Free Republic

But Some Fear Health Talks Will Spark ViolenceArmed men seen mixing with protesters outside recent events held by President Obama acted within the law, the White House said Tuesday, attempting to allay fears of a security threat. Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary, said that individuals are entitled to carry weapons outside such events if their states allow it. "There are laws that govern firearms that are done state or locally," he said. "Those laws don't change when the president comes to your state or locality." Anti-gun campaigners disagreed with Gibbs's comments, however, voicing fears that volatile debates over...

One Arizona professor says people carrying guns to protests at President Barack Obama's events could be the beginning of a disturbing trend. About a dozen people packing heat, including one man with a semi-automatic rifle, milled with protesters outside Phoenix's convention center, where Obama was speaking Monday. At Obama's town hall in New Hampshire last week, a man stood outside with a pistol strapped to his leg. Gun-rights advocates say they're exercising their constitutional right and police say they are not violating any laws. But Northern Arizona University political scientist Fred Solop says guns at political rallies create "a chilling...

PHOENIX, Arizona (CNN) -- A man toting an assault rifle was among a dozen protesters carrying weapons while demonstrating outside President Obama's speech to veterans on Monday, but no laws were broken. It was the second instance in recent days in which weapons have been seen near presidential events.

PHOENIX (Aug. 17) - About a dozen people carrying guns, including one with a military-style rifle, milled among protesters outside the convention center where President Barack Obama was giving a speech Monday — the latest incident in which protesters have openly displayed firearms near the president. Gun-rights advocates say they're exercising their constitutional right to bear arms and protest, while those who argue for more gun control say it could be a disaster waiting to happen. Phoenix police said the gun-toters at Monday's event, including the man carrying an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle slung over his shoulder, didn't need permits. No...

The Faster Times: Hey there, Mr. Kostric. So what’s going on? Are you at home? Has your phone been ringing off the hook? William Kostric: Well, my only phone is my cell and it gets spotty reception where I live so I’ve actually been staying with friends in order to conduct phone interviews. So far there’s been Alan Colmes, Alex Jones, Ernie Hancock and Richard Hunter. I have a few more scheduled next week. When the on-site interviews were happening, I was asked by a few reporters for a phone number which I declined to give out so the contacts...

PHOENIX (AP) - About a dozen people carrying guns, including one with a military-style rifle, milled among protesters outside the convention center where President Barack Obama was giving a speech Monday—the latest incidents in which protesters have openly displayed firearms near the president. Gun-rights advocates say they're exercising their constitutional right to bear arms and protest, while those who argue for more gun control say it could be a disaster waiting to happen.

(CNN) – At least two Arizona men brought assault rifles to President Obama’s speech Monday to the annual Veterans of Foreign Wars convention in Phoenix.

To the increasingly toxic American mix of racial anger, political frustration and economic despair, a frightening new ingredient was added last week — belligerent gun-owners on a mission to defy President Barack Obama. A series of minor but worrying incidents involving citizens carrying handguns to political meetings has raised new questions about the president’s security and a potentially inflammatory gun control issue that he has so far managed to avoid. When William Kostric, a 36-year-old gun-owner from New Hampshire, turned up near an Obama meeting last Tuesday with a 9mm Smith & Wesson pistol strapped to his leg, he instantly...

USA Today has a front-page article on the dramatic increase in demand for concealed handgun permits since Obama was elected: Applications already have hit a record this year in Clay County, Mo., where the sheriff's office received 888 through June, compared with 863 in all of last year, says Sheriff Bob Boydston. The office recently hired two part-time workers to deal with the rush. In the past, applicants tended to be middle-aged men, he says, but recent applicants include "grandmothers, older folks, young women, young men." [...] Statewide, the Missouri State Highway Patrol has processed 18,878 background checks so...

NRA can’t halt Sotomayor’s march to court Gun-rights group still forces senators to consider if ‘yes’ vote will hurt Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor is expected to easily win confirmation in a vote this coming week. WASHINGTON - The National Rifle Association's threat to punish senators who vote for Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayorhas been met with a shrug by Democrats from conservative-leaning states and some Republicans who are breaking with their party to support her. The gun-rights group is used to getting its way by spooking lawmakers about the political consequences of defying its wishes. But it never before...

Alan Gura [Partner, Gura & Possessky, PLLC]: "Gun rights opponents at last have cause to rejoice. Only 58 members of a lop-sided Democratic-controlled Senate approved of a provision mandating that states give full faith and credit to each other's gun-carry permits. The laws of forty-eight states, at least in theory, allow their peaceable citizenry to carry guns in public for self-defense. Forty of these states either require no license to do so, or issue such licenses as a matter of routine upon meeting basic qualifications. Even in the small minority of hold-out states, gun carry licenses are often available...

The several states are lining up to reclaim their sovereignty and telling the federal government to butt out. This is being done in myriad ways but all are related in that most claim that the Tenth Amendment protects the states from federal tyranny. States are passing resolutions, memorials and two states have passed laws and they intend to apply those laws for their citizens. The two states are Montana and Tennessee. It was expected that at some point these laws would be challenged and it appears actions to do such has begun. The Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and...

Of all the generalities and evasions that Judge Sonia Sotomayor offered the Senate Judiciary Committee during her confirmation hearing, surely the strangest was one she made when describing her role in the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund. Sotomayor was on the PRLDEF’s board of directors for twelve years during the 1980s and early 1990s, a period when the fund issued no less than six briefs to the Supreme Court in abortion cases. Those briefs argued, among other things, that abortion was a “fundamental right” and that, contrary to scientific evidence, “the belief that life begins at conception is...

The National Rifle Association is warning senators that it will consider their votes on Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor as part of its influential annual ratings of lawmakers. The NRA says President Barack Obama's first high court nominee has a hostile view of the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. It announced last week that it was opposing her nomination, although her confirmation in early August is virtually guaranteed.

A decade ago, the calculus was simple: Those who wanted greater gun control aligned with the Democrats. And those who wanted fewer restrictions on guns turned to the Republicans. No longer. Despite the fact that Democrats control both the executive branch and Congress, supporters of gun control have had few opportunities to celebrate this year. The Senate moved to weaken the District of Columbia's strong gun laws (though the House stalled the legislation, which was attached to the D.C. Voting Rights bill) and Congress voted to allow individuals to carry guns in national parks. Indeed, for many Democrats a vote...

In a rare win for gun control advocates, the Senate on Wednesday rejected a measure allowing a person with a concealed weapon permit in one state to also hide his firearm when visiting another state. The vote was 58-39 in favor of the provision establishing concealed carry permit reciprocity in the 48 states that have concealed weapons laws. That fell two votes short of the 60 needed to approve the measure, offered as an amendment to a defense spending bill. Opponents prevailed in their argument that the measure violated states rights by forcing states with stringent requirements for permits to...

Those watching Sonia Sotomayor's confirmation hearings this week didn't learn much about what she really thinks about judging. But they were treated to an Abbott and Costello legal moment on Thursday between the judge and South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham. In the wake of the Supreme Court's recent decision in D.C. v. Heller recognizing an individual right to bear arms, Mr. Graham wondered what template Judge Sotomayor would use to determine whether that "fundamental right" also applies to the states? "The rule of law," Judge Sotomayor answered.So "isn't the rule of law, when it comes to what you consider to...

Other than declaring war, neither house of Congress has a more solemn responsibility than the Senate’s role in confirming justices to the U.S. Supreme Court. As the Senate considers the nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor, Americans have been watching to see whether this nominee – if confirmed – would respect the Second Amendment or side with those who have declared war on the rights of America’s 80 million gun owners.

Other than declaring war, neither house of Congress has a more solemn responsibility than the Senate's role in confirming justices to the U.S. Supreme Court. As the Senate considers the nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor, Americans have been watching to see whether this nominee - if confirmed - would respect the Second Amendment or side with those who have declared war on the rights of America's 80 million gun owners. From the outset, the National Rifle Association has respected the confirmation process and hoped for mainstream answers to bedrock questions. Unfortunately, Judge Sotomayor's judicial record and testimony clearly demonstrate a...

Here is video today of Sen. Orrin Hatch questioning Supreme Court Nominee Sonia Sotomayor about her views of the 2nd Amendment right to "keep and bear arms." Sotomayor danced around the question, justifying some questionable rulings in her career as "based on precedent." It would seem from her past decisions and her words today that she does not hold that the right to "keep and bear arms" is a fundamental right. . . . . . (Watch Video)