Free Republic

Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg scoffed at rural Colorado’s reaction to gun control during an interview with Rolling Stone in this month’s magazine, suggesting that only the parts of the country without even the most basic components of civilization would be opposed to more gun control. Bloomberg was asked about the successful recall races of Democratic State Senators in response to the strict gun control legislation passed in the state. “The NRA went after two or three state Senators in a part of Colorado where I don't think there's roads. It's as far rural as you can get,” he said. ......

"If the mayor’s not going to provide security....get yourself some firearms because you’re going to have to protect yourselves" . John Rivera, president of the Miami-Dade Police Benevolent Association, has warned Florida residents to arm themselves because the police are not coming. Speaking to WSVN News, Rivera said, “If the mayor’s not going to provide security, then my recommendation, as an experienced law enforcement officer for nearly 40 years, is either buy yourself an attack dog, put bars on your windows and doors and get yourself some firearms because you’re going to have to protect yourselves.”

In 1929, when rivals killed seven members of Bugs Moran's gang, the world was shocked. Chicago's image as a corrupt, violent city was emblazoned in memory around the world. More than eight decades later, if you stroll around Europe and tell people you are from Chicago, some still pretend to shoot with a submachine gun. They have never visited the Art Institute or strolled the Magnificent Mile. They don't know the modern, vibrant city or the miles of greensward along the lakefront. No, when they think of Chicago, they think of Al Capone, organized crime and violence. Sadly what's old...

"The solution does not just include policing — although we'll continue to look for ways to put more police where they're needed. We also have to give our young people alternatives to the street, and as a community we need to demand more of ourselves and our neighbors." — Mayor Rahm Emanuel, on Chicago's blood-soaked Fourth of July weekend As Sunday night crept (no doubt cautiously) to Monday morning, residents of the South Chicago neighborhood endured a firefight. They witnessed a tide of mayhem worthy of urban war zones worldwide. This is not how Chicago wants to build its reputation...

A Gresham man is charged with attempted murder after he fired on a group of people leaving a party Friday night, only to be shot himself by one of the victims, a military service member with a concealed carry permit, authorities said Sunday. The military member and three others were leaving a party Friday night in the 11700 block of South Union Avenue in West Pullman, Assistant State’s Attorney Mary Hain said in Cook County Bond Court. One of the victims noticed a cup of liquor on top of her vehicle and asked attendees of a party next door who...

At least 13 people have been shot in Chicago at the start of the long holiday weekend, including a woman killed as she sat on a porch near Garfield Park and a man slain in front of a hair salon on the South Side, police said. ... The mother of the boy, Andrea Byes, said she is planning to move out of the two-flat where she lives with her children because of the violence, drug sales and loitering on the block. "I'm not surprised something like this happened," said Byes, 40. "It was a matter of time. They're all over...

---behind a firewall but article is about 800 denials of concealed carry permits without explanation--pictured is recent Air Force veteran ,clean record, honorable discharge--denied --lawsuits are being filed--

Gun-rights advocates have delivered a one-two punch to the city of Chicago. The first blow came on Jan. 6 when a federal judge ruled the city’s longtime ban on gun stores was unconstitutional. On Thursday, the second blow landed when the judge approved $940,000 in legal fees that the city must pay to the attorneys who challenged the ban. Charles J. Cooper, one of those plaintiffs’ attorneys, charged $975 an hour for his work. Cooper, whose law firm Cooper & Kirk is based in Washington, is also looking for a big payout from the state. He submitted a $618,000 bill...

Summer in Milwaukee is just getting started, and already the violence has been the worst we have seen in years. Children taken out by bullets to the head, murdered in cold blood; their innocence is no longer with us. Hate spills across the streets, destroying everything in its path and killing off what this world needs to be a better place. What happened to coping skills that would kick in when life got rough, was unfair and seemed determined to break our spirits? What happened to valuing another's life even when yours seemed unbearable? What happened to love and compassion...

Tactical Firearms is appealing to the public for help fighting what it claims is a politically motivated problem with its bank. The Katy, Texas, gun store has made a national name for itself by posting snarky political signs – mostly opposing liberal gun-grabbers and Obama – on its outdoor marquee. BizPac Review has reported on several of the good-humored signs in the past, but it seems there’s not a lot to laugh about these days, according to the company’s web site and newsletter. The lengthy plea claims that the bank has called in on a loan that could put the...

DENVER — Colorado sheriffs vowed to appeal Thursday’s ruling by a federal judge upholding the constitutionality of the state’s 2013 gun-control laws limiting ammunition-magazine capacity to 15 rounds and mandating background checks for all gun purchases. Weld County Sheriff John Cooke said at a press conference that while the sheriffs respect the judge’s decision, “we believe that it is plainly wrong on the law and on the facts.” “We will take this case to the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals, and if necessary, to the United States Supreme Court,” said Cooke. Cooke spoke on behalf of the 55 sheriffs who...

Under the gun to satisfy a federal judge, the City Council unanimously agreed Wednesday to allow gun shops, but keep them out of most neighborhoods and require them to videotape every sale to prevent straw purchases. “If it was up to me as the person who helped establish the Brady bill, the five-day waiting period and the assault weapons ban, I wouldn’t take this step,” Mayor Rahm Emanuel said after the 48-to-0 vote. “But given that we’re under court order, we decided we’d take the six months to come up with a way of designing an ordinance that meets the...

Defensive handgun sales began booming following Elliot Rodger's Santa Barbara attacks, and the boom continues as far away as Louisiana.  Gun store owners in Louisiana cite Santa Barbara as the reason for the unprecedented sustained surge in handgun sales they've seen since May 23. And now "sales of compact pistols are growing at double the rate of handguns overall."

DENVER—Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper now says he has regrets about signing last year’s bill limiting magazine capacity to 15 rounds, but it’s not too late for him to do something about it. Republicans challenged Hickenlooper to get behind a repeal of the bill after he told county sheriffs that he was sorry for failing to consult with them on the measure; that a staffer promised he would sign the bill if it passed, and that the bill probably wouldn’t accomplish anything. Secretary of State Scott Gessler called on the governor to convene a special session in order to repeal the...

Dan Sajdowitz carries his .40-caliber Walther on his hip because you never know what danger may lie just ahead. His sidearm deters would-be criminals, he believes, although he says he has no proof of that. Sajdowitz, 39, has carried a gun openly and concealed for nearly four years; he has yet to pull his weapon in self-defense. He hopes he never has to, but if he does he will be ready. Sajdowitz let me tag along with him recently as he open carried on the Milwaukee's south side. He told me before we left that I probably would get more...

Reporting from TUCSON— It was a bloody confrontation more than three years ago in the desert brush of Arizona about 11 miles from the border with Mexico. When it was over, U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brian A. Terry was dead and two weapons found at the scene would shine a light on a botched gun-tracking operation known as Fast and Furious that became a political headache for the Obama administration. On Wednesday, one of the five men accused of murder in the case was returned to the United States from Mexico, where he was arrested almost two years ago. Lionel...

--http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_25990350/hickenlooper-supported-gun-magazine-limit-because-staffer-promise

DENVER — No doubt Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper had hoped the uproar over the gun-control legislation he signed last year would have blown over by now, but he’s since learned that’s not the case. The governor set off a fresh round of outrage at a recent forum in Aspen with county sheriffs who sued over the legislation, first by apologizing for failing to meet with them during the debate, and then by insisting he never spoke to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg about the bills. Unfortunately for Hickenlooper, Complete Colorado ran a story after the Friday forum that included...

In a rare victory for common sense in the gun debate, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday that the federal ban on "straw" purchases can be enforced even if the person who eventually gets the gun is legally allowed to have one. The 5-4 decision was written by Justice Elena Kagan. Justice Anthony Kennedy, a frequent swing vote, voted with the majority. Kagan found that any other reading of the statute, which prevents someone from buying a gun for someone else, would gut the federal law. The case involved a Virginia man who bought a Glockhandgun for his uncle who...

Stopping gun violence is complicated. Requiring routine background checks before all gun purchases is not. A check to see if a person can legally purchase a gun is quick and simple. Licensed gun sellers in Wisconsin routinely and responsibly screen buyers to stop more than 1,000 criminals annually from buying weapons. Yet a glaring loophole allows many gun sellers at gun shows and online to skip this sensible safeguard. That’s wrong and can’t be justified. Yet it continues — sometimes with deadly consequences — because too many politicians lack the courage to do the right thing. The National Rifle Association...