LearnAboutGuns.com

As reported, 29 year old Ronald Penn and an accomplice broke into a house on the 2200 block of SW 57.  The home owner had just returned home for lunch, and fearing for his safety from the criminals, drew the concealed pistol that he was lawfully carrying.  The home owner fatally shot Penn, and his accomplice fled.  The home owner and his wife were unharmed, and police are searching for the accomplice. Read the rest of this article »

The state of Montana recently passed the Firearms Freedom Act, which allows firearms and ammunition manufactured and sold for use only within the state to be exempt from Federal regulation.  Such guns and ammo would be stamped “Made in Montana.”  The legal theory here is that the the Federal government has the power to regulate interstate commerce in firearms, but not purely intrastate commerce – meaning that there must be some crossing of state lines before the Federal government has any power to regulate firearms.  Legislators in about 15 other states have expressed interest in passing similar laws in their own states.  Essentially, this is an effort to assert the rights of states, and to advance gun rights at the same time.  My thoughts are below: Read the rest of this article »

Below is an alert from the NRA, regarding a pro gun rights reform that has passed the Illinois legislature, and awaits the signature of Governor Pat Quinn: Read the rest of this article »

As I mentioned last week, I recently moved to Iowa.  Aside from getting the job I really wanted, I was also looking forward to living in a state that allows concealed carry.  As soon as I had some free time after the move, I went to my Sheriff’s office and applied for a concealed carry permit.  The Sheriff processed my application the next business day, and I am happy to say that I now have an Iowa concealed carry permit.  While I am happy to have this permit, and will carry to the fullest extent allowed by law, I truly hope to never ever have occasion to use a concealed pistol in self defense.

I’ve decided that I’ll carry my subcompact Springfield XD, chambered for .40 S&W, although I was seriously considering an H&K USP too.  I’m still on the fence about what holster type and brand I prefer, so I bought a few more holsters and am waiting for them to arrive in the mail.  In the coming weeks I’ll probably write some reviews about those various holsters.  If anyone has a holster they would like to recommend that I try, please do let me know soon. Read the rest of this article »

Below is my review of the Ruger PC4, which is a carbine rifle chambered for .40 S&W: Read the rest of this article »

I’ve previously discussed how the Second Amendment appears to protect many arms other than guns.  In that spirit, I would like to point out a website that I found last week: KnifeRights.org.  Basically, the goal of Knife Rights is to build an effective advocacy group that will defend knife rights against unreasonable restrictions, similar to how the NRA defends gun rights.  While I generally prefer firearms over edged weapons for self defense, I strongly believe in the importance of defending our right to keep and bear various arms, and encourage everyone to take a look at KnifeRights.org.

As reported, three home invaders kicked in a door on the 11900 block of Madison Oak in Harris County, TX.  The home owner shot one of the robbers in the eye, and all three criminals fled.  The home owner was unharmed.  Police apprehended 3 suspects, including one with an eye injury, when they arrived at a nearby hospital.  Police believe that these same suspects may have been involved in another home invasion nearby, where criminals kicked in a door, fatally shot a dog, and then fled when they heard police sirens.  The home invaders are also said to have impersonated the police when kicking in the door. Read the rest of this article »

Last week, I discussed how pharmacy worker Jerome Ensland courageously saved himself and the other innocent people in the pharmacy from armed robber Antwun Parker.  Now, the family of that dead armed robber is speaking out, claiming that the robber was a sweet and innocent person, and that the pharmacy worker was wrong to defend himself.  These statements, and my responses, are below:
Read the rest of this article »

Since Obama’s election, there has been a nation wide ammunition shortage.  The Chicago-area gun stores where I bought ammo raised their prices about 25%, and would only sell me 3 boxes at a time, but they always had ammo to sell.  I’ve read about more severe shortages in blogs, and seen discussions about it on various forums, but until recently I didn’t really experience the shortage myself.  That changed yesterday: Read the rest of this article »

It is no secret that Chicago is a violence-plagued city, that takes turns with the District of Columbia as America’s “murder capitol.”  It is also no secret that Chicago’s handgun ban fails to disarm criminals, while serving only to ensure that crime victims are defenseless.  A recent series of shootings in Chicago underscores this point: Read the rest of this article »

As reported, a 17 year old allegedly entered an internet cafe in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, with a banana under his shirt.  The teenager is then said to have pretended that the banana was a gun, while demanding money.  The cafe’s owner and customers tackled the would-be robber, and called the police.  However before the police arrived, the teenager is said to have eaten the banana, causing police to jokingly suggest that he also be charged with destroying evidence.  The banana’s peel was recovered, and photographed as evidence, while the teenager has been charged with armed robbery. Read the rest of this article »

For quite a while, I wrote weekly articles about the “gun free” village of Oak Park, IL, which still has a handgun ban that criminals routinely ignore as they commit armed robberies and shootings.  Over the last month or so, I haven’t mentioned Oak Park very often, simply because I had more interesting matters to write about, and limited time to spend blogging. However, as a recent article from the Chicago Tribune shows, the robberies have continued: Read the rest of this article »

As reported, an armed robber and two accomplices attempted to rob the Reliable Discount Pharmacy in Oklahoma City.  A pharmacy employee fatally shot the violent criminal in self defense, and police arrested one suspected accomplice about a block from the pharmacy.  A third accomplice is being sought by police.  None of the pharmacy employees or customers were harmed.  A man who was at the pharmacy with his wife and daughter told reporters that the pharmacy was robbed a few years ago, after which point the store owner decided to take steps to protect himself, his employees, and his customers. Read the rest of this article »

I just finished law school, and accepted a job in Iowa, so I’m moving today and tomorrow.  On the plus side, I just got the job that I really wanted, found a house that I like, and will live in a state that allows concealed carry.  On the down side, I won’t be posting anything new to LearnAboutGuns.com or answering emails until about Friday…

Michael Norton was a 55 year old man, who ran a convenience store on Chicago’s West side.  He ran the store for about 35 years, and was a fixture in the neighborhood. He was known for helping his tenants and others in the neighborhood. He sponsored some of them at Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, and was well liked. Back in 1991, a pair of armed criminals threatened his life and tried to rob his store.  Norton fatally shot one robber in self defense, and wounded the other, saving himself and taking a pair of criminals off the streets.  Norton also stood up to drug dealing gang members, working to get them evicted from the apartment above his store.  The evicted gang members are said to have threated to kill Norton in response.  Last week, Norton was found murdered in the rear of his store.  His hands were bound, and he was shot in the back of the head.  Police believe the incident was robbery related, while friends and family believe it may have been the work of the evicted gang members.  Police believe that Norton’s assailants may have sneaked up on him while he was locking the store. Read the rest of this article »

Peter Nickles, the Attorney General for the District of Columbia, recently stated said that presidential and other motorcades will be exposed to high-powered arms fire if D.C. is prevented by congress from continuing to violate citizens’ gun rights, which it is doing in spite of the D.C. v. Heller Supreme Court case..  This idea is an unfounded departure from reality, as I discuss below. Read the rest of this article »

As reported, a man noticed that his neighbor’s home was being broken in to by a trio of criminals at 5AM.  The man called the home owner’s cell phone to warn him of the impending home invasion.  The home owner was not at home, however his wife was, and so he in turn called his wife to warn her.  She grabbed a gun, and opened fire on the criminals as they climbed the stairs, missing but causing them to flee.  The woman was unharmed, and police are searching for the home invaders. Read the rest of this article »

As reported, a pair of criminals attempted to rob a victim in Wilkes-Barre, PA, while armed with a metal pipe.  The victim complied, and handed over his wallet.  Despite the victim’s cooperation, the criminal with the metal pipe continued to advance on the victim, who then drew his lawfully concealed pistol, and shot the robber in the foot.  The shot robber was treated at a local hospital, and and both robbers were arrested. Read the rest of this article »

The attempt at depriving law abiding citizens of their constitutional right to keep and bear arms is often led by hypocritical people, who wish to have guns for their own defense, while denying that right to others.  A recent example of such hypocrisy involves T.I., a rapper who has violated gun laws (and other laws) for years, and is now sponsoring an anti gun rally, right before he goes to prison for violating gun control laws himself. Read the rest of this article »

A while back, David Rosman wrote an anti gun editorial for the Columbia Missourian.  A reader of that editorial disagreed, and provided a link to LearnAboutGuns.com to show the effectiveness of so-called “assault weapons” for self defense purposes.  I then noticed this incoming link in my server logs, read Mr. Rosman’s article, and wrote my own rebuttal.  I recently received an email from David Rosman, in which he provided a link to his rebuttal to my rebuttal.  My response is below. Please note that I address his responses out of order, since I want to address the substantive issues before getting to his somewhat condescending remarks and borderline personal attacks (which I basically ignore). Read the rest of this article »

As reported, a South African man was walking down the street with his wife when four criminals approached.  Two of the criminals were armed with firearms.  The 4 men tried to rob the couple, at which point the armed citizen drew his self defense gun and open fire, wounding one robber in the buttocks, and another robber in the cheek.  All four criminals fled, and were soon arrested.  The two criminals who were shot were taken to the hospital under police guard, and the two uninjured criminals were taken to jail.  The armed man and his wife were unharmed. Read the rest of this article »

In the  D.C. v. Heller case, the Supreme Court struck down the ban on handguns in the District of Columbia, as that ban violated the Second Amendment.  One of the issues left unresolved in that case was whether the Second Amendment applied against state and local governments, or just the federal government.  The McDonald v. Chicago case may answer that question with respect to the Chicago and Oak Park handgun bans. Read the rest of this article »

Below is an NRA action alert concerning the attempt by Florida legislators to wrongfully take funds from the firearms licensing trust fund, which will effect anyone who holds a resident or non-resident Florida concealed carry permit. Regardless of your state of residence, please read the alert below, and act today. Read the rest of this article »

A common anti gun argument that I hear is that the Second Amendment doesn’t protect individual gun ownership, but instead just allows the National Guard to have arms.  This is factually untrue, for a variety of reasons: Read the rest of this article »

As reported, 37 year old Charles Goff III broke into a man’s house in Gilbert, Arizona, after becoming angry that the man was dating his ex-wife.  Goff, who had a history of violent behavior, and whose ex-wife had requested an order of protection, held the victim at gunpoint for about four hours.  During this time, Goff sent text messages to his ex-wife, attempting to lure her to the victim’s home.  The victim was eventually able to get his self defense gun, and fatally shot Goff, but not before Goff was able to open fire too.  The victim was treated for a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to the leg, and then released from a local hospital. Read the rest of this article »

Gun control advocates like to believe that passing laws banning guns will keep those guns out of the hands of criminals.  This idea defies logic, since by definition criminals are people who don’t obey the law.  A recent case from Oakland, CA makes this point rather clear: Read the rest of this article »

For the last couple of months, a spammer has been sending me unsolicited emails with links to the BedBunker gun safe, suggesting that I discuss their product on this website.  I’m more than glad to do so now, although I get the feeling that this review is not what that spammer was hoping for:  Read the rest of this article »

As reported, a Racine, WI man was riding his bicycle when four teenage attackers knocked him to the ground.  The man grabbed his openly carried pistol from his holster, pointed it at the sky, and yelled “gun!”  The attackers then fled, leaving the man with only minor injuries from being knocked off his bike. Read the rest of this article »

As reported, a car mechanic was lured behind a high school by a pair of robbers who posed as customers in need of a mechanic.  After the victim was behind the high school, one of the robbers drew his gun, pointed it at the victim’s head, and then pulled the trigger.  Lucky, the robber’s gun failed to fire, and the victim was unharmed.  The robbers then took the victim’s money, and promptly began fighting with each other as to how their ill-gotten funds would be split up.  The victim used this opportunity to run to safety. Read the rest of this article »

As reported, a university student was having a birthday party with 10 friends in College Park, GA, when a pair of armed home invaders broke in through a patio door.  The criminals demanded that everyone hand over their cell phone and wallets.  Next, the home invaders separated the men from the women, preparing to rape the women.  At this time, the two men confirmed with each other that they had enough bullets to kill everyone when they were done.  At this point, one of the students grabbed his gun from his backpack, and opened fire on the criminals, fatally injuring one of them.  The other criminal escaped.  One of the house guests suffered non-life-threatening injuries, but is expected to make a full recovery. Read the rest of this article »

As reported, a pair of robbers entered a Cash-N-Dash in Mobile County, Alabama.  An employee (or possibly the owner) was threatened by the robbers, at which point he opened fire on the criminals.  One of the criminals was fatally wounded, and died after running about 60 yards from the store’s front door.  The other alleged robber was apprehended by police, and is being held without bail on a first-degree robbery charge. Read the rest of this article »

The Million Mom March is an anti gun organization that is closely affiliated with the Brady Campaign.  They advance their anti gun rights agenda through the unfair indoctrination of young children who will soon be voters, and their propaganda laden website.  A visitor to LearnAboutGuns.com sent me an email asking me to address some of their anti gun statements point by point, and I’m happy to oblige: Read the rest of this article »

As reported, an armed robber entered the BP gas station located at 1959 17th Avenue in Columbus, Ohio.  He then threatened the clerk while demanding money.  The clerk grabbed his self defense gun from behind the counter, and shot the robber.  After being shot, the robber fled, only to collapse outside the gas station.  The robber was taken to a nearby hospital in serious condition.  Neither the clerk nor any customers were harmed. Read the rest of this article »

Recently, a pair of criminals tried to steal a man’s SUV and then run him over with it.  The criminals refused to stop driving towards the owner, and he used his gun to defend himself, saving his life and killing one of the criminals in the process. Reporting on this story, CNN’s anti gun and anti self defense bias is apparent: Read the rest of this article »

Last summer, I wrote an article about Seattle Mayor Greg Nickles plan to ban guns on city property, after a criminal shot two people. A reader of this website sent me an email with a status update on this proposed ban: Read the rest of this article »

Below is an action alert from the ISRA, discussing a Second Amendment forum which will take place in Wheaton, IL on Tuesday, May 5th 2009 at 7:00PM.   This open forum is being sponsored by pro gun rights organizers, in response to a recent anti gun forum in Wheaton, where only those opposed to gun rights were able to speak. Read the rest of this article »

As reported, an 18 year old man armed himself with an aluminum baseball bat went to an apartment in Fort Worth, looking for a person that he didn’t like.  The bat wielding man pounded on the patio door, and ordered the would-be victim to come out.  The would-be victim’s roommate opened a door to see what was going on, and the bat-toting man forced his way inside the apartment, advancing on the man whom he dislike.  The would-be victim fired his shotgun in self defense, fatally wounding the attacker.  Neither the would-be victim nor his roommate were harmed. Read the rest of this article »

Those opposed to gun rights often have contradictory arguments.  One such example centers around self defense gun uses, with anti gun individuals complaining when an armed citizen fatally shoots a criminal, and also complaining when the armed citizen doesn’t shoot the criminal at all. Read the rest of this article »

As reported, a 21 year old man, along with an accomplice, broke into an Idaho grocery store through a fan duct.  A grocery store employee was working on a computer upstairs in the grocery store, and went to investigate the noise.  One of the burglars rushed toward the employee, who shot the burglar in the leg.   The burglar continued to advance on the employee, at which point the employee fatally shot the burglar in the chest.  The accomplice then fled. Read the rest of this article »

As reported, a Kingsport, TN concealed carry permit holder was driving home when a car in front of him started weaving back and forth, blocking the road.  The driver of that car then stopped his car in the middle of the road, exited his vehicle, and began yelling at the concealed carry permit holder.  The angry man tried to enter the concealed carry permit holder’s car, at which point he drew his gun in self defense.  Seeing the gun was enough to cause the road rage driver to run back to his car and drive off.  No shots were fired, and police arrested the road rage driver at his home later that day. Read the rest of this article »

As reported, Somali pirates attempted to hijack the Melody, an Italian cruise ship carrying about 1500 passengers and crew.  The pirates opened fire with machine rifles as they attacked during the night.  The Israeli security team returned fire with pistols and water hoses, repelling the pirates.  None of the ship’s passengers or crew where harmed, and the cruise ship escaped.  The pirates were later apprehended by the Seychelles coast guard. Read the rest of this article »