Keep and Bear Arms - Gun Owners Home Page

Proposed Illinois gun ban for medical marijuana users points to larger issues
Submitted by: David Codrea
Website: http://www.davidcodrea.com

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"Also unknown is what kind of data-gathering can be done by other federal agencies strictly from monitoring financial transactions, especially if someone uses a credit card to pay for a pot purchase. In this age of NSA spying on everything and the feds having an eye on all banking transactions, it will be interesting to see if that information is collected and then shared between agencies, and if someone using a card at a dispensary subsequently finds his name kicked out on a NICS check."

Smith & Wesson to stop selling guns in California due to microstamping law
Submitted by: John Jorgensen
Website: http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2014/01/23/Smith-Wesson-To-End-Most-CA-Sales-Due-to-Microsta

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Smith & Wesson announced it will stop selling its handguns in California rather than manufacture them to comply with the new microstamping law. The other publicly traded firearms manufacturer in the U.S., Sturm, Ruger, also said this month that it will stop new sales to California.

The announcement late Wednesday came a week after the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the trade association for firearms manufacturers, filed suit against California for requiring that all new semi-automatic pistols that are not already on the state�s approved gun roster have the microstamping technology.

IL: Five things you should know about Concealed Carry Act Submitted by: Mark A. Taff Website: http://www.marktaff.com	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
The signs are everywhere. The Firearms Concealed Carry Act is making its presence felt, meaning people with special permts are allowed to carry a concealed weapon in specially-designated areas. But what does this mean for Illinois residents as a whole?

Mark Walters welcomes Katie Pavlich to Armed American Radio This Sunday Submitted by: Mark A. Taff Website: http://www.marktaff.com	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
Mark Walters welcomes Townhall News Editor, Fox News Contributor and NY Times Best Selling Author, Katie Pavlich to Armed American Radio THIS Sunday 1-26-2014 Armed American Radio host Mark Walters together with Fox News Contributor and Townhall News Editor Katie Pavlich discuss the continued attacks against the right to bear arms.

TX: Grayson College to offer Concealed Handgun License course
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Are you interested in obtaining a Concealed Handgun License, but don�t know where to begin? The Center for Workplace Learning at Grayson College now offers a CHL course for all eligible citizens. The six hour class will cover: use of force, non-violent dispute resolution, handgun use, and safe and proper storage of handguns and ammunition. The course content and length are set by the Texas Department of Public Safety.

WY: Wyoming Man has Conviction Overturned, Charges Dismissed in Self-defense Shooting
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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On December 20, 2013, Gabriel Drennen�s lengthy legal odyssey, following the self-defense killing of Leroy R. Hoster, came to an end when Fremont County, Wyo., District Court Judge Norman E. Young signed an order dismissing the remaining charges against him.

The move followed an October 1st decision from the Wyoming Supreme Court that overturned Drennen�s initial conviction for first degree murder. Drennen�s case, supported by NRA, is important precedent in ensuring Wyomingites are able confidently to exercise their right to self-defense.

PA: Stand your ground - within reason
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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The "Castle Doctrine" law may not apply in this case, or even the Franklin County case. But it might play a small role in similar incidents. The law, and the sentiment behind it, has prompted many to worry that it has created an atmosphere where some gun owners believe they have the right to shoot first and ask questions later.

Clearly, that is not the intent of the law, and gun owners who responsibly exercise their right to bear arms understand that.

CO: Colorado town repeals ban on openly carrying guns in public buildings and parks
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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The Colorado town of Castle Rock repealed a 2003 law banning the open carry of firearms in public buildings and parks after a four-hour meeting and a narrow 4-3 vote.

The repeal was requested by Second Amendment advocates who called the vote a victory for constitutional rights.

�I think it shows the residents of Castle Rock that their town council will stand up for their constitutional freedoms when possible,� Castle Rock Mayor Paul Donahue is quoted as saying in the Denver Post.

CA: Clearlake man shoots suspected intruder
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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A Clearlake man shot and wounded a man who he said had forced his way into his home Wednesday afternoon.

Police on Thursday were withholding the name of the wounded man. He was transported to St. Helena Hospital in Clearlake for medical treatment for non life-threatening wounds and an evaluation of his mental health, police said.

...

The shooting appears to have been in self defense, police said.

Dark anniversary serves as critical reminder
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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I stand with the vast majority of Americans, nine out of ten, and three out of every four NRA members, who agree that we should have universal background checks. As shown by studies from the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, since the law was initially passed, about 2 million attempts to purchase firearms have been blocked because of information revealed in a background check. About half of those were felons. Yet, today, it is easy to legally purchase a weapon without a background check. Our current background check system only applies to about 60 percent of gun sales, leaving 40 percent without a background check, including those purchased from gun shows and Internet sales.

OK: GOP State Sen. Proposes Gun Rights Bill Just to Troll Piers Morgan
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Anyone with a passing familiarity of CNN�s Piers Morgan knows he is quite possibly the biggest gun control advocate on cable news today, so it�s no accident a Republican state senator in Oklahoma is pushing a bill to relax gun restrictions under the name �Piers Morgan Constitutional Right to Keep and Bear Arms Without Infringement Act.� If that isn�t some pretty big political trolling, I don�t know what is.

VA: Townwood Court Home Invasion, Homicide Investigation Continues
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Wednesday, police found 20-year-old Eugene Glover dead in a townhome on the 1600 block of Townwood Court. His alleged accomplice, 19-year-old Kevin Taylor, was armed and is facing charges for the home invasion.

Police say the shooting may be a case of "justifiable homicide" - meaning a person kills another in self-defense. Ultimately, the commonwealth's attorney will review the evidence and make the final call.

FL: Failed Armed Robbery Suspect Arrested Submitted by: Mark A. Taff Website: http://www.marktaff.com	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
About 6:40 Monday evening, deputies responded to a residence on Air Blanc Circle in reference to a shots fired complaint. Deputies said Dvorak, who wast was known to the victim, came over to the home and attempted to rob the victim at gunpoint. The victim pulled his firearm in self-defense and was able to prevent the robbery.

TN: Haslam has 'major concerns' on guns-in-parks bill
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Gov. Bill Haslam said Thursday he has "major concerns" about a measure supported by fellow Republicans in the Legislature seeking to do away with local government's power to decide whether to allow firearms in public parks.

The Legislature in 2009 gave city and county governments the ability to opt out of a new law that allowed people with handgun carry permits to be armed in public parks, playgrounds and sports fields.

A bill sponsored by Sen. Stacey Campfield of Knoxville that would do away with local control over guns has drawn the support of fellow Republican Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey of Blountville.

Senate power grab imperils our rights
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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When President Barack Obama and U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid forced a party-line vote in November to strip the minority�s right to speak from U.S. Senate rules, the founder�s 224-year-old vision of separation of powers took a grievous hit. That highly partisan action makes effective opposition to unwise and ideologically extreme judicial nominations especially difficult, and imperils the future of the Second Amendment. It�s just a matter of time before this �tyranny of the majority� makes the rule change applicable to Supreme Court nominations and legislation itself.

NJ: Nappen Law Firm files Second Amendment Brief with NJ Supreme Court
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Without a permit to possess, the only way to legally possess a handgun in one�s home in New Jersey, is by exemption. Individuals, who rely on exemptions, are perpetually at risk of arrest, prosecution and having to prove facts at trial necessary to establish one�s innocence.

To be granted a New Jersey permit to possess a handgun, one must demonstrate �justifiable need.� This is an extraordinarily difficult requirement. The only way a private citizen may meet the requirement is if the applicant can;

GA: Campus carry likely out: Lawmakers craft new gun bill
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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A Carrollton state House member is among a group of Georgia legislators crafting a new gun carry bill, but the final product will likely not include a provision for college campus carry.

�We�ve been working overtime to draft one of the strongest Second Amendment, pro-gun bills that has been introduced in many years,� Rep. Dustin Hightower, R-Carrollton, told the Times-Georgian Thursday. �It�s a reworking of House Bill 512 from last year.�

CA: California Legislators Return to Sacramento for 2014 Session 2A Rights at Risk Again
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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If 2013 proved anything, it is that California legislators are determined to impose radical gun control laws on the public.

Fortunately, 2013 also proved that such efforts can be stopped, even in California. Last year over fifty gun-related bills were introduced, including such extreme measures as a nickel tax on every round of ammunition sold, a ban on hundreds of thousands of commonly owned rifles and a restriction on transferring standard pistols, even to offspring. But only thirteen of these bills were signed into law, most of which were benign or of little concern, and some actually beneficial to firearm owners. To view a list of these bills, please click here.

SC: Lawmakers Pass Bill To Allow Guns In Bars and Restaurants Submitted by: Mark A. Taff Website: http://www.marktaff.com	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
For some, guns and alcohol are not a good mix. But it could soon become law in our state. A bill overwhelmingly passed the state house today that would allow concealed weapon permit holder to carry their weapons in restaurants and bars.

NY: A year later, most oppose NY SAFE Act
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Most respondents to this week�s RBJ Daily Report Snap Poll�62 percent�oppose the New York Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement Act.

Jan. 15 marked one year since enactment of the NY SAFE Act. Touted by Gov. Andrew Cuomo as the strictest gun-control law in the nation, the measure was proposed, passed and signed into law in the weeks after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Conn., and the murder of two volunteer firefighters in Webster.

WA: BB guns and stolen guns = 0 background checks
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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The stolen .40-caliber Springfield XDM semi-automatic pistol recovered by the police after a suspect identified as Mohamed Abdi Jarato was shot in the buttocks had the loaded magazine jammed in backwards. This is clearly seen in a photo held up by Bailey yesterday, and supplied to this column by Seattle police.

It isn�t clear whether the suspect screwed up while he was trying to reload the pistol, or whether the magazine was in backwards throughout the incident. It would have been impossible for pursuing officers to know the magazine was incorrectly jammed into the gun, essentially rendering the pistol useless.

IL: Illinois Wants Potheads to Give Up Their Second Amendment Rights
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Interestingly, the National Rifle Association is not too keen to jump into this one. Apparently coming to the aid of pot users is a role they aren�t comfortable with so for now the NRA is not taking a position on the proposed law other than to say it will be interesting to see how the courts are going to reconcile it.

I find the NRA�s passing on this matter gutless. I am not fan of pot use�in fact, I�ve never done the drug in my life�nor am I a fan of legalizing it, but for the NRA not to see that this proposed law is clearly un-constitutional is pretty sad.

WI: The Price of Freedom & Exploration of Material
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Today we are faced with issues of freedom, morality and humanity on the topic of gun control. This issue has swept our society with heated discussions and passionate cries for new regulations. We are more than ever at a crossroads about the role of the gun in our society.

Guns are first objects, part of our material world. However, guns lack agency without a user; it is through human interaction that they become fully functioning objects. Guns can be used for both destruction and self-defense through this human interface, whether for acts of hate or for games of sport. We are forced to ask ourselves, where do we place guns in our society?

The Second Amendment�s Latest Crime: Stopping Americans Voting
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Well, it�s still early in the year, but we may have a winner for 2014�s Silliest Gun-Control Argument. From Bloomberg�s Christopher Flavell comes the news that conservatives are not only trying to bring back Jim Crow by insisting upon identification requirements that are standard in almost every area of life, but that their penchant for the right to keep and bear arms is disenfranchising Americans, too. The argument is ingenious: Americans should vote; the best place for them to vote is in schools; there are school shootings; some states are worried about letting strangers onto school campuses; ergo, Americans will have their voting rights restricted by the Second Amendment.

IL: Dopey proposal says medical pot users can't have guns
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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"I don't think it's constitutional," said Richard Pearson, executive director of the Illinois State Rifle Association, when I asked him about the proposal. "It seems as though it's going to be decided in the courts."

"It presents a novel legal conundrum," state National Rifle Association lobbyist Todd Vandermyde told my Tribune colleague Robert McCoppin. "The courts are going to have to reconcile it."

The national headquarters of the NRA didn't return a request for comment.

WA: Gun control initiative qualifies; 'Revolt' against Cal microstamping
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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The hearings will occur before the House Judiciary Committee at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday and before the Senate Law & Justice Committee on Wednesday, also at 1:30 p.m., suggesting that I-591 will also easily qualify, as there have been indications from its sponsors that it garnered even more signatures than the 346,834 confirmed for I-594. Bellevue's Alan Gottlieb, chairman of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, will testify at both hearings.