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California’s Great Gun Grab: State’s Sweeping Gun Control Bills Target Firearms, Ammo — and Hunting

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Photo Credit: AP

Photo Credit: AP

Breaking new ground in the state-level battle over firearms, the Democratic-dominated California state legislature has taken gun control into uncharted territory with a flurry of new bills that target not just firearms and ammunition, but also recreational hunting.

Among the dozen gun-control bills sitting on California Gov. Jerry Brown’s desk are measures that would outlaw lead ammunition for hunting as well as common types of hunting rifles under the umbrella of an assault-weapons ban. Taken together, the measures go far beyond the efforts that have inspired a sharp backlash and political battles in states such as Connecticut and Colorado.

To put the lead bill in context, about 95 percent of all ammunition sold in California contains lead. The alternative is metal bullets, some of which can pierce police armor and are banned by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. Critics say the bill would effectively end hunting as a sport in California.

“If California outlaws lead bullets, the federal government already outlaws everything else, so there’s nothing left for hunters to use,” said California Assemblyman Brian Jones, a Republican from Santee. “It basically outlaws hunting.”

Mr. Brown has yet to say whether he will sign any or all of the gun bills, but the effort has already sparked a backlash against the Democratic-sponsored bills by one of the party’s chief constituencies: labor unions. A half-dozen California labor leaders have formed a coalition urging the governor to veto Assembly Bill 711, the lead-ammunition ban, citing the loss of manufacturing and supply-chain jobs as well as recreational opportunities.

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Feinstein: Restrict 2nd Amendment Rights after Navy Yard Shooting

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Photo Credit: AP

Photo Credit: AP

California Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein is renewing her call for new gun-control laws because of Monday’s deadly Navy Yard shooting.

“When will enough be enough?” Feinstein said in a statement Monday evening.

“Congress must stop shirking its responsibility and resume a thoughtful debate on gun violence in this country,” she said. “We must do more to stop this endless loss of life.”

The FBI confirmed Monday afternoon that 34-year-old Aaron Alexis is the suspect in Monday’s massacre at the Navy Yard in Washington, D.C. Alexis died at the scene…

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Watch what Happens when a Pair of Girls Open-Carry in a Walmart (Updated)

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semi-autoA video uploaded to YouTube on Friday night appears to show a group of young women being hassled by a police officer for open-carrying their firearms into a Missouri Walmart.

According to the video’s description, the “four young ladies went for a quick bite to eat in Marshfield Missouri at a local Walmart.” A police officer, who said he was responding to a call, then showed up on the scene and demanded the group of women — even those not carrying a firearm — immediately produce identification.

Even a U.S. Passport from one of the individuals doesn’t satisfy the officer, who demands to know if she has any other form of identification.

The video then shows the unidentified officer appear to detain the girls outside. [Click HERE for the Police Chief’s professional response to the situation].

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Three Men ‘Illegally’ Arrested for Openly Carrying Civil War Era ‘Black Powder’ Pistols in Texas (+videos)

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Photo Credit: YouTube

Photo Credit: YouTube

Three people were reportedly arrested on Friday for openly carrying Civil War-era pistols during a pro-gun protest outside the Texas Capitol. Gun rights activists tell TheBlaze the arrests were unlawful as it is legal in Texas to openly carry a pre-1899 antique firearm.

Terry Louis Holcomb, 44, identified as a Huntsville-area pastor, and Scott Douglas Smith, 50, a military veteran from San Antonio, and Gary Hayes, a quadriplegic, were reportedly arrested by state troopers in Austin and charged with disorderly conduct, which is defined, by law, as an action with a firearm “calculated to alarm.”

However, witnesses say the men, one of which was in a wheelchair, had their “black powder” pistols holstered and weren’t causing alarm in any way. More than a dozen other gun-rights activists openly carrying rifles walked free.

Under Texas law, a gun manufactured before 1899 isn’t even considered a “firearm,” therefore not subject to open carry laws…


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Both Anti-Gun Senators Angela Giron AND John Morse RECALLED in Colorado

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Photo Credit: gunssavelives

Photo Credit: gunssavelives

We’ve already reported that Colorado State Senate President, and one of the architects of Colorado’s anti-gun laws that were passed earlier this year has conceded his recall election and is OUT as state senator.

Now, it seems that Angela Giron, the rookie senator who was also a staunch supporter of the gun laws who was also facing recall is also OUT! The results are still unofficial, but preliminary numbers have the Senator losing her race 60% to 40% with a wide majority of the votes counted.

Colorado reporter Eli Stokols (@EliStokols) is also predicting Giron’s defeat based on the current numbers.

Colorado pro-gun activists appear to be 2 for 2 on their recall efforts!

This is a massive win for gun rights on a national level as many saw these local races as a nation referendum on gun rights.

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NRA Joins ACLU Lawsuit, Claims NSA Starting ‘Gun Registry’ (Video)

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NRAThe National Rifle Association joined the American Civil Liberties Union’s lawsuit on Wednesday to end the government’s massive phone record collection program.

In a brief filed in federal court, the NRA argues that the National Security Agency’s database of phone records amounts to a “national gun registry.”

“It would be absurd to think that the Congress would adopt and maintain a web of statutes intended to protect against the creation of a national gun registry, while simultaneously authorizing the FBI and the NSA to gather records that could effectively create just such a registry,” the group writes.

After leaks by Edward Snowden, the NSA acknowledged that it collects records on virtually all U.S. phone calls. The data include phone numbers, call times and call durations, but not the contents of the conversations. The NSA says it only “queries” the database a limited number of times for specific national security reasons.

The NSA argues that Congress authorized the phone data surveillance with Section 215 of the Patriot Act, which allows for the collection of business records “relevant” to terrorism.

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Obama Enraged Gun Control Couldn’t Pass Democrat-Led Senate

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Photo Credit: Washington Times

Photo Credit: Washington Times

The kind of gun control laws that were making it so ridiculously difficult for me to get a gun for self-defense in D.C. have been out of reach for the anti-gun politicians on the national level since 1994.

Capitol Hill has been pro-gun since the Republican takeover of the House that year, in the wake of President Clinton signing the “assault weapons” ban. No major anti-Second Amendment legislation has passed Congress in 20 years.

President Obama may have thought he finally had his chance after the horrific tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School, but the will of the people blocked him, for now.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid never seemed to believe the legislation could pass, but he was pressured by the White House to bring it up for a vote. Sources familiar with the machinations behind the failed anti-gun bills in April 2013 believe Mr. Obama, Vice President Joseph Biden, and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg were in a rush to push the issue before the memory of Sandy Hook faded.

Politically, Mr. Obama wanted to appease his base by showing he was doing something on an issue that is a high priority for them. He also wanted to force Republicans to be on the record voting against his “common sense” gun control proposals — so he could use those votes against them to elect more Democrats to Congress in 2014.

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Men with Rifles Charged in ‘Open Carry’ Demonstration at Starbucks (+video)

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open carry at starbucksAn “open carry” demonstration outside of a local Starbucks was broken up by police after passersby complained about the three men and their rifles.

The demonstrators, who posted a video of the entire encounter to YouTube, claim they were within their legal rights.

According to Texas law, this type of conduct isn’t illegal as long as the weapon is not loaded.

However, San Antonio police Chief William McManus explained that the gun holder can still be charged with disorderly conduct if anyone, at any point, feels threatened.

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Gun Control Rally is Overwhelmed by Pro Gun Supporters Who Take Over Podium (+video)

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StopNRAYou know, we keep hearing about how 90% of the country supports expanded background checks, and a majority support new gun control.

However, whenever it comes to actually taking action, those alleged supporters are nowhere to be found. Often, participants at anti-gun rallies are outnumbered by organizers and the media.

A rally in support of expanded background checks in Ohio late this week was no exception.

Anti-gun speakers and protestors, who numbered only a handful, where quickly overwhelmed by NRA and Buckeye Firearms Association supporters in Columbus.

“As a gun owner, I’m a responsible person and I think it’s responsible to ask to have all gun owners have a background check,” said Blanche Luczyk [event organizer]. “It’s just common sense. Any responsible person who is willing to take the ownership of a gun should be willing to have that background check.”

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Biden: We’ll Target Congressmen Who Oppose Gun Control Efforts

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images (1)The White House will continue its push to strengthen gun control laws, even if it means targeting members of Congress who oppose its agenda, Vice President Joe Biden said Thursday.

“If Congress doesn’t act, we’ll fight for a new Congress,” Biden said in the Roosevelt Room of the White House as he swore in B. Todd Jones as the new director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. “It’s that simple. But we’re going to get this done.”

In April, a bipartisan gun-control plan that would have expanded background checks and banned assault weapons failed to garner support in the Senate and was killed off, despite polls that showed massive public support in the wake of the Newtown, Conn. school massacre last Dec..

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