We will gather today on hallowed ground, both literally and figuratively, to observe Memorial Day. This is not a day for barbecues and sales, although those have become part of our tradition. This is a day for solemn remembrance, a day to bow our heads in gratitude for the profound selflessness of those who gave their last full measure of sacrifice in service to this nation. They fought for a vision of liberty, of self-governance, and of fundamental rights. They fought to secure a future where the promises enshrined in our founding documents would remain unbroken.
Among those promises, among those bedrock principles that define us as a free people, is the right to keep and bear arms. The Second Amendment, often debated and frequently misunderstood, stands as a testament to the wisdom of our Founders. They recognized that a truly free people, capable of defending their homes, communities, and indeed, their very liberty, must retain the means to do so. They understood that a government deriving its powers from the consent of the governed would remain so only if the people themselves held ultimate sovereignty.
The soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines we honor today did not die for a specific clause in the Constitution; they died for the entirety of the liberties it guarantees. They died so that we might continue to live in a nation where our rights, including the right to self-preservation and the right to participate in the common defense, are not merely privileges granted by the state, but inherent, God-given freedoms.
As we reflect on their sacrifice, let us remember that the freedoms they secured are not guaranteed. They require our ongoing vigilance, our steadfast commitment, and our responsible stewardship. The Second Amendment, like all our rights, is a sacred trust passed down through generations. It serves as a reminder that ultimate power rests not with the government, but with the people.
So let us honor the fallen not just with words but with our actions. Let us uphold the principles they died to defend, including the fundamental right to keep and bear arms responsibly and with respect for the law. By doing so, we ensure that their sacrifice was not in vain and that the torch of liberty, passed to us at such a terrible cost, continues to burn brightly for generations to come.
God bless our fallen heroes, and God bless the United States of America.
The Trump Administration reverses the rule on Forced Reset Triggers (FRTs). As usual, the mainstream media gets the rule change, and a recent Justice Department settlement, wrong. Here’s an example from NBC News:
“The Justice Department on Friday announced a settlement in a lawsuit brought by the National Association for Gun Rights. The lawsuit challenged an ATF rule banning “forced reset triggers” — devices that allow semiautomatic weapons to fire rapid bursts of bullets.”
We all know the definition of a machine gun or fully automatic weapon is a firearm that allows continuous automatic fire with a single pull of the trigger. FRTs do not do that. They allow one shot with a pull of the trigger, and a second with its release.
In the final paragraph of their article, even NBC News stated that the correct definition of a machine gun was affirmed by the Supreme Court:
“The Supreme Court ruled by a 6-3 margin last year that the bump stock ban was unlawful. The majority concluded the devices did not meet the definition of a machine gun because they didn’t allow for automatic fire with the single pull of a trigger.”
HOW DOES THAT IMPACT IOWANS?
Per our Board Member Richard Rogers, (as written about by Michael Ware in a recent IFC blog):
Iowa Code 724.29 was enacted in 1990 as a reaction to the introduction of bolt-on trigger cranks. The law prohibits the sale or offering for sale of “a manual or power-driven trigger activating device constructed and designed so that when attached to a firearm increases the rate of fire of the firearm”. (See below and at link.) It does NOT prohibit the possession or use of such devices.
FRTs, binary triggers, and the like are replacement triggers. They are NOT “trigger activating devices” and were not designed until decades after the enactment of this statute.
THE HUGE TAKEAWAY HERE IS IN THE DOJ PRESS RELEASE
All of this might be just a quick review of the Iowa Code and Federal Regulations except for two things. Those two things are in the following statements by the U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi:
“This Department of Justice believes that the 2nd Amendment is not a second-class right,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement. “And we are glad to end a needless cycle of litigation with a settlement that will enhance public safety.”…
…“will bind itself, in perpetuity, not to enforce the machine gun ban against any device that functions like forced reset triggers,”
I highlight these statements because it has sent those dangerous quacks on the left into orbit with rage. It is also welcome news by those of us fighting the good fight daily to protect your 2A Rights as we continue to rack up win after win in the courts.
DESPERATE ATTEMPT BY SIXTEEN STATES TO STOP THIS SETTLEMENT
Sixteen states were so desperate that they submitted a 100-page plea in the 5th Circuit Court to stop this. The judges there slapped that away by not even acknowledging the filing. Those states had no standing to intervene as explained in detail by Mark A. Smith of the Four Boxes Diner here. Mark’s short video is well worth watching.
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Listen in as Lt. Col. David Lutz (USMC Retired) shares stories from the Vietnam era through the development of the M16A2, tossing frags, annoying General Mattis, and his time with Knights Armament. Great stories, rich history, and a genuine treat for us all to absorb.
A bit about Dave:
Lt. Col. David A. Lutz retired from the United States Marine Corps in 1991 after 23 years of service. He was Commissioned as a 2nd Lt. in 1969 after Enlisted Service as a MOS 0311 (Rifleman) and also attended MOS training for 0331 (Machine Gunner), 0341 (Mortar Man) and 0351 (Anti-Tank Assault Man). He was assigned as an Infantry Officer (MOS 0302) in 1969 and then sent to Reconnaissance Replacement training. After serving as an Infantry Platoon Leader in Viet-Nam, he attended Ordnance Officer’s Training (MOS 2101) in 1972. For the following 20 years, Lt. Col. Lutz served in a variety of Infantry and Ordnance (Small Arms)
assignments and he graduated from Marine Corps Command and Staff College in 1983. Included in these duties was Lt. Col. Lutz’ assignment to the Joint Small Arms Program (JSSAP) at Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey where he spearheaded the development of the US Rifle, M16A2 and its improvements over the US Rifle, M16A1. This included the transition of the standard 5.56x45mm infantry cartridge from the M193 Ball round and its M196 Tracer counterpart; to the heavier M855 Ball round (developed from Belgian SS109) and its long-burn M856 Tracer counterpart, and requisite changes needed to the infantry rifle to accommodate M855/M856 ammunition. Separately, Lt. Col. Lutz completed a Bachelor of Science Degree in Geography (Mary Washington College) in 1996.
At retirement, Lt. Col. Lutz was the Program Manager for Infantry Weapons (PM Infantry Weapons) at Marine Corps Systems Command (MARCORSYSCOM) located at Quantico, Virginia. In this capacity, Lt. Col. Lutz conducted weapons demonstrations for the US Congress as shown here, along with other duties required by his post.
Subsequently hired by Radian, Inc. (a Washington, DC based Integrated Logistical Support Contractor) July 1991 to Nov. 1994 (on contract to the United States Marine Corps) as Senior Small Arms and Infantry Weapons Analyst, Lt. Col. Lutz completed numerous Studies and comparative analysis of pistols, rifles, rocket launchers, and other significant military equipment. These efforts included the formulation of a 25-year plan for the exploitation of USMC Small Arms R&D investment and technology.
In 1994, Lt. Col. Lutz (Ret.) accepted a position at Knight’s Armament Company (KAC), where he served as Vice President of Military Operations from Nov 1994 until his final retirement in April 2014. In this important role, Lt. Col. Lutz was one of KAC’s key personnel in the successful development and adoption of the US Navy’s Sniper Weapon System (SWS)—the Mk 11, Mod 0 in 2000; which became the US Navy SEAL Team’s official 7.62mm Semi-Auto Sniper Rifle System (NSN: 1005-01-475-7980).
Lt. Col. Lutz’ later activities supported KAC’s response to the Army’s M110-SASS program including System Configuration and Accessory Evaluation and Selection; as well as writing KAC’s Technical Proposal for the US Army. Lt. Col. Lutz’ background and experience in what a complete “sniper weapon system” package should contain is represented by the sample SASS packages KAC delivered to the Army during March, 2006. In this capacity, Lt. Col. Lutz was KAC’s “duty expert” on what the Army’s SASS Solicitation was asking for, and forwarded numerous questions to the Solicitation’s originator; which in-turn generated numerous clarifications, or in some cases complete revisions, of system specifications and requirements. Lt. Col. Lutz’ detailed knowledge of small arms subject matter not only helped KAC address the Army’s needs, but also helped the Army re-evaluate and subsequently re-publish a better statement of their actual needs and requirements.
At present time, Lt. Col. David A. Lutz is enjoying retirement on Florida’s Treasure Coast and pursuing hobbies consistent with his life-long admiration of firearms and resulting professional small arms career.
Ethan Settle of Crossroads Shooting Sports walks us through indoor range time, their facility, AND 2A Week sponsored by Brownells! Seek out Brownells and the landing page for 2A Week. Celebrate, Advocate, Join! A portion of ALL the sales this week at Brownells (through 2/23/25) will go to IFC and others. Use code “Freedom” for discounts when spending over 250 clams… 😉
Demand Full Second Amendment Rights for Iowa’s Young Adults
Fact: Iowa significantly restricts the right to keep and bear pistols and revolvers for (most) adults aged 18 to 20.
Fact: Both the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (Bill of Rights, 1791) and Section 1A of the Iowa Constitution (Freedom Amendment, 2022), guarantee the right shall not be infringed upon (hindered or destroyed) by government.
Question: Are Iowa’s current weapons laws restricting adults aged 18 to 20 unconstitutional?
In the case of New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen (2022), the Supreme Court of the United States definitively ruled that the Second Amendment protects the right of the people to carry a handgun for self-defense outside the home.
Furthermore, the decision clarified that all inferior courts must use the methodology the Supreme Court employed in Heller v. D.C. (2008) for challenges brought under the Second Amendment. That is,
Step One: Determine if the conduct regulated by the law is covered by the Second Amendment’s plain text. If the conduct is covered, then the challenged regulation is presumed to be unconstitutional and the burden shifts to the government:
Step Two: The government may only justify its regulation by demonstrating that it is consistent with the Nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation. This means the government must show that the regulation is analogous to historical laws that were common at the time of the Founding or shortly thereafter.
It is obvious that laws restricting the possession or carrying of pistol and revolvers – such as Iowa Code 724.8 and 724.22 – do involve conduct covered by the text (“keep and bear”) of the Second Amendment. It is also apparent that persons aged 18-20 are members of “the people” to whom those rights are guaranteed. Therefore, Iowa’s relevant laws must be presumed to be unconstitutional. The burden is thus on the government to rebut the presumption by showing that the laws are not infringements because they are the same as or appropriately analogous to regulations dating to the founding era. (If a law restricting the right to keep and bears arms was commonplace at the time of the adoption of the Second Amendment, it could not have been considered an infringement by those who drafted and adopted the amendment. There were few, if any, such laws.)
Iowa will be unable to justify the current restrictions, in that there were no comparable laws in the relevant time period of American history. In fact, the Militia Act of 1792 compelled males aged 18-44 to be enrolled in the militia and to bring their privately obtained firearms with them when mustered. Both Iowa and federal law consider persons to be adults upon reaching age 18. Iowans aged 18 to 20 can marry, enter into contracts, enlist in the military, be employed as sworn law enforcement officers, etc. There can be no constitutional or moral justification for denying this group of adults full access to fundamental rights necessary to defend themselves, their families, and their communities.
Yet Iowa is one of only ten states, plus the District of Columbia, that enforce a minimum age for handgun possession that is more strict than federal law, which is 18 years.
It is well past time that Iowa legislators must fully recognize these fundamental rights of young Iowa adults. This is especially true because a quirk in current Iowa law actually allows young adults visiting or moving here from other states to fully exercise their 2A rights, while denying that ability to native Iowans. You see, Iowa law does not actually prohibit persons aged 18 to 10 from possessing handguns. Instead, it makes it a crime for “any person” to “make available” a handgun or handgun ammunition to any person under the age of 21, with certain limited exceptions. So, a young adult who obtained a handgun while living in another state may possess and carry it while visiting or living in Iowa.
IFC will be vigorously pursuing the repeal of these unconstitutional statutes in the current legislative session. Watch for IFC updates and action alerts on this issue and then contact your legislators to urge their support.
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NOTES:
The following 18 states permit individuals under the age of 21 to carry a concealed firearm:
Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota1, Mississippi, Missouri2, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, South Dakota, Tennessee3, Texas4, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia
These 18 states allow individuals under the age of 21 to obtain a permit to carry weapons or allow constitutional carry without a permit for this age group. In addition, Oklahoma allows 18-year-olds in the military to carry concealed without a permit.
Notes:
Minnesota (By order of federal district court and the Eight Circuit Court of Appeals, both of which ruled that Minnesota’s law prohibiting permits to adults aged 18-20 is unconstitutional.)
Missouri (Allows 19-year-olds to carry concealed without a permit, with exceptions for 18-year-olds in the military.)
Tennessee (By consent with a court ruling that the law prohibiting issuance of permits to persons 18-20 is unconstitutional.)
Texas (Federal district and the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals have enjoined Texas from enforcing current Texas laws restricting the right to bear arms of persons aged 18-10.)
It must be noted that in addition to the court cases referred to above, there are several other such age-related cases moving through the federal court system. Significant cases in PA and FL appear to be near resolution. It is likely that the Supreme Court will consider such a case this year or next. It seems almost certain that SCOTUS will fully affirm the 2A rights of young adults.
States with Stricter Minimum Age Requirements for Possession of Handguns than Federal Law
Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Washington, and the District of Columbia impose minimum age requirements for the possession of handguns which are stricter than the federal minimum of 18.
The text of Section 1A of the Iowa Constitution reads:
“The right ofthe people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. The sovereign state of Iowa affirms and recognizes this right to be a fundamental individual right. Any and all restrictions of this right shall be subject to strict scrutiny.”
The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution states:
“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”
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