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MI: Fingerprinting applicants will speed up CPL process
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The Macomb County Clerk’s Office has made it easier for residents to apply for Concealed Pistol Licenses (CPL).
Clerk Anthony Forlini announced the vital records department and the Clerk’s Office have streamlined procedures by not only processing appointments on the same day as requested but also adding the service of fingerprinting, which prevents the need to set up a separate appointment at the Sheriff’s Office.
“Our group in the CPL Department is adding tremendous value for our residents that is hard to find in government agencies,” Forlini said. “At one time last year, it was taking over a month just to get an appointment. Today we are processing between 30-100 CPL applications a day with same-day appointments.”
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MD: Jury rules Howard County man fatally shot his son in self-defense in 2019, finds him not guilty of manslaughter
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A then-68-year-old Howard County man was found not guilty of manslaughter in his son’s shooting death in 2019, successfully arguing that he’d acted in self-defense.
A county jury found Stephen Dwight Tucker not guilty of manslaughter and a weapons charge last week in relation to the shooting death of his 38-year-old son, Stephen Michael Tucker in October 2019.
Police said the elder Tucker shot his son following a domestic dispute in Marriottsville, and he was eventually indicted by a grand jury on charges of manslaughter and using a firearm in the commission of a crime of violence. |
WI: Rittenhouse Prosecutor Makes Case for Self Defense
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Kenosha prosecutor Thomas Binger continued his bizarre approach on Wednesday in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial, playing video after video that showed Rittenhouse being chased and attacked before opening fire. Binger only served to prove anew how lawless and dangerous the riots were in Kenosha the night that Rittenhouse shot three people.
Indeed, Assistant District Attorney Binger helped make the case for self defense, which continues a pattern that’s been present throughout the trial. The Kenosha County DA’s office decision to charge Rittenhouse, 18, with homicide does not align with the facts. |
WI: Detective: Rittenhouse shouted 'Friendly!' to pursuer
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Kyle Rittenhouse shouted “Friendly! Friendly! Friendly!” as he was being chased by a man he eventually shot to death during street protests against racial injustice, a police detective testified — in a confrontation the defense portrayed as “the classic ambush.”
Video took center stage Wednesday in the Illinois man's trial in the shootings of three men — two fatally — after Rittenhouse traveled to Kenosha in August 2020 with a medical kit and a rifle in what he says was an effort to safeguard property from damaging riots. |
NY: U.S. Supreme Court begins hearing major gun rights case from New York
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The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday returned to the divisive issue of gun rights, hearing arguments in a challenge to New York state's limits on carrying concealed handguns in public - a case that could imperil certain firearms restrictions nationally.
The justices began to hear an appeal by two gun owners and the New York affiliate of the National Rifle Association, an influential gun rights group closely aligned with Republicans, of a lower court ruling throwing out their challenge to the state's law, enacted in 1913. |
KS: Firearm discharge resolution passes 4-1 in Sedgwick County
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A resolution prohibiting the discharge of firearms across property lines passed 4-1 during the Sedgwick County Commission meeting on Wednesday. The resolution makes it illegal to shoot a firearm with a bullet traveling from one property line to another.
Lacey Cruse was the lone vote against the resolution. Two weeks ago, Cruse successfully motioned to delay the vote, saying she needed more time to explain and discuss it with her constituents. Last week, Cruse hosted a town hall discussion in Valley Center to discuss the issue. |
IL: Illinois County’s Anti-Second Amendment Taxes Ruled Unconstitutional
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In a victory for the Second Amendment and the citizens of Illinois, the state’s Supreme Court unanimously ruled that two taxes Cook County had devised—one for firearms and one for ammunition—are unconstitutional. This NRA-backed case was known as Guns Save Life, Inc. v. Ali, and the 6-0 decision was handed down on October 21.
Enacted in 2013, the Cook County Gun Violence Firearm Tax Ordinance imposed a $25 tax on the purchase of a firearm from a Cook County retailer. The county later levied a separate tax on ammunition, which came to five cents per centerfire round and one cent per rimfire round sold in the county. |
Biden admin using military suicides to restrict Second Amendment rights
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The Biden administration on Tuesday has released a new strategy to further erode Americans’ Second Amendment rights and is doing so through an initiative aimed at reducing the “public health and national security crisis” of suicides in the military.
As part of the approach, multiple federal agencies including the Department of Defense, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, the Justice Department, and Veterans Affairs, as well as the Department of Transportation will join forces to implement a new policy for “improving lethal means safety.” |
The NRA Paid a Gun Rights Activist to File SCOTUS Briefs. He Didn’t Disclose it to the Court.
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The NRA Foundation has paid an attorney and Second Amendment activist to write favorable briefs in Supreme Court cases, suggests a hacked document released on the dark web last week. Since 2019, that attorney has submitted two briefs backing an NRA affiliate in cases before the court, including one involving New York’s gun licensing requirements that is being heard today. The briefs did not disclose the funding, allowing the NRA to buttress its affiliate’s arguments while concealing the effort from judges and the public. |
VA: Patriotic marine celebrates historic Virginia lt. gov win: I would ‘die for America’
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“Education will lift us all out of poverty because we must have marketable skills so that our children cannot just survive, but they want to create generational wealth. That’s what this is about,” she said.
Supporters linked to photos of Sears holding an assault-style weapon on social media on Election Day.
Sears, a staunch supporter of Second Amendment gun rights, also used a photo of her holding a rifle on her campaign ads.
“Battle tested conservative. Semper Fi,” the ad said.
Sears was asked about posing with the weapon in a post-victory speech interview. |
VT: UVM should have open carry on campus
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The Second Amendment in the U.S. Constitution gives each and every American the right to bear arms.
UVM students need to be able to carry guns on campus.
Vermont is one of 23 states that allows each university to decide whether or not to allow guns on university property, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
“The possession of weapons… is prohibited on UVM property and facilities… as they pose a substantial danger to the safety of the University community,” a University policy effective Jan. 28, 2020 stated. |
NY: Supreme Court seems poised to expand Second Amendment rights and strike down NY handgun law
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The Supreme Court seemed ready to expand Second Amendment rights after hearing arguments for over two hours and expressing skepticism about a New York law that restricts individuals from carrying concealed handguns outside the home for self-defense.
Chief Justice John Roberts at one point pressed New York's solicitor general about the breadth of the law that requires an individual to show "proper cause" before obtaining such a license in locations typically open to the general public, even in rural areas.
"How many muggings take place in a forest?" Roberts asked. |
VA: Volunteer militia holding self-defense courses for women
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On Saturday, Nov. 6, the volunteer militia Dinwiddie Civil Defense will be offering a self-defense class for women beginning at 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. with a 45 minute lunch break (enrollees must bring their own lunch). Cost to enroll is $40.
The class will cover six topics including: self defense as a state of mind, situational awareness, self defense hand to hand, self defense with non lethal weapons, self defense with lethal weapons (including information on conceal carrying) and home defense. |
Surprising support for the right to bear arms
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As the Supreme Court considers New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, many commentators are wondering if the Court will rule on the basis of text, history, and tradition. A deeply researched amicus brief from Everytown for Gun Safety cites a wealth of history. Yet some of those cites when read in context, such as the full sentence, undercut the brief's thesis that peaceable carry of arms was generally prohibited in England and America. |
VA: CCRKBA: Virginia Gun Owners Made Difference In State Races
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Virginia’s embattled gun owners were the margin of difference when it counted to take back the governor’s office, the Assembly and other key races, essentially setting the stage for “a return of common sense to the Commonwealth,” the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said today.
“Old Dominion gun owners were not about to allow anti-gun Democrats enjoy another two years of power after what happened in January 2020,” CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb observed. “They knew what Terry McAuliffe’s return to Richmond would mean for their Second Amendment rights. His party’s politics of attacking gun owners, and their outrageous record of eroding gun rights brought gun owners to the polls to say enough is enough.” |
CO: Colorado Overturns Preemption Law; Other States May Follow
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Fenberg, a Democrat who represents Boulder, co-sponsored legislation this summer that made Colorado the first state in the country to overturn its preemption law. Forty-two other states have laws stopping local governments from enforcing strict gun restrictions. The Colorado measure, signed into law in June, also allows universities to make decisions about firearms on their campuses.
"The fact that we don't have federal action shouldn't mean states and cities should sit on the sidelines and wait," Fenberg said. "We can only be so effective at the state and local level, but we need to use the tools we have available."
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NY: In closely watched gun law case, NYCLU argues the Second Amendment can infringe upon the First
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The amicus brief, filed September 22, argues that restrictions on guns in public spaces are appropriate to make public spaces safe for democratic participation, including First Amendment activity such as assembly, association and speech.
“This is a case about the Second Amendment, but its resolution also implicates fundamental First Amendment values,” the brief begins. “States have many justifications for regulating the public carrying of weapons, concealed or otherwise. But one especially important justification is that such restrictions facilitate civic engagement, by promoting safety and reducing the chances that the disagreements inevitable in a robust democracy do not lead to lethal violence. |
NY: Supreme Court justices skeptical about New York gun control law
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Chief Justice John Roberts said he found it surprising that local officials could make decisions about a constitutional right. Several other members of the court expressed that sentiment, but also agreed that states could decide whether to exclude guns from “sensitive places” in New York such as public transportation, New York University, Columbia University and Times Square on New Year’s Eve.
Justices Neil Gorsuch, Amy Coney Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh expressed their concern about the high bar applicants needed to meet in order to obtain a gun permit. |
NY: Justices’ Questions Suggest New York Gun Control Law Is Unlikely to Survive
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The Second Amendment protects a constitutional right just as the First Amendment does, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. said. People seeking to exercise either of those rights, he said, should not have to demonstrate to the government that they have a good reason or special need to do so.
“You don’t have to say, when you’re looking for a permit to speak on a street corner or whatever, that, you know, your speech is particularly important,” he said. “So why do you have to show in this case, convince somebody, that you’re entitled to exercise your Second Amendment right?” |
PA: 2nd Amendment measures pass
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Blair County voters have embraced the idea of creating a Second Amendment Sanctuary to provide another layer of gun protection rights.
In response to Tuesday’s ballot referendums proposed by the Blair County Tea Party, voters said yes in significant margins to the proposed sanctuary designation on the county level and on their municipal levels.
On the county level, unofficial returns show 16,551 voting yes to a Second Amendment Sanctuary and 5,603 voting no.
“I’m so happy with these results,” Tea Party President Rhonda Holland said Tuesday night. “We’ve been working on this for so long.” |
CA: Unlikely Ally: California Gun Rights Group Opposes Texas ‘Vigilante’ Anti-Abortion Law
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A California gun rights group filed a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in opposition to Texas’ new anti-abortion law because of worries that other states could copy it to limit gun ownership.
The Sacramento-based Firearms Policy Coalition argued in its brief that “the approach used by Texas to avoid pre-enforcement review of its restriction on abortion and its delegation of enforcement to private litigants could just as easily be used by other states to restrict First and Second Amendment rights.” |
VA: Victory for Freedom in Virginia
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In a massive win for freedom, Virginia voters made their voices heard and selected two NRA-endorsed candidates for statewide office. Winsome Sears (R) and Jason Miyares (R) are set, at press time, to become the state’s next lieutenant governor and attorney general, respectively.
“Jason Miyares and Winsome Sears are strong advocates for the Second Amendment and are committed to protecting our fundamental right to keep and bear arms,” said Jason Ouimet, NRA-ILA executive director. “They will not allow law-abiding gun owners to be used as a scapegoat for criminals and gun control.”
Sears, a marine, previously tweeted: “Marines know how to use guns and I won’t ever support a red flag law! The 2nd Amendment says ‘shall not be infringed!’” |
Colorado Rep. Joe Neguse to introduce gun bill related to Boulder King Soopers shooting
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U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse will introduce legislation in the House Thursday to prohibit people convicted of violent misdemeanors from purchasing a firearm for five years, a measure the Lafayette Democrat said could help prevent tragedies like the Boulder King Soopers massacre from happening again.
“It seems pretty clear to me in this case that this individual would not have been able to purchase a weapon had this law been the law of the land either in Colorado and ultimately at the federal level,” Neguse told The Denver Post in an interview Wednesday, speaking about the Boulder suspect. |
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| No kingdom can be secured otherwise than by arming the people. The possession of arms is the distinction between a freeman and a slave. He, who has nothing, and who himself belongs to another, must be defended by him, whose property he is, and needs no arms. But he, who thinks he is his own master, and has what he can call his own, ought to have arms to defend himself, and what he possesses; else he lives precariously, and at discretion. — James Burgh, Political Disquisitions: Or, an Enquiry into Public Errors, Defects, and Abuses [London, 1774-1775]. |
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