Free Republic

Folks, I need some advice here. I own two weapons, a Ruger 9, and a Mossberg 500. Both are primarily for home defense, although I have a CC and take the 9 with me occasionally. I live in the city, South Philadelphia, in a three story row home, and there are very few break-ins, not a great deal of crime in my neighborhood. I also have a wife, who has no interest in fire arms, and two children, a daughter 13 and son 11, who also have no interest in firearms. Now I keep the Mossberg in the bedroom (3rd...

This week, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said the National Security Agency's data mining violates our Fourth Amendment right to be "secure in their persons, houses, papers" and is "tyranny that our founders rebelled against." Good for him. In an op-ed, he adds, "We fought a revolution over issues like generalized warrants, where soldiers would go from house to house, searching anything they liked," and wonders "which parts of the Constitution this government will next consider negotiable." Good for him. I'm glad at least one senator reminds Big Government that our Constitution limits federal power. And many libertarians are furious at...

Arc flash, a release of heat energy that includes molten metals, hot metallic oxides and toxic burning smoke, is often violent, resulting in serious injury and sometimes death, according to GE's Industrial Solutions business. Arc flash temperatures exceed 35,000 degrees Fahrenheit, hotter than the sun's surface, with 700 miles per hour projectile-producing pressure, which can throw a person across a room. An estimated five to 10 arc flashes occur each day in the United States, according to a report from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. One arc flash incident can cost up to $15 million, including healthcare...

The revelation that the National Security Agency is gathering millions of phone calls every day re-stokes the ongoing debate the country has been having since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001: What is the right balance between protecting our privacy and protecting our country? It's the same argument that happened around the passage (and reauthorization) of the Patriot Act, the use of drones against American citizens and the targeting of leakers by the Obama administration. And, time and again, the American public makes clear that their desire to feel safe from attacks foreign and domestic trumps their desire for...

Schools not obligated legally to protect students from each other, appeals court rules Public schools don't have a “special relationship” with students that would make them legally obligated to protect students from each other, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday in a 10-4 decision upholding a ruling in a Beaver County case. Bradley and Diedre Morrow of West Mayfield sued the Blackhawk School District in 2010 after the district refused to expel a student who repeatedly attacked one of their daughters, even after the attacker was twice adjudicated delinquent because of the assaults. In a precedential ruling, a 10-judge majority...

Here's a bit of advice real "safety experts" are giving kids — and parents. It's poisonous. But first, the back story: The other day, a blogger named Lisa Flam wrote on a popular parenting website that her seventh-grader came home one day and announced he "didn't do it." Didn't do what? He and his friend were walking home from school (points for that!), when a white-haired lady stood in her doorway and requested the boys' help. "She asked them to move a medium-size package from her front step into her house," Flam wrote. "On the sidewalk, the boys wondered what...

Even the most ardent liberal defenders of Eric Holder acknowledge that the embattled Attorney General "is in a mess of his own making," as Dana Milbank of the Washington Postput it. Under fire for his Justice Department going after AP reporters' personal records, Holder testified in May 2013 to Congress: "With regard to potential prosecution of the press for the disclosure of material, that is not something that I have ever been involved in, heard of, or would think would be a wise policy."But, Holder was caught in a lie when the Washington Post exposed an affidavit bearing Holder's signature naming...

Today while I was planting the garden, a neighbor started shooting his guns. He is known to do this during the summer and for his bachelor party he and his crew shot constantly for four hours. I do not mind the noise and before today my only concern was how he could afford all the rounds he fires. Today was different because he would shoot and then I would hear a bullet "whiz" through the air above the swamp and then thwack into the woods on the other side. This was right behind my property and I knew the bullets...

General Motors Co. is recalling more than 27,000 Cadillac SUVs worldwide because the wheels can fall off. The company says the recall affects the 2013 Cadillac SRX with 18-inch wheels. Canadian safety regulators say the wheel nuts may not have been tightened enough at the factory. GM says the problem hasn't caused any crashes or injuries, and no wheels have fallen from vehicles. Dealers will rotate tires and tighten the nuts at no cost to the owners. The recall affects almost 19,000 SUVs in the U.S. and another 913 in Canada. The rest were exported to other countries.

Should you ask your neighbors if they own a gun before your child plays at their house? And what do you do if they say yes? After the tragic accidental death this month of a two-year-old Kentucky girl who had been shot by her five-year-old brother, the answer may seem obvious: Do not let your child play at a gun owner’s home, at least if you are not sure he is locking up his guns. This shooting came just a couple of days after a prominent opinion piece in the Motherlode blog at the New York Times, in which a...

Major Didier Pericou told The Times of Europe, "When we first went out in the helicopter looking for the body, we saw numerous vultures without realizing what they were doing." Pericou added that the incident has reignited calls from local farmers to allow hunting of the birds. The Times reported that Pyrénéan farmers have been demanding the right to shoot the birds, known as Griffon Vultures, because they've been attacking sheep and cows. But the species is protected in France and has lost access to its normal diet of carcasses due to European health and safety regulations.

Tough guy over here. A Brazilian fisherman who accidentally fired a harpoon through his own face survived with minimal brain damage -- and didn't bother to seek medical attention for more than 10 hours. Bruno Barcellos de Souza Coutinho, 34, was cleaning his fishing gear when the speargun discharged, sending the foot-long weapon approximately six inches into his skull, according to Hospital Santa Teresa. Instead of rushing to the hospital, de Souza Coutinho apparently thought he would relax and let the wound heal, prompting his aunt to call the fire department. snip

Tuesday's Poll Has the Boston explosion made you more fearful of attending public events? Yes No

Barack Obama's administration has cut the budget nearly in half for preventing domestic bombings, MailOnline can reveal. Under President George W. Bush, the Department of Homeland Security had $20 million allocated for preventing the use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) by terrorists working inside the United States. The current White House has cut that funding down to $11 million. That assessment comes from Robert Liscouski, a former Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for Infrastructure Protection, in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings on April 15 that killed three Americans and injured at least 173 others. He told MailOnline that the...

$20 million budget under Bush became $11 million under Obama Barack Obama's administration has cut the budget nearly in half for preventing domestic bombings, MailOnline can reveal. Under President George W. Bush, the Department of Homeland Security had $20 million allocated for preventing the use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) by terrorists working inside the United States. The current White House has cut that funding down to $11 million. That assessment comes from Robert Liscouski, a former Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for Infrastructure Protection, in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings on April 15 that killed three Americans and...

A Florida 2-year-old lost both feet Wednesday night after her father accidentally backed over her with his riding lawn mower... Two-year-old Ireland Nugent was calling her father’s name as he mowed the lawn Wednesday night, but he didn’t see her, said Nugent, who watched as her husband mowed over her daughter’s legs.

This morning, I drove to work in the rain. It was raining all the way and it is a highway drive of about 35 miles. I didn't use the cruise control, because I was told that was not a good idea on wet pavement. Is that correct?

The Secret Service is investigating a suspicious vehicle parked near the White House. Streets around the White House were shut down Wednesday morning, and Metro says one entrance to the McPherson Square subway station is closed while authorities investigate.

While taking some flak for doing so, City of Phoenix officials are standing by their decision to accept non-swimming minorities as pool lifeguards. “The problem with requiring swimming proficiency as a condition of employment is that minorities would be under-represented among those we hire,” City Parks and Recreation Administrator Alfredo Zote observed. “The Mayor has asked us to strive for a workforce that mirrors the composition of the City’s population. We can’t do that if we impose qualifications that have a disproportionate impact on any racial or ethnic groups.” As to whether the ability to swim might not be a...

A bizarre case leaves an Arizona community questioning their perception of reality and a police department wondering if Glock is the right sidearm for its officers. Last week was a milestone for Arizona police officer Martin Walker. March 27 marked his twentieth year with the Dilbert Police Department and the day that he was first issued his Glock semi automatic pistol. “In 20 years, thousands of rounds, I never had a jam, malfunction, hell, any real problem with it until [that day],” Walker said and, on the verge of tears, added. “I don’t know I could trust a Glock again...