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FL: Gun issues to get quick airing in Florida Senate
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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State lawmakers next month will have their first chance to discuss a controversial measure that would expand how and where Florida's more than 1.67 million concealed-weapons license holders can carry handguns.

The Senate Judiciary Committee, chaired by Sen. Greg Steube, is scheduled Jan. 10 to take up the measure (SB 140), which would allow people with concealed-weapons licenses to openly carry handguns in public and also would allow them to be armed on college and university campuses. Under the bill, they also could carry guns at airport passenger terminals; in elementary and secondary schools; and at legislative and local government meetings.

4 Gun Rights Advocates Who Were Shot by Guns in 2016
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Many cities saw a rise in shootings in 2016, and that�s not something that just gun control advocates should be complaining about. After all, plenty of gun rights advocates have been the victims in these shootings, too.

Below are four examples of major gun rights proponents who were either killed or seriously wounded by firearms this year. To be clear, this list is certainly not meant to make light of these tragedies or suggest that the victims in any way deserved to be shot. Rather, the intention is to underscore the dangerous nature of firearms by showing that even people who love and own guns can fall prey to accidents or even deliberate violence as well.

New Gun Laws Coming in 2017 Tell You All You Need to Know About Who States View as the REAL Threats
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Americans will ring in the new year with some new gun laws � and some of those new laws are no cause for celebration if you're a gun lover. Still, others are cause for Second Amendment advocates to pop open the champagne.

On the positive side for gun rights fans, President-elect Donald Trump may be one of the most Second Amendment-friendly presidents elected to office in recent times. He won the NRA endorsement during the campaign and established a Second Amendment Coalition of gun rights groups, grassroots workers, and even entertainers to press for continued fulsome gun rights.

The Second Amendment often is misinterpreted
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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As one who spends much of his time reading and listening to political rhetoric from across the spectrum, left-wing and right-wing alike, I'm especially fond of the nonsense I frequently encounter about the U.S. Constitution.

Take, for example, the popular claim that the Second Amendment guarantees almost every American the sacred right to own and bear almost any type of firearms. That's an easy one to knock down.

SD: New concealed carry record in South Dakota Submitted by: Mark A. Taff Website: http://www.marktaff.com	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
Permits issued for concealed carry firearms reached an all-time high in South Dakota in 2016. Secretary of State Shantel Krebs says there were 30,029 concealed carry permits issued, nearly 4,000 more than the previous record in 2013.

Gun rights and Obama�s last three weeks
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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As the Obama administration itself is winding down, but Obama himself is winding up.

I�ve predicted this would happen for a long time. I was happy with the rhetoric he used at the beginning of the Trump transition. But now the full Obama is becoming clearer.

The Obama administration is issuing a final version of a rule from the Social Security Administration that is pointed at people who get supplemental income from Social Security. This rule will cause �tens of thousands of law-abiding (and vulnerable) disability insurance and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients to a loss of Second Amendment rights under the guise of re-characterizing them as �mental defectives.��

NV: Nevada Sheriffs: Bloomberg-Backed Background Checks Aren�t Going to Happen
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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The universal background checks passed under Nevada�s Question 1 were scheduled to go into effect January 1, but the state�s sheriffs are making clear that it�s not going to happen.

In fact, sheriffs say the December 28 opinion handed down by Nevada Attorney General Adam Paul Laxalt basically renders the checks moot by proving them unenforceable.

Breitbart News reported that Laxalt pointed out how the language of Question 1 actually ensnared those who framed it, rendering it �unenforceable� by presuming the FBI would do that which the FBI refuses to do while simultaneously failing to grant the Nevada Department of Public Safety the authority to act in the FBI�s stead � as a �Point of Contact� (POC) for sales in Nevada.

Trump's judicial appointments to have long-term consequences
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Lest Trump's actions be taken for granted, however, it could be noted that his older sister, Maryanne Trump Barry, is known as a moderate.

Appointed to the bench by Ronald Reagan and elevated to the circuit court by Bill Clinton, she has spoken out against women's claims of sexual harassment but also struck down a New Jersey law banning late-term abortions as unconstitutional.

The appointment of conservative judges is a priority for Vice President-elect Mike Pence, but it remains to be seen whether Trump will stick to his guns when it's time to submit his nominees.

NH: Guns in schools: No-win situation
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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It's the law, but that doesn't make it sen�sible:

If you have a license to carry a con�cealed weapon, you can legally bring it into a school.

The theory behind this law is ... what? That an armed citizen just might happen to be in a school when some idiot decides to shoot it up? And then that armed citi�zen, surely knowing the proper way to handle the weapon and to deal with an armed idiot, will gun down that armed id�iot before he, or she, can kill an innocent person or more?

NY: Gun buyback takes 26 illegal guns off the streets
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Twenty-six illegal hands guns off the street. That's the haul from the 12 days of gun buybacks in Albany County.

"When we started this back in 2008, there were a lot of skeptics and a lot of critics," admitted Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple.

However, Sheriff Apple, along with District Attorney David Soares and Pastor Charlie Muller of Victory Christian Church says there's no need for skepticism any more.

NRA Gun of the Week: North American Arms Ported Pug Carry
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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The .22 Win. Mag. Rimfire cartridge is the subject of much debate when it comes to self-defense. Some ask "why?" and others say "buy." But that doesn�t stop North American Arms from providing a catalog of ultra-small revolving-cylinder pistols that conceal easily in the smallest of pockets.

Learn more as American Rifleman's Kelly Young, an ardent dog lover, checks out the Talo Limited Edition North American Arms Ported Pug Carry.

SD: Forget Texas� Don�t Mess With South Dakota
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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The number of concealed carry permits reached an all-time high in South Dakota in December.

Secretary of State Shantel Krebs says the number of permits issued beat the previous state record by well over 3,000.

She says the number of concealed carry permits issued during a single year has more than doubled since 2008.

Krebs says her office saw an increase in permit applications following tragedies that get national attention�

CA: Toy guns and real-life tragedies
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Should police officers making life-and-death decisions in a split-second be forced to distinguish between a real gun and realistic looking toy?

California lawmakers finally said no after the 2013 death of Andy Lopez in southwest Santa Rosa.

Lopez was carrying a replica AK-47, but the orange tip signifying a toy was gone, and Deputy Erick Gelhaus mistook it for a real assault weapon and shot the 13-year-old boy.

The shooting sent shockwaves across Sonoma County, but the circumstances are distressingly common across the country. Researchers with ties to law enforcement identified replica firearms as a public safety threat more than a quarter-century ago, but Congress failed to act on the warning �with deadly consequences.

MS: State Rep. Criswell: Mississippi Public Housing Authorities Deny Residents Constitutional Rights
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Public housing authorities in Mississippi are denying tenants their constitutional right to keep and bear arms.

One example that has come to my attention is the Housing Authority of the City of Corinth. In their rules and regulations they specifically state; �The Housing Authority prohibits the possession and/or discharge of a dangerous weapon on any of the Housing Authority�s properties.� Their policy continues to ban slingshots and knives and states that any weapons �may be confiscated.�

WI: Milwaukee Thugs Target Concealed Carrier, Earn Bullets Submitted by: Mark A. Taff Website: http://www.marktaff.com	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
Two armed criminals looking for trouble tried to rob a dog-walking Milwaukee man and discovered this it was the man who had the worse bite, in the form of a concealed handgun.

FL: Floridians Standing Their Ground
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Uber driver Namique Anderson is probably a hero. Whether he�ll be able to remain an Uber driver has recently been in some doubt.

Anderson was driving a passenger in Aventura, Florida, to the Fort Lauderdale airport when a minivan cut off his car on a causeway access road. A man emerged from the van with a pair of handguns drawn, evidently planning to rob Anderson, his passenger or both. Anderson drew his own licensed weapon and shot the man, killing him. Another man, who remained in the van, fled the scene. He was later taken into custody by the police.

CA: Armed Robbery Team Run Off by Fast Shooting Clerk
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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In Fresno, California that a few days earlier, two robbery suspects entered a Fresno convenience store just before 2 the morning. Surveillance footage from the store video shows a man brandishing a rifle and walking into the store followed by a woman.

Police said the male then demanded money as the woman stood in the doorway. The cashier at the store opened fire on the male suspect who was pointing the rifle. As the intended victim fired a round, the couple can be seen on the video quickly turning and fleeing on foot.

TX: No charges will be filed in April shooting death
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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An April shooting that killed a Houston man is being labeled a justified "act of self defense."

Texas County Sheriff James Sigman said following a lengthy investigation, his department determined charges would not be filed against the unnamed shooter. Eddie Day, 25, was killed in the April 8 incident at Tiffany Drive off Highway E north of Houston.

Sigman said the investigation eventually led to the conclusion that the man who pulled the gun�s trigger was lawfully defending himself.

�After an extensive investigation through my office of reviewing physical evidence, lab results and eyewitness accounts this shooting at this time has been deemed an act of self defense,� Sigman said.

Making Guns Great Again
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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President-elect Trump can and should help repeal a host of burdensome gun-rights restrictions.

A friend of mine treated himself to a new revolver for Hannukah, a Smith & Wesson .44 Magnum. He and I took it to the range a few days ago to break it in. For the uninitiated, the S&W .44 Magnum is the gun Dirty Harry describes as the �the most powerful handgun in the world; would blow your head clean off.� It�s unbelievable fun to shoot, and, as you might guess, very, very loud.

Gun Vote Wins
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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On Nov. 3 2016, The Washington Post reported on the results of a survey of D.C. government relations professionals that ranked NRA as �most effective at affecting public policy.�

Less than a week later, NRA demonstrated precisely why we and the gun owners we represent are the most powerful force in American politics, when NRA-endorsed Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton for the presidency.

Thanks to the unique passion of NRA members and gun owners, we have an unparalleled power to mobilize voters in support of candidates who defend our rights, and against those who oppose them.