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Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal (R) signed into law Wednesday a pro-gun package that groups on both sides of the gun control debate describe as exceptional. The National Rifle Association calls it ”the most comprehensive pro-gun bill in state history.” Americans for Responsible Solutions, the gun control group founded by shooting victim and former congresswoman Gabby Giffords (D-Ariz.), calls it ”the most extreme gun bill in America.”

One of the reasons gun owners tend to be completely opposed to the passage of any new gun laws – no matter how innocuous or reasonable seeming – is the erratic history of interpretation and enforcement of the current gun laws. This is also why I cringe every time I hear someone who supposedly supports gun rights – from politicians to the head of the NRA – calling for the feds to “enforce the laws already on the books.” The fact is, the gun laws that are already on the books are a labyrinth of confusion and booby-traps full of...

Can you imagine what a tough uphill struggle the anti-gun-rights people would have if the “news” media wasn’t falling all over itself to support the anti-rights side? Connecticut just drafted 138 pages of gun law basically in secret, enacted it before it could be read and digested by those who signed it — and certainly not by the public it pretends to legitimately control — and in doing so ended up requiring federally licensed agents in the state to violate federal law, or flatly deny citizens their rights. Just on practical grounds this is a disaster. But that’s as if...

Already, there are signs that Governor Cuomo and his allies underestimated the pushback. As draconian, ill-advised, and possibly unconstitutional as the New York Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement (NY SAFE) anti-gun law was when it was hastily signed into law, it might have been far worse — this according to a New York legislator who fought against the bill.Assemblyman Steve McLaughlin has released documentation showing rejected Democratic proposals for the NY SAFE Act. They included these: Confiscation of all firearms arbitrarily redefined as “assault weapons”Labeling semi-automatic shotguns as “assault weapons” if they can hold more than five rounds or have...

A key New York Senate leader and the Assembly speaker said they expect the state Legislature to vote Monday to enact what would be the nation's first gun control measure following last month's Connecticut school shooting. "I think when all is said and done, we are going to pass a comprehensive gun bill today," Sen. Jeffrey Klein told reporters Monday morning. "I'm very excited about it. I am very confident we are going to vote on a comprehensive bill that will be agreed on by the governor, the Senate and Assembly." People familiar with closed-door negotiations told The Associated Press...

MADISON - The Wisconsin Attorney General says there is no need to change gun laws because of the killing spree at a spa in Brookfield this past week. Radcliffe Haughton bought his gun from a private seller. By law, private sellers are not required to do background checks on the buyer. Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen says changing the law would be too hard to enforce. "Who is to draw the line between, 'I sold you a firearm, I loaned you a firearm, I've given you a firearm, you've taken the firearm from me?' " asked Van Hollen. "Not to...

The state of Montana has drawn a line in the sand by passing a new gun law that virtually thumbs its nose at the federal government's encroachment on state and individual rights. If the tea parties were the first shot across the bow of liberal fascism, this is surely the second - and it's being done with heavy artillery. Montana Governor Brian D. Schweitzer, for what it's worth, is a Democrat. Montana fires a warning shot over states’ rights State is trying to trigger a battle over gun control — and make a pointupdated 4:54 p.m. ET April 29, 2009...

It is equally amusing to think of police officers arriving at the home of some resident who happens to shoot an intruder pressing the homeowner as to how they got the drop on the thief when they had to take the gun out of its case and remove the trigger lock with the criminal being unaware. If the resident explains that the gun was loaded and ready to fire, are they going to be prosecuted for being prepared?

The District, rebuffed by the Supreme Court last month in a landmark decision on its 32-year-old gun ban, could soon be headed back to court over a new gun law that could take effect as early as Wednesday. The D.C. Council will vote Tuesday on emergency legislation that will require handgun owners to keep their weapons disassembled or under lock and key in what gun rights advocates see as direct defiance of the Supreme Court ruling. That ruling said the District could not bar residents from "rendering any lawful firearm in the home operable for the purpose of immediate self-defense."...

NEWTOWN, Conn. -- Following the decision by a Philadelphia judge earlier this morning, prohibiting enforcement of a series of gun-control laws passed in violation of state law by the Philadelphia City Council, Lawrence G. Keane, senior vice president and general counsel of the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) – the trade association of the firearms industry and plaintiff in the suit – issued the following statement: “We are pleased with the court’s decision to honor state law and grant our petition to enjoin Philadelphia from enforcing the City Council’s recently passed gun-control laws. These laws would only hurt law-abiding firearms...

H.R. 4900: The “Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Reform and Firearms Modernization Act of 2007” Representatives Steve King (R-Iowa) and Zack Space (D-Ohio), have introduced H.R. 4900 the “Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Reform and Firearms Modernization Act of 2007.” The bill would roll back unnecessary restrictions, correct errors, and codify longstanding congressional policies in the firearms arena. This bipartisan bill is a vital step to modernize and improve BATFE operations. Of highest importance, H.R. 4900 totally rewrites the system of administrative penalties for licensed dealers, manufacturers and importers of firearms. Today, for most violations, BATFE...

(New York - WABC, October 23, 2007) - Last week, The Investigators went undercover to expose a gaping loophole in New York state's gun laws. Now Governor Eliot Spitzer is promising to examine the problem more closely. The Investigators Jim Hoffer has the story. The black powder rifle's exemption from gun laws is one of the last remaining major gun loopholes in the state of New York. But the days of buying this deadly weapon no questions asked may be numbered. Our undercover investigation showed with alarming clarity just how easy it is to get a black powder rifle in...

RICHMOND -- Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine yesterday closed a legal loophole that allowed a mentally ill Virginia Tech student to buy the guns he used to kill 32 classmates and faculty. Mr. Kaine, a Democrat, signed an executive order requiring anybody ordered by a court to get mental health treatment be added to a state police database of people barred from buying guns. A court in 2005 ordered outpatient counseling for the student, Seung-hui Cho, after he was judged to be mentally ill and a danger to himself. But because he was not committed to a mental hospital, Cho...

The Self Defense Laws Of Texas The Texas Constitution Article 1 - BILL OF RIGHTS Section 23 - RIGHT TO KEEP AND BEAR ARMS Deadly Force in Defense of Person "A person is justified in using deadly force against another if he would be justified in using force under Section 9.31 of the statute when and to the degree he reasonable believes that deadly force is immediately necessary to protect himself against the other's use or attempted use of unlawful deadly force, if a reasonable person in the same situation would have not retreated. The use of deadly force is...

11250 Waples Mill Road    ·Fairfax, Virginia 22030    ·800-392-8683www.NRAILA.org D.C. PERSONAL PROTECTION ACT INTRODUCED IN SENATE Thursday, May 19, 2005  (FAIRFAX, VA) – Today, Texas Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison introduced “The District of Columbia Personal Protection Act” in the U.S. Senate.  The legislation aims to reverse the city’s 28-year handgun ban by restoring self-protection rights for law-abiding citizens.  The legislation also repeals D.C.’s gun registration law.  Last fall, the U.S. House of Representatives approved this measure on a bi-partisan vote of 250-171.              Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison stated, “This is much needed legislation.  Residents of our nation’s capital are at the...

Click to learn more... A bill allowing more law-abiding Minnesotans to legally carry a handgun easily passed the House on Wednesday and now goes to Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who said he will sign it. The Republican-controlled House voted 86-47 to reinstate the so-called conceal-carry law, which has been overturned by the courts. The 2003 law allowed adults with a clean record, no mental illness and proper training to get a permit to carry a gun.

Shall-issue gun law: Any objections now? Thursday, January 13, 2005 It was a contentious debate that led lawmakers in 2001 to add Michigan to the roster of states with shall-carry gun laws. The debate is over, and a recent Citizen Patriot review of the past three years makes us wonder what all the fuss was about. Many feared that if you let lots of people carry concealed guns, there would be shoot-outs, assassinations and general mayhem. It hasn't happened, though. Lawmakers passed the Michigan law in July 2001. In Jackson County, CCW permits were running about 10 per month before...

This bill is for women who are threatened," he stated in a House press release, "who are not safe in parking lots, while jogging and who don't enjoy the freedom to come and go like others in our society. "This bill is for those who feel defenseless and desperately helpless. That feeling should not be happening in this great country of America." The state's aggravated assault rate is the highest in the nation, the rape rate is third highest and there have been several recent high-profile domestic violence-related murders, Heaton stated. In committee, testimony in favor of the bill was...

(Rocky Hill-AP, June 3, 2002 7:42 AM) _ The town of Rocky Hill finds itself in a duel with the National Rifle Association. The NRA is questioning a town ordinance that forbids people from carrying firearms in town parks. The NRA cites a 1984 state Supreme Court decision that forbids towns from writing laws regulating the sale of guns. The Connecticut Conference of Municipalities says it backs the Rocky Hill ordinance as it stands now. CCM spokesman Kevin Maloney says generally, state statute provides municipalities with broad powers to protect its citizens. The ordinance was written about 20 years ago....