Free Republic

In this case reported from Antioch, Tennessee, a domestic argument ends with a stranger being drawn into a potentially deadly encounter.     The accused and a woman were arguing, and the accused told her to to get out of the car on the Interstate.   A stranger, seeing a woman walking on the Interstate, stopped to ask if she needed help.   Shortly after, the accused came back, stopped, drew a pistol and pointed it at the two.   The stranger drew his own gun, words were exchanged, and the accused drove off.   No shots were fired. Talk to any police officer, and...

ith a smile on his face, George Zimmerman spent Saturday afternoon posing for photos, sharing hugs and shaking hands with gun enthusiasts at a firearms expo in Lake Mary.. "It's so odd to me," said Zimmerman, about the celebrity treatment he receives in public. "[But] it is appreciated." In his first interview with the Orlando Sentinel, Zimmerman described life after his acquittal last year in the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. The former Neighborhood Watch volunteer shot the unarmed black teen in Sanford on Feb. 26, 2012. Now life for the 30-year-old is completely different. He's always moving. He's...

Governor Christie is closely following the Shaneen Allan case.  This fact was mentioned at the tail end of an article about New Jersey lawmakers attempting to reform the State's gun laws, which are some of the most restrictive in the country.  From cbslocal.com (NewYork): Christie says he’s been following the case closely but doesn’t like to intervene in cases until they’ve had the opportunity to work their way through the judicial process. “I don’t like to intervene in the judicial process until the judicial process has an opportunity to work its way through,” he said. “I think then and...

Today, September 11, the Missouri House Joined the Missouri Senate in overriding Governor Nixon's (D) veto of SB 656.    From wsvn.com: The new regulations, which this time garnered the two-thirds majority needed to override Nixon's veto, take effect in about a month.  Here are the primary reforms that will be enacted with SB0656:  Guarantees the right to posses arms in public housing  Forbids physical restraint or disarmament unless there is an arrest or an articulable and reasonable suspicion of criminal activityMandates that  POST  determine the training standards for school protection officersAllows school districts to designate school protection officersForbids health...

In and example of armed citizen stopping crime, a 30 year old West Allis man defended himself and others against an attempted armed robbery by a group of four.  He shot and killed one of the suspects, a known gang member with a long criminal history at the age of 15. The police or prosecutor have not said that the armed citizen had a concealed carry permit.   it seems likely, as he was not charged or arrested, at least not yet.  Perhaps he was openly armed, which does not require a permit.  Police have arrested five more people that...

Indictments have consequences. Democrats are still smiling over the recent felony indictment of Rick Perry, even as the Governor’s legal team is taking steps in court to reveal the spurious nature of the charges.One consequence of the indictment, however, has thrown conservatives in Texas for a loop. Texas media began reporting last week that because of the charges against him, Governor Perry’s concealed carry license has been suspended by operation of law. §411.187 of the Texas Government Code states that the Department of Public Safety shall suspend (not revoke, as it has been reported) a concealed carry license if the...

MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 20, 2014-- Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) today reported second quarter Adjusted earnings per share1 of $0.78, a decrease of 20.6 percent from $0.98 per share in 2013, and GAAP earnings per share of $0.37. In addition to operating results, second quarter GAAP earnings per share reflect: Net pre-tax data breach expenses of $111 million, or (11) cents per share2; Pre-tax early debt retirement losses of $285 million, or (27) cents per share2; Pre-tax impairment losses on undeveloped U.S. land of $16 million, or (1) cent per share, and; A (1)-cent impact related to the reduction of the beneficial interest...

Bundy engaged in armed resistance to avoid paying fees. Compare that to peaceful protests responding to a lost life. Last Wednesday night, I had snarked on Twitter about the lack of so-called “Tea Party” “patriots” — like those brave boys and girls who, earlier this year, pointed their big assault-rifles at federal officials to protect the “right” of a scofflaw rancher in Nevada to illegally graze his cattle for free on land that he did not own — failing to show up to protect the actual rights and freedoms of so many being denied them by actual Big Government Tyranny...

Innovative Optique is a high end eyewear store in a suburb north of Milwaukee.   From the reviews, it appears to cater to those who can afford high quality, customized glasses.    Last year, a thief stole a pair of $2,000 sunglasses.   Last Friday, an employee shot and killed a 22 year old during the  course of an attempted armed robbery.   From channel3000.com: Police said the gunfire occurred during an attempted robbery. They said 22-year-old Joshua Drake of Milwaukee tried to rob the store about noon, and an armed employee shot and killed him. The employee wasn't hurt. Wisconsin has an...

From voter ID laws to broken immigration detention centers, the U.S. is not the model democracy it fancies itself. Watching Israel’s brutal treatment of Palestinians in Gaza over our TV screens makes it easy to forget about the human rights abuses taking place right here on American soil. Sybrina Fulton and Ron Davis, whose sons were killed in what many believe were racially motivated attacks, are using their children’s deaths to remind Americans that human rights are being violated right here in the United States. More than a year after George Zimmerman killed Trayvon Martin, Fulton felt the humiliating pendulum...

Wednesday, August 6, 2014 Streetlight McCarthy: Concealed Carry Same As Drunken Driving The expert in carrying a firearm while intoxicated speaks: “This is what I said from Day One: More guns is not the solution to gun violence. That’s akin to saying everybody should drive drunk to stop drunken driving. It doesn’t work that way.” So what's giving Chicago Police Supt. McCarthy flashbacks? Something he thinks will be an excuse to restrict Concealed Carry in Illinois. After Wednesday’s meeting at Kennedy-King, McCarthy also disclosed that one of the men shot this week at a North Side nightclub had one of...

Police: Gunman and victim in Loop shooting 'had been friends for years' By Marwa Eltagouri, Alexandra Chachkevitch and Meredith Rodriguez, Tribune reporters Less than a week after Tony DeFrances learned that he was being demoted as part of a downsizing of his company, authorities said he walked into his boss’s office Thursday morning for a one-on-one. Apparently upset about his demotion, DeFrances, armed with a gun, confronted CEO Steven LaVoie, a longtime colleague and friend at the supply technology firm ArrowStream in the Loop, police said. At some point, DeFrances, 60, and LaVoie, 54, struggled over the gun. LaVoie was...

An armed citizen in Bradentown, Florida stopped an attempted carjacking when he fired a round at his own vehicle during the attempt.   Apparently there were two suspects.  One was in another car.  When the victim showed that he was armed by firing a shot, one carjacker took off in another vehicle, abandoning his accomplice, who fled on foot.   From bradenton.com: The victim said he was carjacked at gunpoint while sitting in front of the CVS Pharmacy at 4302 Cortez Road at 4:26 a.m. Wednesday, according to a release. The victim said he obtained a gun and fired at...

A man with a concealed carry permit shot at an armed robbery suspect who was running from a cell phone store in Crestwood, prompting an officer who was also chasing the suspect to take cover, police said. The man with the permit told police he was about to step inside an AT&T store at 4756 W. Cal-Sag Road around noon Saturday when he noticed the store was being robbed, Crestwood police said in a statement. The man said he stayed outside to prevent anyone from entering, police said. After he saw the suspect leaving through a back door, he entered...

A federal judge's ruling barring enforcement of a key District of Columbia gun law seems likely to be put on hold, after lawyers for the district asked that the decision be delayed and the plaintiffs in the case signaled they're amenable to a 90-day delay. In a filing Monday afternoon in U.S. District Court in Washington, attorneys for the city said granting the delay will allow the city to preserve public safety while it pursues an appeal and considers possible responses to Saturday's decision by Judge Frederick Scullin, who found unconstitutional the district's ban on possession of handguns by individuals...

Concludes a blanket ban of carry of handguns outside the home cannot survive ANY level of scrutiny, and is therefore unconstitutional.Well, well, well–I guess the big guy upstairs knew I could do with a pick-me-up while I struggle through this respiratory infection. And boy, did he deliver big (with a h/t to Ace of Spades HQ). "In light of Heller, McDonald, and their progeny, there is no longer any basis on which this Court can conclude that the District of Columbia’s total ban on the public carrying of ready-to-use handguns outside the home is constitutional under any level of scrutiny....

The Illinois State Police have come under a lot of pressure as the magnitude of the lawsuits they are facing under the Concealed Carry License procedures has become known.   Even the old media in Illinois has been complaining that the procedures are secret, people are not told why they were denied, and this is not following due process.    There are hundreds of lawsuits pending. They have decided to modify the process.   They issued a press release about  emergency rules on July 14th.   According to wuis.org: In a memo, the State Police Director Hiram Grau cites these lawsuits...

Meet the honest 27 year old single mom from PA who faces 3 years in a New Jersey prison Shaneen Allen is no dangerous criminal. She's a single mom working 2 jobs who's already been robbed twice while traveling alone at night in Philadelphia. Her family suggested that she carry a gun for protection. She took a gun safety course, applied for and was granted a concealed carry permit, and bought a gun. Then she made the mistake of driving into New Jersey. Now she's going to prison. Allen said that she didn't know her permit didn't apply to New...

Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson is proposing several pieces of gun control legislation this Wednesday to City Council. And as WKSU’s Kabir Bhatia reports, people on both sides of the issue were in Public Square over the weekend. Mayor Jackson’s proposals include a registry for anyone convicted of gun offenses, as well as prohibitions and regulations related to the sale of firearms. Jonathan O’Connor is with grassroots group Ohio Carry, based in Columbus. He was among the roughly 60 people milling around in Public Square Sunday afternoon, some with handguns holstered openly at their waists or assault weapons slung over their...

In Milwaukee, ,a woman with a concealed carry permit shot a would be robber who had been released after being accused of shooting a man in the face during an attempted car-jacking the day before.   The potentially impressive criminal career has probably ended, as the suspect is now paralyzed and in the hospital.   He is 15 years old.   From wisn.com: Police said a woman the 15-year-old tried to rob near 14th and Olive streets the day after the Motley carjacking, pulled a gun on him.Motley and his wife said the victim had a conceal carry permit and shot...