Free Republic

Gun Control has been a losing political issue on the national stage for as long as there have been guns and elections. Democrats however are stupid and think this year things are going to be different. The problem is “gun control” sounds so fascist and Americans are kind of attached to their rights so a liberal think tank led by Gabby Giffords’ anti-gun group has come up with ways that democrats like Hillary Clinton can bullshit voters into thinking their unconstitutional efforts are something other than what they are. Politico reports that Giffords’ Americans For Responsible Solutions along with other...

Gun control has been a divisive topic in American discourse lately, and as Elam discussed the pros and cons of gun control she offered the opinion that guns are not needed, even for self defense. “So, about gun control. It’s a hot topic nowadays. The pros of gun control are less guns mean a safer world, ” said Elam. “Gun control laws are correlated to lower rates of violence. Guns are not needed to defend against government. The key to protecting our society is information, and guns are not needed, even for self defense.”

An Associated Press (AP) poll released July 23 shows that 59 percent of Americans disapprove of President Obama’s handling of gun laws, and an even greater majority, 62 percent, believe owning a gun makes people safer by “preventing them from becoming victims of crime.” The poll also shows that 53 percent of Americans support national reciprocity for concealed carry permits. National reciprocity renders a concealed carry permit issued in one state valid in every state. An overwhelming majority of respondents also said a “high priority” for law enforcement should be “cracking down on people who own guns illegally” and “cracking...

When Hillary Clinton introduced her running mate to the nation, it was remarkable what topic got the crowd most excited: gun rights. Just the mention of the National Rifle Association Saturday prompted the room in Miami into a roar. At Brooklyn headquarters, aides smiled. This was, after all, the fight they wanted. Please, some thought, keep talking about guns. It was a fight that strategists saw as an upside: it calmed progressives’ furor over Kaine, seen in some circles as too moderate for a party still overcoming a passionate swoon with Bernie Sanders. And the subject of guns has a...

Friends, delegates and fellow Americans: I humbly and gratefully accept your nomination for the presidency of the United States.” Thus Donald J. Trump greeted the delegates of the Republican National Convention — and his worldwide television audience — Thursday night, at the finale of the four-day political marathon in Cleveland, Ohio. His address, reportedly the longest convention acceptance speech in four decades (for a Republican or Democratic candidate), did not aim at presenting a softer, more “nuanced,” and “presidential” persona, as many analysts had predicted and/or recommended. The message of “The Donald” did not waiver from the core issues of...

For those that have been paying attention, the rise of the Alt-Right is as surprising, as it is entirely expected What is the Alt-Right? If you listen to the mainstream media, the Alt-Right is the birth of an American far right Frankenstein that was mid-wifed by Donald Trump’s inflammatory rhetoric in this election cycle. But what we are seeing now is bigger than even Donald Trump. It is part of a massive paradigm shift that has been underway for some time now. For those that have been paying attention, it is clear that nationalist, patriotic movements are everywhere ascendant in...

The NCAA on Friday said cities looking to host future championship games must submit details by Aug. 12 about how they will protect participants from discrimination, a move that could hurt North Carolina's chances of landing future games. The announcement came one day after the NBA said it was moving the 2017 All-Star Weekend from Charlotte over a controversial North Carolina law known as House Bill 2. Cities that have already been awarded games will face a separate questionnaire deadline, which will be determined later, the NCAA said. [Snip] Cities bidding for games now must complete a questionnaire from the...

PHILADELPHIA — When President Obama takes the stage here this week to begin his monthslong political farewell, it will mark a bittersweet moment for Democrats. Mr. Obama is not going to be missed only because he is beloved by the faithful. The president has also fulfilled two longstanding if often elusive goals of his party: He has largely transcended the traditional moderate-versus-liberal split, papering over internal divisions. And he passed a sweeping health care law. But without the unifying presence of Mr. Obama in the White House, or the organizing aim of expanding health care, it is unclear who will...

WASHINGTON — At an Irish pub popular among those who work on Capitol Hill, a coffin covered in black was placed across from the bar where people order pints of beer. The attendees, former and current Republicans who once worked on Capitol Hill, gathered for a traditional Irish wake in honor of the political party they said they once knew. “We said we should get together and have a drink and toast the death of party, as we sit here and watch it dying on us,” said Chris Scheve, one of the event organizers. Those who walked into The Dubliner...

Art Laffer is a famous economist, one of the brains behind President Ronald Reagan's supply-side tax cuts in 1981. But he was also a political adviser to Reagan and other presidential candidates. Based on history rather than polls or demographics, he insists Donald Trump will win the presidential race—and win easily. History is an argument not often heard in presidential elections except in one case: the likelihood that after one party holds the White House for eight years, that party probably won't win four more years. The one exception in the past half-century was the election of George H.W. Bush...

Whenever President Obama feels defensive, he likes to talk about how the world has become more safe under his watch (with the implication that it's due to his own wise leadership). We first heard him speak that way during the summer of 2014, when the world seemed to be unraveling and critics were blaming him for the sad state of affairs. Obama said, "The world is less violent than it has ever been. It is healthier than it has ever been. It is more tolerant than it has ever been. It is better fed then it’s ever been. It is...

On July 22 Hillary Clinton announced Tim Kaine as her running mate. Kaine is a Democrat Senator from Virginia who supports a ban on 15-round "clips" and "assault weapons," and who wants to enact a law to hold gun dealers liable for the misuse of firearms. During the June 26 airing of Meet the Press, Kaine told Chuck Todd that he voted for an "assault weapons" ban before and "would likely vote for it again." But he stressed that he believes "limitations on the size of magazines and ammunition clips" is the first step to take.

When Arizona delegates to the Republican National Convention were asked Thursday how many would not vote for Sen. John McCain in next month's primary, more than half of their hands went up. The question stunned veteran pollster Frank Luntz, who had asked it as a part of a presentation on the last day of the convention on the challenges facing the party - one of which was party unity. "Oh my God," Luntz said. "Where's the chairman? You should have told me this before."

Many political experts say House Speaker Paul Ryan will beat his Republican challenger during Wisconsin's August 9 partisan primary. Matt Streb isn't so sure. Streb, a political science professor at Northern Illinois University, notes that Sarah Palin endorsed Ryan's challenger, Paul Nehlin, because Ryan was slow to endorse Donald Trump, the GOP's presidential nominee. But Streb isn't thinking about Palin. During an interview with WNIJ, Streb raised the specter of another House leader who lost a primary. "You're going to make me say Eric Cantor again," he laughs. Cantor, then-House Majority leader, was defeated by a Tea Party challenger in...

JANESVILLE, WI– On Saturday, American mothers who have buried their children as a result of illegal alien crime will be holding a press conference in front of Paul Ryan’s personal border wall that protects his family and his estate. These “angel moms” say that Ryan has ignored the American families that have been torn apart by open borders for too long. The press event is being organized by both the Remembrance Project—a non-profit that represents the victims of illegal alien crime and advocates for border security— and Wisconsin businessman, Paul Nehlen, who is running to unseat Ryan in Wisconsin’s August...

As the apparent public revolt against establishment elites continues to gain momentum, Wisconsin businessman Paul Nehlen is aiming to bring down the establishment's main man in Congress: House Speaker Paul Ryan. Running on a pro-Constitution, pro-jobs platform, the outsider candidate is closing in on Ryan, according to polls. With the tide increasingly turning against politicians viewed as part of the establishment — often ridiculed as “Rino” for being a “Republican In Name Only,” Ryan is the epitome of an establishment politician — media reports suggest the embattled Speaker of the House is getting nervous. Some polls even show Nehlen in...

Peter Thiel encouraged the GOP to not get distracted by culture wars on stage Thursday night, saluting Donald Trump for not focusing on such things as he made history. The tech billionaire declared to the Republican National Convention that he is "proud to be gay," becoming the first speaker in the party's history to do so from the stage of the Republican National Convention. "Every American has a unique identity. I am proud to be gay," he said to applause, including from the Trump family. "I am proud to be a Republican, but most of all I am proud to...

Massachusetts is seeing a run on AR-15s–including “a line out the door” at some guns stores–following state Attorney General Maura Healey’s (D) “directive” against “assault weapons” sales. WCVB reports that Four Seasons gun shop in Woburn sent out an email as soon as it learned of Healey’s directive. The email said the store would not be able to sell AR-15s or other guns categorized as “assault weapons” after July 20. Bruce Sterling rushed to the gun store, saying, “It seemed like it made a lot of sense to come and get an AR-15 today.

The three networks on Thursday night immediately derided Donald Trump’s “dark speech” as one coming from a “vengeful” “demagogue.” On NBC, Tom Brokaw allowed that “some” will see Trump as on a “white horse who will lead them to some kind of sanctuary and then pull the drawbridge up.” But he sneered, “Others looking in are going to see someone they will only think as a demagogue of some kind.” Chuck Todd labeled, “I thought it was an extraordinarily dark speech.” Republican operative Nicolle Wallace lamented, “We are now represented as a party by a man who believes in protectionism,...

When a young and dumb CNN reporter covering events in Cleveland this week chose to ask an elderly black supporter of GOP nominee Donald Trump a race-baiting question about the candidate’s alleged racism, the supporter unleashed a rapid-fire torrent of truth. “I’m sick of this race and divide!” the supporter exclaimed. “It’s always divide and conquer! It’s a scam! And I know it’s not going to get on CNN!” Indeed. The hacks at CNN would never in a million years willingly expose their mainly brainwashed audience to the existence of a black man who supports Trump.