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MI: Orange-clad supporters kick off gun violence awareness month
Submitted by: Corey Salo

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Days after performing at President Barack Obama�s second inaugural ceremony in Washington, D.C., Hadiya Pendleton, a 15-year-old south side Chicago native, was shot dead.

She was shot dead in 2013 seeking shelter from the rain at a park and since then has become a symbol of gun violence not only in Chicago but other large cities like Detroit, said Lindsay Warren of Royal Oak, leader of the group Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America.

On Thursday, Warren and a sea of activists all clad in orange rallied outside the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center to call attention to National Gun Violence Awareness Day.

Events are planned to throughout the month calling attention the gun violence.

Concealed-Carry �Reciprocity� vs. Federalism
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://marktaff.com

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The seemingly obvious candidate � the Second Amendment, which guarantees an individual right to �keep and bear arms� � is frequently bandied about, and was explicitly mentioned in previous reciprocity bills. But it ultimately fails to justify such bills. It does not forbid states to set the standards citizens must meet if they wish to carry a concealed weapon, nor does it forbid them to enforce the same standards on residents and non-residents alike.

Ed.: The 2A has prohibited states from licensing gun carry since the 14A was ratified and became effective against the states.

KS: Kansas Senators Vote To Allow Health Care Facilities To Bar Guns
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://marktaff.com

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Senate President Susan Wagle offered an amendment backed by the National Rifle Association that would have narrowed the bill to only allow barring guns in some areas of mental facilities and the KU hospital. She said narrowing the bill would mean a likely signature from the governor.

�This is the best solution that we can come to that protects the 2nd Amendment rights in the state of Kansas and yet gives flexibility,� Wagle said.

The chamber rejected Wagle�s amendment. Threats of a veto didn�t sway some lawmakers who want a wider exemption, including Republican Sen. Barbara Bollier.

Ed.: The bill now goes to the House.

AL: Armed robbery suspect shot and killed by victim Wednesday night
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://marktaff.com

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The couple was returning home when they were approached by a black male. Collier said the suspect approached the driver�s side and attempted to rob the male victim first. The suspect went to the passenger side. The male victim was shot when the suspect approached his side of the vehicle, according to Collier.

�[The suspect] was able to retrieve the purse from the female victim in the robbery,� Collier said. �The male victim was able to produce his firearm � and then engaged in gunfire in an effort to protect both his life and the female�s life and killed the subject.�

CA: Santee gun owners PAC opposes Sheriff Gore�s reelection
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://marktaff.com

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The San Diego County Gun Owners PAC, a Santee-based 650-member political action committee promoting Second Amendment rights in San Diego County, has announced its opposition to the reelection in 2018 of San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore as San Diego County�s top law enforcer. SDCGO cites Gore�s consistent refusal to issue permits to law-abiding trained citizens who qualify under California�s requirements for the permit to carry concealed firearms. The permits are commonly called CCWs (CCW concealed carry weapon).

Elizabeth Warren Is Getting Attacked by a Gun Group Over � a Hearing Aid Bill Submitted by: Mark A. Taff Website: http://marktaff.com	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
A Second Amendment group that makes the National Rifle Association look timid by comparison has found an unlikely focus for its latest pro-gun campaign: a bill involving arcana of the hearing aid industry. The call to action is the latest example of a time-honored tradition of gun partisans twisting a mundane policy into a nefarious conspiracy to rob Americans of their freedoms.

Releasing The Gun Industry From Obama�s Operation Choke Point
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://marktaff.com

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Enter U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, R-Mo., with his bill to end this abuse of government power through the Financial Institution Customer Protection Act. Since 2014, Luetkemeyer has pushed to end OCP and create needed reforms to prevent this type of illegal activity from happening again. The FICPA amends the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery and Enforcement Act of 1989 to ensure it can no longer be used to justify using the financial industry to destroy businesses certain government officials don�t like. Additional changes in the language would amend FIRREA to prevent further abuses.

NY: Republican candidates embrace new set of rules Submitted by: Mark A. Taff Website: http://marktaff.com	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
Try to delegitimize judicial rulings. Support the Second Amendment to the Constitution unconditionally. Support the First Amendment conditionally. Do we really need a free press? It might criticize you. Finally, assault verbally or physically anyone (especially a member of the media) who makes you uncomfortable.

NC: The Judgement of Nine People
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://marktaff.com

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Nine people meeting in a government building have the power to decide if gun freedom in North Carolina is to move forward, or if it is to remain stuck in the ironically named �Progressive� era. No, these nine are not U.S. Supreme Court Justices. They are the Republicans sitting on the NC House Judiciary IV Committee (J4).

Because of your insistence over the weekend that pro-freedom gun bills receive committee hearings, the J4 Committee will indeed be giving the omnibus gun bill a hearing, likely on Wednesday (5/31). This is good news!

FL: Stand down on Stand Your Ground expansion
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://marktaff.com

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The Florida Legislature's Stand Your Ground bill isn't as bad as it could have been, but the bill remains bad enough that Gov. Rick Scott should veto it.

Twelve years ago, the Legislature removed the obligation to try to retreat if a person "reasonably believes" that he or she is in danger.

Yet defendants who claim self-defense under Stand Your Ground still bear the burden of proving they shouldn't be prosecuted � immunity that extends to liability in civil cases � in a pre-trial hearing. Senate Bill 128 would shift that burden to the prosecution, creating an unprecedented, unneeded change in criminal court procedure only in self-defense cases.

NV: Now what?
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://marktaff.com

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Last week, I opened a discussion about the aftermath of a self-defense shooting.

Today, there�s more on the subject.

May you never find yourself forced to shoot another person.

But if you must do so in self-defense, the steps you take immediately afterwards will be critical to justice being served.

Call 911 right away, and explain what has happened in as few words as possible. �Please send police and an ambulance to (address). I am (give your name, a description of what you are wearing, and description of the criminal).

FL: Florida Alert! Prosecutors Lobbying Governor for Veto of Burden of Proof Bill
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://marktaff.com

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The critical self-defense bill/burden of proof bill has not yet reached the Governor's desk but already prosecutors and anti-gun organizations are lobbying the Governor to veto SB-128 Burden of Proof.

SB-128 Burden of Proof by Sen. Rob Bradley and Rep. Bobby Payne restores the presumption of innocence in self-defense cases by putting the burden of proof BACK ON THE STATE where it belongs.

Please use the following email address to contact the Governor and ask him to Please Sign SB-128 Burden of Proof.

OR: Gun bill another Second Amendment threat
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://marktaff.com

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The Oregon Senate recently released a 26-page bill (SB 1065) composed of absurd and unnecessary regulations which will negatively impact the 2nd Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens.

Oregon's three leading Democrat gun grabbers, Sen. Prozanski (D-Eugene), Sen. Burdick (D- Portland), Rep. Williamson (D-Portland) introduced this villainous version of an omnibus, anti-gun bill. This bill includes legalese from several previous anti-gun bills that either died in committee or were set aside to be resurrected during the remaining weeks of this 2017 legislative session.

Inside the Mind of America's Favorite Gun Researcher
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://marktaff.com

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After a bit of coaxing, Lott agreed to meet me at a debate on campus-carry laws he'd be participating in at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. Lott arrived at the debate, his hair wispy, his suit loose-fitting, his shirt tucked in only halfway. The mostly conservative students who filed into the auditorium, dressed in well-fitting skirts and heels and khakis and boat shoes, looked like the best of conservative America�professional, jovial, past the more juvenile aspects of college. But Lott's look just added to his authenticity. He exudes professorial vibes. He does not look like a snake-oil salesman. He is, it seems, a true believer.

MN: So you�ve killed the delivery guy. Now what?
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://marktaff.com

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Well, Minnesota is currently debating its �Stand Your Ground� laws, with bill HF238 introduced back in January and already passing through the Minnesota House.

HF238 expands on the current rights to use deadly force in self-defense or in defense of your home: You no longer have to retreat if you�re feeling threatened in you home, AKA your �safe space� and you�re allowed to kill the intruder no questions asked (well, maybe a few questions) if there is a felony being committed on the premises.

Just claim the delivery guy wanted to steal your television (you were watching Fargo, after all) and you�re good.

May 2017 Sets Gun Sales Record
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://marktaff.com

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The Federal Bureau of Investigation ran more firearms-related background checks in May 2017 than in any previous May, indicating record gun sales.

The National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) registered 1,942,677 checks this May, according to FBI documents posted Thursday. That represents an increase of over 70,000 checks from the previous record set in 2016. May represents the first time that NICS processed more checks during a month in 2017 than it did in 2016.

WI: NRA: Legal Guns Are a 'Great Equalizer for the Blacks'
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://marktaff.com

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During a public hearing on a Wisconsin bill that would allow people to carry concealed firearms without a license or training, a member of the pro-gun lobby caused consternation with his statement that �one of the great equalizers after the [1863] Emancipation Proclamation was firearm ownership for the blacks.�

Scott Meyer, a lobbyist for the pro-gun National Rifle Association (NRA), made the statement before the Senate�s Judiciary and Public Safety Committee, currently considering the arguments from advocates and opponents of the controversial measure.

New Bill Would Eliminate ATF�s Ability to Ban Ammo Through Reclassification
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://marktaff.com

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Representative Rob Bishop (R., Utah) introduced a bill last Wednesday that would prohibit the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) from unilaterally reclassifying ammunition.

The Lawful Purpose and Self-Defense Act would remove the ATF's discretion in classifying certain ammunition as "armor piercing." Instead of relying on the ATF or attorney general's judgment on which "armor piercing" rounds should be given a "sporting purpose" exception, the bill would rely on the manufacturer's design and intent. Rep. Bishop said his intention is to prevent gray areas in the law from being used to push new gun control.

OK: OKC Police Offer Free Gun Locks For National Safety Month
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://marktaff.com

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June marks the beginning of National Safety Month, and Oklahoma City police are hoping to raise awareness about gun safety in the home.

Oklahoma City partnered with the federal justice department to provide gun locks free to anyone who needs them. The agency has 10,000 locks to donate, and police want to make sure guns are secured to protect kids.

Capt. Paco Balderrama said a simple lock can mean the difference between life and death if a gun gets into the wrong hands.

CA: California gun fee upheld over NRA objections
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://marktaff.com

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But the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco said Thursday that the surcharge imposed a �minimal burden,� at most, on gun ownership rights, and was properly limited to programs aimed at reducing gun crimes.

Since the U.S. Supreme Court has approved bans on gun ownership by felons and the mentally ill, �we have recognized that public safety is advanced by keeping guns out of the hands of people who are most likely to misuse them for these reasons,� Chief Judge Sidney Thomas said in the 3-0 ruling, upholding a lower-court decision.

And while the state may not tax constitutionally protected activities to increase general revenue, Thomas said the California fee supports only programs related to gun sales and public safety.

WI: Sen. Taylor stands with 91% of Wisconsinites and against GOP repeal of training and permits for conceal carry gun owners
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://marktaff.com

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On Wednesday, the Senate Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety held a public hearing on Senate Bill 169 � repeal of permits, training, school zones and more for gun owners. While hundreds of Wisconsinites emailed, called and showed up for the public hearing on the bill that would allow individuals to carry weapons without a permit into school zones, GOP legislators seemed determined to move forward regardless of the will of the people.