January 28, 2026

NSSF Hosts 3rd Annual Attorneys General Forum at SHOT Show

By Jenn Jacques

Several of the nation’s top state law enforcement officials took part in NSSF’s 3rd Annual Attorneys General Forum last week during SHOT Show^® 2026 in Las Vegas where the discussion covered numerous current and relevant topics, including the coordinated lawfare against the firearm and ammunition industry.

Moderated by NSSF’s Senior Vice President and General Counsel Larry Keane, the panel featured Attorneys General Tim Griffin from Arkansas, James Uthmeier from Florida, Brenna Bird from Iowa, Liz Murrill from Louisiana, Catherine Hanaway from Missouri, Austin Knudsen from Montana and J.B. McCuskey from West Virginia.

During the wide-ranging discussion, the state attorneys general discussed the challenges they face and new strategies discovered while fighting the legal battles against politically driven attacks targeting the firearm and ammunition industry and Second Amendment rights.

Making Strides

The impressive panel discussed the legal and political landscape facing the firearm industry and Second Amendment rights today, with a particular focus on coordinated lawfare campaigns targeting lawful commerce. Keane opened by highlighting the importance of the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA), noting its bipartisan origins and continued strength following a unanimous U.S. Supreme Court decision barring Mexico’s lawsuit against U.S. manufacturers, along with additional state-level product liability litigation rejected under PLCAA principals.

In response, AG Knudsen said, “…the Supreme Court has made it very clear. The Protection of Lawful Commerce and Arms Act is the law of the land. We got a 9-0 decision in the Smith & Wesson, Mexico v. Smith & Wesson et al. That was a fantastic decision, but you’re right. What we’re starting to see now is Everytown, Brady, Giffords, all those organizations are pivoting and they’re trying to come at it from the state angle.”

AG Knudsen said that the abuse of the courts for a political means isn’t over and expects that the issue will eventually be back before the U.S. Supreme Court.

“At the end of the day, I think they know what the answer is, Larry. We’re going to end up back at the U.S. Supreme Court,” he continued. “They’re going to get slapped down, but look, I think this is coordinated lawfare. This is aimed at this industry. This is aimed at making everybody have to pay lawyer fees and keep bleeding from 1,000 cuts. I think that’s the game plan here. You’re going to keep seeing the Republican Attorney General Association and the people on the stage and our other colleagues who aren’t here. We’re going to keep fighting this fight. We’re going to keep punching, punching back on.”

Not Out of the Woods Yet

Panelists warned, however, that gun control organizations and allied state officials are increasingly attempting to bypass PLCAA through so-called “reasonable controls” statutes – laws designed to revive public nuisance and related theories by reframing claims as failures to act “reasonably,” even absent a knowing legal violation. The attorneys general described these efforts as coordinated, strategically filed and intended to impose financial and operational pressure on manufacturers and retailers through prolonged litigation.

“Many things can be true at the same time,” AG Bird said. “The law can be settled, and we can also see an uptick in aggressive filings by the state.” She added, “Here’s the thing, this is not all about the law. This is about messaging. This is about the broader political environment, and if you just narrowly view it as the law, you’re going to miss half the battle.”

More to Do

Beyond filing amicus briefs, the attorneys general outlined several proactive countermeasures. These included intervening as parties when possible, leveraging state authority over nonprofit investigations and fundraising compliance and using state deceptive trade practices laws to challenge allegedly misleading fundraising and advocacy campaigns.

“When we are standing up for the constitutional rights of West Virginians,” said AG McCuskey, “we can reach into New York or California and say ‘Look, this is an infringement upon the rights of the people of West Virginia.”

He added, “I really think that’s going to be the kind of the next great frontier. That’s how we’re going to start to pick off the states that are doing the real harm to their own citizens.”

Continued Vigilance

The AGs also emphasized using state economic power through “non-discrimination” measures — preventing financial institutions from underwriting bonds or doing certain business with the state if they discriminate against lawful firearm commerce, pointing to Firearm Industry Nondiscrimination (FIND) Act-style frameworks as effective tools to counter debanking and restore neutral access to financial services.

No matter the issue gun control advocates throw our way, NSSF will remail vigilant — monitoring the industry and continuing to fight for our collective interests.

The full 3^rd Annual Attorneys General Forum on NSSF’s YouTube Channel.

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