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School police officers are carrying AR-15s in one Utah district to help in “rapid response” situations.

The Granite School Police District is under scrutiny this week from local television and print media for arming their officers with semi-automatic weapons, but a spokesman for the district told TheBlaze they’ve actually been carrying these weapons for five years.

An AR-15 is a semi-automatic weapon, not a machine gun. (Photo credit: Shutterstock)

“In 2005 we received three M-16 type, semi-automatic weapons under the 1033 program; they are the same kind that were used in the Vietnam war,” Ben Horsley, Granite School Police Department spokesman, told TheBlaze.

The Department of Defense

Two Democrat governors who signed significant gun-control legislation last year defended the laws as effective in preventing crime.

Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy (Image source: AP/Jessica Hill, File)

“We have the lowest crime we’ve had in 46 years, currently,” Connecticut Gov. Dan Malloy told TheBlaze. “So if you ask is there a connection between our gun policies, I’ll just leave it up to people to draw their own conclusion.

“But we have a lower homicide rate than we’ve had. We have a lower crime rate overall,” the Democrat said. “In 46 years that’s a pretty good year.”

However, Connecticut’s largest newspaper, The Hartford Courant, reported that there has been a lag in compliance with the requi

A former Wells Fargo employee has filed a lawsuit in circuit court against the bank, contending the financial institution violated her constitutional rights when they fired her for carrying a concealed firearm at work.

Florida resident Ivette Ros, a former bank manager at Wells Fargo, claims she feels “naked” without her gun and says because she had a concealed carry permit it was unlawful for her employer to terminate her for carrying, the Tampa Tribune reported.

“I am within my constitutional right,” Ros reportedly said. “The bank is one of the places that I am able to carry a weapon to. My weapon was concealed. I have a certified license.”

Pro-gun advocates will likely be relieved that John Paul Stevens, 93, is now retired and no longer serving as a member of the Supreme Court. In his latest book, “Six Amendments: How and Why We Should Change the Constitution,” he argues for a slight change to the Second Amendment that would fundamentally alter its meaning.

As written by the Founding Fathers in the U.S. Constitution, the Second Amendment reads:

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed.

Credit: AFP/Getty Images

Stevens argues that the authors of the Second Amendment were mostly concerned about being oppressed by a national standing army, not so much about the right to self-defense.

So i

Did you know Americans spend 23 hours a week on social networks? That’s almost a full day absorbing all the stupidity that’s posted on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Pinstagram, Facetrest. There’s only one conclusion as to why we tolerate this behavior. Americans must be masochists. And those who want their pain alleviated-write to me. When you see something stupid on social networks – send it to Stu and he’ll get Anti-Social.

Today, we look at the gun debate. If there’s anything Americans can agree on, it’s that we don’t want to get our advice on guns from A) an English talent show host or b) a pop star who puts whipped cream on her boobs.

Let’s start off with Katy’s tweet. She was reacting to a recent shooting at a mall.

Ilya Shapiro is a senior fellow in constitutional studies and editor-in-chief of the Cato Supreme Court Review. He recently filed a brief in Drake v. Jerejian, supporting the petition asking the Supreme Court to evaluate New Jersey’s handgun regulations.

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Until the Supreme Court ruled in the 2008 case of District of Columbia v. Heller that the Second Amendment protects the right to armed self-defense, many lower courts gave this important provision short shrift. Lacking guidance from above, they linked the right to some undefined militia service, effectively reading it out of the Constitution.

Six years later, they’re at it again.

While Heller clarified that the Second Amendment secures an individual right, the ruling left many questions about the scope of that right unanswered. Since then, several courts have made clear that they plan to take only as much from Heller as

A suspected burglar barely escaped with his life after allegedly trying to force his away into a Tennessee man’s apartment. As he attempted to break in through a window, the unidentified resident shot the suspect right in the groin, police say.

Police in Dyer County, Tenn., charged 30-year-old David R. Miles Jr. with aggravated burglary after they found him at the apartment complex with one gunshot wound to the groin. He is also facing other pending charges, WBBJ-TV reports.

WJJB-TV

After consulting with the District Attorney’s Office, police determined no charges will be brought aga

It took police roughly five minutes to respond to 911 calls in Newtown, Conn., when Adam Lanza burst into Sandy Hook Elementary School and began his killing spree.

The POST program sign the group proposes to post outside participating schools. Joe Kalil is leading the effort to educate Kentucky school boards on options for free and low-cost training for volunteer participants who want to carry weapons in schools.

In response to the shock of the Newtown incident, a group in Kentucky wants to train volunteer school officials to carry weapons in schools to give teachers an immediate way to protect children against violent in

The National Football League passed a new rule that bans off-duty police officers from bringing guns inside stadiums – but Texas has chosen to adhere to the policy in its own way.

The sunsets past AT&T Stadium on October 6, 2013 in Arlington, Texas (Getty Images)

Texas state law states that so long as off-duty law enforcement officers check in at specific gates and let stadium employees know where they’ll be sitting, they will be allowed to carry a firearm, according to KTXA-TV.

This flies in the face of an NFL memo that declares that off-duty officers who “attempt to bring firearms

An off-duty officer with the Houston Police Department fatally shot a robbery suspect outside a convenience store on Sunday night. The veteran cop was coming to the rescue of a man who was jumped and beaten by two men as he was leaving the store with groceries.

Credit: Getty Images

The officer, identified as 22-year Houston Police Department veteran

An off-duty officer with the Houston Police Department fatally shot a robbery suspect outside a convenience store on Sunday night. The veteran cop was coming to the rescue of a man who was jumped and beaten by two men as he was leaving the store with groceries.

Credit: Getty Images

The officer, identified as 22-year Houston Police Department veteran

It’s probably not wholly surprising that Massachusetts, one of the bluest states in the country, has some of the strictest gun control laws in the nation.

But what might come as a surprise is that the Bay State also strictly controls sales of pepper spray and mace.

A Brazilian military police officer uses pepper spray on a protester during a demonstration on Sept. 7, 2013. (AP/Eraldo Peres)

Currently, a Massachusetts resident looking to buy pepper spray or mace must have a state-issued firearms identification card, the same as someone who is buying a gun.

But state legislat

It’s probably not wholly surprising that Massachusetts, one of the bluest states in the country, has some of the strictest gun control laws in the nation.

But what might come as a surprise is that the Bay State also strictly controls sales of pepper spray and mace.

A Brazilian military police officer uses pepper spray on a protester during a demonstration on Sept. 7, 2013. (AP/Eraldo Peres)

Currently, a Massachusetts resident looking to buy pepper spray or mace must have a state-issued firearms identification card, the same as someone who is buying a gun.

But state legislat

Online gun retailer Impact Guns, based out of Utah, is giving away a “gun and roses” for Valentine’s Day this year, encouraging people to give their loved one the gift of self-defense.

Though the Huffington Post calls the giveaway “terrifying” and “truly bizarre,” pro-gun advocates are itching to win a free Smith & Wesson Shield 9mm and two dozen roses.

“Showing your love for a loved one and being able to defend them all in one is as good as it gets,” Craig Ball, the director of operations for Impact Guns, told HuffPost.

He also revealed that they have already received 5,000 entries since the contest began on Friday morning.

If you are interested in entering the sweepstakes, visit the Impact Guns website

Online gun retailer Impact Guns, based out of Utah, is giving away a “gun and roses” for Valentine’s Day this year, encouraging people to give their loved one the gift of self-defense.

Though the Huffington Post calls the giveaway “terrifying” and “truly bizarre,” pro-gun advocates are itching to win a free Smith & Wesson Shield 9mm and two dozen roses.

“Showing your love for a loved one and being able to defend them all in one is as good as it gets,” Craig Ball, the director of operations for Impact Guns, told HuffPost.

He also revealed that they have already received 5,000 entries since the contest began on Friday morning.

If you are interested in entering the sweepstakes, visit the Impact Guns website

Miodrag Bugarcic seems to attract criminals like a magnet.

But because the Cleveland businessman has used firearms to thwart crimes on his property multiple times — once with lethal results — why crooks keep trying to rip him off is anybody’s guess.

In November 2012, Bugarcic shot and killed a burglar at a property he owns, police told Cleveland’s WOIO-TV. Three weeks later he shot and wounded another one. Bugarcic wasn’t charged in either incident.

This past November, Bugarcic held two men at gunpoint when he found them stripping an air conditioner at that same property he owns, police said.

And on Thursday, Bugarcic used a rifle to shoot and wound another suspected intruder at his vacant property. The suspect was shot in the stomach and buttocks, but police said he stumbled off and was found a few blocks away.

The difference this time is that Bugarcic is sitting in jail while police investigate. The news station reported that Bugarcic had just been to police headquarters to retrieve a gun from an earlier shooting.

Investigators said offenders may be breaking into Bugarcic’s property look

Miodrag Bugarcic seems to attract criminals like a magnet.

But because the Cleveland businessman has used firearms to thwart crimes on his property multiple times — once with lethal results — why crooks keep trying to rip him off is anybody’s guess.

In November 2012, Bugarcic shot and killed a burglar at a property he owns, police told Cleveland’s WOIO-TV. Three weeks later he shot and wounded another one. Bugarcic wasn’t charged in either incident.

This past November, Bugarcic held two men at gunpoint when he found them stripping an air conditioner at that same property he owns, police said.

And on Thursday, Bugarcic used a rifle to shoot and wound another suspected intruder at his vacant property. The suspect was shot in the stomach and buttocks, but police said he stumbled off and was found a few blocks away.

The difference this time is that Bugarcic is sitting in jail while police investigate. The news station reported that Bugarcic had just been to police headquarters to retrieve a gun from an earlier shooting.

Investigators said offenders may be breaking into Bugarcic’s property look

An armed Houston businessman confronted a pair of burglary suspects attempting to rob his smoke shop on Wednesday, shooting one of them in the head. The criminals seemingly thought the shop was empty because it had closed for the day — which they quickly found out was not the case.

shutterstock.com

Seeking to protect himself and his business, the manager of The Smoke Box in Houston grabbed his gun as the unidentified men, at least one of whom may have been armed, attempted to burglarize the business. Though the report lacks detail, the manager ended up firing his gun at them.

Sgt. John Hernandez with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office

An armed Houston businessman confronted a pair of burglary suspects attempting to rob his closed smoke shop on Wednesday, shooting one of them in the head. The criminals seemingly thought the closed shop was also empty — which they quickly found out was not the case.

shutterstock.com

Seeking to protect himself and his business, the manager of The Smoke Box in Houston grabbed his gun as the unidentified men, at least one of whom may have been armed, attempted to burglarize the business. Though the report lacks detail, the manager ended up firing his gun at them.

Sgt. John Hernandez with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office

A husband-and-wife duo who have trained thousands of women and children in what they call “simple self-defense” strategies believe that guns and weapons are often a detriment for those looking to ward off attackers.

Tracy and Charlie Vega call themselves the “Sonny and Cher” of self-defense.

Dubbing themselves the “Sonny and Cher” of the self-defense industry, Tracy and Charlie Vega use fun and engaging tactics to train women and children between the ages of 9 and 91 in self-protection.

Contrary to what many might expect, the tactics offered by Vega are devoid of kicks, punches and other violent response mechanisms.

“It’s about escaping versus fighting,” Charlie told TheBlaze. “Simply p