Free Republic

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...

The woman who would replace Andrew Cuomo in the event that he is impeached or stands down, which is becoming increasingly likely, is Lieutenant Kathy Hochul, the granddaughter of Irish immigrants who was handpicked by the embattled governor and has now turned against him. Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul, 62, would become the first female governor in New York's history if she replaces Cuomo. Throughout the pandemic, she has taken a quiet backseat to her boss's very public profile after being cherry-picked by him in 2014. She won another political role in 2011 by replacing Rep. Chris Lee, her married male...

On September 13, 2021, Judge Robert M. Dow, Jr. rendered an opinion and order. The ban on possession of firearms by concealed carry license holders in the Forest Preserve District of Cook County (FPDCC) is unconstitutional. The judge issued a temporary stay on the order to give the Illinois legislature six months to address the issue if it so desires. From patch.com: CHICAGO — A state law that bans the concealed carry of firearms in the Cook County Forest Preserve District is unconstitutionally broad, according to a federal judge.U.S. District Judge Robert Dow issued a ruling Monday that found a...

Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper is calling on armed citizens in his county to “blow [35-year-old Patrick McDowell] out the door” if he targets their home. McDowell is wanted for allegedly shooting Nassau County Sheriff’s Deputy Joshua Moyers during a traffic stop Friday. The New York Post reports that Moyers is not expected to survive and is being kept alive “until a match can be found for his organs.” The Florida Times-Union notes that “Moyers was shot in the face, below his right eye, then in the back after collapsing to the ground,” during the traffic stop in the area...

Congressional Democrats can’t quite cobble together the votes to pass a mammoth $3.5 billion-plus social-spending bill, which for now means the political system is working to reject dangerous radicalism. The few remaining Democrats who at least claim to lean to the center are in a game of legislative chicken with the more numerous left wing of the party, with the would-be centrists wanting to pass a separate $1.2 trillion “infrastructure” bill before being asked to commit to a final social-spending package. The extreme left wing wants just the opposite, saying they will block the infrastructure bill until they have a...

During his lengthy Sunday appearance on CBS' "Face the Nation," Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison was asked about a host of issues. He was briefly asked by host Margaret Brennan about his country's strict lockdowns in the face of the Wuhan coronavirus, which he defended. As Brennan reminded the prime minister, "Australia is one of the few Western democracies that has really put in place some very, very strict COVID protocols. You shut down your borders 18 months ago," before going on to ask him "when will they reopen? Are you going to have vaccine passports? When will Australians be...

---SNIP--- Philadelphia has been hitting these grim milestones at a rate quicker than last year as in July 2021, when the city surpassed 300 homicides, it was sooner than the previous year. At that time, homicides were up more than 30% over the homicide rates recorded in 2019. In a statement, Mayor Kenny said he is "heartbroken over the loss of 400 souls to gun violence." He says next week the city will announce community organizations that will receive city funding to expand gun violence prevention.

California is banning state-funded travel to Ohio over the state’s new law allowing doctors to decline medical services to people on moral or religious grounds. The Ohio measure triggered a 2016 California law that requires the attorney general to prohibit state-funded travel to states that discriminate against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people, according to a Friday press release from California Attorney General Rob Bonta.

Conservatives, Republicans, and Trump supporters should start licking their chops in anticipation, because in the very near future the spectacle we've long been waiting for will finally materialize: Democrats and “progressives” will form one of the most brutal and effective circular firing squads of all time! The trigger for this bloodbath on the Left will be simple: after months of painstaking legislative sausage-making, Democratic efforts to pass a $1 trillion infrastructure bill plus a $3.5 trillion social spending and entitlement bill, will collapse in a heap. The Squad's recent success in getting funding for Israel's “Iron Dome” stricken from a...

There’s an appetite to deregulate suppressors and make the process to obtain them easier. What explains this push, and why now? Why didn’t Republicans pull the trigger when they controlled all branches of government during the 114th Congress? Passing legislation under a Democratic-controlled Congress, even with slim majorities, is unlikely. And don’t count on President Biden, a gun rights foe, to sign any bill into law. While efforts may not succeed today, the future of suppressor deregulation isn’t out of sight yet. The Industry SpeaksThe push for suppressor deregulation isn’t new. It’s always been a top priority for the firearms...

Have you ever wanted to have a Glock 19 and Glock 17 contained in the same gun? The Glock 19x just might have you covered. It started out as a submission for the military’s new sidearm, but it was passed on. The 19X was then made available for civilians to purchase where it’s enjoyed a favorable reception.

This pistol is tiny. And of course, it was designed this way with concealed carry in mind. The Glock 43 is remarkably small and can fit in pockets (or a safe) nicely as well as ankle holsters and bags of all sorts. This pistol is the perfect size for really any kind of way you want to carry it, but it does have its limitations.

Good news: David Chipman won’t lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) after all. In a stunning move yesterday, the Biden White House announced it was pulling Chipman’s nomination as ATF Director citing growing bipartisan concerns. Joined by all 50 Senate Republicans Senators, Angus King (I-ME), Joe Manchin (D-WV), and Jon Tester (D-MT) either opposed him or were non-committal—spelling doom for his prospects. The Reload’s Stephen Gutowski, whose sterling reporting brought new light to the gun control advocate’s questionable behavior and positions, especially deserves kudos for sinking his nod. A Giffords senior policy advisor, Chipman was selected for...

President Joe Biden on Thursday announced the withdrawal of his controversial nominee, David Chipman, to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Several leading Republicans were outspoken opponents of Chipman for his past anti-gun comments and more aggressive gun control policies as well as connections to gun control groups. No new nominee has been announced. “David Chipman is an erratic, anti-gun radical who planned to outlaw nearly every single sporting rifle in America," said Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark. "He is wholly unfit to run the ATF, and I’m glad to see President Biden has withdrawn his nomination.”...

Taliban executions remind Americans to never give up arms they need for the primary reason the Constitution guarantees their right to have them.In Afghanistan the world is again seeing that radical Islam is an ideology premised on murdering non-believers and using that example to intimidate everyone else. Historically, the same has been true of leftism, when its adherents have achieved totalitarian control in a country.Leftists don’t have totalitarian control in America yet, so over the last few years they have mostly given us a heads-up about their desires by rolling out mock guillotines during their protests and riots, posing for...

The Biden administration’s decision to stop the importation of ammunition from Russia has some supporters of the right to arms chafing, but its effect can easily be minimized.The Biden administration’s decision to stop the importation of ammunition from Russia—which it claims is in retaliation for that country’s attempted assassination of a political opposition figure—has some supporters of the right to arms chafing. However, it is relatively inconsequential, the ammunition shortage it compounds has been mostly the fault of hoarders, and its effect can easily be minimized.Biden’s decision is relatively inconsequential because, first, it pales in comparison to everything else he,...

With Hurricane Ida having made its way through Louisiana and Mississippi, leaving behind a region flooded and in many places without power, some local residents and activists are directing their unhappiness at more than just the forces of nature. As the Category 4 hurricane hit the city, New Orleans Police Superintendent Shaun Ferguson said that authorities would deploy “anti-looting” teams, and would “not tolerate” anyone trying to take advantage of the situation caused by the storm. On Tuesday, Ferguson said New Orleans police have made several arrests for looting, and Mayor LaToya Cantrell enforced a citywide curfew to begin the...

On Saturday morning's The Cross Connection, MSNBC again showed itself to be the place for fake news pushing liberal causes as host Tiffany Cross repeated a disputed statistic claiming that 70 to 90 percent of guns used in Mexico are from the United States, thus giving Mexico a rationale to sue gun manufacturers in the U.S. Setting up a segment on the topic, Cross recalled: An estimated 200,000 firearms are illegally trafficked from the U.S. to Mexico every year and between 70 percent and 90 percent of the firearms found at crime scenes in Mexico are traced right back here....

A father in Chicago was fatally shot in the middle of traffic while taking his 7-year-old daughter to school. The Chicago family is mourning the loss of their loved one after a gunman unexpectedly opened fire on a man Wednesday morning. Police released surveillance photos from the shooting last week of the man allegedly responsible for the death of 33-year-old Travell Miller. Miller was reportedly driving his daughter to school when the suspect suddenly approached his vehicle. “He was sitting at the light and five cars behind him, guy gets out of a car, walked up to his car, exchanged...

“The ammunition problem isn’t new. It’s been a market factor for well over a year and is rooted in the extraordinarily high number of firearms that were sold over the past 18 months,” the trade lobby group for the firearms industry added. “Firearm sales skyrocketed starting in March 2020 and set an all-time high record that year, topping out at 21 million background checks for the sale of a gun. NSSF surveys revealed that 40 percent of those sales were for first-time gun buyers, an injection of over 8.4 million new owners. That pace hasn’t slowed, and through August of...