Free Republic

Gov. Ralph Northam (D) announced Monday his “assault weapons” ban will mean AR-15 owners can either register their guns with the government or hand them over. The Virginia Mercury reported Northam spokeswoman Alena Yarmosky used a statement to say, “The governor’s assault weapons ban will include a grandfather clause for individuals who already own assault weapons, with the requirement they register their weapons before the end of a designated grace period.” Yarmosky made clear details on other gun controls will be made known before the start of the 2020 session in which Democrats take charge.

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Israel declared psychological war on hunger-striking Palestinian prisoners today, saying it would barbecue meat outside their cells to try to break their spirit. The 1,700 inmates, seen by Palestinians as symbols of resistance to Israeli occupation, want wardens to stop strip searches, allow more frequent family visits, improve sanitary conditions and install public telephones, supporters said. But Israeli officials call the protest launched Sunday a ploy by the prisoners to secure easier communication with militant groups waging an almost 4-year-old uprising, and have vowed to fight their liquids-only fast. The Prisons Service said it would draw on tactics used in...

Turkey's military is ready to serve in a multinational peacekeeping force in neighboring Iraq , a top general said Sunday. With U.S. military manpower stretched thin, the United States is looking to several countries, including Turkey, for additional troops in Iraq. It hopes to replace some of the exhausted U.S. units with non-American troops. The announcement by Gen. Yasar Buyukanit at a cocktail party for journalists in Ankara, could help ease public opposition against contributing to the U.S.-led operation. As a largely Muslim country, Turkey could help the United States gain support in the Islamic world for its occupation of...

The UN’s current drive for gun control was launched in 1995, when the General Assembly asked then-UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali to appoint a "Panel of Governmental Experts on Small Arms" for the purpose of preparing a report on that subject. The report was submitted to the current secretary-general, Kofi Annan, in 1997. Annan then forwarded the report to the General Assembly with the recommendation that that body endorse it. The General Assembly did so. The small arms report claimed that "the excessive and destabilizing accumulation and transfer of small arms and light weapons is closely related to the increased incidence...