“Renzulli Run Down” — The RLF Firearms and Shooting Sports Industry Newsletter
ATF PLANNING TO REDUCE INDUSTRY OPERATIONS INVESTIGATOR POSITIONS
June 23, 2025 – According to the Department of Justice’s Fiscal Year 2026 Budget and Performance Summary, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (“ATF”) intends to eliminate 541 Industry Operations Investigators (“IOIs”) from its workforce. It has been estimated that there are approximately 800 IOIs currently employed by the ATF. The Budget and Performance…
OREGON SUPREME COURT TO ADDRESS STANDARD MAGAZINE CAPACITY BAN
On June 12, 2025, the Oregon State Supreme Court agreed to hear an appeal of a decision in Arnold v. Kotek, a case challenging Oregon’s recent firearms law that bans standard-capacity magazines, requires a completed criminal background check (no transfers on a delay) at the point-of-transfer, and establishes a permit-to-purchase program. Following the passage of the…
CONNECTICUT LEGISLATURE PASSES “FIREARM INDUSTRY RESPONSIBILITY ACT”
On May 29, 2025, the Connecticut legislature passed the Firearms Industry Liability Bill (HB 7042), which is intended to negate the immunity provide by the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA). HB 7042 applies to “firearm industry members” – anyone involved in the manufacture, distribution, importation, marketing, wholesale or retail sale of “firearm industry…
HOUSE PASSES “ONE BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL ACT” AND INCLUDES HEARING PROTECTION ACT IN BILL
May 30, 2025 – Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R.1, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” a sweeping budget reconciliation package, by a 215-214 vote. Included in this appropriations bill is a key provision for the firearm industry, Section 2 of the Hearing Protection Act. The language removes firearm suppressors from the…
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION FULFILLING PROMISES TO PROTECT SECOND AMENDMENT RIGHTS
May 22, 2025 – Shortly after beginning his second term earlier this year, President Trump indicated a commitment to protecting Second Amendment rights. Specifically, the White House issued a press release in which President Trump set forth his plan to “end the federal government’s violation of Americans’ fundamental Second Amendment right to protect themselves, their families, and…
KANSAS SUPREME COURT DISMISSES PRODUCTS LIABILITY CASE AGAINST BERETTA AND BASS PRO SHOPS PURSUANT TO THE PLCAA
April 29, 2025 – In a case where Renzulli Law Firm filed an amicus brief on behalf of the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the Kansas Supreme Court recently issued an opinion overturning the intermediate appellate court and dismissing all claims brought against Beretta and Bass Pro Shops. In Johnson v. Bass Pro Outdoor World, LLC, et al., plaintiff claimed…
RENZULLI LAW FIRM IS VICTORIOUS IN FEDERAL APPEAL’S COURT UPHOLDING DISMISSAL OF PRODUCTS LIABILITY LAWSUIT FOR FIREARM MANUFACTURER CLIENT
April 17, 2025 – Renzulli Law Firm originally secured a complete dismissal of a products liability case on behalf of one of its firearm manufacturer clients through a motion for summary judgment. Plaintiffs alleged that the subject pistol contained a design defect, and that defect resulted in the pistol discharging after the owner dropped it…
COLORADO GOVERNOR SIGNS “SEMIAUTOMATIC FIREARMS & RAPID-FIRE DEVICES BILL”
April 14, 2025 – Last week, the Governor of Colorado signed SB 25-003 into law. The original bill would have banned the manufacture, sale, purchase, transfer and distribution of “specified semiautomatic firearms,” which were defined as: (1) semiautomatic rifles or shotguns with detachable magazines; and (2) gas operated semiautomatic handguns with detachable magazines. However, it appears that…
RLF ACHIEVES UNANIMOUS VICTORY BEFORE THE PENNSYLVANIA SUPREME COURT ELIMINATING A SHORT-LIVED WIN FOR GUN CONTROL ADVOCATES
On March 31, 2025, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court issued a unanimous decisionaffirming a lower court decision that claims brought against RLF’s clients are barred by the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, 15 U.S.C. §§ 7901-03 (“PLCAA”), and that the PLCAA is constitutional. Plaintiffs’ teenage son was tragically shot and killed with a pistol when…
SUPREME COURT HOLDS THAT GUN CONTROL ACT CAN APPLY TO FIREARM KITS AND UNFINISHED FRAMES AND RECEIVERS
March 26, 2025 – Today, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision (“Opinion”) reversing the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and holding that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (“ATF”) has authority, pursuant to the Gun Control Act (“GCA”), to regulate firearms kits and unfinished frames and receivers. The background of this…
RENZULLI LAW FIRM OBTAINS COMPLETE VICTORY FOR FIREARMS DEALER AFTER PLAINTIFFS CONCEDE NO BASIS FOR OPPOSING MOTION TO DISMISS
March 17, 2025 – Renzulli Law Firm obtained a complete litigation victory for one its firearms dealer clients (the “Dealer”). The lawsuit concerned an attempted murder by a then-employee of the Dealer (the “Shooter”) of the Shooter’s ex-fiancé and her boss (“Plaintiffs”) inside of the boss’s residential trailer. Plaintiffs’ claims against the Dealer were based…
CORPORATE TRANSPARENCY ACT ENFORCEMENT SUSPENDED INDEFINITELY FOR U.S. COMPANIES
March 13, 2025 – In the latest development in this on-going saga, the U.S. Treasury Department and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, (“FinCEN”), have suspended all Corporate Transparency Act (“CTA”) enforcement and reporting requirements indefinitely for domestic entities. As we have previously reported, many small firearms companies – those with twenty or fewer employees and…
SUPREME COURT APPEARS READY TO DISMISS MEXICO’S LAWSUIT AGAINST MAJOR FIREARM MANUFACTURERS
March 7, 2025 – This week, the United States Supreme Court heard arguments on whether Mexico included sufficient factual allegations in its complaint to support its legal claims against seven firearms manufacturers and one distributor. Based on the procedural status of the case and questions from the Court, Mexico’s case appears likely to be dismissed. …
RECENT COURT DECISIONS ON THREE KEY SECOND AMENDMENT ISSUES
March 4, 2025 – From felony bans to waiting periods and permit fees, courts across the country are addressing the limits of an individual’s rights under the Second Amendment, with varying outcomes. In Vincent v. Bondi, the Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit (with jurisdiction over the Mountain West and Plains States and headquartered in…
CANADA THREATENS RETALIATORY TARIFFS AGAINST U.S. FIREARMS INDUSTRY, BUT REVERSES COURSE AFTER REACHING DEAL WITH UNITED STATES
On February 1, 2025, President Trump announced that the United States would be imposing tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China in response to the “extraordinary threat posed by illegal aliens and drugs, including deadly fentanyl,” which “constitutes a national emergency under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.” Specifically, President Trump intended to impose a “25% additional tariff…
NEW YORK MOVES FORWARD ON “PERSONALIZED HANDGUNS” LAW
On Tuesday, January 28, 2025, a New York state legislative committee advanced a proposed bill, A.1191, directing the New York Division of Criminal Justice Services to evaluate and certify the viability of so-called “personalized handguns” for use in New York. The bill defines “personal handgun” to mean “a pistol or revolver which incorporates within its design…
FEDERAL APPEALS COURT HOLDS THAT PENNSYLVANIA’S BAN ON CARRYING FIREARMS WITHOUT A LICENSE DURING AN EMERGENCY VIOLATES THE SECOND AMENDMENT
January 21, 2025 – In a divided decision filed last week, a three judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit reaffirmed its prior decision in Lara v. Comm’r Pa. State Police, holding that Pennsylvania’s ban on open carry by 18-to-20-year-olds during a declared emergency is unconstitutional because it violates the…
CORPORATE TRANSPARENCY ACT FILING REQUIREMENTS SUSPENDED
December 10, 2024 – As we have previously reported, a deadline to file federal paperwork for many small firearms companies under the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) was set for the end of this month. Companies with twenty or fewer employees and annual gross sales or receipts of less than $5 million faced a requirement to act…
FEDERAL COURT STRIKES DOWN ILLINOIS ASSAULT WEAPONS AND HIGH CAPACITY MAGAZINE BANS
On November 8, 2024, the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois issued a decision holding that the Illinois “assault weapons” and “high capacity” magazine bans violate the Second and Fourteenth Amendments. These bans were part of the Protect Illinois Communities Act (“PICA”), which was enacted in response to the Highland Park…
FEDERAL JUDGE STRIKES DOWN KEY PROVISION OF NEW YORK’S CONCEALED CARRY LAW LIMITING CARRY ON PRIVATE PROPERTY
November 8, 2024 – U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra Jr., has ruled that a key provision of New York’s 2022 Concealed Carry Improvement Act (CCIA) is unconstitutional. The provision at issue prohibited individuals with concealed carry permits from carrying firearms on private property open to the public, such as restaurants or stores, unless the…
ALERT: CORPORATE TRANSPARENCY ACT – UPCOMING DEADLINE
November 2, 2024 – The deadline to file federal paperwork for many small firearms companies is fast approaching. If your company has 20 or fewer employees with annual gross sales or receipts of less than $5 million you are likely required to act before the end of 2024. Under the federal Corporate Transparency Act (“CTA”),…
NEW YORK ENACTS NUMEROUS FIREARM RELATED LAWS
October 23, 2024 – This month, the Governor of New York signed into law six bills related to firearms. All of these new laws are designed to further restrict access to firearms, most seem unlikely to have a significant impact on reducing firearms related violence, and one appears solely intended to assist anti-gun interests groups…
UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT HEARS ORAL ARGUMENT ON ATF’S “GHOST GUN” REGULATION
October 9, 2024 – This week, the Supreme Court heard arguments in Garland v. VanDerStok. As you may recall from our prior Blasts on this case, the questions presented to the Court are: (1) whether a parts kit that is designed to or may readily be completed, assembled, restored, or otherwise converted to expel a projectile…
RLF CONVINCES FEDERAL COURT TO EXCLUDE PLAINTIFFS’ FIREARMS EXPERT IN ALLEGED DROP-FIRE CASE
October 4, 2024 – RLF recently secured another victory for a firearm industry client that manufactures a diverse selection of handguns and long guns. RLF obtained an Order excluding Plaintiffs’ “gun expert” from testifying at trial. In the case, Plaintiffs claimed that the subject pistol drop-fired while he was in a bathroom. In an effort…