Free Republic

Among the bleak, often harrowing images coming to us from Ukraine as it suffers a vicious invasion by Russia, there are images of hope and strength. Pictures of civilians lining-up to receive firearms or forming makeshift assembly lines to assemble Molotov Cocktails, are examples of something that many Liberals simply fail to grasp as a moving force of human nature – acts of self-preservation against those who would take away individual liberty. “The first and strongest desire God planted in men, and wrought into the very principles of their nature, [is] that of self-preservation,” John Locke wrote in 1689. The...

On September 21, the Biden Administration filed an amicus brief in the pending U.S. Supreme Court case of New York Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, supporting New York’s draconian and unconstitutional restrictions on the right to bear firearms in public for self-defense.This NRA-supported challenge to New York’s “may-issue” licensing scheme for public handgun carry is the first Second Amendment challenge to a firearm law to reach the high court since 2010.New York’s law presumptively denies the right to bear arms for self-defense unless a license applicant can demonstrate a special need for self-protection that distinguishes the person from the...

Homeland Security head Alejandro Mayorkas together with his underling John Cohen and the propagandists at the Anti-Defamation League went to CNN on Wednesday to drop a new blood libel smearing White Americans as "domestic violent extremists" in line with the Taliban who are poised to start committing terrorist attacks at any moment. All the same tactics our globalist overlords used to smear all Muslims as terrorists in order to launch the War on Terror in the Middle East are now being used against the American people to launch a new domestic War on Terror here at home. Despite hyping the...

President Joe Biden once again called for a ban on “assault weapons” and high-capacity magazines, which he referred to as “weapons of war” in an El Paso Times op-ed published Tuesday. The op-ed marked the two-year anniversary of a mass shooting in El Paso, Texas that left 23 people dead.“As we work together to counter the forces of violent hatred, we must also commit to ending the plague of gun violence that steals innocent lives and continues to devastate our communities,” Biden wrote. “I will continue to do everything I can to fight for commonsense gun laws that Americans overwhelmingly...

Instead, Democrats are preparing to vote on a scaled-down guns bill — most likely a curtailed plan to boost background checks for firearm buyers. The goal is to unite the party and pick up a limited number of Republican votes, even as their effort appears headed towards the same doomed fate as previous proposals to curb gun violence. Despite the all-but-certain GOP filibuster facing Democrats on guns, they’re well aware that a unified 50-vote Senate majority is the only way to put unmitigated political pressure on their opponents. It’s a stark contrast with Democrats' approach to their sweeping elections package,...

Without firing a shot (except at the firing range), Americans have won a revolution -- state by state. Texas is the latest to join the freedom coalition. The Texas Tribune reported to its dismay, "Texans can carry handguns without a license or training starting Sept. 1, after Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday signed the permitless carry bill into law. 35 years ago, it was illegal in 16 states (including Texas) for a civilian to carry a concealed weapon. Only Vermont did not require a pistol permit. Working through the slow process of going state to state to change the law,...

ONTARIO, Ore. — Most businesses in Idaho are relying on the honor code when customers without a mask say they are vaccinated, but that's not the case across the border in Oregon. New guidance from Oregon Health Authority now requires businesses to check a customer's vaccine status if they want to relax their guidelines. Restaurant owners like Jason Jugling, the owner of Plaza Inn in Ontario, wish the new health guidelines were clearer. Despite the new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Jugling is still requiring masks to be worn in his establishment. “I still have...

A Bend Police Department officer will be investigated for allegedly violating policy by wearing a keychain connected to a far-right group while in uniform on Saturday. Bend Chief Mike Krantz did not identify the employee, though Cpl. Josh Spano is the officer seen in a photograph circulating on Reddit and Facebook. Attached to the front of Spano’s service vest is an item reading “molon labe” in Greek lettering, a phrase associated with the far-right Three Percenters militia. The “molon labe” item and its letters appear to be larger than Spano’s name tag on his vest. “I’m aware of the allegations...

A Bend Police Department officer will be investigated for allegedly violating policy by wearing a keychain connected to a far-right group while in uniform on Saturday. Bend Chief Mike Krantz did not identify the employee, though Cpl. Josh Spano is the officer seen in a photograph circulating on Reddit and Facebook. Attached to the front of Spano’s service vest is an item reading “molon labe” in Greek lettering, a phrase associated with the far-right Three Percenters militia.

In this 2013 image, U.S. Sens. Mark Warner, left, and Tim Kaine talk to each other on their way to Senate Recording Studio aboard a small subway at U.S. Capitol in Washington. On the eve of the anniversary of the worst mass shooting in Virginia history, Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, both Virginia Democrats, are asking Congress to follow the state’s lead in enacting restrictions on the purchase and use of firearms. Kaine, who was governor when a lone gunman killed 32 students and teachers at Virginia Tech in 2007, joined with Warner, his predecessor as governor, to introduce...

“The role of declaring the winner of a presidential election in the U.S. falls to the news media. The broadcast networks and cable news outlets have vowed to be prudent.” – New York Times 11/3/2020 The New York Times‘ statement was not accidental, but pre-planned. We are in the middle of a coup d’etat by election-stealing against both President Trump and our republic, and the “mainstream media” is very much in on the plot. A first order of business before you read on: the intent of this piece is NOT to imply that it’s over, and that the evildoers will...

Jen O’Malley Dillon previously served as Biden’s campaign manager – but before that, she’d worked for Beto O’Rourke~~~~~Jennifer O’Malley Dillon previously served as Biden’s campaign manager – but before that, she managed Beto O’Rourke's 2020 campaign until he withdrew from the race.The former Texas congressman declared during a Sept. 2019 primary debate: "Hell yes, we’re going to take your AR-15, your AK-47."A few weeks later, O’Malley Dillon appeared in a video, posted on O’Rourke’s YouTube channel, touting the campaign's plan for "mandatory" buybacks of certain firearms, in addition to a new ban on assault-style weapons."We are actually the only campaign...

Joe Biden’s plan to tax gun owners for the right to keep and bear arms could reach as high as $34 billion, according to an analysis by the Washington Free Beacon.On the campaign trail, Biden made several promises relating to guns that he is going to have a hard time getting through Congress. Assigning liability for gun deaths to manufacturers is only the tip of the iceberg. Biden’s far-reaching program would drive online gun retailers out of business, which would include retailers selling gun supplies. It would force owners of AR-15s and other similar weapons to either sell them or...

American gun owners could face tens of billions of dollars in new taxes to keep the guns they already own under Democrat Joe Biden's gun ban and tax plan. At least 20 million rifles and 150 million ammunition magazines would be caught up in the sales ban and registration scheme Biden touted on the campaign trail, according to a National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) report. The new taxes would cost Americans more than $34 billion, according to a Washington Free Beacon analysis. NSSF told the Washington Free Beacon the sheer number of affected guns and magazines could pose a significant...

Former Vice President Joe Biden doubled down on his calls to ban “assault weapons” and “high capacity” magazines and to institute other gun controls on the final Sunday of his 2020 presidential campaign. Biden’s campaign wrote on his officialvTwitter account: “As president, I’ll ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, implement universal background checks, and enact other common-sense reforms to end our gun violence epidemic.” Breitbart News reported that Biden’s proposals not only contain a ban on the future manufacture of AR-15s and other firearms the Democrats label “assault weapons” but also a provision that could require every AR-15 rifle to...

The National Rifle Association has issued an alert that Democrats are using the worldwide coronavirus pandemic to push for more gun control. A bill introduced by U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Ga., "would leave law-abiding Americans defenseless," the organization charged. "At a time when our nation struggles, everyone's first and foremost concern is the safety of themselves and their loved ones. However, this doesn't stop Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA) from pushing a massive gun grab bill in the U.S. House of Representatives," the group said. The bill, H.R. 5717, the Gun Violence Prevention and Community Safety Act, is nothing new, the...

Thursday, a public hearing was held at the Capitol over a proposal to tax ammunition by an additional 35%. Nearly 50 people signed up to testify on this issue, and many spoke out against the proposal. “I feel this just goes too far. They just keep nibbling and taking away, taking away,” said Skip Roberts of Higganum. Recently retired, Roberts said he’s on a fixed income. He owns a gun to keep his family safe and estimates a day of practice at the range will cost him and his wife close to $100 more if the ammunition excise tax is...

Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring issued an advisory opinion stating that the resolutions that more than 100 localities across the commonwealth have passed declaring themselves "Second Amendment Sanctuaries" have "no legal effect." Herring, a Democrat, said Friday the localities and local constitutional officers “cannot nullify state laws” and must follow the gun laws passed by the General Assembly. "Neither local governments nor local constitutional officers have the authority to declare state statutes unconstitutional or decline to follow them on that basis," Herring wrote in the opinion. Spooked by Democrats taking control of the General Assembly and promising to pass gun...

Gov. Ralph Northam (D) announced Monday his “assault weapons” ban will mean AR-15 owners can either register their guns with the government or hand them over. The Virginia Mercury reported Northam spokeswoman Alena Yarmosky used a statement to say, “The governor’s assault weapons ban will include a grandfather clause for individuals who already own assault weapons, with the requirement they register their weapons before the end of a designated grace period.” Yarmosky made clear details on other gun controls will be made known before the start of the 2020 session in which Democrats take charge.

Rates of firearm ownership and gun sales are on the rise despite calls for gun control, according to a report released Wednesday by the Firearms Industry Trade Association (FITA). Using the most recent data from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF’s) Annual Firearms Manufacturing and Export Reports (AFMER) to draw its conclusions, FITA’s report stated there are 422.9 million firearms in civilian possession from 1986 to 2018, along with an estimated 8.1 billion rounds of various firearms calibers and gauges. The report also noted that in a 25 year period between 1993 and 2017, the violent crime...