Keep and Bear Arms - Gun Owners Home Page

CT: Law of Self Defense: Self-Defense Claim Lost When Defender Becomes Aggressor Submitted by: Mark A. Taff Website: http://www.marktaff.com	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
The law of self-defense allows for the use of defensive force to resist an imminent unlawful use of force against you. It does not allow you to engage in acts of retribution or vengeance. Remember folks: When you go to the fight instead of the fight coming to you, it very rarely looks like self-defense to anybody.

KS: Personal protection expert weighs in on gun owners' rights
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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Kansas abides by The Castle Doctrine which states gun owners have legal protection to use their gun for self defense in case of a home invasion. But defining the need to protect yourself, isn't always clear cut.

Schillaci says homeowners need to be able to explain why they felt threatened by an intruder.

"if somebody comes into your home, and they confront you, then suddenly they're turning and running out the door, you're going to have a difficult time explaining why you chased the person out the door and beat them to death."

He says homeowners have an absolute right to protect their family and home if an intruder is confronting them inside the home. Even if the person doesn't have a weapon.

OH: Ohio lawmakers adopt flurry of bills
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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GOP Gov. John Kasich had said he would veto the bill, which could have looked bad for fellow Republicans as they visited fairs and campaign stops this summer.

Kasich is pushing the opposite direction with gun laws. Hes seeking what he casts as a package of common sense changes that emerged from a bipartisan advisory group. They include revisions to Ohio gun and background-check laws, as well as a red flag law to allow gun rights to be temporarily stripped from people who show warning signs of violence.

Bills containing those changes also have stalled.

Judge Kavanaughs Record on Second Amendment/Gun Rights Submitted by: Mark A. Taff Website: http://www.marktaff.com	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
In follow-on litigation to the Supreme Courts landmark ruling on the Second Amendment in D.C. v. Heller, a D.C. Circuit panel majority, consisting of two Republican appointees, upheld the District of Columbias ban on possession of most semi-automatic rifles and its registration requirement for all guns in D.C. Judge Kavanaugh dissented (in Heller v. D.C. (2011)). An excerpt from his dissent:

FL: Florida Carry Members Assaulted By Miami Beach Police
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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The Board of Directors of Florida Carry are appalled at the recent treatment of six of our members at the hands of officers of the Miami Beach Police Department (MBPD) on July [Ed.: June] 24th at approximately 10:00 am.

Our members were peacefully fishing at South Pointe Park Pier while openly carrying firearms in accordance with 790.25(3)(h) Florida Statutes, as members of our organization have done at various locations throughout the state since 2010. The organization uses these gatherings to hand out literature regarding firearms laws in Florida and to demonstrate that a visible gun is not necessarily a threat when held by a law-abiding citizen.

The Values Underlying Independence Day
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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Not the least of what he wrote offered his view that the declaration and the values that it articulated were truly radical meaning they reflected 180-degree changes at the very core of societal attitudes in America. The idea that farmers and merchants and lawyers could secede from a kingdom and fight and win a war against the kings army was the end result of the multigenerational movement that was articulated in the declaration.

The two central values of the declaration are the origins of human liberty and the legitimacy of popular government.

MD: Americans Against Gun Violence Responds to Capital Gazette Mass Shooting in Annapolis, Maryland Submitted by: Mark A. Taff Website: http://www.marktaff.com	There is 1 comment on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
It is the position of Americans Against Gun Violence that the United States should adopt stringent gun control laws comparable to the laws that have long been in effect in every other high income democratic country of the world. If such laws had already been in place, its exceedingly unlikely that the Capital Gazette mass shooting would have occurred.

MA: Baker signs 'red flag' bill into law
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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With a raft of advocates and lawmakers huddled around the desk in his ceremonial office, Gov. Charlie Baker on Tuesday signed a law to allow family members to petition the courts to suspend gun ownership rights of someone they believe to be a danger.

The legislation gained attention and traction on Beacon Hill following the mass shooting that left 17 dead at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, and goes into the books this session alongside the law that Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito signed in November to ban devices used to make guns fire more rapidly.

MA: Liberals, dont be shy about intolerance
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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GUN AND HUNT CLUBS: Yes, there are still a handful of lawful gun owners in Massachusetts. And thats prime Trumpie territory. After all, if theyre members of a gun club, you know two things about them: They support the Second Amendment, and theyre armed.

Actually, now that I think about it you may want to skip that one.

The point is, youve got to do something. You cant just sit back while Donald Trump does crazy things like signing bills into laws and nominating Supreme Court justices. I mean, cmon what president of the United States does that?

CO: The insanity of arming teachers
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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Youre a teacher and formerly on active duty with the military where you were actually trained to use weapons? Why on Earth would anyone ever want to take your opinion into account? Dont you know the Second Amendment is at stake here?

Of course, your opinion is valuable. If I had the power to do anything about this issue I would assemble a panel of the relatively few, but not insignificant, citizens like yourself who have been trained to use weapons and who have also had experience with education.

CA: Quilt museum takes aim at gun violence
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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While most of the works in the exhibit come down in favor of tighter gun control, DiPlacido said the museums goal was to act as a neutral presenter. To that end, visitors are asked to vote, using spent shell casings, on whether U.S. gun control laws should be tighter.

So much in the news has been polarizing, said the curator. Art can cover the middle ground.

The museum hosted a free community day around the exhibit on June 30, which included a panel discussion on gun control. Loaded Conversations closes July 15 with a discussion on the social and cultural significance of guns, led by Stanford University law Prof. John J. Donohue III.

ID: Best defense is a good guy with a gun
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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But no one mentions the elephant in the room. Mass shootings only happen in gun free zones. The media never reports on the mass shootings that were averted because one armed resource officer or responsible passer-by took out the shooter before he/she could do any damage, as happened recently in Maryland and Illinois. How long did it take for the various responders in the Newport exercise to make it to the scene of the crime? How many fewer beds would Newport Hospital have had to utilize if a few, anonymous, qualified teachers or staff had been armed? Was that even a scenario that was considered in the preparedness exercises?

TX: Gov. Abbott says Houston has more brothels than Starbucks
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Heres something Abbott heard from caller Roger in Houston that the governor probably didnt want to hear. Roger self-identified as a big fan of the Second Amendment and is involved with several different gun organizations.

And I have been getting a lot of brochures from them saying you are cratering on a lot of Second Amendment issues since the Santa Fe (school) shootings, Roger told the governor.

Abbott pushed back at length, listing all the measures he has supported.

FL: NRA Endorses Matt Caldwell
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Representative Matt Caldwell received the endorsement of the National Rifle Association Political Victory Fund (NRA-PVF) and Unified Sportsmen of Florida in his bid for Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

Marion P. Hammer, NRA Past President and Executive Director of Unified Sportsmen of Florida said, Representative Matt Caldwell has been a steadfast supporter of Second Amendment issues as a member of the Florida House. His support of Second Amendment, self-defense, and anti-crime issues and his pro-sportsmen , pro-Second Amendment, pro-freedom record have earned him our endorsement. He is the only candidate in this race with a perfect record of unyielding support of the Second Amendment to our Constitution.

WA: Washington state firearms initiative survives challenge
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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The Bellevue-based Second Amendment Foundation and other parties on Friday filed a request for an injunction with the Washington Supreme Court.

They claimed that I-1639s signature petitions do not show all the changes the initiative would make to state gun laws. Naming Secretary of State Kim Wyman as a respondent, they asked the court to invalidate the petitions.

But Supreme Court Commissioner Michael E. Johnston dismissed the filing.

Among other reasons, Johnston wrote that judicial review of initiatives in these instances can occur only when the Washington secretary of state has declined to place a measure on the ballot.

The denial isnt likely to stop the Second Amendment Foundations efforts.

McConnell: Federal efforts to prevent school shootings are limited to appropriating funds
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Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he doesnt think that theres much the federal government can do to ensure school safety other than appropriate funds, according to a report by The Lexington Herald-Leader.

In discussing school violence in a speaking engagement with community leaders on Tuesday in Danville, Kentucky, McConnell pushed for more school security as opposed to more gun control legislation, the report said.

MA: Say 'yes' to gun control laws
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Mass shootings have been happening so often that now you can read an article about the latest one and forget about it seconds later. Killing has become a part of our culture, and some people want to protect that and rights that were thought up in the Second Amendment before cars existed, even when Americas homicide rate is 25 times higher than other high-income countries. So many people have died and yet we still allow mass murders and homicides to happen in our country.

FL: After newsroom shooting, take broader approach on firearm violence
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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If you believe that America should accept regular mass killings as a price of the Second Amendment, turn the page or swipe on.

But if you believe that firearm violence shames this country and that our democracy could prevent needless tragedies and respect the Constitution, hear me out on this Independence Day.

Like many South Florida journalists of a certain age, I knew Rob Hiaasen. He and four colleagues at The Annapolis (Md.) Capital Gazette were murdered last week.

WA: City of Edmonds is latest to consider gun safety measures
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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The proposed legislation would require guns to be locked up in homes.

And it's a topic of security that is circulating round and round in communities throughout our region.

In Seattle, gun owners could also be forced to pay up to $10,000 in fines if their firearms aren't kept in safes. That's according to Mayor Jenny Durkan's "Safe Storage" legislation that she handed to the City Council recently.

"This is not an anti-gun measure. This is a gun safety measure and I believe strongly in the Second Amendment. I believe in people's right to bear arms but any responsible gun owner knows they should keep their weapon locked," Durkan said.

VA: Democratic candidate wants more funding for mental health
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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As for guns, Flaccavento is a gun owner who supports universal background checks and stopping the sale of guns to those convicted of terrorism or domestic violence or who have significant mental health problems.

He supports limits on the firepower of guns available to the public and favors outlawing bump stocks and high-capacity magazines. In the case of the Maryland shooter, he used a shotgun, which wouldnt be affected by any such changes.

MI: Trumps best Supreme Court option
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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The search for Gorsuch 2.0 is underway at the White House. The best choice for the opening is Judge Raymond Kethledge of the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit.

The 51-year-old judge from central casting just like Neil Gorsuch is not as well-known as front-runner U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit Judge Brett Kavanaugh. But the longtime Michigan resident brings political upside to the process that Kavanaugh and several other contenders cannot.

AR: Liberal left show they are intolerant ones Submitted by: Mark A. Taff Website: http://www.marktaff.com	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
I have always said those on the left encourage and welcome free speech with one caveat. That being, the speech and actions must be in line with their left-leaning political bent. I'm guessing Sarah Sanders will not sue the restaurant. I'm pretty sure the ACLU will not come riding in with both barrels blazing. Oh, that's right they're not too crazy about the Second Amendment, either.