Keep and Bear Arms - Gun Owners Home Page

More Self-Defense Gun Stories Submitted by: Robert Morse Website: http://www.selfdefensegunstories.com/	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
Responsible gun owners defend themselves every day, but you didn't hear about it in the news. Instructor Jeff Street joins host Rob Morse to talk about four recent examples. These gun owners survived a lethal threat. What should we do if we were in their place? Text and podcast available at the link. (21 minute audio)

MA: Gov. Baker Closes Gun Stores! Submitted by: Mark A. Taff Website: http://www.marktaff.com	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
However, late yesterday afternoon, after gun rights advocates praised the decision, the Baker Administration removed firearm retailers and shooting ranges, once again, from the list of essential businesses. This craven move comes after Gov. Baker excluded gun shops from emergency small business loans, after designating them �non-essential� businesses.

COVID-19 isn�t a license to suspend the Second Amendment
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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That�s not an answer to the question.

This is an answer: �California�s state and local governments cannot simply suspend the Constitution. Authorities may not, by decree or otherwise, enact and/or enforce a suspension or deprivation of constitutional liberties. And they certainly may not use a public health crisis as political cover to impose bans and restrictions on rights they do not like.�

People Think It's 'Wise to Get a Gun' During Pandemic, Says 2nd Amendment Attorney as Firearms Sales Soar
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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An attorney who has argued Second Amendment cases in the Supreme Court has said that record numbers of firearms background checks in March show that people fear an upcoming breakdown of law and order during the coronavirus pandemic.

Figures just released show that in March, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) processed 3.7 million requests on the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) from federally licensed firearms dealers. The figures for background checks act only a proxy for sales, but provide the closest available numbers for firearms purchases in the U.S.

GA: Georgia lawsuit argues gun stores are essential, should remain open during pandemic
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Stay-at-home orders in several Georgia counties have meant some small businesses have had to close because they are not deemed "essential" while local governments try to deal with the spread of COVID-19.

But now some gun store owners are pushing back.

A gun store owner in Athens has even gone as far as to file a federal lawsuit to make sure gun stores are considered essential.

But whether they are, seems to be a point of debate depending on which Georgia county you are in.

KS: Protecting our rights for self-defense
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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With the growing uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 crisis, every American is concerned about their safety and the safety of their loved ones. Here in Kansas, our legislature passed House Committee Resolution 5025, a measure preventing Gov. Laura Kelly from using emergency powers to seize ammunition or limit the sale of firearms during the outbreak. On behalf of every NRA member and supporter in our state, I want to thank our lawmakers for the foresight and wisdom to protect our fundamental right to self-defense with passage of this bill.

VA: Virginia Man Shoots an Active Robber in Store, Is Arrested Himself Submitted by: Mark A. Taff Website: http://www.marktaff.com	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
An employee temporarily sleeping in Arlington Smoke Shop in Arlington, Virginia, was arrested early Sunday morning on three charges related to him firing a weapon�one that his boss had supplied to him�at burglars who had broken into the store. He ended up wounding one of the three burglars�a juvenile.

Trump administration deems gun stores 'essential' during coronavirus pandemic
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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The Department of Homeland Security changed its guidance on essential and critical businesses during the coronavirus pandemic, and gun shops are now one of them.

The categorization puts firearms dealers in the same category of essential businesses as grocery stores, pharmacies and health care facilities. The designation falls under the public safety and law enforcement category as "workers supporting the operation of firearm or ammunition product manufacturers, retailers, importers, distributors, and shooting ranges."

Will Pandemic Fears Grease the Way for Authoritarian Gun Controls?
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Draconian bills to restrict self-defense rights have a life of their own in Congress. There's always one lurking in the background, individually unlikely to become law, but ready to be deployed if a suitable high-profile crime or convenient crisis emerges to ease its passage. And that brings us to the "Gun Violence Prevention and Community Safety Act of 2020," a far-reaching bill hovering in the legislative shadows as the COVID-19 pandemic fuels fears around the globe and breaks down barriers to authoritarian measures.

CT: Guns don�t make us safer during a pandemic Submitted by: Mark A. Taff Website: http://www.marktaff.com	There are 2 comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
While we all want to keep our families safe, the facts are clear: guns do not make us safer, and they won�t help protect us from the coronavirus. Some people feel safer with a gun, but the truth is that they or one of their family members are more likely to be killed by that gun than to be protected from a criminal assault.

Benjamin Franklin would want us to take the covid-19 battle into our own hands
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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He called on his fellow citizens to form an association for mutual defense. �Where a Government takes proper Measures to protect the People under its care,� Franklin asserted, the association would have been �unnecessary and unjustifiable.� In Pennsylvania, however, �and perhaps if you search the World through, you will find it in our [province] only,� the government refused to defend its citizens from attack. By reneging on that responsibility, the government ceded to its citizens the right to take matters into their own hands. It had become the duty of citizens to act on their own. �All we want,� Franklin urged, �is Order, Discipline, and a few Cannon.�

Record gun sales: Handguns up 91%, background checks 94% in virus scare
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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People ran to gun stores in record numbers as they sought self-defense weapons amid the coronavirus scare, driving sales up about 83% in March and leading to a record number of FBI instant background checks.

Industry officials said that handguns, rifles, AR-style weapons, and ammunition flew off the shelves when states and the federal government started to lock down communities. Many who purchased weapons said they were worried the lockdowns would create chaos or riots.

WA: Some Washington gun dealers keeping stores open, defying Inslee�s order amid coronavirus outbreak
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Washington Gov. Jay Inslee�s emergency stay-home order didn�t deem firearms dealers essential � like grocery stores and pharmacies � and necessary to stay open as much of society closes down to slow the spread of the new coronavirus.

But that isn�t stopping Tiffany Teasdale, owner of Lynnwood Gun, from keeping her doors open.

�We don�t have anything in writing that says we need to stay closed,� Teasdale said. �And I don�t know anything about what the governor has said.�

Teasdale doesn�t appear to be the only firearms dealer in open defiance of Inslee�s emergency order. Gun shop owners have been communicating on a group email, she said, and most are staying open.

CA: Gun sales up as businesses shut down Submitted by: Mark A. Taff Website: http://www.marktaff.com	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
Gun stores remain open in California despite the closure of most businesses amid COVID-19 and reports indicate that first time buyers are cleaning out the shelves. Robert Ibarra, a supervisor at Ammo Bros in Santa Ana, said he recently sold a gun to a woman who, like many others, said she wanted to feel safe but had never held or operated a firearm. She chose a .357 Magnum revolver.

Brazil: Gun ownership soars in Brazil under Bolsonaro
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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President Jair Bolsonaro has galvanised gun culture in Brazil.
His trademark campaign sign was a hand folded into the shape of a gun. One of his first moves in office was to ease gun ownership rules. His three oldest sons, politicians themselves, have been fierce proponents of expanding gun ownership through policy proposals and social media posts.

With their actions, Bolsonaro and his sons have done more than make it easier for Brazilians to legally get a gun. They have fuelled a political and cultural debate over guns that was new to Brazil but that in many ways mirrors the discussion in the United States, where critics say more guns means more deaths, and supporters say guns are necessary for self-defence.

COVID-19 and Second Amendment: 3 Things to Know
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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With the COVID-19 pandemic causing serious interruptions to the daily lives of people across the country, many American are acutely aware of how certain civil liberties are being affected by the virus.

But what about the right to keep and bear arms? How is this right being affected by the sudden policy changes?

Here are three things to know about the Second Amendment and COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus.

MD: Gov Hogan Protects Second Amendment, Gun Stores Remain Open
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Larry Hogan has issued a �stay-at-home� executive order requiring all individuals to suspend any non-essential activities. Thankfully, this order cross-references the DHS Guidance deeming certain businesses as �Critical Infrastructure� and allowing them to stay open. In doing so, Larry Hogan has designated gun stores and shooting ranges as �Essential� businesses that can remain open. During this time of uncertainty, it is critical that law-abiding citizens remain able to access their Second Amendment right to self-defense.

Armed Samaritan in California Takes Out Criminal who Shot at Police
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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Another Armed Samaritan came to the assistance of police during a gunfight. This example is somewhat unusual. It occurred in California, which routinely infringes on Second Amendment rights.

In Fresno, California, at about 5:30 p.m. on 24 March, 2020, near the area of Belmont and Valeria, officers noticed a 2006 Nissan which was speeding. They attempted to pull over the car. Instead of pulling over, the car accelerated. Only a few blocks south, near Valeria and Grant, the car crashed. Inside the car was a driver and one passenger. The driver exited. He was armed.

MA: Massachusetts Shuts Down Gun Stores After Declaring Them �Essential� Submitted by: Mark A. Taff Website: http://www.marktaff.com	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
Massachusetts governor Charlie Baker (R.) reversed course and shut down gun dealers in the state on Wednesday after previously labeling them "essential." The reversal effectively shuts down gun sales in Massachusetts as the governor attempts to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Baker's declaration came days after the federal government declared the gun industry "essential."

Trump Administration Says Gun Shops May Be �Essential� Amid Coronavirus Pandemic
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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The Trump administration eyes longer shutdowns to help slow down the spread of the coronavirus across communities. Hospitals and grocery stores will remain open since they play very important roles but federal officials found another business that could be essential amid the pandemic.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has issued its latest list of businesses and facilities that can continue operations during the nationwide shutdowns. It includes hospitals, pharmacies, grocery stores and firearm businesses.