Free Republic

In Philadelphia, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania find, possessing a gun is strongly associated with getting shot. Since "guns did not protect those who possessed them," they conclude, "people should rethink their possession of guns." This is like noting that possessing a parachute is strongly associated with being injured while jumping from a plane, then concluding that skydivers would be better off unemcumbered by safety equipment designed to slow their descent. "Can this study possibly be as stupid as it sounds?" asks Stewart Baker at Skating on Stilts. Having shelled out $30 for the privilege of reading the entire...

VAIL VALLEY, Colorado — Matthew Volk said he was working at Edwards Liquors Thursday when the night took a strange turn. “Next thing I know, I see this guy come in and he's got a gun in my face,” he said. The man with the gun shouted at Volk to give him money from the register. That's when Volk noticed the gun looked fake. “I realized right away it was not a real gun because of the barrel shape,” the 42-year-old Army veteran said. “I was not as scared as if it had been a real gun.” Volk said he...

www.iowacarry.org. Iowa Carry, an organization devoted to preservation of Second Amendment rights, will hold a rally noon Saturday in Library Square in Estherville. A free lunch will be provided. According to Larry Walders, Iowa Carry Emmet County coordinator, Saturday's rally is to acquaint local citizens with the concealed carry law in Iowa. "There's 99 counties and there's 99 different policies," Walders said. Walders said a bill will be introduced in next year's Iowa Legislature to change the law from stating that county sheriff's "may issue" to "shall issue" concealed weapons permits to applicants. Walders said the legislation will provide that...

Harvesting an alligator that's 20 times your size is a piece of cake, according to 5-year-old Simon Hughes. "Well, its pretty much simple," said Simon who caught the alligator. Simon's father said Simon is a natural born hunter, so an 800 pound alligator was no match for him. "Well I my got my gun out and shot him," the 5 year old said laughingly. Pictures and video HERE

An Indian farmer’s daughter disarmed a terrorist leader who broke into her home, attacked him with an axe and shot him dead with his own gun. Rukhsana Kausar, 21, was with her parents and brother in Jammu and Kashmir when three gunmen, believed to be Pakistani militants, forced their way in and demanded food and beds for the night...

<p>DETROIT (AP) - A retired police officer-turned-pastor shot and wounded a man who broke into his Detroit church, police said Monday.</p> <p>Lawrence Adams went to Westside Bible Church on Sunday evening and found the intruder inside the building, said Detroit police Sgt. Eren Stephens. The man began swinging an object at the retired police lieutenant, who pulled out a handgun and shot him in the abdomen, he said.</p>

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Police said one of two men who tried to steal a pickup truck from a group of people gathered outside a Murray Hill home was shot several times by a homeowner and his friend. Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Lt. Larry Schmitt said when police arrived at the 3000 block of College Street, they found a man shot multiple times. According to the police report, Keith Loftin was outside the home with some friends shortly after 2 a.m. when two men asked for a ride in Loftin's truck. Loftin said one of the men pulled a gun on them...

WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court could ignite a vigorous new fight over state and local gun controls across the nation when it rules on a challenge to Chicago's handgun ban. The court said Wednesday it will consider a challenge to Chicago's ban, and even gun control supporters believe a victory is likely for gun-rights proponents.

Taking on a major new constitutional dispute over gun rights, the Supreme Court agreed on Wednesday to decide whether to apply the Second Amendment to state, county, and city government laws. In another major case among ten new grants, the Court said it will rule on the constitutionality of one of the government’s most-used legal weapons in the “war on terrorism” — a law that outlaws “material support” to terrorist groups. The Court had three cases from which to choose on the Second Amendment issue — two cases involving a Chicago gun ban, and one case on a New York...

In the famous Agatha Cristie novel And Then There Were None a group of people on an island mysteriously begins to die off due to accident or foul play. This plot is playing out in real life today with state bans on carrying handgun for lawful purposes in alcohol serving restaurants - these bans are rapidly dying off. Last year Georgia repealed its ban on gun carry in restaurants, and after a historic veto override by the Tennessee legislature, Tennessee's ban died on July 14, 2009. And today, September 30, 2009, Arizona's ban on concealed carry in alcohol serving restaurants...

Gov. Jan Brewer recently signed five pieces of legislation that foster gun-safety education in Arizona’s schools and reinforce the rights of gun owners in the state into law. The legislation was sponsored by Sens. Jack Harper and Russell Pearce, and mandates that Arizona’s Right-to-Carry permit holders are allowed to defend themselves in public restaurants, store their firearm in a locked vehicle while parked in a publicly accessible parking lot, and reveal their firearm to an individual threatening them or a loved one. Furthermore, the new law states that an individual who shoots someone in self-defense is innocent until proven guilty....

Victim shoots robber in Washington County Saturday, September 26, 2009 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette The victim of a robbery attempt shot and killed one of the robbers in New Eagle early yesterday, state police said. Police said William Eyles, 25, of Monongahela, and Cole MacFarlane, 25, of New Eagle, tried to rob Joseph Gallick, who pulled a gun and shot Mr. Eyles. Mr. Gallick was treated at Monongahela Hospital for injuries incurred during the crime. Mr. MacFarlane was charged with homicide, attempted robbery, conspiracy and criminal mischief and is in the Washington County Correctional Facility.

The question of whether or not gun registration violates the Second Amendment may be settled by the courts in the future. But the recent use of prosecutorial discretion to prosecute a Utah man for an innocent and non-material mistake on gun dealer transfer forms demonstrates the danger of decentralized gun registration by way of ATF Form 4473, especially since the court of appeals in this case affirmed the trial court's dismissal of the charge only because "an alien registration number is not 'information required for a background check' as contemplated by Utah Code section 76-10-526(4)(b)." State v. Kidus Chane Yohannes,...

Associated Press press story, please go to link.

I have no idea if I am doing this correctly but I got this and thought it was important. Now all Guns' must be listed on your next (2010) tax return! As if we didn't have enough to get upset about! If you have a gun, I hope it isn't registered! Senate Bill SB-2099 will require us to put on our 2009 1040 federal tax form all guns that you have or own. It will require fingerprints and a tax of $50 per gun. This bill was introduced on Feb.. 24, 2009, by the Obama staff. BUT . ...this bill...

OTTAWA — Public Safety Minister Peter Van Loan has asked the federal privacy commissioner to investigate whether the RCMP abused the personal information of gun owners by handing their names over to a pollster to use for a survey. "This use of long-gun owners' personal information was offensive and inappropriate," Van Loan said in a statement Thursday. The Conservatives have pledged for years to abolish the contentious long-gun registry for rifles and shotguns, created by the former Liberal government as part of a 1995 gun-control package passed in the wake of the Montreal massacre, in which 14 women were shot...

A 16-year-old boy who tried to rob another youth with a pellet gun was in critical condition late Thursday when his intended victim pulled out a real gun and shot him in the head, police said.

Last February I explained how, counter intuitively, the DC City Council's 2008 action to repeal the DC Police Chief's power to issue handgun carry permits made it possible for DC residents to apply by mail for handgun carry permits from Pennsylvania Sherrifs. Such applications can be made by filling out a simple form, no fingerprints, social security numbers, or training required. And these permits are accepted by many states too. . . . So how can DC residents legally acquire guns without jumping through all the hoops erected by the DC City Council? It turns out it's pretty simple -...

If you live/vote in California, and have not yet contacted the Governor about this wrong-headed bill (AB962), please do so right away! The bill is now on his desk for action. I received this below in email from Cabela's today... (...and had previously received a similar warning from the NRA, and several other sources, on the same topic. I hope you have, too, but if not, here it is.) If you know of others who would be similarly concerned, please also alert them to this, soonest. (If you want more information, just type AB962 into your favorite search engine, to...

In sum, one impact of the illegal alien population in the United States is that the House of Representatives is likely to be even more pro-gun after the 2010 census. And that's great news for the gun rights movement, buoyed by Congress' recent legalization of gun carry in National Parks (to take effect in February, 2010) and now aiming to get Congress to pull the trigger on more pro-gun legislation, such as . . .

With all the howling this week over at the New York Times Editorial Board about Senate passage of the Wicker Amendment, its refreshing to learn that the Board of Directors of the Virginia Rail Express voted yesterday to let train riders carry loaded guns. While the Wicker Amendment passed by the Senate this week requires AMTRAK to let train riders check their unloaded guns in cases onto trains as is done by the airlines, the VRE Board passed a resolution just two days later (September 18, 2009) to let riders carry loaded guns. . . . However, as is the...

DAYTON — Police said Montgomery County prosecutors have approved aggravated robbery charges against a man who attempted to rob an elderly man at the point of an AK-47 assault rifle, only to be shot and wounded by his would-be victim. Lt. Brian Johns said the suspect, Phillip D. Anderson, 24, is under armed guard at Miami Valley Hospital, where he is in stable condition. Police said Anderson blocked the elderly man’s vehicle with his own, then got out with the AK-47 and approached the man, who drew a handgun and shot Anderson twice. The incident occurred Saturday, Sept. 19, at...

CHICAGO (STNG) - A man filed a lawsuit against a handgun holster company Wednesday, claiming a defective holster caused him to shoot himself at the Markham Courthouse in 2007.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Get a haircut, get a chance on an AK-47 rifle; that's the offer from a Louisville barbershop. The shop owner said he's just trying to raise awareness to the right to bear arms, but the gun promotion is drawing fire. A customer at the Okolona barbershop will win a Romanian made AK-47. Everywhere you look around the shop, you can tell it is a pro-gun atmosphere, from the hats to the mounted heads. Bruce Gooden teaches gun safety. He's a certified concealed carry instructor, a lifetime member of the NRA and he cuts hair. The more involved...

Published on Friday, September 18, 2009 It seems there is hardly a day passing that does not witness another one of our rights infringed by an aggressive and activist federal government. In this atmosphere, states are reasserting their sovereignty and their rights under the Constitution. The state of Montana has made a law directly challenging the right of the feds to regulate firearms that are manufactured and kept in the state. The basis for federal jurisdiction in this and so many other matters is the commerce clause of the Constitution, which allows the feds to regulate interstate commerce. Article 1,...

KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. -- Police say a man shot an intruder who was armed with a baseball bat Tuesday night. Mark Farrell, 24, of Beatty, entered Jim Westman's house armed with a wooden baseball bat, said Klamath Falls Sheriff Timothy Evinger in a news release. Farrell attempted to assault Westman with the bat and Westman fired one round from a .22-caliber rifle, which hit Farrell in the right forearm. Farrell continued to assault Westman after he was shot, Evinger said. Roxann Klobucar, Westman's mother, was able to wrestle the bat from Farrell. Klobucar hit Farrell several times in the head...

ORMOND BEACH -- Two attempted armed robbery suspects were hospitalized with multiple gunshot wounds after the man police said they tried to rob shot them. According to police, Christopher Young, 38, and William Bell, 31, went into the home of Dane Rollins, 34, early Sunday morning armed with handguns. Police said after the suspects stole cash, Rollins grabbed his shotgun and went after them. The two suspects fled, but police said they later found them with several gunshot wounds. The men were taken to Halifax Medical Center. Rollins was not hurt. Police said shocked neighbors witnessed the entire gunfight. “‘Boom,...

Starkville Police Department detectives say they are tracking several leads in the early Saturday morning robbery attempt that saw the victim fire gunshots at the suspect who tried to hold him up. Around 5:30 a.m. Saturday, the owner of Starkville Ready Cash on Highway 12 West was arriving at the business to prepare to open for the day when a black male approached him, pointing a handgun at him. The owner, whose name SPD detectives would not release amid concerns for his safety, then pulled out a handgun of his own and fired multiple shots at the suspect, but none...

On August 8, 2009 a person named Ryan working at "Fromaginations on the Square" called the Madison police to ask if there was a "law in the state of Wisconsin that allows you to carry a gun," reporting that "a gentleman walked past me with a rather large rather large gun attached to his hip . . . he was walking north toward State Street." Replied the police dispatcher, "[n]o there is not . . . let me get someone to check that area to see if we can find 'em because there is no such law here." . ....

Recently confirmed by the Senate, academic Cass Sunstein from Harvard law School is now the Obama Administration's "regulatory czar." Gun Owners of America has warned: Expect problems! . . . [But] in 2007 Professor Sunstein gave a fascinating lecture in which . . . [n]ot only does Sunstein note at time hack 37:20 that gun control advocates' claims that gun control contributes fantastically to public safety "appears not to be sufficiently supported in social science," but more importantly, at the end of his lecture, he states at time hack 57:47: "And here's a point for the Second Amendment advocates, a...

It's a lesson he should have learned from Plaxico Burress -- but this was worse. A 15-year-old Brooklyn boy shot himself in the penis Sunday after fumbling with a gun that had slid from his waistband, authorities said yesterday. Khamir Grant was then arrested for reckless endangerment and criminal possession of a weapon -- the same charges levied against Burress, who shot himself at a Manhattan nightclub in 2008, law-enforcement sources said.

This multi-year near-comedic chain of communication, from AAG Kassel’s “honest your honors, you can open carry on State Street,” to the current game of “memo, memo, who’s got the memo” down at Madtown PD got me thinking . . . so I made ANOTHER open records request under Wisconsin law, this time for any video discussions of these internal police discussions about “the memo,” and low and behold, they sent me this, a videotaped “counseling session” between Madison’s own Captain Victor Wahl and the officer who arrested Travis Yates in Madison recently . . .

On Monday, we asked if the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives could be reformed, citing companion bills in the Senate and House backed by the National Rifle Association that promise to roll back certain restrictions and moderate penalties for minor violations. Yesterday, we examined a campaign created by Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership. Their bottom line: "Boot the BATFE." No doubt many will consider this an unrealistic goal, and deem the likelihood of generating enough support to make it happen remote without revolutionary changes from the way government exerts control now. That doesn't mean it shouldn't...

examiner.com — On September 8, 2009, United States District Judge Bruce D. Black of the United States District Court for New Mexico entered summary judgment in a civil case for damages against Alamogordo, NM police officers. The Judge’s straight shootin’ message to police: Leave open carriers alone unless you have “reason to believe that a crime [is] afoot.” . . .

It seems that in many people, a lifetime of bombardment by anti-gun messages and sentiment leads to a sort of suspension of reality when considering gun issues. The indoctrination into the gun control agenda requires a leap of faith and a refusal to consider the issue in any depth beyond parroting back emotion based arguments. An article in a student-run blog I read this morning clearly demonstrates the level of psychological denial required to accept those arguments at face value. This article raved about another student article being given a new "award" from the Austin Chronicle for "Best Way to...

In May 2006, a small group of mayors, including ousted Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, were invited to a “summit” in New York by Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino to found Mayors Against Illegal Guns. The purported idea was to get so-called “illegal guns” off the streets; a lofty goal for sure, but might it not be a better idea to get criminals off the streets instead? Of course, removing a criminal element from society has never been the MAIG goal. This group, which now boasts more than 400 members claiming to represent 56 million American citizens –...

HILLSBOROUGH -- Police do not expect to charge a 65-year-old Faucette Mill Road homeowner who shot an intruder Friday night. "At this point we believe he was acting in self-defense," Lt. Davis Trimmer of the Hillsborough Police Department said Tuesday. "He was alone in his house. He came out and found three men in his living room." The case will be reviewed by the district attorney's office, Trimmer said. More Local & State * DA recuses self from Soles case * Pit bull that chewed off baby's toes is euthanized * Inmate confessed to woman's murder * Woman guilty in...

Mike Vanderboegh at Sipsey Street Irregulars has put out a call for help. It's important, so I'm doing what I can to help amplify his voice. Larry Pratt of Gun Owners of America needs to find an expert witness for "a pending legal case." Here's what Larry sent Mike: Do you know of a reference to the Camp Perry matches where they have gunsmiths to handle malfunctions? Or any other such venue where they are used to shooters having guns that malfunction by firing a burst and then jamming? Time is of the essence on this. Mike asks us to...

Seattle Times columnist Nicole Brodeur has never been a fan of guns, so when she recently wrote about trying her hand at shooting, and finding herself to be a pretty good pistol shot, that raised eyebrows, lots of them. Brodeur had earlier written about a convicted sex offender who had moved into her neighborhood, apparently about the same time that a woman named Teresa Butz had been brutally murdered in her South Park neighborhood home, and her partner had been nearly killed. At the range, my hands shook as I loaded the magazine, but then settled as I got more...

Courtesy Chris Bunch for Congress Related Articles * Make politicians prove they support the Second Amendment * 2009 NRA Director candidate questionnaire We have a politician principled enough to give us what most will not: unequivocal answers on his support for the right to keep and bear arms. Meet Chris Bunch, Republican candidate for California's 10th Congressional District, a seat vacated by (F-rated gungrabber) Ellen Tauscher, who has taken a position in the Obama administration, where I guess she figured becoming Undersecretary for State Arms Control gives her the chance to effect even more disarmament. This has necessitated a special...

Guns near the president have started an "open-carry" debate. Gun owners may be arguing among themselves and with gun-control activists about it, but for Mustapha Kassou, there’s no debate over the “open-carry” movement thrust into nationwide controversy this month when pistol- and rifle-packing citizens showed up near several public appearances by President Barack Obama. Kassou was working the cash register in the Richmond, Va., market he owns on July 11 when a gunman stormed the store with robbery on his mind. In an incident captured on surveillance video, the bandit ordered the eight customers to the floor and pumped two...

This week Arizonans were shocked when iconic travel industry promoter Arthur Frommer blogged that "I will not personally travel in a state where civilians carry loaded weapons onto the sidewalks [and t]ourists should safeguard themselves by avoiding stays in Arizona." Mr. Frommer's comments, touched off a firestorm of criticism - so much so that as of publication of this column, Frommer's blog entry attracted 1,061 comments compared to the usual 8 comments or so for his other blog entries. . . . Well Mr. Frommer? Are you going to keep blogging against travel in your own country? Let us know....

WASHINGTON, Aug. 22 (UPI) -- Former and current U.S. officials say a CIA report details the U.S. agency’s threatened use of a drill and gun in the interrogation of an al-Qaida suspect. The unidentified officials said the report, due for release to the public next week, details how captured al-Qaida commander Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri was threatened with a power drill and a gun by CIA interrogators in an attempt to procure information, The Washington Post said Saturday. The anonymous officials said he gun and drill were not used on Nashiri but placed nearby in an attempt to instill fear in...

A man carries a military style AR-15 type assault rifle during a Barack Obama opposition rally in Phoenix. (AP photo / August 17, 2009 PBS host and U.S. News & World Report contributing editor Bonnie Erbe goes right into an attack dive on gun owners with an insulting headline: "Letting Gun Nuts Pack Weapons Near Obama Is Insane" So she starts right off with name-calling and a lie. The Secret Service has said the legally armed protesters posed no threat to the president: "We work closely with local law enforcement to make sure that their very strict laws on gun...

Media bias has reached a new low, according to Alan Gottlieb, founder and executive vice president of the Second Amendment Foundation, courtesy of MSNBC’s “Morning Meeting” program and reporter Contessa Brewer, and he is righteously furious. During a segment of “Morning Meeting,” Brewer – appearing with host Dylan Ratigan and MSNBC culture critic Toure – launched an attack on armed American citizens who have appeared at rallies protesting taxes and the Obama health care plan. During her comments, MSNBC showed video of a man who had carried semiautomatic rifle at an event in Phoenix, AZ earlier this week. That video,...

When Shakespeare wrote, "The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers," it was a quip by a murderous villain designed to elicit a laugh about creating an ideal world in "Henry VI." But at a recent event where I spoke, listeners vented their hostility by bashing politicians. When someone said, "Let's kill all the politicians," it wasn't amusing, clever or Shakespearean. Terralever/Yourloanmodification.com Most Popular Stories # STATE OF EMERGENCY:: Illegal immigrants burden UMC # NORM: Tale of doctor, dancer recounted # NORM: Swimsuit model slain in California # Woman arrested in pharmacy drug case # Las Vegas businessman...

Some members of the media have their knickers all in a bunch over the presence of armed protesters outside the Phoenix venue where President Obama spoke on Monday. CNN’s Rick Sanchez and Ed Henry spent a few minutes Tuesday discussing the potentially dire implications of citizens simultaneously exercising both their First and Second Amendment rights. Henry waded into the crowd outside the president’s appearance and was startled by the sight of a man carrying what he described as an AR-15 rifle. “It’s kind of jarring,” said Henry, “to see an assault weapon in the middle of the street.” And indeed...

In separate op-eds, liberals Marie Cocco and E.J. Dionne are exclaiming against those people who have the audacity to exercise their right to keep and bear arms at political rallies. Cocco says that the “gun guys” were “displaying their perfectly state-permitted firearms.” State-permitted! How about that? The right to keep and bear arms isn’t a right at all. It’s a state-granted privilege, one that the state can revoke at any time. No, Ms. Cocco. That’s not the way it works. The right to keep and bear arms has nothing to do with some type of permission or license from the...

BELLEVUE, Wash., Aug. 20 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Second Amendment Foundation today accused MSNBC of using deceptively-edited video from a Phoenix, Arizona anti-tax rally on Monday to invent a racial stereotype in its on-going effort to demonize and marginalize American firearms owners as "racists." The MSNBC video, narrated by reporter Contessa Brewer, appearing with "Morning Meeting" host Dylan Ratigan, shows an AR-15 rifle being carried over a man's shoulder. The man is part of a crowd protesting near the national convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, where President Barack Obama spoke. Brewer notes on camera, "Yes, there are Second Amendment...

Ohio law allows any private business who chooses to prohibit guns on their property to put up a "no guns allowed" sign. Some do so because they don't like guns, some do it as a courtesy to notify gun owners that they serve alcohol so are off-limits under the Ohio Revised Code, and some do it because they have been mislead. There are many ways for a business owner to be mislead on the issue of whether or not to ban guns in their business. Some have been told by lawyers or insurance providers that they will have addition liability...