Firearms Policy Coalition

Subscribe to Firearms Policy Coalition feed
Updated: 6 days 2 hours ago

Washington Times: Georgia House committee backs ‘campus carry’ gun bill

Wed, 02/17/2016 - 11:43

A Georgia House committee has approved a bill allowing guns on state college campuses with little notice.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that the House Public Safety and Homeland Security committee approved the “campus carry” bill Tuesday.

The state’s university system has long opposed changes to existing law that prevents weapons on its campuses. Democrats protested Tuesday’s vote because the bill was not included on the committee’s agenda for the day; committee chairs typically can add bills unannounced.

The bill now goes to the House Rules committee, which is responsible for determining when bills receive a vote.

Read more here.

WDBJ7: Virginia House OKs bill allowing concealed guns for abuse victims

Sat, 02/06/2016 - 11:08

Virginia’s Republican-led House of Delegates has approved a bill that would allow people who are protected by a protective order to carry a concealed handgun without a permit.

The House approved Republican Del. Todd Gilbert’s bill with a 68-29 vote on Wednesday. It heads to the GOP-controlled Senate.

The bill would apply to people who are over age 21. Those who are protected by a protective order would be able to carry a weapon for 45 days after the order was issued.

Supporters say measure would ensure that people who are in danger have the ability to protective themselves. But some Democrats said they were concerned about allowing people who have no training to carry concealed firearms.

Read more here.

Star Tribune: Permits to carry a gun soar in Minnesota, with 6,000 permit holders in a month

Fri, 02/05/2016 - 11:10

Permits to carry a gun in Minnesota soared in the month of January, the state’s second largest surge since the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre.

Since the beginning of the new year, there have been at least 221,712 active permit holders — a 6,189 increase from December 2015, according to a monthly data report from the state’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA). The largest spike was in March 2013 with 7,213 active permit holders, a few months after the elementary school shooting in Newtown, Conn., and subsequent calls for national gun control measures.

A similar pattern of jumps in permit holders and applications are typically seen after prominent mass shootings, including the November Paris terrorist attacks and the December killings in San Bernardino, Calif.

Read more here.

CBS LA: Armed 92-Year-Old San Jacinto Homeowner Scares Off Burglar

Thu, 02/04/2016 - 10:30

A burglar in San Jacinto apparently picked the wrong house to break into Sunday Morning. He was confronted by a 92-year-old homeowner armed with a gun.

According to San Jacinto police, the intruder tried to gain forced entry by smashing a door with an ax at a house in the 1400 block of Chase Street at about 11 a.m.

Joe Milspa said he heard the noise and approached the door with his handgun. That was when “he suddenly saw an exterior glass window of the home shatter, followed by the suspect attempting to crawl into his home through the window,” said Sgt. Craig McDonald of the San Jacinto Police Department.

Milspa, who is a World War II veteran and lives alone, immediately fired one round at the intruder. “I could have shot him right in the head between the eyes. But I didn’t want to do that. I would have been in trouble,” Milspa said.

The burglar was not hit. But he did take off running, leaving behind his ax and several other items, police said.

Milspa, who worked as a mechanic for the Los Angeles Police Department for 21 years, said he has had the gun for decades and still goes to the shooting range.

Read more here.

CNS News: Federal Lawmakers Urge Conn. Stores to Ban Open Carry of Guns

Tue, 02/02/2016 - 11:34

Even though the state law allows for open carry, federal lawmakers in Connecticut are asking the state’s food retail stores to ban the open carry of guns in their stores.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Rep. Elizabeth Esty (D-Conn.) wrote a letter last week to the Connecticut Food Association saying, “we urge you to implement a new policy that would prevent the open carry of guns in your member stores.”

The letter dated Jan. 28th says, “Although Connecticut law allows for open carry, supermarkets, food retailers, and other private establishments have the legal authority to ban firearms from their premises. There is simply no reason someone would need to bring their gun with them in order to purchase milk, bread or other necessities at a grocery store.”

“Customers should feel safe while shopping, and employees should not be fearful while doing their jobs,” the letter continues. “You have the opportunity to take a strong stance in support of creating a safe, welcoming environment in Connecticut’s food retailers.”

Read more here.

Boston Globe: Gun licensing continues to rise in Mass.

Fri, 01/29/2016 - 10:54

Tens of thousands of new gun licenses were issued to Massachusetts residents in 2015, continuing a recent surge, according to state data.

There were 342,622 active Class A firearms licenses statewide, according to figures provided by the Department of Criminal Justice Information Services earlier this month. That was up about 24,700, or 7.8 percent, from the same time a year ago.

A Class A license, the broadest license available under state law and by far the most popular, allows the holder to carry rifles, shotguns, or handguns. It also allows the holder to carry a concealed handgun.

The number of Class A licenses has increased by 104,150, or 44 percent, from five years ago.

Read more here.

WNPR: Senators Murphy, Blumenthal Introduce Bill to Repeal Gun Industry’s Liability Shield

Thu, 01/28/2016 - 10:21

Blumenthal has called the gun industry’s immunity a “mockery of American justice.”

“It prevents somebody from going after truly egregious wrongdoing,” Blumenthal said. “The dealer who sells to a known criminal, who then goes out and kills somebody — that dealer is absolutely immune.”

Blumenthal and Murphy are joining other lawmakers in an effort to repeal the law.

Murphy said their legislation, the Equal Access to Justice for Victims of Gun Violence Act, will not only give victims their day in court, it will compel the gun industry to make a safer product.

“With the industry knowing that they will never ever be on the hook, there is no incentive to ever invest in the kind of rudimentary technology that would assure that firearms are not used in unsafe ways,” Murphy said.

Read more here.

The Blaze: White House Response Following Philadelphia Cop Shooting: More Gun Control

Mon, 01/11/2016 - 18:16

The White House Monday withheld judgment on whether the shooting of a Philadelphia police officer last week was an act of terrorism. However, spokesman Josh Earnest was clear that President Barack Obama’s policy to restrict access to guns would be one means to prevent similar incidents.

“It is relevant whether this individual was motivated by demons inside of his own mind or demons he encountered through social media,” Earnest said. “Either way, we want to make sure we are mindful of the steps to mitigate the risk posed by this individuals and those like him across the country. Certainly one thing we can do is to keep guns out of the hands of people like him. Whether it’s somebody who planned to carry out a terrorist act or somebody who has significant mental problems shouldn’t be so easily able to get their hands on a guns.”

Read more here.

Rep. Thomas Massie: Liberty is a well-armed lamb

Tue, 01/05/2016 - 11:17

In the words of George Mason, the Founding Father known as the “Father of the Bill of Rights”: “To disarm the people is the best and most effectual way to enslave them.” Benjamin Franklin said: “Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch.” And he could well have added: “Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote.”

Tragically, when a criminal goes on a shooting spree or a terrorist attacks innocent people, the administration and some members of Congress immediately call for more gun control. Just days after the recent terrorist attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, many Democrats took to the House floor to declare that guns themselves cause crime and terrorism.

Unfortunately, gun control advocates never acknowledge that criminals and terrorists by definition have no respect for the law. Therefore, passage of stringent gun control measures only disarms and punishes honest, law-abiding citizens.

Read more here

Fox News: Obama meeting with AG on gun control actions, faces GOP backlash

Mon, 01/04/2016 - 11:54

The president lit a fire under the gun control debate last week when he and his aides announced White House plans to kick off the new year with executive action on gun rules. Obama plans to meet Monday afternoon with Attorney General Loretta Lynch, FBI Director James Comey and other top officials to work out those plans.

At the top of the list is an effort to expand background checks on gun sales by forcing more sellers to register as federally licensed gun dealers. The changes would be aimed at some unregistered sellers who skirt the background check laws by selling at gun shows, online or informal settings. Other moves being considered include improving reporting of lost and stolen weapons and beefing up inspections of licensed dealers, according to a person familiar with the plans.

The package includes measures this White House has long considered but not completed, mindful of the legal fight sure to follow as well as the potential for political backlash for some fellow Democrats.

Read more here

WND: Obama’s gun control looms as New Year dawns; Rand Paul vows to ‘fight tooth and nail’ for 2nd Amendment

Wed, 12/30/2015 - 17:24

The New Year dawns – and with it, President Obama’s promised executive action on guns. But at least one congressional member on Capitol Hill has taken swift action to stop the tide of executive overreach.

Sen. Rand Paul has introduced legislation to keep the White House from overextending its jurisdiction and issuing executive orders that curtail the Second Amendment – a measure that comes in direct response to Obama’s vow to enact gun control by dictate shortly after the new year, and one that will likely set the stage for a White House-Congress battle of policy wits.

Paul’s legislation would limit such orders to “advisory” status “only,” Breitbart reported. Specifically, it would limit “any executive action on gun control that either infringes upon congressional authority or potentially violates the Second Amendment,” the Hill reported. The “advisory only” tag means Congress would have to pass the recommended action before it could take effect.

Paul’s bill would also let a “state official, member of Congress or person affected by an executive action on gun control to launch a civil lawsuit,” as Breitbart reported.

Read more here

The Trace: How the ‘Bullet Button’ Inventor Lets California’s Assault Weapons Owners Blast Away Without Breaking the Law

Wed, 12/23/2015 - 13:12

The California State Legislature is coming back in less than two weeks. It is safe to bet that bullet buttons will be under attack again.

...

Redwood Times: State gun sales break records

Tue, 12/22/2015 - 14:05

Amid a new round of debate over gun control, Californians have already bought a record number of firearms in 2015, including major spikes in sales on Black Friday and the days after the San Bernardino attacks, an analysis of new federal and state data show.

...

LA Times: L.A. County considers requiring gun owners to buy insurance

Wed, 12/16/2015 - 12:21

In the wake of the terrorist attacks that killed 14 people in San Bernardino, Los Angeles County officials are considering toughening local gun regulations, including a possible requirement for gun owners to buy insurance.

...

SacBee: California’s tough gun laws scrutinized after San Bernardino shootings

Tue, 12/15/2015 - 12:55

California lawmakers have acted repeatedly to give the state what are considered the nation’s strictest gun laws.

...

LA Times: California lawmakers revive gun control ideas after San Bernardino attack

Fri, 12/04/2015 - 21:25

The mass shooting in San Bernardino has state lawmakers looking again at new gun control legislation for California, while leading advocates for restrictions called Friday for the state to close a loophole that allows detachable ammunition magazines like one used by the killers.

...

Standards of Scrutiny: Rebellion in the Courts of Appeal

Mon, 11/02/2015 - 13:15
Standards of Scrutiny: Rebellion in the Courts of Appeal...

Beat Bloomberg >> JOIN. ACT. VOTE!

Fri, 10/30/2015 - 17:41

Gun control commander-in-chief and billionaire former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg is pouring millions of dollars into key state and federal races across the country.

...

Pages

e-mail