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TX: Week One of Sgt. Daniel Perry’s Trial
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The first week of the trial of Army Sgt. Daniel Perry included disagreements about whether protester Garrett Foster was a threat to Perry during a July 2020 protest, gruesome photographs of Foster’s body on the autopsy table after Perry shot him, and tense moments between the state’s witnesses and defense attorneys.
Perry is facing charges of murder and aggravated assault in the 147th District Court at the Blackwell-Thurman Criminal Justice Center in Austin, where Democratic Judge Clifford Brown presides. The courthouse is right down the street from the Capitol and only a few miles from where Perry killed Foster on July 25, 2020. The office of Democratic District Attorney Jose Garza convinced a grand jury to indict Perry in 2021. |
Run Or Hike Safely With These Self-Defense Tips
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A recent survey by Adidas found that 92 percent of female runners expressed concern about safety during outdoor runs, but only half took precautions. The survey claims more than half of women have experienced unwanted attention, and more than a third have been harassed. These numbers seem shockingly high and saddened me, because it doesn't have to be this way.
Let's look at some tips to keep you safer while exercising outdoors. |
OK: Pro-Gun Bills Progress
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We have now hit halftime in the session and numerous pro-gun bills are advancing in the legislature. Thanks to our pro-gun majority, most of the anti-gun bills have failed in committee. Thank you to NRA Members and Second Amendment supporters for electing pro-gun lawmakers to protect the freedoms of all law-abiding citizens throughout Oklahoma.
House Bill 1404/ Senate Bill 978 removes the prohibition on the transport of firearms in a vessel or boat and clarifies that it is only unlawful to discharge a firearm, except in cases of self-defense and hunting. HB 1404 passed the House 78-16 and has been referred to the Senate Public Safety Committee. SB 978 passed the Senate 40-7 and has been referred to the House Judiciary Committee. |
CA: California’s Most Restrictive Handgun Rule Gets Left Behind
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One of California’s most aggressive gun restrictions didn’t fare as well this week, though. While the state has decided to appeal the decision against its “Unsafe Handgun Act,” it explicitly did not ask for its microstamping requirement to remain in effect during that appeal. That’s a significant signal the state doesn’t expect it will be able to convince even the Ninth Circuit of the restriction’s viability.
Contributing Writer Jake Fogleman examines the effects of the “Unsafe Handgun Act” compared to how gun-control advocates have justified it and explains why that disconnect fuels distrust from gun owners for “safety” measures that are often proposed by the other side. |
Rifle Roundup: Springfield Armory Saint with a Holosun 510c
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Welcome to this month’s Rifle Roundup, where we’ll be looking at a Springfield Armory Saint that’s topped with a Holosun optic and a SureFire light.
Springfield Armory Saint M-Lok 5.56 AR-15 - MSRP: $1,023
The concept behind the defensive rifle is centuries old. From the Revolutionary War-era long rifles of the Pennsylvania farmer to the lever guns of the American frontier to the bolt-action, sporterized M1903 Springfield that my father in law used to defend his family, the rifle is and always will be an excellent defensive firearm.
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Amazon Appears To Be Removing Merch Advocating for Trans People’s Second Amendment Rights
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It seems that our constitutional rights are conditional depending on your demographic, as Amazon appears to have removed t-shirts that say “Trans Rights or Else” with the trans pride flag being made up of four guns.
Twitter user @aphexindividual posted a tweet highlighting the removal of this shirt on Tuesday. They wrote, “If you wanted merchandise that showed support for trans rights and our second amendment, great news: amazon is now removing all of their listings for anything with trans colors / mentions of trans rights paired with guns” along with screenshots of the original selling page and the broken link page you get now. |
MD: Unfettered access to guns is killing us, and yet we allow it to continue
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Many of us are especially angry when military assault type weapons are used, weapons that can slaughter large numbers of people quickly. Many combat veterans say civilians should not be allowed to own such weapons, much less take them out on the street. Large-capacity magazines and the supersonic velocity of the bullets make those weapons unusually deadly. They don’t just make small holes in the body. They utterly destroy flesh, bones and organs leaving exit wounds the size of grapefruits. Parents couldn’t even recognize their own children when they were killed by such weapons in previous school shootings. |
PA: Semiautomatic rifles belong in a special category
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We don’t allow for private ownership of bazookas, machine guns or flamethrowers. Semiautomatic firearms belong in the same category. It’s time to reinstate the ban that existed in this country from 1994 to 2004, when Congress allowed it to expire.
We’re 91 days into 2023 and have been 125 mass shootings, defined by the Gun Violence Archive as an incident in which at least four people are killed or wounded, in this country — about four every three days. |
FL: Gun business owners disagree on permitless concealed carry
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“Our numbers from last year are down already for this year by about 50%. We’ve been following it closely, and although I totally support the second amendment, I feel like this. I also support the fact that you should be educated and there is a huge responsibility with carrying a firearm.”
Some believe the second amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees the right to have a firearm anywhere. Sherrie McKnight is the Co-Founder of Big Daddy Unlimited and Big Daddy Guns. She thinks that getting rid of the requirement will not stop people from wanting to be properly trained to carry a gun.
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CO: Assault Weapon Ban Pulled from Committee Agenda
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Earlier this week, the House Judiciary Committee pulled House Bill 23-1230 (“HB 23-1230”) from the agenda thanks to the strong opposition of NRA members and Second Amendment supporters. The committee received thousands of messages opposing HB 23-1230, a bill that bans the manufacturing, importing, purchasing, selling, offering to sell, or transferring ownership of what the drafters have defined as an “assault weapon.” No hearing is scheduled at this time, but the fight is not over yet. They are still likely to take action on this bill at some point this session, so we must remain vigilant! |
Virginia senators weigh in on gun legislation
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Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine are talking tough on the need for Congress to act on sensible gun legislation, blaming other politicians who offer only "thoughts and prayers."
Both say they are fed up. They say Congress needs to be held accountable for what's happening in the country when it comes to mass shootings and gun control.
"I am tired of our politicians that come out and say they are going to pray for somebody and offer thoughts and prayers and then do squat," said Warner. |
OR: Senate Judiciary Committee Holding Vote on Implementing Measure 114 Provisions
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On Monday, April 3rd, at 1:00PM, the Senate Committee on Judiciary will hold a work session and vote on Senate Bill 348, to legislatively implement the provisions of Measure 114, which is currently paused while NRA-backed litigation works its way through the courts, and other gun control measures as well. Last Friday night, the committee posted the 64 page long -1 amendment and scheduled it for a hearing this past Monday. Proponents of SB 348, the same ones who pushed Measure 114, testified that they have been working on this bill for months with a “diverse” group of stakeholders, which conveniently did not include NRA. |
CO: 11 Democrats vote against party's gun bills
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Mounting pressure to tighten restrictions on guns after recent school shootings did little to unify Democratic lawmakers at the state Capitol.
Driving the news: Eleven of the 64 Democrats in the Legislature — mostly from moderate districts — voted against at least one of the four major gun bills their party leaders put forward.
In doing so, they agreed with Republicans who argued the legislation impeded Second Amendment rights or ran counter to voter sentiment. |
WA: Platitudes will not save our children
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Likely, their thoughts were about all the pro-gun fanatics to whom they are beholden for re-election and their prayers were for more big campaign donations from the firearms industry. That is judging by their responses to reporters’ questions about what can be done to address the nation’s epidemic of gun violence, responses that ranged from “nothing can be done” to “arm teachers” to “do not inhibit the rights of law-abiding gun owners.”
The stance of Republicans on this issue was perfectly encapsulated in a Christmas card sent out this year by the GOP congressman who represents the district in which the school shooting took place. |
America’s Gun Problem Is a Legal Problem
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This case could be an opportunity for the Supreme Court to correct the Fifth Circuit and affirm that Bruen does not, in fact, invalidate any number of long-standing and vital gun violence prevention measures. Or the Court could endorse the Fifth Circuit’s interpretation and risk adding fuel to the fire that is gun violence in America.
Following the shooting in Nashville, President Biden again called for a federal ban on assault weapons. Looming large, however, is the reality that even if gun safety legislation could get through this divided Congress, it would almost certainly be immediately litigated and destined for the U.S. Supreme Court. |
KY: General Assembly Adjourns Sine Die from 2023 Session
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Last night, the General Assembly adjourned sine die from its 2023 legislative session. This session, the House passed House Bill 542, to ensure that law-abiding adults are not stripped of their right to self-defense when they cross an arbitrary boundary onto a college campus. Unfortunately, the Senate failed to bring it up for consideration. |
MN: Federal judge: 18-20-year-olds can get Minnesota gun permits
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A federal judge on Friday invalidated a Minnesota law that excludes adults under age 21 from obtaining permits to carry guns in public. With the help of gun-rights groups, three people who were under 21 years old sued the state and some county sheriffs over a clause in a 2003 Minnesota law disqualifying them from getting a permit to have a gun in public. The case was filed in 2021.
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TX: District attorney dismisses murder charge against man who shot Jin Shin in Fort Worth
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The Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Office has dismissed a murder charge against the man who fatally shot Jin Shin following a car accident in Fort Worth last year. Markynn West was indicted on the murder charge in December. The district attorney’s office dismissed the charge on Friday. “A review of evidence in the case shows that after a minor traffic accident and disagreement, Shin retrieved a handgun and pointed at those present,” the district attorney’s office wrote in a statement to the Star-Telegram. “West, in defense of himself and others, fired his weapon at Shin, resulting in Shin’s death.” |
MN: Judge Says Law Restricting Carry Permits for 18-20 Year Olds Unconstitutional
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A Minnesota law restricting carry permits to people over age 21 was declared unconstitutional Friday by a federal judge who cited language in the Supreme Court’s 2022 Bruen ruling as a key factor in her decision.
U.S. District Judge Katherine Menendez issued her 50-page decision in a case known as Worth v. Harrington. It was a victory for gun rights groups including the Second Amendment Foundation, and especially for young adults who have been targeted by gun prohibition groups and anti-gun politicians focused on limiting their Second Amendment rights.
SAF was joined in the lawsuit by the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus, Firearms Policy Coalition... |
MN: Nobles County will not adopt 2nd Amendment sanctuary status
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Nobles County will not become a Second Amendment sanctuary or dedicated county, it was determined by consensus Wednesday morning during a work session of the board of commissioners.
Commissioner Justin Ahlers requested the board consider a resolution in support of citizens’ Second Amendment protection rights, which are already covered under the U.S. Constitution. |
De-escalation Made Simple
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While we’re all about you exercising your Second Amendment rights and carrying a firearm to protect yourself from violent situations, we’re also big on you getting out of trouble before it gets bad enough that you have to draw your firearm in self-defense. Sometimes that looks like avoiding places where violence tends to happen. Sometimes it looks like leaving a situation that’s starting to go sideways or running away from danger. And sometimes it looks like de-escalating someone who is considering violence or who looks like they might turn violent. |
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