Free Republic

<p>PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Barely four years before a gunman's deadly rampage in Maine, a state that is staunchly protective of gun rights, the governor signed a law aimed at preventing a mass shooting like the one Wednesday night that claimed at least 18 lives.</p>

…Maine is generally a safe state, with less than 30 homicides per year on average. Yet the state has a relatively high rate of gun ownership, especially relative to the rest of New England. Data show that about 47 percent of adults in Maine have a gun in their home, compared to 14.7 percent in Massachusetts. … But Maine has some of the most lax gun laws in the country. The state does not require universal background checks, does not ban high-capacity magazines, and does not require a permit for concealed carry for those over the age of 21. The...

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the federal government is launching the long-promised buyback program for what he has described as “assault” or “assault-style” firearms. The buyback program is part of a suite of new gun control measures promised by the federal Liberals in the 2019 election campaign, and follows the announcement of an executive order last May that changed the classification listings to prohibit roughly 1,500 “assault-style” weapons. While terms like “assault-style” and “assault rifle” are not legal classifications in Canada, they are frequently used colloquially by gun control advocates and the government to describe the type of high-capacity, quick-fire...

Nine people were arrested yesterday in a melee at the headquarters of Brooklyn's most visible ultra-Orthodox Jewish movement, which is divided over whether the Lubavitcher founder, Rabbi Menachem Schneerson, is alive or dead. Workers at Lubavitch World Headquarters at 770 Eastern Parkway in Crown Heights were installing a new plaque on the building which refers to Schneerson's "blessed memory."