Free Republic

(CNSNews.com) - A pro-gun group is urging Ohio Gov. Bob Taft to sign a bill that would allow law-abiding citizens to carry concealed weapons. The bill isn't perfect, said Ohioans for Concealed Carry, but nevertheless, the group believes it will serve as a deterrent to violent crime. "Ohio's defenseless citizens deserve a law that will allow them the same right to survive a criminal encounter as citizens in every bordering state, and 44 [states] across the nation now enjoy," said Ohioans for Concealed Carry in a press release. The group points to a series of recent carjacking incidents in Ohio...

The Second Amendment Sisters and Gun Nuttery tracks Right to Self Defense by year and state. http://www.gun-nuttery.com/maps/s_1986.gif http://www.gun-nuttery.com/maps/s_2003.gif http://www.gun-nuttery.com/maps/s_1986.gif http://www.gun-nuttery.com/maps/s_2003.gif *Now you know the truth about Right to Self defense trend in the United States*

There is new information about the events that led to the capture of double murder supsect Scott Eizember. Eizember is in a Texas hospital recovering from four gunshot wounds that came from a gun concealed by one of his alleged kidnapping victims. Authorities with the Angelina County Sheriff's Department say they received a 911 call at about 7:30 p.m. Sunday night. The caller said a man and woman, now identified as Dr. Samuel Peebles and his wife Suzanne, came to his residence bleeding and needing help. The couple told the man they had stopped to help a stranded motorist in...

Americans and guns Slaughter on the streets demands we outlaw possession of handguns By Stephen C. Richards There is a national debate about handgun ownership and concealed carry. Although I have read some of the vast literature on the subject, I do not profess to know all sides to this debate. I do not own a firearm. Nevertheless, I think we need to consider passing legislation to outlaw the private ownership of handguns. Americans own at least 200 million firearms. Every year tens of thousands of people in this country are killed by guns, and many more are wounded. Today,...

<p>It rests -- Italian, gray, unloaded -- in the right palm of Michael Recce, although the professor is such an un-gun guy he can't remember what the weapon is, even if it is the sun of his solar system. It's a gun; enough said.</p>

CA _ LEAA Weighs in on Davis Gun Ban WASHINGTON, Sept. 25 /U.S. Newswire/ -- In a move signaling the sheer desperation of the final days of his administration, California Gov. Gray Davis yesterday signed into law one of the nation's most expansive handgun bans, outlawing new sales of nearly all handguns in common use for law enforcement and self defense. The bill masqueraded as a so-called safety measure, by requiring all handguns sold in California to be equipped with magazine disconnects and chamber indicators. Organizations seeking to promote gun control and ban handguns deem these 'safety' devices, while firearm...

<p>WASHINGTON -- New Jersey's U.S. attorney told Congress yesterday that violent street gangs represent a growing public threat and must be attacked with the same force and methods used against traditional organized crime families.</p> <p>Christopher Christie's appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee came as his office in Newark announced charges against an East Orange man they said helped provide firearms to gang members in Newark and other parts of Essex County.</p>

Vol. 19, No. 19September 22, 2003Table of Contents More on Gun Control Exercising the Rightby Robert W. Lee"... the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."Fighting BackShortly before 5:30 a.m. on June 16th, Stephen Heller was chatting with a young woman who had arrived moments earlier at his home in Sanger, Texas, when two masked men dressed in black and wearing gloves suddenly barged into the residence. At least one was armed.The intruders apparently intended to rob Heller, but the homeowner resisted fiercely. He was able to stab one with a knife he...

Experts Say Curbing Gun Violence Takes Int'l Action Monday, July 14, 2003 By Jim Wurst, U.N. Wire UNITED NATIONS — What progress has been made in controlling the illicit trade in small arms —and whatever future progress can be made — is due to increasing national awareness and regional cooperation in stopping the trade, said the chairman of the U.N. small arms conference that ended Friday. Reports presented at the conference "revealed a much higher state of preparedness to prevent future illicit [arms] transfers and misuse" and the recognition of "a growing need … for the development of a regional...

On July 1, 2003, three days before Pennsylvanians were to begin celebrating our Independence from tyrannical British rule, 13 members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives introduced a bill that would give law enforcement the authority to confiscate all handguns in private possession, unless they are approved by a newly created Handgun Standard Commission.  The catch 22 is that no handgun currently  manufactured today will be able to comply with the standards outlined in the legislation that this Commission must use to approve handgun sales.  These standard(s) will require that the only handguns that will be permitted to be owned...

There is a big debate among shooters about which is better, IDPA (International Defensive Pistol Association) or IPSC (International Practical Shooting Confederation). Actually it's a stupid question with a simple answer; Neither is better! Comparing these two formats is like comparing Chevrolet and Pontiac or Ford and Mercury. They are closely related, and the one that is "Better" is simply the one that you prefer. The formats of the two are certainly different, and the equipment is certainly different, but they both have the goal of improving your shooting skills in a safe, competetive, enjoyable, environment. I shoot both IPSC...

HOUSTON -- We could be a pen stroke away from a new law allowing Texans to secretly carry a loaded handgun into a city or county facility. A state bill, now awaiting the governor's signature, would open the door for people carrying legally concealed handguns to go freely into courthouses, libraries, even police stations. That law likely sends chills through the Houston Police Department because of the shooting, a decade ago, of Danny Vaughn. It had been a sleepy Saturday morning in 1993 -- until the gunfire began. Then -- chaos. A deranged shooter had walked into a police substation...

Folks, here is the next K-Mart. According to a poster on The High Road (the successor to The Firing Line), Applebee's in San Antonio, Texas has a policy of excluding those legally carrying a concealed handgun (which is its right to do, and my right to disagree with). Here's the thread on THR: http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?s=&postid=310114#post310114 By the way, I also sent a letter to Frank DeAngelo at AppleJam, Inc., which is the franchisee for the San Antonio area, expressing my displeasure. His email is frank@applejaminc.com Here is the text of my letter, which I freely give anyone permission to copy or...

DALLAS (May 26, 2000) - Marking the fifth anniversary of Texas' concealed carry law, a new report from the National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA) shows that Texans with concealed carry permits are far less likely to commit a serious crime than the average citizen. "Many predicted that minor incidents would escalate into bloody shootouts if Texas passed a concealed-carry law," said H. Sterling Burnett, a senior policy analyst at the NCPA and the author of the report. "That prediction was dead wrong." In 1995, Texas Gov. George W. Bush signed a law granting Texans the right to carry concealed...

Justice Paul Pfeifer got a chuckle out of a packed gallery during April's oral arguments in the Ohio Supreme Court case, Klein and Feely v. Leis. The case will decide whether Ohioans have a constitutional right to carry concealed weapons. "It's just socially unacceptable today," Pfeifer told the gun-carrying-plaintiff's hapless attorney. "If you walk down the street like some cowboy with a couple of pearl-handled six-shooters, the cops would be getting calls saying, 'There's some nut walking around with a gun.'" Everyone laughed. I'm reminded of a good friend, a comedian and a lawyer (he's been paid for both), who...

Justice Paul Pfeifer got a chuckle out of a packed gallery during April's oral arguments in the Ohio Supreme Court case, Klein and Feely v. Leis. The case will decide whether Ohioans have a constitutional right to carry concealed weapons. "It's just socially unacceptable today," Pfeifer told the gun-carrying-plaintiff's hapless attorney. "If you walk down the street like some cowboy with a couple of pearl-handled six-shooters, the cops would be getting calls saying, 'There's some nut walking around with a gun.'" Everyone laughed. I'm reminded of a good friend, a comedian and a lawyer (he's been paid for both), who...

Veteran cop sees modern police methods failing May 5, 2003 BY MARK BROWN SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST Jimmy called. He wanted you to know that he's outraged. He's outraged by the killing of the children. He's more outraged that there's so little he can do to help. Jimmy is supposed to help. He's a Chicago cop, has been for more than 30 years. "Nothing else but a street cop," said Jimmy, "every day out on the street." But these days, Jimmy thinks he's the one wearing the handcuffs. "Nobody fears us anymore. Nobody respects us anymore," Jimmy said. "The police are now...

I have been trying to select a home defense firearm. I have handled and fired .38 special, .357 Magnum, and .45 ACP handguns, and 12-gauge and 20-gauge shotguns, but I'm not (yet) an experienced shooter. I also have small kids at home. I like the shotgun option, but have 2 concerns. 1) Do I like it because blowing away bad guys with a shotgun looks cool in the movies? (i.e., is this as viable an option as a handgun). 2) Can a bad guy with a handgun kill me before he is in lethal range of my shotgun?Thanks in advance...

Sean Penn’s Downtown Lunch Marred by Car, Gun Theft Send us a letter to comment on this article. By NATE TABAK Daily Cal Staff Writer Wednesday, April 9, 2003 Actor Sean Penn's car was stolen as he lunched at a Downtown Berkeley restaurant yesterday afternoon, police said. The car, a black 1987 Buick Grand National, was taken in broad daylight between 1 and 2:45 p.m. while it was parked on the 2300 block of Shattuck Avenue, said Berkeley police Officer Mary Kusmiss. "It was quite bold," Kusmiss said. Penn, 42, told police he had a loaded 9 mm Glock handgun inside...

Quick question for Freepers. Thinking of relocating to Los Angeles sometime soon and was wondering if they have any restrictions on handguns within the city limits. Thanks for your replies.