Free Republic

Poster by Oleg Volk Armed citizens a "bad example" for kids?  Open carry promoting violence?  Open carry of weapons has been legal in Alabama for hundreds of years, but some police officers and judges have used the disorderly conduct statute to disarm those who they wished to discriminate against.  Given the history of black codes, and the Klan, this discrimination was practiced mostly against black people. Openly carried guns tend to put a damper on criminal attacks.  That is one  of the reasons that police openly carry guns.  An openly carried gun loudly proclaims to observers:  "I am not a...

House Bill 2 is settled, with a 9-0 MS Supreme Court decision, there is not much room for questions about the bills constitutionality.  So now we move on to understanding what H.B. 2 actually said and what that means to the citizens of Mississippi.  We’ve discussed what the bill does at length on Mississippi Gun News but a quick review might be in order.First the bill never directly addressed “open carry” so the idea that this was an open carry law was a complete fabrication by those who seek to limit our freedoms.  Open carry has always been “legal” in...

While we were politely and safely having a very respectful walk in Longview with our children and rifles, Obama was abolishing the Civilian Marksmanship Program.  133 folks came out to walk in support of Human Rights.    Kind of get the sense that respectful walks aren't going to get it done.  We are walking and the Government is outlawing gun rights at the same time. Kids like this going to grow up to be slaves of the state? They aren't GOING to have to come and take them.  The IRS will send you a notice. CMP Garand.  No more of...

<p>The three men behind an “open carry” demonstration conducted outside of a San Antonio Starbucks are each facing charges of “disorderly conduct” because some observers reportedly complained about the stunt.</p> <p>The group posted video of the entire demonstration, which included a disagreement with police officers, on YouTube. The men were seemingly well within their rights.Under Texas law, open carrying a rifle is not illegal as long as the gun is not loaded.</p>

Open carry at a rally protesting IRS abuse in Arizona This is a blow for reason and the rule of law in Mississippi.  The injunction against House Bill 2 should never have occurred.   You can read some background here.  From wreg.com: The judge ruled the bill was unconstitutionally vague. The Supreme Court decided that decision was incorrect. House Bill 2 would allow people without a permit to carry firearms as long as they are within sight. Concealed weapons still require a permit.  Here is some history of the Mississippi Constitution and how it has been gutted in the past....

(Jackson, MS) The Mississippi Supreme Court has ruled a Hinds County Circuit Court judge erred when he granted a motion delaying House Bill 2 from taking effect. That is the open carry law in Mississippi. The judge ruled the bill was unconstitutionally vague. The Supreme Court decided that decision was incorrect. House Bill 2 would allow people without a permit to carry firearms as long as they are within sight. Concealed weapons still require a permit.

A new attempt from a anti-gun advocate may just land the owner in hot water. Opened on August 23rd the page called 'Open Carry 911' with a mission to get citizens to call 911 if they saw someone open carrying a firearm, and tell the 911 call taker that they were being threatening. There is discussion of the page on the Wash. open carry forum. Open Carry 911's mission statement reads "I am starting a grass roots [sic] movement and encourage everyone to participate. If you see someone carrying a firearm call 911 and tell them the person is threatening...

Some people may not know that the Texas revolution for independence against dictatorial rule, like the American revolution, started with an attempt to disarm the citizens. When the upstart government of Santa Anna, who had taken over the Mexican state in a coup, tried to take a small cannon that the citizens of Gonzales, Texas had for defense against hostile indians, the citizens put into English the famous Greek phrase of the Spartans,  Molon Labe and said: Come and take it! One of the flags at the recent open carry demonstration in Kingwood, a Houston suburb It has been...

With rifles and shotguns strapped to their backs, members of the Come and Take Kingwood group held their first Open Carry Demonstration on the streets of Humble. The group met up at the intersection of Main Street and Avenue C in downtown Humble and walked in a silent but powerful demonstration of the right to bear arms on Main Street, N. Houston Avenue and First Street Aug. 17. “The Come and Take It Kingwood group is affiliated with the Come and Take It America group which hosts open carry demonstrations throughout the country,” .........

Richard Malley helps patrol the sparsely populated Arizona desert to spot Illegal aliens.  He has been arrested for refusing to surrender his rifle to deputies who refused to show their ID.  The story says that Richard Malley is accused of aggravated assault for allegedly pointing his rifle at a deputy.   From  abc15.com: GILA BEND, AZ - Authorities arrested an Arizona Minuteman for allegedly pointing a rifle at a deputy over the weekend. According to court paperwork, 49-year-old Richard Malley and two other men who are part of the Minuteman militia were patrolling the desert just east of Gila...

Open Carry Texas Members and Supporters Rally at the McAllen Police DepartmentOpen Carry Texas member and supporters rallied at the McAllen Police Department Saturday where member Zach Horton was arrested earlier in the week for what appears to be doing nothing more than following the law.The rally, dubbed “Come and Take It McAllen,” brought a crowd of 75-100 people at it’s peak, many of whom were legally openly carrying rifles in accordance with state law. The event was peaceful and drew Open Carry Texas members from across the state as well as local members and supporters in the Rio Grande...

Open carry at an IRS abuse protest in Arizona Steve Jones, a prominent Second Amendment writer and activist has organized an open carry march to celebrate the change in Arkansas law that goes into effect on August 16th. The march is scheduled for 24 August.   From 5Newsonline: The “celebration walk” is set to begin at 9 a.m. in Ben Geren Park. Twelve people have been invited to participate, Jones said, since a larger number would have required a permit. Jones said the participants will begin in the park with their handguns concealed, but then will openly carry the firearms...

People carrying firearms openly have racked up a significant number of settlements for police overstepping their bounds.  In this latest case, the city of Bellingham, Washington has agreed to pay $15,000. BELLINGHAM, Wash. (AP) - Lawyers say Bellingham has agreed to pay $15,000 to a man who was threatened by a police officer for wearing a holstered gun in a city park. The police officer pointed his gun at the citizen who was not breaking any law.   Second Amendment activists who exercise their rights are winning these cases by being scrupulously law abiding, polite, and recording their interactions....

 Open carriers in Arizona protesting politicization of the IRS On August 2nd, 2008, five years ago, Christopher Fetters was illegally arrested for exercising his Constitutional rights during the Coast Guard festival in New Haven, Michigan.  Parts of the original article are still available on  The High Road.  Fetters was legally carrying his holstered Glock when he was disarmed, arrested, and had his pistol confiscated. When the city attorney read the law, he realized that the City had made a mistake.  The charges were dropped and the pistol returned.    Mr. Fetters filed a Federal lawsuit against New Haven for civil...

With a .45 caliber legally strapped to his side, Jordan McManus decided to photograph the federal courthouse in Phoenix last night, realizing he would probably draw attention from police, especially after reading about Raymond Michael’s experience last May. But he was still a little surprised when a police helicopter hovered over him with a spotlight as two patrol cars pulled up next to him and another two cops approached him on foot. They immediately tried to disarm him, but he refused to let them do it as it is legal to open carry in Arizona. Then they tried to pat...

McALLEN — Organizers expect more than 100 gun owners to gather Saturday at the McAllen police station to protest the arrest of a gun rights activist who sought to photograph himself outside the Police Department with a rifle slung across his back. Zach William Horton, 37, had been traveling for work throughout the Rio Grande Valley, stopping at various police departments along the way and taking photographs outside them with his rifle. In McAllen, the effort landed him in jail. It’s a legal practice in Texas, which is an open carry state for rifles but not for handguns, said Robert...

Two important documents have been filed with the Supreme Court of Mississippi in recent days in response to an injunction preventing House Bill 2, a law clarifying the definition of “concealed” and characterized by some as an “open carry” bill, from going into effect. A halt, egged on by the Southern Poverty Law Center, was placed on the new law’s implementation by an activist Hinds County Circuit Court Judge at the behest of an anti-gun prosecutor and legislators. Hinds County District Attorney Robert Schuler Smith’s Response in Opposition to the State of Mississippi’s Combined Petition to Vacate a Permanent Injunction...

Now we wait Attorney Lisa Mishune Ross who represents DA Robert Shuler Smith and the handful of Hinds County Constables who have been “confused” by House Bill 2, filed a rambling and mostly irrelevant brief with the MS Supreme Court supporting Judge Winston Kidd’s injunction against House Bill 2. After reading her brief I am concerned that we are left completely uninformed of Ms Ross’ stand on dueling. Ms Ross proposes to address three issues in her brief: A. Whether the phrase “called not be called into question” [ I believe she means "shall not be called into question"] means...

Gun rights advocates across the country plan to openly carry firearms at Starbucks coffee shops on Friday in appreciation of the company's policy that allows gun owners to do so in states that it is legal. Some gun owners in Connecticut said Thursday they plan on open carrying their firearms at a Newtown store on Friday. On the Facebook group, "Starbucks appreciation day," the event's organizers say, "Starbucks is allowing us to lawfully carry firearms in their store. Recently, they have been the target of unjust attacks from certain groups that do not support our right to bear arms. We...

RUTLAND — Joshua Severance says his Second Amendment rights to openly carry a firearm were violated, but Rutland police say they were following the law when they handcuffed and briefly detained the Milton man this week. In a case that appears destined to end in a courtroom, Severance, 26, says he was walking down a residential Rutland street Monday afternoon with his shirt off and his 9mm Beretta semiautomatic handgun holstered on his hip when a city police cruiser stopped in front of him and an officer ordered him to place his hands on the hood. “I figured they wanted...