Month: March 2026

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The Spider And The Fly

March 7, 2026 by 1 Comment

This old poem came to mind when i heard the State of California was suing Second Amendment attorney Matthew Larosiere over the distribution of instructions and 3-D models for printing of firearms.

On Friday, Bonta sued Gatalog Foundation Inc., CTRLPew LLC and three people tied to the foundation — Alexander Holladay, Matthew Larosiere and John Elik — in San Francisco Superior Court.

He argues they illegally distribute code for making 3D firearms and accessories and promote their production, violating California’s unfair competition law.

In most civil rights cases involving the First and Second Amendment one of the keys is finding the right person to either be the named plaintiff or, as in this case, the defendant willing to stand up in supposed violation of the law.

California in their arrogance just solved that issue by suing Larosiere. It is as if Larosiere played the spider and said to California AG Rob Bonta, “”Will you walk into my parlour?” Bonta, playing the fly, just did that. Larosiere, a well-known 2A attorney, will now be able to push the issue in court, will be able to use discovery against California, and will be able to gather a coalition of both First and Second Amendment advocates in support. Larosiere has worked at one time or anther with the Cato institute and the Firearms Policy Coalition. Currently a partner in the Zermay Law Group in Florida, he also serves as Director of Legal Policy for Maryland Shall Issue.

The NRA is supporting Larosiere in the lawsuit. In the short video below put out by the NRA, Frank Miniter of NRA America’s First Freedom is interviewing Larosiere about the suit.

@nra California is suing Matthew Larosiere — known on YouTube as FuddBusters — along with NaviGoBoom, and CTRLPew for sharing 3D models and instructions online. The NRA is proud to stand with them in defense of free speech and the right to keep and bear arms. Matthew joined NRA America's 1st Freedom to talk about the case. ⬇️ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmvC10R4CRQ #3dprinting ♬ original sound – NRA

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Changes In The Hunting Optics World

March 6, 2026 by 1 Comment

Palero Gruppe, a Munich, Germany based venture capital and private equity investment firm, has announced that they have signed an agreement to purchase the Zeiss hunting and nature optics business. Zeiss Gruppe Global will now concentrate on their industrial, medical, optical, and photography lines of business. I did notice that my endodontist used a Zeiss microscope when he performed my last root canal.

From their announcement in LinkedIn posted on March 2nd.

palero has signed an agreement to acquire the ZEISS Hunting & Nature business, encompassing premium optics for hunting, nature observation, and birding. The business comes in a global share-and asset deal, with ZEISS Group continuing as a key technology and brand licensing partner.

With a strong foundation in analog and digital optical innovation, the global business will continue to grow in its markets as innovation leader under the ZEISS brand.

palero welcomes the ZEISS Hunting & Nature team into this new world and cannot wait to develop the business together as one.

“This is about combining strengths – market-leading products and strong brand heritage with the entrepreneurial freedom of an independent setup,” says Stefan Hämmerle, CEO of Hunting & Nature.
As a specialist in carve-outs and operational transformation, palero will support the business in accelerating growth across North America, Europe, and Asia. The roadmap includes new product launches in all core categories, deeper customer engagement, and increased agility in supply chain and innovation cycles.

The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2026, subject to customary approvals. Both parties have agreed not to disclose further details of the transaction.

A frequent commenter on many hunting forums, Doug at CameraLand NY, thought this was an excellent move and very good for the consumer. Zeiss will still be providing the technical expertise and Palero will bring the necessary monies to allow new quicker product development.

As a side note, the only Zeiss scopes and binoculars made in China are the Terra line.

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2026 Safari Club International Hunters Convention A Big Success

March 4, 2026 by 0 Comments

The 2026 Safari Club International Hunters Convention was a big success. Now in its fourth year in Nashville, attendance was up 14.4% over 2025 and first day attendance was up almost 20%. Having attended all four days of this year’s convention as well as all the SCI conventions since 2022, I can attest that each year it seems to grow bigger and bigger.

From the Safari Club International release on the event’s success:

SCI leaders said the growth reflects strong engagement at a time when hunting faces growing legal,
regulatory and political challenges. Thousands of hunters, conservation partners, outfitters and
industry representatives gathered in Nashville for the four-day event.

“This level of growth reflects the resolve of our members,” said Jeff Meyerl, president of Safari Club
International. “Hunters understand what is at stake. They are organized, engaged and committed to
protecting our heritage and ensuring conservation decisions are guided by science.”…

“The 14.4% growth in registrations and Wednesday attendance shows clear momentum behind
SCI’s leadership,” said W. Laird Hamberlin, the organization’s CEO. “As anti-hunting litigation
increases and policy battles intensify, our members are showing up. This convention helps support
the advocacy infrastructure needed to defend hunting access, protect state wildlife authority and
promote sustainable-use conservation around the world.”

The event had over 900 exhibitors ranging from outfitters from around the world to custom furniture makers. I even saw some hunts being advertised for Iran. Of course given current events, I might put a hunt there on hold for a bit regardless of how large or unusual the animal!

Beyond bringing hunters and conservationists together with outfitters, a major goal of the convention is to raise money for conservation, outreach, and advocacy. According to the SCI website, over $20 million was raised. By my own estimate, the various SCI entities raised almost $8.8 million from their day, silent, and evening auctions. A pair of yacht-based Alaskan mountain goat hunts with Donald Trump, Jr. sold for $400,000 each! It was not all big dollar auction items as you could have picked up some good South African plains game hunts for $2-3,000. For an event like this to be successful you need both so that you get buy-in across the spectrum for your conservation and advocacy goals.

While the Complementary Spouse and I had attended a number of these events, my brother-in-law Larry who was assisting us had not. He was awed by the scale of the event in both size and money. While he had attended some hunters’ shows in the Cincinnati area, there were nothing like that of SCI. He talked to a lot of vendors and did see some items that he might want to add to his own hunting property.

From my own perspective, I am extremely happy that SCI moved their convention from Las Vegas and Reno to Nashville. Not only is it within easy driving distance for me but it is within driving distance for a larger percentage of the US population who can and will attend. That is a win-win in my book.

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One Way To Reduce The Size Of The Board

March 3, 2026 by 0 Comments

I thought we might have been done with resignations from the NRA Board of Directors.

Oh, thee of little faith!

As of today, the NRA Board of Directors now stands at 70 members thanks to the resignation of Dwight Van Horn.

From the memo sent out by NRA Secretary John Frazer:

We received a resignation notice from Board member Dwight Van Horn this morning.  Please join me in thanking Dwight for his long service to the NRA.

This leaves the current Board at 70 members. 

In addition, Dwight’s term would have expired in 2028, and therefore creates an additional vacancy to be filled in the mail ballot election.  Members will now vote for the following seats:

  • Twenty-five three-year terms that expire in 2029
  • Six two-year terms that expire in 2028
  • Four one-year terms that expire in 2027

Finally, this means there will be only two candidates in the 76th Director election in Houston.

Given there are now only 37 candidates vying for 36 seats, can you imagine being the person who loses in the 76th Director election?

What this also means is that with virtually everyone getting elected it becomes even more important that the best of the bunch get elected to 3-year terms. Ballots must be received by the end of March so if you haven’t mailed your ballot, do it now!

As a reminder, here are my endorsements including a write-in for Charles Rowe of Wadsworth, Ohio. Chuck has done great work on rationalizing the competition rules and is a CPA to boot. We need both of those skills on the board. I admit I know next to nothing about the competition rules and frankly am glad someone is willing to get into the weeds of the rules. He stands a chance if people take the time to write him in.

Mark Vaughan, our 1st VP, also should get your vote. I didn’t originally endorse him because I thought he was a given to get elected. I corrected that error in my update.

One final note. Two people on the ballot – Jay Wallace and Eb Wilkinson – are also trustees of the NRA Foundation. If elected, they will have to decide where their loyalties and fiduciary duties lie. Eb, while on the ballot, resigned in December 2025 but has not removed himself from this year’s ballot.