By Tanya Metaksa
What’s New—State Legislatures: California-On recess, but returns August 3 with seven bills still viable; Delaware: SB300 awaiting Gov. Matt Meyer; Michigan: SB0842, introduced that authorizes the Attorney General to sue FFLs under the new “public nuisance” statute; Virginia: added to budget amendment that passed: postpone the enactment of SB727/HB1524 legislation for a year; Politics: Arizona: NRA-PVF Aug. 21 primary election endorsements; Colorado: Primary election results; Maine-Senate race; postpone the enactment of SB727/HB1524 legislation; Is Bear Spray banned in California? Support for Gun Control Waning?
Legislatures adjourned sine die:
Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
State legislatures not in session: Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, and Texas.
California: There is one positive development: AB 1948 has already been signed by Governor Gavin Newsom. This new law extends the validity of concealed carry permits to up to three years. That means fewer trips through California’s lengthy background and training process for law-abiding permit holders.
Every year on July 2, the legislature takes a break for their “summer recess” until early August. This year, they will return on August 3 to finish their 2026 session by Labor Day. As of July 2, many bills still await votes in the legislature. These bills have been passed in their originating House and are now waiting for votes in the final House before going to the Governor.
- Awaiting a vote on the Senate floor: AB1974. Sold as a “voluntary” gun storage option, this bill gives the state more control over your legally owned firearms. It introduces more paperwork and bureaucracy when you try to retrieve your property, making it more difficult or costly to recover guns that are turned in for short-term safekeeping.
In the Senate Appropriations Committee:
- AB1743 expands the state’s gun-owner data-sharing system, allowing more people to access information in California’s firearms databases. That’s concerning in a state where officials already leaked the personal data of thousands of gun owners and carry permit holders in a major 2022 breach.
- AB1753 – Hearing set for August 3, 2026
“Clarifies” Gun Violence Restraining Order rules by including ammunition in the same process used to seize firearms. In practice, it further bolsters red flag laws that have already taken away rights from lawful gun owners while avoiding basic due process. - AB1810 grants the California DOJ more authority to remove licensed firearm dealers from the state’s approved list and increases targeted annual inspections. The additional bureaucracy and enforcement could make it easier to force compliant dealers out of business.
- AB2047 Hearing set for August 3, 2026
limits the sale of 3D printers unless they include “firearm blueprint detection algorithms.” This broad restriction on legal technology raises serious concerns about free speech, innovation, and the rights of everyday Californians— including countless STEM teachers and tech professionals who depend on these tools.
In the Assembly Appropriations Committee:
- SB948 significantly expands California’s Firearm Safety Certificate requirements by mandating a minimum four-hour class with live-fire and official instruction starting in 2028. Crime involving guns isn’t caused by a lack of rules, but this bill adds more time and expense for law-abiding gun owners while doing nothing to stop criminals.
- SB1220 creates a new misdemeanor crime that bans guns and results in a 10-year firearm ban for anyone convicted of dealing with a gun that has altered identifying marks or a removed serial number. California already classifies this behavior as a misdemeanor; this bill just adds another way to lose your constitutional rights over a growing list of lesser offenses.
Delaware: SB300 was amended to ban a state-level firearm registration system and to eliminate tiered licensing fees based on sales volume, but burdensome licensing requirements that will hinder Delaware-licensed dealers remain. It passed the legislature and is heading to Governor Matt Meyer.
Michigan: SB0842, a bill has been introduced that authorizes the Attorney General to sue FFLs under the new “public nuisance” statute, which is defined as:
A firearm industry member’s conduct constitutes a proximate cause of the public nuisance if the harm to the public is a reasonably foreseeable effect of the conduct, notwithstanding any intervening actions, including unlawful actions by third parties.
The bill is sitting in the Committee on Civil Rights, Judiciary, and Public Safety. This language seems to violate the PLCAA.
Virginia: The Governor’s budget amendments, which were approved, include a proposal to postpone the enactment of SB727/HB1524 legislation, which severely restricts the ability to carry and transport many popular firearms in the Commonwealth. Instead of July 1st, 2026, the bill delays the bills enactment until July 1st, 2027.
Politics
Remaining Primary Elections Calendar:
July: Arizona (July 21);
CD 1: NRA-PVF has endorsed Joseph Chaplik; Gov: NRA-PVF has given both Andy Biggs and David Schweikert A ratings; Attorney General: NRA-PVF has endorsed Warren Peterson. In the State Senate Rep. primary the following candidates have been endorsed: District 02-Shawnna Bolick; 03-John Kavanagh; 27-Kevin Payne. In the State House: District 01: Quang Nguyen and Selina Bliss; 03-Cody Reim; 04-Pamela Carter and Matt Gress; 07-Walter Blackman; 10-Justin Olson; 14-Laurin Hendrix; 19-Lupe Diaz and David Gowan; 28-David Livingston and Beverly Pingerelli
August: Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Virginia, Washington, Tennessee, Hawaii, Connecticut, Minnesota, Vermont, Wisconsin, Florida, Alaska, and Wyoming
September: Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Delaware.
Colorado Primary Elections – June 30
Several news outlets and political pundits on social media have discussed the Colorado Democrat primary election on June 30, 2026, as a battle between “mainstream” Democrats and the rising tide of Mamdani Social Democrats. In Colorado, more Social Democrats were winners. This does not matter in the fight for gun rights, but it might help in electing Republicans, though only in districts where a more progressive profile could alienate Independents and traditional Democrats. For example, CO-8 is one of only a few real “toss-up” districts nationwide, with nearly equal support for both parties.
The Democrat primary win by Manny Rutinel, a Social Democrat, over Shannon Bird, who intentionally styled herself as less openly partisan and more representative of her district, is politically significant. Rutinel is a more progressive candidate who will now face Republican Gabe Evans in one of the country’s few true toss-up races. The Cook index confirms that control of this seat is genuinely at stake—another pivotal House race in a toss-up district—where the nomination of a more progressive Democrat could greatly influence general-election dynamics. For gun owners in CO-8, this race is especially important for Second Amendment issues.
Maine Senate Race
As of July 10, 2026, the Maine Senate race has been upended by Democratic nominee Graham Platner’s decision to suspend his campaign following multiple allegations of sexual misconduct, leaving Democrats scrambling to replace him against Republican Senator Susan Collins.
Platner, an oysterman and first-time candidate, withdrew from the race after a former girlfriend accused him of sexual assault in a 2021 incident. He denies the allegation but faced intense pressure from his own party and the loss of key fundraising support. In an 11-minute video statement, he announced that he was suspending campaign operations and planned to file formal withdrawal paperwork, clearing the way for Democrats to select a new nominee in a contest crucial to national control of the Senate. Under Maine law, Platner has until July 13 to formally withdraw so the party can replace him on the ballot, and Democrats must name a new candidate by July 27.
The Maine Democratic Party has voted to convene a special nominating convention, expected to draw roughly 600 delegates, to choose Platner’s successor, with party officials emphasizing an “open, inclusive, transparent and fair” process. A crowded field of potential and declared contenders has already emerged, including former state senator Troy Jackson, Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, public health figure Nirav Shah, and brewer Dan Kleban, reflecting an internal debate between progressive populist and more centrist options. With Collins still a formidable five‑term incumbent and fewer than four months until Election Day, Democrats face the dual challenge of repairing the damage from Platner’s collapse and rapidly elevating a credible replacement in a high‑stakes, nationally watched race.
Is Bear Spray banned in California?
Bear spray isn’t widely banned in California, but it is prohibited in all national parks in the state, including Yosemite, Sequoia and Kings Canyon, Lassen Volcanic, and Redwood National Parks. Within these federal areas, the National Park Service considers bear spray a “weapon,” grouping it with items like pellet guns, slingshots, and other missile‑discharging devices, and bans both its possession and use. Officials justify the ban by noting that California’s parks only have black bears, which they see as less aggressive than grizzlies, and they point out the lack of recorded fatal or serious injuries from black bear attacks in Yosemite to argue that strong deterrents like capsaicin aren’t needed. They also highlight risks of misuse—against other visitors, during non‑threatening wildlife encounters, or in ways that could hurt bears—as additional reasons to treat bear spray as contraband weapons here. Outside California’s national parks, however, bear spray remains legal in most state parks, national forests, and BLM lands, where agencies usually recommend it as a protective tool as long as it’s used according to state laws and wildlife regulations.
Support for Gun Control Waning?
An article by Mark Chesnut reports that recent polling shows a significant increase in concealed carry and a decline in support for new gun-control laws, with a clear majority of voters now backing enforcement-focused crime strategies.
Core findings from the CPRC/McLaughlin poll
The piece focuses on a national survey conducted by the Crime Prevention Research Center in partnership with McLaughlin & Associates, comparing attitudes and self-reported behavior from December 2024 to May 2026. During that 18-month period, the percentage of Americans who say they carry a firearm for self-defense increased from 24.3% to 29.8%. Within that group, about 13.2% report carrying all or most of the time, roughly unchanged from 2024, while those who carry at least sometimes or rarely grew from 11.2% to 16.6%, a 5.4-point increase.
Chesnut describes this as a significant increase despite ongoing efforts in “anti‑gun” states to limit lawful carry through legislation and lawsuits. He observes that this trend matches a broader national rise in concealed‑carry permits, citing over 21.46 million adult permit holders and highlighting women, Asians, and African Americans as the fastest-growing groups among permittees.
Public attitudes on crime and gun control
Regarding perceptions, the article centers on one key survey question: whether enforcing existing laws and prosecuting criminals or passing additional gun‑control legislation would be more effective in reducing crime. According to the survey summary, over 63% of respondents preferred enforcement and prosecution as the best approach, while fewer than 30% supported more gun‑control laws. The article highlights that independent voters, in particular, tend to favor enforcement-focused crime policies rather than new restrictions on firearms.
NSSF’s interpretation and political implications
The article then cites commentary from Lawrence G. Keane, executive vice president and general counsel of the National Shooting Sports Foundation, who interprets the polling as confirmation of industry observations since 2020. Keane mentions more than 26.2 million first-time gun owners since 2020, many motivated by rising crime, “defund the police” initiatives, and progressive prosecutors perceived as soft on offenders. He suggests these policies “backfired,” prompting previously hesitant or even anti-gun individuals, including independents and Democrats, to pursue lawful gun ownership and a more pro-Second Amendment stance.
Chesnut goes on to suggest that these new owners include many liberals, women, and minorities, referencing earlier coverage that CNN was “surprised” to find new firearm owners heavily concentrated in these groups. This undercuts gun-control activists’ assumptions about who owns guns and how demographic change will affect gun politics.
Women, persuasion, and market behavior
As I have observed over the past several decades, women have played a key role in shaping the landscape. The polling reportedly shows that only 18% of women view additional gun-control laws as the primary solution to public safety concerns. At the same time, women are described as one of the fastest-growing segments of firearm owners and concealed-carry permit holders, seeing gun ownership as a practical tool for personal protection rather than a partisan statement.
Cautious optimism for gun‑rights advocates
In conclusion, the article describes the polling as “good news” for gun owners and gun‑rights supporters: crime rates are seen as historically low, gun ownership is historically high and more diverse, and public opinion is more skeptical of additional gun‑control laws.
This new information suggests that Americans may be reconsidering the relationship between firearms, personal and community safety, and public policy, but gun owners must continue to ensure these changes in behavior and attitude lead to lasting legal protections. It is certainly good news, but the battle is NOT over. The opposition still exists, supporting anti‑Second Amendment organizations, anti-gun, and anti-hunting laws in many states, and the climate can shift with a change in Congress and the Administration.
