Free Republic

This fall marked the first semester students have been allowed to have guns and other weapons in their vehicles on campus. After the Kentucky Supreme Court ruled that public universities couldn’t ban guns from cars on campus, WKU had to change its policy. Prior to July 27, students were not allowed to have guns on campus in any capacity. The new policy allows students with valid concealed carry licenses to keep weapons in their cars, in plain sight. Students who don’t have licenses may still have the weapons in their cars and campus lots but must keep them in a...

As you may recall, I have utter disdain for gun buyback programs. With that being said I was greatly amused that the State of Kentucky has done a one-eighty on the idea and have begun a sell back program. The program has been in place for 15 years now and as you can imagine, the gun control zealots are still bemoaning the “inevitability” of blood running in the streets. Even after a decade and a half of positive results, some are still criticizing the program such as Kenton County Commonwealth Attorney Rob Sanders. “In my experience, the guns that end...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — There's a new superpower growing in the Great Plains and the South, where bulging Republican majorities in state capitols could dramatically cut taxes and change public education with barely a whimper of resistance from Democrats. Contrast that with California, where voters have given Democrats a new dominance that could allow them to raise taxes and embrace same-sex marriage without regard to Republican objections. If you thought the presidential election revealed the nation's political rifts, consider the outcomes in state legislatures. The vote also created a broader tier of powerful one-party governments that can act with...

One Magoffin County man could face burglary charges after police say he stole from someone's home and then allegedly fired a gun at the homeowner. The Magoffin County Sheriff says Douglas Caldwell broke into Harlan Rowe's home in Salyersville on Thursday night and tried to steal several different things. Shelia Balesdrieri, who also lives in Rowe’s home, says things turned violent when the suspect started running away. Balesdrieri says the suspect got halfway down the gravel travel when he started firing a gun in their direction. But Harlan Rowe was also armed. “Harlan ran in the house and got his...

Voters across the state will cast ballots on Election Day to decide whether hunting and fishing should be a constitutional right in Kentucky. The effort is backed by the National Rifle Association, which has pushed similar measures in 12 other states as a way to stop any possible effort in the future to ban hunting.

Last night during the United States of America lone Vice President debate, it was a very live wire performance. It was simply the difference between a calm, measured, adult, Rep. Paul Ryan in his responses and a Vice President Joe Biden who was if not acting like a “clown”, he was sure acting like a “drama king.” Overall, it looked like VP Biden was simply was “cracking up” under the pressure to perform as Vice President. Looks like Rep. Paul Ryan was not only speaking to the GOP/Republican base, but to the rest of the country as a whole and...

The Adair County Sheriff’s Department is investigating a possible armed robbery at a country store and a home invasion by two masked males. Adair County 911 dispatch received a call Monday at 5:08 a.m. that someone had forcibly entered a residence on Rose Lane by breaking the door frame. Sheriff deputy B.J. Bray responded to the scene where the homeowner reported that the two males entered his residence and he confronted them with a firearm before they fled on foot.

Kentucky’s had a streak of bad luck with armed robbers lately. That might be enough to leave some folks shaking in their boots, but store clerks and business owners are taking matters (and guns) into their own hands. Garry Thornsberry, the owner of Meta Mart in Pike County, Kentucky, was doing paperwork in the back of the store late one night. Meanwhile, two hooded would-be thieves walked into the mart, with at least one of them carrying a weapon. The clerk working at the front of the store immediately tipped Thornsberry off by saying his name in an odd voice....

PIKE COUNTY, Ky. (WSAZ) - Another convenience store robbery in Pike County, but this time the store owner fought back, firing four shots at the two would-be robbers. The whole incident was caught on tape. It happened Monday night at the Meta Mart in the Johns Creek community. The store owner, Gary Thornsberry, said he wanted to take control of the situation and had been preparing himself for the moment. "I've gone over it in my mind, and I've decided that I want the ball in my court," he said. Thornsberry said he was in the office when two men...

VERONA, Ky. - — One man is dead and two more are behind bars after a World War II veteran took matters into his own hands when a burglar broke into his home. Boone County Police say a man broke into the basement of a home in the 15000 block of Violet Road in Verona just after 2 a.m. The homeowner, Earl Jones, 92, was awakened and grabbed his .22 caliber rifle. Thieves targeted Jones’ farm at least three times recently, stealing guns, money, even cattle. This time, Jones woke up when he heard intruders in the cellar. -------------------cut------------------------ Jones...

CHRISTIAN COUNTY, Ky. – A suspected intruder was shot after trying to break in to a home in Christian County, Kentucky late Sunday night. Authorities said the homeowner heard someone beating on the back door of a home on Sanderson Drive around 10:45 p.m. He looked outside, and didn't recognize the man so he went to get his gun. The homeowner answered the door, and the man allegedly tried to force his way inside. Police said the suspect then tried to reach for the gun at the man's waist, and the homeowner opened fire, shooting the man in the right...

A Laurel County woman fires warning shots and stops a home invasion. It happened Tuesday morning on Hodge Road when the woman woke up to a man had opened her bedroom window and was almost halfway inside. Police say she fired a warning shot into the ceiling startling the burglar and causing him to take off. Police found 35 year old Bobby Green hiding under the house and arrested him. He is charged with burglary, resisting arrest, and public intoxication.

ASHLAND, Ky. (AP) - Whatever may be prowling around Ashland doesn't appear to be a typical Kentucky Wildcat. Ashland Police Maj. Todd Kelley said two people have called in reports of seeing a mountain lion or cougar around the city in the last several days. Kelley told The Independent that the sightings haven't been confirmed by animal control officers or police, but people should not approach any unfamiliar large animal.

Senate Republican leaders on Tuesday said there should be an investigation of Attorney General Eric Holder, but stopped short of joining Sen. John Cornyn’s (R-Texas) call for his resignation. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) told reporters that many GOP lawmakers share Cornyn’s frustrations with the Justice Department. “We certainly need to have an investigation of what has happened, and I think John Cornyn speaks for a lot of us as to the frustration we feel about not only the national security leaks, the "Fast and Furious" matter — there's been a whole litany of problems coming out of the...

Frankfort, Ky --(Ammoland.com)- Good news! After the disappointments with the General Assembly in the last few years, when several bills that KC3 and other interested gun owners favored were allowed to wither and die without a hearing, this spring has been like a renewal of the spirit of freedom in Kentucky. For the NRA press release about the three bills that were passed, go to this page from the KC3 blog – http://kc3blog.blogspot.com/2012/04/hb-500-is- now-law.html The bill that was most important to us, HB500 from Rep. Robert Damron, is summarized in this way: HB 500, sponsored by state Representative Bob Damron...

Frankfort, Ky --(Ammoland.com)- In April 2009 Michael Mitchell was at work, doing his job as an anesthesia tech at the University of Kentucky Medical Center. Michael was at that time also a graduate student doing his pre-med work in preparation for medical school. But a comment to a friend about a firearm that was overheard by a co-worker was reported erroneously to his supervisor, and he ended up having his locker searched for a gun that wasn’t there. Then, in an effort to be honest and helpful, Michael told them that he did have a gun, but that it was...

That’s what Kentucky statutes provide, and today the Kentucky Supreme Court applied this rule in Mitchell v. University of Kentucky (Ky. Apr. 26, 2012). There was something of a complication because the defendant was a university, and state law provides universities with generally broad authority to restrict weapons on their property. But the court concluded that the statutory provisions allowing employees to lawfully store guns in their cars is an exception from that broad university power. Michael Mitchell’s wrongful firing lawsuit against the university can therefore go forward. The relevant Kentucky statutory provisions, by the way, are these: § 527.020(4)...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Students and staff members at Kentucky universities may keep guns and other deadly weapons in a car's glove compartment, but the schools may continue to regulate them elsewhere on campus, the Kentucky Supreme Court ruled Thursday.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Louisville Metro Police said a teenager was shot by a homeowner in west Louisville during an attempted break-in. The shooting happened just before 10 a.m. Monday in the 400 block 38th Street. Police are investigating the shooting after the intruder was rushed into surgery at University Hospital. Police said he's expected to be OK. Some homeowners sounded off on whether they thought the shooting was justified. "I feel like he was justified for doing it, right, because he was trying to break in. It's his home, not nobody else's," said neighbor Lerenza Jones. "I'm OK with it....

Charlotte, NC --(Ammoland.com)- Yesterday, Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear signed three NRA-backed bills into law: House Bill 484, concealed carry exemption; House Bill 500, strengthening current firearms preemption law; and House Bill 563, fraudulent firearms prevention. These laws will go into effect on July 11, 2012. HB 484, sponsored by state Representative Will Coursey (D-6), expands the current concealed carry exemptions by allowing landowners and businessmen with a sole proprietorship to carry a handgun concealed without the necessity of a concealed carry permit. HB 500, sponsored by state Representative Bob Damron (D-39), will strengthen the current firearms preemption statute by expanding...