Free Republic

Proof that its not only today that they sell plasic crap that falls to bits before new year !

A Christmas Morning Tradition It has been several weeks since I have had a chance to put out a column because I have been in frantic "law school exam mode." But this was a good semester from a gun rights perspective. One of the classes I finally was able to take was Constitutional Law. As you can imagine, as a gun rights advocate, this was one of the classes that I had been looking forward to since I first decided to attend law school. My first thought as the exam fades behind me is that we are truly blessed to...

In Monday’s editorial, the New York Times reported the results of a Frank Luntz poll indicating that NRA members are much softer on key issues than the National Rifle Association itself. Unfortunately, the editorial was rife with filters in the form of hot labels and emotionally-laden words and phrases that immediately impugned the validity of the results of the study. For example, the opening sentence said, “The National Rifle Association has long fulminated….” Fulminate is a “hot label” that means “to issue or pronounce with vehement denunciation, condemnation, etc.” The second sentence calls Frank Luntz, the author of the study,...

Charles Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol as an indictment of nineteenth century industrialization and economic social classes. The following is a modern take on the tale exploring a different issue. When Scrooge awoke it was so dark that he could hardly make out where the walls ended and the window began. He was just trying to discern which way was up when he heard the chimes of Marley’s old clock downstairs begin to ring and listened to learn the hour. To his astonishment, the chimes continued to intone, six, seven, eight, all the way to twelve. Yet, how could this...

HARRIMAN — A homeowner fatally shot a 19-year-old Rockwood man during a burglary, and authorities have charged an alleged accomplice in the break-in. Michael S. Johnson died at the Roane Medical Center of injuries sustained about 7:55 p.m. Sunday after he entered through a window of the home at 419 Old Valley Road, according to a report filed by Roane County Sheriff’s Office Detective Greg Scalf. Authorities arrested Preston D. Harvest, also 19, of Harriman and charged him with attempted aggravated burglary and vandalism. He was being held today in jail in lieu of $52,000 bond. According to Scalf’s report,...

NEWARK -- Among the more than 700 firearms turned in for cash at last week’s gun amnesty buyback program in Newark, East Orange and Irvington were: an M-16 assault rifle, a Streetsweeper rifle that resembles a "Tommy Gun" and shoots multiple shotgun shells, scores of revolvers, semi-automatic handguns, rifles and shotguns. Hundreds of the weapons were on display today during a news conference with Essex County Prosecutor Paula Dow, county Executive Joseph DiVincenzo, Newark Mayor Cory Booker and others on hand to tout the program’s success. "I think that the best thing money can buy is saving a life," Dow...

- View the Preliminary Crime Statistics For the third year in a row, our Preliminary Semiannual Uniform Crime Report shows that violent crime, property crime, and arson have decreased. The latest report compares January-June 2009 figures with the same time period in 2008.Crimes reported to our Uniform Crime Program are down collectively: violent crime overall decreased 4.4 percent, property crime is down 6.1 percent, and arson fell 8.2 percent. Individual crimes are also decreasing across the board: Murder (down 10.0 percent);Forcible rape (down 3.3 percent);Robbery (down 6.5 percent); The 2009 crime statistics are preliminary; the final report will be issued...

A ten percent drop in murders during the first six months of this year at a time when gun sales were up dramatically is more proof that there is no correlation between gun ownership and violent crime, say officials with the Second Amendment Foundation.

Clay County prosecutors say the Moorhead man who shot and killed a 17-year-old who entered his apartment on June 20 was acting in self defense and will not be charged with a crime.

"Merry Christmas, firearm owners. Don’t forget to thank the NRA for this long-awaited Christmas present."High Court Rejects Challenge to NRA’s Signature Lawby Ken Klukowski In 2005, the National Rifle Association of America enacted a law that probably saved the American gun-making industry from bankruptcy. And just this last week, the Supreme Court rejected a constitutional challenge to this landmark legislation, ensuring this law stays on the books to preserve America’s culture of lawful firearm ownership. For years, opponents of the Second Amendment sought to eliminate gun rights by eliminating guns. Anti-gun groups, working with big-city mayors like Michael Bloomberg of...

Undoubtedly feeling heat from anti gun groups and the Pentagon, the Fort Hood commander has put a “new” command policy in place that will further make the base appear to be a highly regulated “Gun Free Zone.” What the commander is doing is reiterating more forcefully the base firearms regulations that Nidal ignored. Nadal’s handguns weren’t registered at the Fort as was required for soldiers who want to have private firearms on base. The “new “ regulations set forth how everyone on base must report privately owned firearms taken into Ft. Hood. Anyone entering the base with a personal firearm...

AUGUSTA, Ga. - Richmond County investigators tell 26 News they are working to identify who the man is. Investigators say the man died at MCGHealth Tuesday morning. The person was shot while attempting to break into a home on 6th Avenue, near Grand Boulevard. Investigators say the home has been broken into several times and someone who was watching the house shot the man outside the home. Deputies are speaking to the shooter. They have not released any information on any charges.

CONCORD – Democrats in the House and Senate voted yesterday to bar firearms and other deadly or dangerous weapons from the State House and two other buildings. A special committee that oversees legislative facilities voted to reinstate a gun ban that had been in effect from 1996 to 2006. The new ban includes the Legislative Office Building, the nearby Upham Walker House and a connecting tunnel.

111th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 1317 To increase public safety by permitting the Attorney General to deny the transfer of firearms or the issuance of firearms and explosives licenses to known or suspected dangerous terrorists. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES June 22, 2009Mr. LAUTENBERG introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary A BILL To increase public safety by permitting the Attorney General to deny the transfer of firearms or the issuance of firearms and explosives licenses to known or suspected dangerous terrorists. Be it enacted by the Senate and...

I recently blogged about an interesting op-ed in which Ken Klukowski and Ken Blackwell of the American Civil Rights Union argue that the Supreme Court need not overturn The Slaughter-House Cases while “incorporating” the right to bear arms against the states. (Josh Blackman fisked the article in more depth here.) This piece was essentially a distillation of the ACRU’s amicus brief in McDonald v. City of Chicago, which ultimately argues, like Cato’s brief, that Chicago’s gun ban is unconstitutional. It has come to my attention, however, that I mischaracterized one aspect of the Kens’ op-ed (sorry about that): while they...

There is a major misrepresentation in this country when it comes to the Bill of Rights. A recent letter to the Readers' Forum said that "nearly everything that makes an American proud to be one comes from the Bill of Rights. Freedoms to speak, print, read, assemble, pray, petition the government, and keep and bear arms." Even at the tea parties, they get it wrong when they say the Second Amendment gives us the right to bear arms. The fact of the matter is the Bill of Rights gives us nothing. The Bill of Rights is simply a confirmation of...

For the first time, liquor store owner Cliff Cormier has said publicly he was the one who shot two would-be robbers in his store on Oct. 19. And Shawnee County District Attorney Chad Taylor said Monday he is drafting a "clearance letter" to send to the Topeka Police Department saying no charges would be filed in connection with the shootings. On Oct. 19, Rickie Loyd, 21, was shot and killed by someone inside Cormier Liquor, 2611 S.E. California, during a robbery attempt. Until Monday nobody associated with the incident — not Clff or Janice Cormier, not law enforcement — would...

That Marley was dead there could be no doubt. All the papers carried the news, the coroner had performed a thorough autopsy, and Scrooge himself had identified the body and bore witness at the funeral. Was Scrooge certain in his identification? Of course he was! Scrooge and Marley had been friends for more years than either could remember and both considered the other to be family. In reality, each others’ only friend and the only family either cared to associate with. Marley was a long time politician spending many years at different levels of politics, holding the office of U.S....

HATTIESBURG, MS (WDAM) - A stabbing in Hattiesburg Thursday left one man dead and the accused claiming self-defense. Zachary Doughtery, 20, was arrested Thursday afternoon for allegedly stabbing and killing Tony Lee Ducksworth, 46, of Taylorville. Police said Ducksworth drove himself to Forrest General Hospital where he collapsed and died. Doughtery claims he killed the man in self defense. "I mean that dude was giving me a brutal ass beating," said Doughtery. "If I didn't stab him, I was going to be hospitalized." Doughtery claims Ducksworth tried to force him to give oral sex, which led to a fight.

Police said a registered gun carrier used his weapon on two men carrying out a home invasion at his residence on Sunday. One of the home invaders is listed in serious condition at Erlanger Hospital following the incident at 6207 Stockton Dr. According to the homeowner, Marcus Grier, he stopped by his home briefly to use the bathroom. He said he had his gun with him at the time of the home invasion. While at home, he said he heard someone enter his residence. He was met by two armed men who told him to give them his money. Mr....

Guns could no longer be considered a threat to health under health care reform if Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s compromise passes. Really. In all the the deal making and tinkering to win support for the bill, Reid added a provision to prevent the Secretary of Health and Human Services from collecting data on guns and ammunition in households, and using it in any relation to health care. It also bars insurers from taking into account the risks guns might pose to people’s health in setting premiums or offering rebates to people with healthy lifestyles. For instance, if someone were...

Murder and manslaughter dropped a remarkable 10 percent in the first half of this year, according to preliminary figures released by the FBI Monday showing crime falling across the country. Overall, violent crimes fell by 4.4 percent and property crimes dropped by 6.1 percent, according to the data collected by the FBI. Crime rates haven't been this low since the 1960's, and are nowhere near the peak reached in the early 1990's. The new figures show car thefts also dropped significantly, falling nearly 19 percent and continuing a sharp downward trend in that category. .........

Murder and manslaughter dropped a remarkable 10 percent in the first half of this year, according to preliminary figures released by the FBI Monday showing crime falling across the country. Overall, violent crimes fell by 4.4 percent and property crimes dropped by 6.1 percent, according to the data collected by the FBI. Crime rates haven't been this low since the 1960's, and are nowhere near the peak reached in the early 1990's. The new figures show car thefts also dropped significantly, falling nearly 19 percent and continuing a sharp downward trend in that category. .........

WASHINGTON — Unemployment is high, the economy is down. Yet for all the signs of recession, something is missing: More crime. Experts are scratching their heads over why crime has ebbed during this recession, making it different from other economic downturns of the past half-century. Early guesses include jobless folks at home keeping closer watch for thieves, or extra benefits keeping people from resorting to crime. Preliminary figures gathered by the FBI for the first six months of 2009 show crime falling across the country — at a time when many experts and police officials had expected crime to rise...

This is a video that helps explain the mentality of news reporters. Check out this airhead news reporter doing a report on gun safety. The woman reporter in this video keeps pointing the loaded gun at the cameraman. Even after she fired a round down range at a target she looks at the camera and non nonchalantly shakes the gun with the barrel pointed towards the cameraman. Honestly, you cannot make this stuff up. Then, as if that part of the video is not bad enough, notice how the cameraman never seems to realize that his life is in danger....

We all make mistakes, so perhaps this is just one of those cases where the results lend themselves to ridicule. From Fox News: It may sound absurd. But President Obama signed a bill into law Wednesday that requires passengers who carry firearms aboard Amtrak be locked in boxes for their journey. It's a mistake in the law's wording. But for now, the clerical error is the law of the land. I'm sure there's no shortage of antis who would have no problem getting on board with that idea. Thing is: The bill text was correct when the House approved the...

Mayor Bloomberg's crusade against guns comes with a price tag attached. Bills obtained by the Daily News show the city Law Department has paid almost $1.5 million to Kroll Associates, a high-end detective firm, for its undercover probe of out-of-state gun sales. The mayor announced the results of that investigation with a big splash in October, playing secretly recorded videos of dealers improperly selling guns at gun shows. Detectives were able to buy guns even after saying they wouldn't pass a background check, or after having a friend fill out the required purchase forms for them. "I wouldn't pass either,...

Readers may not have noticed that there was news this week from Fort Hood, the scene of an evil attack in which 13 Americans were killed and 30 wounded by a U.S. Army officer turned traitor less than two months ago. It would be easy not to notice, since there seems to have been no national press reaction so far, but local news outlets are reporting new regulations. According to a story by Amanda Kim Stairrett of the Killeen Daily Herald, the new policy tightens gun regulations in three main areas. Military personnel who live on the installation and own...

The Washington Post reports that yesterday’s record snowfall resulted in an impromptu mass snowball fight in downtown Washington DC. While some may have been celebrating an upcoming white Christmas, it appears that the Metropolitan Police Department may have already received the best from Santa. A plainclothes detective was stopped at the intersection when his burgundy Hummer (a $40k+ vehicle) was hit with snowballs. Video shows him get out of his stylish ride and draw his service sidearm. He then drops his comm unit and bends to pick it up out of the snowy street, all while holding his handgun pointed...

Alex Robinson wants his assault rifles on foreign battlefields and Utah gun racks alike, so a proposed Firearms Freedom Act exempting local-only sales from federal regulation isn't a game changer at his Salt Lake City machine shop. Then again, Utah is gun country. Armed self-defense true believers see life and death in every constitutional affront. Many applaud a message bill that would preclude federal regulation of any guns made, sold and kept within state lines -- even as they acknowledge that such a law's prospects in federal court are dubious. "There's absolutely no reason Utahns should be subject to some...

Amicus States’ Motion for Leave to Participate in Oral Argument in the Second Amendment Incorporation Case The motion is here. An excerpt: [T]he State of Texas and 37 other States ... request that the Court divide oral argument for Petitioners, and allow Greg Abbott, Attorney General of Texas, on behalf of the amici States, 10 minutes of argument time. Petitioners support this motion, and have agreed to cede 10 minutes to the amici States.... [B]ecause they are sovereign governmental bodies, with strong interests in preventing crime and in maintaining their extant regulations on firearms, the amici States represent interests unique...

Homeowners would be handed a licence to kill burglars by a Tory government. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Grayling raised the election stakes on crime by promising law-abiding citizens extra rights to defend themselves. If the Tories win the election, he said, they would tear up the law which lets householders use only 'reasonable force' to defend their families against intruders. The move comes amid public outrage at the 30-month sentence handed last week to Munir Hussain, who chased and beat a member of a gang who had held his family at knifepoint in their home. Mr Grayling said homeowners should...

The number of gun permits issued in Massachusetts surged by more than 15 percent over the past two years, reversing nearly a decade of steady declines and marking a pronounced departure for a state known for its antigun sentiment. The magnitude of the rise, evident in nearly every corner of the state, surprised law enforcement officials, and gun advocates and opponents alike. Some saw it as an echo of similar spikes across the country after President Obama’s election, when heavy gun sales were attributed to fears that he would impose strict new gun laws. But with more women and elderly...

The Army has begun fielding a new 5.56mm 30-round "improved magazine" that delivers a significant increase in reliability for M-16 and M-4 weapons. Bolstering the already high reliability ratings of the M-16 and M-4, the improved magazine reduces the risk of magazine-related stoppages by more than 50 percent compared to the older magazine variants, according to officials at Program Executive Office Soldier. Identified by a tan-colored follower, more than 500,000 of the improved magazines have been fielded to units in Iraq, Afghanistan and the United States. "With the improved magazines, we're taking weapons reliability up another notch," said Lt. Col....

~~Come on in and shoot the breeze~~   Gun Talk Radio   12/20/09~~07:00 CST

SUFFOLK An indiscreet tire change may have been a burglar’s undoing Friday night, according to police. At first, it looked like he’d make a clean getaway. An attempt to burglarize Butler’s Store, on Godwin Boulevard, had been unsuccessful. The store’s owner, John Butler, said he heard an intruder try to kick in the door and had chased him away, but the intruder managed to drive off and, better yet, escape unharmed. “I coulda dropped him,” said Butler, who’d come running out of his store with a 9 mm in his hands. He and his wife live in an apartment in...

On Thursday, Dec. 17, Justice Ginsburg spoke at a luncheon of the Harvard Club of Washington, D.C. I was not present at the luncheon, but I have heard, third-hand, that she spoke on the value of dissenting opinions. She said that sometimes a dissent can become the majority of a “future, wiser court.” As an example, she pointed to the dissent in District of Columbia v. Heller.

This is a video that helps explain the mentality of news reporters. Check out this airhead news reporter doing a report on gun safety. The woman reporter in this video keeps pointing the loaded gun at the cameraman. Even after she fired a round down range at a target she looks at the camera and non nonchalantly shakes the gun with the barrel pointed towards the cameraman. Honestly, you cannot make this stuff up. Watch the video of the airhead reporter here After watching this video, all I could think about was all the gun laws we have. The only...

Rochester, N.Y. —After nearly 20 hours of deliberating, a jury has found Roderick Scott not guilty of manslaughter. Scott says he never meant to shoot and kill 16-year-old Christopher Cervini in April, when he caught the teenager and two others breaking into cars in his neighborhood. Scott faced a charge of first-degree manslaughter. His trial in state Supreme Court began Nov. 30. Scott says Cervini threatened him — and he fired his gun in self-defense.... Assistant District Attorney Julie Finnochio said she respects the verdict and recognizes that it was a difficult case. "I just hope it's not a message...

Well, as it turns out, Washington DC residents know exactly how much of a joke 911 is in their own town, after a cop. Pulled a gun. On kids. Throwing snowballs. Yeah, and they're reading this cop the riot act.

Though gun rights haven't (yet) been among the chief freedoms President Barack Obama (D, China) has taken on or nationalized, it may only be a matter of time. Defending the Second Amendment now may save us more trouble down the road. That's why I'd like to take this opportunity for a shameless plug and announce TheArmedCitizen.com, a new website based on an old idea, the idea of broadcasting the stories of everyday citizens whose lives or well-being were saved by using guns. Recently, the Violence Policy Center made headlines (headlines...!) when they announced a "body count" of murders committed by...

Guy To Cop: "What's your badge number so we can report your ass for pulling a gun at a snowball fight" ......(Video)

The issue of concealed weapons has stirred up debate in Georgetown County. S.C. Attorney General Henry McMaster said the county’s ban on concealed weapons on school grounds does not comply with state law. School district officials they will re-think the policy, which prohibits the possession of concealed weapons on school grounds even if the owner has a permit. The attorney general’s office said state law requires the permit holder to lock a weapon in a trunk, a center console or glove box of a vehicle. The district’s plan to work its policy has some families concerned. “If you have your...

A former soldier who was given a suspended sentence after handing a sawn-off shotgun to police believes his actions merited an award instead. Paul Clarke, 27, of Merstham, Redhill, was convicted of possessing a firearm in November and sentenced earlier. Reading Crown Court heard Clarke found a bin liner containing a shotgun in March and was arrested when he handed it in four days later. The judge told Clarke he should have asked police to come straight away. Judge Christopher Critchlow said the minimum sentence for possessing a firearm was normally five years, but it was a "highly unusual case"...

According to an eyewitness, a D.C. Police detective went nuts after kids pelted his Hummer with snowballs at 14th and U streets NW this afternoon. The cop got out of his car and started waving his gun around. He did not immediately identify himself as a police officer. He calmed down once his fellow police arrived. Apparently, someone called 911 to report a man with gun. The snowball fight had been well hyped on Twitter. The news of the incident first broke there. We caught up with an eyewitness moments ago. Photos and video to come.

If you don't think the Second Amendment is important, watch this video.

An opinion from South Carolina’s attorney general is forcing the Georgetown County School District to rethink an illegal policy that bans concealed weapons on school property. Henry McMaster told the district that the policy, which prohibits visitors, parents, teachers and students from carrying weapons on school property including parking lots — even with a concealed carry permit — was a violation of state law. That law was approved by the General Assembly earlier this year and allows anyone with a concealed carry permit to keep weapons locked in their vehicles on school property. Rep. Thad Viers (R-Horry) requested the opinion...

Click photo to enlarge Sherman "Tony" Fontano with his dog, 'Magnum', at his San Jose home Thursday... ( Patrick Tehan ) * « * 1 * » After his brothers watched a newscast about the national movement to carry guns in public, they told Sherman "Tony" Fontano he could do that himself. Two San Jose police officers also said it would be OK. So this week, Fontano, 74, put his unloaded .357 Magnum into his waistband and took a walk with his girlfriend. But he was soon surrounded by police who had their own guns drawn. Unfortunately, nobody had mentioned...

Manassas, VA, - -(AmmoLand.com)- Anyone who does not hold an FFL and sells a firearm to someone he doesn’t know well is incurring a certain amount of liability. And, a bit of bad judgment could cause trouble not just for the seller, but for the rest of the gun owning community as well. There is no question that individuals have the right to buy, sell, and trade firearms between themselves without government infringement. But there are laws on the books and failing to know and follow them is just asking for trouble. A prudent trader will take into account not...

In 2005, the National Rifle Association of America enacted a law that probably saved the American gun-making industry from bankruptcy. And just this last week, the Supreme Court rejected a constitutional challenge to this landmark legislation, ensuring this law stays on the books to preserve America’s culture of lawful firearm ownership. For years, opponents of the Second Amendment sought to eliminate gun rights by eliminating guns. Anti-gun groups, working with big-city mayors like Michael Bloomberg of New York City, devised a scheme to rid America of firearms. They filed product liability suits, alleging that firearm manufacturers should be held liable...