Free Republic

There are about 533 million firearms in private hands in the United States of America in 2025. The current population is estimated at 343 million people. This gives a record number of 1.55 firearms for every person in the United States. The number of privately owned firearms in the United States is growing by 15-20 million firearms a year.The number of firearms which are privately owned in the United States is not clear and obvious or easily measured. There has never been a registry of firearms for the United States. A national firearms registry is forbidden by law. There are...

Humanity’s trajectory once bent toward progress in a region now dominated by stagnation. Ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Persia, the Levant, these were the fonts of civilization. They birthed the first laws, invented writing, pioneered math, and constructed monumental architecture that still defies modern imitation. Yet these once-dazzling societies, upon embracing Islam, began a long, measured descent. A faith that proclaimed itself a new revelation to mankind did not elevate these societies beyond their pagan pasts, it arrested their evolution and, more gravely, outlawed much of the progress they had already achieved. Inquiry became heresy. Innovation became blasphemy. The gears of advancement,...

DAVID BROOKS, NEW YORK TIMES: Yes, I'm not sure it was wreckage. There was wreckage if you're at NIH. There are wreckage at certain agencies, but the guy only saved $65 billion out of a multitrillion-dollar budget. So, as a budget matter, you would not say he had a big effect, but he did manage to destroy NIH and USAID. And the USAID one is the one I haven't gotten over. And so there's folks at Boston University who count, how many people have died because of what DOGE did at USAID? And USAID was a very ill-managed organization. That's...

.. The petitioners have been a consortium of environmental groups and neighbors of the project in southern Boulder County who filed a lawsuit in 2018 against Denver Water and the Army Corps of Engineers which approved the project, as well as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Their primary objections were to drawing water from the headwaters of the Colorado River on other side of the Continental Divide through the Moffat Water Tunnel, clearing the trees as part of the project to enlarge the reservoir, and effects on wildlife, including elk habitat.

Delegations from Russia and Ukraine ended their latest peace talks Monday in Turkey after just over an hour, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian state media said. Speaking in Vilnius, Lithuania, Zelenskyy said both sides “exchanged documents through the Turkish side, and we are preparing a new release of prisoners of the war.” Expectations were low for any breakthrough on ending the 3-year-old war after a string of stunning attacks over the weekend. Recent comments by senior officials in both countries indicate they remain far apart on the key conditions for stopping the war.

Since President Trump took office in January, the average price for a dozen eggs has plummeted from $6.49 on January 21 to just $2.52 today. That is a 61 percent drop, Fox News points out. It is an even bigger drop from the $8.00 per dozen average eggs hit in March. Some of that price drop can be attributed to the decrease in demand caused by those insane price increases, as well as fewer bird flu cases. Where the Trump administration deserves the most credit is its decision to proactively increase the importation of eggs from foreign countries until America’s...

The Heritage Foundation claims that, “Biden’s name was signed using an autopen on nearly every executive order and official document during his four-year tenure.” Did he delegate the decision to approve and sign, or did he direct someone to use the autopen on his behalf? If so, why couldn’t he sign these documents himself? President Trump signed 143 executive orders during the first 100 days of his second term, setting a record; most of these signings took place in front of the media and were video recorded. Why couldn’t President Biden do the same? If he was unable to sign...

During this week’s broadcast of “Fox News Sunday,” Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick downplayed efforts by federal courts, including the Court of International Trade, to stymy the Trump administration’s use of tariffs. “OK, so we want to start here with the Court of International Trade,” host Shannon Bream said. “This is a decision that went against the president days ago. They said because of the Constitution’s express allocation of the tariff power to Congress, an unlimited delegation of tariff authority to the president would constitute an improper abdication of legislative power to another branch of government. Just to boil that down,...

A dangerous flesh-eating parasite is rapidly marching toward the United States despite several desperate efforts to halt its advance. And one can thank the Mexican drug cartels for this. As The Atlantic notes, the United States has been fighting an aerial war against the New World screwworm for 70 years. This parasite eats animals alive, including cows, pigs, deer, dogs, and even humans. The larvae of the parasitic fly harboring the worm rip through flesh and transform small pricks into huge, revolting wounds. Worse, they produce foul-smelling odors resembling sewer gas. It’s no wonder the worm’s scientific name, C. hominivorax,...

Illegitimate Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky opened his comments at the peace negotiations in Turkey by gloating about Sunday’s surprise attack deep inside Russia and begging the West (NATO) for more weapons to hurl at Russia. Zelensky’s comments come the day after Ukraine and its Western allies pulled off a massive attack deep inside Russia.

Ranchers say their hands are tied as reintroduced wolves—listed as endangered—are feasting on cattle instead of hunting elk and deer.. Descendants of rewilded wolves are taking a heavy toll on cattle in Northern California and Oregon, killing calves and full-grown animals and putting stress on cow-calf operations and ranchers’ pocketbooks. Because wolves are listed as an endangered species under state and federal law, ranchers are hamstrung: They can’t shoot or harass these protected predators. The penalty for killing a wolf is steep; federal law carries a maximum sentence of one year in prison and a $100,000 fine, unless a rancher...

June 2 (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court declined on Monday to hear a challenge to the legality of state restrictions on assault-style rifles and large-capacity ammunition magazines, passing up for now cases that offered the justices a chance to further expand gun rights. The justices turned away two appeals after lower courts upheld a ban in Maryland on powerful semi-automatic rifles such as AR-15s and one in Rhode Island restricting the possession of ammunition feeding devices holding more than 10 rounds. The lower courts rejected arguments that the measures violate the U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment right to "keep and...

Russia presented Ukraine with a "peace memo" on Monday stating its terms for a ceasefire and peace deal, though the Russian position effectively remains unchanged, a Ukrainian official told Axios. -snip- The talks ended after about an hour with no clear breakthrough beyond an agreement for another prisoner exchange. Russia continues to reject President Trump's demand for an immediate ceasefire. Ukraine's defense minister said all POWs who are under 25 or in serious medical condition will be exchanged. The Russian position as stated in the peace memo remains "as usual," and includes demands that Ukraine withdraw from regions of Ukraine...

‘This is the core mission of our armed forces. When we are directly threatened by states with modern military forces, the most effective way to deter is to be prepared. And frankly to show that we are prepared to deliver peace through strength. We will innovate and accelerate our delivery. We will use the lessons of Ukraine, which I have discussed with Zelensky many times, to ensure that every capability we have works seamlessly with the others. Drones, destroyers, AI aircraft – every branch of our armed forces is fully integrated to create a force that is 10 times more...

Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov called for a high-level summit by the end of June following direct talks with Russian officials in Istanbul. Speaking after the meeting, Umerov confirmed that Russia handed over a peace memorandum and emphasized that "all key issues at talks can only be resolved at the leader-level." The Ukrainian delegation expressed cautious optimism, highlighting potential humanitarian progress if both sides follow through on agreed-upon measures. At the same press conference, Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergiy Kyslytsya noted the importance of sustained diplomacy, stating, "We managed to construct our conversation in a way we can have tangible...

PDATE: After receiving updated information, law enforcement officials have now identified eight victims. Four women and four men ages 52 to 88 were taken to Denver metro hospitals. EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- The FBI says that agents are in El Paso County in the Cimarron Hills neighborhood conducting an investigation related to the attack on Pearl Street Mall in Boulder. KRDO13 was the first news crew on scene in the Cimarron Hills neighborhood, speaking with neighbors just off of Palmer Park Boulevard. FBI agents could be seen walking along Washo Circle near Shawnee Drive. The El Paso County...

Ukraine’s extraordinary attack deep inside Russia has, at a stroke, rewritten the rules of modern war. On Sunday a swarm of small drones, each costing under $500, rose over four Russian airfields deep inside Siberia and the Arctic and destroyed over forty strategic bombers reportedly worth over $7 billion. Thanks to meticulous planning, sophisticated military imagination and an underdog’s boldness of vision, Kyiv’s forces have landed a stunning blow on their far stronger opponent, opening a new chapter in the history of human conflict. The question that will be haunting Putin is – what’s next? Ukraine’s famously stone-faced chief of...

The second round of negotiations between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul "did not end negatively," Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Oncu Keceli said on Monday, adding that the delegations' members are currently having lunch. However, Russian news agency Tass reported, citing a source familiar with the plans, that the talks will not continue today, adding that both countries' representatives will leave Turkey soon. Additionally, the source suggested that a third round of negotiations is being arranged, without disclosing further details. Earlier, Axios reported that Russia handed over its peace memorandum to Ukraine, setting out its conditions for a ceasefire...

The Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement has opened the public’s eyes to the truth surrounding the COVID-19 plandemic and authoritative mandates that permanently damaged public health and confidence in governments. The Food and Drug Administration announced it will no longer recommend the COVID-19 vaccine to children and pregnant women, while also stating that vaccine manufacturers must list the known risks of their so-called “safe and effective” mRNA concoctions. The public is beginning to see the truth. A new study found that 51% of Americans believe the COVID-19 vaccines led to heart issues. Around 69% of Republicans, 39% of Democrats,...

The Russian government has provided Kiev with a peace memorandum outlining its terms for a ceasefire and the conditions for ending the war, according to Axios global affairs correspondent Barak Ravid, citing Ukrainian sources. The report comes after the conclusion of the second direct meeting between the negotiation teams of Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul, which lasted over an hour. In related news, the Ukrainian Presidency has informed that it has sent Moscow a list containing hundreds of Ukrainian children who have been "deported."