Keep and Bear Arms - Gun Owners Home Page

FL: Missing rifle keeps Melbourne from getting new vehicle
Submitted by: Anonymous

There are no comments on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments

A Colt M-16 rifle that has been unaccounted for since January has cost Melbourne a tactical police vehicle, and potentially jeopardized the city's participation in a federal surplus property program. ...
Melbourne has been suspended from further participation in the federal surplus program, pending outcome of the police department's own investigation and review by the federal Defense Logistic Agency.
That means that the city has not gotten a 1981 armored truck that carries police officers, which it had been expecting to receive through the program from the West Melbourne Police Department.

TX: Gun Store Sign: �Will Trade Obama To Mexico For Sgt. Tahmooressi� Submitted by: Anonymous	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
Continuing its critical shots at President Barack Obama, the Tactical Firearms store of Katy, Texas, has yet another weekly message for the president: �Will Trade Obama To Mexico For Sgt. Tahmooressi. God help us all.� The message references U.S.M.C. Sgt. Andrew Tahmooressi, who is being held in a Mexican prison after mistakenly crossing the border with registered guns.

CA: LAPD Moves Closer To Testing Aerial Drones For �Tactical Events�
Submitted by: Anonymous

There are no comments on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments

Police may soon begin using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) during manhunts, standoffs and other �tactical events�, LAPD Chief Charlie Beck said Thursday.
The LAPD obtained two UAVs � otherwise known as drones � from the Seattle Police Department last week at no cost to the city, according to officials.
The Seattle Police Department originally purchased the Draganflyer X6 Unmanned Aerial Vehicles using federal grants. The drones are currently being kept at an undisclosed federal law enforcement facility �pending review by the LAPD and the Board of Police Commissioners� and the public, according to the LAPD.

Canada: Moncton shooting: Justin Bourque armed with rifle, shotgun -- National Firearms Association blasts gun rules after deadly attack
Submitted by: Anonymous

There are no comments on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments

As the Moncton manhunt for Justin Bourque continues into its second night, one of the concerns for police has been to determine exactly what weapons the shooting suspect is carrying. ...
On Thursday, Canada�s National Firearms Association (NFA) released a public statement attacking Canada�s gun control laws, calling them excessive yet ineffective. ...
"Incidents like these demonstrate the validity of the mounting evidence that none of Canada's firearms control efforts over the past 50 years have had any effect on preventing violence, or otherwise stopping bad people from carrying out their evil deeds," the statement said.

Is the .380 ACP the new .38 Special?
Submitted by: Suzanne
Website: http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/

There are no comments on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments

As a woman working in the firearms industry, I often am asked what guns I recommend for other women. It is a tough question to answer, as we all have our preferences and abilities. I find that more and more gun bloggers, gun store workers, instructors and shooters direct women toward trying the various small .380 ACP semi-automatics on the market. I also am guilty of that. I have reviewed plenty of small, concealable .380s hoping to guide women shooters to the right handgun. However, it is starting to feel like a clich�. We been down this road before and asked: Has the .380 ACP replaced the snub-nosed .38 revolver as the go-to handgun suggestion for women?

Canada: Justin Bourque arrested over shooting of three Mounties, say Canadian police
Submitted by: Anonymous

There are no comments on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments

Police in the Canadian city of Moncton have arrested Justin Bourque, the suspect in a shooting spree that led to the deaths of three Mounties and the lockdown of hundreds of homes for 24 hours.
Bourque, 24, had been on the run since Wednesday night when the fatal exchange of fire took place.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police in New Brunswick announced his arrest in the early hours of Friday:
Justin Bourque arrested by RCMP at 12:10 in Moncton. He is in police custody. Residents of north Moncton can now leave their homes.
� RCMP New Brunswick (@RCMPNB) June 6, 2014

Canada: Police apprehend suspect in Moncton shootings Submitted by: Anonymous	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
Police in New Brunswick confirmed early Friday that shooting suspect Justin Bourque has been arrested. Mr. Bourque, 24, wanted in connection with the shooting deaths of three RCMP officers was taken into custody shortly after midnight. Barricades that had been in place while police scoured the city of Moncton started coming down immediately after word of the arrest began to leak.

CA: Detective: Fatal Covina mobile home park shooting believed to be self-defense
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

There are no comments on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments

A man fatally shot at a mobile home park in unincorporated Covina last week was allegedly trying to rob a resident and had shocked him with a Taser when the resident fired a gun in self defense, authorities said.

Richard Alan Wurtz, 37, died at the scene of the shooting, which took place shortly after 11 a.m. at the Royal Palms Mobile Homes Park, 21210 E. Arrow Highway, according to Los Angeles County sheriff�s and coroner�s officials.

Target Stores In Crosshairs Of Gun Rights Fight
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

There are no comments on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments

Target is caught up in a debate between Second Amendment activists and a group of angry moms.

In stores across the country, open carry supporters have been seen with their long guns and assault rifles in plain view. It�s legal to do in 40 states, and in some (like Minnesota), you need a permit.

But the group that persuaded Chipotle and Starbucks to implement an open carry ban now has a bull�s-eye on Target to do the same.

Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America has even started an online petition asking the Target interim CEO to create a policy.

FL: Court rules against Gov. Scott in county gun control fight
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

There are no comments on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments

Circuit Court Judge John Cooper this week ruled that �the Legislature may not grant the Governor the power to remove a county commissioner when that power is not provided by the Constitution.�

The governor�s office can still appeal the ruling.

Winning a court ruling against the governor�s ability to remove local officials from office still doesn�t shield them from potential fines that could come from trying to enforce local firearms regulations.

Ed.: Easily fixed. Amend the law to make it a felony to enforce a local gun law that contradicts state law--hard for a politician to enforce an illegal law when they are in prison.

IL: Illinois should appeal conceal-and-carry law because of potential consequences
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

There are no comments on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments

I believe Illinois government should appeal [sic] the recently passed conceal-and-carry law. With this law in place, there are many dangers that people in Illinois face.

The city of Chicago has one of the highest crime rates in the nation. Yet people still want to make guns easily obtainable.

I understand that in order to obtain these weapons, one must go through hours of training. I do not think that is a large enough barrier to prevent the wrong type of people from getting their hands on a gun.

Experts debate the real purpose of the Second Amendment
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

There are no comments on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments

What did the Founding Fathers really intend when they crafted the Second Amendment? Two leading experts with opposing views, Alan Gura and Michael Waldman, debate the topic in a spirited discussion at the National Constitution Center.

Waldman, president of the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law, joined attorney Gura and the National Constitution Center�s Jeffrey Rosen for a rigorous discussion on the history and purpose of the Second Amendment in a live event on June 4, 2014.

Ed.: There is a video of the debate.

Nun Calls for Universities to Propagandize for Gun Control
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

There are no comments on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments

The President of a private Catholic university was interviewed by The Catholic News Service, which is *not* a part of the Catholic Church.

It was published in The Pilot, a paper that claims the title of �America�s Oldest Catholic Newspaper�. The paper is owned by the Archdiocese of Boston.

On June 1, it published an interview with Sister Carney, who has been the President of Bonaventure University, a private school in Allegany, New York, for the last ten years.

Here she speaks of the emotional plea for more government restrictions on the private ownership of firearms after the killing of six people in Santa Barbara, California, three with a knife, three shot to death:

�Gun control not the answer,� says law enforcement magazine editor
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

There are no comments on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments

The editor of POLICE Magazine, one of the nation�s premier law enforcement publications, published an editorial Tuesday blasting the clamor for additional gun laws in response to the Santa Barbara killing spree, asserting bluntly, �you could have taken away every gun from every law-abiding American and outlawed the manufacture and sale of guns and this killer would have still found a way to leave his mark.�

WV: Concealed handgun licenses will qualify for federal exemption
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

There are no comments on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments

West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey says West Virginia concealed handgun licenses now will qualify as an alternative to the background check requirements of the Brady Law.

As a result, West Virginians with concealed handgun licenses (�CHL�) issued on or after June 4, 2014, will be exempted from undergoing additional background checks every time the license-holder seeks to purchase a firearm from a licensed dealer.

WA: 3 shot at Seattle Pacific University before student tackles gunman
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

There are no comments on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments

When Briana Clarke heard popping sounds on a Seattle college campus on Thursday, she thought the source must be something innocent -- bursting balloons. Then she saw a classmate running frantically, saying someone had been shot.

A gunman had opened fire at Seattle Pacific University, killing one person and wounding two more before he was tackled by a student security guard, Seattle police said.

The gunman was reloading a shotgun when the tackler, working as a building monitor, used pepper spray and knocked him down, Police Capt. Chris Fowler told reporters.

WA: Student Disarmed University Gunman; 1 Killed, 3 Injured
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

There are no comments on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments

When a lone gunman armed with a shotgun at a small Seattle university stopped firing at students to reload, another student pepper-sprayed him and subdued him with the help of others and prevented more deaths, police said.

"There are a number of heroes in this," Assistant Police Chief Paul McDonagh said. "The people around him (the gunman) stepped up."

A 19-year-old man was fatally shot and two other young people were wounded after the gunman entered the foyer at Otto Miller Hall on the Seattle Pacific University campus and started shooting Thursday afternoon. When he paused to reload, a student building monitor disarmed him. The gunman had additional rounds and a knife, McDonagh said.

WA: Self-defense claim could clear Adams Co. murder suspect
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

There are no comments on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments

An Adams County man is being held in jail on a Second Degree Murder charge after authorities said he shot his elderly neighbor several times. However, the suspect might be released because authorities think it may have been in self-defense.

The shooting happened a couple miles north of Washtucna Tuesday night.

Prosecutors have not filed formal charges against the suspect, Larry Turner, 60, and there is a possibility they may not.

Author: 2nd Amendment Made Civil Rights Movement Possible Submitted by: Mark A. Taff Website: http://www.marktaff.com	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
In his new book, This Nonviolent Stuff'll Get You Killed: How Guns Made The Civil Rights Movement Possible, journalist Charles Cobb shows how important guns were not only to leaders like Martin Luther King, Jr. but also to many black Southerners who "believed in both nonviolence and self-defense." According to The Root, Cobb focuses on "how armed black Southerners helped fight for Civil Rights."

MO: A common sense issue?
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

There are no comments on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments

Missouri�s governor now has to decide whether he agrees with the state�s legislators because he has a bill awaiting his signature that would result in a major change in our classrooms. Let�s hope common sense prevails.

According to a published Associated Press report: �The proposed law would allow any school district in Missouri to designate one or more elementary or secondary school teachers or administrators as a voluntary �school protection officer.� Such a designation would include the right to carry a concealed firearm or a �self-defense spray device.� School districts would first have to hold a public hearing before allowing such a designation.�

WA: Hearing set on forfeiture of Port Angeles murderer�s gun collection
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

There are no comments on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments

Some of the firearms in Smith�s collection are rare-edition tributes to the D-Day invasion, Pearl Harbor, Texas Rangers and the U.S. Navy. Smith served in the Navy on a nuclear submarine.

�The police have been anxiously drooling over my priceless, irreplaceable, museum quality, American firearm collection I�ve spent over 40 years accumulating,� Smith wrote in a prison letter filed in Superior Court.

�Many have never been fired and only touched with white cotton gloves. One of them, only 10 were ever made.�

...defense attorney Karen Unger of Port Angeles wrote that only one weapon was used in the crime for which Smith was convicted and that no other weapon was displayed or used.

FL: Can anybody crawl inside shooter�s mind?
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

There are no comments on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments

Escobar also can demonstrate � supported by the theater�s surveillance cameras � that between Reeves� return and the deadly gunshot, Oulson accounted for 100 percent of the provocation: The younger man mocked Reeves, stood and towered over him, bounced his cellphone off his chest (it was found on the floor in Reeves� aisle), and finally conked him with a full box of popcorn.

Having presented all that, the lawyer will ask the jury to perform a mind meld: There�s a wall at your back, your wife on one side and other moviegoers down the row. You�re pinned to your seat, immediate escape is unlikely, and the tall, imposing younger man standing over you seems increasingly hostile. What would you do?

Never mind! The NRA thinks it's totally cool to bring your rifle to Chipotle
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

There are no comments on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments

Apparently, the NRA does not actually endorse the notion that Texans, or anyone, should think twice before bringing their rifles to lunch. The executive director of the NRA's legislative arm (on whose site the post first appeared) said on an NRA radio show on Tuesday that the post just reflected one staffer's opinion, not the whole of the organization. Furthermore, he said, the NRA � or at least its lobbying arm � shouldn't even be in the business of telling gun owners what is and isn't a good idea. "Our job is not to criticize the lawful behavior of fellow gun owners. Our job is to effectuate policy change that expands and protects our members' right to self defense."

CA: Reconsidering the Second Amendment
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

There are no comments on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments

A few years ago, I went to a candidate coffee klatch at the home of a friend. There was a candidate running for Congress, and I wanted to know his views on the Second Amendment and gun control. I mentioned that I enjoy hunting, target shooting and gun collecting. I was caught by surprise when he answered, �The Second Amendment has nothing to do with hunting, target shooting or gun collecting. It gives citizens the right (and ability) to fight government tyranny.�

I was somewhat taken aback at the answer, but upon reflection decided he was right on target. The American colonies were able to resist what they perceived as British tyranny, because they had guns and thus the ability to fight to protect their freedom.

The Militia Myth: Understanding the Language of the 2nd Amendment
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

There are no comments on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments

The issues surrounding the right to bear arms are many and varied. Most often the debate centers around the lethality of modern firearms, especially �assault weapons� that can fire rapidly with large magazines. Yet one element of the debate frequently referenced obliquely in the mainstream media concerns the actual intent and function of the Second Amendment. Some progressive groups have been endeavoring to turn the originalist position against itself, so to speak. Their arguments are often baffling to those unprepared for them, but they are easily beaten with a little preparation.

ID: Guns in the classroom: Options for Idaho faculty
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

There are no comments on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments

The presidents and their faculty at Idaho's colleges and universities voiced their strong opposition, but the Idaho Legislature passed Senate Bill 1254 allowing firearms in our classrooms. The UI faculty union has hired an attorney to research the legal options for Idaho faculty, and I will now summarize his legal memo on this vital matter. See the complete document at www.idaho-aft.org/GunsCampus.pdf.

Ed.: How ID faculty plan to circumvent the new campus carry law.

MI: Firearm organizations to hold open carry picnic in downtown Detroit Submitted by: Mark A. Taff Website: http://www.marktaff.com	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
Three firearm organizations are inviting gun owners and Second Amendment supporters to its Southeast Michigan regional picnic in downtown Detroit. Michigan Open Carry Inc., Michigan Gun Owners and Michigan Coalition for Responsible Gun Owners are offering this picnic as a gathering to discuss current Second Amendment rights issues.