PA Bill Number: SB709
Title: In game or wildlife protection, further providing for the offense of unlawful taking and possession of protected birds and for endangered or ...
Description: In game or wildlife protection, further providing for the offense of unlawful taking and possession of protected birds and for endangered or .. ...
Last Action: Third consideration and final passage (171-30)
Last Action Date: Apr 15, 2024
FOAC's Top Weekly News Stories for the week of December 15, 2019 :: 12/15/2019
First, I want to bring to your attention a Pennsylvania House of Representatives Legislative Alert! On Monday, December 16, the State Government Committee will meet (time is yet to be determined) to conduct a voting meeting on HR 206. This legislation is intended to add Pennsylvania’s call for the convening of a “Convention of the States” for the purposes of engaging an Article V Constitutional Convention. This is a most dangerous concept and it does not spring from any particular defect in the Constitution but from a failure on the part of our current government to hold government officials accountable.
FOAC is, and has been, clear on this issue ever since 1994 (yes, that’s how long they have been trying to push this through) and we are completely and irrevocably opposed to a Constitutional Convention! Attached to this message is my testimony to the legislature and that testimony outlines many of the problems with buying into this misguided concept. Perhaps one of the most duplicitous aspects is that we somehow expect that those picked as delegates for the Constitutional convention will have the same altruistic outlook as did our founding fathers! When one factors in the former and then considers the influence that big-money financiers like Michael Bloomberg and George Soros would have on this process it is easy to fathom just how dangerous this course of action is. In fact, the Convention of the States issue IS being funded by billionaires (Koch Foundation) as well!
We are asking each of you to reach out to every House member of the State Government Committee and ask them to vote against HR 206. The email addresses for every member of the state government committee are below:
(FOAC members, who are signed into the website, can find the above list in their ‘Members Area’ as well)
We ask that you be respectful but firm in your opposition to HR 206 and that if changes need made to the federal Constitution then focused singular amendments are a far more appropriate course of action than opening Pandora to’s box where, most certainly, one of the first items on the chopping block will surely be our Bill of Rights!
Please take a moment to help, share this message with your friends and on social media ‘AND’ if you get any feedback from legislators please forward that to info@foacpac.org so we can follow up if necessary. Thank you!
United States Supreme Court turns away Commonwealth challenge on police stops and concealed carry of firearms
The US Supreme Court rejected an appeal in a Fourth Amendment case brought by a Pennsylvania county that challenged a state Supreme Court ruling involving police stops and concealed firearms.
The high court on Monday rejected a request by the Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office to review a Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision throwing out its case against a man stopped by Allentown police after a camera operator spotted him tucking a revolver in his waistband outside a gas station.
. . . . .
The May decision by Pennsylvania justices overturned a longstanding legal doctrine that an officer’s knowledge of a concealed weapon was a sufficient basis for reasonable suspicion to detain a person and investigate whether they have a license to conceal.
As the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled, stopping someone simply because you think they have a gun is a no-no, especially given the fact that it’s perfectly legal for individuals to possess and carry a firearm in the state.
Chief Counsel Joshua Prince drafted an Amicus Brief in Commonwealth v. Hicks on behalf of Members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, Firearm Owners Against Crime (“FOAC”) and Firearms Policy Coalition (“FPC”), resulting in the Pennsylvania Supreme Court issuing a monumental decision on May 31, 2019, wherein it held, pursuant to Article 1, Section 8 of the Pennsylvania Constitution and the 4th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, that the mere display of a firearm did not constitute reasonable suspicion of criminal activity.
“When many people are licensed to do something, and violate no law by doing that thing, common sense dictates that the police officer cannot assume that any given person doing it is breaking the law,” Justice David Wecht wrote in the court’s lead opinion.
While we obviously believe the Pennsylvania State Supreme Court made the right call in the case, the prosecutor who appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court certainly thinks otherwise.
Heather Gallagher, chief deputy district attorney, called it a concerning decision.
“I think that it certainly implicates public safety. It makes law enforcement’s job in some ways more difficult,” Gallagher said.
The reason we have a Bill of Rights in the first place is to keep the government in check. Have you ever read the Preamble to the Bill of Rights? It’s pretty explicit about why the document was created.
THE Conventions of a number of the States, having at the time of their adopting the Constitution, expressed a desire, in order to prevent misconstruction or abuse of its powers, that further declaratory and restrictive clauses should be added: And as extending the ground of public confidence in the Government, will best ensure the beneficent ends of its institution.
Those “declaratory and restrictive clauses” weren’t restricting the rights of American citizens, but the powers of the American government. The job of law enforcement would be a lot easier if the 4th Amendment didn’t exist, but the right to be secure in your person and property against unreasonable searches and seizures would be null and void.
We are overjoyed that the Pennsylvania Supreme Court continued the legacy of protecting citizens rights and precedential law from the 90s (Hawkins) and that the US Supreme Court chose to leave the Pennsylvania ruling, and the 4th Amendment rights of residents, intact.
FOAC Challenges Manheim Township (Lancaster County) on Proposed Illegal Local Gun Laws
Manheim Township Commissioners were approached by a local school district which asked for a ban on gun sales within 1000 feet of the school ‘and’ a 1st Amendment ban on even gun advertising.
Obviously, this request violates the Pennsylvania Firearm Preemption Law (Section 6120). How this request was even entertained by the County Commissioners and Solicitor without being rejected outright speaks to the qualifications of the solicitor in advising the Commissioners.
This comment from the solicitor speaks volumes:
Joshua Cohen, an attorney representing Lancaster Country Day School, called it “unfortunate” that the gun rights group “is resorting to threats and intimidation in place of civil debate and respect for our institutions of government.”
Perhaps the comment of one of the Commissioners of the Township, Mecum, could help to explain the prevailing attitude:
Commissioner Sam Mecum in an email to LNP called it "outrageous" that Prince would threaten private criminal charges against the commissioners "for simply doing our jobs." He added that the threat is "itself, in my opinion, a possible criminal act of threatening a public official."
"No private criminal prosecution based on the commissioners acting in the normal course of their duties would ever be approved by the District Attorney of Lancaster County," Mecum added. "I say this as a practicing attorney with 45 years of experience."
I wasn't aware that part of a commissioner’s job was violating the law? On top of all of that is the indictment of the lawful sale of firearms being a danger to ANY part of the community! Even advertising? Smells to me like some anti-gun group whispered in the ear of someone in this community. Remember, it was tolerance of this attitude that resulted in the City of Pittsburgh BANNING all gun sales throughout the City, illegal ones notwithstanding!
Stay tuned for more developments on this latest legal challenge to holding government at all levels accountable to the law.
It would be helpful if you could take a moment to read the entire piece below and consider writing an /opinion/response piece to it. Just a thought.
Pensacola Murders Continue the Travesty of Failing to Trust Our Marines, Soldiers and Sailors
The unprovoked murder of three brave, but disarmed, US sailors by an armed Islamic terrorist on the Pensacola Naval Base constitutes an unforgivable scandal, for which the President and, especially, Congress bear FULL responsibility.
Here is where the real outrage should be that DJT and Congress “must summon the political courage and take action” to correct:
DOD currently requires active-duty sailors who are “standing watch” to be disarmed as they “guard” other naval personnel and naval property.
Think about the above for a minute; it is impossible NOT to conclude that the progressive left, silent and unconcerned about the unarmed status of sailors, soldiers, and Marines who are wantonly murdered by armed terrorists, hates our Second Amendment more than it loves the lives of our courageous military service members.
“Action” that needs to be taken is to implement an audacious new policy where all military officers and S/NCOs are to be continuously armed with issue pistols at all times, on and off base.
That is the only way we can adequately protect our military members from terrorists, something at which we’re obviously failing miserably now.
The anti-gun left says they are worried about suicides. I’m sure leftists feel much better when they jump off of bridges.
**So HOW Did the Saudi killer get his Glock handgun? Look at the media comments below for how foolishly out-of-touch the media is on the restrictiveness of Federal Gun Law:
“The New York Times reported that the gunman used a ‘locally purchased Glock 45 9-millimeter handgun with an extended magazine’ and had more magazines in his possession,” the article explains. “The shooter was involved in an Air Force military sales training course and the Saudi government was paying for it, according to The Associated Press.”
It’s not clear that the second sentence has anything to do with the first. The whole paragraph is confusing because it does not say who “locally purchased” it. Per federal law:
“An alien admitted to the United States under a nonimmigrant visa is prohibited from shipping, transporting, receiving, or possessing a firearm or ammunition unless the alien falls within one of the exceptions provided in 18 U.S.C. 922(y)(2), such as: a valid hunting license or permit, admitted for lawful hunting or sporting purposes, certain official representatives of a foreign government, or a foreign law enforcement officer of a friendly foreign government entering the United States on official law enforcement business.”
The Pensacola News Journal brought us a bit closer:
“A foreign national is allowed to purchase a gun in the state of Florida if a certain set of criteria is met, he said. But [Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan] said he could not release information as to whether that is how the gunman was able to get his gun, referring those questions to the FBI, which is leading the investigation into the base shooting.”
NBC Investigates reporter Andrew Blankstein tweeted the most definitive explanation:
“1st on@NBCNews: While non-citizens are normally prohibited from buying handguns, Alshamrani used a LOOPHOLE to legally purchase his weapon from a dealer in Pensacola. Non-citizens w/ hunting licenses can buy firearms, and the shooter apparently had such a license, sources said.”
Why is it ALWAYS a “loophole” with these people?
The point is, if he went through a dealer, Alshamrani went through a background check. And he went through more than that, according to the Associated Press:
“Foreign nationals participating in U.S. training go through a vetting process. The Pentagon said it includes screening for any illicit drug activities, support for terrorist organizations, corruption and criminal conduct. Those who fail to pass the approval process are not issued international travel orders.”
The same would apply to Alshamrani’s “fellow Saudi military students,” who, per the New York Post, “watched mass shooting videos” at a “dinner party” with the killer.
“One of the students at the dinner party recorded video outside the classroom during Alshamrani’s Friday morning rampage,” the Post reported. “The two others watched from a car…”
It’s curious that while “universal background checks” are one of the key demands of the Democrat-dominated citizen disarmament lobby, they reverse themselves when it comes to letting foreign nationals of unknown ideologies into this country, particularly when it comes to illegals. Instead, they demand open borders, amnesty and admitting and embedding “refugees” in communities throughout the Republic, most for whom no checks are possible because such records either don’t exist or are unobtainable.
Meanwhile, the question of what can and will be done remains, with the AP report noting: “[Defense Secretary Mark] Esper said he is ‘considering several steps to ensure the security of our military installations and the safety of our service members and their families.’ He provided no details.”
Then-candidate Donald Trump had some relevant “details” he was willing to share back when he was courting gun owners for votes:
“[Gun Free Zones] No, not optional. As Commander-in-Chief, I would mandate that soldiers remain armed and on alert at our military bases. President Clinton never should have passed a ban on soldiers being able to protect themselves on bases. America’s Armed Forces will be armed. They will be able to defend themselves against terrorists. Our brave soldiers should not be at risk because of policy created by civilian leadership. Political correctness has no place in this debate.”
Time to REMIND President Trump of the Above and Ask; What’s stopping you?
Misguided Activism is Worse than Sitting it Out
Perhaps the most frustrating, exasperating thing is when someone says they are trying to help, and then their efforts only serve to make things worse. Volunteers have a tendency to try to make politics fit their own view of what works or needs done without ‘any’ concern for the consequences. This is particularly true when it comes to advocacy in the effort to protect and/or restore our Second Amendment rights.
Let’s be blunt here: While Second Amendment supporters have a lot going for us, specifically the facts, especially involving modern semiautomatic rifles, not to mention the legal arguments (combine Heller with the Supreme Court’s 2016 Caetano decision, and semi-auto bans should be toast in any honest court), as well as the fact that the gun control agenda is punishing millions of Americans for crimes and acts of madness they did not commit, they don’t maximize this 1-2-3 punch. In some cases, they render it ineffective.
Now, the facts are even better for Second Amendment supporters according to the latest estimate from the National Shooting Sports Foundation. The NSSF reported that there are at least 17.7 million modern multi-purpose semi-automatic rifles in the United States. That means that based on the 2018 crime data from the FBI, which noted 297 murders committed with rifles of any type, there is a 1 in 59,596 chance of being murdered by a rifle of ANY type let alone a modern semi-automatic rifle. By comparison, you have a 1 in 2232 chance of dying as the result of slipping in the shower.
This should be an easy slam-dunk. But here is one case where it can easily be screwed up. One of the biggest is in not thinking through about how the defense of the Second Amendment comes across. In the immediate aftermath of a mass shooting, emotions run high – people are horrified at what happened, and then as the initial horror fades, the fear mounts.
There is a time and place for “from my cold, dead hands.” It is NOT after a mass shooting. We need to show compassion for those who have suffered an unimaginable loss through a horrific misuse of a firearm in a crime or act of madness.
What comes after the initial horror and fear, though, is a demand for action. This is the phase of the fight to defend our rights where self-appointed Second Amendment know-it-alls do the most damage. When people demand solutions, we need to have options that are either pro-Second Amendment, or at least Second Amendment compliant, ready to go.
Yes, it's infuriating to hear what anti-Second Amendment extremists call us, and yes, they are in the wrong by trying to deprive us of our rights, but we cannot let anger take over and cloud our judgement. If we want to wage a successful campaign of civil disobedience against the unjust agenda of anti-Second Amendment extremists – or better yet, head off the need for civil disobedience in the first place – we need to make sure that it is clear in the minds of our fellow Americans that we are not the villains. That means thinking before we speak, and making sure that the techniques we use do not play into Bloomberg’s fear-mongering campaign. Otherwise, at best, we will face a harder fight than needed, or at worst, we ‘will’ lose our rights.
Bill of Rights Day, Tomorrow, Dec. 15, Is in Big Trouble
1st Amendment faces risks as great as 2nd Amendment - 4th, 5th, 6th and 10th Amendments also under assault
For years, only 2A folks payed attention
An increasing number of Americans are becoming aware of an ignored “holiday,” formerly the purview mainly of gun activists and Second Amendment supporters—the day the Bill of Rights was ratified, Dec. 15, 1791.
Articles 3 through 12, proposed amendments to the then new U.S. Constitution, were renamed and became the U.S. Bill of Rights. A landmark in the record of human liberty, nothing like it had ever been attempted. It now faces threats as never before.
While gun rights previously took most of the heat, all civil rights are in more jeopardy in 2019. Gun-rights advocates promoted the date, because they saw Second Amendment guarantees of the right to arms as fundamental to protection of the rest. Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership, http://www.jpfo.org, has vigorously promoted the date for decades, under a banner, of “All of the Bill of Rights for all citizens,” knowing gun rights were carried on its coattails.
Journalists, who as a group often disparage the Second Amendment and the armed populace it encourages, now face a torrent of anti-Bill of Rights sentiment and laws, largely from left-wing college students and professors, who believe free speech, which derives its nearly absolute powers from the First Amendment, falls out of favor. Along with it, the right to practice religion without government interference, and even the right to assemble, have come under withering scrutiny, including physical and moral attack. Varieties of “political correctness,” euphemisms for marxism/socialism are to blame, promoting fear, hatred, racism, intolerance, “required diversity,” offensiveness, narratives and group think as reasons to curtail free exchange of ideas and speech.
Activists note that so-called “red-flag gun laws,” as well as current congressional efforts to impeach the U.S. president, rely heavily on removal of due process protections under the 4th through 6th Amendments. These include bedrocks of freedom such as innocence until guilt is proven, the ability to confront your accuser and compel witnesses to appear in your defense, and public trials by jury, all of which have been abrogated. Other guarantees of the Bill of Rights have been and are being ignored, with no penalties—or even charges—brought against the perpetrators, one of the most glaring flaws in the Constitution—it provides no specific penalties for abuse of its terms, short of revolt.
Bill of Rights Day can be easily celebrated by simply reading The Bill of Rights, alone or with friends, privately or aloud in public-IF you won’t who will?!
Gun Control Evangelists are Trying to Hijack the Holidays with 2020 War Cries
Anti-gun groups uniformly characterize themselves as concerned citizens working together “to end gun violence”. These gun prohibition lobbying groups from the Commonwealth of Virginia to the Cascades of Washington and Oregon are using the holidays to raise funds for what promises to be a combative new year in their efforts to reduce the right to keep and bear arms to, at a minimum, a government-regulated privilege.
At least, that’s how many Second Amendment activists from across America in every state are looking at it, and they only need point to the proposed agendas of these anti-gun organizations, including anti-gun billionaire Michael Bloomberg’s Everytown for Gun Safety for proof.
Now Everytown, which Bloomberg helped found and bankroll, has launched the Everytown Victory Fund to match what it fears will be multi-million-dollar spending by the National Rifle Association to “re-elect Donald Trump and keep control over the Senate.”
The fund-raising sales pitches from all of these groups may read differently but they say the same thing. They are looking to pass more restrictive laws that will essentially discourage Americans from exercising their state and federal firearms rights. As noted in the recent money beg from the billionaire-backed CeaseFire PA—looking ahead to January’s legislative session in the state capitol in Harrisburg - “This holiday season, our wish is for everyone to feel safe and be safe where we learn, pray, work, play and shop. Your donation ensures that we can do the work to make that wish a reality."
Everytown’s message tells potential donors, “The Victory Fund exists for one single reason: To destroy the NRA's stranglehold on politics in Washington by electing Gun Sense Candidates and defeating gun lobby-backed politicians.” Nothing could be plainer than that.
In Virginia, Culpepper County Sheriff Scott Jenkins has promised to deputize citizens in his county if Democrats now controlling the Assembly move forward on threatened gun control legislation.
Through it all, gun control crusaders portray themselves as defenders of public safety, while continuing to demonize anyone or any entity that stands in their way, be it the NRA or any other Second Amendment organization.
The next 11 months leading up to the 2020 elections will be politically brutal, that much appears certain. Gun rights activists seem at times to be fighting an uphill battle in their efforts to rouse gun owners out of their lethargy. Legislative sessions begin anew in January, and that’s when Second Amendment advocates will get the full measure of what they will face if Democrats take control of Congress and the White House.
The proverbial writing is not only on the walls, it’s on the front page of every newspaper, in the headlines found online from major news agencies and in the language of legislation both state and federal that the gun prohibition lobby hopes to make law either this year or in 2021 when they hope there will no longer be any barriers to their agenda.
NEVER FORGET – Anniversary of Courage to Remember:
This coming Monday marks the 75th anniversary of the beginning of the Battle of the Bulge, a ferocious last gasp for German forces that included scoundrel SS units who massacred American prisoners. The battle was not a triumph of American military history: Spread-thin front-line Allied forces were caught terribly off-guard, and the poor intelligence of the German troop build-up resulted in massive casualties (19,000 Americans were killed) before the “bulge” was contained and the Nazis pushed back by the end of January, 1945.
But bravery was rampant nonetheless, particularly of the forces, mostly of 101st Airborne Division, besieged at Bastogne and led by General Anthony McAuliffe.
Consider watching the terrific film, Battleground (sometimes referred to as Bastogne), which looks to be on TCM some time in February 2020. Yes, it’s a movie, but it is widely considered to give as good a take as Hollywood might provide about this epic battle. And if you have the time right now, here is a clip from the film featuring the famous response of General McAuliffe to the German’s surrender-or-die ultimatum: “Nuts.”
You gotta love George Murphy’s talent in blowing smoke rings. Begging your further indulgence, Your Humble Correspondent is particular to this scene, where the great Leon Ames, in a small role as a Lutheran chaplain, holds a field service while shells are falling.
Subject: LIFELONG Voluntary (?) Denial of 2nd Amendment Rights:
Did you know that the Federal Government has a form that the FBI uses for people to permanently add themselves to the prohibited person list in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). https://www.ammoland.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/NICS-Indices-Self-Submission-Form.pdf
This article is very interesting on the elements of this issue that make NO sense:
FOAC in the Media: FOAC Member Jim Abraham wrote a Letter to the Editor regarding the continuing line of stupidity coming out of Pittsburgh regarding their continuing push for Gun Control and their legal efforts to defend their violations of PA Preemption Law. Take a look at Jim’s letter to the Post-Gazette at the link below:
https://www.post-gazette.com/opinion/letters/2019/12/13/Fighting-ordinances/stories/201912130074
Quote of the Week: Joe Biden on his view of the 2nd Amendment while raking in BIG donor dollars at a $2,800 a person private fund raiser at the home of a top Amazon Exec: Biden brought up the latest school shooting, this week in Santa Clarita, California, in which a teenager killed two classmates and wounded three others, calling the succession of such tragedies “a moral failure.”
While saying he supports the Second Amendment, Biden called the absolutist arguments of some gun-rights supporters “bizarre.” Noting people can’t own machine guns or bazookas, Biden said, “Why should we allow people to have military-style weapons including pistols with 9-mm bullets and can hold 10 or more rounds?”
1st Point to Ponder: “A Democratic state delegate has asked Attorney General Mark Herring (D) for a formal opinion on the Second Amendment sanctuary declarations being passed in a growing number of conservative counties across the state,” the Virginia Mercury reported Dec. 2. “Del. Jay Jones, D-Norfolk, said a legal opinion could help clear up confusion on an issue that has ‘become a flashpoint across our state.’”
“The bills passed by the General Assembly and signed into law by the governor are binding for our entire Commonwealth and its citizens,” Jones complained in his letter to Herring. “The legal precedent we would set by allowing communities to selectively ignore those laws at will is alarming and indicative of the same mindset that nearly one hundred and fifty years ago led this country to dissolve into a civil war.”
2nd Point to Ponder: The exchange below was overheard in a Tajikistan Airport Passport line:
This lady from the Republic of Georgia had exceptional English, so the other asked if she had been to America. It turns out she had been in Arizona for a three month stint working for project Arizona. The woman who initiated the conversation then said:
You would do well to stay away from America due to an epidemic of “gun violence”.
The younger gal quickly answered, quite matter of fact: “Oh, you're a victim.”
To which the older woman replied, “Yes, we are all victims.”
The younger woman said:
“No, actually, I meant you are a victim of leftist propaganda.
“America has a Constitution that guarantees certain liberties, and per the second amendment of the American constitution people can exercise the right to bear arms at any time and any place, to protect themselves, but even more importantly, to insure their government does not become tyrannical.”
“The right to keep and bear arms is one of the unique things about America that makes her a great nation.”
3rd Point to Ponder: On Wednesday (12/11), Virginia Governor Ralph Northam said that localities could face “consequences” if law enforcement officers don't enforce the new proposed gun laws.
“There's not going to be retaliation. That's not what I'm about. I'm about making Virginia safer,” Northam told reporters. “If we have constitutional laws on the books and law enforcement officers are not enforcing those laws on the books, then there are going to be consequences, but I'll cross that bridge if and when we get to it.”
Anti-Gunners Comments THIS Week: Shannon Watts, the founder of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, said her group is pressing ahead with state level gun control because of the political headwinds in Washington.
“What we have to do until we have the right president and Congress is go state by state,” Watts said in an interview. “That’s what we have to do now because of the political makeup. Every state is only as safe as the closest state with the weakest gun laws.”
https://www.inquirer.com/news/new-jersey/jersey-city-shooting-gun-laws-20191214.html
Gun Control Quote to Remember: "I don't care if you want to hunt, I don't care if you think it's your right. I say 'Sorry.' it's 1999. We have had enough as a nation. You are not allowed to own a gun, and if you do own a gun I think you should go to prison."
- Rosie O'Donnell (At about the time she said this, Rosie engaged the services of a bodyguard who applied for a gun permit.)
Founding Father’s Statement on Freedom: "No compact among men . . . can be pronounced everlasting and inviolable, and if I may so express myself, that no wall of words, that no mound of parchment can be so formed as to stand against the sweeping torrent of boundless ambition on the one side, aided by the sapping current of corrupted morals on the other."- George Washington, draft of first Inaugural Address, 1789
Yours in Freedom!
Kim Stolfer, President
As a reminder, every gun owner can participate in the January 12, 2020 FOAC Monthly meeting from any PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android phone by clicking on the link below:
Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android: https://zoom.us/j/709303479?pwd=T2w4dERnb3k4NUtpWi9ZRS9FY1lkUT09
One-tap Mobile: US: +19292056099,, 709303479# US (New York)
Dial by location: +1 929 205 6099 US (New York)
Meeting ID: 709 303 479
Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/adSioEAVyf
General News
- 8 in 10 Collier, Lee residents fighting to keep their guns under Florida's red flag law had no lawyer to defend them
Most Southwest Florida residents ordered to court under a new Florida law that allows authorities to take their guns will be standing alone without a lawyer. more
- Myth busted: Campus carry never caused that increase in violence liberals predicted
The argument in favor of arbitrarily revoking the Second Amendment rights of college students, as is done in dozens of states, has ostensibly been rooted in safety concerns. more
- NSA Inspector General Report Finds Intelligence Storage Process Poses Significant Risks for Civil Liberties
A report from the National Security Agency Inspector General’s office released Thursday found that the agency’s current policies for storing intelligence derived from intercepted communications may pose a threat to civil liberties. more
- VA Dems Threaten To Use National Guard Against Sanctuary Counties
We here at Bearing Arms have offered a lot of support for Virginia’s sanctuary counties. While Cam has written extensively on the subject, I’ve also covered it in various posts. We both stand firmly with sanctuary counties. The continued encroachment on our Second Amendment liberties has to end somewhere, somehow, and the sanctuary movement is a dandy way to address it. more
- VA National Guard Issues Statement Over Calls To Enforce Gun Control
Democrat Congressman Donald McEachin’s comments about using the National Guard to enforce Governor Ralph Northam’s proposed gun control laws in Virginia has caused a storm of controversy in the state, to the point that the Adjutant General of the Virginia National Guard has issued a statement, after scores of phone calls and emails from concerned citizens and curious media figures. WSLS-TV in Roanoke was the first to report on the comments by Major General Timothy P. Williams. more
Legal Issues
- Man Wounded in California Synagogue Shooting Sues for Breaching Duty of Reasonable Care
In this Monday, April 29, 2019, file photo, Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein, right, comforts Almog Peretz, center, as they attend the funeral for Lori Kaye, who was killed Saturday when a gunman opened fire inside the Chabad of Poway synagogue in Poway, Calif. more
- New Lawsuit Seeks To Stop Nevada's Red Flag Law From Taking Effect
Conservative activists in Nevada have filed a legal challenged to the state’s “red flag” firearms seizure law, which is set to take effect on January 1st. NevadaCAN, a “citizens action network” in the state, says the new law is unconstitutional, violating both the Second and Fourth Amendment rights of gun owners in the state. more
- Supreme Court Decision Blocks Lawsuit Against Armslist
The Supreme Court turned away an appeal by the daughter of a woman killed in a shooting at a Wisconsin spa in 2012, who was hoping to sue the website Armslist.com by claiming the site was liable for the suspect in the shooting acquiring his firearms. more
- Court won't revive suit against gun site over spa shooting
WASHINGTON (November 25, 2019) — The Supreme Court won’t revive a lawsuit against a firearms website over a suburban Milwaukee spa shooting. more
Self-Defense Issues
- Michigan Self-Defense: Veteran Foils Mass Shooting by Tackling Alleged Gunman
A military veteran in Kalamazoo, Michigan, foiled a mass shooting Saturday morning by tackling the alleged gunman to the ground. more
- New York Self-Defense: Dutchess County Man Killed, Shooter Claims Self-Defense, Police Say
A Dutchess County man says he gunned down a Poughkeepsie man in self-defense. more
- Indiana Self-Defense: Indiana homeowner shoots through front door to keep would-be intruders out
An Indiana homeowner on a recent afternoon scared away two men who tried to gain entry into his home after singing Christmas carols outside, a report on Monday said. more
- Illinois Self-Defense: Woman allegedly shoots child's father in self-defense
DECATUR, Ill. (WICS/WCCU) — A Decatur woman shot her child's father in an act of self defense, according to police. more
