Keep and Bear Arms - Gun Owners Home Page

Gun control groups accused of �swatting� open-carry permit holders, putting lives at risk
Submitted by: jac

There is 1 comment on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments

Second Amendment groups are accusing the gun control lobby of putting law-abiding owners of firearms in danger by urging people to call the police on anyone carrying a gun in public.

As more states relax rules about open-carrying of guns, the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence has taken to social media to urge the public to assume gun-toters are trouble, and to call the cops on anyone they feel may be a threat.

GA: Grand Jury: Man was 'standing his ground' in shootout
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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

A grand jury determined that a man was acting in self defense when he shot and killed another man during an argument.

A grand jury returned a No Bill Wednesday, clearing Arthur Bell of charges in the shooting.

It happened when several shots were fired in the parking lot of the Brothers Corner Store on Aug. 26.

Prosecutors say Richard J. Butler fired shots at Arthur Bell, and Bell fired shots back at Butler.

Bell was hit in the kidney, but survived. Butler was hit in the head and hand, and was killed instantly.

A grand jury watched the entire incident on video from surveillance, and decided that Bell would not be charged criminally.

SD: Jackley joins other AGs in opposing weapons ban in Illinois
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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

Marty Jackley has joined 23 other attorneys general in petitioning the U.S. Supreme Court to rule against a weapons ban in Illinois.

The South Dakota attorney general joined the amicus brief filed in the case brought by the Illinois State Rifle Association and others against the city of Highland Park, Illinois.

A federal appeals court in April upheld the assault weapons ban in the northern Chicago suburb.

AL: Are you up to date on Alabama�s new gun law? Here�s what changed this week
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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

A gun law passed during the 2015 Regular Legislative Session went into effect Tuesday, after a bipartisan effort ushered through several significant reforms.

The changes, sponsored by Rep. Chris England (D-Tuscaloosa), were backed by the National Rifle Association (NRA).

Governor Bentley signed the bill into law on June 4.

�This is a victory for the Second Amendment and alabama�s law-abiding gun owners�, said executive director of the NRA�s Institute for Legislative Action Chris. W. Cox. �Among other reforms, the new law gives young people greater opportunities to learn and enjoy our firearms and hunting heritage��

NV: Shining a light on the gun show Submitted by: Mark A. Taff Website: http://www.marktaff.com	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
It�s a mesmerizing scene, and I�m trying to steer clear of the dire and divisive politics and just experience a corner of American consumerism. I could even buy a gun. But unlike most others here, I�m wary�weary, really�of guns. So I check out everything else first.

NY: How angry Upstate might ally with Mayor de Blasio Submitted by: Mark A. Taff Website: http://www.marktaff.com	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
Upstaters, meanwhile, have their own reasons for chafing under the state�s bridle. Gun owners dislike Cuomo�s SAFE Act. Rural landowners in the gas-rich Marcellus Shale region are frustrated by his ban on fracking. And there�s broad unhappiness with New York�s tax burden and regulatory environment, generally seen as reflecting the big-government preferences of downstaters.

Repelling latest attack on 2nd Amendment Submitted by: Mark A. Taff Website: http://www.marktaff.com	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
On August 5, United States Senator John Cornyn introduced S. 2002, a bill designed to protect the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens from continued bureaucratic abuse by the administration of President Barack Obama.

New anti-gun strategy: �swatting� open carry permit holders
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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

Here�s a new trend which can only end badly. Having lost one battle after another in the courts, anti-Second Amendment groups have begun pushing some �extra-legal� means to intimidate legal gun owners in the public square. Unfortunately, the method of choice is probably going to wind up getting somebody killed. You may be familiar with the term �SWATting� which rose to prominence when hackers began making phony calls to 9-1-1 claiming some sort of life threatening emergency at the homes of their targets (political or otherwise) in the hopes of sending armed officers to invade the home.

CA: California bills on guns, police video and pension funds await governor's signature Submitted by: Mark A. Taff Website: http://www.marktaff.com	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
State lawmakers on Wednesday sent the governor bills that would ban concealed guns from schools and college campuses in California, make it a felony for police officers to alter or delete video evidence, and require the state's public pension funds to divest their holdings in thermal coal.

ME: Apartment rules may disarm Rockland man who shot intruder
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

There are 2 comments on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments

But on Wednesday he said the management company that operates Park Place Apartments, where he lives, told him the complex�s rules prohibit firearms.

�I have to give my gun up,� Lembo said. �I don�t see how they can do it, but I suppose they can.�

Russ Gagne, director of finance for Stanford Management, which manages Park Place Apartments and about 1,500 other subsidized apartments in Maine, said the complex doesn�t allow firearms.

�We have house rules that prohibit firearms on the property,� he said. �It�s in the lease. � It�s really for the safety of all the tenants.� Gagne said the company handles lease infractions on a case-by-case basis and that it has just started its investigation into the incident in Lembo�s apartment.

Now the time to fight tooth and nail for stronger, more intelligent U.S. gun control
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

There is 1 comment on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments

The prognosis on America�s obsession with guns has never looked bleaker. This year has produced an astounding statistic regarding gun violence: we have had more than one mass shooting per day, on average, over the course of the year. This applies when a �mass shooting� means that four or more people were shot during the incident. Of course, this glosses over the multitudinous singular homicides, crimes and suicides committed with guns this and every other year.

If Sandy Hook is 'bearable,' what is not?
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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

You frequently find fortune cookie aphorisms, yes, but it's not often that you find searing insight within Twitter's 140-character confines. Which is why a June tweet from one Dan Hodges - his profile describes him as a British political commentator - stood out.

"In retrospect," wrote Hodges, "Sandy Hook marked the end of the U.S. gun control debate. Once America decided killing children was bearable, it was over."

Supreme Court Urged to Review Assault Rifle Ban
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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

Twenty-four attorneys general urged the Supreme Court to grant certiorari to a lawsuit challenging an Illinois city's assault rifle ban as unconstitutional.

In June 2013, the city of Highland Park, Ill., passed a complex ordinance prohibiting the possession, sale, or manufacture of certain types of weapons and large capacity magazines. Punishments include fines and up to six months of imprisonment.

The Seventh Circuit upheld the ordinance in April, and plaintiff Illinois State Rifle Association appealed the case to the U.S. Supreme Court.

9 �gun guy� (and gal) acronyms you need to know Submitted by: Mark A. Taff Website: http://www.marktaff.com	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
Acronyms can be clever and helpful. The military list of acronyms is quite extensive. Here are a few acronyms every gun owner and those interested self defense ought to know. By the way, I�m keeping the language clean since I�m not naturally inclined to use some words.

MS: Second Amendment holiday benefits state�s outdoor enthusiasts
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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

Another tax-free weekend is on the horizon for shoppers in Mississippi, and this time it is targeting outdoorsmen.

Mississippi�s Second Amendment Sales Tax Holiday will be held Friday through Sunday.

�This holiday was designed to be a tax break for everyday Mississippians who needed to buy everyday hunting supplies,� said Laura Hipp, communications director for Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves� office.

ID: #Myfamilymatters: Why gun-grabbers should avoid my door
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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

Come and take my gun.

I dare you. No, really.

America is a violent place and day after day we mourn shooting victim after shooting victim. It�s awful.

Shortly following any tragedy, the hardened partisans take their sides to capitalize on grief and some of the most tender human emotions.

The gun-grabbers, a particularly noisy bunch, fit among this crowd. Minutes after any shooting, they call for America to become more like Australia, which confiscated guns from its people a while back.

Gun-Control Advocates Encourage Supporters to Call the Cops on Open and Concealed Gun Carriers
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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

In 2010, 38-year-old Erik Scott was shopping in a Las Vegas Costco while legally concealing a firearm. A Costco employee noticed the concealed gun and called the police to tell them there was a man with a gun inside the store. The store was evacuated once the police arrived and Erik Scott was executed in front of swarms of Costco customers. Scott, a Westpoint graduate, was a former Army officer.

It�s a miracle that only one person was murdered as this unfolded.

Jeb�s Suggestion to Put Gun Control at State Level Leaves Wasserman Schultz �Speechless�
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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

Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) said she was left �speechless� by Jeb Bush�s comments on getting the federal government out of gun control.

�The federal government shouldn�t be involved in gun laws because the country�s very different,� Bush said at La Progresiva Presbyterian School in Miami when asked if he believed in gun control. �You go to a rural area, where guns are part of the culture, (and) to impose laws from Washington that are going to work in New York City, or work in a rural area, makes no sense.�

Bush spokeswoman Kristy Campbell said after the event he was referring to the creation of new laws, CNN reported.

WV: Oath Keepers Summit held in WV hills
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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

The Oathkeepers came to town this weekend for the Appalachian Oath Keepers Summit.

For those that may not be familiar with the Oathkeepers, it is a group that according to their website, is a non-partisan association of current and formerly serving military, police, and first responders, who pledge to fulfill the oath all military and police take to �defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic.

The summit began on August 28th and lasted until August 30th where participants camped out on a strip mine near Ben Creek.

NY: Gun Permit Denials Could Result In Lawsuit
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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

Paul Monpetit spent more than two decades in the state Department of Correctional Services and Community Supervision, but can't convince county Judge Jerome Richards to approve his application for an unrestricted "carry concealed" firearms permit.

"I applied to have my restricted permit upgraded to an unrestricted and it came back from Judge Richard's office denied," said Monpetit.

And the retired sportsman isn't alone.

Since the county legislature adopted a new local law setting "proper cause" as the reason for approving someone to have an unrestricted carry concealed pistol permit, the judge has been rejecting requests to lift restrictions and sending out form letters to applicants.

Mass murders such as Columbine and Sandy Hook show uphill gun control battle for slain TV reporter's father
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

There is 1 comment on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments

Andy Parker�s heart broke last week when a gunman shot and killed his daughter, newswoman Alison Parker, and cameraman Adam Ward on live TV.

Through his grief, Parker wrote an essay, published by The Washington Post, vowing to spend the rest of his life �trying to implement effective and reasonable safeguards against this happening again.�

We�ve heard passionate promises like that before � after mass murders at Columbine, Virginia Tech and Sandy Hook, after a gunman shot then-Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in the head outside an Arizona grocery store.