Free Republic

1) Kentucky Long Rifle The Kentucky long rifle was effectively used as a sniping weapon during the Revolutionary War - allowing colonial soldiers to pick off officers at range due to its rifling and superior accuracy. 2) Spencer Repeating Rifle The Spencer repeating rifle put an unheard-of amount of firepower into the hands of the few Union soldiers who wielded them. 3) Cold Single-Action Army: 'The Peacemaker' The Colt Single Action Army was used by lawmen and outlaws alike in the Wild West. It garnered the nickname 'Peacemaker'. 4) Winchester Model 1873 The Winchester 1873 lever action rifle had the...

Yesterday, Texas came a knocking. While most would assume that with the Lone Star State’s love of guns would pair the two together better than peas and carrots, Gov. Rick Perry will have to bring more than just a box of chocolates and some bright red roses. He aims to woo them with things like low taxes, fewer regulations and offer an economic incentive package. On top of the sweet talk, Perry has been laying ground work since the National Rifle Association’s annual convention last month (check out his intro video) and, as of his arrival yesterday, with TV and...

What do you know Joe? I can't wait to vote for unelecting you in 2018. "After years of showering U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin with stellar ratings and campaign endorsements, the National Rifle Association targeted the West Virginia Democrat with a TV ad launched Wednesday over his continuing push for broader gun buyer background checks."

N. Idaho company invents world's first rifle adapter for smartphone By James Cramer CREATED Jun. 11, 2013 An Idaho company is mixing weaponry with a taste of Apple. Inteliscope LLC announced the launch of the world’s first tactical rifle adapter for smartphones. The company was founded in Sandpoint by Jason Giddings, who is waiting from Apple to review the application software used for the rifle. “We’re ready to get started with what we came to Idaho to do: hire good employees and help the economy of North Idaho,” Giddings said. The Inteliscope mounts on a rifle using a tactical rail...

ANAHEIM (CBSLA.com) — A 72-year-old woman fired a gun at a would-be home invasion robber over the weekend in an unincorporated area of Anaheim. Jan Cooper said she was home with her 86-year-old husband, a decorated World War II veteran, in the 10000 block of Gilbert Street around 12:30 a.m. Sunday when she heard an intruder at her front door. The suspect, however, couldn’t get through the locked door, so he attempted to enter through a sliding glass door at the back of the home. The grandmother, while on the phone with a 911 dispatcher, said that’s when she warned...

"The boy was questioned by the principal and a sheriff's deputy, who also wanted to search the family home without a warrant, Henkelman said. "He started asking me questions about if I have firearms, and [the deputy said] he's going to have to search my house. Search my house? I just wanted to know what happened."

Subbing for mylife...

In what British officials are determining to be an act of terror, two suspected terrorists beheaded a soldier in Woolwich, London Thursday afternoon. Video shows the suspects, who were identified as black males, shouting “Allahu Akbar” — the Arabic phrase for “God is Great” — as they continuously hack at the victim’s lifeless body with machetes.

Subbing for mylife...

Bill Maher on Friday once again exposed himself as a total hypocrite. Minutes after telling his HBO Real Time panel "the Second Amendment is bulls--t," he admitted having two firearms in his house - "one upstairs and one down" - claiming, "As long as we live in the gun country, I ain’t giving up my gun"

Gun control advocates today said they consider a ban on high capacity ammunition clips to be the "cornerstone" of any gun control package and the Senate's failure to include the legislation could jeopardize their support.

I recently applied for a Illinois state mandated FOID (Firearm owners Identification) card. The law as written states that the card must be issued or declined for cause within 30 days of your $10.00 fee check being cashed. Well, to begin with, it took them 2 1/2 weeks to cash the check. Now 12 weeks after that still no card or notification. I have contacted my state rep (a Republican) for what good it will do and also notified the NRA of the situation. I know they have a high number of apps to deal with but the law is...

There are many new and well used "code words" floating around these days, as well as the not-so-new ones. Let's decipher some of them.... "Common Sense": This term, especially when spoken by a politician, indicates an attempt to sway your personal opinion using emotion and carefully selected events to prove a predetermined outcome. These events when presented as a group offer "proof" to justify the personal beliefs or prejudices of the presenter. "Gun Show Loophole": This term has been bandied about by politicians, journalists, and many who think that the average citizen is not capable of being responsible for their...

I have some questions I would like to ask and get a general idea of the thoughts of my fellow Freepers Last night I am watching O’Reilly – please no comments on why. It’s a long story. Anyway, he is talking to Beckel about his unConstitutional law he would like to see the government implement. As a side note, how does he reconcile in his mind when he states the government can’t protect people and then in the next breath wants the government to enact another law to make it more powerful. Anyway, Beckel makes a statement that people living...

Overreach: The gun control bill lets doctors put your name in the national criminal background check system without telling you. Can the government say you're crazy and take your guns? It's already happening. The road to deeper gun control seems like another road paved with good intentions. Since many recent mass shootings have involved shooters with varying degrees of mental impairment, the desire to keep guns out of the genuinely mentally ill seems to be a worthy goal. Yet it is being exploited with definitions so vague and undefined, and with controls so lax, as to become not a means...

The purpose of the Second Amendment is to arm people in order to prevent future tyranny. They need the tools to do this. The term "Well Regulated" in the Second Amendment meant "Well Manned and Equipped " in 1791 as was determined in the 1939 United States v. Miller case after referencing the autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. The concept of Government Regulation, as we understand it today, did not exist at the time. United States v. Miller also determined that the term "Arms" refers to "Ordinary Military Weapons" (not crew operated). American Citizens have the right to Keep and Bear,...

Bat Man: A Chicago store owner beats off two armed thugs with a baseball bat as Missouri illegally shares concealed carry records with feds and New York matches private health records with gun permits to take firearms. President Obama, who campaigns for gun control between concerts at the White House and golf outings with Tiger Woods, once famously used the metaphor that in politics if they bring a knife to a fight, you bring a gun. On Tuesday, in the gun-controlled murder capital of Chicago, the president's hometown, store owner Luis Quizhpe, an Ecuadorean immigrant, had no gun, but he...

Communist regimes always disarm the people. They must do this in order to crush the people under their evil schemes. And, they lie about it, about what they’re doing and why, but the end result is always the same—millions of disarmed dead people. If you think it can’t happen here, then you’re only fooling yourself. If we have a God-given right to life and liberty, and we do, then it stands that we also have a God-given right to defend our lives and liberty against those who would try to take them from us. Our Founding Fathers knew this, and...

I'm presently looking to buy a WWII German Luger. Having just moved to the state of Illinois, I checked into the specific laws pertaining to the purchase and ownership of firearms. Of the many Draconian gun laws in this state there is one that is particularly onerous....Obtaining a FOID(Firearm Owners Identification) card. The law that the legislature passed states that the card must be either issued or declined within 30 days of receipt of application. The FOID sight states within 30 days of your application fee of $10.00 being cashed. An immportant distinction being that it took them 2 weeks...

Subbing for mylife...

A recent notice from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms reveals that the agency intends to acquire an online database capable of bringing up many of an individual’s personal characteristics and connections with just a few keystrokes. On March 28 the federal law enforcement organization, which is a branch of the US Department of Justice, filed a solicitation notice for a “massive online data repository system” for its Office of Strategic Intelligence and Information. The solicitation is hosted on the Federal Business Opportunities website, where vendors and developers can offer their services to the government in a competitive reverse...

We are currently mired in a frantic debate about the rights of gun owners. One example should suffice to prove that the debate has become hysterical: Second Amendment supporters, one prominent but less than articulate member of Congress alleges, have become “enablers of mass murder.” Special animus has been directed against so-called assault rifles. These are semi-automatic, not automatic weapons—the latter have been illegal under federal law since the 1930s—because they require a trigger pull for every round fired. Some semi-automatic firearms, to be sure, can be fitted with large-capacity magazines. But what inspires the ire of gun control advocates...

In an extreme survival situation where the appropriate amount of ammunition for the type of firearm you’re carrying can’t necessarily be guaranteed, what would you do? Carry multiple types of firearms to increase your chances of coming across ammo you can use? You could do that, or you could have an adapter system that comes in a handy pouch that allows one 12-gauge shotgun to take 11 different types of ammunition. The creator of Gear Up’s X Caliber Shotgun Gauge Adapter System, Tim Ralston, told TheBlaze it’s like carrying 11 guns in one.

McCain and Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Dean Heller (R-Nev.) are at the top of a list of Republicans considered most likely to sign on to legislation expanding background checks after talks with Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) stalled earlier this month.

Subbing for mylife...

The president of one of the nation's oldest gun manufacturers closed down his Connecticut factory Thursday morning and bused 400 of his workers to the state Capitol so they could personally urge lawmakers not to pass gun control legislation that they say could risk their livelihoods.

Some Kansas lawmakers want to stay a step ahead of any new federal gun laws or regulations by reintroducing a bill that would exempt some Kansas-built firearms and accessories from any federal regulation. House Bill 2199, known as the Second Amendment Protection Act, is seen by some as a declaration of states' rights. It is seen by others, including a Wichita firearms manufacturer, as politics as usual.

Any remaining doubt about where the gun lobby may be headed after the Newtown Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting seems over now. NRA leaders have endorsed America’s most profitable gunmaking CEO, whose best-selling product is the same AR-15 rifle used by Adam Lanza inside the Sandy Hook school, to join the NRA’s governing board. At the same time, NRA leaders are reaching beyond even Republicans to embrace Glenn Beck, who is now a self-described anti-GOP-establishment conservative. This year, George Kollitides II, the chief executive officer of Freedom Group, America’s largest and most profitable consortium of gun manufacturing companies, has been...

LAWRENCE, Mass. (AP) — Police say a dog searching for a gun in a snowbank accidentally pulled the trigger with its paw, firing the weapon. No humans —or dogs — were hurt. The episode started at about 2 a.m. Sunday when an officer on patrol heard three gunshots.

What is the actual history and purpose of the Second Amendment? A growing number of gun control advocates insist that this key constitutional provision was not intended to protect an individual right of firearms ownership, but instead was intended to provide for the regulation of a government-controlled militia. People who espouse that view generally insist that the role of the militia is now carried out by the National Guard, or even by the police -- and that the "right of the people" referred to in the Second Amendment has nothing to do with private firearms ownership.

A growing number of firearm and firearm-related companies have stated they will no longer sell items to states, counties, cities and municipalities that restrict their citizens' rights to own them. According to The Police Loophole, 34 companies have joined in publicly stating that governments who seek to restrict 2nd Amendment rights will themselves be restricted from purchasing the items they seek to limit or ban. Extreme Firepower Inc., located in Inwood, WV has had a longstanding policy that states: "The Federal Government and several states have enacted gun control laws that restrict the public from owning and possessing certain types...

Certainly the militia is the people, for what else could it possibly be? Here’s the definitive quote from one of our founding fathers: ”I ask, sir, what is the militia? It is the whole people, except for a few public officials.” — George Mason, in Debates in the Virginia Convention. Consider the question: Does combining the right of free speech with the right to assemble diminish either? Of course not. And the same is true when you combine the right to assemble with the right to be armed. Meeting with rifles in hand for the purpose of training in their...

How would you feel if you received a letter from the U.S. Government informing you that because of a physical or mental condition that the government says you have it is proposing to rule that you are incompetent to handle your own financial affairs? What if that letter also stated: “A determination of incompetency will prohibit you from purchasing, possessing, receiving, or transporting a firearm or ammunition. If you knowingly violate any of these prohibitions, you may be fined, imprisoned, or both pursuant to the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act, Pub.L.No. 103-159, as implemented at 18, United States Code 924(a)(2).”?...

I have closely followed the gun control debate in the US from the outside and, as a European, I am trying to make sense of it because I know that at stake is not just the gun legislation but also the American Constitution, with what it represents as the most historically important declaration of human rights and liberties to be safeguarded against the power of the state; the thorny issues of broken families and of how to treat the mentally ill; and even the always controversial question of race and gang violence. I have never seen a gun in my...

(Image courtesy Net Gunsmith) President Barack Obama is, arguably, the best gun salesman ever. Over 65 million guns have been purchased since the President took office in 2009. FBI background check statistics indicate that, over the last twelve months, Americans purchased a new gun every 1.5 seconds, a figure which suggests there is much more to the recent panic buying than people just stocking up to go hunting or sports shooting. The following guns and ammo industry report indicates that every major gun and ammunition manufacturer in the country is running at 100% capacity, with many so far behind that...

I keep hearing people say they want to regulate guns the way we regulate cars. They don't really mean that, of course. What they mean is they want to make it acceptable to find more ways to intrude on the right to keep and bear arms. I propose instead, we regulate cars the way we regulate guns. Let's start: To buy or operate a standard car, one will have to be 18 years old. Under that age, adult supervision will be mandatory. This means the adult must be in the vehicle with the underage driver. To buy a sports car,...

Do you have a gun in your home? For some, that's a loaded question - particularly when asked by a doctor. A debate is simmering over when and whether physicians should be allowed to talk to their patients about firearms. Doctor groups say physicians are obligated to warn their patients about guns along with other health risks, such as riding in a car without wearing a seat belt. However, gun rights advocates balk at what they see as a needless invasion of privacy and blatant attempt at gun control advocacy.

We hear a lot in the media about “firearm murder rates”, but I don’t really care about how someone is murdered, but rather whether they are murdered at all. The U.S. ranks 1st in firearms per person, but 98th overall by murder rate, putting us on the better side of mid-pack. The Swiss rank 2nd in firearms per person and have an almost nonexistent murder rate. Of the 20 countries with the most firearms per person, none have exceedingly high murder rates compared to the rest of the world. Indeed, when averaged, the murder rate of these 20 countries would...

Cook County (Chicago) IL adopts new gun law Firearms owners will be required to report loss or sale of guns By John Byrne, Chicago Tribune reporter February 6, 2013 Firearms owners in suburban Cook County will face fines up to $2,000 if they don't report to police when their guns are lost, stolen or sold, under an ordinance county commissioners approved Tuesday. The plan, pushed by County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, will apply to all areas of the county where a similar law is not already on the books. It will not apply within the city of Chicago, which has...

ST. LUCIE COUNTY — A small helicopter that crashed Saturday in far western St. Lucie County was carrying an internationally known firearms expert who was hunting wild hogs from the air using a handgun. Live Oak resident Massad Ayoob, 64, his hunting companion Jonathan Strayer, 46, and pilot William Harward, 55, were above the tree tops, at about 100 feet, when the Hiller helicopter lost power and plunged to the ground around 9:15 a.m. Saturday, Ayoob said Monday. “A few minutes into the flight, as we were zoning in on an oinker that had run under the canopy of some...

SHARONVILLE, OH (FOX19) - Employees at Target World in Sharonville say guns sales have been like nothing they've ever seen before. "You can't take away people's rights without people fighting back," says David Drury, a Target World employee. The increase in sales started just after the Newtown, Connecticut school shootings. "The boom has been pretty incredible. People are wanting to protect their rights while they have them and people are scared. They don't want their rights to be eroded," said Drury. Because of that, even on the night of the Super Bowl, and even at kickoff time, Target World was...

While the present Administration ignores both Washington's wise counsel & his clear understanding of male psychology, President Obama's Secretary of Defense, denies both the role of Congress, the Chivalric Code & all human experience in a bizarre January order for all branches of the Armed Forces to place women in combat units by 2016. Will further eroding a sense of male responsibility serve any constructive purpose, in dealing with any contemporary problem? Will trashing what have always been constructive male roles--the responsibility of young men to defend their society--contribute anything positive toward dealing with the rash of atrocities committed by...

Two Houston police officers are facing life in prison without the possibility of parole after allegations they accepted $2,000 in bribes to protect a stash of cocaine being smuggled through the city

In a letter sent Friday to the CEOs of TD Bank and Bank of America, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel urged the banks to stop serving gun manufacturers unless they support gun control measures, CBS Chicago reported. According to CBS, Emmanuel wants the banks to "stop lines of credit, financing for acquisitions and expansions and financial advising" unless the manufacturers agree with him on issues like background checks and what he called “commonsense reforms." “In the past, the gun industry has stood in opposition to these safety measures. They opposed a ban on assault weapons on America’s streets, opposed a ban...

Rifles Your needs: Hunting, varmint control, “just in case” Why: While some people may use or need a rifle for home defense, all the rifle owners I know use their rifles for either target shooting or hunting and varmint control. They use a different kind of gun for personal or home defense. However, for the sake of argument let’s say that the proverbial excrement has hit the rotating airfoil and that you, despite the fact that you get your meat from the grocery store and don’t run into coyotes at the bus stop, could be called upon to defend all...

List of Firearms Prohibited by Name: Rifles:All AK types, including the following:AK, AK47, AK47S, AK–74, AKM, AKS, ARM, MAK90, MISR, NHM90, NHM91, Rock River Arms LAR–47, SA85, SA93, Vector Arms AK–47, VEPR, WASR–10, and WUM, IZHMASH Saiga AK, MAADI AK47 and ARM, Norinco 56S, 56S2, 84S, and 86S, Poly Technologies AK47 and AKS; All AR types, including the following: AR–10, AR–15, Armalite M15 22LR Carbine, Armalite M15–T, Barrett REC7, Beretta AR–70, Bushmaster ACR, Bushmaster Carbon 15, Bushmaster MOE series, Bushmaster XM15, Colt Match Target Rifles, DoubleStar AR rifles, DPMS Tactical Rifles, Heckler & Koch MR556, Olympic Arms, Remington R–15 rifles,...

I first saw the USFA ZiP .22 on USFA’s website and it immediately caught my attention. Why? Well, for starters it is unique—very unique. It captures the imagination, finding something truly new in firearms development is a bit of a rarity. John Browning and Paul Mauser can still say that most firearms are mere modifications of designs they pioneered 100 years ago. So on that merit alone, I wanted to check out this pistol. Secondly, being mainly polymer and uber-lightweight, this gun fills a niche for the survival crowd. It would fit easily in a backpack, truck or tackle box,...

Newtown massacre pushes some police chiefs beyond enforcing the law, to advocating new ones Lawmakers and mayors aren’t the only ones ratcheting up the debate on gun control. Some big city police chiefs are also stepping into the political arena, lobbying for tighter controls that they and their officers would then enforce. Take for instance San Diego Police Chief William Lansdowne, who in an interview last week called for tougher gun laws and clearly chafed at the influence the National Rifle Association has held for years over the national debate. Lansdowne suggested the Newtown, Conn., massacre may have undercut the...

Sixty percent of high school and college students say they plan on owning guns at a later stage in life, an academic study from American University revealed on Monday. According to a brand new study, sixty percent of young Americans plan on purchasing firearms in the future. According to the study, about 40 percent of the American students surveyed said they definitely planned to own firearms once they had established their own households. Another 20 percent said they were “contemplating” owning guns. Those findings were part of a broader study conducted by American University professor Jennifer L. Lawless and Loyola...

In the wake of the Newtown massacre and other tragic shootings over the years, which have led to calls for stricter gun control, the National Rifle Association has remained steadfastly opposed to any increased regulation of firearms. In fact, Wayne LaPierre, its CEO and executive vice president, claims the problem isn’t too many guns but too few. “The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun,” he said, “is a good guy with a gun,” and proposed placing armed guards in every school. Putting aside LaPierre’s Looney Tunes argument, I can envision a day in the not-so-far future...