Free Republic

Guns can be dangerous in the wrong hands. But so are articles about guns written by people who don’t understand anything about them. There’s sadly no excuse to be ignorant about firearms. They’ve been around for hundreds of years. They’re owned and operated safely by tens of millions of Americans each year. Our Constitution guarantees our individual right to possess guns so that we might be able to defend ourselves from those who would violently take away our freedom. Many gun controllers, however — some of whom have bylines for major media organizations — don’t actually know the first thing...

Many have speculated on the reason for the hand inside the coat pose of officers during Civil War photographs.   Perhaps it was to render access to a concealed weapon.  These, after all, were military officers. Is that the bulge of a Smith & Wesson #1 under his left arm?  It is about the right size.   The number one was one of the first easily concealable cartridge pistols.  It was first produced in 1857 and was in great demand by officers in the Civil War. As a .22 short, we might not think of it as having much stopping power. ...

The Second Amendment Foundation has won another significant court victory.  This one will help reverse the ever expanding list of people who have become "prohibited persons"; people who are not allowed to keep or carry arms.  The case was tried in the federal Middle District Court in Pennsylvania. The victory was obtained in the case Suarez vs Holder(pdf). Julio Suarez was convicted in Maryland 25 years ago of a misdemeanor for carrying a firearm without a license. Since then, he has led an exemplary life, but the conviction was enough to cost Suarez his ability to buy and keep...

A former cop "disenfranchised with law enforcement" and known to own "a lot of guns" is accused of killing his ex-wife before ambushing a sheriff and deputy who responded to the scene, a Georgia Bureau of Investigation official said Monday. The deaths appear to have resulted from a "long-simmering domestic dispute," Rusty Andrews, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation's deputy director of investigations, told reporters. Anthony Giaquinta, an ex-military contractor and a former law enforcement officer with the Gainesville Police Department and Habersham County Sheriff's Office, was found dead from what police believe was an exchange of gunfire with a deputy....

Minnesota state Rep. Tony Cornish says the al-Shabaab threat against the Mall of America should be enough to motivate mall owners to drop their “no guns” policy so citizens can protect themselves. Mr. Cornish, a Republican who also chairs the House Public Safety Committee, said the Mall of America has interpreted state concealed carry laws incorrectly, and he’s intent on challenging them for it, a local CBS affiliate reported. “This is completely ridiculous. The complete opposite of what they should be doing,” he said. “If we’re threatened with an attack, the last thing you want to do is disarm...

According to the American Freedom Fighters, the latest body count associated with the Clintons’ has been updated. All of the people included in the list below have been connected with the Clintons in some form or another, as explained in the description provided. Not included were any deaths that could not be verified or connected to the Clinton scandals. All deaths are listed chronologically by date and current to the best of their knowledge as of January 2014. Susan Coleman: Rumors were circulating in Arkansas of an affair with Bill Clinton. She was found dead with a gunshot wound to...

One man is dead after he broke into two homes in Columbus, Ohio, early Thursday morning. Just before 5 a.m., the suspect, who was later identified as 28-year-old Christopher Lee Willis, broke into a home before being chased away by the homeowner. In an effort to escape, Willis broke a second-story window and jumped from the roof. Willis then ran across the street to the home of Sharon Jessee, where he broke another window and attempted to get inside. Jessee, who was asleep on the couch and was awakened by sound of glass shattering, grabbed a gun and fired several...

An anonymous Internet source posting as "Guest" has started a firestorm on a forum for the Palm Beach County Sheriff Office, titled pbsotalk.com.   The original post, titled "Tricks of the trade - let's exchange!" deals with how to plant evidence to cause problems for someone they arrest who has aroused their ire.  Here is the original post: I was lucky to get a really good FTO when I started almost 15 years ago. He taught me to always keep learning new skills and techniques. It's not always easy to do being in a zone with the same old people...

Leading Democrats in Vermont are close to scrapping a proposed background check requirement for all private gun sales in Vermont. The requirement is supported by Michael Bloomberg and has come under added scrutiny after his gun control group–Everytown for Gun Safety–was forced to apologize to Crossfire Arms in Mount Holly for listing the gun store as an “unlicensed” Vermont gun seller.

Mandatory steps in securing our nation and our homes and neighborhoods from Islamic Terrorist attacks: 1) Quit pouring money down the federal drain to use in setting up unconstitutional restrictions on the people (shutter the DHS). 2) Enforce the immigration laws. Secure the borders! 3) Quit trying to disarm the people. Abolish all so-called "gun-free" zones which are in reality killing fields by invitation. 4) We the people need to enforce our second amendment rights: "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...

An alert and armed business owner made a citizens arrest of the third suspect in a string of over 40 burglaries.   Police had distributed email alerts describing the suspect, and Charles Fouche, owner of Beach Pawn Shop was able to get the drop on the suspect, William Hasencamp.  Link to video of the encounter Mr. Fouche, along with a number of other jewelery and gold dealers had been sent pictures of the suspect, who police believed to be the ringleader of the three man team.  The other two suspects had already been arrested. The police had described the suspect...

Campus Carry Could Cost Millions The Houston Chronicle over the weekend reported that many Texas colleges would have to spend millions if campus carry passes during the legislative session. According to the Chronicle, Texas Tech would have to shell out $7 million if campus carry passes. The University of Texas and University of Houston combined would have to make $47 million in changes. The UH System’s cost estimate notes the need to “create, maintain, and staff secured weapons storage facilities in nine dormitories,” as well as hire additional security personnel “to man the facilities 24 hours per day 7 days...

Government was "misrepresenting RCMP firearms statistics by overstating the number of firearms involved in violent crimes." By using an over-inclusive definition, Statistics Canada has exaggerated the number of violent crimes that involve guns. The result is that gun violence appears to be four times more frequent than it really is. In 2013 (the most recent year statistics are available) Statistics Canada reports that there were 5,027 “firearms-related” incidents out of 263,054 violent crimes (i.e., 2% of violent crimes). Clearly, gun violence isn’t prevalent. But even that small share exaggerates the frequency that a gun was actually used to commit a...

This is for all you long range shooter, plinker or hunter. Take a look at this shot from 2,707 yards out, which takes 4 seconds to reach the target. You can view the long shot video here.

Hat/Tip to Blaze at Americas Freedom Fighters. Evidently the Bill of Rights is now optional. Optional in the sense that, as long as you are saying nice things about our current President and his administration, then you get to enjoy your various rights under the Bill of Rights. However, if you are saying things that King President Obama and his thugs administration don’t like, well then you just made the list! What list, you ask yourself? Why the list of 72 types of Americans who are considered a threat and are labeled as ‘Domestic Terrorists,’ that’s what list.

CARSON CITY — A flurry of firearm and Second Amendment related bills introduced in the Legislature have already generated plenty of controversy even though none of the major proposals have even had hearings yet. First there was a dust-up between Senate Democrats and Republicans over a GOP gun measure that includes domestic violence provisions that Democrats said fell short of what is needed.

Gun people love training.  They revel in expertise.  They gush over the incredible feats that expert gun users, from Annie Oakley to Jerry Miculek, can accomplish.  Do not mistake me.  I approve of training.  Training is good.  I have trained a lot of hours... and days... and years... and decades.  I have trained military, police, and civilians.  But large numbers of people use handguns very successfully with little or no training. A case in point occurred recently in Ohio.  From 10tv.com: “She was armed and apparently fired multiple shots at him,” said Sgt. Dave Sicilia. The woman’s son says...

America is a relatively new country with few of the buried skeletons of older cultures, but if you spend much time overseas, there are still a few aspects that are tough to get across to the host country. One is race; another is guns. On the last day of January, a toddler staying with his parents and sister in an Albuquerque, N.M. motel room reached into his mother’s purse, pulled out a loaded gun, and with one shot hit both his father and pregnant mother. At the tail end of 2014, a two-year-old boy shot his mother in a northern...

TALLAHASSEE — The case against Tadrae McKenzie looked like an easy win for prosecutors. He and two buddies robbed a small-time pot dealer of $130 worth of weed using BB guns. Under Florida law, that was robbery with a deadly weapon, with a sentence of at least four years in prison. But before trial, his defense team detected investigators’ use of a secret surveillance tool, one that raises significant privacy concerns. In an unprecedented move, a state judge ordered the police to show the device — a cell-tower simulator sometimes called a StingRay — to the attorneys. Rather than show...

Excerpted from Fox News: California’s gun laws are among the nation’s strictest, but a looming decision in a federal lawsuit could effectively ban handguns altogether in the Golden State, according to plaintiffs who want a judge to toss out a state law requiring all new handguns to be equipped with technology that “stamps” each shell casing with a traceable mark. The problem with the “microstamping” law, which was signed into law by then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2007 but only took effect in 2013, is that it relies on an unworkable technology, according to gun manufacturers and attorneys for the Second...