Free Republic

Preface: I have obtained reprint permission for the Internet for Jeffrey Snyder's "A Nation of Cowards". It may be reproduced freely, including forwarding copies to politicians, provided that it is not distributed for profit and subscription information is included. I especially encourage you to copy and pass on this strong statement about firearms ownership to friends, colleagues, undecideds, and other firearms rights supporters. Your grassroots pamphleteering can counter the propaganda blitz now going on by introducing some reason to the debate. This essay is one of our best weapons. To get plaintext: ftp ftp.rkba.org, get /public_html/comment/cowards.txt The WWW URL is:...

A federal appeals court on Tuesday ruled in favor of a gun rights group, saying Maryland's preliminary handgun-licensure requirement is unconstitutional and cannot be enforced. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit ruled in favor of Maryland Shall Issue, which challenged the law, The Daily Record reported. The decision is a victory for gun rights advocates in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v. Bruen.

U.S.A. –-(AmmoLand.com)-Maryland Shall Issue, Inc., a Second Amendment protection activist organization based in Maryland, has submitted a brief for the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals so that the Court can take notice of the landmark Second Amendment case of New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen.The Plaintiffs or Appellants are Maryland Shall Issue. The defendants are the State of Maryland.Maryland is one of the six states which do not have protection in the State constitution similar to the Second Amendment.Here is a timeline of important events in the timeline of the case :The complaint was filed on September...

On December 11, 2019, Governor Wanda Vázquez Garced signed Act No. 168. into law. The new law totally re-writes Puerto Rico firearms law. It is the most sweeping change in firearms law in the history of Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico came under the sovereignty of the United States in 1898, about the same time as Hawaii. Puerto Rico was ceded to the United States as the result of the Spanish-American war. In Puerto Rico, the possession of firearms has always been regarded as a privilege, not as a Constitutional Right.Puerto Rico had one of the most restrictive firearms laws in...

Puerto Rico Governor Wanda Vazquez just signed a new firearms law that greatly undoes severe restrictions in place for decades (facebook live at link just ended).

In a major development in the ongoing effort to restore the Second Amendment in Washington, D.C., the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit issued an opinion on Tuesday that would effectively require D.C. officials to make concealed carry licenses available on a “shall-issue” basis. The court’s decision comes in the combined cases of Wrenn v. D.C. and Grace v. D.C. Following the landmark case of District of Columbia v. Heller, which recognized a Second Amendment right to have operable handguns in the home for self-defense, the District retaliated by banning carrying of firearms outside the...

Image from eastbayri.com East Providence Police Chief Christopher J. Parella is in trouble with the Supreme Court of Rhode Island. Again. He failed to issue licenses to carry handguns to three more applicants, without explaining any reason for doing so. From providencejournal.com: The law reads that a city or town's licensing authority "shall" issue a license when it appears that the applicant has a good reason to fear an injury to his or her person or property or has "any other proper reason" to carry. A proper showing of need is not a component of the law, the court...

In 2014, Guam passed a shall issue concealed carry bill to reform the existing "may issue" law.  The chief proponent of the bill was Senator Anthony Ada. Senator Ada said that one of the reasons he pushed for the passage of the reform was the Peruta case in the Ninth Circuit.  Guam falls under the jurisdiction of the Ninth Circuit. In 2014, concealed carry license rose from about 100 to 700.  In 2015, 800 more licenses were added.  While not precise, firearms registrations indicate that about ten percent of the population are firearms owners. From guampdn.com: Almost 600 concealed...

Vetoes Propose Deleting “Justifiable Need” As a Carry Permit Requirement, and Clean Repeal of the Smart Gun Law Mandate with No Strings Attached! “Conditional Veto” Format Would Allow the Legislature To Accept Governor Christie’s Conditions and Immediately Implement Them Please Tell Legislators to Accept Governor Christie’s Conditions! Wednesday August 24, 2016: In a blockbuster announcement today, Governor Christie conditionally vetoed two pieces of anti-gun legislation (A3689 and S816), imposing dramatic conditions that would change them into pro-gun measures establishing shall-issue right-to-carry and repealing New Jersey’s 2002 “smart gun” law mandate with no strings attached. Copies of the vetoes are available...

Rhode Island is generally thought of as a "shall issue" concealed carry state.  That perception has been reinforced by a ruling of the Rhode Island Supreme Court from April 24, 2015.  From providencejournal.com:  In early 2012, Norman T. Gadomski Jr. applied to Joseph H. Tavares, then the chief of the East Providence Police Department, for a permit to carry a concealed handgun as provided under Rhode Island General Law 11-41-11. This law says a municipality’s issuing authority “shall issue” a permit if specified requirements are met.  It is well known among members of the gun-owning community that certain chiefs...

In two opinions issued today, 18 May, 2015, Judge Scullin essentially ended the Palmer v. D.C. case by refusing to issue a contempt citation against the D.C. government.  But, in another ruling on the new D.C. law, Judge Scullin issued a preliminary injunction against the enforcement of particular sections of the D.C. permit to carry law.   Those sections of the law are the ones that allow the police chief to turn down permits if they do not have "good reason" for them.  Here are the last paragraphs of the opinion: ORDERS that Defendants, their officers, agents, servants, employees,...

When I was interviewing Ed Peruta, he sent me this notice of the event in Southern California where he will be giving a talk this Saturday.  It is in Ramona, California.  Ramona is located a bit North of San Diego.  Here is a map of the location: This website gives directions from a number of locations.   Here is a link to the website of the organization sponsoring the event.  When I talked to Ed, he struck me as a dynamic and motivational speaker.   I do not know if I will be able to attend, as I am traveling and...

Peruta is the seminal right to carry outside the home case that was decided on February of 2014.   The case was decided against Sheriff Gore of San Diego County, and San Diego County.   The Sheriff and the County declined to appeal to the full Ninth Circuit for an en banc hearing.   The AG for California, applied to be granted the ability to intervene for the state, to ask for a en banc hearing. Today, 12 November, 2014, the Ninth Circuit denied the motions to intervene, thus denying requests for an en banc hearing for the decision.   Therefore, Peruta stands...

I attended the Gun Rights Policy Conference in Illinois last weekend.   After the event, I met another attendee in Wisconsin.   Don Hosmer recalled disarming before entering Illinois, and seeing several others do so as well.   As a result, I decided to explore the problems and possibilities of carry in Illinois for a non-resident. You could apply for, and obtain an Illinois concealed carry permit.  They are backed up at present, but it looks like it would be possible, if somewhat difficult.  From the Illinois State Police site:  Sec. 40. Non-resident license applications. (a) For the purposes of this Section,...

Governor Calvo of Guam signed Bill 296-32 into law on the 21st of May, 2014.   One of the last changes to be made to the bill before it was sent to the Governor was to change the term of the permit to three years instead of six.  From kuam.com: ...and finally the governor signed Bill 296 into law. The bill changes language for concealed firearms licensing from "may" to shall." that means concealed firearm licenses shall be issued to an applicant who meets the various specifications. The Bill 296-32 is now Public Law 32-150.  Here are some of...

The Guam shall issue concealed carry gun bill has passed the Senate on 9 May, the last day of the session.   Guam's legislature has only one house, so the next step for  B296-32 is to go to Governor Calvo for signature. The new law would: Require that a permit for a concealed firearm be issued if requirements are met.Include all handguns, rifles, and shotgunsInclude all concealed weapons other than firearmsBe only available to residents of GuamPut a limit on the required, non-refundable fee of $100Require issue within 90 days of the receipt of a complete applicationInclude methods to regain...

The long awaited decision of the 9th Circuit on whether the second amendment extends to carry outside of the home was answered yesterday by a three judge panel in Peruta v. County of San Diego.  Their answer was a resounding "Yes" though it was a 2-1 decision.   While I have only skimmed through the decision, the logic, historical references, and quotes from the Heller and McDonald Supreme Court decisions and  appeals court decisions are well written and clear. The question is, what should those who support the restoration of second amendment rights do?  Do they need to do...

So states State v. Christian (Ore. Aug. 15, 2013): [W]e conclude in the first instance that the ordinance [limited carrying] does, to some extent, burden protected conduct falling within the scope of the Second Amendment’s guarantee. [Footnote: ... Although Heller did not define the scope of the right to self-defense outside the home, we read the opinion as recognizing a right to self-defense outside the home to a degree yet to be determined by the Court....] But the court concluded that the ordinance at issue doesn’t restrict the right too much, partly because Oregon is a shall-issue state and people...

RAYMOND WOOLLARD, et al., Plaintiffs, v. TERRENCE SHERIDAN, et al., Defendants. Civil Case No. L-10-2068. United States District Court, D. Maryland. March 2, 2012. MEMORANDUM BENSON EVERETT LEGG, District Judge. This case calls upon the Court to determine whether the State of Maryland`s handgun regulation statute violates the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution insofar as it requires an applicant to demonstrate "good and substantial reason" for the issuance of a handgun permit. Plaintiffs Raymond Woollard and The Second Amendment Foundation[1] bring suit against Terrence Sheridan, Secretary of the Maryland State Police, and three members of the Maryland Handgun...

Associated Press Sacramento, Calif. (AP) - The nationwide debate over liberalizing gun laws spilled into a federal courtroom in Sacramento on Thursday as gun-rights groups challenged how much discretion California's law enforcement officials have in issuing concealed weapons permits... --snip-- That gives Prieto arbitrary discretion over a fundamental right to bear arms guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution, said Alan Gura, an attorney from Alexandria, Va. Gura is representing gun rights groups in California and groups that have filed similar lawsuits in Maryland, Massachusetts and New York...