Firearms Policy Coalition

Bob Adelmann, for The New American, wrote this morning on the National Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, which would ensure individual concealed carry access across numerous states. He reports:

In a unanimous decision published today, the United States Supreme Court held that while convicted felons cannot “possess” firearms under 18 U.S.C. 922(g), they retain “the right merely to sell or otherwise dispose of” their firearms as long they do not have any control over them.

An Ohio state senator, Ron Hood, wrote a guest column for Cleveland.com today discussing the importance of Constitutional Carry:

Constitutional Carry is a simple idea. If you are not prohibited from owning a gun, you can legally carry it open or concealed with or without a permit.

Working within the framework of state and federal law, Constitutional Carry makes the concealed carry permit optional. It means that if someone is legally carrying their firearm openly and gets cold as the wind starts to blow, they can put on a coat without worrying that they’re breaking the law.

Geoff Dornan for the Nevada Appeal reported today that:

A total of 39 bills died Friday at midnight because they couldn’t get out of committee in the 2015 Legislature — including a number of gun-rights measures proposed by members of the Assembly….

Among Friday’s dead is the controversial “campus carry” legislation. AB148 would have allowed individuals with concealed weapons permits to carry their gun to university or community college classes. That measure along with AB352 expanding the right to carry weapons in public buildings, AB357 providing a more automatic path to restoration of 2nd Amendment rights and AB404 expanding recognition of out of state CCW permits and changing rules for gun dealers all died in the Senate Judiciary Committee as well as AB100, requiring the Attorney General to challenge any presidential executive order that appears to infringe on the 2nd Amendment rights of Nevadans.

Read the rest of the article at the Nevada Appeal.

AWR Hawkins for Breitbart reports:

[Rep. Mike] Thompson stood with Gabby Giffords on March 4 and reintroduced Senator Joe Manchin’s (D-WV) failed expanded background check legislation. It has gone nowhere fast since that time.

The Congressional Sportmen’s Foundation annual shooting competition lets members of Congress “shoot rounds of trap, skeet and sporting clays.” It was held May 12 at Glenn Dale, Maryland’s Prince George’s County Trap and Skeet Center.

Thompson “out shot 35 other members of Congress” who took part in the event.

After winning the “Top Gun” award, Thompson said: “It was an honor to win the ‘Top Gun’ award, and I look forward to working with my fellow members of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus to advance conservation, recreation and safety issues that are important to us all.”

Read the rest of the story at Breitbart.

Sam Peshek for The Eagle reports:

Terri Hallenbeck, for Seven Days Vermont reported yesterday:

Friday, Rep. Patrick Brennan (R-Colchester)… [tried] to find new life for a bill that would legalize the use of gun suppressors. The devices — also known as silencers — can prevent hearing damage and make peace with shooting-range neighbors, he….The measure had been on an economic development bill that the House passed, but was jettisoned in that bill’s conference committee. Brennan wasn’t giving up.

Sen. John Rodgers (D-Essex/Orleans) added the provision to a hunting bill, H.5, on the Senate floor Friday morning.

Senate Judiciary Committee chair Dick Sears (D-Bennington) objected. His committee had spent weeks agonizing over a gun-control bill and the notion of legalizing gun suppressors never came up, he said.

….By Friday afternoon, Sears relented after he succeeded in limiting the use of suppressors to shooting ranges. The Senate easily passed the measure.

Read the full story at SevenDaysVt.com.

Kristen Moore, a guest writer for the Detroit Free Press wrote this short opinion piece on the increasingly controversial school safety debate. Her stance is consistent with many other gun-control advocates, who continue to forget that violent criminals usually don’t care about what the law says. She writes:

Chris Eger for Guns.com reports:

After a recent surge of violence in the city, police are taking action to resolve the problem. Cincinnati.com reports:

After a spike in gun violence, particularly on Cincinnati’s west side, Cincinnati police are taking action.

A more than two dozen warrants were served in some of the city’s most violent neighborhoods Friday morning and 13 arrests were made.

“We’ve drawn a line in the sand with this uptick in violence,” said Cincinnati Police Chief Jeffrey Blackwell.

Blackwell, Assistant Chief James Whalen and District 3 Captain Dan Gerard all met with media at District 3 Headquarters in East Price Hill Friday afternoon to discuss the recent jump in violence.

“It’s no secret,” Blackwell said Friday. “Over the past 10 days, especially, and over the last 30 days we’ve seen a rise in shootings and an overall rise of violence in the streets of Cincinnati.”

As a result, Blackwell said police are taking aggressive, but focused action against violent criminals.

Read the rest of the story at Cincinnati.com.

WMC Action News 5 reported on Wednesday that a Memphis homeowner shot an intruder who broke into his home in the middle of the night. The report noted:

A home invasion suspect is at Regional Medical Center in critical condition after police say he broke into a home in the 2000 block of Range Line Road, and the homeowner caught him.

“We heard glass bust and then we heard shooting,” neighbor Melisha Davis said.

Police say a man broke into a house while the family was sleeping just before 2 a.m. Wednesday.

The homeowner woke up to find the intruder in his house and shot him in the head.

“For it to be on a main street like this–where cars drive–out in the open, that was something shocking to me,” Davis said.

The homeowner and his family talked with police on the scene. No one else was injured.

Read the rest of the story at WMC Action News 5.

“These three burglars picked the wrong house to rob that night. Little did they know this woman was armed and ready to protect her house while her man slept. She sent them running away with two shots and the entire ordeal was captured on security camera.”

Port Elizabeth, South Africa via Viral Hog

Despite bipartisan support, Oklahoma Governor Fallin vetoed on an intriguing piece of legislation. Chris Eger from Guns.com reports:

Brady McCombs for the Associated Press reported this morning:

A man who shot and killed a would-be carjacker outside a Utah grocery store will not face criminal charges, prosecutors have ruled.

The shooter acted within the bounds of Utah law when he intervened after hearing the screams of a woman whose car the suspect was trying to steal, the Utah County Attorney’s Office said in a statement distributed Friday.

The man, whose name is not being released, was lawfully carrying a concealed firearm on May 2 in a grocery store parking lot in Orem, about 40 miles south of Salt Lake City.

Prosecutors say the bystander shot Taulagi Matafeo, 26, once in the chest after Matafeo lunged and grabbed the man’s weapon. Matafeo died from the gunshot wounds.

The bystander was justified because he intervened in a forcible felony and acted to prevent death or serious injury to others, prosecutors said.

Read the rest of the story at ABC News.

Chris Eger for Guns.com reports:

As debates over the feasibility and effectiveness of “smart guns” continue to grow in frequency and intensity, it is worthwhile to take a backseat for a few minutes and read some noteworthy quotes from these debates. Joni Gommo from Newsmax notes a few of them:

Pete Kasperowicz writing for The Blaze reported yesterday:

Rep. Scott Rigell (R-Va.) on Tuesday introduced legislation that would let military spouses buy handguns in the state where their husbands and wives are on permanent duty….

“Spouses should be able to purchase handguns in the state where their husband or wife is stationed,” he added. “They have the right to protect themselves, and this bill allows them to fully exercise their 2nd Amendment right.”

Rigell said his district in Virginia is home to more active duty service members than any other district, and said he has heard complaints that some military spouses face obstacles when they try to buy a firearm.

Rigell noted that the Gun Control Act of 1968 only allows people to buy firearms in the state where they legally reside. That means if a family legally resides in one state, but the service member spouse is on duty in another state, the spouse of that service member cannot legally buy a gun.

Read the rest of this story at The Blaze.

Breitbart reported today on the impact of Michael Bloomberg’s financial support for gun control legislation. AWR Hawkins writes:

When the Oregon Senate passed expanded background checks on April 14, it marked a change from 2013 and 2014–when the same type of legislation was taken up but defeated without even making it to the floor for a vote.

What was the difference in 2015? One huge differences was the influx of Michael Bloomberg’s money into the state, which showed itself not only in the establishment of an apparatus to help gun control candidates get elected but also in gifts to gun control senator Chuck Riley (D-Hillsboro)….

September 2014 estimates reported Riley received around $22,000 from Bloomberg-funded Everytown, but when the Oregon Secretary of State released official campaign donation figures, they showed that Riley actually received $75,000 from the Bloomberg-funded group.

Read the rest of this story at Breitbart.

A recent Vanderbilt poll discovered that support for gun control legislation is not quite as widespread as some proponents claim. In reality, it is still a highly debated issue. Dave Boucher for the Tennessean reported the results:

Chris Eger from Guns.com reported today on a Vermont bill that could impact gun rights in the state. He writes: