By Ann Coulter - 3/27/2013
The New York Times caused a sensation with its kazillion-word, March 17 article by Michael Luo on the failures of state courts to get guns out of the hands of men in domestic violence situations.
The main purpose of the article was to tweak America’s oldest civil rights organization, the National Rifle Association, for opposing some of the more rash anti-gun proposals being considered by state legislatures, such as allowing courts to take away a person’s firearms on the basis of a temporary restraining order.
It’s a new position for liberals to oppose the rights of the accused. Usually the Times is demanding that even convicted criminals be given voting rights, light sentences, sex-change operations and vegan meals in prison.
Another recent Times article about communities trying to keep sex offenders out of their neighborhoods quoted a liberal saying: “It’s counterproductive to public safety, because when you have nothing to lose, you are much more likely to commit a crime than when you are rebuilding your life.”
But that was about convicted child molesters. This is about guns, so all new rules apply.
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
‘I cling to my Bible, guns,’ says black female Senate hopeful
By: Raquel Okyay - 3/24/2013 02:56 PM
Tennesee’s outspoken African American female Senate candidate in 2014 spoke to Guns & Patriots about gun rights, racism, and the Bill of Rights.
“Gun control historically begins with blacks who were forbidden from owning guns,” said Brenda S. Lenard, a 2013 political science PhD candidate from the University of Tennessee and a resident of Kingston.
“It was very easy for slave owners to keep and control blacks with gun control,” she said.
The same thing is happening today, she said. “It is a slow process of gun confiscation.”
Tennesee’s outspoken African American female Senate candidate in 2014 spoke to Guns & Patriots about gun rights, racism, and the Bill of Rights.
“Gun control historically begins with blacks who were forbidden from owning guns,” said Brenda S. Lenard, a 2013 political science PhD candidate from the University of Tennessee and a resident of Kingston.
“It was very easy for slave owners to keep and control blacks with gun control,” she said.
The same thing is happening today, she said. “It is a slow process of gun confiscation.”
Monday, March 25, 2013
The 2nd Amendment Does Not Authorize Armed Sedition
By David Frum - 3/25/2013
The founding fathers did not establish a banana republic
19th century Americans conceptualized the "militia" as an agency of government power: state and local government, but government all the same. There were, obviously, non-government armed forces in the 19th century United States. John Brown organized one to attack Harper's Ferry in 1859; demobilized Confederate soldiers waged war on black neighbors as the Ku Klux Klan. But (I wrote)
Before 1965, it would have occurred to precisely nobody that the Second Amendment guaranteed the right to organize private armies independent of the state.
At National Review Online, Kevin Williamson has now written to correct me.
The founding fathers did not establish a banana republic
19th century Americans conceptualized the "militia" as an agency of government power: state and local government, but government all the same. There were, obviously, non-government armed forces in the 19th century United States. John Brown organized one to attack Harper's Ferry in 1859; demobilized Confederate soldiers waged war on black neighbors as the Ku Klux Klan. But (I wrote)
Before 1965, it would have occurred to precisely nobody that the Second Amendment guaranteed the right to organize private armies independent of the state.
At National Review Online, Kevin Williamson has now written to correct me.
Friday, March 22, 2013
Gun Control et al: Under Hitler
By: Kitty Werthmann
America Truly is the Greatest Country in the World. Don’t Let Freedom Slip Away
What I am about to tell you is something you’ve probably never heard or will ever read in history books.
I believe that I am an eyewitness to history. I cannot tell you that Hitler took Austria by tanks and guns; it would distort history. We elected him by a landslide – 98% of the vote. I’ve never read that in any American publications. Everyone thinks that Hitler just rolled in with his tanks and took Austria by force.
In 1938, Austria was in deep Depression. Nearly one-third of our workforce was unemployed. We had 25% inflation and 25% bank loan interest rates.
Farmers and business people were declaring bankruptcy daily. Young people were going from house to house begging for food. Not that they didn’t want to work; there simply weren’t any jobs. My mother was a Christian woman and believed in helping people in need. Every day we cooked a big kettle of soup and baked bread to feed those poor, hungry people – about 30 daily.
The Communist Party and the National Socialist Party were fighting each other. Blocks and blocks of cities like Vienna, Linz and Graz were destroyed. The people became desperate and petitioned the government to let them decide what kind of government they wanted.
We looked to our neighbor on the north, Germany, where Hitler had been in power since 1933. We had been told that they didn’t have unemployment or crime, and they had a high standard of living. Nothing was ever said about persecution of any group Jewish or otherwise. We were led to believe that everyone was happy. We wanted the same way of life in Austria. We were promised that a vote for Hitler would mean the end of unemployment and help for the family. Hitler also said that businesses would be assisted, and farmers would get their farms back. Ninety-eight percent of the population voted to annex Austria to Germany and have Hitler for our ruler.
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Pennsylvania wants gunmakers
By York Dispach
As some states that are home to manufactures of guns and gun components move to pass stricter gun regulations, two Pennsylvania state representatives have laid out a welcome mat in hopes of drawing the companies to the state.
Representatives Seth Grove, R-Dover Township, and Daryl Metcalfe, R-Butler County, issued a joint news release Monday that announces they are reaching out to several out-of-state gun and gun component makers, including Beretta, Magpul and Remington, and encouraging them to move to the Keystone State.
"We'll be more than happy to have additional manufacturing," Grove said. "Pennsylvania is known all over the country for clinging to its guns, and it's time that we use this reputation to our advantage."
In reaching out to the companies, Pennsylvania has joined a long list of states that have already done so.
ObamaCare, Doctors and Gun Control
COLUMBIA, S.C.- Some 57 House lawmakers have signed on to a bill that would make it illegal for doctors to discuss gun safety with their patients.
The bill has stunned some doctors, especially pediatricians, who say they do talk with patients about safety steps to be taken when there's a gun in the household, to make sure a child isn't accidentally shot. Besides, they say, they are guaranteed free speech under the First Amendment, just as gun owners have gun rights under the Second Amendment.
"They (gun rights supporters) are trying to get Big Government to come in and dictate what we can and cannot say, while at the same time, they are trying to tell Big Government to stay out of their right to own guns," said Dr. Deborah Greenhouse, a Columbia pediatrician who is president of the S.C. Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
In the past 10 years, Greenhouse said, two children who were patients of her pediatric group's practice were killed in home gun accidents that might have been prevented if more safety procedures had been in place. Since then, she said, she has made it a point to ask patients if guns are in the home and, if the answer is yes, to review a safety checklist.
The Top 10 Concealed Carry Guns
By Richard L Johnson - 3/16/2013
What are the best guns for concealed carry? Sounds like a good question to start an argument.
The truth is there is no perfect gun. Every firearm is a compromise offering certain benefits at the costs of others. Yet, I am frequently asked my opinion on what gun someone should buy, or at least consider, for carrying.
Generally, I try to find out a little more information about the person’s situation and their experience with guns. Sometimes there will be a wild card thrown in, such as a significant known risk from a criminal enterprise or ex-spouse. Almost always, cost is a consideration.
So, with all of these variables, how does one pick which guns are best?
What are the best guns for concealed carry? Sounds like a good question to start an argument.
The truth is there is no perfect gun. Every firearm is a compromise offering certain benefits at the costs of others. Yet, I am frequently asked my opinion on what gun someone should buy, or at least consider, for carrying.
Generally, I try to find out a little more information about the person’s situation and their experience with guns. Sometimes there will be a wild card thrown in, such as a significant known risk from a criminal enterprise or ex-spouse. Almost always, cost is a consideration.
So, with all of these variables, how does one pick which guns are best?
Monday, March 18, 2013
Colorado Sheriffs: New Gun Laws Unenforceable
By Greeley Tribune - 3/18/2013
Weld County Sheriff John Cooke said he won't enforce either gun-control measure waiting to be signed into law by Gov. John Hickenlooper, saying the laws are "unenforceable" and would "give a false sense of security."
One bill passed Friday would expand requirements to have background checks for firearm purchases. Hickenlooper is expected to sign it into law within two weeks.
Earlier this week, Colorado lawmakers approved a 15-round limit on ammunition magazines. It also is awaiting the expected approval of the governor.
Cooke said Democratic lawmakers are uninformed but are scrambling in reaction to recent tragedies in the nation.
"They're feel-good, knee-jerk reactions that are unenforceable," he said.
Weld County Sheriff John Cooke said he won't enforce either gun-control measure waiting to be signed into law by Gov. John Hickenlooper, saying the laws are "unenforceable" and would "give a false sense of security."
One bill passed Friday would expand requirements to have background checks for firearm purchases. Hickenlooper is expected to sign it into law within two weeks.
Earlier this week, Colorado lawmakers approved a 15-round limit on ammunition magazines. It also is awaiting the expected approval of the governor.
Cooke said Democratic lawmakers are uninformed but are scrambling in reaction to recent tragedies in the nation.
"They're feel-good, knee-jerk reactions that are unenforceable," he said.
Supreme Court Champion: 2nd Amendment Fight Far from Over
By The Lima News - 3/18/2013
Although his name is on a landmark Second Amendment Supreme Court ruling firmly establishing people have the right to have a gun in their home, Dick Heller said Friday the fight is far from over.
Politicians and power-hungry people are constantly trying to come up with ways to take away a person's right own a gun and the right to self protection, something every citizen should guard against, he said.
Heller spoke at Ohio Northern University to a mostly pro-Second Amendment group about his 15-year battle to overturn Washington D.C.'s gun ban outlawing a functioning and loaded gun in the home. Heller lived across from a crime-plagued apartment complex where shootings often occurred, sometimes with bullets shot into his home. He wanted a gun for self protection and took a stand against the gun ban.
The case made it to the U.S. Supreme Court which ruled in favor of Heller.
Heller said anyone who does not question politicians and government officials' attempts to ban handguns, at minimum do not understand history and at worst, are not very intelligent.
Although his name is on a landmark Second Amendment Supreme Court ruling firmly establishing people have the right to have a gun in their home, Dick Heller said Friday the fight is far from over.
Politicians and power-hungry people are constantly trying to come up with ways to take away a person's right own a gun and the right to self protection, something every citizen should guard against, he said.
Heller spoke at Ohio Northern University to a mostly pro-Second Amendment group about his 15-year battle to overturn Washington D.C.'s gun ban outlawing a functioning and loaded gun in the home. Heller lived across from a crime-plagued apartment complex where shootings often occurred, sometimes with bullets shot into his home. He wanted a gun for self protection and took a stand against the gun ban.
The case made it to the U.S. Supreme Court which ruled in favor of Heller.
Heller said anyone who does not question politicians and government officials' attempts to ban handguns, at minimum do not understand history and at worst, are not very intelligent.
Gun Buybacks Make Politicians Feel Good
By The Philadelphia Inquirer - 3/18/2013
TRENTON, NJ - In a state where there are hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of firearms in the hands of private citizens, is it reasonable to expect that taking several thousand off the streets will have an impact on gun crime?
The Christie administration and many law enforcement officials argue that the state gun-buyback program under way will help reduce gun violence. To date, the state has paid about $900,000 to buy more than 7,000 weapons from residents, and it plans its next purchases Friday and Saturday in Atlantic City and Pleasantville.
Such programs are popular not only with law enforcement but also with residents of high-crime cities such as Camden, where the state began its current round of gun buybacks Dec. 14, the day, coincidentally, of the Sandy Hook Elementary School killings in Newtown, Conn.
Yet the evidence is meager that such programs, widely employed across the nation since the Newtown killings, reduce gun violence.
TRENTON, NJ - In a state where there are hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of firearms in the hands of private citizens, is it reasonable to expect that taking several thousand off the streets will have an impact on gun crime?
The Christie administration and many law enforcement officials argue that the state gun-buyback program under way will help reduce gun violence. To date, the state has paid about $900,000 to buy more than 7,000 weapons from residents, and it plans its next purchases Friday and Saturday in Atlantic City and Pleasantville.
Such programs are popular not only with law enforcement but also with residents of high-crime cities such as Camden, where the state began its current round of gun buybacks Dec. 14, the day, coincidentally, of the Sandy Hook Elementary School killings in Newtown, Conn.
Yet the evidence is meager that such programs, widely employed across the nation since the Newtown killings, reduce gun violence.
NY counties, towns revolt against Governors gun ban
By Raquel Okyay - 3/16/2013
One by one, counties and towns across New York State are launching resolutions denouncing the state’s new gun ban, the New York Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement Act of 2013, as egregious and unconstitutional.
“Right now we have 51 out of 62 counties opposed or in the process of opposing the New York SAFE Act,” said Columbia County resident Evan Hempel.
Hempel who is a computer programmer for IBM created a website dedicated to compiling New York Town and County resolutions both for and against the NY SAFE Act of 2013, as well as provide related news.
“The issue boils down to property rights,” said Hempel, who is also a Clermont Town Board member.
“What right does the government have to tell citizens what they can or cannot purchase?” he asked.
One by one, counties and towns across New York State are launching resolutions denouncing the state’s new gun ban, the New York Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement Act of 2013, as egregious and unconstitutional.
“Right now we have 51 out of 62 counties opposed or in the process of opposing the New York SAFE Act,” said Columbia County resident Evan Hempel.
Hempel who is a computer programmer for IBM created a website dedicated to compiling New York Town and County resolutions both for and against the NY SAFE Act of 2013, as well as provide related news.
“The issue boils down to property rights,” said Hempel, who is also a Clermont Town Board member.
“What right does the government have to tell citizens what they can or cannot purchase?” he asked.
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Harvard study shows no effect of firearm laws on gun deaths
Posted on March 14, 2013
Harvard medical researchers just published a scholarly paper in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine, claiming that more firearm laws in a state are associated with a lower rate of gun homicides and suicides. However, examination of their data and research methods shows the opposite.
McMaster University researcher Caillin Langmann, MD, PhD noted that the Harvard authors' own best analysis:
* Does not show that states with more gun laws have fewer gun deaths
* Demonstrates that "assault weapon" bans have no effect on homicide
* Demonstrates that laws prohibiting guns in public places have no effect on homicide
Even more damning, Dr. Garen Wintemute, well known for research advocating gun control, agrees with Dr. Langmann. In his editor invited commentary Wintemute faults the Harvard authors for relying on a state gun law grading system used by the Brady Center (formerly known as Handgun Control, Inc.) and the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. Both of these organizations are dedicated gun control advocates. Using their political ploy in a scientific journal is disgraceful.
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Top 10 gun-toting American politicians
By: Jarrett Stepman - 3/12/2013
America’s strong gun culture has produced a large number of statesmen with firearm expertise. In fact, with the number of veterans that have served as elected officials, it is almost impossible to come up with a list of the best.
Here are the top ten politicians that could handle a gun and publicly demonstrated that expertise after they were elected.
1.) David Crockett
The hero of the Alamo was first known to Americans as a rough-hewn backwoods hunter from Tennessee who performed incredible feats of daring on the frontier. Most Americans today know him as “Davy” Crockett, but contemporaries in the early 19th century almost always called him David Crockett during his lifetime. However, Crockett did in fact have a .40 caliber flintlock rifle named “Old Betsey” that was named after his sister.
In between sessions of Congress, Crockett would hunt and provide for himself and his family, once killing six buck elk in one day and a staggering forty-seven bears in one season! He would dazzle audiences with incredible displays of marksmanship, shooting holes through coins, and was a wonderful story teller of his own exploits on the frontier.
America’s strong gun culture has produced a large number of statesmen with firearm expertise. In fact, with the number of veterans that have served as elected officials, it is almost impossible to come up with a list of the best.
Here are the top ten politicians that could handle a gun and publicly demonstrated that expertise after they were elected.
1.) David Crockett
The hero of the Alamo was first known to Americans as a rough-hewn backwoods hunter from Tennessee who performed incredible feats of daring on the frontier. Most Americans today know him as “Davy” Crockett, but contemporaries in the early 19th century almost always called him David Crockett during his lifetime. However, Crockett did in fact have a .40 caliber flintlock rifle named “Old Betsey” that was named after his sister.
In between sessions of Congress, Crockett would hunt and provide for himself and his family, once killing six buck elk in one day and a staggering forty-seven bears in one season! He would dazzle audiences with incredible displays of marksmanship, shooting holes through coins, and was a wonderful story teller of his own exploits on the frontier.
Monday, March 11, 2013
Background Checks Won't Make Us Safer
By Star Parker
In April 2007, a mentally disturbed student showed up at the campus of his school, Virginia Tech, brandishing two semi-automatic pistols. He murdered 32 students, teachers and school employees and wounded 17 others before taking his own life.
It was the one of deadliest mass shooting incidents in American history.
The nation was in shock, as it is now following the December mass murder at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.
The press and public outcry was the same then as now. How can we stop horrors like this from occurring? We've got to stop criminals and nut cases from getting their hands on guns.
In April 2007, a mentally disturbed student showed up at the campus of his school, Virginia Tech, brandishing two semi-automatic pistols. He murdered 32 students, teachers and school employees and wounded 17 others before taking his own life.
It was the one of deadliest mass shooting incidents in American history.
The nation was in shock, as it is now following the December mass murder at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.
The press and public outcry was the same then as now. How can we stop horrors like this from occurring? We've got to stop criminals and nut cases from getting their hands on guns.
Lawmen Don't Buy Gun Legislation
By Pueblo Chieftain - 3/11/2013
The root of the state and national debate on gun control is not guns but mental health, a few members of Pueblo's law enforcement community said.
"The real problem is mental illness. They're not addressing the problem," a ranking Pueblo County Sheriff deputy said of the proposed state gun laws.
"It's like anything else, there's a bunch of problems.
In my opinion, they're looking at the wrong cause. Mental illness is what they should be addressing," a ranking Pueblo police officer said.
The root of the state and national debate on gun control is not guns but mental health, a few members of Pueblo's law enforcement community said.
"The real problem is mental illness. They're not addressing the problem," a ranking Pueblo County Sheriff deputy said of the proposed state gun laws.
"It's like anything else, there's a bunch of problems.
In my opinion, they're looking at the wrong cause. Mental illness is what they should be addressing," a ranking Pueblo police officer said.
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Share of U.S. Homes With Guns Shows 4-Decade Decline
By Sabrina Tavernise & Robert Gebeloff -3/9/2013
The number of American households with guns has declined over the past four decades, a national survey shows, with some of the most surprising drops in the South and the Western mountain states, where guns are deeply embedded in the culture.
The gun ownership rate has fallen across a broad cross section of households since the early 1970s, according to data from the General Social Survey, a public opinion survey conducted every two years that asks a sample of American adults if they have guns at home, among other questions.
The rate has dropped in cities large and small, in suburbs and rural areas and in all regions of the country. It has fallen among households with children, and among those without. It has declined for households that say they are very happy, and for those that say they are not. It is down among churchgoers and those who never sit in pews.
The number of American households with guns has declined over the past four decades, a national survey shows, with some of the most surprising drops in the South and the Western mountain states, where guns are deeply embedded in the culture.
The gun ownership rate has fallen across a broad cross section of households since the early 1970s, according to data from the General Social Survey, a public opinion survey conducted every two years that asks a sample of American adults if they have guns at home, among other questions.
The rate has dropped in cities large and small, in suburbs and rural areas and in all regions of the country. It has fallen among households with children, and among those without. It has declined for households that say they are very happy, and for those that say they are not. It is down among churchgoers and those who never sit in pews.
Saturday, March 9, 2013
Rape Victim Pleads for Choice to Carry
By Kimberly Weeks
Gun control. It’s pretty broad topic and no matter who you are, you’ve probably heard a lot about it lately, especially if you live in Colorado, the epicenter of the national gun control debate.
Fear of firearms keeps most of my college-aged peers from owning or carrying a gun. Going into my junior year at the University of Northern Colorado, I was one of them. I had grown up around my dad and brother’s shotguns and hunting rifles, but I didn’t believe I needed a weapon to defend myself. The very idea of carrying a handgun made me uncomfortable. Nothing would ever happen to me in Greeley, Colorado.
Then, everything changed in the early hours of a mid-May morning. I was sleeping in my college-area apartment when a stranger broke in through a closed window. He snuck into my bedroom. I awoke to a man covering my face with a shirt and didn’t stop for the next two hours as he raped me. I had no choice. I didn’t scream, I didn’t cry, I just prepared for this man to kill me.
Gun control. It’s pretty broad topic and no matter who you are, you’ve probably heard a lot about it lately, especially if you live in Colorado, the epicenter of the national gun control debate.
Fear of firearms keeps most of my college-aged peers from owning or carrying a gun. Going into my junior year at the University of Northern Colorado, I was one of them. I had grown up around my dad and brother’s shotguns and hunting rifles, but I didn’t believe I needed a weapon to defend myself. The very idea of carrying a handgun made me uncomfortable. Nothing would ever happen to me in Greeley, Colorado.
Then, everything changed in the early hours of a mid-May morning. I was sleeping in my college-area apartment when a stranger broke in through a closed window. He snuck into my bedroom. I awoke to a man covering my face with a shirt and didn’t stop for the next two hours as he raped me. I had no choice. I didn’t scream, I didn’t cry, I just prepared for this man to kill me.
Some Communities Consider Mandating Gun Ownership
By Associated Press writers Phillip Lucas and Todd Dvorak
AUGUSTA, Maine-- A town of 140 people in the U.S. state of Maine is considering an ordinance making gun ownership mandatory, the latest of a handful of communities nationwide to pass or consider such a rule even though the measures are widely considered unenforceable.
Communities from Idaho to Georgia have been inspired to "require" or recommend their residents arm themselves ever since a gunman killed 26 youngsters and educators Dec. 14 in a school in Newtown, Connecticut, and raised fears among gun owners about an impending restriction on Second Amendment rights.
Although it is only a handful of communities these measures reflect a growing divide in the U.S. between those like President Barack Obama who believe guns need to be more strictly regulated and supporters of the powerful gun lobby the National Rifle Association, which maintains that more guns keep people safer.
While generally more liberal states with large urban centers like New York and California lawmakers have been introducing more stringent gun control laws, more conservative, rural areas have been going in the opposite direction.
AUGUSTA, Maine-- A town of 140 people in the U.S. state of Maine is considering an ordinance making gun ownership mandatory, the latest of a handful of communities nationwide to pass or consider such a rule even though the measures are widely considered unenforceable.
Communities from Idaho to Georgia have been inspired to "require" or recommend their residents arm themselves ever since a gunman killed 26 youngsters and educators Dec. 14 in a school in Newtown, Connecticut, and raised fears among gun owners about an impending restriction on Second Amendment rights.
Although it is only a handful of communities these measures reflect a growing divide in the U.S. between those like President Barack Obama who believe guns need to be more strictly regulated and supporters of the powerful gun lobby the National Rifle Association, which maintains that more guns keep people safer.
While generally more liberal states with large urban centers like New York and California lawmakers have been introducing more stringent gun control laws, more conservative, rural areas have been going in the opposite direction.
Thursday, March 7, 2013
The Right to Self-Defense
By Andrew P. Napolitano - 3/7/2013
In all the noise caused by the Obama administration's direct assault on the right of every person to keep and bear arms, the essence of the issue has been drowned out. The president and his big-government colleagues want you to believe that only the government can keep you free and safe, so to them, the essence of this debate is about obedience to law.
To those who have killed innocents among us, obedience to law is the last of their thoughts. And to those who believe that the Constitution means what it says, the essence of this debate is not about the law; it is about personal liberty in a free society. It is the exercise of this particular personal liberty -- the freedom to defend yourself when the police cannot or will not and the freedom to use weapons to repel tyrants if they take over the government -- that the big-government crowd fears the most.
In all the noise caused by the Obama administration's direct assault on the right of every person to keep and bear arms, the essence of the issue has been drowned out. The president and his big-government colleagues want you to believe that only the government can keep you free and safe, so to them, the essence of this debate is about obedience to law.
To those who have killed innocents among us, obedience to law is the last of their thoughts. And to those who believe that the Constitution means what it says, the essence of this debate is not about the law; it is about personal liberty in a free society. It is the exercise of this particular personal liberty -- the freedom to defend yourself when the police cannot or will not and the freedom to use weapons to repel tyrants if they take over the government -- that the big-government crowd fears the most.
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