Free Republic

ATLANTA — Pro- and anti-gun forces do not agree on much, but they do agree on the breathtaking sweep of the Georgia legislation allowing guns in bars, schools, restaurants, churches and airports that is now awaiting the signature of Gov. Nathan Deal.

The Peruta dominos continue to fall. In an earlier decision in Baker v Kealoha, a District Court refused to rule in favor of the plaintiff, Christopher Baker. Baker had moved for an injunction against various Hawaii state agencies that had denied him a carry license. As a Ninth Circuit panel summed up the District Court’s rationale, the District Court denied the motion because, “Baker was not likely to establish that Hawaii’s restrictions on carrying firearms in public were unconstitutional under the Second Amendment, and therefore, Baker was not likely to succeed on the merits.” But that was pre-Peruta . ....

NRA, 19 States, 34 Congressmen Sue New Jersey Over Gun Law 11 March 2014 Last month, the NRA, 19 states, and 34 U.S. Representatives asked the Supreme Court to review a New Jersey gun law....

Published on Jan 30, 2013 On Tuesday, January 29, 2013 at Cornell Law School, Alan Gura, a partner in Gura & Possessky P.L.L.C., and Michael Dorf, the Robert S. Stevens Professor of Law debated the 2nd Amendment and state gun control laws. Professor Dorf is a constitutional law expert who formerly served as a law clerk for Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy. Mr. Gura, a Cornell University undergraduate alumnus, successfully argued the landmark 2nd Amendment Supreme Court cases DC v. Heller in 2008 and McDonald v. City of Chicago in 2010. This event was organized by the Federalist Society and...

Unarmed citizens in Ukraine taking sniper fire from their own government. Sadly, they aren't allowed to own guns like we are. And people here wonder why we value our Second Amendment? (Taken from Guns Across America on facebook)

The Ninth Circuit’s decision in Peruta v. San Diego, released minutes ago, affirms the right of law-abiding citizens to carry handguns for lawful protection in public. California law has a process for applying for a permit to carry a handgun for protection in public, with requirements for safety training, a background check, and so on. These requirements were not challenged. The statute also requires that the applicant have “good cause,” which was interpreted by San Diego County to mean that the applicant is faced with current specific threats. (Not all California counties have this narrow interpretation.) The Ninth Circuit, in...

I don't want my wife and kids to be sitting ducks .. - Colo. State Sen. Ted Harvey ... stricter gun laws are not the answer. “I don’t think schools are safe when they are gun-free zones and criminals are the only people who carry guns. Then the others are sitting ducks and can't defend themselves.”

A federal judge ruled Wednesday that Colorado sheriffs suing the state over new firearm restrictions don’t have standing to proceed with the case as a group, but the legal battle is far from over. The ruling from U.S. District Judge Marcia Krieger in Denver doesn’t stop the lawsuit because 21 other plaintiffs who are suing do have standing. The court will still consider whether universal background checks and a ban on ammunition magazines that hold more than 15 rounds are constitutional, the judge said.

A federal judge on Tuesday declined to halt Maryland’s strict new gun laws while a lawsuit challenging their constitutionality goes forward. U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake . ... Along with limiting handgun magazines to 10 rounds, the Maryland law that takes effect today adds 45 guns to a list of banned assault weapons and requires gun buyers to submit their fingerprints and obtain handgun qualification licenses.

Since the verdict in the George Zimmerman trial, countless journalists and pundits have attempted to blame Florida’s laws for the outcome. All of these references seem to share a misunderstanding of those laws and the relevant facts. Salon’s Emily Bazelon claimed that people should “blame the state’s bad laws for Trayvon Martin’s death.” An even better example is the Washington Post’s Wonkbook: Florida’s gun laws, for instance, makes cases like this one likely and even inevitable. Would Zimmerman have left his car and followed Martin without the comfort of the cold steel strapped to his body? It’s unlikely. But Florida’s...

An Ohio school district has announced that it will implement a program that will allow teachers to carry guns on campus in a designated school safety zone. According to a local news report, the board of education recently approved the new school safety plan for the Newcomerstown Exempted Village School District, a small rural school district located about 100 miles south of Cleveland, with just over 1,000 students. The policy change will take effect in the fall of the 2013-2014 school year, and although the change has made news, the idea is nothing new. “This is a discussion we’ve had...

“In Alaska, our way of life depends on our ability to carry firearms to defend ourselves, provide for our families, and live freely,” Parnell said at a press conference at the Matanuska Valley Sportsmen’s Shooting Range. “As the federal administration continues its efforts to restrict our rights, these bills will ensure Alaskans’ Second Amendment rights are better protected,” he continued. “I appreciate all of the hard work by legislators who sponsored and supported these bills aimed at protecting law-abiding Alaskans.” Of the bills signed into law, perhaps the most controversial is the ‘Stand Your Ground’ legislation. Mirrored after the Florida...

EMC Insurance Companies, the largest insurer of schools in the state of Kansas, recently announced that it would not be willing to provide policies to schools which allow their teachers or other staff, to carry concealed firearms on school property. The only exception would be for police officers. The Topeka Capital-Journal broke the story after the company sent out a letter last month to school districts in the state declaring that their decision is “simply to protect the financial security of our company.” EMC’s resident vice president, Bernie Zalaznik said, “We understand that school districts have every right to decide...

If signed into law, a Texas bill would require that hotels that restrict the possession, storage or transporting of firearms to inform guests of such policies prior to checking in, reports the Houston Business Journal. State Rep. Ryan Guillen, as well as other supporters of House Bill 333, point out that the bill will help to avoid any confusion for concealed carry permit holders. The bill would require hotels to clearly state their firearms policy both on their website and to future guests when confirming reservations. Failure for hotels to comply with the proposed law would result in a misdemeanor,...

Although it can’t be positively confirmed, though maybe it’s just self-evident, a majority of state senators in the Golden State are itching to push through their pro-gun control agenda, approving at least seven bills on Wednesday that further restrict the rights of law-abiding gun owners, including one bill that would set up an ammo registry. That’s correct, under Senate Bill 53, responsible gun owners would be required to submit personal information to the state, undergo a background check and pay a $50 fee before being allowed to buy ammunition. Their information would be stored in a state database controlled by...

After years of contentious debate and stonewalling on behalf of gun rights advocacy groups, microstamping is now a reality in the Golden State. California Attorney General Kamala Harris announced on Friday that a 2007 microstamping bill signed into law by former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger could finally be enforced because the private patents that precluded the law from taking effect had expired. “The patents have been cleared, which means that this very important technology will help us as law enforcement in identifying and locating people who have illegally used firearms,” Harris said at a Los Angeles news conference. For clarification, gun...

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...

Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn has added two pro-gun amendments to a water resources bill. The two amendments would allow firearms to be carried on some federal land that is managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and would establish a registry of firearms and ammunition owned by the government. The bill is sponsored by California Senator Barbara Boxer and Louisiana Senator David Vitter and is to be voted on by the Senate on Wednesday. Coburn told The Huffington Post that the first amendment will be “just like we have everywhere else,” referring to a law that was signed into...

Okay, so if you’re following the mainstream media news headlines with respect to this convention, you’d probably expect to see a “clash” or a major confrontation between gun rights advocates/NRA members and gun control activists, descriptions that make it appear as if this is some kind of political warzone. For example, on Friday MSNBC ran a story entitled, “NRA: Protesters plan a showdown at the gun show.” The opening sentence read, “Gun control advocates plan to clash with members of the National Rifle Association this weekend…” Likewise, the Houston Chronicle published this article yesterday, “Protesters set sights on NRA meeting...

In an interview Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday, Manchin touted the merits of the proposal, which would require criminal background checks for all gun purchases made over the Internet or at gun shows, arguing that law-abiding gun owners will “love this bill.” “I’ve gone down and worked the bill into the coal fields, into the gun–friendly West Virginians that I hunt with, and sport shoot with,” said Manchin. “And all of them to a “T,” when they saw the bill, this basically not only protects your Second Amendment rights, it expands your Second Amendment rights.” However, despite the supposed...