Keep and Bear Arms - Gun Owners Home Page

MI: Gun debate solution in Grand Rapids: Former mayor proposes airport scanners
Submitted by: Corey Salo

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Moments after John Logie stated that a former city attorney was armed during meetings he led, the former mayor urged Grand Rapids leaders to push for a change in state law that would ban guns from City Commission chambers.

Logie turned out Tuesday, Feb. 25, to speak at the City Hall meeting that also was attended by several open-carry gun advocates who plan a Sunday, March 2, march down the Grand Rapids street where police last year detained a man carrying a gun. That incident has prompted a lawsuit.

Supreme Court ruling expands police authority in home searches
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Police officers may enter and search a home without a warrant as long as one occupant consents, even if another resident has previously objected, the Supreme Court ruled Tuesday in a Los Angeles case.
The 6-3 ruling, triggered by a Los Angeles Police Department arrest in 2009, gives authorities more leeway to search homes without obtaining a warrant, even when there is no emergency.
The majority, led by Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., said police need not take the time to get a magistrate's approval before entering a home in such cases. But dissenters, led by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, warned that the decision would erode protections against warrantless home searches.

MI: Domino's manager claims Flint dispatchers ignored calls before beating
Submitted by: Corey Salo

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Domino's Pizza manager Heather Napthen said she watched helplessly as a group of people beat one of her workers over a $97 pizza order.

She said she and another worker had already called 911 twice and hit the store's panic alarm, but said she was told no help would be coming.

"Too busy," Napthen said she was told by a Flint 911 Central Dispatch operator.

The assault lasted for 10 minutes, according to the police report.

A third phone call was placed with emergency dispatchers as the attack was taking place, Napthen said. The victim was given a telephone number to file a complaint and made the complaint that way.

"I've never been so disgusted with Flint police," Napthen said. "I'm a business. What am I supposed to do?"

Pentagon Giving 'Free' Armored Trucks to Police
Submitted by: Anonymous

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With the Pentagon, under President Obamas leadership, announcing plans to drastically cut back Americas military might to below WWII levels, one way it is disposing of super-expensive battlefield vehicles is by giving them away to Americas police departments. ...
Of the 28,000 such vehicles, called MRAPs because they are mine resistant ambush protected, an estimated 13,000 are to be distributed around the country.
They weigh about 20 tons and get five miles per gallon.

SUBMITTER'S COMMENT: The main purpose of this program seems to be to intimidate Americans, who bought them in the first place and will now be expected to continue to pay for them at the local level.

NJ: Another MAIG Member Booted From Office
Submitted by: Mike the Limey

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The mayor of the capital of the US state of New Jersey has been removed from office by a judge 19 days after he was found guilty of corruption.
Trenton Mayor Tony Mack had argued he should not be removed until his sentencing was complete and his appeals were exhausted in federal court.
Mack was arrested in 2012 in a government sting and accused of trying to extort bribes from developers.
He refused to resign after his 7 February conviction.
Mack has continued to draw a salary as mayor since then.

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I guess disarming law abiding citizens will always look attractive to criminals - especially those in public office.

Shoot First, Ask Questions Never
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Given all this, its not unreasonable to argue that, in America, you can be shot and killed, without consequences for the shooter, for playing loud music, wearing a hoodie, or shopping at a Walmart. The question is whether the wave of stand your ground legislation is to blame.

Lets first define terms: Stand your ground laws are different from the Castle Doctrine, which has its roots in centuries-old British common law and allows you to use force to protect yourself in your home. Stand your ground essentially provides that you can bring your castle wherever you go.

FL: Parents of Jordan Davis want to upend Stand Your Ground laws
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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The parents of a slain Florida teen want to change self-defense laws around the country that do not require one to retreat in the face of imminent danger.

Lucia McBath and Ron Davis, the parents of 17-year-old Jordan Davis, who was fatally shot at a gas station in November 2012, want to put pressure on federal and state lawmakers to repeal Stand Your Ground laws that remove a duty to retreat and allow one to use force, including deadly force, in a public place if one reasonably fears for his/her life.

GA: Chairman's comments on 'stand your ground' divisive
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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According to the Rockdale County Probate Court, in 2013 there were 1,722 applicants for a Georgia Weapons License (GWL) in Rockdale County. The highest number of applicants in 12 years. Considering the number of applicants from 2010 to 2013, its fair to assume that 5 percent of Rockdale Countys population has a GWL, and that falls in line with the percentage estimated for the entire state of Georgia.
Stand your ground laws seem to be a hot topic in todays politics. Unfortunately, our local politics are not immune.

NJ: Gun laws already too tough
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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New Jersey already has some of the toughest gun laws in the country, including a semi-automatic firearms ban and ammunition magazine capacity limits. The legislature's latest attempt to further restrict magazine capacity from 15 to 10 rounds will do nothing to prevent another tragedy (criminals will ignore it) and everything to interfere with self defense. If my family faces a home invasion by multiple armed attackers in the middle of the night, the state should not force me to fumble around in the dark to change magazines. I should be able to have as much ammunition as possible to defend myself and my family. This legislation interferes with self-defense and will cost lives.

PA: Girls and Guns
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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If you take a look under the glass inside a gun shop, you might not expect to see "raspberry" colored firearms. But manufacturers are marketing their guns to a growing group of new customers -- women.

Norm Gavlick is the owner of Gun Hippo in Kingston. According to Gallup poll data, the percentage of American women who own a firearm nearly doubled from 2005 to 2011, rising from 13% to 23%. Gavlick says women are coming to his store for self-defense.

MO: Free speech at stake in quirky Missouri gun case
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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The case, out of tiny Kelso in southeast Missouri, attempts to safeguard freedom of speech in the age of the Internet. The ACLU filed a lawsuit against the chief of police on Tuesday.

Yes, the American Civil Liberties Union. Gun rights advocates may be surprised that the nonprofit organization would rush to a gun owners side. In that, they are a bit mistaken. Its not so much the Second Amendment that is at issue. Its the First. Although the ACLU is courting brownie points by terming their client a Second Amendment advocate.

AL: Lock & load, ladies! Central Alabama sees spike in gun sales to women
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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There are new shooters on Alabama gun ranges and most of them are ladies. There's been a big spike in women purchasing guns and taking classes. A Gallup poll shows the number of women with firearms jumped from 13 to 23 percent in six years. Here in central Alabama, gun shop owners say many of their customers are female.

Hoover Tactical's gun range is growing. In fact, many of the new shooters, are women. Whether they're learning the sport or self-defense, these ladies are locked and loaded.

CA: Sometimes the good guys win Submitted by: Mark A. Taff Website: http://www.marktaff.com	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
Its been an interesting year and its only February. A landmark legal case decided by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on the 13th of February will have profound effects on California, New York and possibly Iran. Before we can talk about this case, here is a little background.

MT: Certified instructor to teach free firearm safety and self-defense class
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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After submitting a proposal to the Cut Bank School System, Gierbolinis request to conduct an Adult Education class was granted and his class entitled Firearms Safety and Self-Defense was added to the Winter Adult Education schedule.

Gierbolini is offering two sessions for his Firearms Safety and Self-Defense class. Session one is held over the course of three days, March 4 and March 6-7. The class time is 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. and will be held at Cut Bank High School in Room 116.

CA: Concealed Weapon Permit Applications Skyrocket In OC After Court Ruling
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Officials in Orange County may need some help after a federal court decision on loosening standards for concealed weapon permits has resulted in a sharp rise in applications.

In a 2-1 ruling, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Feb. 13 that California counties could no longer require law-abiding applicants to show good cause beyond self-defense to receive a carry concealed weapon (CCW) permit, according to the Associated Press.

Over the last two weeks since the decision, the Orange County Sheriffs Department received 500 California concealed weapon permit applications the same number they received in all of 2013, according to County Supervisor Todd Spitzer.

FL: 3 men involved in shooting at Eastern Florida State College arrested
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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The State Attorneys Office began a review of the case since Hamilton and the Contreras brothers all claimed self-defense.
Since the shooting happened at the college, weve been working closely with the State Attorneys office and weve been reviewing the case because all parties had claimed self-defense initially. So weve arrived at some conclusions here that all three are going to be facing criminal charges.

All three have been charged with fighting in public and disorderly conduct. Landyer Contreras was also charged with aggravated battery.

FL: Guns now allowed in cars at Daytona State
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Storing a weapon in a car on one of Daytona State Colleges campuses is allowed following a court decision that determined the states colleges and universities cant prohibit students and employees from bringing weapons onto their premises.

The 1st District Court of Appeal struck down a policy at the University of North Florida last year, and now Daytona State is catching up. The Board of Trustees is slated to approve policy changes allowing weapons that are securely encased in vehicles.

OH: Police: Ohio driver's bible booklet stops bullet
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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A biblical booklet in a shirt pocket apparently helped a bus driver survive a shooting, and authorities were looking Tuesday for three suspects, police say.

The driver for the Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority told Dayton police he was standing outside the bus early Monday morning when the men shot at him three times, with one bullet hitting his leg. He also was stabbed in the arm.

Rickey Wagoner, 49, of Trotwood, told police he fought back, grabbed the gun and the men ran away. Wagoner told police he fired at them before driving the bus to a safe location and calling for help.

IN: Measure that would allow guns in cars at schools comes back up in Statehouse Submitted by: Mark A. Taff Website: http://www.marktaff.com	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
If an Indiana lawmaker has his way, parents, visitors and teachers could be allowed to bring their guns to school parking lots and leave them in their parked cars. In a measure that was considered dead earlier this session, Indiana Rep. Jim Lucas, R-Seymour, has revived a measure to allow concealed guns to be left in locked cars.

Christie's Gun Stance at Odds With GOP
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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New Jersey's strict limits on carrying handguns in public could be headed to the U.S. Supreme Court, putting Governor Christie on a collision course with members of his own party who see overturning the state's law as a prime opportunity to expand what the constitutional right to "bear" arms means.

Christie's administration is preparing a petition asking the court not to take an appeal of a lower court ruling that upheld New Jersey's law. That puts him at odds with those asking the court to overturn the law, including the state affiliate of the National Rifle Association, a group of Republican members of Congress and attorneys general from states with more lenient laws.

Smith & Wesson SDVE one of the last guns added to the California roster
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Smith & Wesson is announcing that two of their pistols, the SD9 VE and SD40 VE, were just added to the California approved gun roster. With California changing their roster requirements, these will be some of the last guns to be added to the roster anytime soon.

California recently passed a law requiring that guns added to their list of guns approved for sale be equipped with microstamps, a technology that most gun manufacturers are not willing to invest in. Guns already on the list will not have to use the controversial and unproven technology.

Americans Love Their Guns, and Firearm Production Proves It
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Cultural and political ideas explain a lot of the passion surrounding the gun issue. All that emotion, its important to remember, also translates into dollars-and-cents activity. One measure of the obstacle to tougher gun-control laws is the boom in gun sales. Consider: An astounding 8.57 million guns were manufactured in 2012, the most recent year for which statistics are available from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. That total is up 31 percent from 6.54 million firearms produced in 2011.

Missouri and Arizona Closer to Nullifying Federal Gun Grab
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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A bill to nullify all federal attempts to infringe on the right to keep and bear arms has been approved by the Missouri state Senate and is heading toward a vote in the state House of Representatives.

On February 20, by a vote of 20-3, senators in the Show Me state lived up to the role the Founders intended them to play by shielding citizens of Missouri from suffering federal overreach and abrogation of the rights guaranteed by the Second Amendment.

Fight crime: shoot back
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Snohomish County authorities were still investigating last nights shooting at a private residence near Lake Stevens today, an incident that is getting coverage from all the local news agencies, and is one more example of a trend this column has discussed before, the lawful use of lethal force in self-defense.

It may be best summed up in the words of a popular bumper sticker: "Fight Crime - Shoot Back."