Free Republic

We all know that female participation in gun ownership and shooting sports is up. Female gun owners are also lining up for their carry permits as well. The gun industry knows that women are the next big thing for their business. It’s no longer an activity or a right exercised solely by white men, which if often an anti-gun talking point to denigrate the Bill of Rights. In fact, it’s made the gun control movement’s work in the stripping of our Second Amendment rights all the more difficult. They will put forth statistics about how a firearm in the home makes it less safe,...

"Breaking new ground in a concerted effort to expand gun rights, a Texas House committee approved legislation Tuesday that would allow handguns to be carried — concealed or in a holster — without a state-issued license. Approval came on a 6-2 party-line vote..."

In D.C. Comic’s fictional “Bizarro World,” all things are done opposite of here on Earth. According to the “Bizarro Code,” inhabitants of the cube-shaped planet “hate beauty,” “love ugliness” and consider it illegal to “make anything perfect.” Ironically, here on planet Earth, many liberals – and a disturbing number of judges – subscribe to a similar Bizarro Code when considering matters involving the Second Amendment. To these Earth-bound Bizarro Code adherents, it should be -- and in some cases is -- illegal to legally exercise the fundamental, constitutionally-guaranteed right to possess a firearm. While the Supreme Court, and a number...

The Alabama legislature is moving toward passing Constitutional Carry. The bill, SB 24, has passed the Senate, 26 to 8 on Tuesday, 18 April, 2017.  The bill would enforce the Alabama Constitutional amendment passed in 2014. Amendment 3 passed with 72.5% of the vote in 2014. SB24 is the legislature enforcing the Constitutional amendment with statutory reform. Here is a description of Amendment 3. From ballotpedia: Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, to provide that every citizen has a fundamental right to bear arms and that any restriction on this right would be subject to...

Missouri School of Journalism professor emeritus George Kennedy suggests the National Rifle Association (NRA) is more dangerous than Islamic State. . . . Kennedy then claims the number of Americans killed by ISIS jihadists since 9/11 is nine. That is not a typo, he actually links to a Euronews source and claims only nine Americans have been killed by ISIS jihadists since the terror attacks on NYC in 2001.

A gunman "randomly" opened fire Thursday morning on Laclede Gas employees working in the city's Hamilton Heights neighborhood, killing two before shooting and killing himself, police and a witness said. The shooting was reported about 11:16 a.m. in the 5900 block of Minerva Avenue, on the western edge of the city. Police said two Laclede Gas workers, one in his 20s and the other in his 50s, were fatally injured when the gunman "randomly" fired at them, according to St. Louis Police Capt. Mary Warnecke. The gunman then killed himself, though that appears to have been at a different location.

 H. 3930, a Constitutional Carry bill is on the move in South Carolina. On March 9th, it passed the Judiciary Constitutional Laws Subcommittee.On 21 March, it passed the full committee with a vote of 15 to 7.  On Wednesday, April 5th, it passed the House. Last year a similar bill passed the House, but died in the Senate. From thepostandcourier.com: COLUMBIA — The South Carolina House of Representatives on Wednesday approved a bill that would allow residents to carry a gun, openly or concealed, without getting a weapons permit.The controversial bill passed the chamber 64-46 after more than three...

Iowa Governor Terry Branstad signed a comprehensive bill, HF 517, to modernize Iowa's gun laws on Thursday, 14 April, 2017.The reforms had been bottled up for years by a few legislators, mostly Democrats, that were voted out of office last year. An archaic provision prevented children form receiving safety training for handguns.From wcfcourier.com: One of the provisions of the bill that took effect immediately allows children below the age of 14 to handle pistols or revolvers under the supervision of an adult parent, guardian or instructor — which directly affected the Gibson sisters ages 13 and 11.“I think the...

Governor Pete Rickets of Nebraska Nebraska's preemption bill has moved forward in a significant way.  Bill LB68 was voted on by the Government Military, and Veterans Affairs committed and passed 33 - 11.  The Nebraska legislature is unicameral, with only 49 members. The committee vote was a vote of the whole legislature, and makes it very likely the legislation will pass.  The Governor, Pete Rickets, claims to strongly support the Second Amendment. His signature seems probable. From theindependent.com: The Legislature voted 32-12 to advance a bill that would require state law to override municipal gun regulations in Nebraska. Supporters...

Wisconsin legislators are mounting a serious push to bring Wisconsin into the Constitutional carry club. Two weeks ago, on 28 March, 2017, the Right to Carry Act LRB-2039/1, was announced in the legislature. I have been hearing rumors about such a bill, but details were lacking. The Wisconsin legislature is catching up with what the people voted for in 1998.  In 1998, Wisconsin finished an arduous process to pass a right to keep and bear arms amendment to the Wisconsin Constitution.  It ended any argument about weather the Second Amendment applied to Wisconsin. From Article I Section 25:  The...

A federal prosecutor on Wednesday characterized six Bunkerville protestors as militiamen who heeded rancher Cliven Bundy's call to arms, while defense attorneys used closing arguments to portray the men as peaceful demonstrators who asserted their constitutional rights. After six hours of impassioned arguments in a full-to-capacity Las Vegas courtroom, the first of three conspiracy trials resulting from the 2014 standoff in Bunkerville still had not been sent to the jury. Several more lawyers are scheduled to give their closing arguments when court resumes Thursday. .....Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Dickinson telling jurors that the night before the April 2014 standoff, federal...

The Iowa Omnibus gun law reform bill is close to passing the legislature, and is likely to be signed by Governor Branstad.From the desmoinesregister.com:House File 517, which has already passed the Iowa House, was approved on a 33-17 vote. Because the bill was amended, it must return to the House. But House Republican leaders are expected to accept the changes, which means it will likely be headed soon to Gov. Terry Branstad, who is expected to sign it.House File 517 is a weapons law reform bill. The authors of the bill appear to have searched through various weapons laws...

A democratic pro-gun control group plans to spend up to $25 million in ads during the 2018 midterms against concealed carry legislation. Everytown for Gun Safety was founded by former Republican mayor of New York City Mike Bloomberg. The group also announced several key hires ahead of the election, and plans to focus the majority of it’s attention in state legislature races

The Arkansas Legislature has passed SB 724. It rolls back a number of reforms passed with HB 1249 only 10 days ago.  SB 724 had overwhelming support in the House and Senate. So did HB 1249. The final vote in the House on March 30th was 71-20 with 9 "other". In the Senate, on March 31, it was 23-7, with 5 "other".  From the NRA-ILA: SB 724 would undermine some of the key concealed carry advancements made with the recent passage and enactment of House Bill 1249, which was signed by Governor Asa Hutchinson on March 23 as Act...

A California family has finally had their illegally seized firearms and ammunition returned after over a year in the courts.  The collection has an estimated value of millions of dollars. It consisted of 541 rifles, pistols, and shotguns, and over 100,000 rounds of ammunition. 10 of the rifles were registered “assault weapons” under California law. One was a bolt action .50 caliber. Albert Sheakalee has had a federal firearms license since the early 1990's.Sheakalee was mistakenly included on the California Armed & Prohibited Persons System (APPS) because of seeking treatment for high stress during the summer of 2015.  He...

Which are the worst three states for exercising your right to keep and bear arms? There are several contenders for that dubious distinction. The worst states can be found with the answers to a couple of questions. First: Do you have to ask government permission to purchase a firearm? Some states require that you obtain permission before purchasing handguns. A smaller subset require that you obtain permission before purchasing any gun. That infringement is a must have for the worst states.  There are twelve states that have the requirement for all guns.  They are California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii,...

A Washington state man is facing a possible first-degree murder charge after shooting an intruder he found taking a shower in a property he owned — in a case authorities and legal experts said appeared to go beyond self-defense laws. Bruce Fanning, 59, is accused of fatally shooting Nathaniel Rosa, 31, after he discovered Rosa bathing early Saturday morning in Belfair, Washington, according to the Mason County Sheriff's Office. Authorities say Fanning discovered his place of business, which is near his home, had been broken into and found Rosa in the shower. Fanning told investigators he confronted Rosa, who responded...

West Virginia is continuing its reform of archaic weapons laws. On Friday, the 24th of March, the House passed HB 2679, a reform of gun bans in parks. From theet.com: The House also approved House Bill 2679 by a vote of 94-4. The measure would allow firearms to be carried in state and county parks for self-defense, and it would prohibit county parks from banning guns. Coonskin Park in Kanawha County is apparently the only county park in the state to prohibit guns. Delegate Mike Pushkin, D-Kanawha, argued that county officials should be allowed to restrict guns in the...

The Oklahoma man who fatally shot three teenage intruders won’t face charges, authorities announced Monday. Zachary Peters, 23, defended his family’s home with an AR-15 after three teenager broke into the house to try and rob it last week, reports the Associated Press. The Wagoner County assistant district attorney announced that Peters acted lawfully, after authorities conducted an investigation into the shooting.

Doctors Prescribe Suppressors for Hearing Protection Posted on March 28, 2017 by Scott Walker After years of college, medical school, residency, and practice, you’d hope that most doctors would be pretty smart. A group of doctors called Doctors for Responsible Gun Ownership (DRGO) shows just how smart they are in a recent white paper endorsing the use of suppressors to prevent firearm-related hearing loss. Read more in this report from the National Shooting Sports Foundation. Defender Outdoors Suppressor Rack Doctors say suppressors are the most effective way to protect hearing from gunfire. It is going to be a bitter pill...