The Tea Party and their Brand of Violence

Rep. Peter King would surround himself with 72-acre Constitution-free zone
As Los Angeles Gun Rights Examiner John Longenecker has already discussed, Congressman Peter King (R-NY) has come up with a . . . novel approach to protecting, well . . . . himself, from the kind of sick, deranged lunatic who shot Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and so many others in Tucson Saturday.  According to Politico, he wants to forbid Firearms carried by Private Citizens within 1,000 feet of himself and other "important figures" (who would include Congressmen Russ Carnahan and Will...

Pence: Americans Have A Right To Carry Guns & Protest Loudly
Rep. Mike Pence called it a "slippery slope" to connect guns at political rallies with the Tucson shootings over the weekend that included Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot in the head. Pence referenced "the heat of the debate over the war in Iraq, when I saw people gathering on the National Mall and waving placards that spoke strong opposition to the Bush Administration." "All of that is what freedom is all about," he said. On C-SPAN's Washington Journal, Pence was asked by a caller why...

Sharron Angle Rediscovers Her First Amendment Remedies
Priceless. Sharron Angle, who once told her supporters that if they didn’t get what they wanted at the Ballot Box, they should pursue their “Second Amendment remedies,” found it prudent yesterday to emphasize her deep and abiding faith in the First Amendment. Via the New York Times coverage of Sarah Palin’s, uh, courageous [cough] public/media appearance on . . . uh, her Face Book page, [cough], we find this: Ms. Palin was not the only one to respond to criticism Wednesd...

Clyburn: Bring back the Fairness Doctrine
The search continues for a scapegoat for Saturday’s tragic shooting in Tucson. The latest target is free Speech as Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC) is proposing bringing back the Fairness Doctrine to censor Talk Radio: U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, the third-ranking Democrat in Congress, said Sunday the deadly shooting in Arizona should get the country thinking about what’s acceptable to say publicly and when people should keep their mouths shut. Clyburn said he thinks vitriol in public discourse ...

Rep. Brodeur files Doc, dont ask gun bill
TALLAHASSEE — Doctors and other medical providers would be barred from asking patients - or the parents of child patients - if they have guns in their home under a measure that promises a major showdown between powerful lobbying groups. The National Rifle Association’s top Florida Lobbyist and a Florida Medical Association member both say the issue is among the top priorities for the session, with the groups holding diametrically opposed positions on what doctors and thei...

Did Democrats Give Up in Gun Control Debate?
As The Times’ Dalia Sussman noted yesterday, Americans have generally become more protective of Gun Ownership rights in recent years. There are some exception to the rule — for instance, according to the General Social Survey, which has been conducted intermittently since 1972, the percentage of Americans who think that permits should be required before a gun can be obtained has gradually risen (from 72 percent in 1972 to 79 percent in 2008). Background Checks for gun owners are over...

Gun Controls Golden Opportunity
As a result of Saturday’s tragedy in Tucson there have been renewed calls for tighter Gun Control laws across the nation. Arizona is one of the most gun-friendly states in the union, causing some on the left to conclude that if the Grand Canyon State had tighter controls on Gun Ownership, six lives would have been saved and Representative Gabrielle Giffords wouldn’t be lying in a Hospital bed. There’s more here than just the usual sort of Monday morning quarterbacking that occu...

Tragedy Renews Debate on Gun Control Law
The tragedy in Arizona is renewing a heated national debate on Gun Control. Those who want stricter laws are using the shooting to make their case. Saturday's shooting rampage in Tucson that killed six and wounded 13, has Democrats in Washington calling for stricter limits on high-capacity ammunition magazines. Suspected shooter Jared Loughner's pistol carried 33 rounds. "There is no reason for a citizen to have these large capacity clips," Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, D-N.Y., said. "Police, militar...

This conversation is a set-up
Harsanyi: My only contribution to the crumbling discourse, it seems, is believing in the tenets of classical Liberalism. That, in and of itself, is a Sin. This leaves the person with two choices: revise your viewpoint or shut up. Which, of course, is the point. The always-civil Jacob Weisberg of Slate was more forceful in this regard, claiming that, “At the core of the Far Right’s culpability is its ongoing attack on the legitimacy of U.S. government . . . .” Which, as you kn...

Lets Have A Rational Conversation About Guns
In the wake of the Tucson carnage, there has been considerable discussion here and elsewhere about Gun Possession and carry laws. Some have speculated that private Gun Possession would have reduced the death and injury toll in Tucson. Others have speculated that the toll would have increased with the presence of additional guns. What both sides have in common is that they are speculating. As a backdrop for this discussion, let’s begin with a thumbnail look at the current state of gun law and ...

Do We Need Gun Restrictions For The Mentally Ill?
As always happens after a shooting tragedy the nation is about to go through another round of debating Gun Control laws. One facet of that debate is whether or not the mentally ill should be allowed to buy guns. As the Associated Press reports, there were a lot of indicators for Jarred Loughner’s mental problems, but none of those indicators stopped him from being able to buy a gun. Tucson, Ariz. — Jared Loughner had trouble with the law, was rejected by The Army after flunking a dru...

You can pay me now.
You may recall I was betting that the response to the Assassination attempt in Arizonastan would be to arm the citizens to the teeth even more? Slate tells us… So Arizona’s response—the most likely legislative response—is going to be expanded Gun Rights. Heller told me on Monday that the Arizona Citizens Defense League has drafted Legislation that would allow the state to train members of Congress and their staffs in Firearms, and give them access to firearms they could c...

Truth or Consequence How Did You THINK It Was Going to End Up?
In the aftermath of the Assassination attempt on Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) and the cold-blooded murders of six other innocent people, Judson Phillips, the founder of Tea Party Nation issued a statement, “We didn’t intend for this to result in violence.” Huh? How did you think it was going to end up? Phillips went on to say, “No one should be killed for their political beliefs, but . . . there can be no Civil Discourse with people as crazy as those on the left are....

Sharron Angle is Miss Manners
Former Senate Candidate Sharron Angle is firing back at critics — including a U.S. congressman — who have blamed her and her infamous “Second Amendment remedies” quote for fueling the Saturday shooting of U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and others in Tucson, Ariz. In a statement reported today on the website Politico, Angle had harsh words for her critics, including U.S. Rep. James Clyburn , who said on Monday that accused Tucson shooting Jared Loughner “…saw a S...

Sharron Angle Defends Inflammatory Rhetoric In Face Of Criticism
Nevada Republican Sharron Angle came to her own defense on Wednesday in response to criticism of her use of inflammatory language that made headlines and raised eyebrows during her unsuccessful campaign to unseat Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid during the Midterm Election season. Angle and her questionable choice of words -- such as floating "Second Amendment remedies" as a possible solution to use "when our government becomes tyrannical" -- landed back in the spotlight following the tragic...

Words have consequences (Leo W. Gerard)
Five years ago, a 47-year-old Missouri woman began a duplicitous on-line courtship through MySpace with a 13-year-old neighbor who once had been friends with the woman’s daughter. The adult, Lori Drew, flirted with the 13-year-old, Megan Meier, through the guise of a fictitious, 16-year-old character named Josh Evans. Suddenly, “Josh” broke up with Miss Meier, writing to her, “the world would be a better place without you.”  Just hours later, Miss Meier hung herself in h

Sarah Palin blames journalists for inciting hatred after shooting
Right-wing US politician Sarah Palin has posted a nearly eight-minute video on her Facebook page condemning those who blame fierce political campaigning for the Tucson massacre. Mrs Palin has been criticised for an online campaign map that targeted the district of shot congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords with the cross hairs of a gun sight. In the video the 2008 Republican vice Presidential Candidate said vigorous debates are a cherished tradition. But she said after the election, both sides find...

Sharron Angle Responds to the Arizona Tragedy, Says It's 'Irresponsible' To Assign Blame To Her, The Tea Party or Sarah Palin
"Finger-pointing towards political figures is an audience-rating game" Politico.com Former Nevada Republican Senate Candidate Sharron Angle is blasting those blaming her for inciting the Arizona shooting that injured Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and killed six others, saying the accused shooter went off the deep end long before the Tea Party movement started. In her first comments - coming three days after the shooting - Angle said in harshly worded statement that her critics were “dangerous ...

Why there's no more debate on gun control
FORTUNE -- The tragic shooting on Saturday of Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D) and 19 others has renewed a national conversation about whether our Gun Laws need tightening. But the chatter for the most part has so far ignored a curious fact: in Congress, the arena where any new restrictions would be decided, the debate effectively ended years ago. Even over the last two years, when Democrats controlled both the White House and Congress, Gun Rights advocates led by the National Rifle Associati...

Gun Laws Around The World (PHOTOS): How Weapon Ownership Restrictions Vary
Democractic Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords remains in critical condition after Saturday's grisly shootings in Arizona, which left six people dead. Though friends, family and supporters remain hopeful for Giffords' recovery, the attack has reportedly launched yet another debate on national Gun Control among U.S. lawmakers. Whether or not stricter laws could've somehow curbed alleged gunman Jared Lee Loughner's access to Firearms may unfortunately never be known. But just how does Legislation...

Detroit Free Press, Detroit News blame 2nd amendment for Arizona shooting
Deranged lunatics hell-bent on killing people will always be able to procure a weapon no matter the Gun Laws. All gun restrictions do is take weapons away from law-abiding citizens. When seconds count to save your life, the police are only minutes away. The liberal MSM just don't get the simple fact that the Founding Fathers wanted us to have the right to Bear Arms for a very good reason. The Detroit Free Press - the same outfit that predicted unprecedented violence when Michigan adopted far l...

Louisville lawmaker working to ban guns from state Capitol
Louisville, Ky. (WHAS11)- The Arizona shootings have sparked a debate over Gun Control in the country and if guns should be allowed in State Capitols. Currently in Kentucky, guns are permitted, but two lawmakers in Louisville want that to change. State Representative Darryl Owens called last Saturday's shooting, killing six people and injured others including Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, frightening, tragic and unnecessary. It is also why he has contacted House Speaker Greg Stumbo, to ban...

Louisville lawmaker working to ban guns from state Capitol
Louisville, Ky. (WHAS11)- The Arizona shootings have sparked a debate over Gun Control in the country and if guns should be allowed in State Capitols. Currently in Kentucky, guns are permitted, but two lawmakers in Louisville want that to change. State Representative Darryl Owens called last Saturday's shooting, killing six people and injured others including Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, frightening, tragic and unnecessary. It is also why he has contacted House Speaker Greg Stumbo, to ban...

Arizona shooting: The claim that more guns means less crime is just silly
I walked into a drugstore in Phoenix the night after the Tucson shooting and saw toy guns for sale. They were a garish red plastic, with bright orange tips, and bore the notice that it’s strictly illegal to paint the guns in any way to resemble real ones. Yet here, as Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik declared after the shooting, just about anyone can buy and carry a gun almost anywhere at any time. So why bother with toys? Sheriff Dupnik is the one politician (sheriffs are elected) who...

Gun-law arguments heat up after Arizona shooting
TUCSON, Ariz. | Jared Lee Loughner had trouble with the law, was rejected by The Army because of a history of drug use and was considered so mentally unstable that he was banned from his college campus, where officials considered him a threat to other Students and faculty. But the 22-year-old had no trouble buying the Glock semiautomatic pistol that authorities say he used in the Tucson rampage Saturday that left six dead and 14 injured, including Democratic Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. Mr. Loughner...