Keep and Bear Arms - Gun Owners Home Page

CA: Ex-LA County sheriff convicted of impeding FBI's jail probe
Submitted by: jac

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LOS ANGELES (AP) � Former Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca was convicted Wednesday of obstructing an FBI investigation into corrupt guards who took bribes to smuggle contraband into the jails he ran and savagely beat inmates.

In addition to tarnishing his reputation as a policing innovator and jail reformer, the conviction threatens to put Baca, 74, who is in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease, behind bars for up to 20 years.

Submitters note: Headline should read Anti-Gun Sheriff faces jail time.

MI: What gun owners need to know about Michigan law
Submitted by: Corey Salo

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Michigan gun owners often cite self-protection as a reason to own a firearm. But sometimes the law can turn on them, and it's the gun owner who ends up with a criminal charge.

That's because Michigan law does limit when a gun, or any other form of deadly force, can be used.

Michigan statute 780.972, which was modified in 2006 with bipartisan support, allows use of deadly force when someone "honestly and reasonably believes ... the use of deadly force is necessary to prevent the imminent death of or imminent great bodily harm to himself or herself or to another individual."

Another defense is preventing sexual assault.

Kolbe Vs. Hogan: Will The Correct Standard Of Review in a 2A Case Please Stand Up!
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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The U.S. Supreme Court, in the case, District of Columbia vs. Heller, 554 U.S. 570, 128 S. Ct. 2783 (2008), wrestled with the legal test to be applied when determining if a law, impacting the Second Amendment, would pass Constitutional muster.

The U.S. Supreme Court has, through time, in its great body of case law, developed three salient standards of review, or tests, one of the three which a court of competent jurisdiction must apply when testing the constitutionality of government action.

Doctors Want Court to Reinstate Suit Against Gun Maker in Sandy Hook Massacre
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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A group of doctors who treated mass shooting victims is asking the state Supreme Court to reinstate a lawsuit against the maker of the rifle used in the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre.

Lawyers for the 10 doctors said Tuesday that they planned to file a friend-of-the-court brief asking the justices to overturn a lower-court decision in October that dismissed the lawsuit against Remington Outdoor Co., of Madison, North Carolina. They said makers of military-style rifles should be held liable for injuries the rifles cause, a claim Remington contested.

House Passes Veterans 2nd Amendment Protection Act
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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The National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA) applauds the House of Representatives today for passing The Veterans 2nd Amendment Protection Act (H.R. 1181), a bill that protects the due process rights of veterans, in a 240-175 vote.

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The VA has been effectively banning veterans who receive disability benefits and use a fiduciary to help manage those benefits from gun ownership. These individuals are being stripped of their Second Amendment rights by a bureaucratic rule that denies them due process.

�The View� Blasts GOP Efforts to Repeal Gun Ban for Military Veterans
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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During the March 16 airing of ABC�s The View, host Sara Haines said she is �really disturbed� by House Republican efforts to repeal the gun ban for military veterans.

On March 13, Breitbart News reported that GOP leaders were eyeing a repeal of the gun ban, which is structured in a manner that is very similar to the recently repealed Social Security gun ban. Both bans were designed in a way that strips individuals of their Second Amendment rights without due process and both target the most vulnerable of Americans�those on disability who are suffering from mental duress or some degree of mental illness.

House Bill Would Tell VA to Back Off on Vet�s Guns
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Congress seeks to restore the Second Amendment rights veterans lost due to the Veteran�s Administration�s interference.

It was the Obama administration that implemented a policy that Iraq and Afghanistan combat veterans who sought Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder treatment from the VA should be prevented from owning a firearm. The result has been those most in need of help are reluctant to step forward to get it for fear of having their firearms confiscated. It is an issue that still needs to be addressed under the Trump administration but it gets worse.

WY: Former Cheyenne Mayor Applauds Gun Bill Veto
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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The Interim Executive Director of the Wyoming Association of Municipalities (WAM) says Governor Matt Mead �did his homework� before deciding to veto a bill that would have allowed people to carry concealed weapons into government meetings in the state.

Rick Kaysen, who is the former Mayor of Cheyenne, says that while his organization respects and honors the Second Amendment, WAM feels the issue should be left up to local governments across the state.

Make-Up Magazine Won�t Tell Women About Their Best Self-Defense Options
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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I�m all for women of every background obtaining the best self-defense advice possible, which is why it is so disconcerting that neither article talks about the best option for self-defense, which is of course firearms carried by well-trained people.

Ultimately, the so-called �Self Defense Starter Kit� video series promoted by both articles is vacuous, all but completely ignoring the reality that the average women is much smaller and weaker than the average male aggressor. I�m therefore tempted to call them �security theater.�

WY: Self-Defense Legislation Vetoed Prior to Deadline
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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On Tuesday, Governor Matt Mead vetoed NRA-backed House Bill 137 that was passed with overwhelming support from the Wyoming Legislature.

House Bill 137 sought to allow an individual with a valid concealed carry permit to lawfully carry a concealed firearm in any meeting of a government entity, including the state Legislature. Individuals with concealed carry permits are some of the most responsible and law-abiding citizens in Wyoming and should not be prevented from carrying a firearm for self-defense.

Your NRA-ILA will continue to fight to pass this and other important pro-gun bills in future sessions.

Reproduction Revolvers as Self-Defense Guns? Yes You Can!
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Alien Gear Holsters' Sam Hoober ponders if a reproduction revolver would make a decent defensive pistol. [repop revolvers are modern rebuilds of classic gun models]

Could a person carry or use a reproduction revolver for self-defense? It's an interesting idea.

It shouldn't be too much a problem in all likelihood; these pistols were carried and issued for defensive purposes for decades and on a global basis, too.

An Open Letter to Every �Mom� From a Victim Turned Survivor
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Whenever I read the latest updates from Mom Demands Action, I can�t help but cringe. This gun control group tries to use their standing as mothers to advocate against the Second Amendment. They use their experience as mothers to claim they know what�s best for each and every one of us.

But they don�t know our story.

They don�t know my story.

Here�s my letter to all of those �moms� out there.

Lawmakers introduce bill to make it easier to travel with firearms
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Senate Republicans on Tuesday introduced a measure that would codify the right for Americans to carry guns and ammunition with them while traveling between states.

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�This bill safeguards our Second Amendment rights by strengthening federal protections for responsible gun owners traveling across state lines,� said U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, in a statement. �By amending the Firearms Owners� Protection Act of 1986, this commonsense proposal puts an end to the harassment of upstanding citizens who happen to stay overnight, fuel up, or stop for an emergency during their travels in another state.�

NH: VFW bill is harmful to veterans
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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I am a Marine Corps combat veteran and a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. I was shocked and disappointed to receive an email message from the VFW asking me to contact my congressional representatives in support of HR 1181, a bill pompously titled "The Veterans Second Amendment Protection Act."

This bill does nothing to protect veterans; quite the opposite. Our disabled veterans who are incapable of managing their own affairs are in a category identified by the Department of Veterans Affairs as being our most vulnerable. These poor souls are the most likely to harm themselves or someone else.

WA: Seattle waits to reveal � or spend � gun-sale taxes
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Seattle has been taxing firearms and ammunition sales for more than a year now to support gun-violence research at Harborview Medical Center.

But the city won�t say how much revenue the new tax has raised, and the money has yet to support any research.

Why? Officials say they�re keeping the revenue information confidential to protect taxpayers� privacy and are waiting to spend the money until a 2015 lawsuit is resolved.

Advanced by City Councilmember Tim Burgess and adopted by the council in 2015, the tax charged to gun sellers took effect Jan. 1, 2016.

VA: �Most Important Virginia Election Ever�
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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The Fourth Circuit Court covers Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia, and Virginia. If a similar law was to be passed in Virginia we would not be able to get help in federal court system due to this decision.

This would put us square behind the eight ball, and the Bloomberg gun-grabbers know this fact. They will be spending tons of cash in the upcoming election cycle.

This year all 100 seats in the house are up for election. We cannot rest on our victory over the gun-grabbers in the last election. In Virginia as well as other states our rights are in danger of being taken away.

WV: Pro-Gun and Pro-Hunting Legislation Needs Your Help
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Multiple pro-gun and pro-hunting bills are awaiting consideration in the West Virginia Legislature and need your help to get moving. Please contact your state Senator and state Delegate and ask them to support the following bills.

Senate Bill 388, sponsored by state Senator Dave Sypolt (R-14), would allow West Virginia concealed weapons permit holders to carry a firearm for self-defense while dropping off or picking up students on school property, as long as the firearm does not leave the motor vehicle. Current West Virginia law prevents firearms from being carried or transported onto school property, including by those who don�t step foot out of their car.

NRA to Spend Nearly a Million Dollars on Supreme Court Ads Ahead of Gorsuch Hearings
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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The National Rifle Association's Freedom Action Fund launched a nearly million-dollar national ad campaign on Tuesday ahead of the Senate hearings on Neil Gorsuch's nomination to the Supreme Court.

"Your right to keep a gun in your home for self defense survived at the U.S. Supreme Court by only ONE VOTE," the ad's description warned.

"Four Supreme Court justices believe you have the right to defend yourselves with a gun. Four do not," the ad's narrator said. "The men and women of the NRA will not let anti-gun elites strip away our rights or our freedom."

House passes veterans' gun bill
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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The House voted 240-175 on Thursday to remove veterans considered mentally incompetent by the Veterans Affairs Department for financial reasons from the list of names automatically denied gun permits by the FBI.

"I strongly believe we must do everything in our power to protect the rights guaranteed to all Americans, especially the men and women who have served, by the Constitution," said the bill's sponsored, Rep. Phil Roe, R-Tenn.

"The Veterans Second Amendment Protection Act does just that. I'm proud to stand with my colleagues in passing this important legislation that ensures no veteran who utilizes a fiduciary will lose their second amendment rights without due process."

NV: Vegas home invasion goes awry, captive breaks free and shoots intruder
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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One suspect is dead and another injured and apprehended after a home invasion in Las Vegas took a surprising turn Monday night.

Two suspects entered the home and tied up a man and a woman, then demanding money, police said. The male victim broke free, retrieved a gun and shot the suspects. One was killed; the other suffered a gunshot wound to the lower back and drove himself to the hospital where he was apprehended by police. He was identified as 21-year-old Arnold Morales and is being held at the Clark County Detention Center.

VT: VT bill would take guns from suspected abusers
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Gun bills often fall flat at the Vermont Statehouse. When Burlington voters tried to pass a local law in 2014 allowing police to remove guns from people suspected of domestic abuse, the Legislature scuttled the measure on constitutional grounds.

Three years later, the idea has been revived by Rep. Maxine Grad, chairwoman of the House Judiciary Committee. Grad's bill, H.422, would allow police to temporarily remove any gun from a person arrested on suspicion of domestic assault, even if the gun wasn't directly involved in the crime.

MA: Gun control explored at Clark University program
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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The motives behind, and effects of, gun control in 16th- and 17th-century England might appear on the surface not to have much bearing on 21st-century debates over the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

But at a discussion Thursday at Clark University, a historian noted that some of the aims of the British ruling class in controlling subjects' access to firearms had roots in debates about class, public safety and government intrusion that certainly resonate today.

Over 257,000 Veterans Could Get Their Guns Back Within Months
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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It has been one of the most contemptable chapters in American history.

Over 257,000 veterans � fresh from putting their lives on the line for American freedom � have returned to our country, only to be stripped of their constitutional rights without due process.

But this chapter is about to come to an end.

Tomorrow, on the House floor, the House will consider H.R. 1181 � a bill to restore the rights of veterans to keep and bear arms.

Ed.: The House passed the bill.

VA: Virginia�s Reputation as Gun-Running State Continues
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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I was in the House of Delegates and supported Gov. Wilder in getting a one-gun-a-month purchasing limitation law passed in 1993. I have been in the House in the period since then and have watched in opposition as the gun supporters passed exemption after exemption to the limitation until in 2012 they repealed the law, with Gov. Robert McDonnell signing the bill to repeal it.

Last week, an Associated Press headline brought back the theme from 1992: �NYC cops thwart gun ring that exploited looser Virginia laws.� Twenty-four people, including 22 from Virginia, were charged in a 627-count indictment for trafficking guns bought in Virginia and sold in New York.

Birchwood Casey Introduces New Freedom Targets
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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The latest targets in the Birchwood Casey lineup are the Freedom Targets, providing free-standing silhouette targets for shooters practicing their self-defense skills.

The new targets are made with heavy cardboard and features a folding base that provides a standing target that can be set up in any safe shooting area. All of the cardboard targets come with Birchwood Casey Shoot N-C Bullseyes, ensuring that shooters see their hits in the center-mass area of the cardboard silhouette.

When Argentina Had To Choose a New Service Rifle
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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The Republic of Argentina has a large and diversified military-industrial complex, which includes a remarkable history of gun-making. During the 19th century, they imported designs like the Remington Rolling Block rifle and the Model 1891 Mauser in 7.65x53 mm armed �las Fuerzas Armadas� (�the armed forces�). During the first half of the 20th century, Argentina used arms such as the American M1911A1 .45-ACP self-loading pistol and the Model 1909 Mauser rifle also in 7.65 mm. At first the Argentine government bought pistols and rifles directly from the United States and Germany, but that paved the way for licensed domestic production by the Direcci�n General de Fabricaciones Militares.