Free Republic

Republican Gov. Rick Scott on Wednesday signed a measure into law that, among other changes, drops the fees for Florida concealed weapon licenses. The 80-page appropriations bill dealing with Commerce and Tourism for the state was crammed with everything from exempting water-related amusement rides to authorizing tax collector offices and passed the state legislature without a single “nay” vote in either chamber. Relating to concealed carry permits, it reduced the license fee from $70 to $60 on the initial application and from $60 to $50 for renewals.

Like so many mass public shootings, the gunman who attacked the U.S. Capitol on Monday first tried shooting a uniformed officer. Fortunately, the lone gunman was quickly subdued and no one other than the attacker was seriously injured. But it raises questions of what would have happened with a more coordinated terrorist attack. With terror attacks occurring regularly around the world, we can’t ignore the fact that the Capitol would provide a primary target for terrorists. Indeed, an FBI informant foiled such an attack in January. Police are crucial – probably the single most important factor in reducing crime. But...

What would Jesus pack? The Mississippi Senate just passed a bill that would allow churches to train members to carry guns and act as security guards during religious services — and exempt them from legal action if they use their weapons. “This will allow a church to have a sergeant-at-arms to protect the church body, just like we have (in the Legislature),” Sean Tindell, a Republican state senator, was quoted as saying by the Clarion-Ledger. Tindell pointed to last year’s massacre at a church in Charleston, South Carolina as an example of why churches need an armed guard. Others said...

WSJ More Seniors, Fearing Crime, Flock to Shooting Ranges Gun dealers say personal safety is a priority for older people who want firearms training By James R. Hagerty AUSTINTOWN, Ohio—On a recent Monday at the Austintown Senior Center, activities included painting, bingo and shooting guns. Around 9:45 a.m., a dozen people in their 60s and 70s bundled into a van and several cars and headed to the nearby American Range shooting gallery, whose lobby features a portrait of Clint Eastwood over the legend “Go ahead make your day.” Soon, they were blasting away at paper targets dangling in a dim,...

A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America George Mason — “I ask, sir, what is the militia? It is the whole people, except for a few public officials.” (Debates in Virginia Convention on Ratification of the Constitution, Elliot, Vol. 3, June 16, 1788)

In its locked position it will be virtually undetectable because it hides in plain sight.’ MarketWatch photo illustration/Ideal Conceal, Everett Collection Is that a pistol in your pocket, or are you just... carrying an iPhone? The Ideal Conceal handgun has made waves for what its maker calls an “ingenious” design that looks exactly like a smartphone when in the “locked” position. Ideal Conceal says on its website that, indeed, hardly anybody will notice it: “Smartphones are EVERYWHERE, so your new pistol will easily blend in with today’s environment. In its locked position it will be virtually undetectable because it hides...

Tim Macy, Chairman of Gun Owners of America, wrote an open letter to Second Amendment supporters exposing Republican presidential candidate John Kasich’s real anti-gun agenda.Labeling Kasich the “wolf in sheep’s clothing” still in the presidential race, Macy points to Kasich’s close relationship with Leftist, Communist, billionaire George Soros. In fact, the Soros Fund Management is one of John Kasich’s top financial contributors.“This can hardly be a surprise,” Macy writes. His full letter can be read here. An abbreviated version is below.Kasich and Soros share two important traits: (1) their desire to mess up the Republican selection process for devious motives,...

Idaho moved a step closer to “Constitutional” or permitless carry on 14 March, 2016.  The Idaho Senate passed SB 1389 27-8.  The bill would remove the ban on the carry of concealed weapons inside city limits in Idaho, for those people over 21 who can legally possess firearms but do not have a concealed carry permit.Residents of Idaho already have the right to carry concealed weapons in 99% of the state.  This small incremental step places Idaho with eight other states that have restored most of “Constitutional carry” the state of law that existed when the Bill of Rights...

Hampton, Va. – An 18-year-old man was shot and killed Sunday in the 2100 block of Kecoughtan Road by a man he was reportedly going to rob. Hampton Police say 18-year-old Jafari Mitchell and a 15-year-old male had approached a 71-year-old man, displayed a gun and demanded money. The 71-year-old man, fearing for safety, pulled out his own gun and shot Mitchell. The 15-year-old fled from the area. The 71-year-old man remained on scene and called 911. Police say he cooperated with the investigation. No charges are being sought against him in reference to the shooting at this time. The...

On March 9, an employee at a Florida business ran out to his car, grabbed his gun, then re-entered the business and confronted an alleged “active shooter,” stopping him “in his tracks.” The incident occurred at B&L Landscaping in Jacksonville, where police say the alleged “active shooter” is “not a US citizen.” According to CBS 47, 24-year-old Ezequiel Lopez allegedly opened fire on 55-year-old Andrew Little because he thought “Little disrespected him.” Police indicate that Lopez told them he allegedly planned the shooting because he felt Little “treated him differently that other employees.”

BOULEVARD PARK, Wash. — A masked customer attacked a Burien 7-Eleven clerk Sunday morning with a hatchet, slicing the clerk’s stomach. Police say another customer pulled out a gun and shot and killed the attacker. The good Samaritan had been sitting in the store, drinking his regular morning coffee.

On 26 February, the Sportsmen’s Heritage and Recreational Enhancement Act of 2015, also known as H.R. 2406, passed the U.S. House of Representatives and was sent to the Senate.  It was a party line vote; 230 Republicans voted yes, 4 Republicans voted against the act.  161 Democrats voted against H.R. 2406; 12 Democrats voted for it.  30 representatives did not vote; 17 were Democrats, 13 were Republicans. The bill contains numerous reforms, primarily to clarify and reform previous legislation, much of which is being abused by bureaucratic rules, or state and local governments. While the bill is not a...

The Tennessee legislature is in the process of reducing the administrative fees required to obtain a Tennessee handgun carry permit.  The current fees are $115.  It was discovered that only $77 was required to process the permit.From wgnsradio.com:On Tuesday, February 23, an “administration” bill was presented in the Senate Judiciary Committee that has the effect of cutting the existing handgun permit fees charged to Tennesseans by more than half over time. That bill, which is referenced as Senate Bill 2566, was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee members on a 9-0 vote with no significant debate.John Harris, Executive Director...

The first study to find a significant relationship between firearm crime and subsequent applications for, and issuance of, concealed-carry gun permits has been published in the Journal of Interpersonal Violence. The paper, "Firearm Violence and Effects on Concealed Gun Carrying: Large Debate and Small Effects," found there is a consistent link between violent crime—especially crimes that involve guns—and an increase in the number of people issued carry permits over two time periods examined in the study, said Jeremy Carter, an assistant professor in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.

In Georgia, a business owner has taken a pioneering step in employee relations.  He is requiring his employees to obtain a concealed carry permit and to carry guns openly in his places of business.  I have been predicting that this would happen for a while. There are so many advantages, and so few disadvantages, that it is hard to see the idea failing to be adopted all over the country.  The only refinement that seems likely, is to require job applicants to have a concealed carry permit *before* they apply. From wsoctv.com: An Atlanta business owner with several offices...

On 10 February, 2016, Didarul  Sarder, who was legally armed, used his handgun to stop a vicious knife attack on a woman in the GM facility in Warren, Michigan.  He likely saved her life.  Most of the action was caught on video.  GM has a "Gun Free" policy on their sites.  The original speculation was that Sarder would be fired.  There was enough of a public outcry for GM to make an exception to their policy.  Mayer Jim Fouts led the fight to insure that Sarder did not lose his job.  Fouts said that Sarder should be rewarded for...

Wisconsin concealed carry permits topped 280,000 in 2015, according to Wisconsin Governor Walker.  From WSAW.com: "We have over 280,000 people who in the last five years have gone through concealed carry. There's people all across the state, like my wife who went through a course, got the training, add that added protection." The official Department of Justice report on CCW permits for 2015 have not been released yet. The permits have been a success by most observers standards, following the pattern in other states.  The first permits were issued late in 2011.  Only one person with a permit has...

SANTA ANA -- Three people died and two others, including a police officer, were wounded in a rash of shootings across the city this week, underscoring what the police chief on Friday called a surge in brazen gang-related crimes. Santa Ana police Chief Carlos Rojas said it was the worst week in a year already rocked by the 'busiest' January for his department since 2011. "We're seeing more gang activity now, and I think a lot of that has to do with gang members being released into the community and more of a soft-on-crime approach," Rojas said.

This article is written to offer you some information based on my many years of personal experience representing people charged with gun related crimes. You are not likely to get this information in most firearms classes. If after reading it you become extremely conservative about pulling out your firearm, I have accomplished my purpose. As I often say at the countless legal seminars, I have presented at, "Don’t be an idiot with a gun." I urge you to be a responsible gun owner and think carefully before you act. Your very freedom could well depend on it.

I just received my concealed carry permit in the mail. It's funny, I've carried a gun for a living for 22 years (prison officer). Up until now I've never felt the need to carry off duty. I could've had one at any time by simply filling out some paperwork. I didn't feel the need. Over the last year I've been confronted by parolees twice. They saw my uniform (on the way to/from work) and decided to tell me what they thought about me, the criminal justice field and the world in general in no uncertain terms. One was drunk and...