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The Forsyth County (NC) Commissioners voted 4 to 2 to allow concealed carry in all areas of county parks in the county. Unlike the City of Winston-Salem which is located within Forsyth County, the commissioners seem to have listened to their constituents. From GRNC: The approved ordinance not only allows concealed carry in all parks, recreational facilities, trails, greenways, etc., but also adds a provision for keeping one's gun locked in a vehicle in ANY county property - meaning county properties beyond parks. The only exceptions to allowing concealed carry in parks are Tanglewood (where alcohol may be sold and...

TAMPA -- Following complaints by a gun rights group, and a law passed by the Florida Legislature last year, you can now carry your gun at the Florida State Fair. "We have changed the policy to comply with the state law – it allows a person with a concealed weapon permit to come in with a firearm," said Charles Pesano, executive director of the State Fair Authority. "We've changed some signs to reflect that." Instead of "No Weapons," the signs now say, "No Unlawful Weapons." The policy changed Sunday, after Florida Carry Inc. and Marion Hammer of the Florida NRA...

Minnesota gun and self-defense laws could be set for some major changes if Bill 1467 is signed into law. It's an attempt to enhance the rights of homeowners during an intrusion, and broaden permit-to-carry law. Supporters say the bill only reaffirms and guarantees people rights they should already have under the Second Amendment - the right to bear arms. Opponents disagree, saying it puts people in more danger, most notably law enforcement officials. Bill Bergquist – Clay County Sheriff: “Shoot and ask questions later is what it looks like, so there's some concerns about that.” It's commonly known as the...

North Carolina --(Ammoland.com)- Forsyth Commissioners will decide whether or not to enact gun bans at their next meeting, Monday, February 13th. The scheduled vote will either promote the Second Amendment or trample upon it. This is your opportunity to be heard. Commissioner Bill Whiteheart has spoken out against this ban, but needs help. It appears that most of the Republican Commissioners support lawful carry, we need to establish a presence at this meeting to ensure they don’t develop cold feet. Under HB 650 that went into effect Dec. 1, only very narrowly defined “recreation areas” may be posted. Like some...

RALEIGH — When Rep. Dale Folwell worked on controversial topics such as workers’ compensation reform and immigration policy last year, he aggravated more than a few constituents. “It was a very volatile year for me as an elected official,” Folwell said. “My family and myself were threatened by name.” That prompted him to obtain a concealed weapon permit, which allows him to carry a handgun in most places throughout the state under a sport coat or in a pocket. And the Winston-Salem Republican is far from alone among state lawmakers, who are much more likely than the average person to...

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — State Justice Department officials say they’ve caught up with the deluge of concealed carry applications and are meeting turn-around deadlines again. DOJ Division of Law Enforcement Administrator Brian O’Keefe said the agency was so overwhelmed with applications it couldn’t meet its processing deadlines for most of January. But the agency has brought more workers on board to help with processing and the flow of applications has slowed, he said.

Concealed carrying of weapons is permitted, for now, at the Kilbourn Public Library after the library board reversed a decision to post signs prohibiting the weapons. At a meeting Thursday, library board members said they wanted to persuade legislators to change the law to list libraries in the Wisconsin Statutes as buildings where weapons are prohibited. The board voted 3-2 to rescind a December vote to post signs prohibiting concealed carry. Members Dianne Effinger and Bill Pettit voted against rescinding. Members Jo Ann Luke and Kathleen Helland were absent. Wisconsin Dells Mayor Brian Landers came to talk to the board...

The Incident In January 2010, Gerald Ung went out with a female friend in Philadelphia’s Old City neighborhood. As the night was coming to an end, the 29-year-old Temple law school student was accosted by three other nightlife denizens: Eddie DiDonato, Jr., Thomas Kelly and Andrew DiLoretto. The altercation quickly escalated and DiDonato charged at Ung, a licensed gun owner in his home state of Virginia, which has CCW reciprocity with Pennsylvania. Ung, fearing for his safety, pulled out his handgun and fired a half-dozen times at DiDonato, hitting him in the hand, abdomen and back. DiDonato, a former lacrosse...

The people of Detroit are taking no prisoners. Justifiable homicide in the city shot up 79 percent in 2011 from the previous year, as citizens in the long-suffering city armed themselves and took matters into their own hands. The local rate of self-defense killings now stands 2,200 percent above the national average. Residents, unable to rely on a dwindling police force to keep them safe, are fighting back against the criminal scourge on their own. And they’re offering no apologies. “We got to have a little Old West up here in Detroit. That’s what it’s gonna take,” Detroit resident Julia...

In 1991, University of Iowa student Gang Lu shot five university employees. In 1996, San Diego State University student Frederick Martin Davidson killed three professors. However, the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre is the most memorable shooting on a college campus, as it left 32 innocent students dead after they were picked off by a crazed gunman. On Dec. 8, 2011, another shooting occurred on the Virginia Tech campus, leaving a police officer dead. Apparently the school’s ban on guns failed yet again, considering that the perpetrator of this incident did not obey it. But how many people actually believe that...

All inventors, forward thinkers and idiot savants have “eureka” ideas that are so ludicrous that they make us laugh. Cheese in a hair spray can is one such brainstorm. Another would be flying nonstop, solo, from New York to France in an airplane that’s the size of a Parisian taxi and has no windshield. A concealed carry holster for the Desert Eagle is another idea that seems right up there with Evel Kneivel jumping Devil’s Canyon in a rocket-propelled toothpaste tube. However, as if to prove that the incredible is not necessarily the impossible, there’s Cheez Whiz and Lindbergh and...

Jamaica Plain, MA --(Ammoland.com)- Today an appeal was filed in Hightower v. Boston in the First Circuit Court of Appeals. The appeal seeks to overturn the lower court decision dismissing Stacey Hightower’s lawsuit against the City of Boston challenging the constitutionality of discretionary licensing in Massachusetts. Stacey Hightower is an Air Force veteran and former Boston Police Officer. She resigned from the Boston Police Department in 2008 after 10 years of service to pursue a career in education. The city responded by revoking her licensing to carry (LTC) firearms and seizing her personally owned firearm and ammunition. During the district...

SPRINGFIELD, Ill.— A gun-rights group has appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court after a federal judge in Illinois ruled against allowing people to carry firearms on the street. The Second Amendment Foundation announced Monday it's appealing the decision by federal district Judge Sue Myerscough.

PHOENIX (AP) - Arizona lawmakers Monday advanced a pair of gun-rights bills that would expand where firearms could be carried, including a proposal allowing concealed weapons on university campuses, touching off pointed criticism from groups as divergent students and law enforcement officials. A bill introduced by Republican state Sen. Ron Gould of Lake Havasu City allows people with necessary permits to carry concealed guns on campus grounds and prevents public universities and community colleges from restricting that privilege.

The headline reads “Mount Rainier shooting revives gun debate ...” (Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012). What debate? Self-defense is not debatable. Whether you are in a national park, a parking lot, or on a school ground or college campus, you must be aware of your surroundings and be capable of neutralizing any threat to your safety by any means at your immediate disposal. For some reason an H&N writer apparently feels there is some problem with the new law that permits lawful carry of concealed defensive firearms in state, local and national parks. Citing a shooting death in Washington’s Mount Rainier...

Legislation to allow guns on all public property, including New Hampshire college campuses, is coming up for a vote in the state Senate. The Senate Judiciary Committee is recommending that lawmakers study the idea, not put it into effect. The full Senate will vote on that bill and other bills to soften gun regulations on Wednesday.

WILLIAMSON CO. - Classes at John A. Logan College are helping people get the right to carry a concealed handgun in 30 different states. After the class, students are eligible to apply for a permit through the state of Utah. A step that's necessary until Illinois passes a concealed carry law. Illinois stands alone in its views on concealed carry. It's the only state in the country that doesn't allow it, but that's not stopping people from getting a concealed carry permit. "We travel quite a bit from state to state and sometimes you get in a position you'll feel...

A Republican leader in the state Assembly, in charge of maintaining order during legislative sessions, has carried a concealed gun during sessions in the Wisconsin Legislature. Assembly Leader Pro Tempore Bill Kramer, R-Waukesha, told the Associated Press Friday he has carried a concealed Glock 26, a subcompact semi-automatic gun, on the Assembly floor. Kramer said he received a concealed carry permit before Thanksgiving and needs it because of the atmosphere in the Capitol. He said he has received threatening emails, including one calling for Jesus to return and stab him with a flaming sword. “Have you been in the Capitol...

The Marietta Times is reporting that the Ohio State Highway Patrol (OSHP) is voicing concerns about HB422, legislation that seeks to repeal requirements that a concealed carry licensee inform an approaching law enforcement officer that the licensee is a licensee and is carrying a concealed handgun. From the article: House Bill 422, jointly sponsored by Reps. Ron Maag, R-Lebanon, and Andy Thompson, R-Marietta, would amend the current state code to remove a requirement that during a traffic stop drivers must notify police officers if they're carrying a firearm. "The patrol has concerns from a public safety viewpoint, not only for...

Self-defense in modern society is about far more than carrying a gun, it's also about developing situational awareness. This means knowing where you are and what's going on around you at all times. One vital element of situational awareness seldom taught in concealed carry classes is how to spot a concealed handgun. Just as you hope to have the element of surprise if you find yourself in a life-threatening situation, you want to avoid being surprised by an armed attacker. Based on the experience of Robert T. Gallagher, former NYPD detective, Anti-Robbery Tactical Unit, this detailed illustration, titled Spotting a...

UA President Eugene Sander publicly declared his opposition to guns on campus on Thursday, as well as discussed his recent meetings with state legislators regarding the College of Medicine and the university’s budget during his fourth town hall-style meeting. Sander began the meeting by explaining some of the proposed legislation that would allow guns on campus, saying that because the UA is an academic hub that houses scholars, athletes, professors and children, having guns on campus would be neither smart nor safe. “I believe in the Second Amendment and I even own a host of guns, however this does not...

The Aldi customer who shot an armed robber in the store Monday says prosecutors told him after an interview late Thursday he won't face criminal charges. The man, who would only identify himself as Nazir in an email, has also started a web site, ccwadvocates.com. It reads in part: Learn from Real People like you and me, normal Ordinary Citizens that have awaken the spirit of personal responsibility and freedom that this country was founded upon! Sign up to hear exclusively from the Man that stopped an Armed Robbery at a Milwaukee Aldi store. Many have called him a hero,...

The ostensible purpose of gun control legislation is to reduce firearm deaths and injuries. The restriction of access to firearms will make criminals unable to use guns to shoot people. Gun control laws will also reduce the number of accidental shootings. Those are the desired effects, at least in theory. It is important, however, for conscientious policymakers to consider not only the stated goals of gun control regulations, but the actual results that they produce. What would be the effect of depriving ordinary, law-abiding citizens from keeping arms for self-defense? One result seems certain: the law-abiding would be at a...

A little-known provision in Kansas law that allows the blind and other people with serious physical infirmities to carry concealed weapons in public places likely will not get reviewed by state lawmakers this session. Kansas legislators are expected to debate a proposal that would allow concealed carry permit holders to bring their guns onto college campuses and into many public buildings. But the chief proponent of that bill said Wednesday he has no plans to introduce legislation that would clarify a 2010 law change that removed the ability of the Kansas Attorney General to deny a concealed carry license based...

Over the last few years, calls for the right to carry firearms concealed have reached a crescendo. In step, politicians from both sides of the aisle have endorsed opinions on the subject and, with very few exceptions, these public servants tend to tailor their stances in line with those of their base of support. For those opposed to concealed carry, this often means pointing to numbers that make the argument gun-related deaths would be vastly diminished if we all were to simply disarm but what these interests tend to avoid are the powerful anecdotal cases where a legally armed citizen...

AUGUSTA — Lawmakers on Monday began reviewing a bill that would allow state employees to leave guns locked in their cars as long as they have a concealed weapons permit. The bill is designed to amend a hotly debated bill passed last year. That bill, LD 35, allowed private workers to keeps guns stowed in their vehicle. This proposal, LD 1603, sponsored by Rep. Dale Crafts, R-Lisbon Falls, would broaden the law to include state employees. The current proposal was introduced as an emergency bill. While it focuses on state employees, most of the testimony in front of the Legislature's...

Milwaukee police late Monday were investigating whether a 20-year-old man who showed up at a hospital with a gunshot wound is the same man who tried to rob an Aldi store and was shot at by a customer. A man with a shotgun entered the store at N. 76th St. and W. Villard Ave. about 7 p.m., according to a news release from Milwaukee police. According to the release, as the man began to rob the store a customer fired shots at him, and the man fled empty-handed.

A bill in the Kansas House of Federal and State Affairs Committee would allow concealed carry permit holders to bring firearms onto college and university campuses. The committee heard testimony Wednesday and Thursday on House Bill 2353, introduced by Rep. Forrest Knox, R-Altoona. Under the current law, public and private buildings may prohibit entry of permit holders’ firearms with signs posted at every entrance, which the University currently does. According to the new bill, public places would not be able to prohibit firearms by licensed carriers unless it had “adequate security measures,” including security guards and metal detectors at all...

STILLWATER - It looked like a regular class. Students took notes while the instructor talked about the points listed on a screen behind him. But this Friday evening session on the Oklahoma State University campus didn't count toward a college degree. This class was for a license to carry a concealed firearm. Forty-two people - students, faculty members and Stillwater residents - registered for the session, a first for the university. The group Students for Concealed Carry on Campus hosted the class, with certified instructors from the Stillwater Armory, a gun store, range and training center, leading the course. Weapons...

Colorado --(Ammoland.com)- As you may know, Colorado state law doesn’t allow a taxpayer-funded facility to ban concealed carry (i.e. they think you shouldn’t be able to defend yourself). Based on that law, Rocky Mountain Gun Owners filed a complaint against Colorado State University two years ago, and won. This week, the same lawyer who filed against CSU again represented Rocky Mountain Gun Owners members by filing a lawsuit against Northern Colorado Medical Center (NCMC) in Greeley. NCMC is a county-owned hospital, and bans permit holders (in fact, all firearms) from entering that facility, though they do not have the required...

TOPEKA -- Police chiefs from nine Kansas universities and colleges Thursday came out against a measure that would allow concealed handguns in government buildings. “We are absolutely convinced the risk created by firearms on campus exceeds any actual benefit for self-protection,” said Richard Johnson, chief of police at the University of Kansas Medical Center. “It is our professional conviction that firearms do not enhance university security, but will contradict many of the best practices already in place.” Johnson represented a group that included police chiefs from the University of Kansas, Kansas State University, Wichita State, Pittsburg State, Johnson County Community...

Two controversial gun bills, including one that would allow guns on campus, could be headed to the "interim study" graveyard. The Senate Judiciary Committee heard four hours of testimony from supporters and critics yesterday then voted 4-0 to recommend the two bills be further studied because members had so many questions. Sen. Jim Forsythe, a Strafford Republican, had to leave the hearing early and did not vote. The second bill would allow people to carry almost-loaded shotguns and rifles in their vehicles. A bullet could be in the gun's magazine but not in the chamber. The full Senate must still...

State Reps. Ron Maag (R-Lebanon) and Andy Thompson (R-Marietta) have introduced two bills that seek to reform, or "de-Taft," portions of Ohio's concealed carry law. House Bill 422 seeks to repeal requirements that a concealed carry licensee inform an approaching law enforcement officer that the licensee is a licensee and is carrying a concealed handgun. According to rep. Maag, Ohio is one of only four states that have such a requirement. The idea for repealing the notification provision has been the subject of frequent discussion since last June, when Canton police officer Daniel Harless was caught on dash cam video...

More than 100 people filled the Oak Park council chambers Tuesday night for a public hearing on regulating private handguns after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the village’s handgun ban in 2010. The largely civil 90-minute event, technically a meeting of the Oak Park Health Board, saw handgun proponents outnumber pro-regulation speakers 15-7. Handgun proponents, many wearing “I-GOLD” logo of the Illinois Gun Owner’s Lobby Day event, argued that reasonable, responsible law-abiding adults could and should be trusted to handle lethal weapons for the purpose of self-defense. Regulation proponents argued that firearms are inherently dangerous, people are flawed and together...

A majority of respondents endorse the “shall-issue” prerogative to deal with the question of concealed carry. Most people in the United States agree on the meaning of the Second Amendment, and half endorse the “shall-issue” prerogative to carry concealed weapons in public, a new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found. In the online survey of a representative national sample of 1,009 American adults, 85 per cent of respondents believe that the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution means that individuals have the right to keep and bear arms, while only seven per cent openly disagree with this view. The...

CHICAGO, IL.: A nationwide boycott of Starbucks stores and its products will be launched on Valentine’s Day 2012. Its goal is to eliminate the risk of guns in public places and ultimately to bring sane gun laws to the U.S. This boycott is being called by the National Gun Victim’s Action Council (NGAC), a network of representatives of 14 million gun victims, the faith community — including the Episcopal Peace Fellowship, United Church of Christ, Fellowship of Reconciliation — and secular groups working to reduce gun violence and many of the organizations that support passing sane gun laws.

Imagine eating at Burger King in the University Center West when a student walks through the doors with a gun holstered on his hip. Heads would turn, mouths would drop and some students would run in the opposite direction. But such a sight would not be uncommon under proposed Indiana Senate Bill No. 0181. The bill was authored by Sen. Jim Banks and Sen. Dennis Kruse, both of representatives of Indiana's northeast districts. If passed, the bill would allow anyone with a valid license to openly carry a loaded firearm on state property, including a college campus. The bill was...

DENVER | A proposal to let Colorado residents carry concealed weapons without a permit failed Monday over concerns that it would make it easier for criminals and the mentally ill to have guns in public places. A Senate committee rejected the bill on a 3-2 party-line vote, with Democrats voting against it. It's the second year in a row the proposal has failed, but identical legislation is still running in the Republican-controlled House.

The poll is on the right side of the screen, half way down. It is rather ambiguously worded, as it makes no differenciation between legal or illegal. However, the Second Amendment is pretty clear.

Following an appearance on a news program produced by the National Rifle Association, Assembly Minority Leader Brian M. Kolb, R-Canandaigua, said he was in the process of introducing legislation that would allow registered gun owners from outside New York state to carry registered firearms as long as they have the proper permit. "It's the illegal guns we should be worrying about" said Kolb. Kolb was a guest on the NRA's The Daily News with Ginny Simone, on Jan. 12, and the two discussed what New York can do to ensure reciprocity for law-abiding gun owners traveling from other states. Kolb...

Close call may reveal home invader-favoring ‘loophole’ in Garden State’s ‘castle doctrine’ law I gave a partial recount of my speech to the Philadelphia Tea Party Patriots of Central Montgomery County as a supplement to my January 9 Gun Rights Examiner column. One of the pleasant experiences of the evening I mentioned: I’d also like to give a quick shout out to Sandy Berardi of Gun For Hire Radio. He had a table set up to cover the event and I spent a fun hour that went by all too quickly with him and with Kevin Fialkowski of RedEye Defensive...

Before students in Sue Darnall’s gun safety class learn how to load and fire a weapon they are given advice that could affect their decision to pull the trigger in a stressful situation. “You have to answer the question: do I have it in me to take someone else’s life? We don’t know. We can train for that possibility but we never know until we have the experience. Firearms should always be considered a tool of last resort,” Darnall told a group attending a recent personal protection class at the shooting range and training center she and her husband, Ron,...

To the editor: The Firearms Omnibus Bill would make Arizona the second state in the nation to require universities and communities to allow guns on campus and inside government buildings. I suppose the rationale behind this Firearms Omnibus is to make nonviolent individuals safer by carrying weapons by which to respond to life-threatening situations. The Second Amendment does not specify "guns." It simply states the right "to keep and bear Arms." Guns are one type of "arms," but not the only one. Guns can decommission a lot of bad guys quickly, but there are other self-defense weapons that work well...

Chief Dan Kingsley of the Silver Lake Police Department has announced that Firearms Training Officer, Keith Kerwin will be offering CCW training classes in Silver Lake. Officer Kerwin will be teaching the DOJ Recommended 4 hr classes. Interested persons or if you have questions can call the Police Department at 262-889-4100 or email the Police Department at slpolice@bizwi.rr.com. Successful completion of this course will allow citizens to apply for a WI Conceal and Carry permit. Cost is $75, or $60 if you are a resident of Silver Lake.

They're already allowed to carry guns in the cockpit, but many pilots say that's not enough to keep aviation as safe as it should be. They want police-like authority to holster a weapon all day long, whether they're at the controls, riding in back of a plane or eating lunch in a terminal. "That would put us in line with standard law enforcement," said Marcus Flagg, president of the Federal Flight Deck Officer Association, which represents thousands of armed pilots. He declined to say exactly how many pilots now carry guns, but he said the number is just behind the...

PIERRE, S.D. — Two lawmakers who said they were threatened with smear campaigns if they didn't support a bill that would have allowed people to carry concealed weapons without a special permit nonetheless helped kill it Friday.

This summer a man was arrested, threatened with execution while handcuffed in the back of a cruiser, and then forced to deal with the real life tragedy of having to go through a criminal trial for something he shouldn't have been charged with in the first place. William Bartlett spent the next four months of his life having a prosecutor dangle sweetheart deals in front of him that always came with a catch: Plea to this and we'll drop the more serious charges. Sign a waiver that releases the city from any culpability or legal liability and we'll make this...

A federal judge in Lubbock on Thursday threw out the National Rifle Association's move to overturn a Texas law prohibiting 18- to 20-year-olds from carrying concealed handguns. In dismissing the case that had drawn national interest, U.S. District Judge Sam Cummings ruled that "Texas has identified a legitimate state interest — public safety — and passed legislation that is rationally related to addressing that issue." Under current law, Texans must be 21 or older to get a concealed-handgun permit. Members or veterans of the armed forces who are younger than 21 can also be licensed. The ruling was seen as...

Former Republican lieutenant governor candidate and state Rep. Mike Harmon, R-Danville, has filed a bill allowing Kentucky residents to carry concealed firearms without a permit. The legislation would make the unlicensed carrying of a hidden deadly weapon legal and prohibit employers from having no-firearms policies that apply to buildings or parking areas. It also forbids companies from disciplining employees who have firearms in their vehicles or who use them for self-defense. Harmon says certain restrictions to carrying conceal weapons will still apply to schools and judicial areas, but the bill is about securing Second Amendment rights. “I do believe it’s...

Delegate Mark Cole of Virginia is seeking to end the requirement that individuals who carry concealed weapons obtain a permit to do so. Currently there are four states that allow a person to carry a concealed weapon without a permit: Vermont, Wyoming, Arizona and Alaska. Concealed Carry laws vary among the states, with only a few not allowing for the practice in any circumstances. The trend has been for ever more liberal concealed carry laws in the United States and with recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings upholding an individual right to keep and bear arms under Second Amendment the trend...