Keep and Bear Arms - Gun Owners Home Page

Trump vows to undo Biden gun restrictions if re-elected
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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Former President Donald Trump, the Republican frontrunner in the 2024 presidential race, said on Friday he had firmly protected gun rights while in the White House and vowed if re-elected to undo all restrictions enacted by President Joe Biden. Speaking to thousands of supporters at an event organized by the National Rifle Association (NRA), Trump promised to rescind a rule curbing sales of gun accessories known as pistol braces and other regulations put in place by the Biden administration.

HI: Hawaii�s Highest Court Rules The 2nd Amendment Doesn�t Apply To It�s Residents
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: www.marktaff.com

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On Wednesday, the Hawaii Supreme Court, led by Justice Todd Eddins, ruled that the Second Amendment rights, as interpreted by the U.S. Supreme Court, do not apply in Hawaii. This decision emphasizes Hawaii�s unique �spirit of Aloha� and asserts that the state can mandate permits for public firearm carrying. The ruling clearly states that the Hawaii Constitution does not recognize a right to publicly carry firearms for self-defense, diverging from the U.S. Supreme Court�s interpretation.

SC: South Carolina House Republicans plan clean 'Constitutional Carry' measure
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"While I respect the intentions and efforts of the Senate, the House Republican Caucus remains united in our decision to non-concur with the Senate's changes," House Majority Leader Davey Hiottt, R-Pickens, said in a statement on X, formerly Twitter. "We will return a clean version of the Constitutional Carry - Second Amendment Preservation Act to the Senate next week, the exact version that was overwhelmingly passed by the House last year.

"Our dedication to protecting the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens remains steadfast," Hiott added. "It is our firm belief that this bill, in its original form, best reflects the fundamental rights and freedoms of our constituents."

HI: The Hawaiian Supreme Court's Gun Ruling Is a Bit Insurrectionist
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: www.marktaff.com

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Last Sunday, ABC News� George Stephanopoulos shut down an interview with Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) over the perception that the Ohio Republican was open to presidents defying Supreme Court rulings and ignoring the rule of law. It was a cheap shot that even Vance's detractors found ridiculous. Vance offered a hypothetical of when such a time would be appropriate, like the Court ruling that the president of the United States cannot fire a general. That would be an illegitimate ruling. It was a hypothetical that Vance prefaced by saying he hoped something like this would never veer into the realm of reality. Well, it happened in Hawaii at the state Supreme Court level.

FPC Asks Supreme Court to Hear Lawsuit Challenging Maryland �Assault Weapon� Ban
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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�Nearly sixteen years after Heller, the time is ripe for this Court to establish what should have been clear the day that decision was released: bans on firearms commonly possessed by law-abiding citizens are simply �off the table,�� argues the Petition. �The application of that principle to this case is plain. Modern semiautomatic rifles such as the AR-15 �traditionally have been widely accepted as lawful possessions,� and today are owned in the tens of millions by law-abiding Americans for self-defense and other lawful purposes. Such arms simply cannot be banned.�

WY: Wyoming�s Appeals Court Upholds Law Barring Drug Users From Having Guns
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals, which includes Wyoming, on Friday upheld a federal law barring drug users from possessing guns.

The appeals court didn�t say that the statute, 18 USC 922(g)3, is altogether constitutional, just that a lower court judge was wrong to proclaim it unconstitutional in this case.

This decision comes after the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals chipped away at the law in a separate case by saying it unconstitutionally denied a marijuana user�s Second Amendment rights. That case is now before the U.S. Supreme Court.

HI: �They the old days�: Hawaii Supreme Court says �Aloha spirit� trumps 2nd Amendment
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: www.marktaff.com

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A ruling from the Hawaii Supreme Court this week found the Second Amendment does not override �the spirit of Aloha� � a local principle that prioritizes the �life force� of Hawaii residents and reasserts a historic claim the state�s high court said supersedes �a free-wheeling right to carry guns in public [that] degrades other constitutional rights.�

The ruling was unanimous.

�The spirit of Aloha clashes with a federally-mandated lifestyle that lets citizens walk around with deadly weapons during day-to-day activities,� the 53-page opinion reviewed Friday by Law&Crime states.

PA: Donald Trump speaks at NRA Presidential Forum in Harrisburg Submitted by: Mark A. Taff Website: www.marktaff.com	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
President Trump was in the Susquehanna Valley on Friday, where he spoke at the Great American Outdoor Show in Harrisburg. In front of a boisterous crowd of several thousand at the NRA Presidential Forum, he promised their Second Amendment rights will always be safe with him as president. "When I'm back in the Oval Office, no one will lay a finger on your firearms," he said.

FPC and FPCAF File Brief in Support of Challenge to Connecticut �Assault Weapon� Ban
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: www.marktaff.com

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Today, Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) and FPC Action Foundation (FPCAF) announced the filing of an important brief with the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in support of the appellants in Grant v. Lamont, which challenges Connecticut�s ban on so-called �assault weapons.� The brief can be viewed at FPCLegal.org.

�In fact, repeating arms predate the Second Amendment by about three centuries and semiautomatic firearms existed in the 19th century,� argues the brief. �Despite continuous technological advancements over hundreds of years and widespread popularity once they became affordable in the 19th century, traditionally, repeating arms were never banned in America.�

HI: Hawaii Supreme Court Bucks SCOTUS, Says �Spirit Of Aloha Clashes� With 2nd Amendment Right Submitted by: Mark A. Taff Website: www.marktaff.com	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
Hawaii�s top court unanimously ruled on Wednesday that �the spirit of Aloha� supersedes the U.S. Supreme Court�s decision on Americans� Second Amendment rights. In the Hawaii Supreme Court�s decision in State v. Wilson, Justice Todd Eddins wrote that states �retain the authority to require� people to attain permits before they carry a firearm in public.

NE: Judge blocks Omaha�s ban on guns in public places while lawsuit challenging it moves forward
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Nebraska�s largest city won�t be able to enforce its ban on guns on all public property, including parks and sidewalks, while a lawsuit challenging that restriction moves forward.
Douglas County District Judge LeAnne Srb issued a preliminary injunction Friday blocking that ban, but she refused to put Omaha�s restrictions on �ghost guns� and bump stocks on hold.

The Liberty Justice Center filed the lawsuit on behalf of the Nebraska Firearms Owners Association arguing that the city restrictions violate a new state law passed last year that allows people to carry concealed guns across the state without a permit and without the need to complete a gun safety course. A similar lawsuit challenging gun restrictions in Lincoln remains pending.

NM: NM Senate passes bill that would ban guns at polling places Submitted by: Mark A. Taff Website: www.marktaff.com	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
New Mexico voters may have to leave their firearms behind when they head to the polls in future elections. In a 7-4 vote along party lines, New Mexico lawmakers approved a bill that would deny voters from bringing guns, either open or concealed, to polling places during an election.

IA: New bill would require some districts hire school resource officers, let staff carry guns Submitted by: Mark A. Taff Website: www.marktaff.com	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
On Monday, House Republicans at the state capitol will consider a new proposal that would require school districts to hire school resource officers and allow school employees to carry guns. The Iowa Firearm Coalition has been advocating for this issue. Members said they've seen success within their own training program, where teachers were put in active shooter situations.

NE: Expansion of self-defense laws proposed
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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A bill meant to strengthen an individual�s right to use deadly force to defend themselves or others was considered Feb. 8 by the Judiciary Committee.

Currently, the state�s �castle doctrine� permits an individual to use deadly force to defend themselves or others against an assailant in their home or workplace, if there is a reasonable and good faith reason to believe that there is an immediate threat of death or serious bodily injury.

PA: No charges will be filed in fatal Society Hill Towers shooting because resident acted in self-defense, police say
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The shooting that left a man dead in the 24th-floor hallway of Society Hill Towers last month was in self-defense, authorities said Friday, and the resident who fired the fatal shots will not be charged.

Police said a homeowner in the West Tower of the complex shot Omar Littlejohn multiple times, killing him, after Littlejohn threatened him with a knife. Littlejohn, 31, of Kensington, was a guest of the man who shot him after a confrontation in the hallway of the building, police said.

MO: Former St. Louis officer who shot suspect in 2018 found not guilty Submitted by: Mark A. Taff Website: www.marktaff.com	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
A judge ruled Friday that a former St. Louis police officer was not guilty of assault for shooting a suspected carjacker in 2018, ruling he acted in self-defense. The shooting by Matthew D. EerNisse was "objectively reasonable in light of the totality of the particular facts and circumstances confronting the officer on the scene,� Judge John T. Bird wrote, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

NC: Murder Charges Dismissed On Teens Accused Of Killing Recent Graduate, $12000 Cash Found
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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Reginald Moses, 19, and Cori Meadows, 18, were accused of murdering Saivon Lockhart, 17, in Charlotte, NC. But the murder charges on both suspects were recently dropped by prosecutors due to insufficient evidence. Savion had just graduated from South Mecklenburg High School.

The charges were dropped in December 2023. The evidence is unclear at this point as to which individuals were engaged in the murder and which individuals were acting in lawful self defense during a robbery.

HI: State Supreme Court Of Hawaii Middle-Fingers U.S. Supreme Court�s 2A Rulings: �Aloha �Oe�
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: www.marktaff.com

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Tyranny is alive and well in Hawaii. The Hawaii State Supreme Court made that plain in the first few sentences of its Opinion in State of Hawai�i versus Wilson,* a Second Amendment case handed down on February 7, 2024.

The Court begins its opinion with this,

�Article I, section 17 of the Hawaiʻi Constitution mirrors the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution.� [So far, so good].

But then, the Court follows that assertion up with these two brazen assertions,

�We read those words differently than the current United States Supreme Court. We hold that in Hawai�i there is no state constitutional right to carry a firearm in public.�

Trump Boasts to NRA, �We Did Nothing� About Guns During His Administration
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: www.marktaff.com

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Former President Donald Trump bragged at the NRA Presidential Forum on Friday that he �did nothing� about guns during his term in the White House despite �great pressure.�

Speaking at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex, Trump � an NRA Life Member � boasted:

Ed.: I don't know if he is lying or if he's forgotten, but gun rights activists are *still* fighting Trump's bump stock ban in court.

HI: �Aloha Spirit� Trumps SCOTUS Pro-Gun Decision
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: www.marktaff.com

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On February 7, 2024, Hawaii�s Supreme Court issued a decision saying that the U.S. Supreme Court�s Bruen (2022) does not surpass Hawaii�s constitution, which recognizes �no state constitutional right to carry a firearm in public.�

The decision came in Hawaii v. Wilson, a case in which Wilson is seeking recognition of his right to carry a gun in public for self-defense without first acquiring a permit from the state.

Hawaii�s Supreme Court unanimously decided against Wilson, with Judge Todd Eddins, a Gov. David Ige (D) appointee, writing the majority opinion.

HI: Hawaii's high court cites 'The Wire' in its ruling on gun rights
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: www.marktaff.com

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A ruling by Hawaii's high court saying that a man can be prosecuted for carrying a gun in public without a permit cites crime-drama TV series "The Wire" and invokes the "spirit of Aloha" in an apparent rebuke of a U.S. Supreme Court decision that expanded gun rights nationwide.

"The thing about the old days, they the old days," the unanimous Hawaii Supreme Court ruling issued Wednesday said, borrowing a quote from season four, episode three of the HBO series to express that the culture from the founding of the country shouldn't dictate contemporary life.

PA: Trump vow to NRA if reelected: �No one will lay a finger on your firearms�
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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Former President Trump made a new vow to National Rifle Association (NRA) members Friday, promising stronger protections for Second Amendment rights if he�s reelected in November.

�I promise you this, with me at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, no one will lay a finger on your firearms � just as took place for four years when I was your president,� Trump said during his keynote address Friday at an NRA event in Harrisburg, Pa. �I will uphold those glorious words, �shall not be infringed.'�

HI: Hawaii doesn�t think the Constitution applies to it for some reason
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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Hawaii shocked the nation with perhaps the most incompetently cobbled-together justification in history for violating the Constitution.

On Wednesday, the Hawaii Supreme Court ruled in State v. Wilson that citizen and firearm user Christopher Wilson had violated state laws by publicly carrying a gun without a state permit. It stated that while the state justices acknowledged that both its constitutions� interpretations of the Second Amendment are the same, they just chose to ignore it:

Treasury Secretary Yellen's evasive answers remind of need for 2A privacy
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U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen couldn�t � or wouldn�t � tell Congress whether her department had ordered financial institutions to spy on the transactions of private and law-abiding citizens. The Treasury Department is suspected of telling large financial institutions to hand over transaction information of any potential purchases of firearms, ammunition, or purchases at sporting goods stores as part of an investigation into the events of Jan. 6, 2021.

CO: Colorado legislators to consider banning guns from 'sensitive spaces'
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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Colorado lawmakers are considering a bill that would ban guns � whether they�re carried openly or concealed � from �sensitive spaces� such as public parks, community centers, churches and adjacent parking areas.

Senate Bill 24-131 was filed this week by a group of Democratic lawmakers.

It�s the latest sign lawmakers are gearing up for another gun control debate in the state legislature. Only a handful of gun bills have been introduced so far this year, but more are expected.