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“The United States has made its first response to a lawsuit filed in federal district court in Missoula to test the Montana Firearms Freedom Act (MFFA), passed by the 2009 Legislature and signed into law by Governor Schweitzer. The MFFA declares that any firearms, ammunition or firearms accessories made and retained in Montana are not subject to federal regulation under the power given to Congress in the U.S. Constitution to regulate commerce ‘among the several states.’” (02/08/10) Link: http://www.libertyforall.net/?p=3800 | |
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“Three intruders fled from an Oklahoma City home this morning after being shot at by the home owner, police said. … The intruders forced the residents into a back bedroom when the homeowner shot one of the intruders. The intruders fled in a dark-colored SUV, police said. Police said the homeowner said he recognized one of the suspects. Subsequently police arrested 30-year-old Eric Kutz as well as a 14-year-old male. Police said Kutz was transported to an area hospital to receive treatment for his injuries.” (02/02/10) Link: http://www.news9.com/Global/story.asp?S=11918427 | |
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“Fueled by a deep resentment of the federal government and Tea Party fervor, lawmakers advanced a pair of bills Tuesday aimed at enabling Utah to opt out of national health-reform efforts and federal firearms laws. Sen. Margaret Dayton, R-Orem, would exempt firearms manufactured and sold entirely within Utah from any federal regulations, including criminal background checks and bans on certain types of weapons and ammunition.” (02/02/10) Link: http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_14320224 | |
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“The ray gun is real … or at least it will be soon. The U.S. Army is betting big on laser warfare — designing, testing and perfecting ultra-precise weapons based on devastatingly powerful beams of light. And given recent developments, it’s only a matter of time until the military has in its arsenal a weapon that until now has been the staple of science fiction — the ray gun. Set your phasers to kill. Boeing, one of the Pentagon’s top contractors, already has a laser weapon that will improve the military’s ability to counter artillery, mortar, drone aircraft and even rockets, a spokesman tells FoxNews.com.” (01/21/10) Link: http://tinyurl.com/ygbfwxj | |
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“Police said a convenience store clerk shot a would-be robber early Friday morning. According to investigators, a man armed with a rifle walked into a convenience store in the 5900 block of Leavenworth Road just after midnight. The clerk was not behind the counter. Police said he was in a back room and spotted the man with the gun when he came out. Police said a shot was fired, and they believe the man armed with a rifle was wounded. The man fled the store.” (01/15/10) Link: http://www.kmbc.com/news/22245555/detail.html | |
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“The homeowner said she and her 11-year-old son were in bed when she heard banging coming from the front door. She got up to check and she saw two Hispanic males men wearing masks and armed with handguns walking towards her. She quickly closed the bedroom door but one of the men allegedly tried to force it open. … the home invaders shot through the door and hit her son on the left hip area. Her son had a 22 cal. Rifle and shot back at the alleged robbers. … Deputies found blood all over the floor and noted that the front door had been knocked down.” (01/15/10) Link: http://www.valleycentral.com/news/story.aspx?id=402271 | |
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I have been unable to post since January 10. There are a few stories on the website posted by our other editors. One of my dogs, my Irish setter Ginger, suddenly became very ill Jan.9 and was diagnosed with lymphoma, she has been in a canine oncology hospital since Wed and I have barely been able to keep my household (animal and human) and day job going, so Rational Review gave me ‘time off’. I hope to be able to return to posting this week. Link: http://rationalreview.com/2am | |
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“A 22-year-old was killed late Sunday after he and an accomplice broke into a house in the 5700 block of Sussex Street. … Willie Lee Baker told police he arrived home during the robbery and confronted the suspects. Taylor shot Baker, 29, in the leg as the two began to fight, police said. Baker managed to take the gun and shot Taylor once in the head.” (01/11/10) Link: http://www.shreveporttimes.com/article/20100111/NEWS03/100111011/1062 | |
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“Charges are pending against a man who was shot in the chest by a Jarales resident while allegedly trying to break in.Valencia County Sheriff’s Deputy Chris Trujillo said the shooting occurred shortly after midnight on New Years Day at a house on Mill Road.According to the deputy, the homeowner, whose name has not been released, heard someone trying to break into his home and called 911. When the suspect entered the house, the homeowner shot him once in the chest, Trujillo said.” (01/06/10) Link: http://tinyurl.com/ybkq58j | |
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“He crossed the wrong clerk. Merced police say a robbery attempt at a neighborhood market went awry Wednesday, after the store clerk fired upon the robber. The robbery attempt was reported around 3:45 p.m. at the Food Center store, located at 1150 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, according to Lt. Andre Matthews. A masked gunman entered the store, demanding cash from an employee, Matthews said.Meanwhile, another employee who was standing in another part of the store observed the gunman. That clerk armed himself with a handgun and fired one shot. The robber, who wasn’t hit, fled the scene on foot.” (01/07/10) Link: http://www.mercedsunstar.com/168/story/1261133.html | |
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“Philadelphia police were continuing ther investigation on Wednesday afternoon of the fatal early-morning shooting of a robbery suspect by an off-duty officer. Authorities say the traffic cop was driving his own car near 7th and Willow Streets, just north of Callowhill, about 3:30am when a man jumped in, demanded cash and jewelry, and hit the officer with a gun: ‘During the course of the confrontation, the officer was able to get to his weapon. It was discharged, and the male was struck.’ Lt. Frank Vanore says 23-year-old suspect Altariq Hutchinson of Edgewater Park (Burlington County) NJ, was pronounced dead a short time later at the hospital.” (01/06/10) Link: http://tinyurl.com/ycotp5q | |
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“A Gastonia man who heard a robber in his house said he confronted the intruder with a shotgun Sunday night. Preston Jeter, 17, is the man victim Kenneth Watson said he found in his home. Brandon Cobb, also 17, was arrested as Jeter’s alleged accomplice. The two are also suspected of breaking into and robbing the home of one of Watson’s neighbors before coming to his home. Watson was in his home off Bethany Road when he heard glass breaking and said he saw Jeter coming in the door with a hammer. ‘I said ‘this guy came to rob me,’ so I grabbed my gun,’ Watson said. Watson said Jeter waved the hammer at him, but dropped it and fled when the homeowner raised his shotgun.” (01/04/10) Link: http://www.wsoctv.com/news/22122338/detail.html | |
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“A 17-year-old male suspect has been flown to a Plano hospital after he was shot in the back during a home invasion in Durant. Durant police say the teen broke into a home in the 1000 block of North Third just after 11:30 this morning while the homeowner was inside. The homeowner awoke to find the suspect inside. He yelled for the teen to stop, and then shot the suspect in the back. Police believe the teen fled first to a relative’s house across the street, and then to a friend’s house in the 200 block of West Poplar, where 911 was called. The teen was transported to the Medical Center of Southeastern Oklahoma. A medical helicopter was then called to MCSO, and the teen was flown to a Plano hospital. ‘He crawled through the window, the homeowner was there, and shot the suspect,’ Lt. Carrie Wyrick of the Durant Police Department said.” (01/05/10) Link: http://www.kxii.com/home/headlines/80635977.html | |
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“A burglary suspect was shot and killed Saturday night during a confrontation with a store employee at Shermans Dale Beer & Beverage, state police at Newport said. Perry County Coroner Michael Shalonis said he pronounced Jeffrey Thomas Harless, 25, of New Bloomfield, dead at the scene at 10:55 p.m. Saturday from a single gunshot wound to the chest. Police said that a store employee arrived after an alarm sounded at 9:44 p.m. Saturday. The employee entered, confronted a man with a weapon and shot him in the ensuing confrontation, according to police. They said that no charges have been filed in connection with the fatal shooting, the midstate’s first of 2010.” (01/03/10) Link: http://tinyurl.com/ye4yem2 | |
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“A knife-wielding, would-be robber is in Montgomery County Jail after a beauty shop owner chased him from the store with a shotgun Saturday, Jan. 2. Workers at the Hair Gold Beauty Supply, 4011 W. Third St., flagged down Officer Erica S. Cash about 2 p.m. by yelling, ‘Robber! Robber!,’ according to a police report. Cash raced up Gettysburg Avenue where she saw Lawrence Hahn running after William Chinn, the report stated. Cash caught up with Chinn, 19, who said he was ’sorry’ and wanted to apologize to Hahn and the shop’s owner Hae J. Kim for trying to rob their store, the report stated. Kim said Chinn walked into the store with a red bandanna on his face and demanded money with a knife in his hand, the report stated. Kim said he grabbed a shotgun kept in the store and pointed it at Chinn, the report stated. Chinn fled, but Kim and Hahn chased him and that’s when they flagged down the officer, the report stated.” (01/04/10) Link: http://tinyurl.com/ybxy94x | |
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“A homeowner shot a burglary suspect on Sunday, KPRC Local 2 reported.Robert and Pam Cole were asleep at their home on Cloverleaf Street near Texarkana Street in east Harris County at about 11 p.m., when they heard glass breaking. ‘We were both jarred awake,’ Pam Cole said. ‘We knew something was wrong. The alarm was going off.’ ‘Someone is coming in the house and she yelled out,’ get your shotgun,’’ Robert Cole said. ‘I came out of the bedroom and down the hall here, a man with a black hoodie and a fire extinguisher like he was going to beat somebody, was in the living room. I came out of the bedroom with the shotgun … shot him in the hip. He screamed, dropped the fire extinguisher and dived into the hole he came in.’ Harris County sheriff’s deputies found the man down the street. He was laying in a neighbor’s yard and yelling for help.” (01/03/10) Link: http://www.click2houston.com/news/22117126/detail.html | |
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“Police say two suspected robbers are in the hospital after an employee at a Dallas sandwich shop shot them. It happened Sunday afternoon near the intersection of Polk and Camp Wisdom. Police are still at the restaurant, keeping an eye on it since the glass windows were completely shattered during the incident. Police say two men went inside the store to rob it. But their attempts were unsuccessful as an employee shot both of them. One suspect ran and was eventually caught and taken to Methodist Hospital. The other suspect was caught at the restaurant and then transported.” (01/03/10) Link: http://cbs11tv.com/local/dallas.subway.robbery.2.1403109.html | |
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“A home invasion suspect is recovering from a gunshot wound to the neck. Jorge Romero, 44, allegedly broke into a house in the 10,000 block of Mountain Road in NE Albuquerque on Thursday. Police said he was shot in the neck after exchanging gunfire with the homeowner. He’s in satisfactory condition at University of New Mexico Hospital. The homeowner was not hurt. Witnesses told officers that Romero’s friends took him from the scene and then for some reason dropped him off at a store near the intersection of Lomas and Eubank. Romero faces several charges once he’s released from the hospital.” (01/02/10) Link: http://www.krqe.com/dpp/news/crime/home-invasion-suspect-recovering | |
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Happy New Year, y’all! …. self defense stories from Michigan, Illinois, Idaho. South Carolina, Kentucky, New Mexico …. LTE on Guns, teachers, and self-defense …. commentaries on ACLU’s attention to rights should include gun rights and Secession, the Second Amendment and Sun Tzu. Til next week Mary Lou Link: http://rationalreview.com/2am | |
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“A convenience store clerk shoots an armed suspect during an attempted robbery. The suspect was later caught by police. Shortly after 7 p.m. on New Years Day, the GRPD received a call reporting a robbery at the Short Stop convenience store in the 1000 block of Leonard St. SW. The caller reported shots fired. Police say a suspect came into the business armed with a handgun and demanded cash. As the suspect was fleeing the scene, the clerk pulled out a weapon and shot the robber in the leg. Police located several pieces of evidence in the parking lot including the weapon and knit mask worn by the suspect. The suspect and vehicle believed to be used in the incident were later located. The masked robber is recovering in the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.” (01/02/10) Link: http://www.wzzm13.com/news/news_story.aspx?storyid=117155&catid=14 | |
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“A homeowner shot a 49-year-old man over the weekend after the man forced his way into the homeowner’s house in an attempt to pick up his 11-year-old son from a birthday party that was actually held a block away. … After the homeowner and his wife told him the 11-year-old wasn’t there, police said the man didn’t believe them and allegedly pushed his way in, then attacked the homeowner’s wife. The woman’s husband fired at the man with a small-caliber pistol as the intruder continued to assault her in the foyer of their house, police said. Both the man and his teenage son were hit multiple times, police said. They ran from the house, but the man collapsed near the driveway, where he was found by officers, police said.” (12/31/09) Link: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-wauconda-31dec31,0,4958747.story | |
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“The owner of Sunshine Espresso in Coeur d’Alene fought fire with fire — literally — when she pulled a handgun on a 17-year-old boy who tried to rob her stand Wednesday morning. … Sunshine Espresso owner Michelle Cornelsen said the teen walked up to her stand and demanded cash without showing the gun at first. … What the robber didn’t know is that Cornelsen has had her concealed weapons permit for seven years and she had received a new 9mm handgun for Christmas from her husband. … About five minutes into the attempted robbery another customer pulled up to the stand, distracting the would-be robber and giving Cornelsen the opportunity to grab her gun. ‘Sure enough a customer pulled up on this side and he laid it down on the counter and covered it up with his hand,’ she said. The teen laid his gun down on the counter, just long enough for Michelle to grab her own gun. ‘I grabbed mine, put it in his face and said ‘Get out, you leave right now’ and he said ‘OK, OK’ and left,’ Michelle said.” (12/30/09) Link: http://www.kxly.com/news/22089081/detail.html' | |
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“Joel Hill at the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office say 50 year old Michael Varnadore got into an argument with his mother Mary Jean Varnadore Monday night that resulted in a shooting. The report says Varnadore shoved his 70 year old mother onto a bed at her home on Star Circle in Cowpens. Deputies say the mother shot Varnadore in the leg.They say Varnadore was treated and released for Upstate Carolina Medical Center and was arrested and charged with assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature.” (12/30/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/yeqohhn | |
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“A man is dead after a shooting in Adair County. Troopers said the attack happened at about 11 p.m. on Christmas. Investigation said Bobby Bunch, 35, tried to force his way into the home of Michael Compton at 2294 Cane Valley Road. Troopers said Bunch was shot during the altercation.” (12/26/09) Link: http://www.wlky.com/news/22063314/detail.html | |
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“I AM a math teacher at Brockton High School, the site of a school shooting earlier this month.Current school security procedures lock down school populations in the event of armed assault. Some advocate abandoning this practice as it holds everyone in place, allowing a shooter easily to find victims.An alternative to lockdown is immediate exodus via announcement. Although this removes potential hostages and makes it nearly impossible for the shooter to acquire preselected targets, it unfairly rewards resourceful children who move to safety off-site more shrewdly and efficiently than others.Schools should level playing fields, not intrinsically reward those more resourceful…..s a progressive, I would sooner lay my child to rest than succumb to the belief that the use of a gun for self-defense is somehow not in itself a gun crime.” (12/28/09) Link: http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/letters/articles/2009/12/28/guns_teachers_and_self_defense/ | |
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“Las Cruces police say they are investigating a fatal shooting. Just before 8 a.m. Sunday, police were called to the Telshor Manor Apartments where two suspects attempted to break into an apartment. Investigators say a resident of the apartment was apparently startled awake, grabbed a handgun and opened fire at the intruders. At least one of the bullets struck one of the intruders as he was located outside on the west side of the apartment complex. Police say that man was pronounced dead at the scene but his identity has yet to be determined.” (12/27/09) Link: http://www.kvia.com/global/story.asp?s=11734950 | |
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Commentaries on proof that guns don’t cause crime, the Proposed WA semi-auto ban and the ‘Yoonies’…. Self defense stories from Nebraska, Louisiana, Florida, Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee, Oklahoma and the Philippines ….in other news, Gun ownership surges nationwide, crime drops; Tennessee appeals guns-in-restaurants ruling, Hero Idahoan Pharmacist who tackled armed robber fired, Gun maker hails Utah’s bid against fed regulation, Gun permits surge in Massachusetts, DC: Cop brings gun to snowball fight, and South Carolina AG opinion causes Georgetown to reconsider illegal gun ban Hope y’all had a wonderful Christmas! Have a great and safe New Years, and …. Til next year! Mary Lou Link: http://rationalreview.com/2am | |
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“Even as gun ownership has surged in the U.S. in the past year, violent crime, including murder and robbery, has dropped steeply, says the Christian Science Monitor. With homicides down 10 percent in the first half of 2009, the FBI reports that gun sales ‘especially of assault-style rifles and handguns, two main targets of gun-control groups’ are up at least 12 percent nationally since the election of President Obama. Pro-gun groups say the data disprove a long-running theory by gun-control groups that gun ownership spawns crime and violence. ‘Anti-gunners have lost another one of their baseless arguments,’ says Alan Gottlieb of the Second Amendment Foundation.” (12/24/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/ydakhpk | |
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“Prosecutors won’t file charges against an Omaha business owner who shot and killed a suspected burglar over the weekend. Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine says he believes the shooting was justified. The owner of Bazar Latino who shot the man has not been named.Police say 23-year-old Jesus Franco was found dead Saturday morning. His body was in the snow about 30 feet from a south Omaha business that had reported a burglary. The owner told officers he fired his gun during a confrontation with a suspected burglar, who then fled.” (12/23/09) Link: http://www.nebraska.tv/Global/story.asp?S=11722102 | |
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“The Seminole Sheriff’s Office said a man shot and killed his daughter’s boyfriend on a Seminole County street. The Sheriff’s Office said the shooting happened just after 3 p.m. at the intersection of Dodd Road and Biscayne Drive. Officials said the man was Orlando Regional Medical Center where he died. Several witnesses at the scene said the two men were arguing before the shooting and that they believe the father shot in self defense. ‘He pulled out a gun that he had with him, that he carried most the time, and shot him from the hip in the stomach,’ Dykey Phillips said.” (12//24/09) Link: http://www.wesh.com/news/22055314/detail.html | |
Commentary
jump to News Section | jump to Events and Movement News Section
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“Around the country, twenty two states are currently considering a bill known as the ‘Firearms Freedom Act.’ This bill declares that guns, accessories, and ammunition made within a state, sold within that state and kept in that state are not subject to federal laws or regulations under the ‘Interstate Commerce Clause’ of the Constitution. Montana and Tennessee passed a Firearms Freedom Act into law in 2009, and a number of states are moving that direction in the 2010 legislative session.” (02/08/10) Link: http://www.campaignforliberty.com/article.php?view=591 | |
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Cartoon. (02/06/10) Link: http://www.libertyforall.net/?p=3787 | |
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Reason number 97 why you should never comply with a law requiring you to register anything
Source: Disloyal Opposition Author: JD Tuccille “I’ve never understood the urge that some people have to ‘register’ allegedly dangerous objects, substances or creatures with the government. Fans of registration act shocked that anybody could object — after all, we get to keep our dogs, guns, cars and what have you — without acknowledging that their preferred policies fail to minimize the supposed risks of whatever they’ve targeted while maximizing the dangers inherent in forcing public interaction with law-enforcement. Take the case of Joe Fiorito. He’s a columnist for the Toronto Star and a citizen of the land up north where ownership of anything that goes ‘BANG’ is tightly regulated by the government. A generally reliable fan of the expansive state, Fiorito has acquired a new-found skepticism toward gun registration after a recent run-in with the law.” (02/04/10) Link: http://tinyurl.com/y9ldu7o | |
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“Give me your tired (of liberty-haters) …”
Source: Albuquerque Libertarian Examiner Author: Kent McManigal “Comparing America and England, and the respective dominant ‘cultures’ of each, gave me an idea. Why not encourage all the gun-haters and otherwise self-hating, socialism-loving people to emigrate to England where guns are illegal and where self-defense is now routinely punished more harshly than aggression? Then there would be plenty of room to encourage all the freedom-loving people of England to immigrate, with or without government ‘permission,’ to America.” (02/01/10) Link: http://tinyurl.com/y8z9s2f | |
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“Mr. Mitchener handed over his driver’s license and a concealed carry permit. ‘Officer Rogers immediately asked if I had a weapon on me, to which I replied yes. She asked me to turn around, spread my legs and place my hands behind my back, to which I complied. As she attempted to handcuff me, she said that she was doing this because she ‘wanted everyone to be safe.’ …’ The officer was so short she had to keep asking Charlie to bend his knees to make himself ’shorter’ as she struggled to get the job done.” (01/31/10) Link: http://tinyurl.com/y9a4xm3 | |
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“A rash of recent letters to the Post-Dispatch supported the unfettered, fundamental Constitutional right to keep and bear arms (2nd Amendment). One letter suggested that if more people were armed, people might think twice about doing bad things. Curiously, however, the author went on to say: ‘I don’t mean that everyone should be able to carry a gun, just the folks who have applied for a concealed-carry permit and have completed the proper courses.’ Now, I’m confused. Do 2nd Amendment supporters believe in restrictions or not?” (01/21/10) Link: http://tinyurl.com/yz7bbzv | |
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“The New York Times has another silly editorial on gun control. The paper’s editorial board is calling for a renewal of the assault-weapons ban, which expired in 2004. The paper’s justification? ‘A survey of more than 130 local police chiefs and officials found 37 percent reporting an increase in assault weapons in street crime,’ along with other evidence indicating an increased criminal use of assault weapons.” (01/19/10) Link: http://www.campaignforliberty.com/article.php?view=537 | |
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“The Albuquerque theater negligent discharge incident has some very instructive lessons for those of us rational enough to pick them out. This case, making the unfounded assumption that the media reports are correct, concerns a man who had his revolver slip out of his pocket during a movie, hit the floor and discharge, striking a woman in the foot. Of course, this has the hoplophobes wriggling with scarcely-concealed glee. They see it as an opportunity to further criminalize guns and gun owners. Even the police are calling the shooting ‘accidental’ yet are charging the man in connection with the shooting.” (01/18/10) Link: http://tinyurl.com/yznvlwg | |
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“By the end of the month, President Barack Obama is expected to give the State of the Union address. Oh, what a year it’s been. It was almost a year ago that President Obama took his oath of office. But soon after he raised his right hand and promised to ‘preserve, protect and defend’ the Constitution, Americans became engaged in the fight of their lives to safeguard their liberties. The extremist Obama administration began pushing an anti-gun, socialistic agenda of the kind that most Americans have not seen in their lifetimes.” (01/18/10) Link: http://www.libertyforall.net/?p=3692 | |
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Las Vegas shooting another monumental gun control failure
Source: Seattle Gun Rights Examiner Author: Dave Workman “Let’s face it, 66-year-old Johnny Lee Wicks — the man who opened fire at a Las Vegas, Nev. federal building Monday, killing retired Las Vegas Police Sgt. Stanley Cooper, 72, who was working as a security guard — was living proof of the abject failure of gun control laws. Wicks, according to the Washington Times, had a criminal background that included murder and drug charges in Memphis, Tenn., in the 1970s and assault and rape charges 20 years ago in California. He did time in prison for killing his own brother in March 1974, a sentence that originally was set at 55 years but was reduced to 12 to 15 years after an appeal, according to the Las Vegas Review Journal.” (01/06/10) Link: http://tinyurl.com/ybtcv7v | |
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Link: http://www.ncc-1776.org/tle2010/tle551-20100103-03.html | |
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“Over the years, I’ve had conversations with Europeans about gun control. Not surprisingly, they have been very critical of America’s ‘gun culture’ — that is, the widespread ownership of guns among the American people. They have extolled the situation in Europe, where gun-control laws preclude people from freely owning guns, arguing that such laws make for a more peaceful society.” (01/04/10) Link: http://www.fff.org/blog/jghblog2010-01-04.asp | |
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New Year’s resolutions for gun owners and those just thinkin’ about it
Source: Knoxville Gun Rights Examiner Author: Liston Matthews “Let’s start with those of you are just thinkin’ about it. Here are a few suggested resolutions for you: 1. Resolve to decide early in 2010 whether or not you are going to take personal responsibility for yourself and your family, whether at home or away. When the barbarians are at the gate, will you be prepared to defend the castle until the cavalry arrive (in nine or ten minutes)? 2. If you resolve to defend the castle, then the next thing is to determine what measures to take, between minimal and extreme. Do you have good locks on the doors? What about an alarm? Is it monitored? Do you and your neighbors watch out for each other? Are you prepared for a home invasion, of which we have seen too many of lately?” (12/31/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/yba2rfo | |
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“We don’t let the states ‘experiment’ on the First Amendment. Should the Second Amendment receive any less respect?” (12/31/09) Link: http://reason.com/archives/2009/12/31/laboratories-of-repression | |
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“The American Civil Liberties Union of Washington has vowed to monitor legislative reaction to three different police shootings in Washington State to make sure the proposals do not ultimately violate people’s rights if they become law. The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms today reminds the ACLU that the right to keep and bear arms is a constitutionally-protected right, and demands the same protection from legislative abuse as any other civil right.” (01/02/10) Link: http://www.libertyforall.net/?p=3617 | |
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Secession, the Second Amendment and Sun Tzu
Source: The Libertarian Enterprise Author: Russell D. Longcore “How many millions of words have been written about the Second Amendment? Starting with the 1856 Dred Scott decision by the Supreme Court, to the National Firearms Act of 1934 and up to this day, Americans have seen infringement upon infringement piled upon them. But, do you remember in your lifetime hearing of ANY of those regulations that dealt with the security of a Free State? Could it be that the arguments made over the last 150 years about gun control … the laws and regulations passed by states and the Federal governmen t… and any talk about personal safety, crime prevention, hunting and sport shooting … have been a clever diversion away from the clear intention of the words of the Second Amendment?” (12/28/09) Link: http://www.ncc-1776.org/tle2009/tle550-20091227-04.html | |
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Murder down, gun sales up; proof that guns don’t cause crime
Source: Liberty For All Author: SAF staff “A ten percent drop in murders during the first six months of this year at a time when gun sales were up dramatically is more proof that there is no correlation between gun ownership and violent crime, the Second Amendment Foundation said today. The FBI released data Monday that shows murders dropped by 10 percent from the same period in 2008. Meanwhile, according to data released by the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) shows that during the first six months of this year, gun sales were up.” (12/27/09) Link: http://www.libertyforall.net/?p=3591 | |
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“A proposal to ban so-called ‘assault weapons’ in Washington State shifts the blame for recent violent crimes from the perpetrators to every law-abiding gun owner in the state, holding them and their firearms responsible for crimes they did not commit, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said today. ‘This is a proposal by three vehemently anti-gun rights state lawmakers who are exploiting two recent murders in an effort to push a political agenda they have had for several years,’ said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb.” (12/26/09) Link: http://www.libertyforall.net/?p=3587 | |
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“This so-called ‘peace sculpture’ is generally called ‘the Knotted Gun.’ I’m sure that the sculptor would want his name mentioned. The Python’s barrel, which in real life would be a ridiculous eighteen inches long, is tied in an overhand knot, the muzzle pointing up, in representation of a nasty old weapon that has been rendered harmless. In fact, such a gun would be far from harmless, it would blow up upon being fired, injuring or killing the shooter and any close bystanders. The sculptor, in the bucket-headed manner typical of all victim disarmament advocates, has found a way to covert a revolver into a grenade.” (12/20/09) Link: http://www.ncc-1776.org/tle2009/tle549-20091220-02.html | |
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Terrorism and gun control: A perfect march
Source: Buckeye Firearms Association Author: Gerard Valentino “The terrorist attack … at Fort Hood, Texas brought the lack of security at such a large military base directly into homes across America. Leaders of the pro-gun movement, and many soldiers, weren’t quite as shocked because they knew most military bases are considered ‘gun-free zones,’ … Whether [the] attack on American soldiers was sponsored by one of the bigger terrorist organizations is irrelevant since it gave terrorists a road map to complete similar attacks in the future. You can bet our enemies learned valuable lessons from his ability to kill so many of our best and brightest in such a short period of time. In one fell swoop, he taught terrorists where millions of Americans are essentially defenseless.” [editor’s note: Fort Hood wasn’t a “terrorist” attack - TLK] (12/17/09) Link: http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/node/7022 | |
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“In 1941, to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the ratification of the Bill of Rights which were added to the U.S. Constitution on December 15, 1791, President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared December 15 to be Bill of Rights Day. It isn’t really surprising that a national holiday celebrating the first ten amendments to the Constitution would be ignored by many people, most of whom aren’t even aware the holiday exists. A couple hundred years have weathered much of the patriotic spirit to little more than flag waving in early July. Even some of our Founding Fathers would probably be ok with not commemorating the day since they were opposed to a Bill of Rights being added to the Constitution in the first place.” (12/15/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/yawmet6 | |
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“Chicago currently maintains that the Second Amendment should have zero authority over its gun control regime, arguing that the city should enjoy ‘the greatest flexibility to create and enforce firearms policy’ and that ‘Firearms regulation is a quintessential issue on which state and local governments can ‘serve as a laboratory; and try novel social and economic experiments without risk to the rest of the country.” But of course the Supreme Court would never allow Chicago to try a novel ‘experiment’ like banning free speech, so why should the Second Amendment enjoy any less respect than the First Amendment does?” (12/15/09) Link: http://reason.com/archives/2009/12/15/does-the-second-amendment-appl | |
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“[T]he Supreme Court’s Heller ruling was 5-4, and if the Court shifts to an anti-Second Amendment make-up, Heller could be short-lived. Second Amendment politics is therefore still critical and politically motivated murders using firearms — particularly those identified with conservative causes — could once again swing the balance of public opinion against the Second Amendment. We’ve had two political murders identified with conservative causes — both using firearms — within as many weeks.” (print publication 07/09, posted 12/14/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/ydt8m36 | |
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“Thanksgiving is a time for reflection on our blessings, including the blessings of liberty and on the sacrifices our forebears made for us. With that in mind, son Brandon and I wrapped up our Thanksgiving observations slung into battle rifles on the firing line at the beautiful, newly remodeled and re-christened Joe Foss Shooting Complex near Buckeye, Arizona.” (12/10/09) Link: http://www.ammoland.com/2009/12/10/appleseed-shooting-event/ | |
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“Colorado is at the center of a national debate concerning gun control, revolving around moves to ban guns at two of the state’s universities. The most recent move comes as a proposal by Colorado State University’s public safety and president’s cabinet to ban students from carrying guns on campus. Their recommendation flies in the face of the students’ will, with the governing body voting 21-3 last week in support of keeping CSU a conceal-and-carry campus. As the debate in Fort Collins continues, Students for Concealed Carry on Campus is currently appealing a lower Colorado court decision that dismissed a suit filed last year by the group seeking to overturn the University of Colorado’s gun ban.” (12/07/09) Link: http://www.statebillnews.com/2009/12/gun-control-on-campus/ | |
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“In a blazing triumph of ignorance, stupidity, bigotry, and junk science, members of the Colorado State Board of Agriculture — by bizarre historical accident, the governing body for Colorado State University — have decided they would rather see a coed raped in an alley and strangled with her own pantyhose, than see her with a gun in her hand. Regrettably, they have made this indefensible decision, not just for themselves, but for thousands of students, faculty, visitors, and staff who must now brave the hazards of a well-advertised criminal free-fire zone, simply to attend classes, do their jobs, move from one location to another on the campus, and return home again each night. Screw democracy, screw the republic, screw the Constitution, screw the Second Amendment, screw decent common sense and decades of established scientific fact regarding the vital necessity and efficacy of armed self-defense. We might as well just call the place ‘Screw U.’” (12/06/09) Link: http://www.ncc-1776.org/tle2009/tle547-20091206-02.html | |
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“Those who are willing to commit acts of violence are rarely intimidated by the possibility of criminal prosecution. This fact is demonstrated daily. In the paradoxical world of disarmament politics, outlaws are rewarded for their criminality while harmless individuals are penalized for obeying the law. The result is both predictable and proven: gun control encourages gun crime.While we neednt look farther than our own neighborhoods, England provides a stark example of our future if gun control advocates get their way. In a 2002 Reason Magazine article, Gun Control’s Twisted Outcome, Joyce Lee Malcolm documents the escalation of violence that has rocked England under rigid gun bans.” (12/05/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/yj2l5pp | |
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Alaska-carry legislation, be careful what you wish for
Source: Cheyenne Gun Rights Examiner Author: Anthony Bouchard “Not only should we be careful in what we wish for, but we should be ever so diligent when drafting pro gun legislation. One of the greatest evils against the Bill of Rights is legislation that doesn’t pass the constitutional test. This can happen even when the legislators have the best of intentions. … Let’s review Alaska-carry and the infringement on a citizen to inform a police officer that you have a firearm and how you must allow the officer to disarm you for their safety. Maybe that sounds good on the surface but does it pass the constitutional test? Absolutely not!” (11/30/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/yfj8cs9 | |
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“The only reasonable solution is for the government to get out of the business of restricting access to legal products through high taxation, regulatory restrictions or by encouraging antagonistic and harassing litigation for the purpose of driving up the retail price beyond its normal market value. Anything that is done to excessively drive up prices does nothing but encourage criminal activity when certain price barriers are achieved, regardless of the product.” (11/28/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/ycvvajk | |
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“The Buckeye Social Strike Force is a team of smart, dedicated pro-gun patriots who use the power of social bookmarking to share stories that appear on our website with millions of other citizens in Ohio and around the U.S. When you join the Buckeye Social Strike Force, you agree to share at least one item on our website each week with whatever social sites you use. The more items you share, the more social sites you share them on, the more impact you will make.” (11/27/09) Link: http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/social-strike-force | |
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Uganda: When fear and rage force women to kill
Source: Daily Monitor [Uganda] Author: Muniini K. Mulera “A woman, you see, is too weak to whip, let alone murder a man, except with a gun, poison or witchcraft. The use of iron bars to kill is the exclusive privilege of men, or so the thinking goes. Two days after the General’s death, a 14-year-old girl in Bushenyi allegedly killed one Josephat Mpigika, a 40-year-old man who had tried to rape her. She reportedly killed him with a rock accurately aimed at his head. The police arrested her. Her relatives reportedly refused to stand by her. Her teachers did not bother to check on her. The local council leaders left the matter to the police. The country went about its business as usual. Only FIDA, the Association of Ugandan Women Lawyers, came to her legal rescue.” (11/23/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/ygqgbac | |
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“Last week, the body of Chicago school board president Michael Scott was found in the Chicago River with a single bullet wound in his head. The big story was that this powerful, well-connected public official had, according to the county medical examiner, committed suicide. The less-noticed story was that he did it with an illegal weapon. After all, handgun ownership is not allowed in the city of Chicago, which has one of the strictest gun control laws in the country, and Scott killed himself with a .380-caliber sidearm. Unlike most Chicagoans, Scott could have been a legal handgun owner. Because he had it before the ban was enacted, he was allowed to register and keep it. But the police department says he never did. By having it in the city, Scott was guilty of an offense that could have gotten him jail time. Amazingly enough, he was not the first local public official to take the view that firearms restrictions are something for other, ordinary people to observe.” (11/23/09) Link: http://reason.com/archives/2009/11/23/gun-control-chicago-style | |
Events and Movement News
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NH: 2009 National 4th Annual Live Free Or Die Rally
Source: Live Free or Die Rally Event Date(s): 08/21/09 - 08/23/09 “The All Free, Only TRUE First Amendment Rally in the U.S. AUGUST 21, 22, 23, 2009 …. The National Annual N.H. State Live Free Or Die Rally is a non partisan, non aligned, non profit, all free true First Amendment event advocating freedom of speech, rights to redress with gathering and providing opportunity for the public, appropriate advocacy groups, legislators, politicians of all parties to come together on Common ground under one tent with tolerance once a year to discuss, share or review controversial topics.” Link: http://livefreeordierally.com/node/1 | |
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Alan Gottlieb, founder of The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arm, joins host Kenneth John. 9-10am Central on WRMN 1410 AM, Elgin, IL or live on the web. [live radio or stream] (07/27/09) Link: http://freedomrings.net/ | |
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Mike Hammond, a consultant for Gun Owners of America, joins host Kenneth John. 9-10am Central on WRMN 1410 AM, Elgin, IL or live on the web. [live radio or stream] (01/26/09) Link: http://www.freedomrings.net/ | |
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Is the Second Amendment an Individual Right?
Source: Independent Institute Event Date(s): June 9,2008 Last year, a federal appeals court overturned the District of Columbia’s ban on handguns. Now the U.S. Supreme Court will decide the case after nearly seventy years of silence on the Second Amendment. Observers expect the Court to finally settle the legal question of whether the constitutional ‘right of the people to keep and bear arms’ is an individual right held by all, or a ‘collective right’ of the state governments to maintain militias. What did the Founders intend when they drafted the Second Amendment? Please join us as constitutional legal scholar and Independent Institute Research Fellow Stephen P. Halbrook and George Mason University Law School legal historian Joyce Lee Malcolm examine these issues. Wine & Cheese Reception 5:00 pmProgram 6:00-7:00 pmQ & A to follow The Independent Institute,1319 Eighteenth Street, N.W.Washington, D.C. (06/04/08) Link: http://www.independent.org/events/detail.asp?eventID=137 | |
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“A gunman has opened fire with a rifle in a shopping centre in the US state of Nebraska, killing eight people before fatally shooting himself, police say. A further five people were wounded — two critically — in the shooting at the Westroads Mall in Omaha. Police have identified the gunman as Robert Hawkins, 19, from Bellevue, close to Omaha. They said a suicide note had been recovered. Hawkins struck as the centre was crowded with Christmas shoppers. Witnesses spoke of shoppers screaming and scrambling to find safe shelter as the gunman struck.” [editor’s note: Naturally, no witnesses spoke of the armed citizen who put this animal down BEFORE he had time to shoot 13 people and himself. Why? Because there were almost certainly “no guns” signs posted at the entrances to the mall pursuant to the idiotic agenda of declaring such places to be free-fire zones for people who don’t obey such signs - TLK] (12/06/07) Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7129906.stm | |
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“On April 16, 2007, twenty-seven students and five faculty members at Virginia Tech lost their lives to a madman who possessed one distinct advantage over his victims — He was not concerned with following the rules. Undeterred by Virginia Tech’s status as a ‘gun free zone,’ this mentally unstable individual carried two handguns onto the university campus and indiscriminately opened fire. During the week of October 22-27, 2007, college students throughout America will attend classes wearing empty holsters, in protest of state laws and campus policies that stack the odds in favor of armed killers by disarming law abiding citizens who are licensed to carry concealed handguns virtually everywhere else.” (10/09/07) Link: http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/article3989.html | |
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“In honor of the anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s historic ‘March on Washington’ for civil rights, The Firearms Coalition is joining with other gun rights groups to declare August 28 ‘National Exercise Your Rights Day.’ Reverend Jesse Jackson is calling on citizens to exercise their First Amendment rights by participating in anti-gun/anti-violence protest marches in 25 cities nationwide on that day. The Firearms Coalition echoes that call to supporters of the Second Amendment, encouraging them to exercise their rights by purchasing a firearm or ammunition on August 28.” (08/26/07) Link: http://tinyurl.com/2loz6f | |
