Free Republic

From a man who’s no stranger to abject disgrace comes one of the purest examples of racial demagoguery we’ve seen from either side during this very long campaign, duly laughed at and applauded by the same group that worked so hard last week to get Palin disinvited from the anti-Iran rally. His party will love him for it, I assure you. Rep. Alcee Hastings told an audience of Jewish Democrats Wednesday that they should be wary of Republican VP nominee Sarah Palin because “anybody toting guns and stripping moose don’t care too much about what they do with Jews and...

A statewide law giving Ohioans the right to carry concealed weapons, even in parks, takes precedence over a city's ability to regulate firearms, the state Supreme Court said yesterday in a ruling that wipes out local gun laws. The court's 4-3 decision struck down a small Sandusky County town's ban on firearms in city parks, but also is expected to invalidate assault-weapons restrictions in other cities, including Columbus and Cleveland.

HARROLD, Tex. — Students in this tiny town of grain silos and ranch-style houses spent much of the first couple of days in school this week trying to guess which of their teachers were carrying pistols under their clothes. Harrold School Superintendent David Thweatt pushed for the policy to arm teachers with concealed guns. "Country people are take-care-of-yourself people." “We made fun of them,” said Eric Howard, a 16-year-old high school junior. “Everybody knows everybody here. We will find out.” The school board in this impoverished rural hamlet in north-central Texas has drawn national attention with its decision to let...

District of Columbia continues to violate civil rights By Charles Bloomer web posted August 4, 2008 In the aftermath of the Supreme Court's decision shooting down the District of Columbia's total handgun ban, the D.C. government passed emergency legislation to regulate handguns owned by its subjects – I mean, citizens. The new gun registration law was developed to be as difficult and inconvenient as possible with no regard for its effectiveness. In fact, the new law retains much of the previous gun ban, including provisions that the Supreme Court called unconstitutional. Despite the Supreme Court ruling, the new law outlaws...

One day in December of 2005, Colleen Nestler came to Santa Fe County District Court in New Mexico with a bizarre seven-page typed statement and requested a domestic-abuse restraining order against late-night TV host David Letterman. She stated, under oath, that Letterman seriously abused her by causing her bankruptcy, mental cruelty, and sleep deprivation since 1994. Nestler also alleged that he sent her secret signals “in code words” through his television program for many years and that he “responded to my thoughts of love” by expressing that he wanted to marry her. Judge Daniel Sanchez issued a restraining order against...

Lobbying Opportunity/Need The Department of the Interior has apparently extended the public comment period on their planned rulemaking related to the right to carry of law abiding citizens in our National Parks and Wildlife Refuges. The period was extended at the request of two very anti-2nd Amendment legislators, U.S. Senator Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii) and U.S. Representative Raul Grijalva (D-Arizona). They are hoping to flood the public comments with left-wing comments to keep you from protecting yourself in our parks. I would ask each of you that are concerned about protecting 2nd Amendment rights to click below and select the icon...

twincitiescarry.com is holding a potluck picnic and 2A Day celebration “Minnesota Gun Rights Gathering”, or GRG for short 11am, Sunday, July 13, Lake Harriet Bandshell picnic area, next to the Refectory. We will start setting up around 9 am. GPS address will be 4135 W Lake Harriet Parkway, Minneapolis 55410 42nd and W. Lake Harriet Parkway. Pay parking near, street parking a short walk away. Potluck theme, bring enough for yourself, and enough to share as well. Carry is optional. Please let us know if you plan to attend...we’d like to have an idea of how many will attend for...

UK: CONSERVATIVE LEADER David Cameron called for "a presumption to prison" for people found carrying knives yesterday as he launched his party's campaign in what he called Britain's "broken society by-election" in Glasgow East. FRANK MILLAR , London Editor reports Scottish first minister Alex Salmond claimed a political earthquake could see his Scottish National Party win the previously "safe" Labour seat, amid speculation that failure to hold his Scottish stronghold could finally precipitate a challenge to prime minister Gordon Brown's leadership.

With so much written and said daily about the upcoming election, I'll get right to the point: John McCain really needs to be elected president in November. Reason No. 1 – End the tyranny of the Supreme Court: Thursday's stunning 5-4 Supreme Court decision preserved Americans' most precious right – to keep and bear arms. You heard me right: "most precious" – more so even than the right to free speech, or freedom of religion. Why? Because without the right to keep and bear arms – not just to defend against criminals and terrorists, but as our founders knew so...

For all the people who might think the NRA is ineffective, take a listen to the last few seconds of Rush's third hour today. http://www.varmintal.com/rush-nra-7-1-8.mp3 I was glad to hear Rush say this. It is a very short .mp3 clip so as Rush would say, listen fast. Good Hunting... from Varmint Al (Life Member of the NRA)

For the past three decades, Washington, D.C. has enforced one of America's most draconian gun control laws—a total ban on the possession of handguns, not to mention strict gun lock provisions for rifles and shotguns, that has left law-abiding citizens unable to legally defend themselves and their homes. In March, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case of District of Columbia v. Heller, in which seven D.C. residents challenged the constitutionality of the ban. At the center of the case is the question of whether the Second Amendment protects an individual or collective right to keep and...

Gun Rights: Obama claims he believes the Second Amendment says you can own a gun but that local communities can still opt out of the Constitution. What will he say as his political hometown is sued by the NRA?While campaigning in Pennsylvania earlier this year, Barack Obama was having breakfast with his Democratic Senate colleague Bob Casey. A reporter asked Obama about Jimmy Carter's trip to see the terrorist group Hamas. Obama responded: "Why is it that, like, I can't just eat my waffle?" There's going to be another waffle Obama's going to eat as he tries to explain his...

On Thursday the US supreme court struck down Washington DC's 32-year-old gun ban as unconstitutional. Do you agree with its decision?

NEWS FROM THE SECOND AMENDMENT SISTERS 900 R.R. 620 S Suite C101, Box 228 Lakeway, TX 78734 World Wide Web: http://www.2asisters.org ============================== FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 06/26/2008 ============================== For additional information contact: Marinelle Thompson, President & Founder Phone: 877-271-6216 E-mail: mthompson@2asisters.org ============================== Lakeway, TX – SAS Applauds the Supreme Court Decision in DC vs HellerMarinelle Thompson, President and Founder, states “Second Amendment Sisters applauds the ruling by the Supreme Court today that the Second Amendment declares the right to bear arms to be a personal right, and not a collective right. We will now continue to work toward removing all...

The new sheriff has a big task in front of her in terms of reforming a troubled and mismanaged department rocked by abuse and corruption scandals. Unfortunately, Sandra Hutchens – who was installed as sheriff Thursday in a small ceremony in the clerk's office – is about to take the wrong approach on an issue of serious concern to Orange County residents: gun rights.

Hello members of the free republic community. I am currently working on a project for my government 101 class and I am in the dark. I am to write an opinion on D.C V Heller, (in which I side with Heller) but I am inundated with a lack of materials that are not infringed by liberal gun phobia. I am the only one supporting Heller in my class and I am being debated left and right, any idea would be much appreciated so that I am better equipped to fight back. I strongly believe that every American should own a...

DBKP announces the opening of its new Second Amendment forum, moderated by RidesAPaleHorse. DBKP Forum: The Right of the PeopleThis bears repeating... Article [II.] "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."The Second Amendment The Second Amendment guarantees: "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." This guarantees a citizen's right to keep and bear arms for personal defense. The revolutionary experience...

The Legislature has passed a bill allowing people to keep guns in their cars at work, even if their employers don't want them to. Should Gov. Charlie Crist sign the bill into law? Yes. No.

Deadly Home Invasion Columbus police say an East Side resident shot and killed a 19-year-old man who had broken into his apartment. By Christy Chatman - Thursday, April 3, 2008 Detectives say it appears the East Side resident who shot and killed a 19-year-old man early Thursday morning was acting in self-defense. A Franklin County Grand Jury will review the evidence. Police say Jermaine A. McCrary broke into the apartment at 2936 E. Fifth Ave. just before 2 a.m. and assaulted a man and woman. McCrary was armed and during the struggle he was shot by one of the residents,...

Frustrated with the number of students killed by gunfire, community leaders are calling for the passage of new gun legislation. Hundreds of students joined in the movement to reverse a deadly pattern of young people being shot and killed. So far, 20 Chicago public students have been killed by gunfire this school year. Students from Simeon Career Academy, 8147 S. Vincennes, left school Tuesday with the superintendent's blessing. The students took part in an anti-violence rally at the Thompson Center. Empty desks and pairs of shoes symbolized the young men and women who have been killed... ..."When young people stand...

The current leadership of the Washington, DC Metropolitan Police Department is an exercise in political correctness that will likely become a national laughingstock. The hopes of beleaguered citizens of the District of Columbia were dashed at the appointment of Cathy Lanier to become chief of police following the departure of Charles Ramsey, derisively known at "Chief Wiggums". Ramsey presided over the crime wave on the National Mall and could not find the body of missing intern Chandra Levy for nearly two years until a man walking his dog in Rock Creek Park discovered a leg bone. Ramsey has moved on...

Next Wednesday, March 25, the Assembly Public Safety Committee will consider legislation that would require gun owners to obtain a “permit-to-purchase” before buying handgun ammunition. Introduced by State Assembly Member Kevin De Leon (D-45), Assembly Bill 2062 puts ammunition sales in the crosshairs. AB2062 would require that law-abiding gun owners obtain a permit to buy handgun ammunition and would impose severe restrictions on the private transfers of handgun ammunition. Applicants for a “permit-to-purchase” would be required to submit to a background check, pay a $35 fee, and wait as long as 30 days to receive the permit.

Does the Constitution grant individuals the right to bear arms, or is that right reserved exclusively for members of a "well-regulated militia"? After 69 years of silence on the Second Amendment, the U.S. Supreme Court took up that question yesterday in the historic case of District of Columbia v. Heller, a challenge to the District's ban on all functional firearms. I helped bring this case to court on behalf of six Washington, D.C., residents who want to keep functional firearms in their homes to defend themselves and their families should the need arise. But D.C. law bans all handguns not...

"The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government." - Thomas Jefferson The Bill of Rights clearly articulates rights guaranteed to all citizens of the United States. Rights are largely a moral concept – the concept that facilitates individuals living within a larger society. The Bill of Rights essentially gives legal meaning to the moral rights expected of a free society. Stated another way, individual rights are the means of subordinating society to moral law. Since it cannot rightly be said that...

If it goes without saying that the nation is divided over gun laws, the Supreme Court certainly seemed to mirror that split during arguments today challenging the District of Columbia's handgun ban. Though many justices appeared to lean in favor of an individual right, they diverged over whether such a decision would still allow D.C.'s law to stay in place. The case, D.C. v. Heller, is the single biggest test of the Second Amendment since 1939 and looks at whether the Constitution supports an individual right to bear arms or just a state's collective right to form a militia. It...

Preparing to hear oral arguments Tuesday on the extent of gun rights guaranteed by the Constitution's Second Amendment, the U.S. Supreme Court has before it a brief signed by Vice President Cheney opposing the Bush administration's stance. Even more remarkably, Cheney is faithfully reflecting the views of President George W. Bush. The government position filed with the Supreme Court by U.S. Solicitor General Paul Clement stunned gun advocates by opposing the breadth of an appellate court affirmation of individual ownership rights. The Justice Department, not the vice president, is out of order. But if Bush agrees with Cheney, why did...

A gun rights organization in the United States is accusing the media of trying to conceal the fact that a gunman who attacked students at Jerusalem's Mercaz Harav seminary was stopped by an armed student at the school. Authorities report that Ytizhak Dadon, 40, was a "private citizen who had a gun license and was able to shoot the gunman with his pistol," according to a statement released today by the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms. In its earlier reporting on the tragedy, WND confirmed, "One terrorist reportedly was shot to death by a student...

Pittsfield Township police arrested three people accused of attacking a man in traffic after he earlier tried to intervene in a dispute. The victim was outside Falsetta's Market at 2200 Pittsfield Blvd. at about 4 p.m. Wednesday when he saw a man loudly arguing with a woman and trying to push her into a van, said Detective Lt. Steve Heller. The victim said he asked if everything was OK and told the woman she didn't have to get into the vehicle. He said the man told him to mind his own business, and they left in the van. The victim...

In my column last week, I wrote about the shooting rampage at the Town Council meeting in Kirkwood, Missouri that took the lives of 5 people. Only a couple of days after the column appeared on the Thinker, another gun-related tragedy occurred; this time at Northern Illinois University and it claimed 5 more innocent lives. That's right: another maniac, with guns bristling all over him, walked into a "gun-free zone" and began picking off human beings as if they were ducks in a shooting gallery. There were only a few minutes left in the ocean sciences class being held in...

In light of the continuous school shootings, I think everyone needs to contact their state representatives to encourage the right to carry concealed, as well as carrying concealed on school campus. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ON SHEEP, WOLVES, AND SHEEPDOGSFrom the book, On Combat By Lt. Col (ret) Dave Grossman, US Army Ranger, Former West Point Psychology Professor Reprinted with permissionHonor never grows old, and honor rejoices the heart of age. It does so because honor is, finally, about defending those noble and worthy things that deserve defending, even if it comes at a high cost. In our time, that may mean social...

RICHMOND (AP) — People would be allowed to store guns in a locked glove box or other interior compartment of a vehicle or boat even if they lack a concealed-weapons permit under legislation that passed the Senate yesterday. Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine vetoed similar legislation in 2006 for fear that it could endanger law-enforcement officers. The Senate voted 31-9 to pass the bill, within the two-thirds majority needed to override a veto. Under current law, motorists without concealed-weapons permits may put guns on the seat beside them in plain view. Sen. Jill Holtzman Vogel, Winchester Republican, said her bill was...

The National Rifle Association reports on the gun control bill that Senator John McCain introduced with liberal Democrats Joe Lieberman and Jack Reed. --------------- Introduced, appropriately enough, on Halloween, the McCain-Reed-DeWine-Lieberman gun show bill masquerades as reform but imposes bureaucratic restrictions aimed at eliminating gun shows. The legislation is based on the McCain-Lieberman bill (S. 890) from the 107th Congress, and, similarly, not only fails to address gun owners` most significant concerns, but also fails to address any issues within the National Instant Check System (NICS). McCain-Reed is not about closing a "gun show loophole"—there is no "gun show loophole."...

Around the Square -- Second Amendment needs clarification. http://cantondailyledger.com/articles/2008/01/29/news/news02.txt The Canton Daily Ledger Tue, 29 Jan 2008 5:26 PM PST Something that dates back to the founding of this nation was the writing of the Constitution in 1787. The Second Amendment to the Constitution has 27 words in it, and the U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to hear a case for which the results could have a profound effect on the rights of Americans to bear arms.........

In the coming months, the U.S. Supreme Court will consider the constitutionality of Washington, D.C.’s ban on handgun ownership and self-defense in law-abiding residents’ homes. The Court will first address the question of whether the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, as embodied in the Bill of Rights, protects the rights of individuals or a right of the government. If the Court agrees that this is an individual right, they will then determine if D.C.’s self-defense and handgun bans are constitutional.

A York City woman scared off a robber Wednesday when the handgun she was carrying accidentally fired during the struggle for her purse. Wanda D. Clark, 32, of West Jackson Street, was at the Hess Gas Station at 253 S. Queen St. at 9:09 pm Wednesday when she had an argument with a man she knew. The man, whose name has not been released by police, then struck Clark and grabbed her purse in an effort to take it, police said. But Clark resisted, and she grabbed the purse in an effort to keep it away from the man. During...

State Sen. Eric Johnson was among the first prominent Georgians to jump on the Fred Thompson for President bandwagon. The Savannah Republican helped persuade dozens of state lawmakers to endorse the former Tennessee senator earlier this year. But he remained relatively quiet after Thompson officially entered the GOP race this summer. Until last week, that is. That was when Thompson slipped to fifth place in one national poll after doing only a little better in other recent ones. Earlier, he'd led in one national poll and stayed near the front of the pack in others. Against that backdrop, Johnson weighed...

Naomi Wolf, Second Amendment Sister? Naomi Wolf has an article in today’s Washington Post tied to her new book, The End of America: A Letter of Warning to a Young Patriot. The essay is actually a lot less leftist than the book. She deplores the civic illiteracy among young people that leaves them feeling ”depressed, cynical and powerless.” And she blames influences on both left and right: the Bush administration’s portrayal of “freedom and checks and balances as threats to national security,” of course, and also the No Child Left Behind Act’s emphasis on math and reading rather than civics...

Dorchester doesn’t have a gun problem. It has a mom problem. When I read that the reason for the Boston Police Department’s new no-warrant search and seizure plan is because Dorchester moms are too scared to search their kids’ rooms, I was astonished. “This is a tool to empower the parent who is afraid of the violence invading their family, their home,” said the Rev. Jeffrey Brown, he of the Ten Point Coalition. “I don’t know any mother who says ‘I want my child to have guns in the house.’ ” Rev. Brown, I don’t know a mother who would...

BATH, N.H. -- It is the first day for deer hunting season in New Hampshire (for those not using arrows) and Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul marked the day with a stop at a gun store in Whitefield.

JR interviews Duncan Hunter on the Second Amendment Representative Duncan Hunter sparked my interest when he announced that he was throwing his hat into the ring and run for president on the GOP ticket. The Duncan Hunter '08 website did an excellent job of defining his core values and beliefs in the areas of the war in Iraq, terrorism, taxes, abortion and the like, but had scant information on his views of gun rights and the Second Amendment. So what's a blogger to do other than get in contact with his campaign staff and request an interview? After correspondence back...

Richmond prosecutors will seek a felony indictment on a charge of reckless discharge of a firearm against the Baskin-Robbins ice-cream parlor manager who fatally shot a man who robbed the store this month. "We have considered everything the police officers have brought in, the witnesses interviewed, the review of the scene and the forensic evidence collected, and I believe there is probable cause that a crime has been committed," said Richmond Commonwealth's Attorney Michael N. Herring, explaining his decision to present evidence to a grand jury. Herring is expected to formally announce his decision at a news conference this morning....

If John Erickson hadn't had his gun with him when a neighbor's pit bull attacked him, there's no telling how bad things might have been. Erickson, 22, was walking up to his house on 400 South near 700 West in Orem on Wednesday when a neighbor's pit bull bit him from behind. As he rode his scooter to his house around 8:30 p.m., Erickson saw the dog sitting calmly while a neighborhood girl petted it. Then he parked and took three or four steps toward his house when the dog bit him. "All of a sudden the dog grabbed my...

Here is huge news for Fred Thompson: He will be given exclusive rights to advertise at Florida gun shows, eleven of them, between now and the January 29, 2008 Florida primary! Here's the news from the Miami Herald: "Fred Thompson's presidential campaign has hit a conservative bull's eye: The exclusive rights to advertise at some of Florida's largest gun shows. Pasco County Republican chairman Bill Bunting said he has engineered the deal for the former Tennessee senator and Law & Order star because he's the best person to trust when it comes to the right to buy, sell and own...

Invitation to u FR folks: get your butt to New Hampshire Jan 3 - 6, 2008. That's the second annual New Hampshire Liberty Forum, put on by the Free Staters. It's a good chance to experience NH and decide whether you really want to remain in that authoritarian state you currently live in. Keynote speakers have yet to be announced, but last year's speakers included presidential candidate Ron Paul and John Stossell from ABC news....plus, it seemed, half the NH legislature. We had a lot of fun; turnout was around 300. And of course there's a lot more going on....This...

....One of his more bold political stances is his view of the 2nd Amendment (i.e. gun rights). Look at the follow quote from this document...

Pro-gun Senator David Vitter (R-LA) is getting ready to introduce a bill that would block the United Nations from implementing gun control measures affecting U.S. citizens. Entitled the "UN Second Amendment Protection Act of 2005," the bill does still not have a number, as Sen. Vitter is trying to get original cosponsors to join him. Gun owners across America are increasingly victorious in legislative and elective battles at the local, state and national levels. Nevertheless, anti-gun internationalists, long burrowed in the UN headquarters, are planning, with some success, massive international gun control measures. This entire week, the UN is holding...

Earthtimes.org (Press Release) Zogby International / Associated Television News Poll finds 66% of Voters Say 'No' to New Gun Laws Posted on : 2007-08-21 | Author : Zogby International News Category : PressRelease LOS ANGELES, Aug. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- A recent Zogby International poll question conducted for Associated Television News found that 66% of the American voting public in a recent poll of 1,020 Americans from August 8-11, 2007 (margin of error of +/- 3.1%) found that the American public rejects the notion that new gun control laws are needed.(LOGO: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030425/ATNLOGO)The poll asked: "Which of the following two statements...

TWIN FALLS, IDAHO As 7 p.m. approaches, the high-desert sunlight lingers with a golden hue and 80 degree warmth, favoring the people who pull their vehicles into the downtown lot by the Lamphouse Theater. Disembarking and filing into the movie theater, they appear to be a Western cross-section: carefully stepping gray-haired ladies, a guy in an electric wheelchair, a few sweet little girls, the vice mayor, a toddler clinging to a mother’s shoulder, two doctors, and the inevitable guy wearing camo pants. Collectively, they would seem to have little to worry about. All around them on this mid-June evening, Twin...

Have you ever wondered why liberals are in favor of more gun control laws? Looking past the obvious and stated arguments put forward by liberals (crime, etc.) we delve into the minds of liberals – offering a few possibilities for their strange behavior.

Elbert County commissioners on Wednesday gave Boy Scouts the go-ahead to host two weekend shooting-range events, to the dismay of neighbors who say the shotguns are too loud. The commissioners' decision went against the recommendation of their planning director and the county sheriff. They granted a temporary permit, on the condition that the Scouts conduct noise tests, limit shooting hours and give neighbors notice of their shoot-a-thons, which raise funds. But Jay Enyart, who lives across the street from the Scouts' Peaceful Valley Ranch, said after the meeting he was disappointed. "I feel like this was a political solution where...