Free Republic

Guns are Tightly Controlled, but The U.S. Virgin Islands has one of the Highest Homicide Rates in the WorldNot counted as a state or a city, the U.S. Virgin Islands is often missed in statistics about gun control in the United States. Gun ownership is tightly regulated, with permission to own a gun only granted by the Police Commissioner upon application, and subject to the Commissioner's discretion. Even antique firearms, which are not regulated under U.S. Federal law, are not allowed unless they are inspected and "rendered useless". 476. Collections of antique firearms; certificates of uselessness. No provision hereof...

Piers Morgan: Why, How Dare a Foreigner Like Dana Loesch Take an Aggressive Political Position on a Horrific Attack in My Home Country! He can't believe the affrontery of a foreigner offering pungent commentary on a horrific crime shortly after it has occurred, nor the gall of this interloper to dare to tell a country of which she is not a citizen what gun-control laws they ought to have to prevent such crimes. So she's now banned from his show.

Some critics have pointed to New York State’s new gun control law as chilling in its scope and intent. But new allegations coming from sheriffs may add to the outcry, as some authorities maintain that Gov. Andrew Cuomo pushed local sheriffs to stop publicly speaking out against the SAFE Act, the gun-control law he signed in January. One source, in fact, told a local outlet that the governor threatened sheriffs’ jobs if they don’t comply. Law enforcement officials were reportedly summonsed to Albany last month, where they met with the governor about the contentious issue. It’s no secret that sheriffs...

Bridgeport, CT – Today, a widely-anticipated lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Connecticut, challenging the constitutionality of the new firearms law that was passed hastily by the Connecticut legislature in response to the tragic shooting in Newtown by a disturbed individual. The lawsuit seeks immediate injunctive relief and a ruling declaring the new law unconstitutional under the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. It alleges that Connecticut’s new firearms law is not only unconstitutional but dangerous, since it makes both citizens and law enforcement less safe by depriving citizens of firearms that are in common use throughout the...

First, some background about me: I am a Ph.D.-holder and tenured professor whose immersion in the insular politics of academia had led me to harbor many negative perceptions about firearms. Though I was never staunchly "anti-gun," I was not a gun owner, did not understand the appeal of firearms, and generally believed that gun control legislation was only common sense. That changed four years ago when I (finally) decided to look into the data on guns, crime, and public safety for myself. I am a trained researcher, but I conducted my research for personal not professional reasons. My wife was...

Gun bashes have been a fixture in western Pennsylvania for decades as a way to raise money for many different types of groups, but now some are raising concerns about whether the events are sending the wrong message, especially when held by public safety agencies.

Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz said ATF Agent John Dodson had provided significant information and public testimony on the agency’s handling of the Fast and Furious probe and “was retaliated against by” U.S. Attorney Dennis Burke with the unauthorized disclosure in late June 2011 of an ATF memo the agent had drafted. In the report, the inspector general said Mr. Burke, who resigned after Fast and Furious had become media fodder, provided the memo to Fox News in violation of Justice Department policies — a disclosure that “was likely motivated by a desire to undermine” Mr. Dodson’s public criticisms. The...

"Some people dislike gays. Others dislike guns. We should not base our laws on personal dislikes," reads one adA new campaign cropping up around Washington state is intended to strike a chord with gay and lesbian gun owners by comparing gun control to anti-LGBT discrimination.The illustrated posters feature slogans like, “We won our right to marry, now it’s time to defend our right! And we sure as hell aren’t going to take shit from homophobes in the process!� and, “Some people dislike gays. Others dislike guns. We should not base our laws on personal dislikes.�A QR code on the ads...

Four Armed Colorado River Tea Party Members Exercise Their Rights About 50 people showed up at high noon in Yuma to exercise their First and Second Amendment rights. A common theme among the Tea Party members was that using the machinery of government to suppress dissent and political opposition is the very essence of tyranny. Signs varied from "Shut Down the IRS" to "We will not be Intimidated" to "Obama IRS Tyrant!" to "Congress disregards the Constitution it's up to us to do something" About 50 Protesters Showed up. I counted nearly 40, and several joined the group over...

A sharp spike in the number of people seeking gun permits following recent changes in gun legislation has police departments inundated with applications. In some cases people have been waiting months for their permits to come through, and there are many questions about whether the process is bogged down by unnecessary steps. ... "I was told I needed to learn to be patient," said Dayna Going. Going said she has been waiting nearly five months for her permit to be approved. "You know, it was my right," she said. "I believe I was entitled to some sort of explanation." The...

The sheriffs thought they were being summoned to the Capitol to discuss ideas for changes to New York's gun control law, the SAFE Act. Instead, Gov. Andrew Cuomo told them to keep quiet. Opposition to the new law has simmered in upstate areas since Cuomo signed the law in January. Many county sheriffs oppose it, particularly its expanded definition of banned assault weapons, and have spoken out around the state. In January, the New York State Sheriffs' Association wrote Cuomo with an analysis, and later suggested tweaks. Cuomo invited its leaders to the Capitol last month, people briefed on the...

Just as they SHAMELESSLY exploit the deaths of children to a psychopath in Connecticut, the Democrats cannot wait a day to exploit the dead in Oklahoma due to tornadoes. There is no depth of scum to low in which they will immerse themselves. I posted this on May 20th and the swindlers have not failed to do what was expected. (video)

To understand the current state of the gun-ban crowd’s “conversation” about destroying the Second Amendment, it boils down to this: insanity versus sanity. With the horrific series of mass murders culminating in the cold-blooded killing of children and teachers at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., last December, this latest iteration of “gun control” is entirely directed at making the sane pay the price for unthinkable acts committed by the insane. It is the root of the civil disarmament movement in America today.The Sandy Hook rampage was the evil work of an individual who was clearly insane. There...

(article photo) In one of the less rational attacks on the NRA to date, the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence's Josh Horwitz used his May 20 column to make the case that the NRA doesn't understand the Constitution or the man who wrote it--James Madison. According to Horwitz, this was proven at the NRA's Annual Meeting in Houston during the first weekend in May. There, speakers gave speeches on what "sounded a lot like vigilantism and anarchy" and very little like the adoration for governmental power that Horwitz claims our Founding Fathers enshrined in the Constitution. To back up his...

Another small town in rural America is putting its foot down and making a statement about the importance of one’s right to keep and bear arms. Nucla, Colorado, a town located approximately 50 miles south of Grand Junction, is taking a cue from Nelson, Georgia, and mandating that each head of household keep a firearm for self-defense. Earlier this month, by a vote of 5-1, the Nucla community council passed it’s own version of Nelson’s Family Protection Ordinance,” which reads: In order to provide for the emergency management of the city, and further in order to provide for and protect...

The president appeared at many rallies on behalf of additional gun control laws with parents of children murdered at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut. I have a question for those who agree with the president's use of these suffering souls. How would you react if a pro-death penalty president travelled across the country with parents of murdered children -- on behalf of capital punishment? After all, outside of strongly liberal locales, the great majority of parents whose children have been murdered support the death penalty for murder. And more than a few of these parents who do live...

Since D.C. officials refused to turn over any documents about their investigation and decision not to prosecute NBC News’ David Gregory, we have to depend on the Freedom of Information Act to force transparency. Mayor Vincent Gray’s office, however, responded to my request by deflecting. It turned out, he was hiding information. On March 11, I sent a detailed request to FOIA Officer Mikelle DeVillier in the Executive Office of the Mayor. I asked for all documents about Mr. Gregory’s possession of an illegal 30-round magazine. Government agencies are required to respond to a FOIA request within 15 working days. Ms. DeVillier...

The sheriffs thought they were being summoned to the Capitol to discuss ideas for changes to New York's gun control law, the SAFE Act. Instead, Gov. Andrew Cuomo told them to keep quiet. (...) Cuomo invited its leaders to the Capitol last month, people briefed on the meeting said. The group included Sheriffs' Association Executive Director Peter Kehoe and Chemung County Sheriff Christopher Moss. "We didn't get a response (to the analysis) from him, but we could tell after the budget was passed that none of those recommendations were taken into consideration," Moss said. "When we got there, we never...

Richmond County Tea Party Patriots and Gun Rights Across America yesterday held a rally in the rain to defeat Gov. Cuomo's unconstitutional and ill-conceived NYSAFE Act. Tea Party Patriots member and American Grizzlies United / Organize4Palin NY State Coordinator, Ron Devito spoke at this rally, beginning at the 21:45 mark in the video. His remarks were covered by the Staten Island Advance. The Richmond County Tea Party Patriots were initially denied the permit to hold the rally, but it was ultimately granted. The denial may or may not be part of a pattern of harassment and intimidation of Tea Party...

Officials have agreed not to file criminal charges against a Washington D.C. man who used his handgun to kill a pit bull in order to stop it from mauling a child. Benjamin Srigley made an agreement with authorities last week which will require the 39-year-old to pay a $1,000 fine for the three unregistered firearms and ammunition that were found in his possession the day he saved Jayeon Smith from three unleashed pit bulls. During the attack, Srigley used his Ruger 9mm pistol to shoot at the animals that left Jayeon with scars on his elbow, torso and leg. “In...

When high tech gunsmith group Defense Distributed test-fired the world’s first fully 3D-printed firearm earlier this month, some critics dismissed the demonstration as expensive and impractical, arguing it could only be done with a high-end industrial 3D printer and that the plastic weapon wouldn’t last more than a single shot. Now a couple of hobbyists have proven them wrong on both counts.One evening late last week, a Wisconsin engineer who calls himself “Joe” test-fired a new version of that handgun printed on a $1,725 Lulzbot A0-101 consumer-grade 3D printer, far cheaper than the one used by Defense Distributed. Joe, who...

Not in my house! That was the message some Florida residents had for Michael Maxwell, 19, who got more than he bargained for when he and three accomplices allegedly tried a home invasion in Palm Bay. When the group tried to enter the home around 1 a.m. last Wednesday, the residents fought back, kicking, beating and even using a stun gun on Maxwell, Florida Today reported.

Now that one Pennsylvania university has decided to allow guns on its grounds -- in limited circumstances -- it's possible that other schools may follow suit. Penn State does not allow students to possess any type of weapons on campus. But supporters of the "concealed carry" concept think it's an idea whose time has come. Kutztown University, one of the 14 state-owned universities in Pennsylvania, recently decided that students may carry guns in some instances. According to Kutztown University President F. Javier Cevallos, attorneys advised the school that, "a blanket prohibition against the possession of weapons on campus is legally...

Fantastic Historic Civic Action May 21 If you deem this worthy – spread the words We are On the March for real. Look at all the stuff we are achieving – there are too many action items to mention here but we know there are many – such a rewarding feeling. We have rallied in more places and with more people on one issue than ever before. We now have bad governance in fear of “We the People”. We are making a DEMAND for a vote and have at least 300,000 signatures to back it up. We have put them...

It now seems clear that the Department of Homeland Security’s stockpiling of ammunition and other warfare supplies can no longer be dismissed as “conspiracy theory,” but is a very real development in the actions of an overreaching federal government. Many have suggested and assumed that the ammo and gun shortage experienced across the country is the result of private citizens’ unprecedented purchases, in recent years, in preparation for impending gun control measures. While this is true in part, it is only half of the logical explanation that can be assessed based upon available facts. This phenomenon has been described as...

The U.S. Attorney in Arizona violated Justice Department policy by providing Fox News with information apparently aimed at undercutting the credibility of a federal agent who helped reveal the botched arms-trafficking probe called Operation Fast and Furious, the Justice Department's inspector general said Monday. There was substantial evidence in the 2011 incident that then-U.S. Attorney Dennis Burke's motive for disclosing a memo by federal agent John Dodson was retaliation, the inspector general's report said. In testimony to a House committee just two weeks earlier, Dodson had raised serious concerns about Operation Fast and Furious. In Dodson's memo, which was eventually...

Contact Governor Bentley TODAY and ask him to sign Senate Bill 286 into lawToday, the Alabama House of Representatives accepted the conference committee report for Senate Bill 286 by a 73-28 vote.  This measure now goes to Governor Robert Bentley (R) for his approval.  While not perfect, SB 286 is an important step in the right direction for the law-abiding gun owners in Alabama and residents of other states traveling to and through Alabama.  Therefore, it is critical you contact Governor Bentley TODAY and respectfully ask him to sign Senate Bill 286 into law.Governor Robert Bentley:(334) 242-7100Click here to send...

House Bill 972, an important NRA-backed self-defense bill that would repeal the criminal prohibition on the possession of firearms on college campuses by Texas Concealed Handgun Licensees (CHL), is still pending in the Texas Senate – where final action must be taken on the measure by this Wednesday. Make no mistake: anti-gun Senators and gun control advocates are trying to run out the clock on this important reform bill, and it will die without a vote unless your state Senator hears from you TODAY! While HB 972 gives individual higher education institutions the authority to adopt administrative rules and regulations...

Ted Nugent's Perspective: Freedom of expression is so beautifully American. Making that our very First Amendment is surely all the proof one needs to know our founding fathers were revolutionary visionaries. In this day and age of terminal apathy and soulless discontent, I adore anyone who is an activist and stands up for what he or she believes. That is exactly how our founders designed this experiment in self government. My loving brother Jeffery is becoming one of those activists, and I salute the great man. Never one to shy away from controversy, my brother wades into it. We were...

Phoenix police are in a race against time in processing guns that the city purchased at recent gun buyback events. A new Arizona law that hasn't yet taken effect bars cities and counties from destroying guns turned over to police at buyback events and instead requires that the guns be resold. The Arizona Republic reports (http://bit.ly/19QbpVe) that Phoenix's program brought in 979 weapons in two sessions earlier this month and an additional 937 guns on Saturday. The law will go into effect 90 days after the legislative session ends, which could be any day. Police are already struggling to process...

Rocker Ted Nugent has continued to make his views on firearms and the Second Amendment known. On Friday, his brother, former president and chief executive of Revlon, Jeffrey Nugent, also came forward to share his opinions on gun rights in a recent Washington Post op-ed. The problem? The two adamantly disagree — at least when it comes to universal background checks.

Sharon at the Phoenix Gun Turn In Sharon came to the gun turn in at the Sunnyslope Mennonite Church in Phoenix, looking for a pistol for self defense. She shoots at Shooters World, and intends to take the pistol there to have it checked out. She has children in the Army, and she expects that they will go to the desert for some family fun with their firearms. Sharon said "We should have weapons to protect our families and homes." Sharon's Makarov The pistol that she obtained, a Russian made Makarov in .380 ACP, was in excellent condition with...

Major gun legislation More than 30 firearms bills have been introduced this year in Sacramento. Here are some of the big ones:

The Gun Feed is a new Drudge Report style news website that has just been launched. The Gun Feed is a 24/7 news website that is proudly devoted to the online firearms community, and that showcases the latest firearms news headlines from around the web. The website will be updated many times throughout the day, everyday and it will feature news links to articles on the second amendment, firearms related politics, guns and gear reviews, new product releases, blogger opinions and commentary, and anything else which comes along that might be of interest to Gunnies.

DD ITAR Update 1 A few have criticized how quickly I responded to the DDTC and began participating in their regulatory process. It is said I should have stood and fought if I believed in keeping the files free, instead of complying. This compliance has been viewed as some kind of ultimate one, as if I don’t intend to do anything else. “No takedowns, ever.” Was a motto I had built into my vision of DEFCAD.com, not DEFCAD.org, and it referred to a strategy for dealing with intellectual property claims and social pressure- this is NOT the strategy DD/DEFCAD.org can...

Authorities last week made an agreement not to prosecute a Northwest D.C. man who used his unregistered handgun to kill a pit bull in order to stop it from mauling a child in his neighborhood. As part of the agreement, Benjamin Srigley, 39, was required to pay a $1,000 fine but will not have criminal charges filed against him for the three unregistered firearms and the ammunition that investigators found in his possession, said Ted Gest, a spokesman for the office of the attorney general.

The Hill has a story today that leaves one wondering if, when it comes to gun control, there is any line too ridiculous for progressives to cross: A House Democrat inspired by the last James Bond movie has offered legislation to produce handguns with “personalization technology.” The idea is to produce guns that can only be used by the gun’s owners. Rep. John Tierney (D-Mass.) cited the latest James Bond movie, “Skyfall,” as inspiration for the bill. “In the most recent James Bond film, Bond escapes death when his handgun, which is equipped with technology that recognizes him as its...

The Department of Justice (DOJ) Inspector General published a new report Monday that confirms former U.S. Attorney for Arizona Dennis Burke leaked a document intended to smear Operation Fast and Furious scandal whistleblower John Dodson. The DOJ IG said it found “Burke’s conduct in disclosing the Dodson memorandum to be inappropriate for a Department employee and wholly unbefitting a U.S. Attorney.” “We are referring to OPR our finding that Burke violated Department policy in disclosing the Dodson memorandum to a member of the media for a determination of whether Burke’s conduct violated the Rules of Professional Conduct for the state...

- FrontPage Magazine - http://frontpagemag.com - Obama Uses Terror-Finance Group to Push Gun ControlPosted By Ryan Mauro On May 17, 2013 @ 12:40 am In Daily Mailer,FrontPage | 13 Comments The Obama Administration’s relationship with the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), a U.S. Muslim Brotherhood entity, has grown beyond strictly Muslim-related issues. On May 6, Vice President Biden met with about 20 interfaith leaders including ISNA President Mohamed Magid for two hours to rally religious support for gun control.A FBI source identified ISNA as a Muslim Brotherhood front as early as 1987. A 1991 U.S. Muslim Brotherhood memo identified...

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg used a commencement speech to push his gun-control agenda, telling graduates of Kenyon College in Ohio that gun control is “something you really should think about.” Bloomberg, who co-chairs Mayors Against Illegal Guns, spent at least $14 million in support of legislation that would have required universal background checks for all gun-buyers. Although the bill died in the Senate on April 17, Bloomberg said the battle isn't over. (VIDEO-AT-LINK) “I believe we will win, sooner or later, because I believe that all of you, your generation more than any other at least since the 1960s,...

American comedians are making a pile of cash with clean humor centered on guns, God and family. As scandals from Benghazigate to the IRS-targeting of conservative groups shake our country, I think it’s important for us to periodically re-focus on the beauty of America; the beauty of humanity and the beauty of life. I know. It sounds so cliché; so Hallmark card-ish. But it’s true. It is easy to become cynical and to think that everyone in the world has an agenda. It is easy to get down when we hear stories about our leaders lying and cheating. But not...

~~Come on in and shoot the breeze~~ Gun Talk Radio 5/19/13~~07:00 CST Listen to the podcast

WASHINGTON - Sen. Pat Toomey (R., Pa.) hasn't given up on his bill to expand background checks for gun purchases, he said Thursday, signaling more willingness to return to the plan than he had publicly shown before. "If we could find a way to bring some more folks on board, then of course it would be worth bringing it up again," Toomey said in an interview. While he has largely returned his focus to the fiscal issues he has long been associated with, he said he still occasionally talked privately with fellow senators about the background-check bill that was defeated...

DENVER — An executive with a prominent gun manufacturer is on his way back to his native Italy after a taxi driver mistook him for a terrorist on Saturday. Daniele Perazzi had just arrived at a gun show at the Denver Merchandise Mart when his cabbie called police to tell them he’d dropped off a terrorist. Perazzi, who was carrying seven shotguns at the time, was taken in for questioning by the Adams County Sheriffs Department. He was released a short time later. Perazzi’s U.S. attorney told Fox 31 Denver that her client was scared during the incident because he’s...

The grieving mother of a 6-year-old killed in the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School joined Illinois Democrats on Sunday in calling for a statewide ban on high-capacity ammunition magazines. Nicole Hockley choked up when discussing the December massacre in Newtown, Conn., that claimed her son Dylan. "In Newtown, we learned the brutal truth about the devastation that high-capacity magazines can cause," said Hockley inside the Thompson Center in downtown Chicago. Hockley, who was joined by fellow Newtown parents Mark Barden and Francine Wheeler, said the proposed law — Senate Bill 1002 — could save innocent lives

Daniele Perazzi, president of the Italian Perazzi Shotguns firm, was taken into custody yesterday by Adams County Deputies [see update, below] along with several prototype shotguns. The executive was picked up in the parking lot of the Denver Merchandise Mart, hosting the high-end Colorado Gun Collectors show this weekend, after a taxi driver, likely reacting to a suspicious activity reporting outreach program conducted by law enforcement, told authorities he thought he could be transporting an armed “foreign speaking” terror suspect. “He loaded prototype shotguns into the cab on the way to the Merchandise Mart,” gun rights activist and newly-elected National...

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SAN DIEGO — It is the subject of nightly television news reports, daily newspaper stories and prime time dramas. Gun violence is seemingly everywhere you turn. Ask Americans how bad they think gun crime is, and 82 percent will say it is either worse than it was 20 years ago, or mostly the same, according to a Pew Research Center survey released this month. But the numbers on gun crime show otherwise. Firearm homicide and other gun crimes — including robbery and assault — are strikingly lower than they were two decades ago, a trend that has mirrored the decline...

The Independence Institute held a press conference on May 17, 2013 announcing the lawsuit against the new anti-gun bills passed by the Colorado legislature and signed by Governor John Hickenlooper. The lead attorney is Dave Kopel.

Swiss Vetterli Carbine Circa 1870 This Vetterli carbine was turned in very early on May 18, 2013, at the Phoenix gun turn in event. I photographed it on the turn in table at about 8:09 am. I cannot Identify it further, and this is the only picture that I have. Does anyone know if this is an original carbine, or is it a later conversion? The rifle was manufactured about 1870. Dean Weingarten