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WA: Washington Ban on Sale of AR-15s and Other Semi-Automatic Rifles Can Go Forward, Judge Rules
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A federal judge Tuesday denied an attempt to halt Washington's new ban on the sale of AR-15s and other semi-automatic rifles.
The same late April day that Gov. Jay Inslee signed a ban on the sale of dozens of firearms, including AK-47s, AR-15s and M16s, the Bellevue-based Second Amendment Foundation and other opponents filed a lawsuit challenging it.
On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Robert Bryan denied their move to block the law from being enforced. The plaintiffs had sought an injunction in early May.
In his ruling, Bryan pointed to a number of reasons why he was denying the motion, including that the law's challengers hadn't shown that an injunction was in the public interest. |
CO: Colorado Democrats admit they want to take your guns
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A gun control advocacy group known as Here 4 the Kids wants Gov. Jared Polis (D-CO) to ban all guns in his state. Yes, all of them.
The group drafted an executive order that would impose a “total ban” on firearms for 30 days and a buyback program with the government. These would be followed by restrictions within 30 days to punish residents for gun possession and ensure the continued absence of firearms from public life in the state. |
TN: Brave Shop Owner Turns the Tables on Gun-Wielding Assailant in South Memphis
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A shop owner in South Memphis, Tennessee, courageously defended himself and his customers from an armed assailant, exhibiting a perfect example of self-defense.
According to detectives, at around 3 pm on a Saturday afternoon, 21-year-old Aaron Brown stormed into a shoe-shine business on East McLemore, armed with a semi-automatic weapon. His intentions were initially directed at a driver pulling into the store’s lot when he allegedly attempted a carjacking. He instructed the driver, “Leave it running, I’m taking it,” but allowed the driver to leave unharmed. |
Survey: Teachers divided on arming teachers for self-defense
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The RAND Corporation released a recent survey of teachers about safety issues, such as arming teachers in schools to deter potential mass shooters. There have been legislative proposals throughout the U.S. to allow for teachers to voluntarily train and arm themselves with a legally-owned firearm in schools, with almost no success in becoming law. But, in a Arkansas school district, at least 20 staff members (teachers and administrators) chose to arm themselves in school. |
Disarming a Man Based on a Nonviolent Misdemeanor Was Unconstitutional, the 3rd Circuit Rules
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Back in 1995, Bryan Range pleaded guilty to fraudulently obtaining $2,458 in food stamps by understating his income. He returned the money, paid a $100 fine and $288 in court costs, and served three years of probation.
Although Range did not realize it, that Pennsylvania misdemeanor conviction also came with a lifelong penalty: Under federal law, he lost the right to own firearms. That disability, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit ruled yesterday in Range v. United States, is inconsistent with the constitutional right to keep and bear arms.
Ed.: The 3rd Circuit covers NJ, DE, PA, & USVI. |
FL: Ocala shooter likely not covered under self-defense laws, attorney says
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“Stand Your Ground doesn’t really apply when you are behind a door and you are not looking at deadly force. Remember: Stand Your Ground (means) someone comes at me, but I need to move,” O’Mara said. “How and when should we be able to use deadly force against another citizen? That’s a very significant conversation to have.”
O’Mara also said it’s unclear whether Lorincz would be protected under the Castle Doctrine, which gives people rights to defend themselves from inside their home.
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NY: Senior New Yorker Uses Unlicensed Firearm in Self-Defense, May Face Charges
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Charles Foehner, a 65-year-old retired doorman from Queens, New York, is now facing legal issues after defending himself during a failed robbery, highlighting the complicated nature of U.S. gun laws and self-defense rights.
In the early hours of May 31, Foehner was approached by 32-year-old Cody Gonzalez, whose rap sheet contains at least 15 arrests dating back to 2004 and a history of mental illness. As seen on surveillance footage, Gonzalez accosted Foehner outside a parking garage on 82nd Avenue near Queens Boulevard in Kew Gardens. |
IA: Iowa attorney says abused woman killed boyfriend in self-defense
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The fatal shooting of a Des Moines man in his home was an act of self-defense and no charges will be filed, Polk County Attorney Kimberley Graham announced on Tuesday. Ezekiel Williams, 22, was shot on May 20th by his girlfriend after allegedly assaulting her and their children.
Police were called to their apartment around 6:00 pm that evening on a report of a shooting. Inside, police found Williams suffering from a gunshot wound to the head. He was taken to a Des Moines hospital and died from his wounds one week later. |
SC: Judge grants order dismissing charges in Myrtle Beach double murder case
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A man accused of shooting and killing two people in Myrtle Beach has had his case dismissed.
Brandon Hembree faced two counts of murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime in the shooting deaths of Jaleel Stephens and Kanon Melvin in June 2021.
His defense filed motions back in August 2022 for immunity and to dismiss the charges under the Protection of Persons and Property Act. It states that a person who is not engaged in unlawful activity has the right to stand his ground and meet force with force, including deadly force. |
VA: Gun violence across America and in the Shenandoah Valley
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Across the Shenandoah Valley, gun violence has put schools on lockdown, close businesses and killed children.
According to the Gun Violence Archives, there have been over 150,000 deaths associated with gun violence across America since 2020. These deaths can include murder, self-defense, unintentional deaths and suicide.
13 of those 150,000 deaths occurred in the Shenandoah Valley. Notable shootings across the Valley include: |
CT: Gun rights supporters sue Connecticut after governor signs bill with open carry ban
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Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont on Tuesday signed the most wide-ranging state gun control bill since a 2013 law passed in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, sparking an immediate lawsuit by gun rights supporters seeking to block a ban on open carrying and other parts of the new law.
It’s the latest legal fight over Connecticut’s gun laws, which are some of the strictest in the country, since the U.S. Supreme Court last year expanded gun rights and opened several states’ laws to challenges. The landmark 2013 gun law and others also are being contested in court. |
Would nearly all felon gun bans be struck down under new 3rd Circuit opinion? Dissenter thinks so
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Hardiman’s opinion was joined in full by eight of the 15 en banc judges. Four judges concurred, including two who did not join the majority opinion.
Four judges dissented, including Judge Patty Shwartz, who warned that the opinion could have a broad reach.
“Today, the majority of our court has decided that an individual convicted of fraud cannot be barred from possessing a firearm,” wrote Shwartz in a dissent joined by Judge L. Felipe Restrepo. “While my colleagues state that their opinion is narrow, the analytical framework they have applied to reach their conclusion renders most, if not all, felon bans unconstitutional.” |
4 Tips for the Trips that Include Firearms
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We tend to take our safety and security seriously when we are at home, going to and from work, and while running errands around town. This is often not the case when we are on vacation. Afterall, vacations are supposed to be fun and carefree, a time when we let down our guard. But, in reality, vacation is often when we are most vulnerable and need to be most focused on safety. If you plan to vacation with a firearm in tow, there are four facets to be aware of: |
IL: Governments defend gun ban because of ‘unprecedented societal concerns’
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With the first round of briefs in the challenge to Illinois’ gun and magazine ban in front of the Seventh U.S. Circuit Court of Appeal, plaintiffs are preparing their filings.
Illinois banned more than 170 semi-automatic firearms and magazines over certain capacities on Jan. 10. There were already bans in Cook County and the city of Chicago.
The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals has the consolidated docket of cases from the Southern District and Northern District federal courts where plaintiffs are challenging bans on semi-automatic firearms and magazines over certain capacities. |
IL: Respondents’ Illinois Gun Ban Defense Briefs Full of Wishful Thinking and Make Believe
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Monday was the deadline for the defendants of the consolidated cases challenging Illinois’ new firearm and magazine bans to file their briefs with the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the new law into effect on January 10th of this year. How did that go?
Well the state’s attorneys submitted outright lies and falsehoods to the court. How can they do that without sanction? Folks, there isn’t enough bourbon in the world to read through their briefs without getting a serious headache. |
Biden Pushes Supreme Court to Ban More People From Owning Firearms
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Most Americans don’t have a problem with denying guns to felons, but now the Biden administration is trying to take things a step further by denying guns to those under a civil protective order.
Although Zackey Rahimi is indeed a violent and dangerous person, granting federal district courts the power to ban those under a restraining order from owning firearms makes the Second Amendment meaningless. It is far easier to put a restraining order on someone than to convict him of an actual felony, so liberal judges sympathetic to the Biden administration could suspend someone’s Second Amendment rights on a whim. |
FL: Protesters call for arrest of white woman who fatally shot Black neighbor
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About three dozen mostly Black protesters gathered outside the Marion County Judicial Center to demand that the shooter be arrested in the country’s latest flashpoint over race and gun violence. The chief prosecutor, State Attorney William Gladson, met with the protesters and urged patience while the investigation continues.
“If we are going to make a case we need as much time and as much evidence as possible,” Gladson said. “I don’t want to compromise any criminal investigation and I’m not going to do that.” |
Large body of misinformation is fueling American gun violence
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Slogans like “Guns don’t kill, people do” and “The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun” reflect the decades-long campaign by the gun lobby and its allies to convince Americans that owning guns makes them safer. This campaign, based on a large body of misinformation, has made America a far more dangerous place. Our book American Carnage identifies and debunks close to 40 core myths that have led many Americans to mistakenly believe that carrying a gun and keeping one in the home will protect them rather than expose them to an elevated risk of harm. |
Newsom proposes constitutional amendment to restrict gun rights
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Fed up with inaction on gun control, Newsom unveiled a proposed 28th Amendment to the Constitution on Thursday that would implement "common sense" gun safety measures he claims have widespread bipartisan support.
"Our ability to make a more perfect union is literally written into the Constitution," Newsom said Thursday. "So today, I’m proposing the 28th Amendment to the United States Constitution to do just that. The 28th Amendment will enshrine in the Constitution common sense gun safety measures that Democrats, Republicans, Independents, and gun owners overwhelmingly support – while leaving the 2nd Amendment unchanged and respecting America’s gun-owning tradition." |
IL: Pot users should not lose their gun rights
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After Minnesota became the 23rd state to legalize recreational marijuana last week, the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) issued a familiar warning. Minnesotans who might be inclined to consume cannabis supplied by state-licensed stores, the ATF office in St. Paul said, should recognize that doing so means sacrificing the constitutional right to armed self-defense.
That puzzling predicament, the result of restrictions imposed by the Gun Control Act of 1968, is untenable in a country where most states allow medical or recreational marijuana use and two-thirds of adults support full legalization. |
Progressive Judges May Have Found a Use for Clarence Thomas’ Terrible Guns Ruling
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Will progressive judges ever find use for the Supreme Court’s recently expanded and disastrous interpretation of the Second Amendment? A major ruling on Tuesday suggests that they already are. By an 11–4 vote, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit held that some people convicted of felonies retain their right to bear arms. The decision drew support from judges across the ideological spectrum, uniting the court’s most conservative and liberal judges despite—or perhaps because of—its potentially revolutionary implications. This consensus suggests that we may be entering a new era of Second Amendment litigation, one in which left-leaning judges reluctantly embrace gun rights as a tool of progressive constitutionalism. |
GOP’s booming support for guns is turning off millennial, Gen Z Republicans
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One poll conducted by Harvard’s political institute this spring found that a clear majority of young conservatives supported mandatory psychological exams for gun purchasers. A separate, recurring survey from YouGov concluded in March that Gen Z and millennial Republicans are more likely to believe in tougher gun laws than older Republicans and that young conservatives’ support for the idea has grown in the past year. |
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TO REMEMBER |
| The UK has a crime problem and, believe it or not, except for murder, theirs is worse than ours. — Dan Rather, CBS Special Report, July, 2000 |
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