Free Republic

David Vogt, Maryland State Delegate and 2010 Marine of the Year, calls for Maryland's Speaker of the House to repeal gun-grabbing legislation at 2nd Amendment Rally. The crowd makes him do push-ups and he throws in "one for the Corps." Oorah!! Check out the video

ACTION: Contact your Senators and urge them to cosponsor S. 477, the Firearms Manufacturers and Dealers Protection Act of 2015. Operation Choke Point a Threat to the Second Amendment About a year ago, the Second Amendment community was rocked by news that the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) had teamed up with Attorney General Eric Holder to utterly destroy firearms manufacturers and dealers by cutting off all credit and banking relationships with them.For its part, the FDIC categorized gun and ammunition sales as a "high-risk business," lumping it in with drug dealers, pornographers, and Ponzi scheme operators -- all of...

An interesting variation on constitutional carry has been introduced in the 2015 Utah legislature.  Constitutional carry, that is, concealed or open carry of a weapon without the requirement to first obtain permission from the government, passed with veto proof majorities in 2013.  It was vetoed by Governor Herbert, and the 2013 legislature did not have the political will to hold an override session.   Now the same legislator,  Curtis Oda, pictured above, has introduced the same bill under a new number.    Utah has a unique requirement in its open carry law.  Open carry is accepted with a peculiar twist: the...

Alan Gura and the Second Amendment Foundation have achieved another significant victory toward restoring second amendment rights.  In the federal District Court in Dallas, United States Judge Reed O'Connor ruled that the interstate ban on handgun sales by federally licensed dealers is unconstitutional.  From the ruling(PDF): IV.CONCLUSION Based on the foregoing, it is ORDERED that Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss for lack of standing (ECF No. 15) is DENIED. It is FURTHER ORDERED that Plaintiffs’ Motion for Summary Judgment (ECF No. 21) is GRANTED, and Defendants’ Motion for Summary Judgment (ECF No. 15) is DENIED. Accordingly, the Court DECLARES that...

Hundreds of Vermonters on Tuesday night debated proposed legislation that would expand background checks for gun buyers and impose other new firearms restrictions. At a packed Statehouse, the Senate Judiciary and Health and Welfare Committee heard testimony from supporters and opponents of the legislation, though opponents in the hall and nearby rooms where video was piped in easily outnumbered supporters. Several opponents pointed to Vermont’s rank in FBI statistics as the safest state in the country. They argued that Senate Bill 31 isn’t needed. “If I’m being assaulted on a city street, I’d rather have a .38 on me than...

Drive into tiny Conoy Township, Pa., and you'll see the standard "welcome" sign, but it also comes with a warning: "THIS IS NOT A GUN FREE ZONE." The signs are meant to alert criminals to the fact that many people in the rural Pennsylvania town of 3,000 are armed. A dozen have been installed so far and three more are slated to go up, which would cover every major road into the town. Officials hope the signs give would-be criminals second thoughts before causing trouble. He said the town’s five supervisors unanimously decided to put the signs up. “These signs...

Idaho has introduced a constitutional carry bill to restore the right to carry a weapon without a permit, along with other reforms.  The constitutional carry portion of the bill is an incremental reform, as legal, non-felon residents of Idaho already have the right to carry weapons openly and concealed without a permit in 99 percent of the state.  The changes include the removal of restrictions on the legal carry of loaded, concealed handguns in vehicles and the ability to carry of concealed weapons without a permit in public places.  The law removes the section that lists all of those...

She said, “Children were slaughtered in their classrooms [at Sandy Hook Elementary] and we have not made any meaningful progress on changing the access to guns in this country. Are we a nation of cowards when it comes to guns?” Holder responded: Well, I’ll say this, [walking through the school] was the worst day I had as Attorney General. It is, I think the single failure that I point to in my time as Attorney General, that I was not able to… convince Congress to really follow the will of the American people — which was to enact meaningful, reasonable,...

~~~ Come on in and shoot the breeze! ~~~ Welcome to Tom Gresham's Gun Talk® Radio Network, the only nationally syndicated radio talk show about firearms, shooting and gun rights. Tune in on Sundays, 08:00-11:00pm EST, and give us a call at 1-866-825-5486. In its 20th year of national syndication, Tom Gresham's Gun Talk® radio show airs live on Sundays from 2PM-5PM Eastern, and runs on more than 186 stations every week.

According to The Aspen Times, Bloomberg addressed a variety of topics, and after commenting on poverty and education, he discussed guns. The Times reported that he said, “Cities need to get guns out of [the] … hands” of persons who are “male, minority, and between the ages of 15 and 25.”

Like almost every Democrat, I also support the Second Amendment and the fundamental right to bear arms. At the same time, I also believe in common sense legislation to restrict felons and the mentally ill from possessing firearms. I support laws that require background checks and limit access to high explosives. For the last thirty years, Democrats have allowed the NRA and the Republican Party to define us as people who want to take your guns away. It is time for the Democratic Party to define its own position rather than allowing others that privilege. Surely, responsible gun owners like...

As Twitchy reported, Republican legislators in Colorado this week introduced several bills intended to repeal restrictive gun control legislation passed in 2013, only to have each bill passed by the Senate and blocked by the House along straight party lines. Today is #ThrowbackThursday on Twitter, and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) has also decided to pivot back to 2013, joined by other Connecticut politicians to introduce a new effort to ban high-capacity magazines under the #SayNo2MoreAmmo hashtag campaign. Richard Blumenthal @SenBlumenthal Joining @SenatorMenendez @ChrisMurphyCT @WhipHoyer @RepDianaDegette @RepTedDeutch @RepEsty @NewtownAction to call for action on gun violence Jim @Workmatic @SenBlumenthal you should...

The wheels of justice in the District of Columbia are turning exceedingly slowly in enforcing the second amendment of the Constitution.  It was shortly after the Heller decision in 2008, that Alan Gura and SAF filed suit in what has become the Palmer case in the District of Columbia.    That suit was filed in August of 2009, only a little more than a year after Heller was decided in June of 2008.   It took almost exactly five years to get a ruling in the Palmer case.  Alan Gura, during that period, filed two petitions for a writ of mandamus....

The wheels of justice in the District of Columbia are turning exceedingly slowly in enforcing the second amendment of the Constitution.  It was shortly after the Heller decision in 2008, that Alan Gura and SAF filed suit in what has become the Palmer case in the District of Columbia.    That suit was filed in August of 2009, only a little more than a year after Heller was decided in June of 2008.   It took almost exactly five years to get a ruling in the Palmer case.  Alan Gura, during that period, filed two petitions for a writ of mandamus....

Soaring crime in Caracas throughout 2014 has given it the unenviable ranking of second most violent city in the world, with a murder rate of 155 for every 100,000 inhabitants, according to Mexican NGO Security, Justice, and Peace. In the Venezuelan capital, not even the state’s security forces are safe: during the first 29 days of 2015, criminals murdered 13 of the city’s uniformed officers. Circumstances varied, but in the majority of cases, the perpetrators killed police to steal their firearms. “The criminal sees the policeman not as a figure of authority, but as an equal, and he doesn’t respect...

A gun law reform bill, HB1116, has been introduced into the South Dakota house.  The bill has 28 co-sponsors.  The house has 70 members, 58 of which are Republicans, and 12 Democrats.   36 votes will be needed to pass the bill.   In the Senate, there are 27 Republicans and 8 Democrats, a bit tighter ratio.   The South Dakota Governor is Dennis Daugaard, who has been in office since 2011.   Governor Daugaard vetoed a constitutional carry bill in 2012, citing concerns of law enforcement officials.   In 2013, Governor Daugaard signed a bill that specifically allowed school districts to...

Constitutional carry has been introduced in New Hampshire by Jeb Bradley(r).  David Boutin and J.R. Hoell are cosponsors.   The bill number is SB116, and is being followed at the nhliberty.org site.  Here is the analysis if the bill: This bill:I. Increases the length of time for which a license to carry a pistol or revolver is valid.II. Allows a person to carry a loaded, concealed pistol or revolver without a license unless such person is otherwise prohibited by New Hampshire statute.III. Requires the director of the division of state police to negotiate and enter into agreements with other jurisdictions...

Idaho Senator Mike Crapo has introduced legislation to remove federal infringments on second amendment rights from lands controlled by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps). From the press release: The bill seeks to make firearm regulations consistent across federal lands by allowing law-abiding citizens to carry firearms on U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) property. Under current law, a person may carry a concealed weapon in a National Park or Refuge as long as individuals comply with the firearm laws of the park’s home state. However, the same rights are not extended to Americans who hunt, camp or...

Mitch McConnellÂ’s surrender on immigration reform last week could have major consequences for Second Amendment rights. Deportation amnesty is one of the biggest threats to gun rights because it will add millions of anti-gun voters to the electorate in one fell swoop. The vast majority of illegal aliens are Hispanics, and Hispanics are one of the most anti-gun demographics in the United States. According to the Pew Research Center, 62% of Hispanics prefer expanding gun control to percent gun rights, compared to 39% of white voters. Gun Owners of America estimates that amnesty could add more than 8 million anti-gun...

An internal ruling made by the Venezuelan Ministry of Defense, published on Tuesday, January 27, in state newsletter Gaceta Oficial, legalizes the use of lethal weapons by the national armed forces (FANB) against protesters. [snip] Under Venezuelan law, the Defense Ministry does not have the authority to override or ignore the Constitution and the norms contained therein. María Esperanza Hermida, coordinator for enforcement in Venezuelan NGO (Provea) argued that the measure violates the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), as well as transferring competencies to the military which are the...