Turner's Outdoorsman

Above, Turner's Outdoorsman Reseda, California store. 

During my last few years of being a resident of Tarzana, California, my go-to gun store was Turner's Outdoorsman in next-door Reseda.

Specifically, Turner's address is 19329 Vanowen Street, Reseda, CA 91335. 

My dad and I had purchased a number of guns there over the years. The last being my Ruger P95 9mm pistol. 

Besides guns and ammo, Turner's also carries sporting goods such as archery, fishing, hunting, clothing  and training courses.

I had always received good service from them and those in the L.A. area would do well in visiting this store and others. Besides California, Turner's also has stores in Arizona.

To visit the Turner's Outdoorsman website, go here.

News From New Mexico Shooting Sports Association

 

As we enter the final days of the 2025 Legislative Session, the governor is making a frantic effort to push her gun-control agenda across the line. Two bills have been scheduled for Thursday, 3/20. SB279, the gas-operated firearm and magazine ban, has been scheduled for the Senate Finance Committee after sitting dormant for weeks. They will meet in Room 322 at the call of the chair - so no official time has been given (Zoom link). The bill is the first on the agenda. SB318, the gun store liability bill that could put every gun store in NM out of business by enabling frivolous lawsuits against firearms industry companies, will be in the House Judiciary Committee tomorrow morning at 9 A.M. in Room 317 (Zoom link). The bill is also first on the agenda.  House Judiciary Committee Christine Chandler - (D) christine.chandler@nmlegis.gov 505-986-4411 Andrea Romero - (D) andrea@andrearomero.com 505-986-4243 Javier Martínez - (D) javier.martinez@nmlegis.gov 505-986-4782 Matthew McQueen - (D) matthew.mcqueen@nmlegis.gov 505-986-4423 Andrea Reeb - (R) Andrea.Reeb@nmlegis.gov 505-986-4215 Reena Szczepanski - (D) reena.szczepanski@nmlegis.gov 505-986-4777 Michelle Paulene Abeyta - (D) michelle.abeyta@nmlegis.gov 505-986-4254 Nicole Chavez - (R) nicole.chavez@nmlegis.gov 505-986-4214 William A. Hall II - (R) bill.hall@nmlegis.gov 505-986-4336 Dayan Hochman-Vigil - (D) dayan.hochman-vigil@nmlegis.gov 505-986-4777 Alan T. Martinez - (R) Alan.Martinez@nmlegis.gov 505-986-4758 Senate Finance Committee Senator George K. Muñoz - (D) george.munoz@nmlegis.gov 505-986-4371 Senator Benny Shendo, Jr. - (D) benny.shendo@nmlegis.gov 505-986-4264 Senator Craig W. Brandt - (R) craig.brandt@nmlegis.gov 505-986-4703 Senator Pete Campos - (D) pete.campos@nmlegis.gov 505-986-4267 Senator Roberto "Bobby" J. Gonzales - (D) roberto.gonzales@nmlegis.gov 505-986-4362 Senator Steve D. Lanier - (R) steve.lanier@nmlegis.gov 505-986-4724 Senator Michael Padilla - (D) michael.padilla@nmlegis.gov 505-986-4737 Senator Jeff Steinborn - (D) jeff.steinborn@nmlegis.gov 505-986-4862 Senator Nicole Tobiassen - (R) nicole.tobiassen@nmlegis.gov 505-986-4278 Senator Linda M. Trujillo - (D) linda.trujillo@nmlegis.gov 505-986-4863 Senator Pat Woods - (R) pat.woods@nmlegis.gov 505-986-4853

News From New Mexico Shooting Sports Association

 

After a floor vote on SB318 was delayed last Thursday, the bill was brought up again on the Senate Floor tonight for a vote and was passed 21 to 18. Numerous gun stores from around the state have told us the bill could put every gun store in New Mexico out of business. The bill accomplishes this by amending New Mexico's Unfair Trade Practices Act to make it easier to sue a gun store than any other type of business and imposing harsher penalties on gun stores than any other type of business. Further, the bill states: "proof of monetary damage, loss of profits or intent to deceive or take unfair advantage of any person is not required" to sue a gun store or manufacturer. Activist groups who hate the Second-Amendment would be given free rein to sue New Mexico gun stores until the stores are forced to close. No other state in the country targets gun stores in this extreme manner. The bill now heads to the House Side. We expect it will stop in the House Judiciary Committee first, followed by a floor vote if it passes that committee. We have only days left in the 2025 Legislative Session, so we must act quickly if we are going to stop SB318. First, the contact info for House Judiciary Committee Members is at the bottom of this email. Second, find and contact your state representative, and tell them to oppose SB318. The 2025 Session ends at noon on Saturday, so this will be sprint to the end. Here is a quick rundown of the other bills we are tracking now. SB279, the gas-operated firearm and magazine ban is still sitting in the Senate Finance Committee and has not moved in over a week. HB12, the red-flag gun confiscation law expansion has passed both the House and Senate and is on its way to the Governor. The courts will ultimately be where this type of law will have to be fought. SB507, the concealed carry act rewrite will be in the House Judiciary Committee tomorrow, 3/19, after passing the Senate side. House Judiciary Committee Christine Chandler - (D) christine.chandler@nmlegis.gov 505-986-4411 Andrea Romero - (D) andrea@andrearomero.com 505-986-4243 Javier Martínez - (D) javier.martinez@nmlegis.gov 505-986-4782 Matthew McQueen - (D) matthew.mcqueen@nmlegis.gov 505-986-4423 Andrea Reeb - (R) Andrea.Reeb@nmlegis.gov 505-986-4215 Reena Szczepanski - (D) reena.szczepanski@nmlegis.gov 505-986-4777 Michelle Paulene Abeyta - (D) michelle.abeyta@nmlegis.gov 505-986-4254 Nicole Chavez - (R) nicole.chavez@nmlegis.gov 505-986-4214 William A. Hall II - (R) bill.hall@nmlegis.gov 505-986-4336 Dayan Hochman-Vigil - (D) dayan.hochman-vigil@nmlegis.gov 505-986-4777 Alan T. Martinez - (R) Alan.Martinez@nmlegis.gov 505-986-4758

News From New Mexico Shooting Sports Association

 

While SB279, the gas-operated firearm and magazine ban, has been idling in the Senate Finance committee for a week, SB318 has been fast-tracked in Santa Fe. The bill could put every gun store in New Mexico out of business by amending New Mexico's Unfair Trade Practices Act to make it easier to sue a gun store than any other type of business and imposing harsher penalties on gun stores than any other type of business. Further, the bill states: "proof of monetary damage, loss of profits or intent to deceive or take unfair advantage of any person is not required" to sue a gun store. Activist groups who hate the Second-Amendment would be given free rein to sue New Mexico gun stores until they were forced to close. No other state in the country targets gun stores in this extreme manner, but trial attorneys who have a grip on the New Mexico Legislature have put gun stores in their sights looking for a payday. What can you do right now? First, find and contact your state legislators, and tell them to oppose SB318 as it is on the Floor of the Senate with a vote by all State Senators scheduled for tomorrow. Second, forward this message to anyone, especially FFLs who need to be aware of what is happening in Santa Fe right now.

What States Have The Most Gun Stores?

Above, Bass Tackle Master in Lake Havasu City. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Whenever I visit friends in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, I marvel at the number of gun stores in the city. They seem to be as plentiful there as nail salons in the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County. The city of Phoenix has the most in the state.

This raised a question: What states have the most gun stores?

24/7 Wall St. says that the state of Wyoming has the most. Arizona comes in at number 30.

They posted an article on this a year ago and it begins with:

The National Shooting Sports Foundation estimates America’s guns and ammunition industry directly generated over $60.5 billion in economic activity in the last two years alone. Much of that was fueled by record-breaking gun sales following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, as millions of Americans across the country – including many first-time gun buyers – flocked to firearm retailers. 

According to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, there are over 56,700 federally licensed gun stores in the United States. Adjusting for population, this comes out to about 17 for every 100,000 Americans. 

In certain parts of the country, however, the concentration of gun stores is far higher than average. This is particularly the case in states with deeply ingrained gun cultures — where gun rights are well protected and where residents are most likely to have a gun in their home. 

Using data from the ATF, 24/7 Wall St. identified the states with the most gun stores. We ranked all 50 states on the number of federally licensed firearm dealers, including pawn shops, for every 100,000 residents. ATF firearm retailer data is current as of October 2023 and was adjusted using population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2022 American Community Survey. 

 To read more, go here.

This Morning In Lake Havasu City

Above, a nice selection of rifles at Bass Tackle Master. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

This morning, before the temperature got too hot (it is now 90° in Lake Havasu), Mitch Geriminsky hit some gun stores. Might as well since they are as abundant as nail salons in the San Fernando Valley.

We did find some good deals on gun cases at Bass Tackle Master. Mitch bought two rifle cases and I bought one.

Above, at In-N-Out Burger in Lake Havasu City. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

After we were done wandering gun stores, we headed over to In-N-Out Burger for lunch. For those who are wondering, I had a cheeseburger, fries and a vanilla shake.

By the time we got back to Mitch's home, the temperature got up into the upper 80s. I fired up the RV's roof air conditioner after we arrived. 

Ammo Shortages Are Back!

Since I have been in Lake Havasu, Mitch Geriminsky and I have been to several gun stores browsing around.

On Friday, while waiting for a store to open (which never did), we killed some time checking out three gun stores. (It seems that Lake Havasu has as many gun stores as the San Fernando Valley in California has nail salons.) We went to some more yesterday.

Each have been saying that ammunition is going to be scarcer next year and the prices will jump up. In a gun store yesterday, they were selling .30-30 Winchester ammo for $70.00/box of 20. I am glad that I already stockpiled ammunition beforehand. They were all blaming NATO for this.

If one can, start buying ammunition now before the prices rise even further and it becomes harder to find. 

Note: There are some people who feel that this post is "spreading B.S." and trying to "cause" a run on ammo. That's not the intent of this post. I am just reporting on what six gun dealers in Lake Havasu told us directly. It could be a regional thing. But each said the same thing that NATO is the cause and prices are going up. 

I buy ammo online and have had no problems so far. If one wants to make a rebuttal, feel free to post it in the comments. Just make it factual and respectful and I will approve it.

Visa, Mastercard Pause Decision To Track Gun Shop Purchases

 

A victory for the Second Amendment came after Visa and MasterCard announced their "pause" in implementing the decision to categorize gun shop purchases.

While this is good news, this doesn't go far enough. They need to definitely end this categorization permanently.

From the Associated Press:

NEW YORK (AP) — Visa and Mastercard paused their decision to start categorizing purchases at gun shops, a significant win for conservative groups and Second Amendment advocates who felt that tracking gun shop purchases would inadvertently discriminate against legal firearms purchases.

The decision is, at the same time, also a defeat for gun control groups. There had been hope that categorizing credit and debit card purchases would allow authorities to potentially see red flags — like significant ammunition purchases — before a mass shooting could happen.

After Visa and Mastercard announced their plans to implement a separate merchant category code for gun shop purchases, the payment networks got significant pushback from the gun lobby as well as conservative politicians. A group of 24 GOP state attorneys general wrote a letter to the payment networks threatening legal action against Visa and Mastercard if they moved forward with their plan.

To read more, go here. 

California’s COVID Gun Store Shutdowns Ruled Illegal

Above, a gun store in Albuquerque. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

New Mexico Governor "Malevolent Michelle" Lujan Grisham ought to take a good hard look at a California federal court ruling.

Back in 2020, she shut down New Mexico's gun stores when the pandemic struck the state, calling them "non-essential".

California counties of Los Angeles and Ventura did the same and now a panel with the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that those actions violated people's constitutional rights.

According to the Long Beach Post:

Two California counties violated the Constitution’s right to keep and bear arms when they shut down gun and ammunition stores in 2020 as nonessential businesses during the coronavirus pandemic, a federal appeals court ruled Thursday.

Officials in Los Angeles and Ventura counties had separately won lower court decisions saying gun stores were not exempt from broader shutdown orders aimed at limiting the spread of the coronavirus early in the pandemic.

A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected both lower court rulings.

The Second Amendment “means nothing if the government can prohibit all persons from acquiring any firearm or ammunition,” Judge Lawrence VanDyke wrote. “But that’s what happened in this case.”

Because buyers can obtain guns only by personally going to gun stores in California, Ventura County’s 48-day closure of gun shops, ammunition shops and firing ranges “wholly prevented law-abiding citizens in the County from realizing their right to keep and bear arms,” he wrote.

To read the full story, go here. 

Gov. Lujan Grisham Sued By Gun Rights Groups

NOTE: Although this article is dated today (12/19/20) at Canada Free Press, the Vice President of the New Mexico Shooting Sports Association told me that this was a lawsuit that was filed and later dropped as the governor relented and allowed re-opening of gun stores. I am leaving it up just in case it is a new federal lawsuit.

Gov. Michelle "Wuhan Lujan" Grisham just can't seem to do anything right, especially with her selective health orders that favor big box stores at the expense of small businesses.

Now she's being sued by gun rights groups.

According to the Canada Free Press:

BELLEVUE, WA – The Second Amendment Foundation, National Rifle Association and Firearms Policy Coalition today filed a federal lawsuit against New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, challenging her order mandating the closure of lawful retail firearms businesses during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Joining SAF, NRA and FPC are the New Mexico Shooting Sports Association, two businesses and three private citizens. They are represented by attorneys Patrick J. Rogers, Albuquerque; Cody J. Wisniewski, Lakewood, Colo.; Adam Kraut, Sacramento, Calif., and Michael T. Jean, Fairfax, Va. The complaint was filed in U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico and is known as Aragon v. Grisham.

In addition to Gov. Grisham, also named as a defendant is Kathyleen Kunkel, secretary for the New Mexico Department of Health, both in their official capacities. The Department of Health is also a defendant.

The lawsuit “challenges Defendants’ mandatory shuttering of lawful retail firearms businesses.”

“By arbitrarily, capriciously—and unconstitutionally—targeting those who lawfully sell firearms and ammunition, New Mexico is depriving citizens of their natural and fundamental right to keep and bear arms,” the complaint alleges.

“Gov. Grisham simply can’t suspend the Second Amendment,” stated SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. “Of course there is an emergency, but such emergencies do not nullify the Constitution, even temporarily. We cannot allow public officials to put their personal agendas above the rights protected by the Constitution, and that includes the right of the people to keep and bear arms.”

To read the full article, go here.