Free Republic

Holder wants gun registration? So says the Law Enforcement Alliance of America: Holder wants a national, permanent gun registration system administered by law enforcement. A registration of honest citizens that have cleared the federal background check for gun purchases with those records permanently retained by and shared among law enforcement. Holder wants new federal authority to prohibit any person on the federal watch list (reported to be 400,000 names) from buying guns and supports confiscating guns from those on the list who possess them. So, he doesn’t want due process protections for people who want to own guns. Even though...

St. Louis Gun Rights Examiner Kurt Hofmann speculates on potential consequences for a group of current and retired military and law enforcement personnel who believe their oath to the Constitution should have bearing on their professional conduct. In today's column, he asks "Will Pentagon try to crush Oath Keepers?" The immediate basis for Hofmann's concern is a report following up on the Fort Hood shootings: The Pentagon may reconsider rules governing participation in extremist organizations that some lawmakers say appear outdated and too narrow in light of the shooting rampage at the Army base in Texas. Some have been following...

In today's Los Angeles Times (Medicine section) Francis W. Adams writes not of gun shot wounds but of his seeing the traumas of police officers who have shot suspects. Wounds I began to see (print edition, An NYPD surgeon learns the random nature of wounds online edition today) plays on the emotionalism of his own experience as if it might resonate with others and somehow soothe. Or ban guns. Does it? Dr. Adams described the police shooting of a robbery suspect as ‘..inflicted by another human being.' Dr. Adams begins with a story about a suspect shot by police. Reporting...

LEE COUNTY: A unique court battle is shaping up in Lee County. A man is facing third degree felony charges for shooting an endangered black bear in his back yard and wants to use the "Stand Your Ground" law as his defense. Kevin Doerr and his attorney were in a Lee County courtroom Monday trying to get all charges against him dropped. Doerr, who lives in San Carlos Park, shot the bear in May and says he was just protecting his family and his property. His attorney, Joe Viacava, says the charges should be dismissed under the unique defense of...

A few weeks ago seven of the eight incumbent Democrats in the Virginia House of Delegates who lost their seat to a Republican had one other thing in common - a lower National Rifle Association (NRA) rating that their opponent . . . [and] the disparity in support for gun rights between the parties seems to have sharpened.

The BDN’s recent series of stories on guns in Maine revealed, among other things, the chasm that lies between those who want to regulate gun ownership and use and those who believe gun ownership is as sacrosanct as the secret ballot and free speech. It’s unlikely the gap will be bridged in the near future, but both camps would do well to work at understanding that their extreme positions may undermine their goals. For the first 100 years of the nation’s history, the Constitution’s Second Amendment was generally understood as supporting the rights of states to keep militias. In 2008,...

A hardware store clerk in Nacogdoches, Texas used his handgun to fend off a knife wielding criminal. Police say that a man in the Cason-Monk Hardware store on the 300 block of Commerce St became upset and was asked to leave. The man reportedly left, only to return armed with a knife, which he used to threaten the life of a store clerk. The clerk is said to have grabbed a handgun, causing man to flee. The clerk, who didn't have to fire a shot, was unharmed. Police are seeking the suspect, who was described only as a Caucasian male...

EAST ST. LOUIS — A store clerk in East St. Louis killed robber Larando King, but it was holdup accomplice Michael T. Hunter Jr., who was charged Friday with first-degree murder, officials said. CRIME STATS bullet Get the breaking news from our St. Louis Crime Beat blog bullet See stats around St. Louis and the nation in our searchable database. A person committing a felony can be charged with murder under Illinois law for the death of anyone during the crime. St. Clair County State's Attorney Robert Haida, whose office filed the charge, said in a prepared statement: "I commend...

The federal government has no right to regulate guns made, sold and used within Utah, state lawmakers at a committee hearing decided Wednesday. The Legislature's Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment Interim Committee advanced a bill that its sponsor, Sen. Margaret Dayton, R-Orem, calls the "Firearms Freedom Act." If upheld in federal courts -- a big if, considering past rulings on states' rights -- Utahns purchasing Utah-made guns would not face federal requirements such as background checks. "I love the idea of the firearms," said Sen. Allen Christensen, R-North Ogden, "and I love to swipe at the federal government on this...

There has been a close association between sexually transmitted diseases and the military for as long as the two have existed, but the focus of this article is not Venereal Disease, but a different kind of VD that has shocked the military community and the nation. The VD which currently plagues the military and puts our soldiers at grave risk is the policy of Victim Disarmament which has been increasingly prevalent even as laws in the civilian world have been moving in the opposite direction While some have pointed to regulation changes during the Clinton administration as the turning point,...

Two people attempted to rob the BFM Market in East St. Louis at 4 am yesterday. An alert employee shot at the robbers, who retreated. One of the wounded robbers was dropped off at the hospital, where he expired of his injuries. The other robber is still at large. Free Republic is banned from posting the original sources.

Two men attempted to Rob Gifford's gas station in Reader Sunday night, but all they got away with were some ventilation holes in their getaway vehicle. At approximately 11:20 p.m. a man went to the residence next door to the station and asked owner Tom Gifford if he could use his phone because his car had broken down. Gifford got the phone and when he turned around, the man was holding an knife and a second man wearing a ski mask was in his house holding a pistol. The unmasked man asked for money and drugs; Gifford complied. "They didn't...

In a report highlighting the "open carry" gun movement, KTVU's Lloyd LaCuesta interviewed locals who are hanging out in public, packing heat and exerting their Second Amendment right for all the world to see. Advocates across the country are picnicking together, going to zoos, going to church and picking up trash. Most notably, supporters protested Obama this past summer. In the Bay area, David Julian, 27, and others are hanging out at a Cupertino Starbucks, sipping their Venti coffees with guns holstered to their hips. Supporters, who appear to come from all backgrounds, also say they're toting firearms to educate...

An Indianapolis, IN homeowner held a burglar at gunpoint until the police arrived. Police say that the burglar, who was armed with a screwdriver, broke in to a home on the southwest side of Indianapolis late Monday night and began rummaging around. The homeowner reportedly grabbed his self defense gun, fired a shot that struck a glass door, and then held the home invader at gunpoint until police arrived. Police reportedly took 22 year old Jorge Barrera into custody, where he now faces burglary charges.

Only hours ago Somali pirates attacked the USS Marsk Alabama in International waters. But unlike last April, when the ship was taken captive, this time the US flagged ship "responded with small-arms fire . . . and evasive maneuvers to thwart the attack." Hard to port ye mateys! It be an American ship ahead!

More than 30,000 Americans were killed by firearms in 2006. That’s like the tragedies of Fort Hood and Columbine happening three times a day, every day, or the World Trade Center 10 times a year. It doesn’t matter who we are—Democrat, Republican, Mormon, non-Mormon, man, woman—we can all agree that the fact that more preschoolers are killed by guns than police officers are killed by gunfire in the line of duty is disturbing. Why do we put up with it? Time and again, gun lobbyists revive the tired “slippery slope” argument to oppose even common sense gun laws, such as...

Oleg Volk photo Related Articles * Ft. Hood: When our defenders are defenseless * Fort Hood: Austin American-Statesman promotes gun control * Gun foes exploit Fort Hood tragedy to subvert vets' rights, Sen. Burr responds * Questions about Fort Hood shooter you won't hear from 'mainstream' press * Lessons from Fort Hood shooting Reason Magazine's Jacob Sullum recently wrote a scathing criticism of the policy that rendered the victims of the Ft. Hood atrocity defensless against their cowardly attacker. Neither Smith nor the other victims of Hasan’s assault had guns because soldiers on military bases within the United States generally...

Shouldn't an army base be the last place where a terrorist should be able to shoot at people uninterrupted for 10 minutes? After all, an army base is filled with soldiers who carry guns, right? Unfortunately, that is not the case. Beginning in March 1993, under the Clinton administration, the army forbids military personnel from carrying their own personal firearms and mandates that "a credible and specific threat against [Department of the Army] personnel [exist] in that region" before military personnel "may be authorized to carry firearms for personal protection." Indeed, most military bases have relatively few military police as...

The 8th Ohio District Court of Appeals has sided with Cleveland in the city's fight to enforce its illegal local gun control ordinances. A three judge panel has declared that Ohio R.C 9.68 - which became law in 2007 with passage of HB347 to preempt local gun control and ensure statewide uniformity of gun laws - is unconstitutional. Judge Colleen Conway-Cooney, Democrat facing re-election in 2010, Ann Dyke, Democrat facing re-election in 2010, and Melody Stewart, Democrat facing re-election in 2012, reversed a lower court's decision to uphold the law. Dyke was elected to the appellate court in 1987, after...

TRENTON -- A N.J. gun law needs exceptions for various groups — including retailers who will only be able to buy one handgun a month from suppliers — members of a task force reviewing the legislation said today. The law, intended to restrict the flow of weapons to criminals, has riled gun advocates who say it penalizes law-abiding citizens like target shooters and collectors. The task force’s central proposal would make it easier for gun store owners to stock their shelves while still limiting customers to buying one handgun every 30 days. "As it stands now, retailers would be prohibited...

According to National Park Spokesperson Phil Selleck, the Park Service is not going to go through any formal rulemaking process for each park. Instead said Selleck, the Service is going to work to "educate the public" and park employees on the gun carry rights in each park. Selleck said that federal law at 18 U.S.C. 930 continues to ban gun carry in "federal facilities," but advised that the Park Service does not consider unattended structures such as "outhouses" to be federal facilities because "employees are not regularly present there to perform official duties."

A security guard who walked into the Orange County Courthouse with a firearm this morning faces charges of possession of a concealed firearm and possession of a firearm in a restricted area, deputies said. Matthew Gilbert Pennington, 25, told Orange County sheriff's deputies he had forgotten the 9mm Springfield XD in his backpack. The weapon contained 16 rounds of armor piercing ammunition, according to a Florida Department of Law Enforcement report. Pennington works for a private security company. The name of the company was not released. FDLE records show he has no previous criminal history. Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings...

A former soldier who handed a discarded shotgun in to police faces at least five years imprisonment for "doing his duty". Paul Clarke, 27, was found guilty of possessing a firearm at Guildford Crown Court on Tuesday – after finding the gun and handing it personally to police officers on March 20 this year. The jury took 20 minutes to make its conviction, and Mr Clarke now faces a minimum of five year's imprisonment for handing in the weapon. In a statement read out in court, Mr Clarke said: "I didn't think for one moment I would be arrested. "I...

A former soldier who handed a discarded shotgun in to police faces at least five years imprisonment for "doing his duty". Paul Clarke, 27, was found guilty of possessing a firearm at Guildford Crown Court on Tuesday – after finding the gun and handing it personally to police officers on March 20 this year. The jury took 20 minutes to make its conviction, and Mr Clarke now faces a minimum of five year's imprisonment for handing in the weapon. In a statement read out in court, Mr Clarke said: "I didn't think for one moment I would be arrested. "I...

A 25-year-old man was shot to death on Orlando's west side while apparently trying to break into a home. WDBO's sister station, Channel 9 Eyewitness News, is identifying the dead suspect as Mark Clark. He was found outside the front door of 5369 Botany Court, near Kirkman Road, around 7:30 Wednesday night. The Orlando Police Department has not provided any details other than that they're working a death investigation. The homeowner's mother said her daughter heard three men trying to break into the house and opened fire. The other two suspects ran away.

Artist and blogger Todd Wilkinson is unhappy about the upcoming rules change which will permit law abiding citizens to carry defensive firearms in National Parks beginning in February. He asks... Always, the first question responsible legislators should ask when writing a law is this: What significant problem is being solved by putting another code on the books? I happen to agree with that particular statement. In this case, the significant problem being solved is that visitors to National Parks, unlike State and local parks, are having their Second Amendment rights taken away from them and are rendered defenseless. Wilkinson doesn't...

It is hard to believe that we don't trust soldiers with guns on an army base when we trust these very same men in Iraq and Afghanistan. Shouldn't an army base be the last place where a terrorist should be able to shoot at people uninterrupted for 10 minutes? After all, an army base is filled with soldiers who carry guns, right? Unfortunately, that is not the case. Beginning in March 1993, under the Clinton administration, the army forbids military personnel from carrying their own personal firearms and mandates that "a credible and specific threat against [Department of the Army]...

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...

As a parent of five children, I understand the responsibility I have for each of them. I am responsible for their health and welfare and everything that goes with it. I am responsible for good decision making that keeps them from danger. Which is why I find it repulsive that a father who not only allowed his eight year old son to handle an Uzi, but paid for the child's opportunity to fire it, would sue the gun fair where the child fatally wounded himself: According to the 32-page lawsuit, on Oct. 28, 2008, Charles Bizilj purchased the opportunity for...

Alaska resident Dave Ross' flight into Pittsburgh Airport for a short visit to the Keystone State last July was uneventful - until, that is, he was arrested for retrieving his sidearm from checked baggage and holstering up on the way out of the airport . . .

Posted by Jay Livingston Guns Galore. The name might be emblematic of the US as a whole, but it’s merely the name of the store where Maj. Hasan plunked down his $1,100 and walked out with his brand new Hekstra FN Herstal 5.7mm and several 20-round magazines. At first, I thought that gun control was irrelevant in this case because Maj. Hasan was member of the US Army, and no law could deny a gun to a member of that category. But I was wrong. The murder weapon was not an Army firearm. It was privately acquired. No, Maj. Hasan...

A few weeks ago a friend of mine in the National Guard contacted me, frustrated by the lack of physical security of the military in the continental US. More specifically, he complained that every time he transports millions of dollars in automatic weapons and other supplies he is prohibited from carrying even a sidearm to protect the equipment. He was angry and quite vocal about it. “When I’m a civilian I can carry a pistol to protect myself, but when I’m on duty, the military disarms me!” I don’t blame him. I just always assumed that soldiers transporting millions of...

A Troy man shot and killed a grizzly in the Cabinet Mountains and state wildlife officials say he did it in self defense. Fish, Wildlife and Parks reports the man was hunting mule deer on Dad Peak on last Friday. He told officials he spooted two grizzlies about 50 yards ahead of him. The man said he yelled at them and waved his gun. But he says the bears started to move toward him. That's when the man realized there were three bears. He said he yelled again and hoped the animals would run off. But the larger bear reportedly...

One of the pistols used by Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan was the FNH USA’s FN Five-Seven, which afforded the Austin American-Statesman an opportunity to promote gun control. But their article hides the truth. An article’s first paragraph (aka lede) serves to “summarize the article, set the scene, or establish the mood of the story.” A 5.7-millimeter pistol identified Friday as the weapon used in the Fort Hood shooting rampage is a type dubbed "an assault rifle that fits in your pocket" and is known for its ability to pierce body armor and for its growing use by Mexican drug...

This is a big week for the Virginia Tech chapter of Students for Concealed Carry on Campus. It's Defense Education Week, and the student group, which has 100 to 200 members, has organized a week's worth of seminars and gatherings in support of concealed carry on Virginia college campuses. Monday night's featured speaker was Philip Van Cleave, president of the pro-gun Virginia Citizens Defense League. Earlier Monday, I spoke to Ken Stanton, 32, a serious-sounding engineering graduate student and the vice president of the Virginia Tech chapter of the concealed carry group. Here's his argument in favor of guns on...

Last Tuesday’s election in Virginia has been reported by some as a vote of no confidence in the Obama administration. Maybe it was – but a closer look indicates that seven of the nine incumbents who lost were caught flat footed on gun rights. . . . Philip Van Cleave, President of the Virginia Citizens Defense League, Inc. feels that "the results show that this election was open season on anti-gun incumbents. The antis have lost at least five reliable anti-gun votes in the already pro-gun House of Delegates, and their perennial bill to restrict private firearm sales at gun...

<p>As many people know by now, or are waking up to this morning, yesterday 39-year-old Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan, an Army psychiatrist, went on a shooting spree at the Fort Hood Army post in Texas killing 13 and injuring at least 30. While Hasan is in critical condition and unconscious, some are speculating that the motive for the shooting was concern over his upcoming deployment to Afghanistan.</p>

WE DID IT!BILL C-391 PASSES SECOND READING BY 27 VOTES.As you know, the CSSA/CILA has been heavily involved in both Bill C-301 (Garry Breitkreuz) and its replacement, Bill C-391 (Candice Hoeppner). We are very pleased to announce that we have a major victory under our belts as C-391 has just passed second reading in the House of Commons. This was possible due to the hard work of a lot of people and arm twisting of opposition MPs. The CSSA/CILA played no small part in this victory and took on the antis face-to-face. The opposition was showing their desperation by releasing...

Media Release Thursday, October 29, 2009 The Blair Witch-hunt Project -- Abuse of Authority? Toronto Police Chief Blair's much touted "Project Safe City" is nothing more than a witch-hunt targeting firearms owners, seizing their private property without compensation and describing them as "criminals." Their crime? Allowing their Firearms Licenses to expire. In his latest "media event," he paraded out a valuable collection of firearms seized from a collector with an expired Firearms License. Using this event as his podium, he proceeded to make very inaccurate comments about the proposed federal Bill C-391 that is scheduled for second reading next week....

Attention: Assignment Editor, Environment Editor, News Editor, Sports Editor, Government/Political Affairs Editor ON, O.F.A.H. MEDIA RELEASE--(Marketwire - Nov. 4, 2009) - Bill C-391, An amendment to the Criminal Code (repeal of the long gun registry), passed a major hurdle in the legislative process earlier today when it was approved at Second Reading in the House of Commons. For 14 years, the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (O.F.A.H.) has been determinedly fighting to scrap the long gun registry through media campaigns, rallies, presentations and meetings with public officials and politicians, and most recently, a national online petition. The bill, a...

Authorities finally released the name of the person killed in an attempted robbery Tuesday morning in Yantley, Ala. 19-year-old Daniel Law, Jr., was shot and killed Oct. 20 when officials say he tried to rob the Citgo store on Highway 10. Law was a 2009 graduate of Choctaw County High School. Investigators say the owner of the store fired the fatal shot. No charge was filed. The case will be presented to a grand jury. Sheriff James Lovette said officials don't think anyone else was involved in the robbery attempt.

A Franconia Township homeowner who found a burglar in his home early Sunday morning grabbed a shotgun and fired several shots as the person fled. According to Franconia Township Police, the resident of a home in the 300 block of Oak Driver heard a noise in his kitchen at 2:30 a.m. The homeowner saw a man run out of the kitchen door after taking an undetermined amount of cash that was left on the kitchen table, police said. Wielding a shotgun, the homeowner chased the burglar through his backyard, firing several rounds in the direction of the suspect, police said....

PORT CHARLOTTE - Two men, armed with a knife and a tire iron, reportedly forced their way inside a Port Charlotte home Saturday night, only to find the occupants had guns. The botched home invasion robbery ended quickly when one of the suspects sustained a nonfatal gunshot wound to the stomach, according to the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office. Authorities have arrested one man and intend to charge the other upon his release from a Fort Myers-area hospital in connection to the attempted robbery at the 21000 block of Beaverton Avenue. The incident occurred around 10 p.m. at the home of...

Law enforcement officials suspect a home invasion in Leon County is connected to a serial rapist who has been terrorizing elderly women in rural areas of Texas for months. On Saturday, police say a man broke into the home of an 81-year-old woman. The woman had a handgun and managed to fire several shots, scaring the man away. The burglar got away with some cash and other items, but the woman was not hurt. Investigators believe this incident may be connected to a series of sexual assaults on elderly women across four Central Texas counties, including Bell County. At least...

A barrage of gunfire erupted during a robbery attempt in the Center Point area Tuesday night, authorities said today. Two employees of the Phone Store at 2111 Center Point Road were closing up for the night about 8 p.m. when a man came from behind a trash bin and pointed a gun at the female employee as she was getting in her car, saying "Give up your money; you might as well give it up." When the male employee tried to take cover, the gunman opened fire. The male employee returned fire, firing eight shots at the robber who took...

OTTAWA — A long-running effort by the Conservatives to kill the long-gun registry has passed an important hurdle in the House of Commons, with a majority voting for the first time in 14 years to study a bill to repeal it. MPs voted 164-137 to give "second reading" — or "approval-in-principle" - to a private member's bill sponsored by MP Candice Hoeppner (Portage-Lisgar) that calls for the repeal of legal requirements to register long-barrelled rifles and shotguns. The stage was set for the vote to pass hours earlier when Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff declared the current long-gun registry faces a...

Wondering if anyone has recommendations for a handgun for a petite woman (me...5'2", 110lbs). Have used a small semi-automatic years ago, not sure of caliber. FIL worries that I might lack strength for semi-auto; I worry that loading bullets under pressure vs. loading ammo clip would waste precious time. Just curious what the ladies here are using? Going to gun range tonight and I think I will have the opportunity to handle a few different guns. Would like input to maybe weed out some choices that would be inappropriate for my size/needs. Another question: we currently have no handguns in...

On September 24, former state Representative Beverly Masek was sentenced in federal court for conspiracy to commit bribery at the federal courthouse in Anchorage. Masek admitted to accepting about $4,000 in bribes from Bill Allen, the former CEO of Veco. She also admitted to introducing legislation that would raise oil taxes, then pulling her bill after wringing a cash payment out of Allen—a bit of arm-twisting on a man who was famous for dumping cash into Alaska politics long before an FBI undercover investigation began to uncover Juneau’s Corrupt Bastards Club. U.S. District Judge Ralph Beistline gave Masek, a Republican...

Vermont State Rep. Fred Maslack has read the Second Amendment to the U.S.. Constitution as well as Vermont 's own Constitution very carefully, and his strict interpretation of these documents is popping some eyeballs in New England and elsewhere. Maslack recently proposed a bill to register non-gun-owners and require them to pay a $500 fee to the state. Thus Vermont would become the first state to require a permit for the luxury of going about unarmed and assess a fee of $500 for the privilege of not owning a gun. Maslack read the "militia" phrase of the Second Amendment as...

USPS spokesperson Joanne Vito told the Examiner.com that 39 CFR 232.1(l) “applies to anyone coming into a Post Office or a Postal facility. The regulation prohibiting the possession of firearms or other weapons applies to all real property under the charge and control of the Postal Service. . . . Both open and concealed possession are prohibited, so storage of a weapon on a car parked in a lot that is under the charge and control of the Postal Service would be prohibited.” . . . Philip Van Cleave, President of the Virginia Citizens Defense League . . . said...