Free Republic

Gun-free zones are invitations to mass murder, gun-rights advocates argued after a lone gunman's shooting rampage at the Sandy Hook elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, Friday left 20 children and six adults dead. John Lott, author of the controversial 1999 bestseller More Guns, Less Crime, said in an interview with Newsmax.com Saturday it is no coincidence that mass shootings with multiple victims occur repeatedly in designated gun-free zones such as schools, shopping malls, and movie theaters. "The problem is, whether it is the Portland [Oregon] shooting earlier this week, or the Connecticut shooting Friday, or the Sikh temple attack in...

<p>We can’t tolerate this anymore. These tragedies must end. And to end them, we must change. We will be told that the causes of such violence are complex, and that is true. [...] Surely, we can do better than this. If there is even one step we can take to save another child, or another parent, or another town, from the grief [...] then surely we have an obligation to try.</p>

Adam Lanza (Connecticut School Kid Killer), Jared Loughner (Killed and wounded, including Gabby Giffords), T.J. Lane (Recently killed fellow classmates in Chardon Ohio) ,Brogan Rafferty (Teen conspired to kill Craigslist job applicants), James Holmes (Shot up theater dressed as orange haired Batman Joker), SeungHui Choi (Virginia Tech Massacre), Anders Brevik (2011 Norway Attacks) I cannot recall a time in U.S. history where there was such a proliferation of younger conscienceless males, who created so much death and destruction in one generation  in American society - outside of war. Even during the Vietnam Era, many of us returning vets were admittedly "not quite right," but we were...

For those of us who came of age in the 1970s, one of the most shocking aspects of the last three decades was the rise of mass public shootings: people who went into public places and murdered complete strangers. Such crimes had taken place before, such as the Texas Tower murders by Charles Whitman in 1966,1 but their rarity meant that they were shocking. Something changed in the 1980s: these senseless mass murders started to happen with increasing frequency. People were shocked when James Huberty killed twenty-one strangers in a McDonald’s in San Ysidro, California in 1984, and Patrick Purdy...

If you're the biblically minded sort, then the trouble began when a jealous Cain clubbed Abel to death, but if you're evolutionarily minded, then it's a 'chicken and egg' question. Violence had no beginning, except perhaps in the Big Bang, it was always here, coded into the DNA. If people are just grown-up animals, more articulate versions of the creatures who eat each other's young, and sometimes their own young, there is as much use in wondering about the nature of evil as there is in trying to understand why a killer whale kills. But debating how many devils can...

Banning gun-free zones and allowing teachers to carry concealed weapons could help eliminate mass shootings at schools, gun-control expert John R. Lott told Newsmax in an exclusive interview Saturday. Lott, an author and college professor, told Newsmax that gun-free zones become “a magnet” for deranged killers who hope to burn their names into the history books by running up a big body count. Lott’s landmark book "More Guns, Less Crime: Understanding Crime and Gun Control Laws" is in its 3rd edition. He told Newsmax there is a “very good chance” the Connecticut school shooting could have been averted, if teachers...

There are several documented cases where armed citizens have stopped mass attacks by gunmen. Let me list a few: The Pearl, Mississippi school shooting was stopped by the vice principal Joel Myrick with a Colt .45, The Appalachian School shooting was stopped by two students with handguns. Both of the above incidents were stopped by the armed citizens threatening the shooter without firing. Pearl High School Link Appalacian Law School Link Plans to slay everyone in the Muskegon, Michigan, store and steal enough cash and jewelry to feed their "gnawing hunger for crack cocaine" fell apart for a band of...

The horrific mass murder at a movie theater in Colorado on July 20 and another at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin on August 5 are the latest in an epidemic of such gun violence over the last three decades. Since 1982, there have been at least 58 mass murders* carried out with firearms across the country, with the killings unfolding in 30 states from Massachusetts to Hawaii. We've mapped them below, including details on the shooters' identities, the types of weapons they used, and the number of victims they injured and killed. Of the 134 guns possessed by the killers,...

From Reuters:March 13, 1996 - BRITAIN - Gunman Thomas Hamilton burst into a primary school in the Scottish town of Dunblane and shot dead 16 children and their teacher before killing himself. April 28, 1996 - AUSTRALIA - Martin Bryant unleashed modern Australia's worst mass murder when he shot dead 35 people at the Port Arthur tourist site in the southern state of Tasmania. April 1999 - UNITED STATES - Two heavily-armed teenagers went on a rampage at Columbine High School in Littleton, Denver, shooting 13 students and staff before taking their own lives. July 1999 - UNITED STATES -...

Just received text from my BFF in Omaha that the principal of Millard South High School has been shot in the back of the head. The shooter apparently killed himself. All Millard schools were on lockdown. Her sons are in the Millard district. Haven't seen this posted or on any national news.

New details revealed Friday about the university's response — from the time the victims were found to when they alerted the campus of a gunman on the loose — brought angry reactions and questions from some victims' families about leadership during the massacre that ended with 33 people dead.

ORLANDO, Fla. — Police in Orlando say a gunman has been apprehended after killing one person and injuring five others at a downtown office building where he was let go two years ago. Police Chief Val Demings says 40-year-old Jason Rodriguez surrendered to police at his mother's home after officers saw him through a window and asked him to come out.

There are far too many military breaches going on in this country! Interesting to note that the FBI has already ruled out any Terrorism related activity in the massacre at Ft.Hood. Five protestors associated with an international peace movement were arrested Monday after cutting through three security fences to reach an area where nuclear missiles are stored at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor. Somebody better address the security breaches in this country real quick!

America is facing an epidemic of gun violence. Thirteen people were killed last week in Binghamton, N.Y., when a gunman, identified by authorities as 41-year-old Jiverly Wong, executed a mass shooting at the American Civic Association. The aftermath of that bloodshed has raised many questions, including whether armed, everyday citizens could take down such a gunman and save lives. Could you protect yourself if you only had a gun? There are 250 million guns in the United States, enough for almost every man, woman and child to arm themselves. The FBI performed 12 million gun-related background checks in 2008, according...

In the last few months, there have been several cases of mass murders on U.S. soil. On April 3, 2009, Jiverly Wong went into an American Civic Association and murdered 13 people. Wong wounded over 20 others and allegedly held hostages for hours before killing himself. The forty one year old had been going to the Civic Association to attend language lessons, and was angered over losing his job. He was teased due to to his lack of English language skill as well. These massacres follow a predictable pattern, and it is certain that there will be more attacks as...

TINLEY PARK, Ill. — A massive manhunt stretched into its third day Monday in the search for a gunman who killed five women — a manager and four customers — in the back room of a clothing store. The gunman entered the Lane Bryant store in a strip mall southwest of downtown Chicago on Saturday morning where he herded the victims to the back of the store before he shot them to death. The five victims include a part-time nurse, social worker, real estate agent with two sons and two others. A sixth victim, who pretended to be dead after...

<p>July 28, 2003 -- After the shooting at city hall on Wednesday, banning citizens with guns from public areas seems more necessary than ever. Yet, many other city halls across the country take a radically different approach. In two neighboring states, Pennsylvania and Vermont, as well as states across the nation from Virginia to Washington, concealed handgun permit holders are allowed to take their guns with them when they attend city council meetings. Gun-free zones may appear like the obvious solution to New Yorkers, but consider an analogy: Suppose a criminal is stalking you or your family. Would you feel safe putting a sign in front of your home saying, "This Home Is a Gun-Free Zone"? Law-abiding citizens might be pleased by such a sign, but to criminals it is an invitation.</p>