Federal Judge Temporarily Blocks California Gun Law That Bans Concealed Carry in Most Public Places

A federal judge on Wednesday temporarily blocked California from enacting a law barring permit holders from carrying firearms in numerous public locations.

United States District Judge Cormac Carney of the Central District of California, appointed by former President George W. Bush, issued a temporary restraining order, halting the law from taking effect on Jan. 1, The Associated Press reported. “The right to self-defense and to defend one’s family is fundamental and inherent to our very humanity irrespective of any formal codification,” Carney wrote in his ruling.

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Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs Vetoes More Bills Including Election Policies and School Safety

Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs revealed another batch of legislative actions Tuesday, including four more vetoes for Republican-led legislation.

“Katie Hobbs just vetoed my bill that would have affirmed that courts are to interpret election laws in the interests of transparency – insane,” shared State Representative Alexander Kolodin (R-Scottsdale).

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Republican Lawmakers Introduce Bill to Arm Wisconsin School Employees

Two Wisconsin lawmakers, looking to stop school shooters before they have a chance to take more innocent lives, have introduced a bill that would allow teachers and staff members to carry firearms on school grounds.

State Representatives Scott Allen (R-Waukesha) and Cory Tomczyk (R-Mosinee) recently introduced a bill that would create an exception to the state’s prohibition on guns at schools.

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Tennessee Legislature Moving Competing 18-Year-Old Firearm Carry Bills

A bill that would allow those 18 years old and older to concealed carry and obtain a permit in Tennessee now has different versions moving through the Senate and House.

House Bill 1005 lowers the age of permits to 18 and changes the term handgun to firearm in Tennessee code. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Chris Todd, R-Madison County, is aimed at matching a court agreement between the Firearms Policy Coalition and Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti following FPC’s lawsuit against Tennessee’s current law, which restricts through between ages 18 and 21 from receiving permits.

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Half of the US No Longer Requires a Permit for Concealed Carry

Half of the states in the U.S. no longer require residents to hold a concealed carry permit to carry firearms in public after Alabama, Indiana, Georgia and Ohio passed laws in 2022 removing permit requirements.

On Monday, Alabama began enforcing its permitless carry law, becoming the 25th state to do so, while Indiana, Georgia and Ohio also passed laws this year allowing residents to concealed carry firearms without a permit. Over the last two years 10 states have moved to permitless carry, including Utah, Montana, Iowa, Tennessee, Arkansas and Texas.

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New Jersey Passes New Gun Control Law

New Jersey’s state Senate narrowly passed a new concealed carry gun control legislation Monday, with one Democratic lawmaker joining Republicans in saying it is unconstitutional, according to NJ.com.

The bill would require gun owners who seek a concealed carry permit to purchase liability insurance and take training courses, while also increasing permit fees and restricting guns in “sensitive places” like schools, public parks, courthouses, bars and private property, according to the legislation. The bill received bipartisan criticism, with Republican state Sen. Michael Testa calling the bill “absolutely wrong” and Democratic state Sen. Nicholas Sacco saying it is unconstitutional and will face legal challenges, according to NJ.com.

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Senate Bill Would Make Concealed Weapon Permit in Ohio Optional

Terry Johnson

A bill in the Ohio House that would make a concealed weapons permit optional and end the responsibility to promptly notify police officers a person is carrying a concealed weapon now has companion legislation in the Ohio Senate.

Sen. Terry Johnson, R-Scioto County, filed the bill earlier this month that goes along with House Bill 89, which made it out of committee earlier this year but has not been passed by the House. The same legislation passed the House last year but did not receive a vote in the Senate.

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Tennessee Attorney General Joins Amicus Brief in 2nd Amendment Supreme Court Case

Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery joined a coalition of 26 other states to file an amicus brief in the first 2nd Amendment Supreme Court case in over a decade, according to his office.

The group, led by Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich and Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, is supporting the challenge to the state of New York’s concealed carry laws in the case New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Corlett.

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Over 20 Million Hold Concealed Carry Permits as Supreme Court Test Case Looms

Person shooting a hand gun in a shooting range

More than 20 million Americans currently hold a permit to carry a concealed weapon, a historically high number that comes ahead of what will likely be a landmark Supreme Court ruling regarding carry rights under the Second Amendment.

The court last month said it would take up an appeal by two U.S. gun owners on the question of whether or not the Second Amendment protects an American’s right to carry a concealed firearm. Previous court rulings have affirmed that the amendment protects the individual right of American citizens to own guns.

The concealed carry question has eluded constitutional scrutiny thus far, even as the number of Americans possessing concealed permits has soared to historic levels.

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Ohio Bill Would Reduce Requirements for School Districts to Arm Employees

Hand gun with ammunition

An Ohio lawmaker, whose father served a school resource officer who chased an active shooter from a building, wants to make it easier for school districts to arm its employees.

Rep. Thomas Hall, R-Madison Township, introduced legislation that requires school employees to complete only concealed carry weapon training to be able to carry on gun on campus. School employees currently must complete more than 750 hours of peace officer training.

Conceal carry training is six hours of classroom instruction and two hours of on-range training.

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Bill Would Remove Concealed Handgun Carriers’ Responsibility to Promptly Notify Ohio Officers

A bill before the Ohio House would eliminate the requirement for those carrying a gun to tell law enforcement officers they have it. Instead, they only would need to mention it if asked.

Rep. Scott Wiggam, R-Wayne County, said the state’s current law is unclear and its penalties are too harsh. His bill, House Bill 89, changes that.

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Republicans Pre-File Three Pro-Gun Bills in Virginia House of Delegates

In 2020, Virginia Democrats used their new majorities to pass sweeping gun control resolutions through the General Assembly, and Democrats will retain control during the upcoming regular session. But that isn’t stopping Republicans in the House of Delegates from trying to pass some pro-gun legislation. So far, legislators have pre-filed three pro-gun bills for the 2021 session that, if passed, will expand concealed carry handgun (CCH) rights and remove sovereign immunity in areas with government gun bans.

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Marsha Blackburn Pushes Bill to Allow Concealed Carry for Prosecutors, Federal Judges

U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) this week announced she is co-sponsoring a bill that, if passed into law, would allow current and retired law enforcement officers to carry concealed firearms.

As written, this bill, the Protect Our Prosecutors and Judges Act, would also apply to current and retired local, state, and federal prosecutors, as well as retired judges.

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Milwaukee Transit Union Proposes to Arm Bus Drivers with Concealed-Carry Permits

by Whitney Tipton   Milwaukee transit union leaders are asking that bus drivers and mechanics be able to carry guns if they have concealed carry permits, citing security concerns and recent attacks by passengers. Union representatives representing the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 998 made the request Thursday that drivers and mechanics be allowed to arm themselves if they hold a concealed weapon (CCW) permit, a change to the current rules, according to CBS affiliate WDJT. “We’re one of the highest crime places in the United States,” said union president James Macon, “It’s way overdue.” If approved in contract negotiations, a union proposal would allow some Milwaukee bus drivers to be armed.https://t.co/2qpjZAilCj — NBC26 News (@NBC26) May 23, 2019   Drivers were attacked 15 times last year, according to a statement from the ATU obtained by CBS58. A driver suffered a laceration May 15 when passenger Betty Roberts, 24, stabbed him with a knife after being told she must pay the fare of $2.25, according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. The woman was charged with battery to a public transit operator and use of a dangerous weapon. The union has been in negotiations with the Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) for over one year, and have yet to agree on…

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Tennessee Firearms Association Blisters Republican-led Legislature For ‘Pitiful’ 2nd Amendment Protections

Firearms blue

The recently ended legislative year in Nashville was “pitiful” in terms of protecting gun rights, a state firearms advocacy group says in a report. The “Tennessee Firearms Association 2018 Legislative Report and Review” takes the Republican super-majority in the General Assembly to task on 15 new laws and/or amendments to existing laws. “Based on their actions this year there is really no evidence that the Republican super-majority, as a whole, is a strong proponent and defender of those individual and personal rights which are recognized and protected by the 2nd Amendment and Article I, Section 26 of the Tennessee Constitution,” the report says. That is despite 57 bills that were either introduced or were active after Jan. 1 of this year that “would have implemented changes that would have made Tennessee a much better state for the free exercise of our constitutionally protected rights.” The Tennessee Firearms Association says those “good” bills that failed would, among other things, have: Implemented constitutional carry; Implemented permitless open carry; Implemented the 2018 Second Amendment Protections Act (a significant rewrite of several existing laws) to bring them more in compliance with the 2nd Amendment’s prohibitions against government infringements. This includes a prohibition on local…

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Kansas’ College Gun-Grabbers Mum as New Report Shows Plunging Crime Rate After Campus Carry Enacted

Despite vicious opposition from the progressive Left, the Kansas legislature enacted campus carry at the University of Kansas in October, 2017. Six months later, a new report shows that crime – especially violent crime – has plummeted, and criminal weapons violations have dropped to zero. “Overall, crime decreased 13 percent, with 671 criminal offenses reported to KU police in 2017 compared to 770 incidents in 2016, according to a news release from the KU Office of Public Safety,” the Lawrence Journal-World reported, adding: Notably, with lawful concealed carry of handguns being allowed on campus for the first time beginning July 1, 2017, KU police tallied zero criminal weapons violations in 2017, according to crime statistics provided by police. Prior to 2017, campus police have recorded a total of 14 weapons violations since 2008, according to the statistics. (emphasis added) Campus carry advocates have been predictably positive in their reaction of the news, celebrating the reduction of the fear, pain, and loss felt by crime victims and the increase of a safer campus that encourages an open learning environment. “Antonia, your advocacy kills more people. There is no way promoting more guns on campus can EVER equal less violence!!” Yes, unless the people behind…

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UT Martin Student Government Association President Jordan Long Signs Off on Controversial Concealed Carry Resolution

The University of Tennessee at Martin Student Government Association president, Jordan Long, signed the controversial concealed carry resolution passed by the Student Senate last Thursday.   Reaction by some in the student body was swift, as many staged a sit-in at the Student Government Association (SGA) offices on campus, WBBJ-TV reported: Although it received a majority of “yes” votes from SGA senators, students who voted in the referendum on Tuesday did not show the same support. More than 1,400 students voiced their opinion in the referendum. In the referendum vote, 89 percent agreed that students feel safe on campus, 54 percent disagreed students with a Tennessee concealed carry permit should be allowed to carry a concealed firearm on campus, and 58 percent disagreed they would feel safer if students were allowed to carry a concealed firearm on campus. On Dec. 7, the resolution was passed 17-10. Now, the resolution will go to UT Martin Chancellor Keith Carver for approval. SGA president Jordan Long told WBBJ-TV, “The hundreds of emails that I have gotten, I’ve almost responded to all of them – some for, some against – in a respectful manner, even when the ones that I’ve gotten aren’t at all. It is a constitutional right of…

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Concealed Carry Resolution by Students at UT Martin Sparks Threat from Faculty Member Now on Leave Who Administration Refuses to Identify, Claims It Was ‘A Class Exercise’

Officials at the University of Tennessee at Martin confirmed to The Tennessee Star on Friday that a faculty member has been placed on leave for writing a threatening letter to the student sponsors of a controversial Student Government Association resolution that would allow students to have constitutional concealed carry privileges on campus, pending the passage of enabling state legislation. “Yes, we have been looking into this since Wednesday afternoon when a student contacted Public Safety,” Scott D. Robbins, Director of Public Safety at U.T. Martin, told The Star Friday morning: We did find out who the professor was that wrote the letter in just a few minutes. The faculty member who admitted to composing the letter has been placed on administrative leave with pay. He has been cooperating with our department and university administration. I presented the letter and report to our District Attorney Tommy Thomas and there are no plans to file criminal charges. The faculty member is under a directive not to return to campus, which is customary in an employee being put on administrative leave. The chancellor of our university is out this week for the Board of Trustees meeting in Knoxville but I understand he is going to meet with the…

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72-Year-Old Nashville Man Shoots And Kills Attacker In Self-Defense

A 72-year-old Nashville man shot and fatally wounded a man in self-defense last week during an attempted robbery. A second male assailant fled with the mortally wounded suspect after the shooting. “They didn’t know who they were messing with,” Robert James Johnson told WKRN News 2 “They messed with the wrong person that day.” Johnson was ambushed after trying to do a good deed Wednesday afternoon by helping a young woman living on the streets who later was arrested for facilitating the crime. Molena Holt, 26, asked Johnson to drive her to Springfield, Tennessee, and Johnson agreed. She asked that he first stop at Madison Manor Apartments so she could pick up some clothes. Police say that after she got out and walked behind a building, the two men allegedly approached Johnson, still in his car, and demanded money at gunpoint, punching him in the neck and taking his wallet. Johnson took out a handgun from his pocket and fired, fatally wounding Randall Caradine, 46, of 12th Avenue South, according to a Metro Nashville Police Department press release. The second unidentified suspect drove the wounded Caradine to a nearby auto repair shop and told employees to call 911. He pulled Cardine from…

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Commentary: Weak-Kneed Paul Ryan Stalls National Concealed Carry Reciprocity

by ConservativeHQ.com Staff   Our friends at the Virginia Citizens Defense League recently put out an alert letting gun owners know exactly where the problem is with the national concealed carry reciprocity bill – with Democratic Speaker of the House Paul Ryan.* The VCDL alert says “It appears to be a bad case of weakness of the knees. The Republicans were put into power to move forward an agenda that was sold to the American public. That includes national reciprocity and the hearing protection act, to name but a few. That was the deal, and the President said, and repeated, that he would sign such bills. We need to demand leadership from Ryan, not capitulation to the enemies of freedom.” The alert goes on to quote an article by Breitbart’s AWR Hawkins saying, “National Reciprocity was introduced by Rep. Richard Hudson (R-NC) on January 3, 2017 and Gun Owners of America reported that it had 199 co-sponsors by June 21, 2017. Yet Second Amendment supporters have seen no action on the bill from Ryan or Congressional leadership.” The New York Times’ Emily Cochrane reported that three bills have been introduced in the Republican-held House during the past two weeks would…

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Kentucky Congressman Thomas Massie Introducing Bill to Recognize Outside Concealed Carry Permits in D.C.

Rep. Thomas Massie on Thursday said he’s introducing legislation that would recognize out-of-state concealed carry permits in the District of Columbia, in the wake of the shocking attack on Rep. Steve Scalise and others in Northern Virginia on Wednesday. “What I’m trying to do is anticipate how to avoid a tragic situation in the future,” Mr.…

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