Federal judge strikes down law barring gun sales to young adults



A federal judge in Virginia has ruled a law barring handgun sales to adults under age 21 unconstitutional, WAVY reported.

Like other rights enshrined in the U.S. Constitution, the Second Amendment protections "vest" prior to age 21, U.S. District Court Judge Robert E. Payne wrote in his 71-page ruling Wednesday.

"If the Court were to exclude 18-to-20-year-olds from the Second Amendment’s protection, it would impose limitations on the Second Amendment that do not exist with other constitutional guarantees," the George H.W. Bush appointee also wrote.

The case, brought by John Corey Fraser, then 20, and others against the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, stemmed from Fraser's attempt to purchase a Glock 19x handgun from a federal firearms licensed dealer in May 2022. The FFL dealer, as the law demanded, refused the sale based on Fraser's age.

In his own ruling, Judge Payne repeatedly cited the United States Supreme Court's landmark 2022 decision in Bruen v. New York State Rifle & Pistol Association. According to the Bruen decision, a major victory for gun rights advocates, courts must evaluate the country's history and tradition of firearms regulation in rendering decisions about the constitutionality of a gun restriction, as noted by Fox News Digital.

Judge Payne found that the federal law keeping citizens ages 18, 19, and 20 from buying handguns did not comport with any such established history and tradition.

He laid out distinctions between the delayed privileges of adulthood such as alcohol and tobacco use and the right to keep and bear arms. The former, he said, involve no constitutionally protected right; therefore, legislatures can impose reasonable regulations on them. Restrictions on the latter, in contrast, should not be afforded such judicial deference.

Quoting the District of Columbia v. Heller decision, Judge Payne noted, "The Second Amendment 'is the very product of an interest balancing by the people' and it 'surely elevates above all other interests the right of law-abiding, responsible citizens to use arms' for self-defense."

In other words, the Second Amendment should be afforded the same respect as the others, whether the citizen is 18 or 118 years old.

"The government simply has not met its burden to support the finding that restrictions on the purchasing of firearms by 18-to-20-year-olds is part of our Nation's history and tradition."

"Even though it ensures that future buyers can now purchase these firearms in the federal system — one that includes background checks and other requirements — we expect the defendants will appeal," Elliott Harding, Fraser's attorney, told KUSA, adding he is optimistic that Judge Payne's will be upheld.

Judge Payne's decision would take effect when he issues his final order, which is expected in the next few weeks, according to the New York Times.
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Philly carjacker with flair for dramatic jumps on vehicle's roof, points gun at owner standing by gas pump; 3 other gunmen help chase victim into store



Surveillance video released by Philadelphia police Wednesday shows a quartet of armed carjackers zeroing in on a victim at a Sunoco gas station in the 5900 block of Wissahickon Avenue in the Germantown section of the city around 10 p.m. Sunday.

At least one of the crooks had a flair for the dramatic, hopping out of a white van parked in front of the targeted car — a red 2022 Chrysler 300 — jumping on the car's roof, and pointing a gun at the car's owner, who appeared to be about to begin pumping gas.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

Three other crooks armed with rifles and handguns also emerged from the van, and all four gunmen chased the victim, who ran into the gas station's store.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

It isn't clear whether the gunmen took anything from the victim; police did not say anything other than his car was stolen.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

Video then shows the four gunmen retreating from the store before cutting to a clip of three of them running back to the van, while presumably the fourth gunman drives off with the car.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

Image source: YouTube screenshot

Police said they are trying to identify the four black male suspects, who were wearing dark masks and dark hoodies. Police added that the carjacked red Chrysler 300 was seen heading south on Wissahickon Avenue, while the white van was seen heading north on the same street.

Here's the surveillance video:

Robbery Carjacking 5901 Wissahickon Ave Dc 22 39 053430youtu.be

'Like something out of a movie'

"It looks like something out of a movie because of that guy jumping on the car," Antonius Mikuriya, who was getting gas at the station Monday, told WPVI-TV. "It's very surreal."

Laura Ward, who lives nearby and also stopped at the gas station Monday, asked the station, "How can you prepare for something like that? You can't."

WPVI added that police are investigating whether the four gunmen know the owner of the carjacked vehicle and specifically targeted him or his car.

No one was injured during the carjacking, the station said.

Philly carjackings have doubled since last year

The station said there have been more than 1,000 carjackings in Philadelphia so far in 2022 — twice the number from last year.

"It's one of the worst crises that we face right now," District Attorney Larry Krasner said during a Monday news conference, WPVI said.

TheBlaze has reported extensively on the city's carjacking epidemic:

Two guns stolen from Democratic Rep. Karen Bass' home amid her run for Los Angeles mayor



Democratic Rep. Karen Bass of California said in a statement last week that two guns had been stolen from her home.

"Last night, I came home and discovered that my house had been broken into and burglarized," the lawmaker said in a statement on Saturday, according to reports. "LAPD was called, and I appreciate their assistance. At this time, it appears that only two firearms, despite being safely and securely stored, were stolen. Cash, electronics and other valuables were not. It's unnerving and, unfortunately, it's something that far too many Angelenos have faced."

The lawmaker's communication's director Sarah Leonard Sheahan informed the Los Angeles Times that the firearms belonged to Bass and noted that they had been stowed in a Brinks lock box. Leonard Sheahan noted that nobody was at the house when the incident occurred.

The outlet linked to a Los Angeles Police Department press release. The notice, which does not mention Bass's name, states, "On September 9, 2022, a suspect entered an unoccupied residence and removed property from the location. According to the victim, there are several valuables, electronics, and US Currency in view that were not taken." The press release adds that, "The suspect is described as a male, Hispanic, standing 5 feet and 9 inches tall, weighing 200 pounds, wearing dark clothing and a surgical mask, blue baseball cap with a white logo emblem, and black Asics sneakers."

\u201cLAPD News: Detectives Seeking Information on a Burglary (NR22261ll)\u201d
— LAPD PIO (@LAPD PIO) 1662863347

Bass, who has served in the U.S. House of Representatives for more than a decade, is currently running for Los Angeles mayor. She is facing off against Rick Caruso. Earlier this year, Elon Musk endorsed Caruso.

"Los Angeles is fortunate to have someone like Rick Caruso running for mayor. He's awesome," Musk tweeted in early June. "It is rare for me to endorse political candidates. My political leanings are moderate, so neither fully Republican nor Democrat, which I am confident is the case for most Americans. Executive competence is super underrated in politics – we should care about that a lot more!" Musk added in another tweet.

\u201cIt is rare for me to endorse political candidates. \n\nMy political leanings are moderate, so neither fully Republican nor Democrat, which I am confident is the case for most Americans.\n\nExecutive competence is super underrated in politics \u2013 we should care about that a lot more!\u201d
— Elon Musk (@Elon Musk) 1654261737

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Support for gun control falls to 7-year low: Gallup



American's support for gun control has fallen to the lowest level in seven years, according to a Gallup survey released Wednesday.

According to the poll, 52% of U.S. adults say they want stricter gun laws, a five-point decrease from Gallup's last survey and the lowest reading since 2014. The findings come as violent crimes and homicides are rising in the U.S. and after Americans set a record for firearms purchases in 2020.

Gallup observed that calls for gun control typically spike when mass shooting events receive widespread media coverage and recede as that attention fades away. For instance, three years ago after the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, support for increased gun control surged to 67%, the highest level recorded since 1993.

Now, 35% of U.S. adults think laws that govern the sale of firearms should remain unchanged, while 11% say they favor less strict gun laws.

Support for gun control fell by 15 percentage points among Independents, which drove the overall 5% decrease in support recorded. Democrats remain nearly unanimous in support for stricter gun laws, while a majority of Republicans (56%) like gun laws as they are now, The remainder of Republicans are split between favoring increased gun control (24%) and wanting fewer gun restrictions (20%).

Additionally, support for a complete ban on handguns in the U.S. has reached an all-time low of 19%. Support for such a ban peaked at 60% when Gallup first asked the question in 1959 and has not reached a majority since.

"Americans' support for stricter gun laws has typically risen in the aftermath of high-profile mass shootings and fallen during periods without such events. Changes in the party occupying the White House may also influence preferences for gun laws," Megan Brenan wrote for Gallup. "Generally, the public favors stricter laws when Republicans are in office and less strict laws when Democrats are."

Perceptions about crime may be related to the lack of support for gun control. Gallup found that a vast majority of American gun owners (88%) cite protection from crime as the chief reason they own a gun.

"Polling was done shortly after the FBI's annual crime report documented a record one-year increase in the murder rate between 2019 and 2020, which may have made personal protection more salient in gun owners' minds than in past years," Gallup senior editor Jeffrey M. Jones said. "Gallup finds that Americans perceive increased crime in their area and in the U.S., more generally."

In September, the FBI reported a nearly 30% increase in homicides in 2020, the largest single-year increase ever recorded by the bureau. The FBI said the violent crime rate rose by 5.2% last year compared to the previous year.

According to Gallup, 31% of U.S. adults say they own a gun, a number that has remained relatively unchanged for decades.

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South Carolina Senate rejects constitutional carry, passes open carry with requirements



The Republican-controlled South Carolina Senate on Thursday passed a watered-down open carry bill that would allow trained gun owners with a concealed weapon permit to carry their handguns in public view.

Conservative Republicans in the state Senate attempted to expand the legislation into a full-on "constitutional carry" bill to let all legal gun owners carry firearms publicly without a permit, but nine GOP senators voted to reject the amendment.

The bill that passed Thursday requires people who have concealed weapons permits to undergo training and background checks to be allowed to carry their handguns openly. The training must include how to properly holster a firearm and de-escalation techniques for hostile situations. Those applying for a concealed weapons permit must also fire a minimum of 25 rounds during training.

Following several days of heated debate, during which Democrats decried a bleak future where Wild West shootouts occur in South Carolina streets, the bill passed 28-16 with just one Republican opposed.

"It's just a recipe for disaster that can easily be avoided," state Sen. Kevin Johnson (D) said. "I'm just asking that we think very carefully about what we're doing to our beautiful state by turning into a scene from the wild, wild west."

Democrats observed that doctors and law enforcement officers testified in opposition to the bill during subcommittee hearings.

"The medical community is against this bill, law enforcement is against the bill, the business community is against the bill and, overwhelmingly, the people of South Carolina are against the bill," state Sen. Marlon Kimpson (D) said. "Who do we represent?"

Republicans countered that it is legal in South Carolina to carry a long gun openly in public and few state residents choose to do so.

"I don't think open carry with a pistol will be an issue, either," state Sen. Tom Corbin (R) said.

South Carolina is currently one of only five states without some form of open carry law, along with California, Florida, Illinois, and New York.

Gov. Henry McMaster (R) has pledged to sign any bill the legislature passes that protects Second Amendment rights.

State Sen. Shane Martin (R) led the unsuccessful effort to amend the bill to let all legal gun owners carry firearms openly, no permit required.

"I want everyone to be able to exercise his or her constitutional rights, but I don't want our government to have to tell us how to do that," Martin said.

After his amendment failed, Martin told the State he was "disappointed" but added that he has "no regrets" over the way things turned out.

"I won't give up advocating for it. I was so close," he said. "The Senate's not ready for it yet."

Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey (R), one of the Republicans who voted to reject the constitutional carry amendment, said having background check and training requirements is important for safety and in line with how the Supreme Court has interpreted the Second Amendment.

"It's important to be able to demonstrate at least a minimal proficiency in handling weapons," he said.

Support for stricter gun laws falls to lowest point since 2016; backing for handgun ban falls to near record low



With all the civil unrest that plagued the country over the last year, support for instituting stricter gun laws has dropped, while support for making gun laws less strict has seen a bump. And support for a ban on handguns has fallen to nearly record-low levels.

As Americans watched neighborhoods burn, business suffer looting, protesters demand that we "defund the police," and fellow citizens hit with violence from rioters and other criminals, they made their way to gun stores, hoping to add another level of security for themselves and their families.

And as a result, the nation has seen a surge in gun sales the last few months, with gun sales shattering records this summer.

In early October, Rasmussen revealed that 22% of gun-owning households said they had added at least one firearm to their arsenal since the start of violent anti-police and Black Lives Matter protests.

When those factors are combined with the absence of a mass shooting in the U.S. this year, it likely comes as no surprise that Americans have grown significantly less supportive of imposing stricter gun laws.

A new Gallup survey posted Monday showed that a shrinking majority — 57% — of Americans support calls for stricter gun laws, which is down seven points from last year and down 10 points from 2018.

The share of U.S. citizens who want guns laws to be made less strict moved up from 4% in 2018 and 7% in 2019 to 9% today.

The percentage of voters who believe gun laws should be left untouched grew from 28% last year to 34% this year.

New Gallup survey shows recent shrinking support for imposition of stricter gun laws: https://t.co/tKpsnyhJLI
— Chris Field (@Chris Field)1605634866.0

When broken down by demographics, the widest difference of opinion is found, unsurprisingly, between political parties, with the gap between gun owners and non-gun owners coming in second.

  • 85% of Democrats want to see stricter gun laws imposed, while 22% of Republicans feel the same.
  • 72% of non-gun owners support stricter gun laws, while just 26% of current gun support such a move.
New Gallup breakdown of support for stricter gun laws by party: https://t.co/vcLgKCAKql
— Chris Field (@Chris Field)1605634912.0

Gallup also reported that support for a ban on handguns in the U.S. has fallen to a near record low of just 25%. The previous record low was 23% in 2016.

New from Gallup: Support for handgun ban nears all-time low https://t.co/8F8yvnA04c
— Chris Field (@Chris Field)1605634972.0

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