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2nd Amendment Tag

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on July 05, 2016 14 Comments
An armed citizen in Tennessee ended a hostage/robbery with a single deadly shot. The would-be robber entered a corner store, wielding a large blade. After stealing the contents of the cash register, he took a female clerk hostage on his way out the door. A customer ran to his vehicle, grabbed his gun, and shot the perpetrator in the chest once, killing him. The hostage was unscathed.

Posted by Katy Grimes on July 01, 2016 34 Comments
Friday morning, July 1, 2016, California Governor Jerry Brown “gunned down the Constitution” when he signed six and vetoed four of the eleven anti-gun, pro-restriction bills passed by the Legislature only the day before. Despite the failure of California’s strict gun control laws to prevent the San Bernardino massacre, the California Legislature passed the 11 anti-gun bills to decide whether 15 or 10 bullets in a clip is or is not criminal in a bill to allow for confiscation of previously allowed magazines capable of holding more than 10 bullets. Another bill will require background checks for ammo purchases. There is even a bill to limit your ability to lend guns to family members.

Posted by Fuzzy Slippers on June 27, 2016 17 Comments
Anxious to shift the national conversation from the worst terror attack on U. S. soil since 9/11, Democrats see an opportunity to accomplish that while simultaneously pushing to disarm law-abiding citizens. Democrats, eager to keep their gun grabbing plans on the front burner, are taking their protest against the Second and Fourth Amendments outside their pillow fort in the House and to town halls, conference tables, and press conferences on Wednesday, June 29th, their designated "day of action." The Hill reports:
Energized by their recent takeover of the House floor, the Democrats are eying a series of tactics and events for members to bring to their home districts through the break, including a "national day of action" designed to remind voters that Republicans have refused to bring the issue on the floor. In a letter sent to all Democrats on Friday, the organizers behind the sit-in urged their colleagues to "build the momentum" created by the protest, in hopes of forcing the Republicans' hands by dint of public pressure.

Posted by Fuzzy Slippers on June 25, 2016 23 Comments
Governor David Ige of Hawaii has signed into law a bill that requires gun owners in that state to be registered in an FBI database that will automatically notify police if an Hawaii resident is arrested in another state. Fox News reports:
Hawaii signed a bill Thursday to become the first state to enter gun owners into an FBI database that will automatically notify police if an island resident is arrested anywhere else in the country. Gov. David Ige said in a statement that the legislation is about community safety and responsible gun ownership. He said it will help law enforcement agencies protect Hawaii residents and visitors.

Posted by Gabriella Hoffman on June 24, 2016 13 Comments
All this alarmism surrounding firearms in America lately is getting out of control. I figure it’s time to offer a unique take on the issue–one that puts American gun rights and their continued need into perspective. From the amateurish House sit-in to the full-on assault on AR-15 semi-automatic rifles, your assumptions about Democrats pursuing full disarmanent under the guise of “gun control” are correct. They mean it. As a Virginia gun owner and concealed handgun permit (CHP) holder myself, I hope my perspective get can you to think differently about firearms if you have doubts.

Posted by Mark Finkelstein on June 23, 2016 16 Comments
With all the zeal of a Joey-come-lately, gun-control convert Joe Scarborough clashed on today's Morning Joe with Second Amendment defender Tom Cole, Republican congressman from Oklahoma. When Scarborough lectured Cole about terrorists "who want to kill people in your district," Cole shot back "Joe, I know something about terrorism. I lived through an incident in Oklahoma City." And when Scarborough patronizingly instructed Cole to "read the Constitution," Cole retorted "I think I've read the Constitution as often as you have." Mike Barnicle waited until after the interview to take a cheap shot at Cole, claiming that he is "handcuffed to the top leadership of the NRA at the expense of ordinary people."

Posted by Fuzzy Slippers on June 21, 2016 16 Comments
Four gun control measures—two sponsored by Democrats, two by Republicans—failed in the Senate on Monday. USA Today provides a brief overview of each amendment (to a DOJ spending bill):
► An amendment by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., would allow the attorney general to deny a gun sale to anyone if she has a "reasonable belief" — a lesser standard than "probable cause" — that the buyer was likely to engage in terrorism. The proposal is popularly known as the "no-fly, no-buy" amendment, but wouldn't just apply to people on the "no fly" terrorist watch list. ► An Republican alternative by Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, which would require that law enforcement be alerted when anyone on the terror watch list attempts to buy a weapon from a licensed dealer. If the buyer has been investigated for terrorism within the past five years, the attorney general could block a sale for up to three days while a court reviews the sale. ► An amendment by Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, would make it more difficult to add mentally ill people to the background check database, giving people suspected of serious mental illness a process to challenge that determination.

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on June 21, 2016 17 Comments
A Floridian woman shot and wounded a naked, poop-covered home invader Sunday night. 27-year-old Victor Etherington, who, according to deputies was intoxicated, demanded entry to an Ocala residence. The homeowner (name still unknown), not recognizing him, told him to leave. The poopetrator kicked in the door, prompting the woman to take refuge in her bedroom, grab a .22, and call 911. Etherington chased her upstairs, removed his soiled shorts and forced his way into the closet, and that's when the homeowner shot him once in the gut. When police arrived on the scene, they found Etherington in his birthday suit, bleeding, covered in poop, hiding behind the bedroom door.

Posted by Mark Finkelstein on June 21, 2016 15 Comments
Imagine you're a real reporter—not a thinly-disguised member of the Dem cheerleading squad—and you had the opportunity to question President Obama's spokesman this morning. Wouldn't you have wanted to know the degree to which President Obama and his minions were complicit in the fiasco of the redaction of the Omar Mateern tapes, removing most of his proclamations of allegiance to ISIS, Allah, etc? But when the Morning Joe crew interviewed Josh Earnest, not a word about the Mateen tapes, or anything else that might have jostled Josh's feathers. To the contrary, the interview was one long set-up, giving Earnest the chance to sanctimonously wring his hands over the rejection by the Republican Senate of various gun control measures. Most bathetic of all was Mike Barnicle. Barnicle prefaced his question by saying "I'm going to ask you to do something that's probably difficult given your role as White House spokesperson." For a fleeting second one imagined Barnicle was about to challenge Earnest with an uncomfortable question. Hah! "Give us a feel for the president as a human being, okay? As a father, as a parent, as a citizen because we all know what happened in Orlando." Hard-hitting stuff, Mike!

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on June 18, 2016 23 Comments
The reader may remember NY Daily News reporter, Gersh Kuntzman, and his harrowing tale of the AR-15 that bruised his shoulder and gave him PTSD. After his article was published, the gun shop that accommodated his request was, "disgusted" and has mounted an effort to have Kuntzman's article taken down. "We acknowledged his offer so that we could prove that an AR-15 is indeed a great and safe weapon as stated in the video," Frank's Gun Shop Double Tap Shooting Range posted to their Facebook page, "To our knowledge we did not know that Mr. Kuntzman would completely turn things around and make our establishment look like one of anti-gun advocates."

Posted by Leslie Eastman on June 17, 2016 12 Comments
The ISIS-inspired terror attack in Florida has impacted the entire nation. From the American political outback called California, one of the most unexpected responses came from West Hollywood. The community woke up to find images of posters of "Gay Pride" flag (designed with a new, conservative twist) plastered along the streets.
Stickers and posters featuring a rainbow-colored version of the Gadsden flag and the hashtag #ShootBack were raising eyebrows in West Hollywood on Thursday morning in the wake of the massacre at a gay nightclub in Florida. The signage was affixed to electric boxes, light poles, trash cans and other fixtures near West Hollywood City Hall, the Pacific Design Center and along Santa Monica Boulevard. Several were hung near the Abbey Food & Bar, a well-known gay lounge. The posters featured a coiled, striking rattlesnake, similar to the yellow Gadsden flag that reads “Don’t Tread On Me” and often is used by the Tea Party movement. The West Hollywood signs were rainbow-colored, like the gay pride flag.
Welcome to the Tea Party, home of constitutionally inspired activism since 2009!

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on June 17, 2016 7 Comments
Shiloh Gun Range in Houston, Texas has opened their doors to members of the LGBTQ community who want to learn how to defend themselves. What started as an idea to hold a concealed carry class or two for members of the gay community rapidly ballooned into close to 300 class registrants and more emails and phone calls than the range can keep up with. Houston local news reported:
One look at his hole-filled paper target and you can see Ryan Thomas is a great shot. He has had his concealed handgun license for two years. Thomas also happens to be gay.

Posted by Mary Chastain on June 16, 2016 81 Comments
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) has blamed due process as the reason why the government cannot pass more gun control. From The Washington Examiner:
"The problem we have, and really the firewall we have right now, is due process. It's all due process," he said Thursday on MSNBC's "Morning Joe." "We can all say we want the same thing," he continued, "but how do we get there?"
I wonder if he gets that THIS is why our awesome Founding Fathers put in the Fifth Amendment.

Posted by Mark Finkelstein on June 16, 2016 47 Comments
There was a stunning moment on today's Morning Joe, when Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson was stumped when asked a simple question. With all the brouhaha over gun control in the wake of the Orlando massacre, what law could have stopped Omar Mateen? It was, of all people, Sam Stein of the Huffington Post who asked the killer question. Stein pointed out that Mateen was not on the no-fly or terrorist watch list, and had passed a background check. "So what is the actual legislative response" that would have stopped the Orlando attack? Johnson resorted to claiming that Congress had "a lot of ideas," but could not name one that would have made a difference. He also repeatedly recited the new mantra: gun control is a matter of homeland security. Bottom line: the Dem clamor for gun control is a political stunt. It's about increasing vote totals, not public safety.

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on June 14, 2016 82 Comments
How do we know AR-15s are the single most lethal weapon on the planet? Because they're SO LOUD. LOUD, YOU HEAR ME?! LOUD!!!! This is one of those things that must be read to be believed, and no, this was not found in The Onion, amazingly. New York Daily News reporter Gersh Kuntzman set out to test shoot an AR-15. "It feels like a bazooka — and sounds like a cannon," he writes. A cannon. And Bazooka? The same bazooka also known as a "recoilless rifle"?

Posted by Andrew Branca on June 09, 2016 48 Comments
Today the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, sitting en banc, finally released its long awaited opinion in the Second Amendment case of Peruta. The core issue in that case is whether the Second Amendment provides an individual right of the general, law-abiding public to bear concealed arms in public places.  The full decision is embedded at the bottom of this post. In short, today’s 9th Circuit decision states that:
We hold that the Second Amendment does not preserve or protect a right of a member of the general public to carry concealed firearms in public.
The majority arrives at this conclusion having applied intermediate scrutiny, rather than either strict scrutiny (almost invariably finds a constraint to be unconstitutional) or rational basis (almost invariably finds a constraint to be constitutional), to the dispute. In District of Columbia v. Heller the Supreme Court held that rational basis was an inappropriate level of scrutiny to evaluate claims of Second Amendment infringement, but left open the door for intermediate scrutiny. As this opinion shows, allowing for intermediate scrutiny in practice is little different in the hands of anti-Second Amendment judges than allowing them to apply rational basis—every gun control restraint will survive scrutiny, and the Second Amendment effectively loses all meaning.

Posted by Mary Chastain on June 03, 2016 3 Comments
Police have connected a murder in Minnesota to the man who killed a UCLA professor and then himself. Mainak Sarkar, 38, left behind a kill list in his aparment, which included two UCLAS professors and Ashley Hasti, 31, his estranged wife. Police in Minnesota discovered Hasti's dead body on Thursday, the day after Sarkar killed Professor William S. Klug. Deputy Police Chief Mark Brutley said Sarkar killed her before he killed Klug:
Sarkar apparently believed Klug had stolen some of his work while he was a doctoral student at UCLA. Sarkar’s motive for Hasti’s slaying remains unclear. The two were married by a justice of peace in 2011, said Hasti’s grandmother, Jean Johnson. The couple split about a year later and Hasti moved back home to Brooklyn Park.

Posted by Mary Chastain on May 31, 2016 18 Comments
Katie Couric has changed her mind and finally decided to take responsibility for an edit in her "Under the Gun" documentary that made a pro-gun rights group look idiotic. She released this statement last night:
As Executive Producer of “Under the Gun,” a documentary film that explores the epidemic of gun violence, I take responsibility for a decision that misrepresented an exchange I had with members of the Virginia Citizens Defense League (VCDL). My question to the VCDL regarding the ability of convicted felons and those on the terror watch list to legally obtain a gun, was followed by an extended pause, making the participants appear to be speechless. When I screened an early version of the film with the director, Stephanie Soechtig, I questioned her and the editor about the pause and was told that a "beat" was added for, as she described it, “dramatic effect," to give the audience a moment to consider the question. When VCDL members recently pointed out that they had in fact immediately answered this question, I went back and reviewed it and agree that those eight seconds do not accurately represent their response.
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