Free Republic

In the gun business, fear drives sales, and recently, sales have increased. About 300 people have already applied for a Georgia Weapon Carry license in 2012, according to Richmond County Probate Court records. Last year, approximately 1,600 permits were submitted. At the current rate, applications could nearly double 2011’s numbers by the end of this year. Kayna Widener was driven to purchase a gun after she saw a man attack a woman outside the Augusta Mall several months ago. She was the only witness to the attack. In this case, the man fled after the victim put up a...

An Oklahoma state lawmaker is pushing to include churches under the "Stand Your Ground" law. Representative Mike Ritze wants to give people clear legal authority to respond to dangerous individuals who threaten the safety of people at a place of worship. "They don't have to do it, we are not mandating it. It just recognizes the right that they can do it just like they can in their homes, vehicles, and businesses," Rep. Ritze said. The lawmaker points to the murder of a pastor in Anadarko and the recent bomb threat at Fairview Baptist Church in Edmond as the reasons...

The Manhattan district attorney is reported to be in plea-deal negotiations with Meredith Graves, the nurse who faces serious felony firearms charges after bringing her Tennessee-permitted .32-caliber pistol to Ground Zero, apparently unaware of the fact that New York declines to recognize out-of-state concealed-carry licenses, and that New York City declines to recognize even New York State permits. Ms. Graves, upon seeing the no-guns sign at the memorial, naïvely asked a security guard whether it would be possible to check in her pistol; this attempt to comply with the posted rules resulted in her arrest, and could well result in...

Anti- gun rights Sheriffs in Washington and Jackson County, Oregon, in their infinite wisdom, denied Concealed Handgun Permits to their county residents who possessed state medical marijuana cards. And the ensuing losing Court battle by these County bureaucrats over this decision cost Oregon taxpayers a ton of money. These residents had complied with all of the legal requirements for a permit, but admitted to being regular users of medical marijuana. When the people who were denied permits sued the Sheriffs, the determined Sheriffs answered that the state’s concealed permit laws were preempted by federal law against possession of firearms by...

The foul-mouthed Canton, OH police officer who threatened to shoot an armed citizen in the head over his concealed pistol last summer has been fired, but he reportedly plans to appeal. Harless confronted a private citizen named William Bartlett in early June 2010 when the officer stopped to check out a vehicle parked on the side of the street. Bartlett’ sin was in not immediately advising Harless and another officer that he was carrying a concealed handgun, as required by Ohio statute. The problem, as can be seen by viewing the video, is that Harless never gave Bartlett the chance,...

A city police officer at the center of a controversial traffic stop involving a man with a permit to carry a concealed handgun has been fired. Bill Adams, president of the Canton Police Patrolmen’s Association, the union that represents Patrolman Daniel Harless, confirmed that city Safety Director Thomas Ream ruled that Harless is no longer a member of the city’s police force. Ream issued a three-page ruling dated Tuesday. “It is quite clear that (Harless’) actions represented a pattern of behavior where inappropriate verbal abuse and threats of death or great bodily harm of the various complainants occurred,” Ream wrote....

Free Meredith Graves! Just about everyone in the country now knows about the Louisville, Tenn., woman who was arrested when she tried to check her gun at the 9/11 Memorial in New York City. The nurse and medical student had driven to New York with her husband to interview for a residency at Brookhaven Memorial Hospital in Long Island. While in the Big Apple, they decided to do a little sightseeing. Graves has a Tennessee handgun carry permit and had a loaded .32-caliber Kel-Tec in her purse. When she saw the no-guns symbol at the memorial, she asked a guard...

According to the New York Times, the answer seems to be “yes.” An article in yesterday’s Times by Michael Luo collects some anecdotes about misbehavior by a few licensees in North Carolina. The Times article has some numbers in it, and it provides the number of North Carolinians with carry permits (240,000). After a thorough search of North Carolina records, the Times finds that about 1% of permitees were convicted of something, other than a traffic offense, over the past five years. Of these 2,400 convictions, by far the largest group is “nearly 900 permit holders were convicted of drunken...

Grass Roots North Carolina president cites 'cherry-picked' dataIn an interview with Human Events, the leader of Grass Roots North Carolina called the December 27 New York Times article on concealed carry permit holders in his state a “hit piece.� The reporter Michael Luo, who has published other data-match stories with an anti-gun tilt, exposed his bias against gun rights, by choosing tight search parameters that produced the results he needed to support his anti-gun rights narrative, said F. Paul Valone, the president of the gun rights organization. Valone said he had three to four phone conversations with Luo, in addition...

I'd planned to do this one soon, and today seems as good a time as any, with POLITICAL blog aggravation being what it is. So with that, I'm gonna take a little break, and write about a life & death decision. We live in a nation today where NOBODY is safe anymore. Even Mountain Home is no longer the little "Mayberry" it was when I first came here 39 years ago, and while I have owned, collected and hunted ever since my Marine Corps days, it has only been over the past 5 years or so that I have "packed...

HOUSTON - Two armed suspects attempted to rob a Denny's restaurant, but ended up fleeing for safety after a shootout with a customer. The shootout happened at a Denny's restaurant in the 11000 block of the East Freeway around 5:50 a.m. Saturday. Officials said two armed suspects wearing bandannas entered and attempted to rob the store. The sole customer in the restaurant, a licensed concealed handgun carrier, observed the suspects enter, pulled out his own gun, took cover and fired at the robbers. Officials said the suspects returned fire and fled the restaurant. The customer followed the suspects, firing as...

A Spotsylvania County man with a valid concealed-weapon permit died after a semi-automatic pistol without an external safety discharged as he tried to adjust the weapon, which was tucked into his waistband, investigators have concluded. The 45-year-old man was sitting in the front seat of his family's minivan in a shopping center parking lot on Sunday when his .40-caliber Glock discharged, authorities said. "For some reason, maybe for comfort, he reached out and went to adjust it," said Spotsylvania sheriff's Capt. Liz Scott. "The detective thinks that in doing so — in just grabbing it — he inadvertently grabbed the...

A bill promising the most significant expansion of national gun rights since the current gun control regime began with the Handgun Control Act of 1968, passed the House 272 to 154 November 16 at 5:50 p.m. after two days of debate. “The right to defend yourself and your loved ones from criminals is fundamental, and it should not be extinguished when you cross a state border,” said Rep. Clifford B. Stearns (R.-FL), who lead the fight with his co-sponsor Rep. J. Heath Shuler (D.-N.C.), a leader of the caucus of moderate Democrats known as the Blue Dogs. “H.R. 822, the...

The House of Representatives passed a measure Wednesday that would make a permit to carry a concealed firearm from one state valid in any state that allows citizens to carry concealed weapons. The vote was 272 to 154. The National Rifle Association-backed measure had the backing of the vast majority of Republicans along with a coalition of pro-gun rights Democrats. A matching bill has not been brought forward in the Democrat-led Senate. But gun rights advocates have previously nearly-successfully attempted to attach a similar measure to unrelated legislation.

Liberty University has approved a policy that will allow visitors, students and staff who have concealed weapons permits to carry guns on campus....

I stumbled upon the Flashbang Bra Holster while browsing the Internet for my first firearm. I had looked at a bunch of sites and, just for the heck of it, I searched “guns for girls”—shamefully hoping I might find something aesthetically pleasing.The first website I came to was a Girl’s Guide to Guns, which led me to a product review for this contraption.  As a new hunter—I just passed my test this weekend—I don’t think that I’ll be buying a handgun any time soon, so the Flashbang is currently just a curiosity for me, but the idea of toting a...

Concealed carry is nothing more than the government turning a 2nd amendment right into something you need a permit for.

As you may know, concealed carry is now legal in Wisconsin as of today, finally! I found this article at Human Events: Top 10 Concealed Carry Guns My husband and I have had some training with our revolvers, I have a 38 S+W and my husband has two .357s. We've had some professional training and some training from experienced friends on how to shoot, clean the guns, etc. but not enough to satisfy Wisconsin's new law. We'll be taking a state required 4 hour class next week - with 98 other people. I am not expecting much from the class,...

How do you feel about concealed weapons? I already carry one I am going to get a CWP I wouldn't carry a weapon Read more: http://www.wyff4.com/news/29638219/detail.html#ixzz1cOuHarQQ

New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey and several other states don’t have reciprocity arrangements that allow someone like Todd to pay an armed courtesy call. That’s because New York officials can deny concealed-carry permits on a case-by-case basis, whereas many other states — South Dakota, for example — don’t put much stock in such scrutiny. H.R. 822, now in the House Judiciary Committee, makes a mockery of our diverse values and strategies for public safety. If it were enacted, off to New York the South Dakotan tourist could go, 9-millimeter Glock in tow. That’s not liberty. More like lunacy.

This extreme legislation, the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act of 2011, would obliterate state and local eligibility rules for concealed weapons and the state’s discretion to decide whether to honor another’s permits. At least 36 states now set a minimum age of 21 for carrying concealed guns, and 35 states require some sort of gun-safety training. Thirty-eight states prohibit people convicted of certain violent crimes like misdemeanor assault or sex crimes from carrying concealed weapons. The act would override those rules, requiring states with tight restrictions, like New York and California, to allow people with permits from states with lax laws...

That would mean that a permit from Utah, a state with notably lax standards for concealed-carry permits, as well as permits from every other gun-toting state, would be valid in Massachusetts. Under the latest version of the bill, people with out-of-state permits would be allowed to carry guns on Massachusetts streets even if state laws would otherwise make it illegal for them even to possess a firearm.

Keller’s Store is, I think, a gun store, or gun dealership. The owner, Crockett Keller, is also a realtor. Crockett Keller has an ad running in his local area of Mason, Texas. Keller’s is offering an all-day beginner’s workshop to prepare you for your “concealed carry” license.

MADISON, Wis. -- Wisconsin's concealed carry law goes into effect Nov. 1, and it not only changes how guns are carried on a person, it also changes the way some guns can be transported. Currently, handguns transported in a car must be in a case, unloaded and out of reach. Next week when the new law goes into effect, handguns can be loaded, outside of a case and on a car seat -- all without a permit. "If you don't want to seek out a concealed carry permit, you'll still be allowed to carry a firearm, loaded, in plain view,"...

Kellers Store

A deadly shooting rampage at a Carson City IHOP restaurant last month has prompted a call for a review of Nevada's gun laws. Assembly Judiciary Committee Chairman William Horne said it would be appropriate for lawmakers to consider changes to the state's gun regulations after a man with a history of mental illness shot 11 people with an assault weapon at the restaurant, killing three Nevada National Guard members and a civilian before killing himself. Horne, D-Las Vegas, told the Reno Gazette-Journal that while he's a gun owner who supports gun rights, he questions why citizens need to own an...

Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter last week sent a letter to members of Mayors Against Illegal Guns encouraging them to support efforts to allow local governments to determine their own firearm carrying laws. Nutter is a member of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, which has already created a 10-point code for gun shop owners to do their part in preventing illegal carries, and is calling on citizens to rally against H.R. 822 National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act of 2011. "Congress is debating a law that would eviscerate the ability of individual states to decide who can carry a hidden, loaded gun," he wrote....

·11250 Waples Mill Road ·   Fairfax, Virginia 22030    ·800-392-8683   A Victory for Oregon Universities' Students, Staff and Faculty   Friday, September 30, 2011   In what promises to be a continuing debate on the rights of law-abiding citizens, the Oregon Court of Appeals ruled this week that banning firearms on the grounds of Oregon's public universities exceeded the scope of the university system's authority, thereby opening up the state's campuses to individuals who hold valid concealed handgun licenses.  Long viewed by gun rights activists as a violation of the state firearms preemption law, the restriction of license holders from exercising...

While researching getting a Utah Concealed Carry Permit, I found that the Mormon Church filed with the state to ban firearms (even concealed carry) in their churches. So much for loving freedom.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry is a leading advocate of gun rights who likes to boast of having dispatched a coyote on a recent jog, so I asked him during today's walking press conference at the Iowa State Fair whether he was armed. "I never comment on whether I'm carrying a handgun or not," he said. "That's why it's called concealed." (If he was armed, he could have found himself in hot water with the state police over a ban at the fair that has rankled some local gun groups.) Perry's appearance at the fair, where he challenged reporters on whether...

ST. PETERSBURG - Would-be victims shot and wounded armed robbers in St. Petersburg this past weekend -- twice. Both suspects are expected to live, although one may be paralyzed from the waist down. St. Petersburg police say 25-year old Almedin Muratovic was struck by a bullet in the mid-section when his gun discharged while Muratovic wrestled with 29-year old Anthony Hall. Hall came to the rescue of his girlfriend, 25-year-old Cristina Hopkins, who was using an ATM at 8250 MLK North when Muratovic allegedly approached her and demanded money. The second shooting happened in the rear parking lot of a...

Click on the Read More Link to watch some excellent talks Should Students Be Allowed to Carry Guns on College Campuses? Where: National Press Club Ballroom When: noon until 5:00 PM, August 8th, 2011 Introductory remarks by Dan Crocker (SCC president) 5 minutes Personal experiences panel -- Crime and College Campuses 25 minutes Amanda Carpenter (10 minutes) Nicole Goeser (10 minutes) Debate over "Should Permitted Concealed Handguns be Allowed on College Campuses?" 50 minutes (18 minutes each, 4 minute rebutals) John Lott, author More Guns, Less Crime Colin Goddard, Assistant Legislative Director, Brady Campaign Panel by academics -- Academics talking...

It’s hot. It’s 100 degrees over a large portion of the country and that means you probably wont’ be wearing a lot of clothes. Since concealed carry means your gun will be out of sight you won’t have much clothing to cover up your great equalizer. For many years I’ve been asking people about their concealed carry guns. Many folks switch up their arms depending on what they wear. Here are ten lightweight carry guns that are easy to conceal. The criteria for this list are guns less than 15 ounces and 5.5” in length – easy enough to fit...

Why Women Should Carry Concealed Handguns Vincent Lee Carson was wanted for another hotel robbery when he hid in the breakfast room of a Days Inn in Columbia, South Carolina. The female hotel clerk who came in to prepare breakfast “was about 100 pounds lighter than Carson and stood at least a foot shorter than him.” Carson attacked and held a knife to her throat.Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said Carson’s intent was not only to rob the motel, but also to rape the clerk. “There’s no doubt that was his intent,” said Lott. “Not only was he going to rob...

Hemera Technologies/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON ) -- It’s already written in the Constitution's Second Amendment, and now Congress is addressing new legislation that will revise regulations regarding citizens' right to bear arms. If passed, the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity bill would increase the number of legally-owned handguns on American streets and lower the conceal-and-carry restrictions on those weapons. The new bill would make it legal across all states for out-of-state visitors to conceal and carry firearms, so long as they are permitted to do so in their home states. This would essentially make the conceal-and-carry laws of California, Illinois, and New York obsolete.

As evidence mounts that concealed-carry laws actually prevent crime — rather than serve to turn entire states into Dodge City, to use a common left-wing analogy during these debates — evidence is emerging that even liberals should support such laws. Texas, along with a number of other states, passed its law to allow qualified citizens (those with no felonies or history of mental illness) to carry concealed firearms in 1995 — which, oddly enough, coincided with the beginning of a decline in violent crime nationwide. As Democrats in the Senate begin a new assault on Second Amendment rights, perhaps they...

Ohio’s concealed-carry law requires anyone stopped by police to immediately notify the officer if they are armed. Failure to do so is a first-class misdemeanor that can result in a six-month jail term and a thousand-dollar fine, as well as losing the license to carry. It’s usually not considered a death penalty offense, unless one gets pulled over in Beachwood Canton, Ohio, in a case highlighted today by Ohioans for Concealed Carry: "William pulled his car to the side of the road to let out two passengers, but only the female occupant managed to exit before the police pulled up...

Today at 2:30 PM, in the Grand Lodge at 805 Creske Ave in Wausau, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker will finally sign an historic carry bill bringing Wisconsin in line with the 48 other states which already have some form of concealed carry. The bill, which will not go into effect until November of this year, is long overdue according to many Wisconsin residents who cite to the increased violence over the July 4th weekend as yet another example of the danger citizens face as crime increases due to the sluggish economy.

On the heels of his recent opinion holding that "self-defense" is "good and sufficient reason" to carry a gun to church, Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli now says that state colleges like the University of Virginia cannot ban the carriage of concealed handguns by proper license holders. The opinion was written in response to a question by Senator Emmett Hanger (R-Mount Solon). . . . According to OpenCarry.org's campus carry map, most states are just like Virginia and do not generally prohibit by law gun carry on college campuses by visitors or students. . . .

In response to an inquiry by Senator Emmett W. Hanger, Jr. (R – District 24), on July 1st Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli issued an opinion addressing the constitutionality and validity of a University of Virginia policy banning the “possession, storage or use of any firearm, weapon, ammunition, or explosives within any University facility by anyone, except a law enforcement officer, without the prior written permission of the University’s Chief of Police.” In the opinion, Attorney General Cuccinelli distinguished his analysis between the constitutional right to open carry and the statutory privilege granted by a concealed handgun permit.

While Wyoming has never regulated the open carry of a firearm, concealed carry was regulated and required a permit issued by the state. But not anymore. Wyoming’s ‘Constitutional Carry’ bill went into effect today propelling Wyoming into the elite group of states that allow citizens to carry a concealed firearm without requiring a permit in order to do so. But there are benefits to keeping the permit even after the bill takes effect ...

As Wisconsin heads toward lifting a ban on carrying concealed weapons, researchers at the University of California-Davis have turned up some unsettling information about those who may take advantage of the law. In a study using 15-year-old data -- the most recent available -- published online in the journal Injury Prevention, the UC Davis Violence Prevention Research Program says those who carried concealed weapons or who had confronted someone with a gun were twice as likely to be heavy drinkers than non-gun owners. Gun owners who drove with loaded weapons were four times more likely to hop behind the wheel...

SAN MATEO -- A San Pablo man thought he was being a good Samaritan on Wednesday afternoon when he pulled a gun on a man he saw assault a woman near a busy downtown street corner, police said. Instead, he was nearly shot by officers who rushed to Third Avenue and San Mateo Drive about 3:15 p.m., said San Mateo Deputy Police Chief Mike Callagy. The armed man, 23-year-old Ashley Viola, was still holding his .45-caliber pistol when police found and arrested him. No shots were fired. "(Officers) have a split second to decide whether to shoot or not to...

FORSYTH — Charges have been filed against a man and a woman from Harrison, Ark., accused of breaking into a home in Powersite Wednesday. Danny P. Waggoner Jr., 24, and Courtney G. Simpson, 21, were charged Thursday with first-degree burglary and first-degree tampering with a motor vehicle. Taney County Prosecuting Attorney Jeff Merrell said Waggoner is also charged with armed criminal action, for allegedly threatening the Powersite homeowner. According to a news release from Taney County Sheriff Jimmie Russell, deputies responded to a call at noon Wednesday from a woman on VV Highway who reported a man inside her home....

Wisconsin Senate Votes to Legalize Concealed Carry Published June 14, 2011 | Associated Press The Wisconsin Senate has passed a bill that would allow concealed weapons in most public places. All 19 Senate Republicans voted for the bill Tuesday, along with six Democrats. Eight other Democrats opposed it. The bill would make Wisconsin the 49th state to legalize carrying hidden guns. Those who want to carry the weapons would have to obtain a permit.

In his first extended public apperance since getting out of prison, Plaxico Burress announced Monday in New York City that he has partnered with the National Urban League and the Brady Center to combat gun violence. “I want to see every child have a chance to succeed. I have an opportunity to make a difference,” Burress said via the New York Post. Quickly rehabbing his public image with a partnership like this is a page taken directly out of the Michael Vick playbook. So is the news Monday that Tony Dungy will serve as a mentor to Vick. Magic Johnson...

The Wisconsin legislature has had a fascinating debate on the issue of concealed carry. For a state in which responsible deer hunting has long been a key element of the culture, this should be a slam dunk. The problem of violent crime is expanding past the cities, and as the saying goes, “when seconds count, the police are just minutes away.” So, a state full of law-abiding citizens, many of whom were raised with firearms, for whom gun safety is already a part of children’s upbringing, should have no problem passing a concealed carry bill – especially now that the...

James Pecoraro didn't give much thought about carrying a gun until he reached Social Security age. At 66 years old, the Summerfield resident said he just needed to feel safer -- and got a concealed weapon license and two firearms, one a Glock 9. His intuition may have been right. Sometime afterward, he was in his car in a parking lot when a group of men surrounded his vehicle. Pecoraro said it looked as if they were preparing to rob him. It may never be clear what the men's intentions were. When Pecoraro reached into his glove compartment for his...

Madison - After weeks of refusing to weigh in on what a bill to allow people to carry concealed weapons should look like, Gov. Scott Walker said Friday the measure should include requirements that people obtain permits and get training. The move is a blow to some of Walker's fellow Republicans in the Senate who have tried to advance a bill that would allow people to carry hidden guns without getting permits or training. A bill that fits the description of "constitutional carry" was approved by a Senate committee last week, but some Republicans in the Senate have opposed the...

The chief of Wisconsin's largest police force issued his most scathing criticism of the state's proposed concealed carry bill during a news conference Thursday. Milwaukee Police Chief Edward Flynn urged Gov. Scott Walker to "provide some adult supervision" and ensure that a final law contains requirements to obtain a permit to carry concealed weapons and some stipulations for that, including basic training and not being a "criminal, drug abuser or insane." The news conference came after a gunfight overnight between Milwaukee police officer Jose Viera and an armed suspect in the Sherman Park neighborhood. "I also want to take this...