Free Republic

The woman who ran the Internal Revenue Service's tax-exempt organizations division has been promoted, and now heads the agency's health-care office, ABC News reported. Sarah Hall Ingram was commissioner of the embattled IRS office from 2009 to 2012, roughly the period that the agency is accused of singling out Tea Party and conservative groups for extra scrutiny, based on nothing but their political bent. As a firestorm grows around the IRS, Ms. Ingram quietly left the tax-exempt office and was made director of IRS Affordable Care Act Division...

The Internal Revenue Service official in charge of the tax-exempt organizations at the time when the unit targeted tea party groups now runs the IRS office responsible for the health care legislation. Sarah Hall Ingram served as commissioner of the office responsible for tax-exempt organizations between 2009 and 2012. But Ingram has since left that part of the IRS and is now the director of the IRS’ Affordable Care Act office, the IRS confirmed to ABC News today. Her successor, Joseph Grant, is taking the fall for misdeeds at the scandal-plagued unit between 2010 and 2012. During at least part...

So, we have learned that the IRS orchestrated systematic prejudice against Americans whose political views this administration's mobsters found distasteful. It order to decide upon whom to bestow what the law fully permits certain entities, regardless of their politics, some clever Brownshirts working for the most coercive governmental agency there is, decided that before these Americans would be denied their legal rights, they'd be made to dance for the enjoyment of liberal/progressive/Socialist bureaucrats. What sport! Equal treatment under the law has been made secondary to overt political intimidation by these fine administrators. No news here. Our Department of Justice is...

The public face of the National Rifle Association is imploring members to never surrender their weapons in the wake of recent gun control efforts in Congress that he said will "destroy us and every ounce of our freedom." Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre spoke in Houston during the organization's annual member meeting, which is part of the yearly convention. LaPierre told several thousand people that the "political and media elites" have tried to use December's shooting at a Newtown, Conn., elementary school and other recent mass shootings "to blame us, to shame us, to compromise our freedom for their agenda."...

A new law in Kansas that criminalizes the enforcement of federal gun controls in the state is unconstitutional, Attorney General Eric H. Holder said. “In purporting to override federal law and to criminalize the official acts of federal officers, [the law] directly conflicts with federal law and is therefore unconstitutional,” Mr. Holder wrote to Gov. Sam Brownback in a letter dated April 26. “Federal officers who are responsible for enforcing federal laws and regulations in order to maintain public safety cannot be forced to choose between the risk of a criminal prosecution by a state and the continued performance of...

I have to wonder sometimes how some people reach the conclusions that they do. To be specific, let’s look at those who would say that we’d all have a safer society if only the government had guns. Right now it seems farfetched that anyone would agree to that. But the issue today is comprehensive gun owner registration and smaller clips. That nose under the tent now will easily lead to stricter rules when it is discovered, after another mass murder using legal arms, more restrictions will be necessary. Eventually only the government will have guns – much to the joy...

The Newtown killings had anti-gunners licking their chops from CNN to Capitol Hill. Years of working to undermine the right to keep and bear arms had come virtually to naught for gun confiscationists, but they knew the deaths of 20 children could be manipulated any way they liked, allowing them to make the most asinine and unsupportable claims imaginable about the evils of gun ownership. Call it a benefit of owning the national media. So Barack and friends spent months dancing on the graves of 20 sons and daughters while cooking up senate bills and executive “actions” advocating every conceivable...

Gun shows across the nation have experienced record turnout, even as the federal gun control push has hit a major roadblock. April gun shows—both before and after the Senate killed the Toomey-Manchin bill—have seen record crowds, as many fear the debate over the Second Amendment is not yet over. …

Joe Biden says the president of the United States is preparing to take "executive actions" to deal with guns. BuzzFeed reports: Vice President Biden told White House allies in the gun control fight Thursday that President Obama will be announcing new executive actions on gun violence in the days after the Senate voted down a gun violence bill. On a conference call with "stakeholders," Biden told gun control advocates that the fight is not over and that eventual action on gun control will come. Press were not invited to the conference call; a participant provided BuzzFeed with access. "Look I...

They can’t pass gun control via Congress so they’re going the dictator route. This is not going to go over well. On a conference call with “stakeholders,” Biden told gun control advocates that the fight is not over and that eventual action on gun control will come. Press were not invited to the conference call; a participant provided BuzzFeed with access. “Look I know you’re going to say that I’m just being an optimist and I’m trying to put a good face on this. But you know I’ve been around here a long time and we’ve already done, because of...

Bills 'nullifying' Washington overreach gaining momentum across the country It was called the strongest pro-gun bill in the country, and now it’s the law in Kansas. The law is designed to counter the push by liberal federal lawmakers for increased restrictions on gun rights. It nullifies any new limits on firearms, magazines and ammunition – whether enacted by Congress, presidential executive order or any agency. If Congress would have passed the Senate amendment expanding federal background checks, for example, the Kansas law would nullify it in the state. Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback, a Republican, signed Senate Bill 102 into law...

Is N.Y.'s Gun Confiscation Scheme Tied to Larger Federal Plan? Written by Dave Bohon A report from TheBlaze.com alleges that the state of New York is using its recently enacted NY SAFE Act as justification to confiscate firearms from law-abiding citizens — specifically individuals who have been prescribed anti-anxiety medication. But some Second Amendment advocates allege the scheme is part of a larger federal gun control plot. According to the Blaze, on April 1 a legal gun owner in upstate New York, later identified by a Buffalo newspaper as 35-year-old David Lewis, “received an official notice from the state ordering...

Albany Police Officers Union, local 2841, “We respectfully demand that you do the right thing and repeal the law.” FROM: Albany Police Officers Union, local 2841, Council 82, AFSCME, AFI-CIO, P.O BOX 6567, ALBANY, NEW YORK 12206 (518) 438-9422 To: Andrew M. Cuomo / Dean G. Skelos / Neil D. Breslin / John T- McDonald III / Phil Steck / Sheldon Silver / Jeffrey D. Klein / Cecilia Tkaczyk / Patricia Fahy Note; see the formal list of people this letter went to at the bottom. April 15,2013 Honorable Ladies and Gentlemen: The Albany Police Officers Union condemns and opposes...

The threat of gun confiscation by the government was the spark that ignited the American Revolution (look up the Battles of Lexington and Concord). Americans have cherished their God-given right to keep and bear arms long before the constitution or the second amendment was even ratified to guarantee it. Our unalienable God-given rights are enshrined in the Declaration of Independence and guaranteed by our Constitution and Bill of Rights. Millions of patriots have fought and many died defending same. Our God-given rights are paid for by the sacrifice of the blood of patriots, warrior and civilian alike. And the debt...

RUSH: Senator Elizabeth Warren wanted to get in on the big press conference in Boston this morning that happened about 10:30. The first words out of her mouth were praise for Obama and government. "The president of the United States has pledged his full support in all efforts, both to keep the city safe, and to find the person who did this. We did not have to reach out to the president; the president reached out to us," Warren said. He called the governor. He called the mayor. He called the members of congressional delegation because the president is actively...

Syracuse, N.Y. -- The union representing New York State Police say they believe the state's stricter gun laws could put law enforcement officers at risk. In an email release on Monday, the New York State Troopers PBA said its 6,000-member group "holds widely shared concerns" about the NY Safe Act. Nonetheless, the union takes exception to some state lawmakers accusing the troopers of failing to enforce the law. "The individual members of this union did not write the terms of the bill nor vote on its passage," the release said. "We urge the citizens of New York state to remember...

Key measures of New York's tough new gun law have kicked in, meaning owners of firearms now reclassified as assault weapons are required to register their guns. There are also new limits on the number of bullets allowed in magazines. The new provisions took effect Monday. New York's affiliate of the National Rifle Association says it expects to ask a federal judge late in the afternoon to immediately halt the magazine limit. The New York State Rifle & Pistol Association says the law violates the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens "to keep commonly possessed firearms." Association president Tom King says...

“Gun control” is probably the most cunning and dangerous oxymoron in use today. Real gun control is a father teaching his child how to hold, shoot, and care for his firearms properly. The gun control currently spreading across America would more aptly be called pre-gun confiscation or even more extreme, pre-genocide. History reveals many examples of nations that confiscated guns, leading to the extermination of millions of it citizens. This isn’t a new phenomena or an idea that gun lovers have made up; it’s happened for generations. In the Twentieth Century alone, there were between 74.2 and 79.8 million people...

Upon taking office, senators-elect must swear or affirm that they will "support and defend the Constitution." The president of the Senate or a surrogate administers the oath to newly elected or re-elected senators. The oath is required by the Constitution; the wording is prescribed by law. "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed." Any senator who fails to support and defend the second amendment which most definitely is part of the constitution is a TRAITOR!! Traitors beware!! DON'T TREAD ON...

Public-opinion polls about “universal background checks” for gun sales show widespread support. While President Obama and Mayor Bloomberg talk about “gun sales,” the actual legislation moving through Congress aims to regulate far more than sales. It would turn almost every gun owner into a felon. The trick is that the language under consideration applies not only to sales but also to “transfers,” which are defined to include innocent activities such as letting your spouse borrow your gun for a few hours. Consider, for example, Senate bill S.649, which the Senate will soon take up for debate. The background-check portion of...

Gun stores all over Connecticut were packed Tuesday, one day before lawmakers were expected to vote on a sweeping package of laws that would ban military-style assault weapons and magazines that hold more than 10 rounds. “They’re insane. I’ve never seen them so busy before,” shopper Shari Reilly, who bought up several high-capacity magazines, told NBC Connecticut. Gov. Dannel P. Molloy, a Democrat, has said he will sign what could be “the toughest law passed anywhere in the country" -- if it gets through the legislature. Connecticut would become the latest of a handful of states – following Colorado and...

There have been 70,291,049 background checks for gun purchases since President Obama took office, according to data released by the FBI. In 2009, the FBI conducted 14,033,824 background checks. If we subtract the month of January (Obama did not assume office until the end of the month) we get 12,819,939. The FBI conducted 14,409,616 background checks in 2010, 16,454,951 in 2011, and 19,592,303 in 2012....

Liberal hopes to renew Bill Clinton’s “assault weapon” ban are beginning to fade, but liberal bitterness is... --snip-- U.S. Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney’s proposed Firearm Risk Protection Act would make it a federal crime to buy a pistol without first purchasing a government-approved insurance policy. If enacted, this would most affect a single mom in the inner city who just wants to protect her family and can’t afford the expense. Malefactors of her sort would face a fine of $10,000. Mrs. Maloney, New York Democrat, cites the Commerce Clause as her constitutional authority. Presumably the lesson she drew from Chief...

Three and a half months after the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, a bipartisan task force of Connecticut legislators announced they have come to an agreement in principle on a package of new gun laws they characterize as the most far-reaching in the nation. ”Nobody will be able to say that this bill is absolutely perfect, but no one will also be able to say that this bill fails the test when it comes to being the strongest in the country and the most comprehensive bill in the country,” said Connecticut Senate President Don Williams, a Democrat....

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott wrote a letter to President Obama on Tuesday saying that the state will head to court over the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty should Mr. Obama sign it and the U.S. Senate ratify it. “The UN has concluded its negotiations on the Arms Trade Treaty,” Mr. Abbot writes. “It is now up to you to sign it — or reject it. Do not sign this treaty.” Mr. Abbott writes that he understands the apparent purpose is to combat illegal arms trafficking around the world, but that the treaty could draw law-abiding gun owners and gun...

The United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday signed off on a sweeping, first-of-its-kind treaty to regulate the international arms trade, brushing aside worries from U.S. gun rights advocates that the pact could lead to a national firearms registry and disrupt the American gun market. The long-debated U.N. Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) requires countries to regulate and control the export of weaponry such as battle tanks, combat vehicles and aircraft and attack helicopters, as well as parts and ammunition for such weapons. It also provides that signatories will not violate arms embargoes, international treaties regarding illicit trafficking, or sell weaponry to...

As sheriffs across the nation signal opposition to enforcing additional federal gun regulations, the Utah Sheriffs' Association sent a letter to President Obama assuring him that its members similarly will not comply. The letters insists that the rights of Utah citizens trump any new gun control measure that Congress might pass, and sheriffs in Utah are prepared to trade their lives in defense of their constituents' right to keep and bear arms.

On Sunday, the country marked 100 days since a man wielding a semiautomatic Bushmaster assault rifle killed 20 young children and 6 faculty members at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. Just days earlier, on March 19, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., announced that he would not include a ban on military-style assault weapons - like the rifle used by the killer at Sandy Hook - in the Senate's upcoming gun bill and would focus instead on other gun laws that stood a better chance of passage. Disappointed supporters of the ban mostly moved on, fixing their sights...

Bureaucrats from 150 nations are ramping up efforts to impose gun control through international pact. Here in the United States, the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty has become the vehicle to drive an agenda that is deeply controversial because once a treaty is ratified by the Senate, it becomes the supreme law of the land. Last week, Secretary of State John F. Kerry — no friend of the Second Amendment — announced support for the treaty, which calls for international regulations on firearms, including personal firearms as well as military weapons. During the presidential campaign, President Obama was evasive about...

U.S. Rights: As the world body meets this week to hammer out an agreement to restrict international arms trade, our Secretary of State commits us to pushing a treaty that may also restrict our Second Amendment rights. Last Friday, the day of the week when unpopular or controversial announcements are traditionally made, Secretary of State John Kerry announced U.S. support for the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), a final version of which is being hammered out in New York beginning this week. Certainly the ATT is controversial. Touted as a means of getting a handle on an international arms...

He wants you to get a background check if you lend your friend a gun for the weekend. Yesterday, S. 374, or the “Protecting Responsible Gun Sellers Act of 2013� as it has been inexplicably termed, passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee by ten votes to eight. If it were to become law, S. 374 would usher in what advocates refer to as a system of “universal background checks.� It would do a lot more, besides. As it stands in our ostensibly ghoulish status quo, a free American citizen may leave his guns with his unrelated roommate for more...

The main provision of the bill is that any transfer of a firearm, no matter how fleeting, needs to go through an FFL and the transferee needs to have a background check performed through the NICS system. There are some exceptions, but they aren’t very good ones. As one of the provisions designed to “alleviate the fears” of the gun-owning public, it looks like there’s a provision in here that permanently sets the price of all FFL transfer fees to the same amount. That number will be set by the Attorney General, which these days is still Eric Holder. The...

Court Rules There Is No Right To Carry A Concealed Weapon Larry Bodine, Lawyers.comFebruary 25, 2013, 6:42 AM In a sweeping ruling, the Tenth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that there is no Second Amendment right to carry a concealed firearm in public. The broad wording of the decision in Peterson v. Martinez creates a far-reaching national precedent against carrying a loaded handgun outside the home. The case began on a narrow point – a challenge by a Washington State man against Colorado’s law to issue CHL permits (“Concealed Handgun License”) only to state residents. But the final ruling...

Check at the source.

The National Rifle Association will assert that President Barack Obama’s attempt to enact new gun control laws will result in the “confiscation” of people’s firearms in a new web video scheduled to run in five states and the District of Columbia. The video will go online around the time Obama begins delivering his State of the Union address, in which he is expected to mention his effort to reduce gun violence through legislative means. NRA spokesman Andrew Arulanandam told CNN that the organization based its warning on what he said is a Justice Department document, “Summary of Select Firearm Violence...

Manassas, VA --(Ammoland.com)- Senator Diane Feinstein (D-CA) has published some of the details of her new “assault weapons” ban, and it’s even uglier than anticipated. It is expected was introduced on January 22 2013, the first day the Senate accepts bills for the new session. Meanwhile, on the first day of the new session in the House of Representatives, several legislators introduced - or reintroduced - a variety of anti-rights bills. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) has 4 bills: H.R.137 requiring background checks on all firearm transfers, H.R.138 banning possession and transfer of magazines with a capacity over 10 rounds, H.R.141 regulating...

Disappointed with aspects of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s gun control bill and frustrated by the manner in which it was passed, Jefferson County legislators are considering drafting a resolution opposing the New York Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement Act of 2013. The NY SAFE Act, enacted last month, includes new definitions for and regulations on assault weapons, stronger regulations on ammunition, changes to mental health reporting requirements, statewide recertification of handguns and assault rifles, universal background checks and a mandatory sentence of life without parole for killing a first responder, among other provisions. Modeled after a resolution created by Republican...

Gun Control; Time to Fight As consumers and 2nd Amendment advocates, we have to engage an economic boycott of all ammunition and firearms covering the entire State of NY; Citizens & Government while pulling an “Alinsky” Andrew Cuomo when executing the boycott. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rules for Radicals) The embargo ends when the current NY Government agrees all NY State Citizens have a 2nd Amendment Right to own any quantity and all types firearms, those made 400 years ago and those to be made in the future! How The firearms industry from top to bottom completely terminate sales of a firearms and ammunition...

Sheriffs have risen up all over our great nation to stand up against the unconstitutional gun control measures being taken. The following is a list of sheriffs and state sheriff’s associations from who have vowed to uphold and defend the Constitution against Obama’s unlawful gun control measures. I applaud these public servants for their courage and conviction. I call on sheriffs all over this nation to add their voices to the growing numbers of faithful protectors of our freedom. -Richard Mack Constitutional Duty of the Sheriff – Richard Mack Sheriffs and associations who have made public statements committing to protect...

If a ban can't pass the Senate, it certainly won't pass in the House. Consider the assault weapons ban a dead issue, while the ammunition limit is alive and well. Wall Street Journal: Senate Democratic leaders expect a gun bill to move to the Senate floor that includes most of the proposals backed by President Barack Obama, with the notable exception of a ban on military-style, semiautomatic weapons, a top aide to Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada said.The bill would likely seek to limit the capacity of ammunition magazines; expand background checks to include sales at gun shows and...

From Cashill's novel 2006: the Chautauqua Rising, which was published in the year 2000, New York State officials exploit a school shooting to strip state citizens of their constitutional rights. (snip) The gun people came first. By noon, thousands of them were on their way. From all over the East, hell, from all over America, Canada too, they converged on Western New York in pick-ups and SUVs and RVs and who knows what else, many of them bearing the banner, Chautauqua or Bust.

This is the whole meeting (other than what the man with the camera couldn't catch due to full memory), 33 minutes long. It is very energetic and contentious and well worth watching and sharing. These men are angry, outspoken, and not afraid. Here's a link the a 4 minute video of excerpts: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=BTdhVxva5KU

The Democratic chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee did not endorse colleague Dianne Feinstein’s assault weapons ban at a packed Capitol Hill hearing on guns Wednesday in the wake of the Newtown, Conn., shooting. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., called for “common sense reform,” that closes loopholes in current gun laws and enforces background checks. Buthe did not endorse Feinstein’s tougher ban. “I know gun store owners in Vermont,” Leahy said. “They follow the law and conduct background checks…why should we not try to plug the loopholes in the law that allow (criminals and the mentally ill)

This is a standing invitation to my fellow Americans: If congress ever enacts a law mandating the registration and/or a production ban of detachable magazine semiautomatic rifles then you are hereby invited to the town square of your local community. There, burn barrels will be set up and we will publicly burn Form 4473s, FFL Bound Books, state and local registration records, and the sales receipts for every firearm in the United States. On that same day, FFL holders and public officials holding electronic firearms records will simultaneously erase those records, permanently and irretrievably. (Using special file erasure software such...

In an interview with the New Republic Barack Obama hinted at his gun control plans. Part of the plan is to undermine Republicans from the start. President Obama is suggesting that House Republicans on the issue of gun control appear neither willing to work with him nor listen to the American public on the issue. “The House Republican majority is made up mostly of members who are in sharply gerrymandered districts that are very safely Republican and may not feel compelled to pay attention to broad-based public opinion, because what they're really concerned about is the opinions of their specific...

Already, there are signs that Governor Cuomo and his allies underestimated the pushback. As draconian, ill-advised, and possibly unconstitutional as the New York Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement (NY SAFE) anti-gun law was when it was hastily signed into law, it might have been far worse — this according to a New York legislator who fought against the bill.Assemblyman Steve McLaughlin has released documentation showing rejected Democratic proposals for the NY SAFE Act. They included these: Confiscation of all firearms arbitrarily redefined as “assault weapons�Labeling semi-automatic shotguns as “assault weapons� if they can hold more than five rounds or have...

Albany, NY – Teams made up of members of the New York State Police and Division of Criminal Justice Services to visit communities across the state starting this week. The teams will be available to meet local law enforcement and answer questions from New Yorkers regarding NY SAFE Act.Tuesday, January 2912:00 PM Mike Green, Executive Deputy Commissioner, Division of Criminal Justice Services and Steve Hogan, First Deputy Counsel, New York State Police present the NY SAFE Act in Erie County Clarence Public Library 3 Town Place Clarence, New York OPEN PRESS12:00 PM First Deputy Superintendent Kevin Gagan, New York State...

'We are serious about limiting access to assault weapons and magazine clips [sic]. Joe and my cabinet members are on board with the necessity of confronting this issue to ensure no events like Sandy Hook happen again and the gun violence like in Chicago is addressed. This involves enforcement of existing laws. It involves addressing access to guns in big cities. I know this is not a shy group and I am very grateful to them, a representative group of communities across the country. Congress will be making decisions on what groups like this decide.' (all quickly paraphrased) Ends. takes...

After Democrats in New York rammed a sweeping assault on the right to keep and bear arms through the legislature that failed to exempt police officers from the draconian restrictions, gun owners and even some lawmakers are planning what has been dubbed potentially the largest act of civil disobedience in state history. According to news reports, gun rights activists are urging everyone to defy far-left Governor Andrew Cuomo’s new registration mandate while daring authorities to “come and take it.” Analysts say the legislation, passed in a frenzy last week in the wake of the Newtown shooting, represents the most brazen...

Stick To Your Guns Justin Giles, Sergeant US Marine Corps (former) Imagine you are walking through the woods on a dark cloudy night. You are startled by a vicious, snarling beast concealed in the blackness. Not knowing what else to do you scramble up a tree, afraid and unsure what to do next. This is a natural human response to an encounter with an unknown foe. Because of this weak human tendency, military commanders throughout history have studied their potential enemies in minute detail. One man who understood this well was 6th Century B.C. Chinese General Sun Tzu.“It is said...