Free Republic

The eminent Nation announces with relish "the organization of a national committee of 100 to induce Congress to prohibit the inter-State traffic in revolvers," and offers the pious judgment that it is "a step forward." "Crime statistics," it appears, "show that 90% of the murders that take place are committed by the use of the pistol, and every year there are hundreds of cases of accidental homicide because somebody did not know that his revolver was loaded." The new law — or is it to be a constitutional amendment? — will do away with all that. "It will not be...

(CNSNews.com) - Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D- Ore.) has released a plan calling for “more research on the health effects of guns.” Blumenauer’s “Enough is Enough” plan looks back to how the U.S. government addressed tobacco use and automobile safety in years past and calls for a similar approach to guns. “The Surgeon General's report on tobacco was a major catalyst for the efforts to reduce tobacco use. Ralph Nader’s research captured headlines and focused public attention on automobile safety. Similarly, we need more research on the health effects of guns. We can start by improving the ability of researchers and...

In another excellent victory for civil rights by attorney Alan Gura, United States District Court Judge Reed O’Connor struck down the federal interstate handgun sales ban earlier today, finding it unconstitutional (both facially and as-applied) under the Second Amendment and the Fifth Amendment’s Due Process Clause.

The 2nd Amendment. While it was designed to be the last line of defense against a tyrannical government, it inadvertently is also a deterrent for radical Progressives who wish to fundamentally change our Constitutional Republic. Case in point. In 1988 Progressive author, Bob Zimmerman, ran for a Hawaiian Congressional seat and was soundly defeated. In 2015 Mr. Zimmerman has written a free “book” titled Common Sense. He modeled it after the historic pamphlet written by Thomas Paine which shared the same title. But instead of embracing individual Liberty, Mr. Zimmerman uses the words of the Founders to push a centralized,...

Keith Hearn was getting out of his car in front of his home in Chicago's South Shore neighborhood when, as he tells it, police pulled up and told him he had committed a minor traffic offense. Hearn, 34, has a concealed-carry license and said he voluntarily told the officers he had a handgun on him. Nonetheless, he said officers arrested him and took him to their station, claiming his gun was partly showing. After checking, he said, police found the concealed-carry law allows a gun to be "mostly" concealed, and let him go without charges. "I was disgusted," Hearn said....

When the five men running to be mayor of Chicago sat down Friday with the Chicago Sun-Times Editorial Board, they were at times eloquent in describing the social roots, such as a dearth of jobs and inadequate schools, of Chicago’s gun violence. But they often left us wondering just how serious they would be about getting rid of illegal guns. A good mayor must be able to pat his head and rub his stomach at the same time. He must be able and willing to attack the root causes of gun violence while also aggressively going after illegal guns. We...

I can’t imagine the terror that must have been running through the mind of the 74-year-old Southgate, Michigan homeowner just before 5:00 AM this morning as a home invader broke in. The homeowner armed himself and stepped outside the bedroom to protect his cancer-stricken wife as she called 911. The homeowner ran into the armed home invader. According to investigators, the home invader raised his weapon, and the homeowner was forced to fire to save his life.

Bills have been filed in the Florida House (HB4005) and in the Senate (SB176) to reform the Florida concealed carry law to remove the restriction in the law that prevents people with concealed carry licenses to carry on Florida public colleges or Universities.   The bill passed the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee on an 8-4 vote with one representative not voting.  From myfloridahouse.gov, as shown in the screenshot above. The opening statement of the bill seems a bit confusing, in that it  A bill to be entitled2 An act relating to licenses to carry concealed weapons3 or firearms; amending s....

One was a young policewoman, unarmed on the outskirts of Paris and felled by an assault rifle. Her partner, also without weapons, could do nothing to stop the gunman. Another was a first responder with a side arm, rushing to the Charlie Hebdo offices where a pair of masked men with high-powered weapons had opened fire on an editorial meeting. Among their primary targets: the armed police bodyguard inside the room. With the deaths of the three French officers during three days of terror in the Paris region and the suggestion of a plot in Belgium to kill police, European...

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s (R) administration is proposing more gun control in the form of “security requirements” for firearm retailers, wholesalers, manufacturers–and employees of the same–in the state. The proposals originated with the State Police and are the result of “several thefts and lapses in oversight…that led to at least one death” during the past 10 years.

A year ago this New Year’s Eve, John Filippidis of Florida was driving south with his family on Interstate 95 when the Maryland Transportation Authority Police pulled over his black Ford Expedition and proceeded to raid it while his twins, wife and daughter looked on — separated in the back seats of different police cruisers. The officers were searching for Mr. Filippidis‘ Florida-licensed, palm-size Kel-Tec .38 semi-automatic handgun, which he left at home locked in his safe. (Maryland does not recognize handgun permits issued by other states.) When the search turned up nothing, Mr. Filippidis, 51, was allowed to go...

When crimes rates drop for a year or two, nobody can really say why. It could be freakish good luck. When crime rates drop steadily for more than 20 years, as they have in Chicago and across the country, you might suspect the underlying forces driving the trend would become clear. But, in fact, the experts continue to scratch their heads. About all they can say for sure is that it’s complicated. No single factor, such as sending more people to prison, explains why crime rates have plummeted across the country. And, so it follows, we should be wary of...

After an armed man pointed a gun at the head of 60-year-old convenience store clerk Ibrahim Rahmoun, he and his boss grabbed a gun and took action leading to an exchange of gunfire outside a Northwest Side 7-Eleven. “The guy shot two bullets at us,’’ Rahmoun said. “We shot back at them. We shot eight.’’ “I wasn’t scared. ... I don’t care, it doesn’t bother me. When you work the night shift, a lot of robberies happen’’ said Rahmoun, who was at the counter when two men entered the 7-Eleven at 2900 W. Montrose Ave. about 1:25 a.m. Friday and...

Two cops rush to the scene. “This sounds like a gun battle — over there!” one calls to his partner. They see the suspects: two little boys, wielding rifles. The police officers do not shoot. Rather, they examine the boys’ weapons and break into big smiles: “Hey, is it real?” one officer asks. “Looks like real,” his partner marvels. “And it sounds like real,” the first officer confirms. “Right — every shot!” says the announcer, because this is on television. It’s an ad, from 1967, for the Sound-O-Power M-16 military rifle, a big hit for Marx Toys at Christmas that...

Lead is malleable. Some opinions about lead ammunition are not. That’s what critics of lead bullets and shells are finding as they advocate a switch to nontoxic alternatives such as steel. In a fight reminiscent of the climate-change debate, evolving evidence of threats to the environment, wildlife and humans from lead ammo and tackle is facing a firing squad of politicians and special-interest groups. Caught in the crossfire are hunters and anglers. So is the Environmental Protection Agency, a favorite target of rural-state lawmakers like U.S. Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., who is a co-chairman of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus. Thune...

People cannot bring own guns to attraction KISSIMMEE, Fla. —A new tourist attraction promises to give people as young as 13 years old the chance to fire fully automatic weapons. Outside the new attraction, you can hear the unmistakable rat-a-tat-tat of machine guns inside. The automatic weapons are powerful and firing them is intense, but owners are hoping Orlando tourists will want to try the unique experience. "We see this as attractive to someone who might want to go bungee jumping -- adrenaline rush experience," said Bruce Nierenberg, general manager of Machine Gun America Orlando. "There are a lot of...

Gannett - link and title only.

Rights: No longer fearing electoral revenge from the National Rifle Association, an outgoing Democratic Senate pushed to confirm an anti-Second Amendment radical, who thinks guns are a health issue, as the nation's top doc. A Democratic Senate that earlier balked at the nomination of Dr. Vivek Murthy to be surgeon general of the U.S. no longer feared the possible electoral consequences of approving him in the wake of November's Republican tsunami. That, along with the GOP's obsession to not be blamed for a government shutdown, gave us a bad budget deal and the Democrats a chance to confirm Murthy. A...

HARTFORD, Conn. – The families of nine of the 26 people killed and a teacher wounded two years ago at the Sandy Hook Elementary School filed a lawsuit Monday against the manufacturer, distributor and seller of the rifle used in the shooting. The negligence and wrongful death lawsuit, filed in Bridgeport Superior Court, asserts that the Bushmaster AR-15 rifle should not have been made publicly available because it was designed for military use and is unsuited for hunting or home defense. "The AR-15 was specifically engineered for the United States military to meet the needs of changing warfare," attorney Josh...

One of two concealed gun permit holders involved in a rolling shootout down Milwaukee streets and freeways last year was turned down Thursday when he asked a judge to order the return of the gun seized after the incident. Roy Anthony Scott told police he was merely trying to escape from Eric Adamany, 29, and fired in self-defense. Scott was never charged in the June 2013 shootout. Adamany was, and his case of recklessly endangering safety is pending. Scott, also 29, was charged in September 2013 with being party to the crime of armed robbery at an auto-parts store three...