Buckeye Firearms Association

Buckeye Firearms Association joins groups opposing Sotomayor confirmation

cbaus — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 00:10:00 -0400

Buckeye Firearms Association has announced that it has joined the rapidly growing coalition of groups that are officially on record opposing the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor as a justice to the U.S. Supreme Court.

"It is critical to the future of our country that we have justices who respect and uphold our Constitution," said Jim Irvine, Chairman of Buckeye Firearms Association. "Judge Sotomayor has proven that she does not respect the Second Amendment. Our country cannot afford to find out what other civil rights she aims to repeal."

The U.S. Supreme Court is widely expected to hear arguments on the incorporation of the Second Amendment next session. Judge Sotomayor is on record ruling that the amendment does not apply to the states. "Obviously she has a bias," said Irvine. "She has not agreed to recuse herself from gun cases, which would be the only proper action under the circumstances."

The Supreme Court recently overturned one of Sotomayor's decisions. In a case reported to be a 5-4 split, the judges were unanimous in their admonishment of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals' handling of a case about race discrimination.

According to Irvine, "It seems Judge Sotomayor has a history of discriminating against people who are different from her, and that is the last thing our country needs in a Supreme Court Justice.

"It has become obvious that even with Democrat control of both Houses, President Obama cannot pass extreme gun control measures through Congress. He must start stacking our Supreme Court with rabid anti-gun and anti-freedom justices to accomplish through judicial activism what he knows the people don't want. The Senate has a responsibility to reject a nominee who to has a record of disregarding the Constitution and justice because of her own personal bias."

Buckeye Firearms Association joins former NRA president Sandy Froman, the Second Amendment Foundation, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, and numerous other grassroots groups in opposing Sotomayor as an appointee to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Buckeye Firearms Association is a grassroots political action committee (PAC) dedicated to defending and advancing the right of Ohio citizens to own and use firearms for all legal activities, including self-defense, hunting, competition, and recreation. They work to elect pro-gun candidates and lobby for pro-gun legislation.

Additional Information:
NRA raises concerns over Sotomayor

Op-Ed: Mexican Standoff On Second Amendment

cbaus — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 00:05:00 -0400

By Dan Gifford and Michael J. Krauss

Big lies die slowly. After a claim by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives that 90% of Mexican drug dealers' military weapons (machine guns, hand grenades and missiles) come from American gun stores was exposed as a lie several months ago, it's back — this time with the imprimatur of the Government Accountability Office.

A June 21 CBS "60 Minutes" report by Anderson Cooper was clearly coordinated to coincide with release of the GAO report and a similar one by "activist" Josh Sugarmann.

You are likely to soon hear and read that the GAO report commissioned by Rep. Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., confirms what Mexico's attorney general, Eduardo Medina-Mora, told Cooper: "Two thousand two hundred grenades, missile and rocket launchers!"

Cue Cooper as a video of machine guns, hand grenades and other weaponry fill the screen: "It turns out 90% of them are purchased in the U.S."

That's not all. You will hear from Sugarmann that Mexican drug dealers are buying FN Herstal Five-seven pistols from licensed U.S. gun merchants because those pistols fire bullets that penetrate protective body armor.

What you are unlikely to hear and read is that all such military weapons are illegal in the U.S., that Mexican criminals are supplied through an international black market and that this black market prominently features weapons the U.S. sold to the Mexican military and that are resold to drug cartels by corrupt Mexican officials.

Neither are you likely to hear or read that the vest-penetrating ammunition made for the FN Herstal Five-seven is available only to military and special police units.

The facts don't matter. Reinstatement of the federal "assault weapon" ban that lapsed in 2004 matters, and is nothing short of a fetish among powerful supporters who will tell almost any untruth to achieve it.

...The news media have knowingly or incompetently lied to Americans in service of a political cause. For this they should be deeply ashamed.

Click here to read the entire op-ed from Investors Business Daily.

Two-thirds of State Attorneys General File Amicus Brief Supporting Second Amendment Incorporation

cbaus — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 00:10:00 -0400

The National Rifle Association is reporting that two-thirds of the nation's attorneys general have filed an amicus brief asking the U.S. Supreme Court to grant certiorari in the case of NRA v. Chicago and hold that the Second Amendment applies to state and local governments through the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

This bi-partisan group of 33 attorneys general (which, as Buckeye Firearms Association reported last week, includes Ohio AG Richard Cordray), along with the Attorney General of California in a separate filing, agrees with the NRA's position that the Second Amendment protects a fundamental individual right to keep and bear arms in the home for self-defense, disagreeing with the decision recently issued by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.

"The historical record clearly shows that the Second Amendment was intended to apply to every American in every state in the country," said Chris W. Cox, NRA chief lobbyist. "As the Supreme Court said clearly in last year's landmark Heller decision, the Second Amendment protects an individual right that 'belongs to all Americans.' Two-thirds of America's state Attorneys General agree."

The Seventh Circuit claimed precedent bound it from holding in favor of incorporation of the Second Amendment. However, it should have followed the lead of the recent Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decision in Nordyke v. King, which found that those cases don't prevent the Second Amendment from applying to the states through the Fourteenth Amendment’s Due Process Clause. The Seventh Circuit opinion upholds current bans on the possession of handguns in Chicago and Oak Park, Illinois.

California attorney general Edmund G. Brown Jr. is filing a separate brief arguing that the Supreme Court should take up NRA’s appeal and hold that the Second Amendment is incorporated against the States.

"It is fundamentally wrong to violate the civil rights of any law-abiding person based on their zip code," Cox concluded. "The fundamental right of self-defense must be respected by every jurisdiction throughout our country."

BOOK REVIEW: The County Sheriff - America’s Last Hope

cbaus — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 00:05:00 -0400

By Jim Irvine

For all those who are frustrated with our political system and endless corruption and abuse from a government who are supposed to protect the citizens, Sheriff Richard Mack has written a short book (only 50 pages) that focuses not on the long list of problems, but on the solution.

The County Sheriff: America's Last Hope is a book aimed at concerned citizens and fellow law enforcement officers, especially our sheriffs. Mack explains our political system and how it can be used to correct the problems facing our country, even if we can't get the politicians in Washington to pay attention to the desires of their constituents back in district.

The County Sheriff is the highest law enforcement officer in the County. Federal agencies only have power in your county to the extent the sheriff grants them. And the sheriff is elected by the people. Mack argues that the sheriff not only has the ability to protect you from an out of control government, but a sworn duty to protect you. Most citizens, and even most sheriffs don't understand the power and responsibility a sheriff has to protect citizens from enemies – no matter if that enemy is a drug dealer or a government agent.

Mack explains his own transformation from a "jerk" cop into what a sheriff should be. If he can make the transition, so can your sheriff. This book is the road map to get there.

Sheriff Mack has made a goal of putting his book in the hands of every sheriff in the country. Buckeye Firearms Foundation has committed to mail one to every sheriff in Ohio. We think you will enjoy this book too, and have bundled it with another excellent offering from Mack, entitled From my Cold Dead Fingers.

Both books only $25 plus $3 shipping and handing.

MAIL ORDER:
Send a personal check for $28 payable to Buckeye Firearms Foundation. Mail to:
Cold Dead Fingers & Last Hope, 15 West Winter Street, Delaware, Ohio 43015.

Faux pro-gun group endorses Sotomayor for U.S. Supreme Court

cbaus — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 00:10:00 -0400

The most recent issue of the National Shooting Sports Foundation newsletter, Bullet Points, observes that the faux gun group known as American Hunters and Shooters Association (AHSA), has endorsed the nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor for Supreme Court Justice.

As former NRA President Sandy Froman recently pointed out, Sotomayor has a narrow view of the Second Amendment that contradicts the Court's landmark decision in District of Columbia v. Heller. Froman says "Sotomayor's view on the Second Amendment clearly reflects an extreme anti-gun philosophy."

While AHSA sees nothing wrong with the SCOTUS nominee, Sens. Orrin Hatch (R-UT), and John Cornyn (R-TX), two stalwart defenders of firearms rights, disagree.

So too does Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL), the Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, who recently pointed out that Sotomayor has twice stated that the Second Amendment is not a fundamental right.

AHSA seems to have been somewhat successful at duping a segement of gun owners into believing that former Joyce Foundation board member Barack Obama would not be a threat to the Second Amendment. Many of those same gun owners, having finally taken beyond AHSA's rhetoric after the election, are now buying guns and ammunition at a dizzying pace. Will those same gun owners now finally stand with those of us who attempted to sound the warning about Obama before the election, and ask their Senators to vote against the confirmation of Sotomayor?

Time will tell, and time is short. Confirmation hearings are scheduled to begin Monday.

Related Stories:
endorsed

A Wolf In Sheep's Clothingd

Bogus Pro Gun Group - American Hunters and Shooters Association

Middletown shotgunner wins third state trapshooting title

cbaus — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 00:05:00 -0400

The Dayton Daily News reported recently that Middletown's Pat Neff beat out 1,208 other competitors to win a singles title last week during the Ohio State Trapshooting Association state championships in Marengo.

From the story:

"It's been a while since I've done that well up there," said Neff, who also won the state singles title in 1997 and 1999. "It's probably been a few years since I broke 200 straight (targets). I haven't been doing that well for the last several years, but everything just sort of came together on that day."

Neff, a member of the Ohio State Trapshooting Association Hall of Fame, said each competitor was shooting from the 16-yard distance. Neff hit all 200 targets, but so did 25 other competitors from Ohio and other states. Neff then faced off with the 10 Ohioans remaining and hit 175 more targets to edge Pataskala’s Charles Wilson for the state title.

"It's a very prestigious event and it means a lot to me to be able to win at singles for a third time," Neff said. "There's not a lot of money in trapshooting, but I don't shoot to make a living. I shoot for the sport of it. It’s a passion that I truly enjoy."

The story goes on to list Ohio winners in other divisions, as follows:

Neff also was the Class A winner in the Joseph Charnigo doubles event and in the Doubles Championship.

Fellow Middletown sharpshooter Rife Denlinger won the Veteran class in the Jack Fishburn Doubles Marathon state event. He won the Veteran class title in doubles as well.

Franklin's Curtis Atkins was the Class C winner in the Charnigo Doubles event and Middletown's Pat Byrd won the class B Singles Class Championship and finished as the Class B High Overall champion.

Middletown's Danny Jones placed eighth among Ohio shooters in the Handicap Championship.

Mason's Velmer Falconbury earned Class C All-Around state honors. Fellow Mason shooter Clyde Findley finished fifth in the state in an event named after himself — the President Clyde Findley Handicap.

Findley is the current president of the Ohio State Trapshooting Association.

Springboro's Katie Pappayliou was the state's top finisher in the Lady category in the Dan Petroff Singles, the Doubles Class Championship and in the Doubles Championship.

Watch lists, guns and government

cbaus — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 00:10:00 -0400

By Bob Barr
as published in The Atlanta Journal Constitution

The secret government "Terrorist Watch List," reportedly already swelled to more than 1.1 million names, will have an addendum, if gun control advocates in Congress have their way. This new addendum — also to be cloaked in secrecy — would empower the U.S. Attorney General to deny a person the ability to exercise their Second Amendment rights to purchase a firearm.

While it is not surprising that some members of Congress are again using fear of terrorism to implement a gun-control agenda, the openly unconstitutional legislative language proponents are employing is troubling.

Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) is leading the effort in the Senate, while another well-known gun control advocate — Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) — is directing the House initiative. They have introduced identical bills — the "Denying Firearms and Explosives to Dangerous Terrorists Act of 2009." This proposal would give the attorney general the power to unilaterally and in secret develop a watch list of persons believed to be unworthy of possessing a firearm or any explosive.

This new "dangerous terrorist" watch list would include names based not on hard evidence of criminal activity, but on nothing more than the subjective conclusion by the attorney general that a person is "appropriately suspected" (whatever that means) of engaging in some manner of assisting or preparing for acts of domestic or international terrorism. The American people would never be privy to what criteria might be employed by the attorney general to determine whether someone is an "appropriate suspect," and they would have no way of knowing why they might be denied the ability to purchase a firearm.

If a person were to be refused "permission" to purchase a firearm or explosive, and if they subsequently filed a lawsuit in federal court to find out why, the government still could keep such information secret. In other words, the attorney general could deny a U.S. citizen the ability to own a firearm, and never have to give the reason.

For legislators like Lautenberg and King, who apparently have absolute faith in unelected government officials to make the right decisions for the right reasons at the right times (and never be required to explain those decisions), one has only to consider the checkered history of post-9/11 "terrorist" watch lists to see the folly of such perspective. Stories abound of persons denied the ability to board a commercial aircraft, or greatly delayed in being allowed on board, for no reason other than their name erroneously appeared on some "watch list." Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.), and Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), have been among this not-so-elite group.

A report earlier this year by the FBI's inspector general chronicled extensive internal problems with the terrorist watch list maintained by that agency. The IG found numerous examples of inaccuracies, incomplete entries, out-of-date information and inclusion of information "unrelated to terrorism." While the inconvenience of not being able to board an airliner for a business trip or a vacation can be a real headache, being refused the ability to purchase a firearm to protect one's life clearly raises the stakes.

The government already has remedies already at its disposal to keep firearms out of the hands of known or suspected terrorists. Under existing federal law, there are numerous categories of persons prohibited from purchasing or possessing firearms; including persons in violation of immigration laws, convicted felons, illicit drug users and others. And if a person truly is a known or suspected terrorist, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives — as the federal law enforcement agency primarily responsible for enforcing the nation's gun laws — certainly should be made aware of that information. We don't need a secret, anti-Second Amendment watch list to implement effective law enforcement in America.

###

Bob Barr, an Atlanta attorney, is a former member of Congress and Libertarian presidential candidate.

CCRKBA: Poll confirms Americans fear Obama gun control agenda

cbaus — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 00:05:00 -0400

BELLEVUE, WA – A new Rasmussen poll reveals that 57 percent of American citizens believe gun sales are up over the past several months because of widespread fears that the government will tighten restrictions on gun ownership.

"The poll results confirm what we've been saying," noted Alan Gottlieb, chairman of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms. "American citizens are fearful that the Obama administration and a Democrat-controlled Congress will pass new laws to further erode the individual right to own firearms. This concern was further enhanced by [last week's] ruling in Minnesota that far left anti-gunner Al Franken should be seated as a U.S. Senator representing that state, giving Democrats a 60-member majority."

The Rasmussen telephone survey found that only 23 percent of the respondents believe gun sales have risen due to concerns about rising crime. Twenty-one percent are not sure. The poll also revealed that 63 percent of male Americans and 51 percent of women believe gun sales are linked to concerns about new gun control schemes. Another finding is that 65 percent of Republicans and 66 percent of those not affiliated with either major political party think booming gun sales are connected to fears about increased government restrictions.

"Americans realize that despite all of the campaign rhetoric, Barack Obama and Congressional Democrats led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi are waiting for the right moment to spring new gun control measures," Gottlieb stated. "There is little doubt they would like to renew the ban on semiautomatic sport-utility rifles, place limits on the number of firearms someone may purchase, and maybe institute some kind of licensing and registration scheme, as Pelosi hinted during an appearance on ABC's Good Morning America. Wherever these measures have been tried on the local level, they have invariably failed to prevent or reduce violent crime. The Clinton gun ban failed. One-gun-a-month schemes have failed.

"How many times do you have to fail at something before you reach the inescapable conclusion that your plan isn't going to work," he questioned. "The Rasmussen poll affirms that Americans are waking up to the Obama-Pelosi agenda, and they are stocking up for what they think is an inevitable attack on gun rights."

Church-based gun banner chides pastor to stop teaching on the subject of self-defense and the Bible

cbaus — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 00:10:00 -0400

By Chad D. Baus

Over the past several years, I've been monitoring the statements the non-profit Ohio Coalition Against Gun Violence is required to file with the Internal Revenue Service.

In 2005, I exposed the fact that OCAGV kept office space in the basement of the Collingwood Presbyterian Church in Toledo (space for which the organization was being charged bargain price of $270 per month). I exposed the incestuous ties of OCAGV and Toledo Metropolitan Ministries, (Toledo Ecumenical Area Ministries). TMM-TEAM described itself as "a social justice ministry of seven denominations working ecumenically to identify needs for systemic changes, to plan and develop strategies and initiate projects to advocate justice and empower people." The organization worked out of the exact same basement as OCAGV, and Toby Hoover and other OCAGV board members have at the same time been on the Board of TMM-TEAM.

What's more, OCAGV's website states that it began in 1995 as a committee of the Interracial Religious Coalition of Toledo, Ohio. And in 2008, the OCAGV had at least three members of the clergy on its board of directors.

The evidence proves that OGACV Executive Director Toby Hoover has no qualms about mixing religion and political advocacy, at least when it comes to arguing against the right to bear arms for self-defense.

But when a Toledo pastor announces that his church will hold a forum to address such topics as "whether the Old Testament and New Testament teach people that they have the right to keep and bear arms, what Jesus says about bearing arms, and whether American citizens would be safer being disarmed," Hoover now not only objects to the mixing of religion and politics, but purports to tell this pastor what he may and may not say inside the four walls of his church!

From the Toledo's CBS affiliate, WTOL 11:

A rally will be held Monday, June 29 in west Toledo in support of the right to bear arms.

Sponsors say they are worried about the Obama administration's view on gun control, even though there's been no new restrictions.

The rally will point to numerous biblical references claiming Jesus Christ would support second amendment rights.

"We're just informing our folks you got to be able to protect yourself and what does the Bible have to say about it. We know our constitution. But this is the final authority here above our Constitution is the word of God," said Reverend Andrew Edwards with the Northwest Baptist Church.

The rally begins tonight at 7:00 at the Northwest Baptist Church at 3906 W. Alexis Road. Anyone is welcome to attend.

The event comes on the heels of similar discussions or events at churches in Kentucky, California and elsewhere.

Just two days after the event, Toby Hoover, who often appears to be a one-woman show at the OCAGV, issued a press release accusing the pastor of "falsely claiming that the Bible and Jesus Christ support Christians arming themselves with deadly firearms."

The press release continues:

"It is an embarrassment to people of faith that pray for peace and non-violence to have these people use a house of worship to encourage the ownership and defend the use of weapons."

"Firearms are not sacred relics of worship. They are tools of violence - lethal products designed to kill and injure human beings, to destroy lives, and cause terror in our communities."

"Guns allow a person to decide who lives and who dies.

If there had been a "Jerusalem Coalition Against Sword Violence", I suspect the press release issued in response to Jesus' instruction would have read alot like this OCAGV press release. In fact, one could likely have to do little more than substitute the word "sword" - the sidearm of Jesus' day, which he clearly advocated carrying - with "firearm" or "gun", the sidearm of today.

Let us step back in time for a moment, some 2000 years ago. As He was instructing His disciples on how to prepare for the aftermath of His crucifixion, the physician known as Luke quotes Jesus as saying "...Take your money and a traveler's bag. And if you don't have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one! For the time has come for this prophecy about me to be fulfilled: 'He was counted among the rebels.' Yes, everything written about me by the prophets will come true."

The disciples respond, saying "Look, Lord, we have two swords among us." Jesus' reply? "That's enough."

This instruction by Jesus was discussed at length in a handout distributed at the rally:

Christ told them to buy a sword. Christ endorsed carrying a sword. Christ never had to bear a sword Himself because He could call legions of angels. Christ proceeded with His Disciples to the Garden where he would be betrayed by Judas Iscariot.

And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him. And, behold, one of them which were with Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the high priest's, and smote off his ear. Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. Matt 26:50-52

Reading Matthew 26 in context one would understand the reason Christ told Peter to put his sword in his place was Peter was getting in the way of the Cross. According to John 12 & Matthew 16 Christ already informed His Disciples that He was going to suffer and die. He came to lay down His life for ours. Without His Blood shed on the Cross there would be no Salvation for man. Peter meant well, but he was standing in the way of the Cross.

Note: Christ did not tell Peter to surrender his sword, nor to register his sword, but to put his sword into his place… on Peter’s side.

One day Christ is returning with a Sword to destroy during the battle of Armageddon, Revelation 19.

Hoover's tirade continues:

"It is absolutely immoral to suggest that the Bible supports violence. We need to reduce gun violence, not use fear to divide and distract us to the suffering caused by our gun culture."

"Immoral to suggest that the Bible supports violence?" One wonders if Hoover has spent any time reading the Old Testament, particularly when God helped his chosen people invade the land God had promised them. (Hint: There was a LOT of violence)

But the real tragedy is that Hoover believes the mere possession of a firearm is an endorsement of immoral violence. In the context of law-abiding citizens carrying concealed firearms, it is, rather, an attempt to maintain the peace, and to prevent violence from being acted out against one's self or loved ones.

"The gun lobby and gun industry like to disguise their radical and extremist agenda by hiding behind the flag, and now the Bible. People's lives and safety should matter more than a radical and violent ideology purported by the gun lobby."

The desire to protect ones' homeland from attack and ones' family from harm is neither radical nor extreme. Protecting the lives of innocent people, and keeping them safe, is exactly the ideology we ascribe to.

"The Northwest Baptist Church's gun rally is an insult to all faiths, religions, and the human community to which we all belong. We call on all members of the faith community to speak out about this dangerous agenda. It is absolutely vital that we not allow the gun lobby to hijack our sacred spaces of worship as they have done to our public places. Our families and children are less safe because of the proliferation of deadly and loaded guns being carried in public, both openly and concealed."

"We need to honor our values by reducing the access to these tools of violence and not promote weapons and fear if we are ever to reclaim a peaceful and just society."

Hoover's claim that "all faiths" have been insulted by the instruction provided at this rally is simply ignorant. Not all faiths promote pacifism or the belief that reclaiming a peaceful utopia is possible this side of heaven, and Hoover's attempt to assert that every person of faith believes as she does is ridiculous.

Indeed, given the growing numbers of churches that are becoming vocal about their security plans, which often include legally armed congregants, I'm not sure how well Hoover's call to "all members of the faith community" is going to be received. And, as usual, Hoover offers no proof (because there is none) of her claim that "our families and children are less safe because of the proliferation of deadly and loaded guns being carried in public."

Finally, as for her comment on "the proliferation of deadly and loaded guns being carried in public, both openly and concealed," Hoover seems to have forgotten how she and other gun banners used to advocate for open carry as an alternative to passing a concealed carry law.

Pastor Edwards and his church received a considerable amount of local press for the event, including an article in the religious section of the Toledo Blade, prime time news coverage from Toledo's CBS and FOX affiliates, talk radio interviews and news coverage on WSPD (1370 AM) Toledo and NRANews.com.

As one might expect, not all of the coverage was accurate, or objective. In a phone conversation last week, Edwards told me one Toledo news station promoted the event as a "bring your guns to church" event, despite his press release saying nothing of the kind.

Instead, the press release posed a few simple questions which were to be discussed at the event:

Does the Christian Have the Right to Keep and Bear Arms?
Does the Old Testament & New Testament teach the people of God that they have a right to keep and bear arms?
What does Jesus say about bearing arms?
Is there a conflict between being a Patriot and being a Christian?
Would American Citizens be safer being disarmed?

The rally featured Pastor and Evangelist Dr. Bryan Sharp, described as a bible scholar with 35 years experience as a preacher and professor at several Christian colleges, as well as a patriot and lifetime member of NRA.

A handout provided at the rally included citations of the First and Second Amendments from the Bill of Rights, quotes from our Founding Fathers on the importance of the individual right to keep and bear arms, and quotes and evidences from current President Barack Obama that prove his desire to restrict that right.

The handout also provided a wealth of evidences of the support for bearing arms self-defense in the Scriptures, including:

Abram arming his trained servants in Genesis 14.
Moses' instruction in Numbers 32 that the tribes of Reuben and Gad would be sinnind if they did not keep their word by taking up arms in the invasion of the land God had promised His people.
Armed men marching in the presence of the Lord in Joshua 6.
2 Samuel 22:35, Psalms 18:34 and Psalms 144:1-2 on how the Lord blesses his people with the strength and skill to fight.
Proof in Exodus 22 that God does not consider killing a home invader to be murder.
Jesus' instruction as recorded by Luke for his followers to purchase sidearms and make other preparations for his departure.

Pastor Edwards told me he had a good crowd for the rally, but true to his calling as a minister of God's word, he was most proud of the fact "seven men received Christ as their Saviour."

Chad D. Baus is the Buckeye Firearms Association Vice Chairman, and a Christian in continual need of God's amazing grace.

The Uninvited Ombudsman Report, No. 67 - Federal Pocketknife Ban?

cbaus — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 00:05:00 -0400

Taken from the most recent "Page Nine", Alan Korwin's "The Uninvited Ombudsman Report"

----------

10- Government Banning Pocketknives

The lamestream media told you:

Nothing.

Web sources however told you the federal government is set to confiscate or criminalize possession of most pocket knives in the country, mainly focused on "assisted opening" knives. Great confusion exists between these one-hand-opening knives, reportedly 80% of the current knife market, regular pocket knives, true switchblades and the effects of both state and federal law on the subject. Page Nine readers who have removed their blinders will of course immediately recognize that the Customs and Border Protection agency cannot write or rewrite federal law, even if they'd like to. Attorney David Wong, author of Knife Laws of the 50 States clarifies the mess below.

The Uninvited Ombudsman notes however that:

Hi Alan. I believe the knives in question are assisted-openers, not automatics. The Customs and Border Protection (CBP) ruling in question apparently stems from a reversal of a prior CBP "admissibility determination" via a so-called Headquarters Ruling Letter, for a specific type of assisted-opening knives.
The federal switchblade act is found at 15 U.S.C. §1241 et. seq.; here is the index:

1241. Definitions.
1242. Introduction, manufacture for introduction, transportation or distribution in interstate commerce; penalty.
1243. Manufacture, sale, or possession within specific jurisdictions; penalty.
1244. Exceptions.
1245. Ballistic knives.
(a) Prohibition and penalties for possession, manufacture, sale, or importation.
(b) Prohibition and penalties for possession or use during commission of Federal crime of violence.
(c) Exceptions.
(d) "Ballistic knife" defined.

This takes you to the statute itself, pretty easy to read:
http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/casecode/uscodes/15/chapters/29/toc.html

Unfortunately, some of the stories I've seen about this issue contain a lot of hype and speculation. For example, "this CBP ruling will affect 'almost every pocketknife' in America" (or words to that effect). Well, no. First, CBP cannot change federal law, and federal courts are quite jealous of their power to interpret federal law.

Second, many states allow possession of automatic knives (true switchblades). Thus, even if a specific knife is ruled to be a switchblade, such knife would be legal in those states. Those states that prohibit switchblades typically define via state statute (whose definitions are often, but not always, patterned after the federal wording) what a "switchblade" is. State courts thus would look (and have looked) to their own statutory definitions and case law to determine legality of a particular knife. Many of those states thus have case law on what constitutes a statutory switchblade in those states. The CBP ruling won't (and cannot) change that.

For those remaining states that prohibit switchblades but have not expressly defined the term either directly via statute or indirectly via case law, state courts would typically look (and have looked) at the federal definition, as well as other states' statutory or case law, to determine whether a particular knife is a switchblade, or not. Generally, a state court isn't going to look at an administrative ruling from a federal agency to determine what constitutes a switchblade under that state's law.

For knife-friendly states, I wouldn't expect an outlandish ruling, although that of course is always a possibility. The knife-unfriendly states have all already prohibited switchblades and defined via statute or case law what constitutes same.

Finally, federal courts may look at the agency's ruling in a particular case, but because the ruling is interpreting a federal statute and not an administrative rule, properly enacted under the Administrative Procedures Act of that agency, such interpretation isn't entitled to, and is unlikely to be afforded, much deference by the court.

I am unaware if the importer whose admissibility determination was denied is seeking further review or appeal of the CBP ruling. That generally comes down to a business (i.e., money) decision. The CBP ruling, if it stands, will indeed have a chilling effect on imports of assisted openers, and as such knife owners should be concerned.

However, some of the hyperbole needs to be toned down to a more level-headed understanding of the impact of the CBP ruling. Could CBP try to extend their ruling to encompass non-assisted opening, i.e., "ordinary" pocket folding knives? Sure, although any such attempt is unlikely to progress very far, even with the anti-tool, anti-self-defense crowd now in charge in Washington.
The idea that the federal switchblade act bans all folding pocket knives is ludicrous on its face, and without legal or historical support. And, I suspect, without much political support either. Hope you are well, and have a great day!

Stay sharp, stay safe, David.

P.S. Knife Laws of the 50 States is a tremendous resource, look at it here:
http://www.gunlaws.com/books10knives.htm

P.P.S. For what it's worth, the proposal is 63 pages long and reads like this: Pursuant to 19 U.S.C. § 1625(c)(1), CBP intends to revoke HQ 116315, HQ W116730, HQ H016666, and HQ H032255, and any other ruling not specifically identified that is contrary to the determination set forth in this notice to reflect the proper admissibility determination pursuant to the analysis set forth in proposed Headquarters Ruling Letters (HQs) H043122 (Attachment E)...

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Contents:
(searchable by item number)
1- Environmental Hoax Proof
2- Schools Can Work
3- GM Ownership Lie
4- Join "The Race"
5- Muslim Jihad Deniers
6- Abu Hussein Praised
7- Muslims Overrun Sweden
8- Tzars Gaining Ground
9- Stop The Tzars
10- Government Banning Pocketknives

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Thanks for reading!
Alan Korwin
The Uninvited Ombudsman