Free Republic

<p>Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) no longer has a permit to carry a concealed weapon.</p> <p>Feinstein, who has taken the lead on efforts to renew a federal assault weapons ban, acknowledged during a hearing in 1995 of previously having a concealed weapon permit.</p>

Nowadays, however, there are four states that require no permit at all to carry a gun, and 35 states have permissive “shall issue” or “right-to-carry” laws that effectively take the decision of who should carry a weapon out of law enforcement’s hands. These laws say that if an applicant meets minimal criteria — one is not having been convicted of a felony, and another is not having a severe mental illness — officials have no choice about whether to issue a permit. Some states go even further by expressly allowing guns where they should not be. Nine states now have...

ORLANDO, Fla. — Authorities say a Florida firefighter who brought a handgun onto a flight out of Orlando will not be prosecuted. The unidentified woman told authorities she forgot she had a 380-caliber semi-automatic in her purse when she boarded a flight Thursday. The woman went through screening checkpoints at Orlando International Airport, but the gun was not detected. The woman told authorities about the incident when she landed at Newark Liberty Airport.

Gov. Mary Fallin signed into law Tuesday a measure that allows Oklahomans to openly carry handguns. The measure, Senate Bill 1733, allows those who are licensed to carry a firearm under the Oklahoma Self Defense Act to openly carry a weapon or conceal it. It also allows a property owner to openly carry a handgun on his or her land. No concealed carry permit would be required. To receive a license under the Oklahoma Self Defense Act, applicants must take a firearms safety and training course and submit to a background check by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. Those...

What should you say, or what should you NOT say if you’re involved in a shooting? Massad Ayoob shares the 5-points to cover when the police arrive.

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...

CCW folks: I've been carrying a S&W Sigma .40 cal for a couple of years and it's just too heavy and bulky. Have looked at both the Taurus TCP and the Bersa Thunder .380 (I know, small, but that's kinda the point). Anybody got experience or recommendations? jagusafr

When Tom Scocca applied to Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith three years ago for a permit to carry a concealed firearm, he thought he had all the right stuff. Not only was he a former police officer and sheriff's deputy working as a security manager at a major Silicon Valley tech company, he owned an investigative firm and was already licensed to openly carry a loaded gun. But the sheriff turned him down. Now that denial is the basis of a federal lawsuit in which Scocca alleges that Smith issues concealed-weapons permits in an arbitrary and capricious way. He...

The Wisconsin Department of Justice has received more than 20,000 concealed carry applications since the law took effect Tuesday. Data from the state Justice Department show that as of 4 p.m. Friday, 20,476 applications had been submitted. Of those, 879 concealed carry licenses had been approved and 793 had been printed. Also, 117 applications were rejected. Agency spokeswoman Dana Brueck incomplete applicant data, insufficient training documentation or a missing payment are all reasons an application can be rejected. The state has 45 days to issue a license once a valid application is received. Brueck said the Justice Department is working...

Police called him a "Good Samaritan," but Minneapolis detectives were still investigating Friday the case of a man who shot and killed an armed robber he chased down the night before. The man who fired the fatal shot had a permit for his handgun and told police he used the weapon after the fleeing robber turned and confronted him behind a restaurant. Police spokesman Sgt. William Palmer said the department was leaning toward classifying the shooting as self-defense. "However, decisions on charging are left up to the county attorney's office. And since there's a death, it might even be taken...

My mother is the person who made me. And she's done it twice. She caught me. Now what?? I don't remember a lot about the first time, because it began when I was too young to remember much of anything. But I clearly remember the second time she made me. It was shortly after I'd begun carrying a handgun for personal defense, before I'd figured out the art of giving someone a hug without giving away the secret. She and my father had offered to take my children to a movie, so the kids and I piled into the van...

I have always used a belly bag for concealed carry, but I am thinking about leather holsters now. Input sought.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/08/04/article-1300240-0AB052F2000005DC-955_468x603.jpg (copyright complaint prevents me from posting the pic directly)

Along with a motion to dismiss a lawsuit that alleges that the state's restriction on law-abiding citizens to carry a weapon outside of their homes violates the Second Amendment, Illinois Attorney General Lisa M. Madigan filed a response to the plaintiffs' request for a permanent or preliminary injunction. According to court documents filed on July 22, Madigan is asking the court to deny a summary ruling.

A jury acquitted a man of carrying a concealed weapon after hearing that he had borrowed the gun for protection in the Sunnydale neighborhood, according to the San Francisco Public Defenders Office. Jurors acquitted Johnny Stone, 23, of Reno, Nev., on Thursday after five hours of deliberation, and hung on a second misdemeanor charge of carrying a concealed weapon. The judge dismissed a third charge, possession of nunchaku. Stone was arrested Sept. 9, 2009, while visiting family members in the Sunnydale housing projects. His attorney, Deputy Public Defender Arial Boyce-Smith, said that he had borrowed the gun for a trip...

Just a quick question for Oklahoma Freepers- I live in Texas, and am planning a quick trip to OK tomorrow. I'd like to know if, or under what conditions, it is legal there for me to carry a pistol in my car. I know that it is legal in Texas, but I'd like to know if I'm headed for hot water over the border. Thanks in advance for any info- I won't be able to reply for a couple of hours- gotta take the wife to the doctor!

Wis. one of last states to approve concealed carryBy: SCOTT BAUER | Associated Press | 06/21/11 8:05 PM Lawmakers in Wisconsin, one of the last states to prohibit the carrying of concealed weapons, approved lifting the ban Tuesday and sent Republican Gov. Scott Walker a measure he is expected to quickly sign into law. Once Wisconsin's measure takes effect this fall, Illinois will be the only state that bans carrying guns, knives and other concealed weapons. Supporters of the measure, which passed Wisconsin's GOP-controlled Legislature with bipartisan support, said the fact that none of 48 other states with similar laws...

The Wisconsin State Assembly is scheduled to debate (and hopefully pass) SB93, the concealed carry bill, which has already passed the Wisconsin State Senate.

...She and the Illinois State Rifle Association are suing Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, Gov. Pat Quinn, Union County State's Attorney Tyler Edmonds, and Union County Sheriff David Livesay. The suit, filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois, states she was denied the right to defend herself due to Illinois laws that prohibit citizens from carrying a handgun for self-defense...

The viciousness of the crime rocked my small community to its core. It was a heinous, random attack that "couldn't happen here." But it did...