Free Republic

House Bill 972, an important NRA-backed self-defense bill that would repeal the criminal prohibition on the possession of firearms on college campuses by Texas Concealed Handgun Licensees (CHL), is still pending in the Texas Senate – where final action must be taken on the measure by this Wednesday. Make no mistake: anti-gun Senators and gun control advocates are trying to run out the clock on this important reform bill, and it will die without a vote unless your state Senator hears from you TODAY! While HB 972 gives individual higher education institutions the authority to adopt administrative rules and regulations...

Carry permits for concealed weapons are soaring all across the country. Part of the reason for this is uncertainty about the future. No one knows what is going to happen with tax rates, inflation, Obamacare, and the stock market. This uncertainty has translated into uncertainty about public safety, both from ordinary criminals and from the possibility of a breakdown of public order. A comment writer in Lane County, Oregon expresses the motives for and results of obtaining a concealed carry permit well: After many years of no guns in the home (grandchildren, after all), we made the decision to resume...

If right-to-carry concealed carry laws are deemed so dangerous by gun control proponents, letting anyone who is not a criminal carry a gun with no other regulations should be really bad, right? Well, on June 9th, if Illinois hasn't adopted a concealed handgun law by that point in time, it will be legal to carry a concealed handgun in Union county and probably effectively in the rest of the state. The problem for gun control advocates is the same as it is each time that states pass right-to-carry laws: they have made predictions about impending disaster that never occur. In...

A Florida man accidentally shot himself in the leg while bowling Tuesday night. The man was at the bowling lanes in Jupiter, Fla., and witnesses told WPBF the ball likely hit the man's leg during his back swing. At first, some people at the bowling alley thought it was a firecracker going off. Witnesses say the man limped back to his seat clutching his leg. He was taken to hospital as a precaution, but his injuries weren't expected to be life-threatening. The man's identity wasn't released.

30 days to go until Illinois gets unregulated carry! It’s not really Constitutional Carry, which four states enjoy and another (Arkansas) will have later this summer, because local home-rule government units can place restrictions (albeit, probably unconstitutional) and may try to make an arrest of an Illinois gun owner carrying concealed – or otherwise.Of course, if they choose to make an arrest based upon a local ordinance that regulates transportation or possession of a firearm that’s contrary to the Seventh Circuit’s Moore decision striking down the Illinois prohibition on carry outside the home as unconstitutional, they will be risking...

New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg has not made a peep about gun control since news came out that firearms-related deaths were way down. President Obama has ignored it and continued to pursue more gun-control laws. Their reaction shows how this news screws up their agenda to keep the decline in gun-related homicides a secret from Americans so that they can pass restrictions on the Second Amendment.The Justice Department released a study Tuesday that showed firearm-related homicides in the U.S. annually declined 39 percent from 18,253 in 1993 to 11,101 in 2011. Nonfatal firearm crimes declined 69 percent from 1.5 million...

The chambers appear to have agreed to exempt businesses from civil liability related to the use of an employee's gun — a key win for business lobbyists. Lawmakers say they've also agreed to require that sheriffs issue a reason for denying a concealed weapons permit and allow appeals of any denial. And both chambers' leaders say they want to relax restrictions on citizens' carrying weapons openly in Alabama and carrying weapons in their vehicles.

Buckeye Firearms Foundation Ohio --(Ammoland.com)- WHIO (CBS Dayton) is reporting that “churches across the country and here in the Miami Valley are responding to violence by putting their trust in God and taking security into their own hands.”From the article: At Phillips Temple in Trotwood, armed security guards routinely patrol the church grounds and stand watch inside during services and events. It is a visible presence that Pastor James Washington considers a necessary deterrent from evil.“The Bible calls it lawlessness. It’s just a complete disregard for what’s right and wrong and what’s legal and what’s not,” said Washington.Police cruisers surrounded...

Houston, Tx --(Ammoland.com)- Today, May 6th 2013, two pro-gun bills finally passed in the Texas Legislature. SB 864 by Senator Donna Campbell (R-New Braunfels), the Senate companion to HB 47 by Representative Dan Flynn (R-Van), is headed toward the Governor’s desk. SB 864 will reduce the number of hours for a concealed handgun license to “not less than four or more than six” and will not include time on the shooting range or the range proficiency exam.Rep. Flynn severs on the House Committee on Homeland Security and Public Safety. He’s a long-time friend to TSRA and to Texas gun-owners. This...

Missouri Governor Jay Nixon repeatedly denied knowing anything about Missouri illegally sharing its citizens private CCW information with the federal government, even after his own head of Missouri Highway Patrol contradicted him in a public hearing.

JEFFERSON CITY — Republican state senators reacted with outrage Wednesday as federal fraud investigators testified that they had sought three times to obtain a list of Missouri's concealed gun permit holders, which the lawmakers denounced as an unjustified invasion of privacy.

AUGUSTA, Maine — Maine Gov. Paul LePage has signed into law a bill to keep confidential names and other information about gun owners who obtain concealed handgun permits. LePage, who has a concealed handgun permit, announced Friday he’d put his signature on the bill, which was approved a day earlier by lopsided votes in the Maine House and Senate.

Photo by Oleg Volk Sally is a nice, conservative lady who asked a question about the AR-15 a few weeks ago. Sally is not a "gun person", she just wanted a straight answer. I am pleased to report that Sally sent the following message yesterday: "Just got my conceal carry license. I knew it wouldn't take long after I sent it in. To be a Pharmacy Tech in Missouri one gets finger printed by the highway patrol and prints go to the FBI. Easy to find. And would be the stupidest crime of the year if I ever committed one....

So much for the argument that you can never defend yourself because the criminal will always have the advantage.DAYTON — Dayton Police are planning to charge a 17-year-old with felony attempted aggravated robbery after he allegedly pulled a gun on two men at a home on West Norman Avenue and was subsequently shot in the back. According to a police incident report, a man who was working at the house was taking a break at about 1:45 p.m. Sunday when two young men approached and asked to use his phone and then asked for a cigarette. The man’s boss came...

Establishing a bond with a pocket pistol is similar to marriage—in one way: You have to be willing to accept compromise. To make any compromise worth the effort, there must be a clear objective. In this case preserving your life is the goal, and pocket pistols, whether diminutive semi-automatics or small-frame revolvers, do their part and offer a solution that is easy to carry concealed. Merely slipping one into the front pocket of your jacket, however, will not prevent a determined threat from causing you bodily harm. To stop a violent attack, you must be prepared to counter with force...

Charlotte, NC --(Ammoland.com)- Some misguided state senators in South Carolina are working to delay passage of Senate Bill 308, the Restaurant Carry bill introduced by state Senator Sean Bennett. By introducing countless frivolous amendments, several senators are delaying passage of this critical self-defense bill. While some have claimed that they support S 308 during the debate, countless frivolous amendments have been introduced, such as limiting the capacity of a Concealed Weapons Permit (CWP) holder’s carried firearm to six rounds or mandating that it only be a single-action firearm. Every amendment offered is designed to delay passage of S 308, which...

Almost to a man, police officers think gun owners are dangerous. Cops strongly believe the best way to reduce crime is to ban “assault weapons,” high capacity magazines and small, concealable handguns. They also believe that the best way to solve crimes is to establish a comprehensive, national database of firearms and gun sales. Or at least, that’s what anti-gun politicians and the media would like you to believe. It wasn’t that long ago that most people assumed police officers supported the rights of gun owners to keep, carry and use firearms for self defense. Yet, it seems that in...

Shirley Hedge spent more than 40 years saving lives as a nurse. Now retired, "Shotgun Shirley" represents the biggest increase among Florida's more than 1 million people who have concealed-weapon permits: women 66 and older. Hedge, 66, is one of 34,937 women in her age bracket licensed to carry a gun almost anywhere they want in Florida and 35 other states. Their numbers have jumped 619 percent since 2004 — the earliest year with available data — when there were 4,856 women licensed in the same age group, according to state records. The number of women in the youngest age...

A Seattle police official quickly scotched a suggestion earlier this year that citizens with concealed pistol licenses be monitored; just one revelation about how Mayor Mike McGinn’s staff feels toward gun owners that has emerged from e-mails obtained by the Second Amendment Foundation under a Public Records Act request. In addition one e-mail expressed the opinion that the National Rifle Association is an organization that does “dirty work” for the firearms industry, and another suggested that inquiries from Second Amendment activists should be ignored. SAF had asked for all records related to the recently-launched Gun Safety Initiative and the Jan....

New York would be forced to honor concealed-weapons permits from the other 49 states under proposals advanced in the Senate by allies of the National Rifle Association as part of a broader gun control deal, Sen. Charles Schumer warned Sunday. In a release issued Sunday, Schumer (D-N.Y.) said New York, which requires stringent screenings of concealed-carry applicants, could be "swamped by armed individuals from out of state carrying hidden and loaded firearms." But Rockland County Legis. Frank Sparaco (R-Valley Cottage), a critic of parts of New York's SAFE Act gun control law, applauded the reciprocal carry proposal as a "wonderful...

RENO, Nev. -- Shots rang out in a Stead neighborhood early Sunday afternoon after two pit bulls attacked a jogger and his dog. It happened on Rising Sun Drive. Police say the man lives in the area and was jogging in a residential area when the pit bulls attacked. "Two loose, unrestrained pit bulls attacked his dog and when he tried to separate the pit bulls and his dog, the pit bulls attacked him," said Sgt. Joe Lever of the Reno Police Department. "He was jogging with a concealed firearm which he has a permit for. He discharged the firearm...

>An interesting admission in the Washington Post:Moments after clearing the first procedural hurdle, Democrats and gun control groups began readying themselves for a potentially more difficult fight: Weeks of Senate debate defending their carefully crafted legislation against possible amendments — particularly a plan to allow gun owners to carry concealed weapons from one state to another — that would kill the bill’s underlying goal. If the underlying goal of the "universal background check" bill is not to "keep guns out of the hands of criminals and the mentaly ill", both of which are prevented from obtaining concealed carry permits, one...

Brown-eyed people are more likely than blue-eyed people to pack a gun in North Carolina. Much about the nearly 400,000 concealed pistol permit holders here – including their names, addresses, weights and, yes, even eye colors – is a matter of public record. But state lawmakers are trying to change that. A bill crawling through the N.C. General Assembly aims to make that information confidential, open only to law enforcement. It is one of more than a dozen measures introduced this year as lawmakers bow to long-held demands among gun rights activists. As mass shootings fuel debate about the proper...

AUSTIN (CN) - A Texas Senate committee unanimously approved a bill that will make it easier to get a concealed-handgun license. The Senate Criminal Justice Committee voted 7-0 to send Senate Bill 864 to the full state Senate. It will reduce from 10 to 4 the minimum number of classroom hours needed to get a concealed-carry permit - and let people take classes online to renew their permits. The maximum classroom time will be reduced from 15 to 6 hours. To get a license to carry a concealed gun, applicants must complete the portion of the course and get instruction...

MONTGOMERY, Alabama --- The Alabama Senate passed a bill today that would allow for free, lifetime permits to carry pistols in vehicles and that would make other changes to state gun laws. The bill passed after hours of debate and a parade of amendments, some of which were approved. It now moves to the House of Representatives. Those who received a permit to carry in their vehicles would have to undergo a background check and the permits would be revocable if, for example, the permit holder committed a crime, said Sen. Scott Beason, R-Gardendale, the bill’s sponsor. Under current law,...

BELLEVUE, WA — The Second Amendment Foundation has won a preliminary injunction against a part of the State of New Mexico’s concealed carry statute on the grounds that it violates the right of equal protection under the law. The ruling, handed down by the U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico, was signed by M. Christina Armijo, the chief district judge. SAF filed the legal action on behalf of John Jackson, a permanent legal resident alien who could not obtain a concealed carry permit under existing New Mexico statute because he is not a U.S. citizen. SAF has...

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...

In the wake of the tragic murders of two prosecutors, and one's spouse, in Kaufman County, Texas, county courthouses across Texas are promising beefed up security. While these plans will certainly include more armed guards, the District Attorney in Dallas County is advising its prosecutors to take their own steps for personal protection. “We encourage our prosecutors to have a security handgun license, as long as they do it within the letter of the law,” a DA spokeswoman told local CBS News. Mike McLelland, the murdered DA of Kaufman County himself carried a firearm with him when he was outside...

North Carolina State Senators Jeff Tarte (R-Mecklenburg), Andrew Brock (R-Davie), and Shirley Randleman (R-Stokes) have introduced SB - Lawful Citizens Self Protection Act. This bill would expand where Concealed Handgun Permit holders could carry and includes a employer parking lot provision. Grass Roots North Carolina issued an alert today on the bill asking North Carolinians to contact their state senator and to thank Sen. Jeff Tarte for his leadership on this issue. Sen. Tarte is a freshman who ran on a platform of protecting and advancing gun rights in the state. Senate bill would remove certain restrictions for CHP holders...

HB495, sponsored by Rep. Terry Johnson (R) and passed into law last December, became effective March 27, 2013, and is now the law of the land. The reforms make three changes to current law: Eliminates the "demonstrated competency" requirement for second and future CHL renewals, making CHL training similar to a hunting license. Fixes the definition of a "loaded gun" to match the commonly accepted definition. Allows law-abiding gun owners to have their firearms stored in their cars in the state-owned parking garages such as the one under the Statehouse. There are now ways to have a loaded magazine in...

I’ve carried a sidearm since 1983. I did it first as a US Marine embassy guard and then as a federal police officer. I’ve been an executive protection specialist and traveled armed overseas, on planes and in the homes of national figures. I’ve been trained to teach others. I’ve taught students at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center. I have an active national security clearance. I am an ordained member of clergy. I live in Maryland where none of this matters. Here, a person has to prove “good and substantial reason” before being granted a permit to carry a firearm...

The NRA apparently does not want its members to know what is in a gun related bill pending before the General Assembly. SB 101 was amended to do the following things. The NRA apparently does not want its members to know what is in a gun related bill pending before the General Assembly. SB 101 was amended to do the following things. Campus carry on public colleges, except dorms and athletic events; Campus carry on private colleges if the president adopts a policy permitting it; Government building carry where there is no security screening or courthouse (and permitting a way...

The governor said Friday he had vetoed a bill that would have allowed Utah residents to carry a hidden, unloaded gun without a permit. It was one of the most hotly contested measures to come out of the Utah Legislature this year.

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — A bill that would allow concealed carry without a permit is shooting toward passage after receiving the Senate's initial endorsement.

<p>HELENA, Mont. - A bill that would allow concealed carry without a permit is shooting toward passage after receiving the Senate's initial endorsement.</p> <p>House Bill 304 would allow people carry concealed weapons within city limits without obtaining a concealed-carry permit. The measure is one of the many pro-gun measures on the docket this session.</p>

Does Open Carry, in an Open Carry state, give police a reasonable articulable suspicion that a crime is occurring? Cops can’t just stop you, frisk you, or demand identification from you. Terry v. Ohio decided that a police officer must have “reasonable suspicion that the person has committed, is committing, or is about to commit a crime and has a reasonable belief that the person “may be armed and presently dangerous” before he can detain you. But does that change if you’re hanging out with a person who openly carries a firearm?

The decidedly pro-gun Michigan legislature has to holster its intentions to permit weapons in schools, sports arenas, and other public places. Without fanfare and with no public announcement Sen. Mike Green (R-Mayville) has been told to back off the bill by the senate GOP leadership. “Right now nobody wants to seem to take it up,” he reflects on the harsh realities of the senate. Senators are inching into a pre-election year mode when those seeking to hang onto their seats are getting antsy about tackling sticky issues such as guns in schools. Sen. Green is eager to get going but...

Charlie Blackmore Jr., a 32-year-old Marine Corps veteran, was driving home from work at 4:00am Tuesday when he saw a man violently kicking a large object on the ground. He parked his car to see what was going on and upon drawing closer to the scene, Blackmore realized that the "object" was a young woman. When the man refused to stop beating his visibly injured victim, Blackmore pulled out his Springfield XDM 9mm. -----------------------cut---------------------------- Milwaukee County Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr. praised Blackmore Wednesday in a statement to the Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel: "I want to get to a day when...

South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard has signed a bill making concealed weapons permits valid for five years, up from the current four years.

Gov. Pat Quinn said Wednesday that he wants the Illinois attorney general to appeal a federal court ruling that the state's last-in-the-nation concealed carry ban is unconstitutional, a move that would take it before the U.S. Supreme Court. But Attorney General Lisa Madigan said she prefers to wait and see whether lawmakers craft a new law this spring that would allow the concealed carry of weapons, as the federal appeals court ordered them to do.

In spite of the enormous push for more infringements on citizen’s Second Amendment rights by the old media and their “progressive” legislative allies, several states continue to work toward restoring rights lost in the last century’s growth in governmental power. South Dakota, South Carolina, Utah, Georgia, Montana, and Nevada all have bills pending that would implement Constitutional, or permitless carry. Utah is the most likely to pass a measure into law first, as veto proof majorities have already passed a bill. It only needs Governor Herbert’s signature to become law. This version varies from other state’s Constitutional carry in that...

SALT LAKE CITY — A showdown between Gov. Gary Herbert and state lawmakers could be coming now that the Utah Legislature has passed a so-called "constitutional carry" gun law. The Senate passed HB76 Wednesday by a vote of 22-7, with all five Democrats and two Republicans voting against it. Although Herbert has stopped short of saying he would veto HB76, he reiterated several times that Utah's gun laws aren't broken and don't need changing. But should he reject the bill, the Legislature could override his veto with a two-thirds majority vote. The measure passed by more than a two-thirds majority...

SALT LAKE CITY — Gov. Gary Herbert was asked Monday to veto a bill that would allow concealed weapons to be carried without a permit. In a letter delivered to the governor's office, the recently formed Utah Parents Against Gun Violence and six other groups warned HB76 "is not only a giant step backward, it will also increase the unnecessarily high rate of homicide, suicide and domestic violence." The bill, which has passed the House and is expected to be heard by the Senate Tuesday, would allow gun owners wanting to cover up their weapons to bypass the permit process,...

Charlotte, NC --(Ammoland.com)- Last week, Senate Bill 150 passed in the Kentucky House of Representatives by an overwhelming 90-6 vote. Sponsored by state Senator Brandon Smith (R-30), SB 150 is critical to your inherent right to self-defense as it eliminates several discriminatory and arbitrary provisions in Kentucky’s current concealed carry laws that may prevent you from obtaining a Concealed Deadly Weapons License (CDWL). Specifically, SB 150 would make the following changes to Kentucky concealed carry laws: * Repeals the residency requirement for CDWL applicants. Currently, one must be a Kentucky resident for at least six months before filing an application...

Senate Bill 76, introduced by state Senator James Settelmeyer (R-17), passed in the Nevada Senate unanimously on March 4. Under this bill, a CCW applicant would only have to qualify with one handgun. Current law requires that CCW applicants qualify with both a semi-automatic pistol and a revolver, should they wish to carry both kinds of handguns. SB 76 has been referred to the Assembly Judiciary Committee. Recently introduced Senate Bill 223, sponsored by state Senator Joe Hardy (R-12), would allow an employee of the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE), or an employee of a private or public school...

WISCASSET, Maine — About 150 gun rights activists from all corners of Maine gathered in Wiscasset Saturday to protest against bills proposed in the Legislature around concealed carry permits. Organized by the recently formed Maine Gun Rights Coalition, the rally targeted by local Rep. Timothy Marks, D-Pittston, who has proposed several adjustments to Maine’s concealed weapons permits laws. Jessica Beckwith of Lewiston, who founded the coalition, said her goal is to make sure that when lawmakers propose changes to gun laws — whether they constitute gun control or not — that they’ll hear from their constituents. “Our representatives’ job is...

In a measure the state said would help stop massacres like the one at Sandy Hook Elementary school in Connecticut in December, so-called "school sentinels" will be tasked with protecting children. The controversial measure was signed by Governor Dennis Daugaard, a Republican, and will go into effect on July 1. It reflects a growing divide between those including President Barack Obama, who believe guns need to be more strictly regulated, and supporters of the National Rifle Association who argue that more guns keep people safer. In South Dakota, supporters of the "sentinel" plan argued that schools in rural areas were...

A reform of the concealed carry law in Georgia passed the house on 7 March. The bill would reduce but not eliminate a number of gun free zones in the State. People with concealed carry permits would be allowed to exercise their Second Amendment rights in airports outside of the security zone, on college campuses (but not in dormitories or at sporting events), and in government buildings that do not have security. Churches would be allowed a greater exercise of First Amendment rights to freedom of religion and assembly, if arrangements are made in advance. Previously, guns were banned from...

Although the Mississippi Constitution has undergone a number of iterations in the last hundred years, it seems clear when it comes to the carrying of weapons: 1817 Mississippi: Every citizen has a right to bear arms, in defence of himself and the State. 1832 Mississippi: Every citizen has a right to bear arms in defence of himself and of the State. 1868 Mississippi: All persons shall have a right to keep and bear arms for their defence. 1890 The right of every citizen to keep and bear arms in defense of his home, person, or property, or in aid of...

Fairfax, Va. – Governor Phil Bryant has signed two important pro-gun bills into law in Mississippi. “These two bills protect the privacy of Mississippians and remove legal traps for law-abiding citizens wanting to exercise their right to carry firearms for personal defense,” said Chris W. Cox, executive director of NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action. “On behalf of NRA members and all gun owners in Mississippi, I would like to thank Gov. Bryant for signing these bills, as well as Lt. Governor Tate Reeves, House Speaker Philip Gunn, state Representative Andy Gipson, state Senator Giles Ward, and state Representative Mark Baker...