Sickle Darter Protected Under Endangered Species Act

Sickle Darter. Credit: Conservation Fisheries Inc. Image is available for media use.

Contact:Will Harlan, (828) 230-6818, WHarlan@biologicaldiversity.org

Sickle Darter Protected as Threatened Under Endangered Species Act

Fish Imperiled by Pollution, Dams in Tennessee, Virginia

KNOXVILLE, Tenn.— In response to a 2010 petition and 2015 agreement with the Center for Biological Diversity, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today announced a final rule to protect the sickle darter as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. But in today’s decision, the agency failed to designate critical habitat for the fish.

“It’s tragically too late for the sickle darter in the watershed where I live, the French Broad River, but with protections in place, we can still save this rare fish in other rivers,” said Will Harlan, a senior campaigner and staff scientist at the Center. “So many folks get their drinking water from or just have fun on the Appalachian rivers where these fish live, so saving this big, beautiful darter will also help a lot of people.” Read more

Animal Rights, Fishing

New Davidson’s Exclusive Mark IV 22/45 Lites with Riton Optic

PRESCOTT, Ariz. – Davidson’s is very pleased to announce our latest Exclusives ? the Ruger Mark IV 22/45 Lite with Riton 3Tactix MPRD2 red dot sight.

The Ruger Mark IV 22/45 Lite needs no introduction. We at Davidson’s have done several Exclusives utilizing this rimfire pistol from Ruger.

Standard features such as anodized color, threaded barrels, 1911 angle grip frame, 1911?style grip panels, and one?button tool?less takedown have made this 22LR pistol a fun project on many of our Exclusives.

These particular models boast a 4.4″, 1/2?28 threaded barrel, ambidextrous manual safety, and a red or purple anodized aluminum upper with custom ventilation cuts.

For the first time, however, we’ve added a red dot sight to the pistol and removed standard iron sights.

Red dot optics, obviously, have exploded in popularity on handguns so why not make one available on the Mark IV 22/45 Lite? But let’s take that a couple of steps further. Read more

Firearms, Optics

Smith & Wesson Announces S&W EQUALIZER (TM) Micro Compact 9mm Pistol

SPRINGFIELD, MA., (11/08/2022) – Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ Global Select: SWBI), a leader in firearm manufacturing and design, introduces the all-new S&W® EQUALIZERTM.

Level the playing field with our best- performing micro-compact to date. Next- gen EZ technology, low recoil impulse, and versatile magazine capacity all in a compact footprint, make the EQUALIZERTM an ultimate CCW. This 9MM offering provides the perfect balance of power and capacity across 10, 13, and 15-round magazines. The

EQUALIZER features a single-action trigger that allows for a short take-up, clean break, and fast reset to make follow-up shots quicker. The slide operates using easy-to-rack technology to cater to a wide variety of needs and the frame includes a picatinny-style rail to mount lights or lasers for any defense scenario. A new optic cut pattern allows the user to mount their choice of sight for enhanced accuracy and the 3.675” barrel gives a longer sight radius for increased iron sight precision. The EQUALIZER also features a new grip texture and pattern designed to give you more control when firing and more comfort when carrying. Read more

Firearms

Savage Arms® Presents A22 Takedown, the Versatile, Go-Anywhere Rimfire Rifle

WESTFIELD, Massachusetts – November 8, 2022 – Hunting, camping, hiking, boating, hitting the range and more just got even better with the Savage Arms A22 Takedown rimfire rifle. Opening/connecting with just a 1/4 twist and offering an extremely simple breakdown, this latest member of the A Series family is every outdoor enthusiast’s new go-anywhere rifle.

“No other rimfire rifles bring the versatility and flexibility of the A22 Takedown,” said Beth Shimanski, Director of Marketing at Savage Arms. “Weighing in at only 6lbs and available in 22LR, this rifle is specifically designed to improve your outdoor adventures with the ability to easily transport it in your pack. Savage is thrilled to bring the A22 Takedown to the market this upcoming year.”

This rifle encompasses all that the A Series represents with redefined speed, precision and accuracy-enhancing qualities. The A22 Takedown presents an effortless breakdown, acting as the perfect backpack gun for tough hunts and hikes.

Key features include: Read more

Firearms

SAF Files Brief Supporting Motion for Prelim. Injunction in Calif. ‘Fee Shifting’ Case

BELLEVUE, WA – The Second Amendment Foundation and its partners today filed a nine-page reply brief supporting their earlier motion for a preliminary injunction in their federal court challenge of California’s new one-way fee shifting penalty in the government’s favor that applies only to litigation challenging state gun laws.

The case is known as Miller v. Bonta. Joining SAF are plaintiffs James Miller; Ryan Peterson; John Phillips; Gunfighter Tactical, LLC; PWGG, L.P.; San Diego County Gun Owners Political Action Committee; California Gun Rights Foundation; and Firearms Policy Coalition, Inc.; John W. Dillon; Dillon Law Group, P.C.; and George M. Lee. Defendants are California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Luis Lopez, Director of the California Department of Justice Bureau of Firearms, in their official capacities. The case was filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California.

“Our attorneys cut right to the point in this brief,” said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. “The state not only has failed to defend their new law, but they all but conceded it is unconstitutional when they acknowledged the new section was ‘a response to, and was modeled upon’ a Texas statute on abortion, which the defendants argued was unconstitutional. Read more

Gun Control

Invasive Box Tree Month Found in Lenawee County, Michigan

Media contact: Jennifer Holton, 517-284-5724

LANSING, Mich -The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has confirmed the detection of box tree moth (BTM) (Cydalima perspectalis) at two residences in Clinton located in Lenawee County. Although not a threat to Michigan’s natural resources, extensive feeding from box tree moth can lead to significant defoliation and death of ornamental boxwood.

In May 2021, potentially infested boxwood plants were shipped to retail locations in several states including six in Michigan. The pest was then identified in three of the six Michigan facilities. It is not known whether the box tree moth populations detected in Clinton are linked or if the pest entered the state through another pathway.

“Box tree moth poses a serious threat to our boxwood industry,” said Mike Philip, Pesticide and Plant Pest Management Division Director with the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. “We are in the assessment stage of this response, and we are asking Michiganders to look closely at their boxwood plants and report any signs of this pest so we can determine the scope of this infestation and work to reduce the spread.” Read more

Wildlife

GOA Defeats NY’s Concealed Carry Improvement Act in Federal Court

Washington, D.C. – Gun Owners of America (GOA) and Gun Owners Foundation (GOF) have secured a preliminary injunction in federal district court against most of New York’s poorly named “Concealed Carry Improvement Act.” This follows GOA and GOF securing a temporary restraining order against the law in October, which was frustratingly blocked by a federal appeals court.

The ruling from Judge Glenn Suddaby, who indicated this law has imposed “unprecedented constitutional violations,“ enjoins the following provisions:

Requiring good moral character

Requiring the names and contact info of spouses and other adults in the applicant’s home

Requiring applicants to disclose social media accounts for review

The restrictions on carrying in public parks, zoos, places of worship, locations where alcohol is served, theaters, banquet halls, conferences, airports and buses, lawful protests or assemblies, and the prohibition on carrying on private property without express consent from the owner

The injunction will take effect immediately, despite the State of New York’s attempt to delay the injunction.

Erich Pratt, GOA’s Senior Vice President, issued the following statement:

“Just like we warned politicians after the Bruen decision, fall in line, or we will force you to. We are excited to see Kathy Hochul finally served a plate of humble pie, and we are fully prepared to continue the fight should she again attempt to disarm the citizens of her state at a time when her party’s policies are only escalating the danger that everyday citizens face.” Read more

Gun Control

New SIG SAUER Academy Courses and FPV Video Tour of the SEC

NEWINGTON, N.H. – SIG SAUER Academy is proud to present an amazing FPV (First Person View) drone fly-through video of the new SIG SAUER Experience Center as part of the announcement of the 2023 course calendar, seminar schedules and events happening on the campus of SIG SAUER Academy.

This incredible video shot using a FPV drone gives you a one-of-a-kind view of the exciting new SIG Experience Center, a state-of-the-art 40,000 square foot facility featuring the SIG SAUER Flagship Store, the SIG SAUER Academy Shooting Center and Indoor Range, the SIG SAUER Museum, a Conference and Events Center along with the hospitality suite Club 1751.

SIG SAUER Academy offers a comprehensive course schedule that caters to all types of shooters from beginner to expert for handgun, rifle, shotgun, and hunting. Visit sigsaueracademy.com to review the 2023 course schedule and register for a course at the SIG SAUER Academy in Epping, New Hampshire or one of the many courses offered at a SIG SAUER Academy Outpost location in Central Florida or California.

The Seminar Series is new to the SIG SAUER Academy and the SIG Experience Center. The Seminar Series offers students education and resources on a wide variety of subjects from Concealed Carry to Wilderness Survival, range from 2 hours to a half-day in length, typically cost $30 to attend, and require no equipment to participate. For a full schedule and to register of the 2023 SIG SAUER Academy Seminar Series visit sigsaueracademy.com. Read more

Firearms

SAF Files Motion to Intervene in Challenge of New Gov’t. ‘Firearm’ Definition

The Second Amendment Foundation has filed a motion to intervene in a federal lawsuit challenging the federal government’s new regulatory definition of a firearm, including the frame or receiver.

The case is known as VanDerStok, et.al. v. Garland, et.al. and was filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Fort Worth Division. A company known as Blackhawk Manufacturing Group, Inc., d/b/a/ 80 Percent Arms, has already been allowed to intervene as a plaintiff.

Joining SAF is Defense Distributed, a Texas-based company.

“We are intervening because our members have already suffered massive irreparable harms from this new regulatory move,” said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb, “because it contradicts the statute it is supposed to be administering. When Congress passed the Gun Control Act of 1968, it defined a firearm to include the finished frame or receiver. But the new rule expands that definition and criminalizes unfinished frames and receivers, and ‘parts kits’ that include those components.

“Furthermore,” he added, “the new rule violates the Administrative Procedures Act by failing to comply with mandates in the Supreme Court’s Bruen ruling in June, and because it is essentially an exercise of legislative power it doesn’t have, because Congress could not constitutionally grant such authority to a federal agency.” Read more

Gun Control

Federal Judge Again Blocks New York “Places of Worship” Handgun Carry Ban

BUFFALO, NY – Today, Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) announced that United States District Judge John Sinatra, Jr. has issued a preliminary injunction against New York’s ban on guns in “any place of worship or religious observation.” The order in Hardaway v. Nigrelli, which is effective immediately and comes two weeks after a temporary restraining order was issued in this case, can be viewed at FPCLegal.org.

“For these reasons, New York’s place of worship exclusion ‘violates the Fourteenth Amendment in that it prevents law-abiding citizens with ordinary self defense needs from exercising their right to keep and bear arms,’” wrote Judge Sinatra in his opinion. “The State’s renewed opposition offers nothing to change the outcome. Thus, Plaintiffs remain likely to succeed on the merits of their constitutional claim.”

“Here, a stay pending appeal is not warranted,” he went on to write. “As discussed above, Plaintiffs’ constitutional rights are being violated absent a preliminary injunction. The State fails to establish irreparable injury in the absence of a stay. The balance of hardships and public interest weigh in favor of Plaintiffs, also as discussed above. Finally, it is Plaintiffs who have demonstrated that they are likely to succeed on the merits. Legislative enactments may not eviscerate the Bill of Rights. Every day they do is one too many.” Read more

Gun Control
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