Free Republic

Keith Olbermann owned himself on Twitter.The left-wing former ESPN and MSNBC commentator unveiled a novel argument for the constitutionality of gun control — that the Second Amendment doesn’t use the word “own.”~~SNIP~~“Consider again the holy Second Amendment to the Constitution and ask yourself this question. Why doesn’t the 2nd Amendment have the word ‘own’ in it? Why does it not say the right to own guns or a synonym for own?” he asked sarcastically before reciting the existing amendment.It says “‘keep and bear’ … not ‘own.’ ‘Keep’ doesn’t mean ‘own’; ‘bear’ doesn’t mean ‘own,’” he said to his close-up camera.In...

Last month a survey of American firearms enthusiasts found that seventy-nine percent of respondents said they’d cut down on their shooting-related activities due to the ongoing ammunition shortage. The survey, which was conducted by industry research firm Southwick Associates, further found that four out of five consumers had encountered “out-of-stock” situations.

According to a report from The Tampa Free Press this month, there are now 1,930 counties – roughly sixty-one percent of total counties in the United States – that are considered safe spaces for firearms owners, and more than half of those (1,137 in total) have passed Second Amendment Sanctuary laws. Many of the other aforementioned counties are in the twenty-one states that have adopted Constitutional Carry laws, which allow gun owners to carry a concealed weapon without a permit.

The Missouri legislature has passed HB 85, “Second Amendment Preservation Act”. The bill passed the Senate 22 – 10 and the House 107 – 43. The bill is a stringent anti-commandeering act that forbids Missouri officials from enforcing or aiding in the enforcement of laws inimical to Second Amendment rights. From mo.gov:(1) Declares that laws,rules,orders,or other actions that collect data, restrict or prohibit the manufacture, ownership,and use of firearms, firearm accessories,or ammunition exclusively within this state exceed the powers granted to the federal government except to the extent they are necessary and proper for governing and regulating land and naval...

A suspected home intruder has died after initiating a shoot-out with a rural California homeowner, according to the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office. The deceased, 41-year-old Rodney Lee Martin, was found inside the home with a stolen firearm on his person, authorities said. At around 12:22 p.m. on Friday, deputies responded to a 911 call from a homeowner in unincorporated Modesto, according to a statement from the sheriff's office. Upon arrival, they found Martin dead from at least one gunshot wound. The homeowner told the authorities that they rushed home after receiving an alert from their alarm company that their home...

U.S.A. –-(AmmoLand.com)- On June 4th, 2021, in the Southern District of California, Judge Roger T. Benitez found the complex regulatory scheme of California gun laws that outlaw the ownership of “Assault weapons”, particularly semi-automatic clones of the AR-15, are unconstitutional violations of the Second Amendment on their face.From the decision:Like the Swiss Army Knife, the popular AR-15 rifle is a perfect combination of home defense weapon and homeland defense equipment. Good for both home and battle, the AR-15 is the kind of versatile gun that lies at the intersection of the kinds of firearms protected under District of Columbia v....

Opinion A Travis County grand jury has indicted an active-duty former Fort Hood Army sergeant on charges of murder, deadly conduct and aggravated assault in the 2020 shooting death of an armed Austin protester. Perry, who was stationed at Fort Hood, was working for a ride-sharing company and just dropped off a customer when he turned onto a street filled with people protesting police brutality. He stopped his car, honked, and seconds later, police said Perry drove his car into the crowd, The Texas Tribune reported. But videos show that he was under attack contradictory to the police reports! The...

Just five weeks after last month’s massacre at a San Jose light-rail yard that left nine people dead, the city has taken unprecedented gun-control action. In a unanimous vote Tuesday night, San Jose’s city council approved a national first that will see gun owners being forced to compensate taxpayers for the spiraling costs of gun violence. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, gun owners in California’s third-largest city will be required to take out liability insurance for their firearms, and pay an annual tax that will help fund emergency responses to gun-related calls. In a news release ahead of Tuesday...

In the wake of the VTA rail yard mass shooting in May, the San Jose City Council unanimously passed two first-in-the-nation gun control measures that are already creating controversy. One measure requires all gun owners to obtain liability insurance for their firearms, and a second measure requires all gun owners in the city to pay an annual tax that would go towards emergency services responding to gun-related calls. San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo said the measure is an attempt to compensate taxpayers for the costs of gun violence. “While the Second Amendment protects the right to bear arms, it does...

An analysis has revealed that more than three-fifths of all U.S. counties are so-called “Second Amendment sanctuaries” after a number of states this year passed legislation declaring them as such. The website, Sanctuary Counties, found on June 20 that there are now 1,930 counties that are “protected by Second Amendment Sanctuary legislation at either the state or county level,” representing 61 percent of all counties. It noted that a number of states have passed “Constitutional Carry” laws, while specifically, approximately 1,137 counties “have taken it upon themselves to pass Second Amendment Sanctuary legislation and likely hundreds of cities, townships, boroughs,...

Don’t you love it when the Left finally decides that taking up arms is a good thing…and their President threatens to nuke Texas in order to prevent future “insurrections” like the unarmed January 6th “attack” on the Capital? Truly an amazing moment in American history. So…turn in your arms, they’re useless against the government’s far more sophisticated weapons and delivery system!And Crazy Old Joe is just crazy enough to be convinced he should use them against American citizens in order to seize their arms, suppress another “insurrection” and preserve the ruling class. The subsequent genocide would be blamed on Crazy...

I remember what it felt like the first time I had my sense of newly built security ripped from me. I had just turned 19. I was so young. I was just a kid. Like most young people, I never thought that it could happen to me. At the time I was in the military, living off base in Missouri with a female roommate. After about a week of noticing things were “off” in the house (the back door would be unlocked, then open physically, etc.) I brought it up at work. Some of my co-workers said I was working...

One of the most important stories of the year, so far, is the massive surge in Second Amendment sanctuaries at the state, county, and local levels, entirely ignored by liberal media. More than 61% of American Counties are Now Second Amendment Sanctuaries https://t.co/vm5gkNmBqg — Sanctuary Counties (@SanctuaryCounty) June 21, 2021According to Noah Davis of sanctuarycounties.com, "1,930 counties that are protected by Second Amendment Sanctuary legislation at either the state or county level... this represents 61.39% of all of the counties in the United States of America." The mainstream media seems to be ignoring the Second Amendment Sanctuary movement because they're...

Inadvertently, President Joe Biden just made one of the most convincing arguments for gun rights. In fact, he was quite possibly more convincing than any other president in U.S. history.... ...The president began by saying “most responsible gun owners” agree that “no possible justification for having 100 rounds in a magazine.” ... ...“If you think you need to have weapons to take on the government, you need F-15s and maybe some nuclear weapons.”... ...Biden’s claim that these weapons aren’t powerful enough to take on the U.S. government isn’t quite making the case he hopes. In fact, that sort of argument...

“This isn’t the first time Biden’s warned the gov’t would use every weapon in its arsenal against Americans,” quipped Tom Elliott, remembering how Biden said something like this at a rally early last year. Maybe the Second Amendment should be extended to include F-15s. Seriously, though, this dumb gun-control talking point is deathless even though it’s never been clearer how untrue it is. There are many lessons to be learned from America’s adventure in Afghanistan but an easy one is that a crudely equipped force using guerrilla tactics is fully capable of prevailing over one with superior firepower. That lesson...

Bill Troyanos was working his normal shift at the Army Navy Surplus Store in Olde Town Arvada on Monday when he heard a pop. Then another. And another. He moved to the door, peered outside, and saw a gunman across the town plaza. Then a customer, a 40-year-old man Troyanos had never met, put his hand on his hip, drew a pistol and quickly rushed toward the plaza.

Almost a year ago, on 28 June 2020, a mob of loud, screaming BLM protestors in St. Louis, Missouri, followed the agitators/leaders into private property through a locked gate. Reacting to the threats, Mark and Patricia McCloskey grabbed two firearms, an AR-15 type rifle, and an inoperable Bryco semi-automatic pistol. The McCloskeys seemed fully justified under Missouri law. The state Attorney General defended them in public. The Governor said he would pardon them if they were prosecuted.This did not deter radical St. Louis Circuit Attorney (prosecutor) Kim Gardner. She insisted on prosecuting the McCloskeys. Eventually, she was removed from the...

When state and local officials decline to help enforce federal firearm rules they view as unconstitutional, The New York Times says they are adopting "a legally shaky but politically potent strategy" with racist roots. But when state and local officials decline to help enforce federal immigration rules they view as "unjust, self-defeating and harmful to public safety," the Times says, they should be proud of choosing "not to participate in deportation crackdowns." That blatant double standard illustrates how policy preferences and partisan allegiances color people's views of federalism, which they tend to endorse when it serves their purposes and reject...

The 9th Circuit, acting on a June 10 appeal filed by Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta, put Benitez’s ruling on hold pending a full-blown decision. “This leaves our assault weapons laws in effect while appellate proceedings continue,” Bonta said said in a tweet. “We won’t stop defending these life-saving laws.” The 9th Circuit judges on the panel issuing the stay were Barry G. Silverman, a Clinton appointee, Jacqueline Nguyen, an Obama appointee and Ryan D. Nelson, a Trump appointee. Benitez, appointed by former President George W. Bush, said the weapons ban unconstitutionally infringed on the rights of California gun owners and...

Despite having their weapons seized and pleading guilty to charges in connection with pointing guns at Black Lives Matter rioters on their private property during the summer of 2020, Mark and Patricia McCloskey appeared defiant Saturday, posting a picture of a new AR-15 the St. Louis couple intends to buy. Twtter Link"Checking out my new AR!" Mark McCloskey tweeted along with two pictures: one with McCloskey at a gun store with the owner, and another with him and his wife, Patricia. In both, he is holding an AR-15 rifle. The picture came just two days after the McCloskeys pleaded guilty...