Keep and Bear Arms - Gun Owners Home Page

Yes, Gay Black Men Can Be Killers, Too
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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In the aftermath of Dylann Roof�s racist murders in Charleston, the Internet was deluged with think pieces about whiteness, white privilege, white racism, and the legacy of American racial injustice. While Roof�s individual agency in the murders was acknowledged, his actions were deemed inseparable not just from America�s gun culture but also from its racist past. Flags had to come down, statues had to be toppled, and even Confederate bones had to be exhumed.

AR: Man charged with illegally carrying a weapon in open carry challenge
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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A northeast Arkansas man has been found guilty of illegally carrying a weapon in the first major challenge to Arkansas' controversial Act 746.

Richard Chambless was given 1 year probation, 15 days in jail, and a $2,160 fine. His attorney says he will appeal the decision.

On a Tuesday afternoon in May, Chambless decided to walk around his hometown of Bald Knob and do some shopping. He started at McDonald's, walking under the bridge and shopping in two stores before returning to the restaurant to get a drink. It wasn't unusual behavior, except for the fact that the whole time Chambless was carrying his gun on his hip.

Vox �Smart Take� Pushes Gun Confiscation. Here�s What Would Happen If They Tried.
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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Let me explain in precise terms how that �experience� would work if anti-gun Democrats attempted to force through ex post facto gun confiscation in what most Americans would view as a clear violation of the Second Amendment.

There are an estimated 100 million gun owners in the United States, and more than 300 million firearms (some estimates are as high as 350 million). Somewhere between 1/3 and 1/2 of these firearms�between 100 million and 200 million firearms�are of the kind of rifles, shotguns, and pistols that would be be those targeted in an �Australian� mandatory buyback scheme.

Converting a 1911 to 7.62�25 Tokarev
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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The 7.62�25 Tokarev is a potent pistol cartridge. It originated in Russia in 1930 as an �improved� version of the 7.63�25 Mauser. It was chambered in pistols and submachine guns and, no doubt, contributed to the demise of many German soldiers in WWII.

The most well-known firearms that chamber the 7.62�25 Tokarev are the Soviet Tokarev TT-33 and Czech CZ-52 service pistols, as well as various submachine guns, the most iconic being the drum-fed PPSh-41. Surplus pistols have been available in the U.S. for years and have enjoyed some popularity because of their relatively low price and historical value.

CNN�s Cuomo tries to corner Trump on gun control, but he isn�t playing along
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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If Cuomo thought Trump was going to play it safe and join the crown, he was sadly mistaken.

�I don�t think I would, because this is really a sick person,� Trump said of Virginia gunman Vester Lee Flanagan II. �This isn�t a gun problem, this is a mental problem.�

Trump apparently recalled the old maxim, �When guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns� and continued.

�I know one thing: if you tried to do it, the bad guys would have them�and the good folks would abide by the law � they�d be hopeless, and it would just be a hopeless situation for them.�

�I�m a very strong Second Amendment person,� he told Cuomo.

CBS Pushes Gun Control as �a Public Health Issue� Like Seat Belts, Airbags, Anti-Smoking Campaigns
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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On Thursday, the CBS Evening News seized on the deadly shooting of two local news reporters in Roanoke, Virginia to promote the idea that gun control should be treated like �a public health issue� akin to seat belts, airbags, and anti-smoking campaigns.

In a tease early on in the program, fill-in anchor Maurice DuBois explained that �[s]ome public health officials say gun violence, just like car accidents and smoking-related illnesses can be prevented or at least reduced.� He then promised that �[w]e�ll have both sides of that issue later.�

Carly Fiorina: Democrats' Virginia Shooting Response Is 'Disappointing'
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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After speaking to a crowd of roughly 100 Iowans on Thursday morning, Carly Fiorina told reporters that the shooting of two Virginia reporters on live television Wednesday was a "tragedy" and "really disturbing." But she also had hard words for Democrats who, in the discussion of the shooting, called for stricter gun laws.

She said she found it "so disappointing that once again, politicians�in this case Democrats�politicize a tragedy."

Fiorina went on to criticize Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (and by extension, Hillary Clinton) for using the shooting as an example for the need for stricter gun legislation.

KY: Kentucky Politicians Weigh In On Gun Control After Virginia Shooting
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Elected officials and candidates gathered Thursday morning for the annual Kentucky Farm Bureau Ham Breakfast & Auction at the Kentucky State Fair. In a departure from national Democrats who have called for more stringent gun laws, Kentucky Democrats joined Republicans in saying new gun laws were not needed to prevent future incidents.

Jack Conway, the Democratic nominee for governor, called the incident �very troubling.� But he said additional gun laws wouldn�t have prevented the shooting.

Armed and angry, the formula for gun violence
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Some experts, though, are saying that�s the wrong population to be concerned about. Severe mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder � typical legal disqualifiers for gun ownership � are not the problem, they say. According to their studies, the most dangerous population is gun owners with chronic temper-management problems: the Armed and Angry.

The findings, published in April in the journal Behavioral Sciences & the Law, suggest that nearly 9 percent of all Americans who are prone to outbursts of anger � such as fighting and breaking objects � also have ready access to firearms.

WA: Seattle Passes �Gun Violence� Tax, NRA and Others Sue Seattle
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Not just one, but three Second Amendment groups have filed suit against the city of Seattle for adopting a �gun violence tax� on ammunition and firearms, �designed to help offset the financial toll of gun violence�:

The complaint was filed Monday in King County Superior Court by the NRA, the Bellevue-based Second Amendment Foundation and the National Shooting Sports Foundation, along with two gun owners and two gun shops. It called the tax legally unenforceable because Washington state prohibits local governments from adopting laws related to firearms unless those local ordinances are specifically authorized by the state.

Oath Keepers split over arming Ferguson protesters
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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But the announcement of the march caused dissension among Oath Keeper national leadership who, according to the Oath Keeper website, are all former cops.

Ferguson Oath Keeper chapter leader Sam Andrews says race played a role in the decision by the national organization to pull support from the march and he has left Oath Keepers. Andrews is quoted in a conservative anti-government website as stating, �I can�t have my name associated with an organization that doesn�t believe Black people can exercise their First and Second Amendment rights at the same time.�

OH: Authorities believe Jackson woman acted in self defense in shooting
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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�Hoover had multiple cuttings and knife wounds,� explained Eisnaugle. �There were no gunshot wounds. There were stab wounds... and slice wounds where he was hacked with an edged weapon.�

According to authorities, Christian kicked in the front door to the house and went after Adkins. Christian and Adkins exchanged gunfire. Christian died of his gunshot wound, while Adkins was shot once in the lower chest/abdomen area. She was taken to Holzer Medical Center in Jackson, and then transported by medical helicopter to another hospital, where she underwent surgery.

Adkins� 2-year-old daughter was present during the incident. The child was uninjured and is in the custody of family members.

TV Reporter�s Father Wants Laws to Prevent �Crazy People� from Getting Guns
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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One day after Virginia TV reporter Alison Parker, 24, and her photographer Adam Ward, 27, were gunned down on live television, Parker�s father is speaking out.

�It�s senseless that her life and Adam�s life were taken by a crazy person with a gun.� Tony Parker said Thursday. �Look, I am for the second amendment. But, there has to be a way to force politicians that are cowards and in the pockets of the NRA to come to grips with and make sensible laws so that crazy people can�t get guns.�

Stiffer US gun control? Not any time soon, say experts
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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With mass shootings seemingly on a daily basis, it appears no place in the United States is safe from carnage: Not churches, not schools, not even the morning newscast.

The shocking on-air murder of a young reporter and a cameraman by a disgruntled former colleague Wednesday has once again renewed calls for stricter gun controls.

That is simply not going to happen, experts said, and the trend in recent years has actually gone in the opposite direction. "You can't get rid of them," Harry Wilson, a professor at Roanoke College in Virginia - near the scene of the latest shooting - said.

Father of Slain Virginia Reporter Vows to 'Shame Legislators' Into Passing More Gun Control
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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Following Allison Parker�s August 26 shooting death at the hands of former station employee Vester Lee Flanagan, her father, Andy Parker, vowed to �shame politicians� into supporting more gun control.

According to Mail Online, Andy said, �I am going to do something, whatever it takes, to shame legislators about closing loopholes in background checks to make sure crazy people don�t get guns.�

TX: BU Journalism Student Says Va. Shooting Won�t Deter Him
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Guerra said he thinks a lesson on self-defense should be offered in a journalism class.

"I definitely do feel journalism majors should take a course that just warns of the hazards and tells them what to do in these situations so that they should be better equipped so that a situation like this comes up," he said.

"And I think that if I was a reporter I would make it my point to help the safety and help educate against gun abuse in that way. Typically, guns don't kill people, people kill people, and that is true. The gun simply facilitates the act. My opinion on this is it's not so much a gun issue it's a cultural issue," he continued.

The NRA's president supported "sharply restricting� guns in 1934. Then its members revolted. Submitted by: Mark A. Taff Website: http://www.marktaff.com	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
In the wake of Wednesday's on-camera shooting in Virginia, Evan Dickson posted the above meme on Twitter, in which a past National Rifle Association president says the "promiscuous toting" of guns should be "sharply restricted." The quote is accurate, and Frederick wasn't alone � for much of the 20th century, the NRA's leaders sympathized with and even supported gun control measures.

Does 2nd Amendment apply to illegal aliens?
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Federal law prohibits illegal aliens from possessing guns and ammunition.

The fact that four other federal circuit courts have come to the opposite conclusion of the 7th suggests the issue of whether illegal aliens have Second Amendment rights could eventually be headed to the U.S. Supreme Court.

"How a law can trump an amendment is, I think, the point in dispute," observes Larry Pratt of Gun Owners of America. "And that's what's going to be before the next court if the case gets taken up."

Before the case is taken to the Supreme Court, the entire 7th Circuit Court of Appeals is expected to review the case.

NJ: Pistol-packin' pastors Submitted by: Mark A. Taff Website: http://www.marktaff.com	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
Two New Jersey pastors say they would like to have concealed carry permits to protect their churches. Pastor Jeffrey Kovach of Calvary Bible Church in Mount Laurel is worried about safety. �As time goes by I�m becoming more and more uncomfortable with the security of the church,� Kovach stated.

Fight for 3-D printed guns moves into appeal
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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Despite a recent setback earlier this month when a judge denied Defense Distributed�s request for preliminary injunction against the State Department for prohibiting online posting of plans for a 3-D printed pistol, the case is moving forward to the U.S. Court of Appeals.

The company�s president and self-proclaimed anarchist Cody Wilson announced on Twitter this week that his case was picked up by the 5th Circuit of Appeals.

Attorneys for Defense Distributed filed the motion for injunction to halt enforcement of prepublication approval of the unclassified information under the International Traffic Arms Regulations, which seek to control the export of defense-related technology.

MI: Another martyr for the sacred, holy Second Amendment
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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If history repeats itself, here is what will happen in the next few days: people who are today sharing the story of Allison Parker will continue to share it. That will transition smoothly into a counter-protest by people who worship firearms who insist that we not crassly politicize individual gun crimes or that the person who pulled the trigger is the real villain, and by this time next week we�ll mostly have forgotten about it. That is, we�ll have forgotten about it until the next senseless, pointless public execution of an American by gun.

After on-air shooting, 2016 Democrats call for more gun control
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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The Roanoke shooting of a reporter and cameraman Wednesday reignited the debate over guns among the 2016 presidential contenders, with Democratic candidates Hillary Clinton and Martin O'Malley the lone voices calling for more gun control.

"We've got to do something about gun violence in America, and I will take it on," Clinton declared Wednesday at an event in Iowa. The country, Clinton argued, should be able "to balance the legitimate second amendment rights with preventive measures and control measures, so that whatever motivated this murderer who eventually took his own life, we will not see more deaths, needless senseless deaths."

GA: Columbia County sheriff will request revision to pawn shop law
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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As for tracking firearm sales, he said the law wasn�t intended to build a database of gun owners and he would oppose any law that did.

�I�m a Second Amendment guy, I do not want to ever come close to anything that could resemble a database, because I think that is horrible,� he said. �Any country you can ever show me that ended up with a database of firearms, confiscated them, and I�m not going to be a part of that, I can promise you.�

On Thursday, Tisdale said he was happy to hear that the sheriff wanted to revise the law.

Federal Handgun Licensing Bill Illustrates Anti-Gun Machinery At Work Submitted by: Mark A. Taff Website: http://www.marktaff.com	There is 1 comment on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
Federal firearm licensing bills are nothing new, but the twist with the HPLA is that it would bribe states with your federal tax dollars to require the licensing of handgun acquisition under their own laws. Of course, the minimum standards for these laws�the age cutoff, renewal term, background checks, submission of fingerprints and photographs, etc.�would have to meet federal standards.

AZ: Gun safety
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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The president is calling for "common sense gun safety reforms." It's hard to disagree with that, but here's the dilemma. What Obama calls "common sense" is usually unreasonable, draconian or unconstitutional and gets rejected by Congress.

For example, the president used a 2013 Executive Order to ban the re-importation of WWII military rifles for resale; primarily the Garand M1. These armaments were given to our allies in Europe and Asia for self-defense after the war ended. They were intended for the Civilian Marksmanship Program and interested collectors, as they are highly sought after and prized as collection pieces.