Free Republic

A massive Ukrainian drone attack repelled in Russia's Rostov Region... The Rwandan-backed rebels say they intend to follow up on seizure of Congo's largest city Goma with a move on the capital city... Israeli air strikes late tonight in two parts of Lebanon... A US Appeals Court ruling that a federal ban on selling handguns to 18, 19 and 20-year-olds is unconstitutional... Top officials in the Federal Bureau of Investigation being asked to resign or retire... President Donald Trump says the 25 percent tariffs on Canada and Mexico begin Saturday... The US Federal Aviation Administration says that air traffic controller...

A federal appeals court ruled Thursday that a decades-old ban on federally licensed firearms dealers selling handguns to people aged 18, 19 and 20 is unconstitutional. In a unanimous ruling, the three-judge panel on the New Orleans-based 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals slammed the Biden administration’s attempt to argue that the handgun ban was in line with the “nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation” — a test for gun laws set by the Supreme Court’s landmark 2022 ruling in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen. ... “Ultimately, the text of the Second Amendment includes eighteen-to-twenty-year-old...

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) appeared to try and avoid Donald Trump's anti-DEI executive order by switching the job title of its Chief Diversity Officer. On Tuesday, Trump's administration ordered federal agencies to place all DEI hires on paid leave, and warned authorities not to use 'coded or imprecise language' to circumvent the move. But within a day of the order being announced, eagle-eyed online sleuths noticed the ATF's Chief Diversity Officer Lisa T. Boykin had a new job role, appearing to have been updated to 'Senior Executive.' The ATF did not immediately respond to a...

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers (D) used an executive order Tuesday morning to create a state-level violence prevention office, dedicated to fighting gun crime. KSTP reported that Evers did this in response to the December 16, 2024, shooting at Madison’s Abundant Life Christian School, which left two innocents dead. The suspect in the shooting was a 15-year-old student, and police have not revealed how the student acquired the guns. Evers used a X post to push for more gun control after signing the executive order. The post said: And with 60% of suicides and 78% of domestic violence homicides involving a...

In Kennesaw, Georgia, it’s against the law not to own a gun. The city law, dating back to the 1980s, makes it a requirement for residents to own guns and ammo. Kennesaw’s gun law states: “In order to provide for and protect the safety, security and general welfare of the city and its inhabitants, every head of household residing in city limits is required to maintain a firearm, together with ammunition.” The law excludes residents with mental or physical disabilities, felony convictions or conflicting religious beliefs. ... the law keeps citizens safe as there were no murders in town in...

The U.S. has more guns than people, with nearly 400 million in civilian possession.In this map, Visual Capitalist's Bruno Venditti ranks states by the highest percentage of gun ownership for adults, based on data from the Pew Research Center compiled by Data Pandas as of 2024.High Gun Ownership in Northwestern AmericaMontana tops the ranking of the states with the highest percentage of gun ownership, with 66.3% of the adult population owning firearms. The state has some of the most relaxed gun control laws in America. No state permit is required to purchase or possess a rifle, shotgun, or handgun.The state...

A Colorado law that went into effect January 1, 2025, requires guns in vehicles to be kept in locked containers. snip Breitbart News pointed out numerous new gun controls go into effect in California on January 1, 2025, among them a law that requires licensed gun dealers to warn would-be gun purchasers of the alleged dangers of gun ownership. snip California leads the nation in gun control and Colorado has been leaning more and more toward adopting California-style gun controls. Beginning July 1, 2025, Coloradans who want a concealed carry permit will have to take an eight-hour training course as...

Hundreds of students at Madison High School marched to the state Capitol on Friday to demand an “assault weapons” ban after the December 16, 2024, Abundant Life Christian School handgun attack. The Cap Times reported the students chanted “books, not bullets” and “no more silence, end gun violence.” The Wisconsin Examiner quoted the high schoolers saying, “Graduations not funerals.” Once at the Capitol, the students called for an “assault weapons” ban and enhanced background checks. The students did not mention that the alleged 15-year-old shooter did not use a firearm categorized as an “assault weapon” nor did she buy her...

@CollinRugg NEW: The man accused of attempting to m*rder streamer Nick Fuentes is 24-year-old John Lyons. Very dangerous times especially when we have degenerates praising Luigi Mangione for executing a man in the back. Lyons reportedly traveled 140 miles to Fuentes' home after allegedly m*rdering three family members. Fuentes has released footage of the man calling out for him at his home. Fuentes was reportedly live-streaming when the man showed up, an action that may have saved his life. Officers who were called to the scene spotted Lyons who ran away and forced his way inside someone's home. When inside,...

Nine people were injured and one killed in a mass shooting that took place on the 8500 block of Loch Raven Blvd. in Towson on Tuesday evening, Baltimore County Police said. Around 7:12 p.m., officers were dispatched to the intersection of Loch Raven Boulevard and White Oak Avenue, at the Johnson-Fosbrink Funeral Home, where they found a car flipped and on fire, and multiple victims, Baltimore County Police Chief Robert McCullough said during a news conference following the incident. Police were still determining how many people had been shot Tuesday night, McCullough said. Multiple gunshots were visible in the facade...

Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI) called for his House colleagues to “stand up to gun manufacturers” following reports of a shooting at Abundant Life Christian School (ALCS) in Madison, Wisconsin. Breitbart News noted that Madison Chief of Police Shon Barnes indicated the suspected shooter was a juvenile. The juvenile is believed to have used a 9mm handgun in the attack, according to FOX 13 Memphis.

Gun control activist David Hogg is running for the position of vice chair of the Democrat National Committee. ABC News quoted Hogg: I think this role is a great way of, for one, bringing newer voices into the Democratic Party…I just want to be one of several of those voices to help represent young people and also, more than anything, make sure that we’re standing up to the consulting class that increasingly the Democratic Party is representing instead of the working class. On November 20, 2024, Breitbart News noted that Hogg expressed concern over the exodus of young men from...

Pope Francis laments ‘ecological debt,’ repeats call for ‘elimination’ of death penaltyPope Francis highlighted the three themes of the eradication of debt, the death penalty, and world hunger during his message for the 2025 World Day of Peace.Issuing a message for the 2025 World Day of Peace, Pope Francis renewed calls for global peace, the tackling of climate change issues, and the “elimination” of the death penalty.Entitled “Forgive us our trespasses: grant us your peace,” Francis’ message for the annual World Day of Peace – January 1, 2025 – focused on certain of his favored talking points, as well as...

When I served as a judicial officer, I leaned into the originalist philosophy championed by Justice Antonin Scalia. His wisdom — that judges must adhere to the Constitution and the law as written, not as they wish it to be — served as a lodestar. As Scalia famously remarked, “The Constitution is not a living document — it is a legal document.” This sharp declaration underscores a vital truth: the Constitution is not a chameleon, changing with the political winds or cultural trends. It is a fixed, enduring framework meant to safeguard liberty and ensure the rule of law. Judges...

A federal judge denied a request to dismiss a gun charge against an illegal immigrant in Ohio who had been in the US for more than 15 years, rejecting the man’s argument that he has a right to bear arms. Carlos Serrano-Restrepo was charged earlier this year and was subsequently indicted for possession of a firearm by an alien unlawfully in the US, according to WSYX. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives began investigating and watching Serrano-Restrepo after he purchased at least 22 firearms, and claimed to be a US citizen on the firearms forms. Agents conducted a...

A few weeks ago, Peanut the Squirrel was murdered by New York state officials. The great minds who run the Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) would probably object to me saying this and perhaps even claim that I’m libeling them for expressing my opinion, but let’s be real here. They took an animal that wasn’t harming anyone and killed it. Killing without some good reason is murder. Sure, the law in New York can and no doubt will be used as an excuse, but if the goal is to protect wildlife, killing a tame squirrel makes no sense. Hitler’s concentration...

We try to be polite in talking about our political opponents, but sometimes it is impossible. Some of them are–there is no other way to put it–morons. Such as Senator Mazie Hirono, Democrat from Hawaii. I can’t find a good clip of her comments during Wednesday’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on bump stocks, but here is a report: Hirono began her opening remarks by referencing an earlier hearing in which the “entire panel” of witnesses agreed that “this nation is awash in guns.”She went on to stress the phrase “awash in guns” at least three more times, then said, “Meanwhile,...

While everyone is excited by President-elect Trump that he would like to see a national concealed carry reciprocity bill passed, let us remember that this is not how we make laws, rather it is Congress' job. Washington Gun Law President, William Kirk, discusses the good news as there is already a piece of legislation, sponsored by Thomas Massie, which would do exactly that. And now that the GOP is in control why not get this bill passed into law?

During a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Wednesday Sen. Mazie Hirono (D) claimed the Supreme Court of the United States created the ability to own guns via Heller (2008). In video published by Forbes, Hirono began her opening remarks by referencing an earlier hearing in which the “entire panel” of witnesses agreed that “this nation is awash in guns. She went on to stress the phrase “awash in guns” at least three more times, then said, “Meanwhile, the Supreme Court in various decisions, Heller was pretty much an astounding decision to me when suddenly, individual could, [under] the Second Amendment,...

A federal judge in the Southern District of Illinois issued a permanent injunction Friday enjoining the state from enforcing the “assault weapons” ban contained in the Protect Illinois Communities Act (PICA). The Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) was among the plaintiffs in the case. SAF founder Alan Gottlieb responded to the decision, calling Friday “a great day for gun rights.” The judge’s order allows 30 days before the injunction goes into force, giving the state that period of time in which to file an appeal.