Tennessee received a payment totaling $146.1 million on Tuesday from the major tobacco companies that joined the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement (MSA), bringing the state’s total payout amount from the settlement to $3.9 billion.
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House Judiciary Opens Formal Inquiry into ATF Killing of Arkansas Airport Executive
The House Judiciary Committee on Monday launched a formal inquiry into federal agents’ fatal shooting of an Arkansas airport executive during the execution of a gun case search warrant at his home, demanding the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) explain why it carried out the search without knocking and without using required body cams.
The ATF’s fatal shooting last month of Bryan Malinowski, an administrator at the Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport in Little Rock, has reignited concerns about the agency’s enforcement of gun laws and regulations under President Joe Biden as well as prompted a criminal investigation by Arkansas authorities.
Read the full storyQuestions Swirl Around Deadly ATF Raid of Arkansas Home Leaving a Local Airport Administrator Dead
Newly released videos show federal agents arriving to execute a search warrant on the home of the administrator of a local airport in Little Rock, Arkansas. The raid-gone-wrong in the predawn hours of March 19 ultimately led to the death of the administrator, Bryan Malinowski, after a brief standoff with the agents.
These videos, as well as a search warrant and affidavit previously published, shed light on why an administrator at the Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport was under investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). According to the ATF he was allegedly selling firearms without the proper licenses—some of which were reportedly used in crimes—and for misrepresenting his purpose on purchase forms.
Read the full storyGOP Presidential Candidate Vivek Ramaswamy Unveils Plan to Halve the Federal Government Civil Service Workforce
If elected president, political outsider Vivek Ramaswamy vows to cut 1 million jobs from a behemoth federal government workforce.
And the GOP presidential candidate’s plan to rein in the administrative state is driving the left and the mainstream media insane.
Read the full storyTennessee AG Skrmetti Joins Letter Urging FDA to Ban Flavored Disposable E-Cigarettes
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti has joined a bipartisan coalition of 33 attorneys general in sending a letter to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding the rise of flavored, disposable e-cigarettes use among the nation’s youth.
Read the full storyU.S. Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Matt Gaetz Move to Defund ATF Director
Georgia Republican U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Florida Republican U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz announced on Monday that they would attempt to use a congressional procedure to defund the office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) director amid allegations that the agency has repeatedly exceeded its statutory authority.
Read the full storyJudge Orders Preliminary Injunction Against Biden’s ATF in Key Second Amendment Case
A Milwaukee-based public interest law firm has won a key victory in a Second Amendment battle.
The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty on Wednesday secured a preliminary injunction in federal court on behalf of three veterans challenging the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ rule regulating up to 40 million pistols equipped with stabilizing braces.
Read the full storyTennessee Receives Annual Settlement Payment of More than $160 Million from Major Tobacco Companies
The State of Tennessee received a payment totaling $163.9 million on Wednesday from the major tobacco companies that joined the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement (MSA), bringing the state’s total payout amount from the settlement to $3.8 billion so far.
Read the full storyBlack Market Cigarette Shipments Seized in Connecticut
Connecticut and other states have seized shipments of illegal cigarettes from China and other countries under a settlement with the U.S. Postal Service to resolve claims it wasn’t doing enough to crack down on tobacco smuggling.
A new report by Connecticut Attorney General William Tong said between January and March the Postal Service seized 3,000 packages containing a total of 10,000 cartons of cigarettes shipped from overseas in violation of federal laws. Most of the illegal shipments were mailed from China, Israel and Russia, the AG’s office said.
Read the full storySecond Amendment Lawsuit Challenges ATF’s New Gun Control Rule
A new federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) rule on pistols with stabllizing braces faces a Second Amendment lawsuit filed on behalf of disabled veterans.
The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) filed the complaint Tuesday in the U.S. Northern District of Texas Amarillo Division.
Read the full storyCongressman Mark Green Demands Answers from ATF on Its Increased Targeting of Federal Firearms Licensees
Congressman Mark Green penned a letter this week to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) expressing concerns over the bureau’s increased targeting of federal firearms licensees (FFL).
Read the full storyFlorida Supreme Court to Hear Tobacco Industry Case
The Florida Supreme Court announced they will be taking up a case potentially making it harder to sue cigarette companies.
Florida’s high court decided to hear the case after the 1st District Court of Appeals overturned a verdict in a 2006 class-action lawsuit which saw individuals had the ability to sue cigarette companies for potentially misleading information regarding the dangers of smoking.
Read the full storyU.S. Rep. Mark Green Has ‘Grave Concerns’ About ATF’s Latest Plans
U.S. Rep. Mark Green (R-TN-07) has sent a letter to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives expressing what he called “grave concerns” over that agency’s intention to impose regulations on stabilizing braces for firearms. This, according to a press release that Green’s staff published on his website this week.
Read the full storyAltria Performing Well Despite COVID-19
Richmond-based tobacco company Altria’s stock is performing relatively well, The Motley Fool even called it a “cash cow.” That’s despite several factors working against the tobacco company, including the COVID-19 pandemic with worse outcomes for people with tobacco-related health problems and an economic crisis.
Read the full storyMinnesota Raises Smoking Age to 21
Minnesotans must be 21 years of age or older to purchase tobacco products starting Saturday, according to twincities.com.
The new law puts the state in line with a similar federal law that raised the legal age to purchase tobacco to in December. E-cigarettes and vapes are included in the law, as well as cigars, chewing tobacco and cigarettes.
Read the full storyMinnesota House Passes Bill Raising Age to Buy Tobacco to 21
The Minnesota House of Representatives passed legislation on Saturday that would raise the minimum age for purchasing tobacco and tobacco-related products to 21 years old.
The bill, which is similar to a federal one, applies to both traditional tobacco and e-cigarettes.
Read the full storyState Rep. Gant Plans to Reintroduce Legislation to Raise Tobacco, Vaping Age to 21 During Next Legislative Session
Assistant Majority House Leader Ron Gant (R-TN-94) plans to resume his efforts to raise Tennessee’s legal smoking and vaping age to 21 next year.
Read the full storyOhio Gunman’s Alleged Pot-Smoking Friend Who Bought Him Gun Parts Charged with Federal Crimes, Feds Say
Federal authorities announced Monday they made an arrest in the investigation into the Aug. 4 mass shooting in Dayton, Ohio.
Authorities arrested Ethan Kollie, a friend of gunman Connor Betts, Friday and charged him with possession of a firearm by an unlawful user of a controlled substance and making a false statement regarding firearms, authorities announced Monday in a press conference.
Read the full storyOhio Federal Judge Clears Way for Massive Opioid Lawsuit
A massive lawsuit by 1,500 counties, cities, townships, and other communities nationwide, against the opioid industry has been permitted to move forward by a federal judge in Ohio. Over the past two years, local and state governments in Mississippi, Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, Nevada, Texas, Florida, North Carolina, North Dakota, Tennessee, Illinois, New York, Washington, and California have all filed separate suits against the various manufacturers, distributors, and sellers comprising the opioid industry. These local governments allege that the “defendants have contributed to the addiction of millions of Americans to these prescription opioids and to the foreseeable result that many of those addicted would turn to street drugs.” In the past year, the majority of these cases were folded into one giant multidistrict litigation that has been consolidated in the Ohio federal courts. The defendants in this case include the three largest drug wholesalers in America: AmerisourceBergen, McKesson, and Cardinal Health. These three entities are commonly referred to as the “Big Three,” accounting for “about 85 percent to 90 percent of all revenues from drug distribution in the United States.” United States District Judge Dan A. Polster of the Northern District of Ohio rejected Wednesday a Motion to Dismiss by the…
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