Free Republic

Louis C.K., the comedian who has been working on new stand-up material since allegations of inappropriate behavior with several women surfaced earlier this year, faces new criticism after he could be heard mocking survivors of the Parkland shooting during a set from earlier this month, TMZ reported. The 51-year-old comedian could be heard in the leaked audio poking fun at the younger generation as "boring" and politically correct. He said in today's world, it's the kids who tell the adults what is appropriate to say. C.K. responds to the guidance by saying, "F*** you, you're a child." The comedian raised...

Eric Church, one of the headliners at the Route 91 festival in Las Vegas — the scene of the 2017 massacre known as the deadliest mass shooting by an individual in modern U.S. history — is blaming the NRA for the attacks. Church performed at the festival two nights before the shooting, and the experience has changed his views on guns “a little,” he says. While fellow country singer Jason Aldean was performing, a gunman opened fire on the crowd, killing at least 58 people. Now Church is speaking out about the incident. While he says he considers himself a...

ALBANY — As the race for governor accelerates, Republican nominee Marc Molinaro says the campaign of Democratic Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo is trying falsely to define him as an ultraconservative out of step with most New Yorkers on social issues. “If they think that diminishing and demeaning people is the way to win an election, God bless them,” Molinaro said in an interview. The Cuomo campaign routinely refers to Molinaro as “Trump mini-me . . . who has an ‘A’ rating from the NRA and is the NY GOP’s hand-picked anti-woman, anti-immigrant, anti-LGBTQ candidate.”

The parent of a child killed in the Parkland shooting massacre ripped New Jersey state Senate President Stephen Sweeney on social media for not publicly supporting Gov. Phil Murphy's push to increase fees for buying and selling firearms in the state. The move, which Murphy has pressed for months, was part of the budget proposal the Democratic governor sent to legislative leaders from his own party in June. But it was not included in the budget passed by the state Senate and Assembly last week, leading to outcry from gun control advocates. Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter Jaime was killed in...

A top Republican state lawmaker says there's a reason Gov. Phil Murphy is battling with his fellow Democrats over the state budget: He's planning to run for president. State Assembly Minority Leader Jon Bramnick said Murphy has to be talking to a "national audience" as he continues to push of this tax hikes despite opposition from top state lawmakers who hail from his own party. "He must be talking to somebody," Bramnick, R-Union, said during a news conference with top New Jersey Republicans in Trenton on Thursday morning to highlight the budget fight.

Shawn Mendes made a powerful statement in solidarity with gun violence victims at the 2018 Billboard Music Awards on Sunday (May 20). The singer-songwriter performed his new single “Youth” with another rapidly rising star, Khalid — as well as members of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School choir from Parkland, Fla. Dressed in a t-shirt that read “Protect our guns” with a slash through the word “guns” and the word “children” replaced, Khalid harmonized with Mendes, who strummed an acoustic guitar as they delivered the song’s affecting lyrics. The song thematically champions keeping one’s spirit although times are difficult and...

Democratic state lawmakers have a new target as they aim to tighten New Jersey's already strict firearms laws: "ghost guns." A new bill that began advancing in the Democrat-controlled state Legislature on Monday would prohibit the purchase of firearm parts used to make these untraceable homemade guns. The state Senate Law and Public Safety committee approved the measure along with a package of six other Democrat-sponsored gun-control bills that continue to move closer to Gov. Phil Murphy's desk.

f all the artwork Cubs manager Joe Maddon has introduced to his players this spring, the most powerful display appeared Thursday at Marlins Park during batting practice before the Cubs’ 8-4 victory. In a walking exhibit of empathy, Cubs players wore maroon T-shirts with “Stoneman Douglas” on the back and “#MSDStrong” on the front, an opening-day tribute to the 17 victims of the Feb. 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. Maddon’s foundation, “Respect 90,” purchased the shirts for the Cubs.

For many, many years the corporate elite - the 1 percent - has been selling us on the idea of trickle down economics, i.e., if the 1 percent made money they would reinvest it back into the cities and communities and we would all benefit. Well, does anyone still believe that? I don't think so. But let's talk about what does trickle down - something never talked about by the corporate elite and something that has been missing from most if not all major media and the presidential debates - with a little exception on the part of Bernie Sanders....

I need not dwell on the catastrophe of the Parkland, Florida mass murder last week. Such killings have become the new normal in America. In five of the six deadliest mass shootings of the past six years in the United States (Newtown, San Bernardino. Las Vegas. Sutherland Springs, and Parkland) the gunman used an AR-15-style semiautomatic rifle. This is a weapon that was banned for individual ownership and usage by the 1994 Federal Assault Weapons Ban. This 10-year ban was legislatively enacted by a Democratic President, Bill Clinton and a Democratic Congress.

Marjory Stoneman Douglas student Alfonso Calderon asserted Wednesday that the NRA is “basically killing children,” prompting zero pushback from CNN’s Wolf Blitzer. CNN has been notorious for letting victims of the Parkland school shooting smear the NRA, including at their town hall last week where one student insisted that NRA spokeswoman Dana Loesch doesn’t care about her own children.

Americans rarely, if ever, agree on anything. But a recent Quinnipiac survey showed that 97 percent support universal background checks for gun ownership. And yet the U.S. Congress remains paralyzed by inaction. The same Quinnipiac survey showed that nearly 7 in 10 Americans want a nationwide ban on assault weapons, including 43 percent of Republicans. And yet the Republican-controlled Florida legislature, along party lines, refused to debate the banning of assault weapons, like AR-15s, the weapon of choice for many mass shooters, including the Parkland shooter who killed 14 high-school students and three adults. During a meeting with victims of...

MONROE — As students under fire in Florida speak out to end mass shootings, many hope this time it’s different. Indeed, their demand is compelling: Our representatives in Washington must act less like politicians and more like parents. Most of them have children; they should act like it. But a fuzzy demand for “gun control” will likely squander this opportunity to save lives. To end gun deaths, we need to ban all civilian guns.

A number of Marjory Stoneman Douglas students made speeches at today’s March For Our Lives rally for gun reform. One of those students, Alex Wind, took particular aim at pro-gun politicians and the NRA, using some very strong words in the process. “In the wake of the tragedy on February 14th, we as students, as youth, decided that if adults weren’t going to take action, we would,” Wind said, referencing the tragic Parkland shooting. “No gun-related legislation has been passed in this country since 2008. Ten years ago!” Saying mass shootings need to stop, Wind criticized those proposing the solution...

Parkland student Jaclyn Corin encouraged protesters to “keep screaming at your congressman” so they will listen to pleas for gun control after the deadly shooting at her high school. Corin was one of many Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School student organizers who developed the "March for Our Lives" rally in Washington, D.C. on Saturday. “There is strength in numbers and we need each and every one of you to keep screaming at your congressman,” Corin said. “Don’t be scared just because they have ‘Senator’ in front of their name.” Corin hit Congress for refusing to act despite American deaths to...