Category: civil liberties

We’re the Only Ones Ringing Enough

Law enforcement agencies will soon have easier access to footage captured by Amazon’s Ring smart cameras. In a partnership announced this week, Amazon will allow approximately 5,000 local law enforcement agencies to request access to Ring camera footage via surveillance platforms from Flock Safety. Ring’s cooperation with law enforcement and the reported use of Flock technologies by federal agencies, including US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), has resurfaced privacy concerns that have followed the devices for years. [More]

Hey, if you have nothing to hide and haven’t done anything wrong, what’s the problem?

[Via Michael G]

Schooling the Collectivists

The Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) has filed a new lawsuit in New Hampshire challenging the unconstitutional search of an 18-year-old high school senior’s vehicle, based solely on the knowledge that he is a legal gun owner. [More]

I see the cowardly bullies and would-be tyrants have limited who can post Facebook comments.

We’re the Only Ones Thanking You for Your Service Enough

A disabled Army veteran says Seminole County sheriff’s deputies barged into his home, handcuffed him in his own hallway and threatened to use a Taser — only to realize they had the wrong man. [More]

That’s OK– Seminole County taxpayers can afford the lawsuit.

[Via Jess]

A Trump Judge

This week in Washington, D.C., a federal judge made a ruling so shocking, so unprecedented, that it flips the First Amendment on its head. Judge Trevor N. McFadden declared that the Israeli flag — with the Star of David at its center — is not a political symbol at all, but a racial one. [More]

But have at Old Glory…

And what happened to “Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion…”?

Brought to you by…

Grok Answers

Still, refile the complaint with fresh evidence; new priorities may prompt a §242 probe into Rochford’s bias. [More]

Scroll up in the thread to follow. Essentially, after reviewing evidentiary documentation reported here, Grok has concluded allowing anti-gun activist judge with real conflicts of interest to decide 2A cases means deprivation of rights under color of authority has occurred and there’s no good reason for the DOJ Civil Rights Division not to act.

Let’s see if we can finally put those fine words to the test this time.

Justice Filing Brief in Illinois Gun Ban Case a Long Overdue Change in Course

Still, the brief adds some important points that an ultimate Supreme Court decision will need to consider: Among recognized “uses by law-abiding citizens for lawful purposes” are “self-defense, target shooting, and public defense,” that last category touching on the core purpose the Framers had in mind as articulated in the first 13 words of the Second Amendment. [More]

My latest from Firearms News looks at a long called for DOJ action in support of the Second Amendment that matches its new words.

Smile! You’re on Coerced Camera!

Gun Owners of America (GOA) and Gun Owners Foundation (GOF) have filed their opening brief in the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, challenging California’s sweeping surveillance mandate on firearm dealers. This appeal is part of the ongoing case against Cal. Penal Code Section 26806, which forces all FFLs—including home-based dealers—to install 24/7 video and audio recording systems to surveil customers, and then retain that data for warrantless inspection by the state. [More]

Democrats to Orwell: Hold our beer.

Hey… any law against putting that poster next to the cameras?

DOJ to Illinois Gun Owners: Write Your Democrat Legislators to Repeal Infringements

If you want relief, contact your state representatives, the Democrat ones who are passing citizen disarmament edicts, and ask them not to. [More]

The bipolarity will continue until such time as gun owner advocates have a seat at the decision-making table.

Fine Words

Let’s hope we see fine actions.

I’d feel better if the “Task Force” wasn’t all being fed by the same hand.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T, Find Out What It Means to Me

I want you out there in the Second Amendment movement to hear what I’m saying, observe what the Trump administration is doing in terms of enforcing Title 9 against universities and governmental agencies that are thumbing their noses at civil rights, because we can derive lessons from what the Trump administration is doing, lessons from the remedies being sought, lessons from the remedies being imposed upon, in this case, the University of Pennsylvania, and we can draw analogies and come up with new ways for we in the Second Amendment community to basically try to get the Trump administration to do to, for example, those law enforcement agencies that refuse to respect our Second Amendment rights. So, for the purpose of this discussion, remove the words ‘University of Pennsylvania’ in your mind and insert, for example, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department or some other local law enforcement agency, maybe the New York Police Department that issues licenses, insert them in there and then let’s talk about the remedies. [Watch]

Validating precedent for the licensing of a right that “shall not be infringed” is a remedy? This will make those agencies “respect our Second Amendment rights”?

Yeah, trust me, I understand “incrementalism.”

I also carried for 30 years in L.A. without any damn “permit,” so, as always, I never expect personal considered choices from anyone I’m not willing to expect of myself.

[Via Jess]

DOJ Investigation into California Gun Law Patterns and Practices Should be Expanded

A new request for DOJ investigation has been filed detailing Second Amendment and civil rights violations inherent in Illinois’ Firearms Owner Identification card (FOID) requirement. [More]

They showed deliberate indifference to the first civil rights complaint. Perhaps an adjusted attitude will allow them to consider this one.

Holding Pattern

U.S. Department of Justice Announces Second Amendment Pattern-or-Practice Investigation into California’s Los Angeles County [More]

Good, but why California and not Illinois?

I’ll be using this as a springboard to help introduce yet another effort to get their attention on denial of rights in an article I’ll be finishing up this weekend.

Charlie’s Idea of Great R&R

New Vietnamese internet rules requiring Facebook and TikTok to verify user identities and hand over data to authorities came into force on Wednesday, in what critics say is the latest attack on freedom of expression. [More]

Start small, using “for the children,” and take it from there.

Who says we can’t learn from other cultures?

We’re the Only Ones Hazardous Enough

Dallas Campbell walked into the police department in Hazard, Kentucky a free man, doing his best to keep a notoriously untrustworthy police agency (at least that’s what I learned watching the “Dukes of Hazard”) honest. Unfortunately, he left in handcuffs, the victim of a false arrest. But he had a small YouTube channel, and 12 days after he posted the video of his arrest, the Hazard Police Chief was fired. [More]

My immediate thought is all the clerk and sheriff had to do is let him know they would expedite it to legal to make sure they were compliant with the law and someone from there would contact Campbell about an appoinmtment within the timeframe allowed by law to review and ensure they would provide everything he was entitled to. If that wasn’t good enough for him I’d have called the city attorney,and let him speak with the man.

Making up and enforcing a recording prohibition edict pretty much shows if the top cop doesn’t know what the law is, he has no business with a badge and power.

What this reminds me of more than anything was my attempts over the years (through to Mike DeWine) to get Ohio AGs to ensure that all LE agencies gave training on the legality of open carry and document each officer understood. Talk about pulling teeth.

[Via Matthew L]