Free Republic

--IMAGE HERE-- If you live in New Jersey and are named Robert Johnson, Kevin Johnson, James Rogers, or Mary Smith then I have bad news for you. Governor Chris Christie just signed a bill making you a second class citizen. “Are you kidding me?” No I am not. With a stroke of the pen, Governor Christie has stripped away the constitutional rights of thousands of New Jersey residents with no due process whatsoever. “How did he do that?” Among the 10 gun control bills that the New Jersey governor signed on August 8th was Assembly Bill 3687. This bill prohibits...

--IMAGE HERE-- I would like for you to meet Cole Withrow. In addition to being an Eagle Scout, Cole is an honors student and high school senior in Johnson County North Carolina … at least he was until recently. Now, he is charged with a felony, expelled from school weeks before graduation, and sees his college plans crumbling since he will not be allowed to graduate. All of the hard work he has put into becoming a successful member of society is threatened. Cole is the epitome of what I am talking about when I say that gun control does...

--IMAGE HERE-- This morning I was reading the press coverage of last week’s Stop The NRA ‘rally’ in DC. Despite the fact that it only attracted a whopping 60 attendees, it received quite a bit of positive attention from the mainstream media. Now … let’s compare that to another rally that took place last week with practically no media attention. On Tuesday April 23rd, I drove the 430 miles from Bristol Virginia to Harrisburg Pennsylvania for the 8th annual Right to Keep and Bear Arms Rally. This rally, which takes place every year, is a gathering of Pennsylvania gun owners...

-- IMAGE HERE -- Aging comedian/actor Jay Mohr managed to generate some publicity for himself on Monday by exploiting the Boston Marathon explosions to push his anti-Second Amendment agenda. Mohr, who those from my generation might remember from Tom Cruise’s hit 1996 film Jerry Maguire, and younger readers might remember from absolutely nowhere, sent his first clueless tweet Monday night. “What bothers me most about today is that we’re getting used 2 it. ENOUGH. 2nd amendment must go. Violence has 2 stop. Culture MUST change.” When questioned on the connection between the Second Amendment and the Boston explosions, he just...

-- IMAGE HERE -- “So what does a traitor look like?” That is a very good question. After all, a traitor is different than an enemy. An enemy declares himself and opposes you openly. But in order to become a traitor, someone first needs to enjoy your trust. Those of us in the gun rights community have plenty of enemies … people who have openly declared war on the Second Amendment and the Constitution. Heck … practically every Democrat in the country seems to have signed up for a frontal assault on gun owners. But to be betrayed by one...

-- IMAGE HERE -- Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero has beaten many opponents on his way to becoming the WBC Welterweight Champion. He has also beaten back leukemia and is known far and wide for his squeaky-clean lifestyle. In short, Guerrero is a champion in every meaning of the term. He is truly an American hero and role model. But once again, we see the gun control trap set by Democrats snap shut on an innocent, law-abiding citizen. Guerrero is now facing a felony charge that could put him away for 15 years. Just like Beth Ferrizzi from yesterday’s edition of...

-- IMAGE HERE -- I would like for you to meet Beth Ferrizzi of Fargo North Dakota. She is an average American women who considers herself a law-abiding and even upstanding citizen. She is married to Air Force Master Sergeant Joe Ferrizzi and they are expecting their second child. Joe, who is deployed to Honduras serving his country, was recently able to meet Beth and their 6 year old daughter in Pennsylvania for a family visit. He also wanted to show her the Philadelphia neighborhood where he grew up. It was to be a happy family reunion between a soldier...

-- IMAGE HERE -- In the hit 2012 movie The Avengers, the Norse trickster god Loki threatens a crowd and makes them kneel before him as he delivers a speech about what he thinks of the human race. “Is this not your natural state? It’s the unspoken truth of humanity, that you crave subjugation. The bright lure of freedom diminishes your life’s joy in a mad scramble for power, for identity. You were made to be ruled. In the end, you will always kneel.” As I was watching the movie, I was properly outraged at the character’s assertions. I remember...

-- IMAGE HERE -- A Massachusetts man is facing charges of illegal possession of a firearm and failing to secure a weapon after using a shotgun to kill a bear that began chasing him in his own backyard while he was stocking his bird feeders. The man in question is 76 year old Richard Ahlstrand of Auburn Massachusetts and the bear was 7 feet tall and pushing 400 pounds. But despite the reasonable fear that a 76 year old man might feel in such a situation, the local prosecutors have gone after Mr. Ahlstrand with a vengeance. When he went...

-- IMAGE HERE -- The media loves to point out the stupid things that Republicans say … and, being politicians, they do say their share of stupid things. But if you depend on the mainstream media for your news, then you might think that Democrats are all genius-level intellects whose every word is cherished wisdom designed to send thrills down Chris Matthew’s leg. But let me assure you that nothing could be further from the truth. And this is particularly true when Democrats attempt to talk credibly about the firearms that they want so desperately to ban and the constitutional...

--IMAGE HERE-- “There are certain times we should infringe on your freedom.” These words, or ones very much like them, are powerful words indeed. They have been spoken countless times throughout history by pharaohs, and kings, and emperors, and men with far too much power over the weak and defenseless. And once spoken, they have shaped the blood-spattered history of mankind. They are the words of tyrants … of dictators … of slaveowners. And always … what followed was misery, and suffering, and then ultimately … horror and death. Most recently, these words came from the mouth of New York...

--IMAGE HERE -- I want to tell you about a wonderful family event that took place in Brookville Pennsylvania yesterday. It was called the Brookville Open Carry Walk and so many people showed up despite the cold that the police and fire department had to stop traffic for a time. Notably absent were any counter protestors. Despite calls by the anti-gun group CeaseFirePA, not a single counter protestor showed up. I guess CeaseFirePA’s 7 members were busy elsewhere. According to event organizers Adam Smith and Angel Yount-Smith, the purpose of the event was to show that the media-backed stereotypes about...

-- IMAGE HERE -- In an effort to make a political point about concealed carry in public buildings, an anti-gun Kansas Democrat has inadvertently introduced an amendment that makes open carry legal in the state capitol. The amendment was introduced by Lawrence Kansas Democrat John Wilson who states that he is, in fact, opposed to guns in public buildings and only introduced the bill to “draw attention to what he considered the hypocrisy of legislators who wanted to allow the concealed carry of weapons in other public buildings, including schools and mental health centers, but not in their own workplace.”...

-- IMAGE HERE -- Illinois Democratic Congresswoman Janice Schakowsky wants to make one thing very clear … the attempt to ban so-called ‘assault weapons’ is only the beginning of the planned attack on the Second Amendment. Schakowsky made these comments to a reporter at the One Billion Rising Women’s Rights Rally in February. Referring to the Sandy Hook tragedy as “a moment of opportunity,” Schakowsky went on to say that “everything [is] on the table … There’s no question about it. We’re on a roll now, and I think we’ve got to … push as hard as we can and...

--IMAGE HERE-- What is it with vice presidents and shotguns? I mean, Dick Cheney may have accidentally shot someone in a display of poor firearms handling, but at least he never claimed that it was a good idea to do so. But despite being thoroughly lambasted for last week’s illegal advice to shoot wildly into the air from one’s balcony, good ol’ Joe is back with more advice for those who are tired of living outside of prison. In an interview with Field & Stream he made the following jaw-droppingly stupid statement. “Well, you know, my shotgun will do better...

--IMAGE HERE-- Former Texas Ranger and NRA Board Member Joaquin Jackson likes to pose with a lever action rifle. And apparently, if he had his way, that would be practically all that you would be allowed to own. While Jackson, who has appeared in the popular “I’m The NRA” ad campaign, likes to claim that he considers the Second Amendment to be a fundamental right, he has made comments demonstrating that he is anything but a true supporter of the gun rights of all Americans. A leftover relic of the ‘hunters and skeet shooters only’ mentality that once prevailed at...

--IMAGE HERE-- The latest tactic being employed against gun owners is to dehumanize them; to portray them as something less than a full-fledged member of society. Some have even called for the deaths of gun owners and advocates. The most recent bigot to jump on the bandwagon is comedian Jim Carrey who tweeted that “Any[one] who would run out to buy an assault rifle after the Newtown massacre has very little left in their body or soul worth protecting.” Let’s look at how many Americans he just insulted. Extrapolating from already released ATF data, the number of new guns purchased...

--IMAGE HERE-- The National Conference of Democratic Mayors wants more gun control and they are frustrated that, because of gun owners like you who vote, they cannot achieve it through legislation. So … they have a backup plan. They are going to use taxpayer dollars, in the form of contracts to supply law enforcement agencies, to threaten manufacturers who do not voluntarily enact their draconian proposals. And they are not trying to hide their agenda. Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, who leads the group, proudly announced the details of the plan after the NCDM meeting in January. “When we were lobbying...

--IMAGE HERE -- It is becoming increasingly clear that anti-gun advocates, media personalities, and politicians are completely immune to the laws they insist the rest of must abide by, at least in the District of Columbia. While average citizens and veterans who have served our nation with distinction see their lives ruined, prosecutors repeatedly turn a blind eye when the person breaking the law is espousing an anti-gun agenda. It all started with David Gregory. Despite being warned by the Capitol Police that he could not possess a normal-capacity magazine inside the District of Columbia, he did so anyway. Even...

--IMAGE HERE-- When defending draconian gun laws in DC, Illinois, and New York, Democrats are quick to point out that states should be free to adapt their laws to their specific needs despite any pesky constitutional amendments or civil rights. President Obama himself made this argument yesterday when he said that “the reality of guns in urban areas [is] very different from the reality of guns in rural areas.” But apparently they only want states to be able to set their own laws when those laws coincide with their own anti-civil-rights agenda. California Senator Barbara Boxer has introduced Senate Bill...