Free Republic

Many have speculated on the reason for the hand inside the coat pose of officers during Civil War photographs.   Perhaps it was to render access to a concealed weapon.  These, after all, were military officers. Is that the bulge of a Smith & Wesson #1 under his left arm?  It is about the right size.   The number one was one of the first easily concealable cartridge pistols.  It was first produced in 1857 and was in great demand by officers in the Civil War. As a .22 short, we might not think of it as having much stopping power. ...

People walking the streets with guns pose a danger to others, right? With 12 million Americans across all 50 states now having concealed handgun permits, one would think that this question would have been settled one way or another. In fact, contrary to the rhetoric by gun-control organizations, permit holders almost never use their guns to commit violent crimes. Last Wednesday, The New York Times claimed “there should be no disputing” a new report, which claims there were 722 gun deaths nationwide from May 2007 to February 2015 that were not self-defense. The Times asserts: “The full death toll attributable...

In a time where sexual assault is on the rise at American universities, it's important to curb this trend by effective means.How can universities best address and eradicate the threat of sexual assault on campus? Allow concealed carry on campus. Seven states–Wyoming, Montana, Florida, Texas, Indiana, North Dakota, and now South Dakota–are considering legislation to permit concealed carry at universities. As more Americans channel support for gun rights over gun control, legislation to repeal gun-free zones and permit concealed carry should be deliberated in more states. Universities are gun-free zones, which make them prime targets for criminals. Evidence shows that...

L On January 15, 2015, Michigan's Governor Rick Snyder vetoed gun reform legislation that had strong support in the legislature.   Snyder cited concerns that were drummed up in a media campaign by the bill's opponents.  The bills sponsors consistently said that the complaints were baseless.  To obtain the governor's signature, the new legislature has removed the small bit of the legislation that Governor Snyder objected to, and passed the new bill, known as SB34 with over a 3-1 vote.  From mlive.com: LANSING, MI -- Michigan's Republican-led Senate on Tuesday, in its first official vote of the 2015-16 session, approved...

Wisconsin concealed carry permits topped 240,000 in 2014, according to the Wisconsin Department of Justice.  From the jsonline.com: Nearly 34,000 were issued permits, raising the total number in Wisconsin to 242,488, according to an annual report from the Department of Justice. 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 been convicted of a homicide since that time.   Wisconsin has an adult population (21 or over) of about 4.3 million.   Thus, people with permits are about...

Now, here’s something you don’t see everyday; a police officer from Ohio doing a routine traffic stop thanked the person he pulled over for having a concealed carry permit. The man, who recorded the traffic stop, was driving 15 miles per hour over the speed limit. According to Ohio law, if you’re approached by law enforcement–and you’re carrying a concealed firearm– you must inform them. “I’m happy to see more people with their CCWs [concealed carry weapons permit], especially with the world becoming the way it is,” said the officer. VIDEO He then issued the man a warning and...

. . . . After the robber demanded money, Chitwood said the older man “immediately reached out to the gunman’s right hand” and attempted to take control of the gun. “A struggle ensues — this is a 67-year-old tangling with a much younger man — and as (the robbery victim) starts to lose his balance, he reaches into his waistband and pulls out his gun, a .38-caliber revolver,” Chitwood said. “As he’s falling backwards, he fires one shot.” The robbery suspect, described as a black male in his late teens or early 20s, was shot once in the head and...

<p>FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - Gun owners in Kentucky can get permits to carry concealed weapons under a new online application process.</p> <p>The Courier-Journal reports that the process requires state police to either issue or deny a license within 15 days of receiving an electronic application. That's quicker than the 60-day processing period allowed for paper applications.</p>

In the dramatic video from inside the New Hope, Minnesota city council chambers, one of the council members reacts to the sound of gunfire outside of the doors by drawing his own weapon and preparing to defend his colleagues.  Link to video: It is clear that the council member on the left of the screen has considered this sort of scenario, and is mentally prepared.   Immediately after the shots are fired, you hear a voice saying, "Get down!, Get down!".  As the video progresses, and shows the councilman with the handgun on the left, it is clear that he...

A suspected terrorist stabbed at least nine people on the 40 bus line in Tel Aviv near the Maariv junction on Wednesday morning. Two of the victims were seriously injured and several others suffered moderate injuries, Magen David Adom said. Others at the scene were treated for shock. The injured were evacuated to the Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer and Ichilov Hospital at Sourasky Medical Center in Tel Aviv. The attacker fled on foot but was shot and neutralized by police and is being questioned. The assailant is a 23-year-old man from the West Bank city of Tulkarm, illegally...

A Lithia man has been charged after he tackled another man Tuesday who had a handgun in a holster -- and a permit to carry -- at a Walmart. Foster had seen Daniels getting out of his vehicle in the lot with handgun, under his coat and in a holster. Foster followed him into the store and then attacked the Daniels, the sheriff's office said.

Several months ago, Elijah Woody was arrested for carrying a concealed weapon.   Elijah Woody is an active member of an open carry group, Hells Saints, in Detroit, that was featured in an MSNBC video about open carry.  I wrote about Elijah's arrest and allegations of misconduct by the Detroit police officers, all of whom are black, as is Elijah.  The trial ended yesterday, Friday, the 16th of January, 2015.  I found the story riveting.  It makes you appreciate juries.   This is the sort of story that Eric Holder should be concerned with, but will never be investigated by...

Could any or all of the victims in the Paris attack have survived if they had guns to protect themselves? One Texas gun group tried to find out by organizing a simulation on a set designed to look like the offices of Charlie Hebdo, hoping to learn how things might have been different in Paris or any other mass shooting. KTVT's Andrea Lucia reports.

Florida State Senator Bandes aims to restore a portion of second amendment rights in the state.   A quirk in the State law prevents people from taking their firearms with them during emergencies, including mandated emergency evacuations.  Here is the stated purpose of SB 290.From flsenate.gov: 1 A bill to be entitled 2 An act relating to carrying a concealed weapon or a 3 concealed firearm; amending s. 790.01, F.S.; providing 4 an exemption from criminal penalties for carrying a 5 concealed weapon or a concealed firearm when 6 evacuating pursuant to a mandatory evacuation order 7 during a declared...

In the notoriously anti-second amendment town of Madison, Wisconsin, a concealed carry permit holder from Tennessee refrained from shooting a man who menaced him with a fake, but gun shaped and realistic looking laser/lighter.  The man drew his real gun but did not shoot.  The case contrasts with similar, recent cases where the police have shot people who pointed toy guns at them, and/or refused to obey commands while being armed with what turned out to be fake, but real looking guns.  From cityofmadison.com: Shortly after 10:55pm, on 12/24/2014, a 22-year-old female walked out of Walgreens and was planning...

Another concealed carry failure happened that might have been prevented by open carry.  In this rare event,  a concealed carry weapons (CCW) permit holder was robbed of his defensive firearm.   He was pistol whipped to the head before he could draw, indicating that his attackers did not wish to draw attention with a shot, and/or they did not wish an obvious murder.   It is likely that if the victim had been openly carrying his firearm, the robbers would have chosen less dangerous prey.   From uptownmessenger.com: The victim, a man in his 40s, was near Henry Clay and Coliseum...

Should Florida allow people to carry concealed weapons on the campuses of state colleges and universities? Yes No

STANFORD STUDY CONFLICTS WITH PREVIOUS STATISTICAL BREAKDOWNS For years, gun-rights advocates cited a 1997 paper's claim that "allowing citizens to carry concealed weapons deters violent crimes." The National Research Council came out with its own take in 2004, saying there was "no credible evidence that 'right-to-carry' laws … either decrease or increase violent crime." Now researchers from Stanford University have confronted the "vexing task" of extending that data even further, and come to their own conclusion: that right-to-carry (or concealed-carry) laws are actually linked to an increase in violent crimes. The researchers say the strongest evidence concerned aggravated-assault data, which...

Law-abiding Californians may not need to justify their need to carry concealed weapons, after the same three-judge panel that struck down restrictions on the permits earlier this year ruled Wednesday that it is too late for new opponents to join the fight against the ruling. The decision by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals would bar other law enforcement officials, including state Attorney General Kamala Harris, from appealing its ruling in a case originally brought by an independent journalist who sued the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department over its policy of requiring a specific reason for being allowed to...

A Missouri state senator was arrested after causing a disturbance at a Ferguson police station. The senator, Jamilah Nasheed, had a fully loaded 9mm handgun and eight additional rounds on her person. Senator Nasheed refused to take a breathalyzer test, despite having a strong smell of alcohol. Nasheed was arrested and charged with violation of a Obey Lawful Order of Police and Manner of Walking in the Roadway. Nasheed claims innocence, stating that: “It was a symbolic arrest – sending a message to the protesters that we can protest peacefully and that we must protest peacefully and that we want...