Free Republic

Looking past the Romney win in Florida, what do the next primary races look like for candidates espousing Second Amendment rights? The four remaining GOP candidates are spending millions of dollars tearing each other apart for the chance to take on President Obama in November. But while all eyes are on the Republican presidential primary, Gun Owners of America (GOA) also has to prepare for something that American gun owners don’t even want to think about; the possibility of a second Obama term. Think about it. A second term for Obama means he will be unencumbered with thoughts about reelection....

In 2006, as Mitt Romney began his run for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination, he purchased a lifetime membership in the NRA. Responding to those who asked about his sudden support for the organization, Romney declared, “I’m after the NRA’s endorsement. …If I’m going to ask for their endorsement, they’re going to ask for mine.” (1) It has been well documented that Mitt Romney has been on both sides of virtually every issue since his battle with John McCain for the 2008 nomination first began. So the fact that he spent a few hundred bucks in hopes of conning the...

Rick Perry is still struggling to remember which three Cabinet-level government agencies he would like to eliminate if elected president. Perry was asked about his proposal during a radio interview with Savannah, Ga., radio host Bill Edwards, according to ABC News.“Three right off the bat, you know, Commerce, Interior and Energy, are three that you think,” Perry said. But Perry had previously suggested that he would eliminate the Department of Education, not the Department of the Interior.  Edwards went on to ask Perry about the Department of Education later in the interview. “They are blackmailing states with our own money,...

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., speaking in New Hampshire this morning, reminded her audience of the tragic Tucson shooting last year -- and also insinuated that the Tea Party, which she said regards political opponents as "the enemy," has enhanced divisiveness in Congress and had something to do with the shooting, at least indirectly. "We need to make sure that we tone things down, particularly in light of the Tucson tragedy from a year ago, where my very good friend, Gabby Giffords -- who is doing really well, by the way, -- [was shot]," Wasserman Schultz, the Democratic National Committee...

Sarah Palin’s husband is endorsing Newt Gingrich for president, Todd Palin told ABC News today. But Sarah Palin, the former Alaska governor and John McCain’s 2008 Republican running mate, has yet to decide “who is best able to go up against Barack Obama,” Todd Palin said. Palin said he has not spoken to Gingrich or anyone from the former House speaker’s campaign. But he said he respects Gingrich for what he went through in the 1990s and compared that scrutiny in public life to what Sarah Palin went through during her run for the vice presidency.

Santorum's so-called surge is all but gone. Huntsman is catching up.

GOP New Hampshire primary debate tonight on ABC at 9pm ET By Nate, on January 7th, 2012 Tonight will mark the first of two debates this weekend focused on the New Hampshire Republican primary. This evening's debate will take place at Saint Anselm College and is sponsored by ABC News, Yahoo! and WMUR. Sunday morning will feature a GOP debate broadcast on NBC at 9am ET (yes, am) but look for more details on that later today. Air Time: Saturday, January 7th at 9pm ET / 6pm PT on ABC Live Stream: WMUR and Yahoo! News Participants: Santorum, Romney, Paul,...

"It has recently come to our attention that your station has either been asked to run, or may soon be asked to run, various advertising spots produced by the Mitt Romney aligned SuperPAC “Restore Our Future” or Romney for President, the principal campaign committee of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. Included among the Romney advertisements submitted to your station for broadcast are likely to be various advertisements which specifically mention Speaker Gingrich and purport to quote or reference the findings of a 1997 report issued by the House Select Committee on Ethics (the “Report”). The content of these advertisements state...

What a difference a caucus makes. Rick Santorum who two months ago had one percent (1%) support among likely South Carolina Republican Primary voters now is running a close second there with 24% of the vote. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in the Palmetto State finds former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney still in the lead, earning 27% support from likely GOP Primary Voters, up from 23% in early November. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is in third with 18% of the vote, followed by Texas Congressman Ron Paul at 11%. Bringing up the rear are Texas Governor Rick Perry...

As the results of the Iowa caucus dribbled in, Americans got to see how the GOP candidates greeted victory and defeat. Top vote-getter Mitt Romney was gracious toward Rick Santorum, who came in second by eight thin votes, but uninspiring as he pledged to get America back to work. Santorum pronounced, "Game on," then hailed his Italian grandfather's decision to leave Italy to dig coal, if that's what it took to bring his family to the United States. Ron Paul, who came in third, saluted the work of his enthusiastic volunteers and credited his success to his role as a...

As Matthew Boyle noted, the ad wars for New Hampshire are about to heat up. Here is the full-page Union Leader ad that Mitt Romney can look forward to seeing when he arrives New Hampshire tomorrow…

SEE AD AT SITE Newt Gingrich has a message for John McCain: Welcome to the 2012 race. On Wednesday, a super PAC backing Gingrich welcomed McCain’s endorsement of former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney (R) by seizing on a Web ad, “Two Mitts,” that the Arizona Republican had run against Romney during the 2008 GOP nominating battle. The spot juxtaposes clips of Mitt Romney stating contrasting positions on issues including abortion rights and gun control throughout his political career. The salvo from the pro-Gingrich “Winning Our Future” super PAC comes as Gingrich is vowing to step up his campaign-trail attacks on...

Last night, I wondered if four of the “Not Romneys” would “have the self-control to stop hitting the other Not Romneys and focus on Romney?” For much of this morning, it appeared there would be two fewer of them, with indications that Perry and Bachmann would depart the race. But now, perhaps not; Perry’s personal Twitter account just chirped, “And the next leg of the marathon is the Palmetto State…Here we come South Carolina!!!” It featured this photo:

Romney 24% Gingrich 23% Paul 13% Perry 7% Santorum 6% Bachmann 5% Huntsman 2%

Prior to the “Republican Revolution” of 1994, Rep. Newt Gingrich of Georgia had earned an A rating with Gun Owners of America. But that all changed in 1995, after Republicans were swept to power and Gingrich became Speaker of the House. The Republicans gained the majority, thanks in large part to gun owners outraged by the Clinton gun ban. And upon taking the reins of the House, Speaker Gingrich said famously that, “As long as I am Speaker of this House, no gun control legislation is going to move in committee or on the floor of this House and there...

The New York Post (founded by Alexander Hamilton, but don't hold that against the current version) reports on the strange case of Meredith Graves, a 39-year-old medical student and nurse from Tennessee who was arrested for illegally carrying - and voluntarily surrendering - a gun at Manhattan's 9/11 Memorial. Graves is licensed to carry in Tennessee and was in New York for a job interview, reports the Post, when she and her husband visited the memorial. Upon seeing a sign saying no weapons allowed, says the Post, she realized she was carrying a .32 caliber pistol and inquired about...

Obama administration officials are deliberately keeping gun owners in the dark about the president’s gun-control agenda as we head into next year’s national election, because administration officials know that when NRA members and gun owners show up at the polls en masse, anti-gun candidates lose. The Obama campaign’s strategy goes like this: Neutralize gun owners and NRA members as a political force in the upcoming national election by pretending to be pro-gun or at least not focused on pushing a gun-control agenda; With gun owners neutralized, Obama will be able to win the election. After the president is re-elected, he...

Mark Meckler, co-founder of Tea Party Patriots, one of the largest and most prominent tea-party groups, was arrested today at New York City's LaGuardia Airport on a gun charge – despite showing police his pistol permit and explaining that the weapon is registered in California. "Mark Meckler, an attorney and national coordinator for Tea Party Patriots, who holds a concealed-carry permit from the state of California, today was charged with a firearms violation at LaGuardia Airport in New York City," said Brian Stapleton, Meckler's lawyer, in a statement. "While in temporary transit through the state of New York in possession...

True or false: Federal law dictates felons lose their right to bear arms. True. True or false: Felons can get those rights back, even those convicted of murder. Also true. In fact, in some states a judge can reinstate those rights without review; in other states, gun rights are automatically restored after felons complete their sentence. In Washington state alone, The New York Times reports that “since 1995, more than 3,300 felons and people convicted of domestic violence misdemeanors have regained their gun rights," 13 percent of whom committed new crimes. The breakdown occurs at the intersection of state and...

Perry is nearly perfect with regards to his gun record.

Then there is the case of Krysta Sutterfield, who was arrested Friday at 1am outside of the Sherman Perk coffee shop in Milwaukee. She was charged with loitering and resisting and officer. She was openly carrying a firearm at the time of her arrest.

It’s tempting to get distracted with the horse race aspect of electoral politics during a primary season. But as pundits talk about “who’s up and who’s down” in the 24 hour news cycle, we must keep our eye on the ball with the Obama administration. They rely on distraction to skirt responsibility, but we’re going to hold them accountable for their corruption and incompetence. When the stories about Operation Fast and Furious first broke, it sounded too crazy even for this administration. Why would any government official with an ounce of common sense think it’s a good idea to facilitate...

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.

The Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) held their 26th annual Gun Rights Policy Conference (GRPC) in Chicago this year. I have missed the last few events and was excited to attend this year's conference. I'm not sure how many I have attended, but for me, this was the best. Many criticized going and spending money in Chicago, Illinois, which is enemy territory for gun owners. Illinois is the only state with no legal concealed carry, with Chicago leading the fight against gun ownership in that state. But you don't win wars by playing defense. You must play offense to score points....

In spite of liberal bleating about more hand guns surely leading to more gun violence, in spite of predictions of a return to “Old West” style settling of arguments by gunfights and attacks on the Supreme Court as being “unwise” for affirming the right of Americans to keep guns in their homes, the sky did not fall. Gun we have learned, really don’t kill me after all. Data just released by Chicago shows gun crimes and murder rates are down and substantially down in Washington D.C. since the right to individual ownership of guns was forcibly returned to the people....

A federal lawsuit filed in Texas last year seeks to repeal the prohibition, as part of the Gun Control Act of 1968, on handgun purchases by 18 to 20-year-olds from licensed dealers. That lawsuit has hit a snag, with U.S. District Judge Samuel Cummings dismissing it yesterday. From the Statesman: In a 17-page order, U.S. District Judge Samuel Cummings dismissed a challenge to a 32-year-old [actually 42] federal law barring handgun sales by licensed gun dealers to people under the age of 21. Judge Cummings' rationale is especially . . . interesting: "The Court is of the opinion that the...

Thanks to Mark Vanderberg and Doc Wesson of the Gun Rights Radio Network you can see the entire two days of the conference here:

AGRA, Russia — When Sergei the Gypsy wanted to show who was boss in this tiny settlement on the edge of the Ural Mountains, he gathered a posse of armed men and drove down a narrow road through the night, illuminating the forest with his headlights. “They are coming to kill us,” one of the villagers shouted, and Viktor Gorodilov, who was in his bathhouse, threw on some clothes and joined a small group of men with shotguns, pitchforks, chains and knives to guard the road. “We just had three guns, including me,” said Mr. Gorodilov, 56. “But they didn’t...

Gov. Rick Perry today lambasted new Department of Justice reporting requirements for gun dealers in states on the U.S.-Mexico border, calling the new rules “misguided” and “constitutionally questionable.” The new requirement from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, announced Monday, means firearms dealers from Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California will have to notify the federal government whenever an individual buys two or more semi-automatic rifles. Gun dealers are already required to notify the government of multiple handgun purchases. Mexican President Felipe Calderón has repeatedly claimed that 85 percent of the 100,000 guns seized in Mexico in the...

After yesterday’s news of the deal between Senators Pat Leahy and Charles Grassley to get documents and testimony from ATF chief Kenneth Melson on Operation Fast and Furious, it seemed as though Democrats might finally take the scandal of the gunrunning fiasco seriously. Alas, Elijah Cummings and House Democrats appear uninterested in abuses of government power, incompetence, and potential cover-ups at AFT and the Department of Justice. In fact, they want to turn the probe into an argument for expanding government control of firearms: The top Democrat on a House investigative committee is broadening an inquiry into a botched gun-tracing...

FAIRFAX, VA: “If you are a federally licensed dealer in firearms, you may recently have received a survey questionnaire from gun control supporter Dr. Garen Wintemute, of the University of California, Davis,” a June 29 National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action alert warns. “The survey asks dealers questions about their business, their reasons for being in the business, their support for gun control, and their customers,” it explains. NRA is recommending against dealers responding to the survey because “Over the years, [Wintemute] has received hundreds of thousands of dollars from anti-gun organizations to conduct ‘studies’ designed to promote gun...

A pharmacist who fatally shot a teenage robber in Oklahoma City was found guilty Thursday of first-degree murder in a jury trial that ignited debate over the limits of self-defense. The pharmacist, 59-year-old Jerome Ersland, fired a weapon after two young men entered his pharmacy, one of them waving a gun, in May 2009. Mr. Ersland's bullet hit 16-year-old Antwun Parker in the head, Oklahoma County prosecutors alleged. Moments later, Mr. Ersland shot Mr. Parker five more times as he lay unconscious on the ground, say prosecutors who had a security surveillance video to bolster their case. Defense lawyers argued...

Drives me nuts when I send an impassioned letter or email to my Congressperson or Senator and I get some stupid, generic response back... This one was a little different: "I ... oppose recent congressional efforts to restrict the rights of gun owners. People choose to own firearms for a variety of reasons, and many new gun laws end up becoming a burden for law-abiding citizens. The Second Amendment limits Congress's power to restrict the right to purchase, transport, and posses a firearm, and I remain committed to defending it just as vigorously as the rest of the United States...

Conservative forces often complain about losing the grand battle for the heart and soul of America, about declining moral standard, and a certain long term move towards socialism and loss of freedom. Well, atleast when it comes to gun rights, the move seems to be going the other way. Look at the map above, 48 out of 50 states allow residents to carry concealed weapons, and the overwhelming majority have a “shall issue” policy, meaning that concealed permits are given in all but extraordinary circumstances. Oh, and the map is outdated, Iowa has recently become a shall issue state, also...

Too often, it seems city officials in Washington would like to forget they must operate under the Constitution. The District has gone out of its way to deny residents any meaningful ability to protect themselves at home with a firearm, prompting the Second Amendment Foundation to file a lawsuit on Tuesday to allow gun purchases in the nation’s capital. The landmark District of Columbia v. Heller case should have settled the matters like this three years ago. In its ruling, the Supreme Court smacked down D.C. gun-control measures and reaffirmed the constitutional protection for the individual’s right to own a...

Arizona is hot on Utah's heels, following its lead to designate its own official state gun. The Arizona House early Wednesday narrowly approved the Colt Single Action Army Revolver as the state's official gun. The bill had been rejected earlier in an all-night session, the AP reports, but it eventually won approval by a 32-25 vote. "Anytime you see a Western movie, the revolver in John Wayne's hand is a Colt single action," Arizona state Sen. Ron Gould (R) told Reuters. "This is a historic firearm and it fits well with the story of Arizona." But state Sen. Albert Hale...

TELLS PRESIDENT: IF YOU BELIEVE IN SECOND AMENDMENT RIGHTS; LOSE THE “LIP SERVICE” AND DEMONSTRATE IT Following the Tucson shooting, Barrack Obama called on us to put aside “stale political debates” and begin a “a new discussion” on ways to better enforce and “strengthen” America’s gun laws. Pardon my skepticism, but when I hear words like “stale political debates” and “strengthen (existing) laws” from this president, it gets my attention; Obama has demonstrated his disdain for “stale” American values and principles so many times, I don’t trust anything that sounds remotely like “hope and change” any more. When Justice Department...

As the abortion and gay marriage debates simmer beneath the national brawl over spending, a new poll shows Americans are becoming much less conservative when it comes to social issues. A Pew Research Center poll released Thursday showed growing support for legal abortion, gay marriage and marijuana legalization. The shifting attitudes on the latter topic were particularly dramatic. Americans opposed legalizing marijuana by an 81-16 split two decades ago. The latest poll showed just 50 percent now oppose the change, while 45 percent support legalizing marijuana. On the abortion question, the survey showed Americans trending toward supporting abortion rights after...

Self-Defense: Illinois' attorney general wants to publish the state's list of gun-owners, placing the lives and safety of non-gun-owners at risk. It's a list for criminals of the best potential victims. The anti-gun lobby has sought to impose what it calls "sensible restrictions" on gun ownership ever since Otis McDonald, a 76-year-old Army veteran who lives in a high crime area of Chicago, won his case before the U.S. Supreme Court saying the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution he fought to protect gives him the right to bear arms. These restrictions vary from training and education requirements to waiting...

"What about this curious little quote from one of the Co-Sponsors Senator Clary : Police and prosecutors deserve expanded concealed carry rights because of the dangers they face in their dealings with the criminal justice system, Clary said, explaining that she wouldn’t support such rights for private workers such as restaurant servers or truck drivers."

Rocking the house at the Safari Club International annual convention, Sarah Palin warned Obama was out for their gun rights—and dangles a major hint about 2012.

Excitement was building for days ahead of Palin’s visit” * Some 2,000 formally-dressed members of the Safari Club International, after paying $100 each for what the Gazette-Journal billed as “Reno's hottest ticket,” crowded into the Peppermill Resort Spa Casino's Tuscany Ballroom Saturday night to hear Sarah Palin speak of the importance of protecting the environment an how Hunting and fishing are part of the American “heritage” and the nation’s “exceptionalism”: Smith predicted that in a few months, Gov. Palin will return to Nevada for an appearance at “Republican headquarters.” h/t: Fay - JP

I find it fascinating that in two columns by Bob Herbert of the NY Times and one by the editor of the Hutchinson News, the writers can only come to one conclusion in the face of several public mass shootings in the US: more gun control. It is useful to consider the phrase "first responders." In recent years it has come to refer to the first government employees who respond to an incident and who assist as best they can when they arrive at the scene. Actually, the first responders are those at the scene of an incident when it...

Cultists now in charge Gene Lyons Some years ago, I reported on a self-defense/gun-safety class mainly for women at Rice University. There had been several forcible rapes on the Houston, Texas, campus. Students had armed themselves. The instructor was an Army ROTC officer. A Vietnam combat veteran, he found the prospect of undergraduates packing heat unsettling, but reasoned that if they were arming themselves anyway, some training was better than none. Unlike many entrepreneurs teaching concealed-carry classes from sea to shining sea, he urged students to leave their guns at home. He stressed that he couldn’t turn them into infantry...

Help freep this poll. It is half way down the page on the left side. The question is Should guns be banned on local government properties?

I was in New York last night to tape an appearance on "Justice with Judge Jeanine" which airs tonight (Sat.) at 9pm and again Sunday night. The topic of choice was concealed carry on campus, which has sparked renewed interest after the Tuscon shooting. If anyone is able to TiVo the segment for me, I would be obliged to get a copy! And while I'm at it, we need all the help we can get with Students for Concealed Carry. (We accept donations at concealedcampus.org.) A side benefit of the trip was a chance meeting with Karl Rove in the...

Gardena, CA - A Southern California-based gun safety group has announced its intention to host a week-long seminar in Gardena following a school shooting Tuesday that left two students in critical condition.  According to an LA Unified School District spokesperson, the shooting occurred when a gun inside a backpack accidentally discharged. "We've heard enough rhetoric demonizing guns, and it's time to take responsibility," said Kevin Lohman, organizer for the local group called Gun Safety Awareness.  GSA was formed earlier this month, consisting mostly of members from the California Rifle and Pistol Association (CRPA). "We need damage control, before yet another...

Calling it "Operation Freedom's No Loophole," the Virginia Citizens Defense League (VCDL) will rally at the Virginia Capitol on Monday, January 17, 2011, also a federal holiday known as Martin Luther King Day. In a press release issued today, VCDL declared its aim to "make Virginia both a 'shall accept' & 'constitutional carry' state this session." . . .

I've never seen this before. The first video is ok, the second one (7:55) is outstanding. http://blackmanwithagun.com/

By Lawrence J. Joyce Editor-In-Chief, WebToday January 11, 2011 The Left has done us a favor ... again! This time, in two ways: 1.) by saying that the shooting of Congresswoman Giffords illustrates (supposedly) the need for more gun control laws; and, 2.) by saying that the shooting is to be blamed on the Right. If anything illustrates just exactly where the Leftists are coming from, this is it. First of all, picture this: 97% of the people who are at an event like the town-hall style meeting where Giffords was shot show up for the event without a gun....