Free Republic

Bigotry assumes many forms, hides behind many facades, but always it is the same; the social demonization of entire groups, classes or races of people in an effort to make them appear inferior and detrimental by their very existence. In the wake of a nasty multiple shooting at a Pittsburgh, PA-area fitness club by a not-so-clearly psychotic man identified as George Sodini, America’s gun prohibitionists – led by the Violence Policy Center and Freedom States Alliance – are clamoring for restrictions or repeal of concealed carry statutes. In the case against legally-armed citizens, the VPC has even manufactured an innuendo-riddled...

Earlier in July, the Violence Policy Center’s Josh Sugarmann – writing on the Huffington Post website – made what had to be one of the more bone-headed attempts in recent memory to drive a wedge between people in the firearms community when he critiqued remarks written by Jan Libourel, editor of Gun World magazine. Libourel is an extraordinarily bright guy, well-read in every sense, and – as is common among gun writers – unabashedly opinionated. As a recognized firearms authority, he’s supposed to be opinionated. That’s his job, and he is very good at it. Gun owners enjoy those opinions,...

Despite anti-gun propaganda, the U.S. murder rate is nowhere near that of many other countries. Here's a pop quiz for you: Which country in the world has the highest murder rate? If you said the United States, you would be wrong, but your error would certainly be excusable. The incessant drumbeat from the mainstream media and anti-gun groups serves to perpetuate the canard that the U.S. is the bloodiest free-fire zone on earth. Nothing could be further from the truth. In his article "America: The Most Violent Nation?" researcher David C. Stolinsky shows conclusively that there are a number of...

    Tools Subscribe to this paper Larger / Smaller Text Elementary deduction Monday, January 17, 2005 Sherlock Holmes could teach deductive reasoning to the National Academy of Sciences. Holmes, the quintessential detective created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, knew that by eliminating all other factors, the remaining one must be the truth. An NAS panel created during the Clinton administration -- and infested with gun-grabbers -- issued a 328-page report on gun control. It studied hundreds of articles, books, government publications, gun-control laws and its own empirical work. But its exhaustive study -- analyzing the former ban on...

  FN 5.7 (Fabrique Nationale) pistol is a semiautomatic pistol in 5.7 X 28 mm caliber 1/20/05In response to numerous questions that ATF has received regarding the capabilities of the 5.7 X 28mm cartridge, the following technical information is provided.FTB classified SS196 ammunition as not armor piercing. The FN 5.7 (Fabrique Nationale) pistol is a semiautomatic pistol in 5.7 X 28 mm caliber. Type: Double Action Only or Single Action (in Tactical model).Chambering: 5.7x28mm. Length: 208 mm Barrel length: 122.5 mm Magazine: 20 rounds. The FN 5.7 (Fabrique Nationale) pistol is a semiautomatic pistol in 5.7 X 28 mm caliber...

Licensed riders would be allowed to carry concealed handguns on board A showdown about the right to carry concealed handguns on Metro trains and buses appears headed for a peaceful ending today. Metro board members are expected to vote this afternoon to repeal the restriction, which has been in effect since 1995 after the Legislature voted to allow licensed owners to carry concealed handguns in most public places. State Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson, who wrote the legislation as a state senator, has been a vocal critic of bans such as those adopted by Metro and many other government entities in...

One of the continuing debates in this country is over gun control laws and their efficacy. Gun control advocates often cite the ease with which a person can purchase a firearm from retail outlets and worry that such outlets are arming criminals in huge numbers. Lawsuits have been filed against wholesalers and retailers alleging that their marketing practices make it easy for criminals to get guns. These advocates continually push for more restrictions on firearms purchases in vain attempts to keep guns from criminals and others who shouldn’t have access to them. The problem with such laws is that criminals...

Program aims to cut crime by disarming convicted felons Kansas City law enforcement closed 2004 by announcing that more than 700 defendants had been charged since 1999 under Project Ceasefire, a program that penalizes illegal firearm possession. Though the program is best known for ensnaring felons who illegally possess firearms, it also has snagged felons who simply possessed ammunition and offenders who had weapons while violating court orders of protection. U.S. Attorney Todd Graves said that gun violations will continue to be a top concern for his office. “Our focus remains on prosecuting repeat offenders who make the decision to...

WOBURN, Mass., Dec. 24 - When Massachusetts this month became the first state to install an electronic instant-check system complete with a fingerprint scanner for gun licenses and gun purchases, the impact was quickly apparent. On Wednesday, for example, moments after a court placed a woman's husband under a restraining order, a notice about the order popped up on a new computer terminal at the police station here. Given that information, the Woburn police went to the man's house and confiscated his guns, all 13 of them. The computer is part of the record-check system and allows the police and...

With the 109th Congress set to convene in January 2005, and legislative business to begin shortly thereafter following the Presidential Inauguration on January 20, it is critical that, upon their arrival to Congress, lawmakers are greeted with phone calls, letters, and e-mails from constituents communicating their position on gun-related issues. We are billing this week that Congress returns as "Firearm Awareness Week." With many lawmakers taking office for the first time, or having never cast a vote on a federal gun-related issue, NOW is the time to formulate a strategy for contacting your elected officials in Washington so they know...

Few people remember the school shooting in Pearl, Mississippi that took place in October 1997. Fewer people remember how it ended. This episode came to a close when Pearl High School Assistant Principal Joel Myrick sprinted a quarter mile to retrieve a personal handgun from his car and confronted the shooter who was unwilling to continue the attack against an armed victim. Myrick parked so far away from the school to keep from violating federal gun free zone statutes. By the time the shooting spree ended, two students lay dead and seven others were wounded. Myrick's heroic defense of the...

Associated Press BAYONNE, N.J. -- Researchers are making progress in developing "smart gun" technology, but it will still be at least five years before a New Jersey law requiring it can take effect, officials said Thursday. Using sensors in the grip, the technology would prevent a handgun from being fired by anyone but its owner. Scientists, politicians and police officers attended a demonstration Thursday of a system being developed at New Jersey Institute of Technology that identifies a gun's authorized user but does not control the gun's firing mechanism. Donald Sebastian, NJIT's vice president for research and development, said it...

I hold a Minnesota permit to carry a handgun. I see people write in to the paper all the time, attacking the issue of "conceal and carry," obviously having done little to no research on the subject. Simple facts are all that is needed to help clarify this somewhat controversial issue. Neither the 2003 Minnesota Citizens Personal Protection Act nor the old gun law differentiated between open and concealed carry of a handgun. However, out of consideration for non-permit holders, as well as for tactical reasons, most of us conceal our weapons. The MPPA did not allow everyone to carry...

Crime Prevention: Unable to repeal the right to bear arms, gun control advocates have tried to repeal the right to sell them, on the theory that if we disarm potential victims, gun violence would end. In yet another victory for the concept of individual responsibility for one's actions and just plain common sense, the Illinois Supreme Court has unanimously rejected a lawsuit by the city of Chicago against 18 gun manufacturers, four distributors and 11 dealers. The city asserted that the firearms industry has created a "public nuisance," and asked for $433 million for health care and emergency services expenses....

Washington - Emboldened by the results of the month's elections, the nation's largest gun lobby will push again for a federal law shielding gunmakers and sellers from lawsuits. When the new Congress convenes in January, the National Rifle Association says, it will have four more pro-gun senators. The trade group hopes that will help make the difference in passing a bill that died in the Senate in March. "The chance of success is greater this time," said Bob Levy, senior fellow at The Cato Institute, a conservative think tank in Washington. The idea of lawsuit immunity pits gun owners and...

Judges are often accused of "activism"--a desire to extend their reach from interpreting the law and resolving cases to making policy on matters that are none of their darn business. So they deserve credit when they resist invitations to override democracy. That's what the Illinois Supreme Court did by a unanimous vote Thursday, in a decision with repercussions beyond our borders. The cases involved lawsuits against gun dealers and manufacturers who offer weaponry in Illinois. The City of Chicago has a strict ban on handgun ownership, but guns may be sold in neighboring suburbs, even to Chicago residents. Some of...

Brother of slain city councilman voices support for stricter gun laws The brother of the Brooklyn city councilman who was shot to death at City Hall last year returned to the scene of the crime yesterday to express support for legislation that would strengthen the city's gun control laws. His "heart is broken beyond repair" by the shooting of his brother, the late James Davis, and he hopes to prevent similar gun-related tragedies, Geoffrey Davis said. "These weapons are devastating our communities," said Davis, during a hearing of the City Council's Public Safety Committee. "They're used to kill, steal and...

www.gunowners.orgNov 2004 2004 Election Report -- Guns a major factor in races all across the nation Gun Owners of America 8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102 Springfield, VA 22151 (703)321-8585 November 5, 2004 The 2004 election might be remembered as "The Year of the Gun Owner." Presidential candidate John Kerry, a liberal anti-gun Senator from Massachusetts, tried to morph himself into 'The Hunter.' Rarely a day passed during the latter part of the campaign without Kerry posing with a firearm and speaking about his strong support of the Second Amendment, in complete contradiction to his 20-year anti-gun voting record. Kerry was...

Assault weapons ban renewal unlikely in Congress WASHINGTON — Gun-control advocates lost ground in the 2004 elections, ending any shot that Congress will renew a federal ban on assault weapons in the next two years. "My general reading is that neither side wants it to come up," said Rep. Christopher Shays, R-4. The 10-year-old ban, which Shays co-authored, outlawed 19 semi-automatic weapons as well as guns with certain military-style features such as folding stocks, bayonet mounts or flash suppressors. A clause directed that the ban expire in September 2004 unless Congress specifically reauthorized it. That did not happen. House Republican...

Tribune staff reporters Ray Long and Lisa Black contributed to this report SPRINGFIELD -- The Illinois Senate voted Tuesday to let courts ignore local gun bans in cases where a gun owner uses a firearm in self-defense, overriding by a healthy margin a veto of the measure. With several members calling it a common sense proposal, senators voted to trump the governor's veto 40-18--with two more affirmative votes than the bill received when legislators passed it last spring. Commonly known as the "Wilmette bill," the measure surfaced as a result of the case of Hale DeMar, who shot an intruder...