The U.S. Military Academy at West Point has dropped its fight against a court-imposed ban on its policy of limiting what professors can publicly say and write. Tim Bakken, the school’s longest-serving law professor, brought the original suit, claiming the academy’s policy violates his constitutional right to freedom of speech. He challenged West Point’s policy implemented in early 2025 that barred faculty members from publishing papers, speaking at conferences, or even appearing on a podcast without first seeking approval from higher-ups in their department. The faculty speech rule appeared to be in response to President Donald Trump issuing an executive…
Is summer over yet? Doesn’t look like it, but that doesn’t mean we can’t start gearing up for fall. After all, many kids and young adults are already heading back to school, and many of the daypacks featured this week are tailor-made to transition seamlessly from the classroom or workplace to the trail or bike path. So there’s plenty of fun stuff to peruse, especially the new offerings from beloved backpack brands like Gregory and Cotopaxi. But there are also some interesting alpine-specific packs from Berghaus and the “dry out your wet phone” options from a brand named (you guessed…
CAIRO (AP) — Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for a series of deadly attacks this week, escalating the conflict between them and Saudi-backed Yemeni forces and raising fears of a wider regional conflagration. The attacks have killed dozens of civilians and troops and also targeted Saudi tankers in transit from Red Sea ports through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait out to the Gulf of Aden and the rest of the world. Though less significant than the Strait of Hormuz, around 12% of the world’s trade, including a fourth of global container traffic, once passed through Bab el-Mandeb, moving between Europe…
The Air National Guard is offering members a $7,500 bonus if they reenlist for three years. The “Summer Surge Incentive” comes as part of the Air Guard’s recruitment drive to hire 8,842 Airmen by the end of Fiscal Year 2026, which puts the heat on the service considering that the fiscal year ends on Sept. 30—providing potential candidates with roughly 50 days to make decisions. Payments will be made immediately, and there is no cap on the total number of available bonuses. Those interested must sign the three-year enlistment contract by that Sept. 30 deadline. “It is all part of…
Just hours after a 14-year-old boy shot and killed his grandparents before attacking teachers and classmates at his high school, Thailand’s prime minister is vowing to crack down on legal gun owners by prohibiting their ability to lawfully carry a firearm for self-defense. Politicians the world over often rush to “do something” in the wake of a tragedy, and Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul is no different. Three years ago Anutin, who was then the country’s Interior Minister, cracked down on legal gun owners by imposing a freeze on new licenses and prohibiting individuals younger than…
Enlisted Air Force ranks are categorized into three levels: airmen (pay grades E-1 through E-4), noncommissioned officers (E-5 and E-6), and senior noncommissioned officers (E-7 through E-9). Some personnel can enlist at an advanced rank if they have college credits or have participated in Junior ROTC. The highest advanced rank one can enlist with under these programs is airman first class (E-3). The Air Force offers accelerated promotion for service members who agree to enlist for six years. Under this program, enlistees who enter service as an airman basic (E-1) are promoted to airman (E-2) after basic training is finished,…
Iranian lawmakers are debating the wording of a proposed deal with Oman on the Strait of Hormuz, with U.S. President Donald Trump insisting an agreement is getting closer. Trump said the talks are “moving along” and gave no additional comment when asked about progress by White House reporters late Thursday. Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said earlier this week that an understanding with Oman had been reached “in principle,” and state TV cited one lawmaker on Friday as saying the final text and details of an agreement with Muscat will be announced “soon.” Some Iranian politicians are pushing for…
Texas Attorney General and Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton will have to take his fight over the “gun-free” state fair to the Texas Supreme Court after an appellate court upheld the ban on Thursday. Paxton, along with several individual plaintiffs, filed suit after the State Fair of Texas announced in 2024 that the lawful carrying of firearms would no longer be allowed. The move came after a shooting during the fair in 2023, one that was committed by someone who couldn’t legally carry a gun. The lawsuit contended that the State Fair of Texas and the…
The newly created Military Spouse Commission has opened an online form to allow those with vested interests in the commission to submit comments. President Donald Trump created the commission on Monday via an executive order to support the lives and experiences of spouses of those enlisted in service. The commission will provide recommendations to address themes including housing, employment, health care and childcare. There are more than 1 million military spouses in the U.S. They are affected by numerous issues including disproportionate levels of unemployment, according to Stars & Stripes. The publication reported that 20% of military spouses are unemployed,…
ATF is proposing to remove the CLEO notification requirement from the NFA process, which could finally kill one more pointless paperwork headache for suppressors, SBRs, SBSs, AOWs, machine guns, and other NFA firearms. The NFA Permission Slip Problem May Finally Be Ending The National Firearms Act (NFA) regulates machine guns, Short Barreled Rifles (SBR), Short Barreled Shotguns (SBS), Silencers, Destructive Devices, and Any Other Weapon with a process of registration and taxation. While the tax aspect was removed from SBR, SBS, Silencer, and AOW activities in 2025, the registration aspect remains intact for all categories. Until 2016, the process required…
When most people think about emergency preparedness, their minds jump to classic survival items like flashlights, matches, water filters, and so forth. But some of the most useful items aren’t the ones you’d find on a typical prepper checklist. Consider the garbage bag: it’s cheap, lightweight, and most people already have them around the house, yet it can serve as an improvised rain poncho, a water collector, a ground cover, an emergency flotation device, and many other things. The lesson? Ordinary, overlooked items can be very valuable if you know how to use them. Recently, I can across a video…
The revived S&W 396 Night Guard in .44 Special promises the perfect middle ground between snubnose carry and full-size shootability. It starts strong, shoots well, and then delivers the kind of reliability failure that turns nostalgia into frustration fast. Can the S&W 396 Night Guard Solve the Defensive Revolver Problem? Choosing a defensive revolver has always been a tug-of-war between carry comfort and shootability. Sizes and shapes vary when it comes to selecting a revolver, but in the personal defense context, the choices narrow between small-frame snubnosed models and larger all-steel duty models. Snubbies are easy to carry but harder…
The Browning X-Bolt 2 Special Max LR SPR blends hunting-rifle practicality with enough long-range muscle to make steel ring past 600 yards. With a suppressor-ready 18-inch barrel, adjustable MAX stock, crisp DLX trigger, and consistent one-MOA performance, this 6.5 Creedmoor makes a strong case for the do-it-all rifle slot. The Browning X-Bolt 2 Special Max LR SPR combines long-range precision features, a threaded muzzle, and adjustability at an affordable price. Browning’s X-Bolt series has built a strong reputation among hunters and shooters over the years. The new X-Bolt 2 lineup continues that trend while adding several meaningful upgrades. Designed to…
Two Tennessee National Guard members assigned to a crime-fighting patrol in Memphis fatally shot a man Sunday who turned toward the soldiers with a gun during a downtown pursuit, authorities said. The Guard members were part of a troop deployment the Trump administration launched in Tennessee’s second-largest city last fall. The soldiers were responding with local police to reports of gunshots around 4 a.m. when they began pursuing an armed man fleeing on foot, the Memphis Police Department said. The guardsmen opened fire after the man turned toward them with his weapon, the department said. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation…
The gun control lobby isn’t going away, but they have been dealt a serious setback in recent weeks thanks to the Supreme Court’s decisions in Hemani and Wolford. Some anti-gunners are putting on a brave face, while others are simply deluding their followers in the hopes of staving off depression and disengagement. Everytown Law’s Janet Carter, for instance, is basically insisting that Wolford wasn’t a big loss for the gun controllers… and in fact was a disappointment to 2A advocates. Janet Carter (Managing Director of 2A Litigation at Everytown) wants you to know that Wolford won’t stop the…
The Vasa was built to project Swedish power, terrify rivals, and dominate the sea. Instead, this lavish 1628 warship barely made it off the dock before tipping over and turning into one of naval history’s most spectacular disasters. A GunsAmerica History Detour That Reaches Back to 1626 If you’ve followed these history articles for very long, you come to appreciate that there is absolutely no rhyme or reason to any of them. I send an example in once a week, my editors work their magic, and then something shows up most every Monday. I have no idea how they decide…
Israel is refusing to leave Lebanon in peace, not wanting to remove its troops and cease the occupation. It is also considering instigating a new conflict with Syria, even though a condition of the war with Iran ending was Israel’s cessation of its occupation. Israel continues to claim that it is going after Hezbollah, a terrorist organization. But its refusal to withdraw could lead to long-lasting consequences for the US, in a war it already all but surrendered to. Israel has already launched an artillery strike on the village of Abidin in the western part of Syria’s Daraa Governorate, and,…
The first time I went to a gun show with my father, I was pretty young but already fascinated with firearms, and there they were. Thousands of them, of all shapes and sizes. Dad was mostly looking at the handguns and, perhaps, the odd hunting rifle. He grew up in the woods, shooting game, and helping put food on the table to supplement my grandfather’s meager salary as a Freewill Baptist minister. Plus, it was fun, so it wasn’t a burden at all. Still, there we were, and I saw my first AR-15.”Those are legal?”…
BEIJING (AP) — China’s military promoted two officers to the rank of general in what may be a precursor to a reorganization at the top following the removal of several of its leaders in a long-running anti-corruption drive. The shake-up is believed to be part of an effort to reform the military and ensure its loyalty to China’s ruling Communist Party and the nation’s leader, Xi Jinping. It comes as Xi seeks to accelerate the modernization of the armed forces to stake out and defend China’s interests in the Pacific, including Taiwan and other territorial claims. Xi, who is also…
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump mixed partisan politics with patriotic appeals on Saturday as he commemorated the 250th anniversary of American independence, a moment he declared “one of the most joyous and glorious milestones of all time.” Speaking in Washington after storms prompted a roughly two-hour evacuation of the National Mall, Trump honored veterans, including several from World War II and one of the first Black officers to lead a Special Forces team in combat in Vietnam. They appeared before flags that symbolized some of the most significant and challenging moments in American history, from the one that was…
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