendment.
Second Amendment Privacy Acts
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb and Utah Gov. Spencer Cox signed Second Amendment Privacy Acts in their respective states. The laws bar the use of a firearm-retailer specific Merchant Category Code (MCC) for banks, credit card companies or financial service providers to track the lawful sale of firearms and ammunition.
Gun-Free Zones Remain
After signing several Second Amendment friendly bills, Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon vetoed legislation that would have eliminated most so called “gun-free” zones. Schools and local governments will retain control over who can and can’t carry concealed weapons onto their premises.
WyoFile, Wyoming
Protecting the Rights of Law-Abiding Gun Owners
With the deadline for taking action on the legislation that the General Assembly sent him this month just two weeks away, Gov. Glenn Youngkin on Tuesday announced that he has vetoed an additional 30 bills that he said would “punish law-abiding gun owners and violate their constitutional rights.” He also signed 31 measures into law and offered amendments to six.
Cardinal News, Virginia
Gun Safety in Schools
House Bill 2882, a bi-partisan push to incorporate gun safety education into Tennessee schools, is now heading to the state senate. The bill aims to bring a gun safety course into the classroom, ensuring kids will know what to do if they ever come across a gun. Students would learn things like firearm storage, school safety, and how to avoid getting hurt if a student finds a weapon.
NBC, Tennessee
Supreme Court Hears Case on Bump Stocks
The Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Cargill v. Garland in late February. The case challenges the bump stock rule implemented by the Trump Administration, and defended by the Biden Administration, which effectively outlawed the possession of the devices. The justices spent most of their time trying to discern the meaning of the 1934 National Firearms Act (NFA), which defined and heavily restricted the ownership of machine guns. Much of the argument centered on whether bump stocks allow a shooter to automatically fire their gun more than once with a single “function of the trigger,” as the NFA definition of machine gun requires.
Gun-Free Zones Expanded
Washington state lawmakers have passed legislation expanding the places where you’re not allowed to carry a firearm. If the bill is signed by the governor, guns will be banned at zoos, aquariums, libraries and transit facilities.
KIRO 7 News, Washington
Warning Shots as Self-Defense
Ohio resident Tyler Wilson was convicted of felonious assault after firing a round he claimed was intended to “scare” off a man pointing a gun at him. His attorney had abandoned a claim of self-defense, leading Wilson to appeal his conviction. Wilson’s appeal ultimately led to the Ohio Supreme Court, which was tasked with deciding whether someone is “entitled to a self-defense instruction for firing a warning shot at an armed aggressor, or must they [sic] shoot to injure or kill in order to receive the instruction at trial?” The Ohio Supreme Court determined, aside from the willful intent to use force, the only other intent required is to repel or escape force, not an intent to harm or kill another.
Bearing Arms, Ohio
February
DOJ Requests Supreme Court’s Influence
The Biden Administration filed a petition asking the Supreme Court to overturn a Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals decision in VanDerStok v. Garland. Doing so would rule the ATF has the authority to legally redefine what constitutes a firearm under federal law to include unfinished gun parts. The DOJ’s petition substantially increases the likelihood that the Supreme Court will agree to review the ATF’s attempt to ban so-called ghost guns.
Hawaii Rejects SCOTUS Ruling on Guns
Hawaii’s Supreme Court reversed a lower court decision that found charges leveled against Christopher Wilson for carrying a gun without a permit violated his rights. The court ruled the state’s constitution provides no gun-rights protections. “We read those words differently than the current United States Supreme Court. We hold that in Hawaiʻi there is no state constitutional right to carry a firearm in public.”
Nebraska Weapons Ban Temporarily Stopped
Douglas County Judge LeAnne M. Srb partially granted an injunction requested from the Nebraska Firearms Owners Association, temporarily halting enforcement of the weapons ban on city property. However, the judge did not support the organization’s request to halt the city’s ordinances to prohibit bump stocks and ghost guns.
WOWT, Nebraska
Supreme Court May Hear Case Against AR-15 Ban
Gun rights groups have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to take up their challenge to Maryland’s ban on assault weapons like the AR-15 semi-automatic rifle before a federal appeals court can rule on the long-running case. The groups argue the unconstitutionality of semi-automatic rifle bans like Maryland’s is clear after the Supreme Court’s 2022 gun rights ruling.
Credit Card Companies Assist Red Flag Laws
Credit card networks Visa, Mastercard, and American Express are currently working to comply with a new California law requiring payment processors to implement a specialized Merchant Category Code (MCC) for transactions at gun and ammunition retailers. Lawmakers passed the requirement, which takes effect in May of 2025, with the hopes of prompting financial companies to track and ultimately flag “suspicious” purchases for law enforcement.
The Reload, California
Colorado Weapons Ban
Reps. Elisabeth Epps and Tim Hernández are the prime sponsors of House Bill 24-1292, an effort to ban the purchase and transfer of semi-automatic weapons in Colorado. Epps also sponsored a similar bill last year that died in committee. The bill includes a page and a half of specific examples of would-be-banned weapons.
Colorado Newsline, Colorado
Waiting Period Added to New Mexico Gun Purchases
The New Mexico Senate voted 23-18 to pass House Bill 129, which would require a gun seller to wait seven days after the purchase to deliver a gun to the buyer. Proponents point to mass shootings in the U.S. committed with guns bought a week earlier and say waiting periods have been shown to reduce gun homicides and suicides. The Senate-amended bill will have to be returned to the House before Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham will sign it into law.
Source NM, New Mexico
Constitutional Carry in Louisiana
The Louisiana Senate approved a bill legalizing permitless concealed carry. The vote fell along party lines. The state Senate killed similar bills in each of the last two regular legislative sessions after the House voted overwhelmingly to approve such a measure. Governor Jeff Landry has vowed to sign the bill into law if it clears the legislature.
WWL, Louisiana
January
California Gun Control
Californians with a concealed carry permit can lawfully carry a gun in most areas of the state once again. A three-judge panel on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals removed a stay applied to a lower court ruling against California’s SB2, which created a near-total ban on gun carry in the state. The action reinstates the lower court ruling that found the law violated the Second Amendment rights of those with gun-carry permits
The Reload, California
U.S. Senators Regret Gun Control Votes
Days after meeting with heartbroken parents of Sandy Hook shooting victims, Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-Col.) joined three other red-state Democrats and 41 Republicans to successfully block a background check bill. A more sweeping proposal that would have banned many semi-automatic weapons failed that day by an even wider margin, with opposition from 16 members of the Democratic caucus. A ban on high-capacity magazines like the one used by the Sandy Hook shooter also fell short. Now, as mass shootings have become more frequent in the decade since Sandy Hook, four current senators and three former senators have taken the remarkable step of recanting some or all of their 2013 positions.
Michigan Increases Gun Restrictions Going into 2024
New laws will be taking effect in the first few months of 2024, including a set of laws that aim to increase gun safety in Michigan. There are four significant gun laws that will be implemented in 2024 that will require things like safe storage, universal background checks, creating Extreme Risk Protection Orders also called “red flag laws,” and a gun ban for those convicted of domestic violence.
CBS News, Michigan
Gun Buyback Violates New Mexico Laws
A private gun buyback event hosted by gun-control activist group New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence (NMPGV) may have violated New Mexico’s gun laws. The San Juan County sheriff’s department is launching an official investigation to determine if it was illegal under state law for the group to exchange gift cards for unwanted firearms without first conducting a background check.
The Reload, New Mexico
Honolulu Blocks Gun Sales
Hawaii Firearms Coalition, a local gun-rights group, claimed in a statement that Gun sales have been blocked for much of December in Hawaii’s largest city. The Honolulu Police Department (HPD) has advised gun purchase or carry permit applicants they won’t process them without a (currently unattainable) training certification. And it’s unclear when those permits might become available again.
The Reload, Hawaii
Ohio Sees Less Crime with Constitutional Carry
Six of Ohio’s eight largest cities saw less gun crime after the state’s constitutional carry law took effect, according to a study published by the Center for Justice Research. Researchers analyzed data spanning from June 2021 to June 2023 – a year before and a year after the law took effect – focusing on crimes involving firearms, verified gunshot-detection alerts and the number of officers struck by gunfire. The study showed significant decreases in the number of crimes involving firearms in Akron, Columbus and Toledo, and across all eight cities combined.
Supreme Court Could Hear Case on Federal Gun Ban for Marijuana Users
The legal question over the constitutionality of a federal gun ban for marijuana users is now before the U.S. Supreme Court, where justices are expected to decide whether they will hear an appeal of a circuit court ruling that found the restriction violates the Second Amendment. Three relevant cases are under consideration in the nation’s highest court that could finally settle the issue.
Post Office Gun Ban Ruled Unconstitutional
U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle determined that the blanket ban on firearms possession in post offices violated the Second Amendment rights of a former postal employee who was charged with illegally possessing a gun in a federal facility. She dismissed part of the man’s indictment after concluding that a total gun ban in post offices is “incongruent with the American tradition of firearms regulation.” “The Supreme Court has been clear: the government must point to historical principles that would permit it to prohibit firearms possession in post offices,” Judge Mizelle wrote.
Concealed Carry Ban During Emergencies Unconstitutional
In a 2-1 decision, a Third Circuit Court of Appeals panel blocked Pennsylvania from enforcing a trio of state statutes that together prohibit people between the ages of 18 and 20 from legally carrying firearms when a state of emergency is declared. The ruling adds to a growing body of federal court decisions casting doubt on age-based gun restrictions. Texas, Tennessee, and Minnesota have similarly ruled that adults under the age of 21 are protected by the Second Amendment.
The Reload, Pennsylvania
Permanent Injunction Stops Oregon Measure 114
A formal ruling by Harney County Circuit Court includes a permanent injunction today against Oregon gun control policy, Measure 114, to prevent it from taking effect. Oregon voters narrowly passed Measure 114 as a referendum in November 2022. The measure has 13 sections involving Oregon gun ownership, including requiring police permission to purchase a firearm and limiting magazines to 10 rounds.
KDRV, Oregon
Assault Weapons Ban
A federal appeals court has said it will hear a series of major challenges to gun control laws in March, including a case seeking to strike down Maryland’s ban on assault weapons in the wake of a 2022 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that broadly expanded gun rights.
Reuters, Maryland
New Mexico Gun Control Partially Blocked
A U.S. District Court judge is standing by her decision to block portions of a public health order from New Mexico’s governor that would suspend the right to carry firearms in many public parks in the Albuquerque area, with appeals pending before a higher court. The rest of the public health orders have remained intact, including directives for monthly inspections of firearm dealers statewide and reports on gunshot victims at New Mexico hospitals.
KRWG, New Mexico
Colorado ‘Ghost Gun’ Ban Challenged
A new Colorado law went into effect on New Year’s Day that makes it illegal for people in the state to put together an untraceable, so-called “ghost gun” using a kit or a 3-D printer. Within hours, two gun rights groups sued the state over the new policy. The National Association for Gun Rights and Rocky Mountain Gun Owners filed their suit in federal court, arguing the homemade gun ban doesn’t meet the new historical standard test laid out in the 2022 Bruen ruling.
CPR, Colorado
