Background, overview and recap articles:

Why Should We Keep Our Guns?  In the last century, scores of millions of defenseless civilians were slaughtered by totalitarian regimes that first disarmed them.  Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, Communist China, the Ottoman Turks, and several dozen other despotic regimes committed mass murder of millions upon millions.  Historically, genocide follows confiscation of arms as surely as day follows night.  In order to foster the deterrence of tyranny in American government, the Founders ratified the Second Amendment, acknowledging the unalienable right of the people to bear arms.  The published statements of the Founders clarify their points of view with regard to their purpose for acknowledging that right.  They clearly meant for the people not to be impeded from owning weapons similar to the ones used by government forces, so that any future despots might be deposed by an armed populace.

Liberals Want to Grab Guns...but Who Will Do the Grabbing?  I don't think I'm alone when I say it's frustrating having the same conversation over and over and over again.  I'm frustrated trying to explain the difference between a semi-automatic and a "military-style assault" weapon, parrying asinine retorts of how our Founding Fathers "only had muskets," and being told by strangers what weapons I "don't need."  I'm frustrated with citing statistical evidence showing that the vast majority of gun violence in America is the result of suicides and of criminals who have obtained their guns illegally.  I'm frustrated with trying to justify my personal choices to people who are completely ignorant about guns and who are completely unwilling to learn.  I'm frustrated because it's an exercise in futility.  They return the very next day to push their very same debunked talking points that I've spent the last conversation refuting.  Deploying factual evidence works only when dealing with people for whom factual evidence is valued, acknowledged, and conceded.

Here are Eight Stubborn Facts on Gun Violence in America:    [#1]   Violent crime is down and has been on the decline for decades.   [#2]   The principal public safety concerns with respect to guns are suicides and illegally owned handguns, not mass shootings.   [#3]   A small number of factors significantly increase the likelihood that a person will be a victim of a gun-related homicide.   [#4]   Gun-related murders are carried out by a predictable pool of people.   [#5]   Higher rates of gun ownership are not associated with higher rates of violent crime.   [#6]   There is no clear relationship between strict gun control legislation and homicide or violent crime rates.   [#7]   Legally owned firearms are used for lawful purposes much more often than they are used to commit crimes or suicide.   [#8]   Concealed carry permit holders are not the problem, but they may be part of the solution.
Each of these facts is firmly based on empirical data.

Draconian Gun Control Does not Reduce Gun Numbers or Homicide Rates.  Guns are a 700 to 1000 year old technology.  Guns can and are being made, in homes and small shops around the world, that are beyond state control.  Firearms have had extreme legal restrictions imposed over most of the planet.  The United States is exceptional, with the Second Amendment.  Most governments allow only small numbers of their people to legally have firearms.  People under those governments actively resist those laws.  In spite of a century and a half of stringent restrictions on gun ownership, the number of guns in private hands has risen significantly.

Gun control fact sheet:  Law-abiding citizens use guns to defend themselves against criminals as many as 2.5 million times every year — or about 6,850 times a day.

A Primer on the Constitutional Right to Keep and Bear Arms.

When the Nazis Came for the Guns.  The Nazis had in their possession a national registry of gun-owners.  When they came to power in 1933, they knew exactly who had what kind of gun and how many.  And they didn't even have to compile the registry themselves.  A few years earlier, the Interior Minister of the German Weimar government had started the gun ownership registry as a way of keeping tabs on extremist groups in Germany, such as the communists... and the Nazis.  The national registry was thorough, precise, and extensive.  But not public.

Yes, They Are Coming for Your Guns.  Today we have a multitude of reasons to have a high concern about a government that has become far too large, too invasive in too many issues and operated by people who are almost impervious to being fired for normal matters that citizens have to face in their own lives.  When I have discussions with people wanting to shrink the rights of gun owners, they discount this essential aspect of why citizens should be allowed to own guns.  When I ask them to explain the explosion of armed representatives of the government in non-military agencies, they are universally ignorant of that fact.  Here are just a few:
    [#1] The IRS has 2,300 Special Agents armed with AR-15s, P90 tactical rifles and other heavy weaponry.  The IRS recently spent $12 million on ammo and weapons.
    [#2] The Small Business Administration (SBA) spent tens of thousands on Glock hand guns.
    [#3] In 1996 the Veterans Administration had no armed employees.  Today they have 3,700 officers armed with millions of dollars worth of guns.
The list goes on.  As a Jew, I have a problem with any government having all the guns.  The last time we allowed that to happen, it ended with millions of dead Jews.  I believe any Jew who denies that reality puts their own political naiveté above the survival of the Jewish people.

Scammed by a Black, a Woman, and Now a 17-Year-Old.  Exploiting the Florida school shooting, wacko leftist retired justice John Paul Stevens and other leftist nuts have called for the repeal of our 2nd Amendment right to bear arms.  Leftists also flood the media with deception and lies.  Parroting fake news media, my relative ranted that you don't need an assault weapon for hunting and home protection.  She thinks current gun law allows nutcases to purchase a machine gun (assault weapon).  Civilians cannot casually purchase machine guns.  The AR-15, which is hated by leftists, requires the trigger to be pulled for each round fired.  The AR-15 is not a machine gun and has saved numerous homeowners' lives.  Women defend themselves with guns against sexual abuse 200,000 times per year.  Guns are used 80 times more often to save a life than to take a life.  Of the 2,581,268 gun-related incidents each year, 2,549,596 are self-defense.  Only 31,000 are assaults.  American gun-owners kill 1,500 criminals each year.  Police kill 600 criminals annually.  The term "assault weapon" is a made-up political term by gun-haters to deceive people into thinking bad guys are legally buying machine guns.  Everything leftists try to sell us is always rooted in misdirected hate, irrational emotion, deception, and lies.

Some Thoughts on Banning 'Assault' Rifles.  Let's begin with a few basic facts:  More people are killed every year with blunt objects, or are simply beaten to death, than are murdered using "assault" rifles.  Only about 3-4% of murders using firearms (out of about 11,000 annually) in the US involve rifles (including bolt & lever action rifles, .22LR and semi-automatic rifles of all types).  A person's chances of being murdered with an "assault" rifle in any given year are literally about one in a million.  The average number of people killed per year in all types of public mass shootings (3+ killed, not including shooter) over the last 38 years was 25.  Fewer than 1/3 of these were killed using semi-automatic rifles.  The average number of people wounded per year was 35.  The average number of people killed at schools in mass (3+ killed) school shootings, adult and child, over the same 38-year period was 4 per year, or roughly 1 in ten million.  Meanwhile 815 students die annually and 152,250 are injured during regular travel between school and home.

From ancient Athens to modern America:  Thank the right to 'bear arms' for freedom.  Former Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens' recent opinion piece in the New York Times advocating the repeal of the Second Amendment appears to have surprised many, but it shouldn't have.  In 2008, while considering the District of Columbia v. Heller case, Stevens and three of his "progressive" colleagues on the United States Supreme Court attempted to effectively repeal the Second Amendment by judicial fiat.  Their failure to do so was a victory for our republic and its inheritance of ordered liberty that predates the ancient societies of Athens and Rome.  Owning and bearing arms for a variety of legitimate purposes (such as collecting, hunting, and defense of self, family, and state) has been a vital part of the Western tradition for millennia and is our birthright as a free people.  This right (or the lack thereof) has separated the free and the enslaved since before the rise of Athenian democracy.

There Is Only One Sure Way to Stop School Shootings.  There are over 300 million guns in America, 200 million of them legal.  They are easy to buy anywhere for anyone who wants one.  Most gun-owners are law-abiding citizens who purchase them legally and own them for self-defense purposes.  They are used for protection far more often than reported by the anti-gun lobbies.  The horrific murder rates in Chicago and Baltimore are not committed with legally owned firearms; both of those cities have the strictest gun laws in the nation.  Most deaths by guns are self-inflicted.  The anti-Second Amendment posture of the Obama administration was anathema to American citizens who revere the Constitution.  Gun control, as Tucker Carlson reminded, is really people control.  The first thing tyrants do is disarm their citizenry so they are defenseless.  Which is why the proliferation of "gun-free zones" is suicidal on its face.

Parkland Shooting:  Questions the Left Can't Answer.  What has Big Education done for school safety, other than making schools "gun free zones," turning them into target-rich environments?  Not only are they not protecting their students, but they are also leaving their union dues-paying teachers vulnerable in school shootings.  Why doesn't Big Education care about teachers and students?  Why do these shootings almost always happen in "gun free zones"?  Would a bank or jewelry store ever declare itself a "gun-free zone"?  What about any government building in the country?  Does this make sense?  Members of Congress bray about the evils of guns and how arming teachers is a bad thing.  Yet their workplace is surrounded by armed guards and metal-detectors.  Many of them travel with armed escorts.  Governors and big-city mayors surround themselves with armed security, at work and at home.  Why won't they protect children with the same zeal?

Abortion Causes 25% of All Deaths in United States, Guns Just 1.5%.  This year's Academy Awards took place this past Sunday with a show full of political symbolism and the pushing of the progressive agenda.  One performance was even an attack on the National Rifle Association by a pair of rappers.  Of course, the NRA has come under increasing attack from the Hollywood crowd because of the NRA's support of the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution.  You know, the right to bear arms.  The wailing cry of those who think that the Second Amendment needs to be abridged is that gun violence causes too many deaths.  The national statistics show that there are approximately 15,000 deaths a year from gun related violence.  Unfortunately, that number has slowly risen in recent years.  In an effort to put some significance to that number, the CDC reports that there are 2,712,630 deaths annually in the United States.  Gun related deaths from all sources (violent acts, accidental discharge, suicides, etc.) total 38,000 and account for about 1.5 percent of all deaths.

Timely news and commentary:

Peaceful Insurgency Tips for Virginian Patriots.  Congratulations, Virginia — you overcame the terrible peril that was patriots rallying in Richmond to peacefully express your disgust with Governor Jolson Klanrobe and his legislative back-up dancers' attempt to strip you of your rights.  You came, you saw, you protested, and then you swept up.  But the fight's not over.  It's just starting.  But know this — you will win.  Let's begin with a basic principle:  You have no moral obligation to respect or obey unconstitutional actions by a government.  None.  And when a government acts outside its constitutional limits, you do not merely have the right but the sacred duty to reject and replace it.  That's the issue for patriots in Virginia.

How Far Left Will Democrats Push Virginia?  Now that the Virginia Senate and House of Delegates are controlled by Democrats for the first time in a generation, the legislature has the votes to move the state to the left, and gun control is at the top of their agenda.  One bill mandates background checks for private sales of firearms, another prohibits the purchase of more than one handgun per month, and a third allows municipalities to ban firearms from public spaces and events.  On Tuesday, a day after a large, peaceful crowd gathered outside the capitol building in Richmond, Va. to protest the bills, the state Senate took up "red-flag" legislation that would allow any attorney or law-enforcement official to apply for an emergency judicial order to "prohibit a person who poses a substantial risk of injury to himself or others from purchasing, possessing, or transporting a firearm."

Documents: Extremist group wanted rally to start civil war.  A hidden camera captured members of a white supremacist group expressing hope that violence at a gun rights rally in Virginia this week could start a civil war, federal prosecutors said in a court filing Tuesday [1/21/2020].  Former Canadian Armed Forces reservist Patrik Jordan Mathews also videotaped himself advocating for killing people, poisoning water supplies and derailing trains, a prosecutor wrote in urging a judge in Maryland to keep Mathews and two other members of The Base detained in federal custody.  But the 27-year-old Canadian national didn't know investigators were watching and listening when he and two other group members talked about attending the Richmond rally in the days leading up to Monday's event, which attracted tens of thousands of people and ended peacefully.

The NRA Wants To Compromise In Virginia.  [Scroll down]  It's an all too familiar compromise.  Who really expected the NRA to fight on the side of liberty and God-given rights?  Really.  Answer that question.  Who among us?  But be aware, Ralph "Kill the babies and give me all your guns" Northam.  If you swagger around telling everyone that you and the NRA compromised to achieve "gun safety laws," to most of us that merely means that communists cooperated with betrayers.

VA Sheriffs show up and join VA gun rights rally.  At least one Virginia sheriff could be seen showing support for pro-gun rights activists who rallied at the Virginia Capitol building in Richmond on Monday [1/20/2020].  Grayson County Sheriff Richard Vaughan was seen voicing his opposition to new gun control measures being discussed in the Democrat controlled Virginia state legislature.  Vaughan said "If the bills go through as proposed, they will not be enforced.  They are unconstitutional."

Restaurant Owner Defends 2A: All Our Waitresses Open Carry.  "It's the safest restaurant in the country," said Lauren Boebert of Shooters Grill in Rifle, CO, a restaurant she owns and operates where all waitresses open carry a firearm.  She spoke with Breitbart News on Monday while attending a rally in support of the Second Amendment in Richmond, VA.

Pro-Gun Rally In Richmond Is Peaceful; Liberals Hardest Hit.  Today [1/20/2020] an estimated (by police) 22,000 people demonstrated at the Virginia capitol in Richmond in favor of Second Amendment rights, which are being threatened by the newly-elected Democratic majority in that state's legislature.  Liberal news outlets were hoping the rally would turn violent, and their disappointment when it didn't was palpable.

Media Fail: 2nd Amendment Rally Turns Out Peaceful, Patriotic.  The rally Monday that drew an estimated 22,000 Second Amendment supporters to the Virginia State Capitol on a frigid Martin Luther King Day was portrayed in advance by the media as a gathering of white nationalists and racists.  Democrat Gov. Ralph Northam — who, ironically, remains in office despite a humiliating blackface scandal — declared a state of emergency in anticipation, and at least one journalist said it would be a "white nationalist rally."

What I Saw At Lobby Day In Richmond.  The 2020 Lobby Day in Richmond, Virginia was an incredible success, with tens of thousands of gun owners showing up at the state capitol on a frigid Monday morning to voice their opposition to Governor Ralph Northam's gun control agenda.  I had no idea what to expect when I woke up Monday morning to head to the capitol, but I figured if we were going to have a good crowd I'd better get their early.  I left my hotel in downtown Richmond around 7 a.m. and was immediately struck by the number of people already on the streets.  By the time I reached the Pocahontas Building about a block from the capitol itself, there were already hundreds of individuals lined up to enter the building to lobby their lawmakers.  Hundreds more had already gathered on the closed-off street as well.  Everybody seemed to be in a good mood, despite the freezing cold temperatures.

Antifa Infiltrator?  Gun Rallygoers Turn on Protester Who Urges Violence.  Rallygoers at the Virginia capital pro-Second Amendment Lobby Day have been on high alert for several days leading up to the event and warning one another that infiltrators from Antifa or other anti-gun groups could be in their crowd posing as pro-gun, but stirring up trouble and violence.  An incident occurred at the Richmond rally that has some people wondering if they've just discovered one of these opposition plants.  The video below shows a thin man wearing army-style clothing and claiming to be a libertarian while encouraging someone who is speaking to "start a revolution right now" and "hop that fence and kill that guy."  [Video clip]

Virginians call for Gov. Northam's removal, thousands protest new gun control measures.  Virginians are calling for the removal of Democrat Gov. Ralph Northam after his suggested gun control policies drew huge crowds to a pro-Second Amendment rally.  The protest, which is held by the Virginia Citizens Defense League every year, was bolstered by strict gun control measures passed by the state Senate as a priority for the governor.

Democrats Say Rally Won't Impact Their Plans For Gun Control Legislation.  It's nice to see that rally day in Richmond went off without a hitch.  No infiltrators, at least, none who could really do any damage.  The best part of all of this was the lack of false flags.  Rex Tibor said in one video that this was happening, and it's time to act.  I disagreed then and I do now.  Don't get me wrong.  I sincerely appreciate the folks who could make it today.  I had initially intended to go despite my belief that it was a perfect opportunity for a false flag event.  I changed my mind when I found out about the cages.

Contrary to leftist hopes and conservative fears, the Richmond rally was peaceful.  Leftists craved the thought of violence occurring at Monday's Second Amendment in Richmond, Virginia, while Second Amendment-supporters were concerned that groups such as Antifa would use false flag operations to make trouble.  Fortunately, as Fox News reported, "[a] gun-rights rally in Richmond that brought thousands of people from across the country to protest a push by Virginia Democrats for comprehensive gun control ended peacefully without any major incidents."  The rally exposed deep fault lines in America when it comes to guns.  On the conservative side, gun rights activists note that the first shots the American revolutionaries fired, on April 19, 1775, were to prevent the British from acting on orders to seize and destroy arms and munitions hidden in Lexington and Concord.  From the start, America has been about the people's right to keep and bear arms.  After the Americans had routed the British, the Founding Fathers remained focused on the fact that the only defense against a tyrannical government is the People.

Virginia Second Amendment rally proves the media hate gun owners.  The media elite hate guns, favor gun control, and bear disdain or at least distrust for those who are passionate about gun rights.  Reporters' coverage of and reaction to Monday's [1/20/2020] Second Amendment demonstration makes that abundantly clear.  For starters, NBC News reporter Ben Collins, again, he's a reporter, not an opinion writer, flatly and falsely called the demonstration a "white nationalist rally" in a tweet calling on everyone covering it to "verify information" before tweeting it out.  Collins has deleted the smear-tweet, but you have to consider the nature of the error.  While deeply thinking about accuracy in tweets, a news reporter falsely called a gun rights rally a "white nationalist rally."

Virginians call for Gov. Northam's removal, thousands protest new gun control measures.  Virginians are calling for the removal of Democrat Gov. Ralph Northam after his suggested gun control policies drew huge crowds to a pro-Second Amendment rally.  The protest, which is held by the Virginia Citizens Defense League every year, was bolstered by strict gun control measures passed by the state Senate as a priority for the governor.  "He (Gov. Northam) thinks he can come in here and just say whatever he wants to do, and that's not how it's going to work," stated Santiago Helmik, a Second Amendment supporter.  "He thinks everybody here is going to comply, I bet you nobody here is going to comply with any of the laws he's going to pass."

Heavily armed protesters in bullet proof vests descend on Richmond gun rally as Virginia governor declares a state of emergency.  More than 20,000 people converged in the streets of Richmond, Virginia, on Monday [1/20/2020] to protest their right to bear arms in the face of swingeing state gun control laws set to be enacted later this year.  They started arriving before dawn — army veterans, stay-at-home-moms, attorneys, welders, democrats, republicans — united under banners defending the second amendment and, they believe, a constitution under attack.  And many of them came with their guns:  AR-15s, long-guns and handguns.

2A Activist:  Media Smearing Virginia Protesters as 'Nothing but White Rednecks'.  A black Second Amendment supporter at the January 20, 2020, rally pulled back the covers on the establishment media's attempts to paint pro-gun Virginians as "nothing but white rednecks."  Listen as the pro-Second Amendment American says, "I do not in any way, shape, or form support Governor Northam's and the Democrat's gun control."  [Video clip]

African-American Gun Owners Completely Destroy the Left's Latest 'White Supremacist' Narrative.  Late last week Virginia's Democrat Governor Ralph Northam signed an executive order declaring a state of emergency.  He did so by claiming white supremacists would take over the annually scheduled Second Amendment lobbying day in Richmond.  Northam's friends in the leftist media, who happily brushed his blackface and KKK garb scandal off the airwaves last year, took the "white supremacist" narrative and ran with it.  They warned of potential violence, clashes and targeting of minorities.  None of that happened and their false narrative completely fell apart.  It was a productive, peaceful day.

Virginia pro-gun rally:  Despite anger, threats of insurrection, massive rally is carried out peacefully outside state Capitol.  Thousands of gun-rights advocates packed the streets around the Virginia Capitol on Monday, bristling with weapons, flags and threats of insurrection but never erupting into the violence authorities had feared.  Armed militias carrying assault-style weapons marched in formation until the crowds grew too thick.  Protesters without firearms filed through 17 metal detectors at a single entrance to Capitol Square, where about 6,000 people cheered fiery speeches on the Second Amendment.  A far larger crowd remained outside the square, where they could keep their weapons.

Richmond: The Mother of All Buffalo Jumps.  The more I ponder the mass demonstration being promoted by the Virginia Citizens Defense League for the annual Lobby Day at the Richmond Capitol, the more it looks like a disaster in the making.  I wish it were otherwise, but I see many times more downside risk than possible upside benefit.  Even if Virginia Senate Bill 16 is passed, banning nearly all semi-automatic firearms, the new law will be challenged in court, and given the potential dire outcomes, the case will rapidly ascend to the SCOTUS.  This process will take years, and Governor Ralph Northam and the Democrat majority in the legislature may be voted out in the meantime, and the law overturned.  So why, before all that happens, go charging into Richmond in just a few weeks?

Governor Northam Couldn't Be Setting Up A "Reichstag Fire" Event, Could He?  Given the Left's need to control the conversation coupled with the pending implosion of the impeachment disaster, makes the Democrats more of a rabid, injured, cornered animal than usual. [...] There is a SWExit offer in place for Virginia counties who are as interested in an authoritarian nitwit in Richmond now as the Appalachian counties were in 1861.  Northam looks a slightly younger Joe Biden in terms of being in office without much of a clue.  The Virginia Senate just passed a set of unpopular gun control laws, despite the substantial negative feedback at the county level.  Stupid, futile gestures indeed.  And now, peaceful, patriotic protest in the capitol is threatened by Lefty violence and a judiciary that support's Northam's infringement of Constitutional rights.  It would be unfortunate if busloads of Antifa weenies tried to cause trouble and tragedy ensued.

Virginia: Is A New 'Shot Heard 'Round The World' Coming?  We tend to forget that there were a number of incidents like what we see and may see in The Commonwealth Of Virginia that occurred before Concord and Lexington.  However, there is a chance that, if the Despotic government of Virginia tries to use Violence against it's Citizens, it may rally other believers in the Second Amendment across America to hold protests.  What makes me doubt that this will be the spark that lights the Flame of Restoration is that, unlike in the 1770's, we have a President who is on our side, as it appears he is.  There is no doubt any longer that the government of The Commonwealth has embraced Tyranny.

A Textbook Example of Tyranny.  Virginia introduces a bundle of radical laws to destroy 2nd amendment rights, militias, sale transfer and registration bills, and the People of Virginia says no, and we're going to vote you all out next term.  Virginia government responds by introducing a bill to eliminate voter ID.  Virginia says we're not going to wait, we'll petition your removal from office, and get almost a 3rd of the 240K signatures to remove the governor and starts petitions to remove delegates.  Virginia government responds by introducing a bill to raise the amount of signatures from 10% of the prevailing vote, to 25%.  Folks, this is the a textbook example of tyranny.

Virginia State Senator Issues Warning Hours before Monday's 2A Rally:  "We Are Being Set Up".  Democrat Governor Blackface Northam is putting the squeeze on Virginia gun owners before Monday's Second Amendment protest.  The map of the protest grounds was released and shows only one entrance for the thousands of Virginia protesters expected at the rally. he group will be fenced in.  And the governor is ordering the 2A protesters to leave their guns at home — in an Open Carry State!

How Virginia Sheriffs Can Enforce Their Second Amendment Sanctuaries.  The situation in Virginia is heating up.  In a combination of gerrymandering mandated by the Federal courts, millions of dollars spent on a few local races by billionaires who hate the idea of an armed population, targeted advertising, organization by sympathizers of the Chinese communists, and apathy by the rest of Virginia voters, the Democrats have taken control of the Governorship and both the General assembly and the Virginia Senate, by rather slim margins.  These are not yesterday's Democrats.  These Democrats have been especially selected for their antipathy toward the Virginia Constitution's limitations on government power, the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, and limits on government power, generally.

Antifa Will Pretend to be MAGA & NRA Advocates at Virginia 2nd Amendment Rally.  The Internet is rife with rumors that antifa will march shoulder to shoulder with pro-gun protesters about to descend on Virginia's capital tomorrow — including one claiming that it will be antifa activists wearing red MAGA caps and NRA garb this time.  If true, pro-gun protesters should take lots of pictures for uploading to the 'Net during the event — because it will be the first time the anarchists appear anywhere without their signature masks.

Virginia Governor Sets a Trap for Lobby Day, 20 January, 2020.  Second Amendment supporters face a daunting challenge in Virginia for Lobby day, at the Virginia Capitol in Richmond, on 20 January, 2020.  Those who wish to disarm Virginians have created a trap to frame Second Amendment Supporters as violent white supremacists, going to Richmond to destroy duly elected government.  Do not take the bait.  Armed Virginians have been going to the State Capitol in Richmond to lobby to restore Second Amendment rights since 2002.  The Virginia Citizens Defense League (VCDL) has been very successful in these efforts.  VCDL was instrumental in moving Virginia from a may issue to a shall issue state in 1995.  It has made the shall issue law better and better by such things as eliminating many gun free zones and eliminating the requirement for fingerprints to obtain a permit to carry.  It has kept improving the state preemption law, to prevent local governments from chipping away at Second Amendment rights.  It has been one of the most effective of the state organizations working to restore Second Amendment rights.

It's a trap!  The problem here can be inferred from the headline:  "Tyranny at the Door in Virginia."  Sorry, but tyranny came right in the door, raided the fridge, sat itself on the couch, and made itself right at home already. [...] As far as I can tell, the VCDL is trying very hard to tread lightly and responsibly with their upcoming rally, going way out of their way to emphasize that they're a mainstream group of law-abiding citizens intent only on peaceably assembling to petition their government for redress of grievances, as is their good right, on a day specifically provided in Virginia each year for that very purpose.  Unfortunately, the more I see of this, the greater the likelihood of a bloody disaster intentionally created by the very malefactors responsible for this confrontation in the first place seems.  The sorry fact is that the time for peaceful protest is far, far behind us.  The war to preserve the US Constitution, the rights enumerated therein, and for liberty itself was lost many decades ago.  The America of our Founders is no more.

Virginia City Councilman Brings AR-15 to 2nd Amendment Sanctuary Vote.  Portsmouth, Virginia, councilman Nathan Clark participated in his city's Second Amendment Sanctuary vote while carrying an AR-15.  The Virginian-Pilot reports that two liberals, Councilman Shannon Glove and Vice Mayor Lisa Lucas-Burke, were critical of Clark's decision to bring his gun to the vote and asked him to apologize for doing so.

The Virginia Governor is Not a Patriot.  In America, losing one's rights for being convicted of a felony has always been a deterrent to committing a crime.  Sadly, Northam says he was proud to use his "executive clemency power" in restoring rights to felons.  So not only is the deterrent gone, now convicted felons can vote, run for office, and sit on a jury!  I'm guessing Northam didn't think about his own state's report on recidivism — if he read it at all.  According to data compiled by Virginia's Department of Corrections, Northam's state has a consistent 10+ year track record of more than 55 percent of people released from incarceration getting re-arrested within three years.  More than 48 percent of people released are re-convicted, and more than 22 percent are re-incarcerated.

Virginia State Democrats Launch Into An Anti-Gun Law Frenzy.  Virginia Democrats are on a tear to pass as much anti-Second Amendment legislation as possible and are sadly determined to shame the Commonwealth's own state motto, "sic semper tyrannis," or "thus always to tyrants" — a rallying cry against abuse of power.  In the last week, the Virginia state Senate passed three anti-gun bills, including requiring background checks on all firearm sales, limiting gun purchases to one in a 30-day period, and allowing localities to ban guns from public events.  This was after lawmakers voted the week prior to ban all firearms from the Capitol building, citing the need protect public safety in anticipation of this week's contentious gun bills.  (Of course, the only real effect of this rule was long security lines, delaying staffers, citizens, and thus the votes).

Virginia 2nd Amendment Activists Make Last-Ditch Effort To Avoid Ugly Clash.  Supporters of our constitutional right to bear arms are set to march in Richmond on Monday in defiance of state Democrats' gun control efforts.  As backers of the Second Amendment, many of the tens of thousands expected to attend are virtually guaranteed to come bearing arms.  Democratic Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam has acknowledged that the rallygoers can assemble, but seemingly only in the way he chooses.

What Would It Take To Recall Governor Ralph Northam?  I've seen several folks on Twitter and Facebook pushing the idea of impeaching Virginia Governor Ralph Northam over his attempt to infringe on the rights of gun owners with a set of gun control bills for the January legislative session.  Not be a Danny Downer, but the prospects of that actually happening are slim. [...] No chief executive or holder of statewide office has ever been recalled in Virginia, and I don't see Ralph Northam being the first.  Under Virginia law he can't run for re-election anyway, and gun owners and Second Amendment supporters would be better served by organizing and planning for the 2021 elections than in pursuing a recall of Virginia's anti-gun governor.

President Trump:  Virginia Proves Again Democrats 'Will Take Your Guns'.  On January 17, 2020, President Donald Trump pointed to the gun control situation in Virginia, noting that it proves once more the Democrats "will take your guns" if voted into office.  He made this point amid the all-out war on guns by Gov. Ralph Northam (D) and the newly elected Democrat majority in the state legislature.

Blame Game Set for Va.  Gov. Northam's Gun-Free Kill Zone.  The political battle lines have been drawn over Virginia governor Ralph Northam's declaration of an emergency kill zone on the Capitol grounds for Lobby Day, Jan. 20.  As of Friday night, after a Virginia district court rejected a legal challenge to the governor's gun ban, the ban appears to be in place, unless a last-ditch appeal to the Virginia Supreme Court can succeed in overturning the ban this weekend.  As it stands, an area bounded by 9th, Broad, Bank, and Governor streets around the Richmond Capitol has been declared an emergency gun-free zone. [...] Trapping people in an enclosure won't make them safe, and the prospect of mixing bad and good actors in the streets is an object lesson in the futility of gun-free zones.

Virginia Judge Rules No Guns Allowed At Pro-Gun Rally — In [an] Open-Carry State.  Democrats took over both chambers of the Virginia legislature in November, and as expected, they're pushing anti-gun laws through as quickly as they can.  On Thursday [1/16/2020], lawmakers in the state Senate passed an the first pair of bills in a wave of gun-control legislation that is set to come up for votes.  One bill would restore the state's previous one-handgun-a-month rule, while the second would allow local governments to ban guns in public buildings, parks and at permitted events — including political protests.  The vote was straight party line, 21-19.  Democrats have also proposed an assault weapons ban, red flag laws and universal background checks.

WV Invites Virginia #2A Counties To Switch States.  [W]ith all the news coming out of Virginia these days regarding pushback against new gun control laws, their neighbors in West Virginia have put forth an offer.  Tired of the government in Richmond taxing the heck out of you and trying to infringe upon your Second Amendment rights?  Perhaps you should consider switching over and becoming part of our state.

Meet the 16-Year-Old Competitive Shooter Working to Keep Her Guns Legal in Virginia.  Mia Farinelli is like any other teenage girl, except for one key difference.  Her skill as a world-class competitive shooter has brought her into the national spotlight.  She uses that spotlight to teach others about her sport, but also to do something other top high school athletes don't have to worry about: stop political proposals seeking to ban the very guns she competes with.  Join us as we follow Mia while she practices shooting, makes coffee for customers at her after-school job, beats competitors twice her age, lobbies her lawmakers, and speaks at a county meeting during the height of the Virginia Second Amendment sanctuary movement.  [Video clip]

Northam declares state of emergency ahead of gun rally.  Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced Wednesday [1/15/2020] that he was declaring a state of emergency over threats of "armed militia groups storming our Capitol" ahead of a gun-rights rally next week.  Northam's emergency order will ban weapons of all kinds, including firearms, from the Capitol grounds starting Friday and continuing through Tuesday.

Nasty CNN Warns VA Gun Rights Supporters Could Cause Violence Like Charlottesville.  Wednesday afternoon's [1/15/2020] CNN Newsroom ended with host Brooke Baldwin and correspondent Jason Carroll serving as chief fear mongers on behalf of "Governor Blackface" Ralph Northam (D-VA), parroting fears that Monday's Lobby Day in support of the Second Amendment could bring violence a la Charlottesville.  Baldwin also repeatedly fixated on the event and the possibility of violence falling on Martin Luther King Jr.  Day, so there was that angle that one could assume was a hint at a charge of racism.

Northam to Ban Guns From Capitol Grounds.  Fearing a repeat of the deadly violence that engulfed Charlottesville more than two years ago, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam plans to declare a temporary emergency Wednesday banning all weapons, including guns, from Capitol Square ahead of a massive rally planned next week over gun rights.  That's according to two state officials who were briefed on the plans but not authorized to speak publicly about them.  The governor, a Democrat, plans to announce the plans at a news conference Wednesday afternoon because of credible threats of potential violence and extremism, one official said.

Virginia's Blackface Governor Declares a Fake "Emergency" to Preemptively Disarm Gun-Carriers.  [Scroll down]  So the law has been specifically amended to specifically deny the governor any power under the emergency powers law to limit people's right to lawfully carry guns.  I am curious about what appears to be a huge exception:  "except to the extent necessary to ensure public safety in any place or facility designated or used by the Governor."  I think that just means a place literally used by the governor for sheltering people in an emergency, not "any place the governor designates," but I don't know for certain.  Or at least the law's "patron" says so.

Virginia Declares State of Emergency After Armed Militias Threaten to Storm the Capitol.  In response to what he described as "credible intelligence" of threats of violence at an upcoming gun rights rally in Richmond, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam has declared a state of emergency and will temporarily ban individuals from carrying firearms on Capitol grounds.  The governor said at a press conference Wednesday that authorities believe "armed militia groups plan to storm the Capitol" during the January 20 rally.  He also said that law enforcement had intercepted threats and "extremist rhetoric" similar to what was observed prior to the violent Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville in August 2017.  "We will not allow that mayhem and violence to happen here," he said.

How Scalia Botched Heller and Let the Left Undermine the 2nd Amendment.  Twelve years after the Supreme Court ruled that the right to keep and bear arms is an individual right "unconnected with service in a militia," the Second Amendment is in worse shape than ever.  New York; California; Massachusetts; Connecticut; and Washington, D.C., with a combined population of 70 million, have outlawed the sale of most semi-automatic rifles and all gun magazines capable of holding more than ten rounds to the public.  Colorado, New Jersey, Vermont, Maryland, and Hawaii also have restrictions on magazine capacity.  Seventeen states have so-called "red flag" laws, allowing the summary confiscation of a person's firearms on hearsay, even if that individual has not been charged with a crime.  A number of states have banned the sale of firearms between private parties, and New York and California prohibit the sale of ammunition without a government background check and registration of the purchase with the police.  None of this legislation has been declared unconstitutional in court.

First "red flag" gun confiscation request denied in Colorado.  On January 1st, Colorado's new "red flag" gun confiscation law went into effect.  This hasn't resulted in the immediate stampede of requests that some gun owners feared, but there have been a handful of them processed already.  Three such requests, including two in Denver, were approved.  A fourth request coming from the town of Limon in Lincoln County, however, was denied by the judge hearing the petition.  This represents the first such denial of a red flag complaint against a gun owner in the state.

Virginia Passes Four Gun Bills in One Day.  Four gun-control bills flew out of the Senate panel in Virginia yesterday to include the Red flag law, background checks which we have had for decades, one gun-a-month sale law, and the right of localities to ban or not ban firearms at certain events.  One of the fascists going for the guns is Joe Morrissey, who was convicted and served time for having sex with a minor.  There are many more to come.  Virginia, the home of the NRA, is ground zero for abolishing America's Second Amendment rights.  What goes on there must be closely watched.  It is a state in the hands of elected officials who are communists, socialists, and fascists.

Virginia democrats propose law blocking cops, active military from carrying guns.  It seems as though every day brings us something new out of Virginia relating to their now Democrat-led legislators and gun laws.  What's the latest?  State Delegate Dan Helmer filed a bill this past Wednesday that would allow the Attorney General, Mark Herring, the ability to determine which states' concealed carry permits Virginia would continue to recognize, and potentially making it almost impossible for people to protect themselves if they do not live in Virginia.  Not that they plan to let Virginians protect themselves either.  It appears that this would include members of the military that are stationed at one of the many Virginia bases.

Virginia's Giddy Gun Controllers.  Today [1/13/2020], the Virginia Senate Judiciary Committee will begin consideration of a host of gun control bills.  One week from today, groups such as the National Rifle Association and the Virginia Civilian Defense League are planning a mass demonstration against the bills.  Northam and the Dems will try to make these protests moot by getting their legislation passed quickly.  Among the bills being considered are requirements for background checks on all firearms sales, red flag laws, a one-a-month limit on purchasing pistols, closing the "gun show loophole," and bans on possession of firearms in state buildings and parks.  And that's not the half of it.

YouTube blocks links to texts of Virginia anti-gun Bills.  YouTube is now blocking links to the State of Virginia Legislative Information System (LIS).  On Saturday [1/11/2020], the YouTube channel Guns & Gadgets posted a video titled "Virginia Anti-Gun Bills To Be Heard Jan 13," wherein the proprietor discussed the 10 bills that will come before the Virginia legislature beginning January 13.  In the video's description, he listed LIS links to the text for each bill.  As of 1 a.m.  Sunday morning, YouTube was blocking the links with the following warning: [...]

We CANNOT Allow the Government to Disarm Us.  Candace Owens recently interviewed gun-rights advocate Maj Toure on her PragerU show.  Toure warns about what happens when a government takes guns away from the population.  He also talked about the Black Lives Matter movement, why he started Black Guns Matter, and how gun control itself is racist.  Black Americans should be the most pro-gun, pro-freedom people in the country.  What about black-on-black gun violence?  Toure talks about that, too.  [Video clip]

'Second Amendment sanctuary' movement headed for Supreme Court:  Laura Ingraham.  Fox News host Laura Ingraham predicted that a growing "Second Amendment sanctuary" movement in the U.S. is destined for the U.S. Supreme Court, as gun-control advocates face-off against gun-rights supporters in the commonwealth of Virginia.  More than 100 Virginia cities and counties have adopted resolutions focused on pushing back against proposed state-level gun-control measures.

Now, VA Democrats Want to BAN Indoor Shooting Ranges.  Indoor shooting ranges are an essential part of America's Second Amendment tradition.  They provide a convenient and safe location for law-abiding citizens to train with and enjoy using firearms peacefully.  But in the midst of a massive statewide gun control push, Virginians may soon lose the right to use them.  Virginia Delegate Dan Helmer has proposed new legislation that would outright ban the use of many indoor shooting ranges for civilians in the state.  Only law enforcement and military personnel would be able to use governmental indoor shooting ranges.

Virginia Ban On Woods And Backyard Shooting?  [Scroll down]  By stipulating "any partially enclosed or unenclosed area," they seem to want to outlaw any backyard or woods shooting, regardless of county or town regulations.  In other words, your "range" doesn't have to be a formally designated range open for business.  It might be your backyard, as long as you've put up a berm or some steel targets.

Tensions continue to rise ahead of Virginia gun control vote.  Pressure is mounting in Virginia as several counties across the state declared themselves 'gun sanctuaries' and Democrat lawmakers attempted to implement gun control measures.  One America's Chloe Hauxwell has more on this tug-of-war.  [Video clip]

Virginians: This Is What Your Rulers Think Of You.  "These people are crazy", "Yea, they're like little kids.  As long as we don't reply we'll get through this."  Some listeners are claiming that it's impossible to hear it accurately.  I could, especially with the help of the comments which link this cleaned up version.  [Video clip]

Anti-Gun Hollywood Steps Up Armed Protection for Golden Globes.  Actors and actresses in anti-gun Hollywood will be surrounded by armed security on Sunday as they attend the 77th annual Golden Globes.  New York Daily News reports Beverly Hill Police Department Capt. Michael Hill saying, "We have a robust security plan that includes assistance from our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners.  Additionally, we will be using the most contemporary technologies in an attempt to ensure the ceremony is held without incident."

Gun 'sanctuaries' compared to slavery, 'dangerous,' 'ugly,' 'disturbing'.  A new line of attack on Virginia's fast-growing gun sanctuary movement, which is propelling similar pro-gun efforts in other states, compares it to slavery, drawing criticism from movement leaders who have won support in 91% of the state's counties.  In the latest Washington Post slam on the movement, dubbed "vigilantism" in a recent editorial, the paper gave space Sunday to a critic who said the "thinking" behind the organic movement is what propelled slavery and opposed the civil rights movement.  Peter Galuszka called the movement "disturbing," "reactionary," "hysteria," "ugly," and "dangerous."

Bloomberg: We can't just let 'average' Americans have guns.  Democrats have long wanted to take away guns from Americans, and two candidates for president are making no bones about their plans.  Billionaire Michael Bloomberg, who has a mini-army of bodyguards around him whenever he moves, says guns aren't for "average" people.

Also posted under Liberals think you're stupid.

Sheriffs may go to jail to protect Second Amendment sanctuaries, Kentucky congressman says.  Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie thinks some local law enforcement leaders will be willing to go to jail rather than comply with state gun control laws they deem unconstitutional.  "Attended my first 2A sanctuary meeting today in Lewis County (where I live).  Standing room only.  Friends and neighbors spoke passionately and articulately.  County officials unanimously passed a resolution," Massie tweeted on Dec. 30.

Virginia Is Ground Zero in the War over Gun Control.  When Democrats won control of both houses of the Virginia Legislature November 5, 2019, Virginia gun-owners got a rude wake-up call.  Now that wake-up call is spreading to gun-owners throughout the rest of the 49 states.  In July 2019, Gov. Ralph Northam proposed a package of eight proposals that would tighten Virginia's gun laws, known as some of the least restrictive in the country.  Currently, Virginia's gun control measures of merit ban the sale of firearms only to high-risk individuals and those convicted of domestic violence.  However, the proposals would turn the least restrictive into what some would call dangerously restrictive, a premeditated strike against the Second Amendment.

Virginia Democrat Introduces "Red Flag" Firearms Seizure Bill.  Virginia state Senator George Barker, a Democrat who represents portions of Fairfax and Prince William counties in the D.C. suburbs, has introduced SB 240, a "red flag" firearms seizure bill that's one of the key items on Governor Ralph Northam's anti-gun agenda.  As with every other "red flag" or Extreme Risk Protection Order law, the bill introduced by Barker has several issues that pose risks to the due process rights of Virginians, as well as a myopic focus on guns instead of the individual who has been deemed a danger to themselves or others.

Virginia Governor's Call for $4.8 Million and 18-man Force to Grab Guns Sparks Opposition.  Virginia Governor Ralph Northam's proposed budget demand for $4.8 million for an 18-person force to carry out his proposed assault-weapons ban is coming under fire from groups across the Old Dominion.  In response to the governor's demands, pro-Second Amendment organizations are asking citizens of Virginia to attend public budget hearings around the state and to question state legislators if they intend to give the governor his gun-grabbing goons and whether they will vote to infringe in any way the right to keep and bear arms.

Warren Responds To Hero Stopping Texas Church Shooting:  I Will NOT Support Conceal Carry.  Democrat presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren responded to the heroic actions of the man who stopped the church shooting in Texas on Sunday by announcing that she would not support universal conceal carry even if the person had to be vetted by the government and obtain licensing.  The Democrat senator from Massachusetts made the remarks on Thursday [1/2/2020] while campaigning in Concord, New Hampshire.  An audience member brought up how Jack Wilson acted heroically during the shooting and stopped the attacker within just a few seconds and saved countless lives as a result.

The Left Goes Over the Edge.  [For example,] Virginia — Let's see, two racist idiots and a sex criminal walk into a bar...  They emerge a short time later as governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general.  And then get re-elected, whereupon they threaten to confiscate all firearms in the state, using the National Guard to do so (that is, if Eric can't get them nukes).  This sparks a mini-revolt all across the Virginia piedmont, with local governments and law enforcement vowing defiance.  All this even before the new term starts.  This is a particularly impressive case as it proves that the Dems are corrupt from top to bottom and that there's no possible hope of reform.

The Gun Control and Confiscation Agenda.  Strict gun control legislation, including confiscation of certain types of firearms, in Virginia have lead to a number of Virginia localities declaring themselves "second amendment sanctuaries" that will not enforce what they consider "unconstitutional" gun laws.  In response, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam (D) and several other politicians have openly suggested using the Virginia National Guard to implement gun confiscation plans in those jurisdictions that have declared themselves "Second Amendment Sanctuaries."  Some outlets have even reported that Virginia state officials are considering UN troops to aid the confiscation, although I cannot independently verify this speculation.  However, it is worth noting that the UN is advertising job openings for "DISARMAMENT, DEMOBILIZATION AND REINTEGRATION OFFICERS" to be stationed in the United States.  This job advertisement can be viewed on the UN website.  I can find no proof that the job announcement and Virginia's gun control efforts are related.  However, the situation does bear watching.

The UN Is Hiring English-Speaking Disarmament Officers in New York.  As the Second Amendment conflict heats up across the United States, here's another "crazy conspiracy theory" that has turned out to be true.  The United Nations is hiring in New York.  What positions are they trying to fill?  English-speaking disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration officers.  This job was posted the day after Christmas.  So for all the folks who have been saying "nobody is trying to take your guns" you might want to read this job listing and reconsider your opinion.

The Editor says...
The United Nations should be evicted from the United States, and the U.S. should withdraw from it immediately, if it's not already too late.

Documenting the Virginia Crackdown.  Recent elections in Virginia have placed the Virginia government within arm's length of widespread gun confiscation.  Around eighty-four counties and cities throughout the Commonwealth have pledged to ignore and resist these measures.  Some Virginia elected officials have called for the National Guard to carry out such confiscation, which would imply the arrest and disarmament of local officials who get in the way.  Governor Northam has stopped short of adopting such an idea, but he will not rule it out.  Additional stories indicate that the government will disable internet and telephone access to affected areas during the crackdown.  The prison budget has been increased in anticipation of gun-related arrests.  While the idea of soldiers engaged in gun confiscation is not yet a reality, the proposal itself should alarm every sane person in this country.

Virginia increasing corrections budget anticipating jailing gun-owners.  Virginia's Governor Ralph Northam and the Legislature's Democrat majority are anticipating resistance to the gun control measures they are planning, including a ban on "assault weapons" and certain magazines.  The legislative majorities and enthusiasm for gun-grabbing are the result of the northern D.C. suburbs' population growth and are being resisted by the non-urban parts of state, leading to a proliferation of gun sanctuary counties.  Now the Second Amendment-haters seem to be anticipating push coming to shove.

Officials who flouted law on immigration, marriage, demand blind obedience to gun grab.  In what has to be one of the biggest flip-flops in American political history, officials in Virginia now are demanding all residents pledge blind obedience to what the state says is right.  That's only a few short months, or years, after they argued that state law didn't have to be followed because it was wrong, in their opinion. [...] The recent election saw Democrats take the majority of the state legislature and join a Democrat in the governor's office.  As Democrats do when they are in the majority, they announced plans for a long list of gun restrictions and limits, suggesting strongly to some, because of an allocation for more detention facilities for adults, an ultimate plan to confiscate guns and turn gun owners into criminals.

Gun Sales Are Up In Virginia.  If this "opposition" is merely symbolic, and if they plan on turning their guns in to governor Ralph "Kill the babies give me all your guns" Northam, why would they be spending their hard-earned money on buying more guns?

Virginia Weighs Deploying National Guard to Enforce New Anti-Gun Laws.  Things Could Get Ugly.  When Michael Bloomberg flooded Virginia state legislative contests with his anti-gun groups' cash he got a quid pro quo from victorious Democrats: a near ban of AR-15s and a promise of more anti-gun laws.  Now, to make room for all the felons who are predicted to be arrested by cops and the Virginia National Guard, whom the governor has been urged to deploy, Democrats are demanding more money for prison space and law enforcement. [...] But the AR-15 near-ban is only the beginning.  There will be gun-buying rationing and limitations on ammo contained in the proposed laws.

Second Amendment Sanctuary Cities For The Win.  I've always been an advocate of playing by the left's new rules, and this is a great opportunity to new rules the libs good and hard.  We got your sanctuary right here, pinkos.  See, the left decided that Virginia, whose northern reaches are now full of government workers and other garbage people, needed to turn blue.  With tons of lib donor money and the aid of a typically inept state GOP, they managed to just barely grab control of both houses of the legislature.  With Governor Byrd-Jolson in charge, they immediately promised to do away with the Second Amendment.  They announced that they were going to confiscate the citizens' scary guns and do all sorts of other things to show those disobedient, probably Jesus-loving rubes who was boss. [...] Instantly, everyone outside the garbage counties locked and loaded their freedom and so the Second Amendment sanctuary movement began.  County after county, and many cities, all committed to resisting if the state tried enforcing unconstitutional gun laws against normal citizens.

Sorry Democrats:  New Zealand's gun confiscation program just failed miserably.  Proposals range from Joe Biden's voluntary gun buybacks to the more radical mandatory confiscation proposed by Cory Booker.  (He still misleadingly calls it a "buyback.")  So it's worth examining how such buybacks played out recently in New Zealand, which passed a ban on the sale of semiautomatic weapons and a mandatory gun buyback program after a tragic shooting in April.  The deadline for the mandatory gun buyback program was Friday [12/20/2019].  The New Zealand program successfully led to the compensated confiscation of 51,000 of the targeted firearms.  But as the left-leaning Guardian newspaper reports, this is out of an estimated 170,000 such guns currently in circulation.  And there are still a minimum of 1.2 million legally owned firearms in New Zealand on top of that.

St.  Louis City Government Goes Orwellian, Bans Second Amendment in Parks.  On 13 December, 2019, Lyda Krewson, the Mayor of St. Louis, Missouri, signed a city ordinance purported to ban guns from St. Louis City parks.  It was passed by a vote of 16-2.  The bill used a novel approach to circumvent the Missouri State protections for Second Amendment rights.  Bill No. 134 declared that St. Louis parks and recreation facilities are "child-care" facilities, and are, therefore, banned from allowing firearms in them.

New Zealand collects over 50,000 guns in buyback program.  An additional 2,700 guns were modified to make compliant with new regulations and 5,000 firearms of all types were also collected as part of a no-questions-asked amnesty.  All told, the government has spent roughly $66 million on the effort.

Second Amendment Sanctuaries Started in 1774.  Reflecting trends in states as diverse as Colorado, Illinois, New Mexico, and Washington, where politicians have declared a war against gun owners, about half of Virginia's counties have declared themselves Second Amendment sanctuaries.  County governments and elected sheriffs pledge not to enforce unconstitutional diktats that violate the right to keep and bear arms.  Sanctuary places are the darling of "progressive" jurisdictions determined to hide and harbor criminal aliens from federal immigration authorities.  Progressives now accuse officials of being "vigilantes" for seeking to protect American citizens from imprisonment for exercising their constitutional rights.  Spearheading the war on Virginia gun owners is Gov. Ralph Northam, best known for his gig in blackface or Klan attire, and for calmly endorsing post-delivery abortion, that is, infanticide.  To divert attention from the backlash, he is moving to criminalize all sorts of innocent conduct that has been lawful in the Commonwealth since Jamestown was settled in 1607.

9 Out of 10 Virginia Counties Declare Themselves 2nd Amendment Sanctuaries.  The grassroots push for Virginia counties to say they won't enforce gun bans even if passed by the state legislature is spreading "like a freight train," with nearly 9 out of 10 counties in the state declaring themselves "Second Amendment sanctuaries" and thousands of people expected to show up for a pro-gun rally in the state capital next month.  "It's been like a freight train," said Philip Van Cleave, whose Virginia Citizens Defense League (VCDL) has helped organize the sanctuary movement.  "It started moving and it's moving under its own weight at this point.  It's amazing."  Van Cleave said the group is doing everything it can to leverage the energy of the "Second Amendment sanctuary" movement which has swept across the state at breakneck speed the past few weeks.  As of Friday [12/20/2019], 85 counties, 9 cities, and 17 towns had formally declared themselves sanctuaries, according to the gun-rights group.

156 guns seized after Anaheim man trips own burglary alarm, roommate invites police to investigate.  A man accidentally tripped a burglary alarm in his Anaheim home and was arrested along with his housemate, who told officers over the phone to inspect their house, resulting in the discovery and seizure of over 150 guns from the residence on Monday, Dec. 16.  Officers responding to an automated notification from an alarm triggered at a house near West Broadway and South Archer Street found the front door of the dwelling open, Anaheim Police Sgt. Shane Carringer said.  They called one of the people registered to that address, and he asked police to enter the home to investigate.  Police found one of the home's other residents in a backyard, in addition to high-capacity magazines and numerous firearms that were in plain view inside the home.

Norton Middle School cancels concert after staff finds bullets stored in lockers.  A concert at Norton Middle School was canceled Wednesday night after bullets were found stored in a student's locker, according to police.  A teacher overheard students discussing ammunition being brought to school earlier Wednesday, police said in a release.  One student reportedly said they brought five bullets to the school multiple days ago to trade with another student for electronics.

Smith & Wesson Sued by Victims of 2018 Mass Shooting in Toronto.  Victims of a mass shooting in Toronto last year filed a C$150 million ($114 million) class-action lawsuit against Smith & Wesson Corp., claiming the company was negligent for not incorporating "smart gun" technology for the firearm used in the attack in Canada's largest city.  Smith & Wesson was the manufacturer of an M&P .40-caliber semi-automatic pistol, the stolen weapon used by Faisal Hussain to kill two people and injure 13 in an attack on a restaurant strip along Danforth Avenue.  Dozens of people suffered injuries while fleeing the shooter, who later killed himself, the lawsuit says.

Virginia's Second Amendment Sanctuaries:  An Update.  There are a few new developments worth noting.  For starters, the sanctuaries have spread dramatically.  They're up to 93 jurisdictions — covering roughly 40 percent of the population, by my quick spreadsheet tally.  That's huge, though the biggest victory, in Prince William County, is likely to be overturned when the county board flips to the Democrats, and some of these places have passed vague resolutions in support of the Constitution rather than the more aggressive language proposed by the Virginia Citizens Defense League.

Virginia Dem mulls National Guard to enforce upcoming gun laws, an idea likely to end in violence.  In case you missed it:  Virginia has gone completely Democrat.  The last election ushered in a partisan shift of the state government that has left the House of Delegates, the Senate and the governor's office in Democrats' power — a leftist hold on the commonwealth that hasn't been seen for decades. [...] Democrats in Virginia have already pre-filed bills to mandate universal background checks; to limit handgun purchases; to raise age limits on would-be firers; to redefine the term assault weapon and impose bans on buys of certain guns and magazines.  And more.  And dozens upon dozens of county officials around the state have rushed to pass resolutions declaring their jurisdictions sanctuaries from the state's gun control storm and announcing that their police chiefs have no intent of enforcing the Dems' laws.

VA Dems Threaten To Use National Guard Against Sanctuary Counties.  We here at Bearing Arms have offered a lot of support for Virginia's sanctuary counties.  While Cam has written extensively on the subject, I've also covered it in various posts.  We both stand firmly with sanctuary counties.  The continued encroachment on our Second Amendment liberties has to end somewhere, somehow, and the sanctuary movement is a dandy way to address it.  However, I also understand that not everyone agrees with me on that front.  Most of those are anti-gunners who typically ignore immigration sanctuary cities as if they're a non-factor, but see this as the most horrible thing in the world.  A lot of those anti-gunners got elected or re-elected to office in the state of Virginia, though.  Now, they're looking to ramp things up against those defiant localities.

Yes, Virginia, the governor really can use the National Guard to enforce gun control.  With dozens of Virginia counties declaring themselves Second Amendment sanctuaries, some Democratic lawmakers have said the governor should use the National Guard to enforce future gun control legislation -- but can he?  Virginia Democrats, who control the legislature and governorship, have proposed several measures including an "assault weapons" ban, universal background checks, and a red flag law.  In response, 75 counties vowed they will not enforce future gun control legislation.  Virginia Democratic Rep. Donald McEachin told the Washington Examiner on Thursday [12/12/2019] that Gov. Ralph Northam "may have to nationalize the National Guard to enforce the law" if local authorities refuse to do so themselves.

Virginia sheriff:  We'll deputize law-abiding citizens to counter state Dems' gun control 'overreach'.  A Virginia sheriff is vowing to take matters into his own hands and deputize residents if the state's Democratic lawmakers pass strict gun control legislation.  "They will be properly vetted through a normal process.  Everything from normal background checks that we do for other deputy sheriffs as well as psych [evaluations].  It's not just a blanket policy of swearing-in anyone who is interested," Culpeper County Sheriff Scott Jenkins told "Fox & Friends" on Wednesday [12/11/2019].  Jenkins made the vow during a Board of Supervisors meeting last week in which the panel unanimously agreed to declare the county a "Second Amendment Constitutional County."

Bloomberg: When I'm President I'll Pack the Supreme Court With Anti-Gun Justices.  Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has made a name for himself as a leader in the gun control movement.  After all, he funds Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action.  Naturally, Bloomberg has decided to use his anti-Second Amendment stance to make himself a top tier in the 2020 Democratic field.  In an opinion piece in the Chicago Tribune, Bloomberg rehashed his stance on the Supreme Court case known as New York Rifle and Pistol Association v. New York City.  At the time, NYC prohibited gun owners from transporting firearms outside of city limits, even if the resident was taking them to a gun range.  Once the New York Rifle and Pistol Association, along with the National Rifle Association (NRA) and Second Amendment Foundation (SAF )challenged the city's ordinance in a court of law, NYC decided to rescind the law.  The city tried to get the lawsuit thrown out, saying the point is now moot because the ordinance no longer exists.  Gun rights advocates, however, are worried the city will reimplement the law if the Supreme Court decides to throw out the case.

Gov. Ralph Northam:  Register Your AR-15 with Government or Hand It Over.  Gov. Ralph Northam (D) announced Monday his "assault weapons" ban will mean AR-15 owners can either register their guns with the government or hand them over.  The Virginia Mercury reported Northam spokeswoman Alena Yarmosky used a statement to say, "The governor's assault weapons ban will include a grandfather clause for individuals who already own assault weapons, with the requirement they register their weapons before the end of a designated grace period."

Virginia Dems Cave on Confiscation as 2A Sanctuaries Expand.  Virginia Democratic leaders abandoned their gun confiscation proposal Monday [12/9/2019] following a grassroots outpouring of opposition to gun control across the state.  Governor Ralph Northam (D.) and incoming Senate majority leader Dick Saslaw (D.) said they will no longer pursue their marquee plan to ban the possession of "assault weapons."  Instead, they will include a provision to allow Virginians to keep the firearms they already own.  The reversal comes before the newly elected Democratic majority has even been sworn in, after a majority of the state's counties declared themselves "Second Amendment sanctuaries."

Northam Tweaks Gun Ban In Response To 2A Sanctuary Movement.  Virginia Governor Ralph Northam is hoping to take some of the wind out of the sails of the Second Amendment Sanctuary movement in the state by proclaiming that he backs a grandfather clause in a pending ban on so-called "assault weapons."  More than fifty counties, towns, and cities have passed resolutions vowing not to enforce unconstitutional gun control laws that are assured of passage in the next legislative session, and Northam's statement is the first response we've seen from the governor's office in regards to the movement.

Democrats Are Pushing America Into Civil War.  Make no mistake, Virginia is a test.  Unable to depose the president, they will proceed on a state-by-state basis to create the nation they long for.  And disarming Americans is crucial for the Democrats as a first and necessary step, because an armed populace can say, "No!"  Will Virginians willingly give up their guns to the Democrats?  Some might.  After all, Virginia is proximate to D.C. and many will obey.  Yet, many will not.  Virginia will be the future, because the Democrats will brook no dissent.  They will come heavy and hard and it won't be long before there is gunfire, and someone is hurt or killed.

Bloomberg unveils gun control plan to stop massacres.  Michael Bloomberg vowed Thursday [12/5/2019] to re-institute a federal assault weapons ban and require more rigorous background checks and licensing to obtain firearms if he's elected president. [...] In addition to the assault weapons ban, Bloomberg called for raising the age to buy a gun from 18 to 21, the same for purchasing booze.  He would also require every gun buyer to obtain a permit before making a purchase and require a 48-hour waiting period.  Background checks would cover private sales and gun shows, and domestic abusers also would be denied access to firearms, according to Bloomberg.

Gun Buyers on Cusp of Breaking All-Time Background Check Record.  Gun buyers are currently on the cusp of breaking the record for the highest number of background checks conducted in one year's time.  Breitbart News reported the record for the most background checks in a single year is 27.5 million, and we are fast approaching that number.

ATF: 423 million guns in America, 1.2 per person, 8.1 billion rounds of ammo a year.  New federal data shows that there are 422.9 million firearms in circulation, or about 1.2 guns for every person in the country.  What's more, despite years of criticism of modern "assault-style" rifles such as the AR-15 and AK-47, there are a record 17.7 million in private hands, proving that it is the most popular gun around.  And last year alone, the arms industry produced 8.1 billion rounds of ammunition.  The figures are from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and were crunched by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the gun industry trade group.

Black Friday records second highest gun sales in history:  FBI reveals it initiated more than 200,000 background checks.  Background checks on gun purchases in the U.S. are climbing toward a record high this year, reflecting what the industry says is a rush by people to buy weapons in reaction to the Democratic presidential candidates' calls for tighter restrictions.

NYT Begs SCOTUS: Throw out Case Instead of Ruling Against Gun Control.  The New York Times editorial board is asking the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) to toss out a challenge against New York City gun control rather than rule against the controls at the center of the challenge.  Breitbart News reported that SCOTUS was hearing a challenge to the NYC gun control on Monday, December 1, 2019.  The gun control prohibited licensed firearm owners from transporting their firearms to all but seven city-approved gun ranges.

African Americans Aren't The Only People Democrats Want To Disarm.  In the post-bellum South, Democrats prohibited blacks from possessing guns outright or imposed gun prohibitions selectively enforced against blacks, leaving them vulnerable to the Democrats' Ku Klux Klan.  In District of Columbia v. Heller (2008), the Supreme Court noted that "Blacks were routinely disarmed by Southern States after the Civil War."  In U.S. v. Cruikshank (1876), the court considered the convictions of white Democrats who had participated in the disarming and cold-blooded murder of at least 60 black Republicans in the infamous Colfax Massacre in Grant Parish, Louisiana.  In 1911 in New York, Democrats began requiring a selectively granted license to own a handgun, so the police could deny handguns to Italian immigrants in New York City.

Black Friday gun background checks second-highest in recorded history.  The FBI ran the second-highest number of gun background checks on Black Friday 2019, which is an 11 percent increase from the previous year and an indication that firearm sales are on the rise, officials said.  The agency conducted 202,465 gun background checks on Nov. 29, 2019, which is the second-highest number seen since the bureau implemented the checks in 1998.  This year's big-shopping day is second only to Black Friday 2017, when the FBI ran 203,086 checks, records show.

Virginia Dems Aim to Criminalize "Tactical Training."  A Trap for Gun Owners?  Virginia Democrats have put forth a bill that would strengthen current state law against "paramilitary" activity by criminalizing assemblies of persons with firearms.  The vague wording of Senate Bill No. 64 establishes that a person is "guilty of unlawful paramilitary activity, punishable as a Class 5 felony" if he so much as has the "intent" of intimidating a person or group.  The threat of SB 64 to defenders of the Second Amendment is the uncertainty of how "intent" would be decided.

More discussion of SB 64 can be found here.

Gun Confiscation Comes to Virginia.  Next year, Democrats will control both houses of Virginia's state Legislature as well as its governorship.  On November 18, State Sen. Dick Saslaw introduced a bill that he will sponsor in the 2020 legislative session.  That bill will outlaw not only the sale or transfer but also the possession of certain firearms.  Saslaw's bill — SB 16 — provides that "It is unlawful for any person to import, sell, manufacture, purchase, possess or transport an assault firearm" and makes such actions a Class 6 felony.  (In Virginia, Class 6 felonies are punishable by imprisonment for between one and five years.)

WhiskeyWarrior556 falls victim to New York's red flag laws.  On Friday [11/22/2019], police showed up to a young man's workplace and tried to arrest him over social media posts reported to them by an old army buddy of the 28-year-old Afghanistan veteran.  This man, known as Alex and popular on Instagram under the handle of WhiskeyWarrior556, slipped out of the back door, hurried home to check on his family where he found out police had already forced themselves into his home and confiscated his legal firearms after threatening his wife with calling child protective services to remove her newborn child. [...] If the current legal landscape allows for citizens to have their Second Amendment rights stripped from them without any legal opportunity to dissent, what are the next rights to be taken?

More Virginia Counties Declare 'Second Amendment Sanctuary' Status.  More Virginia counties declared "Second Amendment Sanctuary" status this week in an effort to get ahead of the gun control promises from Gov. Ralph Northam (D) and newly-elected Democrats.  On November 19, 2019, Breitbart News reported that Appomattox County Board of Commissioners passed a "Second Amendment Sanctuary" resolution, with the goal of opposing any efforts that would "unconstitutionally restrict gun rights."

Another Texas county designates itself as Second Amendment sanctuary county.  While Democrat lawmakers continue to push for stricter gun laws, certain U.S. counties are taking a stronger stance to protect Second Amendment rights.  One of communities is Wood County, Texas where commissioners have officially declared the county as a "Second Amendment sanctuary."  The new status was approved unanimously in a meeting Tuesday.  Under this status, the county's money and resources will no longer be spent on laws which infringe on a person's right to own a gun.  According to Wood County Sheriff Tom Castloo, officials do not want to confiscate guns from citizens when they have the right to own them.

The Downfall of the Million Mom March.  Some of our readers who are now old enough to vote might not have even been alive in 2000 when the Million Mom March, a project of the Brady Campaign, declared war on the Second Amendment. [...] On May 10 2000, columnist J.R. Labbe exposed the Million Mom March for promoting House candidates on its web site using 501(c)(3) tax exempt money.  The group was also proven to have lied to its donors and volunteers about gun violence killing 12 or 13 children a day, which is true only if you redefine 18- and 19-year-old legal adults in a very violence-prone age cohort as "children."  Asking for money while lying never goes over very well even if prospective donors agree with your cause.  The same goes for trying to influence an election with tax exempt money.  The MMM was so badly discredited that it liquidated in October 2001 and transferred its assets to the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence.

Ohio Supreme Court To Decide Whether Gun Owners Can Drink At Home.  The idea of alcohol prohibition was settled almost a century ago when the Volstead Act was repealed by yet another constitutional amendment.  It's the only amendment that's been passed, then repealed a short time later.  In truth, prohibition was a complete and total disaster.  Luckily, we've left that behind.  While some faiths take issue with alcohol consumption, that's generally left to each individual to decide for themselves.  Though, admittedly, there's something to be said about using alcohol to combat some anti-gun arguments.  However, in Ohio, arguments are gearing up to determine whether drinking at home should make use of a firearm illegal.

Big dope: how marijuana benefited from one of the slickest PR campaigns in history.  When Jared Loughner shot Arizona congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords in the head, on January 8, 2011, an appalled America sought some sort of reason for this cruel action, and for some remedy.  Giffords, though gravely hurt, survived.  But in a brief and terrible frenzy in the parking lot of a suburban Tucson supermarket, Loughner killed six people and wounded several others.  When post-arrest pictures were released, showing him smirking and vague, I had little doubt what I was seeing.  It did not take long to find out that my suspicions — that he was a user of mind-altering drugs — were justified.  But in all the years since, this aspect of his past has been noted but not in any way acted upon.  Those who see gun control as a solution to such woes used the event as an argument for their cause.  Why shouldn't they?  Loughner used a legally obtained gun.  But guns have been easily available in the United States from the beginning.  Wild mass killings of this sort are a post-1960 phenomenon.  So, applying the rules of logic, the availability of guns simply cannot be the significant variable.

Natural Rights Versus Political Rights.  A headline I read this weekend proclaimed that Virginia Governor Ralph Northam, the Klan-hood-wearing gent formerly known at VMI as "Coonman," was "working on" possible gun confiscation in Virginia now that money on the Left has successfully buried his racism and bought the legislature for their party.  Aside from the obvious commentary about what happens when Democrats obtain power, the headline suggests a far deeper problem confronting our country.  It is only a matter of time before anti-constitutional forces seize control of the Senate, or perhaps the White House, and when they do, what historically American citizens consider to be unalienable rights will suddenly disappear.  The coming purge of natural rights is inevitable.

It's the epitome of left-wing politics:  race-based gun control.  For your own good, of course.
Michael Bloomberg suggests disarming minorities to 'keep them alive'.  Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg reportedly argued Friday [11/8/2019] that guns need to be kept out of the hands of minorities in order to keep them alive.  While speaking at the Aspen Institute, Mr. Bloomberg, 72, said 95 percent of murders fall into a specific category:  a male minority between the ages of 15 and 25, The Aspen Times reported.  Cities need to get guns out of this group's hands and keep them alive, the former three-term mayor said, according to The Times.

The Editor says...
The people who cooked up this idea seem to have a poor understanding of human nature.  They assume that if you take guns away from criminals, the criminals won't be able to get another gun.  Liberals think criminals are stupid.  Liberals think you're stupid enough to vote for a candidate with ideas that are this transparently futile.

The Nazism of Democrat Gun Control.  November 9 marks the 81st anniversary of the first day of Kristallnacht, also known as the "night of broken glass."  For nearly a week, the Nazi Sturmabteilung paramilitary forces carried out a pogrom against Jewish-owned businesses, synagogues and properties across Germany and related territories; 267 synagogues and 7,000 businesses were damaged or destroyed, and 30,000 Jewish men were incarcerated in concentration camps.  There was another sinister motive equal to the anti-Semitism:  gun control.  What many don't know is, weeks before, the Nazis had disarmed the Jews whom they terrorized; they knew who had firearms because of a compulsory, pre-Nazi gun registry created a decade earlier.  The Nazis were so precise that businesses adjacent to Jewish-owned businesses were untouched; we suspect that many non-Jews wanted to help, but they knew that assisting would likely mean death or imprisonment.

Virginia's Democratic Government Announced It Will Begin Confiscating Guns from Law-Abiding Gun Owners.  Virginia's gun owners will now be forced to stay on their toes as its Democratic government has announced it's going to take the war on guns into overdrive within the state.  According to the Washington Post, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced during a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday that now that Virginia's state government is under complete Democrat control for the first time in a generation, they're going to take the heavy stick they were just given and begin beating gun owners over the head with it.

Texas Counties Are Declaring Themselves 'Second Amendment Sanctuaries.' But What Does That Mean, Exactly?  Hood County is one of seven Texas counties — mostly Republican and rural — to officially establish themselves as gun sanctuaries in the past year and a half, three of them after O'Rourke announced his support for a mandatory buy-back of assault weapons in the aftermath of the mass shootings in El Paso and Midland/Odessa.  Like resolutions in several other counties, Hood County's measure affirms support for any decision the sheriff makes "to not enforce unconstitutional firearms restrictions against any citizen," and it shields county funds, employees, and buildings from being used in service of any law "that unconstitutionally infringes on the right of the people to keep and bear arms."  Before voting on the measure, Commissioner Dave Eagle pointedly noted that the sheriff is the highest-ranking law enforcement official in the county.  "What does that mean?" Eagle asked rhetorically.

The Editor says...
The word rural, as in, "mostly Republican and rural," is a code word meaning stupid.

Orwellian Fear Reigns in Vermont.  Vermont is the national Petri dish for the Orwellian fear-mongers.  Visceral quaking by overwrought Vermont "progressives" over firearms was well funded by out-of state interests, and Vermont swiftly shifted from one of the least restrictive Second Amendment havens to one of the most oppressive, employing a "thoughtcrime" that was perfectly timed (post-Sandy Hook) to dupe the electorate: a student was charged with an "attempted" attack on a public school, when there had never been any attempt.

Andrew Pollack:  Guns Don't Create School Shootings, Leftist Policies Do.  Andrew Pollack is using speaking engagements and video opportunities to tell audiences that guns do not cause school shootings, leftist policies do. [...] He noted that people who call for more background checks either ignore or do not know that the Parkland attacker passed a background check to get the gun he used.  Pollack said the big problem is that school districts are crippled by leftist policies that prevent them from recognizing and/or reporting criminality among certain students.  Pollack said these "politically correct policies to decrease juvenile arrests" spare individuals with criminal tendencies from compiling a record, thereby leaving a clean history with which they pass a background check when they attempt to buy a gun.

Permitless gun carry in Oklahoma takes effect.  A "constitutional carry" gun law in Oklahoma took effect Friday.  Also known as permitless carry, the law lets some Oklahomans carry a firearm in public without a license.  Most Oklahomans 21 and older can now carry concealed or unconcealed firearms without having gone through a background check or training requirements, with exceptions for those illegally in the country or who have been convicted of certain crimes.

On Laws, Guns, And Freedom, Bureaucrats Fight To Overrule The People.  With just over a month left before the Supreme Court's scheduled December sitting, Second Amendment activists are eagerly anticipating the first major hearing on gun rights since the high court struck down Chicago's handgun ban in 2010. [...] Red flag laws, currently on the books in 15 states, allow police, family members, and others (e.g., cranky neighbors) who fear (or say they fear) that a gun owner has become dangerous, to file a seizure warrant for that person's weapons, reversing the burden of proof:  the gun owner is presumed dangerous and has to prove he is not — making a travesty of both the Sixth and Second Amendments.  As of now, there is no national gun registry, but Democrats dream of creating one so officials can confiscate the firearms of dangerous people.  Like you.  Not a good idea in a country where people aspire to be free.

How Democrats' Gun Control Plans Would Wreck Wildlife Conservation.  People seeking public office should do homework before embracing bad policy.  If they don't have the time, at minimum they should require their staff to be informed.  Every current Democratic presidential candidate is advocating an assault on wildlife and habitat conservation in America.  It's fair to assume they don't know.  They, like most Americans, are likely unaware that the bulk of wildlife conservation funding in this country comes from a healthy firearms industry.

BATFE Drops 80% Receiver Case in California; Fears Precedent.  In 2014, Joseph Roh had a business that dealt in firearms parts.  As part of the business, he facilitated the production of lower receivers for AR-15 type firearms, from 80% receivers, in California.  In the business, he or his employees would set up the 80% receiver in a Computer Numerical Control (CNC) milling machine.  Then, they required the customer to "push the green button". ATF believed this made the business one that was manufacturing firearms without a license.  Roh was arrested in 2014. [...] Joseph Roh had assets.  He hired a competent attorney, Gregory Nicolaysen.

Washington Parish Sheriff Cites Second Amendment, Leaves Democrat Party.  Washington Parish is a rural parish of about 47,000 population in Louisiana.  The rural parish elections have been trending conservative; they have been gradually moving from traditional Democrat to Republican. [...] Sheriff Randy Seal was correct when he said the Democrat party left him.  There is no issue where this is more clear than on support for the Second Amendment.

Florida Police Using FINDER System to Create Lists of Gun Owners.  Pawnbrokers are required to enter information on firearms transactions into the FINDER system.  The system transmits the serial number of the firearm along with the make and model to the local sheriffs' department to make sure that the person pawning the gun, did not steal it.  A bug in the system also transmitted the names and addresses of the transfers to local law enforcement.  The Charlotte County Sheriff's Department used the information to create a list of gun owners.

Beto O'Rourke:  We will use 'criminal code' against people who refuse to turn in AR-15s.  Beto O'Rourke said he would use the criminal code to back up his proposal to confiscate AR-15s and other "weapons of war" from Americans.  "If we're able to pass mandatory buybacks and I'm able to sign that into law, then I fully expect our fellow Americans to turn in their AR-15s and their AK-47s," the former Texas congressman said in a Thursday CBS News interview when asked if his policy was "too retroactive."  O'Rourke continued his answer by saying there would be criminal consequences if people were to "persist" in holding onto their weapons.

Gun Owners:  Here's Why You Should Think Twice Before Posting Pictures of Your Firearms on Social Media.  It's no secret that technology plays an important role in our lives.  Almost every single aspect of our life is ruled by technology, from smart phones to computers and the internet.  That's why it's not surprising to know that Google and Facebook are keeping tabs on gun owners' firearms.  According to The Firearms Blog (TFB), the two tech giants are scanning users' pictures to look for serial numbers.  They're then creating an index of every person's firearms based on the image scans.  If you've posted a picture of your firearm on a social networking site and didn't smear out the serial number, chances are it's indexed on Google images.  Simply type in the serial number in quotes and search images.  What comes up?

Police Groups Slam Beto's Plan to Send Cops to Collect Americans' Guns.  National law enforcement organizations harshly criticized Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke's plan to send police officers to collect AR-15s and AK-47s from those who refuse to turn them in under his mandatory buyback scheme.  In interviews with the Washington Free Beacon, leaders from groups representing hundreds of thousands of law enforcement officers described Beto's gun confiscation plan as "ridiculous," "asinine," and likely unconstitutional.

The Editor says...
LIKELY unconstitutional?  Please explain the loopholes and legal contortions that would be needed to justify a decree that the Second Amendment permits door-to-door gun confiscation.

Raising Taxes On Guns And Ammo Is About Punishing Gun Owners.  City council members in Tacoma, Washington could soon approve a massive increase in taxes on firearms and ammunition sales in the city, and local reporter and columnist Matt Driscoll loves the idea.  In a column for the Tacoma News-Tribune, Driscoll says he's ready for the city to "do something" to try to make streets safer.

Sheriffs Send Beto to the Burn Ward Over His Threat to Send Law Enforcement to Gun Owner's Homes.  While on MSNBC's Morning Joe, Democratic 2020 candidate and wannabe tyrant Robert "Beto" O'Rourke made it clear that in an America where he's president, he will send law enforcement to the homes of people who choose not to participate in the mandatory buyback program and take their gun by force.  O'Rourke told "Morning Joe" host Joe Scarborough that in the instance of a gun owner keeping his AR-15 to himself, then he can count on a visit by someone with a badge and a gun. [...] It would appear that law enforcement has some things to say about that, and O'Rourke may not like what they have to say.

The ATF Has Been Enforcing a Rule That Does Not Exist.  [Scroll down]  However, it's generally legal to sell firearm parts without following those rules.  The exception is the "receiver."  Federal law treats this part — the frame that holds the gun's guts, basically — the same way it treats an entire firearm.  It needs to have a serial number and so on even when it's sold by itself, preventing people from evading the law by simply buying and selling firearms piece by piece.  But this creates an issue for AR-15s, whose receivers themselves are divided into two parts.  For these guns, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives treats the bottom part — the "lower receiver" — as the firearm for regulatory purposes.  The only way to skirt the law is to sell "80 percent lowers," hunks of metal mostly made into lowers but still requiring some machining. [... But] Is it actually flat-out legal to sell a completed lower with no serial number and no background check?  That's the issue raised by the recent case.

Beto Would Risk Another Waco.  In an interview with "Morning Joe" host Joe Scarborough on MSNBC on Wednesday [10/16/2019], presidential candidate Peter Francis O'Rourke admitted that, yes, he was willing to pry your AR-15 from your cold dead hands. [...] Which part of "the right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed" in the Second Amendment do you not understand? [...] Of course, Beto expects the law-abiding citizen, perhaps a veteran, protecting his family will simply answer the door and respond to the demand that he surrender his legally owned firearm along with his constitutional rights by saying, "Excuse me, officer, I know I fought for my country and have threatened no one, but since some politician who is protected by armed security thinks I'm a danger to my community, well, here they are.

Beto Admits Non-Compliant AR-15 Owners Would Receive a 'Visit from a Law-Enforcement Officer' under His Plan.  Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke admitted on Wednesday [10/16/2019] that under his federal gun "buyback" plan, police officers would go to the homes of those gun owners who refused to sell their weapons to the government in order to "recover" the banned semi-automatic rifles.  "What's the next step for the federal government there?" Joe Scarborough asked O'Rourke on MSNBC, giving the example of a "rancher in Texas" who refuses to give up his AR-15.  "I think just as in any law that is not followed or flagrantly abused there have to be consequences or else there is no respect for the law," O'Rourke responded.  "So in that case I think there would be a visit by law enforcement to recover that firearm and make sure that it is purchased, bought back, so that it cannot be potentially used against somebody else."

Meet The Police Officer Who Told Congress She 'Would Not Comply' With a Gun Ban.  Last week, a retired Tulsa, Oklahoma law enforcement officer testified in a Congressional hearing that she "would not comply" if Congress passes a ban on firearms.  Her bold assertion earned her national media attention and viral status on social media.  Dianna Muller, who is the founder of a non-partisan Second Amendment advocacy group called the DC Project, is also a proud NRA Member.  We caught up with Dianna after the hearing.  [Video clip]

Retired cop's guns confiscated, license revoked, based on word of waitress.  A gun seizure in Massachusetts raises serious questions about the state law on guns and the notion of red flag laws in general.  Stephen Nichols, an 84-year-old retired Tisbury police officer and Korean War Army veteran, was conversing with a friend over a meal at a local restaurant.  The waitress who was serving them reported the conversation she overheard to authorities.  As a result Nichols's guns were confiscated and his gun license was revoked.  To add insult to injury, it turns out the server heard only heard part of the conversation.

Beto O'Rourke:  If You Don't Hand over Your AR-15 We'll Take It.  During the October 15, Democrat debate Robert "Beto" O'Rourke made clear that AR-15 owners who refuse to hand over their guns will have them taken away.  O'Rourke reiterated his plan to use a government-mandated buyback to confiscate privately-owned AR-15s and AK-47s.  In so doing, he claimed that each AR-15 and AK-47 in private hands is a "potential instrument of terror."  CNN's Anderson Cooper then asked O'Rourke how he plans to get people to hand over their rifles.  O'Rourke responded by explaining that he expects complains [sic - compliance?] with the mandatory buybacks.

California man mysteriously freed after selling illegal AR-15s.  Here's an odd story out of California that dates back nearly a decade but I'm only just hearing about it now.  It deals with a man named Joseph Roh who lived in a suburb of Los Angeles.  After a lengthy BATFE investigation, it was determined that Roh had been illegally manufacturing AR-15 style, semiautomatic rifles (without serial numbers) in his own warehouse.  What's more, he had been selling them for $1,000 a pop to people, many of whom were not legally allowed to purchase a firearm due to having a criminal record.  In fact, one of his customers turned out to be John Zawahri, who you may recall from a mass shooting in Santa Monica in 2013.  Simple enough, right?  Lock the guy up.  Even the most strident Second Amendment supporters don't want freelance gunsmiths circumventing the law and arming criminals.  And yet, after years of investigation and legal gymnastics, California decided to quietly let the guy go earlier this year.  How [...] did that happen?

How the American Media Perpetuates and Profits from Mass Shootings.  The American media currently has no industry standard practices for how to cover either suicides or mass shootings.  However, one can easily see the difference between how mass shootings and suicides are covered.  Whereas suicides are treated as sombre tragedies, mass shootings often have the sensationalism turned up to 11.  There's a detailed discussion of the shooter's life story, motives and methods.  Strong evidence suggests that this both encourages and instructs potential mass shooters.  Statistically speaking, mass shootings represent a tiny portion of all deaths in the United States. [...] Despite the low frequency of these tragedies, the media pays outsized attention to them for self-serving reasons, which are both political and economic:  There's a demonstrated anti-gun agenda amongst America's media.  And there's the ongoing shift in the media's business model to attention-based revenue that results in ever-more sensational news coverage and "clickbait" headlines.

Gavin Newsom Signs Bill Restricting Rifle Purchases by Californians.  California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed legislation Friday to limit rifle purchases by Californians.  The Sacramento Bee reports the legislation limiting rifle purchases was sponsored by Anthony Portantino (D-La Cañada Flintridge).  The Bee also reports similar legislation was vetoed by Gov. Jerry Brown (D) on three different occasions.  But Newsom signed it, thereby expanding California's one-handgun-a-month rule to include semiautomatic centerfire long guns as well.

California Governor Approves Broadest Gun Seizure Laws In US.  Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom has approved some of the strictest gun laws and gun seizure powers in the U.S. Friday [10/11/2019], signing into law 15 different pieces of gun legislation.  Newsom has reinforced a "red flag" law that enables educators, employers and co-workers to inform on gun owners and request that a restraining order be placed on them — if they are believed to be a danger to themselves or society, according to the Associated Press.

California adopts nation's broadest gun seizure laws.  California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed 15 gun-related bills into law Friday, tightening the state's already-stringent Second Amendment restrictions.  One of the bills, which expands a so-called "red flag" law to allow co-workers, employers and educators to seek gun violence restraining orders against firearms owners they fear are a danger to themselves and others, was vetoed twice by Newsom's predecessor, Jerry Brown.  Newsom also signed a companion bill allowing the gun violence restraining orders to last one and five years, although the gun owners could petition to end those restrictions earlier.  The bill also allows judges to issue search warrants at the same time as they grant the orders.  The warrants can be used immediately if the gun owners are served with the relinquishment orders but fail to turn over the firearms or ammunition.

"THAT is why law-abiding citizens buy millions of these firearms".  Amy Swearer To House Judiciary.  [Video clip]

Guns and Cannabis:  The Insidious Creep of Tyranny.  In 2004, Vermont implemented a medical marijuana registry, promising patient confidentiality on its state website.  Then, in 2018, Vermont legalized recreational marijuana use and imposed a universal background check on gun-purchasers.  Here's the rub:  the federal government was not consulted, and the ATF maintains that anyone using marijuana will be denied clearance to purchase any gun.  This was already the case prior to Vermont's recreational cannabis legalization — those who were on the state's marijuana registry were not allowed to buy guns from federally licensed dealers, as the state of Vermont provided the list of registrants surreptitiously to the federal government.  Yet those on the cannabis registry could still purchase guns from neighbors — that is, until the vaulted "universal background check" closed that "loophole" for sick people to defend themselves.  All without public discussion, or even awareness.  This is how government steals liberties.

Supreme Court Refuses to Drop 2A Case, Despite NYC Pleas.  The Supreme Court on Monday [10/7/2019] signaled their willingness to hear the first Second Amendment case in a decade, known as New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. New York City.  The High Court denied a motion, filed by the City, asking for the case to be dropped because of its mootness.  NYC filed the motion because they changed the law in question since the case was first brought about.  In their mind, the law changes addresses any concerns the plaintiffs have.  The justices scheduled oral arguments for December, telling both sides the "question of mootness will be subject to further consideration, and the parties should be prepared to discuss it."

Dick's Sporting Goods CEO says company destroyed $5 million in guns.  Ed Stack, the chairman and CEO of Dick's Sporting Goods, said in a new interview that his company destroyed $5 million worth of semi-automatic rifles after removing them from store shelves last year.  Dick's stopped selling AR-15s after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012 but took it a step further after the 2018 Parkland high school shooting, raising the gun purchase age to 21 and banning the sale of high-capacity magazines and assault-style rifles.  It was a highly controversial move that Mr. Stack said cost the company "pretty close" to $250 million.

Violent Crime Drops As Concealed Carry Numbers Increase.  We learned from the FBI this week that violent crime and homicides declined in 2018.  Now a new report from the Crime Prevention Research Center shows while crime is down, the number of Americans who possess a concealed carry license is growing.  In fact, the number of concealed carry license holders grew by 1.4 million people to 18.66 million, and at this pace, will eclipse 20-million concealed carry holders in 2020.

Latest FBI Stats:  AR-15s Were Used in Less Than 3% of All Homicides.  If they come for our steak knives it's OK because knives were used in roughly 5 times as many homicides as ALL rifles COMBINED, not just AR-15s.  Whatever makes America safer.

Red Flag Laws and the Misguided Worship of Due Process.  For gun-owners, the pattern is all too familiar:  a mass shooting, such as those in El Paso and Dayton, followed by massive amounts of publicity by the anti-gun media and posturing politicians, accompanied by a demand that Congress "do something," such as red flag laws. [...] When questioned, most congressional Republicans say they will support police seizing guns only if rigorous due process is provided.  Don't buy it.  Red flag laws violate the Second Amendment, and "due process" is not a magic wand to be waved to make the infringement go away.  Due process is the idea that the government must follow the procedural rules under our system of justice.  These guarantees protect Americans against arbitrary decisions by the government to take away life, liberty, and property.  The Supreme Court has described due process circularly as "what process is due."  There is no one set of rules for all situations.  Typically, the greater the liberty interest at stake, the more extensive the due process protections must be.

Beto was honest about taking guns, and that's why Joe Biden's gun plan is dead on arrival.  Former Vice President Joe Biden has a plan for gun control.  It certainly isn't the most radical plan out there.  He wants to expand the list of crimes for which convicts can be deprived of their gun rights to include misdemeanor hate crimes.  He also wants to create a new voluntary gun purchase program. (Such programs are often mistakenly referred to as "buy-backs," but that syntax falsely implies that the government ever owned any of the guns in the first place.)  These programs are usually a harmless waste of money so long as they remain voluntary.  But they are a waste.  Most importantly, Biden wants to create a national gun registry.  This is where he is sure to meet the most resistance, and rightly so.  The reason is that no sane gun owner will want his or her name on a gun registry after listening to this year's Democratic candidates on the trail.

According To Democrats, Everything Is A 'Right!' Except Owning A Firearm.  Top Democratic 2020 White House hopefuls gathered in Las Vegas Wednesday [10/2/2019] for a forum on gun control held on the 2nd anniversary of the deadliest mass shooting in American history.  At the forum, sponsored by MSNBC with the gun control groups March for Our Lives and Giffords, Democrats pushed for far stricter federal gun laws than Democrats have ever supported in the past, including several candidates openly endorsing a gun confiscation program.  While Democrats running for president push to roll back gun rights, however, the far-left field of candidates is pushing everything else on their wish list as a "right" all individuals are entitled to.  Of course, none of the "rights" below are constitutionally protected.

God, Guns, and Grit:  Why America Needs The Reliant.  The Reliant, an action film coming to select theaters on October 24, is not a typical faith-based film and the secular community is taking notice.  It was made apparent when the Motion Picture Association of America gave it an R rating.  Although it had no foul language or sex scenes, and less violence than Disney movies given a PG-13 rating, the screenwriter and producer of the film, Dr. J. P. Johnston, had to appeal to the MPAA to get it changed.  The hate mail the producers have received and the trash articles written by those opposed to the film's nod to the right-to-keep-and-bear-arms is a hint of the size of the stronghold The Reliant is trying to tackle.

NRA 1, San Francisco Board of Supervisors 0.  Remember last month when San Francisco's Board of Supervisors passed a resolution declaring the National Rifle Association a domestic terrorist organization and ordered city employees to "take every reasonable step to limit" business interactions with the NRA and its supporters?  The one that our David French labeled "a retaliatory public attack on constitutionally protected speech"?  The NRA sued, and lo and behold, San Francisco is backing down, before the suit even went to court.

San Francisco backs down after NRA challenges its designation as 'terrorist organization'.  Derangement is in the air as progressives, driven to distraction by not just Trump's election and successes but their own failures, act out their rage with no consideration of the downsides.  An excellent example of Non-Trump Progressive Derangement Syndrome (NTPDS) is offered by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, embarrassed by their city's descent into filth and squalor, lashed out of the National Rifle Association instead of doing anything about the homeless population that is making sidewalks dangerous to traverse and spreading disease and crime.

Michael Bloomberg:  O'Rourke's Confiscation Talk Just Strengthens Opposition.  Gun control proponent Michael Bloomberg [...] gave an interview to the Firing Line with Margaret Hoover, where he intimated O'Rourke's approach is a, "rallying cry for people that say they are overstepping their bounds."  Town Hall quoted Bloomberg describing O'Rourke's confiscatory plan as "so impractical."  Bloomberg made clear his opposition to civilian ownership of many commonly-owned semiautomatic rifles, but added that O'Rourke's approach, "is not the way to win this issue."

The Death of American Citizenship.  We still have a Bill of Rights, but many of our constitutional protections are being rendered impotent.  If a rural family cannot find ammunition at the local Walmart or gun store due to organized boycotts and threats to such establishments, then the constitutional right to bear arms is not always exercisable in a practical sense.

Sparks fly at assault-weapons ban hearing on Capitol Hill, ex-cop vows she would 'not comply'.  A former police officer made a bold proclamation during a congressional hearing Wednesday regarding a proposed assault-weapons ban:  she would not comply.  Dianna Muller, who served in the Tulsa Police Department for 22 years and is the founder of gun advocacy group The DC Project, was among the witnesses at the House Judiciary Committee hearing.  The session on an otherwise contentious issue flew largely under the radar amid the Trump-Ukraine controversy and Democrats' impeachment push.  But reflecting the gun control divide in the country — amid a spate of deadly mass shootings that prompted renewed calls for strict laws — Muller said that such a ban would force lawful gun owners to either give up their arms or become criminals.

The Case Against Universal Background Checks.  On Capitol Hill this week, lawmakers got a visit from Attorney General Bill Barr and White House Legislative Affairs Director Eric Ueland, looking to sell them on a gun control proposal.  The proposal, an outline of which was released by the Daily Caller's Amber Athey, parallels legislation proposed by Senators Pat Toomey (R-Penn.) and Joe Manchin (D-W.V.) in expanding federal background check requirements.

Why Barr's Expanded Background Checks Would Pave The Way For Gun Grabs.  As long as there is a background check system for gun purchases, Democrats will try to transform it into a firearm registry they can use to confiscate guns.

Breitbart's AWR Hawkins Wins 2019 Journalist of Year.  Breitbart News's AWR Hawkins won the 2019 Journalist of the Year award at the 34th Annual Gun Rights Policy Conference.  The conference, held in Phoenix, Arizona, is sponsored by the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF).  SAF Founder Alan Gottlieb commented on Hawkins' winning the award by saying, "AWR Hawkins winning this award was truly validated by applause from the more than 1,100 gun rights activists and supporters in the room."

Pro-Second Amendment Columbine Survivor Gets Beto to Admit:  I'm Open to Banning All Guns.  During an event in Colorado Thursday night [9/19/2019], 2020 Democratic Presidential Candidate Beto O'Rourke was asked if he is open to a ban on all semi-automatic firearms.

Dem gun control backers are trying to distance themselves from Beto's pledge.  Gun control talk continues on Capitol Hill, and Democrats are distancing their legislative efforts from the brazen gun confiscation pledge made by one of the presidential candidates last week.  In response to 2020 presidential candidate Robert "Beto" O'Rourke's "[...] yes, we're going to take your AR-15" comment at the third Democratic debate, and President Donald Trump's complaints that it's made working on gun control more difficult, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said, "I don't know of any other Democrat who agrees with Beto O'Rourke, but it's no excuse not to go forward" with new gun control.

Dems Veto Red Flag Law For Gangbangers.  If Democrats were serious about using red flag laws to keep guns out if the hands of people who might use them to senselessly murder others and therefore are danger to society, and not just as a gun-control tool to disarm law-abiding citizens, then why did they kill an attempt to use compiled lists of known gang members, which many police departments and law enforcement agencies possess?  Why did they kill a measure to red flag gang members?  And if Beto O'Rourke is going to come and take our guns, particularly our AR-15s, is he going to start on the south side of Chicago?

Colt Suspends Manufacture Of Controversial AR-15 For Civilian Market.  Firearms manufacturer Colt says it is suspending production of its popular AR-15 semi-automatic assault-style rifle for the civilian market, saying it will concentrate instead on fulfilling contracts from the military and law enforcement.  "The fact of the matter is that over the last few years, the market for modern sporting rifles has experienced significant excess manufacturing capacity," Colt Defense LLC president and CEO Dennis Veilleux said in a statement on Thursday.  "Given this level of manufacturing capacity, we believe there is adequate supply for modern sporting rifles for the foreseeable future."

NRA crowns Beto O'Rourke AR-15 salesman of the month: 'Possibly even of the year'.  The National Rifle Association labeled presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke the "AR-15 salesman of the month" after he called for the confiscation of AR-15s and AK-47s.  The gun rights group suggested the former Texas congressman could even be the AR-15 salesman of the year.

They're not alarmed, they're embarrassed.
O'Rourke gun confiscation talk alarms Democrats.  Former Rep. Beto O'Rourke's (D-Texas) full-throated endorsement of a mandatory gun buyback proposal has raised alarms among Democrats.  They see the presidential candidate's proposal as playing into Republican hands and putting Democratic candidates on the back foot.  They also say it could be used by the National Rifle Association (NRA) to raise money and members, and to fight efforts to impose tougher background checks and other measures that might reduce gun violence.  "I think we should be focused on the stuff that we can get across the finish line and I think that was a bit of a gift to the NRA," Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) told The Hill.

Beto O'Rourke:  Fines will 'compel' AR-15 owners to turn their guns.  Former Rep. Beto O'Rourke provided insight into how police would enforce his proposal for a government confiscation of AR-15s and AK-47s.  The Democratic presidential candidate told reporters he would impose a fine on AR-15 owners to "compel" them to follow the law and turn in their banned firearms.  Owners who turn in the guns will then be compensated.  "We expect our fellow Americans to follow the law.  If they do not, there would be a fine imposed to compel them to follow the law," O'Rourke said.  "We've seen this implemented successfully in Australia, where you've seen a near 50% reduction in gun violence deaths in that country."

Beto O'Rourke Thinks that Fines Will 'Compel' AR-15 Owners to Give Up their Guns.  To claim that there was a 50 percent decline in gun violence because of a government gun confiscation program is an outright lie.  There were about a dozen other gun control laws passed at the same time that made it damn near impossible to buy or own a gun of any kind.  O'Rourke knows this — or at least he should.

'Live Free or Die' and Government Gun 'Buybacks'.  Today, in astounding fashion, we see a majority of the Democrats and even quite a large number of Republicans bowing to their feelings and the communists and statists within the House and the Senate, as the whine over the scourge of "gun violence" reaches a fever pitch.  These gun-grabbers personify firearms, as if these inanimate firearms are chaotically running about America slaughtering innocent citizens.  And we now hear many Democrats and television network host and pundits asserting "assault weapons ownership is not synonymous with gun ownership."  A brick or a hammer is an "assault weapon", and if anything, the AR-15 is simply a tool for the defense of home and person.  It is no different than the 1905 Remington .308 semi-automatic, from the days when mass shootings were unheard of and an unthinkable and evil act and the good morals of society prevented such things, through the people's own self-restraint and will to only act for each other's well-being.  Firearms are harmless left at rest, and the damage they do, the good or evil, lies with the intent of the man holding one.

How to Bend the News.  This, from ABC, is a nice example of a news organization deliberately bending the truth in order to advance a narrative that it wishes were true but is not:  ["]Venerable gun manufacturer Colt says it will stop producing the AR-15, among other rifles, for the consumer market in the wake of many recent mass shootings in which suspects used the weapon.["]  Wow.  Sounds dramatic. [...] So the story is that, although it still respects the Second Amendment, Colt is going to stop producing AR-15s after a series of mass shootings in which they were used.  Right?  Wrong.  That's actually not the story at all, as ABC notes further down:  ["]The company did not mention mass shootings in its statement about stopping production and instead blamed the indefinite pause in making the weapon on a 'significant excess manufacturing capacity.'["]

In Aurora, Beto O'Rourke says he's open to broadening gun buyback proposal.  Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke says he's open to broadening his proposal to require owners of AK-47s and AR-15s to sell them to the government.  During an emotional town hall Thursday in Aurora, a man who identified himself as a survivor of the 1999 Columbine massacre noted that the shooters there didn't use the military-style weapons O'Rourke wants to take.  They instead used regular semi-automatic weapons.  He challenged O'Rourke to confiscate those arms as well.  O'Rourke told reporters afterward:  "If there's a way to improve what we proposed, I want to make sure we're reflecting that."

Red Flag Laws:  Too Good to Be True.  Reasonable Americans can agree that no one who shouldn't have a gun should have one.  Red flag laws, though, are peaceful slavery disguised as bipartisan utopianism, with even President Trump publicly supporting them.  Bipartisanship is often sold as doing what's right, but warm and fuzzy bipartisan agreements don't necessarily mean something good for the American people.  Doing what's constitutional is what's right and correct, irrespective of whether it's bipartisan.  It's almost the equivalent of legislating based on polls.  In my home state of Florida, both our U.S. senators, Marco Rubio and Rick Scott, support red flag laws.  Rubio may be the most vocal cheerleader among Republican senators.

Beto O'Rourke:  AR-15 Salesman of the Month, Perhaps the Year.  In a Democrat presidential field where the front runners are drawing 30 to 34 percent support, Robert "Beto" Rourke is only drawing 4 percent, but he sure can sell some AR-15s.

The price just went up.
Colt suspends production of AR-15 for civilian market.  Colt's chief executive officer, Dennis Veilleux, says it is not permanently ending production but believes there is already an adequate supply of sporting rifles on the market.  He said in a statement Thursday [9/19/2019] the company will concentrate on fulfilling military and law enforcement contracts with its rifle manufacturing.

Gunmaker Colt to Stop Producing AR-15s for Civilian Market.  Gunmaker Colt Firearms is stopping production of its AR-15 semi-automatic rifles for the civilian market amid a major gun control push led by Democrats, according to a new report.  Colt's AR-15s are among the most popular sporting rifles in America and considered a go-to AR for consumers.  According to a report by Guns.com, however, Colt senior VP Paul Spitale indicated the company is shifting production toward the class 1911, Colt revolvers, and other guns Americans want for concealed carry, and away from ARs.

Why Soft-on-Crime Democrats Are Tough on 'Gun Violence'.  At their third primary debate, nearly all of the Democratic presidential contenders offered full-throated support for gun control.  In the very recent past, gun control measures bowed to prudence by respecting the rights and expectations of law-abiding gun owners — even the Clinton "assault weapons ban" grandfathered weapons and magazines manufactured and purchased before the ban took effect.  Now, however, the rhetoric has shifted and become even more radical and uncompromising.

Dear San Francisco.  The City of San Francisco recently adopted a resolution labeling the National Rifle Association a "domestic terrorist organization" and threatening to boycott anyone who does business with the NRA. In response to this despicable act, the NRA, the nation's largest and most effective civil rights organization, has produced this video.  [Video clip]

Gun Control:  Wrong Solution to the Wrong Problem.  The actual problem is the growth of mental illness in American society.  So the real question that must be answered before any realistic solution can be proposed is why mental illness is trending so noticeably upward.  One measure that shows this increase in mental illness is the significant rise in the number of suicides, which have been steadily climbing for the last couple decades.  There were over 47,000 U.S. suicides in 2017, and it is only getting worse.  The explosion in mental illness is a manifestation of cultural rot.  Liberals gleefully turned America's culture into a death-celebrating cesspool and, in Saul Alinsky-like fashion, indicated that the only solution is the shredding of the Second Amendment, something they have always wanted to do.

Violate Your Oath And Turn On American Citizens At Your Legal Peril, Gun-Grabbers.  There has been a lot of talk about whether our law enforcement (and our military) would follow the orders of those like that furry fascist Beto to unleash a reign of terror upon innocent American citizens who the liberal elite's unconstitutional gun decrees would turn into felons.  Most of our heroic cops and warriors would hold true to their oaths to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.  But some pathetic worms would willingly, even eagerly betray their oaths and make war upon their own people.  They need to know there will be consequences. [...] This is about the other consequences of abandoning one's oath.  It is about the consequences that would come when the rule of law returns and justice demands to be done.  Because there will be an accounting before the law for anyone who swore to defend the Constitution and then willingly does the opposite.

Frivolous Lawsuits Once Again Threaten the Gun Industry.  In 2005, a wave of lawsuits threatened to bankrupt the gun industry.  These suits were based on — pick your adjective — "creative," "novel," "inventive," and "imaginative" legal theories that rarely held up in court, and they did their damage primarily by forcing gun companies to incur the costs of defending against them.  Congress, seeing the problem, stepped in to put a stop to it — or at least tried to — by passing the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA).  A decade and a half later, anti-gun activists have responded with yet more new legal theories, and the Connecticut courts have bought one of them.

Arizona Gun Store Offers 'Beto Special' On AR15s And AK47s — Sells Out In One Day.  When Obama was president, people called him America's greatest gun salesman because every time he talked about gun control, sales would go through the roof.  Now Beto O'Rourke is getting in on that action.  After Beto declared his intentions to confiscate guns at the last Democrat debate, one Arizona gun store decided to do a sale in his name.  It worked out pretty well for them.

Related topic:  Barack H. Obama: Gun Salesman of the Year.

It's Not The NRA Stopping Gun Control, It's America's 100 Million Gun Owners.  Tens of millions of Americans own handguns, which anti-gun activists tried to get banned in the 1970s and 1980s.  Seventeen and a half million Americans have permits to carry handguns for protection away from home.  A comparable number own semi-automatic rifles that Democrats in Congress have been trying to ban since 1989.  Since the 1990s, every time Democrats inside the Beltway have acted against the right to keep and bear arms, or threatened to do so, purchases of guns, particularly those that Democrats want most to ban, have soared.  For example, in August, the first month of Democrats' new push against guns, gun purchases increased roughly 16 percent, compared to the number in August 2018.  Yet Democrats believe they have reason to hope.  Polls show support for some of the gun laws they are demanding, though support for gun control typically falls once the public becomes informed about the details and it has fallen this year.

Trump: Democrats Want to Eliminate 'God-Given Right to Self-Defense'.  During his September 16, 2019, rally in New Mexico, President Donald Trump called out "radical" Democrats for trying to take Americans' guns.  Trump warned citizens of "radical left Democrats" pushing regulations, higher taxes, and constraints on free speech.

On ABC, Ted Cruz Schools Stephanopoulos on Dem Push for Gun Control and Confiscations.  In an appearance on Sunday's This Week, Senator Ted Cruz (R) schooled Clinton lackey and ABC chief anchor George Stephanopoulos on the ineffectiveness of Democratic gun control legislation.  In the process, Senator Cruz called out Democrats for working on plans to confiscate the firearms of law-abiding Americans.  Meanwhile, Stephanopoulos was trying to get Cruz to sign onto Democratic proposals.  After rehashing the dubious smears of Justice Brett Kavanaugh, Stephanopoulos tried to use the recent mass shootings in Texas to box Cruz into a corner and get him to support pervasive gun control measures:

The 13 Republicans needed to pass gun-control legislation.  If President Trump endorses gun-control legislation, it will take 13 Senate Republican votes to pass the measure, assuming the entire 47-member caucus of Democrats and Independents backs it.  Conservatives such as Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) say any proposal that goes as far as the 2013 amendment sponsored by Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) will face a backlash from the right, meaning 60 votes will be necessary to break a filibuster.  The Manchin-Toomey proposal, which is basis of current Senate negotiations, would expand back to include all sales over the Internet and at gun shows but exempt sales between family, friends and coworkers.

Beto's Gun Grab And Constitution Day.  September 17 is Constitution Day and Peter Francis O'Rourke plans on celebrating it by gutting the document's Second Amendment, infringing on the right to bear arms that the Constitution says shall not be infringed.  Of course, O'Rourke also shares the Democrat belief that the Constitution's "penumbras and emanations" confers a right to privacy allowing unborn children to be aborted until the moment of birth.  There he was on Sunday's [9/15/2019] "Meet the Press," his dental work complete and ear hair properly trimmed, to claim his plan to confiscate from law-abiding citizens by force and under penalty of law their AR-15s was in fact constitutional under the Constitution's Commerce clause.

'Through the Commerce Clause': Beto O'Rourke insists his gun confiscation plan is 'constitutionally sound'.  Presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke defended his plan to confiscate AR-15s and AK-47s and said it would not run counter to the Second Amendment to the Constitution.  "This is something that we're able to do through the Commerce Clause and this is something that is not prevented from — wouldn't prevent the United States from doing by the Second Amendment.  So this is constitutionally sound," O'Rourke told NBC's Meet the Press.  "This is absolutely necessary if we care about the lives of our fellow Americans."  O'Rourke claimed he has had owners of AR-15s come up to him and say, "I own one of these guns, don't need it to hunt, don't need it for self-defense.  This is the right thing to do, I would gladly give it up.'"

The Editor says...
I find it difficult to fully express my skepticism of Beto's dubious anecdote about AR-15 owners telling him they'd be glad to forfeit their guns.  If they don't need such a weapon for hunting or for self-defense, why did they purchase them?  Did they not deliberate their (plural) purchases?  If they had buyer's remorse, why didn't they just sell the guns and forego the political grandstanding?  Guns aren't cheap, and as the likelihood increases that we will see a gun-grabbing commie in the White House, the more expensive guns and ammo will become.

Leftists Won't Be Going 'Door-To-Door' To Take Your Guns, Because They Won't Have To.  The imagined apocalyptic door-to-door weapons seizures that either lead to a totalitarian state or a hot revolution/civil war is unlikely to ever happen.  That's not, however, because leftists are good people and would never want gun owners to be harmed.  Quite the contrary on all counts - Leftists are NOT good people and they DO want responsible gun owners to come to harm.  They just know that, Eric Swalwell's nukes notwithstanding, such an overreach too soon has a significant chance of going bad for them, and they're more than willing to settle for the long game.  Make no mistake, the totalitarian state WILL happen, if Robert Frances and his ilk get their way, but it won't happen with jackboots kicking in doors, at least not at first and not in significant enough numbers to overly alarm the rest of a sleeping populace.

Why not call Democrats communists?  Thursday night's presidential debate on ABC made that clear.  Democrats made it clear that they are for gun confiscation, wealth redistribution (reparations), a government-run medical system (Medicare For All), and an end to citizenship through open borders with special privileges for non-citizens, especially the ones here illegally.  Beto O'Rourke said, "Hell yes, we're going to take your AR-15, your AK-47.  We're not going to allow them to be used against fellow Americans anymore."  No one challenged him.  No one said look, you little twerp son-in-law of a billionaire, you cannot do that because it is unconstitutional.  The other 9 presidential candidates on that stage did not call him out because he said publicly what they all believe.  That is the plan, or at least part of it.  Eventually they will get there.  They banned assault weapons once before.

Beto The Furry Is Less Amusing When He Calls For Violence Against American Citizens.  The clownish antics of Tex Kennedy, that drunk driving furry and El Paso punchline, are much less funny now that he is promising to convert millions of Americans into felons and send armed government agents to their homes to steal their constitutionally-guaranteed property.  Maybe he doesn't know — whether due to pharmaceuticals or simply because he's stupid — that two Democratic administrations ago, right up the road, the feds sent a bunch of armed men to take the forbidden guns of some people who were minding their own business and it turned out poorly.  That debacle resulted in four dead ATF agents and over 70 dead civilians — including dozens of kids the feds burned alive.  Too bad that ridiculous dwarf George Stephoplatypus didn't query The Waco Kid on how many Waco reruns he and his fascist friends are willing to accept to show us rubes who's boss.  After all, that's what this AR-15 immoral panic is all about.

America's Exclusive, Math-Challenged Party.  Math is apparently very hard for Democrats, judging from the apparatchiks' comments on who can run for office on their party's ticket or contribute to that effort. [...] The notion of the federal government going door to door to confiscate something like 8.5 to 15 million weapons, especially since the definition of "assault weapon" is so fluid and unclear, is both unconstitutional and politically and practically preposterous.

Democratic senator warns O'Rourke AR-15 pledge could haunt party for years.  Sen. Christopher Coons (D-Del.) on Friday warned that Beto O'Rourke's pledge that the government will confiscate semiautomatic AR-15 rifles will become a rallying cry for gun rights groups for years to come and haunt the Democratic Party far into the future.  "I frankly think that that clip will be played for years at Second Amendment rallies with organizations that try to scare people by saying that Democrats are coming for your guns," Coons, an ally of former Vice President Joe Biden in the Democratic race, told CNN's Poppy Harlow in an interview.

Beto Blows Lid Off 'No One Wants to Take Your Guns'.  Democrats and media members have pledged for years some version of "nobody wants to take your guns away" when gun control laws come up for debate.  Former Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D., Texas), in a reversal of a position he held last year, has called for mandatory buybacks of semi-automatic rifles like the AR-15 and AK-47. [...] Going back to 2012, the Free Beacon found clips of numerous left-leaning figures who promised that such a position wasn't part of any gun control platform.

Texas State Rep. Briscoe Cain Doubles Down On Beto O'Rourke: 'Come And Take It'.  Texas State Rep. Briscoe Cain doubled down on his insistence that a government conceivably led by Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke will not be taking his guns.  Appearing with guest host Brian Kilmeade on Friday night's edition of "Tucker Carlson Tonight," Cain reiterated that his Thursday debate-night "My AR is ready for you Robert Francis" tweet at O'Rourke wasn't a physical threat, but rather a version of the oft-repeated gun rights phrase, "come and take it."

Yes, They Are Coming for Your Guns.  Prohibition has never been well received in America, and guns have proven no exception to that rule.  In New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey, attempts at the confiscation of "high capacity" magazines and the registration of "assault weapons" have both fallen embarrassingly flat — to the point that the police have simply refused to aid enforcement or to prosecute the dissenters.  Does Beto, who must know this, expect the result to be different in Texas, Wyoming, or Florida?  Earlier this week, the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives was unable to marshal enough votes to pass a ban on the sale of "assault weapons" — let alone to mount a confiscation drive.  Sorry, Robert Francis.  That dog ain't gonna hunt.

Democrats Finally Fly Their Gun-Control Fascist Freak Flag in the Open.  In all of the decades that the modern version of the contentious debate in America over guns, freedom, and the Second Amendment has been going on, the gun-control advocates have repeatedly assured gun owners of one thing:  they don't want to take our guns away from us.  My, what a difference one presidential primary full of unabashed Democratic statists makes.  After years of being told that we are paranoid for saying that the anti-gun Left wants to confiscate our weapons, the anti-gun Left is letting us know in no uncertain terms that they want to confiscate our weapons.

Dana Loesch Blasts Beto Campaign For Selling T-Shirt With 'Threat' To 'Forcibly Steal' Americans' Property.  Former NRA spokeswoman Dana Loesch blasted Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke for "trying to raise money money off of a threat to the public."  Appearing on Friday night's [9/13/2019] edition of "Tucker Carlson Tonight" with guest-host Brian Kilmeade, Loesch called a message on a T-shirt being sold by O'Rourke's campaign that says "hell yeah, we're going to take your AR-15" a threat to "forcibly steal" someone's "lawfully owned and responsibly used property."

Beto Is a Disaster for the Gun-Control Movement.  He almost certainly doesn't realize it, but Beto O'Rourke is likely to be the worst thing to happen to the gun-control movement in decades — and, if he continues in this mode, he may turn out to be the worst thing to happen to the Democratic party in a long time, too.  In Houston last night, O'Rourke abandoned his cloying euphemisms ("mandatory buybacks") and delivered a deliberate, carefully scripted endorsement of gun confiscation, which, within minutes, his campaign began to sell on t-shirts.  "Hell yes," Beto said, "we're going to take your AR-15."  Thus, upon the instant, did two decades' worth of Democratic rhetoric go up in a puff of smoke.

Cory Booker:  It's 'fear mongering' to say armed police will show up and confiscate weapons.  Sen. Cory Booker endorsed the proposal set by former Rep. Beto O'Rourke for mandatory confiscation of AR-15s and similar rifles, but said "demagogues" are using fear in describing how it would be carried out. [...] When Berman asked how the idea would be put into motion, Booker said he would use the same method applied after machine guns were banned following the passage of the 1986 National Firearms Act.  "You have to set up a system.  Yeah, that is mandatory.  You have to set up a system to pull them off.  But this idea, this imagery that the fear mongers and demagogues try to say of somehow armed police officers showing up and confiscating weapons, that's the fear mongering," Booker said.

What Do You Mean, 'We'?  Robert Francis "Beto" O'Rourke, the former congressman from Texas who couldn't beat Ted Cruz in a U.S. Senate race but who nevertheless believes he can win the presidency, said a curious thing at the Democrats' third primary debate in Houston on Thursday night.  "Hell yes," he said, "we'll take your AR-15 and your AK-47 ..."  As I say, curious.  Who exactly, I wonder, does Beto mean by "we"?  A legion of overgrown adolescent 6-foot-4 rich-kids like him, collecting rifles on skateboards?  Or does he mean the United States government, under his command?  If he intended the latter, then a little history lesson might be in order.

ADL, Dems Push 'Disarm Hate Act' to Seize Guns of Those Convicted of a 'Misdemeanor Hate Crime'.  The Anti-Defamation League and the Democrats in congress want to ban Americans convicted of "misdemeanor hate crimes" from owning guns, outlaw so-called "high capacity" magazines and pass "red flag" gun laws nationwide to seize people's guns at the slightest whim of a government bureaucrat.

NJ gun owners [defy] the governor who banned high-capacity magazines.  To date, ZERO have been turned in.  The governor of New Jersey signed a law in 2018 banning high-capacity magazines.  Gun owners in the Garden State didn't exactly pay attention or behave like obedient subjects and turn in their high-capacity magazines to the government.  Can you guess how many high-capacity magazines have been turned into the government?  How about none!

Conservatives offer stark warning to Trump, GOP on background checks.  Senate conservatives are warning President Trump and their own leaders to tread carefully in the gun-control debate and caution they risk a political backlash by striking a deal with Democrats to expand background checks for firearms sales.  Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) on Thursday [9/12/2019] said if Republicans strike a deal with Democrats to require all firearms sales over the Internet or at gun shows to go through background checks, they would demoralize their conservative base ahead of next year's presidential election.

Beto Asks Banks to Boycott Gun Industry.  Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke on Thursday called on big banks and other financial institutions to cut off business with gun companies in an effort to bankrupt them.  "Credit cards have enabled many of America's mass shootings in the last decade — and with Washington unwilling to act, they need to cut off the sales of weapons of war today," O'Rourke tweeted.

Democrats take aim at gun owners in Houston debate.  Gun control featured prominently in the third Democratic debate in Houston, with most of the 10 candidates trying to one-up each other on the issue while also jabbing repeatedly at President Trump. [...] New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, who describes himself as the only senator "who goes home to a low-income inner-city community," in an impassioned monologue vowed to "bring a fight to the NRA and corporate gun lobby like they have never seen before."

Gallup: 83% Blame 'Failure of Mental Health System' for Contributing to Mass Shootings.  Despite calls for more gun control laws in the wake of mass shootings, a new survey shows that the number one factor cited by Americans as contributing to mass shootings is the "failure of the mental health system to identify individuals who are a danger to others," reported Gallup.  Eighty-three percent of adults see that as the factor contributing "a great deal" and "a fair amount" to the problem.  "Easy access to guns" was cited by 48% of American adults as contributing "a great deal" to mass shootings and another 21% saw it as contributing "a fair amount" to the problem.

Wokemart.  Do we really have to listen to Walmart's attempts to lecture us on the morality of our consumer purchases?  Has American consumer culture hit the skids that badly?  Last week the retail giant actually crossed the Rubicon with Middle America.  Walmart announced that it was requesting its customers refrain from openly carrying firearms in its stores.  Additionally, the retailer said it plans to stop selling some types of ammunition.  Walmart will also end handgun sales in Alaska, the only state where it still sells them.  Walmart discontinued the sale of "assault-style" weapons, otherwise known as scary-looking rifles, in 2015.  Last year, Walmart raised the age at which it would sell guns and ammunition to customers from 18 to 21.  Walmart hasn't sold handguns since 1993, other than in Alaska.

The Editor says...
What's so special about Alaska?  What conditions exist in Alaska that don't exist in rural New Mexico or Montana?

NJ to terminate contracts with gun manufacturers, financiers if they don't pledge support for responsible gun control.  New Jersey officials says they're done doing business with any gun manufacturers that don't play by their rules.  Governor Phil Murphy signed an executive order Tuesday demanding gun makers turn over their practices to the state, and this applies to banks that do business with New Jersey, too.  Moms Demand Action and other major gun safety advocacy were on hand to watch Murphy sign the order in Morristown.  "We will not waste any time ensuring the people we do business with, and who do business with the State of New Jersey, share our concerns and share our State's values," said Murphy.

28% Of Democrats Say Joining the NRA Should Be Illegal, 32% Agree With "Terrorist Organization" Designation.  Fresh off the San Francisco board of Supervisors labeling the NRA a "terrorist organization," a new poll from Rasmussen Reports shows that 28% of democrats want to throw people in jail for joining the NRA, and 32% of democrats "favor declaring the gun rights group a terrorist organization in the community where they live."

Here we go.  NRA sues San Francisco.  Last week we discussed the embarrassing decision by the San Francisco City Council to label the National Rifle Association a "domestic terrorist organization."  While that was bad enough to start with, they went several steps further, declaring that they would "limit business interactions with the NRA and its supporters."  This was clearly a bridge too far for the NRA.  They initially released a statement calling this action "a reckless assault on a law-abiding organization, it's members, and the freedoms they all stand for."  But they aren't stopping there.  Now the case may be heading to court.

NRA Sues San Francisco for Declaring It a "Domestic Terrorist Organization".  The National Rifle Association filed suit against the city of San Francisco Monday after the city declared the gun rights group a "domestic terrorist organization."  The city's board of supervisors unanimously approved the resolution that was introduced six weeks ago after three people were shot and killed at a garlic festival in Gilroy, Calif.  After its passage last week, the board acknowledged the non[-]binding resolution had little practical effect beyond its portrayal of the NRA, which the board hopes will spur the city to curtail relationships with companies that do business with the NRA.

NRA sues San Francisco over city declaring it a domestic terrorist organization.  The National Rifle Association on Monday sued the city of San Francisco over a declaration deeming the lobbying group a "domestic terrorist organization," according to The Associated Press.  The city Board of Supervisors passed the resolution last week, with Supervisor Catherine Stefani saying she was moved to draft it following August's shooting at the Gilroy Garlic Festival.  In the lawsuit, filed in the Northern District of California, the NRA accused the city of maintaining a blacklist, asking the court to "instruct elected officials that freedom of speech means you cannot silence or punish those with whom you disagree."

Guns, Bernie, Liz, and Joe.  As the $90-plus million release of IT: Chapter Two proved last weekend, America loves scary clowns.  But when you consider that four of them — Bernie Sanders, Lizzie Warren, Joe Biden, and Kamala Harris — all beat President Trump in the latest polls, it's not fun:  it's just scary.  All four, and the others still in the race competing for the Dems' vice-presidential nomination, are obsessed with making it much harder — and in some cases impossible — for Americans to lawfully possess and use firearms.  All four would revive the federal ban on sale of "assault weapons" — whatever they are — and impose universal background checks on gun sales.  And it goes downhill from there.

Feds Demand Apple And Google Hand Over Names Of 10,000+ Users Of A Gun Scope App.  Own a rifle?  Got a scope to go with it?  The U.S. government might soon know who you are, where you live and how to reach you.  That's because the government wants Apple and Google to hand over names, phone numbers and other identifying data of at least 10,000 users of a single gun scope app, Forbes has discovered.

Red flag laws to fight mass shootings?  Fine for an ideal world, but we don't live in one.  In the world we actually inhabit, state-level experiments with "red flag" laws should give all Americans pause before handing over this kind of power to Washington.  First of all, the bedrock of America's legal system is all citizens' guarantee to "due process" before the government infringes on any of their legal rights.  Red flag laws around the country skirt or even trample due process.

What San Francisco's Declaration Of The NRA As A Terrorist Group Says About America Today.  On Tuesday [9/3/2019], San Francisco's Board of Supervisors unanimously declared the National Rifle Association to be a "domestic terrorist organization" and urged the city to re-evaluate its financial commitments to organizations that conduct business with the interest group.  City leaders labeled the gun rights group that represents nearly five million members a "terrorist" group in response to several mass shootings that took place this summer, including one that took place at a food festival in Gilroy, California killing three people just south of San Francisco.

Lies the Left Tells About Guns.  Here's the thing about guns.  The Constitution — that handy little document — guarantees our rights to them, and that guarantee is a profound reflection of the nature and character of our freedoms.  As Ben Domenech of The Federalist wrote recently, "the right to bear arms is not about hunting." [...] The simple fact that we have a right to own guns doesn't mean individuals must own them, use them, or even like them.  But what it does mean is that people advocating further regulation of firearms at least should have a baseline understanding of how firearms actually work, as well as the current statutory environment that regulates their purchase, handling, and use.

Democrat Beto O'Rourke: Americans Will Gladly Turn Over their Guns.  This past weekend Beto told Democrats at the New Hampshire Democratic Party Convention that he will buy back guns from Americans and they will gladly turn them over.

Natural Disasters and the AR-15.  While there may be power outages and other wind-caused damage from the storm, unpredictable storms like [Hurricane] Dorian stretch the ability of government entities, including public utilities, to accommodate the needs of people who are in harm's way.  If government cannot protect us at all times and in all places — and that is never feasible or desirable, much less possible — how are individuals supposed to protect themselves in the wake of a disaster absent law enforcement? [...] Consider that when London banned guns, knife attacks increased, which led the mayor to call for knife control and the regulation of knives. [...] [C]ountless others on the Left do not want to protect life; they want us to be unable to defend ourselves from the violence of the stronger and, therefore, become more dependent on them.

Crossing the Street, Riding a Bicycle, Kills More Americans than Rifles Do.  The left's relentless push to ban commonly-owned semiautomatic rifles under the guise of safety overlooks the fact that Americans face numerous things that cause exponentially more death than rifles on a daily basis.  Consider Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) statistics from 2017, the most recent year of complete data.  The total number of firearm-related deaths was 39,773. Roughly two-thirds of that figure, 23,854, were firearm-related suicides, with the remaining 15,919 being a combination of the approximately 500 accidental gun deaths that occur annually coupled with just over 15,000 firearm-related homicides.

Why 'Mandatory Buybacks' Are A Non-Starter.  Right now, there's a lot of talk about mandatory buybacks.  It's being mentioned more often than the primary champion for them, presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke.  The idea is alluring for a lot of anti-gun voters, the idea of not just banning so-called assault rifles, but also taking those already in circulation off the streets.  And hey, since there's a buyback, that's totally different than just taking the guns away, right?  Right?  Well, no, actually.  It's just a slightly more polite version of the same mentality that would have jackbooted thugs kicking in people's doors to search for guns and hauling people off to prison.  Doing so, even with a mandatory buyback, is likely to spark trouble.  There is an upside, though.  That upside is that no such thing is likely to happen.

New Jersey Gun Owners Aren't Turning In Their Magazines Despite New Law.  New Jersey is a hostile place for gun owners.  The progressive state is a big fan of gun control and continually works to pass more and more restrictive measures, even if those restrictions make no sense at all.  One of its most recent moves was to further restrict the magazine capacity of firearms.  There are a few ways to hold onto your magazines, but the idea is to make it so people will turn them in to authorities.  Well, that's not happening.  Instead, gun owners are getting creative.

Mo Brooks: 'The Long-Term Strategy of the Democratic Party Is to Eliminate the Second Amendment'.  Thursday [9/5/2019] during an appearance on Huntsville, AL radio's WVNN, Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL) argued that although House Democrats will likely pass a number of gun control bills that will not make it through the U.S. Senate, the long-term strategy was to get at the Second Amendment's right to bear arms.

The Left's determination to destroy us from within.  Democrats, who have long led their hostage cities and states to inevitable decline, are absolutely to blame for the destruction of their disintegrating realms. [...] They support the abrogation of the Second Amendment.  In their view, only criminals should and will have guns.  And indeed, they will — like the man who killed seven people in Odessa, Texas, but who failed the background check but still acquired a gun.  Of course he did.  That is what criminals do:  break laws for which they have no respect.  Despite that essential truth, the Left wants to prevent law-abiding citizens from being able to defend themselves.  The Left wants law-abiding citizens to be sitting ducks, defenseless against the likes of each and every one of the recent mass shooters. [...] (Chicago and Baltimore are the murder capitals of the nation.  Both have among the strictest gun control laws in the nation.)

National Democrats Dodge Questions on Whether NRA Is a 'Domestic Terrorist Organization'.  National Democrats in Congress and on the presidential campaign field have dodged questions of whether they agree with the San Francisco Board of Supervisors' decision to declare the National Rifle Association (NRA) a "domestic terrorist organization."

Gov. Bevin on Gun Violence: 'What Has Changed?  We, As a Culture... We Don't Value Human Life'.  "If we think that a part of what we are seeing is not a cultural problem, we're kidding ourselves," Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin (R) says in a video addressing his stance on gun violence in America.  In a video posted on the governor's YouTube page, Bevin responds during a 2018 appearance to a woman asking why he doesn't support stricter gun control laws to address gun violence.  Bevin explains that gun violence has increased in recent decades because American society has undergone a fundamental cultural shift that has desensitized people to the destruction of human life.  Gov. Bevin notes that, when he was a child, kids brought guns to school — on the school bus and in their cars — but, they didn't shoot each other with them.  What has changed, he says, is the culture, which now devalues and degrades human life through entertainment, pornography, abortion and the rejection of morality.

Your Apple Watch May Be Used to Decide Whether You Can Own a Gun.  The Trump administration is reportedly considering a proposal that would see the federal government partnering with Google, Amazon, and Apple in order to use their smart home devices to capture data on users — and then use that information to determine whether users exhibit signs of mental illness and a potential for violent behavior.  The Washington Post published the report, citing sources within the administration.  Although it did not specify whether the president himself approves of the proposal, it was apparently brought to the White House by the Suzanne Wright Foundation.

CVS, Wegmans, Walgreens Ask Customers Not to Bring Firearms into Stores.  If someone is prepared to slaughter 10, 20 or more innocent civilians shopping in a drug store, do you think they are inclined to respect the "wishes" of a retail outlet that doesn't want firearms in its establishment?  CVS and Walgreens think so.  CVS and Walgreens joined the woke corporation crowd of Walmart and Kroger and announce they request customers do not bring firearms into their stores.

Walmart's New Guns and Ammo Policy Caves to People Who Will Never Shop at Walmart.  On Tuesday [9/3/2019], Walmart made a grandstanding announcement signaling a change in its policy on the sales of certain ammunition and legal open carry in it stores.  This was a change the company originally said it was not going to make. [...] When it comes to the leftists' biggest pet issues, there is never a satisfactory partial response.  They want total surrender and nothing less.  They're zealots, not rational people who just happen to think differently.  You don't have to take my word on this, the Left is always more than eager to make the point.  Just one day after Walmart made its announcement, San Francisco branded the responsible, legal gun owners of the NRA a "domestic terrorist organization."

Walgreens Joins Kroger, Walmart, Bans Open Carry in Stores.  On Thursday [9/5/2019], Walgreens joined Kroger and Walmart in banning open carry in their stores.  Walgreens posted a short statement on the issue, which says, "We are joining other retailers in asking our customers to no longer openly carry firearms into our stores other than authorized law enforcement officials."  The announcement comes two days after Kroger and Walmart both banned open carry in their stores.

Satire:
Walmart Discontinues Auto Part Sales To Prevent Car Accidents.  In a bold move intended to curb the thousands of deaths from vehicles each and every day, Walmart has decided to stop selling auto parts, sources confirmed Tuesday.  According to shocking reports, people have purchased car parts at Walmart and then those cars have been involved in accidents, proving a direct correlation between selling auto parts and causing deaths.  "We can no longer be complicit in an industry that kills over 3,000 people a day," said a spokesperson for Walmart.

Demonization of Gun Owners:  Philadelphia "Wellness Check" Results in Hysteria, Propaganda.  On 28 August, 2019, relatives of a former gun dealer called police because, they said, they were concerned the 72-Year-Old man might be depressed and/or suicidal.  I do not know if the man was suicidal or not, but old white men commit the largest percentages of suicides.  They tend to use guns to do the deed.  The police raided the house, on the authorization of the relatives.  It appears to be a nice home in a nice neighborhood.  Bustleton is home to many of Philadelphia's police officers and firefighters.  The wellness check turned into a full blown media circus.  Swat was called "to assist in clearing weapons".  The bomb squad was called.  Hazmat was called.  Why?  Because the man involved, who had been a gun dealer, according to relatives, had a modest gun collection, some inert grenade bodies (easily and legally purchased), a smoke grenade (totally legal), some mercury (totally legal), and about a thousand rounds of ammunition.

Texas Governor Issues Spate of Executive Orders Designed to Prevent Mass Shootings.  Texas governor Greg Abbott on Thursday [9/5/2019] issued eight executive orders aimed at preventing mass shootings after two massacres last month left the Lone Star State shaken.  "Mental instability, racial hatred, extremist ideology, a desire to sow domestic terror, and other factors have contributed to these horrific mass shootings in varying degrees," the executive orders said.  They also pointed out that police had been alerted to both shooters before they carried out their attacks.

Group seeking to overturn Oklahoma gun law falls short.  A group seeking to stop a new law that would allow people in Oklahoma to openly carry firearms without training or a background check is acknowledging they fell short of the number of signatures needed for a statewide vote on the issue.

Dems Propose First Gun Grab Since Lexington And Concord.  The media should stop using absurdly lazy phrases like "mandatory gun buybacks."  Unless the politician they're talking about is in the business of selling firearms, it's impossible for him to "buy back" anything.  No government official — not Joe Biden, not Beto O'Rourke, not any of the candidates who now support "buyback" programs — has ever sold firearms.  What Democrats propose can be more accurately described as "the first American gun confiscation effort since Lexington and Concord," or some variation on that theme.  Although tax dollars will be meted out in an effort to incentivize volunteers, the policy is to confiscate AR-15s, the vast majority of which have been legally purchased by Americans who have undergone background checks and never used a gun for a criminal purpose.

Four years after allowing universal 'concealed carry' law, Maine rated the safest state in the nation for crime.  Since 2015, residents of the state of Maine have been allowed to carry a concealed firearm without any special permit, and now the results are in: crime has fallen to the point where the state is now rated the safest in the nation from the threat of crime. [...] As the Maine Examiner noted, second-ranking Vermont also has a constitutional carry law.  Guns in the hands of honest citizens decrease crime.

The Firearms of the American Founders' Era.  The Framers of the U.S. Constitution lived in a generation that saw more advancements for firearms than any other, arguably even more than the era of WWII.  They understood the importance of a well armed civilian population being "necessary to the free state," often pointing out themselves that a tyrant has never been able to take over an armed population.  Their Pennsylvania rifles were supreme to the British Brown Bess muskets, and that is what secured our independence and the birth of America.  Pretending that these very intelligent men could never foresee the invention of the AR-15 (or similar weaponry) is ignorant.  These five weapon types held the technology and laid the foundation for the modern firearms we see today.  Each was conceived and used before the Second Amendment was ratified in 1791.

Confirmed: NICS Check Denied Odessa TX Shooter a Legal Weapon.  I surmised as much yesterday, but it's now confirmed:  Additional gun control laws would not have done anything to stop this deranged man.  Texas Governor Greg Abott confirms the gunman used an illegally obtained semi-auto rifle during his drive-by rampage last Saturday that left 7 dead and 22 wounded.  The gunman was eventually shot and killed Saturday by law enforcement at Cinergy theater in Odessa, TX.

No red flag law would have stopped this guy.  Criminals don't care about gun-control laws!
West Texas shooter was already barred from purchasing firearms because of court ruling on his mental state:  Report.  The man behind this past weekend's deadly shooting in Midland and Odessa, Texas, was not legally allowed to purchase or posses a firearm due to a court's decision that he was mentally unfit to do so, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday afternoon [9/3/2019].  Law enforcement officials told the newspaper that the 36-year-old shooter had been deemed mentally unfit by a court and when he tried to purchase a firearm, he also failed the background check because of the adjudication.  Under federal law, people who have been "adjudicated as a mental defective" or "committed to a mental institution" are prohibited from purchasing, possessing, shipping, or transporting firearms.

Red Flag Laws Are Lethal Leftist Weapons.  A real gun fight is underway in America today, and it doesn't target criminals or gang members who possess guns.  It's a fight waged against law-abiding citizens and their right to own and use firearms of their choice for self-defense or other lawful purposes.  Red flag laws are a classic example of how the anti-gun lobby wants to choke off the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens.  These laws slowly erode our rights by creating a judicial mechanism that allows law enforcement to come to a gun owner's home and seize lawfully owned firearms, based on mere accusations about the gun owner's mental health or his potential dangerous future behavior. [...] Red flag laws attack the liberties of American gun owners, one person at a time.  Not a fan of your firearm-owning ex-spouse, sister-in-law, or neighbor?  All you need do is fabricate an accusation that she is a danger to herself or others.

This sounds like low-level SWATting.

Texas gunman had been ruled 'mentally unfit' to buy firearms, used loophole on background check.  The gunman who killed 7 and injured at least 22 others in a West Texas shooting rampage Labor Day weekend before he was shot and killed by police was federally banned from owning or buying firearms after a court previously ruled he was mentally unfit to do so, authorities said.  The suspected mass shooter, Seth Aaron Ator, 36, appeared to have taken advantage of a loophole in federal gun law by purchasing the AR-type assault rifle used in the rampage at a private person-to-person gun sale, effectively bypassing a background check.  Under Texas state law, background checks are not required in private sales, according to the Texas Tribune.

Under Media, Democrat Pressure, Walmart To Pull Handguns And Ammunition From Stores.  The country's largest retailer announced Tuesday [9/3/2019] that it will pull all handguns, handgun ammunition, and some rifle ammunition from stores following several mass shootings last month including one at a Walmart store in El Paso, Texas that killed 22 people.  Walmart is also asking customers not to openly carry their firearms in the retail giant's U.S. stores or in Sam's Club, another retail chain owned and operated by Walmart.  Walmart will still continue to allow guests who have concealed carry permits to carry their firearms in stores, a policy that saved lives last month at one of its stores in Arkansas when an off-duty firefighter carrying a gun held a 20-year-old suspected shooter with tactical weapons and body armor at gunpoint until police arrived.

Did Walmart's CEO Forget About These Armed Heroes Who Stopped Massacres at His Stores?  Earlier today Walmart CEO Doug McMillon officially announced a number of firearms and ammunition will no longer be sold at stores nationwide. [...] Just last month an armed citizen became a hero after stopping a mass shooting at a Walmart in Missouri. [...] Last year, an armed citizen stopped a shooting spree in Washington state.

Former Walmart CEO reluctant to say if store's gun policy will prevent mass violence.  Former Walmart CEO Bill Simon said he is unsure if the retail giant's new gun policies will put a damper on the country's mass shootings.  Walmart announced Tuesday [9/3/2019] they will no longer sell handgun ammunition, as well as some rifle ammunition.  They will also stop selling handguns, which they stopped selling in the continental U.S. prior to 2019, in Alaska.  The store also asked customers no longer to openly carry guns in its stores or in Sam's Clubs, where open carry is allowed under state law.

Walmart to stop selling handgun ammunition, requests no open carry of guns.  Walmart says it will discontinue the sale of handgun ammunition and also publicly request that customers refrain from openly carrying firearms in stores even where state laws allow it.

The Editor says...
Uh-oh.  If Wal-Mart turns into a "Gun Free Zone," it will be the most dangerous place in town.  The very atmosphere of firearms anywhere and everywhere restrains evil interference, as George Washington once said.  Just keep it under your shirt.  Wal-Mart is asking you to keep your gun out of sight, but I doubt if they will turn away customers just for carrying a legal weapon.

Biden Vows to Destroy Most Guns and Limit Magazines to 1 Round.  Joe Biden just became the most extreme anti-gun candidate in the democratic party field.  Not only did he vow to "eliminate" all semi-automatic guns, but he would also limit magazine capacity to 1 round. [...] Biden was on the campaign trail in Iowa and his handlers were crossing their fingers that he could get through one single appearance without saying something insane or stupid.  He let them down in a big way by doing both.

Washington Police Chief Who Refused to Enforce Gun Control [is] Running for Governor.  A Washington state police chief who took a stand in refusing to enforce elements of the state's widely encompassing new gun control package is now running for Governor of the state.  He's making a pledge to restore the gun rights of Washingtonians a central message of his campaign.  Loren Culp is the police chief of Republic, Washington.  He was praised by gun owners and vilified by liberal prosecutors for his constitutional refusal to enforce parts of a massive gun control law enacted in 2018.

Democrats' Gun Buy-Back Plan Would Backfire Horrifically.  [W]hile such plans might be politically profitable in a left-wing primary, in practice they could end in catastrophe.  When Australia and New Zealand initially mandated buy-backs of assault weapons, most gun owners ignored the decrees.  Similar non-compliance over laws to surrender or register guns has since occurred in California, New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, and elsewhere.  Nor is there a clear, consistent definition of "assault weapon": automatic weapons are already effectively banned by federal law.  Depending on how the term is defined — like if you include semi-automatic rifles built on the AR-15 design — there could be as many as 10 million "assault weapons" in private hands.  What would happen if the feds decided to vigorously enforce confiscation of all of those firearms?

Milano Wants To Know Why Self-Defense Is God-Given Right.  Cruz Educates Her.  [Quoting Senator Cruz] "The right to self-defense is recognized repeatedly in the Bible, eg Exodus 22:2: 'If a thief is caught breaking in at night & is struck a fatal blow, the defender is not guilty of bloodshed.'  (Note, though, verse 3 says it IS murder if during daylight (ie, not self-defense)," Cruz continued.  "The Declaration of Independence acknowledges our rights thusly:  'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.'"  "And, for that reason, the Second Amendment provides 'the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, SHALL NOT be infringed.'  It wasn't to protect people's ability to hunt, or to shoot target practice, but to defend their lives, their homes & their families," Cruz continued.

Beto O'Rourke reaffirms dark gun control plan — and says it won't be voluntary.  Democratic presidential contender Beto O'Rourke reaffirmed his vision for gun control Sunday in the wake of another shooting tragedy in Texas that left seven people murdered and nearly two dozen others injured.  "What we've been saying, the rhetoric we've been using, the policies and practices and politics of this country has not been as urgent enough as needed.  Doesn't meet this crisis," O'Rourke said on MSNBC.  "So let's speak clearly and bluntly and then take decisive action:  Universal background checks, red flag laws, ending the sales of weapons of war, but also importantly, and politically difficult to say, buy those weapons of war back.  Mandate that.  Not voluntarily," O'Rourke continued

Biden: Constitution Doesn't Say 'Anyone Can Own a Weapon,' Each Amendment Has a 'Limitation'.  Former Vice President Joe Biden, the frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination, said that U.S. Constitution does not allow "anyone" to own a weapon and does not give citizens the right to buy "any kind of weapon" they want because every amendment has limitations.  Biden positioned himself as the only Democratic candidate who took on the National Rifle Association nationally and won, citing the temporary assault weapons ban that was passed when former President Bill Clinton was in office.  It expired under former President George W. Bush and Congress did not renew it when former President Barack Obama was in office.

O'Rourke Assures Everyone:  Yes, I Will Take Your Guns Away.  Fortunately, he's not going to be president.

Texas Lawmaker Delivers Blistering Rebuke To Anti-Gun Democrats, Media.  Rep. Matt Schaefer (R-Tyler) delivered a blistering rebuke to Second Amendment-hating forces in the media and Democratic Party on Saturday [8/31/2019] in response to the tragedy in Odessa, Texas, saying that he will not cave and surrender the rights of law-abiding Americans.

When Obama Tried To 'Red Flag' Vets And Seniors.  We saw the presumption of innocence under assault during the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court justice Brett Kavanaugh and it is once again under assault with the consideration of so-called "red flag" laws after the mass shootings in Dayton and El Paso.  These laws would allow authorities to disarm law-abiding citizens on the basis that it had been somehow determined that they are an "unstable threat" to themselves and to society.  This determination can be made based on reports from vengeful former spouses, ex-girlfriends and boyfriends, former coworkers, hostile neighbors, just about anybody with a grievance, even by government agencies pushing a gun-control agenda.  We are assured that the gun owner guilty of no crime can pursue what is laughingly called "due process" and petition the judge to have his legally purchased firearm returned to him by proving to a judge he is not crazy or dangerous.  Just how do you do that, pray tell?

Beto O'Rourke says AK-47 and AR-15 owners will 'have to sell them to the government' if he becomes president.  Beto O'Rourke said he would implement a sweeping government buy-back policy for two types of assault rifles, including one commonly used in mass shootings across the US, if he were elected president in 2020.  The Texas Democrat responded to questions on the campaign trail Saturday in Charlottesville, Virginia, about concerns the government would take assault weapons away from gun owners.  According to a Buzzfeed News reporter, he said:  "I want to be really clear that that's exactly what we are going to do."  The candidate later shared that quote on Twitter, adding:  "We need to buy back every single assault weapon."

The Editor says...
If the government "buys back" your gun for a dollar, is that still a buy-back, or just an outright confiscation? Even if the government pays you more than you paid for your gun, you should not be compelled or obliged to sell your private property, whether it's a gun or anything else.

Former Marine said he'd 'slaughter' antifa.  The FBI, using Oregon's new red flag law, took his guns away.  [Scroll down]  Using a loudspeaker, he warned the right-wing activists who turned out to condemn the city's handling of recent violent demonstrations that they needed to protect themselves against their anti-fascist, or antifa, rivals.  "If antifa gets to the point where they start killing us, I'm going to kill them next," Kohfield, 32, said.  "I'd slaughter them and I have a detailed plan on how I would wipe out antifa."  That threat pushed the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task to take a series of extraordinary steps against Kohfield, including temporary seizure of a cache of his firearms under Oregon's new "red flag" law aimed at preventing gun violence, The Oregonian/OregonLive has learned.

CNN's Brian Stelter raises the real red flags of gun control.  This month's shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio have spurred politicians to demand (for perhaps the thousandth time) strict new gun control measures.  Using shootings as a club to beat "sense" into gun control opponents hasn't worked well in the past, so politicians have changed tactics.  They're pushing so-called "red flag" laws.  Red flag laws, they think, will work where other gun control measures won't because no one wants lunatics to have a guns.  So, who decides who is sane enough to have a gun?  Mental health professionals?  Perhaps psychiatrists who believe that the desire to own a gun is a sign of a deranged mind?  Are there only some categories in the DSM that should proscribe gun ownership, or should all of them?  The DSM-5 pays more careful attention to the gender and cultural factors that might affect a mental health diagnosis.  Will, say, being male help raise the red flag?

Giffords Looks to Split Gun Owners to Enact Confiscation.  For millennia political actors have understood that one of the most effective means of defeating your enemy is to divide them and set the component parts against each other.  For what seems nearly as long, gun control supporters have sought to separate gun owners from their rights by using this strategy.  The civilian disarmament industry's latest attempt to split gun owners comes courtesy of Giffords.  In recent weeks, the group has been promoting its newly-concocted and misleadingly-named state "Gun Owners for Safety" groups.  For those unfamiliar with the gun control movement's perpetual rebranding schemes, Giffords is a combination of the gun control groups Americans for Responsible Solutions and the San Francisco-based Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, which was previously named the Legal Community Against Violence (LCAV).

Among Democrats, 'Mandatory Gun Buyback' Plan Gains Traction.  Liberal Democrats, frustrated by inaction in Congress on gun control, appear ready to embrace a radical proposal that wouldn't stop one single mass shooting, but would make them feel good about not solving the problem.  "Mandatory gun buybacks" is an imported idea that Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke supported after the mass shooting in El Paso.  The idea comes from Australia where the government instituted a mandatory buyback program following a mass shooting in 1996.  Liberals swoon at the results:  suicides and homicides plummeted.  But in addition to the mandatory buyback program, there was radical gun control legislation, making it much more difficult to own any kind of firearm.  Nevertheless, gun confiscation is no longer a scare tactic used by Republicans to get elected.  It's here.  And it's real.

RED FLAG Gun Laws:  Connecticut Man's Firearms Seized Because His SON Shared a Meme on Facebook.  Due to the recent mass shootings, there is a major push for so-called "red flag" gun laws at both the state and federal levels.  These laws are the latest tool for gun control advocates to confiscate guns from people based upon only tips and suspicion.  No crime has to be committed to trigger an investigation or confiscation.  Red flag laws violate multiple rights protected by our constitution.

Underlying Reality in All of America's Violent Incidents — Spiritual Malaise.  [Scroll down]  As usual, whenever we experience this kind of national trauma, our political leaders come up with "plans" by which the problem will be solved and such terrible things will never happen again.  And so we are once more hearing proposals to restrict sales of certain firearm types and strengthen safeguards to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and people who are mentally or emotionally unstable.  "Red flag laws" are the latest big idea.  These are regulations which would permit local authorities to remove guns from individuals who exhibit behavior suggesting they could present a danger, to themselves or others.  This idea gains popularity whenever a horrific act is committed by someone who "seemed so quiet" or who "seemed like just an ordinary guy."

California City Council Votes to Become 2A Sanctuary.  The City Council of Needles unanimously voted for the California city to be a sanctuary for the Second Amendment.  Needles, a small city of 4,844, has yet to write the actual legislation and subsequently survive the inevitable onslaught of legal action opposing the vote.  Needles Mayor Jeff Williams told Tucker Carlson on Tuesday his town is ready to move on the legislation and fight the court challenges.

What the Elites Think Americans 'Need' Has Nothing to Do with Individual Rights.  We might point out, for example, the data showing that there is absolutely no evidence that "assault weapon" bans and gun confiscation programs (like the much-touted Australian "buyback") do anything at all to reduce homicide rates.  We might mention that violent crime and murder rates have fallen sharply since the National Assault Weapons Ban was lifted in 2004 (as I did in 2013), despite the number of firearms owned by individuals in this country growing dramatically in the years since, and the prevalence and expansion of concealed and open carry laws in many states.  We might also point out that the CDC has observed that guns are used as a means of self-defense in "about 500,000 to more than 3 million" instances annually, clearly signifying the value of gun rights in protecting Americans' lives and preserving their liberty.

The Role of Gun Control in Dictatorship.  Eventually, there will be conflict, which brings us to the Second Amendment.  The fate of everything the Left intends depends in the end on whether normal, non-communist Americans have the power to make the price of dictatorship so high that the Left will be unwilling to force it to completion.  If Americans can be disarmed and neutralized, they can be imprisoned without trials.  If they can be made powerless, they can be shot at without fear that they'll shoot back.  If they can be conquered, they can be subjugated and made to serve their totalitarian masters.  The Second Amendment was always about exactly this scenario.  The Founders did not insist on the Second Amendment so that they could hunt in perpetuity but because they feared a large, authoritarian government controlled by unethical and immoral politicians and their mobs.

The enforcement problems with gun-grabbing 'red flag' laws are even worse than you think.  Everyone is debating "red flag" laws like they're some new thing, but California has had variations of them for decades.  We call them domestic violence restraining orders, civil harassment restraining orders, workplace restraining orders, elder abuse restraining orders, mental health seizures and prohibition orders, and, more recently, gun violence restraining orders.  They're all meant to disarm dangerous people — but they're all fundamentally flawed.  None of these red flag laws would have prevented recent mass shootings.  And in my 23 years practicing law in the heart of Silicon Valley, I have litigated dozens of these cases.  I've seen firsthand the practical enforcement problems that emerge in real-life cases.

O'Rourke gun plan calls for mandatory buybacks, universal sale checks.  Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke, having resumed his campaign, detailed a plan Friday to curb gun violence by imposing a national gun licensing system and registry, and a mandatory buyback program for assault weapons.

The Democrat Party Is A Joke That Would Cease To Exist Without The Media's Support.  Consider the wide open secret that Democrats have to lie about literally every policy aspiration they have. [...] On "gun control" they claim they want to reduce violence, but every single one of them ultimately wants to abolish the Second Amendment and confiscate all guns.  They think the masses are idiots who would be much better off if we were all defenseless and relied on them to "protect" us — whether we like it or not.

Trump Must Not Break His Promises to Gun-Rights Supporters.  Following the model of George H. W. Bush, Donald Trump is taking a major step toward becoming a one-term president.  Bush thought he could become more popular by betraying his promises to defend the Second Amendment.  Trump now feels the same; according to the New York Times, he has ordered his staff to work with Senate Republicans to pass a major gun-control package that would set the stage for gun confiscation.

Missing the Point of Gun Ownership.  If there were ever a survey asking gun owners why they buy guns, I'd wager the majority of them would say that it basically is for protection.  The Second Amendment was not written for hunters but for the people's self-protection, including protection from tyranny.  The first thing smart dictators do is remove guns from registered owners. [...] There have always been guns in the country but mass shootings of innocents were rare until the 1960's. [...] Would there have been a Columbine massacre if God had not been removed from the schools?  Most of the mass shooters fit the same profile.  Most are single males and come from broken homes.  Nearly all have been under the influence of marijuana or psych drugs.  Not sure if any of these murderers were regular church goers but I doubt it.

Five Democrats Warn Supreme Court It Could be 'Restructured;' Urge It to Drop 2nd Amendment Case.  Five Democrat senators have filed a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court, urging it to stay out of a pending Second Amendment case and warning it that a majority of Americans now believe the "Supreme Court should be restructured in order to reduce the influence of politics."  The case, New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. City of New York, is the first major challenge to gun laws since 2010, the senators said.  According to SCOTUS blog, the New York State Pistol and Rifle Association, representing gun owners who live in the city, are challenging the city's ban on transferring licensed, unloaded guns anywhere outside city limits — including to a weekend home or to a shooting range.

El Paso Gun Store's Sales Double, Concealed-Carry Class Attendance Skyrockets.  Following the recent mass shooting at an El Paso, Texas Walmart, gun purchases doubled and the number of people seeking certification to carry a concealed weapon surged, the general manager of one of El Paso's largest gun shops reports.

Kamala Harris slammed for 'politicizing' Philadelphia standoff.  Sen. Kamala Harris faced criticism Wednesday [8/14/2019] for promoting her campaign's gun control plan during an appearance on CNN that coincided with breaking news about the police standoff in Philadelphia in which six officers were shot.  "When will it stop?" the 2020 Democratic presidential candidate from California asked CNN's Wolf Blitzer when he asked for her reaction to the initial reports of the shooting.  "And I stress initial reports," Blitzer added.  As Harris related details of her plan, information about the ongoing standoff was still sketchy.  Social media was quick to deride the presidential candidate for "politicizing" the developing situation before most of the relevant facts were known.

The Editor says...
One of the relevant facts was that the shooter was a black man with a long criminal history who should have been locked up long ago.  That's probably not the kind of politicization Ms. Harris had in mind.

How The Federal Government Nullified the Second Amendment to 'Ban' Automatic firearms.  [Scroll down]  In truth, automatic weapons were not actually "banned" in this country until 1986.  It wasn't until the farcical passage of the Hughes Amendment as an addendum to the National Firearm Owners' Protection Act (FOPA) of 1986 that ownership of any such firearm was truly "banned" by the federal government.  If you ever imagined that our elected betters are actively working toward the preservation of our constitutionally protected rights, watch this video of Charlie Rangel leading the House in a "voice vote" to allow the Hughes Amendment, and allowing only two minutes of raucous "deliberation."  It is among the lowest and most ridiculous moments in the history of our American Congress — and that's saying something.

The Promise and Pitfalls of Universal Background Checks.  Much as we did after Sandy Hook, we find ourselves debating background checks in the wake of killings that would not have been prevented by one.  More than 60,000 Americans died by gun homicide between 2013 and 2017, but our attention is drawn only to the rarest, most spectacular, and most unusual incidents, those where a half-day or so's worth of fatalities happen all in one place — and in those, it is usually the case that the deranged killer bought his guns legally or took them from someone else who did.

Can the Democratic Party Govern America?  Currently 235 million Americans either own or could see themselves owning a gun.  How will the Democrats in power go about confiscating guns in a nation of 3.8 million square miles?  Utilize a national registry of all gun owners?  Outlaw all semi-automatic weapons?  Impose onerous taxes and insurance requirements making gun ownership unaffordable?  Pass open-ended red flag laws allowing virtually anyone to file a complaint against someone, ostensibly based in their suspicions, thus allowing the police to seize the guns of the accused?  As for speech, will certain words, phrases and organizations, as determined by the Left, be considered inciteful and dangerous and thus outlawed?  How will the Democrats deal with the inevitable resistance and potential violent pushback from upwards of 72% of the nation's citizenry?

There is No Actual Law or Justice in the B.E.A.S.T. System.  In the aftermath of the Sandyhook shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, President Obama issued 23 executive actions and proposed 19 legislative actions on guns.  After the Virginia Tech shooting, new rules were passed that allowed the Social Security Administration to provide information to the gun background check system of people with "mental disabilities". After Vegas and Parkland, it was bump-stocks.  Now, in the wake of the recent Gilroy Garlic Festival, El Paso, and Dayton mass shootings — all committed by crazed individuals and right on schedule, the politicians have announced bipartisan support for Red Flag Laws.  Do you see a pattern?  Unfortunately, the proposed "Red Flag" legislation has the support of President Trump according to his previous comments, and would allow just one of your neighbors to see something before saying something that would enable law enforcement to confiscate all of your guns and with no legal hearing whatsoever.

Raising a Black Flag Against Red Flag Laws.  In a state of emotion, citizens are easily hoodwinked into giving away liberties and giving the government expanded powers.  Bad Idea.  We did that after 9-11.  We are still paying for that emotion-based policy.  We ended up handing the government more power to spy — not only on suspected terrorists — but on American citizens without a warrant.  That brings me to the latest emotion-based idea to stop mass shootings:  Red Flag Laws.  Let's strip away the good intentions part of this right away.  This law would allow the government to violate our Fourteenth Amendment due process rights along with Fourth and Fifth Amendment rights to the Constitution and confiscate our property (guns) on an unsubstantiated citizen complaint about something a person might do.

Liz Warren Vows to Tax Gun Owners Back to the Stone Age with Radical Anti-Second Amendment Agenda.  U.S. Senator and Democratic presidential contender Liz Warren wants to tax us gun owners back to the Stone Age, as a part of her radical gun control agenda, revealed this weekend.  If elected, Warren promises to raise taxes on firearms and ammo purchases by 30% and 50%, respectively.  That's on top of her plan for federal licensing for gun ownership — presumably with a federal database of who owns what — expanded background checks, and a renewed ban on "assault-style" weapons.

Master Plan on Radical Side Is to Incrementally Outlaw All Privately-Owned Firearms.  Nobody with enough gray matter to tie their shoes really believes that the proponents of the Second Amendment want to see gun violence, and the kind of gross incendiary dialogue that suggests otherwise is totally counterproductive to doing anything about sensible gun laws or the insanity on our streets.  Actually, the first thing to do, and what would make a world of difference, would be to enforce existing gun laws.  The cities with the most stringent firearm laws have the highest murder rates.  Unscrupulous gun dealers and black-market gun dealers need to be taken off the streets and face serious jail time.

Biden Urges 'Assault Weapons' Ban, Says Anyone Who Disagrees Should Not Be President.  "We have a huge problem with guns," former Vice President Joe Biden wrote in a New York Times op-ed published on Sunday [8/11/2019].  "Assault weapons — military-style firearms designed to fire rapidly — are a threat to our national security, and we should treat them as such.  Anyone who pretends there's nothing we can do is lying," he said, "and holding that view should be disqualifying for anyone seeking to lead our country."  Biden took partial credit for enacting the 1994 law that banned a variety of semiautomatic weapons and high-capacity magazines for 10 years.

Liberty, If Not Already Annihilated, Is On The Brink Of Destruction.  The road to victory in the next election is narrow.  But it's like that when you have no principles and undercut the very base you used to put you in office.  We are where we are because enough people didn't ask Trump the hard questions on his core belief in gun rights (or enough people didn't listen when I asked the hard questions on core beliefs).  It appears he doesn't have any.

Sununu vetoes gun control bills, says current laws are 'well-crafted and fit our culture'.  Gov. Chris Sununu dashed the hopes of gun control advocates Friday, vetoing all three pending bills by concluding current laws were "well-crafted and fit our culture of responsible gun ownership and individual freedom."  "New Hampshire is one of the safest states in the nation, and we have a long and proud tradition of responsible firearm stewardship.  Our laws are well-crafted and fit our culture of responsible gun ownership and individual freedom," Sununu wrote in his veto message.

We Don't Need Red Flag Laws, We Need More Good Americans To Get Guns.  Name the civil liberty that has ever been returned to the citizens after government took it away.  Let me save you some time:  It does not exist.  Governments take away liberties and never return them outside of a political revolution.  The American people are not the ones in need of a "cooling off" period when they purchase weapons.  It is the U.S. government that should be restricted from passing knee-jerk laws in the wake of tragedy to satiate media cries of "SOMEBODY DO SOMETHING!" That includes the fresh call for "red flag laws" that allow for confiscating people's guns if someone else tags them as mentally ill or a danger to others.  I don't care who is calling for these laws.  I don't care about their motivations.  These calls for new "red flag laws" are horrid, and Americans of every political persuasion should stand firmly against them. [...] Government employees are not your betters, and they do not have your best interests at heart.

Proposed Gun Laws Would Do Nothing to Prevent Mass Killings, and Everyone Knows It.  The country is again in an uproar following the latest mass shootings in Texas and Ohio.  In response to the hysterical clamor in the media to "do something," politicians in both the Democratic and Republican Parties want (yet again!) more gun laws.  Republicans, including President Trump, are proposing a "red flag" confiscation law that would enable police to summarily seize an individual's guns based on hearsay.  Such a law would blatantly violate the First, Second, Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendments.  In practice, these laws would have no significant effect on actual shooters, but would ensnare people like Donald Montgomery, a retired police officer from Long Island who sought insomnia treatment — and was declared "mentally ill" and had his guns permanently seized under Andrew Cuomo's notorious "SAFE" Act.  Republicans should know better, but apparently, they don't.

When a Mass Shooting Begat Gun Control.  The St. Valentine's Day Massacre was a consequence of Prohibition, which had inspired the formation of gangs to satisfy the nation's demand for beer and whiskey.  It helped convince Americans that lawlessness was a greater evil than liquor and contributed to the 21st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, repealing Prohibition.  The fact that the victims had been murdered with Thompson submachine guns — so associated with local mobsters they were nicknamed the Chicago Typewriter — led to the passage of the National Firearms Act of 1934, which levied a then-prohibitive $200 tax on the sale of "machine guns," defined as "any weapon which shoots, or is designed to shoot, automatically or semiautomatically, more than one shot, without manual reloading, by a single function of the trigger."

Against Universal Background Checks.  Mitch McConnell has confirmed that when the Senate reconvenes in September to discuss new federal gun-control measures, "universal background checks" will "lead the discussion."  If that is the case, the Senate should listen carefully to the proposals on offer, and then politely decline to assent.  Absent further examination, "universal background checks" appear to represent the inoffensive extension of an already existing principle.  At present, the federal government mandates that an instant background check be run prior to the completion of all commercial and interstate firearms transactions.  This being so, the argument runs, there can be nothing wrong with Washington extending that rule to private transfers, to non-commercial transfers, and to purely intrastate transfers.

Civil War Over 2nd Amendment?  Pay Attention.  This is the time when a good government can go bad, when the laws of freedom that have governed us for over 200 years are in jeopardy.  It could easily lead to civil war to have everyone who owns a semi-automatic rifle instantly become a criminal.  It's what happens when people run on emotion rather than rational thought on the consequences of their actions.

If Gun Controllers Followed Their Own Logic, They'd Support Banning Alcohol And Cigarettes, Too.  Numbers are powerful persuasive tools.  But numbers without perspective and scale can be used to mislead, manipulate, and distract.  Surprisingly, Neil deGrasse Tyson made this point in response to the recent shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio.  The backlash was predictable, but Tyson isn't wrong.  Let's look at some more numbers.  Firearms of all kinds played a role in nearly 40,000 deaths in 2017.  By itself, that sounds like a lot.  At the same time, however, 88,000 people died from alcohol-related causes and 480,000 from the effects of cigarette smoking.

After Shootings, 2020 Democrats Race Further To The Left On Gun Confiscation.  2020 Democratic White House hopefuls were quick to call for new gun laws this week in the aftermath of back-to-back shootings in Ohio and Texas over the weekend that left 31 dead.  Several candidates, including current front-runner Joe Biden, have called for Australian-style gun buyback programs where owners of firearms would sell back their weapons to the government at government-determined prices.

The Editor says...
"Government-determined prices" obviously means they will buy the guns for next-to-nothing.

Mass Shootings:  The Elephant in the Room.  Sometime in the last few decades, Americans have lost [the] ability to think rationally about mass killings.  We are collectively trying to blame some other factor besides the individuals themselves.  However, access to guns has never been cited as a reason for a mass shooting and mass killings share no correlation in ideology.  No one political party, no one race or ethnicity, no one religion, etc. is a constant factor, but there are specific commonalities between mass shooters that are never widely discussed over the calls for gun control and party reform.

They Will Still Hate You Even If You Disarm.  It was quite a surprise to find out that we Trump voters were personally responsible for the savage murder sprees of a creep who dug single-payer and a satanist fan of Big Chief Warren.  The El Paso scumbag decided he wanted to murder Hispanics because migration would somehow destroy the environment, which falls right in line with classical progressive eugenics balderdash.  The Democrat from Dayton was full-on #Resistance.  But apparently we conservatives were to blame for their actions because we refuse to give up our rights.

Everything They're Telling You About Mass Shootings Is Wrong.  What are the facts?  Fact:  There were 387 deaths from mass shootings in the United States in 2018 (defined as four or more shot — not necessarily killed — at one time).  Of those, most were regular criminals as we expect to see in gang-related drive-bys, bar fights, and a strangely large number of shootings at parties.  About 100 deaths were the result of the random, psycho-killer shootings that dominated news coverage for days and weeks at a time.  Mercifully, those are quite rare.  But that's not the impression we are given by the news coverage.  Fact:  There are more privately owned guns in the United States than ever before and the number of murders has been declining for decades and has been at or near a multigenerational low for several years.  More guns, less crime.  Fact:  There were 660 murders in Chicago in 2017.  That's nearly twice the number from mass shootings in the whole country and six or seven times the number murdered by random psychos mass-shooters.  Chicago has some of the strictest gun control in the country.  Maybe it's not the guns.

Kamala Harris Says She's Willing To Have Police Forcibly Take "Banned" Guns From Your Home.  They're not coming for your guns, we're told.  No, they are, and at least California Senator Kamala Harris is fully willing to send police to your home to take your guns from you.  According to the Washington Examiner, when asked if Harris would send law enforcement to homes to seize banned firearms, Harris answered in the affirmative.

Firearm Advocate Turns Tables On CNN Town Hall: 'Do You Believe A Woman Has A Right To Choose' Method Of Self-Defense?  "Proud firearm owner" Theresa Inacker drew a straight line from a woman's reproductive rights to her right to defend her body "in a manner she chooses" during CNN's gun violence town hall Wednesday [8/7/2019]. [...] Referencing the argument made by many abortion-rights advocates, Inacker continued, "My question is do you believe a woman has a right to choose whether or not to defend her own body?  And in the manner she chooses?  And the government should not interfere with that decision?"

NRA donor files class action suit; claims VP LaPierre blew $275K on suits, $243K on 'luxury travel'.  A major National Rifle Association donor sued the gun-rights organization this week for fraud, saying its leaders have misspent money over the last four years, ignoring the group's core mission while paying for expensive clothing and trips for CEO Wayne LaPierre.  David Dell'Aquila filed a federal class-action lawsuit in Tennessee and fired off letters to the attorneys general in New York and Washington on Wednesday, urging them to complete investigations into the NRA well before the 2020 election.

NRA planned to buy a $6 million mansion in Dallas for chief Wayne LaPierre last year, leaked records from the New York Attorney General's office show.  The National Rifle Association planned to purchase a $6million mansion in Dallas for its chief executive Wayne LaPierre last year, newly leaked records have revealed.  Discussions about the property acquisition, which ultimately did not happen, are reportedly under scrutiny by New York officials conducting an ongoing investigation into the gun-lobby's tax exempt status and allegations of financial misconduct.  Two people familiar with the records told The Washington Post that the NRA wired tens of thousands of dollars to a corporate entity that was going to be making the purchase in 2018.

Texas to loosen firearm laws, allowing guns in churches and on school grounds.  A series of new firearm laws will go into effect in Texas next month — further loosening gun restrictions in a state that's had four of the 10 deadliest mass shootings in modern US history.  The laws — passed before a gunman massacred 22 people and injured dozens in El Paso last weekend — will make it easier to have guns in a state with some of the most lax weapons restrictions in the nation.

Obama: 24 Mass Shootings.  Trump: 4 Mass Shootings.  There have been eight mass shootings under Clinton, eight under Bush, and 24 under Obama.Ten Mass Shootings out of 24 since 1966 have happened under the Obama Administration.  Four under Donald Trump.  One would never know the statistics with the pounding drum beat blaming Donald Trump.  Did anyone blame Obama for all of the mayhem under his watch?  Johnson?  Reagan, Bush, Obama?  Let's step through the fog of mass shootings.  Republicans are responsible for the violence?

Biden Says As President He Would Come For 'Assault Weapons'.  Democrats want to come for your guns and they aren't hiding it anymore.  Former Vice President Joe Biden said as much on CNN Monday with Anderson Cooper.  Discussing his support for a national buyback program of "assault weapons," the Democratic presidential candidate said that if elected, he is "going to come" for them.  "So to gun owners out there who say well, a Biden administration means they're going to come for my guns," Cooper said to Biden, who interjected:  "Bingo.  You're right if you have an assault weapon."

Open Carry Texas Activists Are Pretty Upset With Walmart Right Now.  After open carry went into effect in Texas on January 1, some businesses were inconvenienced by the size of the signs they had to put up, and other businesses were inconvenienced by the fact that they were forced to choose a side in a culture war when they mostly just wanted to sell hamburgers.  But one corporation decided to punt the inconvenience over to a particular subset:  its store employees.  At Walmart, the official company policy regarding open carry is that customers are allowed to bring visible handguns into the store, but that store staff are responsible for verifying that the customer has a proper license for the weapon.  If you're curious just how that works out for everybody involved, check out this video, posted by Open Carry Texas, of an encounter at the Walmart in Devine between an openly carrying patron and an employee who requests his license.  [Video clip]

Kamala Harris [is] willing to send [police] to people's homes to confiscate banned firearms.  California Democratic Sen. Kamala Harris gave details about her gun control proposals in the wake of the deadly El Paso, Texas shooting after she addressed union members at the AFSCME forum at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas on Saturday [8/3/2019].  When asked by the Washington Examiner if her plan would include legal gun owner databases or gun confiscation via law enforcement visits to residents who own banned firearms, she replied, "I'm actually prepared to take executive action to put in place rules that improve this situation."

How 'Secret Obsession' Exposes California's Dumb Gun Laws.  Unfortunately, California's current gun laws prevent any sort of meaningful self-defense for the state's most vulnerable populations.  Pursuant to California penal codes, it is illegal for citizens to open carry firearms in any instance and concealed carry laws are extremely restrictive.  Currently, a county sheriff or municipal police chief may issue a concealed weapons permit (CCW), provided a citizen can prove he is of "good moral character," is a resident in the county or city, has completed an eight-hour training course, and has a "good cause to justify the permit."  As a matter of precedent, California law enforcement, such as the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, have maintained that carrying a concealed weapon is a privilege rather than a constitutional right guaranteed by the Second Amendment.

Betcha' Didn't Know:  Firearm Homicides Plummeted over Last 25 Years.  Despite endless gun violence reports put forward by the establishment media, the dirty little secret is firearm homicides have plummeted over the past 25 years. [...] Washington Post analysis shows Democrats, followed closely by independents, are more apt to believe firearm murders have increased.  And this feeds the Democrat psyche which is already more prone to support an expansion of gun control laws.

This Man Did Nothing Wrong, But He Faces 49 Years In Prison.  The weaklings and fools in the California state legislature decided that guns are bad, bad, bad, so they passed some stupid 'gun control' laws to fight crime.  But Mr [Girard Damian] Saenz was never charged with any crime other than having weapons the state didn't think he should have.  He didn't rob anyone, he committed no crimes using the firearms in his possession.  This is the natural result of the left's insanity when it comes to our Second Amendment rights:  the state legislature made simple possession of firearms it didn't like a crime in itself, but the crime they said that they were preventing never occurred; Mr Saenz was not even suspected of using the firearms illegally.  The Pyrite State created a crime where no crime existed, infringed a man's rights when he had infringed on no one else's.

Things Haven't Always Been This Way.  Here's a suggestion.  How about setting up some high school rifle clubs?  Students would bring their own rifles to school, store them with the team coach and, after classes, collect them for practice.  You say:  "Williams, you must be crazy!  To prevent gun violence, we must do all we can to keep guns out of the hands of kids."  There's a problem with this reasoning.  Prior to the 1960s, many public high schools had shooting clubs.  In New York City, shooting clubs were started at Boys, Curtis, Commercial, Manual Training and Stuyvesant high schools.  Students carried their rifles to school on the subway and turned them over to their homeroom or gym teacher.  Rifles were retrieved after school for target practice.  In some rural areas across the nation, there was a long tradition of high school students hunting before classes and storing their rifles in the trunks of their cars, parked on school grounds, during the school day.  Today, any school principal permitting rifles clubs or allowing rifles on school grounds would be fired, possibly imprisoned.

Driving 140 Miles To Buy Ammo Isn't "Common Sense".  As it turns out, Needles [California] is having a hard time competing with its Arizona neighbors like Fort Mojave, Bullhead City, and Lake Havasu City when it comes to things like tax revenues from retail.  Not surprisingly, Arizona gun owners would rather shop in Arizona (a constitutional carry state that also recognizes every other state's concealed handgun licenses) instead of California, where Arizonans can't legally carry a firearm.  But gun owners in Needles are also being harmed by California's gun laws.  It's important to note that there are no gun stores in Needles, California, so it's not like Arizonans are crossing state lines to buy their guns and ammo in Needles.  As it turns out, there are plenty of gun stores in Arizona for residents to choose from.  In Needles, however, gun owners have to do something mind-bogglingly idiotic, all because of a "common sense gun law" approved by California voters back in 2016.

First Arrest for 3D Printed Gun in London, England, 2019.  [Scroll down]  Homemade guns and small shop guns are found all around the world.  In the United States, it has been the right of the people to make their own guns for the entire history of the Republic.  Only in the last few years has the right been challenged.  There are so many unregistered and untraceable guns in the United States that the right to make your own has little effect.  Its primary utility is to convince the uneducated of the futility of gun control schemes.  3D printed guns seem to do that more effectively than most other homemade guns.

They Called Our Industry The 'Enemy'.  Last week, from the Democratic primary debate stage, former Vice President Joe Biden said we were the enemy.  "Our enemy is the gun manufacturers, not the NRA, the gun manufacturers," Biden said.  Not a single candidate on stage that night, or the night before, condemned the remark.  Their silence is tacit agreement.  Not a single candidate had the courage to name the violent criminals as the problem or the fortitude to stand up to those who prey upon the vulnerable in our society.  Instead, they are blaming us as an industry and the law-abiding gun owners we serve.

2020 Democrat Candidates' 21 Most Insanely Scary Proposals.  [#1] Government Gun Confiscation:  Joe Biden:  "Folks, look, and I would buy back [assault] weapons.  We already started talking about that.  We tried to get it done.  I think it can be done.  And it should be demanded that we do it.  And that's a good expenditure of money."  As soon as Biden said, "it should be demanded that we do it," his "buy back" program was revealed as a mandatory confiscation of the guns we law abiding Americans already own.  And can you imagine how far the government will stretch the definition of an "assault weapon" to justify this confiscation?

Are Gun Control Advocates Committing Treason?  The California progressive socialists have finally gone totalitarian on the aspect of gun control.  As of yesterday [7/1/2019], [the purchase of] ammunition in this state requires a background check.  I have yet to hear anyone explain how this would stop mass shootings or even affect anyone but the lawful gun owner. [...] But it may get worse, much worse on a national level.  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her cohorts in the progressive socialist party are attempting to pass H.R. 8 which looks to make law-abiding criminals by attempting to register all guns and make private transfers, even among family members a criminal offense.

The Left's Endgame Is Not Chaos.  It's Worse.  Imagine the Yellow Vest movement in France with American-level private gun ownership.  Civilian gun-owners can't hope to defeat a modern military intent on simply destroying them, but if the objective is control and enslavement, that complicates matters (just ask the governor of Oregon).  A bunch of corpses can't create wealth for the parasite globalist elite class to feed on.  That is why the Left wants our guns so, so badly.

Biden Proposes Ban on Gun Sales Other Than Theoretical 'Smart Guns'.  During the first Democratic debate on Thursday night, front runner Joe Biden proposed banning the sale of any firearm that doesn't include theoretical biometric locks.  "We should have smart guns," Biden said.  "No gun should be able to be sold unless your biometric measure could pull that trigger.  It's within our right to do that.  We can do that.  Our enemy is the gun manufacturers, not the NRA."  While prototypes of guns with integrated biometric locks exist, none are currently for sale on the American market.  Biden's proposal would effectively outlaw the sale of every firearm on store shelves in the United States.

'God, Guns and Freedom': A rural Alabama Ford dealership's Fourth of July promotion is a viral sensation.  A Ford dealership in rural Alabama is promising a Bible, a shotgun and an American flag with the purchase of a new or pre-owned vehicle.

The Editor says...
That was the extent of the article above.

Ford asks Alabama car dealer to end shotgun giveaway after California shooting.  Ford Motor Co. has asked a Ford dealership in Alabama to stop giving out certificates for free 12-gauge shotguns to anyone who buys a new or used vehicle.  The automaker told the dealership late Wednesday [6/26/2019] that the promotion was inappropriate after three people died Tuesday evening during a mass shooting at a California Ford dealership.  There, a man who had been fired from his job at the dealership in the San Francisco Bay Area fatally shot two employees, then himself, according to local media reports.

Study: Crime Guns Obtained Illegally Shortly Before Shootings.  The study, funded by an award from the National Institute of Justice, looked at the final sale or transfer of firearms to individuals who then used them to commit crimes.  It relied on data from the Chicago Inmate Survey (CIS), which interviewed 221 people convicted of gun crimes serving time at seven Illinois state prisons.  The researchers, from the University of Chicago and Duke University, note that while a great deal of research has examined the "time to crime" for firearms — often finding guns take decades to make their way from legal purchases into the criminal market — little research exists on the last transfer to the people who use firearms in a crime.  "We know a lot about the first sale of that gun, and we know a lot about the last person caught with that gun," Harold Pollack, the Helen Ross Professor in the University of Chicago's School of Social Service Administration, told UChicago News.  "We just don't know a lot about what's in between."

Leftist Outcry:  Let No Tragedy Go to Waste.  Two weeks ago, a disgruntled city employee, DeWayne Craddock, fatally shot twelve people and wounded four more when he open-fired at a municipal building.  Socialist Senator and presidential candidate Bernie Sanders took to twitter less than two hours after the horrible tragedy blasting the NRA and calling for more gun control. [...] Rep. Elaine Luria (D-VA) and Rep. Norma Torres (D-CA) both took to twitter within hours of the shooting too.  Both Democrat members of the House of Representative claimed we need more gun control laws.  Before anyone knew anything about the shooter, before anyone knew how the shooter obtained the weapon, progressives were jumping at the opportunity to blame the gun.

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has just handed down a refresher on suspicion.  Police officers thought an anonymous tip about a man carrying a gun and someone running away from them created enough suspicion to chase down Daniel Brown, stop him at gunpoint, and search him for contraband.  Contraband was found, leading to Brown's motion to suppress.  The lower court said this combination — an anonymous report of a gun and Brown's decision to run when he saw the police cruiser — was reasonable enough.  Not so, says the Ninth Circuit, pointing out the obvious fact that a person carrying a gun can't be inherently suspicious in a state where carrying a gun in public is permitted.

Florida assault weapons ban amendment heads to Supreme Court for review — could be on 2020 ballot.  Gun-control advocates say they've collected more than 103,000 signatures, enough to trigger the next critical step before a proposed ban on the sale of assault weapons could go before Florida voters in 2020.  Leaders of the political committee Ban Assault Weapons Now gathered in Orlando on Monday [6/10/2019] to announce that its draft constitutional amendment met the signature threshold to go before the state Supreme Court for review.

Elderly Man Who Shot Two Burglars In His Home Charged With Felony Over Inherited Gun.  An elderly man in New York was arrested for shooting two burglars in his house, not for murdering the intruders, but for shooting them with an unregistered gun.

Elderly NY man kills repeat burglars, is charged for using inherited gun, loses his home.  Imagine being arrested and losing your home after two repeat burglars break into your house again and rush toward you with the possible intention of murdering you.  This exact scenario played out in New York late last month thanks to the far-left state's draconian gun control laws.  A 64-year-old Deerfield homeowner was charged with illegal firearm possession and arrested after he used a gun he'd inherited from his deceased father to kill two repeat burglars.  Then upon his release from a jail a couple of days later, he found himself homeless because his house had been condemned.

Trump Plans to Nominate Known Gun-grabber to Head ATF.  President Donald Trump announced his intent to nominate as the head of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) a man with a record of supporting restrictions on the right to keep and bear arms.  As posted on the White House website, President Trump, according to his authority under Article II, Section 2 of the United States Constitution, has tapped Charles Canterbury, Jr. to be the ATF Director.

After Virginia Beach shooting, Dems seek ban on 'silencers' that don't make guns silent.  Despite what you might believe from watching television shows or movies, suppressors (commonly known as "silencers") do not make guns "silent" — unless you consider an ambulance siren or a jackhammer to be silent.  However, as soon as it was clear that the Virginia Beach killer used a noise suppressor on one of his guns last Friday when he killed 12 people, Democrats called for suppressors to be banned.  Virginia's Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam called for a special legislative session to pass a ban.

Rights Abridged: The Flawed Model for Red Flag Laws.  In fifteen states and the District of Columbia, new Red Flag laws allow judges to take licensed firearms away from individuals even if they have not committed or even threatened to commit a crime.  A simple petition from a third party triggers a court proceeding that could eliminate a person's Second Amendment rights and cause a cascade of consequences.  Florida is a good example of one of those states.  Some civil rights organizations have expressed concern about constitutional principles being violated by such laws, such as the right to due process and the presumption of innocence until proven guilty.  Red Flag laws seem intended to bypass processes that already exist to have someone adjudicated as mentally ill or guilty of a crime.  Initial Red Flag hearings, like other restraining order hearings, often do not allow the accused time to retain an attorney or present a full defense before having their rights abridged.

A Win for Gun Rights in Pennsylvania.  Earlier this week, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court delivered a message that the United States Supreme Court desperately needs to hear:  The lawful exercise of your Second Amendment rights does not make you a second-class citizen.  Here's the context.  For the last two years, federal courts — including, sadly, the Supreme Court — have endorsed a legal regime where police can use even the lawful exercise of gun rights as a pretext for the violation of other constitutional rights, principally our Fourth Amendment right against unreasonable search and seizure.

Pennsylvania amusement park pulls bullet souvenir after controversy.  A Pennsylvania theme park found itself caught in the middle of an online debate over a gift shop item.  A mother visiting Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom in Allentown, Pa, discovered that the park was selling personalized bullets at one of their gift shops.  Customers could purchase a single rifle bullet with a key-ring attachment and their name emblazoned on the side of a leather holder.

Biden Declares War On Second Amendment Rights, Pushes Semi-Auto Ban.  2020 presidential hopeful Joe Biden announced on his campaign website his intentions to wage war against guns as part of his "education" plan for America.  Biden said that the National Rifle Association (NRA) must be defeated "in order to make our schools safer," with a ban on semi-autos, Second Amendment columnist AWR Hawkins noted.The former Vice President argued that arming school faculty members do not make schools safer, insisting the only solution is more gun policies, the opposite to what experts across the country are finding.

Democrats Politicize Virginia Beach Shooting to Push Gun Control, Second Amendment Supporters Push Back.  Many Democrats, including most 2020 presidential candidates, were quick to politicize the tragic mass shooting in Virginia Beach to push their gun control agenda, but Second Amendment supporters weren't about to take any of it lying down.  News broke Friday [5/31/2019] that public utilities department engineer DeWayne Craddock, 40, allegedly used a .45-caliber handgun with a sound suppressor to murder 12 of his former colleagues, but all Democrats needed was news of a mass shooting to echo their calls for gun control.

Is Red Dawn Really Just Ridiculous?  If Not, Who Would Citizen Disarmament Help?  When Red Dawn was released in 1984, film critics seemed like they were trying to outdo each other to convince the movie-going public that the film was not only bad, but also ludicrously improbable.  "As it stands, the film is simply too ridiculous for words," wrote one. [...] Unsurprisingly, those laughing the loudest have failed to make their case, and some questions are in order.  Is the United States invulnerable from foreign attack?  Will it forever be so?  And would upwards of 100 million armed Americans embedded throughout the Republic make it more or less difficult for invaders to advance through, conquer and occupy territory?

Fingerprinting gun owners approved by Illinois lawmakers.  A bill passed on Wednesday [5/29/2019] by the Illinois House would require gun owners to be fingerprinted and pay more for identification cards.  The state Senate still must approve the bill before it could be signed into law.  Democratic Rep. Kathleen Willis of Addison, citing deficiencies in the state's current Firearm Owner's Identification system, said the bill comes in response to a shooting at a factory in Aurora where six people, including the gunman, were killed, according to The Associated Press.

Bill allowing Texans to carry guns during natural disasters goes to Gov. Abbott's desk.  Hurricane Katrina taught us many things, like how the media tailors its coverage of natural disasters based on political implications.  But it also taught us that there will be times when residents cannot count on law enforcement and other government agencies to be there when needed.  A scenario that has now been addressed to some extent by the Texas Senate, which passed a bill Sunday that would allow residents there who can legally own a firearm to be able to carry the weapon either open or concealed up to seven days after the state declares a natural disaster.

Hypocrite Alert:  Gillibrand Admits She Never Truly Believed In The 2A.  Sen Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) recently came out with a proposal to "end gun violence."  In her plan, she called for the typical points ant-gunners love to cling to.  She wants to establish universal background checks; create a federal law against trafficking guns; reestablish an assault weapons ban; ban bump stocks (hello, that's already been done) and "large-capacity" magazines.

Massachusetts school teacher plants live ammunition at school then calls 911.  A Southbridge, Massachusetts, school teacher has been busted planting live ammunition at his school then calling 911 to report having found the ammo.  According to WCVB, 57-year-old Alfred Purcell, reported finding "9 mm ammunition in the rear stairwell" of Southbridge High School.  His report led to a lockdown, during which the police examined surveillance footage and saw that Purcell himself had taken ammo out of his own pocket, "dropping it on the floor and quickly leaving the area."

Kamala Harris Wants To Ban AR-15s With Executive Order.  Before she was a United States Senator, Kamala Harris was the attorney general for the state of California.  She's an attorney, like so many other legislators.  She studied and worked in the profession people approach for clarification on the laws of this great nation of ours.  Apparently, she managed to get to that point without ever attending a single civics class.  In the presidential hopeful's latest effort, she's decided that in her quest to dictate gun control by fiat, she'll also go after AR-15s and other so-called "assault rifles."

YouTube [is] Demonetizing More Gun Channels.  Firearm YouTubers have had to take the blame for mass shooting after mass shooting, all despite the fact that no evidence has been presented that any of these people had anything to do with gun YouTubers.  Doesn't matter.  The platform's cracking down.

NRA board member: 'Imperative' to clean house, move on from CEO Wayne LaPierre.  A prominent board member of the National Rifle Association urged the organization to clean "its own house" and move on from CEO Wayne LaPierre's leadership on Tuesday in a stunning escalation of the internal crisis that has plagued the organization in recent months.  Retired Lt. Col. Allen West, a former Republican congressman from Florida serving his second term on the board, announced in a blog post that he was withdrawing his support from LaPierre, citing concerns about alleged financial mismanagement within the organization and what he called "outright lies" told by Carolyn Meadows, the group's new president, and Charles Cotton, chairman of the NRA's audit committee, in LaPierre's defense.

Ammo Stockpiling: Why it makes Sense.  In a recent article on Ammoland, a case was presented as to why stockpiling of more than a few hundred rounds of ammunition was unnecessary.  It was an interesting take, but much too limited, in my experience.  At the end, the authors put in a disclaimer:  stockpile as much as you want.

John Paul Stevens:  Heller gun control decision the worst in 35-year Supreme Court tenure.  Retired Justice John Paul Stevens is lambasting the Supreme Court's 2008 District of Columbia v. Heller decision broadening gun rights, calling it the "most clearly incorrect" ruling of his 35-year career on the high court.  "Heller is unquestionably the most clearly incorrect decision that the court announced during my tenure on the bench," Stevens, 99, wrote in his new memoir, The Making of a Justice.

Does having teachers carry guns at schools pose a danger?  Does it deter attacks?  There has yet to be a single case of someone being wounded or killed from a shooting, let alone a mass public shooting, between 6 AM and midnight at a school that lets teachers carry guns.  Fears of teachers carrying guns in terms of such problems as students obtaining teachers guns have not occurred at all, and there was only one accidental discharge outside of school hours with no one was really harmed.  While there have not been any problems at schools with armed teachers, the number of people killed at other schools has increased significantly — doubling between 2001 and 2008 versus 2009 and 2018.

Life if the Democrats take control.  If the Democrats had their way the Second Amendment would be gone.  Their goal is to be like Australia where the Government confiscated all the weapons.  If they allowed hunting rifles at all it would be single shot or single load rifles.  If that were to happen, only the criminals would have weapons.  Look at the statistics on gun violence in cities having the strongest gun control laws, their murder/crime rates are through the roof.  In fact a study released in October 2018 by Harvard Journal of Law, not exactly a bastion of Conservatism, found Nations with stringent anti-gun laws generally have substantially higher murder rates than those that do not.  The study found that the nine European nations with the lowest rates of gun ownership (5,000 or fewer guns per 100,000 population) have a combined murder rate three times higher than that of the nine nations with the highest rates of gun ownership (at least 15,000 guns per 100,000 population).  Another Leftist fantasy exposed as a fraud.

This is important:
Kamala Harris Pledges to Criminalize Private Gun Sales via Executive Action.  Democrat presidential hopeful Kamala Harris says she will use executive action to criminalize selling more than five guns a year without a background check.  This follows a consistent Democrat-led push to criminalize all private gun sales via universal background checks.  On February 27, Breitbart News reported that the Democrat-run House passed legislation to require a background check for every gun sale, thus criminalizing someone who sells a gun to a decades-long neighbor without government approval.  It also criminalizes a friend who sells a gun to a lifelong friend without asking for government approval.

This is less important:
Leaked letters reveal details of NRA chief's alleged spending.  National Rifle Association Chief Executive Wayne LaPierre billed the group's ad agency $39,000 for one day of shopping at a Beverly Hills clothing boutique, $18,300 for a car and driver in Europe and had the agency cover $13,800 in rent for a summer intern, according to newly revealed NRA internal documents.  The documents, posted anonymously on the internet, provide new details of the clothing, travel and other expenses totaling more than $542,000 that Ackerman McQueen Inc. alleges Mr. LaPierre billed to it.

Student walkout at Colorado shooting vigil is a good sign.  The very public scene of hundreds of Colorado students and their parents walking out of a vigil that was turned into political theater by the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence was so embarrassing that the gun control group actually issued an apology.  Before leaving the Wednesday night event, students shouted, in front of journalists who the Brady Campaign invited:  "this is not for us," "political stunt" and "we are people, not a statement."  The Brady Campaign had portrayed the event as a vigil in memory of Kendrick Castillo, a student hero who died from gunshot wounds after he and two other students charged one of the attackers Tuesday at the Highlands Ranch STEM School in Colorado.

Colorado Students Walk Out Of School Shooting Vigil After It Turns Political.  Colorado students walked out of an event billed as a vigil for Kendrick Castillo, an 18-year-old killed in a shooting at his school on Tuesday, when prominent speakers attempted to turn it into a rally for gun control.  Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colorado) and Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colorado) each took a turn calling for gun control at the Douglas County event before students streamed out in protest.  Two students at STEM Highlands Ranch, a K-12 charter school focused on science, technology, engineering, and math, shot nine students, one fatally.  The accused students, who were arrested, are an adult male and a juvenile female who identifies as male.  The accused male had written anti-Christian social media messages.

Gun control groups press DeSantis for veto of arming teachers bill.  About a dozen activists with two gun-control advocacy groups dropped off a stack of papers with 13,000 signatures at Gov. Ron DeSantis' office Tuesday as they urged him to veto a bill that would allow armed classroom teachers.  Emma Hanley, a Tallahassee high-school junior who volunteers with Students Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, asked a DeSantis employee to tell the governor to veto the bill (SB 7070) because of a "dangerous provision" that would expand the school "guardian" program.

Cory Booker Proposes National Gun-Licensing Program.  Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), who recently promised to "bring a fight to the NRA like they have never ever seen before," on Monday morning introduced a sweeping gun-violence prevention plan that centers around a national gun-licensing program, the most comprehensive and far-reaching of any candidate in the Democratic presidential field.  "My plan to address gun violence is simple — we will make it harder for people who should not have a gun to get one," Booker said in a statement, pledging to take executive action on the first day of his desired presidency.

Bushmaster Gets Stay of Sandy Hook Lawsuit Ahead of Supreme Court Appeal.  The Connecticut Supreme Court granted gun-maker Bushmaster Firearms a stay in the Sandy Hook victims' lawsuit, as the manufacturer readies its appeal to the nation's highest judicial tribunal.  Bushmaster produced the XM15 rifle shooter Adam Lanza used to kill 26 people at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, in December 2012.  The Thursday [5/2/2019] stay delays the start of the evidence-gathering phase of the litigation, called discovery, which will give the plaintiffs an intimate view of Bushmaster's internal operations.  The stay will remain in effect until the U.S. Supreme Court takes action on Bushmaster's forthcoming petition.

Two Iowa School Districts Offer Gun Training/Safety Class in 7th Grade.  The North Butler and Clarksville school districts in Iowa are now offering a mandatory gun training/safety class ("Hunters Safety Course") to 7th and 8th grade students and a voluntary class for high schoolers in the evenings.  The classes started this semester and realistic but non-firing guns and replica ammunition are used, not actual guns.  "Please understand that we do not believe that all students will be hunting, nor do we expect them to," said school Superintendent Joel Foster in a blog post about the class.  "The expectation is that through this all students will be exposed to firearm safety, and as such learn to respect and how to manage and control firearms."

Florida lawmakers pass bill allowing more armed teachers.  More Florida classroom teachers could carry guns in school under a bill passed Wednesday by state lawmakers, the latest response to last year's mass shooting at a Parkland high school.

Red Flag Laws and Individual Rights.  A citizen's right to own and bear arms is guaranteed by the Second Amendment.  The left infringes upon this basic right using the tactic of incrementalism.  Each time the tactic is employed, it is accompanied by the deceitful narrative of protecting people's lives.  The left's goal isn't protecting lives, it is controlling lives — subjugating them.  As long as Americans are armed, subjugating them requires taking the incremental road while leftists prefer the expressway.  Owning a firearm is a basic right of a free society the left would prefer to see you without.  The Second Amendment states, "the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed."  Look up the word infringe and you'll find it means "to limit, undermine or encroach upon."  Yet 'red flag' laws do exactly that — undermine your right to keep and bear arms.

MSNBC contributor admits a hard truth:  In Venezuela, arms ownership matters.  Socialist Venezuela is spiraling into chaos and violence, according to news reports.  What we are really seeing is defenseless citizens trying to fight a dictatorship not with firepower, but with their hands.  Venezuela's democrats have no guns.  The dictatorship they're fighting, however, is armed to the teeth, and it's using those arms with little to fear from the citizens.

Venezuela Banned Private Gun Ownership Less Than A Decade Ago.  Venezuela banned private citizens from owning guns seven years ago, leaving firearms solely in the hands of the army and the police.  Now, as the country's opposition attempts to oust the oppressive Maduro regime from power, it is a decision some have come to regret.  Interim President Juan Guaido called for a military uprising, dubbed Operacion Libertad, against socialist dictator Nicholas Maduro on Tuesday.  Venezuelans have been protesting for months against Maduro's "re-election," which the United States has declared to be illegitimate in light of Maduro's jailing of political dissidents and protesters.

Venezuelans against Maduro hindered by 2012 gun ban.  Videos emerging from Venezuela Tuesday show anti-Nicolás Maduro protesters being reportedly shot at and run over by military members while civilians are unable to use conventional weapons to defend themselves following a private gun ownership ban in 2012.  Videos circulating on social media show an unidentified helicopter reportedly shooting at protesters and armored military vehicles running over groups of citizens protesting the continuing reign of Maduro, who refuses to yield control of the country to Juan Guaidó, who multiple countries, including the United States, recognize as the legitimate president of the country.

As Democrats Use San Diego Synagogue Shooting to Push Gun Control, Conservatives Push Back.  Conservatives pushed back hard on Twitter against Democrats who used Saturday's tragic synagogue shooting in San Diego to push their gun control agenda.  "Spare us your thoughts and prayers," wrote Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell.  "It's an alibi for inaction.  You told the NRA yesterday you'd keep dangerous guns in the hands of dangerous people.  We will take it from here with action."

Democrats are still lost on gun control and presidential power.  In Monday's [4/22/2019] Democratic presidential town hall, Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., [...] promised that if elected president, after giving Congress 100 days to "get their act together" and move gun control legislation, she will "take executive action" that slightly expands the universe of gun sales covered by background checks.  It is worth mentioning here, just briefly, that Congress' job includes frustrating presidential ambitions like this one, just like its job includes preventing bad wars from being fought or border walls from being funded.  How incredible that Democrats still haven't learned, not even with Trump in office, that it's unhealthy for presidents to circumvent Congress in such matters.

Florida Senate passes bill that allows classroom teachers to be armed.  More than a year after last year's Valentine's Day shooting in Parkland that shocked the state and blurred party lines in the state Capitol, the Florida Senate passed a follow-up bill that has become increasingly partisan because of its expansion of a program that would allow classroom teachers to be armed.  It succeeded on a 22-17 vote.  Although the vote count isn't far off from last year's 20-18 vote, Tuesday's [4/23/2019] vote fell much more along party lines.

New Jersey governor wants to increase price for buying and carrying a gun by 2,000%.  New Jersey Gov. Philip Murphy, a Democrat, wants to dramatically increase the permits and licenses needed to buy and carry a firearm in his state.  The New York Times reports it costs $5 to get a firearm identification card, $2 for the permit to own a firearm, and $20 for the permit to carry.  Under Murphy's budget proposal, the firearm identification card will jump from $5 to $100, the owner's permit will go up from $2 to $40, and the permit to carry, the largest increase, will go from $20 to $400.  For all three licenses and permits, the price would increase by 2,000%.

Swalwell: You'll Sell Me Your Gun, or You'll Go to Jail.  Representative Eric Swalwell, a hard-leftist from California, has about as much chance of winning the Democratic nomination for president as Bill Weld has of winning the GOP nomination.  Be that it as it may, Swalwell's proposal to jail Americans who refuse to surrender legally purchased and owned firearms to a federal gun Gestapo not only demonstrates how the Left has moved the Overton Window in the gun-control debate, but also how Democrats have given in to the totalitarian impulse.  Outright gun confiscation is something only the craziest Democrat would have suggested 30 years ago, and the suggestion certainly would not have come from one who wished to be considered a serious contender for the presidency.

"Second Amendment Sanctuary" Movement Explodes.  It's unlikely that Joe Thoele, a member of the board of Effingham County, Illinois, had any idea that his unhappiness over Springfield's anti-gun measures would spark a national resistance movement.  A year ago all he wanted to do was send a message to the anti-gun politicians in his state's capitol:  "I would just like to send a statement to Springfield that I don't want them to be infringing on our Second Amendment rights as legal gun owners."  Thoele persuaded six of the seven other members of the board to pass a resolution declaring his county (population 34,000) a "sanctuary" county.  After all, if political entities such as counties and states could declare themselves sanctuaries for illegal immigrants, why couldn't they declare themselves sanctuaries for legal gun owners?

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis Signs Democrat-Sponsored Gun Confiscation Bill.  Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) signed into law on Friday the Democrats' gun confiscatory Red Flag legislation.  The legislation allows courts to issue orders for the confiscation of individuals' guns.  Tribune Ledger News reported that the legislation, House Bill 1177, did not garner a single Republican vote.  And more than half of Colorado's county governments have voiced opposition to the bill, making clear they have no plans to enforce it.

Swalwell: 'Second Amendment Is Not an Absolute Right'.  Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union," Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) and 2020 presidential hopeful said the Second Amendment was not an absolute right.  Discussing his proposal to "ban possession of military-style semi-automatic assault weapons," Swalwell said, "You know, keep your pistols, keep your long rifles, keep your shotguns.  I want the most dangerous weapons, these weapons of war, out of the hands of the most dangerous people.  But when it comes to what else we can do, because I don't even suggest this is all we can do, I also want background checks.  So do 73% of NRA members."

Some Colorado sheriffs in open rebellion over 'Red Flag' gun law.  Colorado's Democratic Gov. Jared Polis signed the controversial "Red Flag" gun bill into law on Friday [4/12/2019] and several county sheriffs have indicated they won't enforce it.  Some are even willing to go to jail for their beliefs. [...] What we've seen in recent years is that if a crazy person wants to go on a shooting spree, they will find a way to get a gun.  Meanwhile, guns will be seized from innocent people who may or may not be a threat to themselves or others.

Gun Rights Demonstrators Square Off With Gun Grabbers In Delaware.  A contentious set of gun control proposals has hit the floor in Delaware, and now activists on both sides are digging in for the coming fight.  That digging in started with rallies in Dover. [...] You can only push the law-abiding citizen so far.  At some point, they won't go any further.  They'll gladly break the law because the law is demanding far too much of them.  To be clear, that's what sparked the American Revolution.  Had old King George not pushed so hard, the colonists would have gladly gone on being loyal British subjects.

Pittsburgh Residents Challenge Ban on Standard Capacity Magazines.  With assistance from the NRA, Pittsburgh residents filed a lawsuit today [4/11/2019] challenging the city's ban on publicly carrying loaded magazines that accept more than 10 rounds of ammunition.  Pittsburgh's recently enacted ordinance misleadingly describes these magazines as "large capacity" even though they come standard with many of the nation's most popular firearms and are commonly used in handguns carried for self-defense.

Column Proves Some Folks Are Anti-Gun Because They're Idiots.  Now, some I understand.  They're emotional over it.  Maybe they lost someone.  Either way, they're not able to think clearly on the topic of guns, so emotion drives them.  However, after reading this column this morning, I also had to remember that apparently, some are anti-gun because they're just stupid.

New Zealand's new gun laws get final assent to take effect.  New Zealand's governor general on Thursday [4/11/2019] formally signed into effect sweeping gun laws outlawing military style weapons, less than a month after a man used such guns to kill 50 people and wound dozens at two mosques in Christchurch.

It Begins:  The Police Start To Bully Gun Owners In New Zealand.  One never knows exactly what to think of some of the sources on reddit, this may be legitimate and it may not be.  But the weight of evidence is on the side of legitimacy.

New Zealand Police Confiscate Airsoft Pellet Guns, Crossbow from Man Because He Supports Trump.  Now that police in New Zealand are going door-to-door to confiscate firearms, which involves bird-dogging people at work and monitoring their online activity, one man who has gotten caught up in the covfefe was recently stripped of his airsoft BB guns and his crossbow.

Eric Swalwell Doesn't Like It When You Criticize His Impossible Gun Control Scheme.  This week, Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA), the latest Democrat to jump into their already-jammed clown car of presidential candidates, launched his campaign with a proposal to "ban and buy back every single assault weapon in this nation," bragging he was the "only candidate" who was "bold" enough to suggest it.

Sheriff on gun law:  I'll go to jail to protect the Constitution.  A hard review of Colorado's version of the "red flag" bill immediately caused tremendous concern, as it was an obvious attack on the Second Amendment rights of citizens disguised as a mental health bill, but it also had obvious violations of the Fourth, Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments.  The law was advertised as a mental health bill that would give law enforcement a tool to help people in need.  Yet, a true read of the bill exposes that it appears to be unconstitutional and therefore unenforceable.

Swalwell running for White House on gun control: report.  Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) will reportedly announce next week that he is running for president in 2020 and will center his campaign around gun control.  The Atlantic reported Thursday [4/4/2019] that Swalwell will announce his plans during an appearance on CBS's "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert," where he will be joined by Cameron Kasky, a survivor of the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla.  Swalwell, who is hosting a town hall on gun control next week in Florida, did not confirm his plans to The Atlantic, but said he thinks gun control should be a top issue in 2020.

House Democrats sneak gun control measures into Violence Against Women Act reauthorization.  The House of Representatives voted 263 to 158 on a Democrat-led bill to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act on Thursday [4/4/2019].  Only 33 Republicans voted for the legislation.  However, anybody who tries to cast those numbers as Republican indifference to violence against women isn't telling the whole story.  Rather than simply reauthorize the law, Democrats used the opportunity to add more federal gun control to legislation originally aimed at combating domestic violence and sexual assault.  "Republicans are committed to reauthorizing VAWA, however, Democrats have refused to engage on the issue in a meaningful, bipartisan manner and instead rushed a partisan bill to the floor," reads a statement to Blaze Media from the office of Minority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La.  In a Wednesday [4/3/2019] speech on the House floor, Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, said the current bill is nearly "unrecognizable from the legislation originally passed in 1994."

Texas House Speaker drops a gun rights bill, because a gun rights activist showed up at his house.  A bill sponsored by state Rep. Jonathan Stickand (R) sought to allow Texans to carry a gun without a permit or a license.  That bill had been pending in committee for about four months, so one gun rights advocate decided to apply some pressure to House Speaker Dennis Bonnen (R) and other two other legislators.  Chris McNutt, the executive director of Texas Gun Rights showed up at the homes of Bonnen and Republican state Reps.  Dustin Burrows and Four Price earlier this week.  None of the lawmakers were home — since the Legislature is in session, they were in at the state capitol in Austin.

New Zealand's Gun Owners Have So Far Voluntarily Surrendered 37 Firearms — Of An Estimated 1.2 Million — Since The Mosque Shootings.  A few New Zealand gun owners have begun voluntarily surrendering their firearms to local police in the wake of the Christchurch mosque shootings last week that left at least 50 people dead.  New Zealand police said that as of Tuesday night [4/2/2019], 37 firearms had been surrendered to police nationwide.  They did not provide a breakdown of how many people owned those guns, the types of firearms, or the districts where the guns were surrendered.

In New Zealand, a Democracy Turns Against Itself.  One of the oldest criticisms of democracy is that it's prone to degenerating into little more than mob rule, driven by the latest panic, hatred, or revulsion to consume people's attention.  When it comes to stoking such strong emotions, it's difficult to top the effect of the brutal mass murders committed at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand.  In the wake of that crime, the country's government has succumbed to blind reaction by restricting speech, depriving innocent people of arms, and heightening domestic surveillance — intrusions into individual rights that are inherent whether or not governments and majorities formally respect them.  It's a grim illustration of just how vulnerable the "liberal" element of liberal democracy can be — as our own country has itself demonstrated in the past.

Here Is Why a Federal Judge Nixed California's Ban on 'Large Capacity Magazines'.  On Friday evening [3/29/2019], a federal judge in San Diego blocked enforcement of California's ban on magazines that hold more than 10 rounds, deeming it inconsistent with the Second Amendment right to keep arms for self-defense.  U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez concluded that "California's law prohibiting acquisition and possession of magazines able to hold any more than 10 rounds places a severe restriction on the core right of self-defense of the home such that it amounts to a destruction of the right and is unconstitutional under any level of scrutiny."  Benitez, who in 2017 issued a stay that prevented the law from taking effect, also agreed with the plaintiffs that the ban amounts to an unconstitutional taking of property without compensation.

Salon: Now No One Needs Bolt Action Rifles Either.  Now someone at Salon — a sixth generation grandson of Thomas Jefferson — is falling on his fainting couch after learning that some Americans like to shoot at long distances.

The Latest Scheme to Turn Gun Owners into Criminals.  Gun-owners, they are coming:  on March 21, a Fredericksburg man was prosecuted and convicted of the misdemeanor crime of merely holding a B.B. gun in public.  I know because I was in the trial, as the attorney defending Mr. Wolff.  The Second Amendment protects the right to keep and bear arms.  However, gun control activists are trying to criminalize gun ownership.  Their next step is that you are a criminal if you take a gun out in public.  If they have to let you own a gun, you can't ever take it out of its case.

Federal judge strikes down California ban on firearm magazines.  A federal judge struck down a California ban on magazines that are capable of housing more than 10 rounds because he said the law violated the Second Amendment.  Judge Roger T. Benitez of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California issued the judgement on Friday [3/29/2019] afternoon and totally invalidated the ban.  "Individual liberty and freedom are not outmoded concepts," said Judge Benitez in the ruling.

Lindsey Graham on Gun Confiscation Laws: 'Every Right Has Limits'.  During Tuesday's [3/26/2019] hearing on confiscatory red flag laws, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said, "every right has limits."  Graham supports red flag laws, and in early March, he told CNN the confiscatory laws represent a place Republicans and Democrats can "come together" on gun control.  Ironically, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) was able to use the hearing as a venue in which to promote her "Extreme Risk Protection Order of 2019."

Dick's Sporting Goods Lost an Astounding $150 Million.  Dick's Sporting Goods lost an estimated $150 million in sales last year after the company heavily restricted firearm purchases and began advocating anti-gun propaganda.  Let's bring the number up and shop at one of the many other retailers available to sportsmen/women/kids.  They are now doubling down under the leadership of Edward Stack, an anti-Second Amendment activist.  He will widen the net to 125 stores that won't sell guns.  After that, he's hoping to make it every store.

Last-Minute Order Partially Blocks Enforcement of Bump-Stock Ban.  A federal court on Monday [3/26/2019] ordered that the bump-stock ban set to go into effect on Tuesday cannot be enforced against members of the gun-rights groups currently suing to overturn the ban.  The D.C. Circuit Court issued an order staying enforcement of the bump-stock ban on Saturday but only for the plaintiffs in the case.  The plaintiffs then filed an emergency request to expand that stay to include the general public.  The court denied that request but did issue a clarification on Monday stating that all members of the gun-rights groups involved in the suit are covered by the stay.

In New Zealand, Terrorism Is Winning.  Terrorists, it seems, hate lots of things.  And most of those things are either rooted in or expressions of freedom.  Some hate speech that contradicts their beliefs; others clothing that goes against their own religious or cultural norms; and yet others societies in which different races and classes of people are free to live side-by-side.  In fact, one of the more popular theories regarding why Muslim extremists so despise the West relies on their resentment of the freedom enabled by Western ideals.  Those who hate freedom naturally gravitate toward its opposite, control, which is at its root the motivation behind any terrorist act, including the horrific attack in Christchurch, New Zealand that took the lives of 50 innocent Muslims attending mosque.

Head of Alaska "Human Rights Commission" Under Investigation for 1st/2nd Amendment Violations.  A scandal is developing in Alaska, as the head of the Human Rights Commission (HRC) has been implicated in directly chilling the exercise of the First and Second Amendments of the Constitution.  Governor Dunleavy has ordered an investigation of the scandal.  The head of the HRC, Marti Buscaglia, became upset over a bumper sticker on a contractor's work truck.  The bumper sticker showed the silhouette of an AR15 type rifle, along with the words "Black Rifles Matter."  It is a pretty standard call to support the Second Amendment.  Brenton Linegar owns Sage Mechanical, the small plumbing and air conditioning company that owns the truck.  Sage Mechanical's client is the owner of the building where the truck was parked.  The HRC rents space in the building.  Somehow, the Executive Director of the HRC in Alaska interpreted the Second Amendment sticker as being offensive.

Update:
Alaskan Human Rights Commissioners Resign over First and Second Amendment Scandal.  Marti Buscaglia, the head of the Alaska State Commission for Human Rights, became embroiled in a scandal involving a contractor, Brad Linegar, because of a political sticker.  She and two Commissioners have resigned as a result.  On 14 March, 2019, she left a note on the windshield of Brad Linegar's work truck, using her business card, calling a pro-Second Amendment sticker "offensive".  The note was buttressed by the business card of the Chief Probation Officer for Region III in Alaska, Kendall Rhyne.  Then Buscaglia indicated the contractor should not park his truck in the parking lot.  It has been reported she sent an email to the owner of the building, who had contracted with Linegar's business, Sage Mechanical, and asked the owner to "do something" about the company.

The Left is Not Letting the New Zealand Crisis Go to Waste.  "You never let a serious crisis go to waste.  And what I mean by that it's an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before."  These are the words of Rahm Emanuel, advisor and fixer in both the Clinton and Obama administrations, as well as the current Mayor of Chicago.  His words are also an important part of the playbook of the left, which takes every advantage of natural or man-made catastrophes to advance their agenda.

New Zealand's knee-jerk gun ban is EXACTLY why we have the Second Amendment.  Less than a week after the mosque shootings in Christchurch, New Zealand has moved to ban and confiscate semi-automatic long guns.  The bill bans so-called "military style semi-automatic firearms," which according to the bill are any rifle or shotgun that accepts a detachable magazine that holds more than five rounds.  But .22 and smaller-caliber arms are exempt, so everybody's varmint guns are safe.  And, according to reports, the legal owners of now-illegal hardware will be entitled to "fair and reasonable" compensation through a buyback program that's expected to cost a couple hundred million dollars.  How generous.  Naturally, Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., says that we "must follow New Zealand's lead."

FOID (Firearm Owners Identification Card) Ruled Unconstitutional In Illinois.  Well, this should be interesting!  Apparently a judge doesn't think that it is appropriate for the state to tax and regulate our rights protected by the 2nd Amendment to the United States Constitution.  Of course Illinois is appealing, and I assume that some judge or judges will eventually find in the state's favor, but if this goes to the United States Supreme Court we have a shot at winning.

"Never let a crisis go to waste."
New Zealand bans semi-automatics after Christchurch shooting.  New Zealand has banned military-style semi-automatic rifles, with the government announcing a buyback after a shooting at two mosques killed 50 people.  There will also be a ban on assault rifles, high capacity magazines, and certain modification parts.  Speaking on Thursday [3/21/2019], Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said 'in short, every semi-automatic weapon used in the terrorist attack on Friday will be banned in this country'.

Legislation In Missouri Moves To Ban All Federal Gun Control Laws From State.  Can a state create legislation that could please even the most anti-gun law American?  Missouri is going to try to find out.  According to The Sentinel, a bill is expected to pass the Missouri Senate that would nullify every Federal gun law and regulations.  Additionally, it would make enforcement of those laws by federal officers within the State of Missouri a criminal offense.

The Bogus Lawsuit against Remington.  Rule No. 1 of tort law:  The bad guy is the one with the most money to pay you.  On December 14, 2012, Adam Lanza murdered 26 people, 20 of them schoolchildren ages six and seven.  Lanza killed himself, too.  Can't sue him.  Lanza had a history of mental illness — a long one.  He'd been treated under the New Hampshire "Birth to Three" program and later by the Yale Child Study Center.  But it would be hard to make a case against those institutions, which enjoy a great deal more sympathy than gun manufacturers do.  The schools couldn't handle Lanza, either, and he was left to the care of his mother, Nancy, who seems to have been a bit of an oddball herself and an enabler.  But he murdered her, too, so she's not around to sue.

Bruce Ohr Revealed Political Operatives Got The FBI To Investigate The NRA.  Friday's [3/15/2019] release of a transcript of Bruce Ohr's testimony before the House Judiciary Committee revealed several new tidbits.  It also raised serious concerns that fake claims of collusion pushed by Glenn Simpson and Democratic opposition research shop Fusion GPS prompted the launch of not one, but two federal investigations: the Russia collusion investigation and investigations into the National Rifle Association (NRA).

Gun Controllers Don't Really Want that 'Conversation'.  Time and again, we hear from those advocating for more gun control laws who intone with a sense of moral superiority that we need to have a "conversation" on guns.  The goal, they say, is to reduce violence, suggesting that they are somehow more evolved.  Yet, just this week, some anti-gun activists and politicians were caught red-handed fantasizing about wanting to shoot politicians and gun rights advocates as well as suggesting the "doxing," or publicly posting private information, on gun owners.

Parkland parents push for background checks on ammunition.  Last month, Democrats in the House of Representatives passed a plan to expand background checks on gun purchases.  Now, Parkland parent Fred Guttenberg and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz are offering a new plan to require universal background checks on ammunition purchases.

Where can you buy guns if Dick's stops selling them?  Almost anywhere.  Scott Weber, 63, has seen department stores enter and exit the firearms market over the years, and remembers poring over pages of gun ads in the Sears catalog while growing up on a farm.  Big retail chains such as Sears "have them and then they don't," said Weber, who owns Gunrunner Firearms & Auction.  That's why he thinks the decision by Dick's Sporting Goods to pull guns out of nearly one-fifth of its 700-plus stores will probably make no more difference than similar shifts in the past.  In an interview with the Washington Examiner, Weber also predicted the move won't necessarily boost sales for independent dealers such as himself unless they happen to be located near one of the affected stores.  Instead, the gun sales Dick's might have made will be absorbed by rival chains such as Bass Pro Shops or its subsidiary, Cabela's, which together comprise 200 stores.

Connecticut Supreme Court Rules Remington Can Be Sued For Sandy Hook Shooting.  On December 14, 2012, 20-year-old Adam Lanza walked into Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton, Connecticut and opened fire.  Before it was all over, Lanza had killed 20 children aged 6 and 7 and six adult staff.  Lanza had killed his own mother before the shooting and committed suicide afterward.  Perhaps more than any other school shooting, the Sandy Hook affair has been clouded in controversy.  There have been claims that the shooting did not happen.  There have been claims that Lanza was a pawn and part of a "false flag" operation conducted by the US government.  The fact set allowed it to become the darling of the gun control set.  When it was discovered that Lanza played "violent" video games there were calls for regulation.  Obama demagogued the hell out of the issue, presenting and signing 23 gun related Executive Orders and recommending 12 laws for passage.

Sandy Hook lawsuit against gun maker Remington can proceed:  Court.  The Connecticut Supreme Court on Thursday [3/14/2019] said a lawsuit challenging how Remington Arms marketed the rifle used in the December 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting can proceed, overturning a lower court's dismissal of the case.  In a 4-3 opinion, the court ruled that families of victims of the Newtown massacre can challenge whether Remington violated state trade practices in how it marketed the AR-15-style rifle used in the shooting.  "The regulation of advertising that threatens the public's health, safety, and morals has long been considered a core exercise of the states' police powers," Justice Richard Palmer wrote for the majority.

California Saw Huge Increase in Gun Ownership Over Last Decade Despite Strict Gun Laws.  Californians are smart.  They know that government refuses to protect them.  For instance, law enforcement in California is used to protect criminals from foreign nations from being arrested and deported.  So, innocent folks become the victims of government policy.  That is why folks are buying guns.  Even Dianne Feinstein, who does not want YOU to have a gun, has a permit to carry a gun.  "What those data show is that, as of 2019, there are more than 2.5 million gun owners in California, compared to fewer than a million in 2008.  That figure translates to about 8 percent of Californian adults owning guns, compared to 3.4 percent in 2008 — a more than two-fold increase, even when adjusting for population.

Dick's Sporting Goods to Remove Guns From 125 Stores.  Dick's Sporting Goods Inc. said Tuesday [3/12/2019] it will stop selling firearms at 125 of its stores, further pulling back from the business after the retailer decided last year to tighten its policies around gun sales.  Dick's has struggled with declining sales since its CEO Ed Stack made a public decision to stop selling guns to buyers under 21 and take assault-style weapons out of all stores after a fatal school shooting in Parkland, Fla.  Dick's is also working to stem sluggish sales as more shoppers buy sporting goods online.

Hawaii Tells Congress to Seriously Change or Repeal the 2nd Amendment.  Hawaiian lawmakers voted on Tuesday to urge the U.S. Congress to amend, seriously change or repeal the Second Amendment.  They say it doesn't guarantee the right of individuals to own guns.  The resolution was sponsored by State Senator Stanley Chang, a freshman whose claim to fame is having beaten the last Republican in the Hawaii State Senate, according to Guns.com. [...] He said the Framers never meant guns were an individual right and, despite the Supreme Court ruling in the Heller decision that determined otherwise, he claims it only applies to militias, the Foundation for Economic Education (FEE) reported.

Maryland Democratic official takes heat for calls to 'dox' gun rights activists.  A Democratic Party leader in Maryland is facing criticism for last month posting on Facebook a call to "dox" gun rights activists.  Maryland Democratic Party Secretary Robbie Leonard took to social media to post photos from a Maryland House Judiciary Committee meeting in late February, where gun rights activists wore "We Will Not Comply" shirts during the hearing on additional gun control measures, along with a message calling the advocates "homegrown terrorists" and calling on his followers to "dox" them.

Popular Defiance Will Kneecap Gun Laws in New Mexico, As It Has in Other States.  New Mexico is the battleground for the latest confrontation between politicians determined to impose legal restrictions on the right to acquire and own the means of self-defense and people unwilling to obey such laws.  The state's governor is publicly feuding with county-level officials who, responding to grassroots anger at the proposed gun measures, vow noncompliance if they become law.  The evidence from similar spats in other states suggests that government officials are once again poised to have their impotence demonstrated by people eager to disobey dictates from above.

Lindsey Graham:  Democrats, GOP Can 'Come Together' for Gun Confiscation Law.  Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC) says firearm confiscation laws portend a way that Democrats and Republicans can "come together."  CNN reported that Graham has long supported red flag laws, which allow a court to issue firearm confiscation orders for individuals deemed a threat to themselves or others.  House Democrats have already passed legislation during this Congress to criminalize private gun sales and extend the instant background check for firearm purchases.  They are now pressing for $50 million in annual funding to bring academia into the gun control push.

New Mexico's Democrat Governor Signs Bill to Criminalize Private Gun Sales.  New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) signed legislation Friday to criminalize private gun sales in the state.  The Santa Fe New Mexican reported that there has been a great divide over the bill, with state-level Democrats pushing it while gun rights groups, the vast majority of New Mexico Sheriffs, and New Mexico county governments oppose it.

Oops: Hypothesis for Latest Gun Control Study 'Has Not Been Validated'.  Researchers behind a recent gun control study admit that the hypothesis for the study "has not been validated."  The study, which appeared in the British Medical Journal, claims that states with less restrictive gun laws witness higher levels of mass shootings.  The researchers behind the study included Columbia University Irving Medical Center's Paul Reeping.

County sheriffs across four states declare gun sanctuaries.  County officials across four states have adopted "sanctuary jurisdiction" strategies to thwart gun-control laws, according to Reuters Monday [3/4/2019].  The Trump administration's tough stance on immigration led many cities across the country to pass resolutions resolving not to defend current U.S. Immigration Law.  Anti-gun control organizers have started to use the same tactic.  Counties in Illinois, Washington, Oregon and New Mexico have declared gun sanctuaries, according to Reuters, in response to legislation they believe is an infringement on the 2nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees the right to keep and bear arms.  All four states have Democratic majorities and governorships.

2020 Dems make it clear if Supreme Court upholds Trump emergency declaration, they'll go after guns.  Democrats are pulling out all the stops to prevent President Donald Trump from any success is stemming the flow of illegal immigrants into the United States, regardless of the negative impact, it has on the lives of U.S. citizens or the public treasury.  Even threatening to encroach on the U.S. Constitution if the Supreme Court upholds Trump's emergency declaration on the porous southern border.

Trump at CPAC: Democrat Gun Control Will Not Get Past My Desk.  President Donald Trump stressed during his speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) that the Democrats' myriad gun control plans will not make all come to an end once they reach his desk.  Trump expressed the agreement between his administration and the mindset of CPAC attendees by saying, "We believe strongly in the Second Amendment and the right to keep and bear arms."  He then contrasted the pro-gun view with that of the Democrats' view by warning CPAC attendees that the Second Amendment was "under siege."

Liberals and Moderates Rage at Each Other at Closed-Door Meeting of House Democrats.  Earlier this week, House Republicans scored a second surprise victory on a 'motion to recommit,' one of the lower chamber minority's few procedural tactics.  During a legislative battle over gun control legislation, more than two dozen Democrats backed a GOP proposal to require that ICE be notified whenever an illegal immigrant is flagged attempting to purchase a firearm.  Republicans succeeded in another MTR gambit several weeks ago, adding language condemning anti-semitism to a foreign policy vote, a move clearly designed to isolate and shame Rep. Ilhan Omar.  Following these losses, Democratic leadership is reeling, leading to a fiery closed-door party meeting, during which various factions of the party reportedly sniped at each other.

House Dems all in for universal background checks on firearms — until GOP includes illegal immigrants.  Democrats were all in when they decided to push through universal background checks on all firearms purchases, but they quickly recoiled when Republicans amended the legislation.  As House Democrats were poised to vote on "The Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019," their Republican colleagues asked to add an amendment that would use the same law to alert federal authorities when an illegal immigrant tries to purchase a firearm illegally as well.

US House passes sweeping gun legislation.  The Democrat-led House on Wednesday broke a years-long stalemate over gun control legislation, approving a bill to expand background checks to nearly all firearms sales and transfers.  The measure is unlikely to survive the Senate, but House Democrats said at least they made good on vows to aggressively push the issue in the wake of a spate of high-profile mass shootings.

Dems Lose 'Embarrassing' Gun Control Amendment Vote After Multiple Defections.  In a rare move, a Republican amendment to gun legislation brought to House floor by Democratic leadership was adopted after multiple defections from moderate Democrats.  The House voted Wednesday on H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019.  The bill would expand background checks to include all gun sales, rather than just sales by licensed gun dealers as under current law.  Republicans in the minority countered with an amendment to require that federal officials notify Immigration and Customs Enforcement whenever a lawful or unlawful immigrant tried to illegally purchase a firearm.  That measure, opposed by most Democrats, was voted down when the bill was still in the House Judiciary Committee.

Democrats Are Just Getting Rolling On Gun Control Hits.  For better or worse, House Democrats believe their wins in November are because of their stance on gun control.  They don't want to listen to the idea that they might have had bigger wins if they hadn't attacked the Second Amendment so vehemently.  Nope.  They're going to push gun control no matter what.

NRA assails Hollywood, AOC, CNN's Acosta over gun rights.  In a message timed for tonight's Oscars, the National Rifle Association is rolling out its biggest gun to call on the country to focus on teaching children their Constitutional rights, including the Second Amendment, instead of tearing those rights down in a drive to socialism.  Featuring historical footage from the late Charlton Heston, the former NRA president and two-time Academy Award winner, the new video from the pro-gun group juxtaposes his words on American rights with the anti-gun messages and images from Hollywood, Washington, and media critics.  [Video clip]

Maryland Democrats Push Rationing of Rifle Purchases, 7-Day Waiting Period.  Maryland Democrats are pushing rationing of rifle purchases, a 7-day waiting period on all gun purchases, and a licensing requirement for rifle and shotgun owners.  Leap Forward lists over 50 Democrats who are pushing HB 786, the legislation limiting the number of rifle purchases each month, enacting the waiting period, and putting the licensing requirement in place.

Connecticut Democrats Push Confiscation of Homemade Guns.  City legislators Jeffrey Stella (D-9) and Rodney Pratt (D-9) in Stamford, Connecticut, are pushing an ordinance to empower police to confiscate homemade firearms from city residents.

Democrats Don't Want ICE Notified When Illegal Aliens Try to Purchase Guns.  As the debate over illegal immigration continues to rage, Democrats continue to prove they are proponents of open borders and lawlessness.  The latest example comes from Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz, who is berating Democrats for protecting illegal aliens who attempt to purchase firearms and fail a background check.

Democrats Express Openness to Federal Gun Registry.  Democratic House Caucus Chairman Hakeem Jeffries defended his party's push for a universal background check bill Wednesday, claiming that any enforcement of the legislation — including federal firearm registration — will be left to the Department of Justice to decide.  Efforts to expand federal firearm background checks to all private sales could eventually lead to federal firearms registration, a potential that worries some Second Amendment advocates and sympathetic Republicans.

Knowing Exactly Nothing about the Aurora Shooting, Chelsea Clinton and Others Call for Gun Control.  A gunman opened fire inside a manufacturer in Aurora, Illinois, Friday and before the news was a day old, pundits and famous personalities began calling for collective action on gun violence.

Tolerating Republican Betrayals on Guns Only Encourages More Turncoats.  "[T]here is a push to pass an 'assault weapons' ban via a ballot initiative to amend the State Constitution," a Monday Florida Shooters Network report warns.  "This is being spearheaded by Ban Assault Weapons NOW (BAWN), a bipartisan group of gun-grabbers made up of Republican and Democrat authoritarians that want to see Floridians disarmed."  "BAWN has partnered with the prominent Republican donor Al Hoffman and his gun-control-advocacy organization, Americans for Gun Safety Now!, which is made up almost entirely of Republicans who support an assault-weapons ban," a cited advocacy puff piece masked as political reporting from The Atlantic notes.

Pelosi Warns That A Future Democratic President Could Declare National Emergency To Push Gun Control.  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi warned President Donald Trump on Thursday [2/14/2019] that a future Democratic president could declare a national emergency to achieve an agenda, such as gun control policy.  Responding to the president's announcement that he will declare a national emergency related to the U.S. southern border, Pelosi maintained that "Democratic presidents can declare emergencies as well.  So the precedent that the president is setting here is something that should be met with great unease and dismay by the Republicans."

The Editor says...
If ever there was a Democrat president who wanted to outlaw guns by issuing an executive order, it was Barack Obama.

Facing Costly New Regulations, Some Gun Shops Close.  Several gun dealers in Central and Southern Illinois are closing their businesses rather than pay what they're saying is thousands of dollars in costs to comply with a law enacted last month.  When he signed the bill into law last month, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said the Gun Dealer Licensing Act was about stopping straw buyers.  "The reason for it is to deter straw purchases so that we can prevent someone from buying a gun for someone else who is not legally allowed to own a gun," he said at the signing ceremony in Chicago.

New Mexico Sheriffs Rebel Against New Oppressive Gun Control Laws.  More and more states have passed "red flag" laws making it easier to take guns away from people who others claim to be suicidal or bent on violence against others, and courts are issuing an unprecedented number of seizure orders across the country.  The New Mexico legislature is considering such a bill along with three others.  All of them are opposed by twenty-nine out of the thirty-three county sheriffs in New Mexico.  The twenty-nine signed a public statement saying the new laws would not be effective.

Smith & Wesson Rejects Push By Anti-Second Amendment Shareholders.  The latest strategy of gun control activists is to force gun manufacturers "to consider their social impact" by buying stock in those companies and mobilizing shareholders to demand they study the concept.  The group called Adrian Dominican Sisters, led by a nun named Sister Judy Byron, is part of the Northwest Coalition for Responsible Investments, an anti-Second Amendment activist group.  Their latest target was American Outdoor Brands Corporation (AOBC), which owns Smith & Wesson.  The company was forced to do a study, which was released late Friday, but the results likely won't make the nuns happy.

CA Newspaper:  Our State's Gun Control Laws Are In Jeopardy.  The last time the Supreme Court heard a gun-related case was back in 2008 when they ruled "the Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess a firearm unconnected with service in a militia, and to use that arm for traditionally lawful purposes, such as self-defense within the home" in the landmark Heller decision.  What's interesting is the San Francisco Chronicle, a rather liberal newspaper in California, published an editorial admitting that the state's gun control laws may be in danger.  While the Supreme Court was reluctant to hear Second Amendment-related cases, the Court now has more conservative justices.  Now that Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh are on the Court, gun rights activists are expecting landslide victories that can and will protect the right to keep and bear arms for years to come.

Facing Costly New Regulations, Some Gun Shops Close.  Several gun dealers in Central and Southern Illinois are closing their businesses rather than pay what they're saying is thousands of dollars in costs to comply with a law enacted last month.  When he signed the bill into law last month, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said the Gun Dealer Licensing Act was about stopping straw buyers.  "The reason for it is to deter straw purchases so that we can prevent someone from buying a gun for someone else who is not legally allowed to own a gun," he said at the signing ceremony in Chicago.  Jim Barnard, 69, couldn't see a way to afford the cost of compliance with the new law.  After more than four decades of operation, the owner of Fishman's Sporting Goods in Girard had to make a tough decision.  "I'm just going to retire, I guess," he said.

Gun-seizure laws grow in popularity since Parkland shooting.  Supporters say these "red flag" laws are among the most promising tools to reduce the nearly 40,000 suicides and homicides by firearm each year in the U.S.  Gun advocates, though, say such measures undermine their constitutional rights and can result in people being stripped of their weapons on false or vindictive accusations.

Democrats don't want you to hear what I have to say about guns and the Second Amendment.  Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee held a hearing Wednesday on new gun control legislation Democrats plan to push on the American people.  The top Republican on the committee, Doug Collins, R-Ga., asked committee Democrats if I could testify about this legislation in an appropriate setting to offer another perspective as both a survivor of a shooting attack and strong supporter of our Second Amendment rights.  But the Democrats said no.  While liberals may try to silence conservative voices, I will not be silenced.  The American people deserve to hear all perspectives.

Illinois Dems introduce bill requiring gun buyers to reveal social media accounts before getting firearm license.  Illinois Democrats are introducing a bill forcing gun buyers to reveal their public social media accounts to police before they are given permission to get a firearm license.  The new legislation is sponsored by two state Democratic lawmakers, in an effort to block people from acquiring guns if they have made some troubling comments on social media.

Dems Blocked Steve Scalise From Testifying on Gun Violence.  House Democrats blocked Republican Whip Steve Scalise from testifying at a hearing on "gun violence" this week despite being a victim of a shooting.  The reason?  He doesn't support new gun control measures Democrats are hoping to pass with their new majority.  "It was pretty bizarre.  Historically when Republicans were in charge, even when Democrats were in charge prior to this more radical leftist majority, if a member of Congress wanted to testify on a committee, they always provided a venue for that to happen," Scalise said.  "In this case they were holding a hearing in the Judiciary on reducing gun violence and I've got a perspective clearly mine dealt with something that happened to me and I saw how guns were used to save people's lives.  It should have been able to be part of the testimony.  They wanted to focus on taking away the rights of law abiding citizens which their bill ultimately does."

Rep. Scalise:  Democrat Anti-Gun Bill Makes It Illegal to Loan Shotgun to Friend for Hunting — With One Year in.  Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) joined Laura Ingraham on The Ingraham Angle on Wednesday night [2/6/2019] to discuss the latest Democrat legislation to restrict gun rights.  Scalise told Laura the latest plan by Democrats will make it illegal to loan a shotgun to a friend for hunting.

FL Bill to Ban Lending or Sharing of Firearms, HB-135 by Rep. Margaret Good (D).  HB 135 — Transfers of Firearms by Rep. Margaret Good (D) prohibits the TRANSFER of a firearm from one law-abiding citizen to another without first having a background check performed by a licensed firearms dealer. [...] In other words, you must go to a licensed firearms dealer to have a background check done on your best friend just to lend him a hunting rifle to go on a hunting trip.

Virginia School District Sues State AG to Allow Staff to Carry Guns.  A Virginia school district filed suit against state attorney general Mark Herring (D.) late last month over his office's refusal to allow their staff to carry firearms on school property despite meeting standards for a specialized law enforcement position.  In July, Lee County School Board unanimously approved a plan for certain staff to become special conservators of the peace.  That would allow them to legally carry firearms on school property in order to supplement the presence of armed school resource officers.  The district currently only has officers at 5 of their 11 schools.

Harris: No Reason to Have Assault Weapons in a Civil Society.  During a CNN-sponsored town hall in Iowa Monday night, Sen. Kamala Harris (D., Calif.) said there is "no reason" to have assault weapons in a civil society.  "We have got to have smart gun safety laws in this country, and we've got to stop buying this false choice.  You can be in favor of the Second Amendment and also understand that there is no reason in a civil society that we have assault weapons around communities that can kill babies and police officers," Harris said.  Harris, one of the many Democrats running in the 2020 presidential primary, held a town hall in Iowa where a pastor asked what she would do to tackle gun violence.

NRA seeks to topple 2 strict California gun laws.  More than two years after California voters made it illegal to possess high-capacity gun magazines commonly used in mass shootings, the National Rifle Association has tied the measure up in court.  Now the gun lobby has set its sights on a nearly 2-decade-old law that banned the sale of those devices in the state.  That law, which took effect in 2000, has made it illegal to buy or sell magazines that can hold more than 10 cartridges.  Proposition 63, sponsored by then-Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and approved by the voters in 2016, would require anyone who owns the magazines to turn them in, send them out of state or remake them to comply with the law.

Second Amendment supporters rejoice as Supreme Court decides to hear a critical case.  The case, New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v.  New York City, at a minimum will decide whether or not a New York City law that limits residents' ability to transport their guns outside of their homes is constitutional.  Currently, residents in that city can carry a licensed (if they can get one), locked and unloaded handgun to one of seven shooting ranges within city limits, but nowhere else, including homes or shooting ranges outside of the city.  [Larry] Keane is worked up because lower courts have been disagreeing with each other over basic gun rights questions for years.  Some courts have even ruled that a local government can ban the most popular firearm design sold today — semiautomatic firearms — just because some are cosmetically different than others.

Supreme Court Takes Up First Gun Rights Case In A Decade.  The Supreme Court agreed Tuesday [1/22/2019] to hear its first gun rights case in almost a decade.  The justices will decide whether a New York City ordinance which strictly regulates the possession and transportation of handguns outside the home is constitutional.  Tuesday's grant marks the first time that the Supreme Court has engaged with the Second Amendment since it issued a pair of landmark decisions in 2008 and 2010 which affirmed the constitutional right to keep guns in the home for self-defense.

State sued for suspending 2nd Amendment for foster parents.  In a battle that is erupting more and more these days, a couple has been joined by the Second Amendment Foundation in a lawsuit against Missouri officials for their attempt to suspend the Second Amendment rights of foster parents.  The complaint is on behalf of SAF and James and Julie Attaway and names as a defendant Steve Corsi, the director of the Missouri social services agency.  There have been at least three or four identical disputes that already have been brought to the attention of courts in other states.  The Missouri case asks for injunctive relief to Missouri's firearms prohibition on state residents who are or wish to be foster parents.

Kyrsten Sinema Running for Senate in Gun-Friendly Arizona, Co-Sponsored Gun Control Just Last Year.  Democrat Kyrsten Sinema is running for Senate in gun-friendly Arizona but staying mum on the fact that she backed a gun control bill just last year.  The bill, known as the Public Safety and Second Amendment Protection Act of 2017, was little more than a reconfigured — and regurgitated — version of the gun control bill Barack Obama unsuccessfully pushed following the December 14, 2012, attack on Sandy Hook Elementary School.  (The bill pushed in response to Sandy Hook was also called the Public Safety and Second Amendment Protection Act.)

Credit Card Companies Have No Business Playing Second Amendment Censors.  Do we want to live in an America where credit card companies watch our buying habits and then block purchases for ideological reasons?  Not long ago, the left side of the American electorate would have shouted "[...] no" the loudest.  Not anymore.  Today, many on the left are cheering on, even pushing censorship in social media and more, as long as the suppression of ideas protects their political goals.  They even want big business to restrict gun sales, as they don't see firearms as tools of freedom.

Anti-Gun Democrat's Purchase Of 'MeatEater' Could Pose Big Problems For Hunter-Focused Company.  MeatEater, a popular hunter-focused entertainment company started by outdoorsman and writer Steven Rinella, was purchased by a rabidly anti-gun Democrat financier late last year in a move that has raised alarms among hunters and gun-rights activists.  The Chernin Group, a California-based investment fund run by wealthy Democratic activist and Hollywood producer Peter Chernin, purchased a controlling stake in Rinella's MeatEater in 2018.  The left-wing, anti-gun political activism of MeatEater's largest investor, as well as political commentary and activity from some of its key partners and sponsors, complicates the company's expansion plans given that such a large percentage of hunters in the United States — who comprise MeatEater's core audience — staunchly support both gun rights and Republican political candidates.

DA calls Pittsburgh Gun-Control Plan Illegal, City Council Moves Forward Anyway.  A Pittsburgh City Council member told a local radio show on Tuesday [1/15/2019] the city would move forward with passing new gun-control legislation despite a warning from a local district attorney that it would violate state law.  "We believe we're on the right side of history," Pittsburgh City Council member Corey O'Connor told KDKA.  "We're doing what's right for not only our city but we think it's what's right across the country and nobody's going to stop us from doing that."  The City Council is currently considering legislation that would ban certain kinds of firearms like the AR-15, bump stocks, and magazines capable of holding more than 10 rounds, and so-called armor-piercing bullets within city limits, as well as implement Extreme Risk Protection Orders allowing law enforcement to seize firearms from individual residents in certain circumstances.  Gun-rights groups have already vowed to fight the proposed legislation in court because they believe it violates a state law forbidding localities in Pennsylvania from creating their own gun-control ordinances.

DA Warns Pittsburgh City Council That They Can't Make Gun Laws.  Pennsylvania has a preemption law on the books.  That means individual communities can't pass gun control laws.  As a result, the state has a unified framework of gun regulations so that those traveling within it know them wherever they go.  It keeps people from being arrested for complying with the rules in 99 percent of the state, but crossing the wrong line somewhere and now suddenly being criminals.  That hasn't stopped the Pittsburgh City Council from wanting to pass gun laws in the wake of the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting, though.

The Democrat Who Banned Guns in Chicago Had 23 Guns.  "Bullets and booze don't mix," Alderman Edward Burke growled.  Then the Chairman of the Finance Committee vowed to fight the NRA.  He had spent much of his 50 years in power fighting for gun control.  And the man dubbed "Alderman-for-Life", whose wife who sat on the Illinois Supreme Court, had the heft. [...] Burke, an Obama and Blagojevich ally, and the godfather of Chicago politics (dubbed its real mayor), hated and loved guns at the same time.  He had nearly as many guns as he had gun control bills.  When the FBI raided the offices of the powerful Chicago Democrat, they found 23 guns.  That's a lot of guns for one man.  Especially for a man who had worked hard to ban handguns in Chicago.

On January 1, I became a criminal in my hometown of Boulder.  I remember a time when, for public safety of course, some conservatives wanted AIDS patients to self-identify, to present themselves to the governmental authority, and be counted.  There was an epidemic erupting after all, and "something had to be done."  In Boulder, if your core beliefs include dressing as the opposite gender or following the teachings of the Koran our city government will bend over backwards to protect you from those who wish to separate you from your community.  You'd never be forced to self-identify to government authorities, to submit to inspection, to be registered and made to pay fees to keep your core beliefs.  My strong belief in my Second Amendment rights is core to who I am.  I know that is not understood by many today, however I am not asking to be understood.  I'm asking to be left alone.  I am asking for progressives who run city government to live up to their assertion of tolerance and just let me be.

Va. Governor's Gun-Confiscation Proposal Could Affect Millions of Residents.  The plan to ban the sale and possession of certain kinds of firearms proposed by Virginia governor Ralph Northam (D.) could affect millions of gun owners, an industry group said on Friday [1/11/2019].  The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), which represents gun manufacturers and dealers, said the vague description of the legislation released by Northam on Jan. 4 would apply to most firearms currently on sale in the commonwealth.

Heartwarming Stories of Civil Disobedience.  I'm proud to be American in part because of the cantankerous view that my fellow citizens have about government.  A good example is the guy who knocked over a D.C. revenue camera.  Or the entire state of Arizona for ignoring notices generated by revenue cameras.  And this is why I applaud jurors who deliberately disregard bad laws.  One of my favorite examples of civil disobedience comes from Connecticut, where more than 80 percent of owners flouted a state law to register so-called assault weapons. [...] It's likely that the noncompliance rate isn't actually 100 percent, but it is very heartwarming to see such widespread disobedience.  Especially since magazine limits are a truly inane and useless policy.

Supreme Court To Review Illegal Immigrant's Gun Possession Conviction.  The Supreme Court will decide whether an illegal alien from the United Arab Emirates was wrongfully convicted of unlawful possession of a firearm.  The case was occasioned in December 2015, when Hamid Mohamed Ahmed Ali Rehaif was arrested in Florida after renting a gun at a shooting range and purchasing ammunition.  Federal law prohibits certain classes of people from possessing guns, including illegal aliens.

Boston Mayor's Office to Force Doctors to Identify and Document Patients Who Own Guns.  Joseph Stalin's firearms registration and confiscation was a tremendous success for the Socialist state.  Under the Tsar, Russia was one of the most heavily armed societies on earth.  That all changed when Stalin and the communists took control.  Stalin was able to control, starve, punish and imprison a defenseless people, after he took their guns. [...] It's no secret that Democrats are hoping to repeat this history here in the United States.

Dianne Feinstein Pushes Ban on Commonly Owned Semiautomatics, 'High Capacity' Mags.  Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) is pushing a ban on commonly owned semiautomatic rifles and high capacity magazines.  She announced the push via Twitter where she wrote:  "Americans across the nation are asking Congress to reinstate the federal ban on military-style assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.  If we're going to put a stop to mass shootings and protect our children, we need to get these weapons of war off our streets."  Feinstein wants to ban any assault weapon which accepts a detachable magazine and has one or more military characteristics including a pistol grip, a forward grip, a barrel shroud, a threaded barrel or a folding or telescoping stock.

California now confiscating ammunition, gun magazines under 'red flag' law.  On Jan. 7, California will say goodbye to their Governor, Jerry Brown, who leaves behind a legacy of gun control measures.  Brown has passed a series of gun confiscation laws that were extended at the start of the new year to include the seizure of ammunition and some magazines when guns are confiscated.  He approved Senate Bill 1200, which "adds ammunition and bullet drums to the list of items related to firearms that can be confiscated," according to KCRA News.  During the execution of a Gun Violence Restraining Order (GVRO), authorities have the legal right to seize "the owner's gun, accessories, and ammunition."  It also eliminates any fees incurred for obtaining the GVRO.

First, Corporations Targeted Your Speech — Now, They're Targeting Your Guns.  First, corporate giants like Facebook and Twitter targeted your speech.  Now corporate banks are targeting your guns.  You may recall when the criminal Obama administration put into effect the unconstitutional pressure on banks to not provide money to "risky" ventures such as gun dealers.  You may also recall overpriced sporting goods store Dick's eliminating semi-automatic rifles, discriminating sales of guns and destroying their inventory while their stocks plummeted, but now, it looks like after corporations have targeted your speech online, they may be aiming for your guns next.

'Gun-toting hippies' greet Boulder 'assault weapons' ban with mass non-compliance.  Boulder's newly enacted "assault weapons" ban is meeting with stiff resistance from its "gun-toting hippies," staunch liberals who also happen to be devoted firearms owners.  Only 342 "assault weapons," or semiautomatic rifles, were certified by Boulder police before the Dec. 31 deadline, meaning there could be thousands of residents in the scenic university town of 107,000 in violation of the sweeping gun-control ordinance.  "I would say the majority of people I've talked to just aren't complying because most people see this as a registry," said Lesley Hollywood, executive director of the Colorado Second Amendment group Rally for Our Rights.  "Boulder actually has a very strong firearms community."

Parkland shooting commission recommends teachers should be armed.  The commission investigating a shooting massacre at a Florida high school have unanimously approved its initial findings and recommendations, including a controversial proposal that teachers who volunteer and undergo training be allowed to carry guns.

Toy gun buyback for pansies.  Hempstead, New York, officials, citing concerns for the safety of children, not only warned parents off buying toy guns as gifts this Christmas — but also took the over-the-top step of hosting a toy gun buyback event.  Welcome to the new USA, home of the pansies.  Summer camps, for crying out loud, used to provide BB guns to kids to fire at mounted balloons.  Now we're confiscating squirt guns and foam-firing plastic rifles?

Ohio Lawmakers Override Gun-Grabber Kasich's Veto.  I've been hammering Ohio Governor John Kasich and his fondness for stomping all over Ohioans' constitutional rights.  Frankly, it's warranted.  The man has turned his back on principles and is instead trying to set up another presidential run by catering to the NeverTrumpers and Democrats, which isn't going to be a winning strategy.  Especially since "NeverTrump" doesn't necessarily mean they're anti-Second Amendment.  Recently, Kasich vetoed a bill that would benefit gun owners involved in self-defense shootings.  The bill was watered down from the Stand Your Ground bill originally proposed, but even that was too much for Kasich's liberal sensibilities.

Court Says NY Cops Can't Search Cars Over Out Of State Gun Permit.  In a small win for gun owners, a New York court has ruled that owning an out of state gun permit is not enough "cause" for a New York cop to search a vehicle.  The incident that sparked the case was when a man who had recently moved to New York was pulled over by a Rye City, New York, police officer and when handing over his ID also handed the officer his Colorado concealed gun permit.

Former NYPD Officer Creates Program To Turn In Toy Guns.  When my son was still little, he reached the age when it was time for him to have some toy guns.  My father used my toy guns to help teach me the rules of gun safety.  I was required to follow those same Four Rules we've all heard time and time again.  It was pretty smart of him to do that, too. [...] Now, my daughter has a cap pistol herself.  She, too, has to follow the rules.  However, a former officer with the NYPD seems to disagree with my stance on toy guns.  He thinks they're uncool and wants kids to think they're uncool too.  So much so that he's created a kiddy version of a gun buyback program.

This may or may not be off-topic:
Texas Lawmaker Seeks To Remove State's Ban On 'Brass Knuckles'.  This comes on the heels of a federal court ruling New York's ban of nunchucks as unconstitutional.  The argument in that case was that the Second Amendment protects the right to keep and bear arms, saying it shall not be infringed.  It doesn't specify any particular arms, which means all arms are covered.  This includes brass knuckles.  I suspect [Representative Joe] Moody and I disagree on a great deal, but on this, we are in total agreement.  Bans like these need to be overturned.

New York Times Wants To Have Credit Card Companies Monitor Sales Of Guns And Ammo.  The New York Times ran an article today [12/24/2018] that opens a new front in the progressive dream of restricting and eventually banning gun ownership.

New York Times Pressures Credit Card Giants to Blacklist Gun Purchasers.  The New York Times is pressuring credit card giants to monitor customers' buying habits and blacklist gun purchases.  The Times suggests banks are "unwittingly financing mass shootings" by allowing individuals to use their cards to buy firearms and related accessories.

Man Tries to Rob Pizza Guy With Only a Rifle Magazine.  There's not much to this story, but it's so absurd that it needs to be on the record.  Wednesday night in Rockford, Illinois, a man ordered a pizza from an unnamed restaurant.  The non-customer then intercepted the delivery man in the parking lot, attempting to rob him, while pointing a loaded rifle magazine at him.  Needless to say, this tactic was ineffective. [...] The suspect is described as a 155-pound 5'8" black man in his 20s or 30s, wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and black pants.

Gun-Rights Groups Threaten Lawsuit if Pittsburgh Passes New Gun Control.  Gun-rights groups announced on Monday [12/17/2018] they would file suit against any new gun-control measures the city of Pittsburgh, Pa., passes that violate the state's preemption law.  The Allegheny County Sportsmen's League (ACSL) and Firearm Owners Against Crime (FOAC) said they would take immediate action against the gun-control proposals Mayor William Peduto (D) announced support for on Friday and which the city council is currently considering.  The groups said Pennsylvania law prohibits local municipalities from passing laws stricter than what the state has authorized.  They decried the potential action as dangerous and an assault on gun owners.

Incoming House Democrats Ready Bill to Criminalize Private Gun Sales.  The incoming Democrat House majority is readying legislation to criminalize private gun sales.  Ironically, the push comes nearly 227 years to the day after private gun ownership was hedged in by the Founding Fathers via the Second Amendment, which was ratified on December 15, 1791.  Politico reports that Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA) is spearheading the current gun control push through "universal background" legislation.  Such checks criminalize private gun sales, making it illegal for a neighbor to sell a firearm to his neighbor, a friend to his lifelong friend, and even a father to his son.

Trump DOJ Announces Bump-Stock Ban, Confiscation.  The Department of Justice announced on Tuesday it will effectively ban the possession of all bump-fire stocks through a new regulatory rule.  Senior DOJ officials told reporters it would become a felony to own a bump-stock within 90 days of the new rule's publication.  They estimated March 21, 2019, would be the deadline for the public to turn in or destroy their bump stocks.  The officials said they would prosecute those who do not comply with that deadline.

Venezuela's Gun Ban Is Working Out Perfectly For The Socialist Agenda.  While it may seem hard to believe, there was a time when the citizens of Venezuela were allowed to keep and bear arms.  This wasn't the distant past we're talking about either.  It was only in 2012 that the socialist government of Hugo Chavez enacted the "Control of Arms, Munitions and Disarmament Law."  When it was passed, the authors of the legislation pulled no punches, saying that the explicit purpose of the law was to "disarm all citizens."  That bill was spectacularly successful, massively reducing the volume of privately owned firearms.  Then, when the new tyrant, Nicolas Maduro took power and sent his swarms of federal troops and government "militias" out into the streets to crush any opposition to his regime, the unarmed populace had little recourse in the face of government guns.

Gun Confiscation Begins in New Jersey.  President Obama and President Trump were both right, Obama when he told us elections have consequences and Trump in his 2018 stump speech that a consequence of Democrat victories would be renewed attacks on the Second Amendment.  New Jersey's ban on high-capacity magazines has been upheld by a federal court, opening the door to door knock gun confiscation and making off-duty police officers subject to criminal prosecution.  The inmates are officially running the asylum.

Million Plus NJ Gun Owners Defy State Law, Refuse to Turn Over Banned Gun Mags.  New Jersey's standard capacity magazine ban is now in effect making New Jersey's one million gun owners criminals in the eyes of the state.  But in an act of mass definace, New Jersey residents refuse to comply.  Any magazine holding more than ten rounds is now illegal in the Garden State.  The standard magazine for an AR-15 holds 30 rounds.  Glock 19s, which is the most popular pistol in the United States, holds 15 rounds.  Anyone who is possession of larger magazine is committing a fourth-degree felony.

Gun Control — Do Facts Matter To Politicians & Judges?  The people with the greatest need for self-protection are denied the tools they need to keep their family safe.  That is the real face of gun-control, but that isn't what we were sold by politicians.  That isn't what judges tell us.  We're told that disarming you and leaving guns in the hands of criminals is acceptable as long as politicians meant well.  Do facts matter anymore?

Venezuelans regret gun ban, 'a declaration of war against an unarmed population'.  As Venezuela continues to crumble under the socialist dictatorship of President Nicolas Maduro, some are expressing words of warning — and resentment — against a six-year-old gun control bill that stripped citizens of their weapons.  "Guns would have served as a vital pillar to remaining a free people, or at least able to put up a fight," Javier Vanegas, 28, a Venezuelan teacher of English now exiled in Ecuador, told Fox News.  "The government security forces, at the beginning of this debacle, knew they had no real opposition to their force.  Once things were this bad, it was a clear declaration of war against an unarmed population."

The Deep State Wants Your Guns.  The National Instant Background Check System (NICS) is the pillar of all background check systems for firearms purchases and was a part of the 1994 Brady Act.  Any time a prospective gun owner wants to buy a gun from a federally licensed firearms dealer (FFL), they must go through a background check.  Under this system, the FBI looks at certain factors such as criminal history and mental health to determine if an individual presents too much of a risk to own a firearm.  Although NICS is marketed as a speedy background check system, it comes with its own set of problems.  NICS has gained notoriety for producing false positives.  In other words, law-abiding citizens are mixed and matched with criminals who have the same name.  In turn, these individuals are prevented from acquiring guns due to bureaucratic errors.  Particularly worrisome is the rate of initial NICS denials that turn out as false positives.  Some estimates from the Crime Prevention Research Center indicate that in 2009 alone, 93 percent of initial NICS denials were false positives.

Boulder's AR-15 Certification Ordinance Sure Sounds Like A Test Run For A Gun Registry.  Remember when Boulder, Colorado banned the ownership of AR-15 rifles?  They also banned high-capacity magazines and bump stocks, giving gun owners with such magazines until July 15, 2018 to either sell them or dispose of them — whatever that means.  Most likely, you'll have to turn them over to the authorities.  Now, there is a grandfather clause allowing residents who already owned AR-15s to keep them as long as they get a certificate by the local sheriff's office.  Well, that date is rapidly approaching.  AR-15 owners have until December 27 to certify their weapons.  If owners fail to do this, they won't be allowed to own their rifles within city limits.  So far, only 85 rifles have been certified.

New Jersey Targets Their Own Police Officers With Threat.  New Jersey is making it clear that they don't trust their officers by threatening to prosecute off-duty police officers in possession of standard capacity magazines in their firearms.  Modern firearms issued to patrol officers generally hold 12 or more rounds of ammunition, but the new law limits gun magazines to 10 rounds.

New Jersey forcing off-duty cops to use LOW-capacity magazines.  Last June New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed into law a ban on high-capacity gun magazines, meaning that anyone with a magazine that holds over 10 rounds would be guilty of a fourth-degree crime.  The new and incredibly ridiculous law went into effect this week and it even applies to off-duty law enforcement officers.

Florida school massacre panel recommends arming teachers.  The panel investigating the Florida high school massacre recommended Wednesday that teachers who volunteer and undergo extensive background checks and training be allowed to carry concealed guns on campus to stop future shootings.

It's Official:  Dick's Sporting Goods Says They're Falling Apart Because Of Their Pro-Gun Control Nonsense.  Our good friend Stephen Gutowski mentioned this on Triggered last week.  Dick's Sporting Goods had finally admitted that their gun control antics have hurt their business.  They're not concerned; they're going to re-conceptualize and take firearms out of ten of their locations despite sales dropping nearly four percent.  Nevertheless, they admitted that catering to the Everytown crowd has hurt foot traffic, but insist profitability is still up.

Dick's Sporting Goods Says Gun-Control Stance Hurt Business, May Close Field & Stream.  Dick's Sporting Goods told investors during the Goldman Sachs Retailing Conference that its gun-control stance hurt sales of its hunting business, outdoors business, and that it may close its outdoor-focused Field & Stream stores.  Edward Stack, chairman and CEO of Dick's, said during the event that the sporting goods chain's recent 3.9 percent drop in same-store sales was the result of a mix of factors beyond their control as well as some he called "self-imposed."  Specifically, he said, "the decisions we made on firearms" negatively affected their bottom line but the drop in sales was something they expected.  They did not, however, regret their decision to change a number of their gun-sales policies and back new gun-control legislation.

DA Gascón carried guns on planes, then whistle-blower was fired, suit says.  A former senior investigator says he was fired for blowing the whistle on his boss, San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón, who he alleged carried a gun while flying — in violation of federal law.  Gascón reacted with a "pattern of retaliation and harassment" that culminated in the termination of senior investigator Henry G. McKenzie on Oct. 30, 2017, according to the suit filed in U.S. District Court in San Francisco.

The Editor says...
If you see something, say something.  Unless you see a Democrat D.A. violating the law.

NJ Doesn't Say How It Will Enforce Magazine Confiscation After Court Upholds Law.  New Jersey law enforcement officials refused to say on Thursday [12/6/2018] how they planned to go about enforcing the state's ban on the possession of any magazine capable of holding more than 10 rounds of ammunition, which goes into effect on Monday [12/10/2018].  Neither the state police nor the attorney general's office elaborated on how they plan to enforce the law.  Nor did they provide any guidance for those currently in possession of the magazines.

Boulder Residents Given Just Days To 'Certify' Rifles Or Face Consequences.  Colorado used to be a fairly pro-gun state, but all that changed shortly after a shooting in an Aurora, CO movie theater.  While the killer was caught and isn't a risk to the public anymore, that didn't mean anti-gun forces didn't seize on the opportunity.  Since then, the state has seen a progression of anti-gun incrementalism.  Unfortunately, the stupid doesn't just stop with the state legislature.  It seems the People's Republic of Boulder wants to get in on the action and is now giving people who own so-called assault rifles just days to "certify" their weapons or face repercussions.

Countless Americans carry guns.  Police are killing too many of them.  Certainly, if a man holds a gun at the scene of a shooting, police are more likely to zero in on him than on others.  Officers arrive in the midst of extremely tense, life-threatening and fast-moving situations and must think quickly.  Yet guns are ubiquitous in this nation, whether we like it or not.  Many people carry them legally, and for just this kind of situation — to be the "good guy with a gun" who stops the armed bad guy.  No less than the president of the United States has called for more armed citizens, so that in the midst of an altercation, many guns might be wielded by good guys and bad guys alike.  Officers should expect it.  They should be trained for it.

How Much Blood Would Leftists Be Willing To Shed To Disarm Patriotic Americans?  My question for Congressjerk Eric Swalwell is pretty simple:  "How many Americans would you murder to achieve your goal of disarming us?"  It's a fair question.  Swalwell is the MSNBC stalwart who recently wrote an op-ed advocating that the government confiscate the guns that make people like him wet themselves and imprison those of us who decline to surrender them.  Millions of Americans own these basic tools of freedom, which the ignorant call "assault weapons," and these loyal citizens keep and bear them to protect themselves, their families, their communities and their Constitution.  But Rep. Swalwell would make these citizens felons, though these patriots are only a threat to criminals and aspiring tyrants.  Of course, he wants to make these patriots felons because they are a threat to criminals and aspiring tyrants.  After all, that's what leftist Democrats like him are.

Detroit Just Declared War On Gun Rights With So-Called 'Bullet Bill'.  Detroit has decided to follow its deep blue brethren in another assault on law-abiding citizens.  They want to limit the amount of ammunition that can be purchased, while undergoing a mental health background check.  The bill is straight trash, folks — you already knew that though.  It never ceases to amaze me how liberals are just total garbage in their policy prescriptions concerning gun politics.  It was passed by unanimous voice vote earlier this month.

Dick's Sporting Goods Decision On Guns "Costing Them Dearly".  You likely recall the brouhaha that erupted after Dick's Sporting Goods decided to "take action on gun violence" by ending sales of certain types of rifles and raising the minimum age for gun purchases to 21.  They didn't just get rid of their "assault rifles" either... they destroyed them.  At the time, I noted that such a decision didn't sound like it was particularly conducive to profitable operations and happy stockholders.  Turns out that those chickens may have come home to roost.  As the Daily Wire reports, sales are lagging at their Field & Stream stores and the company is admitting that their poor numbers are at least in part related to their decisions regarding firearms sales.

Reveal your passwords?  Gun bill threatens more than 2nd Amendment.  [Scroll down]  The ink wasn't even dry on vote totals putting Democrats in charge of the State Senate when Brooklyn's Kevin Parker introduced a chilling bill.  It would require anyone applying for a handgun permit or for the mandated recertification every five years to provide the State Police with their log-in and password so troopers can search their social media accounts for the prior three years and review their Google or Yahoo search history for the prior year.  Police would look for everything from "commonly known profane slurs or biased language" to posts "threatening ... another person" to the ridiculously vague "any other issue deemed necessary by the New York state police."  One hardly need be a constitutional scholar to recognize this blanket permission slip constitutes a blatant assault on free speech and an intrusion on privacy rights with no semblance of due process or judicial review.

Female Harvard student, 24, is ordered to move out of her apartment after her roommates searched her room and found legally-owned guns.  A Harvard student was advised to move out of her Massachusetts accommodation after her roommates complained they felt uncomfortable with her legally owning two guns that she kept in her bedroom.  Leyla Pirnie, 24, is currently in a battle with her peers and landlord, claiming she should not have to incur additional expenses as a result of being asked to leave, when she is fully within her right to bear firearms.

Landlord Tells Harvard Student to Move Out Over Legally Owned Guns.  A Massachusetts landlord told a Harvard University graduate student that he wanted her to move out of her apartment because her legally owned firearms made some of her roommates uncomfortable.  "Since it's clear that Leyla wants to keep her firearms, it would be best for all parties if she finds another place to live," Dave Lewis, president of Avid Management, said in an email to the household obtained by the Washington Free Beacon.  The request that the student, Leyla Pirnie, move out came after her roommates searched her room while she was not home and found her firearms.  That prompted one of the roommates to email Lewis requesting he verify that Pirnie was in compliance with applicable firearms laws.

New York considers bill that would not only deny, but revoke, gun licenses over 'slurs' and 'biased language'.  A bill introduced by a Democratic New York state senator proposes existing gun licenses be revoked and license applications be denied for anyone using hate speech.  The New York State Senate is reportedly considering a bill from Sen. Kevin Parker which will allow a search of an applicant's social media or search engine history to decide on a gun license application, according to WKBW.

Brilliant idea!
University distributes hockey pucks to protect against active shooters.  How do you stop a bad guy with a gun when there's no good guy with a gun around?  Maybe throw a hockey puck at him.  A university in suburban Detroit is distributing hockey pucks as a form of self-defense against potential active shooters, according to reports.  Because Oakland University has a no-weapons policy, university Police Chief Mark Gordon suggested using a hockey puck to distract a shooter.

The Editor says...
The school has a no weapons policy.  But here they are distributing weapons (of the school's choice) for use against potential shooters.  Is it wise to bring a hockey puck to a gunfight?  Is it impossible to imagine an unpopular professor being pelted with hockey pucks on the last day of the semester?

PSA encourages kids to steal parents' guns, hand over to teachers.  Sleeper 13 Productions released the controversial video on Dec. 13.  It shows a pouty, young boy wandering into his parents' bedroom, stealing a handgun out of their dresser drawer and then shoving it into his backpack.  The boy then carries what is presumably a loaded weapon into his classroom.  After class, he approaches the teacher, takes the gun out of his backpack and slams it onto her desk.

The Right to Bear Nukes.  Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) has an annoying habit of reminding people that we don't live in the 18th century anymore.  He seems to think that the Second Amendment was written to protect the right to own muskets, but that the Founding Fathers couldn't have anticipated the alleged horrors wrought by private ownership of assault weapons.  Strangely, though, he finds hidden somewhere deep within the US Constitution the right for the government to own nuclear weapons in order to terrorize the public into obedience.  Back in May he wrote an OpEd for USA Today urging the US government to "buy back" all assault weapons from private citizens, blithely sidestepping the fact that none of the weapons were bought from the feds in the first place.  The piece was titled "Ban assault weapons, buy them back, go after resisters."

Democrat Congressman:  We Should Confiscate Guns and If You Fight Back, the Government Has Nukes to Deal With It.  California Democrat Congressman Eric Swalwell is calling for government confiscation of all semi-automatic rifles.  In other words, every rifle in America.  [Tweets]  Further, he's warning citizens of nuclear annihilation should people refuse to comply.  [More tweets]  When he was confronted, Swalwell tried to backtrack with some context and further explanation.

Dem Rep. Eric Swalwell:  If We Confiscate Your Guns And You Fight Back, We Will Nuke You.  I know he's running for president in a [very] crowded field and has to strain to get noticed.  But between this and shrugging off death threats aimed at Susan Collins, it seems like there must be a better way. [...] "Find common ground with us or risk incineration by your own government" is a top-ten all-time tweet by a federal elected official.

Dem congressman:  Government can always nuke resistant gun-owners.  [Scroll down]  It's worth noting just how radical [House Democrat Eric] Swalwell's suggestion is.  He isn't arguing for a "ban" of sales or imports, in the vein of the Federal Assault Weapons Ban of 1994, for example.  He is arguing for federal confiscation of millions of weapons that the federal government may arbitrarily deem too deadly for individual Americans to own.  As should be clear to anyone, the prospect of such legislation implies two distinct outcomes.  Federal agents would be forced to physically visit Americans' homes to seize their weapons if they choose not to surrender or "sell" them to the government, and there will be a penalty of violence for a failure to comply.

Newsweek Reporter:  Almost Everyone I've Ever Heard Of Who Owns An AR-15 Is A Mass Murderer.  What she said is a smear (a highly paranoid one too, ironically) but in her case it's probably the truth.  She's a professional journalist who lives in New York City.  She writes on feminism, Washington politics, and the Middle East.  How many people could she possibly know who own an AR-15? The only time she's apt to run across one is on the printed newspaper page, in stories about lunatics living out their revenge fantasies by reaching for something powerful that resembles an M-16.

Florida Election Fraud's Hidden Gun-control Agenda.  We've all seen those lists of objects, names, or places on tests along with the question of which one doesn't belong or is out of place.  Apply that test to the three Florida races affected by the vote fraud/incompetence in Broward and Palm Beach counties: senator, governor, and agricultural commissioner.  Uh, agricultural commissioner?  Why is anyone trying to steal that election, one lost under the radar among the seemingly more important national impact offices at stake?  The answer is that capturing the Florida agricultural commissioner's post would be a key victory in liberal and progressive push for gun control.  As the Tampa Bay Times notes, Florida is unusual in that the Florida agricultural commissioner, rather than the courts or other law enforcement, is the entity that regulates and controls things like concealed carry permits.

Yes, Doctors Should 'Stay In Their Lane' On Gun Policy.  For one thing, neither internists nor radiologists, by virtue of their career choice, have special expertise in public policy, gun ownership, or the relationship between firearms and the rights associated with them.  Speaking about these issues with the authority of an expert is a transparent appeal to authority.  For another thing, the ACP uses its position to create the perception that "doctors" — virtually all of them — believe in one set of policy prescriptions.  I have a feeling this isn't true.  Even if it were, though, doctors — physicists, engineers, teachers, business owners, truck drivers, and any other smart human being — are just as susceptible to partisan biases and agendas as anyone else is.

Survey: Majority of Americans Oppose Ban on 'Assault Rifles'.  A recent survey shows that a strong majority of Americans, 57%, oppose banning semi-automatic guns, specifically semi-automatic rifles that the media often label "assault rifles." A semi-automatic rifle (or pistol) is a gun that fires one bullet each time the trigger is pulled.  In the poll, Gallup asked, "Are you for or against a law which would make it illegal to manufacture, sell or possess semi-automatic guns, known as assault rifles?" Forty percent said they were "for" a ban and 57% said they were "against" a ban.

Dems Priority List Includes Attacks On Free Speech And Gun Rights.  After having safely won the House majority, Democrats revealed their two top legislative priorities for next year:  Limits on free speech and gun control.  In other words, assaults on rights protected by the First Amendment and Second Amendment.  The Democratic leader in the House, Nancy Pelosi, promises that the first bill voted on by the new Congress will focus on campaign finance and ethics reforms.  According to news accounts, H.R. 1 would, among other things, establish automatic voter registration and "reinvigorate" the Voting Rights Act.  In other words, make it harder to root out voter fraud.

Mental illness is the common denominator in virtually all mass shooting murders.  The signs are almost always there and no one takes them seriously enough. [...] Keeping weapons out of the hands of the mentally ill is really not arguable and it might be the most doable.  A mental health screening has to part of the process to obtain a weapon and that has to include PTSD.  Chris Kyle was killed by a vet with PTSD.  If we want to stop the mass murders, this has to happen.  It's not the weapons.  It's who is allowed to have them.

Maryland's "Red Flag Law" Claims Its First Victim As Police Kill Gun Owner.  While most of us were focused on the upcoming election, there was a tragic story unfolding on Monday [11/5/2018] in Ferndale, Maryland, a suburb to the south of Baltimore.  Maryland has enacted a new "red flag" law which allows people to call in reports of gun owners who are acting erratically and may present a danger to themselves or others.  Under this new law, that gives the police the right to show up and confiscate their firearms.  (The law has only been in effect for a month.)  That's what happened to 61-year-old Gary J. Willis.  Unfortunately, when the police rolled up at his house before six in the morning, Mr. Willis answered the door holding his handgun.  Then everything went wrong.

Keyword: opportunism.
Democrats aim to pass the most aggressive gun-control legislation in decades after winning the House.  Democrats could make the biggest changes to gun legislation the United States has seen in 25 years when the new term begins January but Republicans are unlikely to make it easy for them.  A fresh wave of politicians will enter the House next year, after the Democratic party took it back in Tuesday's elections.  But the GOP still control the Senate which passes federal laws.  However with the Thousand Oaks, California mass shooting where 12 people died just the day after the midterms, politicians have suggested they'll be aggressively pursuing action to enforce tougher gun control.

The Slaughter in Sleepy Thousand Oaks.  [Scroll down]  The shooter lived with his mom in Newbury Park, which is part of Thousand Oaks.  Little mention is made of his father. [...] The media should have told us more about his family life by now, but of course it treats such basic biographical matters gingerly, as that probing might imply mass shootings reflect cultural rather than legislative changes.  The media also likes to medicalize tragedies, attributing the shooter's behavior to PTSD.  But surely the explanation is more complicated than that.  The media's game is to make everyone think that gun violence is due to the absence of laws and pills.  But in fact the two spiked as gun violence soared.  Pols pass new gun laws with the same regularity pharmaceutical companies manufacture new medicines for new syndromes.  Could it be that mental problems originate in moral problems?  Could it be that new laws are useless on a citizenry stripped of the capacity to follow them?

First Circuit Rules there is no Right to Bear Arms Outside the Home.  The Court specifically said the decision applies to both open and concealed carry of handguns.  They reserved the power to infringe on concealed carry more than open carry.  Judge Selya wrote the decision for the unanimous three judge panel.  They held that allowing police to decide if a citizen has a "need" to carry a gun outside the home allows sufficient exercise of Second Amendment rights.  A right that can be arbitrarily denied by the government is no right at all.  It is effectively just another activity that may be allowed by the government, if a bureaucrat decides to allow it.

Democrat Proposes A $200 Million Tax On Montana Gun Owners.  On August 29th, 2018, candidate for Congress Kathleen Williams told a Kalispell audience that she wants to levy a $200 million tax on Montana gun owners.  Really!  Although that's not the way she put it.  She said that "high capacity magazines" (over 10 rounds of ammunition) need to be treated legally the same as "sawed off shotguns" and "machine guns."  These items, you may know, require an application to the BATFE, a nine-month wait, and a $200 tax for each item registered, in order to legally possess them.

NY Dems:  Police Should View Web/Social Media History Before Letting People Buy Guns.  Two New York City area Democrats have a real 'genius' (horrible) idea:  let police look at social media and Internet search history before authorizing gun sales.

The Editor says...
Hmmm.  What happens then?  Would my ability to buy a gun be inhibited or eliminated because I said, "I Hope Trump Is Assassinated," like this Missouri state Senator?  Would I still be able to buy a gun if I threatened to kill the FCC Chairman's family over something like net neutrality?  What if I had a page on my web site that said, "I've thought a lot about blowing up the White House"?  Would I be able to buy ammo if I put out a call on Twitter for someone to kill a Supreme Court Justice?  Yes, I would probably have trouble buying a gun, under this proposed thought crime system.  But what if the cops go to my social media page and find the whole thing is encrypted, or only open to specific visitors?  What if the cops go to my social media page and find that it says derogatory things about cops in general?  What else might I be prohibited from doing, in addition to buying guns?  This is not just an enormous can of worms, it's the fast track to tyranny.

Democrat Stacey Abrams Admits Her Plans May Require Georgians to 'Turn Their Guns In'.  During a November 4 appearance on CNN's State of the Union Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams (D) admitted that a possible outcome of her gun control plans could be that "people would turn their guns in."  She said other options might include "buybacks" and/or "grandfathering in" certain firearms, so current owners could keep them but be barred from selling them or transferring them to other individuals.

North Dakota Dems Threaten Hunters with Loss of License for Voting.  The North Dakota Democratic-Non-Partisan League recently paid for a Facebook ad threatening the state's hunters with the loss of their out-of-state hunting license if they vote in the upcoming congressional elections.  "ATTENTION HUNTERS:  If you vote in North Dakota, you may forfeit hunting licenses you have in other states.  If you want to keep your out-of-state hunting licenses, you may not want to vote in North Dakota," the ad reads.

The Editor says...
These are the same people who claim that voter ID laws are all about voter suppression.

Heitkamp endorses state Dems' false claim that ND's hunters could lose licenses if they vote.  In the latest gaffe in her bid for re-election, U.S. Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., endorsed false claims made in a Facebook ad paid for by her state's Democratic Party that say the state's hunters could lose their hunting licenses in nearby states if they vote Tuesday [11/6/2018].  Heitkamp, who's trailing Republican challenger Kevin Cramer on average by 11 points, hasn't backpedaled from the endorsement, telling reporters that it is "really important that people understand the consequences of voting."

War on Red State Values:  Claire McCaskill Coming After Gun Shows, Semiautomatic Rifles.  Sen. Claire McCaskill's (D-MO) staff already admitted she is open to a semiautomatic rifle ban, and on Thursday night [10/18/2018], McCaskill made clear that she, too, is coming after gun shows.  She also called for other gun controls and maligned the NRA for standing against infringement of Second Amendment rights.  On October 16, 2018, Breitbart News reported an undercover Project Veritas video that showed McCaskill field organizer Carson Pope discussing McCaskill's openness to a "semiautomatic rifle ban."  Other members of McCaskill's office laughed at how the Senator was hiding the full extent of her gun control support from Missouri voters in order to get elected.

Boston Cop Files Suit Against Site He Blames For Being Shot.  The firearm industry is an unusual place.  After all, if a car is used to run over someone, even if it's an intentional act, no one thinks to sue Toyota or the dealership that sold the car.  The idea of doing so is ridiculous.  But with guns, it happens.  In fact, it happens despite federal law protecting companies that sell firearms.  One of the latest examples is a police officer in Boston who is suing Armslist for supposedly being responsible for him being shot.

Poll: Support for Gun Control Drops Ahead of Midterm Elections.  A new poll released on Wednesday [10/17/2018] shows support for new gun-control laws dropped significantly over the last seven months.  The Gallup poll of 1,019 adults, conducted between Oct. 1 and 10, found 61 percent of respondents support making gun laws stricter.  That's down 6 points from when Gallup asked the same question between March 1 and 8.  At the same time support for the idea that gun laws should be kept the same increased from 28 percent to 30 percent and support for the idea they should be made less strict doubled from 4 percent to 8 percent.

Vietnam War hero sentenced to 7 years for decades-old rifle purchase: report.  A decorated Vietnam veteran and firearms collector was sentenced to seven years in federal prison Wednesday for a decades-old purchase of a rifle.  Alfred Pick, 70, purchased the M14 — a fully automatic weapon illegal to own — at a Ft. Worth gun show in the early 1980s, the Dallas Morning News reported.  The rifle, which had a scratched-off serial number, was similar to the one Pick used as an Army lieutenant in Vietnam, where he earned a Silver Star after participating in more than 100 combat missions and his brief time as a POW.  "The man is a Silver Star winner, he saved lives, he took care of his wife, he's been in custody for a year, I would think that when a man turned 70 and is an American hero you don't destroy the rest of his life for one mistake," Mark Shackelford, a friend, told KDFW-TV.

Gun Control:  Six Ways Nancy Pelosi Aims to Take Away Firearm Freedoms.  House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) believes securing gun control is more important than continuing to win elections and she supports numerous controls that will she undoubtedly pursue if Democrats gain control of the House.  The Washington Times reported that Pelosi reacted to the February 14, 2018, Parkland high school shooting by stressing that securing more gun control is a "higher [priority] than winning the next election."  In other words, she expressed willingness to trade her political career for the opportunity to restrict Americans' Second Amendment rights.  Here are six gun controls Pelosi is certain to pursue if Democrats take control of Congress: [...]

Los Angeles Considers Ordinance That Will Force City Contractors To Disclose Any NRA Ties.  It's California.  It's a garbage deep-blue state, but it's alarming nonetheless.  Los Angeles city hall is moving forward with an ordinance that would force contractors to disclose any ties to the National Rifle Association.  They also have a similar regulation concerning contractors that are involved in the construction of President Trump's much-anticipated border wall.  It doesn't bar these contractors from working within the city limits.

McCaskill, Staff Exposed In Undercover Sting Video.  James O'Keefe's Project Veritas released a new undercover video Monday night [10/15/2018] showing Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) and her staffers expressing support for radical gun control measures that they admit she can't state publicly.  The video shows McCaskill and her staff admitting that she supports banning semi-automatic weapons, bump stocks, high-capacity magazines, along with supporting other far-left policies.  Rob Mills, who works on McCaskill's campaign, says in the video that McCaskill can't be open about her policies because "she has a bunch of Republican voters" and "that could hurt her ability to get elected."

Police warn people against buying gun-shaped phone case.  A California police department is warning people about a phone case that resembles a gun, saying that they should encourage others to avoid buying it or using it because it could potentially get someone shot.  Aaron P. Sheehan, who identified himself as a police officer on his Facebook page, posted a few photos of the incognito phone case on Sept. 24.  When tucked into a person's back pocket, the black phone cover looks just like the handle of a weapon, with no indication that it isn't the real thing.

Michael Bloomberg suggests disarming minorities to 'keep them alive'.  Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg reportedly argued Friday that guns need to be kept out of the hands of minorities in order to keep them alive.  While speaking at the Aspen Institute, Mr. Bloomberg, 72, said 95 percent of murders fall into a specific category: a male minority between the ages of 15 and 25, The Aspen Times reported.  Cities need to get guns out of this group's hands and keep them alive, the former three-term mayor said, according to The Times.  "These kids think they're going to get killed anyway because all their friends are getting killed," said Mr. Bloomberg, who funds the gun-control advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety.

Smith & Wesson loses out to nuns, religious groups on gun safety plan.  American Outdoor Brands, the parent company of U.S. gun-maker Smith & Wesson, lost its bid to block a proposal from a group of nuns and religious educators to increase efforts to promote gun safety.  At its shareholder meeting this week, investors sided with the resolution put forth by the Ontario-based Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary in the wake of multiple high-profile mass shootings.

The Number of AR-15s In America Will Shock Anti-Gunners.  According to the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the firearms trade industry association, modern sporting rifles, like AR-15-style rifles, are the most common firearm in the country.  The NSSF's research shows that there are over 16 million AR-15 and AKs in America today.  That number might actually be higher because firearms built from 80 percent lowers are not tracked by the firearms industry.  Part of the reason the AR-15 is popular has to do with the customization factor.

Feinstein distorted facts about AR-15, aka 'America's rifle,' NRA says.  U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein has drawn the ire of the National Rifle Association over claims that the AR-15 — which the group calls "America's rifle" — is not "in common use."  In a statement Friday [9/21/2018], the NRA's Institute for Legislative Action called into question the California Democrat's assertions about the weapon and said the rifle has gained popularity in recent years.

The Las Vegas Massacre's Missing Data.  [#1] Where is the muzzle flash?  While the report discusses weapons fired during the event, it does not mention recorded imagery of muzzle flash from the 32nd-floor window where Paddock was determined to have carried out his killing spree.  Muzzle flash from weapons such as the AR-15 is one of the key indicators of shooter location, particularly in the thermal infrared, a region of the electromagnetic spectrum extending beyond the range that the human eye can see.  According to the report, Paddock used a total of 13 weapons during the shooting (not including the pistol with which he killed himself).  Even if some weapons were flash-suppressed, the incessant, continuous, violent barrage from one location should have produced some flashes whose signatures were captured on video — even on the cell phone camera videos taken by many individuals on the ground.  Moreover, FBI forensic experts determined that some of the weapons had been loaded with tracer ammunition, making a signature more likely to be seen on imagery.  No discussion of flash or tracer signatures appears in the document, and no explanation for the omission is provided.

Medical Malpractice Deaths over 500 Times Higher than Accidental Gun Deaths.  A Johns Hopkins University study covering eight years of data found there are at least 250,000 malpractice deaths in the U.S. annually.  CNBC reports the Johns Hopkins University study presents malpractice deaths on the low end, since other studies show malpractice deaths exceeding 400,000 a year.  On the other hand, accidental gun deaths hover around 500 a year.

Gun stores in California can display handguns in shop windows, judge rules.  A 95-year-old California law prohibiting gun shops from displaying handguns or handgun ads in shop windows violates freedom of speech, a federal judge has ruled.  State lawyers contended the law removes an inducement for people with suicidal impulses, or impulses to commit crimes, from buying lethal weapons.  But U.S. District Judge Troy Nunley of Sacramento noted on Tuesday that the shops were selling a legal product and said the state had failed to show that the ban was either effective or necessary to promote public safety.

Mass. AG Faces More Legal Pressure Over Unilateral Gun-Ban Expansion.  The Massachusetts attorney general's decision to unilaterally expand the state's ban of certain semiautomatic firearms is facing a new round of filings in state and federal court this month.  The Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) announced on Wednesday a collection of gun-rights groups had filed an amicus brief in support of the plaintiffs in Worman v. Healey.  That case challenges the decision in the First U.S. Court of Appeals.  The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) announced earlier this month it would be supporting Baystate Firearms and Training, LLC and Downrange, Inc. in their effort to fight the action in state court.

Democrats Manufacture "Gun Control" Propaganda Moment During Kavanaugh Hearing.  During the senate confirmation hearing today the full antics of the Democrat political apparatus were on display.  One of their choreographed and manufactured moments happened when a man named Fred Guttenberg was staged to shake the hand of Judge Kavanaugh during one of the recess breaks. [...] Fred Guttenberg is one of the parents from the February Parkland High School shooting, a Democrat and a gun control proponent.  Judge Brett Kavanaugh, like most of America, had no idea who the guy was who was trying to grab him.  It was an entirely staged event put on by Senator Dianne Feinstein, the Democrat party, and coordinated with prior notification to media to anticipate the moment.

Where do nuns get that kind of money?
Catholic Nuns Buy Controlling Stocks in Gun Companies to Destroy Them.  An anti-gun/anti-Second Amendment publication, The Trace, reports that a group of Canadian and U.S. nuns and other Catholic activists want gunmakers to actively monitor violence committed with their product.  That's not all, they plan to make them engage in corporate governance.  To make this happen, they bought stock — enough to make them bend to their will.  It's another ploy meant to make gunmakers the means of their own destruction.  We don't make car manufacturers keep lists of everyone who dies in a crash and then provide governance.  According to SEC filings, these anti-Second Amendment activists bought stock in gun manufacturing companies to force them to do it and more.  This was in response to the Parkland school shooting.

Dick's Sporting Goods takes hit from tighter gun controls.  Dick's Sporting Goods reported a bigger-than-expected drop in quarterly same-store sales and forecast further declines this year due to tighter controls on gun sales, sending its shares down 8 percent.  The company posted a 1.9 percent fall in same-store sales, bigger than the average estimate of a 0.62 percent drop, also blaming weak sales of Under Armour products at its stores.  Dick's was one of the first retailers to stop selling assault rifles and high-capacity magazines as well as bar the sale of guns to people under age 21, following a massacre at a Florida high school in February.

A Perfect Storm Threatens America's Survival.  The right to bear arms is a fundamental right granted to Americans by the Bill of Rights.  It's not about hunting or sport shooting.  It's about self-defense from personal assault, home invaders, or potentially a hostile government.  Like all fascists and communists, the left dreams of seizing control and confiscating guns from citizens who might threaten the left's rule.  Every time there is a mass shooting, regardless of the reason, such as Islamic terror, drugs, or mental illness, the leftist drumbeat is heard again, demanding more and more controls on gun rights.  Chip, chip away is their strategy.  The NRA has provided a continuing brilliant defense of the Second Amendment so far, but watch as the left wing continues to attack the NRA and one of our most basic rights.

NY Sheriff Shuts Down Gun Store After Multiple Burglaries.  Imagine you have a business that is targeted by criminals over and over again, and the sheriff decides to fight crime by shutting down your business.  Doesn't make a lot of sense, does it?  Yet one New York gun store owner had just that happen recently after being the latest of a series of burglaries.

Judge Sides with NRA, 2nd Amendment Foundation, Disqualifies Washington Gun Control Initiative.  A Thurston County Superior Court judge sided with the NRA and Second Amendment Foundation against a gun-control ballot initiative in the state of Washington.  On July 3, Breitbart News reported that the initiative, I-1639, was being presented as a simple attempt to raise the legal age for long gun purchases from 18 to 21.  Although an attempt to disqualify 18- to 20-year-olds from exercising their Second Amendments is troubling enough, the reality of the matter is that I-1639 would have put in place a new system of background checks and myriad other guns controls as well.

Tucker Takes on 'Disturbing' Order by U.S. Virgin Islands to Seize Guns From Citizens.  Utah Rep. Rob Bishop said that House lawmakers will be probing the effectiveness of an order signed by the governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands that allows the seizure of weapons from its citizens.  Bishop (R) said on "Tucker Carlson Tonight" that a letter was sent to USVI Gov. Kenneth Mapp, asking for information on if, in fact, any guns have been seized.

Dem candidates embrace gun control in campaign for House takeover.  As the Democrats shift to the left on a number of issues from health care to immigration, they've already gone all in on one of the most contentious issues around — gun control[.]  A study by The Wall Street Journal found that of the 63 candidates on the House Democrats' campaign arm's list of seats to flip in November, 62 support expanded background checks for gun purchases.  While Dems have long pushed for gun control, there was a time when some candidates ignored the issue, included gun rights as part of their platform or even allied with the National Rifle Association.

Ninth Circuit Panel Rules CA Unsafe Handgun Act not Covered by Second Amendment.  A three judge panel in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled the restrictions of the California Unsafe Handgun Act (UHA) do not violate the Second Amendment.  In circular reasoning, the opinion posits the UHA restrictions do not restrict behavior protected by the Second Amendment.  They then apply the least restrictive Constitutional test to determine if the behavior is protected.  Unsurprisingly, they find that it is not.  The key to the decision is the Ninth Circuit's hostility to a broad reading of the Second Amendment.

A Lot Of Teens Think Gun Control Will Stop Mass Shootings.  When it comes to school shootings, I understand completely why teens have a strong opinion on the matter.  In their minds, at least, they're the prime target of such killings.  While school shootings aren't the entirety of mass shootings in this country, it's still understandable that teens have some concern.  When we look at other high profile mass shootings, those happened in places teens go too.  Church, concerts, movie theaters, malls, all places where you'll find a teen contingent.  So yeah, it's understandable they have an opinion.  It doesn't mean we should bow to their opinion, though.  Especially when it's so wrong.

Five easy Ways to Make AR15 type Receivers at Home.  You don't necessarily need a 3D printer.  You could use a programmed CDC machine.

3-D printed guns are an imaginary problem.  A note for the gun-control gang:  "Die Hard 2" wasn't a documentary.  The 1990 action flick was only one episode in the story — the mostly fictitious story — of plastic phantom pistols that can be walked through airports by terrorists and other nogoodniks.  Spy novels of the 1970s and 1980s told of the KGB-invented "Troika" pistol, which sometimes made its way into media stories and government reports in spite of the fact that nobody ever seems to have actually seen one.  There's also the plastic stealth pistol sneaked into a courtroom by a mafioso in "The Dark Knight" for the purpose of knocking off the crusading district attorney.

Dems introduce law to block publication of 3-D printed gun blueprints.  New York Rep. Carolyn Maloney and three of her fellow Democrats in the House on Friday [8/3/2018] introduced a law to block the online publication of blueprints showing how to make guns using 3-D printers.  "The idea of untraceable, undetectable guns available to anyone, even violent criminals and domestic abusers, with the click of a mouse is utterly terrifying," said Maloney, who co-sponsored the legislation with Reps.  Brad Schneider of Illinois and Ted Deutch and Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida.

The Editor says...
If the Republicans passed a law to block publication of blueprints for gay wedding cakes, little pink hats with cat-like ears, and rainbow flags, the Democrats would call it a free speech issue.

Video Proves 'No One Wants To Take Your Guns' Is A Lie.  [Scroll down]  I can't help but be amazed at the number of people protesting who don't even understand the subject they're supposedly so passionate about.  I mean, if you think the gun laws are insufficient, how can I take your claim seriously when you don't even know what the gun laws are?  I mean, maybe she's from California or some other state that has some kind of gun registry, but she's at a protest in Washington, D.C., so I don't see that as a valid defense of the stupid.  Then the NRA released this one where we see lots of people who don't even understand what an AR-15 is, despite wanting to ban them.

The Utter Futility of Gun Control.  Defense Distributed (DD) is a small Texas company that has developed and published online digital files that may be used to make firearms either by 3D printing or computer controlled milling machines.  It is the brainchild of self- described libertarian anarchist Cody Wilson.  In 2013, DD uploaded software files for the 3D printing of the "Liberator," a single shot pistol, and a lower receiver (the part regulated by federal law) of the much maligned AR-15 rifle.  According to the Associated Press, the software was downloaded over 100,000 times in the first 24 hours.  The downloads continued for days thereafter, and the software became (and remains) widely available on numerous free access websites.  It was game, set and match for Wilson and DD.  Nevertheless, within days of the initial online posting, the Obama Department of State ordered DD to cease making the software available online.

In Lawsuit, NRA Says Gov. Cuomo's 'Coercion' Has Cost Them Millions.  The NRA is accusing New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) of trying to "deprive" them and their constituents of "their First Amendment rights to speak freely about gun-related issues and defend the Second Amendment" in a new lawsuit.  In April, Cuomo directed state regulators to "urge insurance companies, New York State-chartered banks, and other financial services companies licensed in New York to review any relationships they may have with the National Rifle Association."  The governor's part in encouraging these entities to end their partnerships with the gun rights organization did much to hurt their finances, the group alleges.

Let's Debunk The Misleading Panic Over 3-D Guns.  First of all, "3-D Plastic Guns" aren't being sold to the public.  Nor are "downloadable firearms" or "ghost guns."  These things don't exist.  Data, code, and information is being sold to the public.  There is no magical contraption that creates a new gun on demand.  Sorry.  Even if such a machine existed, however, the Trump administration hasn't suddenly begun "allowing" Americans to fabricate guns in the comfort of their homes, as so many stories have intimated.  It's never been illegal to make your own (non-NFA) weapons in the first place.  The pretext for this freakout is news that the State Department reached a settlement with Cody Wilson and his company, Defense Distributed, which offered digital designs for 3-D printed guns, not guns.

If 3D Printed Guns Are A Brand New Threat, Then Explain This.  Ever since the Trump administration agreed to drop charges against Defense Distributed for sharing files related to 3-D printed guns, the anti-gun activists have lost their everloving minds.  Since then, it's been nothing but doom and gloom, like plastic guns are about to herald the apocalypse or something.  Welcome to Gunmaggedon!  However, the technology isn't new.  While Defense Distributed was barred from sharing the files above, other parties shared them far and wide. 3-D printers cranked out parts and weapons in homes and offices all over the nation and the world.  But watch the news and this is supposedly a new threat that will result in guns that are undetectable and untraceable.  Now, I'll admit that printed guns are untraceable.  They're no different than any other homebuilt firearm in that way but undetectable?

Federal Judge Undermines Two Rights By Blocking 3D Printer Files.  Honestly, it seemed like I was the only one excited by the prospect of 3D printing your own firearms and parts.  While there was plenty of press about the Justice Department's decision to stop trying to prevent Defense Distributed from spreading the files, it just didn't seem like there was a lot of interest in folks printing their own parts.  Fair enough.  In fact, if the anti-gunners had realized that, they might have taken a step back and recognized that maybe this wasn't the threat they thought it was.  Too bad that's something they just can't do.  They don't know how to ignore something that doesn't seem to have much interest from the firearm community in the first place.  So, they found a friendly judge and got him to infringe on two rights, not just the right to keep and bear arms.

3D gun blueprint restraining order is ultimate test for rejecting judicial supremacism.  A semi-retired judge in a congressionally-created court might want to ban Computer Aided Design (CAD) files of 3D gun prints he doesn't like, but it doesn't mean we no longer have a 3-dimensional system of government.  We still have two other branches of the federal government with more robust powers.  The question is:  will the case of a district judge granting random states standing to bar nationwide the publishing of blueprints for 3D prints of guns be the final straw that will galvanize conservatives and libertarians to finally put the courts in their place?

Judge issues temporary restraining order stopping release of 3D-printed gun.  A federal judge issued a temporary restraining order Tuesday blocking a Texas organization from posting new online blueprints for 3D-printed guns, delivering a last-minute win to gun control backers who were worried about the implications of untraceable firearms being manufactured at home.  Defense Distributed had planned to make 3D blueprints widely available over the internet on Wednesday, but U.S. District Judge Robert S. Lasnik ordered a halt and reimposed Obama-era restrictions that blocked the plans' distribution.  The Trump administration reversed the rules this year.

The Editor says...
Free people, or careful people at least, have made their own guns at home for centuries.  This is nothing new, except that the printed guns are made of plastic.  The talking heads on TV, whose strings are pulled by the Left, say plastic guns could pass through the airport screening process undetected and lead to hijackings.  That may (or may not) be true, but the widespread ability to make unregistered, untraceable, disposable weapons at home is much more worrisome to big government bureaucrats and tyrants.

More than 450 people in Florida ordered to give up guns under new law, report says.  Hundreds of gun owners in Florida have been ordered to give up their guns under a new law that took effect after the deadly Parkland shooting in February, according to a report published Monday [7/30/2018].  The Risk Protection Order, signed by Florida Gov. Rick Scott just three weeks after a gunman killed 17 people at Stoneman Douglas, aims to temporarily remove weapons from gun owners who have been deemed by a judge to possibly be a threat to themselves or others.

The 3D-Gun Debate:  Separating Truth from Fiction.  One of the most bizarre aspects of the modern gun debate is the extent to which it is still dominated by ignorance and misinformation.  One of the most important controversies in American public life rages on, yet media gatekeepers and all too many politicians simply don't know the most basic facts.  They don't understand the most basic constitutional issues.  Even worse, many of them don't seem to care.

Gun Rights Coalition Posts 3D Print Code Despite Judge's Order, Says 'Code Is Free Speech'.  Gun and speech rights advocates posted 3D print codes Wednesday [8/1/2018] despite a judge's order restraining Cody Wilson from posting his files for public access.  Wilson's files were viewable and downloadable on July 27, 2018, but ARS Technica reports they "went dark" after US District Judge Robert Lansik halted their dissemination.  Wilson was scheduled to share his files broadly on August 1, 2018, as the result of a settlement with the State Department.  However, Judge Lansik said, "The proliferation of these firearms will have many of the negative impacts on a state level that the federal government once feared on the international stage."

Pelosi: Yes, I Hope There's a 'Slippery Slope' Towards More Gun Control.  [Scroll down]  In reality, she's just previewing how much of the Left will respond if this restriction gets implemented.  They'll welcome incremental progress while complaining bitterly that the measure is nowhere near strong or far-reaching enough, vowing that the battle is just beginning, etc.  Allahpundit thinks Pelosi is deliberately trying to blow up an emerging deal by "spooking" Republicans and keeping Democratic attack points intact.

Texas company cleared to put 3D-printed gun designs online.  After spending years fighting the federal government for the right to do so, a Texas company was given the green light to post blueprints online showing people how to make 3D-printed guns from the comfort of their home.

Hollywood Hypocrisy On Guns.  TV shows are still pushing gun violence to goose the ratings.  A recent study by the Parents Television Council reported that the degree of gun violence on prime-time broadcast TV has actually increased in the last five years since the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting.  In a review of the November 2017 sweeps period after the mass shooting in Las Vegas, it found that 175 of 287 episodes contained violence (almost 61 percent) and 112 of them (39 percent) had scenes of gun violence.  It's dramatically worse at the movies.  Matt Philbin of the Media Research Center reported last fall that an astounding 589 incidents of violence were featured in "Kingsman:  The Golden Circle," "American Assassin," Stephen King's "It" and "mother!" And that's just four top-grossing movies from the week before the Las Vegas attack.  The films had no less than 212 incidents of gun violence, and the body count was at least 192.

Vermont Governor's Approval Tanks Following Gun Control Bills.  Gun control supporters tend to think of their victories as happening as soon as the law is signed.  At that point, they figure, they have what they want.  They also figure the laws get signed because they're calling the shots.  They hold press conferences and talk about their great victories and make the typical bogus claims that people will be safer.  However, it's not over for the politicians who support those laws.  Oh, for some, it's no big deal.  Those who represent anti-gun enclaves can rest easy and never have to worry about their vote really coming back to bite them [...].  But for governors of states that sign such bills?  Well, that can get ugly.

U.S. appeals court upholds right to carry [a] gun in public.  A federal appeals court ruled on Tuesday that the U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment guarantees a right to openly carry a gun in public for self-defense, finding that Hawaii overstepped its authority to regulate firearms possession outside the home.

Americans have constitutional right to openly carry firearms, court rules.  Americans have a constitutional right to openly carry firearms, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday [7/24/2018], delivering a major victory to gun rights supporters.  While courts previously have recognized the right to own firearms to protect the home, the decision by the three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit extends that into the public sphere, calling it a "core Second Amendment right."  In a 2-1 ruling, the panel said Hawaii's law severely restricting guns outside homes or businesses tramples on that right.

ACLU Solidifies Its Anti-Gun Image.  Years ago, while watching a debate about the ACLU, someone asked why a group that supposedly defends the Bill of Rights ignores the Second Amendment so completely.  The other side simply remarked that the ACLU doesn't fool with it because there are other groups that defend the Second Amendment, but few that focus on the others.  For a while, I accepted that well enough.  I mean, I don't always buy the ACLU's position, but I could accept that they simply left the Second Amendment to other organizations more focused on that sacred right.  However, it now seems that the other guy was wrong.

One Quarter Of Illinois Counties Are Now "Gun Sanctuaries".  Back in May, we talked about a bit of an uprising in Effingham County, Illinois.  County executives had decided that they weren't willing to simply fall in line with new gun control measures passed by state legislative majorities based almost entirely in Chicago.  In response, they passed a largely symbolic measure declaring their county a sanctuary for gun owners, saying that they would not enforce the new mandates.

This marks the end of gun control.  The federal government has finally recognized the obvious — that sharing instructions on how to make guns with 3D printers counts as constitutionally protected speech.  Despite little fanfare, this is an important victory for First Amendment rights.  It also represents a real blow to the increasingly futile cause of gun control.  The U.S. Justice Department announced a legal settlement and its surrender to the First Amendment arguments July 10 made in a case brought by Cody Wilson, founder of Defense Distributed.  Wilson, 25, created a ruckus in May 2013 when he announced his successful design of a plastic gun.  In just two days, 100,000 copies of the handgun blueprint were downloaded from Wilson's website.  The most downloads came from Spain, followed by the U.S., Brazil and Germany.

California law prompts spike in assault weapon registrations: report.  A recently-enacted California gun law that broadened what firearms must be registered with the state prompted a 43 percent spike in assault weapons registration and a lawsuit by gun rights advocates, The Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday [7/18/2018].  The 2016 law banned the sale of semi-automatic assault rifles with so-called "bullet buttons" — a feature on some rifles that enables faster replacement of ammunition.  "Bullet button" rifles purchased before the law were required to be registered with the state by June 2018.

Gunning for Judge Kavanaugh.  It's not just the wrongly decided Roe V. Wade decision that liberals fear is in jeopardy with the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh.  They also fear their crusade against "semi-automatic" weapons may be exposed as the semantic, visual, and judicial fraud that it is.

NRA, Second Amendment Foundation File Suit Against Seattle Gun-Storage Ordinance.  A pair of gun-rights groups announced they filed a lawsuit against Seattle's restrictive gun-storage ordinance on Friday [7/20/2018] because they say it violates Washington state law.  The National Rifle Association and Washington-based Second Amendment Foundation are working together with two Seattle residents in the suit against the city.  They say the city's requirement that any guns in a person's residence must be stored in a locked container unless being carried by the owner or other authorized users violates state law.

The Ninth Circuit Protects Gun Rights and Stops Confiscation.  Under California law, any person who possesses a legally purchased magazine capable of holding more than ten rounds of ammunition must either remove the magazine from the state, sell it to a licensed firearm dealer, or hand it over to law enforcement.  Those citizens who retained their magazines after the law went into effect risked a fine or up to one year's imprisonment in county jail.  The district court's 66-page opinion was a legal tour-de-force that not only dismantled California's justifications for the ban, but also reiterated and reinforced the constitutional and historical basis for the right to keep and bear arms.

How Entertainment Shows Have Become Vehicles for Gun Control Propaganda.  All of the major television networks use their primetime entertainment shows to push a pro-gun control agenda.  Liberal television executives apparently think that they have the power to change Americans' attitudes.  Not liking guns has been portrayed as cool for a long time.  It is an old theme that dates back to the original 1980s MacGyver series, in which the titular character avoids using guns and expresses his aversion to them.  This theme has continued with the current remake.  But the push to sway public opinion really seems to have picked up.

Idaho GOP Rep. Receives Threatening Voicemails, Emails Because of This Facebook Post.  Last weekend, the Idaho Republican Party held their annual convention.  One of the main speakers during the event was newly-elected NRA President Oliver North.  Naturally, Oliver's presence brought gun control proponents out to protest.  During one of the convention's breaks, Idaho State Rep. Priscilla Giddings (R) walked outside and noticed a group of protestors calling for gun control.  Giddings read their signs and decided to pose for a picture with them. [...] Little did the girls in the picture know that Giddings, a former combat pilot and current major in the Air Force Reserves, utilized firearms during multiple deployments in the Middle East.  The most ironic sign of them all was the one girl's call to ban... artillery.  "When I saw the gun control signs my interest was peaked," Giddings told Townhall.  "I'm a very strong supporter of guns and the Second Amendment."

Tough Gun Laws Do Nothing To Prevent Chicago PD Finding 35 Illegal Guns.  Chicago doesn't have a gun problem.  They have a criminal problem.  Whatever the mechanism is that creates criminals in urban centers, Chicago has it in spades.  They're chock full of whatever it is, and instead of looking at what that might be, they keep focusing on the tool being used, not the tools using them.  The truth is, the city has so many illegal guns not because of gun laws in other states, but because they have a culture that serves as a breeding ground for people who will acquire illegal guns.  Plain and simple.  Remove that, and suddenly the crime rate will plummet.

$5 homemade shotguns handed in at $100 gun 'give back'.  It seems someone was inspired to make a quick $400 for charity at a local police gun 'give back' in Fredericksburg, Virginia.

Homemade shotgun turned in at gun buyback event in San Francisco.  Police in San Francisco took in 187 weapons during a gun buy-back Saturday morning [6/30/2018].  The four-hour event, hosted by United Playaz, yielded 57 pistols, 44 revolvers, 11 assault weapons and three shotguns.  One of those shotguns was homemade. [...] The event offered $100 for every handgun and $200 for every assault weapon, no questions asked.

The Editor says...
Mrs. Editor mentioned today that she saw some news report about a gun "buy back" program at which the cops "bought back" a board with a pipe attached to it — for $100!  It makes me wonder if they'd "buy back" a Pop Tart with one corner bitten off.

Parkland Congressman: 'You Shouldn't Be Able to Fire a Gun' Without Fingerprint Recognition.  Rep. Ted Deutch (D-Fla.) said the development of smart guns should be part of the gun-control conversation, arguing that a gun owner should not be able to fire a gun without some sort of verification like a thumbprint that's needed to unlock a smartphone.  Deutch also said that there are efforts underway to require gun manufacturers to incorporate smart technology in firearms but that the NRA is standing in the way.

Islamists Work To Disarm Free Men And Arm Themselves.  I don't like the expression that "The right exists in nature."  Nature promises absolutely nothing to you, any more than it promises that the Wildebeest won't perish by being eaten by Crocodiles as it crosses the rivers.  Nature doesn't recognize rights.  Only God grants rights and responsibilities, and only God can take them away.  The state doesn't exist to protect you or your family except from foreign invasion (a duty at which it has failed, and miserably so).  God has given that solemn duty to you.

M4OR: Students have a right to defend themselves.  "We basically work to support the Second Amendment and school safety through social media, education, and peaceful demonstration, which will be in the form of marches that are going to happen on July 7th," says Xena Amirani, chairman and executive director of March for Our Rights, a non-profit organization that is student led and student run.  Amirani tells OneNewsNow the Second Amendment is one of the most essential amendments in the Constitution, as it acts as a way for people to protect themselves from tyranny and folks who wish to do harm.

Americans [Have] Never [Been] Divided So Sharply Over The NRA.  In its latest poll, Gallup found that 88 percent of Republicans view the NRA very or mostly favorably.  Democrats, on the left hand, view the outfit the same by only 24 percent.  That's a whopping 64 percent division in positive feelings, the largest margin Gallup has ever encountered on the NRA.

NBC's Pete Williams Struggles To Describe How Shotguns Work.  NBC correspondent Pete Williams employed an interesting analogy on Friday when trying to describe how shotguns work.  According to Williams, describing the gun used by the shooter in the Capital Gazette newsroom on Thursday, insisted that shotguns operate like a "backwards funnel."  "A shotgun, uh, uh, you know, if you're not familiar with a shotgun, it sets out a spray of pellets and because a bullet simply goes in a straight line and shotgun is sort of like a backwards funnel, it spreads it out so that you don't have to aim very precisely," Williams claimed on MSNBC on Friday [6/29/2018].

The Editor says...
It sounds like the only shotgun he's ever seen was in the hands of Elmer Fudd.

Mob Violence and Gun Ownership.  We are watching Democrats, perpetrators of the incremental coup, encouraging the rise in political mob violence to overthrow the existing political order.  Eventually, sooner than later, the Democratic mob will feel empowered by its immunity from consequences to expand its tactics and target nongovernment citizens for bullying, intimidation, and inevitable violence.  This is exactly the tactic the political left understands will be enabled most by strict gun control, meaning confiscation.  After all, mob violence as a tool of political enforcement, will be far easier and more effective if those against whom it is deployed are not capable of defending themselves.  Disarmament of the law-abiding has always preceded violent revolution.  This is the entire purpose of "gun control."  Only one side will be equipped for the impending violence.

NJ's Governor Phil Murphy Thinks Poor People Shouldn't Have Guns.  We already knew that Governor Phil Murphy hated guns.  His signing of a slew of recent gun control bills made that obvious in case anyone didn't know.  Of course, those laws didn't stop a recent shooting in Trenton, NJ, but whatever, right?  What we didn't necessarily know was just how much he hated poor people.  I mean, he may pretend he's a champion of the little guy, but if that's the case, why does he want so badly to make it too expensive for poor people to be armed in his state?

UN Continues Their Push To Disarm Americans.  The United Nations can't say Agenda 2030 — their plan for global peace — is successful if Americans are still armed and if the Second Amendment still exists.  They have to completely get rid of armed citizens in America and the way to go about that is using our peers against us.  Our threat is no longer just at home.  It's international.  It's time for gun owners to wake up to the international threat that sits right before us.

New Jersey AG Attacks Right to buy Gun Parts & Learn How to Make Guns.  Guns have been made by individuals as long as there have been guns.  In the United States, it has always been legal to own the means of production to make your own guns.  It has always been legal to make your own.  Hobbyists have been making firearms as long as the United States has existed.  The national war on the Second Amendment started in the 1930's.  Passed in 1934, the National Firearms Act required a license to make some guns for commercial sale.  A federal tax stamp was required to own short barreled rifles and shotguns, and guns that can fire more than one shot with each pull of the trigger.  New Jersey is one of only six states that does not have a state constitutional amendment protecting the right to keep and bear arms.

Report: Cities Across Country Use Zoning Codes to Create 'Gun-Store-Free Zones'.  Cities and townships are using zoning restrictions to create "gun-store-free zones" around the country.  This includes over 20 such zones in California alone.  According to the Trace, a gun control journalism outlet, such use of zoning codes allows cities to "effectively ban firearm stores" in lieu of Congressional refusal to pass more gun laws.  Piscataway, New Jersey, is one of the latest townships to adopt this approach.  They have no federally licensed firearms dealers in their township, and the town Council hopes to use a zoning resolution to keep any licensed dealers from setting up shop in the future.

The critical fraction.  According to the General Social Survey in 2013, about 1 in 4 Americans owned guns.  That's 79 million gun owners, and probably an undercount because gun owners are chronically suspicious of the intention behind such questions.  But we'll go with it as an assumption that's best-case for the doorknockers.  That means that in order to stop attempted gun confiscations dead on a purely force-on-force level, only one in 317 American gun owners needs to remember that our first American Revolution began as spontaneous popular resistance to a gun-confiscation order.  Only one in 317 American gun owners need to remember their duty under the U.S. Constitution as members of the unorganized militia — "the body of the people in arms".  Only one in 317 American gun owners need to shoot back.  Is that a plausible fraction?  Yes.

Unable to Ban Guns, Lawmakers Want to Weaponize the ATF Against Gun Dealers.  What's a politician to do when it's clear that people will vigorously resist attempts to restrict their lives?  Well, you could empower government officials to arbitrarily punish anybody who might help them exercise their freedom.  That's the approach favored by three Democratic members of Congress, who appear to see the path to limiting private firearms ownership in harassing gun dealers and subjecting them to the whims of government officials.  Not that they're the only legislators to wield regulations as bludgeons, but it's always a lousy idea.

Hillary Clinton:  Gun Control [is] a 'Political Necessity'.  While speaking to a group of activists in San Francisco, Hillary Clinton stressed that gun control is a "political necessity" and part of "taking back" the country.  Clinton ran gun control as a candidate in the 2016 election and lost.  President Trump ran as pro-gun and LMT Online reports that Clinton is now criticizing him for standing with gun rights organizations.

L.A. sheriff's detectives seize more than 500 firearms from felon's home.  A search of a felon's home in Agua Dulce led Los Angeles County sheriff's investigators to a stash of more than 500 firearms, marking one of the largest seizures from a person forbidden by law from possessing guns.  Investigators raided the home of Manuel Fernandez after getting a tip that he had an arsenal of firearms.  After entering the property early Thursday, they found a staggering number of weapons, including rifles, shotguns and handguns, some decades old.

Can Police Arrest Person Carrying Gun Without First Checking If He's Licensed?  [Scroll down]  The police here operated on an outdated assumption — possession of a firearm in and of itself is a crime.  Until recently, that was true in the City of Chicago.  But the law has shifted dramatically during this decade.  Since the legislature has legalized gun possession and concealed carry, many citizens may now possess firearms provided they have followed the regulations.

American Medical Association Calls for More Gun Control Including Gun Bans, Confiscation.  The American Medical Association announced on Wednesday [6/13/2018] it would back strict new gun-control measures including banning and confiscating certain firearms.  The measures, which the group called "common-sense," include outlawing not only the sale of what the group referred to as "assault-type" weapons but also their possession, outlawing the possession of any firearms by adults under 21 years old, a national gun registry, requiring a license to own any firearms, and gun buyback programs among a number of other proposals.  The group also called for a ban on the possession of bump-fire stocks, stated its opposition to teachers being allowed to carry firearms in schools, and stated its opposition to national concealed-carry reciprocity.  The group also called for the passage of a law which would bar those convicted of domestic violence offenses from owning guns even though federal law already includes such a provision.

Judge Blocks Chicago Suburb's Gun Ban Hours Before Going Into Effect.  Zero hour was approaching for the law-abiding gun owners of Deerfield, Illinois.  The village had banned the ownership of so-called assault weapons, which in reality meant AR-15 rifles and any other firearm that carried a detachable magazine capable of holding ten or more rounds.  That's how Deerfield defined a so-called assault weapon.  On June 13, the anti-gun ordinance passed by the Chicago suburb would have gone into effect.  It was essentially a gun ban, and there were no exceptions.  It's either you turn them over, move, or risk facing a $250-$1,000/ day noncompliance fee.  Yeah, the AR-15 and other rifles the anti-gun Left finds scary were banned, but it also included scores of handguns.  Magazines holding 15 rounds are not uncommon.  Luckily, a circuit court judge blocked this law 24 hours from going into effect.

Gun Businesses Scramble After Credit Card Service Stops Processing Payments on all Gun Purchases Without Warning.  Intuit, without warning, ceased processing credit card payments at firearm-related businesses across the country, resulting in small businesses scrambling to track down customers to get them to pay their bills.  Intuit maintains its actions are justified because the company has a "face-to-face" policy prohibiting firearms from being directly sold to customers, the New York Post reports.  However, many of the guns businesses sold were sent to federally-licensed firearms dealers near the customers, where a background check can be completed prior to possession.

Illinois teachers [are] flocking to firearms training courses.  Though their state law prohibits guns on campus, Illinois teachers are privately training with firearms, the New York Times reported Tuesday [6/12/2018].  "Across the state, businesses have begun offering free concealed-carry training sessions to teachers and school staff members," the Times reported.  One class reached capacity within two hours of posting it, and there is now a waiting list of approximately 40 more educators.  "None of us ever want to have to use our guns," said teacher and firearms student Julie Smith.  "All of us want to protect our kids."

Florida Candidate Promises To Ban 'Assault Rifles' By Decree.  While I really try not to focus on political parties here at Bearing Arms, sometimes, it's difficult.  The thing is, there are Democrats who support the Second Amendment, and as a writer covering the Second Amendment, I don't want to alienate those readers.  We all agree that candidates who oppose our right to keep and bear arms are a problem, and their party really doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things.  Their lack of respect for our civil rights, however, does.  However, I can't help but think of how many Democrats are screaming about "fascism" ever since the election of President Donald Trump, but remain completely silent when a political candidate for governor announces that they've figured out a way to ban a certain type of gun by decree, completely circumventing anything resembling democratic process.

California Man Has Home Raided, Guns Confiscated After Trying to Register Firearm.  A California man had his home raided, guns seized, and will appear in court this week to face a dozen state felony charges after attempting to register a rifle in accordance with state law.  Jeffrey Scott Kirschenmann attempted to register an AR-15 with the California Department of Justice last month but instead found himself in significant legal trouble.  The California DOJ accused Kirschenmann of illegally modifying the rifle he attempted to register.  Law enforcement officials raided his home in Bakersfield before ultimately confiscating a dozen firearms and a few hundred rounds of ammunition, then charging him with a dozen felonies, KGET reports.  Kirschenmann was accused of possession of assault weapons, two silencers, and something referred to as a "multi-burst trigger activator."  He does not appear to have been charged with any violent crimes.

Brady Campaign Uses Handgun Deaths To Justify Assault Weapon Ban.  Many of us have often remarked that gun grabbers don't know the first thing about guns.  We have ample evidence of this, after all.  Shannon Watts touted perhaps the least dangerous firearm possible as a deadly assault weapon, for example.  To be sure, it kind of makes sense.  People who understand guns won't take some of the positions this crowd tends to take.  They'd understand a great deal more, and while they might still be anti-gun, their positions would include nearly as much stupidity as it does.  Yet, the fact remains that they don't.  Maybe that's why the Brady Campaign seems intent on defending the Deerfield, IL assault weapon ban by referencing handgun-related crimes and fatalities.

Credit service shuts down payments on all gun purchases.  Several gun-related businesses were suddenly — and without warning — disrupted in recent weeks when Intuit stopped processing credit card payments because sales were gun-related, The [New York] Post has learned.  Some of the payments stopped didn't even involve firearms, but simply T-shirts and coffee mugs and gun safety classes, according to small business owners.  As a result, the businesses had to scramble to track down customers to get them pay their bills after Intuit credited back to customers' accounts the purchases — even if the T-shirt was already shipped or the class already taken, one businessman told The Post.

Past Versus Present American.  Try this question to any one of [the] 50 million Americans who are 65 or older:  Do you recall any discussions about the need to hire armed guards to protect students and teachers against school shootings?  Do you remember school policemen patrolling the hallways?  How many students were shot to death during the time you were in school?  For me and those other Americans 65 or older, when we were in school, a conversation about hiring armed guards and having police patrol hallways would have been seen as lunacy.  There was no reason.  What's the difference between yesteryear and today?  The logic of the argument for those calling for stricter gun control laws, in the wake of recent school shootings, is that something has happened to guns.  Guns have behaved more poorly and become evil.

As if her opinion is relevant:
Jodie Foster Is 'Much More Comfortable Having Robots' Own Guns.  Foster is promoting her latest movie, Hotel Artemis, in which she plays a nurse who treats a gun shot victim who was shot in a gun-free zone — the kinds of places that have 100 percent gun control and are magnets for mass public attackers.  The IMBD parental guide for the star-studded crime thriller says the film show "guns, most of which were apparently 'printed' at Hotel Artemis, [that] are brandished and fired," brutal axe attacks, people "slaughtered" with a scalpel, and others killed by being injected with medicine intended for elephants.

Reason #6831 Why Gun Registration Is Evil.  There's absolutely nothing to gain by gun registration.  At least, not for gun owners.  While gun grabbers may love and adore it, convinced that they have found the solution to crime — if they're particularly deluded, that is — gun owners tend to understand that registering their guns doesn't really do anything to make them safer.  But you know what it can do?  Apparently, it can get you arrested when you try and comply with the law.

NY Governor Blows Off Due Process With Latest Anti-Gun Proposal.  So-called "red flag" laws are rife with the potential for destroying people's due process rights, which is why groups like the Gun Owners of America refuse to back the measures.  The thing is, they make a valid point.  Unless the laws are written just right, private citizens can be disarmed on the untrustworthy word of people with grudges to settle, for example.  In New York, Governor Andrew Cuomo has figured why even bother pretending due process is even a thing.

New Jersey and Gun Control.  The gun control conundrum will continue ad infinitum.  But what is happening in New Jersey should frighten anyone — gun owner or not.  NJS102 will most likely be affirmed by the Democrat senate majority in the NJ legislature.

CA Lawmakers Seek to Expand Gun Confiscation, Limit Number of Firearms Residents Can Buy.  California lawmakers are pushing numerous gun control measures including an expansion of confiscatory orders and limits on the number of firearms residents can buy each month.  Many of the lawmakers are claiming school shootings in Florida and Texas as the impetus for more gun control on law-abiding Californians.  The Mercury News reports that Assemblyman Rob Bonita (D-18) is pushing controls to bar 18-20-year olds from buying firearms.

Empire State Building Shines Orange for Gun Control.  The Empire State Building was ceremoniously lit orange on Friday night in solidarity with thousands of anti-gun protesters across the country.  The ultra-liberal city of New York illuminated the iconic building to commemorate the third annual National Gun Violence Awareness Day and usher in National Gun Violence Awareness Month.  The color orange was inspired by the #WearOrange campaign, a coalition of gun control advocacy groups and elected officials who ask participants to observe National Gun Violence Awareness Day on June 1 by posting orange on social media, wearing orange clothes and attending pro-gun control events throughout the U.S.

Illinois Suburb's Gun Confiscation Law Set To Go Into Effect.  It's June.  It might not be a big deal for most, but for the law-abiding gun owners of Deerfield, Illinois — it's the time when a new gun confiscation law goes into effect.  The Chicago suburb recently passed a law, where AR-15s and other firearms that look scary, along with a host of handguns, have to be transferred out of the village limits, turned over to the police, or destroyed.  Owning these firearms is not permitted within Deerfield and non-compliance could carry a $250-$1,000/ day fee.  Yes, the National Rifle Association has joined a lawsuitagainst the provision.  It's absurd.  Gun ownership has been banned in a slice of America.  That's grossly unconstitutional.

Obama Encourages Gun Controllers to Stay Committed 'No Matter How Long It Takes'.  Former President Barack Obama encouraged gun control proponents on Friday to stay committed to securing new gun laws "no matter how long it takes." Friday was National Gun Violence Awareness Day.  Obama tweeted that gun control proponents must not only push for a change in laws, but also in "leadership" to secure the new laws.

Anti-Gun Arne Duncan Sends His Children to School with Armed Security.  Obama Sec. of Education and staunch gun control advocate Arne Duncan sends his kids to a school with armed security.  On May 20 Breitbart News reported that Duncan suggested Americans ought to pull their kids from school until Congress passes more gun control.  He said he and his family would even be willing to take part in the school boycott if it were done "at scale," i.e., if there were broad-based participation in such a boycott.  Duncan made this suggestion in the immediate aftermath of the attack on Santa Fe High School.  He did not call for armed teachers or other armed personnel in schools.  Rather, he simply focused on gun control.  All the while, Duncan sends his children to a school that affords them armed protection.

Tennessee lawmaker says porn, violent movies among 'root causes' of school shootings:  It's a 'big part'.  Rep. Diane Black, R-Tenn., seemed to at least partially blame pornography for school shootings during a meeting with local pastors last week. [...] Black, who is running for governor, blamed gun violence in schools on a myriad of issues: the "deterioration of family," violent movies, mental illness and pornography.  Without a strong support system, Black said, young people can "go in the wrong direction" after seeking "something" on the internet or with certain friends.

NYPD officially phases out revolvers as 25-year vets transition to 9-mm.  The last crop of cops transitioning from the old-school revolver to the modern semi-automatic handguns reported to the NYPD shooting range in the Bronx for training Wednesday [5/30/2018].  The remaining 150 police officers — who all joined the force before 1993, when the the .9-mm [sic] semi-automatic became the department's service weapon — had until Aug. 31 to be be trained on new guns.

The Editor says...
I'd like to see that 0.9-millimeter model mentioned by the New York Daily News.  I'll bet it's hard to load.

Company Creates Video Game That Lets People Be School Mass Shooters.  A popular online video game platform is set to release an extremely controversial video game on June 6 called "Active Shooter," which gives users the opportunity to be a mass shooter and go on shooting sprees inside schools.

The Editor says...
One can easily imagine the effect such a game would have on a poorly-educated, godless, fatherless simpleton.  The kind of person America has too many of.  And yet, when such a loser goes on a shooting spree, his guns will get the blame.

'Active Shooter' video game pulled after huge backlash.  A game developer and digital distribution company has announced, after facing harsh criticism, that it will pull a video game that allows players to simulate a school shooter.  Valve Inc. announced Tuesday it would pull "Active Shooter" from its online gaming platform, Steam, after learning that the game's publisher and developer has a "history of customer abuse" that was uncovered as a result of the controversy surrounding the game, Variety and other news outlets reported.

The Editor says...
I predict the game will be back.

How To Get Inside the Mind of Someone Who Wants a Disarmed Population.  [Scroll down]  When registration of modern rifles is required by law, the national guard is not mobilized and sent on door to door searches.  Instead, the 80-95 percent of people who choose civil disobedience and do not register their guns, are ignored.  At least for the next few years.  This puts the battle into the election booth and the courts instead of on the streets.  It is worth while to remind people that there are over 400 million private firearms in the United States.  Those who want the population disarmed often attempt to minimize the number of firearms in the United States and the number of armed citizens in the country.

'Surrender Your Firearms Within 24 Hours or Be Shot'.  I am reading a fascinating book by Stephen P. Halbrook from the Independent Institute called Gun Control in Nazi Occupied-France:  Tyranny and Resistance. [...] One of the most startling facts in the book is in the last chapter entitled "Liberation": [...] ["]...only 835,000 of three million hunting guns — less than one-third — were turned in by French citizens threatened with the death penalty for not doing so.  That is an incredible testament to the inefficacy of gun control in the most extreme circumstances.["]

David Hogg puts Publix in crosshairs, demands $1 million donation and anti-NRA pledge.  David Hogg is trying to shake down Publix.  The public face of the gun control movement demanded $1 million Thursday [5/24/2018] from the Florida-based grocery chain in a tweet, just one day after calling for a "die-in" protest at its stores.  Publix is being targeted by Mr. Hogg for its support of Adam Putnam, a Republican gubernatorial candidate who is now the state's agricultural commissioner.  The Tampa Bay Times reported earlier this week that Publix had given $670,000 during the last three years to Putnam campaigns.

Watch: Far-Left Parkland Activists Scream On Grocery Store Floor, Demand Boycott.  Parkland gun control activists threw themselves on the floor of a Florida grocery store on Friday, screaming and yelling for customers to boycott the store because of political donations that it had made.  The "die-in" was organized by far-left activist and provocateur David Hogg, who has launched multiple boycotts aimed at those who support the NRA or who criticize him.

Ted Cruz Says Media Is Avoiding Santa Fe School Shooting Because Texas Students Don't Want Gun Control.  [Quoting Ted Cruz] Out of a dozen students who just hours earlier had been in this shooting, every one of them said the answer is not gun control.  They said, don't take our guns.  They said if you take our guns, it won't make us safer, it will just mean the killers and murderers have guns.  A lot of the students there said, "Well, maybe more metal detectors in schools.  Maybe more armed police officers in schools, so that you're able to stop something like this when it happens."  Several of the students brought up that they thought teachers should be able to be armed.

Revealed:  Obama WH Emails Plotting Strategy Two Days After Sandy Hook.  Former President Barack Obama's education secretary and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel were planning how to turn a national tragedy into a legislative victory for the administration two days after the 2012 mass shooting in Newtown, Conn.  That's according to emails obtained under a Freedom of Information request from a reporter from the Baltimore Post.  On the morning of Dec. 14, 2012, a 20-year-old man killed his mother in their home then traveled to Sandy Hook Elementary School — a semi-automatic rifle and two pistols in tow.  He broke into the school and killed another 26 people — 20 of them first-grade students.  The gunman committed suicide after authorities arrived on the scene.

Backlash: Publix Gets Slammed For Caving To Far-Left Activists; Customers Leaving.  he Florida-based grocery store chain Publix is facing severe backlash after they caved to far-left activist David Hogg and his intimidation tactics on Friday [5/25/2018] as many customers are now saying they will no longer shop at the store.  Hogg and other far-left activists laid on the floor of the grocery store for 720 seconds — which Hogg falsely claimed is a second for each mass shooting that has happened in the U.S. since the Pulse nightclub massacre — and screamed for a boycott of the store.  The boycott came after it was revealed that the grocery store had donated money to a politician in the past who had described himself as a major advocate for the NRA and the Second Amendment.

To stop school shootings, use Israel's approach to fighting terror: Texas attorney general.  Experience is a hard teacher, and with 2018's second major school shooting behind us, its lesson is clear:  We must secure our schools.  All over the country, schools lack security measures of any consequence — not enough armed personnel, few safety protocols and insufficient entryway monitoring.  No federal government agency, airport or congressional office building would tolerate such vulnerability, so why the resistance to outfitting schools with the same level of security?

The Doomsday Scenario:  What if School Walkouts Don't Work?  The New York Times seemed to think it was bitterly ironic that some of the students at Santa Fe High School, site of the recent mass shooting, had staged a walkout last month in support of the Parkland, Florida, students.  But now, only a month later, one of the students who participated in the walkout is in the hospital from yet another school shooting.  I suppose we could revel in the irony, but, as a more results-oriented person, what I take from that vignette is that school walkouts are not effective deterrents to school shootings.  I'm not sure the poems did much either.  These are hideous events that require serious proposals, not the self-indulgent mawkishness our media keep serving up.

Liberalism's Impact on Abhorrent Behavior.  A lot has changed over the past 30 years.  America has always had many firearms in circulation, laws against killing people, gun control, bullying and the like — these are not new phenomena.  What is strange, however, is that people suffering from mental illness decide to mow down their classmates instead choosing to seek help or being flagged by their parents, classmates, or teachers.  Two decades or so ago, people still faced similar problems — disappointment with their lives due to normal, coming-of-age pressures.  But instead of overcoming said obstacles like adults, they resort to terrifying violence.  It's clear that something has changed in regard to how people seek help and how they overcome the realities of life.  Liberalism is that change — pampering people in safe spaces instead of making them act like adults.  We need a new narrative regarding mass shootings.  Instead of calling for more, ineffective gun control, we must discuss the impact liberalism has had on behavior control.

Dem gun confiscator tacitly admits gun control wouldn't work.  One of the more despicable Congress-critters is Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), a man with utter contempt for Truth.  He was on Tucker Carlson Tonight last evening [5/21/2018] pushing for confiscation of AR-type rifles and spinning like a dervish with rocket boosters.  But let's forget that while Swalwell wrote an op-ed calling for gun confiscation, it's not really confiscation, according to Swalwell.  Let's forget that what he labels "assault weapons" are just semi-automatic rifles that happen to have a military-style appearance (much like putting a Porsche body on a Yugo chassis).  Let's forget that he claimed that his AR-species confiscation plan would "keep kids safe," ignoring that the most recent shooting, in Santa Fe, was perpetrated with a .38 pistol and a shotgun.  Most significant is that, amid his pseudo-Machiavellian babbling, he contradicted himself and refuted his own argument.  Pointing out the congressman's more-equal-than-others status, host Tucker Carlson repeatedly asked Swalwell if he would restrict his own bodyguards, the Capitol Hill Police (CHP), to the same weapons to which he'd limit Joe Six-Pack.  Practice what you preach, right?

Gun Owners Of America Issues Statement On Santa Fe Shooting.  What happened Friday was awful.  Unfortunately, because a firearm was used, we'll inevitably continue to debate the tools used rather than the mentality behind such attacks.  It's also because of this that gun rights organizations need to speak out in the aftermath of such an attack. [...] A school shooting will always draw media attention, and part of that is because people want to know what happened.  That's not going to change, even if the media suddenly did a 180 on guns.  That said, it was almost as if the media was salivating at another school shooting, only to be visibly disappointed that the weapon wasn't an AR-15, not to mention that none of the anti-gun proposals being floated around would have done one thing to stop this shooting.

Keywords:  irrational, knee-jerk, rash, emotional outburst.
Obama education secretary:  No children should go to school until gun laws are changed.  Former Education Secretary Arne Duncan said parents should pull their children out of school until Congress passes gun control legislation.  "What if no children went to school until gun laws changed to keep them safe?" Duncan tweeted Saturday [5/19/2018].  Duncan, who served as secretary under President Obama, called the step "tragically necessary."

Parkland survivor Kyle Kashuv defies a blue youth tide.  Not everyone from the Parkland school shooting is an activist for gun control.  Kyle Kashuv, in fact, is quite adamant that the Second Amendment is not the problem; government failure is.  And he's defying a blue wave to get that word out.

Guns Aren't the Problem.  The Collapse of the Morality You Mock is the Problem.  If it isn't a gun, it would be a knife.  If not a knife, it'd be car.  If not a car, it'd be homemade pipe bombs.  People are desperate to grasp onto something to stop the monstrous kids who storm into schools to gun down their peers.  Getting rid of guns is a tangible thing that people think they can do in an age of "just do something" self-help that would make the situation better.  This situation is not getting any better.  Ban the guns and the next kid will find a new way to make headlines killing the other kids he hates. [...] Ours is an armed society that is morally collapsing and you can't round up the guns even if you wanted to.

Two recent cases where school resource officers have stopped mass public shootings.  Over the last two months, what would have been mass public shootings at schools in Illinois and Maryland were stopped by armed school resource officers.  Of course, this should be three cases in a row.  While Broward Deputy Scot Peterson arrived at the building one minute after the attack started, it was another 10 minutes before any officers attempted to enter the building.  After the Antioch Waffle House shooting a number of gun control advocates have said that case showed that one doesn't need a gun to stop someone with a gun.  Good luck with that.  It isn't that once in a while that can't be true, but, as a general rule, that is not the best advice.  In any case, these examples don't take away from our concern about the extremely difficult job that uniformed officers face in stopping these types of attacks, that they will frequently become the first target because the killers know if they kill the single armed officer, no one will be able to stop them.

Elizabeth Warren Boldly Pledges to Never Take Money from a Group that Has Never Donated to Her.  Sen. Elizabeth Warren, the Native American* Democrat from Massachusetts, has boldly pledged to refuse to accept donations from the National Rifle Association.  Which really does not change anything because, according to OpenSecrets.org, the NRA has never donated to Sen. Warren in the first place.  Still, Sen. Warren is being praised for this decision announced via NowthisNews.com in which she proudly proclaims, "It's time we strip the NRA of its stranglehold over our children's lives."  She is technically the first Senator to refuse to accept NRA money.

The Best Explanation for Our Spate of Mass Shootings Is the Least Comforting.  [Scroll down]  The preparations for massacres are often extremely detailed.  Shooters (and wannabe shooters) will often film videos, mimic the dress and poses of the Columbine killers, and otherwise copy the shooters who came before. [...] Indeed, it's the pattern of elaborate preparation and obsession with the subculture of mass shooters that has led in part to my own advocacy of the gun-violence restraining order.  While we don't have sufficient details about today's shooter in Texas to know if it would have made a difference, it's a fact that large numbers of mass shooters broadcast warning signals of their intent to do harm, and it's also a fact that family members and other relevant people close to the shooter have few tools at their disposal to prevent violence.  A gun-violence restraining order can allow a family member (or school principal) to quickly get in front of a local judge for a hearing (with full due-process protections) that can result in the temporary confiscation of weapons from a proven dangerous person.

Thresholds of Violence.  [Scroll down]  Then came Columbine.  The sociologist Ralph Larkin argues that Harris and Klebold laid down the "cultural script" for the next generation of shooters.  They had a Web site.  They made home movies starring themselves as hit men.  They wrote lengthy manifestos.  They recorded their "basement tapes."  Their motivations were spelled out with grandiose specificity:  Harris said he wanted to "kick-start a revolution."  Larkin looked at the twelve major school shootings in the United States in the eight years after Columbine, and he found that in eight of those subsequent cases the shooters made explicit reference to Harris and Klebold.  Of the eleven school shootings outside the United States between 1999 and 2007, Larkin says six were plainly versions of Columbine; of the eleven cases of thwarted shootings in the same period, Larkin says all were Columbine-inspired.

The Left Has Created A Cottage Industry From the Deaths of Children.  More details about the incident are sure to be made public in the coming hours and days, but we'll take a wild guess here:  White, male student, considered a loner, possibly already on the radar of local law enforcement, and almost certainly under the influence of prescription drugs in the SSRI class.  Why do I feel so confident about making this assumption?  Simply because this has been the M.O. of nearly every mass shooter in American history since the advent of antidepressants, (which is pretty much every mass shooter in American history).  One of the few exceptions to this rule was Stephen Paddock of Las Vegas infamy, whose timeline and history have been an oddly well-guarded secret among local law enforcement.

Santa Fe Tragedy And The Mind Of The Left:  A Primer.  The Left wants your guns, and they want them now.  That is the overwhelming conclusion from the media coverage of Fridays' shooting in Texas.  Horribly, ten were killed at Santa Fe High School; immediately, the Left — in the political, news, and entertainment realms — began their quest for your guns.  They want your guns.

Lots and lots of guns.
Royal Wedding:  How a vast security operation will keep the couple, guests and spectators safe.  When Prince William married Kate Middleton in 2011, there were about 5,000 officers on duty.  The force presence is expected to be even greater this time.  Thames Valley force noted they have called upon neighboring forces to further bolster force numbers.

Democrats to propose weapons ban, gun confiscation powers in bill inspired by Trump.  Senate Democrats said they will introduce a gun control bill that would expand background checks, ban certain weapons, and give the courts the power to temporarily take guns away from people who are deemed to be a threat to themselves or others, after President Trump offered support for these goals in a White House discussion Wednesday.  Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said the only way to advance the measure in the GOP-led Senate is with the endorsement and help from President Trump.  He described a scenario in which the Senate could pass Schumer's proposal with mostly Democratic support and a few Republicans encouraged by Trump.

United Nations Quietly Pushes International Gun Control.  The United Nations' International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA) is finishing up their Global Week of Action Against Gun Violence.  According to IANSA, the goal of the week-long meeting is "for us to advocate collectively for an end to illicit trade and misuse of small arms and light weapons."

The RINO mayor's feel-good gun restriction.  Generally speaking, conservatives learn their lessons from tragedies like the mass shooting in Parkland, Florida, while leftists figure out how to exploit them.  For the second time, the "Republican" mayor of Orange County, Florida, Teresa Jacobs, is sticking her finger in the air to see which way the political winds are blowing on gun issues after the Parkland shooting.  Due to term limits, the mayor has turned her attention to running for Orange County's school board chairwoman.  In hopes of winning the seat, the mayor has thrown law-abiding gun owners under the bus to appease Orlando's left-wing anti-gun lobby.

April Gun Sales Set A New Record, Thanks Anti-Gun Activists.  David Hogg, Cameron Kasky, and Emma Gonzalez decided to take on the National Rifle Association, pro-gun rights politicians, Republicans, and rural America after the tragic shooting at their high school, Marjory Stoneman Douglas in Parkland, Florida.  The result has been the best fundraising for the NRA in years, a boost in membership, and record gun sales.

The strange case of Dick's.  In the aftermath of the epic failure of law enforcement at Stoneman Douglas High School, a number of companies adopted preening, anti-gun stances.  One of them was Dick's Sporting Goods.  What makes this weird is that Dick's is a major retailer of firearms. [...] Has this ever happened before?  A company lobbying against the products that it sells?

Hard Times for Dick's as Second Amendment Supporters Respond to Company's Anti-Gun Bent.  We have recently been reporting on the bizarre anti-gun activism of one of the nation's larger firearm retailers, Dick's Sporting Goods and its affiliated Field & Stream stores.  First, the company announced it would stop selling most centerfire semi-automatic rifles at its stores, carry only limited capacity magazines for semi-automatic guns, and ban firearm sales to certain legally eligible adults.  It then took the further step of declaring it would destroy its inventory of the newly-restricted firearms at company expense.  And if that weren't enough, the news also recently broke that the company had hired expensive D.C. lobbyists to push for gun control measures on Capitol Hill.  Dick's, in other words, was positioning itself as a rising star in the field of corporate gun control activism, in obvious contradiction of its own financial interests.  Now, however, the pro-gun community is parrying Dick's gun control thrust with their own countermeasures, while customers appear to be eschewing Dick's to search for bargains elsewhere.

2 New Court Decisions are Quietly Eliminating Californians' Second Amendment Rights.  Two new federal court decisions highlight a harsh new reality:  California has effectively repealed the Second Amendment inside its borders.  In the first case, decided yesterday [5/9/23018], a district judge ruled against the National Rifle Association's state affiliate in a challenge to onerous new California rules targeting popular semi-automatic rifles.  That 2016 law, signed by Gov. Jerry Brown (D), is called the Assault Weapons Control Act.  "Even an outright ban on certain types of semiautomatic weapons does not substantially burden the Second Amendment right," wrote Judge Josephine Staton, a Barack Obama appointee in Santa Ana, California.

Sheriff's Candidate Willing To Shoot Gun Owners Loses Big.  Sheriff's candidate R. Daryl Fisher was really okay with shooting gun owners.  We know this because he said so.  "You've heard people say:  'You'll have to pry my gun from my cold, dead hands,'" Fisher said in a speech as he campaigned for Buncombe County Sheriff.  "Okay," was his response.  He apologized for the comment, but he also wasn't the only one willing to use deadly force against gun owners who didn't want to give up their rights.  Yesterday [5/8/2018], the people of Buncombe County, North Carolina spoke in their primary elections, and Fisher got trounced.

Dallas Hotel Searched Guest's Car During NRA Annual Meetings.  There was a lot going on during the 2018 NRA Annual Meetings, much like every year.  There are displays and numerous gun companies unveiling new products.  There's the chance to check out a number of notable speakers and, of course, there's the actual NRA business taking place.  However, it seems that at least one hotel had a little something else going on.

Gun Manufacturers Fire Back at Dick's Sporting Goods, Halt Sales.  Sporting goods retailer "Dick's" is losing access to several popular gun manufacturers' products in a retaliatory strike, as the companies withdraw their business following a series of public moves by the popular store.  Dick's made some news last month when they first pulled from their shelves, and then destroyed, what they characterized as "assault-style" guns in their inventory.  That stunt followed their statement earlier this year at the time that they pulled the guns from the shelves that they were "committed" to several new gun control objectives.

Thank You, Anti-Gun Liberals:  NRA Annual Meeting Broke Attendance Records & They Have A New President.  Well, the National Rifle Association's Annual Meeting in Dallas is over — and it was a tremendous success.  It set a new attendance record, with nearly 90,000 people attending the three-day conference.  Speakers included NRA spokesperson Dana Loesch, Diamond and Silk, Vice President Mike Pence, President Donald Trump, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, NRA-ILA executive director Chris Cox, and NRA executive vice president Wayne LaPierre.  Besides allowing gun manufacturers, and small business owners to showcase their latest gear and equipment, it was also time to remind Second Amendment supporters of the gathering storm:  the 2018 midterms.

On the lies by gun control advocates and how opposition to gun control has changed over time.  Dr. John Lott's talk in Dallas on May 6, 2018, at the NRA Annual Convention.  He went through a series of lies by gun control advocates after he briefly discussed on the opposition to gun control has changed over the last couple of decades.  [Video clip]

Dem Rep. Swalwell:  We Need To Ban & Buy Back Assault Weapons.  A California Democrat writes in USA Today — it's not enough to ban so-called assault weapons.  He says the U.S. must reinstate the assault weapons ban of 1994 and institute a forced buyback.  One America's Jonathan Blaisdell has the latest liberal agenda to take America's fire arms.

Why Science and Experience Command That You Buy an "Assault Rifle".  It must be nice walking through life believing that the paradise the founders built here in North America is the natural state of man, and that we can therefore forgo the difficult and dangerous tasks associated with defending it.  But some of us don't have the luxury of illusions.  We know that peace and civilization are not the natural state of man, and that the black swan events that we have somehow convinced ourselves could never happen do happen with startling regularity.  And this is why you should buy guns and ammunition.

Students Across the Country Walk Out of School in Defense of Gun Rights.  Called "Stand for the Second," the demonstration was a response to the March 14 National School Walkout in support of gun control.  The idea was hatched by New Mexico high school senior Will Riley.  Riley told USA Today:  "I'm watching the news, and I see they're saying, 'We have to do something about this.  We have to enact some sort of gun control legislation because this is what the kids are asking for.'  And I'm thinking, 'I'm not asking for that.'  I look at my friends, and I think, 'They're not asking for that.'"  Riley says his event was for pro-Second Amendment students "who feel that they're being misrepresented by the media."

President Trump at NRA Convention:  Gun Rights Originate from God Not Government.  President Donald Trump took the podium at the NRA convention on May 4 amid massive applause, thanked NRA leadership and the "American patriots of the NRA," then launched into a speech reaffirming that our natural rights originate in God.  Trump said, "The people of his hall have never taken our freedom for granted, ever, and you've never stopped fighting for our constitution."  He talked of NRA members' commitment to fight for "our sacred rights, given to us by God."

Trump To Cheering NRA Crowd: 'Come And Take It'.  President Donald Trump gave a major shoutout to Texas during his speech to the National Rifle Association on Friday [5/4/2018].  Trump referenced Texas fighting for its independence, stating, "They had men all over the place, the [Santa Anna] army was big.  This time they were met by dozens of Texans, soldiers, settlers and ordinary citizens, who had rushed to Gonzalez to defend their rights and their freedom as Santa Anna's men watched from a distance, those brave Texans raised the flag for all to see."  The flag, Trump explained, had a cannon on it along with four words:  "Come and take it."

Eric Swalwell Unloads Gun Platform Liberals Really Want.  Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell of California wants to ban assault weapons, instate a federal gun buy-back program for those who own them and criminally prosecute those who refuse to hand them over.  The representative wrote an op-ed in USA Today Thursday [5/3/2018] rolling out what he feels is the gun control policy America should adopt, one that would take "military-style semiautomatic assault weapons" away from law-abiding citizens and threaten them with jail time if they refuse.

California Voters Oppose Arming Teachers to Shoot Back if Under Attack.  By a wide margin California voters support more gun control and oppose arming teachers to shoot back if under attack.  The opposition to armed teachers was uncovered via a Berkeley-IGS Poll and reported by the Sacramento Bee.  The poll found 61 percent of voters opposed arming teachers while only 37 percent supported it.  When viewed by political affiliation, 83 percent of Democrats opposed allowing teachers to be armed to protect themselves and their students, while 75 percent of Republicans supported the idea.

Effingham County, Illinois, Declares Itself 'Sanctuary County' — for Gun Owners.  By an 8-1 vote, the Effingham County (Illinois) Board has approved a resolution declaring the county a sanctuary for gun owners.  In a move mocking so-called "sanctuary cities" that refuse to enforce the nation's immigration laws, the resolution directs employees not to enforce laws that "unconstitutionally restrict the Second Amendment."

Boycott Yeti Movement Explodes:  Americans Shoot, Slice, Crush, Destroy Coolers.  On April 21 Breitbart News reported on a NRA-ILA statement which said Yeti Coolers had cut ties with the NRA Foundation.  The statement, written by former NRA president and USF executive director Marion Hammer, said, "Suddenly, without prior notice, YETI has declined to do business with The NRA Foundation saying they no longer wish to be an NRA vendor, and refused to say why.  They will only say they will no longer sell products to The NRA Foundation."

The NRA just broke a 15-year fundraising record.  As the student-led March for Our Lives movement captured the nation's attention in the weeks after the Parkland shooting, the other side of the gun control debate enjoyed a banner month of its own.  The National Rifle Association's Political Victory Fund raised $2.4 million from March 1 to March 31, the group's first full month of political fundraising since the nation's deadliest high school shooting on Valentine's Day, according to filings submitted to the Federal Elections Commission.  The total is $1.5 million more than the organization raised during the same time period in 2017, when it took in $884,000 in donations, and $1.6 million more than it raised in February 2018.

7 Forces Driving America Toward Civil War.  [#7] Gun Grabbing:  Liberals have fallen in love with the idea of ignoring the 2nd Amendment and confiscating all firearms.  The logistics of doing this in a nation with hundreds of millions of guns (many of which are off the books) when many police departments and tens of millions of Americans would not cooperate is seldom discussed.  Another thing that seldom seems brought up is that large numbers of conservatives would see this as a prelude to the government's use of force against the citizenry.  When it is discussed on the Left, there seems to be an assumption that lone resisters might get into firefights with dozens of police or soldiers, as opposed to ganging up with other formerly law-abiding Americans to waylay gun confiscators, politicians and anti-gun activists at THEIR HOMES in guerrilla actions that would be silently applauded and supported by hundreds of millions of Americans concerned about their freedom.  Confiscating guns is a dangerous and stupid idea that could in and of itself end our republic if a serious attempt were ever made to implement it.

Chipping Away at the Second Amendment.  The Democratically controlled New Jersey Assembly under Governor Phil Murphy has passed the following measures to tighten already stringent gun laws.  Murphy asserts that "he supports these measures as "a public health matter" and wants legislation to encourage the sale of so-called "smart guns" which use technology to restrict who can fire them." [...] It is ironic that Murphy is speaking against the backdrop of the JCRC (Jewish Community Relations Council), many of whom take a liberal stance and may not know the history of gun control and the Holocaust.

Peace Through Weakness — Vermont Governor Signs Gun Control Law Endangering Lives of His Constituents.  Last week, Vermont Governor Phil Scott hurriedly signed the state's first gun control laws in many decades.  He did this in violation of his repeated campaign promise that he would not support additional gun regulations.  One of the newly-passed gun-control laws limits rifle-magazines to 10 rounds of ammunition and handgun magazines to 15 rounds of ammunition.  Except for remaining in-state inventories, these so-called "high capacity" magazines, will no longer be available to Vermonters, effective immediately.  Ordinary Vermonters will no longer be able to import these magazines from neighboring New Hampshire, where such magazines are perfectly legal.  How Vermont will enforce this law to prevent a homicidal madman from bringing thirty round magazines into Vermont to do his worst, is not even questioned, but that is exactly who this feel-good law is supposed to deter.  Like most gun-control laws, this law will only affect the law-abiding.  Still, the politicians will pat themselves on their backs and imagine they "did something".

Minnesota Anti-Gun Bill Outs Owners, Strips All Second Amendment Rights.  Since the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, it seems that leftists across the United States have been competing to see who could pass the most oppressive gun control measures.  Though many states have proposed extremely restrictive measures for limiting the gun rights of law-abiding residents, it seems that Minnesota may hold the record.  To say that HF 3022 in Minnesota is an 'anti-Second Amendment' piece of legislation is an understatement.  If the bill, HF 3022, is passed in the state of Minnesota, it would make Minnesota's firearm regulations as strict, and in some ways MORE strict, than those in California.  It would allow the state to arbitrarily strip all Second Amendment rights from law-abiding citizens, and impose an oppressive burden on gun owners in the state of Minnesota.

Hey, Normal Americans, Don't Worry About Us Locking Up Your Guns.  [Scroll down]  Actually, the law is rather vague on locking up firearms not under direct control:  it almost looks as if all firearms have to be locked up with some sort of trigger lock at all times, including when carrying.  And, notice, fines on those who have had their property stolen.  We do not penalize people who have had other property stolen, such as motor vehicles, that are used to hurt other people.  This is all about trying to scare citizens into not exercising their Constitutional rights.

County Declares Sanctuary Status For Second Amendment Supporters, Outrage Ensues.  An Illinois county recently declared sanctuary status — for gun owners.  This is brilliant!  The Effingham County (Illinois) Board passed a resolution this week protecting their county from any laws from the state's capital that might abridge the Second Amendment.  Leftists and snarky, coffee cup liberal reporters who have probably never shot a gun are melting over the idea.  They're also insulting Americans who support it.  Apparently those in favor of Second Amendment sanctuaries are off the rails.

Video/Audio of Silencerco Maxim 9 on new Video platform GunStreamer.com.  [Here] is a link to a video/audio of the Silencerco Maxim 9 from the industry day at the range at the Shot Show in 2017.  The video is on a new platform GunStreamer.com, to compete with Youtube.  Youtube is actively demonitzing and marginalizing gun videos and gun writers.  This amounts to private censorship.  It has become particularly bad since Youtube was acquired by Google.  Google motto "Don't be Evil" seems particularly ironic.  The insurrection is going to have to find ways to get the message out against the forces of the empire/establishment.  Google is clearly one of the prime movers in the Establishment/empire.

Oklahoma Looks To Expand Stand Your Ground Laws To Places of Worship.  If there's one thing no man or woman should ever have to worry about, it's fear that the need to defend oneself will inhibit their actions at a critical moment.  Stand Your Ground laws were written to help mitigate that concern.  It's a legal requirement that doesn't give you permission to shoot first and ask questions later but instead removes any duty to try to get away from an attacker before acting in self-defense.  The laws have been somewhat controversial in some parts of the country, but they're an essential piece of legislation in a world where some people view self-defense as some kind of moral wrong.  In the state of Oklahoma, they've taken this reality as well as the horrors of Sutherland Springs, and come to a conclusion. [...]

New Jersey Makes Attempt To Expand Gun Laws To Surrounding States.  Individual states' rights exist due to differing opinions throughout the nation.  While all fifty states may hold different laws and beliefs, all fall under the protection of the U.S. Constitution, or at least they used to.  Most recently, liberal legislators in New Jersey began pushing for a law which would expand the state's overreaching gun laws into other, more gun-friendly states.  This is unsurprisingly motivated by the left's hatred for the National Rifle Association which is being blamed for recent shootings.  If passed, a travel ban would prevent "public workers and elected officials" from visiting 37 states if such travel is funded by the state.

Alabama rated top state for the gun industry, Rhode Island the worst.  Red Alabama is the best state for the firearms industry when it comes to factors such as jobs and gun culture, while blue Rhode Island is the worst, according to the jobs website Zippia.  The rankings reflect the sharp regional and political divide in the country on guns.  "A general rule of thumb emerged from the data — head south if you are looking to get one of as many as 141,500 jobs generated by companies that make, distribute, and sell guns," the website said.  The advice to head south also pertained to another 159,623 jobs in ancillary industries such as gun component suppliers.  But another "rule of thumb" is also apparent:  If you want a job in the gun industry, head into Trump country.

Woman declines to sing national anthem at minor league game because she can't bring her gun.  After being offered an opportunity to sing the national anthem before a Nevada minor league baseball game, a woman has decided to turn it down after learning that she can't bring her gun to the stadium.  Alishia Wolcott was picked by the Reno Aces to sing after she submitted an audition tape in March, she told Fox News.  But after she and her husband went to the stadium on Saturday to attend a game as spectators, they saw security included metal detector wands, which she claimed was a new measure this year.  "Upon walking up to the stadium we saw the normal bag checks, and past that were men stopping guests and using the wand metal detectors before entering the game, which was an action just implemented this baseball season," Wolcott said.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan Isn't the Sharpest Knife in the Drawer.  Recently, London's murder rate caught up with New York City's.  Which is weird, because there shouldn't be any murders in either city.  After all, both NYC and the UK have very strict gun laws.  As we've learned from our moral, ethical, and intellectual betters on the left, banning guns leads to fewer gun crimes.  (That's why the Secret Service doesn't carry them!)  So how is this happening?  How can such a gun-free utopia be so dangerous?  The answer will terrify you:  scary, evil KNIVES.

London Uses Knife "Stop and Frisk" and "Knife Wands" for Knife Control.  If only we were more like the Europeans and we opened our doors to terror migrants while banning anything that could be possibly used as a weapon.  London's murder rate has topped New York. [...] But those sensible Europeans have gun control.  Unlike the uncivilized American savages who occasionally do things even when the government would rather that they didn't.  So what's the problem?  Shockingly, murderers will kill people even when they don't have guns.  And before the invention of firearms, sharp, edged blades were in use.  But London is fighting back.  With knife control.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan targets knives as murder rate spikes: 'There is never a reason to carry a knife'.  London Mayor Sadiq Khan announced a tough crackdown on knives Sunday as the city reels from a spike in stabbings that have led its number of homicides to top New York City's for two straight months.  He tweeted:  "No excuses:  there is never a reason to carry a knife.  Anyone who does will be caught, and they will feel the full force of the law."

The Editor says...
Gun control doesn't work, and knife control won't work, either.

Dick's Sporting Goods will destroy assault-style rifles pulled from shelves.  When Dick's Sporting Goods said it would no longer sell modern sporting rifles at its Field & Stream stores following the Valentine's Day shooting at a Parkland, Florida, high school, one question was what would happen to the unsold firearms in its inventory.  Typically a retailer may return unsold merchandise to the manufacturer.  But in this case, Dick's Sporting Goods has decided to destroy them.

Hard Times Ahead For Gun Owners And Ammunition Buyers.  There is such a proliferation of gun control and ammunition control articles, commentaries, editorials and laws that it would be impossible to mention them all, let along discuss them.  Boulder has just announced a new assault weapons ban.  The LA Times advocates ammunition regulation, Smith & Wesson will soon be under pressure from its parent company, Black Rock Investment is pimping gun free investments, a recent challenge to the Massachusetts assault weapons ban has fallen, bump stocks will soon be illegal, the Las Vegas Sun is publishing letters advocating the confiscation of ammunition, and the News Tribune published a reader who wants to tax ammunition more heavily.

US interest in concealed carry permit training jumps 100 percent after Parkland.  In the 50 days since the Parkland, Florida shooting, companies and networks of firearm instructors that provide training for the permits in dozens of states have seen enquiries spike.  One company said it had even received more requests for training than after the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut.  "There's been a lot of shootings, unfortunately, in this country, but we've never seen a spike this big before, even with Newtown," Chris Schultrop, the CEO and co-founder of Minnesota-based concealed permit training network National Carry Academy (NCA), which works across 27 states, told The Independent.

Muslim Mayor of London Declares New 'Knife Control' Policies as Fatal Stabbings Soar.  The Muslim Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan declared a new knife control policy as stabbings in London soar to unprecedented levels.  This of course completely crushes the 'guns cause violence' narrative the left pushes since the UK has some of the strictest gun laws in the world.

Massachusetts' ban on assault weapons doesn't violate 2nd Amendment, judge rules.  A judge in Massachusetts on Friday [4/6/2018] ruled against a lawsuit that questioned the state's ban on assault weapons and large-capacity magazines, declaring that the weapons were not protected by the Second Amendment.  Assault weapons are considered to be military firearms, U.S. District Judge William Young said in his ruling, therefore disqualifying them from being included in a citizen's right to "bear arms."  Policy makers, rather than the courts, were better suited to decide on the regulation for the weapons, he said.

Most Guns Used in School Shootings Come From Home.  A striking detail stands out in nearly three decades of American mass school shootings:  The killers mostly use guns owned by a family member, not purchased on their own.

The 8 Most Twisted Policy Positions of Your Modern Democrat Party.  [#1] There's a growing push to repeal the Second Amendment among many influential liberals and members of the coastal T.V. glitterati, [...] According to a recent poll, 39 percent of Democrats support repealing the Second Amendment and 82 percent favor banning semi-automatic weapons.

Black Gun Owner's Epic Rant Against The Government Goes Viral.  On Tuesday [4/3/2018], while speaking during a city council meeting on curtailing gun violence, an African-American gun owner in North Carolina blasted government officials who want to restrict gun rights of law-abiding citizens.  The city council meeting was held to determine whether the community should cancel an upcoming gun show which is "held twice yearly at the Coliseum, a city-owned building," WFMY News reported.  "When are you all gonna start standing up for the majority? ... I'm the majority!  I'm a law-abiding citizen who's never shot anybody," Mark Robinson said.  [Video clip]

'Law-Abiding Citizens Are the Majority!': Gun Rights Advocate Takes on City Council.  In the wake of the Parkland high school massacre, a North Carolina city is debating whether a yearly gun and knife show should still be held this summer.  Though the city attorney said the city cannot cancel the event at Greensboro Coliseum, the council opened the discussion up for public debate Tuesday.  The conversation brought out passion on both sides, with critics claiming that the show "allow[s] people to take advantage of the gun show loophole and bypass background checks."

David Hogg Challenges Obama as Greatest Gun Salesman of All Time.  They thought that no one could unseat Barack Obama from his throne as the Greatest Gun Salesman of All Time.  Then came David Hogg, whom the media and Soros-backed professional left have been exploiting as their top tool in their war against the Constitution.  Shamelessly diverting rage over Parkland from where it belongs (refusal to deal with the mentally ill, insufficient security, inept and cowardly law enforcement) to the rights of law-abiding citizens has produced impressive results.

Now It Starts:  Grabbing Guns in Deerfield, Illinois.  We don't want to take your guns away, they said.  Just those awful "assault rifles," they said.  Everything else will be fine, they said.  Yeah, right.  Ask the gun owners in Deerfield, Illinois, about that.  On Monday [4/2/2018], the Village Board of Trustees of Deerfield, a northern Chicago suburb, voted unanimously to ban "assault weapons," and those who own them have until June 13 to get rid of them.  Otherwise they'll face a penalty of — get this — between $250 to $1000 per day.  That is, says village attorney Matthew Rose, until there is "compliance."

Gun Sales Soar As Leftists, Parkland Activists Demand More Gun Control.  When people fear supply may dwindle, demand rises higher than a feminist's screech at the confrontation of soap.  So the famous economical rule played out in March, when balloon-faced tweens whined about guns and the NRA, despite a series of galactic government screwups leading up to a shooting in Parkland, Florida.  The numbers on gun sales are in.  Looks like y'all purchased some weapons last month.

Gun Sales Soar, Set Record in March Amid Push for New Gun-Control Measures.  Last month saw the most gun-related background checks run by the Federal Bureau of Investigation of any March on record, documents released by the agency on Tuesday show.  With 2,767,699 checks conducted by the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) in March 2018, the month beats the previous record of 2,523,265 set in March 2016 by 244,434 checks.  That represents a 9.68 percent increase.  The March results put 2018 on pace to see more gun-related background checks than 2017, the second-best year on record, but still behind 2016, the best year on record.

Students Stage Walkout in Support of Second Amendment.  So maybe there is some hope for the next generation after all.  About 75 students at Rockledge High School in central Florida walked out of class in support of the Second Amendment on Friday [3/30/2018].  The students say they felt "silenced" last week when students walked out in support of gun control.

Rep. Debbie Dingell to Introduce Gun Confiscation Legislation.  Debbie Dingell (D-MI) used an April 2 Fox News Live appearance to announce that she is preparing to introduce legislation to create a federal law allowing firearm confiscation orders.  Such laws, generally referred to as Extreme Risk Protection Orders, are already in place in California, Indiana, Oregon, and other states, and Dingell believes the ability to seize firearms is crucial for pubic safety.  During [the] live broadcast Dingell said, "Fred Upton (R) and I are looking at introducing ... legislation ... at the national level."

Brazil Considers Easing Extreme Gun Law, Allowing Self Defense.  Brazil has extremely strict gun control laws, and relatively few firearms.  It is estimated there are about 17 million firearms in Brazil.  Only 5.4 million are legally owned by private parties.  2.2 million are owned by the military and police, and 9.5 million are illegally possessed. [...] Brazil has a very high murder rate.  Brazil's level of murder is currently about 39 per 100,000 people.  Brazil is in the top 20 nations for homicide in the world.

Bill passed to confiscate guns for domestic-violence misdemeanors.  New York gun owners convicted of misdemeanors in domestic-violence cases would have their firearms taken away under a bill lawmakers approved along with the new state budget.  Convicted felons already are barred from gun ownership in the state.  The new bill, promoted by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, would strip guns from people convicted of misdemeanor counts of assault, menacing, criminal contempt, unlawful imprisonment, aggravated harassment and similar charges if the victims are members of their family or their household.

Do states with stricter gun control laws have fewer gun deaths?  No.  Do they have fewer homicides and suicides?  Definitely not.  Do more gun control laws mean fewer firearm deaths?  Gun control advocates typically provide graphs looking across states that show more gun control laws related to fewer firearm deaths, but there are real problems with this approach.  A Boston University School of Public Health project is one of the latest to make the rounds in various news outlets.  Few academics look at such purely cross-sectional data, simply because it is impossible in that case to accurately account for differences across different places.

Train Teachers To Shoot Intruders.  The idea was pitched to me by men uniquely qualified to train those teachers willing to carry concealed weapons and confront armed intruders in schools.  One was father to a former student who'd done several tours in the Middle East as a Green Beret.  He was still doing three-month hitches in Afghanistan with his team of other highly-trained, contracted soldiers who would deploy for ninety days over there, then serve another ninety here in New England protecting courthouses, then back to Afghanistan, and so on.  When asked my opinion of their proposed enterprise I said it was a great concept, but public schools would never allow it, being almost completely staffed by anti-gun leftists who believe only stricter gun laws will prevent school shootings.  Maybe school officials have since taken a lesson observing Chicago over the interim five years where even with the strictest gun laws, almost as many young people are shot every weekend as were shot last week in Florida.

Dem Congressman: 'We Need Better Supreme Court Judges' To Interpret The Second Amendment.  Democratic Tennessee Rep. Steve Cohen remarked on CNN Wednesday [3/28/2018] that the United States needs "better Supreme Court judges" to make decisions on the Second Amendment.  CNN host Wolf Blitzer asked, "Do you think the Second Amendment to the Constitution should be repealed?"  "We need better Supreme Court judges who can interpret the Second Amendment in a way that is in keeping with what the American people want," Cohen answered.  "You know, I think that there's a right to bear arms of individuals to protect their homes, and I passed a right to carry bill when I was a state senator because people ought to have a right to protect their home."

David Hogg would've made a good brownshirt.  Hogg would've made a pretty decent brownshirt back in the pre-World War II day.  Those are the National Socialist party people who ran around Germany strong-arming and bullying and intimidating the general populace into accepting the goals of the Nazi organization.  Not saying Hogg's one now — goodness, no.  There are advertisers to consider, of course.  Just saying his demeanor, his rhetoric, his whiney demands, his illogical views of the Second Amendment, his refusal to consider facts and historical truths over emotionally charged screams — all that, added up and considered, suggests he may have missed his calling by a few decades, and an Atlantic Ocean.

Gun-grabbing geezers.  Over the last several weeks I've talked to several people about guns.  Without fail, every one has been surprised to learn that young people are the less supportive of gun-grabbing than old folks are.  Reuters-Ipsos polling shows it and the GSS corroborates.  The major media's mendacity strikes again — though in fairness, NPR (!) has given it some attention.

NC sheriff hopeful apologizes for joke about taking guns away from people's 'cold, dead hands'.  A Democratic candidate for sheriff in North Carolina apologized Sunday for a joke about taking guns away from people's "cold, bare hands."  R. Daryl Fisher, who is seeking the Democratic Party's nomination in the upcoming primary election for Buncombe County sheriff, has come under criticism following his remarks at a monthly Moms Demand Action meeting for gun control earlier this month.  During his short speech, where he expressed support for banning high-capacity magazines and "any weapon that's designed for use by the military," he joked about taking away guns once people are dead.

Yes, Gun Control Advocates Do Want To Take Away Your Guns — Just Ask John Paul Stevens.  In a New York Times op-ed, former Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens flat out calls for repealing the 2nd Amendment.  While his reasoning makes one wonder how he got on the Court in the first place, he does expose the true agenda of gun control advocates.

Dem Lawmaker:  We Don't Want To Confiscate Guns, We Want To 'Seize' Them.  A Georgia state lawmaker said she didn't want to take guns away from Americans, but she also supports legislation that would seize guns from Americans.  Likely missing a dictionary and basic common sense, Erica Thomas still expects us to believe that the government isn't coming for our guns.  During an interview with Tucker Carlson, Thomas claims to not be talking about "taking the guns from law-abiding citizens, I'm talking about a ban on assault rifles.  We are not trying to promote a militia.  What war are we going at that we need assault rifles?"  But Carlson quotes the bill Thomas herself said she supported, which states, "The Georgia Bureau of Investigation shall seize and take possession of any assault weapon, large capacity magazine, armor piercing bullet or incendiary fifty caliber bullet."  Carlson then asks how that confiscation will be received by hundreds of thousands of law-abiding gun owners in her state and in typical democrat fashion, can't answer what a "seizure" of guns from law-abiding citizens who don't want to give up their morally acquired property would look like.

Every Word Liberals Say About Guns Is A Lie.  Let's start out with a basic premise — if you are a healthy, law-abiding American citizen you should own, and be proficient with, effective firearms and have sufficient ammunition on hand to act to defend yourself, your family, your community, and your Constitution.  That's what free people do.  Of course, it's the people who don't have those tools — backed up by the random goofy vet who tweets pics of himself turning in his personal weapons to baffled and embarrassed law enforcement officers — who want to take your firearms from you.  Which presents certain practical difficulties when push comes to shove.

The Anti-Constitution Party:  Justice Stevens a chilling reminder of the importance of judicial appointments.  [Scroll down]  The Constitution is a compact between "we the people" and the government to form a "more perfect union" that establishes a shared responsibility for our common defense.  Nothing is more basic — or more sacred — than self-preservation, the right to ensure one's own personal security.  The Constitution provides assurances that our own beings and property will be protected both against arbitrary intrusion by our government and from invasions and domestic violence.  To deny a law-abiding person the means to defend himself or herself and family is to deprive that person of "life, liberty and property" in violation of the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution.  Of course, like any right, the Second Amendment is subject to reasonable regulation to protect the community from dangerous abuses.  Society certainly has a vested interest in keeping guns out of the hands of hardened criminals and the mentally ill, for example.  However, that's a far cry from eviscerating an individual's inherent right to possess arms altogether, which would happen if Mr. Stevens and his fellow anti-gun rights activists have their way.

Here We Go... Louisiana Democrat Party Leader Calls for Repealing the Second Amendment.  Karen Carter Peterson is a Democrat in the Louisiana State Senate.  Peterson is also the current Chair of the Louisiana Democratic Party.

No One Is Saying That.  Did you hear?  They're talking about repealing the Second Amendment.  It started with former Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens and George Washington University Law Professor Jonathan Turley.  And it sure does seem like those calls prompted skeptics of American gun culture to echo their remarks.  Turley and Stevens were joined this week by op-ed writers in the pages of Esquire and the Seattle Times.  Democratic candidates for federal office have even enlisted in the ranks of those calling for an amendment to curtail the freedoms in the Bill of Rights.  Of course, this is just the most mainstream invocation of anti-Second Amendment themes that have been expressed unashamedly for years, from liberal activists like Michael Moore to conservative opinion writers at the New York Times. [...] You might be surprised to learn that none of this occurred.  It's only your vivid or, some might go so far as to say, fevered imagination.  Rest assured, CNN host Chris Cuomo insists that "no one" is calling for the repeal of the Second Amendment.  And even if they are, as Justice Stevens most certainly is, he's a "boogeyman" who commands no influence or respect.

Justice Stevens' Dishonest Attack On The Second Amendment Must Be Taken Seriously.  Former Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens has an op-ed in the New York Times today where he agrees that the case against firearms made by a crew of ill-bred cretinous teens is so powerful that the Second Amendment should be abolished.  There is a lot wrong with the article.  The errors are so glaring that it is hard to attribute them to mere carelessness and not to a deliberate attempt to deceive.

Democrats Want To Repeal The First And Second Amendments.  Retired Supreme Court Associate Justice John Paul Stevens, a liberal appointed by establishment Republican President Gerald R. Ford, yesterday penned an op-ed in the New York Times calling for the repeal of the Second Amendment.  Calling the Second Amendment a "relic of the 18th century" Stevens wrote that the "March for Our Lives" demonstrators "should seek more effective and more lasting reform.  They should demand a repeal of the Second Amendment."  This call for the repeal of the Second Amendment is a significant extension of Justice Stevens' previous position stated in his judicial opinions and even his 2014 book "Six Amendments:  How and Why We Should Change the Constitution" wherein he suggested that the Second Amendment be rewritten to read:  ["]A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms when serving in the Militia shall not be infringed.["]  Liberal-leaning pundits were quick to embrace Stevens' call for repeal, and polling shows that there is significant support for such a move among Democrats.

What Frightens the Left Most?  The Constitution.  The Left — which is by turns both malevolent and cowardly, and therefore both tantalized by and fearful of firearms — has never made its hostility toward the Second Amendment a secret, but for decades it was able to keep it under wraps during the half-century or more between the effective closing of the borders to immigration in 1921 and the passage of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, known as the Hart-Celler Act but today chiefly remembered as Ted Kennedy's lasting gift to the American people.  That period saw the rise of urban ethnic gangsters (mostly Irish, Italians, and Jews, immigrants or children of immigrants, and thus "foreign" to largely Protestant America) and of the indigenous Midwestern bank robbers being chased around the prairies by the FBI, both groups long since tamed and romanticized.  When, in 1939, the Supreme Court ruled in United States v. Miller that a certain kind of sawed-off shotgun could be banned, and cited the Second Amendment's subordinate "militia" clause as its justification, few kicked about it, because by then gangland had been largely cornered and the country was at peace.  The Miller decision was effectively overturned in 2008 by the Supreme Court's decision in District of Columbia v. Heller, which finally got around to adjudicating and establishing the individual right aspect of the amendment.

Trump and the Great Unmasking of the Left.  Former Justice John Paul Stevens, once upon a time a Republican but now a long term beltway establishmentarian, openly called for repeal of the Second Amendment.  Not "common sense gun control measures" anymore, the mask that gun grabbers formerly wore.  It used to be taboo to mention confiscation of guns or repeal of any part of the Bill of Rights, but in their fury, those restraints on candor are being forgotten.  The NRA, already experiencing a spike in its membership, now has an even stronger appeal to civil libertarians.  "Hands off the Bill of Rights!" is a powerful appeal beyond the ranks of gun owners.

No, The 'March For Our Lives' Isn't Defining A Generation.  Nothing changed on Saturday.  It was another in a long line of manufactured moments playing at being transformative.  It was, as Shakespeare put it, "A tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing."  A miniscule number of teenagers grabbed our attention, as has happened before.  But the story of the future will be made by the millions more, outside the spotlight, who will continue to be Americans desirous of their rights.

'March for Our Lives' Leaders Deny They Want to Repeal Second Amendment.  Leaders of the "March for Our Lives" anti-gun protest movement scrambled Tuesday [3/27/2018] to distance themselves from an op-ed in the New York Times by former Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens calling for the Second Amendment to be repealed.  In the op-ed, Stevens wrote that in the wake of last weekend's nationwide protests, "the demonstrators should seek more effective and more lasting reform.  They should demand a repeal of the Second Amendment."

Gun Control March Organizer Backs Out of Debate with Pro-Second Amendment Parkland Student.  Gun control march organizer Cameron Kasky announced Monday that he is backing out of a debate with pro-Second Amendment Kyle Kashuv.  Kasky and Kashuv are both Parkland students and were planning to debate because they hold opposing views on the Second Amendment.  Fox News reports that Kasky pulled out of the debate because Kashuv was critical of a student who complained about a proposed requirement for students to use clear (transparent) backpacks to prevent people from sneaking weapons into school unseen.

Al Sharpton's Brother Charged in Shooting Murder — One Day After Participating in Anti-Gun March.  Rev. Kenneth Glasgow was charged in shooting murder the day after he participated in the local anti-gun march.  Rev. Kenneh is Al Sharpton's half-brother from Alabama.

Al Sharpton's half-brother charged in murder after marching against guns.  The half-brother of Rev. Al Sharpton, also an activist whose group participated in Saturday's anti-gun March For Our Lives, has been charged in a Sunday shooting death in Dothan, Ala.  Dothan police said that Rev. Kenneth Glasgow was the driver in a car linked to the murder of 23-year-old Breunia Jennings of Dothan by passenger Jamie Townes, 26.

Planned Parenthood helped organize the "March For Our Lives".  On last night's [3/26/2018] episode of Off The Cuff Declassified, Hollywood Conservative Amanda Head joined me to discuss the far-left big money backers of the "March For Our Lives".  Buzzfeed and TruthRevolt have revealed that Everytown USA (an anti-gun advocacy group), MoveOn.Org, and Planned Parenthood all contributed to the organization of the marches.

Beyond Guns:  Democrats Introduce Bullet Control Bill.  In the wake of the "March For Our Lives" rally Saturday, and with no legislative appetite for more gun control laws, Democrats in both the House and Senate have introduced a bill requiring background checks for purchasing bullets.  "You do not have the right to bear bullets," said Congresswoman and former Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz at a press conference Monday announcing the introduction of a bill that would require instant background checks to purchase ammunition.

The Stupidity of the 'March For Our Lives'.  They have sucked up nearly every available second of possible air time on CNN & MSNBC (while obviously avoiding actual journalism.)  They've also had ample amounts of cash and exposure thrown their way.  Saturday's march was to be the pinnacle of this outrage movement that has largely been propped up by false pretense.  These young people — immediately thrown into one of the most manipulated controversies of our time — are angry, opportunistic and — just a month after their classmates were needlessly lost — now instant celebrities.  Even though they have little more than a junior high level of education under their belt.  The political left, driven by a leftist media, and financed by uber-rich and hard-left celebrities are willing to use them, and to continue to use them to advance their socialist utopia ideals.  (One of the primary ideas of which has always included disarming the masses.)

March for Our Lives Speeches Focus on New Gun Ban, Magazine Restrictions.  The March for Our Lives rally in Washington, D.C., held on Saturday [3/24/2018] focused mainly on calls for a new ban of certain guns and ammunition magazines.  A series of emotional and passionate speeches bookmarked by performances from celebrities, students, and activists called for a number of sweeping new gun-control proposals as a response to the shooting in Parkland, Fla., which left 17 dead.  The speeches focused heavily on banning America's most popular rifle, the AR-15, and similar firearms as well as banning so-called high-capacity magazines, though details on what the protesters believe constitutes a "high-capacity" magazine were sparse.  The crowd, which CBS News estimated to be 200,000 — or less than half what the organizers requested space for in their permit application — was filled with signs advocating for a new ban on "assault weapons."

The Religious Texture Of The Gun Control Movement.  [Scroll down]  Reuters is lying.  The students didn't organize anything.  Everytown is organizing and managing the entire process.  The students are just being used.  The lie notwithstanding, make no mistake about what's happening here.  This is a religious quest for them.  The language ("warriors of the light") has very direct theological import.  This is a worship service, and they wanted to have the high priests of paganism there to preach sermons to them. [...] Their religion is collectivism, and their god is the state.  You're on notice that they've declared war on you.

Dem Rep Wasserman Schultz Introduces Legislation Requiring Background Checks on Ammunition Buyers.  Monday, Miami NBC affiliate WTVJ reported on Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz's (D-FL) news conference announcing the Ammunition Background Check Act of 2018, which was legislation requiring background checks to purchase ammunition.  Surrounded by students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Wasserman Schultz said, "Unlike firearm purchases, someone who wants to go into a store that sells ammunition can buy as much ammunition as they want without so much as being asked their first name."

Candidate for Sheriff in N.C. 'Jokes' About Taking Guns From Cold, Dead Hands.  A Democrat candidate's joke about taking guns from the cold, dead hands of gun owners may have played well with his liberal audience in Asheville, N.C., earlier this month, but a widely-shared video of the crack has since fallen flat with thousands of Second Amendment supporters.  Daryl Fisher, who is running for sheriff in Democrat-heavy Buncombe County, N.C., made the comment after talking about the types of gun restrictions he favors during a meeting with the Michael Bloomberg-funded anti-gun group Moms Demand Action on March 7.  Fisher told the group that he wants to see the age requirement for people to purchase firearms raised to 21 and said that gun owners should be subjected to mandated proficiency testing every year.  He also advocated that concealed carry permit holders only be allowed to carry the firearm they trained with.

The Editor says...
The mandatory annual proficiency test is an idea I haven't heard before.  Obviously this would be a way to compel every gun owner to report for testing (and mug shots and fingerprinting?) on a frequent basis.  Oh, and presumably your gun would be taken away if your child support isn't paid up, or you have an outstanding warrant, or you haven't paid your tollway bill.  Anyone who believes otherwise is not familiar with the left's affinity for incrementalism, whereby they get an innocuous law in place and they expand its scope year after year until it does what they wanted in the first place.

Emma Gonzalez Injects Irony Overload.  Saturday's March for Our Lives was a phony spectacle, but a glimpse of reality showed through when teenage totalitarian Emma Gonzalez took the stage to bark moonbattery on behalf of the liberal media establishment that granted her 15 minutes of fame.  Her jacket prominently featured the flag representing the communist regime that rules Cuba.  This regime produced a folk hero for leftists, Ernesto "Che" Guevara, who was Fidel Castro's chief executioner before dying of poetic justice before an extrajudicial Bolivian firing squad.

Gun maker Remington files for bankruptcy.  Firearms manufacturer Remington Outdoor Company has filed for bankruptcy protection in the face of falling sales and lawsuits stemming from the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, the Wall Street Journal reported Sunday night [3/25/2018].  According to the Journal, Remington announced that it would file for Chapter 11 last month but the actual filing was delayed after the Feb. 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. that killed 17 people.

Rapper Killer Mike to 'Progressive' Gun Grabbers: 'You're not Woke,' and 'You're Going to Progress Us into Slavery'.  While students and activists geared up to march in Washington, D.C., and across the country in support of new restrictions on the Second Amendment, rapper Killer Mike warned that gun control is way the progressive left can return black Americans to slavery.  In an interview with NRATV's Colion Noir, Killer Mike explained how the left equates gun control with progress and observed, "[They are] going to progress us into slavery."  In the lead-up to the March 14 school walk out for gun control, Killer Mike said he told his kids, "I love you, but if you walk out that school walk out my house."

March For Our Lives: A Report From Gotham.  The New York rally brimmed with our-lives histrionics.  "The adults failed us and now 17 people are dead," Meghan Bonner, a Parkland student, told the crowd from a platform at West 61st Street.  According to the New York Post, Bonner wept as she recalled the shooting that has sparked a nationwide outcry.  "I want to see change," Bonner said.  Don't we all, Meghan.  Megan and the great majority of marchers are ignorant pawns of politically ambitious celebrities who seem eager to turn citizens into leftist believers.  I know some marchers.  One is a child-protective Upper West Side feminist Tiger Mom, daily fighting gun violence, racism, President Trump, and all things Republican with soul and heart.  This righteous mom and others like her simply cannot — will not — process the obvious:  that gun violence is to a large degree a ghetto thing.  Illegal handguns in black hands — not crazy white boys — are the nation's major killing machine.  (Ironically, Hollywood is doing its best through its seductive video games and entertainments to turn low-wattage white boys and everyone else into sociopaths.)

Who Runs March for Our Lives?  Follow the money.  It's a strange political fact, but nearly every major anti-gun group has been a front group. [...] Everytown for Gun Safety was formed out of two other groups:  Moms Demand Action and Mayors Against Illegal Guns.  Both are actually front groups for Michael Bloomberg, the lefty billionaire and former boss of the Big Apple, who used New York City resources to host at least one of its websites.  So Everytown is really New York City.  March for Our Lives is on every cable channel, but who runs it?  The photogenic teen fronts are out front.  But it's obvious to everyone that a bunch of teens don't have the resources and skills to coordinate a nationwide movement.  Instead it's the experienced activists who are actually running things.

Obama's third term.  The sudden anti-gun marches by children is not happenstance.  Liberals are as spontaneous as a wedding.  This was planned.  They wanted the right shooting.  They will wait years for one. [...] Liberals seek flawed cases because they want to give conservatives traction to oppose them because liberals want to battle.  All the time.  On all fronts because what liberals seek is power, and they know the power of the state peaks in times of chaos and turmoil.  The Parkland high school shooting was a classic case of government inaction.  The school didn't institutionalize him.  The FBI did not check out tips.  The sheriff's deputy didn't enter the building.  And so on.  This was the tragedy they were hoping for because this incident had so many gray areas.

Pennsylvania District Equips Classrooms with Buckets of Rocks to Stone Mass Shooters.  Schuylkill County officials are equipping classrooms with buckets of rocks to stone mass shooters.  Dr. David Helsel made the announcement this week in Harrisburg.

The Editor says...
Let the one who is without a clue cast the first stone.

Children's Crusade?  No, It's Worse.  Charlie Kirk, the President of Turning Point USA, waded into the D.C. crowd of lefty protesters to ask a simple question:  What is an assault rifle?  The results were predictably amusing:  [Video clip]

Was Gun Control Rally Just A Big Voter Registration Drive?  These rallies that erupt because of current events are part of our reality and conservatives have to step up their game to counter those with different political philosophy.  The other side is organized and motivated.

Militant Moonbats Call for Banning Assault Weapons, Don't Know What They Are.  Any moonbat who took part in the March  Against the Constitution  for Our Lives spectacle can tell you that assault weapons must be banned.  What these fools cannot tell you is what an assault weapon is:  [Video clip]

March for Our Lives D.C. Unfolds as Anti-Trump, Anti-Gun, Get-Out-the-Liberal-Vote Rally.  The thousands of people who took part in the March for Our Lives protest along Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, DC, on Saturday carried signs revealing their anti-gun, anti-Trump, and pro-left wing agenda.  The event was launched by students at the Parkland, Florida high school where 17 people were shot and killed last month by a former student with a long history of mental health issues and run-ins with law enforcement.  But in a matter of days, left wing and gun control groups hijacked the march and transformed it into a turn out-the-liberal-vote rally.

Parkland massacre survivor who champions the Second Amendment leads counter protests.  While his schoolmates from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School were leading the March for Our Lives and demanding stricter gun laws, Kyle Kashuv emerged as the voice of counter-demonstrators arguing for the Second Amendment.  Kashuv, a survivor of the February 14 massacre in Parkland, Florida, went on Fox News on Saturday [3/24/2018] and criticized the demonstrations as 'anti-Republican.'  'I saw this [march] as extremely anti-GOP,' he told Fox News.  'One of the biggest causes of this march is to be anti-Republican.'

Parkland survivor Kyle Kashuv:  March for Our Lives [was] meant to be anti-Republican.  Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School student Kyle Kashuv said the March for Our Lives in Washington, D.C., Saturday was meant to be "anti-Republican."  "I saw this [march] as extremely anti-GOP," Kashuv told Fox News after attending the event.  "One of the biggest causes of this march is to be anti-Republican." [...] Kashuv, a junior, said [fellow student David] Hogg was engaging in "egregious and inflammatory" rhetoric.  "Guns aren't the issue.  It's everything surrounding acquiring a weapon," Kashuv said.  "I talked to so many marchers and they don't have a clear-cut solution.  And it pains me not to see the government being held accountable for their failures.  I don't see anyone blaming Sheriff Scott Israel for failing to do what he was supposed to do."

High School Sophomore Goes Viral For Smacking Down #MarchForOurLives With Simple History Lesson.  CJ Pearson, a 15-year-old high school sophomore, is going viral for a history lesson on the Second Amendment directed at his peers who were attending the March For Our Lives.  The well-spoken Georgia teen's video has been viewed nearly 40,000 times.  [Video clip]

6 Reasons Why The AR-15 Is Actually Ideal For Self-Defense.  The AR-15 may well be the most vilified rifle in existence at the moment, possibly even more so than the Soviet-designed AK-47.  This is especially true following several incidents where bad people did bad things with the rifle in question.  As per usual following such incidents, politicians begin clamoring for the rifle to be banned.  They use all kinds of rhetoric to paint the firearm as some kind of evil murder-death-kill machine that serves no other purpose except to end lives.  This usually comes from the same people who claim that the most recent gunman, armed with a Glock, didn't have a semiautomatic weapon.  Yeah.  Anyway, many of these folks — including at least one former vice president of the United States — have said that all you need for self-defense in your home is a shotgun.  Unfortunately, this just isn't the case.  The AR-15 is a great weapon for self-defense, and there are a number of reasons why.

Celebrity chi-chi cavalcade joins in on the kids' march.  People are tuning out to Hollywood based on knowledge that they are going to get lectured about politics from its denizens.  The decline of box office returns and viewership at Hollywood awards shows points to it.  A lot of people hate politics, too, when the Hollywood chi-chi crowd turns up. [...] But Hollywood doesn't read markets and neither do most political activists.  So amid the massive hype of the March for Our Lives youth rally on gun control, who should show up but the full celebrity cavalcade.

March for Our Lives Protesters Trash Streets of D.C. After Gun Control Rally.  Thousands of protesters at the March for Our Lives in Washington, DC, Saturday packed the streets holding signs promoting an anti-gun agenda, but many of them left those signs out in the cold after the march.  The signs that the self-described socially conscious protesters held up high during the march, along with countless other items of trash, were littered on the streets of D.C. like old rags.

Let's Talk About Chicago And Handguns.  It seems fairly evident that nobody on the gun control side of the aisle wants to have a serious talk about guns and gun violence.  What they want is an easy win.  They want to cast the National Rifle Association as the epitome of evil.  An army of children is marching on Washington this weekend, and they want to take semi-automatic rifles away, specifically, the spooky AR-15 rifle.  If they were actually serious about gun violence, they'd be talking about places like Chicago and they'd lobby for further regulation of or outright ban on the sale of handguns.  Yes, the real numbers actually show rifles are among the safest firearms for an American to own.  According to the FBI, Americans are roughly 20 times more likely to die at the end of a handgun.

'March for Our Lives' gun control rally to draw thousands across US.  Just days after the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, which killed 17 people, students-turned-activists echoed the words "never again" and "not one more," pushing lawmakers for increased gun control and better school safety.  Many of the Parkland students, who have primarily taken to social media to champion these issues, have met with President Trump and Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., among others to demand action.  One shooting survivor Cameron Kasky, a junior at the high school, wrote an op-ed about his experience, demanding Congress to take action.  Other Parkland shooting survivors have organized events.

Actors at Casting Call Are Surprised by Real Gun Facts They're Asked to Read.  Here is what happens when people on both sides of the gun conversation in America are able to be heard.  The producers of this video had a variety of actors cold read statistical truths about guns and crime in the United States.  Much of this is known to pro-Second Amendment advocates but not to the general public.  It is difficult to have a fact-based conversation when the largely uninformed anti-gun left is running around screaming "ASSAULT WEAPONS" all of the time and the media is always there to amplify their panic.  One of the younger actors admits that he just "blindly chose a side" in the gun debate.  Another says she is now inspired to do more research.  At the very minimum, the video is full of good information for pro-Second Amendment people.

No, Citigroup, you must bake the gay wedding cake.  Credit card oligarch Citigroup thinks it can block the sale of guns.  Nope.  It's a legal transaction.  I am pretty sure that the courts will tell the bank to stick to banking, and disarm its politicking.  But for fun's sake, what if Citigroup were not in the pocket of the Democratic Party (huge supporters of presidential candidates the Clintons) and decided not to extend credit for late-term abortions?  Or better yet, what if Citigroup blocked abortions for people under 21?  Or best of all, what if Citigroup stopped all transactions with Planned Parenthood, including donations?

Dick's Sporting Goods Sales Sink After New Gun Policy.  Dick's Sporting Goods has suffered a surprisingly steep downturn in sales since promising to sell fewer guns, but the problem isn't the gun sales, Fortune says.  Stock tumbled to the lowest in four months after the sports store banned assault-style weapons from its Field & Stream stores and raised the minimum age for a customer to buy a firearm from 18 to 21.

Citigroup wants retail clients to restrict gun sales.  Citigroup is imposing restrictions on corporate clients that sell or manufacture guns, the first major bank to impose limits on gun sellers following a national outcry for gun control.  Citi is requiring that corporate and small business clients restrict sales to people under 21 and pass background checks, and not sell high capacity magazines or bump stocks, Michael Corbat, the CEO, said in an internal memo obtained by The [New York] Post.  "It makes a good headline, but we don't have any way to see the numbers around it," Brian Kleinhanzl, a bank analyst at KBW, told The [New York] Post.

The Second Amendment rights of more than 4 million Americans are at risk thanks to Republicans in Congress.  Just before President Obama left office, his administration finalized new regulations banning Social Security recipients from buying a gun if they have trouble managing their finances.  About 10 percent of all people 65 and older risked being classified as "financially incompetent" — about 4.2 million in all.  Using the Congressional Review Act, Republicans and two Democrats passed a bill overturning the regulation.  But the bill did more than that.  It also prevents any future president from reinstituting the ban without new legislative authorization from Congress.  Unfortunately, the spending bill passed Thursday [3/22/2018] allows the ban to be reinstituted because it reauthorizes the 2007 National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) Improvement Amendments Act.

Barack and Michelle Obama go all in behind Parkland students' gun control campaign.  Former President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama penned a letter to the students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School heralding them for their efforts to get new gun laws passed.

YouTube Bans Firearms Channels.  Those who follow firearms, shooting, and tactical channels on YouTube know about the travails of Hickok45 on YouTube.  Venerable and old school, Hickok45 tests and comments on firearms manufacturers send him.  Sometimes he shoots his own firearms, but always, he shoots, comments and often provides history and mechanical commentary on the machines he is using.  Sometimes it is with admiration, sometimes slight disdain, but always honest and interesting.  Hickok45 met with disapproval from some redditors when he supported the NRA in light of the compromises the NRA recommended (e.g., bump stocks, enhanced background checks), but being a former LEO and old school like he is, I wouldn't have expected anything else from him.  Just as interesting to me is Jeff Quinn of Gunblast, especially when shooting and commenting on revolvers, but always interesting.

6 Reasons Gun Control Will Not Solve Mass Killings.  [#6] Australia did not "eliminate mass public shootings" by banning assault weapons.  Mass shootings in the country were rare before the 1996 National Firearms Act, and multiple-casualty shootings still occur.  Before 1996, firearms crimes in Australia rarely involved firearms prohibited under the National Firearms Act, suggesting that any change in firearm-related crimes or deaths was not due to the law.  Further, Australia did not see a reduction in "mass murders."  In the years immediately following enactment of the National Firearms Act, the country experienced six mass murders in which five or more people were killed — they just were not killed with guns.

Teacher Punished for Questioning Anti-gun Walkout.  A California teacher questioned Wednesday's [3/14/2018] national anti-gun school walkout — then found herself in the cross hairs, being told not to come to work that day at all.  The story began last week when Julianne Benzel, a history teacher at Rocklin High School in Rocklin, California, questioned the double standard reflected in the protest.  She stated that it was wrong for the school to support one walkout if they weren't willing to support those associated with other causes, such as one against prenatal infanticide (she used the common term "abortion").  Benzel's young charges didn't disagree.  "I didn't get any backlash from my students," she said.  "All my students totally understood that there could not be a double standard," related CBS Sacramento.  But her school was a different story.  As CBS also reported, "Benzel received a letter from her human resources department, informing her she's being placed on paid administrative leave."

Here Are 8 Stubborn Facts on Gun Violence in America.  [#5]  Higher rates of gun ownership are not associated with higher rates of violent crime.  Switzerland and Israel have much higher gun ownership rates than the United States but experience far fewer homicides and have much lower violent crime rates than many European nations with strict gun control laws.  While some will argue that the guns carried by Swiss and Israeli citizens are technically "owned" by the government in most cases, this does little to negate the fact that many citizens in those countries have ready access to firearms.  Canada is ranked 12th in the world for the number of civilian-owned guns per capita and reports one of the world's lower homicide rates — but even then, some provinces have higher homicide rates than U.S. states with less restrictive laws and higher rates of gun ownership have.

FBI testimony confirms Obama DOJ ordered 500,000 fugitives purged from background check database.  While Democrats throw tantrums over who should and shouldn't have guns, it seems the Obama administration was pretty adept at getting weapons into the hands of some people.  Acting FBI deputy director David Bowdich confirmed that it was a decision made under the direction of the Obama administration that led to more than half a million fugitives with outstanding arrest warrants to have their names removed from a national database.

Yes, They Do Want To Take Your Guns Away.  Every time the issue of gun control comes up and America goes to war with itself over the preservation of the Second Amendment, I get a slew of leftists and uneducated statists popping up in my mentions and comments sections telling me that no one is trying to take our guns.  But they absolutely are.  In their braver moments, when they think all the momentum is with them, they straight up admit it.

Beto O'Rourke Just Showed Everyone How To Lose An Election In Texas.  There are two ways to guarantee you'll lose a statewide election in Texas: campaign for abortion or campaign against guns.  Texas Democrats accomplished the first in 2014, when Wendy Davis lost the governor's race to Greg Abbott by 20 points.  Now they're determined to do the second.  Beto O'Rourke, the photogenic Democratic congressman from El Paso hoping to unseat Republican Sen. Ted Cruz in November, declared at a SXSW event Monday [3/12/2018] that there's no reason an AR-15 should be sold to a civilian.

Why Democrats Would Lose the Second Civil War, Too.  It's obvious that the central tenet of the Democrat Party platform is now hatred and contempt for Normal Americans.  Taking their cue from the elites in Europe and Canada who are stripping dissenters of their free speech rights and religious freedoms, the leftist elite is moving to solidify its hold on power here with the eager assistance of tech companies and the moral support of the Fredocons who yearn to return to pseudo-relevance as the ruling class's slobberingly loyal opposition.  In California, the leftist government is practically firing on Fort Sumter.  And nationally, these aspiring fascists are especially eager to disarm Normal Americans — doing so would be an object lesson in who's the boss, as well as solving that frustrating problem of the Normals having the ability to resist.  Probably because I've spent time where they actually had a civil war, many people ask me — people whose names you know — whether I think this turmoil will all end in a Second Civil War.  They are seriously concerned, and not without cause — the left's hatred for Normal Americans and its dedication to totally stripping the people who are the backbone of this country of their ability to participate in their own governance is threatening to rip the country apart.

Think They'll Never 'Come and Take' Your Guns Without an Armed Revolt?  Think Again.  The recent gun control debate ignited by last month's tragedy in Parkland, Florida, has liberals trotting out what has become a favorite Leftist talking point — Australia's 1996 National Agreement on Firearms, an act which, among other things, severely restricted semi-automatic rifles after after a similarly horrific mass shooting.  Liberals consider the cornerstone of the law, a massive forced gun buyback program, a "common sense" approach to what might otherwise be perceived by gun owners as an unwelcome curtailing of traditional American freedoms.  Sure, the government may be forcing gun owners to make the transaction, but exchanging money for items IS capitalism, right?  And it sure beats the alternative, a Communist-style door-to-door roundup of weapons that both sides agree would likely lead to civil war.

Cruz challenger Beto O'Rourke wants to ban the AR-15.  Giving an interview at the SXSW conference in Austin Texas over the weekend, the Democratic nominee opposing Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said American civilians should not be permitted to buy an AR-15 rifle.  El Paso Rep. Beto O'Rourke, D-Texas, is proud of his campaign's claim that he shuns political action committee (PAC) money.  He criticized Senator Cruz for taking $300,000 from the National Rifle Association and boasted that his campaign has taken $0 from the NRA.

DOJ Reclassifies Bump Fire Stocks as Machine Guns.  In the post-Parkland hysteria, President Trump directed the Department of Justice to perform some regulatory legerdemain where bump fire stocks are concerned.  The ATF had long ago passed on the stocks, deeming them perfectly legal accessories for semi-automatic rifles.  Now, in a Saturday morning move apparently meant to fly under the radar ... ["]The U.S. Department of Justice formally submitted a regulation on Saturday [3/10/2018] to ban 'bump stocks,' a modification to high-capacity rifles that lets them fire like an automatic weapon.["]

Department of Justice moves to ban bump stocks, classifying them as 'machine guns' under federal law.  The U.S. Department of Justice formally submitted a regulation on Saturday to ban "bump stocks," a modification to high-capacity rifles that lets them fire like an automatic weapon.  President Donald Trump signed a memorandum in February directing the department to make the regulatory change, which must now be approved by the Office of Management and Budget before it is published and subject to a commentary period.  The move does not require congressional approval, allowing the administration to side-step what could have been insurmountable pressure from pro-gun groups such as the National Rifle Association that have worked to erode changes in firearm laws in the wake of mass shootings in Florida and Nevada.

Va. Social Worker Says She Was Fired For Having A Concealed Carry Permit (Not A Gun, Just The Permit).  On Friday [3/9/2018], a young woman named Storm Durham posted on her Twitter account that she was fired from her job as a social worker at Roanoke City Social Services in Virginia for the "crime" of merely having a license to carry a concealed firearm.  She says she wasn't carrying the gun itself, mind you.  She was simply carrying the permit that proved she had responsibly undergone training to carry a concealed firearm.  She further alleges she was escorted from the building following her termination because her employer deemed her a "safety risk."

Gun Confiscation Begins in Illinois.  It is no longer a conspiracy theory spawned by deplorable bitter clingers, but a creeping reality spawned by shootings law enforcement could have prevented but didn't.  The Illinois House has passed legislation requiring 18- to 20-year-olds to give up certain legally purchased and legally owned firearms.

NRA handed out more than $7M to hundreds of schools.  The National Rifle Association has dramatically increased its funding to schools in recent years amid a national debate over guns and school violence, an Associated Press analysis of tax records has found.  But few say they plan to give up the money in the aftermath of the latest mass shooting.  The AP analysis of the NRA Foundation's public tax records finds that about 500 schools received more than $7.3 million from 2010 through 2016, mostly through competitive grants meant to promote shooting sports.  The grants have gone to an array of school programs, including the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps, rifle teams, hunting safety courses and agriculture clubs.

Fed-Up Parkland Survivor Absolutely Destroys David Hogg on National TV.  As a number of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students continue building a coalition of young gun-control advocates, a less vocal group of individuals tied to last month's deadly shooting in Florida is making a different argument with a similar end goal:  safer schools.  One such advocate is Kyle Kashuv, a survivor of the Feb. 14 shooting in Parkland who recently appeared on Fox News to voice his support for more attainable immediate goals.

Quit Disarming Teachers.  As one of the millions of teachers in America I know there is one thing I don't ever want to be... a fish in a barrel.  Think of the hero teachers who've thrown their bodies in front of students taking bullets fired by mentally deranged mass murderers.  If these heroes had had a weapon does anyone doubt they would've used it to protect those students?  Aspiring mass murders who seek out gun free zones to commit their atrocities are inherent cowards.  And they're also untrained and unprepared for anyone with the ability to stand up to them.  As soon as someone with a gun shows up they either kill themselves or die.

CNN Admits:  U.S. Town Where Guns Are Required Has Had Only 1 Murder in 6 Years.  CNN admitted in a report on March 6, 2018, that a Georgia town requiring gun ownership has only seen one murder in six years and maintains a violent crime rate of less than two percent.  CNN reports that Kennesaw, Georgia, adopted an ordinance in 1982 requiring the head of every household to "maintain a firearm."  CNN suggested the law requiring gun ownership is not actually enforced, but it simultaneously reported that the town of Kennesaw has only witnessed one murder in the past six years.  In other words, just the common knowledge that guns are in the hands of law-abiding citizens appears to restrain the actions of criminals.

Senators offer bill that could block gun sales to people seen as risks.  Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) introduced legislation on Thursday [3/8/2018] to let a court temporarily block an individual seen as posing a risk to themselves or others from buying or owning a gun.  The legislation, known as the Federal Extreme Risk Protection Act, comes in wake of the deadly shooting of a high school in Parkland, Fla., that left 17 people dead and re-energized a debate over gun control.  It would let law enforcement or family members get a court order to block the sale or ownership of a gun to an individual determined to be a risk to themselves or others.  Graham said they are hoping to start a "national conversation" with the bill's introduction.

Supreme Court Takes Two Cases that Could Scale Back Federal Power.  The Supreme Court on Monday granted review in two new cases that raise significant constitutional issues for reining in the scope and powers of the federal government.  With few exceptions, almost all of the Court's cases are discretionary:  the justices can decide whether to take the case.  The High Court receives over 7,000 petitions for review each year — called a petition for a writ of certiorari — and grants fewer than 80.  The justices' decisions on which cases to grant sometimes signal that changes in the law are in the offing.  The two cases they took this week will either bring about such change or will reaffirm doctrines that conservatives have long hoped to change.

Tearing Apart The 4 Most Popular Gun Control Proposals Following Parkland.  It seems inevitable that we're going to be engaged in this particular round of the gun control debate for the foreseeable future.  The media is being as tenacious as I've ever seen them on the topic, and even I have to admit that trotting out teen survivors is an effective way to dominate the news cycle.  Whether we want to or not, we're going to have this debate.  With that in mind, I started taking a look at the most popular anti-gun proposals out there.

NAACP Urges National Gun Confiscation.  NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson called for a national gun confiscation program in a syndicated column through Black Press USA on Monday [3/5/2018].  Comparing recent school shootings to the violence and discrimination black students faced after the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision, Johnson wrote that "fear and terror still exist in our children's classrooms" because of the "National Rifle Association and the politicians [sic] that support them."

A Star Is Born!  Speech On Guns By VA Lawmaker Causes Democrat Walk-Out, Goes Viral.  All eyes are suddenly Nick Freitas, a Republican member of the Virginia House of Delegates, now that he's ticked off a lot of Democrats with his powerful speech on guns that quickly went viral, raking up over 12 million Facebook views since Friday [3/2/2018]. The powerful and aggressive speech, which touched on inconvenient truths about the Democrat Party's history, even triggered some Democrats to walk off the House floor.  Freitas delivery his remarks on Friday as a response to the very heated gun control debate.

Florida Senate Rejects 'Assault Weapons' Ban, Passes Bill to Arm Teachers.  The Florida Senate rejected "assault weapons" ban legislation on Saturday and voted in support of training and arming teachers for school safety.  The Senate action came less than a week after the state's House Appropriations Committee rejected an "assault weapons" ban as well.  Reuters reports that the Senate vote against the ban was 20-17.  Those supporting it consisted of the 15 Democrat senators and two Republicans who crossed the aisle to support gun control.

NRA Memberships Surge in Wake of Anti-NRA Protests, 'Media Bias'.  National Rifle Association memberships surged in the wake of the anti-NRA protests and "media bias" that followed the February 14 Florida school shooting.  The Daily Mail reports that Google searches for "NRA membership" rose "4,900 percent" since the Florida attack.  That rise occurred at a time when many Democrats, media personalities, and Hollywood celebrities were denouncing the NRA as causal in the shooting that took 17 lives in a gun-free zone.

Gun Laws and the Second Amendment.  If our overall goal is to keep schools safe, our focus should be on securing the schools themselves.  As it stands now, they are not hardened or secure in any tangible way from these attacks.  If we wish to keep schools safe, we need to fortify them and treat them as the priority they should be.  Think of the efforts, dollars, and drills that go into fire prevention in schools?  A child hasn't died in a school fire for more than 50 years, yet we continue to do everything we can to prevent one.  Shouldn't we have the same determination in their security?

Celebrities Push Gun Control Surrounded by a Wall of 500 Armed Officers.  The Los Angeles Police Department will deploy 500 officers to wrap the Dolby Theatre in multiple barriers of armed security for the 90th Academy Awards on Sunday night, an event at which several of Hollywood's most celebrated stars will actively push for more gun control in America.  "We have these concentric rings of security that start in the middle and radiate outward," said LAPD Cmdr.  Blake Chow, the man tasked with overseeing the massive operation.  "We have a lot of officers in fixed posts and foot beats keeping an eye on the event."

Watch: Speech on Guns by Virginia Senate Candidate Causes Democrat Walk-Out, Goes Massively Viral Online.  A Speech by Virginia Delegate Nick Freitas, the liberty-minded conservative who is challenging Senator Tim Kaine, discussing the importance of the Second Amendment has been viewed over five million times in the past 24 hours.  Friday's [3/2/2018] speech by Freitas before the Virginia House of Delegates lead to many Democrats actually walking out and demanding a recess so that they could calm down because they were so outraged.

The Editor says...
The video clip cited above can be viewed here.  It is well worth a few minutes of your time.

The Gun Confiscation Crusade Begins.  The next chapter of the Parkland, Florida, school shooting saga has begun.  Anti-gun interest groups and politicians have used the Parkland shooting to launch what, until recently, they regarded as a distant dream — a wave of state legislation authorizing the confiscation of firearms.  Quietly, but quickly, a raft of identical gun confiscation bills have been filed by liberal politicians in states across the country.  They are all copies of a ballot measure that passed in Washington State in November 2016.  And that ballot measure was loosely based on a California gun confiscation law enacted in 2014 and a much older Connecticut law from 1999.  The first bill in the recent wave was actually enacted before the Parkland shooting.

Guns Have Not Changed, Progressive Indoctrination Succeeded.  If the general atmosphere of strife is anything to go by, it seems like I'm not the only person sick and tired of the unrelenting rhetoric on the left related to gun control.  As a person who isn't afraid to think logically, I am utterly disgusted by the inexorable liberal effort to infringe on my Second Amendment right.  Even before the terrible incident in Florida, the left was, and is constantly chipping away at the most important law in America.  The globalist masters of the democrat party recognize that the protections in the United States Constitution would be worthless, unless free, armed men were ready and able to defend them.  So, we are forced to deal with their steady drip, drip, dripping attempt to wear away the bedrock of our liberty.

The more Americans hear Hollywood preach gun control, the more they love guns, new poll says.  Liberal celebrities' support for stricter gun laws is backfiring, according to a recent poll.  A survey by Zogby Analytics found that respondents viewed the Second Amendment more favorably after hearing Hollywood entertainers call for gun control, the Washington Examiner reports.

R.I. Governor Signs Executive Order To Seize Guns.  Rhode Island's Democratic Governor signed an executive order allowing the federal government to seize firearms from the homes of individuals they deem are dangerous.  Gina Raimondo's overreaching order allows law enforcement officers to take guns away from those in "red flag" cases.  The measure, which satisfies just about everything on gun-grabbers' wish list, claims the government is legally allowed to determine which citizens should or should not have the right to bear arms.  Many would agree that a person with a mental illness should not have a gun, but Raimondo's executive order allows for the Rhode Island government to determine which individuals can have a gun.

Another Texas School District Arms Employees to 'Protect Our Children'.  A rural school district joined nearly 200 other Texas school districts in arming their employees to protect students under a "Guardian" program.  On Monday [2/26/2018], the Fayetteville Independent School District announced its new safety plan.  Signs went up that read:  "Please be aware that the staff at Fayetteville ISD may be armed and will use whatever force is necessary to protect our children."  The school district, which claims less than 250 enrolled students, houses all grades K-12 on one campus.

Dick's Employee Pens Epic Resignation Letter in Response to New Firearms Policies.  After the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School sent shock waves through the ever-present debate about firearms, some retailers began reevaluating their sales policies.  Dick's Sporting Goods made headlines with their decision to cut some guns from their catalog, and to raise the buying age for firearms to 21.  This decision hasn't gone over well with everyone.

Disarming 20-Year-Old Moms.  If you are a 20-year-old single mom with a restraining order against your threatening ex-husband or ex-boyfriend, don't expect Dick's Sporting Goods to help you defend yourself and your child.  Dick's will no longer sell guns to such irresponsible and dangerous young people, even as we allow them to stop texting long enough to determine gun policy in orchestrated town hall meetings.  Nor will they sell "assault-style rifles," whatever that means, presumably guns that look scarier than others but in practice pose no difference in lethality.  Actually this is not news.  Dick's hasn't sold these weapons in its branded stores for six years.  This is merely a grandstanding minor extension of the ban to exploit the Parkland tragedy:

Delta Airlines and Other Companies Crashing and Burning with NRA Boycott.  In the wake of the horrible mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas, the left quickly moved to blame the National Rifle Association (NRA) for the violence.  Why?  The NRA is among the most famous conservative organizations in America, and they specifically defend every Americans' 2nd Amendment right to keep and bear arms.  For this reason, the NRA has always been a target of the left, and will likely continue to be a target for as long as they continue to fight for our liberty.  However, the reality is that the NRA has nothing to do with such terrible crimes as the shooting we saw at Douglas High School.  The NRA is actually a collection of some 5 [to] 14 million American citizens who spend their money and their time defending every Americans' liberty.

Georgia lawmakers yank tax break for Delta after airline cuts ties with NRA.  Georgia lawmakers voted to nix a tax benefit for Atlanta-based Delta as part of a broader tax package approved Thursday, following the airline's decision to sever ties with the National Rifle Association.  The bill — which includes a sweeping income tax cut — cleared the state House on an overwhelming 135-24 vote, after being approved in the state Senate on a 44-10 vote.  It now heads to the governor's desk.  The final version dropped an earlier amendment that would have renewed a jet fuel tax exemption worth $50 million that was taken off the books in 2015.

13 tickets cost Delta Airlines $50 million.  Delta Airlines officials are reeling from public reaction to their virtue signalling when they ended discounts for National Rifle Association members.  The airline decided to blame the NRA for a massacre in Florida.  This publicity stunt backfired as not only did NRA members boycott the airline, but legislators in Georgia scotched a $50 million tax exemption for the airline.

Only 13 Passengers Used NRA Discount To Buy Delta Tickets.  It appears that Delta Airlines gave up a $40 million tax break over a mere thirteen passengers, according to a Friday report.  A spokesperson for the Atlanta based company revealed that only 13 passengers had used their National Rifle Association membership to purchase tickets with Delta Airlines, reports USA Today[.]  The airline company confirmed that number to The Daily Caller News Foundation Friday afternoon [3/2/2018].

Georgia governor signs bill nixing Delta tax break after NRA split.  Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal on Friday [3/2/2018] signed into law a tax bill that fellow Republicans used to punish Atlanta-based Delta in retaliation for the airline's decision to sever ties with the National Rifle Association.  The final version of the bill dropped a tax break worth millions to the airline.  Until it was removed, the amendment would have renewed a jet fuel tax exemption taken off the books in 2015.  But GOP lawmakers, led by Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, moved quickly to punish Delta for its split with the NRA.

The number of Delta Air Lines passengers who bought tickets with NRA discount: 13.  How many airline passengers does it take to kill a $40 million tax break for Delta Air Lines?  Only 13.  The Georgia legislature removed a jet-fuel tax break from a larger tax package Thursday.  Lawmakers were upset that Delta, which is headquartered in Atlanta, dropped the National Rifle Association from a discount-fare program in an effort to appear neutral on gun policy.  After the firestorm, Delta will review all its marketing programs to avoid those that might become political, CEO Ed Bastian announced Friday [3/2/2018].

The president may be confused, but the citizenry is not.  [Scroll down]  The biggest problem in this senseless slaughter was that the courageous calls to authorities fell on deaf ears and the system collapsed.  So the purveyors of the system figure they will be able to stop the next shooting if they disarm all law-abiding adults from 18-21, give law enforcement another law to avoid enforcing, demonize a group that speaks for millions of lawful gun owners in America, and get rid of bump stocks, which is such an insult to our intelligence that it's painful.  It's like they were so busy since that massacre in Vegas that they didn't get around to it, and this has nothing to do with the Florida case, but they'll ban them anyway, leading to an ultimate ban on semi-automatic firearms.  It won't be long until most politicians say, "Who really needs a semi-automatic?"

I Bought My First Gun Because Of The CNN Town Hall.  After ten minutes of CNN's town hall "debate" I had already searched for gun safes, the closest firearms dealer near me, classes on gun safety, and an NRA membership.  Whether that's a sign the event was a rousing success or terrible failure depends on who you ask.  But whenever the left talks about gun control, significant numbers of people who see value in the Second Amendment run out and purchase a gun.  Normally, that wouldn't include me.  But this time was different.

A Machine Gun Is an 'Assault Rifle,' an AR-15 Is Not.  I just read an article on "assault rifles."  Though written by a firearm professional and fairly accurate, the article still missed the mark on a few items.  First off, an AR-15 is not an "Assault Rifle," as it is not capable of firing in either burst or automatic modes.  The AR in AR-15 stands for "Armalite Rifle". Armalite was the first company to manufacture Eugene Stoner's rifle design in the late 1950's.  Another inaccuracy in the article was the suggestion that civilians cannot own machine guns.  This is simply false.  Machine guns can be obtained for civilian ownership, however they come at a price of around $15,000 to $100,000 (or more).  There is no required permit or license to own a machine gun, but the purchaser is required to submit an ATF form 5320.4 and submit to an extensive FBI background check which usually takes 12-18 months.

Muslims are less than 1% of the United States population, but 33% of major mass shootings.  In the last decade, there were only 10 major mass shootings where the death toll went into the double digits.  Three of those were carried out by Muslim terrorists.  That's all the more remarkable since Muslims make up less than 1% of the United States population, but account for 33% of major mass shootings.  Proportional to their representation in the population, Muslims are responsible for far more mass shootings than Americans.  The trend is worrisome.  Since 2015, not a single year has passed without a Muslim mass shooting.  While 2017's Muslim mass shooter Kori Ali Muhammad only managed to kill three people in Fresno, his expressions of racial and religious hatred make it clear that we are dealing with a hateful pattern.

They Don't Hate The NRA. They Hate You.  The progressives are cranking things up to 11 on the Stupid/Psycho Scale, which is good for us in the short term — some of us Normals were growing complacent and the midterms are coming.  But we also need to open our eyes and accept the bitter reality we face.  We can't just pretend the truth is not the truth because we wish it were otherwise.  The left's dropping of its mask has demonstrated once again the undeniable fact.  The left hates you.  Just give them a listen.  Those carefully selected moppet puppets are out there on TV telling Normals "We are going to outlive you."  When leftists tell you that you are going to die first, you should believe they mean it.  They have a track record of making that happen.  And then there is the new meme, that the NRA is a "terrorist" organization.  This means you are a "terrorist" simply by advocating for your political views.

Trump Plans to Ban Bump Stocks by Administrative Fiat.  Today [2/28/2018] President Trump said he plans to prohibit bump stocks by executive order, notwithstanding the lack of legal authority to impose such an administrative ban.  "We can do that with an executive order," Trump told Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas).  "I'm going to write the bump stock, essentially, write it out.  So you won't have to worry about bump stock[s].  Shortly that will be gone."  Trump's determination to ban bump stocks by administrative fiat is a blatantly political attack on the rule of law that conservatives would have immediately condemned as such if Barack Obama had attempted it.  Bump stocks are accessories that increase a rifle's rate of fire by harnessing recoil energy to help the shooter slide the weapon back and forth against his trigger finger.  Previously an obscure novelty, they became notorious after they were used in the mass shooting that killed 58 people in Las Vegas last year.

Dem Obstruction of Education Officials Handcuffing Agency on School Safety.  The Department of Education has been handcuffed as it works to provide guidance on school safety following the murder of 17 students at a Florida high school due to continued Democratic obstruction of nominees for its top leadership posts.  One appointee who has been waiting months to be confirmed is Frank Brogan, who happens to have a personal experience with school shootings.

Gun Sales Skyrocket As Gun Owners Brace For An All-Out Assault On Our Second Amendment Rights.  Every time the left goes into a gun grabbing frenzy, gun sales always end up going through the roof.  In the aftermath of the recent tragedy in Florida, we are seeing an all-out assault on our 2nd Amendment rights like we haven't seen in decades.  Politicians from both parties are pushing for new gun control legislation, and as a result gun owners all over the nation are feverishly stockpiling weapons and ammo while they still can.  In fact, Google searches for "buy a gun" and "buy AR15" both just hit the highest levels ever recorded.  At a gun show down in Tampa, Florida over the weekend, nearly 7,000 people showed up on a single day.  The Republican governor down there has turned out to be a gun control nut, and so true conservatives are buying guns while they still can.

Despite Parkland's opposition, Florida House panel votes to arm teachers.  Facing anguished relatives and classmates of shooting victims, a panel of Florida legislators took the unprecedented step Tuesday of creating a new statewide program to put armed teachers in classrooms — over the vocal opposition of Parkland residents.  Voting along party lines, the House Appropriations Committee approved training teachers to carry guns in class under the direction of local law enforcement — if superintendents or school boards approve.  The Senate Appropriations Committee approved a similar bill later Tuesday [2/27/2018].  "The last line of defense," said Rep. Jose Oliva, R-Miami Lakes, referring to teachers with guns.

Stop hiding the surveillance video of the Parkland shooting.  Open government isn't just good government.  It's the public's right.  In Florida, the Broward County Sheriff's Office and Broward County school district are fighting to keep exterior surveillance video from the day of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School hidden from view.  As journalists and citizens who've waged uphill battles against secrecy well know, government agencies too often invoke broad disclosure exemptions in the name of protecting public safety when they're really just trying to protect their own jobs.  Feckless Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel and media darling school Superintendent Robert Runcie are defendants in an open-records lawsuit filed Tuesday by the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Miami Herald and CNN.

Survey: Americans Blame School Shooting on Government, Not Guns.  The latest Rasmussen Reports survey shows that Americans blame government rather than guns for the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting.  According to Rasmussen, 54% of Americans believe government failure is to "blame for the mass shooting."  Only 33% of Americans blame guns.  Eleven percent of Americans say they are unsure what contributed to the occurrence of the mass shooting.  When the sample group was adjusted so as to focus only on Americans "who have children of elementary or secondary school age," the percentage of Americans who cite government failure as causal jumped to 61 and the percentage who blamed guns dropped to 23.

Australia had no School Shootings Before Their Extreme Gun Restrictions.  Australia did not have any rampage school shootings before 1996, when they implemented their extreme gun ownership and use scheme.  Zeif then claims that the Australian parliament then "stopped it", and that there have been zero students shot in Australia since their extreme restrictions on gun ownership and use were implemented.  In fact, the closest Australia has had in a rampage school shooting was in 2002, six years after the gun restrictions were put into effect.  The events took place at Monash University, not a grade or high school.  That shooter did not use a rifle.  He used six pistols.  The Australian parliament responded by passing even more restrictions on gun ownership and use.  The next closest Australian mass murder took place in 2000, four years after the extreme restrictions on gun ownership and use were put in place.

Delta Airlines May Lose $40 Million Tax Break Over NRA Kerfuffle.  By now, most Gateway Pundit readers are well aware of Delta Airlines severing ties with the NRA and no longer offering group discounts to NRA members.  The move could cost the airline a $40 Million tax break that they'd been the beneficiaries of in Georgia, as the airline's headquarters and main hub are located at the Atlanta based Hartsfield-Jackson Airport.  Delta's move doesn't go over so well with the pro gun sentiments in the state, [...]

When the mob said, "We've got to DO SOMETHING," I don't think this is what they meant.
Florida lawmakers reject assault weapons ban, approve bill allowing teachers to carry guns.  Florida lawmakers shot down an amendment on Monday that would have banned semi-automatic "assault" weapons like the AR-15 used in the Parkland school massacre.  They did, however, agree to raise the legal age for purchasing a firearm to 21 — and approved legislation that would give teachers the right to carry guns in school, NBC-2 reports.  The amendments were introduced as part of a packaged set of bills being offered up following [a] shooting spree at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

Gun Grabbers Deny the Science.  The flaw in the public health claim about the need for more research into gun violence is the idea that gun violence can be solved with "the same kind of scientific research that showed us how to save millions of lives from cancer, heart disease and high blood pressure... [to] save half a million lives from road traffic crashes, without banning cars... [and] that proved that second-hand smoke harms people."  And to compare "gun violence" to the thalidomide tragedy of the 1960s is just noxious.  We've addressed these irrelevancies many times at Doctors for Responsible Gun Ownership, in great detail [elsew]here.  Guns are inanimate objects controlled by people.  With any knowledge at all, they can be dealt with safely despite certain intrinsic risks like misfires.  It's entirely about where they are pointed and, literally, how they are handled.  They cause no contagion (it's psychological), no pathological spread (just illegal acquisition like straw purchases and theft), and no societal threat (except by criminal use). None of this compares to the issues addressed by true public health science, when people living normal lives are unknowingly, even helplessly subject to illnesses and other risks of pathogens, lack of sanitation, and accidental injuries in the workplace and at home.

Why We Need the Second Amendment More than Ever.  It's evident now, no matter what you think of current gun laws, that a myriad of governmental bureaucracies and police departments — from school authorities to social workers to the FBI to the Broward County Sheriff's Office — screwed up on a level that borders on the incomprehensible.  Blinded by a mutually reinforcing cocktail of political correctness and organizational stupidity and ineptitude, they were clueless about the near constant acting out of [the Florida shooter].

Why the Left Opposes Arming Teachers.  A New York Times editorial offered the following argument against having any armed teachers:  "Nationwide statistics on police shooting accuracy are not to be found.  But if New York is typical, analyses show that its officers hit their targets only one-third of the time.  And during gunfights, when the adrenaline is really pumping, that accuracy can drop to as low as 13 percent."  But if that is an argument against armed teachers, why isn't it an argument against armed police?

Counterattack Hard Against Liberal Attacks on Our Gun Rights and Other Civil Liberties.  We're now supposed to give up our guns because it's the 21st Century, people, and the cops will totally protect us and oh, you can't dare criticize the FBI for failing to disarm yet another ticking time bomb and what kind of crazy nut would expect a police officer to actually confront a gunman?  Show of hands:  Who thinks this stops, even slows down, once those mean old not-actually-assault weapons get banned?  That liberals have taken a hard stand in favor of cowardice does not exactly fill one with confidence that once we give up our Second Amendment rights that we'll be safer or freer.

Hundreds Of Teachers Have Signed Up For Gun Training All Over The Country.  The question of whether or not teachers should be able to carry firearms in school has begun, and one Sheriff in Ohio is proactively training teachers to handle guns by giving them free lessons.  Fox Business reported that Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones offered the training to teachers after the Parkland school shooting which left 17 dead, and the response was far greater than he had originally anticipated, with hundreds signing up within hours.

Dear United Airlines And Delta:  If You Really Oppose Guns, Disarm Your Pilots And Crews.  Legacy airlines United and Delta announced Saturday that they will no longer offer discounted bulk travel rates for NRA members to use exclusively for NRA gatherings, to which an estimated 100% of NRA members nationwide perplexedly responded, "Delta and United used to give NRA members travel discounts?" Now that United and Delta have made crystal clear their hostility toward a constitutionally protected civil right, they should follow their newfound activism to its logical conclusion and disarm not only the U.S. Marshals who protect their flights but also the airlines' own pilots and crews.

The Contemptible American Left.  My life's experience has reinforced the concept that the right to bear arms is the foundational basis of preserving and protecting freedom of speech, religion, assembly, and private property.  The socialist oligarchy the left is determined to establish in America requires that that fundamental right to be dramatically eroded and under the thumb of a central authority.  I immigrated to the United States from a continent that had nearly destroyed itself in World War II.  The war was the end product of the ascension to power of various egomaniacs, steeped in socialist-Marxist ideology, determined to amass all political power within their countries.  Once elected to office, these despots began to centralize their authority and eliminate all individual freedoms and democratic institutions.  As they lived in nations that historically did not allow unfettered gun ownership, the people were incapable of stopping the inexorable seizure of power, and many paid the price as nearly 40 million were killed and untold millions displaced during the war.

NRA hits back:  LaPierre, at CPAC, says 'opportunists' exploiting Florida tragedy for 'political gain'.  The leader of the National Rifle Association on Thursday [2/22/2018] pushed back hard against the latest efforts to enact new gun control measures in the wake of last week's school shooting rampage in Florida, accusing liberals of exploiting the massacre "for political gain."  "As usual, the opportunists wasted not one second to exploit tragedy for political gain," Wayne LaPierre, the NRA's executive vice president, said here in a fiery speech to conservative activists at the Conservative Political Action Conference.  LaPierre railed against "the elites" renewing calls for restricting gun ownership in the United States since the Parkland, Fla. shooting.  "Their goal is to eliminate the Second Amendment and our firearms freedoms so they can eradicate all individual freedoms," he said.

It's True, The Founding Founders Said Second Amendment Is God-Given Right.  As expected NRA chief Wayne LaPierre's speech at CPAC was panned by liberal commentators.  But there was a tiny part of his speech that was trashed more than others — the part where he mentioned God.

Four States Form Coalition to Track Guns After 'Federal Government's Continued Inaction'.  Four governors announced a coalition this week to attempt to stop out-of-state guns from coming into their localities with an information-sharing database to trace and intercept firearms.  New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Connecticut Gov. Dan Malloy, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo call their coalition "States for Gun Safety," and said their quad-state database will supplement the federal National Instant Criminal Background Check System and launch the nation's first Regional Gun Violence Research Consortium.

'Why Not Give Me the Chance to Fight Back?': Armed Teacher Speaks Out.  In the wake of the deadly school shooting in Parkland, Florida, some are calling for teachers, administrators and other adults at schools to carry guns to help prevent mass shootings.  A Utah teacher joined Martha MacCallum on "The Story" to explain why she carries a handgun to school every single day.  Kasey Hansen revealed that the idea to arm herself in the classroom began with the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, where 20 children and six adults were killed.

NRA CEO LaPierre: 'Ridiculous' to Say Armed Security Makes People Less Safe.  Wayne LaPierre, CEO of the National Rifle Association, addressed the Conservative Political Action Conference Thursday, pushing back on those who argue armed security makes people less safe.  LaPierre said there is far more armed security for politicians and celebrities than for children in schools.  "Does that make any sense to anybody?" he asked, calling for "effective armed security" to be present at schools to prevent mass shootings.  "The whole idea from some of our opponents that armed security makes us less safe is completely ridiculous.  If armed security makes us less safe, let's just go ahead and remove it from everywhere.  Let's remove it from the White House, from Capitol Hill, and remove it from all of Hollywood," he said.

Assault Weapons [are] Not Protected by [the] Second Amendment, Federal Appeals Court Rules.  Maryland's ban on 45 kinds of assault weapons and its 10-round limit on gun magazines were upheld Tuesday [2/20/2018] by a federal appeals court in a decision that met with a strongly worded dissent.

Florida House kills assault weapons ban by 2-1.  In the first sign that last week's Florida high school shooting hasn't changed the gun control debate yet, the state's legislature Tuesday overwhelming voted against a plan to ban assault weapons.

David Clarke:  Fla. students' gun control push has 'George Soros' fingerprints all over it'.  Former Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke Jr. insinuated Wednesday [2/21/2018] that student survivors of the Parkland, Fla., school shooting were being manipulated by Democratic billionaire George Soros to organize for gun control. [...] Clarke's tweet follows false conspiracy theories in right-wing media such as Gateway Pundit claiming that students at the Florida high school who have appeared on CNN, including David Hogg, are "crisis actors" paid to exploit the shooting for nefarious purposes.

Children's Crusade, 2018.  Today [2/21/2018], left-wing organizers will lead high school students into the Florida legislature, where they will demand that old chestnut, a ban on AR-15 style rifles.  It isn't clear why anyone thinks 15-to-18-year-old kids have any special insight into the issues relating to mass murders by the mentally ill, but of course that won't stop the left.  One wonders whether the young people who will harangue Florida legislators even know that an "assault weapons" ban was tried a couple of decades ago, and was allowed to lapse because it was a complete failure.  One wonders, too, how many of them know that the rifle is the least popular of murder weapons, ranking, according to the FBI's statistics, well below knives, shotguns, blunt objects and bare hands.  In 1994, when the "assault weapons" ban was enacted, the Second Amendment was the stepchild of the Bill of Rights.  That is no longer true; or, at least, it is much less true today.  Today, a ban on AR-15 style firearms might well be held unconstitutional, both under the Second Amendment and as a violation of due process.  Courts might well find that a ban on AR-15s irrationally distinguishes between that style of rifle — America's most popular — and the many other semiautomatic rifles on the market, based on differences that are largely cosmetic.

Hey Liberals, Armed Guards In Schools Was Bill Clinton's Idea.  I believe we need to create a program to arm teachers like they do in Israel, or to put more than a single armed guard in schools.  Every time someone recommends armed guards in schools a liberal is there to call it stupid or pandering to the "gun lobby."  I wonder how they would feel if they knew the first president to suggest armed school guards.  Because it was almost eighteen years ago then-president Bill Clinton, suggested putting armed cops (or other trained armed guards) in schools.

What Liberals Don't Understand:  A Serious Attempt at Gun Confiscation Could Lead to Civil War.  Liberals love to fantasize about confiscating every gun in America.  It may be their most beautiful dream.  Liberals get control of the Supreme Court and ignore the Second Amendment; Washington makes gun ownership illegal; almost all the guns come pouring in or are destroyed; a few hapless Jim Bobs who won't get in line get shot up by the cops and then the government is free to do anything it wants and if people don't like it, well, what are they going to do about it without guns?  Let me suggest a less happy, but probably more accurate version of how an attempt at gun confiscation would likely go.  Liberals get control of the Supreme Court and ignore the Second Amendment followed by Washington making gun ownership illegal.  So far, so good, right?  Then the vast majority of police departments across the country refuse to do more than accept weapons that are turned in and, of course, very few citizens actually hand over their weapons.

Kentucky Gov. Bevin:  We Have to Look at What Has Changed in Society; It Isn't the Gun.  As calls grow louder for gun control, even outright repeal of the Second Amendment on some social media threads, Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin (R) said those arguments miss the point.  Guns have been with us since the nation's founding, but school shootings are a relatively recent phenomenon.  So it's not the gun, it's the culture that's changed, Gov. Bevin told Fox News's Tucker Carlson Monday night [2/19/2018].

Democrat Comes Out Against Gun Control, Says It's Not The Answer.  A Democratic candidate running in Pennsylvania's upcoming special election is cautioning people that calling for more gun control in the wake of the recent shooting in Florida is not the answer to reducing the number of mass shootings in the United States.  Democrat Conor Lamb insists that the best way to prevent mass shootings is to enforce the laws that already exist and not enact more gun control laws.

No, It's Not Cowardly to Be Conservative on Gun Rights.  One of the worst aspects of the modern gun debate is the presumption that Republican politicians vote the way they do not out of conviction but out of craven compliance — that they care less about school shootings than they care about NRA campaign dollars or NRA votes.  It's a sentiment that plays very well on Twitter (note the retweets and likes), but it's detached from reality.  In fact, those making the argument either don't know or don't care about the extent to which courage is a cornerstone of gun culture.  After all, what good is a firearm if a law-abiding citizen doesn't have the courage and self-discipline to use it in self-defense or in the defense of his family and neighbors?

7 Things We Can Do to Prevent Another School Massacre, Without Violating the Second Amendment.  We all know there is something wrong in our land.  Desperately wrong.  The recent massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., is just another example of how the soul of our nation is rotting.  There were heroes in the shooting, of course.  The people who were gunned down were innocent and much loved by their families.  But down deep we all know that something is wrong with our nation ... and it is only getting worse.  What is the problem, and how do we address it?  Can we even solve the problem once we diagnose it?  Are we even ready to face what will not work and what just might work?

'All bets are off' in NYC if federal gun law passes:  NYPD head.  Police Commissioner James O'Neill said it would be "insanity" for the feds to force one state to recognize another's lax gun laws.  A bill making its way through Congress would make gun possession akin to a driver's license — so one state's looser regulations against concealed weapons would be protected in tougher anti-gun states, like New York.  "I think it's insanity," O'Neill told CBS's "60 Minutes" in an interview aired Sunday night [2/11/2018].  O'Neill said accidents and suicides — in addition to crime — could skyrocket with more out-of-state guns around town.

A Warning to Gun Owners Regarding Political Agendas and Democratic Dominated Police States.  In late January, a Colorado teacher, while traveling in NY, was arrested by local authorities at the Airport in Albany, NY (ALB) as she declared her legally-owned and correctly packaged-for-travel pistol (in checked baggage) to SW Airlines for her trip home.  TSA enforces federal law, so they don't care.  But local authorities, enforcing state law (or at least their interpretation of it), made the arrest, after SW Airlines turned her in.  This is just the latest in a endless series of arrests by state authorities in NY, NJ, MD, CA, et al of hapless out-of-state gun-owners who made the mistake of trying to fly out of ALB, JFK, LGA, EWR, et al, or who voluntarily "reported" their guns to local police, naively thinking they were thus in compliance with local laws.

Ban on Guns within 1,000 feet of Parks is Unconstitutional.  The Supreme Court of Illinois has ruled that a state ban on carrying guns within a 1,000 feet of a park is obviously unconstitutional.  It is unconstitutional because it "directly implicates the core right of self-defense".

Beware: The United Nations Is Taking Aim at Ammo.  The United Nations will have a busy year in 2018 on the firearms front.  That's not good news for anyone in the U.S. who buys firearms.  When it comes to the U.N. and guns, the best form of action is always inaction.  Worse, manufacturers and importers at this year's SHOT Show — the Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoor Trade Show, organized by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the trade association for the firearms industry, which ran from Jan. 23 to 26 — believe they're starting to see the results of past U.N. anti-gun efforts.  Bottom line:  there are more problems for U.S. gun importers, while China gets a free pass on a critical issue.

What It's Like to Live in a State Hostile to Gun Owners.  [Scroll down]  The one thing many gun owners here will say is that they feel like they have been abandoned.  I know many former NRA members who will no longer pay money when they feel like they have been left out in the cold, which has led to the rise of organizations here like S.C.O.P.E., small in stature but fiercely fighting for gun owners when they can.  Gun owners need hope; they need a reason to get out and vote.  We need candidates who don't just give out the "You can't fight New York City" line and just go along to get their paycheck and pension.  We need someone to run for governor who can find upstate and northern New York without having to look for it on a map or who has been north of Albany more than once or twice in their lives.  I feel for those in other states like mine (NJ, CA) who have no problem stripping the rights away from gun owners.  Right now Andrew Cuomo is proposing a new law where gun owners who are arrested for domestic violence lose their firearms, permanently.

Hypocrisy Alert:  Golden Globes Security For 'Elites' Included Walls, Guns, ID Checks.  Wait, isn't it "racist" and "anti-immigration" to demand identification checks, and twelve-foot high walls to hold back the "unwashed masses"?  And, aren't we supposed to ban all guns?

Walls, BIG guns, military vehicles protect Hollywood elites at Golden Globes.  Even if an adoring member of the unwashed masses wanted to get close to a Hollywood A-lister, they couldn't, as elite celebrities were protected by walls, heavily-armed police and even military vehicles near the Golden Globes venue on Sunday [1/7/2018].  Photos tweeted by Margaret Carrero show heavy security outside the Beverly Hilton.  One photo shows a massive wall, approximately 12 feet high, surrounding the venue.  If that wasn't a deterrent enough, the road was blocked by heavily armed police.

Federal Investigators Couldn't Illegally Buy Guns Through Legitimate Websites Despite 72 Attempts.  Federal agents posing as criminals were unable to purchase any firearms from legitimate online marketplaces despite dozens of attempts over a two-year period.  Between July 2015 and November 2017 investigators from the Government Accountability Office (GAO), following up on a congressional request, tried to make the illegal private gun purchases through a number of online forums and market places.  They made 72 attempts over that time but couldn't complete a single sale using legitimate sites.  In 29 attempts the gun sellers refused the sale after being asked to illegally ship the gun to the buyer.  Twenty-seven sellers refused after being told the potential buyer was a felon, domestic abuser, or otherwise prohibited from buying a firearm.

Dem-ordered study to expose illegal online gun sales backfires.  A Democrat-backed study meant to expose illicit online gun sales instead seemed to show the opposite — with hardly any sellers taking the bait when undercover investigators tried to set up dozens of illegal firearm transactions.  Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., as well as Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, had commissioned the Government Accountability Office report to look into how online private dealers might be selling guns to people not allowed to have them.

PA Calls For Medical Marijuana Users To 'Dispose' Of Their Firearms.  The Pennsylvania State Police are angering some gun owners in the Keystone State.  You see, the state now has a medical marijuana program.  They also have people with guns.  And, like the police in other states, they don't want people with medical marijuana cards to have guns.

Woman who declared her gun range a 'Muslim Free Zone' announces bid for Arkansas governor.  A gun rights activist who once dubbed her shooting range a "Muslim Free Zone" has announced her bid for governor of Arkansas.  Jan Morgan, a former journalist turned gun range owner, said in a campaign video that she would be challenging the state's current, Republican governor in the GOP primary in May.  Ms Morgan described herself as "a born again Christian, a genetically conservative wife, mother, small business owner [and] certified firearms instructor".

Six Insane California Laws That Will Be Implemented On Monday.  [#6] Schools will no longer be allowed to decide whether or not they're "gun-free zones":  Because the legislature has decided for them.  AB 424 says school administrators can no longer permit employees with concealed carry permits to conceal and carry firearms on campus.  Which means the only people with guns on campus will be criminals and campus police, who more often than not can only respond to shootings, not prevent them.

BBC Curious As To Why Guns Sales Spike At Christmas.  I guess being British and all, they didn't seem to understand why gun sales seem to spike at Christmas time.  Maybe they figured "peace on Earth, goodwill to men" meant people would trust in the holiday season more than in Glock, Ruger, and Remington or something. [...] People give one another firearms for Christmas.  How is this surprising?  Well, it's probably because that's not an option in the UK.  They've long forfeited their right to keep and bear arms, so now that's not even an option for them.  As a result, they're stunned that it happens.  The BBC did report on the legalities of giving guns, probably because they're surprised you can do it.

Exclusive: Virgin Islands Extends Order Allowing Seizure Of Weapons.  U.S. Virgin Islands Gov. Kenneth Mapp extended an order allowing the National Guard to seize arms from civilians.  Mapp, an independent, signed an executive order in September that stated the Adjutant General is "authorized and directed to seize arms, ammunition... and any other property that may be required by the military forces for the performance of this emergency mission."  The order declaring a state of emergency and putting the state's national guard in active duty came ahead of Hurricane Irma's impact on the USVI. Two Category 5 hurricanes, Irma and Maria, both devastated the USVI this fall, and Mapp declared on December 1 an extension of his previous order to last through January 4, 2018.

Cuomo proposes taking guns from domestic abusers.  Gov. Cuomo wants to take firearms from people who engage in domestic violence — the first step in a plan to address victimization of women.  His proposal would close a loophole in current law that allows people convicted of misdemeanor abuse, but not felonies, to keep their weapons.  "In nine of the 10 deadliest mass shootings in United States history, including Las Vegas ... the shooter had an existing record of committing violence against women, threatening violence against women or harassing or disparaging women," the governor said.  He added that firearms were used in 25 domestic homicides in New York state last year.

A Massachusetts Police Officer Talks About How an Unpaid Traffic Ticket Could Result in a Gun Ban.  The "Fix NICS Bill" (aka, the "Traffic Ticket Gun Ban") is being fraudulently sold in Congress as a way to insure that NICS has the names of horrible criminals.  But this is the standard tactic of the "Gun Control Movement" and their allies in the "just enforce the federal gun laws" camp.  How many of the "Bonnie-and-Clyde" type criminals do we really think have been left out of NICS [National Instant Criminal Background Information System]? If the Sutherland Springs killer was part of an Air Force omission, well, that omission is already being addressed administratively.  And do we honestly think that an initial denial by the NICS system will really stop a committed killer from getting a weapon?  Similar to other killers, the Sandy Hook murderer simply stole the weapons he used.

Three Pinocchios For Pelosi On Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act.  As with most things these days, it started with a tweet.  After the House passed their version of the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, the former Speaker of the House (now Minority Leader), Nancy Pelosi expressed her displeasure by going on social media and informing everyone that the Republicans were once again trying to unleash drooling hordes of criminals and dungeon dwellers on the nation armed to the teeth.

20 of the Most Ridiculous Anti-Gun Moments of 2017.  Just when we thought things couldn't get any crazier than the whirlwind year we had during the presidential election of 2016, we were served 2017.  With a pro-Second Amendment President sitting in the White House and two mass shootings shaking the nation, the calls for increased gun control have grown considerably stronger.  That burning need to do something, anything, to prevent another tragedy like Vegas or Sutherland Springs — or any other act of senseless gun violence — from happening again is understandable.  But it does not give anyone a free pass to throw out falsehoods and outright lies to promote their agenda.  Despite what anti-gunners think, Second Amendment advocates aren't completely against sensible gun laws.  It's just that most of the suggestions being thrown out there aren't, well, sensible.  That's largely due to the fact that most gun control advocates have zero to minimal understanding of firearms, the importance of our Second Amendment, and existing gun laws.

For Concealed Carry Reciprocity, Gun Grabbers Are Suddenly Concerned With States Rights.  The same people who want all sorts of federal laws banning and grabbing guns, along with lots and lots of restrictions on ownership by law abiding citizens, is suddenly concerned.  The House passed a bill allowing nationwide reciprocity for concealed carry permit holders when they travel to states other than their own[.]

Ohio Police Chief:  Concealed carry laws are wildly confusing.  Here's why they need to change.  Gun owners who take pains to follow the law are always worried they'll make a mistake someday and break a law without even realizing it.  As the chief of police in Gahanna, Ohio, and as a gun owner myself, I am all too often asked about confusing gun laws, and all too often confronted with what happens when a well-intentioned person gets in trouble for something they didn't know was wrong.  The laws regulating concealed carry are some of the nation's most confusing, and finally, Congress is trying to do something to change that.

House Passes Interstate Concealed-Carry Gun Bill.  A bill to allow gun owners with concealed carry permits in one state to legally carry their weapons in any other state overwhelmingly passed the U.S. House of Representatives Wednesday, by a vote of 231-198 in the GOP-controlled chamber, including six Democrats who voted in support.  Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., introduced the legislation, the "Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017" (H.R. 38), on Jan. 3.  It treats concealed carry permits like driver's licenses, validating a permit from one state in the other 49, in order to spare lawful gun owners having to navigate a confusing patchwork of concealed carry laws around the nation.

GOP-led House passes bill making it easier for gun owners to carry concealed weapons across state lines.  Republicans rammed a bill through the House on Wednesday [12/6/2017] that would make it easier for gun owners to legally carry concealed weapons across state lines, the first significant action on guns in Congress since mass shootings in Nevada and Texas killed more than 80 people.  The House approved the bill, 231-198, largely along party lines.  The measure would allow gun owners with a state-issued concealed-carry permit to carry a handgun in any state that allows concealed weapons.  It now goes to the Senate.

The Editor says...
Notice that when Democrats have control of the House, a bill can "sail through" or "pass easily," but when Republicans are in the majority, the bills are "rammed" through.

Rep. Thomas Massie Exposed BIG Democrat Gun Control Attempt Attached To Reciprocity Bill.  Kentucky Republican Thomas Massie is blowing the whistle on a quiet attempt by the Democrats to piggyback gun control legislation onto the much anticipated national reciprocity bill heading to the floor for a vote.  The bill, known as the "Fix NICS" bill, is an Obama style regulation that, according to Massie, would require government entities to submit thousands of names into the NICS database for denial of the purchase of a firearm.  The legislation is being quietly added in a Trojan Horse style by Democratic Senators Chuck Schumer and Diane Feinstein

The Truth About The 4,000 Guns Sold By Gun Stores To Prohibited Individuals.  Sutherland Springs exposed flaws in the NICS system.  Whether you agree with background checks or not, they're the law and the Air Force blew it on that one.  They failed to input the information into the system.  Plain and simple.  However, is the lack of data being input the only flaw in the system by any stretch of the imagination.  Well, the FBI asked BATFE seize thousands of firearms from prohibited people who bought them in gun stores, most after NICS failed to report that the individual was prohibited.

Don't Register Anything.  Like too many jurisdictions, Hawaii requires gun owners to register their firearms.  Also like an excess of other control-freaky places, the state requires medical marijuana users to register themselves with the state Department of Health.  As it turns out, those who dutifully abide by both requirements find themselves in trouble.  Hawaii may allow the use of marijuana for medicinal uses, and even require registration of its users, but the state continues to regard the practice as a violation of federal law.

Feds issue 4,000 orders to seize guns from people who failed background checks.  Federal authorities sought to take back guns from thousands of people the background check system should have blocked from buying weapons because they had criminal records, mental health issues or other problems that would disqualify them.  A USA TODAY review found that the FBI issued more than 4,000 requests last year for agents from the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives to retrieve guns from prohibited buyers.  It's the largest number of such retrieval requests in 10 years, according to FBI records [...]

Medical Marijuana rules being used to confiscate guns in Hawaii.  While 29 states have legalized medical marijuana in some form, the drug is still illegal under federal law.  Some police departments are now selectively enforcing federal law — people can get the medical marijuana, they just can't own guns.  Hawaii requires all medical marijuana users to register in a state-run patient registry and also requires gun owners to register all their weapons with the county police chief.  The Honolulu Star Advertiser reports that in January The Honolulu Police Department started sending out letters telling medical marijuana users that they 'have 30 days' to turn in their guns.

FBI receives single day record of over 200,000 requests for gun background checks on Black Friday.  The FBI said on Saturday that it was inundated with over 200,000 requests for background checks for gun purchases on Black Friday — setting a single day record.  The bureau said that it received 203,086 requests for background checks on Friday [11/24/2017], smashing the previous all-time single day record of 185,713 in 2016 and 185,345 in 2015.

Know the facts:  Anti-gun activists utilize emotional grief to line their pockets.  The Second Amendment is under siege now more than ever.  Every day, we see more assaults made on our Constitutional rights to keep and bear arms.  Radical gun-grabbing organizations like Moms Demand Action, Everytown for Gun Safety, and the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence are just a few of the national organizations that seek to take away law abiding citizens' guns, and it's not much better at the university level.  There's a Student Pledge Against Gun Violence and a campaign to "Keep Guns Off Campus."  In many cases, students cannot exercise their recognized rights just because they step foot on campus.  These radical organizations employ misleading phrases to win over new supporters such as "Secure freedom from gun violence", "Disarm Hate," and "take common-sense steps to save lives".  However, they don't tell you what gun-grabbers' real intentions are.  These organizations carefully craft phrases they know will cause an emotional response from Americans.  It's all propaganda used to fill their pockets and combat their boogeyman:  the National Rifle Association.

Man protected by guards still wants your guns.  Out in rural America, we are often 20 miles from the nearest law enforcement officer.  [Joe] Biden doesn't carry a gun.  He doesn't have to.  But the rest of us need one.  We are not The Chosen Few flanked by a Praetorian Guard.

How Eric Holder and Loretta Lynch handed Jeff Sessions a huge present.  If the law were properly enforced, there would be fewer incidents of what the gun grabbers call "gun violence."  Fewer incidents to use as propaganda for demanding even more draconian laws limiting the access of law-abiding citizens to firearms through new laws.  Here is the opportunity this enforcement fiasco has created for Sessions, and his boss, President Trump.  Start with a high-profile denunciation of the DOJ's failure over the last 8 years to protect the public.  This could be done by either President Trump or his AG.  There surely are instances of people who were not prosecuted and went on to commit crimes.  The victims of those crimes can be highlighted and a finger of responsibility pointed at the DOJ.  President Trump then directs, via an executive order, his DOJ to prioritize prosecution of violations of the background check documentation.  A signing ceremony, accompanied by remarks criticizing the failures of AGs Holder and Lynch, and promising to reverse the harm they have caused by their negligence, would be good.

One Starry Eyed Editorialist Still Dreams Of Mass Gun Confiscations.  In the aftermath of the Texas church shooting there's been the usual amount of soul searching and demands that somebody "do something" about gun violence.  And as always happens, the usual list of suspects begins proposing the same old solutions which wouldn't have done anything to stop the guy.

ABC News:  Firearm Confiscation Orders [are] Part of [a] Solution to Mass Public Attacks.  Senate Democrats pushed nine different gun controls during the past six weeks, and ABC News has now emerged with a tenth gun law which they suggest may be the ringer.  That law would legalize firearm confiscation orders like those in Washington state.  Such orders allow a judge to issue an ex parte order for the confiscation of an American's firearms.  This means the order can be issued without the firearm owner even being present for the process.  His or her first knowledge of the order would come when police knocked on their door to sweep the house for firearms.

Democrats using Texas tragedy to advance agenda.  What kind of demonic soul walks into a church a murders 26 innocent people, including several children, at point-blank range?  What kind of heartless monster instantly seizes on such senseless tragedy to advance a personal political agenda?  Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Massachusetts Democrat, for one.  Authorities identified the killer as a severely deranged and violent reject illegally in possession of guns, but Ms. Warren somehow accused the Republican Party of perpetrating the atrocity.

Trump Pentagon pick says its 'insane' for civilians to own semi-automatic weapons.  President Trump's nominee to lead the military health system said Tuesday he thinks it is "insane" for civilians to be able to purchase semi-automatic rifles like the one a gunman used to kill 26 people at a Texas church.  Dean Winslow, a professor at Stanford University and retired Air Force colonel, made his remarks during his confirmation hearing in front of the Senate Armed Service committee, according to the Washington Examiner.  "I may get in trouble with other members of the committee just say how insane it is that in the United States of America a civilian can go out and buy a semi-automatic like an AR-15, which apparently was the weapon that was used," Winslow said.  "I think that's an issue not as much for this committee, but elsewhere."

Levin: Texas Church Shooting Hero Is 'Everything the Liberals Hate About Americans'.  On his nationally syndicated radio talk show Tuesday [11/7/2017], host Mark Levin explained why the Texas church shooting "is being covered differently by the media than Las Vegas," saying, it's because the hero in Texas is "everything the liberals hate about Americans, about America."  "He's everything the liberals hate about Americans and America," said Mark Levin.  "[He's] the plumber, white Christian, male, NRA member, former NRA instructor, owning an AR-15 — he's not wearing shoes when he runs outside his very modest house — and he stops the killer."

Thoughts and Prayers for Anti-Gun Freaks Grieving Over Death of The Narrative.  The synchronized leftist response to this latest attack on normal Christians was pre-planned, and it didn't matter that this time it was another militant atheist weirdo instead of an ISIS-loving foreigner.  The memes and the lies were all prepped and ready, and the villain was already chosen.  No surprise — once again, it was you, the normal American who keeps and bears arms to protect yourself, your family, your community and your Constitution.  But this time it didn't go the way they wanted.

The Problem Isn't Gun Laws, It's Government Incompetence.  Obviously, in the wake of the Texas church shooting, Leftists (who often refuse to give up their own guns and/or their armed security) are again calling for lots and lots of gun control, right up to draconian restrictions and even a repeal of the 2nd Amendment.

Ted Cruz:  Dems Filibustered Legislation That Would Have Had Texas Church Shooter in Prison.  Yesterday, on "Fox News @ Night," Cruz really laid into Democrats.  He said that in 2013, the Democrats filibustered the Grassley-Cruz legislation that "would have resulted in this shooter being in federal prison instead of murdering those innocents in that Texas church."  I still admire and really follow Ted Cruz and I know he is sick in his soul over this killing in his state.  I'm also sure he's furious because it didn't have to be this way.

Libs think you're Stupid.  Are You?  Another mass shooting, this time in a Texas church and we hear the same old mantra from Democrat leaders and the lamestream press.  It's guns.  We need more gun laws to combat right wing hate speech that's driving these incidents.  If you've drunk the Kool-Aid, you don't bother checking the facts and trust that these pseudo intellectuals know what they're talking about. [...] What they will not tell you is that most of these mass killings are committed by jihadists, left wing psychotics and atheists.  They also ignore that it is the hate speech on the left that has spurred attacks on recent innocent victims.

Obama Uses Texas Church Massacre To Call For Fewer Guns.  Former President Barack Obama used the Texas church shooting that left 26 people dead on Sunday [11/5/2017] to call for fewer guns.  Obama said that Americans should ask God for "the wisdom to ask what concrete steps we can take to reduce the violence and weaponry in our midst." [...] Obama, who has taken an unusually active role during his successor's administration, offered no specific details on what those steps to reduce the guns "in our midst" would look like.

NFL in Death Spiral:  San Fran 49's Spend $$ on Gun Control, Not Better Players.  Did you really think the politicization of the NFL starts and stops with the taking of a knee at the sounds of the national Anthem you are wrong.  Now the San Fran 49'ers are acting as a Democrat Party PAC — giving $500,000 to promote gun control.  "According to ESPN, the 49ers presented the gun control pledge as part of creating a "more understanding and safer America."  The $500,000 will also be used to push a ban on bump stocks and armor-piercing bullets.  The ban on armor-piercing bullets is somewhat ambiguous, but appears similar to a ban which was unsuccessfully pushed by the Obama administration in 2015.

Former NPR CEO: I Changed My Mind About Supporting Gun Control After Writing Book on Conservative America.  The former CEO of National Public Radio came back from a reporting trip on conservative America having changed his mind about the efficacy of gun control measures, he said on Tuesday [10/24/2017].  Ken Stern appeared on "Morning Joe" to discuss his new book, Republican Like Me:  How I Left the Liberal Bubble and Learned to Love the Right.  Stern, a Democrat, wrote he realized he was cordoned off in a liberal bubble and set off into conservative enclaves of America to expose himself to new ideas.  Co-host Willie Geist asked him if he altered his views on any key issues as a result of the book.  Stern said he had changed them on guns, and it began with a notion he hadn't thought of before:  that gun homicides have declined significantly over the past 25 years.

Why don't you just play football?
San Francisco 49ers Pledge $500,000 to Push Suppressor Ban, Other Gun Control Measures.  The San Francisco 49ers pledged $500,000 Thursday to secure a suppressor ban and other gun controls.  The push comes in the weeks after the Las Vegas attack.  Suppressors were not used in that attack, but the 49ers are dedicated to banning the devices anyway.  According to ESPN, the 49ers presented the gun control pledge as part of creating a "more understanding and safer America."  The $500,000 will also be used to push a ban on bump stocks and armor-piercing bullets.

RINO! The Grand Old Politburo and the Leviathan State.  No politician in America favors limiting or prohibiting the gun ownership and access of government employees and those with special privileges granted by the ruling class to arm themselves.  They are opposed to the private ownership of firearms.  Every gun law on the books from the local to the Federal level have one purpose:  to infringe, abridge and deny the non-government keeping and bearing of weapons.  The Second Amendment merely guarantees a pre-existing natural right.  That is the goal.  Wholesale eradication of weapons in private hands.

Study Claims Network News Exploited Las Vegas To Push Gun Control Agenda.  Immediately following Las Vegas, gun rights activists knew gun control supporters would go on the offensive.  Those same gun rights activists knew the mainstream media was unlikely to serve as an ally.  Now, a study seems to confirm what so many already suspected.  The network news programs may well have exploited the Las Vegas tragedy to push their gun control agenda. [...] The massive imbalance in the coverage may well explain the supposedly massive support for gun control in a recent poll.  With a near constant bombardment of anti-gun propaganda and no moderating counterpoint, it's not surprising that people may well feel that gun control is the only answer.  Especially since the media made no effort to show any alternatives.

The Controllers:  "We Want Monitoring Of Ammunition Stockpiling".  [Scroll down]  I never really thought Hugh Hewitt was a conservative.  But it does go to show that even the supposed conservatives are giving you up (case in point, the NRA, whose willingness to compromise empowered the controllers, who saw nothing but weakness).  They don't care about your rights, whether firearms or the ammunition to use in them.  I know, I know.  The Supreme Court may block such rules and regulations, but they may not.  They didn't block the assault weapons ban, and Heller was a weak enough decision that it may even be used to bolster the ammunition control case.

NRA spokeswoman:  Dems want to ban 'every single part of a rifle'.  Conservative pundit and National Rifle Association spokeswoman Dana Loesch warned that any new gun control measures in the wake of the Las Vegas mass shooting could lead to a total ban on guns.  "Dianne Feinstein is looking to make a Christmas tree out of the gun control bill," Loesch said Friday in a speech to the Values Voter Summit, a Christian conservative conference hosted by the Family Research Council.  "If they get their way, it's going to be like Johnny Cash's "One Piece at a Time," Loesch continued.  "They are going to ban every single part of a rifle — period — your regular hunting rifle, until the whole thing is banned.  It was made perfectly clear last week and it was made perfectly clear the week before that — no bans, no bills, period.  None."

'No one Wants To Take Our Guns'? Oh, Really?  Almost immediately after the Las Vegas shooting came the calls for "common-sense" gun control.  The quest almost always begins with a reassurance that "no one wants to take away your guns."  Not everyone read the memo.  Nelson Shields, founder of Handgun Control Inc., the organization that became the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, in a 1976 interview could not have been more clear about his group's goals:  "Our ultimate goal — total control of handguns in the United States — is going to take time.  My estimate is from seven to 10 years.  The first problem is to slow down the increasing number of handguns being produced and sold in this country.  The second problem is to get handguns registered.  And the final problem is to make the possession of all handguns and all handgun ammunition — except for the military, policemen, licensed security guards, licensed sporting clubs and licensed gun collectors — totally illegal."

Statistical Anomalies Do Not Deserve Blood Sacrifice of the Remainder.  The Second Amendment was never written to enable a sport like hunting or target shooting; it was written and understood from a deadly serious point of view about the security and nature of a free state.  It was written to debilitate a tyrannical government and keep it in check until it could be overthrown.  Nothing that has transpired in the 20th or 21st Centuries so far has refuted the utility or importance of the Second Amendment.  The means of self-defense in the hands of the citizenry simply and clearly define the difference between slaves and citizens.

Fmr. Obama Senior Adviser Calls for Gun Confiscation 'Similar to the One Australia Instituted'.  Former Obama White House advisor Dan Pfeiffer called for the United States to implement an Australian-style gun confiscation program in an article published on Wednesday [10/11/2017].  Former President Barack Obama previously said in 2016 that the United States should consider following the example of Australia, which enacted a "mandatory buy-back" of guns and created a gun registry.  Pfeiffer echoed that view in Wednesday's article, published on Crooked, a media site founded by three former Obama staffers.  Pfeiffer argued Democrats should propose such a program and outlined an extensive regimen of gun restrictions that Democrats could support, advising they stop "insincere pandering" to gun owners.  "We are nibbling around the edges instead of proposing bold, meaningful solutions," Pfeiffer wrote.  His suggestions included implementing a national gun registry, mandating "smart-gun technology," and rolling-out a buy-back program similar to Australia's.

The Unbelievable Stupidity of Those Who Believe that Laws Stop the Lawless.  Lady Gaga is the latest celebrity weighing in on the aftermath of the Las Vegas massacre by blaming lawmakers (aka Republicans) for not passing more gun control.  Yoo-hoo Lady G, no law would have prevented the slaughter because the alleged suspect passed all federal laws purchasing his legal guns.  Here's a tip which I give freely (as someone who loathes guns and is not a member of the NRA):  if you hear anyone urging Congress to pass more gun controls immediately, consider that person mentally deficient.  That advice will be coming from celebrities, the media and politicians who probably all have armed security to protect them.

Let's Have a Real Debate on Guns.  The pattern is depressingly familiar:  Someone uses a gun in an act of mayhem and murder.  Progressive and center-left politicos demand "action" in the form of gun-control legislation.  Congress toys with the idea but doesn't pass much of anything.  The [New York] Times and other liberal publications and commentators denounce the "gun lobby" to which they attribute vast powers of coercion.

Statistician Supported Gun Control.  Now She Says It's A Lie.  Check Out Why.  With so many people insisting that the Las Vegas massacre confirms what they've always thought about gun control, it is refreshing to hear from someone who changed her mind on the subject after considering the evidence.  "My colleagues and I at FiveThirtyEight spent three months analyzing all 33,000 lives ended by guns each year in the United States," Leah Libresco, a statistician who used to work for the data journalism site, writes in The Washington Post.  "We looked at what interventions might have saved those people, and the case for the policies I'd lobbied for crumbled when I examined the evidence."  Regarding the much-touted gun control laws of Britain and Australia, Libresco found that "neither nation experienced drops in mass shootings or other gun-related crime that could be attributed to their buybacks and bans."  Looking into bans on so-called assault weapons, she concluded that the category is an arbitrary construct with little practical significance.

Call to Disarm Citizens Violates Natural Rights.  An un-preventable tragedy occurred in Las Vegas this week.  A man who easily passed a background check bought legal weapons, ammunition, and accessories, then used them all in an illegal manner.  While most of the country mourned the dead, prayed for all of the victims and sought answers as to "why," the anti-Second Amendment and gun control crowd immediately started their impossible demands.  Their assumptions and imaginations could not wait for facts.  They call for "universal background checks" even though this man passed his.  They call for banning automatic weapons, even though they are already highly restricted and the killer didn't use them.  They call for new laws even though the existing laws did nothing to prevent this massacre.  Homicide is illegal.  Shooting in public is illegal.  Terrorism is illegal.  This coward broke numerous laws, yet the left immediately demands more.  To what end?  No proposed law would have stopped the Vegas shooting.

The New York Times says...
Repeal the Second Amendment.  Repealing the Amendment may seem like political Mission Impossible today, but in the era of same-sex marriage it's worth recalling that most great causes begin as improbable ones.  Gun ownership should never be outlawed, just as it isn't outlawed in Britain or Australia.  But it doesn't need a blanket Constitutional protection, either.

When You Politicize Shootings You Make It Harder To Find Solutions.  The unstated reality is that many of these murders probably can't be stopped.  Attempting to preemptively discern which of our neighbors are ideologically driven or mentally capable of committing mass murder is no more feasible than trying to keep every one of the 350 million guns in the country away from them.  Most often, even the relatives seem to be at a complete loss as to why it happens.

Hillary: Be Silent, Please.  Liberals have, of course, seized on the [Las Vegas] murders to renew their calls for "common sense gun control."  The problem they can't solve is that we already have hundreds of common sense laws and regulations on the books relating to firearms.  If there is another one that would prevent murders like this from taking place, what is it?

Why We Need More Men With Guns, Not Less.  Anti-gun activists would like you to think that gun violence is a growing problem in the United States as alpha males flock to gun shows to buy weapons.  But this is completely untrue.  Gun violence has decreased almost equally with the increase in gun ownership.  States with higher gun ownership don't have more murders.  Not to mention, since 1993, the gun homicide rate has fallen by nearly 50 percent, despite recent increases in some urban areas.  This decrease in gun violence is a statistic gun control activists often bury because it doesn't fit their narrative.  Regardless of facts, they continue to spread misinformation, resulting in many people thinking we're awash in gun violence.  A Pew Research survey in 2013 found "56% of Americans believe gun crime is higher than 20 years ago and only 12% think it is lower."  A mass killing like the one we witnessed in Las Vegas is horrific, but we can't extrapolate from this that gun violence is on the rise or that men who own guns are an inevitable threat.  The fact is, mass shootings are still very rare, and most men who own guns aren't out killing people.  They're mostly out saving lives or preparing to do so.

There's No Correlation Between Gun Ownership, Mass Shootings, and Murder Rates.  Mass shootings here include a shooting involving 4 or more people, and do not necessarily mean school shooting.  They can mean someone went nuts and shot his wife, her lover, and two bystanders at a birthday party when the shooter personally knew all the victims.  There are not just cases of random public shootings.  If we only included those, the total numbers would be microscopically small.  Even with all mass shooting data together, it's obvious that your odds of being involved in one in any given year are vanishingly small, and less than 1 per 100,000 in 48 states.  I've included all victims, not just fatalities here.

Bump-Stock Device Received ATF Green Light During Obama Administration.  On June 7, 2010 — about a year and a half into the Barack Obama administration — the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives issued an opinion letter, giving the go-ahead to an after-market accessory that allows the user to "bump fire" a semi-automatic rifle.  A company called Slide Fire had earlier sent its patented replacement shoulder stock to ATF's Firearms Technology Branch, asking for an evaluation of the device.  The ATF, in reply, wrote:  "Your letter advises that the stock (referenced in this reply as a 'bump stock') is intended to assist persons whose hands have limited mobility to 'bump fire' an AR-15 type rifle."

Democrats Demanding 'Bump Stock' Was The Problem In Vegas — Did They Know OBAMA Approved It?  The "goofy, little doodad" known as a bump stock, approved under the Obama administration was used by Stephen Paddock to modify his AR-15s.  And of course, the left is in an uproar.  They don't understand how the "doodad" works and they have no awareness that it's only legal because of Obama.

Flashback: Obama Administration Signed Off On The Use of Bump Stocks in 2010.  A bump stock is an after-market accessory which replaces the factory stock and grip of an assault rifle.  It operates by harnessing the natural recoil of a firearm, allowing the user to continuously fire as the trigger is repeatedly bumped against an individual's firing finger.  The company Slide Fire patented a shoulder version of the bump stock and sent the device to Obama's ATF for regulatory evaluation in early 2010.  The ATF approved Slide Fire's device in June of that year.

What 'gun law' would have prevented the Vegas Massacre?  There are more questions than answers concerning the Las Vegas massacre.  In the frenzy to cover a story with so many glaring unknowns, contradictory information comes out.  Some reporters are focused on getting a scoop, others on parroting the official line, and others on exploiting the situation to advance an agenda.  What's real, what's not, what's being deliberately planted, and by whom?  With a flood of information coming from so many sources of indeterminate reliability, it's almost impossible to know who — or what to believe.

On average, there is mass killing bigger than Vegas in Chicago each month.  There were 762 murders in Chicago in 2016, the most in 19 years.  On average, there was mass killing — by different perps — that adds up bigger than the Las Vegas massacre each month.  Where is the wall-to-wall coverage?  Chicago has very strict gun laws, with no gun shops in Chicago.  The Chicago police and politicians know where the criminals, gangs, and guns are, so why don't they get them off the street?  We see more effort to restrain the cops instead of restraining the criminals.  In Chicago and elsewhere, we repeatedly see killings and other serious crimes committed by illegals and legal citizens with long criminal records.  What we have is a catch-and-release program instead of a system that protects the public.  We have more concern for the criminals than either the cops or the victims.

Vegas Atrocity As Political Opportunity.  [Scroll down]  As for Hillary, the yet-to-be-indicted failed former secretary of state started her day yesterday making nonsensical statements indicating she doesn't understand guns and how they work, not to mention physics.  "The crowd fled at the sound of gunshots," Clinton tweeted Monday at 10:03 a.m.  "Imagine the deaths if the shooter had a silencer, which the NRA wants to make easier to get."  But if Paddock had used a silencer, also called a suppressor, on the barrels of his rifles his murder spree would have ended soon after it got underway.  This is because a metal silencer on a continuous-fire weapon would have quickly deformed or melted from the intense heat generated.  Anyone who has ever fired a rifle knows that even an ordinary rifle is loud.  The powerful weapons Paddock used are much louder.  It is somewhere between impossible and very unlikely that a silencer would have muffled the extraordinarily loud sound of a machine gun.  After making a fool out of herself, at 10:04 a.m. she tweeted, "Our grief isn't enough.  We can and must put politics aside, stand up to the NRA, and work together to try to stop this from happening again."  Of course, demonizing the NRA and its millions of Second Amendment-supporting members isn't actually putting politics aside [...]

All-Out War Against The NRA Begins After Las Vegas Massacre.  Left-wing politicians, activists and journalists are using the worst mass shooting in modern American history to attack one of the nation's oldest civil rights organizations.  The National Rifle Association (NRA) became a convenient scapegoat following the Las Vegas mass shooting that left at least 58 people dead and more than 500 injured.  Left-wing activist group Democracy for America wasted no time fundraising off of the attack while demonizing the NRA and linking them to the violence in Las Vegas.

Facts, Not Emotions, Are Needed In Gun Debate — Here Are 3.  [#1]  More gun laws won't mean fewer homicides or mass shootings. [...] When you look only at homicides, there's no clear correlation between those and state gun laws.  For example, Maryland had a homicide rate of 6.1 per 100,000 population in 2014, despite getting an A rating from the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, which grades states on the strictness of their gun control laws.  Next door Virginia, which gets a D rating, had a homicide rate of 4.1.  A-rated California and F-rated Texas had the exact same homicide rates.  Gun-control-friendly Illinois had a higher homicide rate than its pro-gun neighbors, Indiana and Ohio.  If anything, there's an inverse relationship between gun homicides and the number of guns per person.  As economist Mark Perry notes, the number of guns per person has climbed more than 50% since 1994.  Over those same years, the gun-related homicide rate dropped by 49%.

What Democrats want is no guns, but they don't have the courage to say so.  One of the fictions we want to believe is that making certain guns illegal would prevent mass shootings.  They can't tell you exactly which kinds, because each state actually defines them differently.  But the bad ones, they'll say.  The ones mass shooters use.  But mass shooters use all kinds of guns, from so-called "assault rifles" to shotguns and handguns.  In Charleston, Dylan Roof killed nine people with a .45 Glock pistol.  Aaron Alexis killed 12 people at the Washington Navy Yard with a shotgun.  Jared Loughner killed six in Arizona with a handgun, and Major Nidal Hasan killed 13 and wounded 43 others at Fort Hood with just a pistol.  The truth is, the scary-looking guns many Democrats want to ban account for just 2% of gun deaths in the U.S. The vast majority of gun deaths are actually suicides.  And most homicides are committed with handguns.  Banning semi-automatic rifles is not only arbitrary, it would have negligible impact on gun violence in America.

Tucker Carlson takes out a pitifully unarmed gun-control advocate.  On the surface, Tucker Carlson's takedown of a gun control advocate Tuesday night [10/3/2017] seemed a bit...well, mean.  As Carlson fired off questions, it was pretty obvious that the man, Colby Hall, a mild-mannered writer for Mediaite who argued for gun control in clichéd and emotional terms, didn't have much intellectual firepower.

Democrats Politicize [the] Las Vegas [shooting] before [the victims'] Blood [is] Even Dry.  Before the blood was even dry in Las Vegas, Democrats from coast to coast were pushing gun control.  Hillary Clinton led the charge, finding time between fainting spells to tweet "Our grief isn't enough.  We can and must put politics aside, stand up to the NRA, and work together to try to stop this from happening again."  (Translation:  "Put your politics aside... and accept my politics!  Oh, and my grief is never enough because I don't feel any.")  But I guess, taking Rahm Emanuel's counsel, leftists "never let a serious crisis go to waste."

Keith Olbermann Calls the NRA 'a Terrorist Organization'.  Keith Olbermann, probably the only person ever fired from MSNBC for being too radical, cited former Supreme Court Chief Justice Warren Burger and claimed that the Second Amendment doesn't guarantee people's right to own guns.  He actually argued that, based in part on the amendment's "militia" language, the Framers had intended for it to be a gun-control measure.  He said it was meant to limit our access to firearms, not enable it.  "The right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed..."  He says the Framers didn't know that there would be a firearm capable of attacking so many people when they authored the amendment.  But they also didn't envision Keith Olbermann spouting nonsense on a thing called the internet when they wrote the First Amendment.  Because he can reach more people with his partisan dialogue, does that mean it should be banned now too?  The entire Bill of Rights was designed to guarantee our God-given inherent rights.  That means the Framers thought they would remain inherent for perpetuity.  It shouldn't matter how the tools evolve, the rights stay the same.

Appeals Court Denies D.C.'s Request for Full Court Hearing on Gun-Carry Law Struck Down in July.  Wrenn v.  D.C. is the latest in a long series of challenges to the city's strict gun laws.  The case centers around the city's gun-carry law, put in place after the previous ban on all gun-carry was declared unconstitutional, which allows city officials to deny a permit application based on whether they believe the applicant has a "good reason" for obtaining one.  The plaintiffs complained that in practice this has resulted in very few gun-carry permits being issued in the city, with only 126 permits issued as of July 2017, and said the restriction is an unconstitutional infringement on their Second Amendment rights.  In a 2-1 ruling, the three-judge appeals court panel agreed with the plaintiffs.

Pelosi Invokes Scalise Shooting to Blast Bill Deregulating Silencers.  House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) on Thursday invoked the shooting of House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R., La.) to criticize the SHARE Act that passed out of committee this month.  The legislation introduced by Rep. Jeff Duncan (R., S.C.) deregulates silencers, furthers protections for interstate firearm transport, furthers protections on classification measures for certain firearms and ammunition, and increases access to federal public lands for hunting and fishing, among other measures.  The bill would treat silencers as common firearms and require background checks in order to buy one from a licensed gun dealer, the Washington Free Beacon reports.  Pelosi called the legislation "very dangerous" and said it was pushed under the facade of being for hunters.

Federal Court Ruling Guts Police Ability To Use Guns.  A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday [9/19/2017] that Seattle police can only use force "proportional" to the threat they face, seriously damaging the Seattle Police Department's ability to use firearms.  The ruling from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the use of force reforms put in place by federal mandates under the Obama administration that required police to use only "objectively reasonable force, proportional to the threat or urgency of the situation," the Associated Press reports.  The unanimous ruling strikes down a lawsuit filed by a group of more than 120 Seattle officers in 2014 who claimed that the strict reforms infringe on an officer's right to self defense and the Second Amendment.

Docs vs.  Glocks law protects patients.  Opponents of the law, now struck down by the U.S. District Court, maintain that the law violates doctors' First Amendment right of free speech.  The doctors insist they only want to educate patients about gun safety.  But none of the doctor organizations fighting the law have admitted to the public why the "Docs vs. Glocks" law, or Firearm Owner's Privacy Act, was necessary in the first place.  Not the American Academy of Pediatrics.  Not the American Academy of Family Physicians.  Not even U.S. District Court Judge Marcia Cooke, who didn't even mention in her opinion the years-long gun control campaign waged by medical organizations.  Here's the truth:  the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American Medical Association (AMA), and other medical organizations want guns banned.  As far back as 1996, the AAP distributed a pamphlet jointly with the Center to Prevent Handgun Violence, a part of the Brady Campaign, then tellingly known as Handgun Control, Inc.

National Reciprocity Reportedly Going Nowhere Due To Paul Ryan.  Republicans are supposed to be pro-gun.  Not only is that how Democrats paint them, but it's how Republican lawmakers paint themselves.  After all, the Second Amendment is a sacred right and must be defended.  Following the shooting of Rep. Steve Scalise at the hands of a deranged liberal terrorist, Rep. Thomas Massie introduced a bill for national reciprocity.  This bill would make it so concealed carry license would be treated like marriage licenses or drivers licenses; a permit in one state would be recognized in every other state.  The bill, however, has stalled, and Massie points the finger for this squarely at Speaker of the House Paul Ryan.

U.S. Governor Orders Seizure of Privately Owned Guns, Ammo Ahead of Hurricane.  Gov. Kenneth E. Mapp there has activated the National Guard and has now ordered all guns, ammo and property needed by the National Guard seized.  Silly me... I thought that was unconstitutional and illegal.  The wording of the order is tricky as it allows the seizure in the performance of the National Guard's duties.  Mapp issued this emergency order and signed it on Monday [9/4/2017] in preparation for the storm.  It smacks of martial law.

Virgin Islands Allows National Guard To Seize Guns, Ammo Ahead Of Hurricane Irma.  U.S. Virgin Islands Gov. Kenneth Mapp signed an emergency order allowing the seizure of private guns, ammunition, explosives and property the National Guard may need to respond to Hurricane Irma.  Mapp signed the order Monday [9/4/2017] in preparation for Hurricane Irma.  The order allows the Adjutant General of the Virgin Islands to seize private property they believe necessary to protect the islands, subject to approval by the territory's Justice Department.  Mapp issued an emergency declaration Tuesday and mobilized National Guard units to prepare for the massive storm.

Defending Your Family During States of Emergency.  As you probably know, you may legally defend yourself using deadly force if you or your family faces a reasonable fear of imminent death or great bodily harm.  And with rare exceptions, lawful citizens may keep defensive firearms in the home.  But can authorities legally confiscate your firearms during an emergency as they did in New Orleans after Katrina?  What about using deadly force to protect property?  Most important, can you legally carry firearms to protect your family if forced to evacuate?

Does the Left Know Something's Coming Involving Guns?  This sounds a little "out there," but we live in a time when what is going on beneath the surface dwarfs what we see as the end result of someone's planning.  So what if the discordant calls for gun control are because those politicians, anarchists, and activists (though I repeat myself) have foreknowledge of some kind of planned escalation of their brand of "protest" and are setting the stage for disingenuous "I told you sos'?  What if they have something of a timeline along which they either believe that things will happen or will make things happen, to escalate the blitzkrieg of media and hysteria by which they effect "change" — meaning a coup?  What if they and the media are in bed together on this, too, and have prepared their stories and narratives ahead of time? [...] Seeing the unprecedented dishonesty we have seen over the last nine years, practiced by unethical zealots who see their opportunity to gain full control over the wealth of an entire nation, is this too ridiculous to imagine?

The Right Questions Can Help the Uninformed Think Past Anti-Gun Disinformation.  When did self-defense become morally wrong?  If someone violently attacks me or my family, is it wrong for me to resist?  Do I not have a right to life?  Forget about me.  How about your elderly mother?  If someone with intent to rob, degrade, beat, rape and butcher attacks her, would she be morally at fault for protecting herself? [...] Let me ask another basic question.  What is a right?  Is it something that is granted by a government authority?  If so, how does that differ from a privilege?  Can something that is granted be withheld?  Can something that is licensed be revoked?  Are rights not unalienable?  Do they not precede the establishment of government?  Are they not, in fact, outside the authority of government?  Does our Second Amendment say the right it articulates "may be infringed" or "shall not be infringed"?

Oregon Governor Signs Gun Confiscation Bill Into Law.  The governor of Oregon signed Democrat (and even Republican) supported gun control legislation that would allow authorities to strip firearms from law-abiding citizens.  The bill, signed Wednesday [8/16/2017] by Gov. Kate Brown, would permit state authorities to seize the firearms of anyone who has been determined as a threat to themselves or others — without any judicial process at all.  The intent is to reduce the number of gun-related suicides, which has been on the rise recently in the state, but Second Amendment advocates were incensed.

Lack Of Openness.  [Scroll down]  Back in the late 1990s there was a study by economist John Lott on the effects of concealed carry and what happens when states pass Shall Issue laws.  The effect he found was stark and clear: concealed carry reduces crime.  See his book More Guns, Less Crime.  Of course this is no surprise to people on the Right.  But naturally this was a political hot potato; he was viciously attacked by claims his research was flawed, biased, etc.  So — and I hold this to be the very zenith of openness — he offered his data set, copies of his notes in developing his analytical technique, and copies of the analysis model itself to anyone who asked, including his critics.  And that's the critical point.  He shared his data, even with critics, because he was interested in the truth.

Texas police chief with 'badge clearly displayed' around his neck forced to exit doctor's office for carrying gun.  A veteran police chief in Conroe, Texas was asked to leave a doctor's office after he reportedly refused a receptionist's request to put the gun he was carrying in his car.  Chief Philip Dupuis checked in to his appointment at the Texas Ear, Nose and Throat Specialists in The Woodlands the afternoon of August 8, with his handgun attached to his side and an identification badge hanging from a lanyard around his neck.

2nd Amendment Foundation Issues Travel Advisory:  Your Gun Rights Are No Good in California.  On August 7, the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) issued its first ever travel advisory warning American gun owners not to go to California unless they are willing to enter the state disarmed or risk going to jail.  The gun rights group is "warning law-abiding armed citizens that their civil rights could be in jeopardy due to that state's restrictive gun control laws."

Another of those gun confiscations which we're told never happens.  When elected officials, at both the federal and state levels, propose new gun control laws we are given the same speech every time.  Stop crying wolf.  It's not as if armed officers are about to go door to door confiscating everyone's guns.  When you listen to that speech repeated often enough you might even become tempted to start believing it.

Anti-Gun Activists Lead a Couple to Ruin.  In 2012, Jessica Ghawi was murdered by James Holmes during a showing of The Dark Knight.  She was one of twelve victims who died that day.  In the aftermath, Ghawi's mother, Sandy, filed a lawsuit against Lucky Gunner, the business that sold Holmes his weapons. [...] Phillips's lawsuit was dismissed under the 2005 Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, which was meant to protect the firearms industry from politically motivated lawsuits in which the plaintiffs claim that gun manufacturers and dealers were responsible for the criminal acts of third parties beyond their control.  And rightly so.  As the recent campaign of Hillary Clinton shows, there is a concerted attempt underway in this country to usher gun control in by the back door and turn innocent people into criminals.

Law Enforcement Wrongfully Confiscates New York Veteran's Guns.  [Scroll down]  There is no longer any debate on this issue.  Moreover, we know from scientific studies that limiting access to firearms of the mentally ill does not reduce suicide deaths.  For some progressives who simply want to worship the totem pole of mental health and behavioristic psychology, and who are well intentioned, they refuse to listen to the science behind their incorrect perceptions of the world.  They want to bow down and worship at the altar of the local witch doctor, or the psychiatrist, as if he knows how to make everything better.  But for most people, they know better than to believe that violence is related to illness rather than moral maladies and evil, and yet they throw out the red herring of mental illness anyway in order to cover over their real intentions, which is yet another gun control and confiscatory scheme.  That's what happened here.  The SAFE act is anything but safe, because it protects no one and places peaceable, law abiding men in harm's way.

GOP Rep. Introduces Legislation to Nullify State-Level Gun Controls.  Rep. Chris Collins (R-NY) introduced legislation Monday [7/31/2017] aimed at nullifying state-level gun controls that exceed gun controls put in place by the federal government.  New York's SAFE Act (2013) is a prime example of the kind of gun control Collins hopes to erase.  WKBW reports Collins' bill is titled the Second Amendment Guarantee Act (SAGA), and its language explicitly "[limits] the authority of states to regulate conduct, or impose penalties or taxes in relation to rifles or shotguns."  It is designed to catch laws that go beyond federal statutes and render them void.

Chaos Erupts At City Hall Hearing for Proposed Gun Bill.  Chaos erupted Tuesday [7/25/2017] at a Baltimore City Hall hearing for a proposed mandatory one-year sentence for possession of an illegal handgun.  It took just minutes for rising tensions to overflow.  Council members had issued several warnings to unruly attendees, but police were called to move in as activists clashed with council members, and people pushed back.

D.C. law requiring 'good reason' to carry concealed handguns is ruled unconstitutional.  A strict D.C. gun law that prevents most firearms owners from carrying concealed handguns in public in the nation's capital is unconstitutional, a federal appeals court panel ruled Tuesday, saying the city government cannot demand citizens prove a "good reason" before being issued permits.  In a 2-1 decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ordered lower courts to issue permanent injunctions blocking enforcement of the law.  City officials said they are considering an appeal, but gun rights supporters said the ruling is a major step and could set up an even bigger victory should the U.S. Supreme Court adopt the circuit judges' decision.

Florida taxpayers to shoulder $1.1 million in legal fees over 'docs vs. glocks' law.  Florida will pay $1.1 million in legal fees to attorneys who challenged a controversial state law that sought to prevent doctors from asking patients about guns, a group representing opponents said Monday [7/24/2017].  The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence announced the legal fee agreement more than five months after a federal appeals court sided with doctors and medical groups in striking down key parts of the 2011 law — which became known as the "docs vs. glocks" law.

Concealed handgun permits surging, blacks, women lead growth.  Concealed handgun permits in the United States soared by 1.83 million since last July, setting a record for the fourth consecutive year, according to an analysis released Thursday [7/20/2017].  That brings the total number of concealed handgun permit holders in the country to 16.3 million, with some of the biggest increases occurring among women and African-Americans, the Crime Prevention Research Center (CPRC) said.  Concealed handgun permits are now held by some more than 6 percent of American adults, the CPRC analysis found.  Outside the restrictive states of California and New York, that figure rises to about 8 percent.

Weak-Kneed Ryan Stalls National Concealed Carry Reciprocity.  Our friends at the Virginia Citizens Defense League recently put out an alert letting gun owners know exactly where the problem is with the national concealed carry reciprocity bill — with Democratic Speaker of the House Paul Ryan.

Losing Their Gun Rights With Barely a Whimper.  Gun-rights activists often express the view that Americans will not easily give up their rights to gun ownership even if the laws eventually outlaw — or at least greatly restrict — the freedom of individuals to own firearms.  The scenario they depict is bleak but simple:  When armed agents come to their doors to confiscate people's arsenals, some of those people can be expected to fight back. [...] The experience in California, in particular, suggests an entirely different scenario.  From what I've seen, the public often will support aggressive new restrictions.  Gun owners will meekly hand over their weapons to agents.  Gun-rights groups will quietly protest, but have little sway.  Republican legislators will make things worse as they try to prove their commitment to taking guns out of the hands of "criminals."  The erosion of our fundamental gun rights will take place so slowly that few will protest too much.

Had Hillary Clinton Won the Election....  Hillary, like the rest of the left, hates the Second Amendment.  Had she won, it would likely have been abrogated out of existence.  Law-abiding citizens would be relegated to victim status by decree, no longer allowed to defend themselves from the always armed criminals while the likes of Hillary and her crowd live in gated mansion and have armed guards.  "For me but not for thee" is the mantra of the left.  She would be taking the nation in the direction of Oregon, which is fast becoming the fascist state the left so admires.

New Report From Crime Prevention Research Center Shows 11.1 Million Americans Hold Concealed Carry Permits.  The last comprehensive report on the number of concealed carry permit holders was completed three years ago by the U.S. Government Accountability Office and showed that 8 million Americans held a concealed carry permit.  These numbers show that the number of permits is not only increasing, but they are growing at faster and faster rates.

No, really — guns for we but not for thee.  Hey, remember two weeks ago when congressional bodies were hitting the ground, and some guy named Loudermilk rushed to a microphone and said congressvermin should pass a law giving them the privilege of going armed anywhere they wanted? [...] Introducing H.R. 2940, The Congressional Self-Defense Act, "To allow Members of Congress to carry a concealed firearm anywhere in the United States, with certain exceptions."

By What Right Do We Bear Arms?  The constitution is a covenant by which men have agreed to live together.  We derive our authority to bear arms from God, in whose image we are made, and who Himself made war when necessary, and thus we are to protect that image.  This is His immutable law.  If the covenant within which we live does not reflect God's laws, it is an abomination and dishonors God.  It is null and void.  Second, to the extent that it does, when we fail to live within the framework of that covenant it is null and void.  Therefore, if the government breaks covenant with the people, the government has declared itself null and void before God.

74% of American gun owners say owning a gun is 'essential to their freedom': Poll.  [A] wide-ranging new poll from the Pew Research Center [...] found that 74 percent of all U.S. gun owners say owning a gun is "essential to their freedom."  Another 73 percent of the owners say they could never see themselves "not owning a gun."  Half say that "all or most of their friends" also own guns.

Law-Abiding Citizens Have More Than 600 Million Firearms in America.  The fact is, while there is no definitive way to tally all the firearms in the United States, it is commonly accepted and reported that there are roughly 300 million firearms in the hands of law-abiding Americans.  But has anyone else noticed that number hasn't moved in years, even in the 8 years Obama sparked an increase in gun sales, the gun run during Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, and after the NICS background checks system set new records for 15 straight months?

Most Americans know that owning a gun is an essential part of our freedom.  An overwhelming majority of Americans view gun ownership as essential to their freedom.  This is what a recent Pew Research poll discovered in a deep dive into the complex relationship Americans have with guns.  According to the poll, "The nationally representative survey of 3,930 U.S. adults, including 1,269 gun owners, was conducted March 13 to 27 and April 4 to 18, 2017, using the Pew Research Center's American Trends Panel."  In other words, the survey is pretty comprehensive.  And its findings reflect the understanding of many clear-thinking Americans on the 2nd Amendment:  for those who do own and use firearms, it is integral to who they are.

Teachers packing heat:  More educators taking gun training classes.  Teachers across the country are moving to the head of the class when it comes to learning how to use a gun.  With mass shootings seemingly becoming common place in classrooms across the country, teachers are learning how fire grade-A shots and starting to carry weapons in class.  It's an attempt to better protect their students and prevent the next Sandy Hook Elementary School or Columbine High School shooting.  Nearly a third of the country, a total of 18 states, allows adults to carry a loaded gun on school grounds, with certain permissions.

U.S. Supreme Court Rejects Appeal Seeking Gun-Carrying Rights.  The U.S. Supreme Court refused to consider loosening restrictions on carrying firearms in public, rejecting an appeal by California gun-rights advocates and continuing to steer clear of one of the nation's most polarizing issues.  The justices left intact a San Diego County policy that requires people to show a special need in order to get a license to carry a concealed handgun outside the home.  A divided federal appeals court had upheld the policy.  Justices Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch said the high court should have heard the case.

Scalise shooting and knee-jerk calls for more gun control — here we go again.  After each mass public shooting, President Obama would call for expanded background checks on private transfers of guns — even though not one of the shootings would have been prevented by such a law.  Indeed, not a single attack since at least 2000 would have been stopped.  "News" coverage of these events also shows the same knee-jerk biases for more gun control.  Guns are often referred to as "assault weapons" even if they function exactly the same as a hunting rifle.  Nowhere do the news reports mention whether an attack occurred in a gun-free zone.  They never examine the thought process of attackers who want defenseless victims.

Concealed carry permit holders exposed by data breach.  The names of thousands of concealed carry permit holders in Florida may have been leaked as the result of a recent data breach, state officials said.  An online payment system utilized by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) was compromised about two weeks ago, the office acknowledged Monday [5/22/2017], in turn exposing the Social Security numbers of 469 customers as well as the names of 16,190 concealed weapon licensees.

The Ivory Tower Man:  Why Academia Hates Guns.  The rise of this Ivory Tower Man can be attributed to the rapid urbanization of our society combined with an abundance of resources and technology that has made it possible for people to be soft.  Wimps can now survive and thrive.  Everyone gets a trophy.  Our lifestyle is less strenuous than has been the experience for all past generations.  And, above all, due to scientific advancements life is now more secure than it has ever been in human history.  Sure, bad things happen to others, but the Ivory Tower Man does not personally see these things on a daily basis in his own nice neighborhood.  He is insulated and thus willfully naive. [...] And here is a prime characteristic of the Ivory Tower Man:  He despises those who still believe in strength, skill, and self-reliance.

Home Invasion Victim Waits Over an Hour for Police to Arrive.  There's a big divide between urban liberals and rural conservatives when it comes to gun rights, and there's a very simple reason why.  In rural areas, a gun has many different uses.  Aside from self-defense, they can also be used for hunting, putting down injured livestock, and culling pests and predators.  Plus, there are a lot more opportunities to shoot firearms recreationally in the countryside.  People who live in cities however, don't have as much respect for firearms, because they don't need them nearly as much.  In the city, the only reason you'll need a gun is for self-defense, and even then it doesn't seem very important to most urban dwellers.  After all, why would you need a gun to protect yourself in a densely populated area, where a phone call can bring the police to your door in a few minutes?

Trump: 'I Will Never, Ever Infringe on the Right of the People to Keep and Bear Arms'.  President Donald Trump pledged to never infringe on the 2nd Amendment during a speech at the National Rifle Association's meeting in Atlanta, Ga., on Friday [4/28/2017].  "We all took an oath to preserve and protect the Constitution of the United States, and that means defending the 2nd Amendment.  So let me make a simple to every one of the freedom-loving Americans in the audience today:  as your president, I will never, ever infringe on the right of the people to keep and bear arms — never, ever," Trump said.

The Left Slams Even the NRA's Program to Keep Children Away from Guns.  The National Rifle Association doesn't want young children handling guns, and so it runs the "Eddie Eagle GunSafe" program for schools, designed to teach kids four steps they should take if they find a gun:  Stop, don't touch, run away, and tell a grown-up.  This is absolute common sense, and the sort of message that every kid in the country should hear.  Nothing in the program encourages kids to want guns, purchase guns when they're older, or shoot guns.  The potential harm of a gun in the wrong hands — and unprepared hands are the wrong hands — is made clear.  Despite the utterly innocuous message, some voices on the left object to the Eddie Eagle program.

ATF Reverses Draconian, Obama-Era Policy on Stabilizing Braces.  News broke this week that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has reconsidered and "clarified" its Jan. 6, 2015 Open Letter on the use of stabilizing braces as shoulder stocks.  As we explained at the time, the ATF took the position in that letter that merely affixing the stabilizing brace to a pistol did not constitute the "making" of an NFA firearm.  Firing the braced pistol from the shoulder, however, was held to constitute a "redesign" of the firearm that brought it under the jurisdiction of the National Firearms Act (NFA), with all the additional regulations that classification entails.  This directly contradicted earlier advice the ATF had provided, in which the agency stated, "firing a pistol from the shoulder would not cause the pistol to be reclassified as an SBR."  Nor, advised the ATF in the earlier guidance, would using a stability brace improperly as a shoulder stock "change the classification of the weapon per federal law."

ATF Clarifies Legality of Pistol Arm Brace Use.  As you can see, the device can also be used as a very short stock for the AR-15 pistol, even though that is not what it is designed for.  Many people have put the brace to this use, as it is much easier to purchase AR-15 pistols and a brace than it is to go through all the bureaucratic and bizarre requirements to obtain a legal short barreled rifle (SBR) or short barreled shotgun (SBS).  The legal restrictions on SBS and SBR firearms never made any sense.  They only made sense if the federal government put the same restriction on handguns, as FDR attempted to do in 1934.

Dem. Assemblyman Pushes Bill to Guarantee Teachers Cannot Shoot Back if Attackers Strike.  California Assemblyman Kevin McCarty (D-7) is pushing legislation to take away school administrators' power to allow teachers with a Carry Concealed Weapon license to be armed in classrooms for self-defense.  McCarty's bill — AB 424 — was introduced months ago and is snaking its way through the legislative process.

Marine veteran to serve 3 years in prison for carrying unlicensed gun in New Jersey.  In 2011, former Marine Police Sgt. Hisashi Pompey was visiting family in New Jersey from Quantico, Virginia, when he went to a Fort Lee nightclub with friends.  The then-active duty sergeant, who was in uniform, went to get his bag out of one friend's car when another friend approached him with blood on his face from getting in a fight, a local CBS News affiliate reported.  The friend then grabbed a gun from Mr. Pompey's holster and carried it into a confrontation with police, a local ABC News affiliate reported.  Mr. Pompey, who served three tours in Afghanistan and Iraq, had a permit to carry the gun in Virginia, but not in New Jersey.

Update:
Chris Christie Commutes Sentence for USMC War Vet Charged over Legally Owned Gun.  On Friday Gov. Chris Christie (R) commuted the prison sentence for former Marine Sergeant Hisashi Pompey, arrested six years ago for possessing a legally owned gun that was unregistered in the state of New Jersey.  On April 13 Breitbart News reported that Pompey brought his handgun into New Jersey while visiting from Virginia.  Following an altercation at a nightclub, one of Pompey's friends retrieved the gun and was arrested.  Pompey was also arrested because the gun was not registered in the state of New Jersey.

Hunters and Anglers Object to Last-Minute Lead Ban.  Dan Ashe, director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), issued a directive to phase out the use of lead ammunition and fishing tackle within the nation's wildlife refuges and other federal lands controlled by the agency.  The directive bans the use of lead in ammunition and fishing tackle on more than 307 million acres of federal land, effective January 2022.  The FWS action expands the existing ban on the use of lead shot for hunting migratory waterfowl to all types of ammunition and fishing equipment that use lead for all species on FWSmanaged lands.  Ashe issued the directive on January 19, the day before he left the agency as President Donald Trump took the oath of office as president.

South Carolina House passes bill granting carry of handguns without a permit.  The South Carolina House of Representatives on Wednesday [4/5/2017] approved a bill that would allow residents to carry a gun, openly or concealed, without getting a weapons permit.  The controversial bill passed the chamber 64-46 after more than three hours of debate.  If approved by the Senate and signed into law, anyone who is legally allowed to buy a gun could do so without getting a state permit.  The bill would keep the state's concealed weapons permit program in place so South Carolinians could carry their guns in other states.

Clovis Family Wins Lawsuit, Forcing California DOJ to Return 500 Guns.  A Clovis family won a court case against the California Department of Justice that forces the state agency to return 500 guns it had confiscated from Albert Sheakalee.  The CA DOJ raided Sheakalee's house in 2015, alleging he was listed in the state's Armed Prohibited Persons (APPS) database.  Sheakalee's attorney won the case by arguing that the CA DOJ had not notified Sheakalee that he was on the APPS.  Moreover, his attorney, Mark Coleman, stated that "the justice department broke a promise to Sheakalee to keep the raid confidential until a court hearing determined whether he was mentally fit to own guns."  According to the Fresno Bee, Sheakalee was arrested, but he "had no prior criminal history." [...] No charges were ever brought against Sheakelee; nonetheless, the CA DOJ held onto the guns.

DOJ Seized 541 Guns From This Man With No Charges Filed, but He Fought and Got Them All Back!.  A California Federal Firearms License holder who had his entire firearms collection of 541 guns seized with no charges filed against him, has had his guns returned.  Albert Sheakalee, who lives in the Clovis area, went through mental health treatment in 2014.  He has had a clean criminal record all of his life and owns a retirement home.  He is a retired budget director of Fresno Community Hospital, and has held a FFL for more than two decades.  However, under the Obama administration, the Justice Department went after his guns without any charges or guilt of any crime being obtained, a clear violation of the Fifth Amendments protections that he not be deprived of his rights (specifically the right to keep and bear arms).  A press release at the time by then-state Attorney General, now Senator Kamala Harris barred him from owning guns and brought about a 12-hour raid on his home by the Bureau of Firearms Special Agents on November 12, 2015.  He was subsequently arrested for allegedly possessing illegal firearms.

Gun rights activists are on a political roll with four recent wins.  Second Amendment advocates are on a bit of a political roll recently, with four major victories in just one week.  House Speaker Paul Ryan pulled an anti-gun healthcare proposal from consideration; the governor of North Dakota signed a bill letting residents carry a firearm without a permit; New Mexico lawmakers defeated a gun registry bill and the Supreme Court ruled for a defendant whom a gun rights group had supported.  "It gives us a lot of hope," Erich Pratt, executive director of Gun Owners of America, said to Fox News.  "We just spent the past eight years on the defensive.  Now we are playing offensive ball."

Accidental gun deaths hit record low, even amid recent boom in firearms sales.  Gun sales are up, and accidental gun injuries are down, according to a report released this month by the National Safety Council.  The NSC's "Injury Facts -2017 Edition" shows a 17 percent decrease in accidents involving firearms from 2014 to 2015, a period when gun sales soared.  There were 489 unintentional firearms-related fatalities during that time period, the lowest total since record-keeping began in 1903, accounting for less than 1 percent of accident deaths.  This decrease, which was the largest percentage decline of any category cited in the NSC's report, came in a year that saw record-high firearm sales.

Accidental gun deaths hit record low,.  even amid recent boom in firearms sales

Without Obama, once-booming gun industry poised to shrink.  Fears of government limits on guns — some real, some perceived — led to a surge in demand during Obama's tenure and manufacturers leapt to keep up.  Over the decade ending in 2015, the number of U.S. companies licensed to make firearms jumped 362 percent.  "The trends really almost since Election Day or election night have been that gun sales have slacked off," said Robert Spitzer, political science department chairman at State University of New York at Cortland. "

North Dakotans now allowed to carry concealed guns without permits, governor decides.  North Dakotans will no longer need a permit to carry a concealed weapon after Republican Governor Doug Burgum signed legislation lifting restrictions, a victory for gun rights advocates that came a week after South Dakota's governor vetoed a similar bill.  The law, which takes effect on Aug. 1, mandates that gun owners only need a North Dakota driver's license or state identification card for at least a year before they can carry a concealed firearm in public.

Republicans Move to Strengthen Protections for Interstate Travel by Gun Owners.  Senator Orrin Hatch (R., Utah) introduced a bill to the Senate on March 14 that would institute new protections for gun owners who travel across state lines with their firearms.  The Lawful Interstate Transportation of Firearms Act, also introduced by Rep. Morgan Griffith (R., Va.) to the House of Representatives in January, would expand and clarify the interstate firearm transportation rules instituted under the Firearms Owners' Protection Act of 1986.  Under that law, Americans are allowed to transport firearms from one state where they can legally possess them to another so long as certain requirements are met, such as the firearms being unloaded and locked in a container not easily accessible to passengers.

New Hampshire ranks highest in firearms manufacturing study.  New Hampshire ranks at the top among all states when it comes to manufacturing firearms, according to a recently released study by WalletHub.  But because it doesn't rank so high when it comes to gun ownership, and its congressional delegation tends to favor gun control, the state finished 12th in the study's rankings, which measured dependence on the gun industry.  Thanks to industry giants like Sig Sauer in Newington and Sturm Ruger's facility in Newport, sales of firearms in New Hampshire totaled $722.92 per person, the biggest output per capita in the union, according to WalletHub.

House Stops VA from Finding Vets Mentally Unfit to Own a Gun.  The House passed on Thursday [3/16/2017] a bill to prohibit Veterans Affairs from blocking a veteran from buying a gun by labeling them mentally unfit, requiring a judiciary authority to make that determination.  The Veterans Second-Amendment Protection Act, introduced by Rep. Phil Roe (R-Tenn.), states "a person who is mentally incapacitated, deemed mentally incompetent, or experiencing an extended loss of consciousness shall not be considered adjudicated as a mental defective" by the VA "without the order or finding of a judge, magistrate, or other judicial authority of competent jurisdiction that such person is a danger to himself or herself or others."

Supreme Court:  Weapons allowed on Madison buses.  Wisconsin's capital city must allow passengers to carry hidden weapons on buses, the state Supreme Court said Tuesday [3/7/2017] in siding with a gun rights group that local governments cannot trump the state's concealed-carry law.

Florida's Gun-Free Zones Could Be Eliminated; Opponents Call That Madness.  If only more people were packing loaded weapons, there would be fewer mass shootings like Orlando's Pulse nightclub massacre and the carnage committed by another lone gunman at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International airport in January.  That's the thinking behind legislation proposed in the Florida House and Senate  — HB 803/SB 908 — to do away with most of the state's gun-free zones.  But Patti Brigham, co-chair of the Florida Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence, called the proposal to allow "guns everywhere absurd and incredibly dangerous."

Trump's team scraps Obama-era ban on lead bullets.  Hours after literally riding into town on a horse for his first day on the job, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke on Thursday scrapped an Obama-era ban on hunting with lead bullets on federal lands.  The rule, put into place during the final days of the Obama administration, was cast as an attempt to prevent the lead poisoning of animals on all lands overseen by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  But critics — including sportsmen's groups, gun rights organizations and a host of others at the federal and state levels — said it was designed to discourage hunting.  Mr. Zinke seemed to agree, signaling that he believed the rule hindered hunting and fishing for many Americans.

These Payment Processors Are Trying To Hurt Gun Stores.  Shortly after SHOT Show last month, a couple of FFL dealers began having issues with financial institutions cutting off merchant accounts for "violating" the user agreements, Bearing Arms has learned exclusively.  Montana Tactical, located in Bozeman, unexpectedly received an email from Intuit, a credit card processing company, saying Montana Tactical's transactions are considered "MOTO business" (mail order/telephone order).  Intuit declined to continue servicing Montana Tactical because the store sells firearms, ammunition and gun powder.

Fourth Circuit Sets the Stage for a New National Gun Ban.  In an unusual opinion that at times reads more like an op-ed at the New York Times than a legal ruling, the 4th Circuit Court last week upheld Maryland's highly restrictive "Firearms Safety Act."  It's apparent that the 4th Circuit acted in anticipation of a Hillary Clinton victory in November, in which case its decision would have gone unchallenged by the Supreme Court or affirmed, thus substantially laying the groundwork for the overturn of the Supreme Court's ruling in District of Columbia v.  Heller, and with that the effective national evisceration of the 2nd Amendment under a second Clinton administration.

Sununu signature scraps 'concealed carry' permits.  Anyone who legally owns a gun can now carry it in a concealed fashion without a permit from their local police chief, thanks to Senate Bill 12, signed into law on Wednesday [2/22/2017] by Gov. Chris Sununu.  The battle over constitutional carry, or concealed carry, has been waged in the State House on and off for the past three decades.

NH eliminates license requirement to carry concealed gun, effective immediately.  It's now legal to carry a concealed, loaded gun in New Hampshire without a license.  In his first bill signing since taking office, Republican Gov. Chris Sununu signed so-called constitutional carry into law Wednesday.  "It is common-sense legislation," he said during a ceremony in Executive Council chambers.  "This is about making sure that our laws on our books are keeping people safe while remaining true to the live-free-or-die spirit."

Note:  This article in Slate is replete with bias.
Appeals Court Rules that Second Amendment Doesn't Protect Right to Assault Weapons.  On Tuesday [2/21/2017], the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit ruled that the Second Amendment doesn't protect assault weapons — an extraordinary decision keenly attuned to the brutal havoc these firearms can wreak.  Issued by the court sitting en banc, Tuesday's decision reversed a previous ruling in which a panel of judges had struck down Maryland's ban on assault weapons and detachable large capacity magazines.

Connecticut Proposes Quadrupling Gun Permit Fees as Part of New Budget Plan.  The governor of Connecticut is attempting to tap gun owners to help close the state's $1.7 billion budget deficit.  Gov. Dannel Malloy, a Democrat, has proposed increases to pistol permit fees.  The five-year renewal fee for pistol permits would increase from $70 to $300, first-time five-year permits would increase from $140 to $370 and fees for background checks would increase from $50 to $75.

Gun Sales Dip in January as Trump Takes Office.  The number of gun-related background checks performed by the FBI in January were down significantly from the record number from last January.  The FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System, or NICS, processed 2,043,184 gun-related checks through January 2017, records released on Friday show.  That's more than 500,000 fewer checks than the record set the year before.  It comes on the heels of a streak that saw 18-straight months of new monthly records, and two new yearly records as well.

Neil Gorsuch, Guns & the Second Amendment: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know.  Donald Trump's nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court is generally regarded as a supporter of the Second Amendment and gun rights.  Vigorously praised by the National Rifle Association, Neil Gorsuch "has endorsed Second Amendment rights," says FiveThirtyEight.  However, there is one ruling that gives some conservatives concern, relating to when police can disarm those carrying firearms.  Although Gorsuch's positions on some hot button issues — like abortion — are less clear, his stances on the Second Amendment and guns are clearer.

Judge Neil Gorsuch:  Some Cause for Concern.  According to the 10th Circuit's opinion, the police are justified in forcibly disarming every armed citizen based on nothing more than the presence of a concealed firearm.  This allows the police to treat every law-abiding gun owner like a criminal — which, in many cases we have seen, includes rough treatment such as grabbing him, twisting his arm behind his back, slamming him down on the ground, and handcuffing him.  Far too many police officers do not like anyone to be armed other than themselves and have taken it upon themselves to intimidate those who dare to exercise Second Amendment rights.

Do Not Touch The Guns.  Any man who believes that LEOs have the right to disarm innocent civilians because they feel like it isn't fit to be on any bench, much less the Supreme Court of the United States.  Neil Gorsuch should resign his post along with his colleagues on the tenth circuit and be replaced by good men who believe in the constitution.

Gun-rights supporters oppose plan to protect wildlife refuges by prohibiting lead bullets.  In the waning hours of the Obama administration, the head of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service set in motion a plan to prohibit lead ammunition and fishing tackle from national wildlife refuges by 2022.  The Jan. 19 order, intended to protect birds from lead poisoning, presents the Trump Administration with an early opportunity to weigh in on gun policy.  Gun-rights supporters have condemned the plan as a nakedly political act unsupported by science.

The Editor says...
I really don't think environmentalists care about lead.  The environmentalists are the tools of the gun-controlling, America-hating left.  Environmentalists don't care about stratospheric ozone or gas mileage or polar bears or "light pollution" or rising sea levels, or endangered species, unless these issues can be used to stifle capitalism.

Branded With a Scarlet 'G'.  The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals just suffered from an outbreak of bad judging.  In an en banc opinion, the court ruled that after a lawful traffic stop, the police may frisk any person who they believe may possess a firearm, regardless of whether that person possesses a concealed-carry permit.  The court actually typed this sentence:  "The danger justifying a protective frisk arises from the combination of a forced police encounter and the presence of a weapon, not from any illegality of the weapon's possession" (emphasis added.)  The implications were clear:  Even lawful gun owners are by definition "dangerous" and can be broadly treated as such by the state.

Urban Leftists Can't Stop Violating the Constitution.  Yesterday [1/18/2017], the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals struck down yet another series of Chicago laws that transparently and clumsily attempted to circumvent the Second Amendment and controlling legal precedent protecting the rights of Chicago citizens to own handguns for self-defense.  It's a battle that's been raging for almost a decade. [...] In 2010, [Otis] McDonald won his case.  The Supreme Court held that the Second Amendment was "fully applicable" to the states and protected the right to keep and bear arms from intrusive state and local laws.  Chicago's handgun ban was thus plainly unconstitutional.  But rather than comply with the Constitution, Chicago went back to the drawing board, this time constructing a new, indirect ban.  As summarized by the Seventh Circuit, the city allowed residents to possess a handgun if they had a lawful permit, required range training as a prerequisite to getting a permit, and then banned firing ranges from operating in the city.

The Phony 'Public-Health Crisis' of Gun Violence.  Two major medical journals have decided to renew the academic medical establishment's assault on gun owners.  The first shot across the bow appeared in the November 8 Journal of the American Medical Association, where esteemed Stanford University health economist Victor Fuchs published a paper on the problem of life expectancy in the black community.  Near the end of his lamentation, Fuchs asserts that increasing life expectancy in the black community "depends more on public health measures such as gun control than on medical care."  The second shot came with the release of the January issue of JAMA Internal Medicine, which has four papers and an editorial devoted to firearms violence, with a heavy emphasis on suicide prevention, which would benefit whites much more than it would the black community.  It should go without saying that Dr. Fuchs and his fellow public-health avengers have made critical analytical errors that belie their actual goal:  a creeping vine of restrictions on access to firearms that, in their most lurid dreams, would eventually make gun ownership illegal.

Washington State Considers Gun Bans Which, Shockingly, Mostly Affect Law Abiding Citizens.  Democrats have lots of talking points for in public.  Things like they just want to keep guns out of the hands of criminals.  That they want to reduce gun violence.  We'll get things like they believe in the 2nd Amendment, and just want common sense gun control.  That they don't really want to confiscate guns.  But, when they aren't yammering to the general public, we see that they really do want to mostly ban guns from the law abiding citizens, and when they submit legislation, it isn't about criminals, it's about banning guns from the hands of non-criminals[.]

Up to 30 Shots Fired In Squad-Sized Home Invasion In Texas.  Gun control supporters keep shrieking that we don't "need" the standard capacity magazines specifically designed for our firearms.  The 5-10 home invasion suspects who opened fire on law enforcement responding to a 911 call in Houston last night would clearly agree that they want their victims outgunned. [...] Anti-gun Democrats in New York, California, Connecticut, Maryland, and other ban-happy states have given violent criminals a distinct advantage by passing magazine limit laws that law-abiding citizens will comply with, and which violent criminals such as these will ignore.  These legislators are giving criminals the advantage.  They do not have your best interests at heart, and only encourage this kind of crime to become more prevalent.

Obama's Outrageous Expansion of Gun-Buyer Background Checks.  Have you ever thought of letting someone else manage your finances?  Under finalized new rules released just before Christmas by President Obama, Social Security recipients will be banned from buying a gun if they are deemed "financially incompetent."  Some 4.2 million Social Security recipients — about 10 percent of all people 65 and older — could lose the right to own a gun as a result.  Just because someone can't manage his finances doesn't mean that he's a danger to others.  What is next?  Keeping guns away from people who can't drive or do math?  What about other rights?  Should "financially incompetent" people be forbidden from voting or making other decisions?  President Obama and most other Democrats would be understandably upset if any voters were required to pass a literacy or intelligence test at the polls, but they have no problem denying millions of seniors their ability to defend themselves.

2016 Proved To Be The Biggest Year In History For Gun Sales.  Well, besides President-elect Donald J. Trump's stunning upset win over Hillary Clinton, 2016 will also be known as another record year in gun sales.  In fact, more guns have been sold this year than ever before in history. [...] Now, the spike in gun sales was due to fears that Obama and the Democrats would enact new gun control laws, specifically through executive order.  Even Hillary Clinton made similar overtures on the 2016 campaign trail.

More Guns Have Been Sold in 2016 Than Any Year in History.  More gun-related FBI background checks were done in 2016 than in any other year in history after November set yet another record for gun sales in the United States.  So far this year, the FBI has processed 24,767,514 checks through its National Instant Criminal Background Check System, known as NICS, which puts 2016 more than 160,000 checks above the yearly record set in 2015.  The record comes after November 2016 set its own monthly record with 2,561,281 checks, nearly 320,000 more than the previous record set last November.  This gun sales spike has lasted for over a year and resulted in monthly records for 19 straight months.

Oops. Bloomberg's $20M gun control bid in Nevada has fallen apart.  It was almost the perfect plan.  And if it weren't for [...] the FBI, Michael Bloomberg might have gotten away with it.  By all accounts, the billionaire dropped at least $20M through his various anti-Second Amendment groups in an effort to get Ballot Question 1 passed in Nevada.  The proposal would require virtually all private transfers of gun ownership to be contingent on an FBI background check.  And on election day, the measure passed.  Great news for gun grabbers, right?  Well... it was.  That is to say, things were looking good until the FBI came along and said they wouldn't be participating in the program.

Local gun shop regulation to have its day in court.  A federal appeals court granted county officials a new hearing Tuesday [12/27/2016] on whether local governments in California can restrict the location of gun shops, setting aside a ruling that said such regulations may violate the right to bear arms.  By a majority vote of its 27 judges, the Court of Appeals in San Francisco ordered a rehearing in a case challenging an ordinance passed by Alameda County supervisors in 1998.  The ordinance prohibits new gun stores in unincorporated areas within 500 feet of a residential neighborhood, a school, a day care center, a liquor store or another gun shop.

The Editor says...
Hardly any place in any city is more than 500 feet away from a "neighborhood" (to be defined and re-defined later), a school (ditto), or a day care center (ditto).  Laws like this are designed to be all-inclusive and easily amendable, to make it impossible to set up a politically unfavorable business.

Obama Administration Yanks Second Amendment Rights from SSI Recipients.  Last week, the Obama administration put the finishing touches on a new policy that would deprive recipients of disability insurance and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) of their Second Amendment rights.  The administration will now characterize those citizens as "mental defectives," thereby having their ability to own a firearm subject to the federal Gun Control Act.  Supplemental Security Income helps blind, disabled, and elderly people with little to no income.  Previously, it was understood that "mentally defective" referred to one's mental health.  Citizens who have been institutionalized against their will are restricted from owning a firearm.  The new definition of "mentally defective" has nothing to do with being mentally ill.

Tacoma Cheesecake Factory Kicks Out Armed Cops.  The next time there is an emergency at the Cheesecake Factory in Tacoma, it will be hard to blame first responders if they don't give it priority over finishing their coffee break.

Grandma Got Run Over By Obama:  Social Security Finalizes New Gun Prohibition Rule.  On Monday [12/19/2016], Barack Obama's Social Security Administration (SSA) issued the final version of a rule that will doom tens of thousands of law-abiding (and vulnerable) disability insurance and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients to a loss of Second Amendment rights under the guise of re-characterizing them as "mental defectives."  The SSA, for the first time in its history, will be coopted into the federal government's gun control apparatus, effectively requiring Social Security applicants to weigh their need for benefits against their fundamental rights when applying for assistance based on mental health problems.

Hollywood's Gun-Control Dud.  Miss Sloane, a highly anticipated movie demonizing the NRA and calling for gun control, has bombed.  The movie succeeded only in emphasizing the top-down nature of the gun-control campaign and how little intensity there is for more regulations.

Top 5 Facts That Gun Control Advocates Hate.  It's a great honor and privilege for me to write about the 2nd Amendment, the Constitution and America in general and have so many dedicated readers and followers who enjoy my point of view, the stories I bring them and the truths I reveal.  Sometimes though, the truth that is revealed doesn't come from me but from one of my readers.

California's 'Assault Rifle' Law Goes Into Effect Jan. 1.  California Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill into law last July that will redefine what is and isn't an assault rifle.  It goes into effect Jan. 1 and will affect many thousands of California gun owners.  The most common example of what California defines as an assault rifle is the standard AR15.  Starting in 2017, no one will be able to legally buy or sell one in that state.  "People have been kind of holding off," Terry Fong, of Rocklin Armory, told FOX40.  "The last 30 days have been absolutely crazy.  Phone calls, probably 50-60 phone calls a day, just looking for specific brands of AR's.  Now, they're looking for any AR's."

The Gun Industry's Lucrative relationship With Hollywood.  The NRA and the entertainment industry interact publicly as mortal enemies.  But as the number of weapons shown in movies and TV steadily increases — and stars like Matt Damon and Angelina Jolie make fortunes wielding guns onscreen — a co-dependence that keeps both churning is revealed:  "making the liberal bias a lot of money"

Box Office Disaster — Jessica Chastain's Gun Control Movie.  This past weekend, "Miss Sloane" — starring Jessica Chastain — was released in theaters across the country.  According to Fox News, the film — which premiered in select cities on Thanksgiving — casts Chastain as a no-nonsense D.C. lobbyist who is willing to do whatever it takes to roll back the Second Amendment.

Hollywood Gun Control Thriller Miss Sloane' Stumbles and Falls Hard at the Box Office.  The gun control thriller starring Jessica Chastain, "Miss Sloane," had some tragic results at the box office — despite critics praising the actress's performance.  The film follows a Washington, D.C., lobbyist named Elizabeth, played by Chastain, who is asked by gun rights lobbyists to find a way to turn females against universal background checks.

Va. Court of Appeals rules photo ID can't be required for concealed handgun permit application.  The Virginia Court of Appeals ruled that Circuit Courts cannot require a photo ID with a concealed handgun permit application.  An attorney in the case announced that his client won in his challenge on whether the Norfolk Circut Court could require a photo ID as a part of the Concealed handgun Permit (CHP) Application.  The court of appeals said that they cannot require a photo ID.  Several circuit courts across Virginia continue to impose additional requirements on CHP applications, even though Virginia law prohibits courts from requiring applicants to provide anything other than what is required by the code and on the application, the attorney said.

Anti-Gun Hysteria Is Hazardous to Your Health.  [Scroll down]  Yes, there is something you can do.  You can arm yourself.  When you do, you no longer feel helpless because you're not.  You don't have to rely on your laptop or a pair of scissors to save your life and the lives of those around you.  You can walk into a restaurant, a mall, or any other place where firearms are permitted with confidence, not as a vigilante, but as an armed citizen capable of defending yourself and others.  Yet anti-gun hysteria too often triumphs over common sense.  Bring up expanded concealed-carry rights, and some on the Left seem to panic as if law-abiding men and women will somehow turn our shops and schools into free-fire zones.  But the evidence is overwhelming:  Concealed-carry permit holders are not a public-safety risk.

Levi's CEO: Don't bring guns while shopping at our stores.  Levi's, the world's oldest maker of jeans, is asking customers to leave their guns at home when they're out shopping in its outlet stores, which include four New Jersey locations.  The message was posted in an open letter on LinkedIn by Levi Strauss President and CEO Chip Bergh.  He cited a recent incident where a customer carrying a gun was injured after it went off accidentally.  Bergh did not mention the store's location.

Better late than never:  Military can finally carry at gov't facilities.  Seven years have gone by since Nidal Hassan killed 14 unarmed people at Fort Hood in the first lone-wolf terror attack on military personnel in the US. Finally, the Department of Defense has changed its policy to allow our armed services to be ... y'know ... armed.  Military Times reporter Jeffrey Schogol wrote about the change of policy yesterday that will allow commanders in the field clear authority to allow concealed carry of firearms by recruiters and other personnel.

Acknowledging domestic terror threat, Pentagon says troops, recruiters can carry concealed guns.  U.S. military personnel can now request to carry concealed handguns for protection at government facilities, according to new Defense Department directive issued last week in response to a series of deadly shootings over the last seven years.  While service members already were authorized to carry weapons as part of specific job responsibilities, the new policy allows them to apply to carry their privately owned firearms "for personal protection not associated with the performance of official duties," the directive says.

Ammo Control Had Failed New Jersey, So Of Course They Want More Of It.  New Jersey Democrats [...] think you're too incompetent to pump your own gas.  They want to mandate that all gun buys have smart guns... though they don't exist in any viable form.  They demand that you use FMJ or round nose lead bullets for self-defense, because they're not bright enough to understand that jacketed hollowpoint bullets are the worldwide standard because they're both more effective in stopping bad guys and reducing over-penetration risks to those downrange.  Now they're compounding their ammo foolishness (again) by noting that the previous ammo law didn't stop bad guys from shooting one another and law-abiding citizens, so they need to make the law even more restrictive for people who aren't the problem.

Baltimore Expected to Approve Law Banning Possession of 'Replica' Guns.  A Baltimore police detective shot and wounded 14-year-old Dedric Colvin earlier this year during a foot chase.  Police say they gave chase and ultimately fired shots after seeing Colvin carrying a weapon that appeared to be a semi-automatic pistol.  After the shooting, however, officers discovered the weapon was actually a BB pistol modeled after a popular type of semi-automatic handgun.  Authorities ruled the shooting was justified and no charges were filed against the officer.  If the aftermath of the incident, the Baltimore City Council decided that it wanted to do more to prevent another similar incident from happening.  How do they plan to achieve their goal?  By passing a citywide ban on the possession of toy or replica guns that appear similar to real handguns and rifles.

Hillary Clinton and Gun Control.  Hillary believes that Second Amendment proponents are a "minority" of people, and that their viewpoint is "terrorizing" the American people.  Hillary not only wants to make gun ownership illegal for many, but would allow gun manufacturers to be sued by those who have been shot by a legally owned gun.  This would include those committing crimes on private property.  Hillary said that the Supreme Court is wrong about the Second Amendment, referring to District of Columbia v. Heller, which struck down the D.C. gun ban and ruled that individuals have a fundamental right to gun ownership under the Second Amendment.

Calif. Proposition Requires Permit to Buy Bullets.  California residents will be voting tomorrow on a measure that would require individuals to purchase a permit to but bullets and for the Department of Justice (DOJ) to regulate the purchases.  The measure, Proposition 63, would require individuals to pay up to $50 for an ammunition purchase authorization permit in order to buy ammunition.

I'm Not Willing to Sacrifice My Family for Your Gun-Free Dreams.  [Scroll down]  We've taught our older kids to use firearms as well (my oldest daughter is a natural with the AR-15).  I had two reasons for doing this — first to send the message to anyone thinking about harming our family that we're armed and know how to use our weapons, and second to remind readers and listeners of the vital importance of the Second Amendment in securing the blessings of American liberty.  Quite frankly, it's harder to intimidate and silence armed citizens.  In the middle of the media blitz, my colleague Charlie Cooke reminded me of a key difference between left and right.  "All those progressives who say your story is moving," he said, "probably want you disarmed."  And, like clockwork, here comes a lefty writer to make Charlie's point.

Hillary: Impose Gun Control by Judicial Fiat.  Hillary really, really, wants to repeal the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act.  The PLCAA essentially protects gun manufacturers and gun dealers from being sued unless, well, they have done something wrong.  It's a perfectly simple standard that would apply in any other field of human endeavor.  The reason for the PLCAA's enactment was simple.  As law professor Timothy Lytton wrote, before PLCAA was enacted:  "By 2000 gun litigation was regularly front-page news, and manufacturers faced potentially bankrupting industrywide liability exposure as a result of suits by dozens of individual victims, over thirty cities, and the State of New York."  These suits were based upon various elaborations of the argument that "guns are used in crime, and so gun manufacturers should pay for what criminals have done."  Some sought to impose liability even where no one could prove what gun criminals had used:  the theory was that all gun makers should pay for all gun crime, in proportion to their annual production level.

Report: Hillary Clinton Would Ban 'Some of the Most Popular' Firearms in America.  A report by the Washington Times confirms Hillary Clinton would ban "some of the most popular" firearms in America if elected to the White House.  Moreover, the report shows she would chip away at the Second Amendment with myriad new gun control laws and regulations.

Fraction of Suicides with Firearms Compared to per Capita Firearms in U.S.A..  The number of firearms in private hands has been rising for at least 70 years.  During the last 20, the numbers of murders, murders with guns, and violent crime with guns has been dropping sharply.  It has become very hard to say that more guns equal more crime with a straight face.  Fatal gun accidents are at an unprecedented low.  The rate of fatal gun accidents has dropped 94% in 85 years.  The response of those who wish to disarm the public has been to focus on suicides.  They lump in suicides with murders and accidents and call the whole mismash "gun violence".  But if you look at the actual numbers of suicides committed with guns, you come to an understanding at odds with the gun haters narrative.  As the number of guns per capita has increased, the percentage of suicides with guns has dropped.

Hillary Clinton:  "Reasonable" to Require Guns to be Unusable at Home.  The candidate who claimed politicians "need both a public and a private position" on policy issues demonstrated that tendency Wednesday night in the final presidential debate in a desperate bid for damage control on a statement she made in a private meeting with wealthy donors.  That earlier statement was simple, uncomplicated, and utterly damning to anyone who believes in the Second Amendment.  Hillary Clinton told the very people who she depends on to fund her political ambitions:  "the Supreme Court is wrong on the Second Amendment.  And I am going to make that case every chance I get."  As a Yale-educated attorney, Clinton knew exactly what she was saying when she made that remark.  But it doesn't take a lawyer to understand the contempt it demonstrates for the right to keep and bear arms.

The Deep, Deep Gun Control Convictions of Unite Blue Head Becky Carrizales.  Is there any better example of the steadfast political convictions of liberals than Unite Blue chief Becky Carrizales's convictions on gun control?  Twitchy and @eriContrarian shed initial light on the subject, but a closer look at Carrizales's Twitter account gives definitive evidence of her deep, principled gun control advocacy: [...]

Separating Fact From Fiction With the Second Amendment and the War on Guns.  The current presidential election notwithstanding, there are very few topics that generate as much passionate debate as the Second Amendment and gun control.  Every time a tragic event occurs, the left calls for a renewal of the Federal Assault Weapons Ban and other restrictive gun control measures, claiming that the proliferation of firearms in this country is responsible for a disproportionate amount of violence and poses an ongoing threat to public safety.  Ever since 2008, when the U.S. Supreme Court held in District of Columbia v.  Heller that the Second Amendment provides an individual right "to keep and bear Arms," gun control activists have been trying to narrow the scope of that right (with considerable success in the lower courts).

How The Cloward-Piven Strategy Is Driving The United States To Collapse.  Since Obama took office in 2008, the political elite has tried everything from smuggling illegal guns to Mexican drug cartels, attempting to make ammunition expensive through regulation to convincing banks to refuse to extend credit or loans to gun store owners.  Schemes like these are intended to make gun ownership such an impossible venture, that eventually no one will own any, thereby making any attempts to establish a hard tyranny slightly easier.  Although disarming law abiding Americans is an important step in implementing the Cloward-Piven strategy, the political elite must also establish an enforcement mechanism for the new government they intend to create.  Coincidentally, over the past five years, reports of numerous and excessively large transactions have occurred between federal agencies and ammunition manufacturers.  While some agencies need ammunition for training purposes and to do their jobs, why do agencies such as the EPA or the Department of Education ammunition and weapons as well, especially in an era where there isn't even enough for the military?  One possible answer to this vexing question is that even if the political elite succeeds in gutting the military completely, they likely don't trust the average soldier or Marine to carry out orders for a hard tyranny.  Therefore, the political elite likely intends to use federal agencies to carry out tyrannical orders, all in the name of "law enforcement".  If this is the case, it would likely explain the comments made by President Obama during a speech he made in Colorado, where he argued for a domestic force that was equally as well-equipped and funded as the military.

Judge dismisses civil suit by Sandy Hook families against gun-maker, dealer.  A superior court judge on Friday [10/14/2016] dismissed a civil lawsuit brought by the families of some of the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings four years ago.  Judge Barbara Bellis ruled that the suit against the Remington Outdoor Co., the manufacturer of the AR-15 assault rifle used in the massacre, is not permitted by federal law.

The Most Explosive WikiLeaks Clinton Revelations (So Far).  [#12] Gun control:  cherry-picked data and executive orders:  Democrats are going to lose patience with voter opposition to their gun control agenda and begin imposing it, as soon as they no longer have to worry about losing a tough election in the near future.  They often worry about the potential backlash from Democrat voters in key states who support gun rights, but they'll stop worrying about that soon, especially if Clinton does extremely well in those states.  A packed Supreme Court will make her even bolder about chipping away at the Second Amendment.  No one should be surprised that Democrats like to pick and choose which crimes the public should focus upon, in order to sell the gun control agenda.

The Clinton Record.  [Scroll down]  Lamenting that "too many families in America have suffered — and continue to suffer — from gun violence," Mrs. Clinton has stated that crime victims should be allowed to sue firearm manufacturers and retailers who lawfully produced or sold a gun that was used in a crime.  This is a way to eliminate the Second Amendment "without firing a shot," so to speak, as it would inevitably cause the firearms industry to disappear.  At a New Hampshire town hall in 2015, a man asked Mrs. Clinton whether she would consider supporting a gun buyback measure similar to the one that had been implemented in Australia:  "Recently, Australia managed to get away, or take away tens of thousands, millions of handguns.  In one year, they were all gone.  Can we do that?"  Clinton replied:  "I think it would be worth considering doing it on the national level, if that could be arranged."  In other words, Mrs. Clinton is eager to explore creative ways of eliminating the Second Amendment.

Feingold: Hillary Might Issue Executive Order on Guns.  Russ Feingold, the former Democratic senator from Wisconsin who is running again in an attempt to win back his old Senate seat, was recorded at a fundraiser saying that Hillary Clinton might issue an executive order on guns.  The video was captured by James O' Keefe's Project Veritas at an Aug. 17, $2,700 per-head fundraiser held at the Palo-Alto, Calif., home of Democratic donors Amy Rao and Harry Plant.  Palo-Alto is located 10 minutes away from Stanford University, where Feingold taught after leaving his position as a special envoy at the U.S. State Department.  Feingold can be heard in the video discussing what Hillary Clinton could do in relation to guns if she were to be elected president.  "If there's still Republican control in Congress, and if Hillary is elected, is there anything she can do to uhh...," a person asks Feingold within the video.  "Well, there might be an executive order," Feingold responds.

The Huffington Post Is Now Actively Encouraging Felony Gun Theft.  The editors of the Huffington Post have always reliably been for gun control, but now they've taken the shocking step of publishing a story promoting felony gun theft.

Glock, Remington Sue to Stop Massachusetts Investigation of Gun Safety.  Remington and Glock have filed suit to block Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey's attempt to investigate possible safety problems with guns manufactured by the companies.  The gun makers contend Healey's investigation is just another one of her attempts to garner headlines above the folds of liberal newspapers, as well as further her campaign to cripple the firearms industry.  In Healey's response to the Glock lawsuit, her attorneys said the AG's office had no alternative because firearms are "one of the few products not regulated by the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission."

Irony: Gun Control Fanatic Kim Kardashian Robbed at Gunpoint; Now She Has Heavily Armed Security.  Gun control advocates are only for restricting other people's right to own firearms.  When it comes to their own safety and security, they're not going to risk it.  They're going to either surround themselves with armed security, or arm themselves.  And they'll do it while they preach about the necessity of stringent gun control laws.

Crowd Cheers Clinton Field Organizer Praising Progress Under Obama 'to Cut Access to Guns'.  The crowd at Sen. Tim Kaine's (D., Va.) rally in Colorado cheered on Monday [10/10/2016] when a Democratic field organizer for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign praised progress under President Obama "to cut access to guns" in the United States.  Prior to Kaine, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, and musician Dave Matthews appearing together at the rally in Denver, Pat Costigan went on stage to energize the crowd.

The Coming National Gun Ban — and How the States Can Resist.  The law of averages predicts that at some time in the future, perhaps as soon as 2017, the Democratic Party will once again control the White House and majorities in both houses of Congress.  When that happens, the next Democratic president — be it Hillary Clinton or someone else — will sign into law a sweeping, foreign-style gun ban.  The legislation has already been written.  H.R. 4269 would enact a national, permanent ban on the manufacture and sale of so-called "assault weapons" and all firearm magazines capable of holding more than 10 rounds.  The bill, introduced last December, already has 149 Democratic co-sponsors (218 are needed to pass the House).

Wikileaks Release:  Hillary Clinton Press Sec Says Gun Control to Be Implemented by Executive Order.  The batch of emails released by Wikileaks on October 7 includes one in which Hillary Clinton press secretary Brian Fallon explained that Clinton "would support... closing the gun show loophole by executive order."  Fallon also highlighted Clinton's support of universal background checks — which have already failed in California, Colorado, Washington state, and Paris — and her support for a scenario wherein victims of crime would be able to sue gun manufacturers.

A Banana Republic, If We Choose to Keep It.  Hillary Clinton, along with countless other leftists, wants to overturn the Supreme Court verdict in DC v. Heller that affirmed an individual American's right to own firearms.  In the meantime, leftist governments, highlighted by efforts in Seattle and Chicago, are imposing taxes on bullets and guns in a transparent effort to make both as unaffordable as possible.  Voting for the status quo will keep all of these efforts ongoing.

Tim Kaine's Gun Control Positions Through The Years.  Tim Kaine has held public office off and on in some capacity since 1994 and has consistently pushed gun control for law-abiding citizens along the way.  In 1994 Kaine was a Richmond City councilman.  In that capacity he "supported legislation that included a ban on commonly-owned firearms and their magazines."  As with all gun controls, this ban would have only applied to law-abiding citizens.

Federal Agency Pushed Law Enforcement to Scan License Plates of Gun Show Attendees.  The emails date back to 2010 and were obtained by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ).  According to WSJ, "[ICE] crafted a plan in 2010 to use license-plate readers — devices that record the plate numbers of all passing cars — at gun shows in Southern California, including one in Del Mar."  ICE then "compared that information to cars that crossed the border, hoping to find gun smugglers, according to the documents and interviews with law-enforcement officials with knowledge of the operation."

Court Judge: 'No One Should Have' Guns — 'Not Police, Not Security'.  According to Oregonlive.com, circuit court judge Kenneth Walker of Multnomah County, Ore. decided to go on a tangent about gun control during a criminal sentencing on Monday [9/26/2016].  "If I could, I would take all the guns in America, put them on big barges and go dump them in the ocean," the judge said.  "Nobody would have a gun.  Not police, not security, not anybody.  We should eliminate all of them."

Charlotte violence sparks self defense gun buying spree.  The explosion of racial violence in Charlotte, N.C. has led to a gun buying spree by locals worried about their safety.  At Hyatt Guns, one of the nation's largest, staff arrived Thursday morning after the second night of riots and encountered a line of buyers.  "First off, our prayers are with law enforcement this morning.  People are afraid.  They see lunacy in the streets being perpetrated by criminals and they are gearing up to protect themselves," Justin Anderson, director of marketing for Hyatt Guns told [the Washington Examiner].

This is gun control at its finest:
'1 shot — 1 note': Russian sharpshooter performs Beethoven using pistols (Video).  A Russian sharpshooter has proven his skills are going way beyond just precisely hitting targets, as he performed various musical pieces, including by Beethoven, using two Glock pistols, a video has shown.

Tim Kaine on Gun Control:  "I Can't Think of an Issue I'd Rather be Aligned With Than This".  In May 2000, Tim Kaine, then-mayor of Richmond, Va., used more than $6,000 in public funds to charter eight buses.  The buses were used to transport city residents from Richmond to the anti-gun, and inaccurately named, Million Mom March in Washington, D.C. The Million Mom March was sponsored and organized by extremist gun control organization the Bell Campaign, which was later renamed the Million Mom March Foundation.  The Bell Campaign supported a litany of gun control measures, including gun rationing, a ban on the possession of commonly-owned semi-automatic firearms and their magazines, firearm owner licensing, and gun registration.  In regards to the right to keep and bear arms, the Bell Campaign contended, "The Second Amendment does not, and never did, protect the private ownership of guns for private purposes."  Following a public outcry over the use of public funds for political purposes, including criticism from Richmond City Council members, Kaine was forced to seek private funds to reimburse the city.

Heller Was Unambiguous, Unlike Hillary.  That's the stunning bob-and-weave answer to a simple, direct question by ABC's George Stephanopoulos as to whether Hillary Clinton believes the Second Amendment protects an individual right.  Her answer lays bare her oft-repeated big lie about support for our unique American liberty.  Allow me to dissect her smoke-screen answer.  The Scalia decision she was referring to, of course, came in the 2008 5-4 landmark U.S. Supreme Court case, District of Columbia v.  Heller, which struck down the District's ban on handguns and its ban on armed self-defense in the home.  In short, Heller marked the first-ever definitive Supreme Court decision upholding the Second Amendment as an individual right.

Huckabee: Clinton's Gun Control Plans are Another 'Hillary Hypocrisy'.  Clayton Morris told Huckabee that the New York Times ran a story on Trump's latest comments about the Second Amendment, saying that he "once again raised the specter of violence against Hillary Clinton by suggesting Friday that Secret Service agents who guard her voluntarily disarm to 'see what happens to her' without their protection."  Huckabee called the Times' insinuation "utter nonsense."  "He's pointing out the absolute 'Hillary hypocrisy':  Guns for me — good thing — guns for you — bad thing."  "Since 1978 she's be surrounded by people who've protected her, not with a notepad, but with guns."  Clinton has said in the past she will sign executive orders calling for tighter gun control.

How to Talk About Gun Rights With Gun Control Advocates.  Guns are a tricky topic.  Very rarely do you find voters ambivalent about gun violence, gun safety, etc.  Someone is either strongly pro-gun rights or pro-gun control, which makes a civil conversation difficult to start or maintain.  But the solution isn't to avoid the topic.

What's really behind the ongoing push for gun control?  The gun grabbers tell you they want more gun control in order to keep you safe.  But that is the Big Lie.  If they really wanted to limit guns used most to murder people they'd target handguns, which are used in almost half of all homicides.  Of 8,124 murders using a firearm in 2014, handguns were used 5,562 times.  Rifles were used to murder someone only 248 times.  And the dreaded "assault weapon" the politicians make such a kerfuffle over is a subset of rifles, so the number of people killed by those is much lower.  That is evidence the government assault on so-called "assault rifles" is just a show designed to confuse, deflect and cause conflict and a means to begin the incremental steps to a complete gun ban.

Democrat VP Candidate Tim Kaine:  Confirmed — He's a Radical Leftist Gun-Banner.  In May 2000, Tim Kaine, then-mayor of Richmond, Va., used more than $6,000 in public funds to charter eight buses.  The buses were used to transport city residents from Richmond to the anti-gun, and inaccurately named, Million Mom March in Washington, D.C.  The Million Mom March was sponsored and organized by extremist gun control organization the Bell Campaign, which was later renamed the Million Mom March Foundation.  The Bell Campaign supported a litany of gun control measures, including gun rationing, a ban on the possession of commonly-owned semi-automatic firearms and their magazines, firearm owner licensing, and gun registration.  In regards to the right to keep and bear arms, the Bell Campaign contended, "The Second Amendment does not, and never did, protect the private ownership of guns for private purposes."

Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin says bloodshed may be needed to protect conservatism.  Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin said conservatives may need to turn to physical violence in order to protect the United States against contemporary liberalism. [...] Bevin suggested that if Democrat Hillary Clinton were elected president, she would set the nation on a dangerous course that might require bloodshed to correct.  He told the audience that the "candle" of liberty might go out "on our watch."  To hammer home his point, he paraphrased a famous quote from Founding Father Thomas Jefferson:  "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants."

The TSA's Screwed Up System For Transporting Firearms.  [Scroll down]  First of all, lock your case while transporting your gun in the checked luggage, no matter what he said.  Declare your firearm at the ticket counter.  The airline will call for TSA.  From here things get confused, like Barney Fife is doing the work.  I've had TSA agents ask me to open my case (which is why I keep the keys to the lock handy).  I've had TSA agents look at the weapon, look at the form I completed asserting that the firearm was unloaded, ask me to lock my case, and then (almost always) throw the form down on top of the case, NOT inside it (the airlines insist that your form be visible inside the luggage but not inside the gun case, and they usually request that I simply place it on top of the gun case).  Luggage handlers and TSA agents need to be able to see that there is such a form, and if it's inside the case, they can't.  I have always had TSA and the airlines insist that ammunition be inside the luggage, but not inside the gun case.  I've also had TSA agents swipe the inside of the case (as if looking for residue of some sort, and there will always be residue inside my gun cases), and then ask me to lock my case.  Not once have I ever had an agent verify that my firearm was unloaded.

CDC Study Ordered by Obama Contradicts White House Anti-gun Narrative.  In January, following the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, President Obama issued a "Presidential Memorandum directing the Centers for Disease Control to research the causes and prevention of gun violence," along with 22 other "initiatives."  That study, subcontracted out to the Institute of Medicine and National Research Council, was completed in June and contained some surprises for the president.  Obama had announced at the beginning of the year his push for three major gun control initiatives — universal background checks, a ban on "assault weapons," and a ban on "high-capacity" magazines — to prevent future mass shootings, no doubt hoping that the CDC study would oblige him by providing evidence that additional gun control measures were justified to reduce gun violence.  On the contrary, that study refuted nearly all the standard anti-gun narrative and instead supported many of the positions taken by gun ownership supporters.  For example, the majority of gun-related deaths between 2000 and 2010 were due to suicide and not criminal violence.

Here Today, Gone Tomorrow:  The Biggest Gun Grabs of the Last Eight Years.  [D]espite the fact that firearm-related murders are at their lowest point since 1981, members of Congress stage a sit-in over a supposed lack of action on gun control.  Anti-gunner believe that by passing legislation targeting law-abiding citizens (who else does legislation target?), they can reduce the number of firearm-related crimes.  That's the charitable view.  The less charitable view is that state and federal politicians don't like the idea of their subjects being armed, and they'll do anything in their power to take away their right to own and carry firearms.

The Second Amendment:  How Does It Work?  Progressives Have No Idea.  [Scroll down]  [I]s there any other constitutional right, or any other constitutional amendment, that is so consistently and so aggressively handled with such base and inexcusable stupidity, on so regular a basis, and on such an industrial scale?  I am not sure.  You don't usually see arguments of this idiotic magnitude when it comes to, say, the Fourth Amendment, or the Sixth.  You certainly see dumb interpretations of the First Amendment, but that's usually a matter of degree, not kind:  you will have people arguing that the First Amendment doesn't protect "hate speech," for instance, but nobody ever argues that the First Amendment only applies to state governments, say, rather than to individual members of the body politic.  Only the Second Amendment is subject to such illiterate and ahistorical analyses.  Once you realize that, you can fully grasp why:  many people simply do not like guns, and they will lie — or else keep themselves deliberately ignorant — to prevent other people from having them.

Green Party Nominee Wants To 'Explore' Disarming Police Officers.  Jill Stein, the Green Party nominee for president, on Sunday said she would like to "explore for the future" the idea of taking away guns from police officers in order to "address this scourge of racist violence."  The liberal candidate has talked about disarming police officers before.  Asked by ABC's George Stephanopoulos on "This Week" to explain how that would work in a society where there are already millions of guns, Stein said:  "Exactly, which is why I used the term something to explore for the future."  Stein spoke of the "need to actually hold police accountable so that we can address this scourge of racist violence."

A Woman's Self-Defense Guide to Concealed Carry (CCW).  Between 2004 and 2011, the report shows there was a 77-percent increase in women who own firearms, a 36-percent increase in women who target shoot, and a 23-percent increase in women who hunt.  Yet, even with more women engaging in shooting sports, that's still not the reason so many are purchasing guns.  It's not for hunting.  It's not for fun.  It's for self-defense.

Here's How "President Hillary" Will Destroy Your Gun Rights Without Repealing The Second Amendment.  Hillary Clinton is running the first presidential campaign in the history of the United States based explicitly on the gutting of a core Constitutional and human right.  Clinton has made attacking the human right of self-defense a key part of her 2016 campaign, and if she's elected — and down-ballot Democrats manage to take control of the Senate and/or House — she's poised to be able to destroy the gun rights of American citizens in three distinct ways.
  •  Place progressive, anti-gun justices on the Supreme Court
  •  Pass bans on a wide range of common firearms
  •  repeal the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA)

Stop Gun Violence? Stop Liberalism First.  The left, as mostly consisting in this country of the politically liberal, vocalizes its hatred for the concept of private gun ownership in direct proportion to its increasing seizure of power.  As they have enhanced their control of culture, politics, and discourse, they have similarly increased their open rejection of the right of private gun ownership.  It is by no means the only right they have devalued.  Speech and religion are significantly curtailed by the left, so that only approved speech, and the government-approved religion of Islam, can be openly encouraged.  But gun ownership is the right they hate the most.  It is the one which totalitarians always hate the most, since it is the only one that can successfully stop dictatorship.  They will limit our speech, and insult our faith, and spy on us, and treat us like cattle.  But private gun ownership exists to prevent total victory for tyranny.

Gun Control Is Totally On The Ballot In Four States Or Something.  There are many things Leftist become utterly hysterical over.  The fake anthropogenic climate change.  Abortion on demand.  And, of course, gun control, with Think Progress' Kira Lerner highlighting 4 ballot initiatives [...] Of course, these are mostly minor measures that do not encompass the true gun banning that Leftists would like to see occur.  They are nickle and diming it.  But, remember, add up a bunch of small steps, and suddenly you'll realize that Democrats have severely restricted your Constitutional rights.  This is what they do when they can't get their big "comprehensive" packages through.

Gun control goes on the ballot.  Voters in four states will decide ballot measures relating to gun control this November.  In Maine and Nevada, voters will decide whether to expand background check requirements to include private gun sales.  In Washington, voters will decide whether to take guns out of the hands of people who are subject to extreme risk protection orders, which include restraining orders and people at risk of suicide.  And in California, voters will decide whether to ban the possession of large-capacity magazines.  The California measure, Proposition 63, would also require individuals to pass a background check before purchasing ammunition.

These Gun Owners Are Least Likely Criminals, Report Finds.  Concealed-carry permit holders are nearly the most law-abiding demographic of Americans, a new report by the Crime Prevention Research Center says — comparing the permit holders foremost with police.  "Indeed, it is impossible to think of any other group in the U.S. that is anywhere near as law-abiding," says the report, titled "Concealed Carry Permit Holders Across the United States 2016."  From 2007 through 2015, permits issued by state and local governments increased by 215 percent, to more than 14 million Americans, according to the data.

Concealed-Carry Permit Surge Could Play Decisive Role in These 2016 Battleground States.  The number of concealed-carry permit holders has skyrocketed over the last four years, noticeably in key battleground states and among women, according to a new report.  Two swing states have the highest number of permit holders in the country, with 1.58 million in Florida and 1.2 million in Pennsylvania.

Texas AG shoots down profs' arguments against campus carry.  A lawsuit against Texas' new campus carry law is "frivolous" and lacks "legal justification," the state's Attorney General contends in an opposition brief filed Monday [8/1/2016].  Three University of Texas professors filed the lawsuit in response to the campus carry law that took effect August 1, arguing that guns in the classroom threaten both academic freedom and equal protection as guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment.

It's about time for Texas' guns on campus law.  Gun control advocates think that gun bans will make people safer.  But banning guns only ensures that law-abiding good citizens are disarmed, not the killers.  Instead of bans improving safety, these bans attract killers and make it easier for them to commit crimes.

Do Democrats want to disarm minorities?  Instead of additional background checks and creating problems for more law-abiding citizens, let's acknowledge and fix the broken system that we already have.  Virtually everyone who fails a background check is someone who is legally eligible to buy a gun.  Law-abiding minorities, particularly blacks, are the ones most likely to be stopped from buying guns.  Hillary Clinton claims that background checks have stopped 2.4 million dangerous or prohibited people from buying a gun.  But what she ought to say is that there were 2.4 million "initial denials."  These initial denials are akin to being stopped from flying because your name is similar that of someone on the No Fly list.  This happened five times to the late Sen. Ted Kennedy.  By Hillary Clinton's method of counting, five terrorists were stopped from flying.

New evidence confirms what gun rights advocates have said for a long time about crime.  Lawful gun owners commit less than a fifth of all gun crimes, according to a novel analysis released this week by the University of Pittsburgh.  In the study, led by epidemiologist Anthony Fabio of Pittsburgh's Graduate School of Public Health, researchers partnered with the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police to trace the origins of all 893 firearms that police recovered from crime scenes in the year 2008.

New ATF Head Wants Computerized Database of All Gun Purchases.  Deputy Director Thomas Brandon (shown on right), head of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) appeared on CBS's Sunday Morning television show, complaining that his agency is "a small agency with a big job" and that he really needs more agents and more money to do that job.  What he would really like, however, is a computerized database of all gun purchases made by every buyer and seller in the country: [...] Brandon took over the agency in April 2015 after Todd Jones bailed out following the agency's failed attempt to ban ammunition for the popular AR-15 rifle.  Jones had taken over the agency after Kenneth Melson bailed out in 2011 following the implosion of the ATF's Fast and Furious gun-walking scandal.

Per Capita Firearms vs Murder Rates in the U.S. 1950 - 2014.  While various pundits and scholars have claimed that more guns equal more murders, the raw numbers reveal that to be untrue.  The graph above plots the per capita firearms rate in the United States (stated as number of firearms per 10 people) against the murder rate as tabulated in the FBI Uniform Crime Reports (UCR).  The UCR includes both murder and non-negligent homicide in the murder numbers.  The UCR murder rate is per 100,000 people in the United States.  The murder rate may be one of the most reliable numbers in the UCR, because murders are more likely to be reported than any other crime.  There is a body, and usually an investigation.  Other crime numbers are less certain.

Democrats renew push for gun bans, convinced mass shootings have changed politics.  Fifteen years after they concluded that gun control was a losing issue for them, Democrats say it's time for a rethink, convinced that a spate of mass shootings has changed the politics and left Americans clamoring for action.  From the stage this week, a powerful lineup of victims and family members of those killed in shootings begged for gun bans, saying the deranged shooters would have caused far less damage without the semi-automatic rifles many of them used.  Hillary Clinton may be a flawed messenger — in the 2008 election, she ran as a defender of gun rights — but to the victims and those close to them, she is the best chance they have to win a fight they have lost for decades.

Lawmakers Push Back Against Lawless Gun Ban by Massachusetts AG Healy.  Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healy's unconstitutional gun ban last week may have played well to the gun ban crowd in the Democrat party.  She took a moment of national anger over the assassinations of police officers to push her personal anti-Second Amendment policies, while the legislature was not in session.  Dozens of legislators were not amused.

Democratic delegate admits 'gun control' is code for wanting to ban all guns.  A new video by Project Veritas shows Mary Bayer, a former Democratic delegate admitting that the term "gun control" is just code for repealing the Second Ammendment and banning guns.  When asked by an undercover reporter if she was in favour of banning guns, Bayer replied in the affirmative.  "I'm totally against them, and my husband is against guns.  My husband is now a registered Democrat."

Knife Rights:  The Unseen Side of the Second Amendment.  While congressional Democrats and Republicans go head-to-head over gun control, proponents of a smaller, often overlooked facet of the Second Amendment's right to keep and bear arms pursue a battle of their own — the right to carry a knife.  Knife Rights, an Arizona-based advocacy group aimed at ridding states of existing bans on specific types of knives, is leading the fight against restrictive knife laws across the U.S.  "Protecting knife rights is the second front in the defense of the Second Amendment," Todd Rathner, director of legislative affairs at Knife Rights, told The Daily Signal.

Gun Restrictions Punish Only the Rational and the Responsible.  The basic argument for restricting the manufacture, purchase, and possession of firearms runs as follows:  Because some gun owners use their guns to commit crimes or suicide, or they use their guns irresponsibly, the rights of all gun manufacturers, sellers, and owners must be restricted.  Thus, the case for restricting guns rests on collective guilt.  (The guns under consideration here are those those suitable for personal self-defense, including shotguns, semiautomatic shoulder rifles and handguns, and the like.)  That guns can be (and usually are) used in rights-respecting ways is obvious.  Nearly half of the U.S. population — scores of millions of people — own a gun.  Many millions of Americans use guns for recreational target practice and hunting.  Many millions possess a gun for self-defense — some ten million have a permit to carry a concealed handgun — and every year many thousands of Americans use a gun to defend themselves.

How Many People Were Shot by Open Carriers at the RNC?  We were warned.  Prior to the Republican National Convention, multiple mainstream media outlets warned about Ohio's dangerous gun laws that allow for the open carry of firearms.  The head of the police union wanted Ohio Governor John Kasich to (unconstitutionally) suspend the state's gun laws.  "We are sending a letter to Gov. Kasich requesting assistance from him.  He could very easily do some kind of executive order or something — I don't care if it's constitutional or not at this point," Stephen Loomis, president of Cleveland Police Patrolmen's Association, told CNN.

Massachusetts Attorney General Unilaterally Rewrites the State's Gun Laws.  Without the legislature, without the governor, and without any form of public consultation, the attorney general of Massachusetts has today [7/20/2016] rewritten the state's 1998 Gun Control Act.  In an edict sent out this morning, AG Maura Healey explained that the law no longer meant what it had meant since 1998, but instead would mean what she wanted it to mean.

Revealing Gun Control Legislation Takes aim at Youth Shooting Sports.  On Tuesday, July 12, 2016, two Democratic legislators introduced another gun control bill — this time, to effectively end all youth shooting sports and hunting programs in the United States.  Think that's bad?  Wait 'till you read how it's worded.  Senator Edward J. Markey and Congressman Ruben Gallego introduced new legislation that claims will "ensure that powerful, military-style weapons don't end up in the hands of children".

Illinois gun restrictions unfairly target foster parents, lawsuit claims.  Kenneth and Colleen Shults want to permanently welcome a foster child into their Fairmount, Ill., family, but claim in a federal suit filed this week they are being forced to surrender their Second Amendment rights to do it.  Already parents of three, the couple is in the process of formally adopting a daughter through the state foster care system and is fighting Department of Children and Family Services rules they say severely restrict their gun rights.  The couple charges that the firearm restrictions aimed at safeguarding foster children violate their constitutional rights and threaten their ability to keep their family safe.

Why The Left Always Talks Gun Control.  A terrorist goes into a nightclub in Orlando and kills dozens.  The President rushes out to make sure everyone knows it is a hate crime and we must have gun control.  In Dallas, a man guns down police officers and the President rushes out and will not call it a hate crime, but declares we must have gun control.  In addition to admitting he classifies hate crimes based on the victim's class, not the intent of the killer, the President admits he has no ideas but gun control.  Like the solution always being the same whether the left believes we are in global cooling or global warming, the solution to every terrible act in America is gun control.

Despite racist motives, Obama blames Dallas attacks on gun control.  Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel once said "never let a good crisis go to waste," and President Obama intends to use the racist anti-police attacks in Dallas for expanding gun control.  Despite the fact that one of the shooters, Micah X. Johnson, had racist motives and wanted to kill white police officers because he was angry and cited #BlackLivesMatter as inciting him, the President is claiming it was the lack of gun control that caused the deadly massacre in Dallas.  "When people are armed with powerful weapons, unfortunately it makes attacks like these more deadly and tragic," Obama said at a press conference during a trip to Poland.  "In the days ahead we're going to have to consider those realities."

Conservatives to oppose no-fly gun bill, derail GOP leaders' push for action.  House conservatives have kneecapped GOP leaders' attempts to pass a compromise gun-control bill to keep firearms out of the hands of suspected terrorists, saying Wednesday that the chief Republican plan still tramples on Americans' constitutional rights.  Speaker Paul D. Ryan had hoped to push the gun proposal through as part of a broad anti-terrorism package, but the House Freedom Caucus said the gun provisions go too far, while the terrorism language doesn't go far enough.  Without the Freedom Caucus's support, it's doubtful Mr. Ryan and Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy will be able to pass their bill, which has drawn fierce opposition from Democrats who say the gun provisions need to be stiffened to deny more people the chance to buy firearms.

As Congress Returns, Democrats and Republicans Clash Over Gun Control.  House Republican leaders are planning to hold a vote this week on legislation intended to bar some suspected terrorism suspects from buying guns. [...] While Republicans have been reluctant to pursue any legislation that can be construed as gun control, backers of this proposal insist it achieves the delicate balance of preventing those suspected of having terrorist ties from buying weapons — while preserving their right to due process.

FBI Flagged This Congressman as a Terrorist.  Here's Why He Opposes a New Gun Ban.  Waiting on a routine flight from Sacramento back to Santa Barbara, Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Calif., discovered he was a terrorist.  Or at least that's what the FBI thought.  McClintock was clearly more of a frequent flyer than radical extremist.  But a classic case of mistaken identity, not ties to terrorism, landed him on the FBI's no-fly list.  A well-known state senator at the time, McClintock was left stranded at the Sacramento International Airport about 10 years ago.  He couldn't fly home under his own name.  Pointing to gaffes like the one that grounded McClintock a decade ago, Republicans now warn of serious constitutional consequences that could occur if Democrats ban suspects on the no-fly list from purchasing guns.

Gun rights activists say they won't comply with California's new laws.  Fifty or so gun activists gathered Saturday morning at Sacramento's Cesar Chavez Plaza to protest Gov. Jerry Brown's signing of six gun control measures they said would turn "law-abiding citizens into criminals."  One bill Brown signed will expand the state's assault weapons ban to include "bullet-button" rifles, which allow users to quickly dislodge a magazine of ammunition by pressing a button.  Others prohibit citizens from possessing magazines that hold more than 10 rounds and require background checks on people purchasing ammunition.

Congressional Black Caucus to 'Cause Chaos' on the House Floor Over Guns.  What more do these Congressional Black Caucus goons want?  Paul Ryan has already caved and will allow a House vote on gun confiscation.  Apparently that's not good enough for the racist Congressional Black Caucus.  They plan to "cause chaos" and are urging other fascist Democrats to join them all over gun control and confiscation.

It Ain't About Guns:  Democrats Super-Excited About Killing Off Your Due Process Rights.  The latest efforts to enact gun-control by Democrats in congress are either strictly symbolic, since they would not have stopped the San Bernadino or the Orlando Islamic extremists, or a Trojan horse to abolish the 2nd Amendment.  Their proposal is to deny 2nd Amendment rights to anyone on the Transportation Safety Administration's (TSA) "no-fly list."  The murderers in San Bernadino and Orlando were not on the no-fly list, so even if such a law were in place, those acts of domestic terrorism would not have been prevented.  So from that standpoint, such legislation would be mostly symbolic, and solve little to nothing.  It is much more likely, however, that the legislation is a Trojan horse to literally abolish 2nd Amendment rights of all, or more likely, select citizens.

June Gun Sales Crush Previous Record.  June 2016 saw the most FBI gun background checks of any June since the current system went into effect.  The agency reported on Sunday [7/3/2016] that it processed more than 2.1 million gun related checks in June, an increase of more than 600,000 over the previous record set last year.  That makes June the 14th month in a row to see a new background check record, including every month of 2016.  This year is on pace to break 2015's record for most checks in a year.  Last month's numbers are still lower than the first four months of the year, which tracks with standard seasonal lulls in sales for the industry.  However, June's numbers are higher than May's — a departure from previous years when June had traditionally seen the fewest checks of any month.

What are the risks guns could be banned from video games?  Some people have wondered, because of the public shootings that occur every so often, including the most recent ones in Orlando and Germany, is there a risk that computer games might be forbidden to show weapons — specifically guns — or that video games that show guns being used to wound or kill people, especially in apocalyptic or "collapse of civilization" scenarios, where players might engage in rampages, including the potential for the killing of soldiers and police officers, could be banned or prohibited from distribution?  Short version:  The various governments of the United States — which means:  the federal government and both a state government and a sub agency of a state government such as a county or city — lack the power to prohibit a maker of a video game from including guns in a video game, the use of guns in a video game, the use of guns on a video game to kill people, or the use of video games to kill soldiers, uniformed police officers, or even a protected class of people or an identifiable minority or religious group such as blacks, Jews, Catholics, Muslims, Protestants, gays, whites, American Indians, men, women, or children.

California governor signs stringent gun bills, vetoes others.  Gov. Jerry Brown signed six stringent gun-control measures Friday [7/1/2016] that will require people to turn in high-capacity magazines and mandate background checks for ammunition sales, as California Democrats seek to strengthen gun laws that are already among the strictest in the nation.

Gov. Jerry Brown signs six gun-control bills, vetoes five.  Californians wishing to buy ammunition will have to undergo a background check beginning in 2019 similar to those already required for gun purchases, under one of six gun-control bills signed by Gov. Jerry Brown on Friday [7/1/2016].  The governor vetoed five gun bills, including the only bill Republicans supported, AB1176, which would have made it a felony to steal a gun or buy a stolen gun, regardless of its value.

Gun control isn't the answer.  We already know how to stop the violence.  As long as Democrats insist that new gun laws and bans are the only way to stop or slow gun violence, the Republicans and most of the American people will stand in their way — unless they rush to pass new gun laws and bans within 2-3 weeks of major mass shootings.  The reasons are many, but one of the biggest problems with the new legislation approach is the fact that gun violence is mostly committed in urban areas by people in demographic groups and living in geographical locations that a large segment of the American people believe are heavily connected to the Democratic Party.

Obama's Muslim Homeland Security Adviser Demands National Gun Registry.  The Obama administration has been riddled with Muslims who are anti-American in their views in key national security positions.  Now, Cairo-born Gamal Abdel-Hafiz, who immigrated to the States in 1990 and worked at the FBI for 22 years is calling for a national gun registry in clear violation of the Second Amendment.  Abdel-Hafiz who is consulting Obama's "countering violent extremism," which should be more accurately titled, "countering Islamic terrorism," suggested that a national gun registry be created.

No Fly No Buy? 100% Unconstitutional.  It comes as no surprise at all, that in the aftermath of the Orlando Islamic terrorist attack, all liberals can talk about is taking guns away from law abiding citizens or making it hard, if not impossible in some cases, to even purchase a gun.  THAT, say the liberals, is the best way to defeat terrorism.  Ted Cruz had a slightly different perspective on the situation:  "You don't defeat terrorism by taking away our guns.  You defeat terrorism by using our guns."

Democrats Sit-In for Secret Lists and Maybe Even a Police State.  Democrats are holding a sit-in on the floor of the House, demanding action on gun control.  "The time for silence and patience is long gone," said Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), a former civil rights leader who's taken the lead in the sit-in.  "The American people are demanding action.  Do we have the courage, do we have the raw courage to make at least a down payment on ending gun violence in America?"  Details are scarce.  Vox.com reports that House Democrats would like to force a vote the way Senate Democrats did through a filibuster.  The Senate voted on four gun bills on Monday night [6/20/2016], with all four failing.  The most egregious wanted to deny the right to bear arms for anyone who was put on the federal government's terror watch list, a list the federal government can put any American on without even the pretext of due process.

How You Lost The Constitution.  Let's talk for a bit about the so-called "narrow" and "common sense" compromise being put forward by Democrats — and a few Republicans, notably Susan Collins (R-ME), to block people from buying guns if they're "on a terror watch list."  Sounds reasonable, right?  Well, it's not.  And the reason it's not has nothing to do with letting terrorists have guns.  Nobody in their right mind wants to have someone who is an actual terrorist walk into a gun store and buy a firearm — or 10.  Rather, we blew it when we allowed the creation of "watch lists" that are (1) secret, (2) constrain people (e.g. "no-fly" lists) and (3) have no due process protections of any sort associated with them.  These are all unconstitutional, I remind you, to the extent they apply to American citizens.

Supreme Court upholds gun ban for domestic violence.  The Supreme Court ruled Wednesday [6/22/2016] that a federal law intended to keep guns away from domestic violence offenders can apply even if their crime was nothing more than "offensive touching."  The decision was a victory for gun control advocates and groups that work to protect battered spouses and children, and a defeat for gun rights organizations that argued the federal law goes too far.

Democrat Governor Vetoes Missouri Constitutional Carry Bill.  Missouri Governor Jay Nixon (D.) vetoed legislation that would have allowed any adult who was legally allowed to possess a firearm to carry it without a permit.  "As Governor, I have signed bills to expand the rights of law-abiding Missourians to carry concealed and am always willing to consider ways to further improve our CCW process," Nixon said in a statement.  "But I cannot support the extreme step of throwing out that process entirely, eliminating sensible protections like background checks and training requirements, and taking away the ability of sheriffs to protect their communities."  The governor's decision comes after the Republican controlled legislature voted overwhelmingly in favor of the measure last month.

Corker: We Can Still Get a Bill 'That Protects 2nd Amendment Rights' and Keeps Guns Out of Terrorist Hands.  Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, told CNN's "State of the Union with Jake Tapper" that Congress can still pass a bill that "protects 2nd Amendment rights" and keeps guns out of terrorist hands.  "There's still a place that we can get to that protects Second Amendment rights, but also ensures that we keep guns out of the hands of terrorists," Corker said.

Gun control initiative allowing ammo confiscation qualifies for ballot in California.  A Democrat-backed measure that would give California the nation's toughest restrictions on ammunition and allow the seizure of magazines exceeding 10 rounds has qualified for the state ballot.  The California Secretary of State's office announced Thursday [6/23/2016] that the Safety for All initiative, championed by Democratic Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, had gathered the petition signatures necessary for a slot on the Nov. 8 ballot.  "Enough massacres, death, tears, and hate — it's time to take action and save lives," Mr. Newsom said in the Sacramento Bee.  "The Safety for All initiative gives California voters the opportunity to keep guns and ammo out of the hands of violent, dangerous, hateful people."

Democratic Sen. Calls For Ammunition Control.  Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine, who is on the shortlist to be Hillary Clinton's vice president, called for limiting the size of magazines on semi-automatic rifles.

Hawaii Puts Names Of Law-Abiding Gun Owners Into Federal Database.  On June 23, Hawaii Governor David Ige (D) signed a bill into law placing all of the state's law-abiding gun owners in a federal database.  The database — called "Rap Back" — is run by the FBI and will alert Hawaiian law enforcement if a Hawaiian gun owner is arrested for a crime anywhere in the United States.  Fox 59 quoted Ige saying, "This will allow county police departments in Hawaii to evaluate whether the firearm owner may continue to legally possess and own firearms."  The bill, which received heavy opposition from gun owners and gun rights groups, was passed by a Democrat-controlled legislature under the presumption that background checks are not enough.

House Democrats' sit-in.  The Democrats are chanting their silly meme, "No fly no buy."  The idea is that if you are on the terrorism no fly list, you should not be able to buy a gun.  The terrorism list started in 2003 as a data base to help identify potential terrorists, not to keep people off of airplanes.  But it evolved.  Today, for reasons never stated, a nameless, faceless bureaucrat can put anyone on the no fly list and it is almost impossible to get off.  If someone put on the list has resources, they can try to sue, but often when the case gets to court and the plaintiff demands to know why they are on the list, the government invokes the "State secrets" privilege.  That privilege is invoked when there is allegedly classified information in a case and is generally used to deny access to that information.

With the exception of Chicago and New York, where guns are prohibited...
America is Awash in Guns, and Crime is at Record Lows.  Most Americans believe America is submerged beneath a tidal wave of gun violence.  A Pew Research poll in 2013 found that 56 percent of Americans thought gun violence had risen in the last 20 years, 26 percent thought it had remained the same, and only 12 percent thought it had fallen.  You might be surprised to learn the 12 percent were right.  The gulf between the facts about guns and the public's perception is immense, and was created deliberately.  Anti-gun advocates invent new terms ("assault weapon") and politicians lie to win over a skeptical public.  Too often these myths are swallowed by journalists and celebrities who don't bother to check the data and don't know how modern firearms actually work.

Hawaii becomes first state to put gun owners in database.  Gov. David Ige is signing a bill that makes the state the first to enter gun owners into an FBI database that will automatically notify police if an island resident is arrested anywhere else in the country.

My Family Fled Communism.  Stop Pushing Soviet-Style Gun Control Here.  From the amateurish House sit-in to the full-on assault on AR-15 semi-automatic rifles, your assumptions about Democrats pursuing full disarmanent under the guise of "gun control" are correct.  They mean it.  As a Virginia gun owner and concealed handgun permit (CHP) holder myself, I hope my perspective get can you to think differently about firearms if you have doubts.  Don't know the Second Amendment?  Let me list it for you:  The Second Amendment of the United States Constitution reads:  "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."  But, but, but this amendment is outdated, archaic and Draconian!  But, but, but there's no explicit mention of individual gun ownership!  (Nope, and nope!)  When I hear the most ardent supporters of gun control (aka disarmament) use these talking points, I cannot help but think of societies where totalitarian regimes succeeded in oppressing people by first disarming them — like the former Soviet Union.

The Democrats Are Boldly Fighting For a Bad, Stupid Bill.  After Democrats in the Senate staged a filibuster in support of gun control measures, their colleagues in the House have begun a "sit-in" aimed at embarrassing Republicans into allowing a vote on a measure that would restrict the ability of suspected terrorists to legally buy guns.  The move is fantastic political theater.  It's also a tremendous waste of popular support and activist energy in support of a measure that isn't just ineffective but also actively offensive.  The Democratic proposal has been catch-phrased and hashtagged as "no fly, no buy," because it would prevent people who end up on government terrorism watchlists, including the "no fly list," from purchasing firearms.  This would do little to reduce gun violence, but it would add an additional layer of surveillance and government scrutiny to a particular class of people.

GOP Senate Debates Gun Control Instead of Real Measures to Fight Terrorism.  In the aftermath of the terrorist attack in Orlando — the largest in the United States since 9/11 — lawmakers on Capitol Hill have yet to introduce one piece of legislation that would actually fight terrorism.  Not one.  Instead, the Republican-controlled Senate has not only allowed Democrats to define the debate and make this an issue about gun control, but they've joined the tour de farce.  That President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats once again called for more gun control in the wake of the tragedy is no surprise.  It's completely predictable.

Family Plans to Destroy Stockpile of Inherited Guns and Ammo Worth Millions, Lawyer Says.  Family members set to inherit a stockpile of guns and ammunition, worth millions of dollars, plan to destroy the weapons "to send a message," their attorney Daniel Brookman told ABC News today [6/22/2016].  "They want these instruments of death to be destroyed," Brookman said.  "They don't want these weapons out on the street."  Jeffrey A. Lash, of Pacific Palisades, California, died last summer of natural causes, but left behind a stockpile of more than 1,500 guns, 6.5 tons of ammunition and nearly $250,000 in cash, according to local ABC-owned station KABC-TV.  All of the purchases were legally made, KABC reported.  The reason Lash amassed such a collection remains a complete mystery.

Homeland Security Adviser Demands National Gun Registry.  Following the terror attack in Orlando, the dominant media/political narrative turned to gun control and now-discredited claims of the suspect's mental illness (claims which included gay-baiting).  Now, one controversial former FBI agent — and current consultant to the Obama administration on "countering violent extremism" (CVE) — is suggesting a national gun registry be created.  Such a registry would target millions of law-abiding American citizens.  Gamal Abdel-Hafiz, born in Cairo, immigrated to the U.S. in 1990.  He recently retired from the FBI after 22 turbulent years at the bureau.

What Will Gun Controllers Do When Americans Ignore an 'Assault Weapons' Ban?  [I]n the wake of Omar Mateen's bloody rampage in Orlando, gun control advocates think that overcoming the passionate opposition of firearms owners and imposing a ban on a difficult to define class of "assault weapons" is a swell idea whose time has come.  This prohibition will somehow be different.  "Those who defend the easy accessibility of assault weapons should meet these families and explain why that makes sense," President Obama tut-tutted last week.  But the moralizer-in-chief failed to make sense himself, calling for the outlawing of a category of devices that doesn't really exist.

Dianne Feinstein's Plans For Guns And The "Terrorist Watch List".  [Scroll down]  That means that if you're an NRA member, or a patriot, or you believe in the second amendment and your God-given rights to own firearms, or believe that gun ownership is the best surety against tyranny, the executive might just label you a terrorist or low-level extremist, and prevent gun purchases.  He might also garnish your wages, prevent driver's license renewal, prevent renewal of your professional license, or remove your children from the home and place them in the custody of DSS. Do you get the impression that someone wants you to be disarmed and controlled?

Don't Be Deceived:  Democrats' Gun Control Push Is Not Limited to Those on No-Fly List.  [Scroll down]  There's a very deliberate effort here to misstate to Americans what Feinstein's law does.  Part of that is undoubtedly because a recent poll shows that Americans overwhelmingly support denying gun sales to people on the "no-fly" list.  Perhaps if Americans understood that what Feinstein is proposing is affecting hundreds of thousands of more people than she's claiming they'd be less likely to give it a thumbs up.  But when people think the list is actually very limited, they're probably more likely to accept it, due process violations notwithstanding.  But proponents of the law don't particularly care about the distinctions because of their generalized stance against gun ownership.  That more people will be denied guns is a feature, not a bug, even if these people are innocent of any sort of disqualifying behavior.  If you perceive all gun ownership outside of the state as a threat, then the broader hidden consequences are actually beneficial to your goal.

Feinstein Made Her Gun Control Bill Even Worse.  Under Feinstein's 2015 bill, the attorney general can stop the transfer of a firearm if he "1) determines that the transferee is known (or appropriately suspected) to be or have been engaged in conduct constituting, in preparation for, in aid of, or related to terrorism, or providing material support or resources for terrorism" and "(2) has a reasonable belief that the prospective transferee may use a firearm in connection with terrorism." The amendment Feinstein introduced last Wednesday, by contrast, lets the attorney general block a sale if he "determines, based on the totality of the circumstances, that the transferee represents a threat to public safety based on a reasonable suspicion that the transferee is engaged, or has been engaged, in conduct constituting, in preparation for, in aid of, or related to terrorism, or providing material support or resources thereof."  In the revised version, there is no additional requirement that the attorney general have reason to believe the weapon the suspect is trying to buy will be used in a terrorist attack.

Police Ask Disarmed Brits to Defend Themselves With Umbrellas.  How will we defend ourselves from criminals when the government has taken away our guns?  With umbrellas, of course: [...] You see?  No need for law-abiding citizens to carry firearms.  In Britain, criminals don't need guns either, since they know their prey has been disarmed by the government.  When a 20-year-old man is robbing a 70-year-old woman, fists are weapon enough.

Taking Away Constitutional Rights at the Discretion of the Government.  If the news reports are correct, the latest "gun control" proposal being put forward by Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, is a "measure that would block people on the Transportation Security Administration's no-fly list from buying firearms," according to ABC News.  There is one major problem with that proposal:  It is potentially unconstitutional since it would take away a constitutional right — your Second Amendment right to bear arms — at the discretion of a government official in a secret, nontransparent process that has no adequate due process protections.  Let's be clear — we don't want terrorists buying guns in this country.  Nor do we think that they have a Second Amendment right to do so.  But this blunt instrument is not the right solution.

US Senate rejects terror list gun sale restrictions.  [Scroll down]  Senators strongly disagreed about how to prevent more attacks happening in future.  Republican Senator John Cornyn said:  "Our colleagues want to make this about gun control when what we should be making this about is the fight to eliminate the Islamic extremism that is the root cause for what happened in Orlando.  "My colleagues in many ways want to treat the symptoms without fighting the disease."

Gun Store Sells 30,000 AR-15's Since Orlando Shooting.  Hunter's Warehouse Owner Tom Engle told the FOX Business Network's Stuart Varney, his online operation consisting of 300,000 to 400,000 weapons has sold 30,000 AR-15's since Sunday.  A Federal Firearms License (FFL) lets gun-store owners manufacture and import firearms and ammunition across the United States.  Even though each state has its own set of gun laws, Engle explained how it would be possible to buy an AR-15 online.

Supreme Court leaves state assault weapons bans in place in Connecticut, New York.  The Supreme Court has repeatedly turned away challenges to gun restrictions since two landmark decisions that spelled out the right to a handgun to defend one's own home.

The Goal Is People Control, Not Gun Control.  The GOP is getting ready to do what the GOP always does — cave to the force of progressive bullies.  ["]According to CBS News's Steven Portnoy, McConnell has a meeting with FBI director James Comey and Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson on Wednesday [6/15/2016].  Portnoy Tweeted that McConnell has signaled he may be willing to consider new gun controls after that meeting.["]  Via SSI, it might be claimed that this is all being done for a purpose and by design, effecting no change except for raising money.

After Orlando, isn't it time to fight back?  Do you get it yet?  ISIS, al-Qaida, and millions of Islamic extremists have declared war on the United States and Western civilization.  It's not an accident that people who believe in the Quran keep picking up guns, bombs and machetes and attacking people who don't believe in the Quran.  Meanwhile, in response, Western civilization has declared a war on itself.  We decry the foolishness of jihadi warriors who are willing to become suicide bombers in order to die for their cause, and yet we have offered ourselves up as willing victims to die for our own causes of "tolerance," "diversity" and "gun control."  We are a suicide civilization.

Ted Cruz Blasts Democrat 'Political Gamesmanship' in Wake of Orlando Terror Attack.  On Thursday [6/16/2016] Senator Ted Cruz took to the Senate floor to address the Islamic terrorist attack in Orlando.  The speech he gave should be the standard Republican response to the left's deflection towards gun-control instead of addressing the real issue at hand: defeating radical Islamic terrorism.  [Video clip]

Why should anyone need or want an AR-15?  A semiautomatic carbine is a legitimate and appropriate weapon for a law-abiding citizen to own for personal or home defense.  The suitability to task increases in proportion with the size of one's home, lot, farm, or ranch, as a handgun is neither precise nor powerful enough to guarantee stopping a lethal threat the farther away that threat is — and we don't apologize for wanting to keep the threat as far away as possible.  With a carbine, a person defending himself or his family has two to five times greater chance of placing rounds on target at moderate distance.  How important is that?  It can make the difference between life and death.  Consider that the hit ratio for cops — trained professionals — with handguns in real-life officer-involved shootings, at short distances, hovers around 15 percent.  It's incredibly difficult to hit the bad guy when you're scared to death.

The Audacity of Dopes.  While Obama refuses to fault "radical Islam" for terrorism, his votaries plainly name "National Rifle Association," "Christians," "Republicans," and other unusual usual suspects as the true culprits behind last weekend's carnage.  "This is a political distraction," the president said about his reluctance to utter "radical Islam."  So, too, is the audacity-of-dopes effort to deflect blame onto all-too-convenient enemies.  Senate Democrats filibustered in non sequitur fashion to vote on legislation — specifically a bill to allow government to waive due process to determine, in its omniscience, who gets to own a gun and who doesn't.

They Don't Want Your AR-15: They Want Everything.  The "news" media is ranting the democrats familiar song, after a muslim jihadi committed atrocities in a gay nightclub:  "We must ban the AR-15, a weapon of war, it has no place in the public's hands.  Why does anyone need an AR-15 to murder Bambi?"  It doesn't matter to the "fair and balanced" media that the mass murderer (not "gunman," a deliberate derogatory sexist slur against men — and guns) didn't use or even have an AR-15.  It doesn't matter that banning the AR-15 would have zero effect on what was done, or what the next jihad assault will do.  All that matters is that murders create political capital and useful propaganda that influence useful idiots to press Congress to act against the Constitution.  And they do.

Rep. Black: 'Delusional' to Think Gun Control Will Stop 'Radical Islamist Intent on Taking Innocent Life'.  "Anyone who thinks that another gun control law will thwart the will of a radical Islamist who is intent on taking innocent life is delusional," said Rep. Diane Black (R-Tenn.) in a statement on Thursday [6/19/2016].  She made her remarks in response to the news that the Senate will hold votes on gun control measures following a 15-hour filibuster from Senate Democrats protesting inaction on the measures.  "As a firearm owner myself, I believe that instead of eroding the 2nd Amendment, we must expand these rights so that Americans are empowered to protect themselves from those who would do us harm," Rep. Black said.  "This means passing legislation like the National Right to Carry Reciprocity Act, so that law-abiding citizens can take their firearms with them wherever they may travel within the United States," she argued.

Former Navy SEAL Destroys Democrats Calling For An 'Assault Rifle' Ban.  Since the terror attack on a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, Democrats have begun calling for a full ban on assault weapons or, as many have come to call them, "weapons of war."  "We have seen the devastation that these military style weapons cause," said Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in a recent interview.  Not everyone is jumping on the bandwagon.  Millions of law abiding gun owners are defiantly opposing the calls for a ban.  Dom Raso, a veteran Navy SEAL, is one of the voices rejecting left-wing calls for a ban on so-called assault weapons.  In a recent video, Raso destroys arguments that claim such a ban would make Americans more safe.

A Portland restaurateur says assault rifle owners are not welcome at her businesses.  A Portland restaurateur used her business's Facebook page to speak her mind on assault weapons — inciting a backlash from gun rights advocates.  Anne Verrill, owner of Grace on Chestnut Street, and Foreside Tavern & Side Bar in Falmouth, published the post on Wednesday [6/15/2016], along with a photo of an assault rifle similar to the one used in the Orlando massacre.  "I have spent 12 years, intentionally, not being political on this page... Let me be clear, this is not a political issue," she wrote, according to several reports.  "This is a human rights issue.  If you own this gun, or you condone the ownership of this gun for private use, you may no longer enter either of my restaurants, because the only thing I want to teach my children is love."

The Editor says...
What she's saying, apparently, is that gun owners don't have human rights.  She is also advertising her properties as gun-free zones, which has been repeatedly proven to be disastrous.

Oh Look, The Actual Debate!  [Scroll down]  [I]n states where gun laws have been liberalized violent crime rates have gone DOWN at a rate that exceeds that where such changes in the law have not been made.  It appears that "MAD" works on both a macro, international level and at a micro level, in that thugs actually consider the possibility that they may wind up with a bunch of extra holes in their body in unpleasant places if they attempt their crimes.  Where that possibility is higher, they are deterred and choose either non-violent, non-personal criminal acts or no crime at all.  In point of fact so far in Chicago (as of 6/15) this year there have been 1451 people shot and 259 killed, or more than five times Orlando.  Chicago remains a place where it is basically impossible for a citizen to lawfully own and possess a firearm for self-defense, and the gang-bangers know it.  They are also not deterred by lots of cops who cower instead of respond.

FBI: Gun Ownership at All-Time High; Homicide Rate at 51-Year Low.  The US homicide rate in 2014, the most recent year available, was 4.5 per 100,000.  The 2014 total follows a long downward trend and is the lowest homicide rate recorded since 1963 when the rate was 4.6 per 100,000.  To find a lower homicide rate, we must travel back to 1957 when the total homicide rate hit 4.0 per 100,000.  Homicide rates were considerably higher in the United States during the 1970s, 80s, and 90s, but over the past 25 years, have fallen nearly continuously.

Trump, GOP lawmakers open door to restricting gun buys for those on watch list.  A congressional push to ban or restrict gun sales for those on terror watch lists gained bipartisan momentum Wednesday, with everyone from key Republican lawmakers to Donald Trump to the National Rifle Association opening the door to discussing the idea.  The presumptive Republican presidential nominee indicated interest in the push in a tweet Wednesday morning announcing a meeting with the NRA.

DOJ overrules FBI on gun sales debate, says no-fly list can be used for ban.  Attorney General Loretta Lynch overruled FBI Director James B. Comey on Thursday [6/16/2016], saying the Obama administration does support denying firearms sales to those on terrorist watch lists and that it can be done without harming investigations.  Mr. Comey last year had told Congress that denying sales could "blow" his agents' investigations into potential terrorists.  But his superiors at the Justice Department issued a statement Thursday saying they want to see Congress approve the "no-fly, no-buy" plan Democrats are pursuing.

6 Things To Know About Tying Gun Sales To A Watch List.  [#3] The Democrat's proposed gun sales ban list has all of the infirmities of the no-fly and terrorist watch lists.  The Democrats are pushing legislation to create a secret anti-gun list run by bureaucrats whose job has nothing to do with looking out for your interests.  The government does not have to tell you that you're on the list, even if you are denied authorization to purchase a firearm.  The opportunity to challenge inclusion is sharply limited.  You can be added to the list at the whim of hundreds of faceless bureaucrats without judicial oversight.  And the legislation intentionally avoids finality.  In the name of national security, naturally, these same bureaucrats may add or remove you from the list as they please.  This is an obvious violation of due process as protected by the Fifth Amendment, something even the compromised American Civil Liberties Union admits.

NRA Says It Won't Change Position on Watch-List Gun Ban.  The National Rifle Association said on Wednesday it would be happy to meet with Republican nominee Donald Trump to discuss how to keep terrorists from obtaining firearms but that it would not change its position.  "We are happy to meet with Donald Trump," Chris Cox, head of the NRA's Institute for Legislative Action, told the Washington Free Beacon in a statement.  "The NRA's position on this issue has not changed."  "The NRA believes that terrorists should not be allowed to purchase or possess firearms, period," he continued.  "Anyone on a terror watch list who tries to buy a gun should be thoroughly investigated by the FBI and the sale delayed while the investigation is ongoing.  If an investigation uncovers evidence of terrorist activity or involvement, the government should be allowed to immediately go to court, block the sale, and arrest the terrorist."

Schumer, Feinstein Say FBI Suspicions Should Be Enough to Block Gun Sales.  Gun control advocates said on Monday [6/13/2016] they're going to push "to finally close the terror gap once and for all" by barring gun sales based on the FBI's suspicions about how a gun will be used.  "If the FBI believes there's a reasonable chance someone is going to use a gun in a terrorist attack, it should be able to make that determination and block the sale," Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) told a conference call on Monday [6/13/2016].

Keywords:  baby, bath water.
Don't Disarm Suspected Terrorists.  The presumptive presidential nominees of both major parties nevertheless think people on watch lists should not be allowed to buy guns.  "If somebody is on a watch list," Donald Trump told ABC News last November, "I would keep them away, absolutely."  Hillary Clinton dismisses constitutional concerns, saying, "If you are on that list and you believe you should not be on that list, we have a process to actually raise your objections."  But that process is stacked against people mistakenly linked to terrorism, who are forced to prove their innocence.  Americans should not have to dispel secret suspicions before they can exercise their constitutional rights.

Who to Scapegoat?  Guns or Muslims?  Democrats go after gun owners the way Trump targets Muslims.  Clinton pronounced Monday [6/13/2016] as "not a day for politics."  Then she called for a ban on "assault weapons."  The Orlando shooter did use an AR-15 rifle, but, as gun owners have convinced me, a ban on one weapon only steers gun aficionados to weapons with similar firepower.  Calls for such bans do not hinder criminals and do radicalize resourceful gun enthusiasts.  Congratulations go to Clinton.  She just sold thousands of AR-15s.  Clinton made another suggestion:  "If the FBI is watching you for suspected terrorist links, you shouldn't be able to just go buy a gun with no questions asked."  Problem:  Such a law would not have prevented the Orlando shooter from purchasing guns.

Jeh Johnson:  Gun Control Is Now 'Part and Parcel of Homeland Security'.  Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said Tuesday that passing gun control laws is now "part and parcel of homeland security" in an interview on CBS This Morning [6/14/2016].  In the segment which was flagged by Politico, Johnson said this was the first time he had vocalized such a belief publicly.  President Obama and congressional Democrats have made a renewed push for gun control laws in the wake of the Orlando terrorist attack on a gay nightclub that left 49 people dead.  Johnson, who made a series of media appearances Tuesday, was asked by left-leaning host Gayle King what it would take to get gun control laws passed in the United States.

Irony: Jeh Johnson Says Gun Control Now a Matter of Homeland Security... Orlando Terrorist Worked For DHS.  The Islamic terrorist who carried out the horrific, atrocious attack on Pulse nightclub in Orlando Sunday morning was employed by G4S security company as a licensed, professional security guard with the ability to carry a firearm on duty.  He worked at the company for years. [...] Further, the terrorist (an American citizen) purchased the firearms he used Sunday legally and passed a background check to do so.  Despite these facts, during an interview [6/14/2016] with CBS this morning Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson declared gun control as a "matter of national security."

Ripping Apart the Second Amendment.  California law doesn't bar home ownership of firearms, but it does prohibit transporting loaded firearms even when going to or from a target range.  It also exempts security guards and the like.  Sustaining a lower court's decision upholding the California law, the Ninth Circuit could have limited its ruling by finding, as some other courts have, that the "good cause" requirement is reasonable.  But it didn't.  The Ninth Circuit (the most liberal in the nation, and the most reversed by the Supreme Court), went far beyond to create a direct challenge to the Second Amendment.  It held that "...the Second Amendment does not preserve or protect a right of a member of the general public to carry concealed firearms in public."  Most of us thought that this matter was disposed of by the late Antonin Scalia's opinion in the 2008 opinion in District of Columbia v.  Heller.

Concealed carry, California and the 9th Circuit's misrepresentation of the facts.  Thursday [6/9/2016], the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in a 7-4 decision that Americans don't have a right to carry concealed handguns for protection.  Since California bans people from openly carrying guns, their decision amounted to prohibiting people from carrying guns at all (whether openly or concealed).  It is clear that a judge's political affiliation determines whether he thinks that people have a right to defend themselves.  Democratic judges are now moving to overturn recent Supreme Court decisions that struck down bans on guns.  Last year, about 0.24 percent of adult Californians had a concealed handgun permit.  In the rest of the U.S., the rate was 24 times higher, for a rate of 5.8 percent.  In many parts of California, it is essentially impossible to get a permit.  In San Francisco County, just four people (0.0005 percent of the adult population), got a permit in 2015.  That is an improvement over 2012, when just two permits were granted — one of which was to the sheriff's personal attorney.

Concealed carry, California and the 9th Circuit's misrepresentation of the facts.  Thursday [6/9/2016], the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in a 7-4 decision that Americans don't have a right to carry concealed handguns for protection.  Since California bans people from openly carrying guns, their decision amounted to prohibiting people from carrying guns at all (whether openly or concealed).  It is clear that a judge's political affiliation determines whether he thinks that people have a right to defend themselves.  Democratic judges are now moving to overturn recent Supreme Court decisions that struck down bans on guns.  Last year, about 0.24 percent of adult Californians had a concealed handgun permit.  In the rest of the U.S., the rate was 24 times higher, for a rate of 5.8 percent.  In many parts of California, it is essentially impossible to get a permit.  In San Francisco County, just four people (0.0005 percent of the adult population), got a permit in 2015.  That is an improvement over 2012, when just two permits were granted — one of which was to the sheriff's personal attorney.

Criminal Ninth Circuit Attempts to Shred the Constitution.  In a move that endangers public safety and the ability of California residents to defend themselves, an en banc panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has held that "the Second Amendment does not preserve or protect a right of a member of the general public to carry concealed firearms in public."  Therefore, any prohibition or restriction a state or local government wants to impose on concealed carry is allowed, from the "good cause" requirement to obtain a license under review in this case, to a complete ban.  This overturns the decision of a three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit that came to the opposite conclusion and struck down the "good cause" restriction.  And this comes from the same Ninth Circuit that recently concluded that under the Fourteenth Amendment, Arizona is required to provide driver's licenses to illegal aliens — thus creating a constitutional right in that case, while dismissing an actual constitutional right in this case.

Petraeus, Mark Kelly form new gun control group.  Gen. David Petraeus and retired astronaut Mark Kelly announced Friday [6/10/2016] they are forming a new gun control group for veterans.  The Veterans Coalition for Common Sense will push to strengthen gun background check laws and help prevent veterans from committing suicide.  It pointed to several alarming statistics about the military and gun violence.  According to the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA), about 22 veterans kill themselves each day.

The Editor says...
A spate of suicides among military veterans is not a gun problem.  It is a mental health problem.  It's also a VA scandal.

Court: No automatic right to concealed weapons.  In a long-awaited opinion, a federal appeals court decided Thursday [6/ that people do not have a constitutional right to carry concealed weapons in public.  Judges from the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals determined that California counties may require people who want permits for concealed guns to show a specific reason why they need them.  The ruling upends a previous one from two years ago in which the court struck down a San Diego County Sheriff's Department policy which required applicants to show "good cause" as to why they needed a concealed weapons permit.

En Banc, the Ninth Circuit Rules Against the Plaintiffs in Peruta.  I've just finished reading the Ninth Circuit's en banc decision in Peruta v.  City of San Diego.  The short version:  This was a loss for gun owners.  The en banc court declined to agree with the three-man panel that preceded it, and instead "affirmed the district courts' judgments and held that there is no Second Amendment right for members of the general public to carry concealed firearms in public."  In consequence, Californians who live in counties with strict licensing regimes will not be able to carry firearms for their defense.

DNC Platform Committee Member Says Nobody 'Should Have A Gun'.  A member of the Democratic National Committee's 15-person platform drafting committee said during a public meeting on Wednesday that she does not believe that "anyone should have a gun."  Bonnie Schaefer, a former retail executive and a progressive philanthropist, said that more should be done to combat gun violence in addition to "just keeping the guns out of the hands of mentally ill people and criminals."  "I really don't personally think anyone should have a gun," she said.  "That's just my own philosophy.  Nothing is ever solved when you have a gun in your hand except the worst possible scenario."

Four ways Hillary Clinton will work to end gun ownership as president.  On Sunday, Hillary Clinton just couldn't bring herself to say on ABC's "This Week" that Americans have an individual right to own guns.  But it didn't stop her from denying Donald Trump's claim that she wants to abolish the Second Amendment.  Clinton accused Trump of making "outright fabrications, accusing me of something that is absolutely untrue."  From changing the Supreme Court to make it possible to again ban guns in the United States to making it more costly to own guns, I predict that a President Hillary Clinton will do four things to either ban guns or at least reduce gun ownership, especially for poor people: [...]

Watch: Hillary Refuses Say Right to Bear Arms Is a 'Constitutional Right'.  Sunday [6/5/2016] on ABC's "This Week," Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton refused to say conclusively the Second Amendment is a constitutional right and that it "is subject to reasonable regulations."

Second Amendment takes another hit from D.C. Court of Appeals.  In 1975, the right to own a handgun in Washington, D.C. was illegal.  In addition, all other firearms such as rifles and shotguns had to be "unloaded and disassembled or bound by a trigger lock," making them useless in the event that the gun owner needed to defend himself.  However, in a 2008 5-4 decision — please note:  that was 5-4, not unanimous — led by the now deceased Antonin Scalia, the Supreme Court ruled in District of Columbia v. Heller that the law was a violation of the right to bear arms under the Second Amendment.  And though this ruling was specific to the District of Columbia, the Supreme Court reinforced the Heller decision in McDonald v.  City of Chicago in 2010; a case involving restrictions similar to those found in Heller.  With these two cases, the Supreme Court confirmed the Second Amendment rights of citizens in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.  But that hasn't stopped the anti-gun leftists from continuing to find creative ways around the Constitution.  And, once again, the fight returns us to Washington, D.C.

Hillary Won't Stop at Just Disarming Veterans.  Several leftist media outlets — and also a so-called "veterans' group" — have launched a new effort to get veterans to help propel Hillary Clinton to the White House.  This is quite ironic, of course, since few people have done more to disarm military veterans than the Clintons.  Under President Bill Clinton, veterans with PTSD lost their gun rights when the VA began forwarding veterans' names to the FBI for placement in the NICS system.  To date, over 257,000 military veterans have lost their gun rights because of the precedent that began under the Clinton administration.  And there is no doubt that this antipathy for our veterans' gun rights continues with Hillary — and that she wants to take away guns from far more Americans than simply veterans.

When 'Smart-Gun' Laws Are Not So Smart.  At a White House conference on Tuesday [5/24/2016] with representatives of state and local law enforcement from all 50 states, Vice President Joe Biden asserted that an "overwhelming majority" of Americans fully support so-called smart guns — firearms that can only be fired by a particular person.  Biden claimed that this technology "could have gigantic payoff for us" in saving lives and reducing gun-related violence.  Now, President Obama wants to use federal grants to encourage police departments to buy "smart guns" for officers.  The idea is to prevent officers' guns from being used against them.  In reality, this technology is more likely to endanger lives than to save them.

D.C. Attorney General Ignores Court Order, Refuses Gun Permits.  Less than a year ago, Kim Davis ignored a court order from the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky and refused to issue a marriage license to same-sex couples.  She was held in contempt of court, served five days in jail, and was ruthlessly attacked in the media.  Now the office of Karl Racine, the Washington, D.C. attorney general, has ordered D.C. government employees to ignore a court order from the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.  The order by the D.C. District Court Judge Richard Leon was to stop denying individuals applying for a concealed-carry permit from requiring a "good reason," and to immediately update the forms to no longer require that.  This "good reason" requirement, while it might sound nice, just means D.C. government claimed the authority to arbitrarily deny people their Second Amendment rights because the D.C. government doesn't like the reason they wanted to be able to defend themselves.  As open-carry is completely prohibited, the inability to get a permit to conceal-carry means no one is allowed to bear arms outside his home without the permission of the D.C. government.  For instance, according to the D.C. government, living in a "high-crime area" is not considered a "good enough" reason to want to be able to defend yourself.  This is hardly the strict scrutiny applied to the other enumerated rights in the Bill of Rights like the First Amendment.

Hawaii could be first to put gun owners in federal database.  Hawaii could become the first state in the United States to enter gun owners into an FBI database that will automatically notify police if an island resident is arrested anywhere else in the country.

Guns found at TSA checkpoints could mean fine, jail time for travelers.  Starting June 1, anyone who forgets they have a gun in their carry-on luggage will be looking at up to a year in jail and a $100,000 fine if the firearm is caught at the security check point at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.  Until Georgia law was changed two years ago, "we didn't really have any issues here," Britt Johnson, who is head of the Atlanta FBI office, said of the "Guns Everywhere Law" that expanded the list of places guns were allowed.  The law said gun owners with a permit could take guns discovered in their carry-on luggage back to their cars or give them to someone for safe keeping, and they would not face criminal charges.

Clinton Promises to Attack Gun Owners on Her "Very First Day" in Office.  The NRA-ILA is a top source for news about issue that could affect our Second Amendment rights.  Not that it is much of a surprise, but the Democrat frontrunner has pledged to assault the Second Amendment on day one if elected.  As usual, she claims she wants to lower gun violence... by stepping on the throats of gun manufacturers.

Primed to fight the government.  Deep in the heart of a vast U.S. military training ground, surrounded by spent shotgun shells and juniper trees blasted to shreds, the Central Oregon Constitutional Guard was conducting its weekly firearms training.  "The intent is to be able to work together and defend ourselves if we need to," said Soper, 40, a building contractor who is an emerging leader in a growing national movement rooted in distrust of the federal government, one that increasingly finds itself in armed conflicts with authorities.  Those in the movement call themselves patriots, demanding that the federal government adhere to the Constitution and stop what they see as systematic abuse of land rights, gun rights, freedom of speech and other liberties.

Hillary Clinton's fierce anti-gun stance could backfire in general election.  Democrats, skittish over pushing gun control since Al Gore's bid for the White House fell short in 2000, are once again flirting with the issue, preparing to pick perhaps the most anti-gun presidential nominee in a generation.  Hillary Clinton's provocations will be on the minds of thousands of Second Amendment activists gathering in Louisville beginning Thursday [5/19/2016] as the National Rifle Association hosts its annual meetings, insisting Mrs. Clinton's fierce gun control stance will once again hamstring Democrats in a national election.  Likely GOP nominee Donald Trump will speak Friday, delivering his fervent pro-gun stance to the one part of the conservative coalition that has quickly and eagerly embraced him — which makes the contrast with Mrs. Clinton, who's highlighted her anti-gun stance, all the more striking.

Hillary Clinton Opposes Heller Gun Rights Ruling, Adviser Says.  Hillary Clinton believes a 2008 Supreme Court ruling that is the linchpin of an individual's right to own a gun was "wrongly decided," her policy adviser told Bloomberg Politics on Friday [5/20/2016]. [...] The stance by Clinton, the all-but-certain Democratic presidential nominee, carries potentially profound implications for the future of gun rights in the U.S.  In striking down a longstanding handgun ban in the District of Columbia, the D.C. v.  Heller ruling marked the first time the Supreme Court held that the Second Amendment protected an individual's right to own a firearm for lawful purposes such as self-defense in the home.

Leaked audio:  Hillary says SCOTUS wrong on 2nd Amendment — promises to fight for gun bans.  Recently, Hillary's gun control mask slipped a bit when her daughter Chelsea promised that her mom was eager to return to her gun-grabbing ways.  She promised that a Clinton Supreme Court would issue a "definitive ruling" on the subject — by which she meant overturn D.C. vs.  Heller — and gut the 2nd Amendment.  To remind you of her true intentions, the GOP War Room has cleaned up and re-released some leaked audio from last October.  In it, Hillary makes it plain as day.

When your doctor asks you if you own a gun.  Should your doctor be asking you during the course of a routine check-up whether or not you or any family members have a gun in your house?  And what if they do just come out and ask?  Ben Guarino at the Washington Post brings us some information about a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine which suggests that nothing should hold doctors back from inquiring.  You know... just for your own good.

D.C. Judge Grants Temporary Injunction Against D.C. Gun Permit Law.  Judge Richard J. Leon has issued a tightly reasoned opinion granting a temporary injunction against the enforcement of the District of Columbia's unreasonably restrictive handgun licensing scheme.  In effect, Judge Leon ruled that the District scheme was a thinly veiled ban on the carry of arms outside the home for the purposes of self defense in the District of Columbia.

Court rules Second Amendment extends to gun sales, could ease zoning laws on gun stores.  Constitutional protections afforded by the Second Amendment include the right to buy and sell firearms, a federal appeals court ruled Monday [5/15/2016] in a decision that reinstates a lawsuit over zoning laws that limit where gun stores can be located.  In a 2-1 ruling, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals revived Second Amendment challenges brought by three California businessmen who had sought to open a firearms store in Alameda County, but filed suit after they were denied a zoning permit based on laws that they claimed prevented them from opening a store anywhere in the county.  Monday's [5/15/2016] ruling did not strike down the local zoning ordinance, but it does declare that the right to buy and sell firearms "is part and parcel of the historically recognized right to keep and to bear arms."

Ninth Circuit:  Right to Bear Arms Includes Right to Acquire Arms.  The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled Monday that the right to bear arms has historically included the right to acquire them, and remanded the case of Teixeira v.  County of Alameda to the lower court. [...] In summarizing the latest ruling, the court pointed to the Ninth Circuit's position that Alameda County "had offered nothing to undermine the panel's conclusion that the right to purchase and to sell firearms is part and parcel of the historically recognized right to keep and to bear arms."

Hillary Clinton Picks a Doomed Fight With Americans Over Guns.  "Yesterday, once again, this time horrifically on live television," says Hillary Clinton in a video on her presidential campaign website, "we saw the terrible consequences of gun violence."  As it turns out, she's not talking about civilian deaths from drone strikes or bombing raids on hospitals by the U.S. government, but instead about a criminal shooting spree in the United States.  Sure enough, the Washington Post pointed out last week that one of Clinton's signature issues heading into the general election is tightening restrictions on the ownership and use of guns by Americans.

Trump's Not Wrong:  Clinton Wants to "Abolish" Second Amendment.  Donald Trump told his supporters at a rally in Lynden, Washington, on Saturday that the presumptive Democrat nominee would like to abolish Second Amendment. [...] Clinton seems to be of the opinion that she understands the Second Amendment better than the Founding Fathers or the U.S. Supreme Court, as revealed last October.

Putting a target on firearms.  There is a growing effort in the country to prosecute gun manufacturers and retailers for the crimes committed by those who abuse their products.  Proponents of such a gesture — namely, the gun control lobby — believe suppliers of firearms should be held liable for any wrongdoing or crime committed with their products.  They believe suing gun manufacturers and suppliers will end gun violence.  How does suing a gun manufacturer or retailer stop gun violence?  It won't.  Gun manufacturers shouldn't be held liable for the actions of criminals; criminals should be held accountable instead.

Social Security moves to block the mentally ill from purchasing guns.  The Social Security Administration (SSA) is proposing to report people who receive disability benefits and have a mental health condition to the FBI's background check system.  The proposal, which stems from a memorandum that President Obama issued in 2013, would essentially block some people with severe mental health problems from buying guns.  The SSA, which will propose the rule in Thursday's [5/5/2016] edition of the Federal Register, says it plans to notify disability beneficiaries who might be reported and establish a process for them to appeal their placement in the FBI's background check system.  The proposal is just the latest attempt by the Obama administration to keep guns out of the hands of the mentally ill.

The Editor says...
It looks to me like "the latest attempt by the Obama administration to keep guns out of the hands of [everybody, starting with] the mentally ill, using Social Security as leverage.

Six Parts of Hillary Clinton's Plan to Disarm Citizens.  [#4] Replace Instant Background Checks With Indefinite Background Checks:  Clinton wants to expand the time frame in which a background for a gun purchase is conducted.  The current time frame is "instant" — via the National Instant Criminal Background Check System — but there is an allowance for the FBI to take up to three days to complete the criminal records search on a would-be gun buyer.  Clinton wants to expand the FBI's three day allowance by transforming it into an indefinite amount of time to complete a search.

Mississippi Law Reclaims Right to Keep and Bear Arms Without Gov't Permission.  Mississippi is the latest state to codify the right of citizens to carry firearms without the permission of the government.  On April 15, Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant signed House Bill 786 into law.  The measure was originally intended to permit churchgoers to bring firearms into their houses of worship, but when the bill was sent to the state senate for its consideration, a state representative attached an amendment greatly expanding the scope of the proposal.  State Representative Andy Gipson is also a minister of a small congregation in the state, and his amendment allows anyone to carry a concealed weapon anywhere in the state as long as it is in a holster or scabbard on the belt or shoulder.  For a law of this latitude to actually make it to the governor's desk is an extraordinarily rare victory for advocates of the right to keep and bear arms as protected by the Second Amendment.

Sheriffs call for Americans to defy unconstitutional gun laws.  As the federal government continues in its quest to restrict the rights of gun owners across the country, local law enforcement is stepping up their response.  For many, it is one of a line in the sand against a bevy of agencies based in Washington, and partnering state agencies, who have violated the constitution.  The still-growing Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association (CSPOA), headed by former Sheriff Richard Mack, is standing up to these infringements, and saying no.  Of course, it has the attention of the indoctrinated Big Government folks, who are apt to see a group of law enforcement officials standing up for the rule of law as — what else — a potential threat.

National Sheriff's Group Stands Up to Gun Control.  Sheriff Mack is back in the news and recently gave an interview that was published in the Washington Post yesterday [4/28/2016].  Former sheriff of Graham County, Arizona, Richard Mack, formed the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association (CSPOA) in 2011 with the goal of getting a quarter of the nation's 3,080 sheriffs to join.  Mack sees the feds as "the greatest threat we face today" and sees his several hundred sheriff-membership as "the army to set our nation free."  He is opposed to enforcing bad or unconstitutional laws and believes gun control is unconstitutional.

Missouri Looks to Join Constitutional Carry Club.  Idaho recently became the ninth state to adopt constitutional carry, which gives law-abiding citizens the right to conceal carry their firearms in public without a permit.  Missouri seems to be making their intentions known to become the tenth state, as the state legislature recently voted to grant their residents permitless carry.  The Missouri House passed the measure overwhelmingly on April 28, it now works its way to the State Senate.

Chelsea Clinton Spills the Beans on Hillary's Plans to Confiscate Guns Using the Supreme Court.  We here are the Federalist Papers Project have been warning that if Hillary Clinton becomes President she will be a true anti-gun president and will seek to confiscate our guns and put a major crimp in our Second Amendment rights.  Now Hilary's own daughter, Chelsea, is flat out admitting that what we have been saying here is 100 percent correct:  Hillary will seek to destroy the Second Amendment.  In an MSNBC broadcast of comments made at a campaign event in Maryland, Chelsea Clinton flat out admitted that her mother would seek to undermine the Second Amendment and take away our rights.  Chelsea also specifically noted her mother will stack the Supreme Court with extremist liberals who will follow her policy to destroy the Second Amendment.

One Law for the Rich, Another for the Average.  Somewhere, Big Tim Sullivan might be laughing.  Over 100 years after the enactment of New York City's handgun licensing law (commonly referred to as the Sullivan Act), the measure is still working as the political boss intended.  That is to say, it is ensuring that New Yorkers who are well-connected, either by status or more nefarious channels, are able to arm themselves with handguns, while average residents remain at the mercy of the criminal element.

Australia's Gun Controllers Aim for More Restrictions.  Further proving that gun control supporters aren't satisfied with anything less than the elimination of private gun ownership, Australia's anti-gun activists have their sights set on further restricting access to firearms.  This time, the gun controllers have taken issue with the importation and private ownership of a lever-action shotgun, and that some Australian gun owners have chosen to accumulate a number of firearms.

Harriet Tubman was a gun-toting Republican.  There are some knee-jerk reactions to the seemingly "political correctness run amok" move to put Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill, replacing President Andrew Jackson.  But the replacing of the slave-owning founder of the Democratic Party with a gun-toting black Republican may spark a political debate worth having and unearth historical truths worth learning. [...] Harriet Tubman's image should remind Americans that gun control was a historical method to control and subjugate blacks.

Oops! Chelsea shot off her mouth on guns, and now Hillary has to pander — and fails.  Hillary Clinton has been eagerly exploiting the only progressive issue on which she can position herself to the left of Bernie Sanders. [...] But Chelsea's comment, on video, is a bell that can't be un-rung.  No matter how quickly Hillary moves to quiet concern over her anti-gun ownership predilections, Chelsea has made it clear that a Hillary presidency will lead to a Supreme Court that will hold there is no individual right to own guns.

Hillary Wants Your Guns.  Given the Democrats' dismal record when they run on an anti-gun platform, it is hard to believe that Hillary Clinton wants to make gun control her signature issue.  Nevertheless, that appears to be the case. [...] What do you think Hillary means by "chang[ing] the gun culture"? My guess is that she knows next to nothing about the "gun culture" as it is experienced by those who own and use firearms, and what she has in mind is making it really, really hard for anyone to buy a gun.  Except for her armed guards, of course.

Hillary Says 'Amen' To Supporter Who Wants Her To Use Executive Power To Prohibit Guns In Cars.  Hillary Clinton had one word for a supporter who urged her on Thursday [4/21/2016] to use executive action as president to restrict citizens from carrying guns in their vehicles:  "Amen.  "We need you to be able to use your executive powers to legislate that you can't carry guns in cars, you can't bring cars in buildings that are not assured to carry them," an audience member at a campaign forum in Hartford, Conn. told Clinton.  "We need executive powers to say we will fight for life and not kowtow to the sons and daughters of Charlton Heston," he added, referred to the actor and former president of the National Rifle Association.  "Whoa, let the congregation say, 'Amen,'" Clinton responded.

Hillary is a tough talker while whe is surrounded by heavily-armed Secret Service agents.
Hillary Clinton:  We have too many guns 'in our homes'.  Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton suggested Wednesday [4/20/2016] that Americans have too many guns in their homes.  "When it comes to guns, we have just too many guns.  On the streets, in our homes, in our neighborhoods," the former secretary of state told a gun violence forum in Philadelphia, according to a clip obtained by Washington Free Beacon.

Clinton Vows to Spend 'Every Single Minute' as President to 'Change Gun Culture'.  At a meeting with families of gun-violence victims in Hartford, Conn., today, Hillary Clinton vowed to use "every single minute of every day" to "change the gun culture" in America.  Participants at the event included Erica Smegielski, daughter of Sandy Hook Elementary School principal Dawn Hochsprung, and Nelba Marquez-Greene, whose 6-year-old daughter, Ana Grace, was also among the Sandy Hook victims.  Clinton, who has been hammering at Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) over gun control, said "if anything else were killing 33,000 Americans a year... we would be fully mobilized, doing everything we possible could to save lives."

I predict the members of Hillary's anti-gun gang will be wearing brown shirts.
Clinton:  We Could Have Positive Gangs.  Hillary Clinton said that society needs to have "positive gangs" during a discussion on gun violence Thursday [4/21/2016] in Connecticut.  "You said something that is so important for people to hear.  You know, joining a gang is like having a family.  It's feeling like you're part of something bigger than yourself.  So we're either going to have gangs that murder and rob and do the things that are so destructive to the gang members and to the community," she said.  "Or, we're going to have positive gangs.  We're going to have positive alternatives for young people.  The discussion that Clinton took part in was to push her gun law agenda further to potential voters.

Chelsea Clinton: Gun Control Opportunity on Supreme Court With Scalia Gone.  Chelsea Clinton said Thursday at an event in Maryland that there is now an opportunity for gun control legislation to pass the Supreme Court since Justice Antonin Scalia passed away.  "It matters to me that my mom also recognizes the role the Supreme Court has when it comes to gun control.  With Justice Scalia on the bench, one of the few areas where the Court actually had an inconsistent record relates to gun control," Clinton said.  "Sometimes the Court upheld local and state gun control measures as being compliant with the Second Amendment and sometimes the Court struck them down.  Clinton then touted her mother's record on gun control issues and knowledge that the Supreme Court has an effect on whether many gun control laws stand.

Guns are not Designed to Kill People.  People who push for more restrictions on the ownership of guns claim that they have no desire to restrict people from having hunting guns.  Guns that are specifically designed to be used to kill animals.  Guns that can be used to kill animals can be used to kill humans, but that is not their design function.  Some guns are not designed to kill at all.  Guns that are designed for target practise are not designed to kill anything.  They are specifically designed to place shots accurately and/or quickly on targets for score.  Numerous gun designs are specifically marketed for target shooting[.]  Some guns are designed to prevent killing.  Guns that are designed for self-defense or defense of others fall into this category.  Most guns used for self defense are never used to kill anyone.  Most police officers carry a gun their whole career and never shoot anyone.  The guns are there to project force to prevent extreme harm or death, much like the Minuteman III.  While many are used for defense, few are used to actually kill a human.

Hillary is a tough talker while whe is surrounded by heavily-armed Secret Service agents.
Hillary Clinton:  We have too many guns 'in our homes'.  Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton suggested Wednesday [4/20/2016] that Americans have too many guns in their homes.  "When it comes to guns, we have just too many guns.  On the streets, in our homes, in our neighborhoods," the former secretary of state told a gun violence forum in Philadelphia, according to a clip obtained by Washington Free Beacon.

Surge in gun sales helped create tens of thousands of jobs last year.  An unprecedented surge in gun sales created tens of thousands of jobs last year.  The gun industry added 24,763 jobs in 2015 for a nationwide total of 287,986, according to the National Shooting Sports Foundation.  That's an increase of nearly 10% from the year before in manufacturing and retail jobs for guns, ammunition and related supplies, like hunting gear.

Student wearing empty holster cited for 'threatening the safety of campus'.  Two University of South Alabama students were confronted by campus police Wednesday [4/13/2016], and one student was cited for "causing alarm" by wearing an empty holster.  "This week is the empty holster protest for Students for Concealed Carry in Alabama to demonstrate that students are defenseless on campus," D.J. Parten, president of Students for Concealed Carry, told Campus Reform.

Don't be too alarmed:  The phone-gun doesn't yet exist!
Minnesota creator of phone-shaped gun responds after backlash.  Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton on Thursday [4/7/2016] came out strongly against soon-to-be-released double-barreled, .38-caliber handgun designed to look like a smartphone. [...] Kjellberg set up a Facebook page in December and launched his company's website in January.  The site advertises the handgun at $395.  Much engineering work remains, he said, and a prototype will not be ready until June.  Production isn't likely to start until October at the earliest.

Gun That Resembles Cell Phone Sends Liberals Into Hysteria.  A Minnesota entrepreneur named Kirk Kjellberg designed a gun — a two-shot .380 that more or less resembles a cell phone.  Liberals got wind of the design and went ballistic.

More Guns Does Not Mean More Murders.  According to proponents of gun control, more guns in America equals more murders and a more lawless society.  Every time there is a mass killing involving guns, liberal politicians rush to call for more restrictions on guns.  Those in favor of disarming the citizenry claim that fewer guns will mean less gun crime.  This assertion is not based on facts, as can be seen in the chart below.  Not only is there no correlation between increases in gun ownership and homicides, but the relationship in fact is negative.

Oregon Governor, AG hold secret meetings with gun grabbers.  It's been a busy week, apparently, for Oregon's top elected morons.  As they struggle to come up with new ways to enact gun control, Governor Kate Brown, Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum, and senate majority leader Ginny Burdick have apparently been meeting with anti gun organizations behind closed doors, away from the public eye, with no announcement or invitation for anyone else to participate.

They don't trust you with a gun.  As has been said by others, if they don't want you to have a gun it's probably because they want to do something to you and you would use the gun to resist.

Company Invents Gun That Folds Up to Look Like a Cellphone.  A Minnesota company has invented a handgun that folds up to look just like a smartphone.  The .380-caliber pistol, called Ideal Conceal, will be available later this year and "will be virtually undetectable because it hides in plain sight," Ideal Conceal says on its website.

The Editor says...
Where will this device first be used as an offensive weapon?  A high school?  A subway?  A courtroom?  The airport?  The city jail?  You should expect to undergo closer scrutiny at all these places, especially if you're carrying a cell phone.

Schumer Wants New Smartphone Gun Investigated.  The loathsome gargoyle known as Chuck Schumer despises the idea of self-defense.  Except, of course, when it comes to his own self-defense.  Capitalism, science and technology do not favor the statist.  The confluence of social networking, 3D scanning, 3D printing, nanotechnology, and advanced cryptography — to name but a few — mean that designing, building and sharing advanced weaponry will be as easy as buying a cheese-grater at Target.

Kasich Spits on the Second Amendment.  The Heller decision, confirming that the Second Amendment acknowledges an individual right to keep and bear arms, written by the late Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia was in many respects the Roberts court's finest hour.  In its acknowledgment that rights are inherent, not granted by government Heller is constitutional originalism at its finest and Scalia at his incisive and eloquent best.  But someone on his staff apparently forgot to tell Ohio Governor John Kasich about just how important Heller is to limited government constitutional conservatives because over the weekend he told CBS News that if he were elected President he would consider appointing to the Supreme Court the judge whose decision Heller overturned.

Supreme Court rejects ban on stun guns.  Right off the bat I'll express my amazement that the court managed to come to a unanimous ruling on any case that involved the word gun.  Perhaps there's a sliver of hope for the future after all.  But even though the technology of firearms has changed significantly since the time of the founders, would they have really looked at a Taser and though of it as "arms" in the conventional sense once they figured out how electricity works?  All such weapons at that time were obviously devices which fired projectiles of some sort through the use of gunpowder.

Gun Owners of America: Senators Must Tell Obama That His "Supreme Court Pick is D.O.A.".  Today, President Obama took the most significant step in his sordid journey to fundamentally transform our nation.  Obama nominated a virulent anti-gunner to fill the seat of Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court.  Let's be clear:  the U.S. Senate should bury this nomination and write "Dead On Arrival" as its epitaph.  Despite promises to nominate a consensus candidate, Obama has chosen a radical leftist in Judge Merrick Garland:  [#1] He supported the DC gun ban in 2007, voting to reconsider the Heller case after a three judge panel had ruled against the ban. [...] [#2] In a 2000 case, Garland voted to maintain the registration of gun owners, supporting efforts by the Clinton administration to use the instant check to illegally retain gun owners' names for six months.

NRA: Why we oppose Merrick Garland's Supreme Court nomination.  In 2008, the Supreme Court answered the question of whether individual citizens have a right to own a firearm in their homes for self-defense.  It was [Antonin] Scalia who wrote the majority opinion in that case, District of Columbia v. Heller.  That landmark decision made clear that the Second Amendment guarantees an individual right to keep and bear arms.  Shockingly, the decision was only 5 to 4.  Two years later, in McDonald v. Chicago, Scalia joined Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr.'s opinion holding that that individual right is fundamental and applies to all Americans regardless of where they live.  Once again, the decision was 5 to 4.  With Scalia's tragic passing, there is no longer a majority of support for Heller and McDonald among the justices.

An Idaho Town Makes The Case For Guns In School.  During the winter, it can take 45 minutes for police to arrive at Garden Valley High School — one of several reasons the district trains teachers to use guns stored in their classrooms.  To some outsiders, it's foolish.  But to the people who live here, the solution meets the challenges that distinguish their home.

Clinton Wants to Work to Limit the Numbers and Kinds of People Who Have Access to Guns.  "I think we have to try everything that works to try to limit the numbers of people and the kinds of people who are given access to firearms," Hillary Clinton said at Sunday night's [3/6/2016] Democrat debate in Michigan.  "The Brady Bill, which has been in effect now for about 23 years, has kept more than two million purchases from going forward.  So we do have to continue to try to work on that because not every killer will have the same profile."  Clinton endorsed "comprehensive background checks" for online purchases and those at guns shows.  She aslo wants to make sure gun sales do not proceed if background checks are not completed in three days.

Gangbanger free to roam despite gun busts arrested for armed robbery.  A Brooklyn gang member sprung from jail on a paltry $1,000 bail after two gun busts just 10 days apart has been nabbed again — for an alleged armed robbery with two illegal pistols, The [New York] Post has learned.  In his latest crime, Junior Regis, 23, threatened his victim with a stolen .40-caliber Taurus handgun and a defaced 9 mm Kel-Tec after stealing the man's cash and cellphone Feb. 17, court papers allege.  Regis was caught with the guns — both loaded — about 30 minutes later when the victim, a 21-year-old man, pointed him out to cops from the 63rd Precinct anti-crime team, police sources said on Wednesday [2/24/2016].

Meet 'Captain Crunch,' the Pentagon gun muncher that has destroyed 1M firearms.  It's the place where military weapons go to die.  Once a weapon is marked for destruction, it is sent to Anniston Army Depot where it will more than likely spend its final moments being chomped apart by the military's Grim Reaper for guns:  "Captain Crunch."  The massive metal shredder has been in operation since the early 1990s and has used a pair of intertwined blades to chop up more than a million weapons during that time.

If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.
Clueless MSNBC Reporter Goes to Gun Range; It Doesn't End Well.  A MSNBC correspondent on Tuesday [2/23/2016] decided to do a live report from a gun range.  As one could guess, it didn't go well.  Reporter Kerry Sanders pointed at the gun-rights fans and began, "There are lots of folks here who believe that Second Amendment in this country is under attack."  Seconds later, the shooting started.  The Second Amendment afficionados drowned Sanders out.  [Video clip]

OSHA is going after ammo manufacturers.  I received a call today [2/4/2016] from someone who works for a major ammunition manufacturer.  They required anonymity but want the following information to get out to the public.  NSSF is also involved in the fight but doesn't want to speak out about it either.  It turns out my blog post about OSHA considering a requirement of "no guns at work" policy got their attention.

Clinton and the gun control lobby get it wrong.  It is one thing to stop a felon from getting a gun, but it is something quite different to stop someone whose name is similar to that of a felon.  The late Sen. Ted Kennedy was held up at the airport five times because someone with a similar name was on the no-fly list.  Would Mr. Gross really say that a terrorist was prevented from flying on five occasions?  Presumably not, but that's the way that he counts the Brady background checks.  In 2010, the last year that the Department of Justice's annual report on the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) was released, it showed that 94 percent of "initial denials" were dropped after the first internal fact check.  A 2004 review by Congress found that another two percent were dropped when the cases were sent out to BATFE field offices.  Many more cases were dropped during the three remaining stages of review.

Some Oklahoma schools display signs warning staffers could be armed.  Officials at an Oklahoma school district said they wanted to send a clear warning to protect against potential attacks, so they put up signs on Monday alerting that staff members could be carrying guns.  The signs were erected at public schools in Okay, according to the Muskogee Phoenix.  The town's police department was reportedly disbanded in 2014, and even though sheriff's deputies are available, Superintendent Charles McMahan says that may not be enough.  "We don't want to be a soft target," he told the newspaper.

Connecticut town considers program to arm teachers.  A Connecticut town is considering a program that would arm teachers at its only school.  Kent selectmen voted 2-1 on Wednesday [2/3/2016] to present information about the "FASTER Saves Lives" program to the Kent Board of Education.  The board will ultimately decide whether to implement the program at the pre-K through eighth-grade Kent Center School.

Facebook bows to Obama, banning private gun sales.  Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg has caved into pressure by the Obama administration and will ban private gun sales.  The policy will also carry over to the CEO's photo-sharing service Instagram.  "Over the last two years, more and more people have been using Facebook to discover products and to buy and sell things to one another," Monika Bickert, Facebook's head of product policy, said in a statement released Friday [1/29/2016].  "We are continuing to develop, test and launch new products to make this experience even better for people and are updating our regulated-goods policies to reflect this evolution."

'How I Spent My Constitutional Rights': MA town to require essay for carry permits.  If citizens in Lowell, Massachusetts want to carry a weapon in self-defense, they had better start sharpening their pencils.  The city will now require anyone who wants an "unrestricted" gun license to explain in writing why they feel the need to exercise their constitutional rights publicly, with the police chief playing the role of schoolmarm in deciding who passes and who fails.  On top of that, anyone wishing to carry at all must take a course that currently costs more than $1100.

Critics blast Massachusetts city's new 'essay' rule for gun-carry applicants.  Critics are blasting a Massachusetts city's new law that they claim requires residents applying for a license to carry handguns to write "an essay" and pay upwards of $1,100 for training.  The new laws take effect this week in Lowell, a city of 110,000 that lies 35 miles north of Boston.  Pushed by Police Superintendent William Taylor and passed by the City Council, they require applicants for unrestricted handgun licenses to state in writing why they should receive such a license.  Taylor, who was unavailable for comment on Monday [1/25/2016], has sole discretion for approving or denying the applications.

Essay Writing As A Requirement For Concealed Carry.  [Scroll down]  I have a better idea.  Rather than applicants writing an essay to get their rights recognized, I want the top cop in Lowell to read the essay I've already written, and then write me an essay that explains why anyone has a right to force applicants to write an essay in order to engage in the free exercise of their rights.  If this seems to difficult for the top cop, we can start at a remedial level.  Write me an essay on the meaning of this phrase: "... shall not be infringed."

Buy Ammo.  I have never, ever had anyone tell me that he had too much ammunition.  Not in a combat zone, not in a civil disaster, not even in peacetime.  Never.  Nor have I lived through a time where our governing class was so deeply corrupt, so utterly foolish, and so dangerously focused on the perpetuation of its own power that it risked bringing down everything we have built not merely in the United States but in the entire West.  Right now, if you are watching the news, you have questions about the future.  And the answer to all of them is to buy ammo.

Journalist-Registration Bill Is Modeled On Gun Law, S.C. Lawmaker Says.  Criminal background checks and assurances that a person "is competent to be a journalist" are among the requirements put forth by State Rep. Mike Pitts in a new bill in South Carolina's Legislature. The bill would also create a responsible journalism registry.  Titled the South Carolina Responsible Journalism Registry Law, the bill quickly drew condemnation from rights groups after it was introduced Tuesday [1/19/2016] (when it was also referred to a committee). [...] The bill lays out fines — and prison time — for a "person who works as a journalist without registering," culminating in a maximum punishment of either a $500 fine or a 30-day prison term.

Va. Senate panel scraps gun-control bills, advances gun-rights measures.  A Virginia Senate panel on Wednesday [1/20/2016] scrapped a raft of gun-control bills while advancing measures intended to expand gun rights.  Among the legislation was one, proposed by Sen. George L. Barker (D-Fairfax), that would have created a way for authorities to remove firearms from people deemed by a Circuit Court judge to be at "substantial risk" of injury to themselves or others.  "There are people slipping through the cracks who are a danger," said Lori Haas, a gun-safety activist whose daughter was injured in the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre.  "It is not meant to send somebody into your home unnecessarily."

Some Inconvenient Gun Facts for Liberals.  FOR those of us who argue in favor of gun safety laws, there are a few inconvenient facts.  We liberals are sometimes glib about equating guns and danger.  In fact, it's complicated:  The number of guns in America has increased by more than 50 percent since 1993, and in that same period the gun homicide rate in the United States has dropped by half.  Then there are the policies that liberals fought for, starting with the assault weapons ban.  A 113-page study found no clear indication that it reduced shooting deaths for the 10 years it was in effect.

Democrats on Guns: It's a Mystery.  In the waning days of the Obama administration, it seems that gun control is the Democrats' number one priority.  President Obama bestirred himself to both deliver a speech and participate in a staged "town hall" on the issue of gun regulation, showing unusual energy by his standards.  The White House issued an odd potpourri of gun initiatives, including some that are already law. [...] I find this extremely puzzling.  We have seen this movie before, and we know how it ends.  The Democrats have died on the gun control hill a couple of times already.  I understand demagoguing an issue, but don't politicians generally try to demagogue issues that are popular?

Pennsylvania Mayor Pulls Police From NRA Gun Show.  The mayor of Harrisburg, Penn., ordered his police department on Friday [1/8/2016] not to provide security for an upcoming NRA-sponsored gun show after the association refused to meet a demand to pay a 60-percent increase in fees for the service.  Harrisburg police have provided security for the annual Great American Outdoors Show, scheduled this year for February 6-14, in the past.  Mayor Eric Papenfuse said that the decision not to offer the department's services this year was motivated in part by the NRA's opposition to the city's gun control policies.

If the spike in gun sales didn't tell you this, there's now a poll to confirm it:
Obama Fails To Sway Public On Gun Control, Poll Finds.  Despite years of speeches, addresses, events and a legislative push, President Obama has failed to convince the public on key gun control positions that he has advocated, according to the latest IBD/TIPP poll.  Just 42% of the public thinks stricter gun control laws will help keep guns out of the hands of criminals, while 52% think increased gun ownership increases public safety.  The poll also found that 42% of adults say that they or someone in their household owns a gun, and 28% say they are planning to buy one; 55% of them say that it is for "security or protection."  Among married women, 49% say that they or someone in their house owns a gun.

Obama's Long Game on Guns.  In the twilight of his presidency, with his goals of gun control unfulfilled, President Obama has pivoted to the long game.  During a teary-eyed press conference yesterday, Obama lamented that federal legislation "won't happen during my presidency."  But with the stroke of a pen, he laid the groundwork for the states to do what Congress would not:  limit the number of people who can own guns.  Until gun-control advocates can gin up enough support in Congress, they have targeted state and local governments as the next frontier.  At face value, the president's executive actions are modest, and will have little practical effect.  Their potency, however, lies with the power they give to progressive states to strengthen gun control nationally, without any action by Congress.

President Obama, guns and our Constitution.  In 2008, the Supreme Court laid to rest the once-simmering dispute over the meaning of the Second Amendment.  In an opinion written by Justice Antonin Scalia, the court articulated the modern existence of the ancient personal right to keep and bear arms as a pre-political right.  A pre-political right is one that pre-exists the political order that was created to protect it.  Thus, the court held, the origins of this right are the ancient and persistent traditions of free peoples and their natural inclinations to self-defense.  The court also characterized the right as fundamental.  That puts it in the highest category of rights protected by the Bill of Rights.

Growth of NICS Mental Defectives Index Category.  The National Instant Check System, NICS, started operation in 1998.  The first numbers that I found available for 'mental defectives' were in an annual report listing numbers available at the end of 2000.  The first 89 thousand people on the list were submitted by the Veterans Administration.  In the next report, at the end of 2002, about another 60 thousand individuals had been added from state data bases. [...] The Obama administration put forth a trial balloon to include 4 million Social Security recipients in the 'mental defective' category of the NICS index.  That trial balloon was withdrawn after the strong public protest that followed.  The NICS index is one of four databases that the FBI checks when doing a background check.  Most of the felony convictions are in the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) data base.

Politico Writer talks about Obama Regulating FFLs... and does not Know what They Are.  The gun culture is used to ignorant journalists who feel compelled to comment on things that they are ignorant about.  It is nothing new.  It helps keep subject matter experts in the field busy writing articles.  But there is an obvious disconnect between what it appears the Obama administration wants, and what it is obviously trying to get.  If the Obama administration wants people who sell a few guns a year to have those guns go through background checks, then it would make sense to repeal most of the onerous Clinton era regulations on small time gun sellers. [...] But I do not believe that is what President Obama wants.  What he would prefer is both onerous regulation and a requirement to have an FFL to sell small numbers of firearms.

Obama and the Insanity of the Liberal Mind.  Never letting a crisis go to waste, liberals have once again renewed efforts to take away the guns of law-abiding citizens notwithstanding that they may help thwart a terrorist attack.  Refusing to recognize that terrorists will not only obtain guns whenever they want but that their weapon of choice is more often a bomb, liberals' inability to reason has and will continue to lead to loss of life and limb.  Only a change in commander-in-chief will save Americans from living through decades of terrorist attacks on our shores.

You Know Less Than You Think About Guns.  More guns do not necessarily mean more homicides.  More gun laws do not necessarily mean less gun crime.  Finding good science is hard enough; finding good social science on a topic so fraught with politics is nigh impossible.  The facts then become even more muddled as the conclusions of those less-than-ironclad academic studies cycle through the press and social media in a massive game of telephone.  Despite the confident assertions of the gun controllers and decades of research, we still know astonishingly little about how guns actually function in society and almost nothing at all about whether gun control policies actually work as promised.

The Real Reason Obama's Pushing Gun Control.  On Tuesday [1/5/2016], President Obama unveiled his rather minor executive actions on gun control with great fanfare, applause, and tears.  We laughed; we cried; we questioned why exactly he was wasting political capital on a series of initiatives that largely mirror already-present federal law.  Here's the answer:  he's trying to mobilize his hard-core base.  Obama said during his press conference, "I'm not on the ballot again.  I'm not looking to score some points."  But his party is.  Leftist columnist Greg Sargent of The Washington Post explains that the gun control issue drives hard lefties to the polls.

Obama's gun control lies.  In what was surely the most sickening display of presidential demagoguery in the history of the United States, President Obama wept — wept — crocodile tears in a calculated effort to gain the support of the ignorant, the clueless, and the stupid while announcing multiple violations of the Bill of Rights yesterday [1/5/2015].  Obama's speech alternated between effeminate weeping, pleading, and sanctimonious, holier-than-thou indignation as he presented a litany of falsehoods, straw man arguments, and outright lies as justification for his plan to strip the American public of constitutionally enumerated rights.

Obama's Gun-Control Plan Includes Gun-Ban For Some Social Security Beneficiaries.  The White House released a fact-sheet Jan. 4 which previews the executive gun control Obama will unveil Tuesday [1/5/2016] and one aspect of the new controls is the inclusion of "information from the Social Security Administration in the background check system about beneficiaries who are prohibited from possessing a firearm."  On July 18 Breitbart News reported on Obama's push to ban gun-possession for Social Security beneficiaries who are believed incapable of handling their own finances.

Obama's Legacy Will Be Executive Abuse.  When I got back from my winter vacation, America was still being run by a two-term president who believes it's his job to impose his notions of morality, safety, and decency on everyone, often trying to work around the limits the system places on him.  This week Barack Obama is going to institute new restrictions on Americans unilaterally — expanding background checks, closing supposed "loopholes," and tightening the process for law-abiding gun owners — because Congress "won't act" and also because he believes it's the right thing to do.  Neither of them are compelling reasons to legislate from the White House.

Top Secret: the US homicide rate over the past 120 years.  [W]hile murder rates are down over the past twenty years by something like 50%, a rate that the media would have hailed as a miracle if it'd applied to drunk driving or cancer deaths.

America Doesn't Have a Gun Problem, It Has a Democrat Problem.  America's mass shooting capital isn't somewhere out west where you can get a gun at the corner store.  It's in Obama's own hometown.  Chicago is America's mass shooting capital.  There were over 400 shootings with more than one victim.  In 95 of those shootings, 3 or more people were shot.  2,995 people were shot in Chicago last year.  Shootings were up, way up, in Baltimore.  With an assist from Al Sharpton and #BlackLivesMatter, Baltimore beat out Detroit.  But Detroit is still in the running.  Chicago, Baltimore and Detroit all have something in common, they're all run by the party of gun control which somehow can't seem to manage to control the criminals who have the guns.

Doctors can report some mentally ill patients to FBI under new gun control rule.  Delivering on its promise to deliver "common sense" gun control, the Obama administration on Monday [1/4/2016] finalized a rule that enables health care providers to report the names of mentally ill patients to an FBI firearms background check system.  The action was one of a series of steps that President Barack Obama had called for in January 2013 in the wake of the Newtown, Conn., shootings to curb gun violence, but the rule was not published until today [1/4/2015].

They don't trust you with a gun.  As has been said by others, if they don't want you to have a gun it's probably because they want to do something to you and you would use the gun to resist.

Before Barack Obama, We Did Not Have Shootings Like This.  A few days ago in California, Islamic radicals shot up a Christmas party.  Armed with long barrel rifles — not handguns — and an assortment of other instruments of death, they killed more than a dozen people.  The American political left, before the facts became clear, immediately started blaming Republicans, the National Rifle Association and Christians.  Once it was clear that Muslims were involved, the political left looked the other way.  When Bryce Williams killed two reporter colleagues live on air in Virginia, the American left immediately blamed Republicans and the National Rifle Association, and demanded new laws for background checks.  When it was pointed out that Williams had a background check before buying his gun and that he was gay, the story disappeared.

Trump challenges Hillary to 'disarm' bodyguards.  Donald Trump is challenging Hillary Clinton to "disarm" her bodyguards to demonstrate she doesn't need guns for protection.  The Republican presidential front-runner took to Twitter to dare Clinton to put her money where her mouth is.  "Hillary said that guns don't keep you safe," Trumped tweeted Sunday [1/3/2016].  "If she really believes that, she should demand that her heavily armed bodyguards quickly disarm!"

New California law allows police to seize guns without notice.  One of the most controversial new laws of 2016 will go into effect Friday [1/1/2016] in California, where the state will allow judges to seize guns from even law-abiding citizens if they are judged to be a risk to themselves or other people.  The legislation, introduced after Elliot Rodger killed six people in the Isla Vista massacre, near Santa Barbara, will allow authorities to seize a person's weapon for 21 days if a judge decides the potential for violence exists.  The law, known as the "gun violence restraining order" will allow family members and law enforcement to request an order from a judge to have guns removed from those seen as a danger.

Police May Confiscate Guns without Notice to Owner Starting January 1.  Beginning January 1, police in California may confiscate firearms from gun owners thought to be a danger to themselves or others without giving the owner any notice.  This is the result of the implementation of "gun violence restraining orders" (GVROs), which go into effect New Year's Day.  According to KPCC, GVROs "could be issued without prior knowledge of the person.  In other words, a judge could issue the order without ever hearing from the person in question, if there are reasonable grounds to believe the person is a threat based on accounts from the family and police."  And since the order can be issued without the gun owner even being present to defend him or herself, confiscation can commence without any notice to the gun owner once the order is issued.

Crime-Free, Gun-Free Illinois Beta-Testing Gun Confiscation Law, Overriding Second Amendment!  Representatives Emanuel Welch, Pamela Reaves-Harris, and Jaime Andrade, Jr. are behind the resolution and claim that Chicago's epidemic of gun violence is due to insufficient gun control laws, claiming that "The Heller decision and other pro-firearm industry court rulings have resulted in a proliferation of guns in numerous communities and have diminished the security and freedom of our citizens to enjoy a life free of gun violence."  The representatives fail to explain how Chicago, which historically has the most restrictive gun laws in the United States, has seen more than 2,000 people shot in 2015 alone, almost all of the violence gang- and drug-related shootings.

Justice Department sued for cross-checking gun buyers with terror lists.  A federal class-action lawsuit filed this week accuses the Justice Department of treating "every potential gun owner like a terrorist" by requiring the cross-checking of names of firearm purchasers with those on secret watch lists.  Paloma Capanna, an attorney, filed a complaint this week against the Justice Department's top brass in Rochester, New York, to raise objections to the federal government's use of rosters containing the names of suspected terrorists when reviewing proposed firearm purchases.  Ms. Capanna is a policy analyst with the Shooters Committee on Political Education, a New York-based gun rights group.

A Historical Perspective On Homicide.  The Young Conservatives Instagramed this graphic a couple of days ago.  I haven't verified all the numbers, but I checked most of them against FBI data and they appear to be correct.  The chart puts current hysteria over homicide and firearms into perspective.

Stop Trying To 'End Gun Violence.' It's Not Going To Happen.  From a practical standpoint, we're not ending gun violence.  As long as we have guns, we're going to have gun violence.  It always astounds me that most liberals (correctly) understand that enforcing prohibitions against something as common as, say, marijuana results in untold horrors perpetrated by the state on the undeserving and innocent.  Yet, somehow this same logic doesn't apply to the fact we're stuck with 350 million guns.  Getting rid of this many guns is about as close to a literal political impossibility as there is.

Virginia halts concealed carry reciprocity with 25 states.  Virginia Attorney General Mark R. Herring announced Tuesday [12/22/2015] the commonwealth will no longer recognize concealed carry handgun permits form 25 states that have reciprocity agreements with the state.  Mr. Herring's office said that permits from states with more lax concealed carry laws than Virginia's will no longer be considered legal in the commonwealth.  Out of 30 states that Virginia has entered into reciprocity agreements with, 25 have regulations that are weaker than Virginia's.

Update:
Virginia Republican lawmakers respond to 'anti-gun' governor by trying to take away his armed bodyguards.  The fight began Dec. 22, when state Attorney General Mark Herring announced that starting on Feb. 1, Virginia would stop recognizing concealed weapons permits from other states — a move that would affect residents in 25 different states that have reciprocity agreements with the commonwealth of Virginia.  Furious Republicans are threatening to retaliate with an amendment to the state budget as early as January to strip McAuliffe of his state-funded armed bodyguards.

Update:
Gov. McAuliffe Reverses Course: Restoring Concealed Carry Reciprocity with 25 States.  Just over a month after Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring (D) caused a public outcry by announcing the end of concealed carry reciprocity with 25 states, Governor Terry McAuliffe (D) is reversing that decision by restoring reciprocity with the states.  The Washington Post reports McAuliffe will announce the continued reciprocity on Friday [1/29/2016].

Gowdy: List of Visa Overstays Should Be Sent to Firearms Dealers.  Never mind the secret and mysterious government watchlists:  The government could and should be sending its list of people who overstay their visas to federally licensed firearms dealers, Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) told two Obama administration officials on Thursday [12/17/2015].  Speaking at a hearing on foreign travelers and national security, Gowdy said three groups of people currently are barred by law from purchasing or possessing a firearms, including people in the country without permission; people who overstay their visas; and even, in most cases, people who are here on a valid visa.

Dems Are At War With Americans On Cars, Guns And Refugees.  [Scroll down]  Democrats have also made it their mission to impose stricter gun control laws on the country.  On Wednesday [12/16/2015], House Democrats introduced a measure to ban assault weapons, and Obama is preparing still more executive orders to tighten access to guns.  The public?  They want more access to guns, not less.  Gun sales have exploded after each mass shooting, as an increasing number of people realize that being armed is the first, best defense against a terrorist or crazed killer.  Meanwhile, polls show a steady decline in support for stricter gun control laws.

Activist Judge Legalizes Illegal Gun Confiscation in New York.  [Scroll down]  [Andrew] Carroll decided to sue in federal court for violations of his Second Amendment and other rights.  He also demanded that the county be enjoined from destroying his guns and to stop them from future illegal gun confiscations.  The decision by District Judge Arthur Spatt was almost as incredulous as the confiscation of the guns themselves.  He denied the injunction against Nassau police, citing the belief that Carroll could be compensated monetarily for having his guns stolen by law enforcement.