Free Republic

A fraction of the long guns turn in at the 4 May event in Phoenix. Mostly inexpensive guns, but note the well cared for Browning Auto 5 and the full military Mauser A sample of the handguns turned in at the 4 May event in Phoenix. The Ruger Security Six and the Colt Detective Special appear to be in good to excellent condition The Phoenix gun turn in event held on 4 May in Phoenix resulted in approximately 800 guns being turned over to police, most of which are destined for destruction. About 100 private buyers offered cash for guns,...

I was out running this morning (missed a session yesterday covering the Phoenix Gun Turn in). I was open carrying, a habit I picked up during Desert Storm back in the 90's in Arizona, not the sandbox. While running, I heard a short honk. I turned to see a Yuma Sheriff's Dept. truck going by and caught a friendly wave from the deputy. Nice to be trusted by peace officers. In my experience, Sheriff departments are very supportive of armed citizens. Dean Weingarten

While Senator Joe Manchin decides whether to reintroduce his failed background checks bill, other lawmakers are busy passing new gun measures that decrease rather than increase regulation. In Arizona, where Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was shot a little over two years ago in a rampage that left six people dead, including a federal judge, the legislature and the governor have devoted themselves to protecting the firearm supply. On Monday, Gov. Jan Brewer signed two gun laws. One would forbid cities and counties from destroying weapons they obtained through gun-buyback programs. Instead, they must resell them so that guns purchased by police...

Two of the three suspects arrested in connection with an attempted robbery that ended with one of the suspects getting shot, made their initial appearances in Yuma Justice Court on Tuesday afternoon. -------------------------------cut-------------------------- Katz went on to tell the court that Rivas was the alleged getaway driver in the crime and waited in the car around the corner while Estrada and his brother approached the victim. "The victim was in town visiting a family member and was standing outside a residence when he was approached by two males," Katz said. "They demanded his wallet, when he didn’t comply, they demanded...

Two people are in custody following what police believe was an attempted murder on Monday night. The Yuma Police Department says they responded to the Desert Palms Mobile Park on West 28th Street after receiving a report of shots being fired. The victim of the robbery stated that two male subjects had approached him as he stood in front of his trailer and demanded his money. The victim stated that one of the subjects had been armed with a handgun. The victim had also been armed with a legally concealed handgun, and upon being threatened, the victim and the suspect...

Governor Jan Brewer regained some of her credentials as a defender of Second Amendment rights on Monday, 29 April, 2013, as she signed two pro-rights bills into law. The first of the bills is a simple requirement for fiscal responsibility. Governments in Arizona are forbidden from destroying firearms turned over to them. Instead, they must sell the firearms to recover the value for the taxpayer. What this does is somewhat subtle: It does not prevent governments from conducting gun turn in events, often called by the propaganda term "buyback" even though the government never owned the guns to begin with....

Friday, April 19, was the last chance for bills still progressing through the legislature. If a bill didn’t make it through hearings in both chambers and, if necessary, was heard in a Conference Committee by April 19, it is effectively dead. April 23 marked the 100th day of the session, which per the Arizona Constitution, normally means the end of the session. We expect this legislature to go on longer, mainly to deal with budget issues. Of the 17 pro-rights bills firearms bills filed this session, and despite a supposedly pro-rights majority in the legislature, only the 3 bills listed...

The third location for the gun turn ins to be conducted during the first three Saturdays in May, 2013, in Phoenix, Arizona has been announced. $100,000 in gift cards will be available, and will be given out as follows: $100 for rifles, shotguns, and pistols. $200 for "assault weapons". Magazines will be paid for *only* if they accompany a firearm, so there may be opportunities to pick up some scarce magazines for decent prices. They are offering $10 for magazines that have more than a 10 round and less than a 50 round capability, and only $15 and $25 for...

TUCSON, AZ (Tucson News Now) - Gun activist Ken Rineer says Tucson's January 8th gun buy back was a waste of taxpayer money. He says the 45 officers who worked at the event and who took the guns to be destroyed, cost the taxpayers nearly $10,000. "We used over 40 officers to take care of a 'turn-in' that realized no benefit," he says. He was able to get a copy of the Tucson Police Department's Special Operation's Plan for the Ward 6 Gun Buy Back. The plan outlines the purpose, mission and areas of operations. It also assigns officers to...

Maricopa County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox is urging Republican Gov. Jan Brewer to veto a bill requiring cities and counties to sell guns turned over to police at community buyback events rather than having them destroyed. Wilcox sent a letter to Brewer Wednesday pleading with her to veto the bill and keep the guns from returning to the streets where they could be used for violent acts. The Arizona House and Senate have approved House Bill 2455. Republican backers say destroying guns turned over to local governments is a waste of taxpayer resources. Wilcox is a Democrat who champions gun...

TEMPE, AZ - Police say a resident fired shots at two suspects who broke into a Tempe home on Thursday. Tempe police spokesman Mike Pooley said a woman heard a knock at the door of her home near McClintock Drive and Guadalupe Road and thought it sounded odd. Pooley said she went to the garage for a gun and by the time she got back two people were in her home. She shot at both of them, but it's unclear if either one was struck, Pooley said. Pooley said two suspects are in custody and two more got away. The...

2013 Order of the Arrow Spring Camporee, Cochise District Over 230 people attended camporee this past weekend at Wren Arena on Fort Huachuca. There were 19 units represented. 22 Webelos from 3 different packs camped for the weekend! Scouts from Packs, Troops, Teams, Crews, and for the first time our local American Heritage Girls Troop, enjoyed the events of the day. Scouts enjoyed activities such as BB shooting, archery shooting, and tomahawk throwing. They also built primitive fires and had an opportunity to earn their tote’n chip. There was fierce competition at the four-square dodge ball competition. The traditional Saturday...

A major argument against gun buybacks has been that they are too expensive. Arizona may have solved that problem in a most controversial way. The Arizona state Senate voted to prohibit the destruction of firearms gathered by cities and counties. Instead, municipalities will be required to sell the firearms to recoup buyback costs. The only thing that could prevent the bill from becoming law is gun rights proponent Governor Jan Brewer. While no comment has come from the Governor’s office, a veto is unlikely. Democrats are feverishly attempting to sway public opinion. Democratic State Senator Steve Gillardo argued that Arizona...

Authorities have confirmed that an apparent bomb addressed to Maricopa, Ariz., County Sheriff Joe Arpaio was uncovered and diverted, and now investigators are beginning to look into a list of his enemies for any links or connections. Those who have had conflicts with him, those who might be coming under investigation, those who have been unsuccessful in fights with him. That should be a job. Arpaio, who has described himself as the “toughest sheriff in America,” has had conflicts over the past few years with advocates for illegal immigration, those who don’t like his enforcement of state laws in Arizona,...

Here are two of the locations for the gun turn ins to be conducted during the first three Saturdays in May, 2013, in Phoenix, Arizona. $100,000 in gift cards will be available, and will be given out as follows: $100 for rifles, shotguns, and pistols. $200 for "assault weapons". Magazines will be paid for *only* if they accompany a firearm, so there may be opportunities to pick up some scarce magazines for decent prices. They are offering $10 for magazines that have more than a 10 round and less than a 50 round capability, and only $15 and $25 for...

Re: "Gun culture a shock for snowbirds," Karin Klassen, Opinion, April 8. Strange, but I know many people who go to Arizona and spend most of the winter there. They all say they feel safer there than they do in Alberta because there are very few rapes, home invasions or burglaries. Many snowbirds who have property there obtain a firearm. They go to the police and show that they know how to handle firearms safely, are issued a permit, and buy a pistol and ammo. It can serve as protection, though it is very safe, or simply sport shooting, as...

Poll asks: The Bisbee City Council will be voting on legally recognizing same-sex unions within the city Tuesday night. Are you for or against legally recognizing same-sex unions? I am for Bisbee's move to recognize same-sex unions. -OR- I am against Bisbee's move to recognize same-sex unions.

Mohave County Board of Supervisors approved employee weapon carry Monday during a general meeting in Kingman. Supervisor Gary Watson, R-Dist. 1, and Supervisor Hildy Angius, R-Dist. 2, were opposed. The measure affects the county administration building, at 700 W. Beale Street, in Kingman. The policy will be evaluated in six months. “I’m uncomfortable with the whole thing because I understand people,” said Angius during the meeting. Watson and Supervisor Joy Brotherton, R-Dist. 4, agreed. “I really feel uneasy to allow those weapons to our employees as a whole, there is a liability we have to entertain,” Watson said. “The county...

Former Tucson mayoral candidate Shaun McClusky wants to give those in high crime neighborhoods free shotguns. How do you feel about this? I'm in favor of handing out shotguns. I'm against this. Halfway down on the right.

A brilliant exposition of "universal background checks" by MRCOLIONNOIR worth watching if you have the bandwidth for YouTube. http://http://thegunwire.com/blog/youtube-video-mrcolionnoir-the-universal-background-check-dog-and-pony-show/">YouTube: VIDEO: MRCOLIONNOIR: The Universal Background Check Dog and Pony Show">

TUCSON (AP) — A campaign promising free shotguns for people in Tucson’s most troubled neighborhoods has divided some residents in a community still reeling from a shooting rampage in 2011 that killed six people, left a congresswoman and several others wounded, and made the city a symbol of gun violence in America. The nonprofit Armed Citizen Project is part of a national campaign to give shotguns to single women and homeowners in neighborhoods with high-crime rates. The effort comes amid a national debate on gun control after mass shootings in Arizona, Colorado and Connecticut.

Eric Harroun is an Arizona native who rioted with rebels in Cairo and fought in Syria for Al Qaeda affiliate Jabhat Al Nusra. **SNIP** Harroun's descent into Islamic fanaticism seems to have begun sometime after his discharge from the military. With seemingly no way to pursue his lifelong dream of being a soldier, he fell in with two Iraqi brothers, Maadh and Hayder Ibrahim, who he met while attending Pima Community College in Tucson, and began to identify himself as a Muslim, according to people who know him.

Tucson residents living in crime-ridden areas could soon receive free shotguns. Operating on the premise an armed neighborhood is a safer neighborhood, a group led by former mayoral candidate Shaun McClusky is raising money to purchase shotguns and provide training for anyone who lives in a mid- to high-crime neighborhood and can pass a background check. The project is part of a developing nationwide movement to see if more guns really do translate into less crime. McClusky said he's bringing the program to Tucson because the City Council has failed to properly fund the Police Department, leaving many residents easy...

Should the Right embrace gay marriage? Yes or No.

Political insiders are seeing Sen. John McCain as a key player in the upcoming Senate vote to expand background checks for gun buyers, and that has conservative constituents rocking. They say they’re sick and tired of his Republican-In-Name-Only tendencies. --------------------cut---------------------- Conservative bloggers aren’t happy with the secrecy, and see a McCain concession on the horizon. The FreeRepublic conservative blog site is on fire with criticism of Mr. McCain. One writes “A RINO Republican is worse than any Democrat. They are like cowbirds killing the legitimate chicks and tricking the mother bird into working for them.”

We’re big fans of Tony Diaz, AKA el Librotraficante, and the work he’s doing to shed light on the issue of banned Latino books. When the books were banned in Arizona, he became a book trafficker to take (smuggle?) them in…Image That’s the kind of thinking that make you take notice, stand, cheer, and ask what you can do to help. So any time we see that Tony is making some waves we try to lend a hand. He recently did an interview on One Voice Radio. Check it out HERE, or click on the picture to go to the...

Full title: The Arizona Senate passed a measure for any rural and some suburban school employees to be armed. In your opinion, will this make those schools safer or less safer? More safe. Less safe.

PHOENIX -- After being detained for two and a half years by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Eloy, Arizona, 39-year-old Maria Hernadez said she thought it was some sort of joke when suddenly last Saturday she was told she could go home. “Oh my lord. I could not believe it, I was very very happy,” said Hernandez. “But when they said home I was afraid they would send me back to my country.” Instead Maria was allowed to go home to her husband, a legal resident, and her daughter, a U.S. citizen. Maria has been locked up in Eloy for...

Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton has announced that he will be arranging a gun turn in for every Saturday during the month of May. Locations have yet to be announced, or what will be used as incentives for the turn ins. Called by the propaganda term “buy back” the programs insinuate that all firearms belong to the government, when in fact the guns were never owned by the government. This is a prime opportunity for Constitutionalists to have fun and the possibility of picking up some decent guns for very good prices. It appears that Mayor Stanton has $100,000 to play...

PHOENIX - A bill in front of the city council would change the non-discrimination law in Phoenix, protecting Gay, Lesbian, Bi-sexual and Transgender people. Essentially, the proposal prohibits discrimination in housing, employment and public accommodations, such as restaurants and hotels. But, opponents have dubbed it, the "Bathroom Bill", because, if approved, a man could follow a woman into the bathroom by claiming to be transgender. Supporters say they despise the nickname, claiming it's a fear-mongering lie created by critics of the bill. “They can swing this, that's why they do this because they know if they can get people to...

Full title- Should Congress allow automatic spending cuts to take effect if it cannot reach an agreement for resolving the deficit? Yes, No, Undecided.

Would you feel more safe or less safe with armed teachers at your child's school? More safe. Less safe.

Mohave County prosecutors have dropped the second-degree murder charge against a north Kingman man who shot and killed his neighbor late Jan. 22 outside of a triplex on Dove Lane. James Clifton Craft, 70, called 911 a little after 10 p.m. Jan. 22 and told dispatchers that he had just shot someone outside of his door. The man he shot, 27 year-old Matthew James Paulson, was declared dead at the scene. "I shot him in self defense," Craft said. Craft said he was in his residence that night when he heard a series of loud bangs, which sounded as if...

PHOENIX (AP) — Should illegal immigrants using false documents to work face stiffer charges than college

PHOENIX - Police say a young man has died after he was shot by a homeowner Friday morning in west Phoenix. Phoenix police say the homeowner returned to his home to find four young males ransacking the house near 75th Avenue and Indian School Road. Police say the homeowner was fearing for his own safety so he grabbed a gun and fired it, hitting one of the suspects. The other three got away. Police say the male subject who was shot is 16-year-old Mario Barcenas. Police describe the three other suspects as young Hispanic men with short hair.

PHOENIX - Opponents of gun control rallied at the State Capitol Friday morning for "Second Amendment Appreciation Day," and came heavily-armed. They said they were trying to send a message to state leaders and even to the President -- the message being, "keep your hands off my guns." About 100 people gathered for what they called a peaceful protest. It's part of a nationwide event, rallying in support of their second amendment right to bear arms. They said they wanted state leaders to hear that they don't want any changes to existing gun control laws, adding that they fear the...

PHOENIX -- The contentious debate over American gun rights revved up Friday with well-armed Arizonans taking to the capital to have their voice heard. “We're here exercising our first amendment rights in order to protect our second amendment rights,” said Dean Weingarten. “If we don’t exercise our rights we will lose them.” Approximately 100 gun rights supporters, with holstered handguns and semi automatic rifles, gathered at the state capitol with one common message. “The message is don't infringe on the second amendment,” said Duane Weingarten. The group is concerned with the possibility of congress passing much stricter gun laws in...

Pro-Constitution and Second Amendment Rally at Arizona Capitol, 8 February, 2013 I attended the Rally on 8 February at the Arizona Capitol that was aimed at protecting the Constitution, especially the Second Amendment. I and my brother arrived about half an hour early and were able to find parking. Some other reformers looking to protect the Constitution and roll back some of the infringements on citizens rights were arriving just as we got there. They had an extra Gadsden flag for my brother to carry, and I had brought a megaphone because of the lack of organization and an...

While Congress debated firearm related violence on Capitol Hill in response to President Obama’s call for enhanced control laws, Arizona’s state lawmakers approved a legislative measure that would block the federal government from enforcing gun laws within the state. Senate Bill 1112, if signed into law would make it a class 6 felony for: "officials, agents or employees of the federal government from enforcing or attempting to enforce such federal laws that any act, order, law, statute, rule or regulation of the U.S. government relating to a personal firearm, accessory or ammunition that is owned or manufactured commercially or privately...

Gun Control Statement: In light of the increasing amount of requests for Sheriff Wilmot’s position concerning the issues related to gun control, he has issued the following letter to the Citizens of Yuma County. To the Citizens of Yuma County, I, like many Americans, am always appalled and heartbroken when I hear of any incident involving the murder(s) of innocent victims at the hands of violent criminals. Like all Americans, I wish for justice to be served upon those responsible for perpetrating these horrible crimes. I also pray that the families of those victims receive peace during those times of...

The bill co-sponsored by state Sen. Don Shooter, four other senators and several members of the House of Representatives would bar enforcement of new federal laws affecting semi-automatic firearms or high-capacity magazines. It also makes any federal official trying to enforce such laws guilty of a felony and allows the state Attorney General to defend anyone prosecuted for violating federal gun laws if the gun was made in Arizona, among other provisions.

As the war on gun ownership widens, two more sheriffs have said that they will not enforce any law, or executive order that they deem unconstitutional. It was reported by Infowars yesterday, Jan. 25, 2013 that Arizona’s Pinal County Sheriff, Paul Babeu who was recently re-elected to that office by his constituents told the president that he will not obey any law created by a presidential “executive order.” He did this in a letter to the president, in which he told President Obama that, “The most important office in our republic is that of a private citizen. You are not...

I estimated that there were over a thousand people in attendance. I counted 100, then counted roughly equivalent slices. I would estimate that about on third of participants were armed. The gun show a short distance away (competition for the rally) was packed. Dean Weingarten

Freshman Senator from Arizona, Jeff Flake, appears to be bending from pressure in the media to "do something" to infringe on Second Amendment Rights. Given the rumors about Senator John McCain, one wonders if John may be giving his younger colleague advice. On Sunday, 20 January, this was published in the Arizona Republic: Echoing many of his lower-chamber colleagues on Friday, Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., said he likely would have a hard time supporting a new federal ban on “assault weapons” and high-capacity magazines but suggested there may be common ground on universal background checks. “I’ve always said we’ve got...

Just a quick note. I am tired from driving to Phoenix to the protest against more gun laws at the capitol, then a quick look at the fairgrounds for the gun show, and then found my place in the desert broke into on the way back. I have some pictures of the rally at the capitol that I hope to post later. We arrived at the show about 11:45, and had a hard time finding parking. Finally found a spot and moved to the capitol. I counted out a hundred people, cut the crowd into roughly equivalent slices, and figured...

Immigration activist who’s a leader in Dream Act movement joins Arizona congresswoman’s staff PHOENIX — An immigration activist who’s one of the leaders of the Dream Act movement is joining the staff of U.S. Rep. Kyrsten Sinema as a district outreach director.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Some pictures are so powerful that there are not enough words to spin away their message. One scene that the media hoped you would never know about played out before their cameras at the political stunt gun buyback held by Tucson City Councilman Steve Kozachik last week. The crews got the pictures, learned the story, and then deliberately tossed them in an online gallery with a hundred others pictures, or left on the television newsroom cutting floor. She said she came to sell a gun to feed herself for two weeks....

Today I attended the gun buyback held in Tucson, which was initiated by a Tucson City Councilman and held on the second anniversary of the shooting here in Tucson of former member of Congress, Gabrielle Giffords. The buyback was advertised as a “no questions asked” event and for every gun turned in the donor was to receive a $50 gift card from Safeway. The buyback, though purportedly a “private, non-governmental” event, was manned by the Tucson Police Department and took place in the parking lot of the mid-town police substation. It had been reported prior to the event that none...

On January 8th, the City of Tucson is creating some political theater to delegitimize armed citizens. These events are described by the irrational term “buy back” when the government never owned the firearms in the first place. In Arizona, a courageous former state senator, Frank Antenorei, is turning the tables on the politically correct anti-freedom organizers. Instead of victimizing widows who often turn in valuable property for a pittance, he will be offering cash to those who want to get rid of their guns, but do not know how valuable they are. This is perfectly legal in Arizona, just as...

PHOENIX -- Members of the Independent Redistricting Commission want a federal court to block them from being questioned about the legislative maps they drew. In legal papers filed in U.S. District Court, attorneys for the five commissioners said their actions are protected by "legislative privilege," a legal concept that generally prevents lawmakers from being questioned or sued about how they reached a decision. And they want a three-judge panel hearing the case to preclude lawyers for the challengers, from being allowed to ask them about it in pretrial depositions. But Joe Kanefield, one of the commission's attorneys, said this is...