Gun sales might be somewhat lower than last year, but recently reported totals from December and all of 2025 indicate a continued vigorous market for firearms. In fact, the new figure of over 1 million monthly gun sales has continued through December, marking the fifth consecutive month with more than 1 million background checks since the single month in July with fewer than a million. As most readers probably remember, before July, when the number fell below 1 million, the previous streak of months with over 1 million background checks had lasted nearly six years. The December 2025 National Shooting…
I used to think that prepping was a once-and-done activity. And the more money you throw at it, the quicker you can get it done! Imagine purchasing a whole-house solar power system, a lifetime of dehydrated foods, and a never-ending water supply.If that sounds dreamy, you’re right. It’s not affordable or attainable for most of us. And if even if it was, those solar panels can break, foods can spoil, and water can get contaminated. It doesn’t take much for that big investment to go bad.I’ve been through a variety of minor disasters, as I’m sure you have as well…
I like to think of myself as a pretty fearless, strong-willed person. I’ve done plenty of adventurous things, from river rafting in Oregon to hiking the Camino de Santiago in Spain, rappelling off 100-foot cliffs in Arkansas, and the list goes on. But even with years of experience in the outdoors, I’m embarrassed to admit that I couldn’t do one seemingly simple thing: Spend a night in the woods alone. Backpacking by myself as a woman seemed like a big, frightening undertaking that I wasn’t capable of. It was a fear so deeply ingrained in me that I’d never realized…
It’s January 2026, more than 234 years after the Second Amendment was ratified and “We the People” are still having to use the Courts to justify OUR RIGHT to keep and bear arms. As gun owners, we know and understand the language penned by James Madison as he codified the Government’s inability to infringe upon our rights; however, for many in Washington D.C., he may as well have written it in a foreign language.Despite the founder’s original intent, laws have been enacted which limit a person’s inherent right of self-defense. One of the most impactful firearm law on record is the federal prohibition on felons…
This article was originally published by William L. Anderson at The Mises Institute. As he placed his hand on the Koran, Zohran Mamdani was sworn in as the new mayor of New York City on a cold New Year’s Day, promising that “I was elected as a Democratic socialist and I will govern as a Democratic socialist. I will not abandon my principles for fear of being deemed radical.” Indeed, his inaugural speech was full of the radical proposals that marked his campaign, as he promised. His administration, he declared, would make life better for New Yorkers: And if for too long these…
I jogged up to my ski partner’s truck, ready to get some August turns in, only to be met with uncontrollable laughter. That’s the reaction I got when I showed up with my ski blades and boots clipped to the outside of my REI Co-op Flash 18 ($40) pack, like some pro-backcountry skier ready to hike and slash K2. But I quickly learned how capable this little daypack really is. From summer skiing missions to steep mountain hikes and even just zipping around town on my bike, the Flash 18 proved itself as a surprisingly versatile companion. Despite its small…
For those who are unfamiliar, the term “schadenfreude” is a German word that means something along the lines of rejoicing in the suffering of others. It’s not something that we should be enjoying on a regular basis, but there are times when I just can’t help myself. It’s hard not to feel a sense of schadenfreude when someone was a complete and total moron, resulting in them getting shot by police, and now they’re looking at prison for the incident. And yes, this is nothing but someone being stupid. After all, smart people don’t point BB…
Images by the author unless otherwise noted The Burris Optic Fullfield line turns fifty this year. That is pretty amazing, considering how many companies come and go nowadays. For a brand to last that long speaks to the quality and popularity of its products, and the Fullfield line has both in spades. Entering the scope market in 1975, Burris Fullfield scopes originally came in three models… 4X, 2-7X, and 3-9X magnification. They claimed to have 53% more field of view than conventional scopes and 23% more than wide-angle scopes at the time. Here’s another view of the company’s Fullfield history…
Nemo Forte 20 Sleeping Bag: 35% Off at Backcountry (Photo/Gabriela Daugherty) Nemo’s Forte sleeping bag has a lot going for it: There are Thermo Gills for improved ventilation, it weighs just over 3 pounds, it’s specifically designed for side sleepers, and it’s made with fully recycled materials. And even better, it’s available for a sweet discount for a limited time. Shop Sleeping Bag prAna End of Season Sale: 40% Off (Photo/prAna) If it’s time to refresh your winter wardrobe, head over to prAna to get cold-weather staples that won’t break the bank. The brand is slashing prices on sweaters, sweatshirts,…
On Tuesday, rulers in the United Kingdom and France said that they had signed a “declaration of intent” to deploy forces to Ukraine “in the event of a peace deal” with Moscow. Russia has repeatedly said that it categorically rejects any Western troop presence and that such a scenario would be a declaration of war. Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has also condemned Kiev’s Western European backers for planning to deploy troops to Ukraine, warning the move risks a “direct war” with Russia. If deployed, these forces would establish “military hubs” across Ukraine, accoridng to a report by RT. UK Prime…
A satellite device with an SOS function is an important piece of gear in the wilderness. In the event of an emergency, however, pressing that SOS button is just the beginning. Search and rescue operations can be extremely complicated and cost thousands of dollars. That’s where Overwatch x Rescue (OxR) comes in. This new satellite app promises not only to coordinate your rescue but also to cover any costs associated with it — from SAR fees to medical evacuation expenses. It’s a rescue app and a financial rescue net in one. What Is Overwatch x Rescue (OxR)? OxR is a…
One of the first things I ever wrote for a larger publication was a piece on media bias for TheBlaze. This was many moons ago, before I was really getting paid for work, but I was pretty proud of it. It even ended up in a book about the media, so that was kind of cool. Since then, though, my views of media bias have evolved a little. Part of that is that the media changed. When I wrote that piece oh-so-long ago, the media was still trying to pretend to be neutral.Here lately, they’ve…
A woman fatally shot during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation in Minneapolis has been identified as 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good, according to the Star Tribune. Reporting from the scene, NBC News correspondent Maggie Vespa said multiple U.S. officials and lawmakers confirmed Good was a U.S. citizen. And she was not the target of the ICE operation underway at the time of the shooting. What are your thoughts? Was the use of force against Good justified? Local officials emphasized that point as protests quickly formed near the intersection where the incident occurred. According to the Trump administration, the ICE officer…
Multiple polls released before and after the United States’ capturing and arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro show a stark divide in how Americans view military might at home and abroad, as well as whether the U.S. should take over control of the Latin American nation.Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were seized from their home in Caracas over the weekend and are accused of “transporting thousands of tons of cocaine to the United States,” as well as conspiring with drug traffickers to financially enrich themselves and their family. The couple was arraigned Monday in a Manhattan courtroom and both…
For many modern whitetail hunters, mobility has become the name of the game. Permanent blinds are warm and cozy, and comfortable padded ladder stands are a great place to spend a morning. But those comforts are limited to those with private land access, and they don’t allow you to adjust on the fly with changes in deer behavior. For those reasons, most whitetail hunters I know pick up a saddle or a lightweight, lock-on treestand. You pack ’em into the woods with you to hunt, and pack ’em out at the end of the day. If you need to go…
With just one week left to pre-file legislation for the 2026 session, Virginia Democrats are beginning to unleash an onslaught of gun control bills. Democrats have largely been keeping their anti-gun agenda under wraps since gaining a governing trifeca last November in an attempt to ward off another round of Second Amendment sanctuary activism like the one that swept across the state in late 2019 and early 2020, and they’ve been largely successful in their effort. Now though, we’re starting to see some major gun control legislation unveiled, and the new bills should be a…
Taurus USA is rolling out a new striker-fired pistol family with the launch of the TX9 series, a modular lineup built to cover duty use, concealed carry, and everything in between without forcing shooters to commit to just one size. The TX9 family launches immediately in three sizes. The full-size model packs a 4.5-inch barrel and a 17-round magazine. The compact trims things down with a 4-inch barrel and 15-round capacity. And the subcompact brings a 3-inch barrel with a 13-round double-stack magazine aimed squarely at EDC and deep concealment roles. MSRP: $499. Very competitive price! Across the board, these…
A 33-year-old former Marine, Enrique Ramos Jr., died by suicide on December 4, 2025, in the parking lot of the Audie L. Murphy Memorial Veterans’ Hospital, according to San Antonio police. Officers responded to a 911 call just after 12:45 p.m.; Ramos reportedly told the dispatcher where he was and his intent to take his own life. Responding officers found him with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. A spokesperson from the United States Marine Corps confirmed Ramos’s service record: he served from June 2010 to August 2020. A Troubling Pattern: Second Suicide at Same VA Hospital in 2025Ramos’s death marks the second veteran suicide…
Scientists say that bats will be the most likely source of the next major epidemic. While a new study finds only a handful of bats have this potential, those that do can harbor a virus that will spread quickly in human beings. The new global study, published in the journal Communications Biology, found that only a small fraction of bat lineages consistently host viruses with the highest epidemic potential. The results show that epidemic risk clusters within specific evolutionary groups rather than across bats as a whole. The study additionally reframes emerging disease risk as the outcome of host lineages interacting with human choices…
Protests occurred in different pockets of the United States on Wednesday and into Thursday following the fatal shooting of a Minneapolis resident committed by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent.The victim was 37-year-old Renee Nicole Macklin Good, a mother of three and a recent transplant of Kansas City, Missouri. Good, according to her ex-husband, had just dropped off her 6-year-old son at school prior to the incident that was met with outrage by those who said Good did nothing wrong to elicit such a reaction from law enforcement. Top Trump administration officials, supported by the president himself, deemed her…
As we reported on Tuesday, the National Rifle Association is suing the 501(c)3 NRA Foundation, accusing its sister organization and its board of directors of “operating in bad faith and withholding funds meant to support the NRA’s charitable activities.” The NRA alleges that the NRA Foundation has been taken over by elements of the “Old Guard”; former NRA directors who were allied with Wayne LaPierre and who are now putting the squeeze on the NRA’s new leadership by refusing to approve grants that have traditionally and routinely been approved in the past to fund many…
