Keep and Bear Arms - Gun Owners Home Page

LA: WomenOnGuard.com Donates Pepper Spray Again, This Time to Louisiana
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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

Some information published not long ago by The Violence Policy Center in Washington, DC, ranked Louisiana as 3rd in rate of women murdered by men in the nation. Susan stated, �New Orleans has had days where 3 or more murders occur in their streets. Actually, pre-trial motions are expected to start for Louis Lamonica. He is a former pastor and one of seven members of the Hosanna Church who face rape charges.� In general, the state of Louisiana has had an increase in crime, especially after Katrina. She stated that women are unfortunately some of the victims of murder, sexual assault and domestic violence.

AZ: Lawmaker lauds decision to allow teachers to carry guns
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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

An Arizona state senator is watching closely what happens in a small school district outside Fort Worth, Texas, which is the first in the nation to allow teachers to carry guns on campus.

Sen. Karen Johnson, R-Mesa, fought for a similar bill during the last Arizona legislative session, but it never reached the Senate floor.

Johnson still believes guns on campus are necessary.

``If you have that teacher who has been trained, gone through all the background checks and is perfectly capable of carrying a concealed weapon, that would be the logical thing to do," Johnson said.

WY: Soldiers fire away in shootout
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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

He said the Second Amendment is not just about owning a gun.

�They key is for everyone to become skillful at handling a weapon,� Stube said. �That way if the nation ever needs to be defended, people may be good at it.�

Stube works in the Special Ops Command office focusing on public awareness.

�I have two things I want people to know about Special Ops and the Army,� he said. �The first is that we are doing the right job overseas right now.

�The second is that we're not just fighting our way through the war on terror,� he added. �We're also applying culturally relevant solutions to the larger problems of the region.�

KS: Longshot, Or Sensible Pick?
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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

[Kansas Gov. Kathleen] Sebelius and Obama differ on gun control and the death penalty � yet on both issues, Sebelius, like Obama, has straddled the line between support and opposition.

In her �02 campaign, she said she supported �the language in the Kansas Constitution� regarding the right to bear arms, a ringing endorsement of the Second Amendment. ...�Like Charlton Heston, Kathleen Sebelius supports every person's Second Amendment right to bear arms." And this April, she approved a bill lifting restrictions on ownership of automatic weapons and silencers. But in �06, she earned the wrath of the NRA for vetoing a concealed-carry law, and the state legislature overrode her veto.

IL: Obama vulnerable on Chicago crime?
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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

But those who contend that Chicago's near-absolute ban on handgun ownership has contributed to the city's recent leap in crime have seized on what they say is Obama's less-than-clear stance on gun issues. They say that while Obama has recently voiced support for the constitutional right to own handguns for self-defense in the home, a right enumerated by the Supreme Court in June, his legislative record shows more hostility than affirmation to handgun ownership.

Chicago's gun ban is now under attack in the courts, even as Mayor Richard Daley has vowed to defend it. Obama has never publicly stated whether he believes the Chicago law is constitutional.

AZ: Losing rights serious business
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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

It's a safe bet that few people want to see innocent people hurt or killed when families have problems. It's also a good wager that rights of some are squashed in the name of protecting others. Sometimes that can be OK if those who have rights restricted have gone through the system and are judged to be dangerous people.

Gilbert, Ariz., Mayor Steve Berman has neither been charged with nor convicted of any crime; yet recently he was stripped of his Second Amendment rights.

Ditto for his son, Steve Berman Jr.

CO: Group readies plan for packing heat on CU campus
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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

Classes are still a week away, but some students at the University of Colorado-Boulder are already making themselves heard.

Students for 'Concealed Carry on Campus' planned to make their case for allowing concealed weapons on campus to the CU Board of Regents Wednesday. The group was formed after the Virginia Tech shootings and said had those students been armed, the outcome may have been different.

"They cowered under desks, the braver ones barricaded doors but that's all they could do," argued Jim Manley, a member of the group. He said those with concealed weapons permits are trained and have earned the right to arm themselves.

MO: Anti-gunners need to use more caution
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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

For those of you who did not read Donald Kaul's July 27 column, please do so. It gives us the Democrat's idea of "reasonable" gun control: Forcible disarmament. But be careful what you wish for, anti-gunners.

The battle of Concord was fought when British troops marched to seize a colonial arsenal. The Second Amendment was written into the Bill of Rights for the protection of the others. Should all the checks and balances of the Constitution fail, it guarantees us a means of deposing tyrants. Adolf Hitler's rise to power came about after he disarmed his countrymen and millions died as a result.

Fear the Government That Fears Your Gun
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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

When McCain talks, gun owners and freedom-loving nations like Poland hear a man they can trust, while rogue nations and communist regimes hear a man they cannot control. But when Obama talks, even his friends hear weakness, while rogue nations and communist regimes hear a man they can manipulate. As for me, every time Obama talks, a little voice inside my head reminds me to �fear the government that fears your gun.�

Ed.: Actually, I trust Obama more--I trust he will do anything he can to subvert our RKBA. McCain *might* protect our RKBA, or he might just introduce more anti-gun legislation.

AK: Obama�s gun plan
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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

Here are a but a few of...[Obama's] visions, proposals and bills he has either sponsored/co-sponsored or voted for: ban the manufacture, sale and possession of handguns; close down 90 percent of the gun shops in America; ban rifle ammunition commonly used for hunting; increase federal taxes on guns and ammunition by 500 percent; ban the use of firearms for home defense; eliminate the right to carry from even law-abiding citizens; and (here are two really good ones), restore voting rights for 5 million criminals, including those who have been convicted of using a gun to commit a violent crime and, if elected, appoint judges to the U.S. judiciary who share his views regarding the Second Amendment!

Formal Declaration Between U.S., Mexico Governors to Use ATF Project Gunrunner, eTrace Investigative Tool
Submitted by: Anonymous

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

The Border Governors Conference announced a significant partnership to stop the flow of illegal uns into Mexico by utilizing the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and explosives (ATF) programs called Project Gunrunner and eTrace. The two programs make up the centerpiece of a new declaration of cooperation between the 10 border governors from the United States and Mexico that aims to eliminate illegal sources of weapons and bring gun traffickers and violent criminals to justice. Border governors agree to support Project Gunrunner and the eTrace programs, as legally and practically permissible,
to reduce violence along the U.S.-Mexico border.

FL: Florida Firms Fight to Keep Gun-Free Workplace Submitted by: New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Website: http://www.nysrpa.org	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
Several major Florida employers are trying to get around a law allowing workers to keep guns in their cars, even as a June U.S. Supreme Court ruling supporting the right to keep handguns at home has emboldened national gun-rights lobbyists.

MN: If nothing else, let�s talk politics, guns
Submitted by: New York State Rifle & Pistol Association
Website: http://www.nysrpa.org

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

I typically avoid politics, at least on a national scale, in this column. I think most people do just fine thinking for themselves as long as they have all the information. I�m not impressed with either candidate for president. That�s just a personal observation that comes from listening to a man who is smooth as silk with not much to say and very little experience. So what does this political rant have to do with the outdoors? Well, Obama�s record on gun control and possession is very troublesome. He has no background in the outdoors, knows nothing about hunting and clearly doesn�t understand the value that many Americans put on their right to keep and bear arms. His voting record is consistent in its anti-gun slant.

TX: Lufkin shooting victim hailed hero, Hudson man charged with capital murder
Submitted by: Anonymous

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

"He was a true hero," Minefee said. "He saved his girlfriend's life and possibly others who would have been here."

Lufkin police have charged Brian Martin Womack, 19, of Hudson with capital murder. Womack is recovering from surgery at a local hospital where he is being kept under police guard. Labrozzi, who had a concealed handgun license, shot Womack in the abdomen during the incident, using a handgun he carried while escorting Jeffreys as she closed the restaurant before depositing the night's till.

"As they walked from the business toward their Chevrolet Tahoe vehicle, Katherine, who was carrying the night deposit from Catfish King, observed a male suspect running toward her from the wood line at the back corner of the property," an arrest affidavit stated. "She heard the suspect yell something, but she did not understand what he said."

Senior Advisor To John McCain Oversaw Gun Lobby Office That Hired Spy Submitted by: New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Website: http://www.nysrpa.org	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
A political consultant who serves as a senior advisor to presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain apparently oversaw a lobbying operation that hired a mole to infiltrate and spy on progressive opposition groups.

Jury Nulification Nulified Submitted by: Anonymous	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
A federal judged expelled a juror who was asking too many questions about the constitutionality of a law.

PA: Elderly Woman Grabs Gun, Holds Would-Be Burglar At Bay
Submitted by: New York State Rifle & Pistol Association
Website: http://www.nysrpa.org

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

An 85-year-old great-grandmother from Lake Lynn, Fayette County kept an alleged burglar at bay using a .22-caliber pistol. According to police, a 17-year-old suspect was attempting to burglarize Leda Smith overnight. That's when Smith grabbed her gun and told the teen that she would shoot him if he moved, police said. "I had the gun on him before he turned around and said, 'you've had it,' " Smith told Channel 11-News. According to police, Smith ordered the boy to dial 911 and then gave him some advice. "Dial 911 and don't attempt to throw the phone at me, or do anything bad or i'll [sic] just shoot you," Smith said. When police arrived, they took the teen into custody. Charges have been filed against the boy and an alleged accomplice.

Ed.: I love that she made the young thug call 911 for her. ;-)

TN: Why do we make it easy for killers to get guns?
Submitted by: Anonymous

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

Gun advocates can make me sick to my stomach. And not far behind are those who still can't get over the fact that the South lost the Civil War.

America needs more "extremist, elitist gun control' people to help stop the killing of such people as Bill Gwatney, not laws that will enable more people to own guns and then kill people with them.

And somebody, please tell 18-year-old Tommy DeFoe that the Civil War is over. Tell him that the "masters' have lost their slaves. DeFoe had sued the Anderson County school board over a dress code banning such items as his Confederate flag belt.

For an 18-year-old to claim he is fighting for "my heritage and my rights as a Southerner and an American' is a bunch of bull.

Bid to allow guns in national parks
Submitted by: New York State Rifle & Pistol Association
Website: http://www.nysrpa.org

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

Visitors to America's national parks may soon be able to pack more than a picnic lunch on their next visit to Yellowstone, the Everglades, or the Grand Canyon. The US Interior Department is considering a proposal to scrap a 25-year ban on carrying concealed weapons in national parks. If adopted, the measure would mark a significant victory for gun rights advocates and would come at a time when gun control efforts are under increased scrutiny across the country.

MI: ATF Arrests Revoked Gun Dealer
Submitted by: Anonymous

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

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Flint Field Office, executed federal search warrants Thursday, Aug. 14, at the Highland Gun Barn, located at 2525 M-59, Highland, Mich., and the Otisville Gun Barn, at 12163 M-15, in Otisville, and arrested Gabriel Kish III and Deborah J. Summers
for dealing firearms without a license. The Otisville Gun Barn is licensed by ATF. However, the Highland store is not licensed due to their license being revoked by ATF in 2004 for violating the Gun Control Act.

MI: 75 open carriers have nice picnic in Michigan public park
Submitted by: karl hicks

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

They came, they saw, they carried - and they didn't cause any problems.

Members of OpenCarry.org peacefully set up shop Saturday at Veterans Memorial Park in Warren to prove a point about the Second Amendment and Michigan's gun laws.
About 75 gun enthusiasts strolled through the park throughout the afternoon with sidearms strapped to their belts in plain view.
The goal was to underscore that Michigan is among 44 states where it's legal to carry a gun in public without a permit, as long as it was legally purchased and registered.

GA: GCO files Freedom of Information Act Request with TSA
Submitted by: Mark McCullough
Website: http://www.georgiacarry.org/

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

GeorgiaCarry.Org is currently in court fighting over Atlanta's firearms ban in the unsecured areas of Hartsfield Atlanta Airport so we were surprised to find out that the airport is trying to create a back door way to ban firearms if their case should fail. In addition to GCO's to the TSA to deny Hartsfield�s request of the security plan change, we have also asked the TSA for all the documents Atlanta submitted to the them for the request to change the security plan.

You can view GCO�s FOIA request here.

MA: Recording a Traffic Stop in MA Will Land You in the Slammer
Submitted by: Larry

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

On October 26, 1998, Michael Hyde was pulled over by Abington, Massachusetts police for an excessively loud exhaust system and unlit license plate on his white Porsche. The stop should have ended in a fix-it ticket at worst, but escalated when Hyde accused the cop of pulling him over for his hippie hair. That was just the beginning: Apparently, Hyde was secretly recording the show and filed a complaint over the incident...which is unfortunate, since secretly recording a traffic stop is illegal in Massachusetts. The cops pressed charges and Hyde was sent up the river. His conviction was confirmed by the Massachusetts State Supreme Court on appeal.

NJ: Area Police Armed to the Hilt
Submitted by: Anonymous

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

"North Jersey police are stockpiling some of the most sophisticated tactical and assault weapons on the market, but some residents question the need for such firepower in sleepy suburban towns."

"Police insist, however, that they must beef up their arsenals to keep pace with criminals and prepare for school shooters, terrorist attacks and other threats."

"Experts say North Jersey's weapons proliferation matches a national trend that began in the 1990s, sparked by events such as the North Hollywood bank shootout in California and the Columbine school massacre in Colorado. Fears of terrorism after 9/11 accelerated the transformation of police from patrol and investigative roles into that of 'first responders.' "

Bad Calls: How Do Error-Prone 911 Operators Keep Their Jobs?
Submitted by: jac

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

One 911 operator reportedly fell asleep so soundly at her desk in Atlanta that she fell off her chair and scraped her ear, later filing a worker's compensation claim, which was rejected.

A third operator allegedly hung up on a 19-year-old college student in Madison, Wis., who was desperately calling for police to come to her home, where an attacker eventually stabbed and bludgeoned her to death.

"911 operators are governed at the lowest levels of government, not even at the municipality level but on the agency level, whether it's local police or fire departments," said Smith, pointing out that not all states license 911 operators and not all agencies run criminal background checks.