Free Republic

Hawaii's highest court ruled Wednesday that Second Amendment rights as interpreted by the U.S. Supreme Court do not extend to Hawaii citizens, citing the "spirit of Aloha."In the ruling, which was penned by Hawaii Supreme Court Justice Todd Eddins, the court determined that states "retain the authority to require" individuals to hold proper permits before carrying firearms in public. The decision also concluded that the Hawaii Constitution broadly "does not afford a right to carry firearms in public places for self defense," further pointing to the "spirit of Aloha" and even quoting HBO's TV drama "The Wire.""Article I, section 17...

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) is reportedly preparing a new rule to regulate private gun sales, requiring background checks via the FBI. Empower Oversight, representing IRS agents in the Hunter Biden case, has raised concerns about the move, calling it an “unconstitutional” power grab. The group argues that only Congress has the authority to enact such changes due to a 1986 law prohibiting background checks for private firearm sales. “Such an expansive rule that treats all private citizens the same as federal firearms licensees would circumvent the separation of powers in the Constitution, which grants ‘all...

Historians have found themselves caught in the middle of America's debate over gun control ever since the Supreme Court ruled in 2022 that firearms laws must be consistent with American "tradition." That decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen set off a new wave of challenges to state and federal restrictions on guns. "What's happening now is a fight over what the Second Amendment ultimately means," says Chuck Michel, president and general counsel at the California Rifle & Pistol Association, which is suing the state over newly passed limits on concealed firearms. "This truly is a...

leven years ago, Democratic state lawmakers faced protests and recalls over their passage of a high-capacity magazine ban and universal background checks for gun buyers in the wake of the Aurora and Sandy Hook mass shootings. The legislation cost two senators their seats, including the Senate president, and a third resigned. The backlash left a scar on Democratic leaders, even as the recalled lawmakers said they had no regrets. For several years, legislators introduced few gun reform bills, and none passed. But that timidity is now long gone — a turnaround attributable to increasing Democratic electoral dominance in Colorado and...

BOCA RATON, Fla., Jan. 31, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Marking a major victory for California gun owners and advocates of Second Amendment rights, a federal court in the District of Southern California today ruled to strike down the state's 2019 ammunition law requiring in-person background checks for every individual purchase of standard ammunition. The decision comes after a knockout lawsuit—uniting the national online discount ammo retailer Ammunition Depot, the California Rifle & Pistol Association (CRPA), and Olympic shooter Kim Rhode, among others—and challenging the new process' excessive restrictions on law-abiding residents. The court firmly sided with challengers in concluding that the...

Washington State Democrats are defining the 2024 legislative session as an all-out war on gun rights. They are not only trying to impose licenses on gun ownership and a per-bullet tax. Now, far-left lawmakers are trying to put gun shops out of business with insurmountable, frivolous costs under the lie that it’s about public safety. What they’re asking for is not possible, and that’s the point. Federal Firearms Licensed (FFL) shops are subject to intense regulation, requiring significant investments in security under penalty of loss of license, business-ending financial punishments, and jail time. HB 2118 would completely upend the high...

Pennsylvania House Democrats advanced an “assault weapons” ban and a ban on the purchase, possession, and sale of non-serialized gun parts on Wednesday. The Democrats also advanced legislation to “prohibit accelerated trigger activators, which increase the rate of gunfire,” and a bill to “subject 3D-printed firearms to the same regulations as standard firearms,” the Associated Press reported.

In Florida, U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle has ruled that the federal law prohibiting people from possessing firearms inside post offices is unconstitutional. The ruling is based on the 2022 Supreme Court ruling New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen recognized a person’s right to carry a handgun in public for self-defense.The case concerned Emmanuel Ayala, a U.S. Postal Service truck driver, who had a concealed weapons permit and held a Smith & Wesson 9mm handgun in a fanny pack for self-defense. When police tried to stop him, he ran and struggled with officers. While dismissing the...

Afederal judge has declared that a law banning Americans from possessing guns in postal offices is unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle in Florida ruled Friday that a landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling from 2022 made the postal office gun ban illegal. As part of the decision, she dismissed part of an indictment charging postal worker Emmanuel Ayala with illegally possessing a gun in a federal building. She said the criminal charge violated Ayala’s 2nd Amendment rights. [link to judge's opinion included in article]

The gun controls in Oregon’s Ballot Measure 114 (BM 114) were permanently blocked via a General Judgment entered January 9, 2024, by Harney County Circuit Court Judge Robert Raschio.Raschio initially blocked the gun controls just days before they were to go into effect.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Contrary to concerns from some local leaders, a new study shows a decrease in gun crimes across six of Ohio’s eight largest cities following the implementation of the state’s “constitutional carry” law. The research, conducted by the Center for Justice Research (CJR) in partnership with Bowling Green State University, analyzed data from June 2021 to June 2023, covering a year before and after the law went into effect in June 2022. It focused on crimes involving firearms, verified gunshot-detection alerts, and the number of officers struck by gunfire. The findings revealed: Overall Decline: Across all eight cities,...

An Ohio prosecutor has indicted a smoke shop manager for allegedly shooting to death a 16-year-old boy during a robbery attempt — but warned that people “should expect to be shot” if they target stores. Hamilton County Prosecutor Melissa Powers filed the charges against the manager, Tony Thacker, 29, for allegedly shooting at would-be robbers as they fled VIP Smoke Shop in Delhi Township on Oct. 20.. “There is simply no justification for shooting at someone as they are running away,” Powers said .. “However, I want to make perfectly clear — these retail thefts will not be tolerated. If...

Washington — The Supreme Court on Thursday declined to block an Illinois law banning assault-style weapons, leaving the measure in place while proceedings before a federal appellate court continue.The decision from the justices, with no noted dissents, marks the second time they have declined to halt Illinois' statewide ban, which a gun rights advocacy group and gun shop owner argued violates the Second Amendment. It has also left in place a similar ordinance in Naperville, a suburb of Chicago.The unsigned order from the court rejecting the request from the pro-Second Amendment organization comes on the heels of the latest spate...

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) is pushing a ban on AR-15s and other semiautomatic rifles in an upcoming 30-day legislative session in her state. The Santa Fe Reporter noted Grisham wants to do what Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM) unsuccessfully attempted at the federal level. Heinrich, together with Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), put forward the Gas-Operated Semiautomatic Firearms Exclusion Act (GOSAFE), and it went nowhere. Breitbart News reported the focus on the AR-15’s gas operation came some 64 years after the gun was designed to use spent gas from a shell casing to reset the bolt group and ready...

The National Rifle Association lambasted a proposal from the ATF that the gun-rights group says could "unjustly criminalize" Americans for selling a firearm and consequently create "serious confusion" for legal gun owners who engage in firearm transactions. "The Biden ATF's proposed rule, ATF2022R-17, is just another attempt to demolish our Second Amendment rights, with the potential to unjustly criminalize everyday Americans for engaging in lawful firearm transactions," NRA-ILA Executive Director Randy Kozuch exclusively told Fox News Digital in a statement. "This rule blatantly disregards the recent NRA-backed Bruen ruling on the Second Amendment. It also creates serious confusion among lawful...

The proportion of registered Democrats who have a firearm in their home has jumped significantly over the past few years.. rising crime in urban areas could be behind the increase. In November 2023 the survey found 41 percent of Democrats said they live in a household with a gun, up from 33 percent in a similar survey .. in August 2019. Notably, 33 percent of Democrats also said they lived with a gun in a similar NBC survey conducted in March 2004, indicating the sharp rise has been concentrated over the past four years. ... The data also showed a...

It’s been just over a month since 18 Mainers lost their lives in a mass shooting in Lewiston. Now, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) says he is putting forward new legislation designed to help curb mass killings without hindering Americans who own a firearm for self-defense or the marksmen who head to the shooting range or the woods during hunting season. King says the Gas-Operated Semi-Automatic Firearms Exclusion (GOSAFE) Act would regulate the sale, transfer, and manufacture of gas-operated semi-automatic guns. Also read: Tragedy in Maine: Who are the victims of the Lewiston mass shooting? He is proposing to limit...

More than half of American voters -- 52% -- say they or someone in their household owns a gun, per the latest NBC News national poll.That's the highest share of voters who say that they or someone in their household owns a gun in the history of the NBC News poll, on a question dating back to 1999.In 2019, 46% of Americans said that they or someone in their household owned a gun, per an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll. And in February 2013, that share was 42%."In the last ten years, we've grown [10 points] in gun ownership. That's...

The Biden campaign Monday laid out the stakes of the 2024 election when it comes to gun violence, warning that a second term for former President Trump would “cost more American lives.” In a memo shared first with The Hill titled “Trump’s America in 2025: More Guns, More Shootings, More Deaths,” the Biden campaign cited Trump’s past comments to argue the Republican front-runner would allow more firearms in schools and push for a national concealed carry law. “A Donald Trump presidency will mean more guns in schools and more guns in the hands of criminals, all because he thinks being...

The Gun Control Argument Obliterated in Under One Minute by a Guy Drinking Coffee