Like it or not, firearms and civilian gun ownership have been part of American history from the inception of American culture and have become as American as mom and apple pie. And it should remain so for lawful citizens. Not that my assertion based on historical reality would be accepted by some undaunted public health researchers, as will be briefly recounted. One researcher, an Emory University professor and Bancroft Prize winner, Michael A. Bellesiles, faked data to “prove” in his now...

(from amazon.com) Gun Rights 101: Firing Back Against Gun Control’s Biggest Lies is a nice little book. That is a good thing, not faint praise. There are other books with the same purpose, to arm the reader with the facts about gun ownership and their proper use, notably Dr. John Lott’s Gun Control Myths and Guy Smith’s Guns and Control: A Nonpartisan Guide to Understanding Mass Public Shootings, Gun Accidents, Public Carry, Suicides, Defensive Use and More. But these are longer, denser, and...

(from thefederalistpapers.org) [Ed: This piece by DRGO friend Rob Morse comes by way of SCOPE-NY January 10.] All you hear about is “gun violence”, not the well-earned safety record of gun ownership in America.  A few facts: Shooting for fun-The most common use of a firearm is recreation: training, practice, competition, and hunting. The industry trade group for the shooting sports is the NSSF -National Shooting Sports Foundation- which estimates there will be 12,000,000,0...

(from newsweek.com) Over time, we’ve seen changes in focus by the hoplophobic elements of society. Originally, it was all about banning handguns or at least “Handgun Control Inc.” The “assault weapon”, that is, the AR ban of 1994-2004 followed, with no discernible effect on crime, homicide, etc. Movement mutation continued, with groups dropping wording advocating bans, moving to claims of fighting pure “violence” and promoting gun “safety”. Now they want to address “root causes” of violen...

(from freedomwire.com) [Ed: Richard Rossi first published this in the SCOPE-NY Update November 16. We're reposting it because it is such a good list of good news for our rights.] Some facts that will never see daylight in our National News Media or Social Network sites: United States Court of Appeals – Fourth Circuit district.Ruled that 18-to-20-year old’s have the same Second Amendment rights to purchase handguns as older Americans do. Judge Julie Richardson wrote; “when do Constituti...

(from chicagotribune.com) [Ed: Now some time has elapsed since the Rittenhouse verdict, there are useful lessons to be learned. This was originally published by SCOPE-NY November 29.] The left is very critical of gun ownership, but they don’t seem to know even the simplest, most basic things about guns.  Kyle Rittenhouse’s trial filled the news the past few days, but there are some things that haven’t generally been discussed, possibly because the leftist media doesn’t know - or even sus...

(from concealedpatriot.net) As the January 17, 2022 Lobby Day approaches in Richmond, Virginia, there is pro-gun infighting about the lack of a “rally,” and that the Assembly office building, where the lobbying will occur, is now part of a “gun free” zone.  The great angst about these details is understandable considering what motivates those of us that take peaceful peoples’ unfettered access to firearms so seriously.  Gun rights are an expression of our inalienable right to life, and “g...

(from arkansasgopwing.blogspot.com) [Ed: We have published this piece annually since 2015 for Bill of Rights Day each December 15. The  Bill’s Second Amendment is the reason for our being, in more ways than one.] Today we all should be jubilantly celebrating the 230th anniversary of the ratification of the Bill of Rights, the original 10 amendments to the United States’ federal constitution. Remarkably, it slips by relatively unremarked. Yet our Bill of Rights may actually be the mos...