Free Republic

NEWTOWN, Conn. — The National Shooting Sports Foundation® (NSSF®), the firearm industry trade association, surveyed firearm retailers recently and estimates that over 3.2 million people purchased a firearm for the first time during the first half of 2021. First-time Gun BuyersThe survey was conducted to learn the buying habits and factors of this year’s firearm purchasers during the first six months of 2021. Respondents indicated that 33.2 percent of customers, or 3,247,351, purchased a firearm for the first time, based on June’s total of nearly 9.8 million background checks for a gun sale. “This survey shows that there is a...

MANITOU SPRINGS, Colo. — Parents of a 4-year-old boy are behind bars after leaving their child in a car with a loaded gun when he allegedly shot himself Tuesday afternoon. Around noon, the Manitou Springs Police Department received multiple calls about a shot being fired in the 400 block of Manitou Avenue. When officers arrived they found the child dead in the parking lot. After the preliminary investigation, the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office (EPSO) learned that while the father went to make purchases at Maggie’s Farm, a marijuana dispensary, the 4-year-old boy was with his mother and younger sibling...

In 2004, Vermont implemented a medical marijuana registry, promising patient confidentiality on its state website. Then, in 2018, Vermont legalized recreational marijuana use and imposed a universal background check on gun-purchasers. Here's the rub: the federal government was not consulted, and the ATF maintains that anyone using marijuana will be denied clearance to purchase any gun. This was already the case prior to Vermont's recreational cannabis legalization — those who were on the state's marijuana registry were not allowed to buy guns from federally licensed dealers, as the state of Vermont provided the list of registrants surreptitiously to the federal...

In what will hopefully be one of the final acts of the Obama Administration on firearms, the ATF on Monday announced that its proposed changes to the Form 4473 would go into effect on January 16, 2017, just four days before the inauguration of President-Elect Donald Trump. Form 4473 is the federally mandated form that must be filled out by any person who acquires a firearm from a licensed dealer.... Another notable change to the form is the inclusion of a bolded warning to potential transferees from ATF. The warning provides that “the use or possession of marijuana remains unlawful...

Sen. Bernie Sanders brought marijuana into the national conversation last week, calling for legalizing and regulating the drug. Under his plan, people in possession of the substance would be treated no differently than people smoking cigarettes or drinking alcohol. By removing marijuana from the list of dangerous drugs, Sanders' move would allow states to legalize the marijuana without Washington having a say. Beyond campaign speeches meant to appeal to young voters, a host of state ballot initiatives on marijuana will be greeting voters next November. In California, which became the first state to legalize medical marijuana in 1996, residents may...

Last Friday, Attorney General Eric Holder testified before a House appropriations subcommittee on behalf of his department's proposed budget for FY2015. Apparently, Holder didn't think anyone would read his written submission, because he all-but-admitted that Obama intends to implement a Universal Gun Registry by executive fiat.He also asked Congress to help fund so-called “smart gun” technology, which would prevent a gun from firing unless the shooter is wearing an accompanying bracelet or ring.“Smart guns” are a dumb ideaGiven that “smart gun” technology only works about 80 percent of the time -- according to the New Jersey Institute of Technology --...

One of the strongest debates over guns in American society continues over the claim of Second Amendment protection for firearms owners. The Supreme Court, however, has resisted spelling out the actual reach of that right in the more than five years since it first ruled that the Amendment protects a personal right to have a gun, at least for self-defense. The Court, though, has been working on a series of side issues of gun control, and will do so again in the new case of Abramski v. United States. Even though there is now a constitutional right to have a...

Recently, Mark Kelly attempted to purchase an AR-15 from a Tucson gun dealer to make a political point about background checks. In doing so, Mark Kelly completed ATF Form 4473. Question 11.a. states the following: Are you the actual transferee/buyer of the firearm(s) listed on this form? Warning: You are not the actual buyer if you are acquiring the firearm(s) on behalf of another person. If you are not the actual buyer, the dealer cannot transfer the firearm(s)to you.Upon signing the form, Mark Kelly acknowledged this: I certify that my answers to Section A are true, correct, and complete. I...

During the National Rifle Association’s meeting with Vice President Joe Biden and the White House gun violence task force, the vice president said that the administration did not have the time to prosecute existing gun laws. Jim Baker, the NRA representative present at the meeting, recalled the vice president’s words to The Daily Caller: “And to your point, Mr. Baker, regarding the lack of prosecutions on lying on Form 4473s, we simply don’t have the time or manpower to prosecute everybody who lies on a form, that checks a wrong box, that answers a question inaccurately.” Submitting false information on...

EXCLUSIVE: In the latest chapter of the gunrunning scandal known as Operation Fast and Furious, federal officials won't say how two suspects obtained more than 360 weapons despite criminal records that should have prevented them from buying even one gun. Under current federal law, people with felony convictions are not permitted to buy weapons, and those with felony arrests are typically flagged while the FBI conducts a thorough background check. However, according to court records reviewed by Fox News, two of the 20 defendants indicted in the Fast and Furious investigation have felony convictions and criminal backgrounds that experts say,...

Washington, DC --(Ammoland.com)- Remember the corrupt tactics used by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to pass ObamaCare? The secret meetings? The refusal to let the American people see the language? Well, he’s at it again. This time, Reid is abusing his role as Majority Leader of the Senate to block a pro-gun amendment that Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) is attempting to add to the so-called Patriot Act. In order to circumvent Sen. Paul’s efforts to protect gun rights, Reid scuttled the Senate version of the 9/11 extension and instead tacked it onto an unrelated House-passed small business bill. He then...

WASHINGTON (CN) - A U.S. citizen can sue the attorney general because his Candian residency excludes him from buying a gun in America, the D.C. Circuit ruled. Friday's ruling overturns the decision of a federal judge to dismiss the complaint filed by Stephen Dearth and the Second Amendment Foundation. Dearth and the nonprofit dedicate to gun rights sued Attorney General Eric Holder for declaratory and injunctive relief over Federal Form 4473, which asks purchasers of firearms for their state of residence. Because Dearth, a U.S. citizen, lives in Canada, he could not legally complete the form and therefore could not...

Alexander's Essay – March 31, 2011 "A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed." --Second Amendment to the United States Constitution. Barack Hussein Obama and his Socialist cadre, in their enthusiasm to "fundamentally transform the United States of America," have redoubled efforts to do what all tyrannical governments must do to establish absolute state supremacy and usurp Rule of Law -- disarm the people. Leftists accomplish this through incremental implementation of gun confiscation measures, most of which are overt political machinations....

A source with firearms industry connections sent me the following ATF Open Letter. My source has always been credible in the past, but I always try to get corroboration. I have attempted to get clarification directly from ATF with no response, so I am attempting to verify it independently. Perhaps you can help. Here is what I sent ATF: (The image of the letter did not make it to this post.) And here is the letter: OPEN LETTER TO FEDERAL FIREARMS LICENSEES REGARDING ATF’S FORWARD TRACE INITIATIVE I would like to take this opportunity to describe the Bureau of Alcohol,...

The new ATF 4473's are arriving at gun dealers around the country. The new yellow forms are supposed to be used no later than November 15. There is an important difference between the new forms and the old forms. The old forms only differentiated between "Long Gun" and "Handgun". The new forms have another category "Other" which covers stripped receivers. From the instructions that go with the new form: If a frame or receiver can only be made into a long gun (rifle or shotgun) it is still a frame or receiver not a handgun or long gun. However they...

www.gunowners.orgJan 2006 Your Efforts Have Scored An Enormous Pro-gun Victory In Congress -- Please keep up the pressure Gun Owners of America 8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102 Springfield, VA 22151 (703)321-8585 Tuesday, January 10, 2006 You told Congress you didn't want the BATFE, FBI and other federal agencies to go on fishing expeditions through your gun records. It appears that Congress may actually be listening! By a vote of 52-47, the Senate failed to shut down the liberal/conservative filibuster of H.R. 3199 -- including a provision which would allow BATFE to goosestep through your gun records (4473's, etc.) WITHOUT THE...

RIDGEFIELD, N.J. -- Ridgefield police had to call in the National Guard to haul away 100,000 rounds of ammunition after finding nearly 500 guns in an elderly couple's home. The weapons range from pistols to machine guns. The home belongs to Sherwin and Elizabeth Raymond. Both are 82 years old. She suffers from Alzheimer's disease. He was a physician and gun enthusiast who was arrested in 1974 and charged with selling submachine guns, grenades and other weapons to two undercover federal agents. He's now charged with creating a hazardous situation and could face other charges. Federal officials plan to begin...