Keep and Bear Arms - Gun Owners Home Page

OR: Oregon self-defense laws explained Submitted by: Mark A. Taff Website: http://www.marktaff.com	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
In Oregon you can use physical force to defend yourself or others if there's a reasonable belief that unlawful physical force will be used on you or others. That simple definition doesn't change much from state to state, and Marquis says the Kyle Rittenhouse and Ahmaud Arbery trials would likely be playing out in a similar fashion if the situations took place in Oregon or Washington.

WI: Analysis: Here's why Kyle Rittenhouse is likely to be acquitted � and why the law on self-defense must change
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The issue to be decided in a criminal trial is extremely specific: Did the prosecution prove every element of the offense or offenses charged beyond a reasonable doubt. The jury is only permitted to render one of two verdicts: guilty or not guilty. By finding a defendant not guilty a jury is not saying that the defendant is innocent. Innocent isn�t an option. The jury is not deciding whether someone is morally blameworthy, they are deciding whether a legal standard has been met.

The NRA gave us Kyle Rittenhouse
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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At age 17, Rittenhouse probably shouldn't have had a gun at all, though the defense was able to get the illegal gun possession charge dropped on a technicality. Indeed, Rittenhouse should have gone the next step and kept his whole body at home that August night in 2020, as the Antioch, Illinois teenager only made the drive across state lines to Kenosha, Wisconsin to live out his far-right cowboy fantasies of intimidating Black Lives Matter protesters with his showy AR-15. Instead, the now-18-year-old man is on trial for murder, having found exactly the kind of conflict that's entirely predictable when you go waving a gun at protesters.

Rittenhouse Mistrial Motion Looms as Jurors Appear Deadlocked
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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There are ever stronger reasons to believe that we could be headed for a hung jury in the Kyle Rittenhouse prosecution in Kenosha, Wis. For a third day, in what (as I explained yesterday) ought to be a very straightforward case, jurors are deliberating over whether the defendant is guilty of murder and attempted-murder charges, or whether he acted in self-defense. If jurors are persuaded of the latter, he must be acquitted.

Tips on Buying a Used Defensive Handgun
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Most think �new� when buying a defensive handgun, but used can be just as good�and in some cases better. A semiauto�s break-in period is usually over, for example, and some former owners may have upgraded sights or added accessories like custom grips. Plus, the price is generally 20 to 25 percent less than new.

Here are some things to pay attention to when you�re looking at a used gun. If you�re not overly familiar with handguns, it can be helpful to bring along an experienced friend to help explain some of the finer points, and be sure to take your time and not be pushed into a decision.

PA: Deana�s Law passes overwhelmingly in state House
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That exception, which was later removed, garnered opposition from AAA, while penalties including first-degree felonies drew the ire of second amendment organizations because they bar an offender from later owning firearms.

A new pair of bills introduced in March by state Rep. Chris Quinn, R-168 of Middletown, and state Sen. Bob Mensch, R-24 of Marlborough Township, would try to head off the Second Amendment issue by raising offenses only to the level of a second-degree felony for a fourth or subsequent offense. State Sen. Camera Bartolotta, R-45, has meanwhile sponsored a bill to remove DUI penalties for legal medical marijuana use as a stand-alone bill in the Senate.

Defeat the Lies of Gun Control with Facts
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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Wallace may be a NeverTrump �mean girl� these days, but she also was � at least putatively � a one-time Second Amendment supporter (and she worked for a President who appointed two of the five justices in the Heller majority). She also was a White House communications director, and as much as we may want to dismiss her, dummies don�t become White House communications directors. People who show loyalty and competence usually get that job.

This is why her claim that America has a gun crisis needs to be taken on, forcefully. Like David Frum�s lie about responsible gun ownership and the phony bologna claims about the origins of the Second Amendment from Carol Anderson (via the ACLU), we must push back. These lies are not small potatoes.

OH: Will Ohio be the new Wild West, where everybody�s got a gun? Submitted by: Mark A. Taff Website: http://www.marktaff.com	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
Ohioans would no longer need a license to carry a concealed firearm in one of the latest attempts by the Republican-dominated Ohio General Assembly to roll back Ohio�s gun-control laws. Ohio would become the 22nd state to allow conceal-carry in public without needing a license. We�re talking about the second amendment on Today in Ohio.

LA: JPMorgan Removed from Louisiana Muni Deal After Gun Scrutiny Submitted by: Mark A. Taff Website: http://www.marktaff.com	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
JPMorgan Chase & Co. was removed on Thursday from a $700 million Louisiana municipal-bond deal after the bank�s stance on guns drew criticism from state Republican officials. After a fiery meeting, the state bond commission voted to have Wells Fargo & Co. replace JPMorgan, the largest U.S. bank, as senior manager on the deal.

IL: Deerfield�s assault weapons ban upheld by deadlocked Illinois Supreme Court
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After Justice Michael J. Burke recused himself from participating in the decision, the court wrote in its opinion the remaining six justices were deadlocked 3-3 and therefore there was no majority to rule on the case.

�The remaining members of the court are divided so that it is not possible to secure the constitutionally required concurrence of four judges for a decision,� the court wrote. �Accordingly, the appeal is dismissed.�

As a result of the deadlocked Supreme Court, the decision of the Illinois Appellate Court, which ruled the weapon ban was legal, remains in effect as the final word.

UT: KSL Investigators fact check claims from legislative debate over new Utah self-defense law
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"I think we should take another look at it simply because it was not well thought through, to begin with," said Rep. Brian King, D-Salt Lake City. King is adding his voice to those of some prosecutors and victims of crime who told KSL investigators the new law has had unintended consequences.

HB227 shifts the burden of proof for self-defense claims to prosecutors during a pre-trial justification hearing. If prosecutors cannot prove that an individual's use of force was not justified, the case is dismissed before it ever goes before a jury.

The new law closely mirrors a unique portion of Florida's Stand Your Ground Law and has already led to a murder charge being thrown out in Juab County.

Arrested for Self Defense? You Have a Right to Stand Your Ground
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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�Stand Your Ground� laws allow individuals to use force against an attacker anywhere they have a right to be without first trying to retreat from the imminent danger. A majority of states have adopted some form of the stand your ground defense.

The stand your ground rule protects individuals who use deadly force to retaliate against deadly aggressors without first trying to retreat from being prosecuted. It alternatively gives such people a valid claim of self-defense against charges like criminal homicide. The prosecution will have the burden of proving the actions of the defendant were not taken in self-defense.

Rittenhouse could get mistrial for prosecutorial misconduct, legal expert says
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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On the defense�s claim of prosecutorial misconduct, however, O�Mara says there is a better case for that, and it could be the opportunity the defense is looking for if the judge grants it.

�If he grants it, he could grant it at any time requiring a new trial. He can also grant it with prejudice and what that means is the case is over, the state cannot re-try it if he mistrials it with prejudice. The judge has the right to grant a mistrial even after conviction.�

NY: Supreme Court case could increase number of Californians allowed to carry guns in public
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A decision by the U.S. Supreme Court on gun restrictions in New York could impact how many Californians are allowed to carry firearms in public.

This case challenges a New York state law that now requires applicants for a concealed carry weapon permit to show they have a "special need" for it.

While gun owners say this violates the Second Amendment right to self-defense, opponents counter this will lead to more guns on the streets and more violence.

Along with New York, California and a handful of other states currently have similar restrictions in obtaining a concealed carry permit or CCW.

National 911 Labor Shortage May Leave You on Your Own
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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Denver receives 181,000 calls per month, but 44 of the city�s 93 positions are vacant. Training additional staff doesn�t get done overnight, and when the staffing level is half what it should be, they are looking at a long uphill battle. A new hire will have to wait on a class and then complete 20 weeks of training before answering calls on their own.

Portland needs 131 dispatchers, but there are only 114 positions filled in the Emergency Communications Bureau. Instead of getting an actual person, you may hear their recorded message, �Please do not hang up. This is the 911 emergency line. A call taker will be with you as soon as possible.�

Tools in the service of tyranny
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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What does a virus, a Marxist movement, and bans on firearms have in common? Nothing, superficially. Delving deeper, they are tools of federal oppression.

An obvious common element of the three tools is the fear they engender: of infectious death; of unchecked rioting and looting; and of gun violence. These dangers are in fact greatly exaggerated or fabricated altogether.

Stanford economist Paul Romer is credited with first saying, �a crisis is a terrible thing to waste.� Washington has taken this idea to heart.

Support for Gun Control Cratering as Violent Crime Soars
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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Not surprisingly, Gallup has reported a trend against gun control. Support for gun control peaked in the early 1990s when 78 percent of Americans supported �stricter gun control,� according to Gallup. As recently as 2018 after the Parkland school shooting, 67 percent of Americans supported stricter gun control.

Now, just 52 percent support stricter gun control measures with only 19 percent supporting a ban on all handguns. Majority or not, Democrats who promote gun control do so at their own political risk.

VA: NRA will ask Youngkin to remove gun control advocate Lori Haas from state's crime panel Submitted by: Mark A. Taff Website: http://www.marktaff.com	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
With a Republican soon to take over the Executive Mansion, the National Rifle Association is seeking to remove a prominent gun control advocate from the state�s crime board. NRA officials in Virginia said Thursday that they would ask Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin to remove Lori Haas from the Virginia State Crime Commission, an agency that studies and makes recommendations related to public safety.

OR: Gun control advocates push to get initiatives on November 2022 ballot
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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IP18 is the simpler one -- it puts a future ban on semiautomatic assault firearms, with limited exceptions. It would prohibit the future manufacture, import, purchase, transfer, possession, and use of semiautomatic assault firearms.

As for IP17, it means if you want to buy a gun, you'll have to pass a background check and no one can sell you that firearm before the check is completed. Plus, you would need a permit to purchase that gun. IP17 also bans magazines over 10 rounds.

PA: Legislation to allow concealed carry without permit heads to Wolf for certain veto
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Pennsylvania Republicans have approved �constitutional carry� legislation that would allow residents to carry concealed firearms without a permit, despite a promised veto from Gov. Tom Wolf.

The House approved Senate Bill 565 on Tuesday, 107-92, with eight Republicans against and three Democrats in favor. The Senate approved the bill, sponsored by Sen. Cris Dush, R-Wellsboro, last week by a vote of 29-21, and it now moves to the governor�s desk.

Goal Of Rittenhouse Prosecution and Media Manipulation Is To Render �Citizens Not Being Able To Defend Themselves�
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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So the narrative is Kyle Rittenhouse is a militia member who crossed state lines with a weapon to shoot peaceful protest is protestors. None of those things are true, other than he did cross the state line. Like that�s some big deal nowadays, but he wasn�t carrying a weapon. The weapon was already in Wisconsin. He was lawfully able to possess it in Wisconsin. That�s why the judge threw out the charge of being a minor in possession. He wasn�t in an militia. Remember there�s certainly no evidence introduced to that. And he didn�t shoot peaceful protestors. He shoot shot three extremely violent people who tried to kill him.