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Blue state customers flock to Idaho gun store to find 'a little bit of freedom,' owner says

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Blue state customers flock to Idaho gun store to find 'a little bit of freedom,' owner says

This story is the fourth in a series examining the mass-migration of West Coast residents to Idaho. Read parts one, two and three.

POST FALLS, Idaho — The parking lot outside North Idaho Arms was quiet early one Saturday morning, but owner Bryan Zielinski soon expected it to fill with cars, many of them bearing Washington plates.

Most customers only travel 30 minutes or so from Washington’s eastern cities. But on weekends, Zielinski says some make the five-hour drive from the Seattle area to buy magazines and other accessories outlawed in their own state.

“We’re seeing people wanting to make the drive solely just to experience a little bit of freedom, the freedom that they lost in Washington,” Zielinski said.

Bryan Zielinski holds a rifle in his Post Falls gun store on April 27, 2024. He opened North Idaho Arms about three months ago, not long after his family relocated to the Gem State from neighboring Washington. (Hannah Ray Lambert/Fox News Digital)

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THIS BLUE STATE’S AGENDA IGNORES THE CONSTITUTION TO ‘GET RID OF GUNS’: STORE MANAGER

Zielinski was a lifelong Washingtonian until last June and previously managed a large gun store in Bellevue. He advocated against the state’s increasingly restrictive gun control laws but to no avail, and he finally moved his family to North Idaho.

“Some of the most restrictive gun control in the United States is now in western Washington,” he said. “And that all happened in the space of less than three years.”

Washington’s crackdown on gun rights

Democrats spent years trying to ban magazines capable of holding more than 10 rounds, Zielinski said. Then Democratic Attorney General Bob Ferguson, now a candidate for governor, spearheaded a ban that relied on the Consumer Protection Act, a state law meant to protect residents from “unfair or deceptive” business practices.

In 2022, Washington lawmakers outlawed the manufacture, import, distribution and sale of high-capacity magazines, but not possession itself. The next year, they passed a similar ban on the sale or import of “assault weapons” — primarily semi-automatic rifles — and many of the parts used to build them, arguing such measures were critical to preventing mass shootings.

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“Assault weapons” were used in about 25% of mass shootings, according to The Violence Project, a database supported by the National Institute of Justice that analyzed mass shootings in the U.S. from 1966 to early 2020. The project chronicles mass shootings in which four or more victims were murdered with firearms in a public location.

A 2022 poll suggested a majority of Washington residents supported a ban on “assault weapons,” a label often applied to semi-automatic rifles like AR-15s and AK-47s. Washington lawmakers outlawed the sale and import of such firearms the next year. (Ramiro Vargas/Fox News Digital)

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Washington has had eight such shootings since 1966, according to The Violence Project, the majority of which involved handguns. But semi-automatic rifles have been used in other killings in the state, including the 2016 shooting at a Mukilteo house party. Three people were killed in the mass shooting that drove Ferguson to advocate for the ban.

The Zielinski family packed up and moved to North Idaho last June, less than two months after Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signed the assault weapons ban into law.

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“I really got to see how bad things were starting to get,” Zielinski said. “We finally reached a crescendo.”

Zielinski opened his own gun store just a five-minute drive across the border from Washington. He spoke to Fox News Digital while sitting in front of a wall of semi-automatic rifles that are now illegal to make, purchase or sell in his former home state.

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He can’t sell the banned guns themselves to Washington residents because they require extra processes like a background check and would need to be transferred to a licensed dealer in Washington. But when it comes to replacement parts or magazines, Zielinski says he doesn’t “card anybody for anything unless there’s a serial number on it.”

“We follow all federal laws. We follow all Idaho state laws,” he said. “But it is legal in Idaho to buy certain things as an adult that maybe you can’t buy in Washington.”

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Similarly, Idaho plates are a common sight outside marijuana dispensaries on the Washington side of the border. No one is stopping Idahoans from buying pre-rolls or gummies that are banned in their home state, Zielinski said.

“At the end of the day, it’s on the consumer to make sure they’re not breaking the laws of their home state,” he said.

Learning from Washington’s ‘mistakes,’ and safeguarding Idaho against ‘liberal mindset’

Gun stores were abuzz this spring in Washington as they awaited a possible injunction against the state’s magazine ban. The attorney general had sued a business for continuing to sell magazines after the ban took effect, and the store challenged the law’s constitutionality.

In Post Falls, Zielinski took dozens of pre-orders, packaged them and got them ready to ship.

“The commitment to the customer was that the minute the injunction happens that we were going to get into Washington legally, import those boxes and get those mailed out,” he said.

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Bryan Zielinski and his family moved to Idaho last year seeking more freedom and greater Second Amendment protections.  (Hannah Ray Lambert/Fox News Digital)

SEATTLE-AREA OFFICIALS WANT ‘NO LOCKS, NO CELLS’ FOR JUVENILE OFFENDERS AMID RISE IN TEEN CRIME

On April 8, a judge ruled the ban violates both the U.S. and Washington state constitutions. The attorney general secured an emergency order from the state Supreme Court 88 minutes later, keeping the ban in place.

Zielinski shipped 147 boxes of magazines during that window.

“I know that we have some happy customers because we’ve heard from all of them,” he said.

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He said he is still invested in Washington’s Second Amendment future because some of his friends and family members remain “behind the Iron Curtain over there.”

“But the main thing is, I’ve learned from the mistakes of Washington on how we’re going to safeguard Idaho,” he said. “So if I can work to help Washington and now help Idaho into the future as well, it’s kind of a win-win.”

Right now, “gun laws are great in Idaho,” he said. 

It’s one of nearly 30 states with constitutional concealed carry, has no laws regulating high-capacity magazines or semi-automatic rifles, and even allows residents to own a machine gun as long as it’s registered.

Bryan Zielinski can’t sell semi-automatic rifles or other banned guns to Washington residents, but he said he doesn’t check anyone’s ID when it comes to parts or magazines. “I am selling products that are 100% legal to adults in the state of Idaho,” he said. (Hannah Ray Lambert/Fox News Digital)

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But Zielinski wants to see Idaho’s legislators make it illegal for the state to use the Consumer Protection Act to stifle the Second Amendment. And he said he’d like to see more unification in the state’s GOP which, like its national counterpart, has become increasingly fractured.

“If we can safeguard Idaho against this liberal mindset,” he said, “I think we could be the beacon that other conservative states see and go, ‘We want to be more like Idaho.’”

Click here to hear more from Zielinski.

Ramiro Vargas contributed to the accompanying video.

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West

Bryan Kohberger trying to buddy up with serial killers from behind bars, source says

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Bryan Kohberger trying to buddy up with serial killers from behind bars, source says

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Between filing complaints about the prison food and taunts from fellow inmates, convicted killer Bryan Kohberger has been trying to get in touch with serial killers from around the country, according to a former homicide investigator with knowledge of the situation.

Chris McDonough, the director of the Cold Case Foundation and a retired detective, said he has insider knowledge of Kohberger’s behavior in the Idaho Maximum Security Institution in Kuna.

When asked if Kohberger has made any friends behind bars so far, he said his source told him Kohberger’s been making overtures to other high-profile killers and “sees himself above everyone around him.”

“He’s tried reaching out to other serial killers, but I don’t know whether any relationships have formed,” McDonough told Fox News Digital. “Both inside and outside — he’s trying to communicate with people outside the walls.”

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BRYAN KOHBERGER FIGHTS $27K RESTITUTION FOR VICTIMS’ FAMILIES WHILE TAKING MONEY BEHIND BARS

Bryan Kohberger appears at the Ada County Courthouse for his sentencing hearing, Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in Boise, Idaho, for brutally stabbing four University of Idaho students to death. (AP Photo/Kyle Green, Pool)

Kohberger was studying for a Ph.D. in criminology at Washington State University when he drove 10 miles away for a 4 a.m. home invasion massacre at the nearby University of Idaho. 

He stabbed four undergrads to death in an off-campus house — Madison Mogen, 21, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20. 

Madison Mogen, top left, smiles on the shoulders of her best friend, Kaylee Goncalves, as they pose with Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, and two other housemates in Goncalves’ final Instagram post, shared the day before the four students were stabbed to death. (@kayleegoncalves/Instagram)

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He left scant evidence behind — but dropped a Ka-Bar knife sheath with his DNA on it. The case dragged on for more than two years, and he finally pleaded guilty when his attempts to have the potential death penalty taken off the table failed. 

IDAHO KILLER BRYAN KOHBERGER. COMPLAINS TO GUARDS ABOUT INMATE TAUNTS WITH TARGET ON HIS BACK: REPORT

He received four consecutive sentences of life without parole, plus another 10 years, after pleading guilty to avoid the firing squad. 

The Pennsylvania native entered Idaho prison with a target on his back, experts previously told Fox News Digital, due to the notoriety of the crime and the callous selection of victims, whom he had no known ties to.

This still image taken from surveillance video of an Albertson’s supermarket in Lewiston, Idaho, shows Bryan Kohberger shopping hours after the Idaho student murders. He is now reportedly complaining about his prison food. (Moscow Police Department)

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In a little over four months in prison, he’s already filed official complaints claiming he’s been mistreated, harassed and threatened by his fellow inmates.

“He’s desperately trying to get transferred out of J-Block because of relentless taunting from other inmates,” McDonough told Fox News Digital. “Recently, his big complaint has been food, especially the bananas, because he’s a vegan. He didn’t like the type or quality of the food being prepared.”

However, complaining about that won’t help, with food services run by fellow inmates, McDonough explained.

BRYAN KOHBERGER’S APARTMENT, ESSAYS REVEALED IN HUNDREDS OF PHOTOS RELEASED BY IDAHO POLICE

This image shows the recreation yard at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution, where Bryan Kohberger sees only one hour of exercise a day while housed in the facility’s secure J Block unit. (IDOC)

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“It wouldn’t be surprising if the inmates intentionally give him the worst bananas — ‘Give this one to Kohberger,’” he said.

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Although the J-Block cell keeps Kohberger physically isolated for 23 hours a day, minimizing a risk that any other inmate could make good on threats of violence, Kohberger doesn’t like it and wants to be moved, McDonough said.

“His latest issue is that he’s implied that if they don’t move him out of J-Block — complaining his cell is too small and so on — he’ll harm himself. No one knows what that means. It could be a manipulation tactic, almost like a toddler having a tantrum, to get himself into a better unit.”

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San Francisco, CA

San Francisco honors legendary photographer Jim Marshall with street named in his memory

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San Francisco honors legendary photographer Jim Marshall with street named in his memory


This week, San Francisco is set to honor a legendary photographer, the late Jim Marshall, by officially commemorating a street in his honor. 

On Friday, officials, including San Francisco Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, will be on hand to reveal a new street sign for the 3600 block of 16th Avenue.  

The tiny stretch becomes a big landmark for music lovers, historians, and photography buffs. This stretch of 16th will also be known as Jim Marshall Way.

“Finally, Jim Marshall gets his name in San Francisco history, ” proclaimed photographer Amelia Davis. 

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For years, Davis was the assistant and editor for Marshall.

Marshall documented and photographed San Francisco history – the music scene, social unrest and protests

Included in his portfolio is a rare photograph of Janis Joplin on top of her psychedelic Porsche, a famous portrait of John Coltrane, discussing an imminent change in his music, at the Berkeley home of jazz critic Ralph Gleason;  a very intimate photo of Johnny Cash and June Carter, at their home in Tennessee; Miles Davis in the boxing ring; Bob Dylan kicking a tire down a New York City street; and the final public concert played by the Beatles at Candlestick Park.

Fifteen years ago, when he died, the San Franciscan left his entire portfolio to Davis.  She explained how Marshall, who was childless, called his photographs his children.

“That’s what he loved and protected his whole life,” noted Davis.

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Marshall was on hand to capture the Grateful Dead’s last free show on a flatbed truck in the Haight. 

He was also on hand in Times Square in Manhattan to capture the grief following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

His photographs of poverty in Appalachia are part of the permanent collection at the Smithsonian.

“Jim Marshall always called himself a reporter with a camera and Jim’s work did document pieces of history, whether it was music, civil rights, or protests,” said Davis.

Marshal had a tumultuous personality and struggled with addiction. 

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After his death, he was the subject of an award-winning documentary called “Show Me The Picture.”

He was the first photographer to receive a Grammy.

Now, a street where the photographer lived for 28 years will be named in honor

“Little did they know you have this legend living right in the middle of the street here,” exclaimed Justin Fichelson.

Fichelson grew up a few doors away from the photographer, where his parents still live. 

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He says the honor of renaming the street is a reminder that the city was iconoclastic way before tech and the AI flood.   

“The idea of San Francisco, which is a crazy place where people come from all over the world to reinvent themselves, Jim really captured that in an incredible way,” noted Fichelson.

Marshall grew up in the Western Addition, went to Lowell High School, raced fast cars and loved the city. Now, the city is loving him back. 

The ceremony to honor Marshall is on Friday, Dec. 19, at 10 a.m. at the corners of Noe, Market, and 16th. A commemorative sign will be placed beneath the 16th Street sign. Those who wish to attend are asked to bring any old Leica cameras to honor the late photographer. 

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Denver, CO

Where do Packers stand in NFC playoff picture after loss in Denver?

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Where do Packers stand in NFC playoff picture after loss in Denver?


The Green Bay Packers (9-4-1) dropped from first to second in the NFC North and from the second seed to the seventh seed in the NFC after losing to the Denver Broncos on Sunday.

Significant injuries suffered against the Broncos will mean lasting implications are felt past Sunday. The Packers are also now a long shot to catch the Los Angeles Rams for the No. 1 seed in the NFC, and it’ll take a win next Saturday night in Chicago to retake control in the NFC North.

But the Packers are still in a good spot in terms of making the postseason field, especially after the Detroit Lions, Carolina Panthers and Dallas Cowboys all lost on Sunday.

NFC playoff picture after Week 15

  1. Los Angeles Rams (11-3, 6-3 vs. NFC)
  2. Chicago Bears (10-4, 6-3 vs. NFC)
  3. Philadelphia Eagles (9-5, 7-3 vs. NFC)
  4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-7, 5-5 vs. NFC)
  5. Seattle Seahawks (11-3, 6-3 vs. NFC)
  6. San Francisco 49ers (10-4, 8-2 vs. NFC)
  7. Green Bay Packers (9-4-1, 7-2-1 vs. NFC)

Others: Lions (8-6), Panthers (7-7), Cowboys (6-7-1)

According to The Athletic’s NFL playoff simulator, the Packers have a 92 percent chance of making the postseason with three weeks to go. They become all but guaranteed of a playoff spot if they can beat the Bears in Chicago in Week 16. In fact, just one win over the final three weeks could be enough for the Packers to get in.

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The NFC North winner looks like a coinflip. The Athletic’s model gives the Packers a 48 percent chance of winning the division right now, and it would go up to 82 percent with a win over the Bears on Saturday. Chicago took down the Cleveland Browns with ease in bitter cold temps at Soldier Field on Sunday.

The Athletic’s model also gives the Packers a 98 percent chance of being the No. 2 seed if Matt LaFleur’s team can win out. That will be much easier said than done without Micah Parsons (and potentially Christian Watson) down the stretch.

Two very possibilities for the Packers: Win the NFC North and host the Bears in the NFC Wild Card Round, or get in as the No. 7 seed and go to Chicago to play the Bears in the NFC Wild Card Round. A third round of the rivalry is increasingly possible in January.

Packers remaining games

Nothing easy here. The Bears, Ravens and Vikings all won Sunday. The Bears and Ravens won comfortably; the Vikings upset the Cowboys — who desperately needed to win — in Dallas. The Bears and Ravens are both playing to win division titles. The Vikings are a dangerously talented spoiler team, and winning at U.S. Bank Stadium is never easy. The Athletic’s model gives the Packers roughly a 40 percent chance of making the postseason even with an 0-3 finish. The Lions are the biggest threat to pass the Packers in the event they finish 0-3.

It appears the Packers can clinch a playoff spot next week with a win over the Bears and a Steelers win over the Lions.

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