Free Republic

A City Council member from Queens is urging her constituents to arm themselves following a terrifying home invasion in which robbers posing as Amazon drivers tied up a family and snatched thousands of dollars in cash, according to cops. Republican Vickie Paladino offered to help residents in her district — which covers Whitestone, where the ordeal took place — obtain gun permits in light of the break-in Monday morning. “I want to remind my constituents that New Yorkers have a constitutional right to protect themselves,” Paladino said in a statement. “I urge my constituents to avail themselves of their rights...

As the riots raged this week in Los Angeles, four things became clear: L.A.’s leaders are feckless; foreign money is behind the rioters; protesters are expressing a soup of different grievances; and all this may happen elsewhere. As with the BLM riots in 2020, the L.A. disturbances are not spontaneous or chaotic. They have been planned, supported, and even staffed by activist organizations whose goals have nothing to do with immigration law or the plight of day laborers lingering in Home Depot parking lots. On the most recent episode of The Drill Down, co-hosts Peter Schweizer and Eric Eggers break...

In 1970, the State of Florida passed sweeping emergency measures laws which conferred enormous powers to Sheriffs and Municipal officials (Mayors and Chiefs of Police). The law was meant to contain and prevent riots and the widespread breakdown of the rule of law. The officials could declare an emergency under the “imminent threat of violence”, which gave broad discretion. The emergency could only be in effect for 72 hours, after which time the county commission or the city council would be required to approve any extension of the emergency.There were many riots during the Vietnam era, particularly at universities.Part of...

One of the 'rooftop Koreans' who took to LA's rooftops in 1992 during the Rodney King riots to defend their businesses is furious that history is repeating itself in modern day California. Tony Moon, one of the so-called 'Rooftop Koreans' who armed themselves in the race riots over three decades ago, has been sounding off on social media, lambasting Governor Gavin Newsom and the Democrats for their response. In one response to Newsom, he fumed: 'Shut up and sit down. This is the last f*** up that'll seal you (sic) political career as a "has been"'. Moon is a vocal...

Ten people have been killed in a school shooting in the Austrian city of Graz, police have said. The incident took place at Dreierschützengasse secondary school in the north-west of the city. Six females and three males were killed in the attack, according to Interior Minister Gerhard Karner. Police said the 21-year-old gunman took his own life in a school bathroom shortly after. A further 28 people are being treated for their injuries in hospital, according to local media reports. The gunman was an Austrian man and former Dreierschützengasse student who didn't graduate from the school, Karner told a news...

On April 24, 2024, Gary R. Sanchez filed a lawsuit against Attorney General Rob Bonta, representing the State of California. The suit alleges California banned firearms suppressors in violation of the Second Amendment. Sanchez acted as his own attorney in the case. The district judge granted AG Bonta’s motion to dismiss the case, finding suppressors were not covered by the Second Amendment, because they were “only” accessories, not “arms”.Sanchez appealed the case to the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on September 6, 2024. The Ninth Circuit has historically been one of the circuits most openly defying Supreme Court...

Rochester, N.Y. — A man is in custody, accused of shooting and killing his roommate on the city's north side. Police said Jordan Figueroa-Olivo, 23, shot Delwin Aponte-Charbonier, 19, Saturday afternoon inside the victim's home on Ward Street. Aponte-Charbonier died that evening at Rochester General Hospital. BACKGROUND: 19-year-old critically injured in Rochester shooting Figueroa-Olivo has been charged with manslaughter after he turned himself in to police Thursday afternoon. Police said they recovered a handgun, three loaded high-capacity magazines and additional physical evidence from the scene. Figueroa-Olivo, who also lived at the location, was not legally permitted to possess the handgun,...

Officer Timothy Ontiveros of the Bloomfield Police Department has died from injuries sustained during a violent encounter earlier in the week. The incident occurred during a traffic stop, where Ontiveros was shot in the neck and shoulder by 58-year-old Dennis Armenta. A fellow officer returned fire, fatally shooting Armenta. Ontiveros was transported to the University of New Mexico Hospital following the shooting, where he underwent extensive treatment. Despite the efforts of medical staff and support from his fellow officers, Ontiveros succumbed to his injuries on Sunday. “We’re really sad and disheartened on the current events that happened with Officer Ontiveros’s...

Sandia Peak Tram partnered with the city and Albuquerque Police Department to raise money for a K-9 training facility dedicated to Rebel, a police dog shot and killed by officers during an armed confrontation with a suspect last week. Starting Monday, the tram will donate $1 from each ticket sold to APD’s K-9 Unit, Sandia Peak Tramway President Ben Abruzzo announced at a Friday news conference. The “Rides for Rebel” fundraiser will end June 29. The facility will be named for Rebel, an 8-year-old Belgian Malinois who was shot in the face by officers during a confrontation with Jorge Dominguez...

A former Republican senator is endorsing Hillary Clinton for president after the mass shooting in Orlando, citing her support for gun control. Former Sen. Larry Pressler (R-S.D.) called for universal background checks on all gun sales and an assault weapons ban Monday in the wake of the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history. "I can't believe I'm endorsing Hillary Clinton for president, but I am," said Pressler, who spoke with The Hill on Monday after endorsing Clinton, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, in a statement issued over the weekend.... He said he feels disenfranchised by Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican...

Bayer explained her push by claiming armed citizens served the role of “intimidation” against lawmakers, making it difficult for some to support certain pieces of legislation. Michigan Senate Democrats in the Judiciary Committee passed bills Thursday that will ban bump stocks and require serialization on so-called “ghost guns.”

The Trump administration has reconsidered what state and territory firearms permits qualify as substitutes for National Instant Criminal Background Check system checks, or more generally, for Brady Law checks when purchasing a firearm. Two more states, Michigan and Alabama, have been added to the current list. As of present, 29 states and Puerto Rico have permits that qualify.Not all permits in a particular state may qualify. In Alabama, both the Concealed Carry Permit and the Lifetime Concealed Carry Permit qualify. In Michigan, both the Permit to Purchase, Carry, Possess, or Transport a handgun and the license to conceal carry qualify.Missouri...

Chaos erupted on Saturday evening after right-wing Colombian Presidential candidate Miguel Uribe was shot in the head during an event in Bogota, according to Colombian media. Uribe was rushed to a hospital after being shot in the head. According to Colombian media, Miguel Uribe is in serious condition. The 15-year-old shooter is in custody according to Bogota mayor Carlos Galan. Multiple shots rang out as Miguel Uribe delivered remarks to a crowd in the Fontibon district.

On Thursday, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the government of Mexico may not continue its lawsuit seeking to hold firearms manufacturers and a firearms distributor civilly accountable for their role in causing cartel-driven gun violence in Mexico. Having taken the case at an unusually early stage in the litigation, and so working from an undeveloped factual record, all nine justices agreed that Mexico’s current complaint does not even satisfactorily allege that the defendants have aided and abetted U.S. dealers who illegally sell guns to traffickers who then get them to the cartels in Mexico. What’s worse, Justices Clarence Thomas...

Few studies have examined the effectiveness of firearms in defense against bears. This may be because early experience with modern firearms against bears showed them to be incredibly effective compared to muzzleloading firearms, which were far superior to bows and spears.Before Christopher Columbus pioneered a regular and profitable way to travel to the Caribbean and the New World, Amerindians had difficulty defending themselves and their food against grizzly bears.Grizzly bears migrated into the area occupied by the 48 contiguous states a bit after humans, about 12,000 to 16,000 years ago. The bears originated in Europe and Asia, and had colonized...

A possible mass shooting plot at a Michigan graduation ceremony was thwarted, authorities said, and police are searching for one of the suspects who remains at large. The apparent plot was revealed after authorities responded to a fight that broke out during the Arts and Technology Academy of Pontiac graduation, which was held Tuesday at a business in Pontiac, Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said. "A person approached our deputies and gave them information that a family member had told them that they had seen on Snapchat a threat to shoot up this graduation ceremony," Bouchard said at a news...

In a unanimous decision the Supreme Court ruled 9-0 Thursday that the government of Mexico cannot hold American gun manufacturers accountable for criminal activity. More specifically, cartel violence south of the border. "The Government of Mexico sued seven American gun manufacturers, alleging that the companies aided and abetted unlawful gun sales that routed firearms to Mexican drug cartels," the order states. "Mexico focuses on production of 'military style' assault weapons, but these products are widely legal and purchased by ordinary consumers. Manufacturers cannot be charged with assisting criminal acts simply because Mexican cartel members also prefer these guns. The same...

The Supreme Court on Thursday blocked the Mexican government's lawsuit against major U.S. gun manufacturers, delivering a win for the firearms industry in a test of a federal law that shields them from civil suits. The high court unanimously rejected Mexico's arguments that its effort to hold firearms makers accountable for the violence wreaked by drug cartels armed with their products should proceed because it satisfied an exception to the liability shield provided through the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, or PLCAA. In the case known as Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. v. Estados Unidos Mexicanos, Mexico had...

In Texas statutes, Section 46.05(a) lists some items that are forbidden to knowingly possess, manufacture, repair, or sell. The statute includes short-barreled firearms, which have been heavily regulated by the federal government since 1934. SB1596 strikes short-barreled firearms from the list of prohibited items. From SB1596: Any of the following items, unless the item is registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record maintained by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms andExplosives or otherwise not subject to that registration requirement or unless the item is classified as a curio or relic by the United States Department of Justice:(A) an...

Citigroup announced Tuesday that it’s ending its policy restricting banking services to businesses selling firearms, citing “regulatory developments, recent executive orders and federal legislation.” The policy, which required retailers to limit gun sales to people over 21, was originally implemented in 2018 after a 19-year-old shot and killed 17 students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. However, in a statement released Tuesday, the bank indicated it will “no longer have a specific policy regarding firearms.” “The policy was intended to promote the adoption of best sales practices as prudent risk management and didn’t address the manufacturing of...