Free Republic

Amid a new round of debate over gun control, Californians have already bought a record number of firearms in 2015, including major spikes in sales on Black Friday and the days after the San Bernardino attacks, an analysis of new federal and state data show. Firearms purchases in California triggered 1.51 million federal background checks in the first 11 months of the year, breaking the previous annual record of 1.47 million set last year.

Isn’t it ironic that a Messianic Jew, Nicholas Thalasinos, was one of the people killed in the terrorist attack in San Bernardino.  Nicholas was a co-worker with the shooter, and had argued with him, saying that Islam is violent.  Maybe that is why he was killed, to show how non-violent Islam is.  He is reported to have been threatened with death just hours before the attack.  The NY post is reported to be using the fact that he called Islam violent a possible reason for the attack.  From facebook, Carl Ludwig: This literally makes me sick.Nicholas Thalasinos was a...

Maybe you're a liberal, reluctant to accept Charles Krauthammer's conclusion that President Obama's speech on terror tonight was a "complete failure." Fine. But there's no getting around Richard Engel, whom no one would accuse of conservatism. Speaking with Chris Matthews on MSNBC, NBC's chief foreign correspondent bleak assessment was that President Obama laid out "the same strategy that hasn't been working for last several years." After a point-by-point takedown of Obama's weak tea, Engel concluded "the course of treatment that he laid out for this sick patient with cancer with no immediate cure does not seem like an incredibly strong...

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. — Investigators on Thursday hunted for a motive in the backgrounds of a husband and wife suspected in a shooting rampage that left 14 dead and 17 others wounded here, while federal agents traced the origins of the four guns recovered from the suspects — at least two of them bought legally — and officers combed through a sprawling set of crime scenes for evidence. The suspects, identified as Syed Rizwan Farook, 28, and Tashfeen Malik, 27 — armed with .223-caliber assault rifles and semiautomatic handguns and wearing masks and body armor — are believed to have...

A Muslim U.S. citizen and his wife burst into his office holiday party with assault rifles and tactical clothing, massacred 14 and injured 17 before they were both shot dead in a police chase through suburban San Bernardino. Syed Rizwan Farook, 28, was at the celebration for local health officials but reportedly left angry before returning heavily armed with wife Tashfeen Malik, 27, and opening fire at the city's Inland Regional Center Wednesday morning. The two escaped the scene before being tracked by police to a home one city over. They sped away from the house in a black...

Farooq Saeed has been identified as the possible San Bernardino shooting suspect, who reports indicate walked into a medical facility for people with developmental disabilities and opened fire. The shooting took place at close to 11 a.m. in the 1300 block of South Waterman Avenue in the California city, taking place at a building identified as the Inland Regional Center. The facility is a state-run medical center that serves people with developmental disabilities, said Nancy Lungren, spokeswoman for the California Department of Developmental Services. Unconfirmed reports identified the suspect as Farooq Saeed, a name repeated on police scanners and reported...

Authorities are responding to a report of 20 victims in a shooting in San Bernardino on Wednesday. The incident was reported in the 1300 block of S. Waterman Avenue (map), according to the San Bernardino Fire Department. Story developing...

Workers represented by Los Angeles County's largest employee union voted to approve a tentative agreement with county management that would give them a 10% raise over three years. Service Employees International Union Local 721, which represents more than 57,000 county employees, including nurses, social workers and clerical workers, tallied ballots Thursday after a month long voting process. Apart from the pay increase, the new contract would make Cesar Chavez Day an official county holiday starting in 2017, provide as much as an additional week of annual vacation every year and put some temporary workers on a path to full-time jobs....

Former neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson is leading the race for the Republican presidential nomination among Colorado voters, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday which also finds that he is one of a number of Republicans who would soundly beat Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton in the Centennial State in a general election match-up. In the race for the Republican nomination, the poll finds Carson leads in Colorado with 25 percent of the vote, followed by Florida Sen. Marco Rubio with 19 percent, business mogul Donald Trump with 17 percent, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz with 14 percent, Carly Fiorina...

A whistleblower has emerged in the controversy of Governor Jerry Brown’s use of state oil experts to study his own family’s private land. Jennie Catalano, a mapping specialist for the California Department of Conservation, says she faced retaliation after complaining about being required to do personal work for Brown. It is illegal for politicians to use state resources for personal benefit. Brown says he used the same resources available to any Californian. The Associated Press confirmed the whistleblower complaint, which is separate from the original legal action by Kern County farmers alleging that Brown colluded with oil companies over the...

Donald Trump and Ben Carson remain the leaders in the Republican presidential field, both in California and nationally, but two freshman senators, Marco Rubio of Florida and Ted Cruz of Texas, have moved into a solid second tier, a new USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll shows. Complete results of the poll, looking at voter attitudes one year ahead of the 2016 election, as well as the race on the Democratic side, will be released on Sunday. The poll, conducted online by SurveyMonkey, surveyed 2,009 voters in California and 3,035 nationwide. It has an error estimate of plus or minus 3...

A reclusive student shot dead by police after stabbing four people in a California university campus attack 'had far greater intentions to do damage', Merced County Sheriff said Wednesday. Faisal Mohammad, a freshman who majored in computer science and engineering at the University of California was carrying highly flammable petroleum jelly, ziptie handcuffs, night vision goggles, duct tape and a hammer in his backpack when he was shot in the back by cops. In reference to the petroleum jelly, Sheriff Vern Warnke said: 'He had poor man's C4' - C4 being the dense, putty-like explosive used widely by the military...

The exterior of the Hollywood Tower Apartments, the inspiration for the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror ride. (Photo: Loren Javier/flickr)In Hollywood horror, things rarely are what they appear to be. Filmmakers often build their haunted locations in the privacy of studio back lots or remote locations. However, the streets and neighborhoods of Los Angeles have provided a wealth of locations for horror films and TV shows, even inspiring a theme park attraction. These locations range from architectural masterpieces and landmark buildings to single family homes and hotels. But no matter their exteriors, each house shares a unique trait: a film location scout has...

The 603 alliance had their caucus today at the Hopkinton State Fair grounds in Contoocook NH. The idea was to get conservatives in NH to unite behind a single candidate via a caucus. Ted Cruz has won, Ben Carson came in 2nd Carly Fiorina 3rd. Donald Trump failed to make the first cut not managing 25 votes, Jeb bush didn’t manage a single vote. Under the rules if the winner of the 603 alliance caucus drops out of the presidential race the people pledge to support the 2nd place finisher and so forth. Expect updates Update 1 I arrived at...

California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom wants to make it illegal for people to buy ammunition without passing a background check. He’s expected to announce the ballot initiative later today in San Francisco, and Los Angeles Times notes a similar law was rejected a few years ago. Newsom’s proposal would also beef up rules for ammunition sales and purchases, applying the same rules that already exist for firearms. Someone buying bullets would be subject to the same background check as someone buying a gun. Similar proposals were introduced in the Legislature two years ago but did not pass.

California’s gun laws are some of the strictest in the U.S., but Gov. Jerry Brown still managed to wrench them tighter over the weekend. The Democrat signed Senate Bill 707 on Saturday, which expanded a current ban on having firearms within 1,000 feet of a school without permission of administrators. Concealed-carry permit holders no longer have an exemption. The legislation was introduced by state Sen. Lois Wolk, D-Davis, months ago, and was signed by Brown without comment, the Sacramento Bee reported Saturday. “California’s college campuses and K-12 schools should be sanctuaries for learning, free from the fear of gun violence,”...

In the wake of Speaker Rep. John Boehner (R-OH)’s resignation, the House Republican Conference will begin the selection process for a new Speaker. We should know what we are getting.

With Speaker John Boehner’s (R-Ohio) job in doubt, House conservatives have been holding internal talks about a new leadership coalition that could include Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) as Speaker and more conservative members occupying lower rungs on the leadership ladder.

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Canonizing the 18th-century Spanish missionary, Blessed Junipero Serra, Pope Francis insisted a person's faith is alive only when it is shared.

The Pentagon has responded to a globally-released ‘Kill List’, asking law enforcement to give extra protection for military personnel whose personal information was released,News Channel 10 reports. CBS News national security correspondent David Martin reports the Pentagon spent the weekend notifying the soldiers who appeared on the list, and urged city police departments and military police to increase patrol in the neighborhoods where the targeted live. The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) published the list days ago, a report that contained names, photos, and home addresses of U.S. Armed Forces personnel, causing alarm in cities potentially at high-risk....