We were quite taken aback by South Florida’s announcement that they were seceding from the SRA, given that we were unaware of the chapter’s continued existence.

Our last official communication from the chapter was in 2022. Since then we have received no assembly reps from the chapter, no annual audits, and no financial disclosures. Our repeated attempts to contact the chapter through official channels were met with no response, leading the chapters department to categorize SFL as “inactive” in our databases. There they remained for some time until last month when they were removed from our databases entirely.

Its always a sad day when a chapter dwindles away. Organizers burn out, membership in the chapter declines, and, ultimately, chapter activity ceases. We hate to see it, but it’s understandable. Sometimes entirely new organizations sprout from the ashes of an old chapter, and for that we rejoice.

There are many valid criticisms of our organization's bureaucracy. We continue to strive to correct them, and support our chapters and members at large as best we can. We are aware of many of our shortcomings, and have plans in place to fix them in the long term (Blog post on that coming; This is not the space for that). However, we are, and always have been, a safe place for marginalized communities to seek education and engage in mutual aid. Something to that effect has consistently been in our bylaws in some form or another since 2018, when we became a 501(c)(4) and were required to have bylaws.

Anyone who believes that we are responsible for taking up arms is lacking this information. Anyone who believes that we don’t, as a default, see the service of marginalized communities as a priority, lacks this information.

Legal Disclaimer: While general legal perspectives and theories are shared in this article, this article does not constitute legal advice. If you have specific legal questions, you should consult with an attorney.

With another presidential election cycle coming to a close, we're seeing another wave of new left of liberal firearms owners taking their personal defense seriously. While I always recommend a striker fired handgun to be the first purchase for almost every new gun owner due to sheer utility, the selection of a home defense firearm can be a little more complicated. While we select a handgun for our personal defense outside of the home due to the necessity of concealment  – no, you will not be able to deploy your backpack-stowed pistol caliber carbine or folding-stock rifle in time to defend yourself – we typically have more options for a home defense weapon.

Assuming the prepared defender already has a handgun, a long gun for home defense is typically a good choice if it can be safely stored and deployed quickly when needed. A rifle or shotgun will have immensely greater stopping power versus a handgun and the presence of a stock will make the weapon more accurate. This article will focus on the advantages and disadvantages of selecting a shotgun for home defense.

Advantages of the Home Defense Shotgun

Cost. The cost of a quality 12-gauge pump-action shotgun is almost always going to be significantly lower versus a quality AR-15. Additionally, the cost to get the gun up and running as a home-defense firearm is going to typically be lower for a shotgun. While bead sights are the worst of the options available for shotguns they still come standard on even the lowest tier budget blaster; many budget-tier AR-15's or AR-15's built from a lower receiver and upper receiver on sale don't come from the factory with iron sights.

Remington 870 Police Magnum 12-gauge trade-ins can often be found for under $400 and can become serviceable again as a home defense shotgun for minimal cost. Photo Credit: sportsmansoutdoorsuperstore.com

Legality. In states that specifically ban features commonly found on the AR-15, the 12-gauge shotgun will still be legal. Additionally, in studies involving mock juries, prison sentences for home defense cases involving an AR-15 were higher than any other type of weapon involved in the study:

“Importantly the average recommended sentence when the homeowner used the AR-15 weapon was 7.2 years for male subjects and 8.5 for females. This was significantly higher than any of the other gun types. The handguns had the lowest recommended sentences (in the two to four year range).”¹

If a prepared defender was actively involved in political organizing that was unpopular in their county and subsequently attacked at home as a reprisal, the decision of a potentially biased jury could be significantly altered by the type of firearm used. Keep in mind that the average person selected for a jury pool does not understand firearms beyond what they see in movies and on television. While being charged in a use of force incident when being attacked inside the home is unlikely, perceived legality does remain a factor.

Additionally, a spouse, partner, room mate, or family member who may be uncomfortable with an AR-15 in the home due to media bias against the platform may otherwise begrudgingly accept having a shotgun in the home for defense.

Ergonomics. Assuming the defender keeps their 12-gauge shotgun “closet ready”, the basic act of firing a shotgun is fairly similar to other firearms. Your stance should be similar to the stance you employ when firing a handgun or a carbine. Your index point for keeping your trigger finger on bare metal when you have not yet made the decision to fire will be similar to the slide on the handgun or the receiver of an AR-15. The only major differences will be running the pump on a pump-action and reloading, which will require additional training and practice. We will be discussing the definition of closet ready later in the article.

Lethality. While terminal ballistics of rifles will always trump handguns, the imperialist invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq taught the US military about the limitations of the .223/5.56mm round. Soldiers being trained to engage targets often found it necessary to return to the same target and fire again as the M855 round would pass through soft tissue before yawing or fragmenting.² While there is far superior ammunition available now to civilians than the M855 round the US military had in the early 2000's, the properly loaded shotgun remains superior in lethality to both the rifle and the handgun at pistol-fighting distances.

In a gun fight, determined assailants are stopped by either shutting down the electrical system or the hydraulics. The energy delivered from a properly loaded shotgun aimed at high center mass is more likely to overwhelm the central nervous system with one shot via multiple strikes to significant organs and arteries. Simply put, a single round of 8 pellet 00# buckshot is the ballistic equivalent to emptying a single stack magazine handgun with one trigger press.

Rio Royal 9 Pellet 00# buckshot out of a Remington 870. Photo Credit: LuckyGunner

Ammunition. Even during the height of pandemic ammunition scarcity, 12-gauge ammunition was typically available in retail stores. Shotguns are one of the most common firearms in the United States and ammunition is often plentiful, even if it's not the best type of ammunition for your use case.

Disadvantages of the Home Defense Shotgun

Ammunition. How can ammunition be both an advantage and a disadvantage to owning a shotgun? Unfortunately, most of the research and development for shotgun ammunition has either been done on behalf of law enforcement or the US military. This had led to a few issues: there is almost zero viable self-defense shotgun ammunition available for anything other than the 12-gauge and while there may be three or four viable brands and loads of self-defense ammunition for pistol calibers and rifles, there is really only one viable home defense load for the shotgun. While proper selection of quality self-defense or carry loads are vitally important to handguns and rifles used for personal protection, this is even more critical with the shotgun.

Federal FliteControl 12-gauge 8 Pellet 00# Buckshot is the hands-down best option for a home defense shotgun. Buckshot always performs better when stacked with eight pellets versus nine pellets – physics involving uneven stacking of nine pellet buckshot causes more flattening and bouncing around of the pellets, leading to a phenomenon known as “the ninth pellet flier.”  The ninth pellet flier can bypass an intended target and maim or kill an innocent bystander. FliteControl Buckshot stays remarkably in-tact out to 15 or 20 yards before the pellets begin spreading due to the nature of the FliteControl Wad. While Hornady Critical Defense 00# buckshot uses the same patented Versatite wad as FliteControl, their version tends to peel apart in the barrel and is a distant second to Federal's offering. Hornady's Critical Defense buckshot is also not plated, which leads to more deformation and flat spots on the lead pellets in mid-flight.

Federal FliteControl can be difficult to find on store shelves and generally needs to be purchased online. When it can be found in stock online, it's typically more expensive than most other buckshot.

Accessories and Setup. Adding a red-dot optic to a shotgun is going to typically be more difficult than adding one to an AR-15 and will usually require either drilling/tapping the receiver for a rail or buying an optic plate. Upgrading from a bead sight to a ghost ring or pistol-style sights is going to require a trip to the gunsmith or a blowtorch.

The Magpul SGA Stock has an adjustable length of pull from 12.3-14.3.”

The Mossberg Maverick 88, a popular budget-tier option, comes equipped with a stock that is generally too long for defensive use.

Additionally, one of the major problems with defensive shotguns involves length of pull. Most tactical and defensive shotguns are simply sporting shotguns with added features and black polymer furniture. Beretta has recently gotten this right with their A300 and 1301 shotguns which come from the factory with the proper length of pull. The most important modification to do to a shotgun being used for home defense is to shorten the stock from 13” or 14” down to 12-12.5” which will either require purchasing a compatible Magpul SGA stock or paying a gunsmith a nominal fee to cut or shave down the stock.

Maintenance. Home defense shotguns require greater maintenance versus rounds fired compared to a handgun or most carbines. Plastic shotgun shells will leave streaks of molten plastic in a shotgun barrel over time, which can dramatically affect patterning and encourage rust to form. Mounted red dot optics and lights will take more of a beating from recoil and will need to be checked more often. Additionally, if a home defense shotgun is left loaded in a closet ready configuration, the magazine tube spring should be replaced annually as these springs are much thinner and more fragile than the springs found in pistol and rifle magazines.

Recoil. It would be intellectually dishonest if I were to fail to mention the dramatic recoil of 12-gauge buckshot versus a 9mm handgun or an AR-15 pattern rifle. While recoil can be dramatically mitigated for even the smallest framed shooter with proper push-pull technique, this is much more difficult for someone with physical disabilities especially those affecting the upper body or joints. Assuming the shooter is otherwise able-bodied, they should seek formal instruction on push-pull technique and recoil management with the shotgun.

Training. Virtually all indoor ranges ban birdshot and buckshot from being fired due to potential damage to the facility and many ban shotguns outright. While slugs fired from a shotgun are going to provide a very similar experience to 00# buckshot and are allowed at some indoor ranges, they are also more expensive to train with than other calibers. If the prepared defender lacks regular access to a range that allows shooting a shotgun, training will be much more difficult. Training on reloads will also be much more important for home defense versus with an AR-15.

Additionally, the chosen defensive load will absolutely need to be patterned at various distances to determine the maximum range at which the shotgun will be effective. If the shooter lacks access to a range that allows firing 12-gauge buckshot, this will be a major problem.

Suppressors. The ability to suppress an AR-15 greatly adds to its utility as a home defense weapon. While shotgun suppressors are commercially available, they are typically cumbersome, incredibly expensive, and require that the shotgun be able to receive a choke in order to mount. Under the National Firearms Act, a shotgun barrel must be at least 18” versus a rifle barrel coming in at 16” without registering the firearm as a short barreled shotgun. Adding a suppressor with that extra two inches of barrel length will make the shotgun fairly cumbersome for home defense without paying for the additional tax stamp to cut the barrel down to be more manageable.

Negligible and Non-Factors

Capacity. A 12-gauge defensive shotgun with a four-round magazine tube can typically take a +2 extension and hold additional rounds on either a butt-cuff or side saddle. That would have the shotgun with an initial capacity of six with potentially four or more rounds available as reloads. While proper training is required to keep the shotgun topped off during a defensive gun fight, if the problem can't be solved with 10 rounds of 00 buckshot, it probably can't be solved by anything else the defender will be able to do. This is especially relevant when we compare it to the capacity offered by the AR-15 versus the terminal ballistics lessons the US military learned in the Middle East; that “30 round magazine” is in fact more often a 28-round magazine and each assailant will potentially require more than one or two rounds to end the fight.

Racking the Shotgun. One often-repeated knock against the home defense shotgun, ironically also considered a positive from the even less informed, is that the sound of running the pump on a pump-action will give away the position of the defender. During a violent home invasion (which remains a very rare statistical event, to be clear) the defender should be announcing their presence and the fact that they are armed in order to potentially deter invaders from proceeding into the occupied portion of the home. Racking the shotgun may also give a room mate, loved one, or family member an opportunity to announce their presence before being accidentally shot.

Range. The overwhelming majority of home defense gun fights are occurring somewhere between 3 yards and 15 yards. While the AR-15 chambered in .223/5.56mm undoubtedly has a far superior range than the 12-gauge shotgun; the shotgun may boast a maximum useful distance of 40 yards with optimal ammo versus 500 yards or more with a skilled shooter and magnified optic for the AR-15, these are not ranges where a defender can typically articulate the necessity of using lethal force to defend human life.

Drop Safety. Multiple people die every year due to a loaded home-defense shotgun being propped up in the corner of a bedroom falling over and going off or a hunting shotgun leaned up against a fence falling over and killing a hunter. Shotguns are not drop safe and the cross-bolt or thumb-slide safety available on every shotgun sold in the United States is simply a mechanical safety that prevents the trigger from being pulled. There are no additional safeties inside of a shotgun to prevent it from firing which is why defensive shotguns must be kept in a “closet ready”state. Closet ready means that the shotgun is kept with a loaded magazine tube and an empty chamber, preferably hammer down, and with the safety disengaged.

A shotgun stored in this manner can be ready in seconds by simply running the pump on a pump-action model or racking the bolt on a semi-automatic shotgun. While the shotgun not being drop safe is an inherent negative due to its design, this can be mitigated with proper training and handling.

Closing Thoughts

Ultimately, the selection of a long gun for home defense is going to involve multiple factors: legality or perceived legality in your area, cost, utility, and the actual layout of the home. While there are fundamental limitations to the shotgun in regards to distance, capacity and recoil, these limitations can be mitigated with proper training, technique, and ammunition selection. If a new gun owner can only afford one firearm, I still maintain that it should be a striker-fired polymer framed handgun from a sheer utility standpoint. If they own a suitable handgun and can afford a long gun for home defense, a 12-gauge shotgun is absolutely a viable option with proper training and education.

This article has not necessarily been intended to sway a firearms owner away from utilizing an AR-15 or pistol caliber carbine as a home-defense option but merely to present the arguments (while dispelling some myths) for the potential of the shotgun as a home defense tool for the newer gun owner. In the context of a private citizen defending themselves at home, the 12-gauge shotgun has long existed as a viable and economical option. It remains so even today.

1“Will It Hurt Me In Court? Weapons Issues and the Fears of the Legally Armed Citizen” by Glenn E. Meyer, Ph.D

2“Increasing Small Arms Lethality in Afghanistan: Taking Back the Infantry Half-Kilometer” by Major Thomas P. Ehrhart, US Army p. 27-28 https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA512331.pdf

We've recently seen an uptick in leftists and liberals of all stripes becoming interested in being armed in the wake of the Supreme Court's Trump v. United States ruling granting the President near total immunity for “official acts.” The SCOTUS ruling dropping mere days after President Biden's disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump on prime time television has led to panic and renewed interest in self-defense similar to what we saw in 2016 and 2020. Alongside this renewed interest, we've also seen fear mongering and some incredibly bad advice being handed out.

This article is not designed to be an exhaustive plan of action but rather a primer for the leftist or liberal that might think 2024 is the year to become a responsible gun owner.

# 1: Stop Fed Posting

This is basic and shouldn't have to be stated but we're still here out of necessity. There have been a multitude of leftists postulating on social media about sending Seal Team 6, for instance, to assassinate Donald Trump based on an example provided in the Trump v. United States dissenting opinion. Once you put something out there on the internet (Twitter, Reddit, Facebook, etc.) it's out there forever even if the original post is deleted. If you're posting something actionable online and wouldn't want it read out loud in a courtroom in front of a judge, you probably shouldn't post it. If you're about to post something of dubious legality, it might be best to walk away and come back to it later to decide if it's still worth sharing. If Trump is re-elected and our greatest authoritarian fears are realized, let's not give the state the ammunition they need to lock us up.

Additionally, if you end up in a legal use of force encounter where politics might even be tangentially involved then your social media history could be admissible in court. Even if your attorney is able to keep a particularly spicy post from being admitted as evidence, fighting that side battle could rack up thousands of dollars of legal fees on top of an already expensive defense.

# 2: Don't Engage in Panic Buying.

There is a tendency, generally among the far right but one becoming more prevalent on the left, of embracing consumerism as an antidote to deteriorating political conditions. The only solution to looming fascism in the USA is solidarity, and solidarity is built through trust and organizing. If we can't vote our way out of this mess, we're not going to swipe our credits cards out of it either.

The most recent and often cited example of this consumerist mentality was the hoarding of toilet paper at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020. We've also seen this pop up in disconnected online spaces for leftists where folks new to the concept of owning a firearm are being told they're going to die in the coming American civil war if they don't buy a plate carrier, an AR-15, night vision equipment, and spend thousands of dollars on small unit tactics training multiple weekends a month. While this is almost a breath of fresh air compared to folks claiming a Mosin Nagant is “just as good” as a modern carbine for home defense, it's tremendously problematic for a multitude of reasons.

Let's be real for a minute: the overwhelming majority of us don't have the resources or the time for that and if we do, we're probably doing it on our own. The Army of One was a recruiting commercial and has become a right wing trope. There's nothing wrong with owning this sort of equipment but it's incredibly unlikely your friends and comrades will also own night vision or be able to spend thousands of dollars on CQB training on the weekend. You're also doing yourself a grave disservice if you're buying an AR-15 with a credit card while your car needs new tires or you need dental work done.

This section is not meant to discourage taking training classes – even advanced classes. Nor is it intended to discourage leftists from buying an AR-15 and body armor. Rather, the intent is to encourage the reader to be judicious with their time and money to match their training with their actual threat model.

#3 Recognize your actual threat model.

Your training and equipment should be in line with your actual threat model as a private citizen or individual. Learning how to clear rooms with a carbine or breach a structure should rank far below prioritizing learning skills that may actually benefit you in real life. You will be far more likely to use the skills you pick up in a de-escalation class during a conflict at work or on the street than pieing a corner. If you're carrying a spare magazine for your pistol on your person rather than a trauma kit with a tourniquet, you should also reexamine your every day carry (EDC) loadout.

Example 1: You're at a drag show and there are vocally anti-LBGTQ+ protesters outside. One of the protesters enters the venue and begins disrupting the event itself. The protester starts to get physically violent with the performers without displaying a weapon. A firearm and body armor aren't going to be particularly useful but de-escalation skills, OC spray, and empty handed skills will be.

Example 2: After attending a political event, a member of a local right wing group notices a bumper sticker on your car and follows you home. Pulling into your drive way, they box you in and get out of their car with a hammer in hand. Again, the AR-15 and body armor in your closet aren't going to be helpful to you in this situation but the Glock 19 carried concealed in an inside the waistband holster will be.

Example 3:  You attend a protest you saw advertised on an Instagram post alone. You are concealed carrying a handgun with two spare magazines in your side pocket at a protest in a state where concealed carrying is permitted in such an environment. An altercation breaks out 50 yards behind you in a thick crowd and gun shots ring out – a counter-protester has shot multiple people with a handgun and fled. You arrive to find one person shot in the abdomen on the ground and another with a gun shot wound in the leg who is bleeding profusely and already suffering from massive blood loss. You can't treat massive hemorrhaging with a spare magazine, and that limited space on your person would have been better served at holding both a handgun and a trauma kit.

#4 Secure safe storage before buying your first firearm.

If you've made the decision to purchase a firearm, you should have a storage solution figured out before you bring a gun into your home. This is important even if you're living alone and absolutely mandatory if there are other adults or children in the household. You can read our previous article on safe storage here.

#5 Your first firearm should probably be a handgun.

In the wake of the Bruen decision¹, virtually all 50 states have become “shall issue” rather than “may issue” in regards to concealed carry. While home invasions should be considered as part of the self-defense equation and there are documented instances of fascists planning the assassinations of leftists², the number one threat of violence an armed leftist will face is going to be outside the home. This could come in the form of a random crime of resource predation, a racial or gender identity motivated hate crime, or a politically motivated attack.

You will almost certainly not be carrying your rifle to the grocery store or coffee shop for an organizing meeting. While this may be your legal right in some states, is going out in public with an AR-15 slung across your back the best practical decision? What sort of reaction is this going to garner from marginalized groups (if you are a white cisgender male) or the general public?

Gun fights involving private individuals are quick and violent affairs, lasting mere seconds. Mass shootings, on average, last minutes. That's nowhere near enough time run to your car, grab a plate carrier from the trunk, load your AR-15, and return to engage the threat. This is also why we generally discourage the concept of a “truck gun” as the number one place firearms are stolen are from unsecured vehicles.

Virtually any modern polymer framed striker fired handgun in either a full size or compact configuration will be appropriate for personal and home defense and can be concealed on your person. Check with your local state laws to see if you need a concealed carry permit class. Even in a “constitutional carry” state, a concealed carry permit class may be helpful by providing reciprocity to other states when you travel.

While an AR-15 or even a 12-gauge shotgun are generally always going to be superior for home defense, a handgun is going to be more appropriate for a working class person on a limited income that also needs to be able to secure their firearm at home when not in use. Firearms are expensive and so are the ancillary accessories – weapon mounted lights, red dot optics, gun safes, etc. dramatically increase the cost of ownership.

#6 You should take a Stop the Bleed course.

Regardless of the outcome of November's US Presidential election, there will likely be politically motivated violence. This may come in the form of car attacks against protests, street fights, and shootings. Even if owning a gun is beyond your economic means or simply against your ethos, it would be a good idea to learn how to treat gun shot wounds in a country where there are more privately owned firearms than there are people.

Stop the Bleed is a non-profit whose goal is to educate the general public on how to treat massive bleeding caused by traumatic injury. Stop the Bleed courses are almost always free and last between one and two hours. The course material trains students to recognize the signs of life threatening bleed and in the use of wound packing and tourniquets. Stop the Bleed is absolutely mandatory for anyone that plans to own or be around firearms.

Multiple SRA chapters nationwide have certified Stop the Bleed instructors. You can also search for a course near you here: https://www.stopthebleed.org/training/

#7 Join an organization.

There is strength in numbers and doom posting on social media does little to meaningfully move the needle. You should ideally be joining an organization with other members in your area that you can meet offline and in-person. This can be a mutual aid organization, a political organization, an anti-fascist collective, an organization centered around firearms education such as the SRA, or even a study group. Touch grass, it's good for you.

If you're interested in joining the SRA, you can search for chapters near you here. If there isn't an active chapter nearby, there's a good chance other at-large members are nearby and willing to help found a stump chapter.

1“Gun-Carry Applications Flood Blue States Following Bruen Decision” by Erik Eva for The Reload https://thereload.com/gun-carry-applications-flood-blue-states-following-bruen-decision/

2“FBI Arrests Members of Neo-Nazi Cell Whose Plot to Murder Antifa Couple Was Foiled By a Bad Back” by Mack Lamoureux for Vice https://www.vice.com/en/article/akwvpj/fbi-arrests-members-of-neo-nazi-cell-whose-plot-to-murder-antifa-couple-was-foiled-by-a-bad-back)

This article discusses a recent court case regarding a mass shooting at a high school and firearms in relation to self-harm. Content warnings apply.

In light of a recent court case addressing a tragic school shooting incident, we wanted to write an article that focuses on the importance of secure firearm storage, highlighting both the legal and moral obligations that firearm owners bear.

On February 6^th, Jennifer Crumbley was found guilty of four counts of involuntary manslaughter in a watershed legal case after her teenage son took an improperly stored firearm that his parents gifted him to school and murdered four classmates.¹ She faces up to 15 years in prison. Throughout her trial, it has become clear that those deaths could have been prevented with proper safe firearm storage.

We have a legal duty to keep firearms out of the hands of unauthorized users and we also have an ethical and moral duty as well. Whether it's to keep a handgun away from a child that isn't old enough to understand proper gun safety or to keep a sporting shotgun secure from a room mate or romantic partner in crisis, all firearms must be locked up, secured, and kept unloaded when not in use.

The term “not in use” requires clarification. A hunting rifle used infrequently should be stored unloaded in a gun safe. Similarly, firearms only utilized at the gun range, such as a Ruger 10/22 or .357 revolver, should be kept unloaded and locked up when not in use.

Your home defense carbine or shotgun is 'in use' if staged for home defense and should preferably be kept 'cruiser ready' – meaning a magazine is loaded in the gun or the magazine tube of the shotgun is loaded with shells – with an empty chamber and the gun is secured in a quick access lock box or safe. You can use snap caps or dummy rounds to practice quickly accessing the firearm and loading a round after ensuring the firearm is clear of live ammunition.

A concealed pistol carried in a holster on the body is 'in use' when it's being worn and should be secured when no longer 'in use' in a gun safe or quick access safe. This would preferably be a safe or lock box that can accommodate the pistol being stored while still holstered in order to minimize administrative handling where most negligent discharges occur. In this manner, the pistol can go on the body and be removed from the body while remaining in the holster.

If a larger gun safe or finger-print activated quick access safe are out of your budget, a locking tool box, storage locker or small night stand safe with a security cable can often be had for a fraction of the cost at a local hardware store. However, not all lock boxes or gun safes are created equal and you should do your research before making a purchase. Also, make sure to measure your long gun or handgun (including any pistol optics while in the holster) to compare with the manufacturer's specifications. A locker for long guns or a small document safe for a handgun can also delay the impulse to commit suicide.

Keeping firearms secured also gives us an additional barrier in suicide prevention – 54% of firearms related deaths are suicides.² Walk the Talk America, a non-profit founded to “bridge the gap between mental health and responsible gun ownership,”³ has an ongoing #CauseAPause campaign designed to encourage firearms owners to keep their guns securely locked up and even going as far to keep pictures of loved ones or mementos from better times stored nearby to disrupt the impulse to commit suicide.

In that same spirit, safe storage is also knowing when to get guns out of the home when “Causing a Pause” might not be enough. Even in states with draconian transfer laws mandating a FFL transfer, non-serialized parts can be given to a friend or comrade for safe keeping when in crisis. The pistol barrel from a handgun or the bolt carrier group in an AR-15 can easily be given to someone else for temporary storage if it's impractical or unlawful to have them hold onto an entire firearm.

While it's easily overlooked, safe firearms storage – both in keeping unauthorized users from accessing them and in suicide prevention – is key.

We keep us safe.

1https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/06/us/jennifer-crumbley-oxford-shooting-trial/index.html

2https://usafacts.org/data-projects/firearms-suicides

3https://walkthetalkamerica.org/about-us/

We stand with the colonized and oppressed people of Palestine. This does not necessitate that we condone the actions of Hamas, much less does it require that we condemn them. We are also not precluded from standing with the civilians in Israel who are suffering, not only from Hamas’ attacks but from the internal colonialization of the state of Israel. It is for these reasons that we must condemn the anti-semitism and Islamophobia which are being stoked at this time. The media’s conflation of Palestinians with Hamas or Jews with Israel is having the real-world effect of increased hate crimes against our fellow humans. This conflation also has the effect of obfuscating what actual anti-semitism and Islamophobia look like, thus making them harder to fight.

The state of Israel has been engaging in a genocide of the Palestinian people. Their public officials have stated on the record that their campaign is against the people of Palestine and that they have engaged in the tactic of collective punishment. Countless American politicians, including President Biden, are rallying behind these calls for Palestinian eradication, thus making the likelihood of ceasefire and the arrival of sufficient civilian aid seem small.

Currently, The Strip is without food, water, and a number of their hospitals due to Israeli bombing, blockades, and power cuts. Without anywhere to functionally evacuate, too many civilians will die in the coming weeks.

We as a mutual aid organization find it necessary to draw your attention to the misery these people are enduring. We beg that if you care in the slightest about the suffering of fellow human beings you push for aid to the Gaza Strip however you can in a way consistent with your values. Below we’ve linked some resources for aiding the Palestinian people.

###

Unicef
https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/pain-suffering-engulfs-children-state-palestine-israel

Anera

https://support.anera.org/a/palestine-emergency?_gl=1*y6xmbt*_ga*NTA4NTE4MDg1LjE2OTcwNDY0MDY.*_ga_9D82NNM9FJ*MTY5NzEyNTU0MC4yLjAuMTY5NzEyNTU0MC42MC4wLjA.

Action Aid

https://act.actionaidusa.org/a/gaza-crisis-web

MSF

https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/

IFRC

https://www.ifrc.org/article/statement-members-governing-board-international-federation-red-cross-and-red-crescent

We’ve been asked to provide a report back on InrangeTV’s Woodland Brutality in West Virginia, and we’re happy to oblige. While we had some interest in attending last year, it didn’t coalesce in time, and 2 of our comrades went and attended Cornfield Brutality 2022. They came back with nothing but good things to say about the match, so we rallied a large group of us to attend this year.

Why should you attend?

• It’s one of the only competitive events that we know of that are incredibly welcoming of all types of folks. This means lots of leftists of all stripes, as well as a wide range of other folks. No bigotry is the name of the game and strictly adhered to, at least while we were there.
• You want to put yourself and your “kit” through more interesting and stressful scenarios than a flat range can provide. It would be very hard to replicate the kind of experience one gets from these matches unless you have access to thousands of dollars worth of targets, MILES (laser tag with blanks) gear, and a shooting space with varied terrain.
• You want to meet new and interesting folks to build solidarity. Our chapter members built friendships with people across the country at this event for example.

What you should do before the match

• Select a division (partizan or armored+p for WB23). Partizan has more limitations on what you can bring, armored requires plates and a helmet, although you’re allowed to get creative with both. Read the rules for more info. Lean on your chapter if you’re having trouble sourcing the required gear, that’s what we’re here for.
• Train with that equipment. Our chapter started training somewhat hard for this starting in January 2023, for the event which was May 5. Some in our chapter started even earlier. We set up 2 training events a month until May, with some members doing even more than that. We watched past brutality footage and set up drills that replicated them the best we could, with the goal being to mix cardio, strength, and shooting.
• Weight train and cardio train. The shooting drills are optional, doing some sort of cardio and weight training isn’t. Our members did a range of things, from going on weekly walks and lifting 15lb weights to throwing 65lb kettlebells in our backyards. Anything is better than nothing here. Even so, at least one member didn’t do any of this and still learned a lot by going.

What to expect at the match

• Our chapter broadly agreed on two goals for our match. Don’t DQ and have fun. Both of those goals were met. Individual members had other goals, like no penalties, place in the top 50% of their division, etc, but those were regarded largely as bonuses on top of our two fundamental goals. Some other goals and achievements were unlocked throughout the event though that should be called out:
  • Push through some incredibly adverse conditions: This is the nature of this event and something you should strive for.
  • Handle stress compassionately: Easier said than done, and something to rely on comrades for. Definitely think about your own plan in regard to stress management.
  • Apply training and learn quickly from failures: Accomplishing this means you learned something from the match, which is great.
  • Create a welcoming environment for other squadmates: Goes without saying, but cheer people on!
  • Build community with a bunch of people: Downtime is great for this, say hi to new people!
• Expect to shoot anywhere from 80-150 rounds of rifle and pistol. You’ll need to bring more because of the division requirements, but that’s the ballpark of what our members shot.
• Folks uncase and case rifles at their car, no safe tables. Chamber flags were required but not strictly enforced. Overall it felt safe, but those expectations were different from how we do it locally and worth calling out.
• Remember to ask someone to film your run! We gained valuable knowledge by looking over our footage about areas we needed to work on and things we did well.
• Broadly speaking the ROs were great. They all have their own ways of doing things, so listen closely.
• Use downtime to chat with other folks, scope out upcoming stages, and generally chill. Don’t forget to drink water, and bring a camp chair. Why stand when you can sit.

So how did we do?

We did great! We met our goals and unlocked all of those other achievements mentioned above. When you go into these things not really caring about where you place, you open yourself up to growth in different ways. That said, some of us placed really well, but we'll let them do their own bragging ;). Big shoutout and heartfelt thanks to all those who organized and labored to put on this event, including InrangeTV, One Shepard, and the ROs. An incredibly welcoming bunch of folks, and we’ll see you there next year!

In Solidarity,

Ben (he/him)
Training Coordinator
PGH SRA

As stated all over the internet, the SRA is not a militia. What is more often overlooked is the fact that the SRA is not a 2nd amendment (2a) organization. It may seem contradictory to be a firearms education 501(c)(4) while not being based in 2a. However, the SRA believes that the right to defend one’s self and community is not granted by a piece of paper but is an inalienable and natural right. 2a has historically turned a blind eye when the state has moved to disarm vulnerable communities dating back to its beginning and persisting to this day.

The SRA seeks to be a safe space for vulnerable individuals and communities to learn skills for self-defense and resiliency in a society hostile to human flourishing. We advocate for our right to protect ourselves while making our communities stronger. Our mission statement keeps us razor-focused on these objectives."

Given our socialist leanings, the liberal state is looking for a reason to dissolve us. As a 501(c)(4) our ability to continue to exist is tied to our ability to stay on task so we stick to our mission statement and don’t get distracted when liberals reach out to us asking for our advice on “common sense gun laws” (which is quite often). We don’t advocate any form of gun control.

Frankly put, we aren’t in the gun control game. As with the Mulford Act, laws that limit the rights of people to own and utilize arms are laws targeted at the communities we serve. That is the truth of neoliberal capitalism. It may sound attractive to some to limit access to firearms for fascists or white supremacists but the neoliberal state has never shown an ability or willingness to disarm hate groups. It is obvious that these groups, that pose such a grave threat to our communities, should not exist, but they do. Often, they even work hand-in-hand with the state. The state will never disarm them as their interests are the same. Thusly, we will not waste our time or resources on this. We will firm the defenses of our communities through education and solidarity. Some may see our lack of engagement with the state and hate groups as passive assent to their actions and privilege. It is not. We know we exist under the heel of neoliberal capitalism. We focus our advocacy and efforts in a direction where it will actually make a difference -- toward improving the material conditions of all those with us in the struggle.

Again it must be stated that fascists and white supremacists should not exist but again it must be stated that we are not a militia and is not our job to make it so. We do not advocate for the extrajudicial disarmament of these groups either, as our chief consideration is the safety of our community. Our members and the communities they live in are vulnerable to not only retributive action by these hate groups but also retributive action on their behalf at the hands of the neoliberal state. It is imperative for the safety of these people that the SRA stays on mission and does not advocate or conduct direct physical confrontation with these groups so we do not do so.

In the lead-up to the National Day of Hate, some of our more vulnerable community members reached out to us to vocalize concern about our recent addresses of the fascist threat and What is to be Done. These concerns were entirely based on the context of the specific conversations that were occurring and worries that the conversation would be incensing these hate groups to more violence and retribution than they had previously planned. These concerns were validated by specific and targeted hateful rhetoric online. This was our fault and we apologize. Our mission is not to confront these hate groups directly and doing so opens our members up to targeting by them. This makes our spaces less safe and we are sorry for that.

We are a big tent organization. There will be differing viewpoints on many positions among our members and chapters. However the recent positions taken by the Minnesota Chapter of the Socialist Rifle Association on Twitter and elsewhere are NOT representative of our positions as an organization, and we condemn in the strongest terms the statements made by the Minnesota Chapter.

Fascism is a repugnant ideology which we are fully committed to resisting anywhere and everywhere. But blanket calls to disarm "those who oppose us" and allusions to Marx's calls for "the terror" are counterproductive to our aims, and only feed into right-wing propaganda about socialist beliefs.

We are NOT a vanguard party or revolutionary army. We are an organization that seeks to provide marginalized communities and the working class with the education, the skills, and the advocates necessary to be effectively armed for self and community defense.

We seek, advocate for, and advance an inclusive, safe, and healthy firearms culture in America to combat the toxic, right-wing, and exclusionary firearm culture in place today.

We do NOT advocate to disarm those who disagree with us – disarmament in the West historically has had disproportionate impact on the politically powerless and marginalized.

We DO advocate that vulnerable and repressed communities be equipped with knowledge and skills to defend against very real reactionary threats. This is the most effective means to oppose those who wish us harm.

We protect us.

- The Organizing Committee of the Socialist Rifle Association

On January 13, 2023, the Attorney General signed ATF final rule 2021R-08F, “Factoring Criteria for Firearms with Attached ‘Stabilizing Braces,’” amending ATF’s regulations to clarify when a rifle is designed, made, and intended to be fired from the shoulder. This rule will go into effect on the date it is published in the federal register – which has not yet happened as of this date.

Over the past several years, pistol versions of rifle platforms sporting stabilizing braces have proliferated. This was thanks in large part to the ATF’s apparent approval of stabilizing braces in the form of several position letters given to brace manufacturers. The braces were originally created with the purpose to assist disabled individuals, including veterans, fire pistol versions of AR and other rifle platforms with one hand by distributing the weight and recoil forces across the forearm. The ATF’s position letters stated that firearms equipped with such braces were likely not “short-barreled rifles” as that term is defined in the Gun Control Act of 1968 and the National Firearms Act of 1934, and so did not require the stricter controls on transfer and ownership which these acts impose on short-barreled rifles.

Now, years after millions of firearms owners acquired various pistols equipped with stabilizing braces in reliance upon the ATF’s position letters and the reassurances of brace and gun manufacturers, the ATF has passed a regulatory definition change that will make the majority of these firearms subject to the GCA and NFA – and their owners subject to severe fines and felony charges.

The new rule accomplishes this by changing the definition of a “rifle” under the GCA and NFA, and more specifically, what it means for a firearm to be “designed or redesigned, made or remade, and intended to be fired from the shoulder.” The rule adds language to this definition that includes a weapon that is equipped with an accessory, component, or other rearward attachment (e.g., a “stabilizing brace”) that provides surface area that allows the weapon to be fired from the shoulder.

The ATF did away with previously proposed “point system” schemes – making the guidance of the proposed Worksheet 4999 mostly useless for determining whether your braced firearm is now an NFA/GCA controlled short-barreled rifle. Instead, highly subjective language has been added to the definition of the term “rifle,” making the question of whether your braced pistol can land you in prison largely up to the whims of ATF agents, prosecutors, and federal judges.

The new definition of what is a “rifle” (and thus what constitutes a short-barreled rifle) now includes the following;

(1) For purposes of this definition, the term “designed or redesigned, made or remade, and intended to be fired from the shoulder” shall include a weapon that is equipped with an accessory, component, or other rearward attachment (e.g., a “stabilizing brace”) that provides surface area that allows the weapon to be fired from the shoulder, provided other factors, as described in paragraph (2), indicate that the weapon is designed, made, and intended to be fired from the shoulder.

(2) When a weapon provides surface area that allows the weapon to be fired from the shoulder, the following factors shall also be considered in determining whether the weapon is designed, made, and intended to be fired from the shoulder:

(i) Whether the weapon has a weight or length consistent with the weight or length of similarly designed rifles;

(ii) Whether the weapon has a length of pull, measured from the center of the trigger to the center of the shoulder stock or other rearward accessory, component or attachment (including an adjustable or telescoping attachment with the ability to lock into various positions along a buffer tube, receiver extension, or other attachment method), that is consistent with similarly designed rifles;

(iii) Whether the weapon is equipped with sights or a scope with eye relief that require the weapon to be fired from the shoulder in order to be used as designed;

(iv) Whether the surface area that allows the weapon to be fired from the shoulder is created by a buffer tube, receiver extension, or any other accessory, component, or other rearward attachment that is necessary for the cycle of operations;

(v) The manufacturer’s direct and indirect marketing and promotional materials indicating the intended use of the weapon; and

(vi) Information demonstrating the likely use of the weapon in the general community.

Undoubtedly, the millions of owners of braced pistols are scratching their head trying to figure out if, in fact, their pistol is now an NFA/GCA controlled short-barreled rifle. The 293-page Final Rule documentation makes clearthat most, if not ALL, firearms equipped with current commercially available stabilizing braces – including those the ATF previously issued position letters for such as the popular SB-15 model – are now “rifles.” Make no mistake - if your firearm is an AR or AK-platform firearm and has a barrel less than 16”, this new rule means that attaching most common stabilizing braces makes your firearm a short-barreled rifle. Owners of other firearms based on different rifle platforms are also likely in the same boat.

While the Final Rule documentation is too voluminous to summarize here, there are several key points to note;

The ATF specifically stated in the final rule that position letters issued in the past which approved specific stabilizing braces and firearms equipped with stabilizing braces are retracted – including the popular SB-15 style brace.

The Final Rule documentation included several tables listing the weights, barrel lengths, and length-of-pull for multiple types of rifles when equipped with a standard stock. This table will almost certainly guide the analysis of judges when applying factors (i) and (ii) to a firearm. These tables include the overall lengths, barrel lengths, and weights of common short-barreled rifles such as the Honey Badger, Sig MPX, and CZ EVO Scorpion. This means that the criteria for “weight” and “barrel length” will NOT be pegged to full-size rifles, and so a firearm’s smaller size compared to a full-size rifle will likely NOT be enough to satisfy these factors.

The Final Rule documentation does not mention holographic sights as an example of sights with eye-relief that requires shouldering the firearm, and so these type of sights MAY not count against a braced firearm when addressing factor (iii).

The Final Rule includes a discussion of AK-platform firearms not requiring buffer tubes to function. It is safe to say that while AR-platform pistols are likely safe to include buffer tubes protruding from the rear of the firearm, a similar tube on an AK-based firearm will likely violate Factor (iv).

The ATF relied on dozens of Youtube videos, firearms reviews, industry publications and advertising to show that most currently available stabilizing braces are commonly used to fire braced pistols from the shoulder. This makes factors (v) and (vi) the effective catch-all and beyond the control of the gun owner who has an otherwise compliant stabilizing brace setup.

The Final Rule includes discussion of pistols that are light enough to hold with one hand having a stabilizing brace (i.e. handguns such as Glocks, S&W Shields, Sig p365s, etc.) do not need a stabilizing brace to control singlehandedly, and so the brace can only be for use as shoulder support. There is a similar discussion for over-molded braces for these handguns which also concludes that such a brace is only for purposes of providing shoulder support. These firearms will likely be considered short-barreled rifles.

So what now, for the millions who own these firearms? Well, the Final Rule provides a few solutions;

Destroy the firearm completely and/or discard it

Surrender the firearm to law enforcement

Bring the firearm into compliance by either equipping a barrel of at least 16” or removing the stabilizing brace and discarding and/or destroying it

Submit a Form 1 application to create a short-barreled rifle in accordance with the NFA/GCA

There will be a 120-day grace period from the date the law is recorded in the Federal Register to perform any of these actions. Anyone submitting a Form 1 for a firearm with a stabilizing brace must have acquired the firearm and/or brace BEFORE the grace period begins, but will not have to pay the standard $200.00 application fee for the Form 1. Anyone removing the brace to bring the firearm into compliance MUST either discard the brace or render it unable to be reattached to the firearm – simply taking the brace off and keeping it somewhere else in your home is NOT sufficient.

As many owners of braced firearms surely are, you may be wondering what to do next, or whether this rule will in fact affect you. As leftists, activists, and members of vulnerable communities, we must assume this rule will be weaponized against us and applied as strictly as possible. The best practices and recommendations for us are different than those of fascist and right-wing allies of cops and state oppression which you may encounter online or in conversation at the local gun store. Please consider the following, comrades;

Don’t get yourself saddled with federal felony charges that will eliminate your firearms rights, along with a prison sentence and hefty fine. Hiding a short-barreled rifle in your home or your gun safe hoping it isn’t discovered is a recipe for disaster for a leftist –unrelated and/or retaliatory raids on your residence could uncover the firearm and/or brace, bringing terrible consequences.

Keep in mind that a pistol brace transferred to a non-NFA controlled rifle with 16” barrel is legal, however unless the brace is somehow permanently and irreversibly joined to the rifle the ATF will likely still interpret the possession of the brace and a pistol that can readily accept the brace “constructive possession” of a short-barreled rifle.

Err on the side of caution – if you have a firearm of any type with a stabilizing brace of any kind, assume that this rule will impact you and that the firearm is now a short-barreled rifle.

Gun owners in liberal districts are likely to be subject to higher scrutiny, even assuming conservative courts rule favorably. A ruling in Texas that an AR equipped with an SB-15 is not a short-barreled rifle is unlikely to protect a comrade in California with an identical setup.

Consider your comfort-level with going the route of seeking Form 1 approval for a short-barreled rifle, as well as the potential that your State or local government might outlaw these firearms. If you are in an area where short-barreled rifles are legal and are comfortable with the in-depth background check and registration at the Federal level, then proceed – experience navigating the Form 1 process is valuable to our community, and the waiver of the $200.00 fee alleviates barriers to obtaining this experience.

Be mindful of the heightened legal restrictions for transferring, carrying, keeping, and using NFA/GCA controlled firearms if you decide to get Form 1 approval for your firearm.

Gun trusts are a useful tool to aid in the approval process for submitting a Form 1 application, and alleviate many of the legal concerns around owning and transferring NFA/GCA-controlled firearms. If you can transfer the pistol with stabilizing brace to a properly created gun trust before the date the new rule is recorded in the Federal Register (i.e. NOT within the 120-day grace period) and document this transfer/ownership by the gun trust, then the application can be submitted in the name of the trust. HOWEVER if the transfer is not completed and evidenced before the date the new rule is recorded, then the application can only be submitted by the individual who owns the pistol.

While your Form 1 application is pending, then assuming you submitted the application within the 120-day grace period you may keep the firearm as-is. You will need to keep a copy of proof of submission of the Form 1 application while approval is pending, and apparently will not need to disassemble the firearm – even if approval takes longer than the 120-day grace period (which it almost certainly will).

The ATF has answered many of the common questions and concerns firearms owners have, though these recommendations should not be substituted for legal advice to address your specific situation and firearms setup.

Remember comrades, we protect us – resist the temptation to post images or videos of firearms with stabilizing braces on social media until you or your comrade who owns the firearm decide how to proceed. Do not publicize that you or a comrade own a firearm equipped with a brace. Under no circumstances should members bring firearms with stabilizing braces to range days, political actions, protests, or any officially sanctioned SRA activities at this time.

Solidarity Forever,

The SRA

CLICK HERE to donate.

We are entering a time of abandonment by the capitalist state, and it is abundantly clear no one is coming to help us. As fundamental pillars of our society crumble, greater burdens will fall on us as socialists, as working people, and as neighbors to take care of each other. To this end, the Socialist Rifle Association aims to expand our SRAid activities. With this in mind, we are currently raising funds in order to support relief efforts in communities impacted by Hurricane Ian. We plan to use this money to provide direct aid such as drinking water, personal items, and other in-demand items. In addition, any money not spent on direct aid will be given to other groups providing relief or will be used for other direct aid actions related to disaster relief in the upcoming hurricane season. Providing for our neighbors in times of need is a core pillar of community defense. We keep us safe!

America has always been a violent nation

America’s conception was of rich slave owners wanting resisting abolition. Its birth was from the vicious robbery of indigenous land. It spent its toddling years in a genocidal holy war against the peoples they displaced and has since failed to ween itself from the tit of bloodshed. It is no surprise that this young nation found it prudent to establish the right exclusively for Europeans to keep and bear the arms of war in the second amendment, but with the enshrinement of the second amendment also came gun control. That is to say gun control for people of color and indigenous people. These laws were violently upheld via slave patrols, among other mechanisms. The same slave patrols eventually became the American police force that upheld the black codes, further disenfranchising the rights of people of color to keep and bear arms, among many other rights. It is precisely these strategies of racial disparity that are the basis for our modern gun control as cited by Democratic Governor of California Gavin Newsom, yet despite knowing the intentions and histories of these laws, they are maintained and expanded.

Few people need a primer on just how absolute the American government's violence upon communities of color has been. From the slave ships bringing human wares from Africa, to the bombing of MOVE headquarters in 1987. From the Trail of Tears, to the current systematic criminalization of BIPOC lives and re-enslavement in the prison industrial complex. Day zero of America was marked with genocidal violence, and America has categorically failed to wash away the stains of that genocide. Why then should we trust that same state to disarm its people as the democrats have been shouting for? That same state already has shown a desire to continue to mete out its’ gun laws along racial lines. Why in a country of white supremacist police gangs like the Executioners and the Lynnwood Vikings should we trust that the police will confiscate guns without resorting to the bloodshed of marginalized communities? How can we trust that white supremacist militias will be disarmed in kind when we keep reading stories of police departments infested with klansmen or diverting arms to terrorist organizations? If the George Floyd Uprising has taught Americans anything it’s that we can’t trust the police, so why is it that supposed progressives are pushing for police to root guns out of our communities and criminalize otherwise law-abiding citizens?

The reason is that it is easier to shirk the problem of violence onto armed thugs than to take responsibility for that violence, and build communities that outmode violence and desperation. It’s much easier to tell someone else to address the symptoms of violence than to solve the root causes of violence yourself.

In recent weeks we have seen great violence used against our communities. We should hold no expectation that the police would be willing to stop such acts. We saw entire SWAT teams cower before an 18-year-old child with a long rifle as parents fought through the police to rescue their children themselves. We saw public officials fail to do anything about the signs and statements of intent to commit violence. Outsourcing violence prevention to the ever more militarized police has been a failed experiment. We need to take responsibility for this violence and do something about it. So the question is… “What is to be Done?”

Universal Healthcare and Easy Access Mental Health Services

59% of gun deaths are suicides. Getting healthcare in the United States is nigh impossible for many people whether it be the cost of services, lack of insurance, or the stigmatization that comes from seeking medically necessary mental health services. We need to make concerted efforts to ensure that anyone who needs healthcare can walk into a facility and get the help they need with no questions asked nor strings attached. Whether it is nationalizing healthcare or instituting dual power healthcare structures we need to get this done and we need to do it now. Getting people the healthcare they need drastically reduces rates of mental illness while also reducing the rates of economically motivated crime which is sometimes violent in nature.

In May 2002, The Secret Service published a report that examined school shootings. Among much else, they found that the majority of school shooters had difficulty coping with loss and personal failures, attempted suicide, felt persecuted, and exhibited alarming behaviors toward those around them. All of these are signs to immediately provide accessible healthcare, particularly mental healthcare. We need to be proactive about getting people the help they need. Simply scapegoating mental health issues as the conservative gun lobby does is about as helpful as thoughts and prayers. We need to directly address mental healthcare and build the systems that prevent violence.

Stable Food and Housing

Violence is quite often a symptom of economic distress. Ensuring the stable material conditions of a community not only reduces the incentive to commit economically motivated violent crime, but it also reduces interpersonal violent crime. We need to build communities that have affordable housing and accessible food. The fastest and easiest way to work towards both is to ban R1 zoning because this form of zoning creates food deserts, makes communities car dependent, and skyrockets the cost of housing. This is not to say that we should not be working on dual power structures in housing. We also need free lunch and breakfast programs run by local radicals and community-powered housing programs.

Abolish the Police

Americans are more likely to be killed by a cop than a school shooter. The straightforward approach of dismantling the police will remove a more grave threat with respect to gun violence than the more nebulous proposition of ending school shootings.

Another study published by the United States Secret Service suggests that the security theatre perpetrated by school resource officers is “unlikely to be helpful.” Instead, the increased presence of SROs jacks up the school-to-prison pipeline which induces economic distress on the individuals affected by it, thereby increasing the likelihood of economically motivated crime, which increases the volume of violent gun crime. Police in schools (as well as in general) provide no value to the communities they are purported to serve while inducing pure social and economic cost. Putting cops in schools produces the problems they were sent to prevent.

What are Non-Starters?

In the wake of tragic gun violence and mass casualty events, the anti-gun lobby spins up its fundraising machine and prints ineffectual propaganda to perpetuate itself. The whole idea that removing guns from the equation of violence will reduce violence is complete balderdash. When the method of committing violence is fungible, removing a method does not remove the violence. The OKC bombing killed 168 people and injured 680 more in a mere 7 seconds with what amounted to kitchen table explosives made from off-the-shelf ingredients. This attack was far more deadly than any mass shooting in America and still very much a threat of being repeated.

Ineffectuality aside, the prospect of implementing the complete removal of firearms from our nation is both laughable and terrifying. It is laughable as guns currently outnumber people in this country. There is no feasible way to round up all the guns without them being, as the common parlance, "lost in a boating accident". Even if all guns could suddenly be poofed out of existence, the prevalence of 3d printing would make acquiring a gun as simple as an Amazon purchase. There is no way to keep guns gone. It is terrifying as we can in no way anticipate that white supremacists would be disarmed as they both are in tight with the forces that would carry out the confiscation and are already predisposed to gun crime. With the most recent white supremacist mass shootings, it would be a terror to see law-abiding citizens become disarmed in the face of such terrorists. Additionally, we can anticipate that the most draconian and punitive interpretations of such laws and confiscations will be meted out most oppressively against our most vulnerable populations.

In Short

Kicking the can down the road for the police to stop violence by either taking guns away or even increasing their funding is not only burning money but is completely ineffectual. We have to take responsibility for what is happening in our communities. If our local, state, and federal governments won't get on board then we have to build these resilient communities one brick at a time in dual power structures.

EDITORS NOTE: This letter was penned by Puget Sound Chapter of the Socialist Rifle Association.

An Open Letter

Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 5078 (ESSB 5078) seeks to prohibit the manufacture, sale, importation, and distribution of so-called “large capacity” firearm magazines (defined as any magazine with a capacity greater than 10 rounds).  The undersigned, including the Puget Sound chapter of the Socialist Rifle Association, call upon the House of Representatives to vote against this bill for the following reasons:

* This bill is based on a flawed analysis that does not take into account the construction of modern firearms.  To suggest in Section 1 that the “vast majority” of handguns have a magazine capacity lower than 10 rounds is wrong and misleading.  Most common firearms in production have magazines ranging in standard capacity from 19 to 33 rounds, the banning of which would unfairly create a class of individuals prohibited from owning an otherwise common firearm accessory - that class being anyone who does not already own standard capacity magazines.

* This bill contains carveouts for law enforcement in Section 3.2.a and 3.2.b - this suggests that law enforcement is held to a lower standard of criminality than the citizens they police and is plainly a “rules for thee but not for me” situation.  Gun control laws that apply to citizens should and indeed must apply to law enforcement - a badge is no guarantee of good behavior.

* Enforcement of this bill is impractical and depends on the judgment of law enforcement personnel.  Most magazines are not serialized - determination of provenance will be difficult if not impossible, and as history shows police will use this subjectivity to disproportionately target and criminalize marginalized persons.  We expect that this bill will be used as a pretext for charge enhancements, forcing heavier penalties on marginalized persons based on a crime they cannot be broadly proven to have committed.

* Magazines are firearm accessories and their mechanical systems are subject to wear and tear.  This bill, in Section 2.36, unfairly takes away a magazine owner’s right to repair these accessories by criminalizing the possession of parts kits.  

* This bill utterly, contemptibly ignores most of the victims of gun violence in the state of Washington: more than 75% of gun deaths in this state are due to suicide, a tragic situation but one where magazine size is absolutely irrelevant.  Arbitrary and capricious laws regarding magazine size do nothing to ameliorate this tragedy.

* The creation of a new gross misdemeanor will burden a court system already straining under the pandemic, and further impact marginalized people already struggling with a systemic tendency to criminalize and then abandon them.

* And ultimately the bill ignores the desires of the people most affected by it - thousands testified in writing against this bill, stating that it does everything to burden them and nothing to protect them.  

Representative Valdez spoke in committee of “sending a message,” and passage of this bill will indeed send a message - just not the one the Representative thinks.  The message being sent here is that marginalized persons - Black, indigenous, and people of color, and LGBTQ+ persons - do not deserve the chance to defend themselves, and the ability to purchase a common firearm accessory will be taken from them.  This is a dismaying message to send to a diverse and growing bloc of voters who need to be supported, and if not supported by the Democrats in Washington will turn elsewhere.

Gun control has long been a tool to oppress marginalized and working-class people, and this empty, performative piece of legislation is no exception.  Left to the discretion of law enforcement the effects of this bill will be disproportionately felt by marginalized persons in Washington, making life in a time of pandemic and rising white nationalism even more precarious.

We respectfully request that the Washington State House of Representatives votes against this legislation.

Sincerely,

The Puget Sound chapter of the Socialist Rifle Association

Every day, it seems, there’s yet another collection of workers who decide to take a stand and demand better conditions in their workplace. In January alone, there are the BNFS railway workers who are being prohibited from striking due to a federal judge’s ruling; 54 Starbucks locations in 19 states that have seen their workers stand up unions; group home workers in Hartford, Connecticut are on their fourth month of striking. And these strikes seem to continue to achieve exactly what they set out to do: improve working conditions.

Striking has a long history in the United States, alongside collective bargaining. They are the reason the 40-hour workweek exists, the reason OSHA and safety requirements exist, and the reason why minimum wage laws exist.

The success of these actions is often determined by the amount of support the fighting workers have, often in the form of strike funds, public support/pressure, propaganda, and other actions.

Perhaps you’ve heard of the actions we mentioned above or of another organizing effort going on in your neighborhood, and you’ve always wanted to assist and contribute but you didn't know-how. Here are some ways you can help support your fellow worker as they fight for the rights of us all:

1. Ask the workers what their needs are
2. Join the picket line
3. Participate in a boycott
4. Create art and media to spread awareness and put pressure on management
5. Participate in mutual aid

The first and most important part of aiding workers in collective actions is knowing if they want your help. Oftentimes, the answer is yes. What tends to not be clear is how they would like for people to support them. Usually, organizations will be communicating with the public to spread awareness and looking for voluntary contributions in the form of money and/or time. This means everything is on a case-by-case basis. Not all actions or strikes want you to boycott while they strike. It is very important that you communicate with the people you want to help and meet their needs first. This is what separates charity from mutual aid.

Plainly, mutual aid is helping out people in your community. This can be different from charity when it is done by providing people in your community with what they have communicated their wants and needs to be, especially when this exchange goes both ways in which it is not clear who is giving and who is receiving. More simply, it is taking from those who have and providing it to those in need.  For example, a houseless neighbor communicates that they need shelter, so another community member gives them a spare tent their family had. These systems can be intricate and develop into entire organizations seeking to fulfill an unmet need in their community, i.e. Heaterbloc.

When workers are supported by members of their community, they are much more successful and likely to have their demands met. Recently, the Socialist Rifle Association assisted the Bakery, Confectionary, Tobacco Workers, and Grain Millers International Union (BCTGM) workers based out of Lancaster Pennsylvania by establishing a community refrigerator in the union office. We got to talk with a couple of our members who participated in this and get their side of the story. Joe Crouse (he/him) and Gabriel Siciliano (he/him) from the Philly Chapter of the S.R.A. share their experience with us. “We were pretty active in helping out with the UAW strike in Langhorne,” Joe recalled.

In the Fall of 2019, UAW workers went on strike to fight for “fair wages, health care, a share of the profits, and job security.” While helping out with the strike and talking with workers, Joe learned about the food situation on the pickett line.

“What we learned from the UAW strike was they got a lot of food but… it's a lot of snacks, it's a lot of pizza, it's just something that they can eat on the picket line. The problem was they weren’t getting enough food to take home to their families. Which is one of the bigger costs… because they only get so much money out of the strike fund every week.”

“The union is paying people out of their dues… for necessities and groceries on a weekly basis which means they have to operate on pretty extreme budgets. Which means basically no fresh food,” Gabe explained to us.

Feeding yourself on a small allowance is hard enough as it is; feeding a family can be exponentially harder. Ensuring that you’re maintaining a balanced diet becomes an afterthought.

When the BCGTM strike in Lancaster, PA was starting, Joe decided to reach out and gather information about what the workers needed. “I went to a rally with the union shortly after they started striking. I approached some of the organizers, one with the DSA and one with BCTGM. I said, ‘Hey, we have a lot of resources for our own mutual aid programs. If we can help with consistent grocery deliveries, we would love to do that!”

To pull off such a task, they were going to need some help from other local groups working on similar projects. Working with groups who are fulfilling a need you want to help meet is the most efficient way to accomplish that goal. In the words of Gabe, “We have Central New Jersey DSA, Central New Jersey YDSA, Food Not Bombs, a couple of other smaller mutual aid [groups] dropping stuff off.” They were, “disbursing the involvement over as many people as we can get,” according to Joe. “Most of the work for this project comes from people driving in a relay system from the farm in New Jersey to the union picket line in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.” This coalition would wind up teaming up with a local family farm to provide fresh produce to the strikers. “It’s my family’s farm,” Gabe says, “Abe’s Acres Farm… called after my great-grandfather [...] I always have stuff left over. [...] The way that it works is I had an extra fridge/freezer. I drove that out to them, set it up in their office. Every week, someone comes up to the farm from Philly, picks up produce from me and other dry goods.”

Together, they managed to coordinate a system for making sure the fridge stayed full. “I came back to SRA after talking with the union organizers and talked with Gabe, and we figured… we got 17 people together and set up this driver schedule,” Joe told us.

Gabe explained the logistics at play, “Whoever comes out to the farm picks up that stuff, picks up the coolers full of produce that I packed, drives to Philly, someone from Lancaster comes out, there’s a handoff, and then they drive out to Lancaster, and they just stock it up and make sure it is there for the union folks.”

When asked about how the aid was received by the workers, this is what they had to say:

“At first, they were definitely appreciative, especially the higher-ups in the union,” said Joe. “The first day… I went up there and I spoke with our union contact who was very, very grateful and exceedingly deferential and just wanted to make everything work,” Gabe said reflectively. “When I drove up with the fridge and the first delivery, he met me there with five guys all off the picket line and helped me unload it, ushered me in. The president of the union, who has been on the phone pretty much since this all began, trying to organize everything, took the time to thank me personally… They were all exceedingly grateful.”

As the weeks passed, Joe and Gabe told us the honeymoon/feel-good phase was gone and the support began to feel like work. As Joe puts it, “after a few weeks, it started to become routine and people were expecting us. [...] That was a moment for us where we talked about it in our chat… At first, that good feeling you get for doing something good for somebody is there, but then after a while, it definitely fades away and it definitely becomes work. An important part of the effort was we had to stick with it past that warm fuzzy feeling [wearing] off.” “It is an effort of consistency,” adds Gabe.

When you do mutual aid and other community organizing, you are prone to burnout and compassion fatigue. Being aware of this and creating plans to work through and around it is important for the longevity of a project and the health of the organizers. Self-care should not be neglected. As Joe puts it, “We have to create a system that is robust enough to outlast people’s feelings of goodwill.”

We have to remember why we are out here doing the work. Why we continue to show up every day and put in the time and effort.

“They were a little bit mystified that anyone gave enough of a shit to come help them,” Gabe reported. As workers, we are isolated from other workers and industries. All too often workers will unite and take collective action to empower themselves in the workplace while going unnoticed and feeling unseen by the rest of the workforce. This is why it is critical that we reach out and provide support as best we are able. “They [management] don’t give a shit about the worker. That’s why this is a problem. It’s up to us to give a shit past when it makes us feel good,” Joe emphasized.

We don’t do this just to make ourselves feel good. Humans are social creatures, we are built to be cooperative and stand together. Working together makes the load lighter. And we do it because we know no one else will.

We Protect Us!

At 8pm on Friday September 3rd teams of volunteers from the SRA chapters of DFW, Corpus Christi, Atlanta, Oklahoma city, and Houston began to arrive at the Harbor Church in Hammond Louisiana. Come 6am the next morning they, with teams from Mutual Aid Disaster Relief (MADR) and other community based organizations, were striking out into the community to address the destruction that Hurricane Ida had wrought in the preceding days.

The orchestration of the aid was rather lateral as reported by Radigal, a volunteer from DFW. “We got into contact with other groups heading down there, and then the first day we split into teams and we just kind of figured out who had the best experience with what and who was the most interested in doing what things and we split off from there.”

When asked if they had any designated roles Nate from North Georgia responded “No, not really. We worked everything out on the fly as we were going.” This lateralist approach to disaster relief has served as a dual power rebuff to the idea that it is the standard government responses to natural disasters that are what get work done. As we have seen in past mutual aid efforts and in the current case of Ida, it is the community that stands to do the most good in rebuilding, and not the State. In the words of Radigal “I think everyone in the SRA should find an opportunity to provide mutual aid whether it’s in their own community or it’s in a different state. I think that being on the ground is an incredibly informative part of my ideology and I think that everyone should try and find a way to experience that.”

The ground teams experienced a lot of success in finding work as when they started with one project they would start conversations with community members and then slide into further tasks to complete in the community. "Our first point of contact [was] mainly the pastors of local churches" says Tim of North Georgia of his ground team. "Then from there we would go around and just ask 'hey, I know we just cleared a tree out of your lawn, do you know of any of your neighbors that also need help?' Then they'd point us to people 10-15 minutes down the road in other communities and once we went to those communities we'd also talk around. I think by the time [our team] left we had 30-40 people we contacted." The ground teams were also able to follow leads given to them by the local churches and particularly MADR. Catracho from Corpus Christi reports that “thanks to the cooperation with MADR we were able to get people into the Huma area which was apparently a high impact zone with little response at the time.” To qualify this success, in a report published by the above mentioned chapters it was noted that “the greatest resource lacking was manpower.” Events like these can only be powered by volunteers. Like the generation of value, there is no amount of money or logistics that can actuate change without labor to transform it. Responding to such a large disaster is a massive undertaking that requires an amount of labor in kind. While not a silver bullet, the efforts of these chapters were massively impactful for those that they helped and are quite replicable. It is precisely these actions that safeguard our communities from catastrophe, and it is these actions we need to make time for. While much prepper rhetoric centers on the idea of looking out for yourself and looting the corpses you drop (rhetoric born of chauvinism and isolationism), it is mutual aid that provides security to a community. The SRA and our allies will be holding the line against catastrophe, arm in arm, singing joyfully for the resilient communities we have built.