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AK: The right to open carry doesn�t negate responsibility
Submitted by: Corey Salo

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The images of screaming, ranting protesters, some of them armed to the teeth as they raged in the Michigan state Capitol against the state�s COVID-19 lockdown order, was more than disturbing. It was frightening.

The guns, carried legally by people apparently beyond fed up with the hard-hit state�s lockdown, seemed unnecessary, carried as tools of intimidation and threat. Whatever the protest started out to be, it degenerated into bullying at its finest as the Michigan Legislature, just feet away, debated extending Gov. Gretchen Whitmer�s lockdown.

Furious people. Guns. Close quarters. Cops. What possibly could have gone wrong?

IN: Outdoor Type: Sharpshooter sisters reflect
Submitted by: Corey Salo

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After having graded maybe a million student papers as an English teacher, I often would find a writing that really sparkled and wished that others could have access to some of those well-expressed words. Last fall the Preston Weisheit deer hunting family got to tell their story through this column. This time two Seitz sisters, daughters of Mark and Katrina Seitz of Velpen, get their say. Among others, these two have excelled at shooting in the Jasper Legion Post 147-sponsored Southern Indiana Sharpshooters club.

First up is Abby, a 15-year-old: �When I first joined shooting sports, it was mostly to learn gun safety and how to properly handle a gun.

MI: Attorney general says state commission has authority to prohibit guns in Michigan Capitol
Submitted by: Corey Salo

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Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said a state commission has the authority to prohibit firearms in the Capitol, if it chooses to do so.

Nessel said that authority is �consistent with the current state of the law regarding firearms in public buildings� and an informational letter sent to Speaker Chatfield in 2018.

�The Capitol is a place for free expression of thought and debate, but the freedom of civil discourse does not imply the right to threaten others with harm or violence,� Nessel said. �In our current environment and as the chief law enforcement officer in this state, I am gravely concerned for the safety of both our legislative members and the public at large.

Army Corps of Engineers rule change would simplify carrying weapons at recreational reservoirs
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) April 13 that would eliminate the need for people recreating on Corps water resource development projects to get written permission to carry weapons, including firearms, bows and arrows, crossbows or �other projectile firing device.�

Corps-controlled areas in Colorado that would fall under the rule change include the Tri-Lakes projects (Cherry Creek, Bear Creek, and Chatfield reservoirs), Trinidad Lake Recreation Area, and John Martin Reservoir in southeastern Colorado.

CA: Kennedy Wins An Expediated Hearing For U.S. Federal Court To Order Ventura County To Allow Gun Stores To Reopen
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Today Ronda Kennedy, the Republican nominee for U.S. Congress in CA 26, announced that she has won an expediated hearing from a United States District judge in her
injunctive relief case against Ventura County, California for shutting down all gun stores in the County. The Ventura County Counsel�s legal opinion is that gun stores are non-essential businesses and under the state ordered shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic must close.

NV: Accelerating the boogaloo
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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The Second Amendment isn�t a license to subvert democratic deliberation with intimidation. One goal of these armed rallies is to intimidate elected officials into following demands, but another goal is to frighten the rest of us into staying silent. Or, as historian David Perry puts it, "maximalist Second Amendment positions are minimalist First Amendment positions. You cannot have free speech when the other side has a rifle in your face, even if it's just 'for protest.'" We cannot stay silent in the face of this intimidation. It would be a death knell for democracy.

Janet Nyce Awarded NRA Great American Outdoor Show Patriot Of The Year
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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For her extraordinary efforts fighting for hunting rights, conservation and preservation of the Second Amendment, Janet Nyce of Elliottsburg, Pa., was presented with the first NRA Patriot of the Year award at the NRA Great American Outdoors Show (GAOS) in February.

�Janet has, and always will, stand strong on her principles and values,� said Joseph P. DeBergalis, NRA executive director of General Operations, who presented the award. �She has worked tirelessly over the years to protect the Second Amendment to leave a legacy for future generations. She stands above the rest when it comes to protecting and advancing our Second Amendment freedoms and our cherished hunting heritage.�

MI: Armed activists escort Rep. Anthony into Michigan Capitol, where she promises to work 'without intimidation or fear'
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Armed activists escorted Rep. Sarah Anthony into the Capitol building Wednesday.

She had walked, alone, through a crowd of armed protesters and racist symbols the week before.

Anthony, D-Lansing, is among the Michigan lawmakers who spoke out after armed demonstrators gathered inside the Capitol last week to protest Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's orders shutting down sectors of the economy in order to slow the spread of the deadly coronavirus.

CA: They Just Can't Help Themselves, Anti-Gun Bills Scheduled for May 19th!
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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This week, the California Assembly returned to work after an extended recess due to the COVID-19 crisis. The word was that the legislature would return to focus on certain priority issues. While we all crave to return to some level of normalcy, one thing we were hoping to leave behind was the continued assault on our Second Amendment Rights by the California Legislature. However, they just can't help themselves.

FL: Libertarian group files Second Amendment lawsuit against Florida agriculture commissioner
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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A college libertarian group is suing a Democratic Florida state official, claiming she's depriving residents of their Second Amendment rights.

On Friday, Young Americans for Liberty, a nonprofit student activist organization, filed a lawsuit against Nikki Fried, Florida's commissioner of agriculture and consumer services, for temporarily disabling an online portal to apply for a concealed weapons license.

FL: Gun group fires lawsuit at Nikki Fried over concealed permits
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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The gun-rights group Young Americans for Liberty sued Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried claiming she�s depriving Floridians of their rights. The suit aims to lift a suspension of online concealed weapons permit applications.

�Nikki Fried thinks that your right to self-defense is negotiable. She�s wrong,� said Cliff Maloney, YAL President. �This is a blatant disregard for the rule of law, and I will not idly sit by while Nikki Fried uses this crisis to enact her gun-grabbing agenda. I encourage all Americans to join this fight for our rights. We either believe in liberty in times of crisis or we do not believe in liberty at all.�

LA: House Committee to Hear Pro-Second Amendment Bills Next Week
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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House Bill 746 allows those who lawfully possess a firearm to carry concealed for self-defense during a mandatory evacuation under a declared state of emergency or disaster.

House Bill 781 establishes that firearms and ammunition manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, suppliers, and retailers are �Essential Businesses� that shall not be prohibited from conducting business during a declared disaster or emergency. HB 781 further prevents law-abiding gun owners� rights from being infringed during proclaimed curfews.

FL: Concealed weapons permits flourish in PBC suburbs
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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The ten ZIP codes with the most permits are outside Palm Beach County�s urban core. Most form an arc from Jupiter through Palm Beach Gardens to Wellington and suburban Boynton Beach.

One out of every 11 adults in Palm Beach County has a license to carry a concealed weapon, state data shows. The average permit-holder is an older white man living in a neighborhood outside the county�s urban core that knows little violent crime.

So why does Steve Slade carry?

MA: Judge orders reopening of gun stores in Second Amendment challenge Submitted by: Mark A. Taff Website: http://www.marktaff.com	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
A federal judge in Massachusetts has ordered the opening of gun stores in the state in a challenge to Gov. Charlie Baker�s shutdown of nonessential businesses. U.S. District Judge Douglas Woodlock granted a preliminary injunction in an amended order Thursday, report Courthouse News Service, Law360 and the Boston Herald.

MO: Gun legislation added to massive public safety bill
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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A bill known as the Second Amendment Preservation Act, which had a whopping 86 co-sponsors, was the fourth amendment proposed to the public safety bill. The bill didn�t make it to the floor on its own, but Rep. Jered Taylor, R-Republic, said the omnibus public safety bill was �the perfect vehicle� to get it made into law.

�This bill is a pro-law enforcement bill that protects law enforcement by not requiring them to enforce federal gun laws,� Taylor said. �They still could be enforced by federal agents; we just wouldn�t be doing it on a state level.�

IN: Rethinking Hoosier 'deplorables' Submitted by: Mark A. Taff Website: http://www.marktaff.com	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
They have guns and ammunition. Well-trained, many are veterans, serving in the national guard or law enforcement, and are defenders of the Second Amendment. They have shotguns, bolt-action rifles, AR-10s, and other semi-automatics. They own handguns and an array of shells, including expanding, home-defense rounds.

VA: Gun-Control Activist Deploys Fake Photo in Attack on Virginia Republican
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Moms Demand Action founder Shannon Watts shared a fake photograph to attack GOP congressional hopeful Nick Freitas in a now-deleted Thursday tweet.

Freitas, an Army veteran, is running to unseat freshman representative Abigail Spanberger (D., Va.), who is backed by prominent gun-control groups, including Moms Demand Action. Watts, who founded the group in 2012, falsely accused Freitas of promoting a t-shirt that bears the Moms Demand Action logo, but features stick figures engaged in various acts of sexual congress and depravity. The Thursday tweet, which Watts has since deleted, included a fundraising plea in support of Spanberger.

CA: Federal Judge Denies Request to Halt California Ban on Protests at Capitol
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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In a 24-page order, U.S. District Judge John Mendez denied a temporary restraining order requested by California residents Ron Givens and Chris Bish in a lawsuit filed last week. The two said in their complaint that emergency measures enacted by Governor Gavin Newsom to combat the viral pandemic were a �gross abuse of power.�

They filed the lawsuit in the Eastern District of California after the California Highway Patrol denied their separate requests for permits to protest on the grounds of the state Capitol over the state�s stay-at-home order and inability to timely process firearms background checks.