Free Republic

Washington State has been pushing for more infringements of Second Amendment rights for several years. SB 5444 is a bill that follows New York, California, and New Jersey in expanding “sensitive locations” as a way to infringe on Second Amendment rights. The current law restricts carry in courtrooms, jails, and secure areas of airports. SB 5444 expands the ban on the carry of weapons to libraries, zoos, aquariums, and, especially, “transit stations” or “transit facilities.” Transit stations or transit facilities are defined to include bus stops, shelters, and all properties that are by a “transit authority” for the purpose of...

Democrats in New Mexico’s House of Representatives are weighing an “assault weapons” ban and two-week waiting period on gun purchases, along with other requirements that closely mirror controls that have been in place in California for years. On January 13, 2024, Breitbart News reported that New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) was pushing the two week waiting period and other controls, including the ability for New Mexicans to sue gun manufacturers. Grisham also wanted an expansion of gun-free zones in which even licensed concealed carriers would be prohibited from being armed for self-defense.

Senate negotiators unveiled an 80-page bill Tuesday evening responding to the mass shootings at the Tops supermarket in Buffalo, N.Y., and the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, capping weeks of intense negotiations. Sen. Chris Murphy (Conn.), the lead Democratic negotiator, is hailing the bill as the biggest breakthrough on the issue of gun violence in 30 years and predicted Tuesday it would save lives. Sen. John Cornyn (Texas), the head Republican in the talks, says the legislation will take guns out of the hands of people who are dangerous or break the law but won’t affect the gun rights...

On Monday, two biotech companies filed a lawsuit against Moderna in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware, accusing the vaccine manufacturer of patent infringement on its COVID-19 vaccine.

A California city voted Tuesday night to require gun owners to carry liability insurance in what’s believed to be the first measure of its kind in the United States. The San Jose City Council overwhelmingly approved the measure despite opposition from gun owners who said it would violate their Second Amendment rights and promised to sue. The Silicon Valley city of about 1 million followed a trend of other Democratic-led cities that have sought to rein in violence through stricter rules. But while similar laws have been proposed, San Jose is the first city to pass one, according to Brady...

The San José City Council will vote Tuesday on requiring every household with a gun owner to have liability insurance coverage for their firearms and pay an annual fee – which would make San Jose the first city or state in the nation with such gun violence reduction proposals.

Beijing - North Korea on Saturday criticized the United States for abusing the country's "right to self-defense," days after President Joe Biden said Pyongyang's latest launch of ballistic missiles violated U.N. Security Council resolutions. "The new U.S. administration obviously took its first step wrong," Ri Pyong Chol, secretary of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, said in a statement carried in English by the state-run Korean Central News Agency. "We cannot but build invincible physical power for reliably defending the security of our state under the present situation in which South Korea and the U.S. constantly...

ESSENTIAL BUSINESSES OR ENTITIES, including any for-profit or non-profit, regardless of the nature of the service, the function they perform, or its corporate or entity structure, are not subject to the in-person restriction. Essential Businesses must continue to comply with the guidance and directives for maintaining a clean and safe work environment issued by the Department of Health (DOH) and every business, even if essential, is strongly urged to maintain social distancing measures to the extent possible.This guidance is issued by the New York State Department of Economic Development d/b/a Empire State Development (ESD) and applies to each business location...

Ten different guns cases were on the agenda of the justices’ private conference on Friday, where they met to decide which cases they will hear in the upcoming term. Each of those cases has been considered at one previous conference, a clear signal that there is “serious interest” in hearing them, according to John Elwood, a leading court observer and a partner at the law firm Arnold & Porter. It is possible the court could announce as soon as Monday that it will hear one or more of the cases. If it does so, a decision would be expected by...

Tesla Inc. TSLA, +4.08% Chief Executive Elon Musk reiterated his criticism of ongoing shelter-in-place orders across the U.S., calling it an "infringement of people's rights" and saying that telling people they cannot leave their homes is "fascist, this is not democratic. Give people back their (expletive) freedom." Tesla's sole U.S. vehicle-producing factory in Fremont, Calif., has been shuttered since late March as the San Francisco Bay Area was among the first regions in the U.S. to issue mandatory shutdowns. "It's outrage" that will cause "great harm" not just to Tesla but other companies and suppliers, Musk said in a call...

The upcoming Virginia General Assembly is set to vote on a wide range of gun control bills that Gov. Ralph Northam (D) is pushing now that Democrats hold majorities in the statehouse. Trying to capitalize on that momentum, Delegate-elect Dan Helmer (D), an Iraq and Afghanistan veteran, announced on Monday he is introducing three more gun control bills to "reduce gun violence in Virginia." HB567 will implement a ban on indoor shooting ranges in private buildings with "large numbers of employees" because of "recent workplace shootings." The bill would ban the ranges if it is in a building that has...

Rep. Doug Collins, R-Ga., the top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee, on Wednesday said he wants the facts – and rational thought – to be used in work on gun control plans being considered by Congress. But he doesn't have high hopes. His comments came as the committee, run by Democrats, worked on a hearing titled "Protecting America from Assault Weapons." The hearing was to hear from several witnesses, including Nan Whaley, the mayor of Dayton, Ohio, the scene of one of several shootings in recent weeks where either a deranged or homicide-minded individual attacked innocent people, with guns....

"Hell yes, we're going to take your AR-15 and your AK-47," said Robert Francis "Beto" O'Rourke, a former El Paso congressman, during last week's Democratic presidential debate. To some, his remarks sounded like a spontaneous outpouring of emotion. But within minutes of the debate ending, his campaign was marketing pre-printed tee-shirts bearing his carefully rehearsed sound bite. The framers of America's Constitution enshrined the right to keep and bear arms as the Second Amendment in its Bill of Rights because guns were the most tangible guarantee of power in the hands of the people. This is precisely why progressive Democrats,...

“So let’s do it” is representative of the common response from gun control advocates when their political opponents condemn acts of gun violence. While this may not have been Mr. Guttenberg’s intention, the fact is that the Left cannot see the difference between agreeing with a problem and agreeing with their proposed solution. For them, if you agree that mass shootings are morally abhorrent, then you must therefore agree with their gun control proposals. Ted Cruz agreed with the problem, but until we agree on the “it,” we will not move forward together. The second moment came during one of...

Despite of what the left-wing media wants you to believe, there is not an epidemic of mass shootings, or an epidemic of gun violence in general, in the United States. The data make this clear. In fact -- and again, in spite of what many in the media would have us believe -- by many accounts, mass shootings are not even on the rise. Definitions of what constitutes a “mass shooting” vary, but using “standard definitions,” a recent piece in The Conversation -- an academic and research journal -- declares that “Mass shootings aren’t growing more common.” In support of...

Nonetheless, I'm willing to compromise. I'm willing to give Democrats a crown jewel of what they've demanded for decades. I want President Donald Trump to call their bluff. Democrats want "universal background checks" on all gun sales. Let's give it to them -- as soon as Democrats agree to federal government-issued photo and fingerprint ID for every voter in America. Now there's a grand bargain. Isn't that an offer too good to refuse? Democrats claim they want to stop gun violence. They claim universal background checks are the answer. So why would they reject this offer? Are they so frightened...

In the wake of the mass shooting in Texas over the weekend, the liberal media did their predictable song and dance calling for staunch gun control measures. This time around, ABC’s Sunday Good Morning America whined about Texas loosening their gun laws to make it easier for law-abiding citizens to protect themselves. Meanwhile, on NBC’s Sunday Today, political director Chuck Todd seemed almost thankful that the shooting put gun control “front and center” again. During ABC’s coverage of the shooting, correspondent Rachel Scott gave the topic of gun control positive spin by dubbing it “gun reform”. And complained about President...

Starting on July 22, 2019, Walmart will no longer sell firearms in New Mexico. A spokesperson for the retail giant told local media that the decision was in response to the July 1st rollout of the state’s new universal background check law. “Unlike a specialty sporting goods retailer where customers expect to see firearms of various types being handled, Walmart customers do not generally expect to see individuals walking through the store potentially carrying multiple firearms, which can lead to confusion and potentially putting both our customers and associates at risk,” Walmart spokeswoman Tiffany Wilson told KOAT. Signed into law...

The Parsons, however, are suing the companies over bump stocks, the firearm accessory the shooter utilized to mimic a fully-automatic firearm. The couple is suing the companies for "illegal, negligent and wrongful conduct." Their primary argument is that the shooter had "illegal" fully automatic firearms because he attached a bump stock to his AR-15. They believe that made the firearm fully automatic, which isn't the case. “The statutory definition of a machine gun or automatic weapon is that it will repeatedly fire,” the couple's attorney, Rick Friedman, told KIRO-TV. “The statutory definition also says any gun that can be simply...

Democratic presidential hopeful Eric Swalwell is being schooled in the U.S. Constitution after stating on Twitter that since people need a license to drive, the government should require a license to use a gun. If you need a license to operate a vehicle, shouldn’t you need a license to operate a weapon?https://t.co/V9KERFpFHu — Eric Swalwell (@ericswalwell) June 16, 2019 Swalwell, who earlier invoked the government’s nuclear weapons to threaten those who would resist gun-confiscation programs, said, “If you need a license to operate a vehicle, shouldn’t you need a license to operate a weapon?” Twitter user Hector Vargas argued that...