Free Republic

Sen. Angus King (I-ME) joined three Senate Democrats on Thursday to introduce a ban on the most popular semiautomatic rifles in America, describing such firearms as “lethal capacity weapons.” The Senate Democrats are Martin Heinrich (NM), Mark Kelly (AZ), and Michael Bennet (CO). The ban is titled the Gas-Operated Semiautomatic Firearm Exclusion (GOSAFE) Act.

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – A lawsuit can go forward against the maker of the rifle used in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings, a judge ruled Thursday. Superior Court Judge Barbara Bellis said that a 2005 federal law protecting gun-makers from lawsuits does not prevent lawyers for the victims' families from arguing that the semi-automatic rifle is a military weapon and should not have been sold to civilians.

Apparently it’s a rule that, as a lawmaker, you have to tackle societal concepts with which you are stunningly ignorant. State Senator Kevin De Leon, (Democrat from the Socialist Republic of California’s crime ridden city of Los Angeles) recently put his amazingly acute idiocy on full display while talking about guns he thinks should be heavily regulated. Not surprisingly, the Democrat from California’s gang-infested city is a staunch supporter of increased gun control. Holding what appears to be a weaponized amalgamation of steel and kydex, the senator let slip an incoherent ramble of gun terms that were clearly stacked for...

An anti-gun owner initiative considered in Washington could lead to massive civil disobedience and a severe domestic crisis, gun law expert John M. Snyder warned on Friday. "According to confidential information," he said, "forces linked with the administration suggest the government classify semiautomatic firearms and multiple capacity ammunition feeding devices as Title 2 National Firearms Act items under the Gun Control Act of 1968. Americans familiar with federal gun laws understand that under this scenario, semiautomatics and high capacity magazines could be acquired only with great difficulty and at great expense by America's estimated 100 million law-abiding firearms owners, notes...

President Barack Obama declared during Tuesday’s presidential debate that his goals as president include the reinstatement of a so-called “assault weapons ban” in the United States. As part of a plan to reduce street violence in cities — including in his own hometown of Chicago — Obama proposed “seeing if we can get an assault weapons ban reintroduced.”This appears to be among the boldest pro-gun-control comments Obama has made as president, and the first time has has openly called for the reinstatement of the assault weapons ban. “So my belief is that, A, we have to enforce the laws we’ve...

Dianne Feinstein announced Wednesday that she’s re-entering the battle over gun control during her keynote speech to the California delegates to the Democratic National Convention. Feinstein was president of the San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors on what she calls that city’s “day of infamy” in 1978, when a former colleague shot and killed Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone. Since then, Senator Feinstein has been one of the most vocal proponents of gun control on Capitol Hill. She promised California delegates she’d return to Congress to reintroduce “an updated assault weapons bill.” At the delegates' breakfast, she said that, "Weapons...

More than seven-in-ten respondents believe the AR-15 semi-automatic rifle should only be used by the police and other authorized persons. Nine-in-ten Americans maintain their views on the Second Amendment, but a majority of gun owners and non-gun owners alike believe that the AR-15 semi-automatic rifle should only be used by the police and other authorized persons, a new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found. The online survey of a representative national sample of 1,010 American adults also found that support for the “shall-issue” prerogative to carry concealed weapons in public has increased over the past six months. Second Amendment...

On Tuesday, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn sent S. 681--a heretofore utterly uncontroversial, modestly pro-gun bill that had passed with overwhelming bipartisan support--back to the General Assembly with an "amendatory veto." The amendatory veto process is a power granted to Illinois governors allowing them to make changes to bills that have passed. If a simple majority in each chamber accepts the governor's changes, the altered bill becomes law. If three fifths of each chamber (36 of the state's 59 senators, and 71 of the 118 representatives) vote to override the veto, the original bill becomes law. If neither happens, the bill...

A semiautomatic assault rifle, anyone? How about a few thousand rounds of ammo? On July 20, those weapons of choice killed 12 innocents at the Century 16 Theatre in Aurora, Colo. The shooter legally bought an AR-15 assault rifle, three other guns and thousands of rounds of ammunition, according to police. In America, acquiring a lethal assault rifle is almost as easy as picking up a buttered popcorn at the movies. The communities of Aurora, Columbine, Virginia Tech, Northern Illinois University and Chicago’s South and West sides know that. The families of thousands of murdered and injured souls get it....

CNN) -- To all of you gun lovers, feel free to go buy your Glock, shotgun, hunting rifle, .22 pistol, .357 Magnum or any of the other guns at your disposal. But you do not need an AK-47. For some, it's too soon to discuss gun reform, a little more than one week after the mass killings in Aurora, Colorado. I disagree. Too many Americans are being killed by guns every day; this most recent heinous tragedy should not keep us from having a rational debate.

Just like the majority of police officers who never have to fire their gun during the course of a career, most civilians will never be shot at while watching a movie, browsing in a shopping mall or attending school. But for those few that do have the misfortune to be an unwilling participant in an ambush here are a few rules of thumb you may find useful.The police can't protect you. The Aurora, CO police force is a fine, highly motivated department - I know because the police association was formerly my client. There were officers already at the...

It’s not much of an exaggeration to say that John Lott has changed the national debate on gun control. His rigorous research and prolific pen have exposed the slip-shod analysis of anti-Constitution advocates. I’ve cited his work on several occasions. Lott explained how anti-gun laws facilitated the terrorist attack at Fort Hood. Defender of Liberty Writing after the Tucson shootings, Lott explained the benefits of concealed-carry laws. In the aftermath of the Heller decision, Lott explained how more guns resulted in less crime in DC. Lott explained how gun control made Jamaica a more dangerous country. It’s now time to...

It is often said that guns, particularly assault rifles, are designed for one thing, and one thing only: to kill lots of people. Assault rifles in the United States are failing miserably in this purpose. There are tens of millions of assault rifles in America. Because the definition of an assault rifle has been rather fuzzy, the number can be said to be anywhere from 10 million to 30 million. Of those, the AR-15 type is fairly common with numbers between 5 and 10 million. The FBI murder statistics do not differentiate between types of rifles. There are about 100...

“Obama still wants Congress to reinstitute a federal ban on military-style assault weapons … but the president is not and has not been pushing for that ban … There are things that we can do short of legislation and short of gun laws.” - White House Press Secretary Jay Carney In yesterday’s column, I noted that President Obama seems to be responding to pressure from gun control advocates in a way that he has previously avoided. I must not have been the only one to sense the change in the political winds flowing from the White House because today, White...

Eatontown, NJ --(Ammoland.com)- When I was Counsel to the NJ Coalition of Sportsman I wrote this piece for the April, 1991 issue of the THE GUARDIAN which was the group’s newsletter. It was later published by Harper’s magazine. Here is an updated version as the issue is being pushed again by the blood dancing anti-gunners. A question we are all tired of hearing in the so-called “debate” over so-called “assault weapons” is, “why does anybody need one?” Here is the answer once and for all. You need an assault weapon— * 1. to help continue the American tradition of citizen/soldier....

ELBERTA, Summerdale -- President Obama's decision to talk gun control and discuss a ban on assault weapons are hot topics along the Gulf Coast. Despite the tragic, shooting massacre in Colorado, gun shops continue to sell AR-15's and AK-47's to gun enthusiasts and sportsmen. The AR-15 is NOT widely used in crime. According the FBI, of the 199 homicides recorded in Alabama in 2010, handguns were used in 112, hands, fists or feet were used in 17, knives were used in 23....none were committed with a rifle. Gun control has and will be debated for decades...an issue now on presidential...