The weekly 2A roundup video below covers a genuinely busy stretch of news: a first-of-its-kind criminal verdict, a jaw-dropping ruling out of Hawaii, and court and legislative action all over the map. The reporting is the video creator’s; the commentary here is mine. I’m Lance Rankin, a Texas FFL and owner of Western Sport in Roanoke. One caveat up front: everything below was current when this was written, and most of these fights have kept moving, so check the latest status before relying on any of it.
The Crumbley verdict
A Michigan jury found Jennifer Crumbley guilty on four counts of involuntary manslaughter over the 2021 Oxford school shooting committed by her son. It’s the first time a parent has been convicted for a child’s mass shooting, and it’s a precedent every gun-owning parent should sit with. Whatever you think of the specific facts, the message is clear: courts are now willing to reach past the shooter. Secure storage isn’t just good practice anymore; it’s legal self-preservation. My guide on choosing a gun safe is a decent starting point.
Hawaii says the quiet part out loud
In Hawaii v. Wilson, the Hawaii Supreme Court ruled that neither the state nor federal constitution protects carrying a firearm outside the home, with language suggesting the Second Amendment conflicts with the “spirit of Aloha.” That’s a state supreme court openly brushing off Bruen. It’s hard to read as anything other than an invitation for the U.S. Supreme Court to step in eventually.
Maryland’s ban heads for the Supreme Court
The Second Amendment Foundation filed a petition for certiorari in Bianchi v. Brown, the challenge to Maryland’s assault weapons ban, trying to leapfrog a lower-court process it doesn’t expect to win. Whether the Court takes it is anyone’s guess, but the semi-auto ban question has to land there sooner or later.
Ninth Circuit, same as it ever was
In Rhode v. Bonta, a judge struck down California’s background-check requirement for ammunition purchases, and for a brief window Californians bought ammo like free people. The Ninth Circuit stayed the injunction and set oral arguments. Given how Duncan v. Bonta and Miller v. Bonta have gone in that circuit, nobody’s holding their breath.
Carry cases and red flag laws
Gun Owners of America filed Higbee v. James in New York, challenging the state’s refusal to issue carry permits to non-residents. It raises the same point I keep coming back to: no other constitutional right evaporates when you cross a state line. Meanwhile, a New York court upheld a red flag confiscation in a case called G. v. D.F., reasoning that Heller and Bruen protect “ordinary, law-abiding citizens” and the respondent didn’t qualify. That framing deserves scrutiny, because it decides the constitutional question by assuming the conclusion.
Statehouse roundup
Virginia’s legislature passed an assault weapons ban, sensitive-places restrictions, and expanded red flag provisions, all headed to Governor Youngkin’s desk with a veto expected on the ban. Washington advanced HB 2118, an FFL-regulation bill modeled on California’s that could push small dealers out of business; as a small dealer myself, that one hits close to home. Massachusetts moved a pared-back gun bill through its Senate, and New Mexico’s governor pushed waiting periods and more, though a 30-day session may run out the clock.
That’s the week. Stay informed, check current status on anything that affects you, and if you’ve got questions about what any of this means for Texas gun owners, the shop line is 817-393-4000.
Lance Rankin is the owner and Chief Gunsmith of Western Sport, a family-run Type 07 FFL and Class 3/SOT dealer in Roanoke, Texas, serving shooters since 2007. Born and raised in Texas with over 50 years of experience handling firearms, Lance purchased Western Sport in 2017 and turned his lifelong passion into his profession. He specializes in AR-15 and AR-10 platform rifles, manufactures Western Sport’s own AR-15 line under the Rankin Industries brand, and runs the shop’s in-house Cerakote coating operation. When he’s not behind the counter or the workbench, you’ll find him on his ranch deep into the night, hunting coyotes with an AR-15 and thermal optics. Lance holds an MBA and personally shoots and tests the products Western Sport sells.
