Keep and Bear Arms - Gun Owners Home Page

Armed Civilians Saved Lives in December Submitted by: Rob Morse Website: https://slowfacts.wordpress.com/2017/01/05/	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
They had seconds to save lives. Fortunately, these private citizens were armed. Many lives were at risk and these ordinary people did extraordinary things. They stopped mass murder. These examples are from December.

Tucker Carlson Dismantles Gun Control Activist's Main Argument With One Undeniable Statistic Submitted by: Jim M	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
Fox News host Tucker Carlson got into a tense on-air clash with gun control activist Joshua Horwitz on Tuesday night over the true �cause� of gun violence.

Gun Rights Watch: What To Expect In 2017 Submitted by: Mark A. Taff Website: http://www.marktaff.com	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
What can Second Amendment supporters look forward to this coming year? There�s a lot of good � but there could also be some bad as well. Here�s our rundown.

National Concealed Carry Reciprocity Bill in 115th Congress Submitted by: Mark A. Taff Website: http://www.marktaff.com	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
House member Richard Hudson (R-N.C.) introduced a bill in the 115th Congress on Wednesday, the �Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017.� Hudson, a member of President-elect Donald Trump�s Second Amendment Coalition, released this statement simultaneously:

SD: What will legislature do on gun rights?
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Though the new President will be decidely pro-Second Amendment, that doesn't mean gun issues are going away.

Rep.-elect Kevin Jensen (R-Canton)--a certified firearms instructor--says "Constitutional" (permitless) carry will probably come up in the legislature, which convenes next week in Pierre.

He also says you'll probably see a move by Congress to have reciprocity among states that grant concealed carry permits, but that could get complicated by states with strict gun laws like New York, California, and Illinois.

NY: Democratic Lawmakers Send Gun Show Ban Bill to Full Board
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Citing a national rise in gun violence over the years, outraged Democrats on the Board of Legislators on Tuesday moved a bill to ban a gun show scheduled at the County Center for later this month.

The Northeast Gun Show would take place on Jan. 21-22 at the White Plains venue but the Legislation, Labor/ Parks/Planning/Housing and Public Safety & Social Services committees are sending a measure to the full board for its next meeting this Monday, Jan. 9 that would prohibit gun shows at all county-owned property, including the County Center.

2016 Record Year for NICS Background Checks (27,538,673) and Firearm Sales Submitted by: Mark A. Taff Website: http://www.marktaff.com	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
2016 has become the year with the most gun sales ever. The 2016 NICS checks have surpassed those for 2015, the previous record holder. In December, 2016 there were 2,771,159 National Instant Checks done. In 2015, the number done in December was 3,314,594.

Military Spouses Should Enjoy Same Gun Rights As Service Members, Congressman Says Submitted by: Mark A. Taff Website: http://www.marktaff.com	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
A new bill would exempt spouses from state residency requirements. Legislation introduced Thursday would make it easier for military spouses to purchase guns wherever their active-duty husband or wife is permanently stationed. Rep. Blake Farenthold, R-Texas, introduced the bill, titled �Protect Our Military Families� 2nd Amendment Rights Act.�

NY: Artist, Patriot Julian Raven to Speak at SCOPE January Meeting Submitted by: Mark A. Taff Website: http://www.marktaff.com	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
Elmira-based artist Julian Raven was inspired to begin work on his 20 by 30 foot mural �Unafraid and Unashamed,� featuring Donald Trump, in July of 2015. The artist stated �I believe it is a prophetic image of Trump as president.� The mural earned national attention and proved to be an accurate prediction of 2016�s election results.

NH: Critical Constitutional Carry Legislation in Committee Next Week! Submitted by: Mark A. Taff Website: http://www.marktaff.com	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
On Tuesday, January 10 2017 at 9:00 AM in Room 100 SH, the Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing for Senate Bill 12, legislation that will eliminate the requirement to obtain a permit in order to lawfully carry. Please contact members of the Senate Judiciary Committee and urge them to vote in favor of Senate Bill 12.

Urge Your Senators to Confirm Jeff Sessions
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Dear Second Amendment Supporter,

I need your help. President-elect Trump has nominated Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) as Attorney General of the United States! That's great news for all of us who cherish our right to keep and bear arms. But Sessions is being attacked for his support of the Second Amendment and law enforcement.

Please contact your U.S. Senators�urge them to support your firearms freedom by voting for a true defender of our right to keep and bear arms!

TX: Not all Texans on board with eliminating open carry permits
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Not everyone is on board with the idea of eliminating permits for open carry of handguns, even here in Texas.

But that may soon become a reality in our state.

This idea is called constitutional carry and is legal in 11 other states.

Republican State Representative Jonathan Stickland has filed a bill to make constitutional carry legal in Texas for this coming legislative term, and is confident it will pass.

But some Amarillo residents are not on board with getting rid of gun permits.

If constitutional carry is approved, the state will no longer require any training, licensing or fees to openly carry a handgun.

Farenthold introduces bill protecting gun rights for military families
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Congressman Blake Farenthold introduced a new bill on Capital Hill to protect Second Amendment rights for military families.

The "Protect Our Military Families' Second Amendment Rights Act" allows spouses of active-duty service members to purchase firearms in the state where they live due to military orders.

Currently, the Gun Control Act of 1968 mandates that citizens can legally purchase a handgun in the state where they are considered residents. Exceptions were made for active-duty military members, but not their spouses.

Nearly One Billion Dollars: One Volunteer, One Community at a Time
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Friends of Freedom is a nationwide, multi-media, mission-based campaign highlighting the dynamic faces behind our mission � those who push forward with tireless energy to protect our Second Amendment freedoms and those who are impacted by that fearless drive to foster the future of the shooting sports on local, state, and national levels.

Building something of national impact and from the ground up takes time. But wow� those years have flown by! Looking back over 25 years of the Friends of NRA grassroots fundraising events, I stand with all of the dedicated volunteers and staff to give hearty congratulations for all the great work and critical funds that have been raised.

Colt Revives The Gold Cup National Match .45 ACP
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Nostalgia or practicality? I�m certainly not sure which one but my shooting spirit is happy to see many old classics have come back. Colt in recent years has brought back the New Frontier which had not been seen since 1982 and now they offer the 1911 Gold Cup National Match.

In the early 1960�s, a time which found me spending my days at the university and my nights in a tire factory to support my family consisting of the young girl who would someday be known as Diamond Dot and three pre-school age children, I lusted, really lusted after a New Frontier and the Gold Cup.

OH: Ohio State student shot dead near campus
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Tarak Andrew Underiner wanted OH college students to have the right to carry guns on campus so they could defend themselves in risky situations - say, leaving the library late at night and traveling home alone.

WSYX, Columbus' ABC affiliate, reported that officers responded to 28 E. Northwood Avenue around 12:30 a.m after someone called 911 saying a friend was shot. Underiner was pronounced dead before 1 a.m.

A person inside the building reported the shooting and stated that someone ran out the door after multiple shots were fired.

New Year�s Resolutions, Carry Life Style
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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On to 2017! We hope all Carry Lifers had a fine Christmas (or Hanukkah, or holiday) and are into a happy, healthy, hopeful New Year. Certainly, the thought of four years without a Sword of Damocles hanging over the Second Amendment is a very welcome prospect for the coming months at least.

We reveled in some great traditions through our holiday, and now invoke, or at least recommend, another�some resolutions for the New Year, vis a vis the Carry Life.

New Bill Would Force States to Allow Visiting Gun Owners to Pack Heat Without a Permit Submitted by: Mark A. Taff Website: http://www.marktaff.com	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
The updated national concealed carry reciprocity measure, revised to accommodate the growing permitless carry movement, ties in with the NRA's top legislative priority. Ed.: No, it would force them to recognize a person's permit.

MN: Story on 'gun rush' by minorities lacked evidence
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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The only evidence of a �rush� on guns by Somalis and other minorities is the word of gun lobbyist Andrew Rothman and the existence of one minority gun group.

There may or may not have been any such rush on guns. You�ve got to hand it to Rothman, however. He scored, with no proof, a front-page story normalizing gun carrying for a market the gun lobby has been unsuccessfully pursuing for years.

New Reciprocity Bill: Gun Rights Shouldn't End At The State Line
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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An important national Right-to-Carry reciprocity bill has been introduced in the U.S. Congress, and the measure is receiving whole-hearted support from the National Rifle Association.

Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., introduced the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017 on Tuesday, Congress� first day in session for 2017. The measure, officially known as H.R. 38, would eliminate the current confusing patchwork of state carry laws by allowing individuals who possess concealed-carry permits from their home state or who are not prohibited from carrying concealed in their home state to exercise those rights in any other state that does not prohibit concealed carry.

What to do after buying a gun for self-defense Submitted by: Mark A. Taff Website: http://www.marktaff.com	There is 1 comment on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
What does being a responsible gun owner entail? Well, take it from someone who has owned and used firearms for more than 40 years as part of my daily life, both as a police officer and firearms instructor. GET TRAINED!

TX: Road Rage In Dallas Leads To Punch, Stupid Shooting
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Oh, dear.

I�m expecting both men to end up being charged here.

The driver who had the gun was relatively safe inside his vehicle as he traveled on the expressway. His decision to pull over onto the shoulder of the expressway so that he and the man following him directly contributed to the confrontation.

The idiot who pulled over behind him is culpable for turning a driving dispute into a criminal assault.

Study Finds Florida�s �Stand Your Ground� Law Increases Homicides. Is That Bad?
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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A study in the January issue of JAMA Internal Medicine finds that Florida�s �Stand Your Ground� law, passed in 2005, resulted in an �abrupt and sustained increase in the monthly homicide rate� compared to the period before the law was enacted under former Gov. Sad Jeb Bush. Homicide rates overall saw a 24.4 percent increase, while homicides involving firearms went up 31.6 percent. Who would have guessed?

CA: Mistrust of Government Contributes to 'Crazy' Sales at Peninsula Gun Stores Submitted by: Mark A. Taff Website: http://www.marktaff.com	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
Gun stores on the Peninsula reported record sales as shoppers snatched up firearms and ammunition that would no longer be available under tighter gun restrictions that went into effect on Jan. 1. Frenzied buying is par for the course after new regulations are announced, but shopowners appeared shocked by how quickly merchandise flew off their shelves as 2016 drew to a close.

Sen. Jeff Sessions will fight for the Second Amendment
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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For the last eight years, Americans who care about the Second Amendment and our right to self-defense have faced an administration intent on dismantling those freedoms. The gun control lobby, funded by billionaires like Michael Bloomberg, tried to turn the 2016 election into a referendum on the Second Amendment � and they lost. Now, due in no small part to the efforts of the National Rifle Association and our members, law-abiding gun owners can look forward to a president who respects our rights. In that regard, we should all be happy about President-elect Donald Trump�s nomination of Sen. Jeff Sessions to be the next attorney general.

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) Wants to Repeal Gun-Free School Zones Act
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) has relaunched the Congressional Second Amendment Caucus, as I reported last month. Today he announces the re-introduction of an old Ron Paul bill to further the Caucus' goals, this one to repeal the Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990 (as amended after aspects of the original bill were declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court under the Commerce Clause in U.S. v. Lopez. The usual handwaving about how the guns affected by law must have moved in or just "affected" interstate commerce was added in 1996.).