Free Republic

On the way to Wisconsin from Dallas, I had a minor automotive mishap.  I was on Highway 151, just across the Mississippi, and the Wisconsin border, when the battery light came on.  I had considered changing out the battery in Arizona when I left, but thought it could take one more trip.  I was wrong.  Things started going crazy with the sensors and instruments a few miles later, but I managed to take the first exit and ended up in a Wal-Mart parking lot in Dodgeville, trying to diagnose the problem.  The parking lot seemed like a decent place...

The Oklahoma legislature has passed HB 3098, the bill to restore permitless open carry to Oklahoma.  The bill passed the House  73 to 15, and the Senate 37 to 9.  Unless it is stopped in conference committee, it will be sent to Governor Mary Fallin.  Two years ago, in 2014,Governor Fallin, (R) Oklahoma, vetoed a number of bills in what has been described as a “tantrum” on the 29th of April. The legislature overrode one of the bills.  It is unclear if Governor Fallin would veto HB 3098, which passed with veto proof majorities.  I have read the bill,...

Legal open carry of modern handguns was partially restored to Texans on January 1st, 2016.  I was visiting Texas at the time and open carried a bit, but the cool weather in January made concealed carry more practical.  I returned to Dallas in April, to visit family and a new grandchild.This morning, on my aerobic exercise run, I was running west on Rosemeade Parkway.  A black and white police SUV approached on the other side of the boulevard, but did not slow down, and continued on its way without any sign of interest in me.  It was very near...

On April 20, the Oklahoma Senate voted 37-9 to pass legislation recognizing that the Second Amendment is a sufficient open carry permit. The legislation, HB 3098, had already passed in the House by a vote of 73-15. According to News 9, the Senate passed the bill via “a procedural move that forces the bill into conference committee” for one final look before it heads to Governor Mary Fallin (R). If changes are made to the bill while in committee, it will be brought back to the Floor for another vote. The decision to return to committee came after some senators...

In 2015, the Texas legislature passed a change in Texas statutes that prohibited government entities from posting signs to ban people who legally carried guns in areas where they are not banned by Texas law.  From the Texas statute 411.209: (a)  A state agency or a political subdivision of the state may not provide notice by a communication described by Section 30.06, Penal Code, or by any sign expressly referring to that law or to a concealed handgun license, that a license holder carrying a handgun under the authority of this subchapter is prohibited from entering or remaining on...

Open carry of modern handguns has been legal for most carry permit holders in Texas for a few months now.  I was able to open carry during my visit in January. During cold weather, opportunities were limited. With a new grandchild to see, I looked forward to Texas exercise without having to conceal my personal defensive firearm.  I open carried from Arizona to Dallas in Texas.  Interactions on the road were minimal. In Van Horn, Texas, I was able to grab the last motel room in town, just about midnight.  I was carrying in an older, Israeli Fobus holser,...

The NRA annual meeting is fast approaching.  This year it will be in Louiseville, Kentucky, starting on May 20th, 2016.  My colleague, Liston Matthews has inquired and has determined that lawfully carried firearms will be permitted in the Kentucky Exposition Center.  The NRA quite properly requires that attendees follow the law regarding carry in Kentucky.  Here is an explanation of the open carry law From handgunlaw.us(pdf): Open Carry (Without a Valid Permit/License) Open Carry is legal in Kentucky. Not all places listed in the “Places Off Limits” apply to those who are Open Carrying. It is up to you...

AUSTIN (KRLD-AM) – The latest spike in License to Carry gun applications is expected to take Texas past a significant milestone. CHL Licensed Instructor Michael Cargill owns Central Texas Gun Works. He says the 140 percent jump in applications from December 2015 through February is caused by a combination of fears of terrorism brought on by the shootings in San Bernardino and President Obama’s proposed gun control laws. “Then you have the new law that went into effect January the first (Open Carry)…all of that plays into it, and that’s why we’re seeing numbers. For the first time the State...

Gun rights advocates want to be able to bring their firearms under Ohio’s open carry laws to the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. A Change.org petition started Monday by “Americans for Responsible Open Carry” calls out the Republican National Committee while pushing the Quicken Loans Arena to reverse their policy on firearms carry on their property for the event. Cleveland, Ohio is consistently ranked as one of the top ten most dangerous cities in America,” reads the petition that is pushing 10,000 signatures just days after it began. “By forcing attendees to leave their firearms at home, the RNC and...

An open carrier in Virgina is reported to have had his handgun stolen in Newport News, on January 29th, 2016.  The location is listed as on the 6000 block of Jefferson Avenue, and is said to have happened about 8 p.m.  From dailypress.com: The victim, a 37-year-old Hampton man, told police he was robbed as he walked across Jefferson Avenue to the lot at the Windsor House after visiting a friend at the Travelers Inn. He was wearing his handgun in a holster, open carry, on his hip, Eley said.The man said he was approached from behind by two...

The award winning Texas BBQ place in Houston, Brooks Place, LLC, offered a 25% discount for open carriers on the first effective day of open carry reform.Brooks says that it is "not a political thing".  I suspect he is right.  It is a business thing.  After the initial surge, the discount was reduced to 10%.  From yourhoustonnews.com: There is a place where Houstonians can get BBQ at a discount simply for exercising their right to openly carry their gun. The BBQ trailer located in the parking lot with ACE Hardware and Kroger on FM 529 is owned and operated...

In January of 2016, on the first day of the restoration of some open carry rights in Texas, I stood in front of the Benbrook Police Station, looking at the recently placed 30.06 and 30.07 signs. I noticed that the signs were not of the required dimensions, so they are likely not enforceable in a court of law.  But police, like fire in the quote attributed to President Washington,  (employed in various forms since the 1500's) are "dangerous servants and a fearful master".  I tread lightly around police, just as I do around high explosives or high powered machinery. ...

Picture from Brave New Books Brave New Books, a book store in Austin, Texas has welcomed open carriers and held a symposium on open carry on January 30th, 2016.  The store is said to be the only book store in Austin that has not banned open carry from their store. From kvue.com: AUSTIN -- Brave New Books is offering a 10 percent discount to all customers open-carrying in their store. The store is also hosting an open-carry symposium on Jan. 30 to help Texas residents learn more about open-carry legislation. Brave New Books is doing more than simply not...

Newport News police are investigating after a man reported he was pushed to the ground and had his handgun stolen late last week. Officers responded to a report of the robbery in the 6000 block of Jefferson Avenue just before 8 p.m. Jan. 29, according to police spokesman Harold Eley. The victim, a 37-year-old Hampton man, told police he was robbed as he walked across Jefferson Avenue to the lot at the Windsor House after visiting a friend at the Travelers Inn. He was wearing his handgun in a holster, open carry, on his hip, Eley said. The man said...

Senator Miguel Diaz de la Portilla The Florida open carry bill has moved out of Committee in the Florida House.  It will likely be voted on by the full House in the next few weeks.  From cbslocal.com: TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami) - A bill that would allow Florida gun owners to openly carry their weapons is headed to a full vote. The bill cleared a committee vote 12 to 4 on Thursday.The next step will be a full vote by the Florida House in the next few weeks.The difficulty lies in the Senate, where Senator Portilla is Chair of the Judiciary Committee...

Gun rights is a topic which seems all too readily broken down among racial lines if you get all of your news from cable TV or the New York Times. Black Americans don’t like guns and white people are just crazy about them, right? (Or just crazy, I suppose.) But while there are some definite trends to support the stereotype, no group is ever as homogeneous as the press would have you believe. While I rarely turn to NPR for my news, I ran across an interesting interview this month conducted by Karen Grigsby Bates, speaking with one black gun...

Korean men defending Koreatown during the 1992 LA riots. A few days ago, on 21 January, Military.com White House Correspondent Bryant Jordan wrote an article about the Air Force reviewing its policies on allowing trained military personnel to carry concealed or openly, on and off duty, to supplement official guards and military police. From military.com: The Air Force on Wednesday said its review of “active-shooter incidents across the country” found that many ended without police intervention because someone present with a weapon stopped the shooter. (skip)  The Air Force also did not release the data showing how many active-shooter incidents...

 Picture from Human Events One of the most popular articles that I have written was "Mass Killings Stopped by Armed Citizens".  The article is a compilation of documented cases where armed citizens stopped what would likely have become mass killings before they occured.  Such incidents are usually spiked by the media because the body count is either non-existent or too low to meed the FBI criteria of a mass killing. It appears that the Air Force has got the memo.  In an article From military.com: The Air Force on Wednesday said its review of "active-shooter incidents across the country"...

The First and Second Amendments protect and reinforce each other.In a free society, there is always pressure to expand the power of the government to suppress freedom of speech.  Those in power, for the last 100 years, have been infringing on our right to bear arms, and claiming that those who support the Second Amendment are kooks, in an attempt to suppress our First Amendment rights. With the voice provided by the First Amendment and the Internet, brave activists have been rolling back those attacks on the First and Second Amendments, and have been winning important victories. Michael Picard...

A pistol carrier in Connecticut was asked by a police officer to produce a permit.  He asked the officer what the reason was for the officer asking for the permit.  The officer replied with an expetive.  From fox61.com: Brown told FOX 61 what happened next: "Well, you have a gun. So then he said, 'do you have a permit?' And I'm like why? He said 'because I (expletive) said so." But, according to the newly written law, police may only request a permit if there is reasonable suspicion of a crime.The officer did not arrest or detain Brown.I did...