We Like Shooting Episode 638

This episode of We Like Shooting is brought to you by: Midwest Industries, Primary Arms, Night Fision, Die Free Co., Mitchell Defense, Rost Martin, and Swampfox Optics

 

Welcome to the We Like Shooting Show, episode 638! Our cast tonight is Jeremy Pozderac, Aaron Krieger, Nick Lynch, and me Shawn Herrin, welcome to the show!

Sponsor Black Friday Deals

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Gear Chat

Nick - 1911 Project News

1911 project update

Shawn - Lights Out for Bright Lights

Cloud Defensive EPL

Shawn - TitanX: The Future of Laser Training Weapons

The article presents the TitanX, a new inert training pistol designed for realistic dry fire training, incorporating features like a resetting trigger and laser for instant feedback. It aims to improve shooting skills through advanced training analysis via the MantisX app. The introduction of the TitanX may enhance training for gun owners across all skill levels, providing a cost-effective tool for skill development while maintaining a focus on familiarity with popular firearm models.

Bullet Points

Shawn - Comparing Shooters Global SG Timer Models: GO vs 2

Shooters Global has launched two new shot timers, the budget-friendly SG Timer GO and the premium SG Timer 2, each designed for different types of shooters. Both come with advanced smart sensor technology and integrate with the Drills app for enhanced training features. The SG Timer GO is priced around $164.99, while the SG Timer 2 costs $329.99, reflecting their respective target markets. The article highlights a Black Friday sale for potential buyers. The introduction of these timers is likely to attract various shooters, offering more accessible options for improving training techniques.

Shawn - Walther Halts PPK Series Production

Walther Arms, Inc. has suspended production of its PPK, PPK/S, and PP handgun lines as part of a long-term modernization program, marking a pause in nearly a century of manufacturing. This break is intended to update the production processes while maintaining the traditional characteristics of the firearms. Existing stock will become the last available units for an extended period, potentially increasing interest and demand among collectors and users of the PP-series. No timeline for the release of updated models has been provided.

Shawn - Primary Arms Launches Exciting Golden Ticket Giveaway

Primary Arms is hosting a significant giveaway event from November 24 to December 1, 2025, offering customers a chance to win one of five premium LaRue rifle packages valued over $4,000 each with every purchase made. This promotion aims to enhance customer engagement during their Black Friday sales and may stimulate interest and participation within the gun community.

Savage1r - Gideon Optics swag bag

Gun Fights

Step right up for "Gun Fights," the high-octane segment hosted by Nick Lynch, where our cast members go head-to-head in a game show-style showdown! Each contestant tries to prove their gun knowledge dominance. It’s a wild ride of bids, bluffs, and banter—who will come out on top? Tune in to find out!

 

Agency Brief

Agency171.com

Dred Scott v. Sandford 

"If Black people were citizens, they'd have the right to keep and carry arms wherever they went."

That's not me talking. That's Chief Justice Roger Taney in 1857, explaining why the Supreme Court couldn't let Black Americans be citizens.

Think about that. The Court admitted the Second Amendment was an individual right. They just didn't want certain people exercising it. So they ruled an entire race had zero constitutional rights.

This is the story of how fear of an armed population led to the worst Supreme Court decision in history—and why it matters for every gun owner today.

What's really on the line:

Can the government decide who counts as "the people" with rights?

If courts can strip rights from one group, who's next?

Will slavery expand nationwide, or can it be contained?

Does the Second Amendment mean individuals can bear arms, or just militias?

Hidden stake: Southern states terrified of armed free Black people

The entire future of constitutional rights—and the Union itself—hangs on one family's lawsuit.

1846: Dred and Harriet Scott sue for freedom in St. Louis

Their owner took them to free territory (Illinois + Wisconsin)

Missouri law = "once free, always free"

Their real motivation: Keep their daughters from being sold away

1850: They win at trial. Declared free.

1852: Missouri Supreme Court reverses—protecting slavery politics over precedent

1856: Case hits U.S. Supreme Court

Nation boiling over slavery and states' rights

7 of 9 justices appointed by pro-slavery presidents

Initially planning narrow ruling—then they get greedy

THE CONSPIRACY:

President-elect Buchanan secretly contacts Justice Catron: "When will you rule?"

Catron leaks insider info back

Buchanan pressures Justice Grier: "Join the Southern majority"

Grier caves

March 4, 1857: Buchanan's inauguration—he promises the Court will "settle" everything

He already knows the outcome

March 6, 1857—THE BOMBSHELL:

80-year-old Chief Justice Taney delivers a 200-page ruling designed to end the debate forever:

Black people can never be citizens—not even free Black people in Northern states

They have "no rights which the white man was bound to respect"

Congress can't restrict slavery anywhere—Missouri Compromise unconstitutional

Here's the 2A moment: Taney writes that if Black people were citizens, they'd have the right "to keep and carry arms wherever they went." He uses this as proof they can't be citizens—the idea of armed Black Americans was too dangerous.

What this reveals:

The Court understood the 2A as an individual right, not just militia

They feared an armed population—specifically armed Black Americans

Gun control was a tool of racial oppression from day one

They chose to strip citizenship rather than allow armed equality

THE EXPLOSION:

North erupts in fury

Republicans see it as proof of "slave power conspiracy" (they're right)

Abraham Lincoln rises: "What's next—making free states into slave states?"

Four years later: Civil War begins

600,000 dead

THE FIX:

13th Amendment (1865): Abolishes slavery

14th Amendment (1868): Overturns Dred Scott—declares all Americans are citizens

This becomes the foundation for applying the Bill of Rights—including the 2A—to state governments

THE 2A CONNECTION

Why every gun rights advocate should know this case:

✓ SCOTUS explicitly tied citizenship to the right to bear arms—they admitted it was individual, not militia-based

✓ The Court's fear of armed citizens drove their decision—they'd rather strip citizenship than allow armed Black Americans

✓ Gun control as racial control—disarming populations has always been about power, not safety

✓ The 14th Amendment's purpose: Overturn Dred Scott and protect rights against state infringement

✓ McDonald v. Chicago (2010): Supreme Court incorporated 2A against states by citing the 14th Amendment's reversal of Dred Scott and how Southern states disarmed free Black people

THE 14TH AMENDMENT -

Ratified July 9, 1868—specifically to overturn Dred Scott

Section 1 (the critical part):

"All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."

What this did:

✅ Overturned Dred Scott — Declared ALL people born in the U.S. are citizens

✅ Protected rights against state infringement — States can't "abridge the privileges or immunities" of citizens

✅ Applied the Bill of Rights to states — Before this, only the federal government was bound by the Bill of Rights

✅ Made the 2A enforceable against states — This is why state gun bans can be challenged in federal court

The 14th Amendment's Framers on the Right to Bear Arms:

During congressional debates over the 14th Amendment, Republicans repeatedly cited Southern states disarming free Black people as a reason the amendment was necessary:

Senator Jacob Howard said the amendment would protect "the personal rights guarantied and secured by the first eight amendments of the Constitution; such as...the right to keep and to bear arms"

Congressmen cited "Black Codes" that banned Black Americans from owning firearms

The amendment was designed to prevent states from doing what Dred Scott enabled: stripping constitutional rights based on race

Modern Impact:

McDonald v. Chicago (2010) — Supreme Court incorporates the Second Amendment against state and local governments

Justice Alito's majority opinion:

Cited the 14th Amendment as overturning Dred Scott

Discussed how Southern states used gun control to oppress freed slaves after the Civil War

Concluded the right to bear arms is a "fundamental right" protected by the 14th Amendment's guarantee that states can't abridge the "privileges or immunities" of citizens

The direct line:

Dred Scott says Black people aren't citizens and can't have rights (including arms)

Civil War fought partly over this

14th Amendment passes to reverse Dred Scott and protect all citizens' rights

150+ years later, that same amendment is used to strike down state gun bans

THE LESSON:

The Constitution protects "the people"—not "some people."

When courts decide rights don't apply to certain groups, nobody's rights are secure.