The Legion

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/03/09/florida-gov-rick-scott-signs-gun-bill-following-parkland-massacre-in-break-with-nra-allies.html Published March 09, 2018 FoxNews.com Florida Gov. Rick Scott on Friday publicly broke with his longtime allies at the National Rifle Association to sign new gun regulations into law. The move comes three weeks after a grisly school shooting that claimed the lives of 17 people. Scott, a Republican who has received high praise from the NRA in the past, said he was signing the legislation because it’s a “time for all of us to come together, roll up our sleeves and get it done.” The law raises the minimum purchasing age for buying a rifle from 18 to 21, invokes a three-day waiting period on purchases and enables school employees and many teachers to be armed. It also allows law enforcement to temporarily seize guns from the mentally ill and fund measures like bulletproof glass and metal detectors at schools. In a bid to appease Scott, who voiced opposition to arming teachers, the State Senate later amended the bill to no longer include arming most teachers in a “guardian” program, but instead would train up to 10 school personnel to carry weapons in every school. Student activists from the school where the shootings took place have closely followed the bill’s progress. Though they called it “a baby step,” many agree that Scott signing the bill into law sends a strong message to the NRA. Scott started to distance himself from the NRA following last month's massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School – even creating a $500 million proposal to place an armed officer in every school. As for the NRA, the organization opposes raising the age limit as well as imposing new waiting periods, with NRA and Unified Sportsmen of Florida lobbyist Marion Hammer on Thursday calling the Legislature's bill "a display of bullying and coercion" that would punishes law-abiding citizens and infringe on Second Amendment rights. President Trump congratulated Florida on its legislation, saying state lawmakers "passed a lot of very good legislation last night."

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/gun-control-measures-proposed-by-trump-lawmakers-after-florida-school-shooting/ar-BBJIiWo?li=BBnbcA1 In the weeks after a gunman walked into a high school in Parkland, Florida, and killed 17 students and faculty members, survivors aren't giving up their fight for stronger gun control efforts. Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School teenagers have moved front and center in the gun control debate, organizing a coming national school walkout, meeting with President Donald Trump, lobbying state lawmakers and participating in protests. Since the Feb. 14 shooting, several ideas have been floated by the White House, Republicans, Democrats and state officials to combat gun violence. Trump also hosted a group of bipartisan lawmakers at the White House to discuss reform. Here are seven measures lawmakers are now debating. Trump and Republicans suggested the possibility of arming teachers after the school shooting – and Florida lawmakers moved closer to do that this week. A school safety bill that, among other things, would allow some teachers to be armed, narrowly passed the Florida state House in March and is headed to the governor’s desk. Gov. Rick Scott, a Republican, has declined to say if he’ll sign the bill but has expressed in the past his lack of support for arming teachers. On Twitter, Trump promoted the idea of having “highly trained, gun adept” teachers and coaches in schools who could confront a shooter before first responders arrived or serve as a “deterrent to the cowards that do this.” “If a potential ‘sicko shooter’ knows that a school has a large number of very weapons talented teachers (and others) who will be instantly shooting, the sicko will NEVER attack that school. Cowards won’t go there...problem solved. Must be offensive, defense alone won’t work!” Trump tweeted. Two school districts near Dayton, Ohio, already train a group of select teachers and faculty members to confront an active shooter. These staff members, whose identities are not revealed, have access to safes throughout the schools which have guns hidden inside. Ohio offers funding for schools to train staff to respond in emergency situations. There are more than a dozen other states across the country with school districts that have teachers or staff members who are trained to fire back, or which legally allow adults with guns on school grounds. Strengthening federal background checks Trump has seemed open to strengthening the federal background check process for gun purchases, saying it should be a bipartisan effort to do so. Gun control advocates point to what they see as “loopholes” in the current system that could allow for people to purchase guns even when they legally should not be able to do so. Specifically, Jonas Oransky, deputy legal director of Everytown for Gun Safety, a nonprofit that advocates for stronger gun control, noted the ability for consumers to purchase guns from a private seller without completing a background check. “It’s not that all sellers are dangerous or devious, but buyers who know that they can skip the background check can look for an unlicensed seller,” Oransky told Fox News. He also pointed to the so-called “Charleston loophole,” which allows dealers to sell guns to a customer before a background check is completed – when National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) marks a document “delayed” but does not approve or deny it within three business days. He said a disproportionate number of buyers who obtain a gun before a background check is completed are domestic abusers, citing complex records and restraining orders that investigators need additional time to read through or discuss with the appropriate local law enforcement agency. However, Second Amendment advocates argue the background check system already does too much. “We don’t think it’s proper for people to have to prove their innocence to the government in order to exercise their God-given right,” Erich Pratt, executive director of Gun Owners of America, a Virginia-based gun rights nonprofit, told Fox News. Eliminating bump stocks In the wake of the Parkland shooting, Trump said he signed an order instructing the Justice Department to ban bump stocks, an attachment that allows a semi-automatic rifle to resemble a fully automatic weapon. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said top officials in the Justice Department believe they can ban bump stocks through the regulatory process. However, gun manufacturers and owners are likely to sue if they are banned without any legislation from Congress. Bump stocks were approved in 2010 by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives after concluding the devices did not turn guns into machine guns, which are prohibited under the National Firearms Act. The devices weren’t used in the Parkland shooting, but the massacre did reignite the debate over whether they should be banned. Limiting high-capacity magazines Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., said he's open to changing his stance on one gun control measure after meeting with survivors of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting: high-capacity magazines. "I have traditionally not supported looking at magazine clip size and after this and some of the details I have learned about it, I am reconsidering that position," Rubio said during a recent town hall. "While it may not prevent an attack, it may save lives in an attack ... So we'll have to get into that debate, but that is something I believe that we can reach a compromise [on] in this country, and that I'm willing to reconsider." The suspected gunman had to stop to reload his firearm during the massacre, which Rubio added was “evidence in this case that it saved the lives of some people.” Several measures introduced in states across the country – including in Colorado, Illinois and Rhode Island – would ban high-capacity magazines. Raising the age limit to buy certain guns After hosting survivors of gun violence and their parents at the White House, Trump publicly backed raising the minimum age to purchase semi-automatic weapons to 21. “There’s nothing more important than protecting our children,” Trump said. And when Republican Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., acknowledged that a bill he’s sponsored with Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., to broaden background checks does not include raising the age limit, Trump accused him of being “afraid of the NRA.” National Rifle Association spokeswoman Dana Loesch has already said the powerful gun lobby does not support raising the age limit to purchase certain firearms. After Trump’s White House meeting, she told Fox News it was “good TV,” but some of the proposals were “really bad policy.” However, some Republican senators, including Rubio and Pat Roberts of Kansas, have voiced support for raising the minimum age to purchase certain types of firearms. “Certainly, nobody under 21 should have an AR-15," Roberts said. Walmart, the nation’s largest retailer, announced this week that it would stop selling firearms and ammunition to anyone under the age of 21. Banning ‘assault-style’ rifles House Democrats introduced a ban on semi-automatic firearms in February called the Assault Weapons Ban of 2018. More than 150 Democrats signed the legislation, the Washington Examiner reported. According to a Harvard CAPS-Harris survey, 61 percent of respondents support banning the AR-15 firearm, used in many of the recent mass shootings in the U.S., including Parkland. Just 39 percent of respondents said adults who pass a background check should be allowed to purchase the firearm. Dick’s Sporting Goods announced in February that it would stop selling assault-style rifles and prohibit anyone under the age of 21 from purchasing a firearm. “We support and respect the Second Amendment, and we recognize and appreciate that the vast majority of gun owners in this country are responsible, law-abiding citizens,” Edward W. Stack, chairman and CEO of Dick’s Sporting Goods, said in a statement. “But we have to help solve the problem that’s in front of us. Gun violence is an epidemic that’s taking the lives of too many people, including the brightest hope for the future of America – our kids.” Stack also said the company would stop selling high-capacity magazines and will continue its policy of not selling bump stocks. “Some will say these steps can’t guarantee tragedies like Parkland will never happen again. They may be correct – but if common sense reform is enacted and even one life is saved, it will have been worth it,” Stack said. Cutting ties with the NRA Trump encouraged lawmakers not to be afraid to disagree with the NRA, the powerful nonprofit that advocates for gun rights, during a televised meeting with lawmakers. “I’m a fan of the NRA,” Trump said. “There’s no bigger fan. I'm a big fan of the NRA. These are great people, these great patriots. They love our country. But that doesn't mean we have to agree on everything.” Several companies have cut ties with the NRA since the Parkland school shooting. Among them are: Avis Budget Group, Enterprise Holdings, MetLife, United and Delta. Georgia lawmakers voted to yank a tax break for Atlanta-based Delta on March 1 after the airline severed ties with the NRA. The bill cleared the state House with an overwhelming 135-24 vote, after being approved in the state Senate on a 44-10 vote. It was then sent to the governor's desk. The final version dropped an earlier amendment that would have renewed a jet fuel tax exemption worth $50 million that was taken off the books in 2015. “Businesses have every legal right to make their own decisions, but the Republican majority in our state legislature also has every right to govern guided by our principles,” said Lieutenant Gov. Casey Cagle, who threatened to kill the airline tax break days prior to the vote. The threat prompted liberal governors nationwide to court the airline, including New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo who tweeted his support and encouraged Delta to move its headquarters north. “Now more than ever the NRA is showing just how out of step they are with the American people,” Cuomo said in a statement, calling the NRA's agenda “dangerous.” The NRA has fired back at companies like Delta – and at the lawmakers encouraging them – for allegedly not supporting the Second Amendment. “Ultimately, our members are passionate #2A supporters. Having those on the left pushing for a boycott to pressure companies to drop discounts just shows how out of touch some are,” the NRA said on Twitter.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/gun-owners-may-find-getting-self-defense-insurance-tougher-following-florida-shooting/ar-BBJWVqX?li=BBnbfcN Gun owners who want specialized insurance for their firearms may have less access to one kind of policy following a shooting massacre in Florida last month. Insurance company Chubb said on Feb. 23 that it will stop underwriting an insurance policy for gun owners called NRA Carry Guard. The National Rifle Association-branded insurance covers gun owners in the event they face legal action following firearm incidents. "Three months ago, Chubb provided notice of our intent to discontinue participation in the NRA Carry Guard insurance program under the terms of our contract," Chubb said in a statement. Lockton, another insurance company, followed on Feb. 26 with the announcement that it will no longer sell products tied to the NRA, including Carry Guard insurance and insurance for gun show operators. The announcements follow the Feb. 14 shooting that killed 17 people at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. The NRA began selling its current line of Carry Guard insurance last year. The policies aim to help individuals who use firearms for self-defense cover their legal expenses. The policies start at $13.95 per month, or $154.95 annually, for $250,000 in civil protection and $50,000 in criminal defense protection. The highest-level coverage costs $49.95 per month, or $549.95 annually. It includes up to $1.5 million in civil protection and $250,000 in criminal defense protection. The policies target gaps that homeowners' policies do not cover. That includes "unexpected procedures and costs associated with proving you acted in self defense," the NRA states on its website. That could be costs associated with civil and criminal legal defenses, bail payments, legal retainer fees, and replacement of firearms, among other items. The United States Concealed Carry Association, or USCCA, also provides liability insurance. "Even in a crystal clear self-defense case, you're often charged with a crime," said Tim Schmidt, president and founder of USCCA. USCCA's policies start at $22 per month, or $247 per year, for $500,000 in civil suit defense and damages coverage and $100,000 in criminal defense protection. The highest level of coverage costs $47 per month, or $497 per year, for $2 million in civil suit defense and damages coverage and $250,000 in criminal defense protection. The organization currently has about 270,000 individual policy owners. "I think there is kind of a rebirth of new people coming into the concept of wanting to be responsibly armed," Schmidt said. Opponents have criticized the coverage as "murder insurance." Requests for comment from the NRA were not returned. Gun owners generally will be covered for liability under their homeowners' or renters' insurance policies, according to Peter Kochenburger, deputy director of the Insurance Law Center at the University of Connecticut School of Law. "You're covered for your negligence if you injure someone or if you damage property," Kochenburger said. Those policies typically do not exclude accidents related to firearms, he said. However, rules for these policies vary by state. If an exclusion for gun-related incidents were to be included in a policy, it would need to have been approved by a state's regulator. "If you intentionally damage property or injure someone, you don't get insurance coverage," Kochenburger said. "We as a society don't want someone to engage in an illegal act and not have to pay the consequences [of their actions]." In 2013, three states – Massachusetts, New York and Hawaii – tried to make liability insurance mandatory for gun owners, according to Michael Barry, head of media and public affairs at the Insurance Information Institute, an industry-funded consumer education organization. "The difficulty is that it would be very difficult for insurers to underwrite," Barry said. "I think pricing a policy like this would be very difficult to do." Victims of a violent assault, however, can receive compensation through a homeowner's insurance policy. In 2015, Sandy Hook school shooting victims' families received $1.5 million through the estate of Nancy Lanza, the mother of shooter. Individuals who own guns need to think through their insurance coverage, particularly for liability, carefully. "That split second [decision] of whether to shoot or not, it's hard to imagine that whether they have insurance or not is a thought in their mind," Kochenburger said.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/the-latest-florida-senate-passes-restrictions-on-gun-sales/ar-BBJTVsK?OCID=ansmsnnews11 TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — In response to a deadly Florida school shooting last month, the state's Senate narrowly passed a bill Monday that would create new restrictions on rifle sales and allow some teachers to carry guns in schools. The 20-18 vote came after three hours of often emotional debate. Support and opposition crossed party lines, and it was clear many of those who voted for the bill weren't entirely happy with it. "Do I think this bill goes far enough? No! No, I don't!" said Democratic Sen. Lauren Book, who tearfully described visiting Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School after 17 people were fatally shot on Valentine's Day. She also would have liked a ban on assault-style rifles, like many of the students who traveled to the state Capitol to ask lawmakers to go even further to stop future mass shootings. But Book said she couldn't let the legislative session end Friday without doing something. "My community was rocked. My school children were murdered in their classrooms. I cannot live with a choice to put party politics above an opportunity to get something done that inches us closer to the place I believe we should be as a state," she said. "This is the first step in saying never again." Earlier Monday, families of the 17 Florida high school massacre victims called on the state's Legislature to pass a bill they believe will improve school security. Reading a statement outside Stoneman Douglas High School in Broward County, Ryan Petty implored legislators to pass Gov. Rick Scott's proposal to add armed security guards, keep guns away from the mentally ill and improve mental health programs for at-risk teens. Scott also opposes arming teachers. "We must be the last families to lose loved ones in a mass shooting at a school. This time must be different and we demand action," said Petty, reading from the group statement. Petty's 14-year-old daughter, Alaina, was killed in the Feb. 14 shooting, along with 13 schoolmates and three staff members. If just one more senator voted no instead of yes Monday evening, the bill would have died. Republicans and Democrats alike said there were parts of the bill they didn't like. Democrats didn't like the idea of letting teachers carry guns, even if the bill was amended to water down that proposed program. And many pro-gun rights Republicans didn't like the idea of raising the minimum age to buy rifles from 18 to 21 and to create a waiting period on sales of the weapons. The Senate amended its bill to limit which teachers could volunteer to go through law enforcement training and carry guns in schools. Any teacher who does nothing but work in a classroom would not be eligible for the program, but teachers who perform other duties, such as serving as a coach, and other school employees could still participate. Other exceptions would be made for teachers who are current or former law enforcement officers, members of the military or who teach in a Junior Reserve Officer's Training Corps program. The bill would name the program for slain assistant football coach Aaron Feis, who has been hailed as a hero for shielding students during the school attack. The 37-year-old graduated from Stoneman Douglas in 1999 and worked mainly with the junior varsity, living in nearby Coral Springs with his wife and daughter. Republican Sen. Bill Galvano said he asked for and received the approval of Feis' family to name the program for him. Galvano, who took the lead on the bill, said he recognized there was bipartisan opposition to it but said that was a good thing. "You know what that means in my experience? That we've gotten somewhere," he said. "We're hitting nerves. We're going into areas that may not be our comfort zone." And he said the bill will make a difference. In addition to the gun restrictions and arming some school personnel, it would create new mental health programs for schools, improve communication between schools, law enforcement and state agencies, create a task force to look at mistakes made during mass shootings nationally and then make recommendations on how to continue to improve law, and establish an anonymous tip line where students and others can report threats to schools. "This bill will make a difference now. When it becomes law, things will start changing," Galvano said. "We listened and we're trying. We're trying hard, we don't have all the answers but we are giving it our best and we will keep giving it our best." The bill now goes to the House, which has a similar bill still waiting for consideration by the full chamber. The annual 60-day session is scheduled to end Friday.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/02/28/trump-publicly-spars-with-republicans-over-concealed-carry-nra-influence-at-school-safety-session.html Published February 28, 2018 FoxNews.com President Trump sparred with Republican lawmakers during a rare, televised bipartisan gathering on gun control and school safety Wednesday, dismissing GOP pleas to include concealed carry proposals in a sweeping gun package while making clear he doesn't “have to agree on everything” with the National Rifle Association. “I’m a fan of the NRA,” Trump told lawmakers at the White House. “There’s no bigger fan. I'm a big fan of the NRA. These are great people, these great patriots. They love our country. But that doesn't mean we have to agree on everything.” During the meeting, which also included prominent Democrats, Trump told House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., who was gravely injured in a mass shooting this summer, that a comprehensive gun bill would not pass if it included a concealed carry reciprocity proposal desired by Republicans. “You know, I’m your biggest fan in the whole world,” Trump told Scalise. “I think that bill maybe one day will pass, but it should pass as a separate. If you’re going to put concealed carry between states into this bill, we’re talking about a whole new ball game.” Trump added: “I’m with you, but let it be a separate bill.” His comments come as Fox News has learned the White House plans to roll out specific policy proposals on Thursday aimed at keeping guns out of the hands of people who should not have them. Among the proposals are some that may put him at odds with the NRA, the powerful pro-gun organization that was a frequent topic during the meeting. At one point during Wednesday’s session, Trump told Pennsylvania Republican Sen. Pat Toomey: “You are afraid of the NRA.” At the beginning of the meeting, Trump said he wanted the lawmakers around the table with him “to come up with some ideas” and put them into “a very bipartisan bill.” “It would be so beautiful to have one bill that everybody could support as opposed to, you know, 15 bills,” he said. Trump has been pushing some new gun restrictions in the wake of this month’s school shooting in Parkland, Fla., in which 17 people were killed. He emphasized his commitment to strengthening background checks for gun buyers and dealing with the mentally ill. “What surprises me more than anything else is that nothing’s been done for all of these years,” Trump told the lawmakers. “Because I really see a lot of common ground where there's Democrat, Republican.” According to sources, the White House proposal will include raising the minimum age for buying long guns to 21 from 18 -- a proposal that Trump acknowledged is opposed by the NRA. Trump will also call for training and arming certain members of school faculty and staff, either through federal grants to states or a federal training program. During Wednesday's meeting, Trump said “we must harden out schools” against attacks, calling for arming some staff at schools. Speaking of the Pulse nightclub shooting in September 2016 that killed 49 people, Trump said: “If you had one person in that room that could carry a gun and knew how to use it, it wouldn't have happened. Or certainly not to the extent it did, where he was just shooting and shooting and shooting and they were defenseless.” On Thursday, Trump is also expected to reiterate his support for a bill that bolsters the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. He also will back the STOP School Violence Act, which gives the Justice Department grants for preventing school violence. The president said Wednesday he will get rid “bump stocks,” saying they will “be gone shortly.” The firearm modifiers, which can make a semi-automatic weapon fire nearly as rapidly as a fully automatic machine gun, were used in the Oct. 1, 2017, Las Vegas massacre, in which 58 people were killed and hundreds more injured. Trump will also call for fixing the FBI’s tipster program, amid revelations that the bureau received multiple tips about the youth accused of shooting up the Parkland school ahead of that massacre but failed to stop him. In addition, the president is also expected to encourage states to create laws for extreme-risk protective orders, which would allow parents and law enforcement to petition courts to take weapons away from anyone threatening to harm themselves or others. Republicans lawmakers at the meeting included: John Cornyn of Texas; Steve Danies of Montana; Chuck Grassley of Iowa; Marco Rubio of Florida; Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania; Orrin Hatch of Utah; Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee; Brian Mast of Florida, John Rutherford of Florida and Steve Scalise of Louisiana. Democrats included Dianne Feinstein of California; Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota; Chris Murphy of Connecticut; Ted Deutch of Florida; Elizabeth Esty of Connecticut and Stephanie Murphy of Florida. Lawmakers pitching their ideas on gun control told Trump their proposals could pass if he expressed his support. The president contrasted himself to past presidents, accusing former President Obama of not being “proactive” in getting a bill passed. “It's time that a president stepped up… I'm talking Democrat and Republican presidents,” Trump said. “They have not stepped up.” Trump expressed a willingness to be open to proposals from Democrats that Republicans usually reject outright, telling Feinstein he would review her assault weapons ban legislation. But he remained non-committal when pressed by Feinstein, telling her to discuss her plans with her congressional colleagues.

http://wreg.com/2018/02/27/ms-senate-committee-passes-bill-allowing-teachers-staff-to-be-armed/ JACKSON, Miss. — The Senate Judiciary Committee has passed a bill to allow faculty and staff to carry on school campuses. The proposal gives school leaders the option to allow teachers and other staff members to carry concealed guns as part of the school safety plan, The Associated Press reported. It applies to private and public K-12 schools as well as universities. “The safety of our students while in the classroom should never be in question, but that is not a given in today’s schools, unfortunately,” Lt. Gov. Reeves said after the bill passed in committee. “By allowing more school staff to receive proper training on how to respond to immediate threats, I hope we can avoid the tragedies we’ve seen on campuses around the country and in Mississippi.” The bill requires teachers and other staff members to undergo 12 hours of enhanced law enforcement training with the Department of Public Safety every two years, The Clarion Ledger reported. The bill is an expansion of the Mississippi Community Oriented Policing Services program, which passed in 2013. That program matched local funds to place more trained officers in public schools around the state.

http://wreg.com/2018/02/26/fedex-says-it-wont-drop-nra-discount-though-it-opposes-nra-stance/ MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Shipping giant FedEx says it’s not backing away from a discount it offers to National Rifle Association members in response to a growing online campaign to boycott FedEx. In a company statement Monday, Memphis-based FedEx said the NRA is just one of hundreds of organizations in its marketing program whose members receive discounted rates for FedEx shipping and the company does not plan on discontinuing the partnership. “FedEx has never set or changed rates for any of our millions of customers around the world in response to their politics, beliefs or positions on issues.” The company said it strongly supports the right to own firearms subject to a background check. Unlike the NRA, however, the company opposes civilians owning assault rifles. “FedEx views assault rifles and large capacity magazines as an inherent potential danger to schools, workplaces, and communities when such weapons are misused. We therefore support restricting them to the military. Most important, FedEx believes urgent action is required at the local, state, and Federal level to protect schools and students from incidents such as the horrific tragedy in Florida on February 14th.” The move to boycott FedEx over its NRA discount has grown since one of the survivors of the Florida school massacre began publicizing a campaign to boycott business that have partnerships with the gun lobby. Several companies have cut ties with the organization since the shooting. A number of groups have been circulating petitions against FedEx’s support for the NRA as the #boycottfedex hashtag trended on social media. One circulated by the site Care2 had gained 112,000 signatures by Monday afternoon.

I am in great shape also.

What is an Assault Weapon I have several AR-15's but I do not own an Assault Weapon!!

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-said-to-weigh-red-flag-orders-to-take-guns-away-quickly/ar-BBJwC72?li=BBnbcA1 (Bloomberg) -- The White House is considering the idea of using restraining orders to take firearms away from people considered dangerous as part of its response to last week’s massacre at a Florida high school, two people familiar with the matter said Under extreme risk protection orders, which are also known as red flag laws or gun violence restraining orders, firearms can be confiscated from people found to be at risk. The White House is studying an Indiana version of the law, and is considering other measures as well, according to the people, who requested anonymity to discuss policy deliberations. Four other states also have such laws. At the White House on Thursday, Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi described to President Donald Trump similar efforts underway in her state to allow law enforcement to seize firearms from someone who is deemed to be a danger to themselves or others. "Good," Trump responded. At a Florida town hall on CNN earlier in the week, Marco Rubio, one of Florida’s two senators, said he supported restraining orders. While the concept has bipartisan support, some gun-rights groups have embraced it because it does not impose new regulations on firearms themselves. It is one of a range of proposals, including mental health initiatives, that are under consideration by the White House. Posing a Risk California, Connecticut, Indiana, Oregon and Washington have laws that allow the authorities to temporarily strip people believed to be a danger to themselves or others with their weapons. Anyone subject to such an order would not be allowed to buy or obtain more guns while the order was in effect. The Trump administration is looking at encouraging states to enact the legislation, possibly by tying grant money as a reward for those states to adopt the idea, one of the people said. Deputy Press Secretary Raj Shah said at a press briefing on Thursday that the White House was looking at red-flag laws. "I think some states have had these red-flag laws, for example, that remove firearms after you go to a judge for potentially dangerous individuals. That’s something that’s being done right now in a variety of states, right? They have due process rights for these individuals. It seems to be working in certain areas. That’s something that we’re looking at and other places we’re looking at," Shah added. The proposal came as the White House has been casting about for a response to widespread demands for action, including new gun laws, in the wake of the shooting last week in Parkland, Florida, that left 17 people dead. Earlier on Friday, the president was applauded at the Conservative Political Action Conference when he reiterated support for training members of school staffs to carry concealed weapons. He said armed faculty members could have stopped the Feb. 14 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. “A teacher would have shot the hell out of him before he knew what happened,” Trump said. Trump said he spoke Friday morning to Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell about a response to the school shooting. “People are looking to really energize,” he said. Trump repeated on Friday that he would support stricter firearms regulations, including a proposal to strengthen the federal background check system and raising the minimum age for buying a semi-automatic weapon to 21, something the powerful National Rifle Association has said it opposes.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/02/24/as-trump-pitches-new-gun-measures-some-firearms-owners-are-wary.html Published February 24, 2018 FoxNews.com President Donald Trump’s discussion of potential gun control measures has spurred resistance from gun groups, sportsmen and hunters who are urging him to resist new restrictions. In the aftermath of the Valentine’s Day school shooting in Parkland, Fla., that left 17 dead, the president has pledged to make schools safer and reduce gun violence. After raising the idea of banning “bump stocks” and curbing young people’s access to guns, he has spent much of the past week endorsing the arming of some trained teachers and school officials to stop "savage sicko" shooters, an approach the gun lobby supports. In a tweet on Saturday afternoon, he reiterated that position: “Armed Educators (and trusted people who work within a school) love our students and will protect them. Very smart people. Must be firearms adept & have annual training. Should get yearly bonus. Shootings will not happen again - a big & very inexpensive deterrent. Up to States.” But some gun owners, who supported Trump in a big way in 2016, want to make sure their viewpoint is heard, too. "Out in the firearms community there is a great feeling of betrayal and abandonment because of the support he was given in his campaign for president," Tony Fabian, president of the Colorado Sports Shooting Association, said Friday, according to The Associated Press. The comments highlight the deft maneuvering needed by Trump and the GOP to act decisively while also paying attention to a politically potent constituency. Just the preliminary act of floating proposals that defy the National Rifle Association and other groups drew threats of political retribution and legal action. This, despite the fact that in recent days, the NRA has come over increasing pressure, with several companies ending their ties to the group in the wake of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre in Florida. Four major companies, Enterprise Holdings, First National Bank of Omaha, Symantec, and MetLife are among the first to call it quits after a #BoycottNRA hashtag started to pick up steam online late Thursday. The confrontation presents Trump with a special opportunity, some say. "The president has a unique ability right now to maybe really do something about these school shootings," said Rep. Tom Rooney, R-Fla., told The AP "Nobody is more popular in my district — and I know in a lot of other people's districts — than Donald Trump. He's more popular than the NRA. ... So it's up to him whether or not anything happens with guns." Gun Owners of America issued an alert earlier this past week urging its 1.5 million members to call the White House and "Tell Trump to OPPOSE All Gun Control!" The organization said anti-gun activists aided by congressional Democrats are trying to convince the president he should "support their disastrous gun control efforts," the message said, as reported by the wire service. "And sadly, it may be working." Michael Hammond, legislative counsel for the Virginia-based group, told The AP the organization doesn't hesitate to oppose Republican incumbents and candidates whom it deems not sufficiently "pro-gun." Motivating gun owners to go to the polls is the source of the gun lobby's strength, according to Hammond. "When they feel gun ownership is threatened, then they're going to respond as if that's the pre-eminent issue," he said.

I have Norton for my computer Internet Security. I will be changing over to a new service tomorrow. I also have an account with Wyndham. When I shoot IDPA or USPSA matches at CASA in Little Rock I always stay at he Wingate Hotel. Never again. I emailed them to cancel my account.

Withdrawing

Update on Story: Man has been arrested for killing the couple in apartment before setting apartment on fire. http://www.wmcactionnews5.com/story/37576209/arsonist-accused-of-killing-2-people-before-burning-apartment-complex

http://wreg.com/2018/02/22/ammunition-explodes-as-apartment-burns-following-robbery/ MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Two victims are confirmed dead after a Parkway Village apartment complex caught on fire Thursday, causing ammunition inside the unit to explode, fire officials said. The incident started around noon at the Clearbrook Village Apartments in the 3500 block of Tall Oaks Circle. But before the chaos, Memphis Police say there was a crime. Initially they received a robbery call to the complex. Neighbor Regina Brown was home and says she saw police already on scene before she saw the flames. “I just heard ‘Get on the ground, freeze!’ so I ran back downstairs. I thought they were talking to my brother, but it obviously was the suspect. After that, that’s when the fire started,” Brown said. What we’re working to find out is how the fire started, and how did two people die? Witnesses said they heard gunshots coming from inside, but we’re told there was ammunition going off. We’re also working to find out how many people are without a place to sleep. The Fire Department told us there are about 16 units in the affected building. Now, Brown says she is holding her 1-year-old tighter while longtime residents are left uneasy and hoping for answers. “It happened so fast,” she said. “I think it’s terrible.”

I absolutely agree with this statement. Until people realize gun violence has nothing to do with guns the issue will never be fixed.

I watch a little of the CNN debate and it was typical CNN. Attack the NRA, attack the GOP, and attack guns. Dana Loesch ripped the Broward Sheriff over missed red flags and around 39 calls they made to the shooters home. I also watched President Trumps meeting at the White House which was real heart felt discussion on the issue of violence in our schools. It was a good discussion on the issue without anyone attacking each other. Until people realize that gun violence has nothing to do with guns the issue will never get fixed.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/02/20/trump-urges-ban-on-bump-stocks-other-gun-modifiers.html Published February 20, 2018 FoxNews.com President Trump on Tuesday directed Attorney General Jeff Sessions to craft new regulations to ban firearm modifiers including the “bump stock” used in the Las Vegas massacre, amid bipartisan calls to strengthen gun restrictions in the wake of recent shooting rampages. During an event at the White House, the president announced he signed a memo ordering the regulations on “bump stocks” and told Sessions he wants new federal guidelines finalized “very soon.” Trump wrote in the memo, “Although the Obama administration repeatedly concluded that particular bump stock type devices were lawful to purchase and possess, I sought further clarification of the law restricting fully automatic machineguns.” During Tuesday’s press briefing, the White House said the president opposes the “bump stock” rifle modifier, which make semi-automatic firearms fire faster. “I can tell you the president supports not having the use of bump stocks and that we expect further action on that in the coming days,” White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said Tuesday. Sanders added that the president had ordered the Justice Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to review the regulation of bump stocks after a gunman opened fire on concert-goers on the Las Vegas strip in October, killing more than 50 people. “My understanding is that review has been completed and movement will take place on that shortly,” Sanders said. In the wake of last week’s school shooting in Parkland, Fla., that killed 17 people, Sanders said Trump plans to host parents, teachers and students on Wednesday to discuss “efforts to ensure safety at our schools.” Among those attending will be members of the Parkland community and those affected by the Sandy Hook and Columbine school shootings, the White House added. Liberals have renewed calls for new gun control measures after last week’s shooting. Trump, who was backed by the NRA during the 2016 election, has expressed support for the Second Amendment and has said he’s against reflexive gun control measures that wouldn’t make a difference. Sanders said the White House hasn’t “closed the door on any front” and suggested the president would back improving the federal background check system. “The president has expressed his support for efforts to improve the federal background system and in the coming days we will continue to explore ways to ensure the safety and security of our schools,” she said.

That is a great looking handgun!!!

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/guns-ganja-firearm-owning-pot-fans-face-choice-52341084 By mark scolforo, associated press HARRISBURG, Pa. — Jan 14, 2018, 4:30 PM ET The federal government says grass and guns don't mix, and that is putting gun owners who use marijuana — and the strongly pro-gun-rights administration of President Donald Trump — in a potentially uncomfortable position. As gun-loving Pennsylvania becomes the latest state to operate a medical marijuana program, with the first dispensary on track to begin sales next month, authorities are warning patients that federal law bars marijuana users from having guns or ammunition. "They're going to have to make a choice," said John T. Adams, president of the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association. "They can have their guns or their marijuana, but not both." That's the official line, but the reality of how the policy might be enforced in Pennsylvania and other states is a little muddier. That includes the question of whether people who already own guns might have to surrender them, instead of just being prohibited from making new purchases. The political sensitivity was underscored Friday when Pennsylvania regulators reversed themselves and announced its registry of medical-pot patients will not be available, as was previously planned, through the state's law enforcement computer network. Phil Gruver, a professional auto detailer from Emmaus who received a state medical marijuana card in mid-December, is weighing what to do with his .22-caliber rifle and a handgun he keeps for home defense. "It's a violation of my Second Amendment rights," Gruver said. "I don't know of any time anyone's been using marijuana and going out and committing acts of violence with a gun. Most of the time they just sit on their couch and eat pizza." State laws allowing medical or, more recently, recreational use of pot have long been at odds with the federal prohibition on gun ownership by those using marijuana. But the government has traditionally taken a hands-off approach. Since 2014, Congress has forbidden the Department of Justice from spending money to prosecute people who grow, sell and use medical pot. The picture has become murkier under Trump, a Republican whose attorney general, Jeff Sessions, has long denounced the drug. Sessions recently rescinded a Barack Obama-era policy that was deferential to states' permissive marijuana laws. Now, federal prosecutors in states that allow drug sales must decide whether to crack down on the marijuana trade. It's not clear what impact the new policy will have on gun owners who use cannabis as medicine, or even how many people fit the bill. Nor is it clear whether any people who use legally obtained medical marijuana have been prosecuted for owning a gun, although the existence of medical marijuana registries in some states, including Pennsylvania, has some patients concerned. More than 800,000 guns are sold or transferred in Pennsylvania annually, and more than 10,000 people in the state have signed up for medical marijuana. The registry change on Friday makes it much less likely the state's medical marijuana users will be flagged when going through a federal gun sales background check. A spokeswoman for Dave Freed, the new U.S. attorney in Harrisburg, said only that criminal investigations and prosecutions "will be based on a fair and transparent fact-intensive inquiry of individual cases." State police said it's up to prosecutors to decide when to bring a case. The Justice Department's Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has left no doubt where it stands. Last year, the ATF spelled out the marijuana prohibition in boldface type on gun purchase forms. "Any person who uses or is addicted to marijuana, regardless of whether his or her state has passed legislation authorizing marijuana use for medical purposes ... is prohibited by federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition," ATF spokeswoman Janice L. Kemp said in an email to The Associated Press. A spokeswoman for the Justice Department referred questions about medical marijuana and guns enforcement to local federal prosecutors and a recent memo from Sessions that does not specifically address the issue. In Ohio, which has authorized a medical marijuana program, the office of the U.S. attorney for the northern part of the state, Justin Herdman, has said Sessions' guidance won't change his case-by-case approach. The gun-ownership ban has withstood at least one legal challenge. An appeals court in San Francisco, rejecting a challenge on Second Amendment grounds, said in 2016 that Congress reasonably concluded marijuana and other drugs raise the risk of unpredictable behavior. Meanwhile, some state and local officials, particularly in law enforcement, have sought to crack down. William Bryson, chairman of the Delaware Police Chiefs' Council, told state lawmakers in December that people who use marijuana for medical or recreational purposes should be required to have a designation on their driver's licenses. That would make it easier, he said, for police to enforce the ban. And last month, a police chief in Hawaii publicized and then quickly rescinded a directive that medical marijuana patients had to give up their handguns. Two people turned in their weapons. But marijuana activists predict a backlash should federal prosecutors begin going after gun owners who use legally obtained medical marijuana. The issue has been largely theoretical, but there would be quick pushback if the federal government took a more aggressive stance, said Paul Armentano, deputy director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. Between 1998 and 2014, nearly 100,000 prospective gun purchasers went home empty-handed because they were flagged as using illegal drugs, according to the ATF. But the agency could not say how many of those used medical or recreational marijuana. Dean Hazen, an Urbana, Illinois, businessman who helps broker online gun purchases, said a 75-year-old client with a medical marijuana card was turned down when his state firearm-owner identification card was run through the federal background check system. "He's got a collection of guns at home," Hazen said, "and he's a model citizen." Even before his administration took the medical marijuana registry off the Pennsylvania law-enforcement computer network, Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, sought to assure people the state has no plans to take their guns. And last week, state House Republican Leader Dave Reed urged residents to call their congressional representative and "urge them to make gun ownership legal for medical marijuana card holders." Kim Stolfer, head of the Pennsylvania organization Firearms Owners Against Crime, pointed out that people who drink heavily or use potent but legal drugs such as opioids or antidepressants can still own a gun. "You have people that are advancing up in age that need medical marijuana and might have, say, 50 firearms and just realized they sacrificed all of those," Stolfer said. "Where are they going to turn them in and how are they going to get rid of them?"

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/01/09/california-zoning-law-banning-gun-shops-is-challenged-in-supreme-court-filing.html Published January 09, 2018 FoxNews.com Gun rights groups have filed a petition with the Supreme Court in the hopes that it would consider a controversial appeals court decision that limits where gun stores can open within one county in California. Businessmen John Teixeira, Steve Nobriga and Gary Gamaza joined the Calguns Foundation, Second Amendment Foundation and California Association of Federal Firearms Licensees in the lawsuit first filed in 2012 that challenged an ordinance in Alameda County that prohibits gun stores from being located within 500 feet of areas that include a residentially zoned district. Teixeria and his colleagues claim the law prevented them from opening a gun shop in San Lorenzo. The plaintiffs maintain in their appeal that this zoning law is a violation of Second Amendment rights. “You simply cannot allow local governments to ignore the Second Amendment because they don't like how the Supreme Court has ruled on the amendment twice in the past ten years,” Second Amendment Foundation founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb told Fox News. “You shouldn't be able to zone the Second Amendment out of the Bill of Rights.” Teixeira and company also said they determined there was not a single lot within the county that met the ordinance’s requirement of 500 feet. “Local neighbors who live eight lanes across an interstate and the anti-rights politicians that cater to them can't redline gun stores and the right to buy arms out of existence,” Calguns Foundation Chairman Gene Hoffman said in a statement also provided to Fox News. “Since this case was filed multiple local city and county governments have used unconstitutional zoning laws to stop new gun stores from opening and close down existing gun stores. If this was a bookstore or an abortion clinic, the Ninth Circuit would not have hesitated in striking this zoning regulation unanimously.” Back in October, an 11-judge panel in the court of appeals upheld the county ordinance with a majority saying in their ruling that the law did not violate the Second Amendment right to bear arms of would-be gun owners because there were other stores in the county where they could buy a gun. “Gun buyers have no right to have a gun store in a particular location, at least as long as their access is not meaningfully constrained," Judge Marsha Berzon said at the time. The majority also rejected the argument that gun sellers' Second Amendment rights were violated, saying there is no constitutional right to sell guns. The ruling overturned a decision made the previous year by a three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit that said the Second Amendment extends to gun stores and requires governments to justify restrictions on them. That panel in a 2-1 decision said Alameda County had to present evidence to justify the restriction on gun store locations.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/01/08/dem-ordered-study-to-expose-illegal-online-gun-sales-backfires.html Published January 08, 2018 FoxNews.com A Democrat-backed study meant to expose illicit online gun sales instead seemed to show the opposite -- with hardly any sellers taking the bait when undercover investigators tried to set up dozens of illegal firearm transactions. Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., as well as Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, had commissioned the Government Accountability Office report to look into how online private dealers might be selling guns to people not allowed to have them. Their efforts were based on a 2016 report from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), which claimed that “anonymity of the internet makes it an ideal means for prohibited individuals to obtain illegal firearms.” “Congressional requesters asked that GAO access the extent to which ATF is enforcing existing laws and investigate whether online private sellers sell firearms to be people who are not allowed or eligible to possess a firearm,” the GAO report said. Over the course of the two-and-a-half year investigation, agents tried to buy firearms illegally on the “Surface Web” and the “Dark Web,” generally by sharing their status as “prohibited individuals” or trying to buy across state lines. But the GAO revealed that their 72 attempts outside of the dark web were all “unsuccessful.” “Private sellers on Surface Web gun forums and in classified ads were unwilling to sell a firearm to our agents that self-identified as being prohibited from possessing a firearm,” the GAO reported, noting that in their “72 attempts ... 56 sellers refused to complete a transaction once we revealed that either the shipping address was across state lines or that we were prohibited by law from owning firearms.” In the other cases, the investigators' website was frozen or they encountered suspected scammers. On the dark web, GAO agents successfully purchased two guns illegally, as the serial numbers on the weapons were “obliterated” and “shipped across state lines.” But in the attempt to purchase, the GAO agents “did not disclose any information indicating they were prohibited from possessing a firearm.” Based on the findings of the study, the GAO said it is “not making recommendations in this report.” Cummings, Warren and Schatz did not immediately respond to Fox News’ request for comment on the GAO’s findings. The National Rifle Association seized on the report to claim that online sales are in fact regulated, calling the study an "embarrassment" for the gun control lobby. “GAO’s findings showed nothing so much as that private sellers advertising online are knowledgeable about the law, conscientious, and self-policing,” The National Rifle Association said, adding that online gun sales are “subject to the same federal laws that apply to any other commercial or private gun sales.” The NRA described the study as an attempt to model the findings of former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s 2015 report, titled “Point, Click, Fire: An investigation of illegal online gun sales,” which found that 62 percent of private sellers were willing to proceed with a sale, even if the prospective purchaser could not pass a background check.

Sold it to pay for this one.

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Withdrawing