LearnAboutGuns.com

I’ve previously discussed the fake gun rights group, the American Hunters and Shooters Association.  Yesterday, I received an unsolicited email from their political director, Colin Rogero, in which they attempt to falsely pass themselves off as pro gun, while the facts show that they are as anti gun as it gets. Read the rest of this article »

Eric Holder, Barack Obama’s anti gun Attorney General called for a new ban on so-called “assault weapons.” Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi swiftly squelched that plan for the time being, apparently out of fear of the political repercussions: Read the rest of this article »

Chicago’s Mayor Daley is well known for his opposition to gun rights for individuals other than himself and his political allies. He supports Chicago’s handgun ban, and is fighting a court battle in an attempt to keep that ban, despite overwhelming evidence that the handgun ban doesn’t disarm criminals but instead leaves innocent people defenseless.   In keeping with his tradition of passing the buck, Mayor Daley has again decided to blame Chicago’s rampant crime on guns and the federal government: Read the rest of this article »

As reported, residents of Salinas, California grilled Police Commander Dino Bardoni about the problem of gang-related crime.  One of the residents had a question that I first thought was a joke, but which appears to actually be serious: Read the rest of this article »

As reported, a woman was in her Sanford, FL home when two men broke in through the windows. At first, she hid from the men, but then fearing for her safety, pulled out a gun and shot at them, apparently hitting one criminal. The woman was then able to chase the criminals from her home, and she was not harmed. One of the criminals has since been arrested, and the police are seeking the other. Read the rest of this article »

As reported, Australian Clinton Brilley was out on bail for armed robbery when he broke into a sports club to commit robbery. A security guard, David Bingle, was on duty when Brilley used a crow bar to break in and threaten his life. Bingle fired in self defense, in fear of Brilley and his carload full of accomplices. Unfortunately for Bingle, a bullet struck Briley in the back, and Briley (who is currently in jail for another armed robbery) is suing.  In 2007, the court awarded the armed robber $185,000AU but on appeal the verdict was thrown out, and a new trial is underway.  This situation is unjust, plain and simple. Read the rest of this article »

I’ve previously mentioned that armed US citizens are 5.5 times less likely to shoot the wrong person, compared to the police.  That is one of the many reasons why I am in favor of armed citizens defending themselves, as stopping the criminal right then and there reduces the risk that the police will end up shooting the wrong person while pursuing the criminal.  A recent example from Germany reinforces this point: Read the rest of this article »

The Bismark Tribune, a newspaper in North Dakota, recently published an anti gun rights editorial.  While it was not quite as outrageously one sided as some articles I’ve commented on before, I do take exception to much of what was said: Read the rest of this article »

As reported, Lawrence “Larry” Fontana is a disabled US military veteran who came home to find two armed criminals ransacking his home.  The criminals panicked when they saw him, and began to flee, along with some of his service medals.  He ordered them to stop, only to have one of the criminals open fire on him. Fontana returned fire with his .38 revolver, although it appears that neither Fontana nor the criminals were hit. Police were able to later apprehend and charge one of the the (drug addict) criminals, recover Fontana’s service medals, and continue to search for the other criminal. Read the rest of this article »

As I’ve mentioned before, we Americans must either stand up for our gun rights, or see them vanish the way they have vanished in other countries.  I’ve also mentioned that Illinois is the front lines when it comes to the struggle for gun rights, as IL cities are the only ones left with handgun bans, IL is one of only two states that completely bans concealed carry, and Cook County, IL is constantly trying to enact new draconian gun bans.  And so, I have a suggestion for those that care about gun rights, both in Illinois and the country as a whole: Read the rest of this article »

A visitor to this website who wishes to be known at “AMomymous” emailed me some of his thoughts on guns rights.  This was a follow-up on a previous email conversation, in which I invited him to let me know what he agreed with and disagreed with as far as my gun rights stance is concerned.  There were a couple of interesting sounding sections of his musings which were not yet complete, and which I look forward to reading in the future, but for now I’ll just quote and discuss the finished sections: Read the rest of this article »

Illinois State Representative Kenneth Dunkin (D-5th District) has proposed an anti gun law (Illinois HB0687) that would force gun owners to carry $1,000,000.00 of insurance, make the gun owner liable for misuses of their gun until the gun is reported stolen to the police, and provide for the revocation of FOID cards (and therefore gun rights) for those who don’t carry such insurance: Read the rest of this article »

As reported, an armed and masked home invader, who was dressed in all black, broke into a house on the 1300 block of Birkdale Drive in Wellington, Florida at about 2:00am.  Luckily, the home owner was also a gun owner, and was able to shoot the criminal in self defense, saving his life and ensuring that no other occupants of the home were harmed by the criminal. Read the rest of this article »

It has become a weekly tradition for me to discuss the armed robberies and other crime that plagues Oak Park, IL, despite that village’s longstanding handgun ban.  This last week was sadly no different, with 5 armed robberies and 2 unarmed robberies reported: Read the rest of this article »

As reported, the city of Los Angeles, CA is considering a new ordinance that would ban individuals convicted of certain misdemeanors from lawfully owning a gun (felons are already banned from gun ownership at the state and federal level).  This proposed law, authored by Los Angeles City Council members Jack Weiss and Janice Hahn, would ban individuals who have been convicted of carrying a concealed weapon, possessing an assault weapon, burglary, or gang crimes from owning a gun for 10 years.  On the surface, this might seem like a good thing, however I’m of the opinion that this law would be both ineffective and bad thing for the gun rights of law abiding citizens: Read the rest of this article »

As reported, Darrell Jerome Ross shot and killed Edward Mitchell Perry Jr. after Perry entered Ross’ home with a gun, looking for someone with whom he had had a disagreement. Before Ross was able to fatally shoot Perry in self defense, Perry managed to non-fatally shoot another person in the house. Normally this is where the story would end, as police believe the shooting was justified self defense. However Ross had a previous felony conviction, which makes it unlawful for him to have a gun. As a result, Ross is being charged with possession of a firearm by a felon. Read the rest of this article »

A trio of Second Amendment cases that follow on the landmark D.C. v. Heller ruling are making their way though the courts, and we soon see the question of Second Amendment Incorporation answered.  SCOTUSBLOG has a good post discussing these cases for those that are interested.

One of the recurring anti gun arguments that I hear centers on the mistaken belief that gun owners will end up shooting an innocent person (such as a child, bystander, etc.) when trying to defend themselves against a criminal.  The fact is that armed citizens are about 5.5 times less likely than the police to accidentally shoot the wrong person. Read the rest of this article »

As reported, the owner of the Hydroponics Store on the 3600 block of St. John Avenue in Kansas City, MO was going about his business Sunday evening when a criminal entered the store, armed with a stun gun, and tried to rob him. The store owner shot the robber in self defense. The criminal escaped in an SUV, but crashed the vehicle and died shortly thereafter.  Police identified the robber as 28 year old Christopher L. Kublic. Read the rest of this article »

Although this information is less relevant now that Condoleezza Rice is no longer a member of the executive branch, I thought I would share the following article which discusses her support of gun rights: Read the rest of this article »

As reported, the Congo (an African county that borders Sudan), is in the midst of a long and bloody civil war. A powerful Ugandan rebel group, the Lord’s Resistance Army, is especially known for brutality and torture.  That rebel group goes from town to town, and often sends torture victims from a town they have already sacked to the next town as a grim warning.  The town of Bangadi received such a warning, including a man whose back had been sliced up with a machete, and warned that the rebels would soon arrive.  Upon hearing the news, the small police force fled the town, and neither the Congo military or the UN responded to the villagers pleas for help.  After two weeks of begging for help that was not forthcoming, the villagers realized they had to defend themselves: Read the rest of this article »

I recently received an email from a Chicago resident, who was interested in buying a handgun and keeping it outside of city limits, due to the handgun ban.  It is perfectly fine to do so, and some Chicago-area gun stores/ranges will store your gun for about $10/month.  One such range that will do this is Maxon.

As reported, a pair of armed robber entered the Old Coin Shop in San Diego and traded gunfire with one or more employees.  The employee(s) were able to save their lives by returning fire and fatally wounding one criminal, and driving the other away.  Police are searching for that second criminal, and have recovered a handgun and clothing, plus a car that may have been used by the robbers. Read the rest of this article »

As reported, Orchard Park, New York police have charged Muzzammil Hassan with killing and beheading his wife, Aasiya Hassan, who had recently filed for divorce. Fearing for her safety, Aasiya had also taken out an order of protection against her husband. Read the rest of this article »

Illinois residents are encouraged to attend the Illinois Gun Owners Lobby Day (IGOLD) on March 11, 2009, which is the annual event where we gun owners make our voices heard in the state capitol. This would also be a great time to respectfully discuss the ISP’s unlawful FOID card delays with legislators who are in a position to end that abuse of police power: Read the rest of this article »

California is a “may issue” state when it comes to concealed carry, which means that the county sheriff has broad discretion in decided whether to issue or revoke a concealed carry permit.  The problem with such a “may issue” concealed carry permit system is that the sheriff can abuse their power and arbitrarily deny law abiding citizens the right to carry a gun for self defense.  That is exactly what is happening in Orange County, CA, under Sheriff Sandra Hutchens: Read the rest of this article »

As reported, Oak Park, IL Police Chief Rick Tanksley offered several safety tips, after a couple of women have been attacked in Oak Park so far this year (note that these attacks are in addition to the many armed robberies): Read the rest of this article »

During the last week, criminals have continued to show contempt for the Oak Park, IL handgun ban, along with the laws against carjacking and armed robbery: Read the rest of this article »

Four armed home invaders attacked a man in his Tuscon, AZ home.  Fortunately the man had a gun, and was able to scare the home invaders away, injuring at least one of them, who was soon captured by police.  His home surveillance system captured the attempted home invasion, and the video clip is shown below.  Once again, gun ownership saves lives. Read the rest of this article »

Maxon, one of the Chicago-area ranges which I frequent, is hosting a free introduction to shooting and firearms safety. Read the rest of this article »

A recent article on mlive.com discusses cases where citizens have defended themselves against a violent attacker, and the police have determined that the citizen was justified in doing so.  The article takes a rather pro-criminal standpoint, second guessing the victims who defended themselves from violent attackers who were in the wrong – and I find that to be the unreasonable: Read the rest of this article »

The video clip shown below provides a simple introduction to the ineffectiveness of gun control laws: Read the rest of this article »

As reported, a robber entered the Double Down Discount store in Biloxi, MS, armed with a knife.  He approached one of the owners and demanded money.  A struggle ensued, then the owner’s wife appeared with a gun, and was able to scare the robber off by firing one shot.  Police were able to apprehend the alleged robber, Tyrone McCoy, and he is in custody.  The owners of the store are uninjured. Read the rest of this article »

Opponents of gun rights like to paint a rosy picture of what a world without guns would look like.  They suggest that without guns, crime would go away, and violence would end.  However that is not case: Read the rest of this article »

Early this morning, a certain official from the village of Oak Park, IL left a comment on this website in which he or she discussed the village’s handgun ban, and a desire to speak with me.  He or she requested that I call him or her on the phone, because he or she did not have a non-work-related email account.  The official also requested that I not publish his or her name/position/phone#/etc. on this website.  While I will, of course, respect the Oak Park official’s request that I not divulge his or her personal information, I decline to give him or her a call, and encourage him or her to sign up for a free email account if he or she wishes to privately communicate with me.  Since he or she did not leave an email address at which he or she would like to be contacted, I’ve decided to publish my reply here: Read the rest of this article »

As I’ve previously mentioned on this blog and my other blog, there is a problem of no-knock warrants being overused by police and judges who want to seize stolen property or drugs.  During the execution of these warrants, armed police officers break down the door of an unsuspecting person’s home and rush in, without identifying themselves.  This can lead to a situation where the home owner reasonably believes that the intruders are violent criminals, and tries to defend themselves, with unfortunate results.  Here is such an example: Read the rest of this article »

I previously discussed a few cases of armed citizens coming to the aid of police officers, saving their lives.  I recently found a reprinted article in which a great many more such cases were documented: Read the rest of this article »

As reported, Mike Hasenei, a 39 year old man, lived in Elkridge, MD with his 12 year old daughter, and his Australian cattle dog. He has a stepson, who has not lived in the home for years. Back on January 14, 2009, someone stole items from a couple of police cars in the area, and the police suspected the stepson might be involved. The police secured search warrants to search Mike’s home, and the stepson’s home, to look for the stolen property. The police also knew that Mike was a law abiding gun owner, and asked the judge for a no-knock warrant, which would allow them to show up unannounced, break the door down, and rush into Mike’s home. The police executed the warrant on January 15, 2009, by Read the rest of this article »

As I mentioned previously, not all Democrats are anti gun, just as not all Republicans are pro gun.  Almost on que, a trio of Republicans from the state of Connecticut, Governor Jodi Rell (R), State Senate Minority Leader John McKinney (R-28), and State House Minority Leader Larry Cafero (R-142), have proposed a package of anti gun rights laws: Read the rest of this article »

As reported, the Illinois Sheriffs’ Association has declared support for Illinois HB245, which would allow IL residents to obtain concealed carry permits after passing background checks and training courses: Read the rest of this article »

As reported, the armed robbery spree that has struck Oak Park, IL over the last year has continued for another week.  This is despite Oak Park’s handgun ban, and the laughable assertions by village officials that such a law makes Oak Park “gun free“. Read the rest of this article »

As reported, an armed robber who though that crime would lead him to easy money ended up shot, and in custody.  The attempted robbery happened on February 2, 2009 at the U-Wash car wash in Stone Mountain, Georgia.  The robber is said to have approach a would-be victim brandishing a gun.  The would-be victim was able to draw his own gun, and shoot the robber.  The criminal survived, and will be prosecuted once he is released from the hospital.  The would-be victim was not injured. Read the rest of this article »

As I mentioned months ago, the Illinois State Police have been unlawfully delaying FOID cards (the card that an IL resident needs to first apply for and receive before they can lawfully have a gun).  In that previous article, I mentioned a few steps that citizens can take to try and get their FOID card issued if the police fail to obey the law and issue it within 30 days.  I also suggest signing this petition.  One visitor to this website had his FOID delayed for an extra month beyond what the law allows, and took no action (which is his choice, of course).  Upon receiving his FOID, he then posted the following comment, with which I respectfully but vigorously disagree: Read the rest of this article »

I’m a supporter of gun rights primarily because I believe in the right of law abiding citizens to defend themselves and their loved ones from attack by violent criminals.    It turns out that criminals have taken notice of the fact that armed citizens are not easy targets, and worry more about meeting such an armed citizen then encountering the police: Read the rest of this article »

As reported, South Korean women are feeling nervous and buying self defense products at about a 60% – 100% higher rate than normal.  This is due to the recent arrest of Kang Ho-soon, who is alleged to have raped and murdered many women.  While it is good to see people from other countries taking an interest in self defense, it appears that many such women are taking the wrong approach, and buying products that may actually leave them more vulnerable: Read the rest of this article »

President Barack Obama campaigned on a promise of hope and change; on a departure from failed policies of the past.  His inauguration speech continued in this spirit, promising an effective and responsive government.  There is a particular passage from that speech that I hope he pays particular attention to, especially insofar as gun control is concerned: Read the rest of this article »

The video clip below discusses one of the many cases where a citizen with concealed carry is able to defend themselves, rather than being a victim.  While this clip from about a year ago is generally good, I don’t like the way the reporter uses the word “retaliate” to describe the citizen’s use of a gun to save himself from an armed robber.  Self defense is not retaliation, as I’ve noted before.
Read the rest of this article »

The last couple of days have been quite nice, insofar as incoming links to LearnAboutGuns.com are concerned Read the rest of this article »

The state of Montana is considering joining the ranks of other states that have a castle doctrine law, which protects law abiding citizens who have rightfully defended themselves from the fear of prosecution or being sued by the criminal: Read the rest of this article »

As reported, the British police have been searching on social networking sites for pictures of people posing with knives.  Upon finding such a picture, they make a copy and send it to a gang task force.  The gang task for then arrests the individual if the picture was taken in a public place (carrying a knife in public is illegal in the UK).  If the picture was taken in private, the police still go pay a visit to the people involved (or their parents) and try to confiscate the knives.  My thoughts on this approach are below: Read the rest of this article »