Free Republic

ATLANTA – Its official name is the “Safe Carry Protection Act.” But critics are calling it the “Guns Everywhere Bill.” At noon Wednesday, Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal is scheduled to sign the sweeping legislation into law. One of the most permissive state gun laws in the nation, it will allow licensed owners to carry firearms into more public places than at any time in the past century, including churches, bars and government buildings that don't have security checkpoints. The law also authorizes school districts to appoint staffers to carry firearms. It allows churches to "opt-in" if they want to allow...

Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed HB 2103 yesterday, the 17th of April, 2014.  The bill reforms concealed carry permit qualifications in the state, allowing people with military service to obtain a permit at 19 years of age.  From trendtrack.com: E. The department of public safety shall issue a permit to an applicant who meets all of the following conditions: 1. Is a resident of this state or a United States citizen. 2.  Is twenty‑one years of age or older or is at least nineteen years of age and provides evidence of current military service or proof of honorable discharge or...

TALLAHASSEE — Under a bill backed by the National Rifle Association and other gun groups, riots could be the newest safe haven for those carrying firearms without a permit. HB 209, which is expected to be voted on Friday by the Florida House, would allow people with clean criminal backgrounds to conceal firearms without a permit during emergencies — including riots and civil unrest like the 1996 racial disturbances that rocked St. Petersburg — declared by the governor or local officials. "To allow people to go into a riot while concealing a gun without a permit is the definition of...

On 31 March, the U.S. District Court for New Mexico ruled that legal immigrants have the same right to obtain a concealed carry permit as citizens.   The equal protection clause mandates that legally residing residents be treated the same under the law.  From Jurist.org: BELLEVUE, WA – The chief U.S. District Court judge in New Mexico today granted a permanent injunction against the State of New Mexico’s “citizens only” concealed carry law that unfairly discriminated against permanent legal resident aliens in a case brought by the Second Amendment Foundation. The Second Amendment Foundation backed the lawsuit  From the Washington...

TV journalist Lisa Bloom has just written a book about the Trayvon Martin case. Curious to find out more, I watched her interview with Cenk Uygur of “The Young Turks.” She started out by explaining that she wrote the book to demonstrate Zimmerman’s guilt, and show that the jury got it wrong. Instead of presenting new evidence, or a more compelling interpretation, she ignored exculpatory evidence, mangled the facts, made bogus inferences, and omitted much..

MILWAUKEE (WITI) — FOX6 News is learning more after two teens were shot to death on Milwaukee’s north side on Wednesday afternoon, March 12th. Milwaukee police say a 39-year-old maintenance worker is in custody at the Milwaukee County Jail in connection with the shooting. But could this be a case of self-defense? A 19-year-old man and a 17-year-old girl were shot and killed in an apartment building near 27th and Vliet on Wednesday afternoon. The shooting reportedly occurred after some sort of argument. Milwaukee police on Thursday identified the 19-year-old and 17-year-old. The 19-year-old is identified as James Bell, Jr....

Senator Larry Martin was responsible for heading the effort to kill the legislative efforts in support of open carry in South Carolina. During this effort, he said the following. “If the 2nd amendment has been as you interpret it, why hasn’t SC law reflected that for the last 140 years? I’m sorry but you are describing an ‘unlimited’ right that has never been the case with the 2nd Amendment. My view of the 2nd Amendment has always been the right to own guns and keep them in our homes, business, and property and not to wear a gun whenever to...

Dear Supervisors: On Thursday February 13, 2014, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued an opinion in the case of Peruta, et.al v. County of San Diego, et.al concluding that the State of California's requirement of "good cause," in cases where an applicant wants a firearm for personal protection, impermissibly infringes on the Second Amendment right to bear arms in lawful self-defense. In its opinion, the Ninth Circuit defined the issue on appeal as "whether a responsible, law-abiding citizen has a right under the Second Amendment to carry a firearm in public for self-defense." In so doing, the Ninth Circuit...

RICHLAND, WA-- A Richland medical marijuana patient recently applied for a Concealed Pistol License, but was denied by police. Medical marijuana is legal under Washington state law, but the federal government won't make an exception for that when it comes to getting a Concealed Pistol License. Richland police sent the medical marijuana patient a letter stating that federal law prohibits anyone who uses a controlled substance from "shipping, transporting, receiving or possessing firearms or ammunition." And even if marijuana is legal here, it's still illegal at the federal level. When anyone applies for a concealed weapons permit with Richland police,...

Detroit's police chief is sticking to his guns after being criticized for supporting citizens to arm themselves. Police Chief James Craig responded Thursday to a Detroit resident who challenged his pro-gun stance. Mr. Craig made national news earlier this month after he said armed citizens could serve as a deterrent to criminals, The Detroit News reported. “Coming from California, where it takes an act of Congress to get a concealed weapon permit, I got to Maine, where they give out lots of CCWs (carrying concealed weapon permits), and I had a stack of CCW permits I was denying; that was...

Women gun owners are becoming a significant constituency in America. As The Inquisitr previously reported, the number of women participating in gun sports, such as target shooting and hunting, has steadily increased over the last decade. Estimates of the number of US women who are purchasing and learning how to use guns range from 12 million to 17 million. The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) claims that women are the fastest growing demographic of firearms enthusiasts. This growth is occurring perhaps because of, or despite, controversial efforts at the federal and state level to enact additional gun control regulations. CNN...

An Open Letter to the Men and Women of the Connecticut State Police: You are NOT the enemy (UNLESS YOU CHOOSE TO BE.) The following letter was sent via email to members of the Connecticut State Police, Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection. There are 1,212 email addresses on the list. There were 62 bounce-backs. 15 February 2014 To the men and women of the Connecticut State Police and the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection: My name is Mike Vanderboegh. Few of you will know who I am, or even will have heard of the Three Percent...

In Illinois, we're required to have 16 hours Classroom and Firearms training in order to achieve Certification, required to apply for an receive a Conceal/Carry Weapons permit. Today my wife and I completed my training by achieving my Firearms Certification, scoring 100% on the firearms portion of the test. All shots center mass / kill shots. Upon getting home this afternoon, we scanned in our Certification paperwork and uploaded to the Illinois State Police, completing filing of our CCW Permits.

The Ninth Circuit’s decision in Peruta v. San Diego, released minutes ago, affirms the right of law-abiding citizens to carry handguns for lawful protection in public. California law has a process for applying for a permit to carry a handgun for protection in public, with requirements for safety training, a background check, and so on. These requirements were not challenged. The statute also requires that the applicant have “good cause,” which was interpreted by San Diego County to mean that the applicant is faced with current specific threats. (Not all California counties have this narrow interpretation.) The Ninth Circuit, in...

Via Gabe Malor, who’s already found the tastiest chestnuts in the opinion. The novelty here isn’t the ruling itself but the court issuing it. It’s the Ninth Circuit, which has jurisdiction over the west coast and typically leans left thanks to liberal all-stars like Stephen Reinhardt. (He wasn’t part of the panel that heard this one, thankfully.) With today’s ruling, the Ninth joins the Seventh in holding that the Second Amendment, just as it says, includes a right to “bear” arms. States can regulate that right but they can’t ban it altogether. Three other federal appellate courts have ruled the...

California must allow law-abiding citizens to carry concealed firearms in public, a federal appeals court ruled Thursday, striking down the core of the state's permit system for handguns. In a 2-1 decision, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco said San Diego County violates the Constitution's Second Amendment by requiring residents to show "good cause" - and not merely the desire to protect themselves - to obtain a concealed-weapons permit. State law requires applicants to demonstrate good cause, as well as good moral character, to carry concealed handguns, while leaving the permit process up to each city...

COLUMBIA, SC — S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley said Tuesday that she backs a proposal that would make it legal for most South Carolinians to carry guns – concealed or in the open – without a permit or the training that the state currently requires. Haley made her comments after she signed into law a bill that allows gun owners with licenses to carry concealed weapons into businesses that serve alcohol – restaurants and bars – as long as they do not drink alcohol and the businesses did not bar guns. After signing the restaurant and bar bill, Haley said she...

Georgia's Public Safety and Homeland Security committee has passed HB 875,  a reform of the state's weapon laws.    The bill has been characterized by wabe.org as removing restrictions on the legal carry of guns in "bars, churches, and some government buildings."   College students who have a permit to carry a weapon, and who violate the ban on carrying on campus, would have the penalty for doing so reduced to a maximum fine of $100.  From wabe.org: The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Rick Jasperse, R-Jasper, said college students have Second Amendment rights, too. However, the bill reforms Georgia weapons law...

Starting on 5 February, 2014, the Scott County, Iowa  Sheriff's Department has instituted an innovative and convenient way for Iowa residents to obtain their firearms carry permit or pistol purchase permit.   Under Iowa law, a person must have a permit to carry a firearm before they can carry one, either openly or concealed.   They are also required to obtain a permit to purchase a pistol before purchasing one, either from a dealer or privately.  While these requirements are a little unusual (most states do not require a permit to carry firearms openly, and only a few require a permit...

A small but significant reform has made it out of committee in Colorado.  In many states, in order to pass  "shall issue" concealed carry permit laws, irrational restrictions were included in the law to obtain the votes necessary.   Colorado was one of these states.   In Colorado, once you had obtained a permit to carry a gun under your coat or in a pocket, you could only renew your permit in the county where you originally applied for the permit.  If you changed your residence from Moffat county in the northwest, to Baca county in the southeast, you would have...