Gregory Kielma • August 6, 2024
Billionaires Laura and John Arnold – through Arnold Ventures, a Houston-based for-profit corporation are Anti Gun and funding Flawed Research
Laura and John Arnold
Billionaire Backing Biased Anti-Gun Research
“In this world, you get what you pay for,” said Kurt Vonnegut in Cat’s Cradle, his fourth novel. And when billionaire philanthropists are involved, Mr. Vonnegut is more than right. Nowadays, billionaires get exactly what they pay for.
An investigation by the Second Amendment Foundation’s Investigative Journalism Project reveals how a former Enron trader and his wife are quietly paying millions of dollars every year to colleges, universities, think tanks and other groups for biased anti-gun research, which is then cited as gospel by the corporate media and used as propaganda by anyone who wants to infringe upon law-abiding Americans’ Second Amendment rights.
Billionaires Laura and John Arnold – through Arnold Ventures, a Houston-based for-profit corporation the couple founded to “proactively achieve social change” and their nonprofit, the Laura and John Arnold Foundation – are quietly bankrolling research that promotes and supports their radical anti-gun views. Their Foundation has more than $3.5 billion in assets.
Despite their predilection to work in secret, the couple’s actions have not gone unnoticed.
“Arnold Ventures is the gun control backer most Americans have never heard of. They quietly work behind the scenes, unlike Michael Bloomberg. However, their influence on trying to shape gun control policy rivals that of the biggest backers of antigun efforts. They regularly donate money to think tanks and academia to propel biased research into the policy arena. Arnold Venture’s philanthropic outreach sounds well-intentioned, but they’re serving up snake oil when they peddle firearms as a disease,” Mark Oliva, public affairs director for the National Shooting Sports Foundation, said last week.
The Arnolds’ massive financial clout creates an unholy alliance between grantor and grantee. Their paid researchers publish findings that support the couple’s views, or they risk the cash spigot being turned off and the loss of millions of dollars to their organization.
When it comes to their donations, it is clear who determines where the money goes.
“Laura and John established the Laura and John Arnold Foundation in 2010. They believe philanthropy should be transformational and should seek through innovation to solve persistent problems in society. As co-founders, Laura and John actively engage in the organization’s overall direction and daily execution,” the group’s website states.
John Arnold started as a trader for Enron, according to Influence Watch. He quit before the company imploded and was never accused of wrongdoing. In addition to gun control, the couple supports health care reform, criminal justice reform, prison reform and several nonprofit media groups.
The RAND Corporation is a major recipient of the Arnolds’ funding. RAND now maintains a gun-policy page. Much of their research is sponsored by the Arnolds.
According to the Laura and John Arnold Foundation’s 2022 IRS form 990, the couple paid RAND at total of $2.8 million, of which $1.7 million was for anti-gun research, including:
• $1,261,269 “to conduct research on how to reduce gun violence.”
• $99,000 “to support the first national conference on gun violence prevention research.”
• $89,000 “to support a convening relating to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in the Bruen case.”
• $283,546 “to provide objective information about firearm violence and how state laws reduce or exacerbate this violence.”
That same year, the couple paid more than $1.8 million for anti-gun research from other groups, including:
• $28,040 to the National Opinion Research Center “to support the NORC expert panel on reducing gun violence and improving data infrastructure.”
• $219,122 to the University of California at Berkeley “to evaluate the advance peace gun violence reduction program.”
• $1,065,933 to Princeton University “to develop a research infrastructure that helps cities better understand and respond to waves of gun violence.”
• $475,093 to the University of Maryland “to support the center for study and practice of violence reduction.”
In total, the Foundation donated more than $185 million, according to their 2022 IRS Form 990.
Arnold Ventures public relations director, Angela Landers, declined to be interviewed for this story, arrange an interview with the Arnolds or discuss the gun-control research they funded. Instead, Landers chose to send a written statement, which is unedited and reprinted in its entirety:
“Philanthropy can play a unique role in supporting research regarding the impact of many public policies, including those related to gun violence. In this instance, Arnold Ventures partnered with RAND Corp., a nonpartisan and widely respected research institution, to conduct scientific research that offers the public and policymakers a factual basis for developing fair and effective gun policies in the interest of public safety. Sound research is an important part of building evidence-based solutions,” Landers said in her statement.
RAND’s Response
While there were infrequent gun-related projects over the years, the RAND Corporation as a whole did not research “gun violence” until 2016, when there was a mass-shooting near their California office, according to Andrew R. Morral, PhD, a senior behavioral scientist at RAND and the Greenwald Family Chair in Gun Policy.
“A lot of our staff were rattled by it, as were RAND trustees and friends of RAND,” Morral told the Second Amendment Foundation last week. “They contacted our president and asked what we were going to do about it.”
RAND set aside some internal funds because the work was not yet sponsored and investigated, Morral explained. In 2018, they released their first tranche of research.
“Arnold Ventures picked it up and has funded us since then,” he said.
Today, Arnold Ventures is RAND’s largest sponsor of gun-control research. Together with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the two groups pay RAND more than $1.5 million annually, Morral said. Federal grants from the National Institute of Health and the National Institute of Justice provide additional “gun-violence” research funding.
None of RAND’s estimated 1,900 employees are researching gun-control full time, Morral said. Although he estimated between six to eight staffers are studying gun-control topics “as part of their research portfolios.”
Morral denied that Arnold Ventures or any other donor interfered with their research.
“We are very careful to not allow that to happen,” he said. “We haven’t experienced any pressure and we have not been asked to share our findings with Arnold Ventures or any other sponsor. We aren’t held accountable for producing results in a certain direction. Our donors, generally, are interested in us being neutral and objective, which is part of the reason they came to RAND.”
Still, Morral acknowledged that their sponsors can use their research however they see fit.
“We realize it’s used for advocacy, of course. We’re producing scientific results. We can’t control how they’re used. People will use that in a variety of ways. Our results are used by both advocates for more restrictive gun laws as well as advocates for less restrictive gun laws.”
Morral said RAND takes no position on the right to keep and bear arms. “We don’t have policy positions on that or on gun laws or anything else,” he said. “We don’t advocate. We don’t do any advocacy.”
However, it is RAND’s opinion and Morral’s that “gun-violence” constitutes a public health crisis.
“I certainly think there’s a crisis in terms of the number of people dying and being injured each year,” he said. “The numbers are high enough to call that a crisis.”
RAND, Morral said, stands by the validity of their gun-violence research, “subject to the limitations reported in our reports. All research has limitations, and we try to be upfront about that,” he said.
RAND’s position on two frequent gun-control targets is clear, concise and published on its website.
• Concealed-carry laws increase homicides rates: “Evidence shows that concealed carry laws – when states implement more permissive concealed carry laws, there’s a small increase in homicide rates. Our own research has found evidence of that – some suggestive evidence,” Morral said.
• Stand-your-ground laws increase homicide rates: “The current evidence is that when states implement stand-your-ground laws, firearm homicide rates increase,” he said.
RAND researchers published a report last Wednesday, which was funded by Arnold Ventures and a National Institute of Health grant, titled “State Policies Regulating Firearms and Changes in Firearm Mortality.”
Morral was one of the scientists involved in the project.
The objective was to estimate the effects state firearm policies have on gun-related deaths. The researchers examined six policies: “background checks, minimum age, waiting periods, child access, concealed carry, and stand-your-ground laws.”
The findings were mixed. Child-access prevention laws can reduce gun deaths by 6%, and stand-your-ground laws can increase firearm deaths by 6%, the authors claimed.
“Our finding that most of these individual state-level firearm policies have relatively modest and uncertain effect sizes reflects that each firearm policy is a small component of a complex system shaping firearm violence. However, we found that combinations of the studied policies were reliably associated with substantial shifts in firearm mortality,” the authors noted.
All of the authors – Terry L. Schell, PhD; Rosanna Smart, PhD; Matthew Cefalu, PhD; Beth Ann Griffin, PhD and Morral – work for RAND at either its Santa Monica, California, or Arlington, Virginia, offices.
All of the authors except Morral disclosed conflicts of interest: “Dr Schell reported receiving grants from Arnold Ventures and National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism during the conduct of the study. Dr Smart reported receiving grants from Arnold Ventures and the National Institutes of Health during the conduct of the study. Dr Cefalu reported receiving grants from Arnold Ventures during the conduct of the study. Dr Griffin reported receiving grants from Arnold Ventures during the conduct of the study. No other disclosures were reported.”
The authors claimed that neither Arnold Ventures not the NIH exercised any control of their work.
“The funders had no role in the design and conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of the data; preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript; and decision to submit the manuscript for publication,” the report states.
RAND’s NIH Grant of $790,100 was awarded Sept. 25, 2020, and is ongoing.
“Don’t Get Mad About Guns …”
Three months ago, the Trace – the propaganda arm of former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s anti-gun empire – announced they were creating a Gun Violence Data Hub, which would “help journalists access data on one of America’s most critical – and opaque – public health crises.”
“The Data Hub is a multiyear project to increase the accessibility and use of accurate data on gun violence in journalism. Its team of editors, reporters and researchers will proactively collect and clean datasets for public distribution, write and share tip sheets, and serve as a resource desk to other newsrooms, assisting journalists in their pursuit of data-informed reporting,” the Trace reported.
Arnold Ventures was one of the Data Hub’s top sponsors.
To be clear, Arnold Ventures has radical anti-gun views. The group believes “firearm violence” constitutes a public health crisis. “Gun violence,” it claims, has become the leading cause of death of “young people,” not children, the group states on its website. By referring to young people rather than children, they can include 18- to 20-year-olds in their data set to make the numbers work.
Arnold Ventures wants to bridge the gap in anti-gun research, which they say was created by the 1996 Dickey Amendment, which prohibits the federal government from conducting anti-gun research.
Don’t Get Mad About Guns — Get Funding for Research, the group offers on its website.
“It isn’t enough to get mad about gun violence,” Asheley Van Ness, Arnold Ventures former director of criminal justice, wrote in The Houston Chronicle.“Change starts with adequate funding for research, or else policymakers may end up spending time and money on programs that simply don’t work.”
In 2018, to streamline its funding efforts, Arnold Ventures launched the National Collaborative on Gun Violence Research (NCGVR). Its mission is to “fund and disseminate nonpartisan, scientific research that offers the public and policymakers a factual basis for developing fair and effective gun policies.”
“At Arnold Ventures, we use our resources to confront some of the most pressing problems facing our nation,” Arnold Ventures President and CEO Kelli Rhee stated on the group’s website. “Five years ago, we, like many others, recognized that our understanding of gun violence was suffering from a severe lack of investment in research, and we joined together with our partners to try and fill some of the gap. While more investment from both public and private entities is undoubtedly needed, the National Collaborative on Gun Violence Research has made significant progress in building the gun policy evidence base.”
Since 2022, the NCGVR has issued more than 50 grants, including “13 dissertation research projects and seven post-doctoral research fellowships, as well as awards for large new studies on domestic gun violence, officer-involved shootings, harms to firearm owners associated with gun laws, gun suicides, gun policy analysis and urban gun violence.”
Arnold Ventures chose RAND to administer the NCGVR, and RAND put Morral in charge. Today, Morral co-leads the NCGVR, which he says brings RAND “a couple hundred-thousand dollars per year.”
“It was an opportunity to improve research in the field,” Morral told the Second Amendment Foundation. “It was something that seemed like an interesting project to work to elevate. There wasn’t much research going on, and it was an area we were trying to make some headway in with our own funding. We recognized there was a gap in knowledge about gun policy that wasn’t being studied.”
Takeaways
There is certainly nothing unlawful about a well-heeled couple sponsoring gun-control research or research of any kind. The Arnolds are free to spend their millions as they see fit. However, since their largesse can negatively impact the civil rights of millions of law-abiding Americans, the Arnolds should be prepared to answer for their philanthropy.
The couple has created a pipeline of sorts, cash goes in one end and anti-gun propaganda comes out the other.
The risks they’ve created are dire.
“When a cable TV news actor cites some farcical statistic about guns or gun owners, it’s important to understand how that number made it onto the teleprompter,” said Second Amendment Foundation founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. “It starts with donor dollars sent to researchers at left-leaning colleges, universities or other groups, who publish reports that mirror their donors’ views, which are then regurgitated by the corporate media. It’s a factory-like process. We don’t have anything like that. We don’t need it. We simply rely upon the truth.”
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My Private 150 Yd Range Base is Down! The Plan Comes Together! Gregg Kielma 4/25/1016 Friday afternoon, 4/24/2026, I put in a solid 6 hours leveling and laying down the base that will support the shooting platform for my 150‑yard range. It was one of those jobs that looks simple, until you’re knee‑deep in it, but the base is in and ready for the next step. The plywood deck goes in on May 9th, along with the outdoor carpet that will be applied to the decking, and once that’s done, the platform will finally be completed. Note to self: sugar sand will absolutely get your truck stuck—ask me how I know. LOL Gregg Kielma
Macon Offenders Guilty in ATF Firearms Trafficking Investigation Friday, April 24, 2026 U.S. Attorney's Office, Middle District of Georgia Thirty Firearms Seized, Including a Machinegun and Conversion Devices, Plus Illegal Drugs MACON, Ga. – Three Macon offenders, two with prior felony convictions, have been held accountable at the federal level for their roles in an illegal firearms and drug trafficking network as part of a larger Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigation in the community. Brandon Thorpe, 32, of Macon, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon on April 23. Thorpe faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release and a maximum $250,000 fine. His sentencing hearing will be scheduled by the Court. Lonnie Alexander, 44, of Macon, pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine on April 21. Alexander faces a mandatory minimum of ten years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison to be followed by at least five years of supervised release and a maximum $10,000,000 fine. His sentencing is scheduled for July 9. John Cato, 25, of Macon, was sentenced to serve 15 years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release on Feb. 5, 2026, after he pleaded guilty to firearms trafficking on Nov. 19, 2025. U.S. District Judge Marc Treadwell is presiding over the cases. There is no parole in the federal system. “High-capacity firearms and ammunition, including a machinegun, were removed from the streets of Macon and the defendants were held accountable for their crimes as a result of this ATF-led investigation,” said U.S. Attorney William R. “Will” Keyes. “Our office is working in close partnership with local, state and federal authorities to uphold the law and make every community we serve safer.” “ATF remains committed to identifying and dismantling criminal networks trafficking firearms that fuel violent crime in our communities,” said ATF Resident Agent in Charge Robert W. Davis. “This case underscores our relentless focus on repeat offenders who illegally sell guns and narcotics, putting lives at risk. We will continue working alongside our law enforcement partners to ensure those who threaten public safety are held accountable.” According to court documents and statements in court, ATF agents learned in March 2024 that Alexander, a convicted felon, was illegally selling firearms and narcotics in Macon and opened an investigation. Between April 2024 and April 2025, Alexander was recorded carrying out multiple illegal sales of guns and drugs at locations around Macon, including within 1,000 feet of Mercer University’s campus on April 23, 2024. During that transaction, Alexander distributed over 27 grams of cocaine to an individual in the parking lot of Towne Place Suites, near Mercer University’s campus. Alexander sold over 40 grams of cocaine at different times earlier that month. On May 22, 2024, an individual who had previously told Alexander that he was a convicted felon and that he wanted a gun for drug trafficking, purchased a 9mm pistol with a magazine and three rounds of ammunition during a transaction arranged by Alexander at his Macon home. The following day, an individual bought a loaded 9mm pistol from an associate of Alexander’s, with Alexander receiving a “finder’s fee” for arranging the sale. On September 12, 2024, an individual bought a 9mm pistol in a transaction arranged by Alexander at a gas station in Macon. Later that day, the individual bought a .38 special revolver and over 15 grams of methamphetamine from Alexander at an apartment complex in Macon. On April 23, 2025, Alexander arranged a sale of firearms and methamphetamine to an individual in a restaurant parking lot in Macon. During the transaction, Alexander sold over 80 grams of methamphetamine, and Cato sold three firearms to the individual, including a machinegun. On May 20, 2025, Cato sold seven firearms and a 50-round drum magazine to an individual in a restaurant parking lot in Macon. On June 26, 2025, Thorpe drove Cato to a parking lot in Macon, carrying a dozen firearms, including a Glock switch, which converts a semi-automatic pistol into a machinegun. Cato intended to sell the firearms to an individual. The individual purchased all the firearms from Cato. On July 9, 2025, Cato arrived at a parking lot in Macon to sell a convicted felon firearms and promethazine, a sedative. As ATF agents surrounded Cato’s car, Cato ran into oncoming traffic on Riverside Drive. The agents soon caught and arrested him. Inside Cato’s car were four firearms, two of which had been reported stolen, and 192 ounces of promethazine. In all, ATF seized 30 firearms. Cato is responsible for trafficking 26 firearms; of those 26 firearms, Thorpe is responsible for possessing 12 of them. ATF seized four illegal firearms from Alexander. The firearms included a machinegun, conversion devices, and stolen guns. In addition, ATF seized more than 67 grams of cocaine and more than 100 grams of methamphetamine from Alexander, and 192 ounces of promethazine from Cato. Alexander and Thorpe each have previous felony convictions. Thorpe also had an active warrant from another county at the time of his arrest. It is illegal for a convicted felon to possess a firearm. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. The case was investigated by ATF. Assistant U.S. Attorney Hannah Couch is prosecuting these cases for the Government. Updated April 24, 2026
Leader of Gun Dealing Ring Sentenced to over 17 Years in Prison for Selling More Than 500 Guns in California Thursday, April 23, 2026 U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of California SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Jerrell Lawson, 35, of Sacramento, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Daniel J. Calabretta to 17 years and five months in prison for his convictions for conspiracy to unlawfully deal in firearms, unlawfully dealing in firearms, transferring a firearm to an out-of-state resident, unlawful mailing of a firearm, and being a felon in possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced. According to court documents, between November 2019 and March 2022, Lawson arranged to buy more than 500 firearms in Georgia and ship them into California, where his sub-distributors sold them on the streets. In total, Lawson and his co-conspirators paid more than $300,000 to purchase those firearms. Lawson would broker firearms transactions in Georgia over the internet, and co-defendant Malek Williams, a Georgia resident with a license to carry a concealed firearm, would pick up firearms in person and mail the firearms to various locations in California at Lawson’s direction. Some of the firearms went to individuals who are prohibited from possessing firearms due to prior felony convictions. Some of the guns were also particularly dangerous: machine guns and guns with “drums” designed to hold dozens of rounds of ammunition. The investigation began when a firearm used in a violent shooting in California was traced to Georgia, then to Lawson’s organization. Law enforcement learned Lawson and his co-conspirators used coded language to traffic firearms and moved money using a variety of financial institutions. During the investigation, interdicted packages destined for Lawson and other co-conspirators were found to contain firearms, ammunition, knives, and brass knuckles, among other things. In August 2023, a grand jury charged Lawson and nine co-defendants with various firearms offenses relating to this interstate firearm dealing ring. All of Lawson’s co-defendants have pleaded guilty and been sentenced. This case is the product of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the San Francisco Bay Area/Sacramento Region Cross-Jurisdictional Firearms Trafficking Strike Force Initiative and a number of other state, local, and federal agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ross Pearson and Justin Lee are prosecuting the case. This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Sacramento is composed of agents and officers from Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Northern California High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, Central Valley High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, and the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California. Updated April 23, 2026
Palmetto Man on Federal Supervised Release Indicted for Possessing Ammunition as a Convicted Felon Wednesday, April 22, 2026 U.S. Attorney's Office, Middle District of Florida Tampa, Florida – Brandon Bernard Williams (41, Palmetto, Florida) has been charged by federal indictment for possession of ammunition by a convicted felon. If convicted, Williams faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement. According to the indictment, on March 5, 2026, Williams was in possession of ammunition after having been previously convicted of multiple felony offenses, including a prior firearms offense. At the time of the offense, Williams was serving a term of supervised release for his prior federal convictions. As a convicted felon, Williams is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition under federal law. An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jeff Chang. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). Updated April 22, 2026
Seven Individuals Sentenced In Central Florida Gun Trafficking Scheme Wednesday, April 22, 2026 U.S. Attorney's Office, Middle District of Florida Orlando, Florida – Seven members of a gun trafficking scheme have been sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge Roy. B. Dalton. Six of the individuals pleaded guilty. Jincheng Shi was convicted by a jury. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement. The convictions and sentences are listed below: Name (Age, City of Residence) Convictions Sentence Date Sentence Imposed Victor Manuel LaFontaine Ruiz (32, Poinciana) Gun trafficking conspiracy Brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence 2/6/2026 17 years, 4 months Jose Emanuel Maldonado Rodriguez (33, Kissimmee) Gun trafficking conspiracy Possession of machinegun 1/21/2026 5 years, 6 months Freddie Geovani Cruz Batiz (37, Kissimmee) Gun trafficking conspiracy Possession of machinegun 10/28/2025 7 years, 3 months Jomar Manuel Lopez Montanez (31, Kissimmee) Gun trafficking conspiracy Felon in possession of a firearm 8/11/2025 7 years, 8 months Derrick Yamil Rivera Robles (30, Kissimmee) Gun trafficking conspiracy Unlicensed gun dealing, aiding and abetting Possession of machinegun 12/4/2025 3 years, 10 months Leonardo David Joseph Guerra (24, Orlando) Gun trafficking conspiracy Possession of a firearm by an illegal alien 2/23/2026 4 years Jincheng Shi (28, St. Cloud), Unlicensed gun dealing, aiding and abetting Possession of a firearm as an alien admitted under a non-immigrant visa 4/21/2026 7 years According to court documents, from at least as early as September 2023 onward, Lafontaine and Maldonado operated a gun trafficking ring involving hundreds of firearms, machineguns, machinegun conversion devices, and high-capacity magazines needed for fully automatic weapons. This operation did not involve any federally licensed firearms dealers. Instead, Lafontaine and Maldonado obtained firearms parts, including from Shi, a Chinese national who was admitted to the United States under a non-immigrant visa in 2022, which places him in a prohibited class of persons not legally allowed to possess firearms. Lafontaine and Maldonado assembled, manufactured, and modified semi-automatic and automatic firearms using a “ghost gunner” machine and specialized “endmill” drilling devices at a workspace on Maldonado’s property in Kissimmee. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with assistance from the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, the Orlando Police Department, the Winter Garden Police Department, the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office, the Apopka Police Department, the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, and the Florida Highway Patrol. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Michael Felicetta and Dana Hill. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Updated April 22, 2026
Firearms: Always be Prepared From a reader of my blog with my comment. 4/21/2026 Gregg, my brother-in-law was on the couch when my sister arrived home, so he helped her and my niece’s boyfriend with groceries. A car blocked them in at the end of the driveway. Three people got out, one fired a gun in the air and threatened him. Two watched him while the third searched the house; after leaving, they returned, again, to search the basement. He finally grabbed his gun as they drove off. Since I live nearby and police response is slow, we now believe it’s safer to keep a gun within reach. I even carry when grilling—times have changed and being prepared matters. Kielma’s Thought: “A gun holstered properly, and always on your hip, is better than a gun 5 feet away.”
Ruger vs Beretta Mike Hardy 4/20/2026 Drama in the firearms industry is not unheard of, but it is fairly rare. Given the industry’s relatively smaller size, there just usually aren’t a lot of eyebrow-raising events that happen. However, that has changed recently with interactions between Ruger and Beretta. These two stalwart bastions of gun design and manufacture have not exactly come to blows, but there are developments raising some eyebrows. Let’s take a quick look at the situation. In September of 2025, Beretta – the oldest gun manufacturer in the world, since 1526 – acquired 7.7% of Sturm, Ruger & Co. stock and then bought more to up its total holdings to 9.95%. That number makes Beretta the largest single shareholder of Ruger stock. The “Poison Pill” In October 2025, Beretta purchased the extra shares as recounted above. That led Ruger to issue a “poison-pill defense”… there are different forms of that strategy, but they all boil down to making a hostile takeover more difficult and costly for the acquirer. In its initial federal disclosure, Beretta Holding said that it: Did not have a present intention of seeking control” of Ruger, but instead they claim that they simply want a “strategic minority interest” in order to reverse what it calls Ruger’s “deteriorating financial performance.” I’m not sure Ruger believed that, after they contended that “Beretta’s Chair “indicated a long-term plan to combine Ruger with Beretta, but made no formal proposal” at a December meeting. Earlier this year, negotiations between the two companies fell apart, and Ruger went public with details of what it called a “creeping takeover” by Beretta Holding. In a March 9 statement, Ruger stated that: “Beretta repeatedly demanded terms that would transfer value from other Ruger stockholders to Beretta and undermine Ruger’s status as an independent public company,” That statement included: “Specific demands like 25 percent of the company, discounted shares, a board appointee that could violate antitrust laws, and more. Beretta repeatedly advanced extreme demands and threatened to ‘go to war’ if those demands were not met. “Beretta’s scathing reply on March 10 addressed what it called Ruger’s breach of confidentiality by issuing “blatantly false and misleading statements.” Beretta insists it wants only to help Ruger as a minority investor.
Colorado Democrats Want to Regulate Gun Barrels Like Firearms — And It May Be Coming to Your State Next Scott Witner 4/20/2026 Colorado Senate Bill 26-043 would require background checks, dealer transfers, and five-year recordkeeping for the sale of a simple metal tube — a move critics say is a textbook step toward de facto disarmament. Colorado Democrats are pushing legislation that would regulate firearm barrels — the metal tube the bullet travels through — as if they were complete firearms. Under Senate Bill 26-043, selling or transferring a barrel to a fellow gun owner without routing it through a federally licensed dealer would be a crime, carrying up to 30 days in jail and a $500 fine on the first offense. This isn’t about suppressors, which are already federally regulated as NFA items. This isn’t about receivers. This is a barrel. A spare part that countless Colorado gun owners buy, sell, and swap without a second thought — and now legislators want the same paper trail you’d generate buying a complete firearm. The bill would require dealers to log the buyer’s name, address, phone number, date of birth, driver’s license number, the barrel’s make, model, and caliber, the transaction date, and the name of the employee who handled the sale — the same paper trail created when purchasing a complete gun. “The regulatory solution creates compliance burdens for 100% of law-abiding gun owners who make up the entire legitimate market for firearm barrels in the state.” The stated justification is ghost guns. Colorado banned so-called ghost guns in 2023, but legislators say criminals are now 3D-printing frames and other components and purchasing legal metal barrels online to build untraceable firearms. The problem with that logic? By the bill sponsor’s own account, ghost guns account for approximately 3% or less of firearms recovered from Colorado crime scenes. A 3% problem is being used to justify 100% compliance burdens on law-abiding residents. The Wyoming Loophole Denver resident Keith Emerson told the committee what anyone with a map already knows: a criminal who wants a barrel can simply drive a couple of hours to Wyoming and buy one without any Colorado paperwork whatsoever. The bill creates zero barrier for anyone willing to cross a state line, while creating new criminal exposure for every honest Coloradan who doesn’t. Anti-gunners’ answer to that argument, as always, is that Wyoming should be doing this too. It’s never the law that’s the problem — it’s everyone else’s freedom that needs to be curtailed. Perhaps the most troubling procedural detail: the bill contains a “safety clause” that designates it as emergency legislation. In Colorado, that designation exempts the bill from the citizen ballot initiative process. If SB 26-043 passes and Governor Polis signs it, there is no referendum — no direct democratic challenge by the people it would affect. It’s locked in. Death by a thousand regulations Colorado has added a new layer of gun control in every legislative session since 2019 — waiting periods, age restrictions raised to 21, ammunition purchase age requirements, extreme risk protection order expansions, detachable magazine permitting requirements, and now barrel regulation, alongside a companion bill that would ban 3D printing of gun parts and criminalize possession of even the digital instructions to print them. No single bill bans guns outright. But each year the regulatory web gets tighter, the cost of compliance grows, and the risk of innocent mistakes steepens. Map it across seven years, and the picture is unmistakable: this is how you disarm a population without ever using the word “ban.” You regulate. You criminalize transfers. You decide what counts as a gun. You do it one small, “common sense” step at a time until eventually, a lot of people just give up. “Colorado and the other 49 states are all policy laboratories — and the experiments that succeed, or fail depending on your perspective, will get exported to other states, as they always have.” Colorado gun owners should be contacting their state legislators now. And gun owners in every other state should be paying close attention, because what starts in one purple state rarely stays there.
Staying Safe at Home, Work or Your Business Gregg Kielma-Tactical K Training and Firearms 4/19/2026 Hello friends, family and business partners, my mission is to empower responsible citizens with the knowledge, skills, and mindset to stay safe every day. Through disciplined training, clear instruction, and a commitment to integrity, Tactical K Training & Firearms prepares individuals to protect themselves, their families, and their communities. I believe safety is a lifelong practice — one built on awareness, accountability, and never tiring of doing the right thing. Please, Never Tire of Staying Safe. At Tactical K Training & Firearms , I, Gregg Kielma teach responsible gun owners to build confidence, sharpen awareness, and protect what matters most through practical, real world training. Safety Isn’t a Phase, It’s a Lifestyle. My approach at Tactical K Training & Firearms reinforces the habits, skills, and mindset that keep you, your family, and your community safer every day. Kielma Parting Shot: Your Life, Family and Friends Are Worth The Effort. Through clear instruction, honest guidance, and real-world scenarios, Tactical K Training & Firearms helps responsible citizens stay prepared, stay aware, and stay confident. Gregg Kielma
!FLORIDA IS MY HOME! Gregg Kielma-Tactical K Training and Firearms 4/19/2026 Florida has been my home for 47 years, and throughout that time I've mostly experienced all of its positives. Here are some reasons why I truly enjoy living here. Sure, there are challenges—like the intense heat, hurricanes, bugs, and occasional overgrowth—but this place feels like home, and I wouldn't want to live anywhere else! !FLORIDA IS MY HOME! Let's Take a LOOK! 1. No State Income Tax Florida is one of the few states with zero state income tax, allowing residents to keep more of what they earn. This is especially attractive for retirees, remote workers, and high income earners. 2. Year Round Warm Weather With 230–250 sunny days per year and mild winters, Florida offers a climate that supports outdoor living all year long. 3. World Class Beaches Over 1,300 miles of coastline and award winning beaches like Siesta Key, Clearwater, and Pensacola make Florida a paradise for beach lovers. 4. Outdoor Recreation & Natural Beauty Boating, fishing, kayaking, hiking, paddleboarding, and exploring the Everglades—Florida’s biodiversity and outdoor lifestyle are unmatched. 5. Affordable Housing (Compared to Many States) While prices have risen, Florida still offers more affordable options than high cost states like California or New York, with many markets below the national median. 6. Lower Overall Cost of Living Beyond taxes, Florida’s cost of living remains competitive, especially in suburban and inland areas. 7. Cultural Diversity & Vibrant Communities Florida is one of the most diverse states in the U.S., with residents from every background, age group, and region. 8. Strong Job Market & Growing Economy Florida’s economy continues to expand, with opportunities in tourism, healthcare, logistics, tech, construction, and remote work. (Supported by tax advantages and population growth.) 9. Laid Back, Outdoor Focused Lifestyle Sunshine, beaches, parks, and waterfront living create a relaxed atmosphere that attracts families, retirees, and remote workers alike. 10. A Haven for Remote Workers Remote workers relocating from high tax states can save 10–13% of income annually simply by living in Florida—an enormous financial advantage. !I LOVE FLORIDA! Gregg Kielma
