Will there ever be a day that the words “gun control” is missing from the news headlines?

This week is a mix of victories for the Second Amendment, as well as some very disappointing news for gun owners in Illinois.

Headlines

Colt’s Plan to Stop Bankruptcy

The U.S. Bankruptcy Court of Delaware approved Colt’s “Disclosure Statement for its Second Amended Plan of Reorganization,” which was agreed upon by stakeholders, lenders, creditors and Colt’s landlord. Creditors will vote on the Reorganization plan by December 7, hopefully brining Colt out of bankruptcy.

Bass Pro Shops to Buy Cabela’s?

Rumor has it that Bass Pro is working with an investment bank to work up an offer to purchase Cabela’s. At the time of this writing neither company has made any comment on the story.

Cook County, Ill. To Pass Ammo Tax

The Cook County, Illinois Board President Toni Preckwinkle (that’s an unfortunate last name) intends to pass an ammunition tax—one cent for every rimfire round and five cents for every centerfire round. The city already has a $25 additional tax on gun purchases. Preckwinkle says the tax will “…improve public safety.”

Civil Lawsuits Filed Against Taurus

Following Taurus’ settlement on a class-action lawsuit in federal court, two civil court lawsuits have been filed against the company in Florida One claims that a Taurus PT99 fired when its owner seated the magazine killing his 11-year old son. (All guns are always loaded. Never point a gun at something you are not willing to destroy.)

The second lawsuit claims a Taurus 24/7 Pro DS fired a round when it fell out of a holster and hit the ground, injuring a police officer in Kentucky.

Read more about Taurus’ troubles here and here.

Congress Members Urge Obama to Take Executive Action

Democratic Representatives Chris Van Hollen (Maryland), Adam Schiff (California), Elizabeth Esty (Connecticut), and Robin Kelly (Illinois) wrote a letter to President Obama asking him use Executive Action for what they call the “gun violence crisis.” The letter calls for gun manufacturers who supply guns to federal contacts through taxpayers’ money—which includes Smith & Wesson and Glock—to develop “smart guns” and regulate sales. The letter states, “As the largest single domestic buyer of guns, the federal government is in a position to demand changes from gun manufacturers through the procurement process.”

ACTION ALERT! Support the Hearing Protection Act of 2015

The American Suppressor Association has made it easy to have your voice be heard (and not your firearm) in support of the Hearing Protection Act of 2015. Simply fill out the form the organization has provided on its website and letters will go directly to your Representatives and Senators. Click here to support the Hearing Protection Act of 2015.

GOA Challenges Machine Gun Ban

The Gun Owners of America (GOA), Gun Owners Foundation, Gun Owners of California, The Heller Foundation. Conservative Legal Defense and Education Fund, Institute on the Constitution, and GOA life member and Elkhart County, Indiana Sheriff Bradley D. Rogers filed an amicus brief at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit challenge the federal machine gun ban.

New Jersey “Smart Gun” Law Amendment

New Jersey Senate Majority Leader, Loretta Weinberg (D-Bergen) introduced a bill that will amend the state’s ‘Smart Gun’ law. The bill, the Childproof Handgun Law requires gun dealers to stock a Smart Gun once the first one is available in stores for sale instead of the original law, which mandates all guns sold in New Jersey be Smart Guns. Proponents of Smart Guns hope that the amended law will help companies bring their “smart” guns to market.

In an opinion piece published on NJ.com, Jonathan Mossberg, CEO of iGun Technology Corp., and Tom Lynch, CEO of Safe Gun Technology wrote, “We hope Sen. Weinberg and the rest of the New Jersey Legislature takes the opportunity to right the wrong they created 13 years ago and wipe the mandate off the books entirely, paving the way for the gun community to reconsider their skepticism toward smart guns. We believe that these technologies hold huge potential for increased control over one’s own weapons, and will ultimately save lives.”

Maryland Scraps Ballistic Fingerprinting Program

Maryland recently ended its 15-year program of collecting, photographing and keeping a fired round from every handgun sold in the state. Originally developed to keep a database in order to track down guns used in crimes, the state police only successfully matched 26 cartridges out of the 300,000 stored to crimes. As early as 2005, a spokesperson for the Maryland state police stated that the program was not working. The Ballistic Fingerprinting systems cost Maryland $5 million.

Wisconsin Lawmaker Halts Her Own Gun Control Plan

In less than a week, Representative Lisa Subeck (D-Madison) was put in her place over a very strict gun-control plan she outlined last week. Her bill, LRB 3635, would have banned many semiautomatic firearms and required confiscation. She agreed to stop pushing the bill and instead revisit her gun-control/gun ban plan. Subeck wrote, “After receiving feedback from some of our colleagues regarding the circulation of a preliminary draft banning semiautomatic assault weapons, the other authors of the bill and I have determined that we will work with the Legislative Reference Bureau to make some revisions to the draft bill to address some concerns that have been raised.”

New Jersey Big 5 Bill Amended

Knife Rights’ opposition to New Jersey’s Big 5 Bill worked! New Jersey amended it’s Big Five African Species ban Bill after Knife Rights submitted a Position Paper to the New Jersey Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee hearing, helping to rework the bill which originally banned trophies from over 11,000 species. Passing 11 to 1, amendments included dropping the original stated number of banned species to 10, as well as lower the punishment for failure to obtain a “certificate of ownership” of said species.

Product News

Weatherby Vanguard Select Rifle Introduced

Weatherby introduced the newest rifle in its Vanguard series—the Select. Producing 3-shot 0.99-inch groups at 100 yards the Vanguard Select has a match-grade two-stage adjustable trigger, fluted bolt, dual-opposed locking lugs and a synthetic Monte Carlo stock. Available in six different popular hunting calibers, the Weatherby Vanguard Select is in stock and shipping. Click here to see more features and purchase a Weatherby Vanguard Select rifle.

In case you missed them, here are the top 10 read blog posts this week:

• You are Carrying Concealed, Should You Intervene?
• The Fantastic .45 ACP: Five Inexpensive 1911 Alternatives
• What I’ve Learned after Carrying a Glock 19 for 4,992 Hours
• “I’d Rather be Shot By a ‘Smart Gun’ Than Sell a Smart Gun”
• Maine’s New Constitutional Carry Law Cuts Reciprocity With Several States
• The Importance of Finding the Right Holster
• Winchester Model ’94—The Rifle That Won the West
• Top 10 AR-15 Rifles 2014
• Readers Choice: The REAL List—The Best 12 Concealed Carry Guns
• Are You Ready To Conceal Carry?

What developing stories are you closely following? Are there any stories would like us to cover more in-depth? Tell us in the comment section. If you have a news story you would like to share, send us a link at content@cheaperthandirt.com.