Free Republic

Earlier this week, Representative Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) reintroduced the Equal Access to Justice for Victims of Gun Violence Act, which was previously introduced in the 113th Congress (2013-2015). The two-page bill would repeal the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA). If passed, it would open the floodgates of litigation targeting the firearms industry, as was the case prior to its passage.

Before Nicholas Cruz killed 17 people at Florida’s Parkland High School last year he posted images of guns, bullets and a dead frog on Instagram. And before former Marine Ian David Long gunned down 12 last year at a California bar he posted on Facebook, “I hope people call me insane.” “This is something my community is demanding action on,” said Rep. Daniel Didech (D-Buffalo Grove). That’s why Didech is proposing gun buyers reveal their public social media accounts to Illinois police before they’re approved for a firearm license. “A lot of people who are having mental health issues will...

Showing that he’s anything but a fair news anchor, CNN’s The Situation Room host Wolf Blitzer was yet another journalist who tried to make the Thousand Oaks, California bar shooting about gun control despite the state having perhaps the country’s strictest gun laws and state mental health experts had cleared the disturbed individual (thus still allowing him to purchase firearms). Blitzer led into gun control by asking Democratic Congresswoman Jackie Speier (CA) about “what else could police” have done if they had visited him previously and “they had some professionals check him out and they concluded he was no threat...

“Real estate brokers and agents invest resources into obtaining property listings,” wrote NAR, which counts 1.3 million real estate agents as members. As such, NAR said agents have “rights and responsibilities to control the distribution of their listings.” Any “appropriation of a commercial entity’s data, work product, or intellectual property for exploitation by another commercial entity is not justified,” NAR added. But while Zillow argued for the “democratization” of data, NAR said calls for greater access to MLS data are “based on faulty expectations that unrestricted access to listing data will help consumers.” Instead, NAR said, “forcing brokers to provide...

New Jersey already had among the toughest gun laws in the United States when Gov. Phil Murphy took office, but the new Democratic governor didn’t waste any time to crack down even further amid a contentious national debate over gun control. Murphy is expected on Wednesday to sign a package of bills further tightening the regulation of firearms in the Garden State. The actions are once again putting New Jersey on the front lines when it comes to gun control, a debate that has taken on a even higher profile following school shootings in Florida and Texas.

Politicians and the media as a whole are engaging in homiletic jeremiads and theatrical displays of pontification during which they cry “we must do something!” The plaintive cry that “something must be done” is a draconian sobriquet for “do away with the Second Amendment and take the weapons of the law abiding.” The idea that “something must be done” falls under the misguided notion that morality can be legislated and the dismissal of the fact that evil exists and that evil people do evil things. The most obvious things to do to at least balance the field regarding the threat...

U.S. Supreme Court limits where patent-infringement cases can be filed; decision could limit venue-shopping “The Supreme Court on Monday limited the ability of patent holders to bring infringement lawsuits in courts that have plaintiff friendly reputations, a notable decision that could provide a boost to companies that defend against patent claims,” Brent Kendall reports for The Wall Street Journal. “The high court, in an opinion by Justice Clarence Thomas, ruled unanimously that a lower court has been following an incorrect legal standard for almost 30 years that made it possible for patent holders to sue companies in almost any U.S....

Las Vegas gun shops are looking for guidance after Nevada voters approved a ballot question extending firearm background check requirements. Question 1 passed on Election Day by a narrow margin — much more narrow than polls predicted — cementing background check requirements for private-party sales and transfers into state law. The new background checks law takes effect Jan. 1, but some gun store owners said they aren’t sure what to do then. Bob Irwin, owner of the Gun Store on East Tropicana Avenue, was under the impression that the law still had to go through the Legislature before it would...

Mainers weren’t supposed to defeat Michael Bloomberg’s agenda on the ballot yesterday. His propaganda was too powerful, his budget was limitless and his paid “grassroots” army was unstoppable. The media seemed to be with him at every turn, echoing his talking points as fact and endorsing the question, one after another. And all along, the polls were in his favor. But Mr. Bloomberg made one fatal mistake: he underestimated the power of the “little guy.” He thought that victory in Maine through our ballot referendum process would be simple and that we would be a bargain (…at only $6 million)....

FAQ: Remember that tiff about how Galaxy phones look like iPhones? That'll be heading to the highest court in the land. The biggest patent case to hit the modern tech world is back again. Apple and Samsung will appear before the US Supreme Court on Tuesday to argue why their opponent was wrong when it came to a patent case from 2012. This is the first time a design patent case has been examined by the Supreme Court since the 1800s. A decision by the court could have a ripple effect across the technology industry and ultimately affect the gadgets...

Following the shooting at Umpqua Community College, the reactions have been, as they always are, predictable. It comes from all sources: guns bans, mental health screenings, article after article telling us what we can do to fix the horrors of gun violence, school shootings and troubled young people shooting up their communities. But there are a few things everyone could stand to learn about gun violence. 1. The Homicide Rate in the US Is At Its Lowest Since 1966.

"At some level, Trump is more radical than the NRA. In the wake of Orlando, he was calling on people to walk into bars fully armed as a means to prevent future tragedies."

Back in March, the Supreme Court stated that it would hear Samsung’s appeal in the company’s never-ending design patent battle with Apple. While Apple had urged the Supreme Court not to hear the case, saying that Samsung “had its day in court,” it was revealed on the court’s website today that the case will be heard on October 11th. The Supreme Court had initially announced its decision to hear the case in March, but a date was unknown until tonight. The hearing will center around two patents that Apple has claimed Samsung infringed upon. The long-winded battle seemingly came to an...

Apple Faces Patent Lawsuit Over iPhone's Battery Technologies Tuesday July 12, 2016 12:04 pm PDT by Joe Rossignol Somaltus, LLC has filed a complaint against Apple today in an Eastern Texas district court, accusing the iPhone maker of infringing upon its 2010 patent related to complex battery technologies. The small Frisco, Texas-based firm also filed lawsuits against Asus, Lenovo, Samsung, Sony, and Toshiba over the same patent. The lawsuit claims that the iPhone 6s and any similar devices sold by Apple infringe upon U.S. Patent No. 7,657,386, titled "Integrated Battery Service System," and seeks unspecified monetary damages or, alternatively, a...

Florida resident Thomas S. Ross has filed a lawsuit against Apple this week, claiming that the iPhone, iPad, and iPod infringe upon his 1992 invention of a hand-drawn "Electronic Reading Device" (ERD). The court filing claims the plaintiff was "first to file a device so designed and aggregated," nearly 15 years before the first iPhone. ​ Between May 23, 1992 and September 10, 1992, Ross designed three hand-drawn technical drawings of the device, primarily consisting of flat rectangular panels with rounded corners that "embodied a fusion of design and function in a way that never existed prior to 1992." Quote...

The Senate plans to take four procedural votes Monday on amendments that would improve or expand background checks and make it harder for suspected terrorists to purchase guns. None is expected to get the 60 votes required for further action. Democrats were expected to block two Republican amendments, arguing that they fall short in controlling the sales of guns. Republicans were expected to block two Democratic amendments, contending that they threaten the constitutional rights of gun owners.

Sunday on NBC’s meet the Press,” in commenting on the gun control push in the wake of the Orlando, FL mass shooting terror attack last weekend, Attorney General Loretta Lynch argued to have the “tools” to stop those from obtaining guns “who should not have them.”

When anti-Second Amendment Democrat politicians and the activists who support them claim they have no intention to ban all guns, they're lying. Take for example Bonnie Schaefer, a progressive business woman helping to shape the Democrat platform, which will be officially adopted at the DNC convention in Philadelphia. In a moment of honesty during a meeting this week, Schaefer openly declared that not only should guns for criminals be banned, but for everyone. "[Focus] Not just keeping the guns out of the hands of mentally ill people and criminals but I really don’t personally think anyone should have a gun,”...

Infamous patent troll VirnetX has formally asked a Texas court this week to order Apple to stop providing its FaceTime and iMessage features to customers. The request follows VirnetX’s victory in court earlier this year to the tune of $625 million, which the firm wants to see increased by $190 million or more, Law360 reports: At a post-trial hearing Wednesday, Texas technology company VirnetX argued that although an injunction blocking Apple’s popular video chatting and messaging features, along with a virtual private network on demand feature, may seem like a harsh remedy, it is necessary because of the irreparable harm Apple’s...

Apple has been hit by one of the more shocking patent lawsuits in recent memory.A company that seemingly does nothing but license patents or, if necessary, sue other companies to get royalties, has taken aim at Apple But here’s the kicker: the lawsuit alleges that Apple’s last several iPhones and iPads violate a slew of patents related to seemingly standard features, including the ability to place calls as well as sending and receiving emails. A total of six patent infringement claims were brought against Apple by Corydoras Technologies on May 20, according to Apple-tracking site Patently Apple, which obtained...