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...

During his presidency, Barack Obama infamously asserted the power to assassinate American citizens. This isn’t a widely known fact because, well, the media didn’t exactly cover this story as they would have with a white president of either party. Barack Obama was “the first black president,” after all. It wasn’t enough for Obama to hold that historic distinction; he had to have a legacy of success, unmarred by scandal or controversy. It was, at times, difficult to avoid covering various controversies and scandals, but the media did its best to create the false impression that Obama was scandal-free—a fiction many...

Georgia United Credit Union recently updated their User Agreement — you know, that wall of text that your financial institution flashes at you from time to time and which few people bother to read. The catch: If you rely on Georgia United Credit Union for your purchasing tool, like, say, a debit card, you may no longer use that to purchase firearms, ammunition, firearms parts, or accessories, along with a host of other items.

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...

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...

A three-judge panel in the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit has vacated the New York law banning the carry of firearms in church, citing the First Amendment.After the June 22, 2022, publishing of the Bruen decision on the Second Amendment, several states took active measures to defy the Supreme Court. The foremost of these was New York. Governor Kathy Hochul took the extreme measure of convening an extraordinary session dedicated to circumventing the Bruen decision, which she called “reckless and reprehensible.” From ny.gov:“The Supreme Court’s reckless and reprehensible decision to strike down New York’s century-old concealed carry law...

To Whom It May Concern; The California Department of Justice’s (DOJ) proposed “emergency regulations” regarding the issuance of concealed carry weapons (CCW) licenses smack of complete political hypocrisy and demagoguery, as well as political retaliation against Californians who may disagree with the current policies and leadership within the California State government. The California DOJ’s “emergency regulations” conspicuously leave out a large number of certified firearms instructors, who are affiliated with such gun groups as the National Rifle Association (NRA), the California Rifle and Pistol Association (CRPA), among others. Most, if not all, of these firearms instructors have excellent records in...

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A federal judge on Wednesday blocked a California law that would have banned carrying firearms in most public places, ruling that it violates the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and deprives people of their ability to defend themselves and their loved ones. The law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in September was set to take effect Jan. 1. It would have prohibited people from carrying concealed guns in 26 places including public parks and playgrounds, churches, banks and zoos. The ban would apply whether the person has a permit to carry a concealed weapon or...

Joe Biden’s son, Hunter, is relying on Second Amendment arguments that his father once slammed as “deeply” troubling to escape conviction on gun crimes. On Monday, attorneys for the president’s son filed a series of motions to dismiss federal charges handed down by Special Counsel David Weiss. Among the charges Biden’s attorneys want thrown out are firearm charges that were filed on the basis of Hunter Biden purchasing a gun as a drug addict. Hunter Biden’s initial sweetheart plea agreement — which was derailed this summer after it fell apart in court — would have forgiven the felony firearm conviction...

WASHINGTON, Dec 13 (Reuters)-The Biden Administration is delaying the sale of more than 20,000 U.S.-made rifles to Israel over concerns about attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, two sources familiar with the matter said on Wednesday. The State Department sent an informal notification of the sale to Congress several weeks ago. But the sale has not gone ahead...

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...

A 57-year-old Wisconsin woman received superficial wounds to her right buttock earlier this year when a concealed firearm on her person was subjected to the powerful magnetism of an MRI device. Though her injuries were relatively minor, consisting of a clean entry and exit through subcutaneous tissue, the incident is yet another reminder of the potentially deadly consequences of taking a loaded firearm into places where loaded firearms have no place. Detailed in a report by the US Food and Drug Administration, the case follows a shockingly similar incident that took place in Brazil just a few months prior, in...

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...

An appeals court panel has ruled against a New York law that prohibits the carrying of firearms into houses of worship, upholding a lower court decision that blocked the law from taking effect.On Friday, a three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit released a 261-page opinion regarding four cases centered on multiple challenges to New York’s Concealed Carry Improvement Act.Regarding the Act’s provision banning concealed carry in places of worship, the panel ruled that “Plaintiffs have sufficiently alleged that the CCIA burdens their sincerely held religious practice.”“CCIA is not neutral because it allows the...

LANSING – Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed a slate of new gun control bills into law on November 20 that confiscate firearms and ammunition from people in Michigan who have been convicted of both violent and non-violent misdemeanors under new legal definitions of “domestic violence misdemeanors” established in the new laws. These bills, passed by the democrat-controlled state house and senate, broadly expand the category of misdemeanors considered to be “domestic violence” to include many infractions that are clearly not violent, allow law enforcement to confiscate all firearms from anyone convicted of these misdemeanors, and prohibit anyone convicted of these misdemeanors...

Likely the most impressive firearm collection you've ever seen.

Point Blank: Guns and Violence in America by Gary Kleck, 1991, 511 pages, published by Aldine De Gruter, New York. The softcover version was published by Routledge in 2017. Copies of Point Blank are available at ABEbooks and Amazon.com. Used hardcover copies are the least expensive at about $13. Point Blank has been on my reference shelf for about three decades. It is a valuable resource for everyone interested in firearms statistics and legislation. Gary Kleck’s book has large amounts of data, which is difficult to find with an Internet search. The book was published when the Internet was in...

Minuteman statue detail, Lexington, Credit: Tim Grafft/MOTT There’s a perennial debate in gun politics in the United States. The gun control side makes various specious arguments claiming that the Second Amendment protects muskets and not modern arms, that the right to keep and bear arms belongs to a select militia like the National Guard, not We the People, and that “well-regulated” authorizes the de facto destruction of our rights via regulation. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Those of us who have studied the copious scholarly research on the text and history of the Second Amendment know that those arguments are bunk. We know that...

Democratic members of Congress have introduced a bill that would impose restrictions on bulk ammunition sales, licensing requirements on ammunition vendors, and background checks for ammunition buyers. Democratic U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, and Democratic U.S. Representatives Robert Garcia of California and Debbie Wasserman-Schultz of Florida introduced the bill on Nov. 2, according to news releases from Warren and Garcia’s offices. Under the Ammunition Modernization and Monitoring Oversight Act, businesses selling ammunition must possess the same federal licenses gun dealers are required to obtain, according to the bill’s sponsors. Furthermore, ammunition vendors must conduct...