second amendment

Chicago Police Superintendent Says Cops Will Shoot Gun Carrying Citizens

"Chicago police superintendent Garry McCarthy is not happy about the new concealed carry laws in Illinois. And now he is predicting that police will shoot citizens who are lawfully carrying firearms. While every cop has a right to protect himself, this bold statement by McCarthy is obviously meant to intimidate gun owners who choose to exercise their rights. This threat that cops may mistakenly shoot a gun carrying citizen is just another attempt to fight the concealed carry laws that Illinois has long been deprived of. McCarthy would not say what specific training officers will undertake if any. However, he did admit that in the past his department has made mistakes in shooting unarmed civilians." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingChicago Police Superintendent Says Cops Will Shoot Gun Carrying Citizens

Turn Your Desk Into a Pharmaceuticals Factory

"The Week's Chris Gayomali frets that '[t]oday's primitive psychedelics and artificial mood-boosters may be just the beginning' once 3D printing transforms chemical engineering. The Customs Minister from the land o' hobbits, Maurice Williamson, worries on Radio New Zealand, 'If people could print off ... sheets of Ecstasy tablets at the party they're at at that time, that just completely takes away our border protection role in its known sense.' Cronin, among others, suggests that controlling the 'chemical ink' is the key to preventing DIY recreational chemistry with 3D printers. But much current research uses bathroom sealant as the ink, and that's not the easiest material to restrict." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTurn Your Desk Into a Pharmaceuticals Factory

Gun ownership gets easier in Texas starting Sunday

"Texas is taking steps to be even cozier for concealed handgun license holders. Texas passed its concealed handgun license law in 1995, and since then has required applicants to undergo 10 to 15 hours training minimum. That standard included classroom and shooting range instruction. But instructors said they really don’t need that much time, and lawmakers cut the training requirements in half. Other changes taking effect Sunday will allow license holders to renew online and provide easier access to obtaining fingerprints for applications. Also, license holders will be certified to carry a revolver or semi-automatic pistol, regardless of what type of gun they used in class." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGun ownership gets easier in Texas starting Sunday

America’s new target shooters: Younger, female and urban

"The face of America’s target shooters is changing. New target shooters–those who have taken up the sport in the last five years–are younger, female and urban when compared to established target shooters, or those participating for more than five years, according to a survey commissioned by NSSF. The report shows that one-fifth of target shooters in America first started participating in the shooting sports between 2008 and 2012. That means 20 percent of all target shooters began participating in the past five years. The expansion of younger, female and urban-based participants coincides with the surge in firearms sales that occurred over the same 2008-2012 period." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAmerica’s new target shooters: Younger, female and urban

Gun Bill in Missouri Would Test Limits in Nullifying U.S. Law

The Republican-controlled Missouri legislature is expected to enact a statute next month nullifying all federal gun laws in the state and making it a crime for federal agents to enforce them here. A Missourian arrested under federal firearm statutes would even be able to sue the arresting officer. The law amounts to the most far-reaching states’ rights endeavor in the country, the far edge of a growing movement known as 'nullification' in which a state defies federal power. In a letter explaining his veto, Governor Jay Nixon said the federal government’s supremacy over the states’ 'is as logically sound as it is legally well established.' When the legislature gathers again, it will seek to override his veto.

Continue ReadingGun Bill in Missouri Would Test Limits in Nullifying U.S. Law

Obama executive order to kill 110-year-old Civilian Marksmanship Program

"The Civilian Marksmanship Program was administered by the United States Army from 1916 through 1996 when it was changed to the Corporation for the Promotion of Rifle Practice & Firearms Safety, a 501(c) (3) organization federally chartered by the U.S. Congress. There are no data indicating any of the weapons involved in homicide were imported surplus military rifles. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s homicide crime statistics, rifles accounted for only 323 deaths out of 12,664 homicides in 2011, the most recent data set provided by the FBI. The rifles that the Executive Order would affect are typically from U.S. allies and are pre-Vietnam era." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingObama executive order to kill 110-year-old Civilian Marksmanship Program

Gangs Remain Key Unaddressed Problem in Gun Debate

"Gun homicides are overwhelmingly tied to gang violence. In fact, a staggering 80% of gun homicides are gang-related. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), gang homicides accounted for roughly 8,900 of 11,100 gun murders in both 2010 and 2011. That means that there were just 2,200 non gang-related firearm murders in both years in a country of over 300 million people and 250 million guns. Cities such as Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Cleveland, and New Orleans all have very high per-capita murder rates. Individual police estimates usually find at least 65% and often more than 80% of all murders in those cities are gang-related." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGangs Remain Key Unaddressed Problem in Gun Debate

Harvard Study: No Correlation Between Gun Control and Less Violent Crime

"The authors of the study conclude that the burden of proof rests on those who claim more guns equal more death and violent crime; such proponents should 'at the very least [be able] to show a large number of nations with more guns have more death and that nations that impose stringent gun controls have achieved substantial reductions in criminal violence (or suicide).' But after intense study the authors conclude 'those correlations are not observed when a large number of nations are compared around the world.' In fact, the numbers presented in the Harvard study support the contention that among the nations studied, those with more gun control tend toward higher death rates." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHarvard Study: No Correlation Between Gun Control and Less Violent Crime

Obama promises mayors unilateral action on guns

"Stymied by Congress in his gun control efforts, President Obama told a group of big-city mayors Tuesday that he would take more executive actions to reduce gun violence. The closed-door meeting at the White House included Attorney GeneralEric H. Holder Jr., who discussed 'strategies to reduce youth violence,' the White House said in a statement. Mr. Obama 'vowed to continue doing everything in his power to combat gun violence through executive action and to press Congress to pass common-sense reforms like expanding the background check system and cracking down on gun trafficking,' the White House said in a statement." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingObama promises mayors unilateral action on guns

NY’s SAFE Act Imperils Yet Another Victim

"David Lewis is a librarian who lives in Amherst, New York, and owns several pistols. He once swallowed some anti-anxiety medication -- allowing cops to grab his guns pursuant to the SAFE Act's cruel discrimination against people with 'mental-health issues.' Turns out cops had the wrong 'David Lewis.' ''I was extremely shocked and saddened and immediately just felt embarrassed knowing that someone had thought negatively of me and wrongly. I had absolutely no idea how this could have happened,' said Lewis...' He also 'hoped his health record would be confidential. 'It's not right. i always thought people could expect more privacy than that,' said Lewis.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNY’s SAFE Act Imperils Yet Another Victim