Free Republic

SARATOGA SPRINGS, Utah — As a lover of ancient rock art, Steve Acerson usually roams Utah’s backcountry searching for images of hunters and rams carved on boulders and canyon walls. But one morning, on a hillside speckled with those prehistoric petroglyphs, he was also finding signs of a younger civilization: Shotgun shells. Bullets. Shredded juniper trees. Exploded cans of spray paint. “It’s all been shot,” he said. “It’s just destroying everything.” America’s cultural divide over guns has gone into the woods. As growing numbers of hikers and backpackers flood national forests and backcountry trails searching for solitude, they are increasingly...

"security has to preside...and be pre-eminent" "if anyone wants to listen to my phone calls, it's fine" "I think we have to err on the side of security" "we don't love it, but we have probably not much of a choice" "it doesn't seem to be very popular, what [Rand Paul's] doing" "Most people seem to feel the way I do" "My best trait will be security"

Between 1996 and 2013, 991 police officers have been killed in the line of duty. These public servants put their lives on the line to protect Americans. Their deaths should concern everyone, including public health researchers. But researchers’ dislike of guns may be clouding their judgment, and a new study, which claims that more police were feloniously killed in states with more guns, mistakenly concludes that private gun ownership causes police deaths. The study, which was announced last week and is forthcoming in the American Journal of Public Health, received extensive national and international news coverage. But if the researchers...

NASHVILLE, TN – -(Ammoland.com)- On August 12, 2015 the sold-out crowd at the Bridgestone Arena was brought to a standing ovation when four war heroes were invited onstage and presented with Henry Military Service Tribute Rifles during the Charlie Daniels’ 40th Anniversary Volunteer Jam. Anthony Imperato, President of Henry Repeating Arms, gifted the rifles to thank the veterans for their heroic contributions to our country. The presentation was made midway through The Charlie Daniels Bands’ set, with Charlie standing by. Imperato also presented Charlie Daniels with a customized Henry Golden Boy rifle embellished with the Volunteer Jam logo and an...

Ferguson, Missouri – The Missouri chapter of the Oath Keepers are planning to hold an open carry march through downtown Ferguson, Mo., which will reportedly involve arming 50 black protestors with AR-15 rifles. The decision to hold the event transpired after St. Louis County officials, in violation of Missouri’s open carry law, insisted that members of the group could not open carry long barrel rifles within the city. In a video uploaded to YouTube, police chief Jon Belmar is seen warning a number of Oath Keepers that open carrying long barrel rifles would be a violation of the law. “My...

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- For the second time this year, a gun rights group has won an open records lawsuit against New York State. SCOPE, or Shooters Committee On Political Education, most recently sued Governor Andrew Cuomo after his office failed to turn over documents related to a gun rights rally that took place in front of the state capitol in April 2014. The rally was attended by an estimated 3,000 people, including Buffalo developer and former gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino as well as current presidential candidate Donald Trump. Those at the rally claim State Police confiscated replica guns and other...

"...despite the consistent failure of the current background check system to make a difference when it matters most, gun prohibitionists want to make a NICS check mandatory each time a gun changes hands. That’s why Everytown for Gun Safety, the front group for Bloomberg’s gun control apparatus, continues to insist: “Requiring a criminal background check for all gun sales is the single most effective policy for keeping guns out of the hands of dangerous people and saving lives.”"

A study released by the American Journal of Public Health, and published by The Huffington Post, claims high private gun ownership rates are tied to police officer deaths. The study contrasts states based on gun ownership rates, listing “high gun ownership states [as] Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Iowa, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Wisconsin, West Virginia and Wyoming” and low gun ownership locales as “Connecticut, D.C., Hawaii, Illinios, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island.”

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The nation's chief doctor said he doesn't regret saying gun violence is a public health issue, calling his difficult confirmation process a consequence of speaking out. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said Saturday that the backlash from his gun-control statement was disappointing but not a surprise. He was confirmed in December in the face of opposition from the National Rifle Association, which was a rare defeat for the powerful gun lobby. Murthy said the challenging process showed him the importance of community, including those from the medical, public health, tech and Asian-American communities who rallied in support...

Lanier also attributed the city’s recent murder spike to repeat offenders who have recently been released from prison obtaining weapons and then using them to murder people. “Multiple of our offenders involved in the homicides have previous homicides and are recently back in the community,” she said. “So far this year 10 people involved in homicide have had prior homicide charges. Ten.”

Valerie Jackson’s ex-boyfriend David Conley entered her Texas home through an unlocked window last week and handcuffed, shot and killed her, her husband and her six children who were between the ages of 6-13. When Kim Kardashian heard the news, she went on a rant about the necessity of stricter gun control laws. The 34-year-old reality star wrote on Twitter that gun laws have to change.

PEW asked whether gun ownership protects people from crime or “risks safety,” and “54 percent” said owning a gun protects a person from crime. Only “40 percent” said owning a gun “risks safety.”

Normally, even the New York Times doesn’t cite such an unreliable source as Mother Jones for evidence. But when it comes to gun control, it’s considered okay to use biased sources, call people names, and thoughtlessly dismiss the notion that gun-free zones endanger lives. After the recent shooting in Lafayette, Louisiana, former Texas Governor Rick Perry suggested that people should be able to defend themselves in public. How did the Times react? It characterized those who agree with Perry as “fanatics who own the Republican Party by intimidation.” Take the Times’ response to the fact that, with just two exceptions,...

The Economist is a worldwide read, widely respected publication base in England, with a circulation of about 1.5 million, half if that in the United States.   The publication has always had an elitist, progressive editorial stance.   They have been supportive of restricting access to firearms to all but the elite.  The publication has also had a reputation for facts.  Ideology overcame fact finding in the August 1st edition, with an article titled "God, good guys and guns". The article is simply an advocacy piece for draconian restrictions on guns.  It makes no attempt at fairness or balance.   It cites...

Oregon’s SB 941—the legislation requiring background checks for all gun sales—went into effect on August 9, but Lane County Sheriff Byron Trapp pointed out that the law is unenforceable without an accompanying statewide gun registry.

The non-profit's chairperson Samantha Lee labelled Mr Howard 'an icon' for gun control. 'Mr Howard is an icon of the growing numbers of people who want gun controls to be tightened across Australia, despite the pressure from pro-shooting parties,' she said. She said any disruption to the September 8 event by pro-gun lobbyists 'would not be tolerated'.

So, I propose the following 6-step solution, which will likely displease both gun-rights and anti-gun folks alike. There needs to be a Federal database of all guns and gun owners. 7-day waiting period before a gun is purchased and background checks on every purchase. Elimination of unregulated gun selling / trading events. Every gun sold needs to be in the Federal registry. There should be a set standard for gun ownership. Currently, it is left in the discretion of local authorities who sometimes error incorrectly either way. If you have committed an aggravated felony you can’t have a gun. If...

I hope that people will consider downloading a copy of our new study on concealed handguns available here. The paper shows the huge changes that have been occurring in the number of concealed handgun permits and who have been getting those permits. It also shows how changes in the crime rate have been related to changes in crime rates across states, and I think that the paper will serve as an important resource. Finally, if we can get another thousand downloads on the paper, I think that it will force the academics who pay attention to the rankings on the...

The committee voted unanimously this morning to send the proposal to the full city council for consideration next Monday, according to the Seattle P-I.com. Monday’s vote could set the stage for a legal confrontation, and there were hints that existing gun shops could move out of the city, and that gun owners living in Seattle will simply shop outside the city, thus thwarting any dreams that this tax will generate $300,000 to $500,000 annually for the city’s gun control efforts. Waiting in the legal tall grass are the Bellevue-based Second Amendment Foundation and Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep...

The American public as a whole are much more likely to favor stricter gun laws than gun owners