Free Republic

Four armed men stormed the Gold N Treasures jewelry store on San Ramon Valley Boulevard on Wednesday afternoon looking to rob the suburban mom-and-pop shop, but were foiled after one of them was fatally shot during the attempt -- possibly by an employee or the store owner. San Ramon police confirmed that the suspect died Wednesday night. Mortally wounded, the man ran into busy San Ramon Valley Boulevard seeking help as the evening commute was under way. Paramedics at the scene ripped the wounded man's bloody clothing from his body and took him to a hospital, where he succumbed to...

If you get home delivery of this newspaper, and I hope you do, it arrives in a plastic bag. There's a reason for that. Despite Southern California's reputation for sunny weather, occasionally rain does fall. And then there's that pesky marine layer - the so-called June Gloom - plus your neighbor's poorly aimed sprinklers, and maybe even some residual tears after another early Lakers exit from the playoffs. So your newspaper needs protection. So do your rights. But the L.A. City Council doesn't believe you should have the right to choose paper or plastic when lugging your oatmeal and bran...

DEL PASO (CBS13) – It’s a plot straight out of the movies, but it happened in real-life to store clerks in Del Paso Heights. The owner at the Four Oakes Market says the store has been robbed three times before, and this time he decided to fight back, and it was all caught on tape. It is terrifying to even watch. Two masked gunmen barged into the market, and immediately, one grabbed a clerk and put a gun to his head. “I saw the guy, I saw the gun, the hoodie, everything,” said Mangal Singh. Mangal was behind the counter...

CALWATCHDOG - Retribution in politics isn’t unusual. Every year we witness members of the Legislature receiving punishment from party leadership, often followed by banishment to a tiny office and committee assignments taken away. That’s the prerogative of party leadership. However, Assemblywoman Norma Torres, D-Chino, has taken aim at a fellow member of the Assembly in a very public way. Torres authored AB 2182, which would require a police officer to arrest anyone for carrying a concealed handgun into an airport without a concealed weapons permit. In the Assembly Monday, Torres said that last year there were 64 such gun incidents...

A man carrying a shotgun strolled through the Redondo Beach pier and Veterans Park on Monday, followed closely by news reporters and the police. But he didn't have violence on his mind. He was just making a point. Charles Nichols is an "open carry" activist who was looking to further a lawsuit against the city of Redondo Beach while demonstrating against restrictive gun-control laws. Toting an unloaded 12-gauge Harrington & Richardson shotgun he purchased about 30 years ago, Nichols temporarily broke the afternoon calm as families and curious tourists looked on. Bullets were fastened to the end of the gun...

Charlotte, NC --(Ammoland.com)- The battle for your Second Amendment rights continues to rage in Sacramento. On Monday, May 14, the California Senate passed two bills that are detrimental to California gun owners. Senate Bill 1315 passed in the state Senate by a vote of 21 to 14 and Senate Bill 1366 passed by a vote of 23 to 14. Senate Bill 1315, introduced by anti-gun extremist state Senator Kevin de León (D-22), is just a stepping stone to completely destroying California’s firearm preemption law. Firearm preemption laws are in place to standardize firearm laws across the state. This critical law...

San Carlos, CA (May 14, 2012) – In an excellent conclusion to another federal civil rights lawsuit, The Calguns Foundation has secured a settlement agreement from defendants the City of Calexico, the Calexico Police Department, Chief of Police James Neujahr, and Calexico PD officer Mario Alcaraz. The case, Ian James Farias v. City of Calexico, et al., alleged that the defendants violated Mr. Farias’ Fourth Amendment rights by improperly arresting him and seizing his lawfully-possessed shotgun. The lawsuit also alleged that the Calexico PD failed to properly train their officers on firearms issues, leading to Mr. Farias’ arrest. Mr. Farias...

WATSONVILLE — Charges won’t be filed in the stabbing death of Brandon Gil in March, because investigators have determined that the suspect acted in self-defense. Watsonville Police Chief Manny Solano said Thursday that investigators determined that on March 31, after words were exchanged, Gil and another man, Ricardo Flores, attacked Frank Garcia first, outside El Miramar Restaurant and Bar on Main Street. Gil allegedly stabbed Frank Garcia in the upper body, and Garcia defended himself. “(Garcia) responded in fear of his life,” Solano said, adding that “this was a beef within the gang.” The three men are all associated with...

The California state assembly approved Anthony Portantino's bill that would make it illegal to openly carry unloaded shotguns and rifles on the streets. So, more gun control laws in California. Who here is surprised? Anyone? Anyone? An earlier bill spearheaded by Portantino banned the open carry of handguns. This new bill is just finishing what he started. There will be a few exceptions, of course: hunters and police will be able to carry weapons, and there will be select locations where the ban does not apply. For the most part, though, you won't be able to openly carry a gun...

BELLEVUE, Wash., May 14, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- The Second Amendment Foundation has filed a federal lawsuit against the police departments in San Francisco and Oakland, California for refusing to return firearms to people who had been charged with crimes, but subsequently cleared of any wrongdoing. SAF is joined in the lawsuit by the Calguns Foundation and two private citizens. The case is known as Churchill, et al. v. Harris, et al. The police agencies apparently are relying on a state Department of Justice document that requires proof of ownership of each firearm before they are returned. But Don...

Imitation Firearms Regulations; County of Los Angeles Once again we need your help in stopping a wrong-minded bill – SB 1315. SB 1315 is a rework of last year’s defeated bill SB 798 that attempted to regulate the manufacture and sale of BB devices and pellet guns. Last year’s bill language has been modified this year to give Los Angeles County and its cities the authority to enact local restrictions on BB devices and pellet guns. SB 1315 is still a bad idea! SB 1315, attacks California’s firearm preemption law by: * Exempting Los Angeles County and cities within Los...

Authorities were hoping to net about 2,000 weapons in the city's annual gun buyback program Saturday, but the total tally of firearms that locals exchanged for gift cards won't be available until Monday, according to officials. The program, in its fourth year and held on Mother's Day weekend, is aimed at cutting down on shootings by allowing people to turn in the weapons - no questions asked - at six locations around the city, including Facey Medical Center in Mission Hills. About 600 to 700 guns were surrendered citywide in just the first hour, according to LAPD Lt. Andy Neiman....

(CNN) -- A graphic video played at a hearing Monday to determine whether two California police officers should stand trial in the beating death of a homeless man showed them kicking and punching the mentally ill man as he lay on the ground -- screaming in pain and begging for help. The victim, Kelly Thomas, died five days after the beating on July 5. Manuel Ramos, a 10-year veteran of the Fullerton, California, police department, is charged with second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter, while Cpl. Jay Patrick Cicinelli faces charges of involuntary manslaughter and felony use of excessive force in...

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A growing number of women are arming themselves with self-defense knowledge and weapons, they say, to protect their families and property from crimes. Even in the middle of the day, walking alone makes Cindy Curwick a little uneasy. "And suddenly he came up behind me, jumped on my back, and threw me down and put a knife to my throat." The Fresno mother and grandmother was the victim of assault not once, but twice. Both times when she was running alone. "I finally got in touch with the rage that, how dare someone do such a...

Carrying unloaded rifles in public would be prohibited under hotly contested legislation that passed the Assembly on Thursday. Assembly Bill 1527 cleared the lower house, 44-28, with no Republican support. Proposed by Assemblyman Anthony Portantino, D-La Cañada Flintridge, the bill stems from the "open carry" movement in which gun-brandishing people protest against gun-control laws. The movement sparked headlines in 2009 for a rally outside an Arizona convention center where President Barack Obama was speaking. California cracked down on carrying unloaded handguns with a new law that took effect Jan. 1. Portantino's bill would expand that prohibition by targeting rifles. "Sooner...

“‘Bullet Button’ Used To Get Around California Gun Laws,” CBS 5 San Francisco reported Tuesday. “CBS 5 went undercover to a recent gun show at the Cow Palace in Daly City and found ‘California legal’ assault rifles throughout,” they claim. It’s a non-story, really, as their undercover team found nothing illegal—they weren’t even looking for that—or that couldn’t have been obtained openly. The entire purpose of the “investigation” appears to be to gin up public frenzy about a legal device that allows for changing magazines on semi-automatic firearms that comply with California’s specific model and cosmetic features bans. “I've emailed...

Sacramento, CA --(Ammoland.com)- Once again the shameless attacks against your Second Amendment right continue at the political theater known as the California State Capitol. The 2012 curtain is up and the anti-gun tragedy is playing out in the form of NINE ANTI-GUN BILLS. One of the worst is AB 1527 (Portantino) which is an attempt to ban the open carry of rifles and shotguns. DON’T SIT AND WATCH THE ANTI-GUN SPECTACLE PLAY OUT! Help CRPA bring the curtain down on bad-acting politicians and the relentless attacks on your Second Amendment right. Please don’t leave it to others to take action....

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — A deadly shooting Wednesday in a southwest Bakersfield apartment was deemed self-defense. Tremelle Spain, 23, was shot multiple times off Appleblossom Drive, near Planz and New Stine roads. Police said Thursday that Spain and 24-year-old Semaj Douglas were allegedly armed with guns when they busted into the apartment to commit robbery. The resident grabbed a gun himself and shot at both men, hitting Spain but missing Douglas. Douglas ran away but was later caught by police. Spain died at Kern Medical Center less than an hour after the shooting. The apartment resident was not arrested. Police...

A Santa Barbara homeowner shot an intruder Wednesday morning, according to police. Police said a 33-year-old man began knocking on the front door of a home in the 900 block of West Pedregosa Street. Police said the man inside the home woke up, and told the suspect to take off. Instead, police said the suspect uttered something about money, before walking around to the back of the home. Police said the man's family called 911, as he armed himself with an M-1 carbine rifle. When the suspect showed up on the back patio, police said he yelled out something indicating...

The Wife's fingers fly clickity-clack over the calculator keypad as she works on our taxes. When she gets on a roll she makes that thing sound like Fred Astaire with an Uzi. I hear the occasional muttered expletive or plaintive sigh and that's when I want to give her a hug, but I dare not. The Wife is not to be messed with at tax time. This ritual is played out in millions of American homes - death and taxes, right? But in our home the burden falls fully on The Wife because I'm incapable of performing this basic function...