Free Republic

The New York Times’ recent 6,000-word major opus, “Children and Guns: The Hidden Toll ,” is the latest installment in the paper’s self-described series on “the gun industry’s influence and the wide availability of firearms in America.” In this article, it took the authors 75 paragraphs before they acknowledged that federal statistics, in fact, show a dramatic 30-year downward trend in accidental deaths involving firearms. But that’s not the impression that the Times wanted to leave with its readers. The article focused dramatically on case vignettes involving the accidental deaths of children from firearms, which we all agree are tragic...

BOZEMAN — The number of Montana residents with concealed weapons permits has more than doubled since 2008.

(CN) - Concerns that a limitation on concealed-carry permits in Orange County, Calif., amounts to an all-out ban did not seem to resonate with the 9th Circuit. A three-judge panel with the federal appeals court met this week to consider a 2012 lawsuit challenging Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchen's policy of "denying law-abiding, competent adults ... state-required licenses to carry handguns in public for the purpose of self-defense." The policy requires gun owners to prove to the sheriff that they have a valid reason to carry their gun for self defense.

It kills me when I hear anti-gunners exclaim how they are against guns because they have a right to feel safe.A right to feel safe?Are you kidding me?I looked through the entire thesaurus looking for a word that could capture how disgustingly self-entitled that statement is.The word I came up with can’t be written in this article so use your imagination.You don’t have a right to feel safe anymore than I have a right for Zoe Saldana to be in love with me.It’s ridiculous to think you have a right to feel safe, with that line of reasoning we should...

WASHINGTON, DC - The Supreme Court won't review a decision upholding Maryland's law requiring handgun permit applicants to demonstrate a "good and substantial reason" for carrying a weapon outside their own home or business. The high court on Tuesday refused to hear from Raymond Woollard and the Second Amendment Foundation, Inc., who say the law violates the Second Amendment. Woollard obtained a permit after a 2002 home invasion but was denied renewal in 2009. The Maryland law does not recognize a vague threat or general fear as an adequate reason for obtaining a permit, and state officials said Woollard failed...

The criminal homicide rate for the general population has been added to more accurately compare to the murder plus manslaughter rate for those with a Minnesota carry permit. Minnesota is one of a few states that track crimes committed by Concealed Carry permit holders.  When the Minnesota law was passed, an annual report of crimes committed by permit holders was required.  The Minnesota permit is simply a permit to carry, the law does not discriminate between carrying concealed and carrying openly.  Reports for the law are available for 2003, and 2005-2012 in pdf files.   The number of people...

RACINE – The suspect in a Tuesday morning home invasion is the same man acquitted this spring in the gang-related killing of a 12-year-old boy, Racine police said Wednesday. Tarence A. Banks, 33, of Racine, allegedly attempted an armed invasion of a home in the 3200 block of 17th Street around 1:56 a.m. Tuesday. A man in the home shot Banks, seriously injuring him, according to police. Banks was taken to Wheaton Franciscan-All Saints hospital, 3801 Spring St., and later to Froedtert Hospital in Wauwatosa with serious but non-life-threatening injuries, police said. An update on his condition was not available...

Jonathan Wald has a difficult job. He’s executive producer of Piers Morgan’s show on CNN, a set of duties that include taming a volatile and sometimes rude television personality. In an “extract” from his new book “Shooting Straight: Guns, Gays, God and George Clooney” published in the Guardian, Morgan describes an incident when Wald’s counsel came into play. . . .

Gun FReepers -- I am seeking clarification on a "deer rifle" that can serve as an adequate firearm for someone beginning to hunt game with larger caliber center-fire scoped rifle. More follows below. p.s, I am a long time pistol / rimfire / AR shooter, and am just now moving up to hunting game with a .308 and lack 1st-hand knowledge.

A North Miami-Dade man was justified in fatally shooting a pipe-wielding, drug-addled attacker during a wild confrontation on a sidewalk four years ago, a judge has ruled. The first-degree murder charge against Luis Martinez, 29, was dismissed late last month. It was the fourth Miami-Dade murder case dismissed by a judge since the 2005 passage of Florida’s controversial Stand Your Ground law. The law eliminated a citizen’s duty to retreat before using deadly force to counter a deadly threat. The law also gave judges greater leeway in granting “immunity” to people deemed to have acted in self-defense. The state’s Stand...

Police said the two armed suspects entered an apartment and one of the intruders was shot to death. The second intruder fled the scene and police are searching for him. Police said the resident was not hurt

Detectives said that John Rose, 82, and Mamie Rose, 83, were in their home when a man tried to break in. John Rose shot the man when he entered the home. The sheriff's office said investigators have been unable to identify the suspect, but he will face burglary and trespassing charges. He is currently in a Salem hospital.

Governor Dannel Malloy does not understand a law pertaining to “large capacity magazines” that he demanded, promoted and signed, Connecticut Citizens Defense League documented yesterday following statements the governor made on a local radio program. Malloy’s “legal” response to a caller on Milford’s “Chaz & AJ in the Morning” show was dangerously off-base, CCDL charged. Asked if it would be legal to carry two 14-round magazines limited to 10 rounds in each one, the governor’s advice could subject anyone heeding it to prosecution.“First of all what you have to do is disclose,” Malloy told the caller. “There’s a way to...

...The state’s Democratic governor — former Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper — has a message for the gun control groups that poured resources into the recent failed defenses of two other senators in Colorado Springs and Pueblo...

Thug shot seconds after attempted bike heist By Jeane MacIntosh October 14, 2013 | 10:10am A would-be motorcycle thief in Brazil who tried to pull off a daring heist at a traffic light was shot by cops seconds later – and the entire incident was caught on the theft victim’s helmet cam. The dramatic footage, posted online to Live Leak, shows a gloveless rider on a high-performance Honda Hornet tearing down a street and overtaking cars before slowing down at a Sao Paolo intersection. Two men on another bike pull up in front of him at the light – and...

We reported several days ago that two women who were part of a protest against President Barack Obama found themselves looking down the barrel of a gun during their protest. Apparently someone didn’t like the message they were sending. Now the suspect in that case has been arrested, and it’s an unlikely culprit. According to WSBTV, Police have arrested an 84-year-old man accused of pointing a gun at anti-President Barack Obama protestors. Roy Smith said he kept the Colt .32 handgun in his car for carjackers. Gwinnett police said he faces three counts of misdemeanor simple assault and pointing a...

The son of a slain Sikh temple president plans to challenge U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan in next year's congressional election, in a Wisconsin district where support for the 2012 Republican vice presidential nominee has been strong but slipping. Amar Kaleka, 35, told The Associated Press he'll file paperwork Wednesday to form an exploratory congressional committee. He plans to formally announce his candidacy as a Democrat next month. Kaleka said he wants to bring accountability and transparency back to Washington. He blamed the government shutdown on Ryan, who's the House Budget Committee chairman, and his GOP colleagues. He said citizens are...

A group of Milwaukee pastors and their supporters gathered Monday morning at a local coffee shop to implore city officials to sponsor a gun buyback program, which they say could remove weapons from the city's streets and reduce violence in their neighborhoods. "We are here today because we are fed up," said the Rev. John McVicker Sr., pastor at Christ the King Baptist Church. "There have been far too many senseless shootings in our city, many resulting in homicide." The pastors have asked the city to allot $50,000 in its 2014 budget to initiate a one-time, anonymous gun buyback, where...

Of course, I do not own an AR-15, but I may consider one in the future -- provided they are legal, naturally!But I like to prepare for future purchases. The rifle I am considering has no carrying-handle and no iron sights. I'd like freeper input on what sort of scope I should consider: Reflex / Holo with or without Fixed Power, a Fixed Power illuminated, or a variable power? Brands, prices, suggestions, all are welcome. The rifle would be for close to medium range target shooting (0-300 yards), especially 'action shooting' competitions. Price must be under or at 500. Would...

“Mark ‘I wasn’t really buying that AR-15‘ Kelly is committing a felony right in front of New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. It’s against New York State (NYS) law for someone to be in possession (i.e. holding) a handgun without a valid NYS Pistol license. Mark Kelly can’t have a NYS pistol license because he’s not a legal resident of New York.” An Empire State firearms attorney told TTAG that there’s an exception for firearms training but, as far as he can tell, not gun shows. Unless we hear otherwise, under Article 265 of New York State penal law,...

~~Come on in and shoot the breeze~~ Gun Talk Radio 10/13/13~~07:00 CST Listen to the podcast Here Or the KIDO 580 stream Here

You’ve seen the story about the terrorist toddler who was ridiculously suspended for threatening to shoot a classmate with her bright pink Hello Kitty bubble gun… Well, just for fun, I thought I’d track down some actual Hello Kitty guns… because they do exist. And they are pink. And cute. And I kinda want one. You got your basic Hello Kitty handgun, complete with a clip of Hello Kitty tipped bullets. Available in reworked Sig Sauer & Colt models, too! A Hello Kitty Keltec pistol? Or an HK-47? (Get it? HK? Like AK? No? Ok, well, I thought it was...

Well-meaning social liberals who think putting up some silly yellow signs proclaiming “Safe Passage” zones does nothing to deter predatory criminals, just as a slew of gun laws that only disarm the good guys do nothing to slow violent crime.

Another Democrat in the Colorado Senate is facing recall for voting for new gun control laws. Two other Democrats faced recall earlier this year over those laws, and despite having Michael Bloomberg and his anti-gun allies pour millions of dollars into Colorado to defend them, they were both defeated and removed. This third recall would switch control of the state Senate from D to R. So Gov. John Hickenlooper is scared, and wants Bloomberg and his anti-gun nuts to just stay away. Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper suggests national gun-control groups stay away from a looming recall battle that could switch...

Administrators at Texas Christian University repeatedly shot down conservative students’ attempts to publicize an event by using a picture of a gun, and vetoed a gun safety course entirely. Administrators at the private university in Fort Worth, Texas prohibited student members of a Young Americans for Freedom chapter from advertising conservative commentator Bay Buchanan’s visit to the university by circulating a picture of an antique shotgun with the caption “Fully Loaded.”

Big deal. They disowned the last two also, telling the organizers that they could never possibly win. But they were wrong. They could be right this time as there was already on effort to recall Evie Hudak by the voters in her district, but they didn’t get enough signatures to do it. This time it is more organized and they have plenty of volunteers. The state GOP, who lost the state to the democrats in the first place are still trying to dispense advice. And like any other free advice, it’s worth every penny of it. The State GOP...

Andrews-Ahearn filed three LSRs dealing with guns. She said she probably won’t move forward with one, a bill establishing a gun registry, and instead will focus on proposals for expanded background checks and a ban on assault weapons and large-capacity magazines. “I think a lot of people are looking at us as Democrats and saying, ‘Why aren’t you doing anything?’ ” Andrews-Ahearn said.

The good news: the ban does not extend to ammunition used for target shooting.The bad news: It extends to more than traditional hunting.    The bill applies to the taking of all wildlife.  From the bill: (b) Except as provided in subdivision (j), and as soon as is practicable as implemented by the commission pursuant to subdivision (i), but by no later than July 1, 2019, nonlead ammunition, as determined by the commission, shall be required when taking all wildlife, including game mammals, game birds, nongame birds, and nongame mammals, with any firearm. There is no exemption for self defense, protection of...

American action film star Steven Seagal will become the face of a new Russian firearm, the actor announced at a Moscow news conference Friday. Seagal also used the occasion to practice some local phrases, give two thumbs up to the Russian army and criticize the weapons used by President Vladimir Putin's bodyguards. The U.S. actor has established friendly relations with Putin, who shares a penchant for martial arts with Seagal, and Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov. One of Putin's associates, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, asked the American star earlier this year to lobby for easing restrictions on the sale of...

Neanderthals and Narcissists in the age of incoherence. ”Groupthink is a psychological phenomenon that occurs within a group of people, in which the desire for harmony or conformity in the group results in an incorrect or deviant decision-making outcome. Group members try to minimize conflict and reach a consensus decision without critical evaluation of alternative ideas or viewpoints, and by isolating themselves from outside influences.” (Source: Wikipedia) One of the stark ironies in this age of incoherence is the clash between post-modern presuppositions, and reality. For example, the prevailing presupposition appears to be: we can print money endlessly, spend this...

With all the momentum from the victories in successful recall elections for two other anti-gun senators Follow Guns ‘n’ Freedom on Twitter and stay informed! in Colorado, the pro gun movement is alive and well in the Centennial State. If the gun grabbers were not paying attention before, they should be now as a third senator is being targeted for removal from office for pushing restrictive gun control through the state. On Friday, October 4th, the Secretary of State in Colorado approved a petition to recall Senator Evie Hudak, a Democrat from Senate District 19. The group that is organizing...

Hyatt Gun Shop states that a subsidiary of Visa shut down payments for its customers' online gun purchases, effectively cutting ties with "the nation's largest gun store," Hyatt claims, because of legal online gun sales. Hyatt Gun Shop is located in Charlotte, NC, and owner Larry Hyatt says Authorize.net—described on its website as "a solution of Cybersource, a wholly owned subsidiary of Visa"—sent him an email saying they were ending their business relationship with his store over "the sale of firearms or any similar product." According to the Washington Examiner, the email said "that gun sales violated a section of...

With some businesses eager to let people know guns aren’t welcome, the Illinois State Police on Friday released the official sign to indicate a concealed carry ban. Businesses can download the state-approved sign for banning concealed carry on the Illinois State Police Web site. This summer, one Chicago restuarant put up a makeshift “no weapons” sign following the passage of Illinois’ concealed carry law. Keefer’s Restaurant managing partner Glenn Keefer expressed concerns about people carrying guns in his restaurant that serves alcohol as well as food. Permits for concealed carry become available online on Jan. 5.

The Obama administration has turned bureaucrats at environmental agencies into armed SWAT teams to conduct unprecedented raids on small mining operations for what used to be simple reviews of clean water permits. That’s according to Colorado Republican Rep. Doug Lamborn, chairman of the House Natural Resources subcommittee on energy and mineral resources, who held a hearing Thursday that examined the August raid of armed federal officials including the Environmental Protection Agency in Chicken, Alaska. Lamborn said the “EPA SWAT team of heavily armed and armored agents conducted paperwork inspections on small mining operations, in what appears nothing more than an...

The two Democratic state senators who lost their jobs last month in recall elections for endorsing strict gun control initiatives in Colorado are nothing more than sacrificial lambs in New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s mission to reform the nation’s gun laws. While Bloomberg didn’t precisely use the words “sacrificial lambs,” he essentially said as much in an interview with Time Magazine, when he rejected the notion that the recall was a sign that his side had lost in Colorado. “What do you mean we lost?” Bloomberg told Time. “I’m sorry for those two people. But we won in Colorado....

If you want to become part of the new nobility that is emerging in the American population, the good news is that it is possible.  The bad news is that it is not without cost in time, energy, money and effort. Here are ways to become a member in the new nobility: 1.  Become a police officer.   A street level police officer is at the low end of the noble class spectrum.    The lower end of a noble class always have greater numbers than the highest ends.   Police are treated with deference and have special privileges and immunities that the...

Pro-gun groups plan 'Guns Save Lives' day on Newtown massacre anniversary In an attempt to 'own' the Dec. 14 anniversary of the slayings at Sandy Hook elementary school, a coalition of gun lovers is trying to rebrand the day. Family members of Newtown victims say the anniversary should be about their loved ones — not politics. In an appalling bid to “own” the Dec. 14 anniversary of the Newtown slayings, a coalition of gun lovers has announced plans to declare that horrific date “Guns Save Lives” day. “We are going to use the day to get our views out,” said...

Alaska's governor, Sean Parnell, announced Thursday that a special counsel has been named to investigate raids by conducted by federal and state authorities near the town of Chicken. "Alaskans deserve to know all the facts in this case," Parnell said in a Thursday press release. "While these facts are being gathered, I will continue to be vigilant in defense of Alaskans' liberty and personal property.

The wait is over for California’s law-abiding gun owners, sportsmen and Second Amendment supporters. Governor Brown has signed some anti-gun bills and one anti-hunting bill into law. However, he also vetoed several anti-gun bills. Below is a list of the bills signed into law and vetoed as well as a link to the respective descriptions given by Governor Brown. The NRA will be looking over all the recently signed laws and our legal options for law-abiding Californians. Thanks to NRA members, gun owners, sportsmen and Second Amendment supporters who tirelessly called and e-mailed their state legislators and the Governor urging...

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has been hit with two suits this week, one demanding information on his anti-gun campaign, and the other targeting his soda and fat bans. Both are Freedom of Information lawsuits from Washington groups that charge the mayor's office with delaying release of critical information about his efforts to start a national campaign to limit guns and boost the health value of food sold in cities. The public watchdog group Judicial Watch on Thursday filed their suit demanding emails between Bloomberg's office, his group Mayors Against Illegal Guns and Vice President Biden. The group charges that...

Well, here we go again. Another group of wealthy, elitist supporters of gun control have come together, spending their own money to form a new organization to pursue their personal, pet agenda. This would be unremarkable, except that this time they are using the rare gambit of pretending to be a group that actually supports the Second Amendment. Note I said rare—not unprecedented. You would think that a group of self-styled entrepreneurs would perform some basic market research before launching this charade. If they had, they would have found they are not the first to mount such a deception. They...

Earlier this week, the ACLU sent a letter to ATF Deputy Director Thomas Brandon after an outside working application submitted by ATF Special Agent and Operation Fast and Furious whistleblower John Dodson was denied. Dodson's outside work application was for a book manuscript, The Unarmed Truth: My Fight to Blow the Whistle and Expose Fast and Furious, which Dodson worked on in his own time. The request was denied by Deputy Ethics Official Greg Serres in August 2013 on the basis that supervisors can deny outside employment “for any reason" and that the publication of his manuscript would have a...

Gov. Jerry Brown has vetoed a bill that would have banned future sales of most semi-automatic rifles that accept detachable magazines, part of a firearms package approved by state lawmakers in response to mass shootings in other states. The governor announced signing other gun-related legislation on Friday but rejected the centerpiece bill, which would have imposed the nation’s toughest restrictions on gun ownership.

"This guy approached him on going to scare, possibly beat, up, not kill somebody, and he would pay him, and pay him quite a bit of money," she explained. They say Dennison went to the home on Foss Hill Lane to scare the homeowner into paying back an outstanding debt. "I know it's not legal, it's not right," Thibault admitted. They say their family is struggling financially and so Dennison was trying to help. But State Police tell another side of this story. "He was up to no good," explained police spokesman Steve McCausland. Police say Dennison, wearing a black...

PENDLETON, OREGON - Harassed by someone at the park an elderly woman pulled a gun from her waistband and fired a shot in the air. Pendleton police say she would have been well within her rights to shoot and kill the fellow park goer. Neighbors have the right to be on edge. A young woman's murder went unsolved for a year until the random beating of a jogger on the riverwalk. Anna Salvador has lived in Pendleton for most of her life. She said, "I actually took 2 knives from my kitchen with me just because I was nervous about...

So the zombies are at your door. Death is upon you, but the gun shop is just a block away. You make a run for it, and you make it to the most extensive armory for miles. Time to make a decision: Which guns do you grab? Contrary to popular belief, not every gun will do the job the same, so to help make up your mind on which guns will save your life, here are my eight best guns for the zombie apocalypse.

<p>SACRAMENTO (CBS/AP) — Gov. Jerry Brown has vetoed a bill that would have banned future sales of most semi-automatic rifles that accept detachable magazines, part of a firearms package approved by state lawmakers in response to mass shootings in other states.</p>

Gun-rights advocates are ready to launch a recall attempt aimed at some of California's most vulnerable Democratic state lawmakers - and the party's supermajority hold on the Legislature - if Gov. Jerry Brown signs some of the dozen-plus gun-control bills sitting on his desk. They're emboldened by the successful recalls last month of two Colorado Democratic legislators who supported gun restrictions, including the leader of the state Senate. Voters replaced both with Republicans. "As soon as the results came in Colorado, our phones started ringing," said Jennifer Kerns, the California political consultant who helped lead the Colorado recalls. "Until then,...

(Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch announced today that on October 4, 2013, it filed a Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) lawsuit with the Supreme Court of the New York requesting that the office of New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg be ordered to produce all records of communications between the Office of the Mayor, the director of Mayors Against Illegal Guns (MAIG), and Vice President Joe Biden. The FOIL suit also requested that the mayor’s office be required to produce records of a January 9, 2013, meeting attended by MAIG representatives, Biden, and Attorney General Eric Holder. (Judicial Watch v....