Free Republic

Gov. Mike DeWine on Monday signed a controversial “stand your ground” bill that would eliminate Ohio’s “duty to retreat” before using force in self-defense. Senate Bill 175, fast-tracked through the Ohio General Assembly last month by DeWine’s fellow Republicans, will make Ohio the 36th state to no longer require people to retreat before they can justifiably hurt or kill someone in self-defense. The governor had previously hinted that he would veto SB175, saying he first wanted lawmakers to pass his package of gun reforms that they sat on for more than a year. But in a release sent Monday afternoon,...

Elizabeth Banks, an actress heavily invested in the pro-abortion movement, criticized an Ohio self defense bill Friday because it could endanger innocent children. The Daily Wire reports Banks (“Hunger Games,” “Pitch Perfect”) said “Stand Your Ground” laws do not help anybody and put children and pets at risk. “Stand Your Ground is BS,” she wrote on Twitter, reacting to an Ohio bill that would allow people to shoot in self-defense even if they do not attempt to retreat first. Banks shared a personal experience to warn people about how dangerous such legislation could be. As a child, she said she...

A judge ruled Thursday that 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse will stand trial on six counts tied to events that occurred in Kenosha, Wisconsin, August 25, 2020. Rittenhouse was charged with first-degree intentional homicide, first-degree reckless homicide, and attempted first-degree intentional homicide following the August 25th deaths of Anthony Huber and Joseph Rosenbaum in Kenosha, Wisconsin, during riots sparked by the police-involved shooting of Jacob Blake. Rittenhouse allegedly shot three people, two of whom succumbed to their wounds.

A new proposal that allows business owners to defend their property during a violent riot is coming under fire from Democrats. This idea was floated as part of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ recently proposed “Combatting Violence, Disorder and Looting and Law Enforcement Protection Act.” Under the proposed act, Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” statute would be amended. Under current law the “Stand Your Ground” statute states, “a person is justified in the use of deadly force and does not have a duty to retreat if … he or she reasonably believes that such force is necessary to prevent imminent death or...

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has drafted “anti-mob” legislation that would expand the state’s Stand Your Ground law – a move that some worry would allow armed citizens to shoot and potentially kill anyone they suspect of looting. DeSantis’ newest legislation comes in response to months of protesting that frequently lead to rioting this summer in Florida and across the U.S., following the death of George Floyd, a black man who died after a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes. The legislation is an attempt to prevent “violent and disorderly assemblies” by permitting violence against...

Authorities in St. Louis executed a search warrant Friday evening at the home of Mark and Patricia McCloskey, the couple who made headlines last month when they took up arms to defend their homes from protesters. During the search, police seized the rifle that Mark McCloskey was shown holding during the June 28 incident, KSDK-TV of St. Louis reported, citing information from a source. The pistol that Patricia McCloskey held during the June confrontation was already in the possession of the couple’s attorney, the station reported.

I do own a gun, but it doesn’t get much use, and I am not up to speed on what the law allows. Here’s my question: Am I right to conclude that the right to shoot someone attacking you or your property depends on the state in which you live? For example, I have heard that in North Carolina, where I have friends who carry, an intruder must be inside the door of your home for you to have the right to shoot him; if he is taking an ax to your front door but he’s not inside your home,...

U.S. Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy is open to renaming military bases named after Confederate generals, an issue getting increased attention in recent weeks amid nationwide protests against police brutality and racism following the death of George Floyd, Fox News has learned. A senior Army official told Fox News on Monday that McCarthy did not plan to change the names unilaterally, but instead will seek bipartisan support to do so. U.S. Army installations named after Confederate generals include Fort Benning in Georgia and Fort Bragg in North Carolina. “We must recognize history is important, but we must come together and have...

A shocking story has emerged out of Clearwater, Florida, where two saggy-pants-wearing thugs carjacked a woman and her son in the parking lot of a Bank of America. The story went viral after the fed-up “helpless” woman they targeted turned the tables on them. The punks definitely realized their big mistake too late. A Clearwater, Florida, woman shot two thieves attempting to carjack her, resulting in the death of one of the suspects and a second-degree murder charge for the other. Now, many people are applauding her efforts to protect herself, her son, and her property from a couple of...

A mischaracterization of the Tueller Drill — the so-called 21 foot rule — deprived Michael Drejka of a potentially effective defense. On Friday, August 23 , 2019, a Florida jury convicted Michael Drejka, the handicap parking spot shooter who killed Markeis McGlockton, of manslaughter. As a result, at his September 10 sentencing hearing the 48-year-old Drejka will likely be sentenced to a mandatory minimum of 25 years to life in prison, without possibility of early release. My problem with this outcome has nothing to do with the fact that Michael Drejka was found guilty—maybe he was guilty. My problem with...

In the interest of public access to court records and with the approval of Chief Judge J. Thomas McGrady and Circuit Judge Pat Siracusa, Nikki Alvarez-Sowles, Esq., Pasco County Clerk & Comptroller, this website was developed and will be maintained to provide electronic access to court records in State of Florida vs. Curtis J. Reeves. This site will be updated by 3:00 p.m. daily.... [This is the case of the "theater shooter" who killed a man after arging about cellphone use in a movie theater. Young veteran dad threw popcorn, old retired cop shot him to death in front of...

A white man who cited Florida’s “stand your ground” self-defense law after fatally shooting a Black man during a dispute over a parking space last year has been convicted of manslaughter. Jurors in Clearwater, located roughly 25 miles west of Tampa, deliberated for six hours on Friday before announcing their verdict against Michael Drejka, 49, in the shooting death of Markeis McGlockton, reported the Tampa Bay Times. Drejka’s attorneys reportedly plan to appeal the verdict after their client’s sentencing hearing, which has been scheduled for Oct. 10. He faces up to 30 years in prison. The shooting occurred after McGlockton,...

Not Guilty! Self-defense: The Sergeant Stood Her Ground Woman with gun self defenseAnother California Stand Your Ground Victory. This week criminal defense attorney Joseph Tully successfully defended another self-defense “Stand Your Ground” client in California at the Contra Costa Courthouse in Martinez, just two blocks from the Tully Weiss office. This new case involved a African-American woman we will refer to as “Sergeant Tara”, an Army Veteran of four tours and an active reservist who used her personal side arm to defend herself against a deadly attack. California Stand Your Ground

INELLAS COUNTY, Fla. – There was a lengthy hearing Friday afternoon for the case where Michael Drejka is charged with manslaughter for the shooting death of Markeis McGlockton. Pretrial hearing for Michael Drejka Drejka is accused of shooting, killing Markeis McGlockton Judge denies Sheriff's testimony PREVIOUS: Markeis McGlockton Shooting: 1 Year Later In that hearing a judge made some major decisions about the upcoming trial. One of the main things discussed in the hearing was the decision to not appoint a special prosecutor to this case like Drejka’s defense argued for. The defense accused the prosecution of race baiting, buckling...

In the first judicial test of Wyoming’s new “stand your ground” law, a Natrona County judge on Friday dismissed a first-degree murder case, but implored prosecutors to appeal to the state’s highest court. Judge Catherine Wilking handed down the ruling following a two-and-a-half-hour hearing, the bulk of which she ruled was required by the new law. . . . . John shot Willow nine times with an AR-15, Stedellie said, after exchanging cell phone messages with a woman who had dated John before taking up again with Willow. Multiple rounds hit Willow in the back, the detective said, and John...

On an afternoon in October, as he lay outside his father’s Boynton Beach towing company gasping for air, Charles Cook III told his family he was going to die. “They were like ‘no you’ll be OK, you were just shot in the arm’ but I could feel it in my chest,” he said. “I kept saying ‘I can’t breathe’ and then it all went black.” Moments earlier, Cook III, his father and at least two other employees of Big City Towing had been in a bare-knuckled brawl with workers from a nearby tool company — the results of boiled-over tensions...

A Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office homicide detective who has played a leading role in the case against parking-lot shooter Michael Drejka was arrested and fired after he showed up drunk to a death investigation scene, deputies said. George D. Moffett Jr., 48, was off-duty before he responded about 10:30 p.m. Thursday from his home in Riverview to a fatal shooting at 10610 Gandy Boulevard in St. Petersburg, according to the Sheriff’s Office. After he got out of his unmarked agency car, deputies noticed he smelled like alcohol, had bloodshot eyes and was slurring his speech, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Oh, John Kasich, how many times you have betrayed your party, your state, and your country — so many that we've lost count. The most recent entry to the list is the Ohio governor's announcement that he will veto two bills that are near and dear to the hearts of conservatives who propelled him to victory in 2010 and 2014: The aptly named "heartbeat bill" and "stand your ground" legislation. Kasich told reporters outside his office Monday that he opposes both bills. If Kasich follows through with the veto threat, this will be the second time in two years he's...

The Oct. 3 shooting was captured on store surveillance and showed Lakeland City Commissioner Michael Dunn firing at Christobal Lopez, 50, at the front door of Dunn's Vets Army & Navy Surplus. Dunn could be seen grabbing Lopez, an agricultural laborer, as he tried to leave, then firing a semiautomatic Glock at him. Lopez was holding a hatchet in his right hand that belonged to the store, police said, but wasn't seen in the video physically threatening Dunn.

Lakeland police have released surveillance video showing a city commissioner shoot a man who was trying to steal a hatchet from his military surplus store. The video has been edited for this story and does not show the fatal shot being fired. Police are investigating the deadly shooting. The shooting happened Oct. 3 at the Vets Army Navy Surplus which is owned by Dunn. The video shows the city commissioner trying to detain Lopez with his left hand and then shoots him with a semi-automatic Glock handgun in his right hand as Lopez tried to make a break. Lopez has...