Free Republic

I have long followed every abortive attempt to develop “smart guns,” handguns that can only be fired by a designated user. Early attempts used magnetic locks, requiring rings on both hands. Obviously, anyone with a magnet could fire such guns, and gloves interfered. Various other methods, including radio transmitters, have also failed. Among the more recent was the Armatix iP1, a .22LR caliber pistol with a watch/transmitter. Back in 2015 the handgun cost $1400 and the watch, $300. Imagine what that would be with today’s inflation. It was rapidly revealed the transmitter could be spoofed with Radio Shack parts costing...

A Rule by the Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Bureau on 04/19/2024 Document Details, Information about this document as published in the Federal Register. Printed version: PDF https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2024-04-19/pdf/2024-07838.pdf Publication Date: 04/19/2024 Agencies: Department of Justice Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Dates: This rule is effective May 20, 2024. Effective Date: 05/20/2024 Document Type: Rule Document Citation: 89 FR 28968 Page: 28968-29093 (126 pages) CFR: 27 CFR 478 Agency/Docket Numbers: Docket No. ATF 2022R-17 AG Order No. 5920-2024 RIN: 1140-AA58 Document Number: 2024-07838

Today marks the 249th anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord. In the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, the “shot heard ‘round the world” started the American Revolution and gave us not just the country we know today, but also started a chain of events that led to other countries freeing themselves from the yoke of tyranny. Scores of patriots gave their lives or were injured that day to stop the British Crown from further brutalizing the people. Their sacrifices were not in vain, as April 19, 1775 marked the beginning of the American Revolutionary War and culminated in...

On March 27, 2023, a mass shooting occurred at The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, which resulted in multiple fatalities. The attack was carried out by a transgender leftist who had written a “manifesto” which has currently been withheld due to public records requests made by the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department as well as the activism of Southern Baptist Convention ERLC head, Brent Leatherwood. Brent Leatherwood, head of the Southern Baptist Convention’s public policy arm, the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), is calling on TN lawmakers to back a proposal by Governor Bill Lee for an extreme risk protective...

New Orleans police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick wants gun-free zones within the city where even licensed concealed carriers would be barred from carrying for self-defense. 4WWL reported that Kirkpatrick is pushing the zones in response to the constitutional carry bill signed by Gov. Jeff Landry (R) on March 5, 2024. “New Orleans is unique. And this is not a one-size-fits-all bill. And so, what would apply and maybe be perfectly acceptable in a different part of the state of Louisiana, it’s not going to be effective for the entire city of New Orleans,” Kirkpatrick said. “Too much gun violence as it...

Yikes. It's been just over a year since Audrey Hale killed six at Covenant School in Nashville, TN. Authorities still haven't released Hale's manifesto (something the police said they were 'considering' for release a year ago), but the Left insists Hale was 'right-wing' and not one of their own. Now news is breaking from Montgomery County, Maryland, where another 'trans' individual wrote a 129-page manifesto with plans to get 'famous' by committing a school shooting. Police: 'Transgender' Maryland student who wrote 129-page manifesto to shoot up school wanted to be famous pic.twitter.com/9XItXts5XW — Breaking911 (@Breaking911) April 18, 2024 Wow. Another...

Maine Senate Democrats wrapped up their legislative session by passing gun controls in response to the October 25, 2023, Lewiston shooting, but the controls they passed would not have prevented the attack. Breitbart News reported FOX News’s observation that the Lewiston attacker used a sniper rifle which he had “legally” purchased. The New York Post likewise pointed out that police noted the attacker “legally purchased a sniper rifle with .308 caliber bullets, the weapons [sic] believed to have been used in the attack.”

On April 11, 2024, a lawsuit was filed against Rob Bonta in his capacity as the Attorney General of California. The lawsuit contends California infringes on the rights protected by the Second Amendment of the Bill of Rights by prohibiting United States citizens who are non-residents of California from exercising rights protected by the Second Amendment in the state. 2. California, however, prevents law-abiding citizens of the United States who do not reside in California from exercising their constitutionally protected right to carry loaded, operable firearms in public. State law generally prohibits individuals from carrying firearms either openly or concealed...

A Beaver County woman shot and killed a man who broke into her home, police said.

A teenage boy was killed in a shooting that took place during a massive brawl involving nearly 50 teens. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) confirmed the fatal shooting occurred just before 4 p.m. “Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Homicide detectives are responding to the 10800 block of Western Avenue, in the unincorporated city of Los Angeles regarding a shooting death investigation. The incident occurred on Monday, April 15, 2024, at 3:49 p.m.,” LASPD said in a statement. As deputies arrived in response to the chaos, they found the victim, a teenage male, lying on the sidewalk with gunshot wounds....

One alleged intruder was found wounded in the street and a second was found dead in the bushes after a resident opened fire on them Tuesday morning in Newport Beach, California. The incident occurred in Newport Beach’s Newport Coast neighborhood around 4:45 a.m. The Orange County Register reported that responding officers found one of the alleged intruders lying in the street with a handgun. He was wounded but alive and taken to the hospital for treatment.

Los Angeles County deputies blocked off part of a South Los Angeles street after getting multiple calls about a shooting. The shooting happened just before 3:50 p.m. near the intersection of Western Avenue and 108th Street outside of a 7-Eleven, according to the LA County Sheriff's Department. The LA County Fire Department paramedics drove the victim to a local hospital where doctors pronounced the person dead. Its unclear how old the victim was, but deputies described him as a male juvenile It's unclear if deputies have detained or arrested anyone. Investigators have not released a description of the suspect.

Whether the journals of a Nashville school shooter can be released to the public will go before a Tennessee judge on Tuesday after nearly a year of legal wrangling over who can participate in the case. What started as a simple public records request has ballooned into a messy mix of conspiracy theories, leaked documents, probate battles and new legislation as different sides try to gain an advantage. And even though the main issue of which police investigative records can be released has finally made it to a court hearing, any decision by Chancery Court Judge I’Ashea Myles is likely...

A Newport Coast homeowner took matters into his own hands during a home invasion.

Mount Vernon Police District – Detectives from our Criminal Investigations Bureau have charged the second suspect from a gun store burglary in Hybla Valley. During the investigation, detectives identified the second suspect, Antione Da Sean Moore, 27, of Maryland in the gun store burglary at 7524 Richmond Highway at H&F Arms. Detectives obtained one count of Burglary, one count of Destruction of Property, and seven counts of Grand Larceny of a Firearm. On March 26, Moore was arrested by Prince George’s County Police Department on unrelated charges. Moore was extradited to Fairfax County and released on bond. Detectives are asking...

The Department of Justice has issued a press release showing that, over five years, from January 1, 2017, to December 31, 2021, the number of firearms sold by unlicensed dealers in the USA was less than 1 of 10,000 sold in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). According to the National Shooting Sports Foundation’s adjusted calculations during the five-year period, the number of firearms sold through the NICS system was 14 million in 2017, 13.5 million in 2018, 13.6 million in 2019, 21.1 million in 2020, and 18.5 million in 2021, for a total of 80.7 million over...

Colorado House Democrats passed “assault weapons” ban legislation Sunday to prohibit the sale of AR-15s and certain 9mm pistols. On March 20, 2024, Breitbart News reported that the legislation, HB24-1292, bans 9mm pistols that have threaded barrels and accept a detachable magazine. Moreover, the text of HB24-1292 makes clear that a semiautomatic handgun of any caliber would be banned if it takes a detachable magazine and has a threaded barrel.

Plenty of people think Joe Biden's open borders is mainly about millions of illegals rolling into the U.S., while the billions rolling into Mexico's notorious crime cartels as a result is Mexico's problem, not ours. But that's not quite what's going on. Mexico's cartels have grown so big and so powerful from migrant and drug smuggling that they not only threaten Mexico, they are now taking their internecine warfare on the road into the U.S., which now faces a Tijuana-like future. If you recall the sight of all those Tijuana cars burning as that city shut down from cartel warfare,...

Sully Police District – The quick response from our officers led to the apprehension of a man who shot at another driver. Detectives from our Major Crimes Bureau have charged a man with multiple felonies relating to a road rage incident that occurred yesterday morning. On April 13 shortly after 9:30 a.m., officers responded to the area of Compton Road and Centreville Road in Centreville for reports of a man shooting at another vehicle while driving. Detectives determined the victim, who was the sole occupant of his vehicle, passed the suspect’s vehicle on Compton Road. The suspect then began closely...

"Rust" armorer Hannah Gutierrez was given the maximum sentence of 18 months in prison for involuntary manslaughter in the 2021 fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Gutierrez's attorneys asked for probation in a sentencing memorandum filed last week, citing her "complete lack of prior criminal history" and "relative youth." Prosecutors meanwhile requested a sentence of 18 months with the designation of serious violent offender due to her "extreme recklessness" while working as an armorer on the "Rust" set in New Mexico. "You alone turned a safe weapon into a lethal weapon," Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer said. Gutierrez said to the...