Free Republic

For the Family Research Council, Ken Blackwell and Ken Klukowski warned in a Washington Times op ed that a case on gun rights that will soon come before the Supreme Court could "trigger the unhinging of American culture." Not only do I think the pair went too far in their claim, I also think they missed several key reasons why their worst fear of the end of state's rights and federalism is misplaced, even as their warning is well taken. What Blackwell and Klukowski are worried about is that the upcoming McDonald v City of Chicago case could open a...

In 1941, the Roosevelt administration commissioned a radio special, “We Hold these Truths,” to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Bill of Rights. Listen to it here. The producer and writer was Norman Corwin (an ardent New Dealer who is still going strong at age 99). It featured an all-star cast including Orson Welles, James Stewart, Walter Brennan, and Edward G. Robinson, and closed with a speech by Roosevelt. Broadcast only a week after Pearl Harbor, it still holds the ratings record for any dramatic show. About half the American population tuned in. The actors, especially Stewart and Welles, give...

Mexico is facing a strong and growing threat from transnational criminal organizations, leaving the U.S. little choice but to assist its southern neighbor or risk an increasingly grave threat to its own security, U.S. Ambassador Carlos Pascual said Friday.

Earlier this fall, while scanning the merchandise at a state gun show for an antique handgun, longtime gun enthusiast Guy Gorsky took notice of more than the array of potential investment pieces. Based on the attire worn, questions asked and weapons eyed by a group of young men, Gorsky, who attends three or four gun shows a year, had a feeling they were gang members looking to make a quick purchase. “They were only looking at automatic weapons,” says Gorsky, who keeps a variety of handguns and rifles in his Madison home. “I found that the most concerning.” Unlike weapons...

Back in 1994, when the U.S. Congress was debating whether to ban "assault weapons," a talk show host asked Senator Bill Bradley of New Jersey, a sponsor of the ban, whether guns cause crime. The host noted that, in Switzerland, all males are issued assault rifles for their militia service and are required to keep them at home, yet little crime exists there. Bradley responded: "My guess is--Swiss are pretty dull--so my guess is that probably didn't happen." Actually, for those who think that target shooting is more fun than golf, Switzerland is anything but "dull." By car or by...

You can't go wrong with a .45 caliber 1911 in a Charles Dickens play, right? Well? Note: The author of this comic requests that you visit his web site and please refrain from copying the cartoon within this thread. Thanks y'all!

Gun-toting Amtrak passengers are one giant step closer to being allowed to travel with firearms in their checked luggage, as lawmakers included a measure to lift a railroad gun ban in a catch-all spending bill for fiscal 2010. The omnibus spending bill, which combines six annual appropriations bills for the fiscal year that began Oct. 1, is considered must-pass legislation, and that makes the new Amtrak gun rule as close to a sure bet as there is on Capitol Hill. Travelers with firearms have long faced disparate treatment on trains and airplanes. Airline passengers can transport firearms in checked baggage,...

Senate Bill 747, sponsored by Senator Richardville (R-Monroe) will be heard by the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, December 8th at 1:00 PM. The bill, which would remove dormitories and classrooms from the no-carry zones of Michigan law, bears the full endorsement of Students for Concealed Carry on Campus. SCCC resoundingly supports removing arbitrary “gun-free zones” that affect only those law-abiding citizens already authorized to carry a concealed handgun. SB 747 proposed by Sen. Richardville will go far towards allowing meaningful self-defense on campus.Committee meeting details are here.Please take a moment to voice your support for decriminalizing self-defense on campus....

Concealed firearms have their legal place in society, but hidden guns hardly seem appropriate on university campuses. We think it's more than reasonable for the board that oversees Colorado State University to ask that administrators enact a ban on guns to individuals who own concealed-carry permits. The CSU Board of Governors voted 9-0 last week to implement a ban on campuses in Fort Collins and Pueblo, and now college presidents must craft the policy. When enacted next year, CSU will join a long list of other campuses with similar bans. In fact, nearly every public college and university bans student...

The Maersk Alabama, a U.S. flagged cargo vessel, is now a veteran of not one, but two attacks by Somali pirates. The first, back in April, although ending well (except from the perspective of the pirates), was a horrid ordeal. The crew, using kitchen knives [Correction: I have just been informed that it was pocket knives, rather than kitchen knives, that the crew used--my apologies for the mistake] as their weapons, staged a fighting retreat to a secure compartment. There, they endured terrible (and potentially fatal) conditions: for 13 hours, in 130° heat, without drinking water or ventilation, they waited...

I’d call it a palate cleanser except that it’s too riveting and simply … too sad for that. Not only is this poor woman put through the wringer, it sounds like the guy breaking in was out of his gourd: They didn’t know each other, yet he was screaming threats and resorted to throwing patio furniture through the back door to get in. Reportedly, when the cops found his sister to let her know, she was so high she was nearly unconscious, so that’s the theory for his behavior at the moment. No word yet on what he was on.

"...If you love your G-d but fear your government, tell others about the destruction of the Second Temple by the Hitlerian Antiochus Epiphanes, and help your children internalize these lessons of Hanukkah. If you would be reminded of the importance of preserving second-amendment freedoms, recall this chapter in the long story of the disarmament of the Jews. Honor the memory of Hannah and her sons by kindling the lights of Hanukkah with firm resolve. If you should ever doubt that righteousness will always prevail so long as we love G-d and fight for his spiritual and physical territory, let your...

Translation from Spanish. The link is directly to the Spanish article. The Family That Shoots Together... The traditionalist American society owns nationalist websites from which they encourage patriotic defense through guns and 'merchandising.' (Body of article) Sarah Palin doesn't renounce her passion for hunting. To the contrary, she's proud of it in her last book: 'There's room for excess for all the animals of Alaska, together with the side of potatoes.' If 52% of Americans disapprove of Palin, those that approve have formed a strong opinion of her because they consider her the best example of that white America, lover...

Good News From the NRA Like all UN efforts, the gun grabber initiative is sputtering, but we must stay vigilant.  Here's an excerpt from the NRA web site: The UN and International Treaties:  Over the last few weeks, we have received many inquiries regarding the UN and the impact of international treaties on our Second Amendment freedom. The current issue under discussion, the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), is in the early stages of the negotiation process.  There is no actual draft text at this time.  Work on the ATT is scheduled to continue by a consensus process between now...

The Montana Firearm Freedom Act was signed into law in October of this year. Here is a recent update: http://www.montanasnewsstation.com/Global/story.asp?S=11610180. So how does this apply to Texas right now and in the near future?One of the strategic goals of the 10th amendment movement is the passage of a firearms bill in as many states as possible. The “Firearm Freedom Act” bills state that firearms manufactured in a state that are not sold or transferred across state lines are not subject to federal gun laws. In general, federal guns laws are based on the “commerce” clause in the Constitution. This means...

Guess who wins? Hint, it isn't her face. Video Why would they let her shoot with the gun so close to her face? What kind of gun is that?

Just picked up a 1943 M1 Garand. What I'd like to know is...EVERYTHING about the Garand. 1. I need to know where to get ball ammo to feed it (it's a bit scarce, as far as I can tell); 2. I'd like to know the best data sheet/book on the Garand (breakdown, cleaning, greasing, etc.); 3. The best info I can get on making the weapon as accurate as possible (peep sights on the current configuration); 4. Where I'm most likely to pick up the best (and best valued!) accessories for it (slings, parts, etc). I know...I should Google all...

Maybe we could learn something from this? Did thinking like this make your enemies think twice?

A Rock County man sentenced to two years in federal prison for shooting a deer while he was on probation for domestic violence has had his case overturned by a federal appeals court. The case could have far-ranging impact in the gun-rights debate. For Steve Skoien, it meant he'll be home for the holidays. The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago ruled earlier this month that, in light of a major Supreme Court ruling about individual gun rights last year, prosecutors need to show that a lifetime ban on gun ownership for those convicted of domestic violence has a...

WTH is wrong with people? They should sue.

Maddow: “I like making liberals shoot guns, I just don’t think we should be allowed to bring them home.” [Stoutcat: I have to presume she's referring to the guns here, and not the liberals...]

...the [NY police] department was accepting proposals from companies that would link acoustic sensors to cameras that swivel toward spots where shots are fired, ideally capturing the culprit’s image. Such a system was recently deployed in Mount Vernon, in Westchester County; its police department bought audio sensors from ShotSpotter and swiveling cameras from another vendor.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Opponents of the so-called guns in bars and restaurant law won their battle in court Friday. Nine local restaurant owners filed a petition in August asking for a hearing on an injunction to challenge the law. In court on Friday, a judge found the new state law to be unconstitutional due to vagueness. The law, which allows gun carry permit holders to take their weapons into bars and restaurants where alcohol is served, went into effect in July. The law will be put on hold until lawmakers return to session in January. Some lawmakers said they would...

Ann Arbor, Michigan POLL: Should guns be allowed on campus?

Merchant ships need guns to fight pirates. Seven months ago, Somali pirates attacked the Maersk Alabama and held its captain hostage. Pirates attacked the Maersk Alabama again this week but were repulsed because the Maersk Shipping Line put armed guards on its ships. Pirates successfully attacked another unarmed ship on Monday, leaving 28 members of its crew dead. On Tuesday, 36 crew members of a Spanish ship were released only after pirates were paid a $3.3 million ransom. But when the pirates got within 300 yards of the Maersk Alabama, the ship tried evasive maneuvers and its security team successfully...

Yesterday, Somali pirates attacked the commercial cargo ship Maersk Alabama. This time, however, an armed security team successfully thwarted the attackers. Last April, Somali pirates successfully attacked the Alabama, kidnapping ship’s Captain Phillips and holding him hostage until Navy SEAL snipers killed the captors. In 2008, Vice Admiral Bill Gortney, commander of the U.S. Navy’s fleet in that area, specifically warned that the Navy “can’t be everywhere” and that “shipping companies have to take responsibility for their own ships.” It appears that after the last near-tragedy, Maersk took the warning seriously. But the story also highlights media bias against self-defense....

I got the following pictures in an e-mail. How would a revolver explode like this?

About an hour ago, the Associated Press reported that the crew of the US-flagged merchant vessel Maersk Alabama repelled a pirate attack off the coast of Somalia.  This is the same ship that was boarded by pirates last April.  At that time, the captain of the ship was taken hostage and was held by pirates in a lifeboat for five days.  The incident ended when US Navy SEAL snipers simultaneously killed all three pirates aboard the lifeboat in a nighttime action.  This time, the pirates never got aboard the ship. What was the difference?  Guns.As the AP report makes abundantly clear,...

<p>The former head of U.S. Customs and Border Protection called Monday for the U.S. to reinstitute the ban on assault weapons and take other measures to rein in the war between Mexico and its drug cartels, saying the violence has the potential to bring down legitimate rule in that country.</p>

FORT BELVOIR, Va. - A Soldier successfully shoulder-fired a "smart" High Explosive Airburst, or HEAB round for the first time Aug. 11 from the XM-25 weapon system at Aberdeen Test Center, Md. The Army plans on purchasing more than 12,500 XM-25 systems starting in 2012, which will be enough to put one in each Infantry squad and Special Forces team, according to officials at Program Executive Office-Soldier. At first glance, the XM-25 looks like something out of a Sci-Fi movie. It features an array of sights, sensors and lasers housed in a Target Acquisition Fire Control unit on top, an...

Obama revives talk of U.N. gun control NRA guests warn international treaty would strip 2nd Amendment rights… This is the one thing they fear Our right to bear arms …. Once they take our guns… well isnt that what Europe did right Before WW2? funny how the new Administration reminds me of the Nazis in the 30’s ctpatriot1970.wordpress.com

He may be an utter failure as a President; a hollow, arrogant, petty, vindictive, malicious, poorly-behaved and ill-spoken, embarassing empty suit of a man, but he's also the world's greatest gun salesman. The UK papers are reporting that sales have nearly tripled for Smith and Wesson, and that the rest of the industry is sharing similar growth. The UK papers say it's because Americans are concerned about growing crime(?), the economy, and terrorism. The real truth is that Americans are buying weapons at a record pace to protect themselves from the government and Mr. Obama.

Smith & Wesson, the famed American gunmaker once owned by Tomkins, the British conglomerate, expects to nearly double its annual sales in the next three to five years as demand for its firearms soars in the recession. It is not alone. All over America demand for firearms and ammunition is rising amid concerns that rising unemployment, which passed 10 per cent this month, will lead inexorably to higher rates of crime. Fears of terrorism have also helped to lift demand, as have concerns among gun owners that the Obama Administration may introduce restrictions on gun ownership and impose additional taxes.

Attorney General Eric Holder is retreating on his commitment to pursue a controversial gun-control measure. Holder’s statements, recently delivered to senators in writing, clearly indicate the Obama administration is in no rush to reinstate the assault weapons ban, which expired in 2004. In response to written questions from Senate Judiciary Committee members, Holder adopted a much different tone on the ban than he did in February, when he said, “As President Obama indicated during the campaign, there are just a few gun-related changes that we would like to make, and among them would be to reinstitute the ban on the...

Early in the morning of Dec. 5, 1999, off-duty Las Vegas police officer Dennis Devitte was one of the customers at Mr. D's Sportsbar & Grill, at Rainbow and Oakey boulevards, where he and some pals had gone to hear the band Pigs in a Blanket. A little after 1 a.m., three armed robbers charged through the back door with guns drawn and their faces covered with T-shirts or bandanas. "I'd only been in the bar a short time and was talking to friends," Mr. Devitte later told an interviewer for the International Association of Chiefs of Police. "I saw...

Ex-soldier faces jail for handing in gun Thursday, November 12, 2009, 10:30 A former soldier who handed a discarded shotgun in to police faces at least five years imprisonment for "doing his duty".Paul Clarke, 27, was found guilty of possessing a firearm at Guildford Crown Court on Tuesday – after finding the gun and handing it personally to police officers on March 20 this year.The jury took 20 minutes to make its conviction, and Mr Clarke now faces a minimum of five year's imprisonment for handing in the weapon. In a statement read out in court, Mr Clarke said: "I...

As a parent of five children, I understand the responsibility I have for each of them. I am responsible for their health and welfare and everything that goes with it. I am responsible for good decision making that keeps them from danger. Which is why I find it repulsive that a father who not only allowed his eight year old son to handle an Uzi, but paid for the child's opportunity to fire it, would sue the gun fair where the child fatally wounded himself: According to the 32-page lawsuit, on Oct. 28, 2008, Charles Bizilj purchased the opportunity for...

The United States reversed policy on Wednesday and said it would back launching talks on a treaty to regulate arms sales as long as the talks operated by consensus, a stance critics said gave every nation a veto.

Just like an unprincipled, self-interested, tin-eared politician, Mayor Richard Daley decided to use the massacre at Fort Hood to flog his prosaic anti-gun message in Chicago. When asked if Islam had anything at all to do with the Fort Hood massacre and if Muslims might expect some sort of backlash or anti-Islamic movement because of Nidal Hasan's evil act of terror, Daley replied: "Every day in society people are getting killed, unfortunately. America loves guns, we love guns to a point that we see the devastation on a daily basis. You don't blame a group, you don't blame a society......

Nothing would be more fitting then to discuss Veterans and the second amendment on this Veterans day, because without Veterans fighting for our freedoms across the world, there would be no second amendment right, and there would be no Constitutional rights. Congressman Dennis Rehberg (R - Montana) introduced the Veterans Heritage Firearms Act of 2009 on January ninth, the purpose of the legislation is to create a 90-day amnesty period which will allow for Veterans, and their families to register old firearms, which then can be kept in the family or donated to private museums, the law relates to firearms...

Time after time, public murder sprees occur in "gun-free zones" - public places where citizens are not legally able to carry guns. The list is long, including massacres at Virginia Tech and Columbine High School along with many less deadly attacks. Last week's slaughter at Fort Hood Army base in Texas was no different - except that one man bears responsibility for the ugly reality that the men and women charged with defending America were deliberately left defenseless when a terrorist opened fire.

Junior Daley, current mayor of Chicago blames Ft. Hood’s massacre on “America’s love of guns”. Ahhh … Junior, it was a gun that ended the massacre. It works better than a hay rake. IDIOT! If guns are so bad, why do all Chitown’s cops wear one?

At Fort Hood “more guns” assuredly were “the solution to gun violence.” Pfc. Marquest Smith dove under a desk. A.P. reports that “he lay low for several minutes, waiting for the shooter to run out of ammunition and wishing he, too, had a gun.” Neither Smith nor the other victims of Hasan’s assault had guns because soldiers on military bases within the United States generally are not

The Mayor of Chicago, whose our city is dealing day in and day out with violent crime, and not long ago lost the 2016 summer olympics bid, says that the recent Fort Hood masacre is to be blamed on guns. Does the Mayor honestly believe that a civilian ban on guns would have stopped this crazy Jihadist. Does the Mayor honestly think that a ban on possession would stop AQ from instructing and recruiting extremists to their cause in this country? It hasn’t stopped the drug lords from tearing up his city. Before you watch the video, read this from...

In Peter Kings Monday Morning Quarterback column he says this in 10 e. : "My heart goes out to the victims of the Fort Hood and Orlando shootings and their loved ones. Senseless, senseless incidents. I will not go quietly into the night on this one. America needs to do something about idiots with handguns. How many more Fort Hoods and Orlandos do there have to be before our political leaders have the guts to severely restrict access to murderous weapons?"

FAIRFAX, VA --(AmmoLand.com)– The National Rifle Association and MetaMedia Training International have won a CINE Golden Eagle Award for the Personal Protection Outside The Home DVD in the Business- Safety, Training, and Employee Development category. The training-oriented DVD is based on NRA’s Basic Personal Protection Outside The Home Course, developed by NRA’s Education & Training Division and taught to the public by NRA Certified Instructors. “We focus on educating the public about responsible handling and ownership of firearms. Our nationally-recognized firearms training programs, coupled with MetaMedia’s skill and experience in producing high-quality training videos, make the Personal Protection Outside the...

A "push in Congress for broader gun rights is threatening to derail Amtrak and stall a transportation spending bill," wrote Walter Alarkon on thehill.com on Oct. 25. "Gun-rights advocates in Congress are pressing appropriators to keep a provision that would let Amtrak passengers check in handguns with their baggage." The provision, which calls for withholding $1.5 billion in Amtrak funding if the policy isn't implemented before April, was inserted into the $68.8 billion Senate transportation and Housing and Urban Development spending bill as an amendment. All 40 Republicans, 27 Democrats and one admitted socialist voted for the amendment, sponsored by...

Years before Jason Rodriguez allegedly opened fire in a former employer's office Friday, he scared people with his spiral into erratic behavior. "He was a very, very angry man," said his former mother-in-law, America Holloway. She recalled Jason Rodriguez saying that "nobody liked him" at Reynolds, Smith and Hills Inc., an architectural-engineering firm in downtown Orlando where he worked as a draftsman until he was fired more than two years ago. In the past three or four years, 40-year-old Jason Samuel Rodriguez struggled with divorce, mental-health treatment, debt, underemployment, personal bankruptcy, and -- according to those who know him --...

(AP Photo/ Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences ) In the wake of yesterday's carnage at Fort Hood, the media is scrambling to find answers about the reported shooter, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, and his motives. While they're all asking basically the same questions, here are some they're not asking. From Lt. Gen. Robert Cone: Cone said in a press conference Thursday night that "there was no indication" that the weapons used in the shootings were military weapons. Soldiers at the post do not carry weapons unless they are doing training exercises or something of that nature, he said....

Out of the carnage committed by a lone gunman armed with two handguns at Fort Hood on Thursday, there was one refreshing moment of total candor, if not downright common sense. An observation to a reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram by Staff Sgt. Jacob Dorisca of Dallas suggests why it is that many people consider the Army to be run by sergeants, and rightly so. According to the newspaper, “Dorisca wondered whether the slayings would lead Fort Hood’s commanding general to rethink the policy of requiring soldiers to remain unarmed while on post.” What occurred at Fort Hood is...