U.S. LawShield Welcomes Constitutional Carry in Indiana

Houston, Texas –– U.S. LawShield®, industry leader in self-defense law and America’s foremost provider of educational resources on safe firearm ownership welcomes Indiana as the 24th state to enact permitless carry, otherwise known as constitutional carry. Effective July 1, 2022, Indiana House Bill 1296, “Indiana Permitless Carry,” repeals the law that requires a person to obtain a license to carry a handgun in the state.

According to U.S. LawShield CEO P.J. Hermosa, “Folks tend to think the new permitless carry legislation in Indiana is simple, but if they don’t understand its complexities, their actions could lead to trouble. We educate people on what is required to be legally armed and how to keep themselves and their families safe. Just because a license isn’t required doesn’t mean there aren’t restrictions, and it’s important to consider that ignorance of the law is not an excuse for breaking it.”

Hermosa continued, “The experienced U.S. LawShield Independent Program Attorneys who wrote the book on Indiana gun laws spell out exactly what you need to know to stay on the right side of the law in the Indiana Permitless Carry Guide. And, we encourage responsible gun owners to educate themselves on what the legislation means for them as residents of Indiana.” Read more

Self Defense

Frabill WITNESS 30 LB Weigh Net

First of its kind net does it all for both freshwater and saltwater anglers

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The Frabill WITNESS Weigh Net is the first all-in-one fish net, scale and ruler for fresh and saltwater anglers. With a built-in 30 lb scale, anglers can now quickly get the weight of a fish and release it without having to hang the fish on a handheld scale.

Designed to make a day on the lake hassle-free, the WITNESS Weigh Net is the innovative way to capture a fish’s weight, length and snap a quick photo before returning the fish safely back into the water. Simply scoop up any fish up to 30 lb and remove the hook. Turn on the scale and hold the net in a vertical position with the net portion down to record the quick weight of any catch.

The WITNESS Weigh Net features tangle-free Micro-Mesh netting and a flat bottom net making it safe for fish handling. The molded rubber grip with 48-inch handle is easy for anyone to use and features an integrated 30-inch ruler to measure your catch.

Key Features
• 30 lb digital scale
• 48” aluminum handle with molded rubber grip and integrated 30” ruler
• Tangle-free Micro-Mesh netting
• Flat bottom net to better protect the fish
• Meshguard hoop resists wear and prolongs the life of the net

MSRP: $149.99
Available: Fall 2022 Read more

Fishing

FPC Statement on Attorney General Bonta Data Dump

Sacramento, CA — Firearms Policy Coalition issued the following statement in response to the recent data leak of gun owners’ sensitive data:

Earlier this week, California Attorney General Rob Bonta boasted in a press release that his Department of Justice had created a firearms dashboard portal to increase “transparency,” which resulted in the wholesale exposure of the personal information–including license to carry information–related to the gun owners who have complied with California’s onerous gun restrictions.

There is no way to sugarcoat the horrible violation of trust committed against Californians this week. What is most troubling, though, is that this was completely foreseeable. Be it by malice or incompetence, countless times throughout history, when the people have entrusted the government with sensitive information–information which, in the wrong hands, could do great harm–we have seen that trust broken. The simple, time-proven fact is that the government cannot be trusted with lists relating to gun owners. Read more

Gun Control

Supreme Court Vacates Md. “Assault Weapon” Ban Decision, Sends FPC Lawsuit Back to Circuit Court

WASHINGTON, DC – Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) announced today that the United States Supreme Court has granted, vacated, and remanded its Bianchi v. Frosh lawsuit, which challenges Maryland’s ban on so-called “assault weapons.” The case will now return to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals “for further consideration in light of New York State Rifle & Pistol Assn., Inc. v. Bruen.” The order and other case documents can be viewed at FPCLegal.org.

Bianchi was filed in December 2020 and was dismissed sua sponte by the Court in March 2021. It was then dismissed by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, who said it was “squarely foreclosed by this court’s decision in Kolbe v. Hogan.” FPC filed a petition for certiorari with the Supreme Court, who held the case pending the outcome of NYSRPA v. Bruen. With Bruen now decided, the court has returned the case to the Fourth Circuit where it can now proceed.

“This is an important moment,” said FPC Policy Counsel Matthew Larosiere. “We have suffered at the hands of government actors who felt empowered by a lack of clear standards from the Supreme Court. All too often, horrible restrictions which threaten jail time for simply owning a common type of arm–one the people have an undeniable right to–were allowed to stand. This case presents one of the first opportunities to give force to our right to these common firearms, and we intend to see it through.”

In addition to Bianchi, the Supreme Court today vacated and remanded three other Second Amendment lawsuits: ANJRPC v. Bruck (challenging New Jersey’s ban on magazines holding more than 10 rounds), Duncan v. Bonta (challenging California’s ban on magazines holding more than 10 rounds), and Young v. Hawaii (challenging Hawaii’s laws preventing people from carrying firearms in public for self-defense.) Read more

Gun Control

Florida: FWC Reveals TrophyCatch Pink Tag Hint Maps

As TrophyCatch heads into the last months of Season 10 and the 10-Tag Celebration, eight more prized fish are still swimming in Florida lakes and the FWC is offering clues about where to find them. These new tagging maps of the remaining lakes could lead lucky anglers to the pink-tagged bass.

Through Florida bass telemetry and tagging studies, FWC biologists have found that where a largemouth bass is tagged and released can frequently coincide with where an angler catches the same bass weeks, months or even years later. Based on these patterns in bass behavior, TrophyCatch is releasing “tag zone” maps for the remaining eight waterbodies, showing the areas where the prized bass were tagged and could potentially be caught.

Dale Dew, who caught the first 10-Tag bass, was within yards of where the fish was released with its pink tag in Lake Griffin. Of course, these hints come with a caveat: while bass can be predictable, there are many exceptions to their typical home range patterns and some bass are not homebodies at all. In contrast to Dew’s catch, the second reported 10-Tag bass was caught by RJ Crawford in Newnans Lake over three miles away from where it was tagged. Thus, these new hints don’t eliminate water in which a 10-Tag bass might be found but should be treated as higher-probability areas. View each of the ranges on the maps located on the 10-Tag Celebration web page. Let’s see how many can be found! Read more

Fishing

Simple Summer Landscaping Options

Backyard landscapes and flower gardens can benefit a variety birds, including hummingbirds (Anna’s Hummingbird photo by Jessica McConahay).

It’s the peak of growing season in most areas of the country, so it’s a great time to appreciate the rewards of your landscaping efforts – your trees, shrubs, grasses, and flowers. There are more flowers yet to come, and your garden probably has some more growing to do, but it’s a great time to supplement your flowers, add a bit more color to your yard in a variety of ways, and make your yard even more bird friendly. But keep it simple this time, simple with big rewards.

Simple changes are easy: Few tasks are easier than digging a shallow hole to plant a new shrub, or turning a garden spade to add or transplant some new plants. It’s even easier to let decorative areas of lawn grow unmowed to break up the monotony of low mowed lawn, while at the same time an area of longer grass provides over for birds to dive into when needed, and the seeds produced will also provide a bit of food, if not now, then during fall, winter, or even spring when doves, native sparrows, towhees, thrashers, and others use the “new habitat.” Try starting with a small area, maybe an island of longer grass, a peninsula jutting out from bushes, or 2 feet of longer grass surrounding a tree.

Each year we whittle away at our mowed lawn, and we like how the longer grass adds a different shade of green, adds tranquil motion when the wind blows, and inserts a new texture and touch of nature we didn’t have before. We also let a perimeter of grass grow long around each tree in our yard to add a different, more lush look. It’s been said that there are 40 million acres of mowed lawn in the United States; as birders, many of us are thinking beyond monotonous expanses of mowed lawn.

A more time-consuming summer option, but one many birders interested in gardening are embracing is to take a look at what local native plants you find attractive, especially flowering plants that offer some bird food qualities too. You can probably transplant a few interesting native flowering plants from out of the way public roadside ditches, but you may have some better transplant ideas too. You may even have a native plant greenhouse in your area where you can do some shopping. Read more

Wildlife

Rehabilitated Seat Turtles Successfully Released

Contact: Aimee Brim,
Director of Marketing & Communications
Office 850-243-9046 x30
Mobile 850-543-8059

aimee.brim@gulfarium.com

Gulfarium C.A.R.E. Center Successfully Releases Four Rehabilitated Sea Turtles back into the Gulf of Mexico

Destin-Fort Walton Beach, FL. – The Gulfarium’s C.A.R.E. Center successfully released four rehabilitated sea turtles on Wednesday, June 29, 2022, at Inlet Beach, Florida.

It was a beautiful morning as the Gulfarium C.A.R.E. Center released some of it’s recent patients. “It is always so rewarding when we release sea turtles back into the Gulf,” states Patrick Berry, Director of the Gulfarium C.A.R.E. Center. “All species of sea turtle are endangered so we are passionate about doing everything we can to help these animals. I am proud of our team and their commitment to give sea turtles second chances.”

All of the rehabilitated sea turtles arrived at the C.A.R.E. Center after being accidently hooked by fishermen at local fishing piers.

Silvia, a juvenile Kemp’s ridley sea turtle weighing just 7lbs, was foul hooked in the right front flipper by a circle hook at Navarre Beach Fishing Pier on April 5th, 2022. Intake radiographs revealed no internal hooks but her stay at the C.A.R.E. Center was lengthened by an increased white blood cell count, indicating an infection. After a round of antibiotics, Silvia was cleared for release.

Next to head into the Gulf of Mexico was Bjorndal, a sub-adult loggerhead weighing 112lbs, who was foul-hooked with a J-hook in the left front flipper on June 22nd. Clear radiographs and bloodwork meant that it was a short stay at the center for this turtle. Read more

Wildlife

Federal Duck Stamps Soar into Their Debut by USFWS

Hunters, birders, and stamp collectors celebrated as the 2022-2023 Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp – commonly known as the Duck Stamp – went on sale. The new Federal Duck Stamp and its younger sibling, the Junior Duck Stamp, debuted and are now available for purchase.

The Federal Duck Stamp plays a critically important role in wildlife conservation. Since 1934, sales of this stamp have raised more than $1.1 billion to protect over 6 million acres of wetlands habitat in the National Wildlife Refuge System, managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

“I am thrilled to put my stamp on conservation with the purchase of my Federal Duck Stamps and encourage others to join me,” said Service Director Martha Williams. “This is one of the easiest ways to support migratory bird habitat conservation. Of every dollar spent on a duck stamp, 98 cents of the purchase goes directly to acquiring and protecting habitat for ducks, geese, swans and other wildlife.” Read more

Wildlife

Primary Arms Optics Releases New SLx HUNTER Rifle Scopes

HOUSTON, TEXAS – Primary Arms Optics has just launched their first SLx® HUNTER™ Rifle Scopes, starting with their 3-9x40mm and 3-9x50mm SFP models. The SLx HUNTER 4-12x40mm and 4-12x50mm SFP Rifle Scopes are expected soon and are currently available for pre-order.

Crafted for the true outdoorsman, the SLx HUNTER 3-9x40mm and 3-9x50mm SFP Rifle Scopes improve your visibility and precision without compromising on weight. The 3-9x magnification range, combined with high-quality lenses, offers a clean, crisp image for optimal performance.

Both the 3-9x40mm and 3-9x50mm scopes offer the same quality feature set, including a lightweight 1-inch body diameter with a bold Duplex-style reticle. The 40mm model offers superior mobility for extended hikes, weighing only 15.3 oz. The 50mm models offer slightly enhanced exit pupil and light transmission, weighing only slightly more at 18.2 oz. Read more

Optics

FPC Seeks Injunction Against New York City May-Issue Handgun Carry Restrictions

NEW YORK, NY – Today, Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) announced the filing of a motion for preliminary injunction in its federal Second Amendment lawsuit challenging the laws that prevent individuals from carrying a loaded handgun on their person for self-defense in New York City. The motion, along with other case documents in Greco v. City of New York, can be viewed at FPCLegal.org.

“The Supreme Court has now explicitly held that the Second Amendment ‘protect[s] an individual’s right to carry a handgun for self-defense outside the home,’ and it has further ruled that the ‘proper cause’ requirement is unconstitutional ‘in that it prevents law-abiding citizens with ordinary self-defense needs from exercising their right to keep and bear arms.’,” the motion says. “The short of it is that, but for Defendants’ use of the unconstitutional ‘proper cause’ standard, each Plaintiff would have a valid license to carry handguns in New York City right now.”

“It’s high time the people have their rights respected,” said FPC Policy Counsel Matthew Larosiere, “New Yorkers have been suffering second-class treatment at the hands of an oppressive government for too long. With the Supreme Court pointing to the Second Amendment’s ‘unqualified command,’ we hope to finally liberate the people from these absurd restrictions on their natural right to keep and bear arms.” Read more

Gun Control
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