Free Republic

* One year anniversary of HB 89 arrives without dire consequences Violent crime lower following law permitting legalized carry of firearms on mass transit. Today the Atlanta Gun Rights Examiner brings you a story you are not going to see anywhere else. The Georgia General Assembly passed HB 89 in 2008, which made criminal prohibitions on carrying firearms on public transportation, in restaurants that serve alcohol, in state parks, and in wildlife management areas inapplicable to Georgians possessing a firearms license. HB 89 took effect on July 1, 2008, and many predicted mass bloodshed as a result. Nowhere was the...

There are high crime rates surrounding college campuses in Georgia. Just this morning, a college student was stabbed inside the school safety zone surrounding Georgia Tech during a successful robbery. In spite of the usual advice to submit and "give the armed criminal what he wants," the robber stabbed the student after he handed over his money. Two Georgia Tech students were robbed at gunpoint over the weekend. A female Georgia State University student was carjacked on Sunday. The AJC reports that she "suffered a severe head injury" in the attack. This was one of three attacks on college students...

An elderly Clayton County, GA man reportedly used his handgun to fend off a pair of criminals who tried to rob him at gunpoint in his own home. Police say that the elderly resident sells firewood from his home. A pair of robbers is said to have posed as firewood buyers, with one of the criminals first buying some firewood then asking to enter the man's home to wash his hands. After washing his hands, the robber is said to have pointed a gun at the elderly homeowner, while the pair of criminals searched the home for valuables. At this...

An Atlanta, Georgia liquor store owner shot an armed robber who had just murdered an employee. Police say that an armed robber walked in to the Moreland Package Store, demanded money, and shot a clerk multiple times. Although mortally wounded from robber's shots, the clerk was reportedly able to yell for help, which prompted the store owner to grab his own gun and rush to the clerk's aid. The store owner is said to have shot the robber twice, in the arm and the leg. Police have reportedly taken a suspect into custody, and the store owner was unharmed. This...

ATLANTA - Although the inevitable recount is still in the future, it is now clear that State Senator Kasim Reed is Atlanta's mayor-elect. See Atlanta City Hall Examiner Minoo Hosseini, Reed Declares Victory over Norwood. What does this mean for the right to bear arms in Atlanta? As an initial matter, it must be remembered that Atlanta is Georgia's largest city and commercial hub. The city therefore carrries a lot of influence with the General Assembly and its policies. Atlanta has lobbied against your right to bear arms in the past, when HB 89, decriminalizing the carry of weapons on...

Recently Jim Robinson posted two threads declaring Free Republic’s determination to see Conservatives elected and ousting Rino's from government. Jim and a great many Freepers believe that we need to take back control. But the RNC is not hearing us. Activism is called for NOW. 2010 is nearing and we need Conservative candidates to run. The time is ripe and people are ready for another 1994 type election. But we need to make the RNC hear us loud and clear. This is the Rino Free America Project. Get involved. Make them listen. Write a letter and MAIL it. Republican...

Senators have to find a balance between voting their conscience and voting as their constituents would like. If senators vote their conscience too heavily, constituents tend to get angry. When this happens, constituents may ask for a recall of their U.S. Senator. (The 5 steps are listed in detail) -- The 18 states allowing for recall are as follows: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington and Wisconsin.

Dick's Sporting Goods informed GeorgiaCarry.Org that it permits lawfully carried handguns in its stores in Georgia, so long as the person carrying the handgun is abiding by state law. This issue arose when the President of GeorgiaCarry.Org, more precisely, me, was kicked out of the Fayetteville, Georgia store because of a lawfully carried H&K USP 45 pistol. I was carrying a holstered pistol, as is my daily habit, and wearing a GeorgiaCarry.Org T-shirt when I brought my eight year old son to the store to look at the Davey Crickett rifles that I knew to be in stock. My eager...

MARIETTA, Ga. (AP) -- A small group of homeless sex offenders have set up camp in densely wooded area behind a suburban Atlanta office park, directed there by probation officers who say it's a place of last resort for those with nowhere else to go. The nine sex offenders live in tents surrounding a makeshift fire pit in the trees behind a towering "no trespassing" sign, waiting out their probation sentences as they face numerous living restrictions under one of the nation's toughest sex offender policies...

From Mark Shea's blog, this sad news: And, on a more personal note, my friend Rod Bennett (author of the terrific book Four Witnesses) writes: Just a note to any of our friends who haven't got the word: we Bennetts lost our home and practically all of its contents in Monday's flash flooding here in Georgia. Please be in prayer as we look for guidance on where to go from here and as our kids (who've never really known any other home than this one) try to pick up the pieces emotionally. We'll be staying with my parents in Marietta...

This is of the, I believe, downtown connector at the Brookwood split..

Sept 16, 2009 — This month finds us two thirds of the way between Darwin’s 200th birthday and the 150th anniversary of his Origin of Species. Taking advantage of the extra attention Darwin is getting this year (as if he needed more), three films on his life and ideas are being released from three different companies...

The Rev. Francis X. Mazur, right, Wednesday points out details of the former St. Gerard Catholic Church at Delavan and Bailey avenues to the Rev. David M.Dye of Georgia. St. Gerard Catholic Church, open for a century before the doors shut after last year’s final Mass, has attracted a priest now raising $15 million to take the place apart this spring and rebuild it outside Atlanta. Wednesday, church and architectural representatives from Georgia were in Buffalo to build public support and attend an evening forum about church reuse, organized by the nonprofit Preservation Buffalo Niagara and held in Unitarian Universalist...

Westley, the wandering black bear, whose journeys brought him too close to homes in Wellington and Weston earlier this year, has died in southeast Georgia, wildlife officials said. He was 3. Westley, estimated to weigh 200 pounds, was killed by a homeowner Saturday with a shotgun after he damaged property and wandered in a residential neighborhood in western Wayne County, said Melissa Cummings, a spokeswoman for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. "It'd been trying to get into homes, pounding on garages and attempting to get through doors," Cummings said. "The bear had become too accustomed to people." According to...

ALBANY - Congressman Sanford Bishop, D-Albany, will speak in a series of town hall meetings about the health care reform bill currently floating through Congress, officials say. Taking advantage of his five-week summer recess, Bishop will make stops in four different towns around the district, including Albany on Aug. 19 and 20, spokeswoman Jennie Gibson said.

A DeKalb County schoolteacher carjacked early Sunday scored a measure of revenge against his attackers -- thanks in part to their poor sense of direction. More DeKalb stories » Decatur annexing former DeVry campus Learn how to fight bullying in schools Motel shooting leaves 2 injured After-school programs feel pinch New year, same fiscal problems .Derek Harper, 47, had just returned to his Lithonia home around 1:15 a.m. when two unidentified gunmen surprised him from behind, forcing the Evansdale Elementary teacher out of his car and onto the ground, demanding money. “After they figured out I didn’t have any cash...

So under the new law, the city will fine any driver who doesn’t pull off and park to hire the workers. The citation is $250 for the first offense, $500 for the second and $1,000 and up to three months in jail for the third.

Georgia resident Luke Woodard ended up in the Paulding County jail for purchasing lottery tickets while carrying a handgun openly. He was charged with carrying a concealed weapon, even though he was carrying openly, and disorderly conduct. As reported in these pages previously, Luke Woodard sued the two Paulding County Sheriff's Deputies involved. Federal Judge Harold Murphy, Northern District of Georgia, recently ruled that the officers had no probable cause to arrest Mr. Woodard on either charge, and that therefore, his arrest was illegal. The analysis does not end there, however, as the court decided to go further and argue...

BLUE DOG DEMS CAN KILL OBAMA HEALTH CARE REFORM There are EIGHT "Blue Dog Democrats" who sit on the Energy and Commerce Committee. If these eight Democrats do not support the legislation, passage would likely not succeed. It is CRITICAL to contact them TODAY and make your voice heard. John Barrow (GA-12) p: (202) 225-2823, f: (202) 225-3377, email. Bart Gordon (TN-06) p: (202) 225-4231, f: (202) 225-6887, email. Baron Hill (IN-09) p: (202) 225-5315, f: (202) 226-6866, email. Jane Harman (CA-36) p: (202) 225-8220, f: (202) 226-7290, email. Jim Matheson (UT-02) p: (202) 225-3011, f: (202) 225-5638, email. Charlie...

SAVANNAH, Ga. -- Garden City police say two men are dead from gunshot wounds in an apparent home invasion.. Police Chief David Lyons said a man and a woman were inside the residence about 1 a.m. Tuesday when two armed intruders broke in through a bedroom window. Lyons said the resident also was armed and gunfire erupted. He said one of the intruders was hit and ran from the house. He was found dead in some woods about 70 yards from the house. The chief said the male resident was alive when police found him in a bedroom, but he...

The leadership of the U.S. House was poised to introduce a final version of sweeping health care reform on Friday, but that plan was held up after a pack of 40 Blue Dog Democrats, including Albany's Rep. Sanford Bishop, told leaders some changes - some very sound changes - would have to be made first. In a letter sent to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, the group known as the Democratic Blue Dog Coalition said its members would not support the House bill as it was written. With Republicans not on board with the legislation, the...

ATLANTA -- A quiet night in front of the television ended with a shoot-out in southwest Atlanta. A homeowner was in the hospital Thursday morning as police searched for the would-be robber. Officials said a homeowner will recover after suffering a gunshot wound to the ear during a gun battle when someone tried to break into his home. A shoot-out on Westmont Road between a homeowner and a would-be robber woke up several people in the neighborhood. "I guess I would say about 15 to 20 rounds was exchanged," said neighbor Otis Holliman. The homeowner told Channel 2 Action News...

Do those who carry a gun for self defense belong here? (photo of prison cell) Agree to disagree. Live and let live, right? This is the attitude of most people in Atlanta today about controversial topics. We all can disagree and yet still get along. Does this philosophy hold up when applied to the "gun control" debate? I think not. It does from my side of the argument. I carry a gun every day. I enjoy shooting guns, and I am competent at doing so. I also view my gun as a necessary tool that might save my life or...

ALBANY - The Dougherty County Commission voted unanimously Monday to reject all bids on the construction of a new Public Works building, including LRA Constructors Inc.'s low bid of $650,390, after County Attorney Spencer Lee recommended such action based on constitutionality issues. Lee outlined for the Commission the reasons for his recommendation, noting that a 2008 disparity study conducted by BBC Research & Consulting of Denver found that a system calling for minority-based participation quotas and "good-faith" efforts was unconstitutional under existing federal law. "This board needs to take action on matters like these based on the latest disparity study,...

Defense: By a narrow margin, a House subcommittee has voted to keep open the F-22 Raptor production line. The future of American air dominance and the fate of the world's most capable fighter hang in the balance.On May 30, with North Korea huffing and puffing about nuclear war, the first of 12 high-tech U.S. F-22 Raptor fighter jets landed at Kadena Air Base on the southern Japanese island of Okinawa. It was just days after North Korea unnerved the region by detonating a nuclear device. There were reasons the F-22 was deployed to Japan. The stealthy, radar-evading fighter jet is...

A Georgia liquor store clerk credits his police officer son with giving him two life-saving gifts — a cell phone and a gun. Joseph Wescott says the phone he slipped into his shirt pocket stopped a knife to his chest when a robbery suspect attacked him at the store in a northern Atlanta suburb. He then reached under the counter for the .40-caliber handgun and shot the man. "The knife that he had looked like it was about 10-foot long," the 67-year-old Wescott exclaimed.

ROSWELL, Ga. — A Georgia liquor store clerk credits his police officer son with giving him two life-saving gifts — a cell phone and a gun. Joseph Wescott says the phone he slipped into his shirt pocket stopped a knife to his chest when a robbery suspect attacked him at the store in a northern Atlanta suburb. He then reached under the counter for the .40-caliber handgun and shot the man. "The knife that he had looked like it was about 10-foot long," the 67-year-old Wescott exclaimed. When the suspect lunged at Wescott, he fell back and the knife struck...

I know tomorrow is a week day, but if any N. Ga. Freepers are able to attend, it would be greatly appreciated. You need not ride a motorcycle to participate, you can arrive in car or truck: DoD Identifies Army Casualties The Department of Defense announced today the death of three soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. They died June 4 near Kapisa, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered from an improvised explosive device and small arms fire. They were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 108th Reconnaissance, Surveillance and Target Acquisition Squadron, 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Georgia Army National Guard,...

To hear some in Georgia, you might think that having armed customers in a store makes for a very serious danger of somebody getting shot in the foot. In this case, they would be correct. Last weekend, a female armed robber (newsworthy on its own) decided to don a ski mask, carry a gun, and rob a convenience store in Tift County, Georgia. This turned out to be the wrong convenience store to rob at that particular time. The news report tells us what happened next: . . . a customer already at the register pulled out his gun and...

Never a dull moment with the Justice Department of Eric Holder, aka "the right man at the right time to protect our citizens in the critical years ahead." In fact, it would be more accurate to say he's the right man at the right time to protect our non-citizens in the critical years ahead. Unbelievably (or, perhaps, entirely too believably), Holder has told Georgia that it may no longer verify identification in order to ensure that voting is done only by citizens eligible to vote. The AP reports: ATLANTA — The Justice Department has rejected Georgia's system of using Social...

The Bartow County Planning Commission voted Monday to recommend denial of proposed changes to the zoning ordinance that targeted firing ranges. The unanimous vote came after a public hearing that lasted almost two hours in front of a standing-room-only crowd that spilled out from the hearing room into the hall. Now the proposed text amendment will go to Bartow County Commissioner Clarence Brown for a final decision at his scheduled meeting Wednesday. The proposed changes would not only impact new firing ranges, but those already in existence. Facilities would require a minimum lot size of 100 acres. Additionally, ranges would...

Georgia or California: Which place has more off limits locations to bearing, i.e., actually carrying, a firearm. California has more than 50,000 people with firearms licences. California is a "may issue" state. But, if you are one of the more than 50,000 people who have a firearms license in California, are you better off than a Georgian? Prior to July of 2008, the members of GeorgiaCarry.Org, Inc.’s contended that Georgia had more places off limits to the bearing of arms than any state in the nation. Now, in 2009, Georgia still has more places off limits than California. Most people...

They’re guns that have been used in crimes. They’ve been taken from felons not allowed to carry a weapon. Some were turned in by residents who simply didn’t want them — and didn’t want them to be used by anyone else. 2005 — 298 2006 — 280 2007 — 446 2008 — 241 To be destroyed — 404 Source: Macon police More than 400 firearms destined to be chopped into pieces by a metal recycler are stored in coolers and rubber bins at the Macon police crime lab. The large majority are handguns — revolvers and semi-automatics — which fill...

A State Representative successfully convinced a local county to drop its gun ban at a fishing reservoir recently. State Representative Timothy Bearden (R - 68) is a member of the National Rifle Association and GeorgiaCarry.Org. He is also the author of the 2008 Georgia bill that removed the restriction on carrying firearms in restaurants that serve alcohol, state parks, and mass transit. So he was rather shocked to discover last week that his home county, Carroll County, had banned the carry of firearms at Snake Creek Reservoir when it opened the reservoir to public fishing. It is rule 3 on...

Oleg Volk,A Human RightWith the explosion of what is often erroneously termed "concealed carry licensing," including more than 120,000 licenses issued in 2008 alone, many people often forget that it is legal to carry a firearm openly in Georgia. Sometimes, the people who forget are the police. Georgian Luke Woodard thought he was going to have a good day when he purchased a winning lottery ticket at a convenience store in Paulding County, west of Atlanta, but his luck was about to take a turn for the worse. Before the day was over, Mr. Woodard found himself spending the night...

A Central Georgia man is recovering from a gunshot wound; he got shot after robbing a Macon liquor store at gun point. A news release from Sgt. Melanie Hofmann with the Macon Police says 50-year-old Ricky Nell Johnson robbed the ABC Liquor Store at 1194 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. on Saturday. The release says Johnson entered the store around 6:45 p.m. wearing a wig and skirt. It says he showed a handgun, jumped on the counter and demanded money. After getting some cash, Johnson fired a shot and ran out of the liquor store. The release says an employee...

On Tuesday, May 12, we will be escorting Spec. Ryan C. King from the funeral home in Dallas, Georgia to the National Cemetery in Canton, Georgia. Spec. King was killed in action in Afghanistan on May 1. If any FReepers would like to join us for this mission, you are more than welcome. You need not be a PGR member to ride with us, and you need not ride a motorcycle. Staging information for this mission is as follows: TUESDAY May 12 Staging at Ingles Supermarket (270 Merchants Sq. Dallas, GA 30132) at 0900. Kickstands up at 0945 We will...

WALTON COUNTY, Ga. -- Loganville police said they arrested a man after he entered the automobile of two female waitresses from Hooters. Police said Christopher Childers, 40, saw the two 19-year-old girls walk into a Wal-Mart to do some shopping. While they were in the store, Childers allegedly got into their car. Police said Childers found pictures of the girls in their uniforms which he placed in his truck. He then got back into the girls’ car to wait for them, police said. When the girls returned, one girl slammed Childers leg with the car door and the other called...

From this story in The Northeast Georgian newspaper on April 16, we learn about another Tea Party that crossed swords with local government. Indeed, Habersham County government took issue with the 75 patriots upset over the growth of government…by telling them they had no right to use government property.

ATLANTA — While the Georgia Legislature grapples with the state’s most pressing issues — the budget, transportation and trauma care — individual members of the House and Senate are working committees behind the scenes to push legislation they say will address issues important to their constituents. Rep. Ed Rynders, R-Leesburg, is lead sponsor of legislation designed to keep people who are not registered voters in the state from participating in voter registration drives in Georgia. The legislation, HB 225, is co-sponsored by Jay Roberts, R-Ocilla; Jeff May, R-Monroe; Edward Lindsey, R-Atlanta, and Tom Rice, R-Norcross. “Bottom line: The whole idea...

ALBANY, GA (WALB) - An Albany motel owner was beaten and threatened by a man after refusing to hire him. Saturday afternoon Dollar Inn Owner Mukesh Patel told Police that a man named "A.K." came in and asked for a job. When Patel refused to hire him, he says the man hit him in the face twice and then threatened to kill him. Police are investigating but have made no arrests.

Plains, GA (WALB) - The recent recall has hit the peanut industry so hard that even the former first family is affected. Peanut farmers and companies were looking forward to a boost in sales when the economy took a downward spiral. Consumers usually rely on peanut butter as a cheap source of protein. But the salmonella outbreak has made it extremely hard for even Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter to make money of their peanut crop. "We still grow peanuts on our farm," said the for First Lady. "And my heart goes out to peanut farmers because I know in our...

Blakley, GA (WALB) - The Peanut Corporation of America plant is sealed off by federal authorities as both the FBI and FDA investigate. Around 11:00, more than a dozen agents entered the Peanut Corporation of America plant in Blakely as part of the criminal investigation of the plant. The facility was shut down January ninth when the FDA identified the plant as the source of the Salmonella outbreak that sickened more than 500 nationwide. Natalie Wilkerson A set of bolt cutters and black brief cases where wheeled into the Peanut Corporation of America plant just after eleven. Not long after...

COFFEE COUNTY, GA (WALB) - Deborah Latham thumbs through 28 files full of information about her biological family members. Information she began collecting after her mother died. "After all of the family that you know is gone, you start to think I have no more family, but I do somewhere. And I wonder if they've been looking for me." And they were. A week before Christmas she got a call about her sister and later connected with her brother Gary. "My original name Doris Hill was the name he was looking for," said Latham. That was also when she learned...

January 7, 2009 BAINBRIDGE, GA (WALB) - New information on the horrific dog attack Tuesday. Animal control officers caught another one of the five dogs Wednesday. But two are still on the loose. 73-year-old Joanne Johns told us she often walks on Johnny Skipper Road. That's what she was doing Tuesday morning when a pack of dogs attacked her. Johns underwent seven hours of surgery at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital. Wednesday she was in cardiac intensive care. She'll have more surgery Thursday. Doctors think she's going to be okay, though she will need a lot of plastic surgery to repair wounds...

anuary 6, 2009 THOMASVILLE, GA (WALB) - A 5-year-old girl was killed by her family's pitbull dogs in Thomasville. Monday evening in the confines of a fence marked with a sign "Beware of Dog," three dogs attacked and killed one of their owners, five-year-old Chyenne Peppers. Neighbors didn't want their names or faces on camera but said they heard the shouting in her backyard at 105 Executive Drive. "I heard some screaming and carrying on and I just assumed they were out playing," says the woman. The Peppers own three pit bulls. Animal control says one was roaming loose in...

WASHINGTON, Dec 5 (Reuters) - First Georgia Community Bank, a small institution with $237.5 million in assets, was closed by state regulators on Friday, marking the 23rd U.S. bank failure this year. All $197.4 million in deposits were transferred to United Bank of Zebulon, Georgia, and the failed bank and its offices will reopen as branches of United Bank, the U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance Corp said. First Georgia had branches in Jackson, Covington, Griffin and Locust Grove. United Bank will also buy about $60.6 million of First Georgia's assets, the FDIC said. The bank failure will cost the FDIC's deposit...

On top of everything else, we don't need a filibuster-proof supermajority, controlled by Dems, in the U.S. Senate. If that happens, there won't be anybody to filibuster on limiting abortion (including forcing pro-life doctors to perform abortions), stopping the so-called "Fair"ness Doctrine, fighting against higher taxes, etc.. In Georgia, conservative Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss is in a runoff on Dec. 2. They're still counting votes in Alaska and Minnesota, and in Minnesota they keep "finding" absentee ballots.

Well, so much for that 50 state strategy. The Obama camp surrendered 4 states to McCain-Palin today. And, you know what that means? It's time to play the racism card! Andrew Malcolm at the Top of the Ticket ties this decision by the Obama Campaign to close election offices in North Dakota, Alaska, Idaho and Georgia to a poll on Democratic racism that was released this weekend: Exactly 44 years after Lyndon B. Johnson became the last Democrat to capture the state of North Dakota in a presidential election, it looks like Barack Obama won't be the next. The Associated...

The intelligent question thrown out among strategists for both campaigns is, can John McCain really win Pennsylvania? Really win it, not pretend to go for it, as Republicans did in 2004, all the while closing the deal in Ohio when no one was looking. The last Republican presidential candidate to win Pennsylvania was George H.W. Bush, in 1988 -- a win preceded by two Reagans but followed by two Clintons, a Gore and a Kerry. The Kerry win was narrower than the others, however.