Free Republic

When I heard the news that the Senate had failed to pass a Universal Background Check, I was at a police seminar on the topic of active shooters. The panelists had agreed that “active shooter” was a poor descriptor, one noting that some attackers use other weapons, such as the blade-wielder in the recent Texas case.

Amid all the heated, emotional advocacy of gun control, have you ever heard even one person present convincing hard evidence that tighter gun control laws have in fact reduced murders?

As President Barack Obama pulls out all the stops to push his gun control agenda, even using Air Force One to fly parents of Sandy Hook victims to lobby on Capitol Hill, the man who launched the first inquiry about Operation Fast and Furious more than two years ago may be poised to derail the president’s runaway train. Iowa Sen. Charles Grassley is still working out the details of an alternative bill that, according to spokesperson Beth Levine, will emphasize mental health, protecting veterans from losing their gun rights, and improving school security. It will not erode Second Amendment rights...

This weekend Knife Rights issued an alert regarding a repeal of the ban on switchblades in Texas. They are asking that those who reside, work, or travel to Texas contact the legislators below urging their support for HB 1862 which would repeal the ban. I'm glad to see that Knife Rights is working so hard on the second front for the Second Amendment. In Texas, Knife Rights supported HB1862 has been scheduled for a hearing this Tuesday, April 9, before the Texas House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence. HB1862, sponsored by Representative Harold Dutton Jr., will repeal the antiquated, senseless ban...

UPDATE (April 2, 2013) – Yesterday was a landmark day for Alaskan knife owners. HB 33 and SB 11 were combined. What is needed now before the session ends on April 14 is for HB 33 to pass the Senate and receive a concurrence in the House. Doing so will make it legal for an adult 18 years and older to own a Switchblades and Gravity knife. The American Knife & Tool Institute continues to stay in touch with Rep. Mark Neuman’s office to provide support. Alaska Bill Would Better Define Gravity and Switchblade Knives and Enact Knife Preemption“House Bill...

We humans irrationally think we’re rational. We think that we decide how to behave by weighing the pros and cons. In reality, the strongest influence on our decisions is the example of the people around us — even, oddly enough, when they are imaginary. =snip== It seems that almost anything you would want to nag people about can be more effectively done by instead telling them how much everyone else is doing the right thing. If you want young people to vote, don’t tell them how many people aren’t voting. Tell them how many are. Safe sex, anyone? Hand washing?...

Missoula, MT --(Ammoland.com)- A lot of action is happening on MSSA bills right now. The full rundown is below, so I’ll only cite bill numbers for the ones which need your action. Contacting the Governor: You can email Governor Bullock at mailto:governor@mt.gov, or use the message form at http://governor.mt.gov/contact.aspx If emailing, put the requested action in the shortest possible Subject line, such as “Please approve SB 145.” With either email or Webform, BE NICE. You may say you feel strongly, but do not threaten or browbeat. Keep your email or Webform body to three short sentences (one short sentence would...

Rep. Steve Pearce (R-N.M.) wants to create a "virtual Congress," where lawmakers would leverage videoconferencing and other remote work technology to conduct their daily duties in Washington from their home districts. Under a resolution Pearce introduced on Thursday, lawmakers would be able to hold hearings, debate and vote on legislation virtually from their district offices.

The Senate Judiciary Committee passed Thursday Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s “assault weapons” ban by a straight party-line vote, despite Republican efforts to point out the obvious holes in the legislation. The California Democrat’s bill — which prohibits 157 specific firearms, those with a single cosmetic feature she thinks is scary looking and standard magazines that have over 10 rounds — applies to all Americans except current and retired law enforcement officers. She believes this one class is able to use the firearms for self defense. Sen. John Cornyn attempted to point out the flaws in the logic of her legislation. During...

Today, the Kansas Senate voted 32 to 8 to pass Senate Bill 45, an important pro-gun reform that would prohibit taxpayer money from financing gun control campaigns in any manner. This bill now goes to the state House of Representatives where it will be assigned to an appropriate committee for further consideration. SB 45 is a common sense reform that would help preserve the rights of taxpayers to ensure that public funds are not used to pursue a political agenda against our Right to Keep and Bear Arms. Another bill of interest to sportsmen and hunters in Kansas has been...

Stumbled on this site providing input to congress on pending legislation. If it's already been posted by someone else, great. If not, give it a shot and see if you like it. Looks and sounded good to me. Weighed in on a lot of issues in an easy format with feedback to you.

During a brief address Saturday (March 9) in Benton County, Rep. Sue Scott, R-Rogers, discussed a plan to revive an amended version of her open-carry measure, House Bill 1408. The amended bill, which she referred to as a “baby step,” would protect those with a concealed-carry permit if their firearm inadvertently becomes exposed, as when the wind blows a jacket open, in unincorporated areas, she said. The amended version is expected to be heard Tuesday in the House Judiciary Committee, Scott said.

The gun grabber's legislative (National) bill compendium, updated: House Bills: H.R. 21: NRA Members' Gun Safety Act of 2013. Sponsor: Rep Moran, James P., Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, And Investigations. H.R. 34: Blair Holt's Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act of 2013. Sponsor: Rep Rush, Bobby L., Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, And Investigations. H.R. 65: Child Gun Safety and Gun Access Prevention Act of 2013 . Sponsor: Rep Jackson Lee, Sheila, Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, And Investigations. H.R. 117: Handgun Licensing and Registration Act...

Grass Roots North Carolina has released an analysis of the firearms-related legislation that have been introduced in the North Carolina General Assembly so far this session. Their analysis also indicates their support, opposition, or a neutral or non-position on a bill. NC Gun Legislation Analysis GRNC offers apologies that the intense activities surrounding state and national legislation have delayed our legislative update to members. In particular, we have been inundated with emails regarding SB 124: "Shoot Gun From Inside/To Harm or Incite Fear.” A more detailed analysis is below, but the short answer is that although the bill does not...

Six far-reaching Democrat sponsored gun control bills are scheduled to be heard in the Senate Judiciary Committee and the State Affairs Committee on MONDAY, MARCH 4th. If these bills pass, we will lose our rights, reduce our safety, and we will watch multiple companies close their doors, fire their employees and move out of Colorado. Have your voice heard. Come to the Capitol Monday, March 4th to tell your Senator to put the rights of law-abiding citizens before out-of-state special interests. It is imperative that Coloradans make their voices heard, now! Committees will begin at 10:30 AM on the second...

Click this link to take you to a page which allows you to tell the entire membership of both the New Mexico Senate Public Affairs Committee and the Senate Judiciary Committee (16 senators) to oppose House Bill 77 with one mouse click.House Bill 77 has been revised since it was first introduced, and initially failed to move forward, but it has now passed in the New Mexico House and been referred to the Senate Public Affairs And Senate Judiciary Committees.According to the NRA, HB 77 "is the first step toward the criminalization of all private firearm transfers..." and "mandates that...

This page allows you to tell the entire membership of both the New Mexico House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee and the House Judiciary Committee (18 representatives) to oppose House Bill 402 with one mouse click. HB 402 is an "all-out assault on law-abiding gun owners" in New Mexico. The bill is "one of the worst gun control bills filed in the entire country," as it would ban "the future possession and transport of a so-called 'assault weapon' or 'large-capacity ammunition-feeding devices.'" The legislation would mean that "Ownership of the affected firearms and magazines could not be transferred AT ALL....

Arizona, as with many states, has numerous definitions of what is legally considered a firearm. The definition of “firearm” is found in several different places in the Arizona legal code. This makes it difficult for citizens and lawyers to determine what is legal and what is not. People have faced prosecution for possessing items that most would not consider to be firearms, such as BB guns, airsoft replicas, squirt guns, or antique guns that are not legally firearms under federal law. One man was prosecuted for possession of a firearm for a collection of parts that experts testified could not...

A Way for Your Voice to be Heard at Speaker Madigan's Public Hearings on Proposed Right to Carry and Other Gun Issues. Public Invited to Speak and/or File Witness Slips Speaker Mike Madigan has called for two public hearings for Illinois residents to voice their support or opposition to proposed Right to Carry legislation. This is an opportunity to speak out against a Chicago-style carry law and in support of a fair and reasonable law. It is also an opportunity to speak against firearm and magazine bans and other firearm related issues. Please plan to attend one of these meetings...

I just received a call from an organization called "Mayors against illegal guns" or some such. It was an attempt to call and get me to speak with my representative about how I wanted to support the recent legislation around 30 round magazine bans and universal background checks. I spent about 5 mins telling the caller why they were wrong and that these laws always ended in confiscation and enslavement of the citizens. To no avail and we eventually agreed to disagree and hung up. However, this tells me that there is a STRONG push to get people to influence...