Free Republic

June 24, 2022. At the close of business today, and in light of the Bruen decision, the New Jersey Attorney General issued a directive to law enforcement agencies and prosecutors mandating that NJ carry permit applications now be processed WITHOUT an applicant having to prove "justifiable need."

Without firing a shot (except at the firing range), Americans have won a revolution -- state by state. Texas is the latest to join the freedom coalition. The Texas Tribune reported to its dismay, "Texans can carry handguns without a license or training starting Sept. 1, after Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday signed the permitless carry bill into law. 35 years ago, it was illegal in 16 states (including Texas) for a civilian to carry a concealed weapon. Only Vermont did not require a pistol permit. Working through the slow process of going state to state to change the law,...

A revolution won without firing a shot (except at the firing range). Don Surber posted an amazing pair of maps yesterday, showing the way that federalism is working to enable citizens to defend themselves with firearms. While the federal Constitution guarantees the right to bear arms, states regulate firearms licensing, and in the past 35 years, a landslide of states have recognized the right to carry a firearm. Check out the night and day contrast between 1986 and 2021: SNIP This is correct. The “no issue” red states have gone from predominant to zero. The “may issue” states, where the...

For decades, gun control advocates constantly claim that Right-to-Carry laws would lead to disaster. But when disasters don’t occur they move on to the next prediction of disaster. We have to keep track of these predictions if only to judge how much weight to give to their erroneous predictions. Montana is the latest state to let people carry concealed handguns on college campuses, and the state Board of Regents for the university system demanded an emergency stay from the state Supreme Court because “serious harm is threatened” if the law goes into effect on June 1. The Regents took a...

The annual Rally to Protect Your Right to Keep and Bear Arms at the Pennsylvania Capitol that had been postponed in June has been rescheduled for Sept. 29. Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-Butler County, announced on Wednesday that the rally will begin that day at 11 a.m. on the front steps of the Capitol and carry the theme, “Stand Your Ground Against Socialism.” In announcing the new date for the rally that in the past has drawn a few thousand attendees, Metcalfe said the theme grows out of what he calls “Gov. Tom Wolf’s tyrannical abuse of emergency powers” during the...

Incredible Anti-Gun Bill Introduced in MN HF 3022 could make California seem "gun-friendly." Posted March 1, 2018 in Legal Issues by Russ Chastain with No Comments If you live in Minnesota, be afraid. Be very afraid. Then get busy.A nasty piece of gun control legislation called HF 3022 has been introduced, and it is hell on gun rights. Not only does it restrict just about everything related to firearms, it also makes gun owners’ information public, as in how many guns you own and of what type, and your home address.A Facebook post by AccuTac Arms, which calls itself “the largest...

Federal Judge Overturns Ban on Openly Carrying Guns in Public - Hit & Run http://reason.com/blog/2016/10/05/federal-judge-overturns-ban-on-openly-ca Federal Judge Overturns Ban on Openly Carrying Guns in Public The ruling also rejects an "assault weapon" ban, caliber restrictions for long guns, a heavy handgun tax, and registration requirements. Jacob Sullum|Oct. 5, 2016 8:45 am In a quintuple victory for Second Amendment rights, a federal judge last week overturned a ban on carrying handguns in public, a ban on so-called assault weapons, caliber restrictions for long guns, a $1,000 tax on handguns, and a requirement that all guns be registered with the government. "The...

More Guns, Less Crime: Since Illinois began issuing concealed-carry permits this year, robberies, burglaries, car thefts and, yes, even murder, are down significantly. Last month, when an 86-year-old Crestwood, Ill., man decided to visit his local phone store, he arrived to find a robbery underway. After staying outside to keep others from entering the store, he saw the suspect fleeing through a back door. He pursued the suspect, legal firearm in hand, stopped him, then held him until police arrived to make the arrest. The actions of the unidentified law-abiding citizen were made possible by Illinois becoming the 50th and...

"And I Carry" - The real face of permit-to-carry holders in Minnesota. A 2.5 minute video created to dispel stereotypes: http://youtu.be/8pTsEGeqTaE Think you know who permit-to-carry holders are? Twin Cities Gun Owners & Carry Forum, with the generous help of Crucible Arms, put together this short documentary showing a cross section of Minnesota's permit-to-carry holders. Find Twin Cities Gun Owners & Carry Forum on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tcGunsAndCarry We need groups across the country to create and post videos like this.

Guns: An Illinois court has ruled that the Second Amendment means what it says and has ordered the state legislature to adopt a law by June that lets citizens bear arms in self-defense, not just keep them. On Feb. 22, a 5-4 majority of the 10-member U.S. Seventh Court of Appeals upheld the Dec. 11 decision, which had been rendered by a three-member panel, to address absurdity and inconsistency of Illinois gun laws that allowed ownership of a firearm, but not the right to carry it outside the home. In other words, the "right to keep but not to bear...

The Wyoming House of Representatives has passed two right to carry improvement bills. House Bill 103, introduced by state Representative Allen Jaggi (R-19), would strengthen the state’s authority over firearm laws while prohibiting counties from enacting their own ordinances in clear violation of the current state firearms preemption statute. House Bill 105, also introduced by Rep. Jaggi, would allow law-abiding citizens to carry a concealed firearm in more locations. Both of these bills now await committee assignment in the Senate. Please contact Senate President Ross and politely request that he assign these important pro-gun bills to a favorable Senate committee....

The University of Colorado may want to check with its law professors on this one. The university system is releasing new Plessy v. Ferguson-like rules that would segregate its gun-owning students from the rest of their peers. The university system is apparently planning to house students who have Right-to-Carry permits in separate dormitories on its Boulder and Colorado Springs campuses. Guns would be prohibited in other dormitories, as well as at football games, concerts, and other ticketed events. The university's action is akin to the response of the District of Columbia Council to the Supreme Court's ruling in District of...

Thank you for contacting me regarding the National Right-To-Carry Reciprocity Act (H.R. 822). I value your input and strive to keep you updated on the important issues facing us today. On February 18, 2011, Representative Cliff Stearns introduced the National Right-To-Carry Reciprocity Act. This legislation would allow any person with a valid state-issued permit to carry a concealed firearm in any state that issues concealed firearm permits, or that does not prohibit the carrying of concealed firearms. As you may know, I support the individual right to keep and bear arms as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S....

New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey and several other states don’t have reciprocity arrangements that allow someone like Todd to pay an armed courtesy call. That’s because New York officials can deny concealed-carry permits on a case-by-case basis, whereas many other states — South Dakota, for example — don’t put much stock in such scrutiny. H.R. 822, now in the House Judiciary Committee, makes a mockery of our diverse values and strategies for public safety. If it were enacted, off to New York the South Dakotan tourist could go, 9-millimeter Glock in tow. That’s not liberty. More like lunacy.

This extreme legislation, the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act of 2011, would obliterate state and local eligibility rules for concealed weapons and the state’s discretion to decide whether to honor another’s permits. At least 36 states now set a minimum age of 21 for carrying concealed guns, and 35 states require some sort of gun-safety training. Thirty-eight states prohibit people convicted of certain violent crimes like misdemeanor assault or sex crimes from carrying concealed weapons. The act would override those rules, requiring states with tight restrictions, like New York and California, to allow people with permits from states with lax laws...

That would mean that a permit from Utah, a state with notably lax standards for concealed-carry permits, as well as permits from every other gun-toting state, would be valid in Massachusetts. Under the latest version of the bill, people with out-of-state permits would be allowed to carry guns on Massachusetts streets even if state laws would otherwise make it illegal for them even to possess a firearm.

FYI, for all FR in Illinois. I have a thought that could drive the carry issue to all states that will not allow it. Simple this: everyone that wants to carry could just wear a gun belt with an empty holster. Of course, leave your gun at home. Go to the mall, pick up your kids from school, visit your favorite restaurant, etc. Show the public in plain sight that this is a constitutional right that was taken away by the politicians. Maybe even a tee-shirt with some of the gun-grabbers' name on it. In Illinois you don't need anything...

The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence and the Violence Policy Center (VPC) are peddling the notion that concealed-handgun permit holders are a danger to society. Last month, the center released a report claiming that in the past three years, 166 people were killed by holders of concealed-weapon permits. A closer look at the evidence suggests that many of the so-called victims of gun violence were criminals. Because more than 6 million Americans hold permits, it is important to set the record straight. As one of the most populous states with a right-to-carry law, Florida has the most concealed-handgun permits....

Second Amendment: Chicago is deciding whether to prosecute a great-grandfather and Korean War veteran under its handgun ban. He refused to be a victim, and now there's one less armed thug roaming the streets. What's the problem? If the 80-year-old vet living on the city's West Side didn't have the gun the city said he shouldn't have, he and his 83-year-old wife and 12-year-old great-grandson might have joined those victims of gun violence about whom gun-control advocates constantly chirp. The vet obtained the gun in violation of the city's handgun ban after a prior incident in which the couple was...