Free Republic

The City Council authorized police this week to arrest students who bring to school objects that could be used as weapons, officials said. (snip) Students could be arrested if they bring objects such as air guns, pellet guns, BB guns, fireworks, and even bats and clubs to school without a “legitimate purpose,’’ he said. In the past, Coppinger said, police could only seize the weapons in question and summon offenders to court, allowing them to stay in school and possibly threaten or harm other students and staff. The ordinance allows police to act when they “come across a group of...

A friend of mine recently forwarded me a question a friend of his had posed: "If/when our Federal Government comes to pilfer, pillage, plunder our property and destroy our lives, what good can a handgun do against an army with advanced weaponry, tanks, missiles, planes, or whatever else they might have at their disposal to achieve their nefarious goals? (I'm not being facetious: I accept the possibility that what happened in Germany, or similar, could happen here; I'm just not sure that the potential good from an armed citizenry in such a situation outweighs the day-to-day problems caused by masses...

A 9mm pistol holstered clearly to his side, and holding a placard that references spilling the blood of patriots, this gunman is waiting for none other than Barack Obama. But instead of being wrestled to the ground by police and taken away to prison, William Kostnic is left untouched - because it is legally OK to carry a weapon in New Hampshire so long as it is not concealed. Even American commentators were taken aback at the sight. 'Just to be clear,' a baffled MSBC anchor said to the reporter on the scene. 'You're saying a guy has a gun...

Ted kicking arse and taking names.

The United States Senate recently voted on an amendment that would have allowed Right-to-Carry permit holders to carry in all other states that also grant carry permits. The amendment, sponsored by Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and David Vitter (R-La.), won a significant majority of votes, 58 to 39, but failed to reach the 60 votes needed to avoid a Senate filibuster. Anti-gun senators have long argued that the majority of Americans do not support firearm freedoms. They made this erroneous claim once again during the debate on the Thune/Vitter amendment. Now, a new poll has proven them wrong. Conducted by...

...the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed. -- Amendment II Those 14 words, perhaps more than any others in the U.S. Constitution, have inspired discussions, arguments and legal debates for years and years. Now, legislation introduced in January by Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL) and lingering in the House Judiciary Committee has stirred up emotions on both sides of the gun control issue and once again brought these words into the spotlight. Rush's bill, the Blair Holt's Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act (H.R. 45), establishes a federal licensing and registration regime under...

<p>MSNBC is having an on air meltdown over a man their camera crew videotaped openly carrying a handgun at an anti-Obama protest in Portsmouth, New Hampshire this morning near where Barack Obama will be holding a town hall meeting later today.</p>

INTER-AMERICAN CONVENTION AGAINST THE ILLICIT MANUFACTURING OF AND TRAFFICKING IN FIREARMS, AMMUNITION, EXPLOSIVES, AND OTHER RELATED MATERIALS THE STATES PARTIES, AWARE of the urgent need to prevent, combat, and eradicate the illicit manufacturing of and trafficking in firearms, ammunition, explosives, and other related materials, due to the harmful effects of these activities on the security of each state and the region as a whole, endangering the well-being of peoples, their social and economic development, and their right to live in peace; CONCERNED by the increase, at the international level, in the illicit manufacturing of and trafficking in firearms, ammunition, explosives,...

"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 effect of the Second Amendment is counter to the liberal social contract that if someone comes to take something of yours, just give it to them. Since the right to life is spelled out in the Declaration of Independence, this give us the right to protect our lives from those who would do violence to us. The Second Amendment is much more basic than many are willing to admit. It is the...

I need a little help here. I am a near 50 female of average build and frame with moderate firearm experience. I have fired hand guns on a range, never a rifle. I am in decent shape, running each day but not what I would call athletic. Upper body strength is ok, I can lift a 60 pound dog into my car and that is about it. I see what is coming. I would like a gun for self defense and perhaps hunting if things get really bad. It needs to be easy to learn and not too expensive. I...

Ahead of President Obama’s arrival in Mexico, immigration was prompting significant behind-the-scenes debate. But it was Mexicans entering Canada, not the United States, that was the contentious issue. Too many Mexicans, the Canadian government complained, were fraudulently claiming political asylum in Canada, overwhelming the system. So Canada announced last month that it would begin requiring Mexican nationals to secure visas before entering the country, a decision that sparked outrage in Mexico. The Mexicans struck back with an announcement that Canadian diplomats and government officials would now require visas to enter Mexico. Although some angry Mexican lawmakers urged President Felipe Calderon...

My Calguns friend and shooting buddy 7X57 wrote a great piece I though it is worth sharing with the readers of my blog. Enjoy! Sarah Palin Saturday Double-Header As some have probably noticed, watching the media wear themselves out barking and snapping at the end of their chain at Sarah Palin has become a rather good spectator sport. Sometimes I play sportscaster here, for the amusement of those who enjoy the sport. Palin has become something of a morality play about the downfall of the Left, and that's good clean fun. So it is today. We had a double-header last...

C Cartaginess of newsrealblog.com commented on nutty Chris Matthews fixation with Governor Palin. Although presented subtly, Chris Matthews treated us to another anti-Sarah Palin, anti-Second Amendment exclusive, via the “Sideshow” video blog segment of his program Hardball last evening. What caught Matthews’ ire this time was that Palin had received an award from the NRA (National Rifle Association) for gun collecting, as well as accolades for her strong support of a citizen’s right to bear arms under the Constitution.

REYNOSA — Soldiers seized 20 grenades and arrested one man as they patrolled the Mexican side of the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge on Monday. The Mexican army encountered a Chevrolet Suburban registered in Tamaulipas on Monday. Inside the vehicle, soldiers foundh 20 hand grenades concealed within a roll of foam sponge, according to a statement from Mexico's secretary of national security. Soldiers arrested 21-year-old Roberto Gaspar Caballero of Reynosa. The military turned over Gaspar, the grenades and vehicle to the local police in Reynosa, according to the statement.

USA Today has a front-page article on the dramatic increase in demand for concealed handgun permits since Obama was elected: Applications already have hit a record this year in Clay County, Mo., where the sheriff's office received 888 through June, compared with 863 in all of last year, says Sheriff Bob Boydston. The office recently hired two part-time workers to deal with the rush. In the past, applicants tended to be middle-aged men, he says, but recent applicants include "grandmothers, older folks, young women, young men." [...] Statewide, the Missouri State Highway Patrol has processed 18,878 background checks so...

It was a scenario U.S. law enforcement had long feared: A fragmentation grenade from Mexico's bloody drug war tossed into a public place. Only the grenade thrower's bumbling prevented bloodshed in a south Texas bar.....But the act was proof that one of the deadliest weapons in Mexico's drug battle is a real threat to the U.S..... While Mexican drug violence has been spilling across the border in the form of kidnappings and killings, grenades are a particular worry because they can kill large numbers of people indiscriminately, and a weapon of choice among Mexican cartel members. In Mexico, .... three...

Not enough Sarah Palin news for you over the weekend? Well, here’s another… The former governor of Alaska spoke at a National Rifle Association dinner on Saturday night in Anchorage. Few details are available about the speech itself, except the topic was on the Second Amendment — something she, presumably, remains in favor of as the NRA branded her remarks “stirring.” NRA president Ronald Schmeits and executive vice president Wayne LaPierre joined Palin and husband Todd at the dinner, where she reportedly received numerous awards including an NRA Benefactor Life Membership and a Gold Medal Award of Merit for the...

ANCHORAGE, AK- Sarah Palin is back, almost a week since she stepped out of the spotlight. The former GOP vice presidential candidate gave a speech on 2nd Amendment rights at a banquet in Anchorage. The Saturday night event capped a 4-day National Rifle Association seminar hosted by the Alaska Gun Collectors Association.

Seminar activities included sessions on World War II in Alaska as well as the life of the common soldier of the American revolution and culminated Saturday evening with a visit from former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin who gave a stirring speech on 2nd Amendment rights.

Been thinking about the right to carry; the right to have the means at hand, at all times, to defend myself and those I love. Fascinating scene between Kevin Costner (who plays Eliot Ness) in the 1987 movie The Untouchables. Been a while since I've seen it, but from what I recall, Costner sees a hoodlum IN A COURTROOM with a gun inside his suitcoat. They get outside, some cop takes the gun away, tries to arrest the guy and Costner says to the cop, "You gotta give it back to him!" Probably the last time a federal agent came...

Shooting range dedicated in honor of 'Neffie' Laverne "Neffie" Neff volunteered countless hours to his police lodge over the years -- many of them at the lodge's shooting range, a place he tended to lovingly and meticulously. That's why, Neff's widow said, he would have been so proud to know his decades of selfless dedication led to a different kind of dedication on Thursday. As his family, friends and lodge brothers looked on, officials from York County's Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 73 dedicated the range in Neff's honor. It's now the Laverne A. Neff Memorial Shooting Range, complete with...

Last week, I recalled the story of the homeowner who used a hand gun to defend his children against an intruder, and who was "rewarded" for his courage by being fined by his village for illegally possessing that .38 caliber Smith & Wesson pistol. But I didn't write the other half of the story -- because I didn't have the requisite citation in hand. -- Not surprisingly, the Illinois General Assembly followed the lead of many other states in the late 1990s and took up legislation to authorize so-called "No Knock Warrants" in special circumstances -- where the cop had...

Thanks to peace-loving, gun control liberals in LA County, it is now more likely than ever that the streets of LA with remain covered in the blood of the innocent.

They not only go after the 2nd amendment, they wanna ban those toy guns too, no word on if the supersoaker 300 is on the list....

on TV NOW! Awesome speeches by Republicans about newsletter censorship by franking office.

States offer a hodgepodge of concealed-handgun rules that prevent citizens from protecting themselves when traveling from one state to another. Sen. John Thune, South Dakota Republican, introduced an amendment to the defense authorization bill that would have fixed this problem by granting reciprocity for gun permits across state lines. In a 58-39 vote on Wednesday, supporters fell two short of the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster. This was a victory of fear over facts. Thirty-seven of the 39 no votes were cast by Democrats. The two Republicans who crossed party lines to vote nay were Sen. Richard G....

(1) the manufacture, distribution, and importation of firearms is inherently commercial in nature; (2) firearms regularly move in interstate commerce; (3) to the extent that firearms trafficking is intrastate in nature, it arises out of and is substantially connected with a commercial transaction, which, when viewed in the aggregate, substantially affects interstate commerce; (4) because the intrastate and interstate trafficking of firearms are so commingled, full regulation of interstate commerce requires the incidental regulation of intrastate commerce; (5) gun violence in the United States is associated with the majority of homicides, over half the suicides, and two-thirds of non-fatal violent...

How do you outgun the NRA? Very, very carefully. Mark Pryor knows all about that. The Democratic senator from pro-gun Arkansas was nowhere to be seen on the Senate floor during Wednesday's showdown over a proposal, championed by the National Rifle Association, that would have gutted state gun-control laws across the nation. Toward the end of the vote, Pryor entered the chamber through the back door, took a few steps inside, flashed a thumbs-down to the clerk, and retreated as fast and furtively as somebody dodging gunfire. Several minutes later, the Democrats had racked up more than enough votes to...

BREAKING NEWS: Girl, 13, arrested with machine gun after raid on south London flat Martin Bentham, Home Affairs Editor 22.07.09 Specialist officers raided the girl's home in CroydonA 13-year-old girl has been arrested by armed Met police after a sub-machinegun was found in her wardrobe.The weapon was discovered when a specialist anti-gang crime squad of 15 officers with hydraulic battering rams and combat shields raided the girl's home in Croydon.She was detained on suspicion of possessing a firearm, an offence which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years for adults and three for juveniles.The raid, which police say...

The Obama administration is raising the stakes in a fight over states' rights and firearm ownership by arguing that new pro-gun laws in Montana and Tennessee are invalid. In the last few months, a grass-roots, federalist revolt against Washington, D.C. has begun to spread through states that are home to politically active gun owners. Montana and Tennessee have enacted state laws saying that federal rules do not apply to firearms manufactured entirely within the state, and similar bills are pending in Texas, Alaska, Minnesota, and South Carolina. Yet the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, and Explosives now claims that...

Democratic senators today vowed to defeat a Republican amendment that would loosen gun control restrictions across the country – a proposal Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid allowed to be brought to the floor on the annual Defense authorization bill. “Why would we want to walk the streets wondering, ‘Who has a gun in their pockets?’” asked Democratic Senatorial Committee Chairman Robert Menendez (D-N.J.). Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0709/25209.html#ixzz0LxF6QyXu

Reid green-lights controversial gun vote Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is supposed to be the protector of the Senate’s skittish Democratic flock — the guy who soothes intraparty spats and shields his 60-member majority from dangerous, career-threatening votes. Yet Reid — whose low approval ratings in Nevada make him a tempting GOP target in next year’s midterms — put many of his members in a sticky situation when he OK’d a floor vote on a controversial GOP amendment that could significantly alter the nation’s gun control laws. Reid says the bill deserves a hearing and reflects his commitment to supporting...

I should never have to tag a post with "Secession." Moving right along... Having grown up in Virginia, I'm well aware of the propensity of batsh*t lunacy: this is the state whose Republican Party nominated Ollie North for Senate. But Republican VA state delegate nominee Catherine T. Crabill has elevated the lunacy to a whole new level. To start with, she's an Oklahoma City bombing truther. But Crabill veers from the lunatic to the outright dangerous: Crabill... claimed the Obama administration is pursuing legislation that will turn it into "the thought police" and wants to put Americans in "the chains...

Millions of Americans watch with horror as the Obama administration continues to implement its own version of 'change.' Change that involves an unprecedented and systematic devolution of power to the federal government, in direct contravention of the Constitution. From the pending takeover of 17% of economy under the auspices of health care reform, to the government takeover and subsequent ownership of automobile companies, to the unconstitutional interference in the formerly private market under the rubric of stimulating the economy. Not to mention the proposed cap and trade legislation which would give the federal government unlimited powers of taxation and regulation...

Obama's Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives is claiming constitutional supremacy to kill the 10th Amendment-driven state statutes to exempt in-state firearms from federal regulations. Their mode? Reminding gun dealers of their federal obligations.

A man was wounded when an antique rifle he was holding discharged during a gun show in Salem on Saturday, according to city officials. The man, a friend of a dealer at the show, suffered superficial wounds to his face "apparently from concrete fragments that were sprayed upon impact when the rifle went off" in a confined area, Salem spokesman Mike Stevens said. Salem police described the gun as "an antique military-style rifle," Stevens said. The man was taken to Lewis-Gale Medical Center, where he was treated for his injury and released. His name has not been released, and Salem...

Terrific interview via CNN video...

Should the Columbia City Council prohibit handgun permit holders from carrying their firearms into city parks? More Yes No View Results

(Corrected) Gun Control: In a case headed for the Supreme Court, a three-judge panel rules Chicago's gun ban constitutional since the 2nd Amendment doesn't apply to states and cities. High court nominee Sonia Sotomayor concurs.Those Pennsylvania townsfolk bitterly clinging to their guns may have been premature in celebrating the decision in D.C. v. Heller that the 2nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution does indeed guarantee an individual right to keep and bear arms.

Here is video today of Sen. Orrin Hatch questioning Supreme Court Nominee Sonia Sotomayor about her views of the 2nd Amendment right to "keep and bear arms." Sotomayor danced around the question, justifying some questionable rulings in her career as "based on precedent." It would seem from her past decisions and her words today that she does not hold that the right to "keep and bear arms" is a fundamental right. . . . . . (Watch Video)

Mentioned "hunting" and "target practice" as legitimate uses for a gun, as long as the state decides you can have one. Not one word on self-defense.

Iranians prepared for another violent day of confrontations between demonstrators and security forces on Friday, after riot police used tear-gas against hundreds of demonstrators who defied government warnings and swarmed the streets to commemorate the anniversary of a student massacre in 1999.

FAIRBANKS — Gov. Sarah Palin is planning to talk gun rights with local radio personality Michael Dukes today and will sign several pieces of Second Amendment-related legislation in Fairbanks. Palin unexpectedly resigned a week ago, saying she will transfer power to Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell on July 26 in Fairbanks. Since her announcement, Palin has traveled to remote Alaska communities, offering TV interviews to national networks near Bristol Bay, signing a bill in McGrath and meeting with constituents in Kotzebue. On Wednesday, Palin’s communication director Dave Murrow said he expects the governor to continue her travels. “She’s stacking up opportunities...

Introduced in the Florida House on July 6, 2009, the “Firearms Freedom Act” (HB-21) seeks to provide “that specified firearms, firearm accessories, and ammunition for personal use manufactured in state are not subject to federal law or regulation” in the State of Florida. The bill is sponsored by Florida State Reps O’Toole and Plakon. They follow in the path of Montana, and Tennessee who have already passed such legislation. And they join with Utah, Texas, South Carolina and others who are considering it in an effort to limit federal regulation of guns, and specifically invoke the 9th and 10th Amendments...

Gun rights enthusiasts, including rock 'n roller turned avid hunter Ted Nugent, are expected to call in to a talk radio show in Fairbanks, where Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has scheduled an appearance. --snip-- Palin spokesman Dave Murrow says while the governor is in Fairbanks, she will sign several pieces of legislation supporting citizens' rights to carry and bear arms. Murrow says the governor has been a consistent supporter of Second Amendment rights and the bills reflect that.

A genuine outbreak of 2nd Amendment appreciation in Gaffney, South Carolina as residents are confronted by a Serial Killer who has murdered 5 people in six days. Perhaps the killer will hear the sound of gunfire as people target practice with their newly acquired weapons to prepare for his visit.

In light of all that is going on in America today and in other parts of the world Iran for example this is a must watch video. Thankfully the people of Honduras have an honorable Military who ousted their would be Dictator who the obamageddon supports (talk about a world gone mad!) and I having served would like to think that our own Military would behave honorably as well however in perilous times and with Nazi Napolitano in charge having labeled Veterans and citizens opposing the tax and spend policies or illegal aliens as terrorists and not knowing what information...

"Palin is running for president, get used to it."

The fear on the street is palpable. Ever since the election of Barack Obama as President of these United States in November 2008, coupled with the election of a democrat party majority in both the U.S. House and Senate, concern for the United States and personal safety has ignited like a fire in dry grass.

The San Francisco Chronicle is proving the old bromide true. That's the one that goes: "a lie can be half way 'round the world before the truth can pull its boots on" (often incorrectly attributed to Mark Twain). Then there is another one Twain didn't originate but aptly fits here, "there are three kinds of lies: Lies, damned lies and statistics." The subject of this scoffing is that factoid the Old Media has been promulgating like gospel where "90% of Mexico's confiscated guns are from the U.S." The problem with this "90%" refrain is that it just isn't true. There...