Free Republic

WSJ More Seniors, Fearing Crime, Flock to Shooting Ranges Gun dealers say personal safety is a priority for older people who want firearms training By James R. Hagerty AUSTINTOWN, Ohio—On a recent Monday at the Austintown Senior Center, activities included painting, bingo and shooting guns. Around 9:45 a.m., a dozen people in their 60s and 70s bundled into a van and several cars and headed to the nearby American Range shooting gallery, whose lobby features a portrait of Clint Eastwood over the legend “Go ahead make your day.” Soon, they were blasting away at paper targets dangling in a dim,...

Late at night this month, the pastor’s phone beeped with a text message from an anguished parishioner. Andre Taylor, the church member’s great-nephew, had been shot and killed. “Dre had just turned 16,” the message on the Rev. Ira Acree’s phone read. “I think that it’s time to call for action and solicit help, have the National Guard to take over and patrol the Chicago streets.” Four days earlier, another text had appeared. A different parishioner’s granddaughter, Daysha Wright, a 21-year-old nursing student, had been shot to death in a car, leaving a 2-year-old son. At his desk at Greater...

I sure wish this guy had been around this morning before I shoveled a ton of Peeps in my face. Could have avoided a stomach ache if he would have used them for target practice prior to me eating them for breakfast. ANYWAY, enjoy part two!

Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz warns as part of his stump speech that we are one Supreme Court Justice away from losing our Second Amendment Right to keep and bear arms. On Wednesday, President Obama nominated for the Supreme Court vacancy created by the passing of Justice Antonin Scalia just such an individual -- Judge Merrick Garland, chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbis, a Bill Clinton appointee.

But Long-Collins believes semi-automatic rifles and handguns should also be added to the list, and dismisses potential safety concerns. "[For most people] in the UK, you only see guns being used by the police or in video games. People aren't going to know the procedures and the application process," he says. There may be an urban-rural split. Many farmers need shotguns for work. But when I approached people on the streets of London - a far cry from the country farms where guns are part of the furniture - they largely reacted with confusion and disbelief when the subject of...

Since the passing of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, the GOP presidential field has, in a rare show of unity, supported Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's statement that Scalia's replacement should be determined by the results of the November election. Democratic hypocrites like Sen. Chuck Schumer accuse the GOP of obstructionism, the memory of their blocking of George W. Bush nominees having faded. They, while insisting that President Obama has the Constitutional right to nominate a replacement, which he does, forget the Senate's Constitutional role to advise and consent -- or not consent. They can say no -- or even...

I currently have a Sig Sauer P226 9mm and would like to purchase a Sig P229 Equinox .40 Ca.

The new normal for conservatives in Texas is to be attacked by spurious complaints that trigger outrageous misuses of our justice system. This month, Attorney General Ken Paxton joined other indicted conservatives, such as former Gov. Rick Perry, who do not deserve such abuse. Paxton's indictment resulted from a criminal complaint by state Rep. Byron Cook. Cook is one of the handful of Republican legislators who joined with the Democratic caucus in 2009 to oust the last conservative house speaker, Midland's own Tom Craddick. The House has since been ruled by Cook and other Republicans who joined forces to form...

Women are buying handguns in record numbers -- especially weapons that are small enough to conceal. But they are frustrated by the lack of firearm accessories catering to them. So some are starting companies of their own to tailor products to women. "I thought to myself, 'Where's all the women's stuff?'" said Lorelei Fay of Boise, Idaho. Fay couldn't find a suitable holster when she got her own concealed carry license. Her mother had taught her to sew, so she made her own: an elastic belly band with a holster for her Sig Sauer semiautomatic handgun. It also has pockets...

Do you see the puppet strings? The plot to disarm Americans and suspend the 2nd Amendment is working with furious pace. But it is anything but head on. The 2nd Amendment makes gun ownership an inalienable right and guarantees armed and formidable populace. The NRA and other lobbies have gun rights firmly entrenched in the Republican party. So the other side works the back door. Infiltration, sabotage and other dirty tricks. Is that what is happening? By all appearances, Soros, the elite wolf in sheep's clothing has been investing in firearms companies not to profit from them, but to destroy...

A new federal report reveals that 70% of the firearms seized by Mexican authorities between 2009 and 2014 originated in the United States. In addition, the report shows that the majority of those U.S.-originated guns were bought in California, Arizona, and Texas, southwest states that border Mexico.

Hickock45 explains what he thinks might have caused the problem(s) with his popular youtube channel being terminated. Repeatedly. Plus, why it was reinstated -besides a lot of people causing a fuss about its disappearance.

When President Obama announced executive actions that would require that all firearm sales undergo background checks, he did so with the blessing of more than 50 faith communities. Vincent DeMarco, national coordinator of Faiths United to Prevent Gun Violence, a coalition of Baptists, Methodists, Catholics and Mennonites among others, said, "Since Congress won't do anything, he's doing the best that he can do, and we think that's wonderful." Archbishop Thomas Wenski said the nation's Catholic bishops "welcome reasonable efforts aimed at saving lives and making communities safer." Mr. Obama's move on guns also marked the reappearance of an old friend....

2015 was a record year for the National Instant Checks System (NICS), and for firearm sales. The previous record year was in 2013, another year in which President Obama put considerable effort into passing strict gun control, and failed. It is one of the few policies that President Obama has not been able to use his allies in the media to ram legislation through Congress. In 2013, there were 21,093,271 background checks completed through NICS, according to the FBI.  That amounted to 16,031,210 additional private firearms added to the stocks, according to the ATF. The numbers for NICS checks...

Has anyone else noticed local and national news reports routinely have victims of crime where a gun was NOT used proclaim, "I am glad they didn't have a gun"? I've been noticing this more lately. A local news story had a fist fight over a parking spot and one of the participants proclaimed, "Glad they didn't have a gun!" In another story, someone tried to steal a dog in a park. The person said the same thing, "Glad they didn't have a gun!" Liberals always follow the crowd, so maybe that is what their crowd says about every incident, or,...

Obama gun control executive order compromises doctor-patient confidentiality for "mental health" issues In 2nd Amendment by Poor Richard January 5, 2016 Comment Once again, President Obama is circumventing Congress and the Constitution by issuing decrees and implementing them as if they are law. This time, he's going after a fundamental civil right protected by the Constitution: our right to keep and bear arms. Much of the media focus on Obama's executive orders thus far has been on the background checks provisions that would require private sellers of even a single firearm to register with the Federal Government as a "firearms...

Here's Why Shares of Gunmaker Smith & Wesson Are Jumping by Robert Hackett January 5, 2016, 8:58 AM EST The stock is up 6% premarket. Gunmaker Smith & Wesson SWHC 12.11% is projecting an incredible start to 2016, which sent shares up more than 6% in premarket trading. The company raised its revenue and earnings guidance for the current quarter and fiscal year, based on strong sales at recent gun shows as well as an uptick in year-end FBI background checks, an indicator that potential customers are looking to obtain gun licenses. Smith & Wesson now expects sales between $175...

VIRGINIA BEACH An off-duty Homeland Security special agent pointed a gun at another man during a road rage incident in Virginia Beach, police say. It happened around 10:30 a.m. Wednesday near the intersection of London Bridge Boulevard and Dam Neck Road. Witnesses called 911 to report a man pointing a gun at another man, said Officer Tonya Pierce, a spokeswoman for the Virginia Beach Police Department. The drivers were traveling north on Dam Neck approaching London Bridge when one pulled in front of the other and stopped. The two exchanged words, and a threat may have been made, police said....

Video Link Great advice from Don West, co-defense counsel representing George Zimmerman.

It’s not lost on anyone that the biggest supporters of gun control are those who have other people with guns employed to protect them. – Bearing Arms  Well, it may be lost on “those who have other people with guns employed to protect them.”Take Virginia’s radically anti-gun governor Terry McAuliff for example; his Attorney General recently moved to rescind reciprocal concealed carry permits with 25 states. In retaliation, the GOP legislature is now threatening to pass a bill that would  remove the  Governor’s armed protection unit.Seems fair, and aren’t we all about being fair? Leveling the playing field? It might...