Free Republic

>Courtesy Open Source DefenseExponential curves like the one above don’t just stop. The consumer demand (for suppressors) is there, and it’s accelerating. And that’s happening just as NFA wait times are coming down. From the NSSF:Updated times announced today by ATF show the average wait time on a paper NFA Form 4 — the most popular NFA form submitted — dropped to an average of 245 days for processing, while average daily processing times for electronic eForm 4’s dropped to 53 days. Previously, wait times on Form 4’s were near 280 days for paper form processing and between 90 and...

Trump says he spoke to 'devastated' parents of Laken Riley, blasts Biden for border crisis ‘like a war'Former President Trump said he spoke with the "devastated" parents of Laken Riley — the Georgia nursing student who was brutally murdered, allegedly by an illegal migrant — saying he is "not going to forget her," and blasting President Biden for "never" saying her name. The former president began his remarks from the border Thursday afternoon by saying he spoke to the parents of Riley, who he described as "an incredible young lady.""The parents are devastated and they’re incredible people," he said. "This...

...[so-called] President Joe Biden doesn’t want to confront China about their involvement in the fentanyl trade due to ties between major players in the fentanyl trade and people who have sent money to the Biden family.[Blood Money author and GAI prez Peter] Schweizer said, “White Wolf is this very powerful figure. He is pro-CCP. He works with the Chinese government, but he’s the head of UBG, this gang. And this gang is widely recognized as the organization that made the Sinaloa Cartel the kings of fentanyl. They told them how to make it. They helped them get pill presses. They...

Two new preliminary studies on recreational marijuana and health strengthen existing evidence that regular use negatively impacts heart and brain health, according to the American Heart Association.The first report, drawing on data from a major study involving more than 150,000 people from all walks of American society looking at the relationship between lifestyle, biology and environment, found daily use of marijuana raised the risk of developing heart failure by about one-third compared with non-users.A research team from Medstar Health, a not-for-profit health provider in the Baltimore-Washington metro area, found that among 156,999 healthy people it followed, those who used marijuana...

We turn to Israeli pathologists who had to piece together bodies, identify remains, and determine the causes of death. When Gaza pathologists come forward with forensic information on the deaths of Israelis in this attack, we’ll include their findings.The pathologists at the National Center of Forensic Medicine (Abu Kabir) in Tel Aviv have been able to discern roughly 200 humans from the rubble. We’ve checked them against the Stand 4 Israel platform of tech volunteers, which has just been stood up to verify deaths and knock down fake news.A boy in the arms of his father burned alive.A man taking...

Back in 2020, Antifa anarchists and BLM Marxists were torching Kenosha, Wisc., ostensibly because the police shot a black man who had just sexually assaulted his ex-girlfriend and was reaching for a knife.Kyle Rittenhouse, then 17 years old, was cleaning up riot-torn Kenosha when he was attacked by at least four bolshie frondeurs, three of whom he perforated with an assault weapon a semi-automatic rifle. Two of them, including convicted child rapist Joe Rosenbaum, died on the spot. The lone survivor, Gaige Grosskreutz, survived but lost his right bicep.FACT-O-RAMA! The case against Rittenhouse, bogus from the start, fell apart when...

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre refused to say whether the administration will decouple hurricane relief funds to Florida from Ukraine aid during a Wednesday briefing. “[Republican Florida] Sen. Rubio, whose state is recovering from [Hurricane] Idalia, says the $16 billion in additional disaster relief should be decoupled from the additional funding [sic] for Ukraine. Of course, that’s part of their request which seems to be opposed by many Republicans. Is the administration willing to separate these requests and seek the FEMA disaster aid independently to ensure it gets to the hurricane victims [and] Hawaii wildfire victims as quickly as...

The Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed the Biden administration to temporarily reinstate a rule by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives regulating “ghost guns” while a challenge to the rule continues in a federal appeals court. In June, a federal judge in Fort Worth, Texas, had barred the ATF from enforcing the rule anywhere in the United States. Urging the justices to intervene, U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar had told the justices that the order by U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor was “irreparably harming the public and the government by reopening the floodgates to the tide of untraceable...

Fargo, North Dakota appears to have avoided a serious terrorist attack last week, but sadly, at a great cost. City officers were ambushed by Mohamad Barakat, 37, who was armed with a rifle and almost 2,000 rounds of ammo, while the officers were investigating a routine car crash. Officers Jake Wallin, Andrew Dotas and Tyler Hawes were shot by Barakat from about 15 to 20 feet away before they could even reach for their guns. Wallin was killed with Dotas and Hawes were wounded. Officer Zach Robinson was nearby when the attack occurred and killed Barakat during the confrontation.It has...

Ordering the Selected Reserve and Certain Members of the Individual Ready Reserve of the Armed Forces to Active DutyHOMEBRIEFING ROOMPRESIDENTIAL ACTIONSBy the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including sections 121 and 12304 of title 10, United States Code, I hereby determine that it is necessary to augment the active Armed Forces of the United States for the effective conduct of Operation Atlantic Resolve in and around the United States European Command’s area of responsibility. In furtherance of this operation, under the stated authority, I hereby authorize the...

The Texas House passed two key election reform bills after they passed the Senate last month. Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, filed both bills to prevent election irregularities that occurred in Harris County over the last two election cycles from occurring again or from being replicated in other counties. Bettencourt introduced the election reform bills after allegations of widespread fraud were made after the 2020 and 2022 elections in Harris County and numerous lawsuits were filed stemming from Democratic officials changing election management procedures. “Both bills passing means the botched 2022 elections in Harris County shouldn't happen again,” Bettencourt tweeted after...

The more marijuana is consumed, the more evidence mounts up that it ruins lives. As more states legalize marijuana, and as popular culture increasingly treats the narcotic as though it were harmless, it becomes increasingly apparent that using it involves serious risks. Lawmakers should stop decriminalizing recreational marijuana use, and allow it only as prescribed, via strict protocols, by licensed medical doctors. Even then, its use should be a last resort. The latest worrisome study, released earlier this month, was conducted by researchers at the U.S. National Institutes of Health and at the National Institute on Drug Abuse and Mental...

Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett requested a further response from an Illinois locality after gun rights advocates sued over a recently passed ban on certain firearms.The gun rights advocates are challenging a city ordinance passed last year by Naperville, Illinois, which is similar to an Illinois state law enacted this year barring the sale and possession of certain semi-automatic rifles and magazines. Barrett, who handles appeals stemming from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit, asked for Naperville officials to respond by noon on May 8.The National Association for Gun Rights (NAGR), in conjunction with the National...

Border Patrol agents in the southern border have seen an increase in encounters with undocumented migrants attempting to cross the border ahead of the expiration of the pandemic-era immigration policy Title 42. Title 42 was implemented in March 2020 to allow border patrol agents to quickly expel undocumented migrants without allowing them to apply for asylum in order to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus. The policy is set to end this month on May 11, after which asylum seekers will no longer be deported back to their home countries. The Department of Homeland Security is expecting between 13,000...

“Gun violence is a public health crisis. The responsibility falls on the shoulders of the decision makers of our nation’s health systems and hospitals to change the narrative on gun safety and pursue solutions that will make a meaningful difference,” Northwell Health President and CEO Michael Dowling, the forum’s moderator, told attendees...Late last year, a report from The Reload revealed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) purposefully important data after being lobbied by gun control groups. It confirms suspicions Americans have towards a government-funded health agency instituting policy that’s not rooted in science, that also restricts Constitutional rights.When...

Nebraska we are one step closer to the passage of Permitless Carry and ending the unconstitutional registry schemes of socialist-controlled cities that have lorded over the rural areas of the state for far too long.By demonstrating a willingness to be flexible in the fight and with single-minded persistence, Sen. Brewer pushed L.B. 77 through the first floor debate with a vote of 36-12! Please send a message expressing your appreciation to Sen. Brewer and his staff for their tireless efforts in defence of liberty!As we have witnessed over the last few sessions, the fight was not without its memorable moments…...

Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón announced today that Nathaniel Radimak has been charged with threatening multiple people on Southern California roadways and damaging some of their vehicles. “The victims in this case were reasonably terrified by what they experienced, but this reign of terror ends today,” District Attorney Gascón said. “Motorists in Los Angeles shouldn’t have to live in fear of being attacked while simply driving on the freeway. Our office will continue to work with our partners in law enforcement to determine if this person has committed similar acts against people in Los Angeles County and elsewhere.”...

Rishi Sunak, the United Kingdom’s new prime minister, refuses to answer a simple question. He was asked three times whether he received private medical care or relied upon the National Health Service, the British version of “single-payer” government-run national health insurance.Sunak dismissed the question as “not really relevant.” But it is.The prime minister is the head of the British government and is ultimately responsible for the National Health Service, the government agency that’s supposed to provide “free” universal coverage and care for all of Britain’s citizens.It does no such thing.According to the BBC, there are 7.2 million British citizens awaiting...

Murders in the U.S. are becoming increasingly concentrated in densely populated urban centers in just a handful of counties, according to a newly released report.Some 73% of all murders in the U.S. took place in just 5% of counties while 52% of all counties reported no murders at all, according to a Crime Prevention Research Center study published this week and provided to Fox News Digital.“Murders in the United States occur in very small areas, and that concentration has increased since 2014,” the study stated. “The concentration in 2020 is now greater than in 2010.”The 52% of counties with no...

With Jacinda Ardern's welcome exit from the ranks of world political leaders, leaving a shambles of constitutional freedom and human rights in her wake, now is perhaps an opportune time to reconsider the passage of the 19th amendment in American politics as part of our ongoing series of "To Save America" modest proposals advocating repeal of the most destructive tamperings with the original Constitution. We've already made the arguments for the repeal of the 16th, 17th, 18th (done!), and 26th amendments, so now it's time for the women's suffrage movement to take its turn in the barrel.Oops.Start with this: there...