second amendment

Gun rights advocates stand armed outside bagel shop to educate public

"Some customers at a southwest Houston bagel shop were startled to see people standing around with guns outside the store. The people outside the Einsten Bros. Bagels on Montrose were with Open Carry Texas -- a group dedicated to the safe and legal carry of firearms openly in the State of Texas. They say they want to remove the stigma on the appearance of guns in the community and educate people about firearms. Members of the group claim some people are afraid of weapons because of misinformation from the media and the government. Police responded to a call about the men, but say they weren't breaking any laws because it is legal to open carry long guns in Texas." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGun rights advocates stand armed outside bagel shop to educate public

Former Sheriff Speaks Out Against Federal Gun Laws

"The former Sheriff of Graham County, Arizona rose to fame when he sued the Clinton Administration over the Brady Act, requiring sheriffs departments to issue background checks on anyone looking to purchase a handgun. 'It said the sheriff will work for us whether he likes it or not, and do so at his own expense and if he doesn't do it, we can arrest him for failure to comply. That's how stupid Congress in our country has gotten,' said Mack. The case went all the way to the Supreme Court, where the act was ruled unconstitutional. Now, Mack is an advocate for telling the federal government to back off." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFormer Sheriff Speaks Out Against Federal Gun Laws

Police Shoot Man For No Reason Except Open-Carrying Rifle

"A 27-year-old Edmonds man who was shot by police after a verbal confrontation was in serious condition Saturday at Harborview Medical Center. Police spokesman Aaron Snell said the man had been walking along a street near Edmonds Elementary School carrying a rifle. His behavior prompted two 911 calls from nearby residents — the first coming in around 7:30 a.m., Snell said. He said officers don’t know of a motive for the man’s actions. 'We don’t believe he was aiming or shooting the weapon,' Snell said. The Edmonds officers who responded to the 911 calls issued verbal commands to the man, then fired at him, Snell said." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPolice Shoot Man For No Reason Except Open-Carrying Rifle

New York Police Officer, Customs Officer Arrested For Trafficking Illegal Guns

"A New York Police Department officer and two of his brothers were arrested for allegedly trafficking high-powered firearms out of the United States and into the Philippines, federal law-enforcement officials announced on Friday. Rex Maralit, a 44-year-old officer assigned to police headquarters in Lower Manhattan, was arrested on charges of conspiring with his brothers to violate the Arms Export Control Act and engage in unlicensed firearms dealing, law-enforcement officials said. His brother, Wilfredo Maralit, 48, a Customs and Border Protection Officer at Los Angeles International Airport, was also arrested." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNew York Police Officer, Customs Officer Arrested For Trafficking Illegal Guns

Tulsa police officer arrested for engaging in prostitution

"A Tulsa police officer has been arrested for engaging in prostitution within 1000 feet of a church and having a gun while committing a felony. From Tulsa police we've been able to determine the investigation into Turner was a lengthy one. And it came to head Thursday when documents show he made contact with an undercover female officer and solicited sex for $40. We even tried talking with residents at the Executive Inn. Most said the story makes them lose faith in police, but they didn't want to go on camera. Turner's second charge involving a firearm is because when he arrested in this room, he was searched and police found a loaded gun on the off duty officer." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTulsa police officer arrested for engaging in prostitution

North Carolina law prohibits police from destroying guns after buyback

"A new law going into effect this week in North Carolina law prohibits law enforcement from destroying unclaimed guns and firearms acquired through gun buyback programs. The so-called 'save the gun' law passed the Republican-controlled Legislature in the spring as the state moved to strengthen gun rights in the wake of the Newtown, Conn., school shooting, the Los Angeles Times reports. The law requires that law enforcement agencies donate, keep or sell confiscated guns to licensed gun dealers. Guns may only be destroyed if they are damaged or missing serial numbers, according to the report. Similar laws have been passed in Kentucky and Arizona." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNorth Carolina law prohibits police from destroying guns after buyback

Guns, Badges, and Cartels

"Drug dealers are not going to obey laws that supposedly control guns. If you want to get drug dealers to stop buying guns, then you had better vote to de-criminalize drugs. But liberals want to criminalize guns, and conservatives want to criminalize drugs. If you think this argument makes no sense, then don’t expect liberals to respond to this argument: 'People who are prepared to defy the laws against murder aren’t going to obey laws against owning guns or large-capacity magazines.' Cartels want above-market income on state-protected turf. This takes guns. The debate is over who gets to carry the guns legally, and who will carry them illegally." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGuns, Badges, and Cartels

Who is the real big bucks bully in the gun control debate?

"For many years, the gun ban lobby has portrayed the National Rifle Association as the big money bully in the gun control debate, but stories published today and yesterday suggest that the real big spender is anti-gun New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has dumped a wad of cash into thwarting a Coloradorecall election in defense of two Democrats who could get the boot for backing that state’s new gun control laws. Today’s reports say Bloomberg has spent $350,000 against an estimated $100,000 put up by the NRA in the Colorado battle." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWho is the real big bucks bully in the gun control debate?

A New Yorker’s view of gun control

"'In New York,' he said, 'the gun laws are so strict, the majority of people who have them are the criminals. Maybe if you're a small-business owner or have some other valid reason for protecting yourself, you might get a permit to carry. But if you're a regular guy like me, forget about it. But I live on the Brooklyn-Queens border, and in that part of town there's only one way to protect yourself — you got to let the punks know you're packing heat. So I bought myself a street gun that I carry with me everywhere. Lots of the decent people in my neighborhood are carrying illegal guns. It's the only thing we can do.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingA New Yorker’s view of gun control

For some blacks, gun control raises echoes of segregated past

"As far back as the 1860s, gun control has been used to keep arms out of the hands of black people. After the Civil War, a group of discriminatory laws known as the Black Codes limited the civil liberties—like the right to bear arms—of newly freed slaves. Rules in nine states that give local law-enforcement officials discretionary authority to deny people gun permits even if they meet all criteria for ownership – the same power Alabama’s police department exercised when Martin Luther King Jr. applied to carry a concealed weapon. Despite threats to his life from the Ku Klux Klan, the police denied the civil rights leader permission to own a gun." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFor some blacks, gun control raises echoes of segregated past