Free Republic

In a ruling that directly paves the way for mass confiscation of firearms in America, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, in a much-anticipated decision, has upheld the constitutionality of the New York SAFE Act of 2013. Shockingly, the court ruled that nearly all of the most drastic gun control law in the history of the United States did not violate the Second Amendment and is therefore constitutional. That’s right, a law passed in the wake of Sandy Hook that included and paved the way for confiscation of millions of legally purchased firearms has been ruled “constitutional”...

Allahpundit wrote yesterday about Hillary Clinton’s startling lurch to the left on guns. The story dealt largely with her fascinating suggestion that the United States should look at a “buyback program” similar to Australia’s draconian laws which they instituted in 1996 following a mass shooting in Tasmania. (Barack Obama made the same reference last year, by the way, though it never went anywhere.) As AP noted, this wasn’t a gun buy back program such as many states and municipalities have offered. It was mandatory confiscation with a modest cash reimbursement to soften the blow. Before moving on to the latest...

Stirring myself to the right words after One of Those Tragedies always takes a while. First, there’s the dragged-down feeling of “here we go again.” The antis rush gleefully on stage to perform their blood dances and once again, decent people need to respond to them, if for no other reason than to keep the record straight. We can’t even stop to speak with decency and sympathy for the horrible losses because to speak at all is to become political. And that’s obscene. Mass murders, whether by bomb or knife or vehicle or poison, are horrific individual tragedies. But mass...

By now the reader is well-aware of the recent school shooting that took place at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon. Another mass shooting, another excuse for the left-wing vultures to prey on the carcasses of the dead. Another opportunity for Pres__ent Obama to grandstand and huff and sigh and affect an air of righteous indignation. Another occasion for left-wingers to roll their eyes and complain about how even after this shooting, those dastardly right-wingers still won't support "common sense gun laws." The reason we don't, of course, is because the left-wingers are still making the same old, nonsensical, discredited...

October 3, 2015 Obama's wink and nod on gun confiscation By Thomas Lifson President Obama couldn’t be more eager to change the subject of national news discussion away from the catastrophic failure of his Middle East foreign policy. So the shooting in Roseburg, OR offered an opportunity to gin up his base and re-focus his domestic opponents on playing defense against gun control. By framing his goal as the extremely vague phrase “common sense gun control legislation,” he avoids specifics. And in fact, nobody on his team has yet come up with a concrete suggestion that would have saved the...

BOSTON (CBS) — If you legally own a firearm in Boston, expect to be hearing from the mayor and police commissioner soon. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh and Police Commissioner William Evans announced Wednesday that they’re taking new measures to try and reduce gun violence.

A team of Spanish police experts flew to the French island of Corsica on Tuesday to retrieve a masterpiece by Pablo Picasso that was smuggled out of Spain, where it is considered a national treasure. A spokesman for Spain's Civil Guard said four police experts in national heritage and several Culture Ministry officials flew to recover the painting, "Head of a Young Woman," which is valued at 24 million euros ($26 million). The officer said they expect to return with the painting later Tuesday. The work is owned by Spanish banker Jaime Botin, brother of the late Emilio Botin, former...

BOISE, Idaho (AP) -- A group of residents in northern Idaho lined up outside a U.S. Navy veteran's house on Thursday to protest claims that federal officials are planning on confiscating the man's weapons. Idaho Republican state Rep. Heather Scott of Blanchard said the Veteran Affairs office has sent a letter to John Arnold of Priest River warning him that he cannot possess or purchase firearms. The protest -spearheaded by Scott- attracted roughly 100 people. Among them were Bonner County Sheriff Daryl Wheeler, who promised to stand guard against any federal attempts to remove Arnold's guns, and Republican Washington state...

Barack Obama and his party have made no secret of their desire to enact strict gun control legislation in America. Their efforts have been rebuffed so far by the American people and the Republican legislature. But that hasn’t stopped them from plotting any number of ways to try to restrict gun ownership through regulatory, procedural, or executive actions. Those efforts are bound to continue, especially now that the United States Supreme Court appears to be open to reaching decisions based on political considerations and public pressure, as opposed to basing their decisions solely on the U.S. Constitution. What does all...

On June 26, the Huffington Post ran a column focused on how Australian comedian Jim Jefferies “shoots down [the] 2nd Amendment with humor.” A central component of this “humor” is to equate gun rights with slavery and talk about how a constitutional amendment—like the one that banned slavery—could be used to overturn the protections the Second Amendment affords to the rights of self-defense and bearing arms. After all, Jefferies makes clear that he does not believe guns are actually used for protection. And he tells an anecdotal story to explain why: I had a break in in Manchester, England where...

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court says a program that lets the government take raisins away from farmers to help reduce supply and boost market prices is unconstitutional. The justice said Monday that forcing raisin growers to give up part of their annual crop without full payment is an illegal confiscation of private property.

Do you remember what happened when Cyprus decided to defy the EU? In the end, the entire banking system of the nation collapsed and money was confiscated from private bank accounts. Well, the nation of Greece is now approaching a similar endgame. At this point, the Greek government has not received any money from the EU or the IMF since August 2014. As you can imagine, that means that Greek government accounts are just about bone dry. The new Greek government continues to insist that it will never “violate its anti-austerity mandate”, but the screws are tightening. Right now the...

You can see some classic handguns that were turned in in the picture above. A 1911 type with what an early green Teflon type finish. It is probably worth about $500. The finish was a custom job popular in the 1980's and later. There are two classic Colt revolvers that seem to be in excellent condition. One is a Detective Special, the other, an early Officers Model. They are worth about $600 and $1,200 respectively, far more than the $100 gift card that was received. It is hard to say what other treasures there might be under the jumble of...

A disabled U.S. Navy veteran in Glendale, Arizona, is “devastated” after he says police confiscated 28 of his guns, valued at over $25,000, after a neighbor made “false” allegations that he threatened him. Rick Bailey, a 56-year-old retired software systems engineer, told TheBlaze on Tuesday that he and his neighbor were engaged in a months-long dispute over his landscaping company. He said his neighbor would park two large, smelly “dump trucks” used for his business and other vehicles in the small cul-de-sac where they live. Bailey said he eventually filed a complaint with the city and the neighbor was ordered...

We understand that Nancy Pelosi is married to a very successful businessman in California. We are very happy that the Pelosi family has enjoyed the fruits of capitalism. Of course, they've enjoyed those fruits because they live in a country that respects property rights and does not confiscate businesses. This week, Rep Pelosi went to Cuba and stayed at the Hotel Saratoga. Let me share this from our good friends at Capitol Hill Cubans: "The Hotel Saratoga is a beautiful neoclassical structure in Old Havana. It was purchased in 1939 by Blanco Lopez and Co., headed by Jose Blanco and...

Hundreds of Vermonters on Tuesday night debated proposed legislation that would expand background checks for gun buyers and impose other new firearms restrictions. At a packed Statehouse, the Senate Judiciary and Health and Welfare Committee heard testimony from supporters and opponents of the legislation, though opponents in the hall and nearby rooms where video was piped in easily outnumbered supporters. Several opponents pointed to Vermont’s rank in FBI statistics as the safest state in the country. They argued that Senate Bill 31 isn’t needed. “If I’m being assaulted on a city street, I’d rather have a .38 on me than...

During her confirmation hearings last week, Loretta Lynch, President Obama's choice to succeed Eric Holder as attorney general, called civil forfeiture, a form of legalized theft in which the government takes people's property without accusing them of a crime, "a wonderful tool." Lynch, currently the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, suggested that innocent owners need not worry about getting hammered by this tool, because forfeiture "is done pursuant to supervision by a court," and "the protections are there." In light of a forfeiture case that Lynch's office had abruptly dropped the previous week, her assurances rang...

You were considered a hoarder and a slacker if you still resisted turning over your gold to the government. ... most of those who voted for FDR never expected him to confiscate private holdings of gold coins, bullion, and certificates. Roosevelt called the measure a temporary one (it wasn’t), and he followed it up by invalidating gold clauses in private contracts that obligated payment in gold dollars, which had the effect of devaluing the assets of bond and contract holders. ... By January 1934, Roosevelt increased the dollar price of gold from $20.67 to $35, thus devaluing the dollar by...

Under the "Safe Act" New York State can confiscate guns without any notice or appeal process, according to this article.  From wwnytv.com: They then file a report, which in Jefferson County is sent to county Community Services. "We review it, confirm that the license is indeed appropriate and that the case meets the criteria of the SAFE Act," said Director of Jefferson County Community Services Roger Ambrose. Once they've verified the report, it's sent to Albany. From there, State Police find out if the person identified has a gun permit. If he or she does, police present their findings...