Free Republic

After a gunman opened fire in a Lafayette, Louisiana movie theater last week, killing two people and injuring nine others, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is pushing back against repeated calls to strengthen gun control legislation. "These are sick people," Trump said of the shooter, John Russell Houser, who was reported to be mentally ill. "This has nothing to do with guns. This has to do with the mentality of these people." "I'm a big Second Amendment person. You need protection," the presidential hopeful added in a CNN interview Sunday. "This person from what I hear had a record of...

Filing shows she moved all weapons from their marital residenceThe wife of Louisiana shooter John Russel Houser sought a protective order against him in 2008 after he "exhibited extreme erratic behavior" and "made ominous as well as disturbing statements," according to court documents cited by the AP. The filing for the order, which was at least temporarily granted, says that his wife, Kellie Maddox Houser, had "become so worried about the defendant's volatile mental state that she … removed all guns and/or weapons from their marital residence." The papers also noted John Houser had "a history of mental health issues,...

The man alleged to have shot up a movie theater in Lafayette, La., has been identified as John Russel "Rusty" Houser, a former political candidate and activist here in Columbus. Columbus police confirm that federal authorities have contacted them about tracking Houser's background. Houser is the son of the late Rembert Houser, a longtime city tax commissioner. Rusty Houser had a history here of political activism, fighting taxes and at one point running for office. [....] According to the Associated Press, 2008 court records show Houser's family sought protective orders because he "exhibited extreme erratic behavior and has made ominous...