Good Guys with Guns

2011-04-07T09:20:00.001-07:00

Stopping the slide of a automatic in close quarters.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSTL04OsQqM

knife versus rifle or shotgun

2011-03-18T08:54:00.001-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eeuimvg0BdQ

google blogs suck

2011-03-17T14:17:00.001-07:00

I have made a total of $5 off all this content with ads. Sucks.

03-07-11

2011-03-07T16:00:00.001-08:00

by permission from Stephen P. Wenger

comments in () by the same

http://www.spw-duf.info

Website Update: I have added an article on the concept of expansion ratio to the Naked Emperor page. On a related note, I appreciate all the favorable comments I have received on yesterday's "diatribe." Perhaps the main reason that I do this so seldom in the mailings is that, when I have something of that length to share, I normally post it on the website. A while back I realized that most list members do not revisit the site on their own initiative, hence my announcements of these updates. For those of you of a broader political bent, I frequently add quotes, typically from the Founders, to my Favorite Quotations page but do not announce those additions. There's a very nice assortment of legitimate Jefferson quotations there.

http://www.spw-duf.info/emperor.html
http://www.spw-duf.info/quotes.html
--

Not That New…: A list member just sent me an e-mail depicting cell-phone guns – disguised .22-caliber pistols. These started turning up in Europe a few years ago. I mention it because, from time to time, cops get in trouble when they shoot someone who proves to be holding a cell phone instead of a gun. Worse, there have been incidents in which gangbangers have actually assumed aggressive shooting stances, aiming cell phones at cops. It may prove very useful to be able to document that you were previously aware that firearms may be disguised as cell phones. If you cannot do so otherwise, feel free to ask me to forward this e-mail to you.
--

Mexico "Requests" Gunwalker Data: The government of Mexico asked the United States for details of the ATF under Project Gunrunner, Operation name "Fast and Furious" implemented by the U.S. Department of Justice that allegedly allowed thousands of weapons into the Mexico. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) reported that Mexican authorities have proceeded with a request of detailed information on this matter to the American authorities, after the media of both countries made known such operation had been conducted by the (ATF). "The government of Mexico is very interested in the investigations announced by both the ATF and the Department of Justice," Mexico's Foreign Ministry said in a statement. He stressed that the aim of the governments of Mexico and the United States is to stop arms smuggling on the basis of the principle of shared responsibility. In that regard, he noted that both governments work to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the field…

http://www.mexico.vg/crime/mexico-atf-fast-and-furious/3096

Meanwhile…: Gun rights activists have been trying for weeks to get Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) to use his position as Chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, one The Washington Post credits with "almost limitless subpoena power," to initiate hearings on the "Project Gunwaker" scandal. Their efforts were given fresh impetus by Rep. RaúlLabrador (R-ID), who pledged to encourage Issa to conduct such hearings. So far, Issa has been silent on the issue, which is curious when you consider his good record on gun issues, and also a pledge he made when he first decided to run for public office in the 1998 United States Senate campaign… There is one thing that could make it practically impossible for Issa to ignore, but in order to make it happen, we need an 800-Lb. gorilla. We've seen the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms call for Senate Investigations, call to cut off ATF funding, and call for DoJ investigations. We've seen Gun Owners of America call for expanding investigations into the House of Representatives, and provide just the tool to use. Both groups have urged their members to take grassroots action to contact their representatives and ask for direct action…

http://www.examiner.com/gun-rights-in-national/issa-silence-on-project-gunwalker-enabled-by-nra-inaction
--

Speaking of NRA's Inaction…: Linda Walker, Buckeye Firearms Association's Central Ohio Chair, is campaigning for election to the National Rifle Association's Board of Directors. Ballots have been distributed to the NRA's four million members throughout the United States, and are due back to the organization by April 10, 2011. As a member of the NRA's Board of Directors, Walker has promised NRA members that she would fight the encroachment of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms on the lawful use of firearms, "stop foolish registration schemes, encourage youth and women to participate in hunting and shooting sports, and do everything in my power to prevent the erosion our God-given rights." … (Linda Walker is the single candidate endorsed this year by the Firearms Coalition, the legacy of Neal Knox.)

http://pressmediawire.com/23978/bfa-linda-walker-runs-for-nra-board.html
--

Good Prospects for North Carolina RKBA Bills: Several bills to relax North Carolina gun laws are under consideration at the N.C. General Assembly, and with the new Republican majority in charge, gun enthusiasts see a good chance of passing them. Legislation strengthening self-defense rights has already passed the state Senate. Bills expanding the places people can carry concealed weapons are in committee in the House. One bill removes the ban on licensed concealed weapons in local parks and restaurants that serve alcohol. The other would make it illegal for business owners to ban guns from their parking lots, provided the guns are legally owned and locked out of sight in a vehicle. It's not clear how far these bills will get, but they're getting public hearings this year, a good sign for any legislation. "I'm pretty optimistic," said Paul Valone, president of Grass Roots North Carolina, which lobbies the legislature to loosen gun restrictions…

http://www2.journalnow.com/news/2011/mar/06/wsmain01-prospects-bright-for-bills-easing-gun-law-ar-837606/
--

Illinois Gunners to Rally: … Anger over Attorney General Lisa Madigan's recent decision to make public the names and other personal information belonging to law-abiding gun owners is expected to swell the ranks of protesters at a gun rights rally scheduled for Thursday, March 10th at the Illinois Capitol. The initial intent of the 2011 edition of Illinois Gun Owners' Lobby Day was to encourage the General Assembly to pass legislation allowing qualified citizens to carry defensive firearms. Illinois is one of only two states that prohibit citizens from protecting themselves and their families by carrying defensive firearms. The other state, Wisconsin, is expected to pass concealed carry legislation later this year. Last week, Attorney General Madigan announced that she plans to release sensitive personal information belonging to the state's 1.5 million firearm owners to newspapers, gun control groups, and just about anyone else who asks her for the information. Madigan's decision to depart from the 40-year tradition of keeping this information secure has caused a shift in the focus of the 2011 IGOLD event. This year, IGOLD has a dual purpose. First, to send the message to Attorney General Madigan that gun owners do not want their privacy invaded. Second, IGOLD will drive home the point that law-abiding citizens want the right to defend themselves and their families with the most effective means available – the defensive firearm…

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/massive-rally-at-illinois-capitol-will-protest-release-of-gun-owner-names-and-personal-information-117510513.html

… Huston, along with other working and retired law enforcement officers, is among the rare class of Illinoisans who can legally carry concealed handguns. Regular, responsible, law-abiding citizens ought to have the same right in Illinois, he says. Some 60,000 Tri-County residents with active Firearm Owners Identification Cards, not to mention new applicants, could get that chance if Illinois passes a concealed carry law this year. The operative words are "if," "might," and Governor Pat Quinn's position. But supporters say they're seeing more momentum to pass a concealed carry law this legislative session than they've seen in more than a decade. With a House committee set to hear testimony Tuesday and the annual Illinois Gun Owners Lobby Day on Thursday, gun-rights groups are loading up on political ammo. "Honestly, I think its time has come," says state Rep. Jehan Gordon, D-Peoria. State Sen. Dave Koehler, D-Peoria, chief co-sponsor of one of six concealed carry bills introduced in the General Assembly this session, predicts some version of concealed carry will pass in the Senate - if it's called for a vote…

http://www.pjstar.com/news/x945639965/Adams-Gun-rights-groups-to-test-political-strength
--

And in Maryland…: When the House Judiciary Committee meets this week, just days after it finished wrestling with a contentious same-sex marriage proposal, lawmakers will be greeted by another lighting rod issue: Guns. Tuesday is the House committee's annual "gun day," when hundreds of Second Amendment and gun control advocates clash over bills intended to shape how Marylanders purchase, carry and use firearms. This year, a dozen gun bills are on the schedule, including a pair backed by Gov. Martin O'Malley (D). But if recent history is any indicator, the vast majority of firearm proposals debated in the House committee Tuesday are poised to fail. It's the product of what advocates and lawmakers on both sides of the issue have described as the General Assembly's long-running stalemate when it comes to guns… Up to 200 members of the pro-gun community are expected to swarm the committee hearing, said Paul Dembowski, president of the gun-rights group Maryland Shall Issue. Showing up en mass to testify against gun restrictions is the best strategy to ward off new laws, Dembowski said. The group also floods the inboxes of committee members with emails in the days leading up to the hearing…

http://rockville.patch.com/articles/house-gun-day-highlights-stalemate-in-assembly
--

Vote Today on Pennsylvania Castle Doctrine: State Rep. Scott Perry, R-Carroll Township, said the state House of Representatives is scheduled to vote Monday on the Castle Doctrine bill that he sponsored. Under current law, the use of deadly force in self-defense is not justifiable when safe retreat is possible, unless a person is attacked in his or her home or workplace. Perry's legislation would remove the requirement to retreat before using deadly force outside the home or workplace, as well. The term Castle Doctrine refers to the adage that a man's home is his castle. "Right now, the scales are tipped slightly in favor of the criminals," Perry said. Perry anticipates that committee members will approve the bill, because they approved it last legislative session. The same goes for the rest of the House and the Senate, both of which also approved the measure last session. The only reason it didn't pass into law was because former Gov. Ed Rendell vetoed it. But new Gov. Tom Corbett has expressed his support for it, so Perry is optimistic…

http://www.ydr.com/politics/ci_17549552
--

Tennessee Professors Oppose Campus Carry: Faculty at the University of Tennessee have a message for the Legislature: We don't want to carry guns. The Faculty Senate is looking to pass a resolution at its meeting today opposing state House and Senate bills that would allow permit-holding gun owners on the faculty and staff to bring their firearms to campus. "Having a license doesn't make you trained to deal with a crisis, and the police are trained to deal with that, so they should be the ones with the guns," said senate past-President Toby Boulet, an engineering professor who is writing the resolution with fellow member Carole Myers. UT officials are closely watching activity on the issue in Nashville and vehemently expressing opposition to the bill, said Hank Dye, vice president for government relations. They have had multiple conversations with sponsors of the bill and other legislators, he said… (If campus police departments would conduct additional training for those who gain the right to carry on campus – possibly involving professors from the psychology department – it could help create a culture that discourages mass shootings in that environment.)

http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/mar/07/ut-senate-vote-against-firearms-legislation-guns/
--

Open Carry in Alabama: … Alabama Open Carry (ALOC) is a grassroots organization dedicated to protecting and fighting for the rights of those who choose to wear their firearms in public… Many people do not know the laws regarding open carry. ALOC fights for it's members that continue to run into legal problems over their choice. "We can give them information about how to handle it. We can give them information from others who have gone through the same situations," says Tony Shifflet, a member of ALOC… ALOC is pushing for new state legislation to try and make open carry an easier and less hassling experience. They have drafted a set of amendments called "The Self Defense Protection Act of 2011." "It's a set of laws to further strengthen our second amendment laws in the state of Alabama. We have a petition going right now that we actually have over 1,200 signatures supporting this legislation," says Jones. The organization is trying to get the bill on the agenda for the current legislative session.

http://www.cbs42.com/content/localnews/story/2nd-Amendment-Supporters-Rally-in-Magic-City/ZZbkB9o4Ekm-r_h3h-heEQ.cspx
--

Life in New Jersey: A Newton pet food store owner kidnapped in front of his shop is appealing a judge's denial of his application to carry a handgun. Jeffrey Muller, 60, applied for a permit after his harrowing ordeal in January 2010. Authorities said Muller, owner of J&G Pet Food Store, was the victim of mistaken identity by three men in search of another Jeffrey Muller who supposedly bilked an acquaintance out of a large amount of money. State Police did a background check on Muller and initially approved his application. Permits to carry handguns in New Jersey need judicial approval, and last August, state Superior Court Judge Philip Maenza in Morristown denied the application. The judge determined that Muller's fear and his experience as a victim did not meet "the justifiable need" required by statute to carry a firearm. Muller has now asked Superior Court Judge David Ironson in Morristown to reconsider the denial. A hearing was supposed to occur Monday but has been postponed. Neither Muller nor his attorney, Dave Jensen, could immediately be reached for comment…

http://www.dailyrecord.com/article/20110304/NJNEWS/103040302/Kidnap-victim-appeals-to-carry-handgun
--

Oops, Wrong House: … Carmen Glass sat beside her husband, Burnell, as the trial opened for Ray Lemes, a Northwest Side homeowner who is claiming a "castle doctrine" defense in the August 2007 shooting of Tracy Glass, 19, an unarmed college student from San Angelo. In Texas, a person is legally justified in shooting someone who enters his home with nefarious intent. Some reports have suggested Glass might've gone to the wrong house. He was staying with his sister in an unfamiliar neighborhood and was legally drunk. Lemes' house looked similar. The hint of a tragic mistake is what caught my eye. It took me back two decades, to a case involving a 16-year-old Japanese exchange student who was shot to death in Baton Rouge, La. He died after mistaking the home of a man named Rodney Peairs for the scene of a party he was looking for. The man yelled "Freeze!" but the student, Yoshihiro Hattori, didn't speak English well. He kept moving and Peairs shot him… (There's a reason that these incidents are described as tragic but why should a homeowner be forced to presume that an intruder in his home has entered in error?)

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/news_columnists/scott_stroud/article/Castle-doctrine-doesn-t-prevent-pain-1044517.php
--

Oops, Wrong Pharmacy: When Jerome Jay Ersland, has his day in court, Oklahoma's self-defense laws will be tested too. The 57-year-old-pharmacist was charged with first-degree murder as a result of shooting death that took place May 19, 2009. Two teenage boys entered the Reliable Discount Pharmacy in Oklahoma City where Ersland worked, but Ersland was able to chase only one of the youths out the door of the store. The other youth, 16-year-old Antwun Parker, was shot by Ersland six times. Oklahoma was among the first states to enact the self-defense legislation referred to as the Make My Day law. The law, named after Clint Eastwood's character Dirty Harry, provided that Oklahoma residents had the right to defend themselves by using deadly force, if necessary, in their homes without fear of criminal or civil action. In 2006, State Sen. Harry Coates authored legislation that extended those rights of self-defense to include persons in or on motor-operated vehicles and at businesses. That bill, known as the Stand Your Ground law, passed the Oklahoma legislature with only nine opposing votes. At first glance, it would seem Ersland had nothing to fear from the criminal justice system when he protected himself and his female co-workers from the two robbers. But as often happens, there is more to the story…

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20110306/cm_ac/7991310_oklahoma_pharmacist_case_tests_selfdefense_law
--

Mexicans Arm for Self-Defense: On the ranch lands near the U.S. border, people no longer take security for granted and have turned to weapons to stave off drug thugs. Teachers, ranchers, town officials, business owners and lawyers in rural towns of northwest Chihuahua near New Mexico have armed themselves. Legal or not, they are ready to use their guns for protection. In a country caught in the clutches of a vicious drug war, people have decided it's better to fight than to fall victim to the violence, which has claimed about 35,000 people nationally. It is estimated that 15.5 million weapons – including small-caliber handguns, shotguns and semiautomatic rifles – are owned by residents of Mexico while the army and the police have just under 1 million weapons at their disposal, according to a organization in Australia that tracks weapons worldwide. Fed up with chronic violence, some Mexican residents might be ready to push their government to make weapons more easily available…

http://www.elpasotimes.com/news/ci_17553032?source=most_viewed
--

Scandal Down Under: The Police Minister, Michael Daley, has asked for an investigation into allegations police frequently used a pistol range at the centre of a murder investigation free of charge. The police-run Firearms Registry enforces gun laws and oversees the licences of gun owners and pistol clubs, such as the Sydney Pistol Club in La Perouse, where last August an unlicensed shooter and provisional club member allegedly left the club with a pistol and 30 rounds of ammunition which were later used to shoot her father. After the incident, police indefinitely suspended operations at the club's La Perouse range, in the minister's electorate. But the club fought the suspension in the Administrative Decisions Tribunal and last week police and the club instead agreed on a range of stringent conditions for the shooting range. In a letter the club's lawyer, Stephen Mainstone, pointed out the club ''has always been only too happy to allow NSW Police to use the range at no cost''. The letter, written in September, about three weeks after the alleged murder and part of documents before the tribunal, said NSW police had used the club range weekly when their own, inside the Sydney Police Centre in Goulburn Street, was out of action… (How terrible! A legitimate shooting club extends a helping hand to the local cops.)

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/investigation-into-police-links-with-gun-club-20110306-1bjlm.html

03-04-11

2011-03-04T13:41:00.001-08:00

by permission from: Stephen P. Wenger
comments in () by the same

http://www.spw-duf.info

CBS Pursues Gunwalker Investigation: Federal agent John Dodson says what he was asked to do was beyond belief. He was intentionally letting guns go to Mexico? "Yes ma'am," Dodson told CBS News. "The agency was." An Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms senior agent assigned to the Phoenix office in 2010, Dodson's job is to stop gun trafficking across the border. Instead, he says he was ordered to sit by and watch it happen. Investigators call the tactic letting guns "walk." In this case, walking into the hands of criminals who would use them in Mexico and the United States. Dodson's bosses say that never happened. Now, he's risking his job to go public. "I'm boots on the ground in Phoenix, telling you we've been doing it every day since I've been here," he said. "Here I am. Tell me I didn't do the things that I did. Tell me you didn't order me to do the things I did. Tell me it didn't happen. Now you have a name on it. You have a face to put with it. Here I am. Someone now, tell me it didn't happen." Agent Dodson and other sources say the gun walking strategy was approved all the way up to the Justice Department. The idea was to see where the guns ended up, build a big case and take down a cartel. And it was all kept secret from Mexico. ATF named the case "Fast and Furious." Surveillance video obtained by CBS News shows suspected drug cartel suppliers carrying boxes of weapons to their cars at a Phoenix gun shop. The long boxes shown in the video being loaded in were AK-47-type assault rifles. So it turns out ATF not only allowed it - they videotaped it…

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/03/03/eveningnews/main20039031.shtml

Someone Else Takes Note: Hoping to score a major prosecution of Mexican drug lords, federal prosecutors and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives permitted hundreds of guns to be purchased and retained by suspected straw buyers with the expectation they might cross the border and even be used in crimes while the case was being built, according to documents and interviews. The decision – part of a Phoenix-based operation code named "Fast and Furious" – was met by strong objections from some front-line agents who feared they were allowing weapons like AK-47s to "walk" into the hands of drug lords and gun runners, internal agency memos show. Indeed, scores of the weapons came back quickly traced to criminal activity. One of those front-line agents who objected, John Dodson, 39, told the Center for Public Integrity that these guns "are going to be turning up in crimes on both sides of the border for decades." Dodson said in an interview that "with the number of guns we let walk, we'll never know how many people were killed, raped, robbed … there is nothing we can do to round up those guns. They are gone." Dodson has taken his misgivings to the Senate Judiciary Committee as a whistleblower after his concerns were dismissed by his supervisors and initially ignored by the Justice Department's inspector general…

http://www.publicintegrity.org/articles/entry/2976/

But, According to the L.A. Times…: A federal operation that allowed weapons from the U.S. to pass into the hands of suspected gun smugglers so they could be traced to the higher echelons of Mexican drug cartels has lost track of hundreds of firearms, many of which have been linked to crimes, including the fatal shooting of a Border Patrol agent in December… But several veteran agents were outraged at the shift, saying that there is a big difference between tracking drugs and tracking guns. They saw the change as a violation of a sacred ATF policy: Make the big case or don't make the big case, but don't let the guns go… (So it would appear that F Troop merely "lost track" of the "walked" guns in their effort to "make the big case.")

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-guns-mexico-20110304,0,7581670,full.story

I Not Only Believe in It, I've Actually Seen It: At a joint presss conference with Mexican President Felipe Calderon on Thusday, President Barack Obama responded to a Mexican reporter who asked him if he had the power to veto the right of Americans to keep and bear arms by saying he believed in the Second Amendment… Obama responded: "Well, the Second Amendment in this country is part of our Constitution, and the president of the United States is bound by our Constitution. So I believe in the Second Amendment. It does provide for Americans the right to bear arms for their protection, for their safety, for hunting, for a wide range of uses. That does not mean that we cannot constrain gun-runners from shipping guns into Mexico. And so we believe that we can shape an enforcement strategy that slows the flow of guns into Mexico, while at the same time preserving our Constitution." …Obama did not address the U.S. government sting operation known as "Project Gunrunner," in which the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives deliberately moved weapons to suspected gun smugglers in Texas, so the ATF could trace their route to the Mexican drug cartels… (This article also mentions the issue of US agents being disarmed by Mexican law. I'm worried about some quid pro quo on that issue.)

http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/obama-appearing-mexican-president-backs

Where's Tom Sawyer when You Need the Whitewash?: Attorney General Eric Holder has asked the Justice Department inspector general to take another look at the efforts of U.S. agents who hunt gun traffickers along the U.S. border with Mexico. Some on Capitol Hill have suggested the current strategy endangers law enforcement officers. The ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, says he has been told by some personnel at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives that the agency has allowed assault rifles to be sold to suspected straw purchasers for an illegal trafficking ring. Grassley questions whether agents adequately tracked the weapons after that…

http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/justice-inspector-general-look-anti-gun

Now that CBS News has delivered its second definitive report on the scope of "Project Gunwalker" and Senator Grassley has expressed his determination to not allow the Department of Justice to stonewall his investigations, the damage control at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives have begun in earnest. From one of the behind-the-scenes confidential sources advising Mike Vanderboegh of Sipsey Street Irregulars and this correspondent, someone who has been instrumental in bringing this story to light from long before major media became involved: "This just hit minutes ago. Panic and chaos are taking place at ATF headquarters in advance of the anticipated media releases today and tomorrow. Below is a message just sent from the subordinate of Jim McDermond from the ATF Office of Public and Governmental Affairs. An emergency request is being issued to all ATF Public Information Officers to find ATF stories with a positive spin to counter-influence was is expected today. Very insulting and very much the character of ATF management. Please respond to me that you received this. I think it will be critical to your stories and for Senator Grassley to further see demonstrated ATF's continued desire to spin and cover up." …

http://www.examiner.com/gun-rights-in-national/atf-begins-spin-wake-of-devastating-press-reports
--

From GOA: … Congress has held many hearings looking into this rogue agency; it has tried to cut its budget and otherwise rein in the ATF. In fact, as far back as 1982, a Senate subcommittee noted that ATF "has trampled upon the second amendment by chilling exercise of the right to keep and bear arms by law-abiding citizens." But so far, congressional concern over the agency has not resulted in any substantive action. To the contrary, over the years the agency has continued to grow in its budget, personnel, and mission… GOA's petition asks Congress to exercise its constitutional authority get the ATF out of the firearms regulating business. This is an agency that should not exist, and one that is repugnant to the ideas of liberty the Founding Fathers sought to implement.
Of course, it won't be easy. But if enough Americans make their voices heard we can do away with this unconstitutional agency. So please, click here to sign the petition today, and then help spread the word.

http://gunowners.org/a03022011.htm
http://capwiz.com/gunowners/issues/alert/?alertid=32404501
--

Jeff Knox on NRA Board Election: …There is little chance of any injection of new blood in this year's election. The candidate list is a bit larger than usual, but it includes 26 incumbent directors, including the current 76th director, vying for the 25 seats. The Nominating Committee nominated all 25 of the current 3-year directors plus an additional 6 candidates. There were 6 more candidates nominated exclusively by petition of the members. Historically we can expect that at least 23 of the 25 incumbents will win reelection. Since the NRA uses a cumulative total election – the 25 highest total vote getters win – the real race is always between candidates at the bottom of the list. The fact that the committee nominated actor Erik Estrada and members tapped actor and retired Marine Corps NCO R. Lee "Gunny" Ermey, does add some spice to the campaign. Another interesting tidbit is the Nominating Committee's refusal to nominate the current 76th director and perennial candidate, Steve Schreiner – again. Schreiner has run repeatedly for several years. Each time the Nominating Committee has snubbed him, and he has fallen short of the cut. As the next highest vote recipient, however, he has at least twice finished out a term after a death or resignation from the Board, as he is doing currently after the death of long-time Board member Donn DiBiasio… The Firearms Coalition usually endorses a handful of candidates and always advocates voting for only those candidates and no more, but this year the organization is only offering one endorsement: Linda Walker of Ohio. While all of the other candidates seem very qualified, there is only a slight chance of getting maybe one new person on the Board this year, and Linda Walker is the one we think would be best. We encourage NRA voters to mark their ballots for Linda Walker and only Linda Walker, because every other name you mark reduces the chances of Linda Walker being elected. Linda will need at least 65,000 bullet votes to have a chance at a seat. With only about 7 percent of eligible NRA voters actually casting ballots in any given election, it should be relatively easy to find an extra few thousand votes, but when faced with such overwhelming apathy, finding those votes is much easier said than done…

http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=269741
--

NRA Credits Palin for Rise in Female Membership: Sarah Palin knows how to field dress a moose, but she also knows how to get women to pick up a gun. A National Rifle Association spokeswoman credits the former Alaska governor with the 20 percent jump in female membership. Calling it the "Palin Effect," the NRA's Diane Danielson said the NRA is now "teaching 10,000 new women a year and making more girls want to take up shooting." And gun companies are taking notice of a new demographic in their sights. "Firearm manufacturers are gearing their products towards women. They're scaling down stocks, and shortening trigger pull lengths for our shorter fingers,' Danielson told The Daily Mail. (The issue, Ms. Danielson, is not finger length. "Length of pull" is mostly an issue of arm length, which determines the proper distance between the butt of the stock and the face of the trigger.)

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0311/50667.html
--

Otis McDonald Speaks Today: Otis McDonald, the cornerstone plaintiff in the landmark Supreme Court Second Amendment Case McDonald v. City of Chicago, will appear Friday in Chicago, IL at a special event featuring the rolling "Guns Save Lives" billboard sponsored by the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms. Mr. McDonald will appear at a press conference at 3 p.m. at the Jewels Store parking lot at 87th Street and Lafayette on the west side of the expressway. Joining him will be Valinda Rowe, spokesperson for IllinoisCarry.com; Mike Weisman, vice president of the Illinois State Rifle Association; Gerald Vernon and Shawn Gowder of the Chicago gun Owners' Association, and Dr. Paula Bratich with the Second Amendment Sisters. From there, the rolling billboard will proceed south to 95th and Lafayette (Rapid Transit stop) and from there it travels west on 95th Street to the Wal Mart parking lot one block west of Western Avenue…

http://www.ccrkba.org/?p=2548
--

A Rabbi Responds to Bloomie: … Mr. Bloomberg, our Jewish tradition tells us that righteous self-defense is not only permissible but an obligation: "If a murderer comes for you, strike him down first." (Talmud Sanhedrin 72a) In your own New York City, hand guns are illegal for all practical purposes, yet the murderers, drug dealers, gangs, and other criminal predators in your City manage to acquire them nonetheless. How do you expect civilians to defend themselves against those who would harm them if we cannot use the most practical tool at our disposal – the handgun? You tell us to "Dial 911"? And then wait ten minutes or more for police rescue? (See "Dial 911 and Die") It deeply troubles me that I – along with millions of others who live and work in your city – are on your "disarmed" list. Mr. Mayor, this is not only immoral, it goes against the fundamental precepts of Judaism that you and I both honor. The Torah teaches: "Do not stand idly by the blood of your neighbor." (Leviticus 19:16), which Rashi explains means that one who is able to help another escape harm and fails to do so is held culpable in the Heavenly Court for the harm he failed to prevent. You, Mr. Mayor, by disarming your citizens, place them in harm's way every day…

http://jpfo.org/rabbi/rabbi-bloomberg-letter.htm
--

This House Is Gun-Free: … The anti-gun lobby has sought to impose what it calls "sensible restrictions" on gun ownership ever since Otis McDonald, a 76-year-old Army veteran who lives in a high crime area of Chicago, won his case before the U.S. Supreme Court saying the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution he fought to protect gives him the right to bear arms. These restrictions vary from training and education requirements to waiting periods to limiting the number of purchases. Some are indeed sensible, but most are simply designed to discourage prospective gun owners with too many hoops to jump through. Gun-rights opponents in Illinois apparently have hit on a new tactic – shame and embarrass gun owners by publicly naming them in much the same manner some communities print the names of johns who patronize hookers in the local paper. In the liberal mind, patronizing a lady of the evening and protecting your family with a firearm are illicit activities that should be discouraged…

http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Article/564926/201103031851/Attention-This-House-Is-Gun-Free.htm
--

Interesting Ruling: Federal prosecutors in Washington failed to timely turn over exculpatory information to the lawyers representing a man in a shooting case, a divided appeals court said today in throwing out the conviction and sending the case back for a new trial in D.C. Superior Court. The D.C. Court of Appeals, voting 2-1, said prosecutors "effectively suppressed" favorable information, violating their obligation to disclose exculpatory information to the defense lawyers representing a man named Tyree Miller. At issue in the case: testimony that the shooter held the gun in his left hand. Miller is right-handed… (While this, technically, could be exculpatory, depending on the distance, I could envision a right-handed person who may not be skilled in shooting left-handed shifting a gun to his left hand during a close-range confrontation.)

http://legaltimes.typepad.com/blt/2011/03/voiding-assault-conviction-appeals-court-splits-on-whether-to-investigate-prosecutors.html
--

Once Again, the Sky Is Falling in Arizona: The Arizona Senate has passed a measure that would allow guns in public establishments and events unless the facility is secured with metal detectors and armed guards. Republicans supported Senate Bill 1201, and Democrats opposed it. The bill now goes to the House for consideration. Debate was emotional. Sen. Linda Lopez, D-Tucson, cried as she spoke. "Has this body no shame, no compassion, no respect?" said Lopez, a good friend of U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. "Six people died, and 13 were injured in Tucson ... and we are further loosening gun control in this state. Couldn't this body have the decency to wait until next year?" Sen. Steve Gallardo, D-Phoenix, said his opposition to the bill has nothing to do with the right to bear arms. He said the bill would allow guns to be carried into Arizona Cardinals, Diamondbacks and Phoenix Suns games… (If Mr. Gallardo is so concerned about drunkenness at sporting events, would it not make more sense to ban the sale and consumption of alcohol in those venues? After all, what's to guarantee that everyone who has a few beers during the game is accompanied by a designated driver?)

http://www.azcentral.com/news/election/azelections/articles/2011/03/03/20110303arizona-gun-rights-bill-senate-passes.html
--

…In Georgia: A year after Georgia lawmakers passed a sweeping gun rights expansion that allowed permit-holders to carry guns into some bars and more parking lots, the Legislature is considering new changes that would allow them to carry their weapons into churches and make it easier for them to renew their licenses. A proposal unveiled Thursday would allow licensed gun owners to carry their weapons into churches, synagogues and other houses of worship with the approval of the congregation. It would also allow them to keep their weapons in locked boxes within school parking lots and safety zones. Another provision would require probate judges to send notices to gun owners at least 90 days before a firearm license expires. The proposal also would no longer require those seeking to renew their license to undergo another criminal background check, although the measure's backers said they expect to delete that language after it came under fire…

http://wsbradio.com/localnews/2011/03/new-bill-permits-guns-at-churc.html
--

…In Idaho: Idaho lawmakers gave initial approval Thursday to a bill that would curtail the power of administrators to restrict where students, faculty, staff members and visitors can carry concealed firearms on Idaho's public university and community college campuses. Rep. Erik Simpson, R-Idaho Falls, says his bill is about making campus safer, and the version approved by the House State Affairs Committee would allow people to carry concealed firearms everywhere on campus except in undergraduate residence halls.
Idaho code allows the carrying of concealed firearms in places like the state capital, but not on Idaho campuses… Simpson argues his bill would increase safety at the state's four public universities and community colleges. He said letting students, faculty or others carry concealed guns heightens the chances they could help prevent a violent crime…

http://www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20110304/UPDATE/110303044/New-bill-would-allow-concealed-guns-ID-campuses?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|News|s
--

…In Kentucky: Legislation expanding the legal definition of where handguns may be stored in vehicles in Kentucky has cleared a Senate committee. Currently, Kentuckians without concealed carry permits may keep a firearm in their vehicle, but only if it's stored in the glove box. Representative Will Coursey's bill expands the definition to include consoles, enclosed compartments and storage areas originally installed by the vehicle's manufacturer. "That's where I like to keep mine, in the side pocket of the door," says Senator Robin Webb of Grayson "So, I'll be fine doing that now. No question. Well, thank you Rep. Coursey for bringing this. That's the intention of this legislation," says Coursey. "It just allows the law abiding citizen that wishes to exercise his Second Amendment rights to adhere to the laws of the commonwealth," he says. The bill, which already has House approval, is expected to meet little resistance on the Senate floor. (Unfortunately, "storing" firearms in vehicles does not provide great access in an emergency and facilitates their theft.)

http://www.wfpl.org/2011/03/03/concealed-carry-expansion-bill-clears-senate-committee/
--

…In North Carolina: There could be more guns in parks, restaurants and workplaces under two bills state legislators are considering. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing is something lawmakers have just begun to consider. One bill would make it legal for people with concealed handgun permits to bring their weapons into restaurants and parks. The other would allow gun owners to lock their weapons in their cars while they're at work. And a bill filed Thursday by Youngsville Republican Rep. Glen Bradley would exempt from all federal regulation any firearm, accessory and ammunition made and kept in North Carolina…

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/03/04/2109036/bills-would-allow-guns-in-parks.html
--

Oops, Wrong House: Police said a 53-year-old woman shot her ex-boyfriend after he broke into her house and started beating her. Donald Bryant, 40, approached the woman in the 2300 block of West 19th Avenue while she was starting her car, according to a police report. Bryant said he wanted to talk with her about getting back together, the report said. She ran into the house and he chased her inside and pushed in the door while she yelled for her sister to call 911, Lt. Sam Roberts said. Bryant "began punching her with his fist and began to grab and choke her," Roberts said. The struggle continued into the bathroom, where the two fell into a tub. The victim pulled out a gun and shot Bryant in the stomach, police said. He yelled "ouch, ouch" and ran away, Roberts said. Bryant was arrested for residential entry and battery after being transported to Methodist Hospital Northlake Campus in Gary [IN]. The woman was not arrested for shooting Bryant. She had bruising on her face, neck and body, Roberts said. (Note the limited value of shooting someone in "the stomach.")

http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/gary/article_facbf182-17fd-5f55-8efc-ef613e6264ab.html
--

Canada Drops Gun charges in Self-Defense Case: In a move that acknowledges the difficulty of prosecuting people who feel forced to act in self-defence, Crown attorneys have dropped two gun charges against an Ontario man who shot at masked intruders firebombing his home, saying they had no "reasonable prospect of conviction." The rules around self-defence in Canada are "complex," prosecutors said, and courts have "repeatedly" established that victims can't be expected to thoughtfully examine all consequences of using deadly force while under attack. "Because each case is unique, with widely diverse and sometimes contradictory evidence, no broad policy statement is intended with respect to the use of firearms in the defence of one's home," the Crown brief says…

http://www.nationalpost.com/news/charges+dropped+against+Ontario+self+defender/4380391/story.html
--

Winchester Ranger .223 Recall: Olin Corporation, through its Winchester Division, is recalling six (6) lots of its RANGER® 223 Remington 64 Grain Power-Point® (PP) centerfire rifle ammunition (Symbol Number RA223R2). Lot Numbers (last four characters): DK01, DK11, DK21, DK31, DK41, and DK51. Through extensive evaluation Winchester has determined the above lots of RANGER® Law Enforcement ammunition may contain incorrect propellant. Incorrect propellant in this ammunition may cause firearm damage, rendering the firearm inoperable, and subject the shooter or bystanders to a risk of serious personal injury when fired…

http://www.winchester.com/library/news/Pages/News-ProductWarningandRecall.aspx
--

Tangentially Related: One of the investigators with our group likes to eat, but he doesn't like to cook. He's a delivery or takeout type of guy. He was recounting a story when on a particularly cold day in Phoenix (45 degrees) he thought it best to order in. When he called for the Chinese food delivery, he offered to give the delivery driver the pin number for the gate, so that the driver could enter without calling. The delivery driver stated, in
a polite but dismissive tone, that he didn't need to call, as he had the universal code
for the fire department, and that he could go in and out of any complex as he needed… Then, in a moment of both desperation and curiosity - I remembered the gate card key in the backpack, placed it in the slot, and viola [sic]! The gate opened. This was cool. I continue to use the gate key with great fanfare, especially with impressionable kids in the car, since this is exactly what an investigator should have - a magic gate key. It works in
most every residential community gate I have tried… Note to security people: remove default settings, create a new master code, and to one in particular thank you for the card. I will use it for good and not evil.

http://aegisjournal.com/ejournal/ej201102.pdf
--

03-02-11

2011-03-02T13:51:00.000-08:00

by permission from: Stephen P. Wenger
(comments in () by the same

http://www.spw-duf.info

Website Update: I received a warning about the risks of repeatedly chambering the same round in AR-15-style rifles, which I have posted in the Thoughts on Rifle Ammunition section on the Long Gun Selection page.

http://www.spw-duf.info/longgun.html
--

A List Member Replies: Intrigued by my comment to the effect that Chicago's handgun ordinance does not actually place registered handgun owners under house arrest, one list member looked up the ordinance. It reads, in part, "It is unlawful for any person to carry, own or possess a handgun except when in the person's home." (§ 8-20-20) Does Chicago really have its own definition of "ownership," such that it ceases temporarily when one walks out the door?
--

UN Lies: "Currently, the United Nations is drafting an Arms Trade Treaty to impose strict controls on firearms and other weapons," David B. Kopel, Paul Gallant and Joanne D. Eisen write in a just-released New York University Journal of Law & Liberty Article. From the Abstract: "In support of hasty adoption of the Treaty, a UN-related organization of Treaty supporters have produced a report claiming that armed violence is responsible for 740,000 deaths annually. This Article carefully examines the claim. We find that the claim is based on dubious assumptions, cherry-picked data, and mathematical legerdemain which is inexplicably being withheld from the public. The refusal to disclose the mathematical calculations used to create the 740,000 factoid is itself cause for serious suspicion; our own calculations indicate that the 740,000 figure is far too high. Further, while the report claims that 60% of homicides are perpetrated with firearms, our review of the data on which the report claimed to rely yields a 22% rate. The persons responsible for the report have refused to release their homicide calculations, or any other calculations." Globalist gun-grabbers fudge numbers to advance an agenda? And then refuse to share their methodologies and data? This is my shocked face…

http://www.examiner.com/gun-rights-in-national/researchers-challenge-un-arms-trade-treaty-gun-death-claims
--

I Haven't Heard the Fat Lady Sing: The left has permanently lost the argument on gun control. Despite their best efforts to take advantage of the tragic shooting in Arizona to promote pointless restrictions on things like the size of handgun magazines, the propaganda campaign is unlikely to go anywhere. Instead, the right to keep and bear arms continues to gain steam as state lawmakers around the country are enacting measures that would have been unthinkable not so long ago… Whenever the left is defeated at the statehouse and ballot box, it turns to the courts. The Supreme Court shot down most of these efforts with the District of Columbia v. Heller and McDonald v. City of Chicago rulings reviving judicial recognition of the Second Amendment. Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe received legislation on Monday that forbids local governments from attempting to file liability lawsuits against manufacturers of guns and ammunition. The same bill also prohibits localities from passing any sort of "emergency ordinance" to seize Americans' firearms as happened in New Orleans during the Katrina hurricane…

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/mar/1/no-hope-for-gun-grabbers/

Recent Poll: Since the tragedy in Tucson, Arizona on January 8, Americans' desire for their Second Amendment rights show no signs of weakening. President Obama ignored a change in gun policy in his State of the Union speech, but the White House promised on January 27 that Obama would unveil a push for more gun control in the coming weeks. This push for more gun control from the White House has yet to happen. A poll conducted by Zogby International just ten days after the President's State of the Union speech shows that, if anything, voters have become more supportive of their Second Amendment rights. The poll surveyed 10,000 likely voters and was commissioned by ATI-News and The O'Leary Report. For polling purposes, all 10,000 voters were divided into three camps: 1) Red states that did not vote for Obama in 2008 and are unlikely to do so in 2012; 2) Blue states that did not vote for McCain in 2008 and are unlikely to vote GOP in 2012; and 3) The following battleground "Green" states that could go either way in 2012: FL, IN, IA, MI, MO, NH, NM, NC, OH, PA, VA, and WI.

http://townhall.com/columnists/bradoleary/2011/03/01/poll_shows_voters_of_all_stripes_oppose_more_gun_control/page/full/

Brady Brays: The Brady Campaign has taken upon itself the devilishly tricky task of crowing over the "success" (more on that in a minute) of the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act (the "Brady Bill," requiring criminal background checks for all gun sales from licensed dealers), while simultaneously decrying the inadequacy of that law, and the need for a whole fleet of new laws to make it actually work. From their press release: "Seventeen years after the Brady Law went into effect on February 28, 1994, Paul Helmke, President of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, expressed pride in the law's accomplishments, but also urged political leaders to do more to protect Americans from gun violence. Helmke outlined 17 common sense measures, including closing loopholes allowing too many gun sales to be conducted without background checks, holding gun dealers and manufacturers accountable, slowing illegal gun sales and trafficking and more." …This year's "17 Common Sense Recommendations for Change," as the Brady Campaign calls them, are not limited to small infringements, either, with just one of them being "Require Licensing of Gun Owners and Registration of Gun Purchases." Sounds as if they're hoping to get back to the heady days of thinking they could pass "Brady II." In the interest of fairness, it must be admitted that the Brady Campaign is at least capable of impressive feats of alliteration, as illustrated in their alternate name for this one: "Stop the Sale of Large Capacity Ammunition Magazines (aka Big Bullet-Blasting Boxes)." Really, Brady Campaign, "Big Bullet-Blasting Boxes"? Seriously? …

http://www.examiner.com/gun-rights-in-st-louis/coming-next-year-from-the-brady-campaign-18-new-infringements-on-rkba
http://www.bradycampaign.org/media/press/view/1359/

Meanwhile, in LaLa Land…: Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Police Chief Charlie Beck and other top officials voiced their support Wednesday for federal legislation that would ban large-capacity ammunition magazines such as the one used by the alleged gunman in the Tucson shooting rampage. "It boils down to simple math: It's 20 lives," said Beck, describing the difference between a 10- and 30-round magazine attached to a weapon. The pending federal law – H.R. 308, sponsored by Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-N.Y.) – would ban magazines that hold more than 10 rounds. Chances of its passage are considered slim amid strong opposition from gun-rights advocates… Displayed on a table beside Beck at a City Hall news conference Wednesday was an array of seized semi-automatic weapons. Such seizures have risen dramatically since a federal assault weapons ban expired in 2004, City Attorney Carmen Trutanich said… (As I recall, when Trutanich ran for city attorney, much of the opposition focused on his being in the same law firm as Chuck Michel, the primary litigator for the California Rifle & Pistol Association. So much for birds of a feather…)

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/03/la-mayor-police-chief-voice-support-for-federal-ban-on-large-capacity-firearms.html

And in Colt's Home State…: Tuesday, Senate Bill 1094 was introduced and referred to the Joint Committee on Judiciary. SB 1094 seeks to prohibit the possession of firearms magazines that accept more than ten rounds of ammunition. If passed and signed into law, any person in possession of any magazine greater than ten rounds, who has not already surrendered the magazine prior to enactment or ninety days after enactment, will be guilty of a class D felony. SB 1094 is a bill in search of a problem, despite the recent media attention given to "large capacity" magazines, no correlation exists between the size or arbitrary capacity of a detachable magazine and violent crime. Owners of "large capacity" magazines are not criminals or individuals intent on committing atrocious acts; they are sportsmen or firearm enthusiasts who own the magazines for a variety of reasons, including sport, competition or self-defense.

http://www.opposingviews.com/i/connecticut-moves-to-ban-%E2%80%9Clarge-capacity%E2%80%9D-gun-magazines
--

Illinois AG – Out Gun Owners: Illinois State Police stood their ground today after the state's attorney general determined the agency must disclose the names of people authorized to own guns in Illinois to comply with public records law. Attorney General Lisa Madigan's public access counselor issued a letter Monday night rejecting state police arguments that releasing the information is an unwarranted invasion of privacy prohibited by the state public records law or that its disclosure would automatically endanger the lives of gun owners or those who don't have firearms. State police determine who gets Firearm Owners Identification cards but have always kept the information confidential. Despite the decree, the names likely won't be uncloaked soon. A state police lawyer indicated in a letter Tuesday the agency planned to ask a judge to decide the matter. And Republican lawmakers have filed legislation to make names permanently private. Through the Freedom of Information Act, The Associated Press requested in September the names of each FOID cardholder in the state and the expiration date of each card. State police denied the request, prompting the public access counselor's intervention… (These are not carry permits – there currently is no such thing in Illinois – these are the permits required to own firearms and ammunition in Illinois.)

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chibrknews-atty-general-illinois-should-release-foid-card-list-20110301,0,6114050.story
--

Illinois Gunners to Rally Next Week: Illinois gun owners will gather March 10 in Springfield for Illinois Gun Owner Lobby Day (IGOLD) and the largest show of support for an Illinois Right to Carry law the state has ever seen… An expected crowd of 7,000 to 10,000 will gather at the Prairie Capitol Convention Center at the corner of Adams and 8th streets. Doors open at 10:30, with the pre-rally program set to begin at 11:45. Leaders of the Illinois State Rifle Association will present a legislative briefing before sending attendees on a march to the State Capitol through the streets of Springfield. A reception for attendees and legislators will be held later that evening at the State House Inn, 6 p.m., 101 E. Adams St. All Illinois gun owners are urged to attend. IGOLD organizers have scheduled charter buses from all corners of the state to make travel to the event worry free. Buses will depart from the Marion Sam's Club parking lot and the Wal-Mart parking lot in Mt. Vernon. Advance reservations required. To reserve a seat on the bus and avoid the hassles of driving and finding parking places, or for more information, go to IGOLD.isra.org or call 815-635-3198.

http://www.carmitimes.com/newsnow/x868510556/Southern-Illinois-gun-owners-to-converge-on-state-capitol
--

Constitutional Right to Prompt Hearing: From Razzano v. County of Nassau (E.D.N.Y. decided yesterday), an interesting decision holding that the gun owner wins under the Due Process Clause, and might also win under the Fourth Amendment (if he amends his complaint to plead it properly)… Gabriel Razzano ... asserts that the defendants, all associated with the Nassau County Police Department, violated his Fourteenth Amendment due process rights by failing to provide him with an adequate opportunity to recover rifles and shotguns that the defendants had confiscated from his residence.... Along with protesting for stricter enforcement of the immigration laws, Razzano has also repeatedly contacted local and federal legislators relating to immigration. One such legislator was United States Representative Carolyn McCarthy. In the six years leading up to the events precipitating this lawsuit, Razzano telephoned McCarthy's office approximately one hundred times, and visited the office approximately six times… As Razzano was not offered this type of hearing, Nassau County violated his Fourteenth Amendment due process rights....

http://volokh.com/2011/03/01/court-finds-due-process-clause-violation-in-nassau-county-n-y-failure-to-provide-prompt-hearing-as-to-return-of-citizens-guns/
--

Empty-Holster Protests Planned in Oklahoma: University officials and student governments at the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University have been against weapons on campus for years. But students in favor of concealed guns at schools are planning to don their holsters in larger numbers during April across several campuses, according to OSU graduate student Adrienne O'Reilly, the Oklahoma director of Students for Concealed Carry on Campus. "Some of us are wearing empty holsters as a symbol of not only showing we are in support of the concealed-carry laws being changed, but we also want people to see that there are people on campus who do have their concealed-carry license," O'Reilly said. "Though the official empty holster protest will come in April, some of us want people to see that concealed-carry license holders are just like everyone else instead of continuing to allow people to stereotype us." Proponents of the bills say they are fighting misinformation, O'Reilly said…

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=19&articleid=20110302_11_A1_CUTLIN929455

While in Texas…: Student Congress took an overwhelming stance, 36–6, against concealed carry on campus Tuesday night. SC held an official vote on behalf of the student body to decide what position UTA would take on carrying concealed guns on campus. The vote is in response to three bills currently in the Texas legislature that would allow licensed holders to carry on campus. According to the bill's author, Rep. Joe Driver, R-Garland, 81 of 150 Texas House members have already signed on as co-authors to House Bill 750. The floor opened for discussion 45 minutes before congress made a private vote. Senators were allowed two minutes a piece to speak, and all remarks were solely made to SC President Aaron Resendez. Resendez said he is going to the UT System Student Advisory Council Friday to inform them on the campus' stance. Once legislation allows, he said the executive board will go to Austin to speak with legislators…

http://www.theshorthorn.com/index.php/news/university/1048-guns-on-campus-shot-down-by-student-congress

And in Florida…: A new bill in Florida would allow for the open-carry of firearms in the state, including on the campuses of Florida's universities. Sen. Greg Evers (R-Crestview) introduced the legislation, SB 234, which is currently in committee. If passed, the bill would allow anyone with a concealed weapons permit to also carry a firearm visible to the public. Florida is one of seven states in the country that currently does not allow a person to do that. The legislation would also allow people to openly carry a firearm on campus at a Florida university. Under current law, they are not allowed to do that. Even if the bill passes, people will still not be allowed to carry a gun into a police station, jail, courtroom, government building, professional sporting event, or public school. A group of university police chiefs, including Chief Thomas Longo from the University of South Florida, have written a letter to the Florida Legislature asking them to not change the law. They believe open carry would make their campuses more dangerous… (Hidden guns on campus, flaunted guns on campus – how's a gun-banner to know which to paint as the greater evil?)

http://www.abcactionnews.com/dpp/news/region_tampa/Bill-would-allow-guns-to-be-carried-openly-at-Florida-universities

Louisiana Campus-Carry Poll:

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/os-poll-concealed-weapons-college-campus-022511,0,109338,post.poll
--

Pennsylvania Self-Defense bill Advances: A measure that would expand Pennsylvania's so-called Castle Doctrine passed the state Senate Judiciary Committee in an impromptu meeting held just off the Senate floor today. The bill by state Sen. Richard Alloway, R-Franklin County, would allow residents to use deadly force to defend themselves outside their homes and vehicles without first having to retreat. The committee voted 10-3 to advance the proposal to the full Senate. Virtually the same plan also passed last year, but it was amended into another bill pertaining to closing loopholes in the state sex offender reporting law, Megan's Law. Former Gov. Ed Rendell vetoed the bill saying it was unconstitutional because it contained two different subjects. Rendell later said he might have signed the bill if it had closed the "Florida loophole," which allows Pennsylvanians to obtain a gun permit from another state even if they are denied one here… (Let me see if I got that straight – Rendell would have signed a bill he thought was unconstitutional if it had only had one more provision that he desired?)

http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2011/03/state_senate_panel_approves_ca.html
--

Clayton Cramer vs. Open Carry: It has been over a year since I ran a series of articles chastising Clayton Cramer for criticizing both open carry and the gay community in his Shotgun News column as well as for his follow-up attack on open carry in his Pajamas Media column. Given the vitriol with which Mr. Cramer attacked open carriers in those instances, I suppose it is little surprise that he has once again taken aim (pun intended) at open carry. This time, his target is Michigan Open Carry and their efforts to force the Capital Area District Library (CADL) in Lansing Michigan to comply with Michigan's preemption law that forbids local units of government from regulating the otherwise lawful carry of firearms. And while there are a number of interesting legal issues surrounding this preemption battle that I will address in next week's column, today I want to talk about Mr. Cramer's latest attack on open carry… (Cramer is known to many in the RKBA community for his essay "The Racist Roots of Gun Control." He also exposed Michael Bellesiles' fabrications in the latter's book Arming America and used that research as the basis of his own outstanding book Armed America. To the dismay of the open-carry community, he has expressed concerns that using open carry as a political statement may backfire. In the CADL case, it's pretty hard to protest by carrying discreetly.)

http://www.examiner.com/gun-rights-in-minneapolis/with-friends-like-this-part-ii

Meanwhile, in Wisconsin…: An "open carry" rally is 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, March 5, at the Holiday Gardens in Potosi. The event features antique gun appraisals, sporting goods vendors and a discussion on Second Amendment rights. Gun-rights advocates are confident that a concealed-carry law will be implemented in Wisconsin this year. Gov. Scott Walker has expressed support for the idea. The event carries a $5 suggested donation and proceeds will benefit the Wisconsin Badger Camp located in northern Grant County. Lunch will be available. The event is sponsored by the Grant County Republican Party. (With no current lawful options for discreet carry, Wisconsin leaves little alternative to open carry.)

http://www.thonline.com/article.cfm?id=313371
--

Comedy of Errors?: …When questioned by authorities, Allen Jones stated he had taken his Glock .40 handgun from the glove compartment of his truck. He was walking to the house when he tripped and fell. The gun discharged, and he was hit in the leg just above the knee, he told police. Jones yelled to his wife for help. Aleisha Jones was upstairs bathing their young son when she heard her husband's call for help. When she arrived on the screened porch, she tried to secure the gun but her son beat her to it. As she attempted to take the gun from the child, a round fired. Aleisha Jones was hit in the left side of her neck. A neighbor heard the gunshots and cries for help and came to Aleisha Jones's aid. The neighbor's husband called 911. When authorities arrived, Allen and Aleisha Jones were transported to USA Medical Center in Mobile [AL]. Investigators say the individuals' stories parallel each other. At last report, the Joneses were in stable condition with injuries that did not appear life-threatening. No charges have been filed. (The Rules are posted at http://www.spw-duf.info/safety.html. The car-gun concept is discussed at http://www.spw-duf.info/emperor.html#car%20gun. It sounds as though the injuries could have been prevented by the use of some sort of holster, such as the Safepacker mentioned in the car-gun article.)

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41837186/ns/local_news-mobile_al/
--

The Horror of It!: A startled man has told how he found a bullet lying in a York city-centre street. Tim Stark said he was unloading items into the MOR Music store where he works in Fossgate yesterday morning when he spotted what he believed to be a live .22 bullet gleaming in a puddle. He said he immediately called police, who came and took it away… A North Yorkshire Police spokesman said the bullet had been put into safe storage, and CID had confirmed it was not thought to be connected with any incident currently under investigation… (It appears that British journalists also fail to understand the difference between a bullet and an entire cartridge.)

http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/8805022.Fossgate_bullet_find_mystery/
--

web site about the 21 foot rule

2011-02-28T12:39:00.001-08:00

This web site is all about the 21 foot rule.
http://www.21footrule.com

02-11-11

2011-02-11T12:03:00.001-08:00

by permission from Stephen P. Wenger

http://www.spw-duf.info

(comments in () by the same

F Troop Will Accept Comments until February 14: If you're one of the nearly 71 million Americans who live in the four southwest border states, some of your gun purchases could soon be reported to the federal government. And whether you live in one of those states or elsewhere, your help is needed now to stop the federal government's plan to register Americans' gun purchases. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is demanding the authority to require all of the 8,500 firearm dealers in California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas to report all sales of two or more semiautomatic rifles within five consecutive business days, if the rifles are larger than .22 caliber and use detachable magazines. For example, a dealer would have to tell the government every time a deer hunter in Sacramento or Amarillo finds a good deal on a pair of semi-auto .30-06s like the popular Remington 7400. The ATF has no legal authority to demand these reports, and the flood of new paperwork will waste scarce law enforcement resources that should be spent on legitimate investigations…

http://www.nraila.org/Legislation/Federal/Read.aspx?id=6232
--

NRA's LaPierre Places Blame for Tucson Shootings: National Rifle Association president Wayne LaPierre harshly criticized gun control advocates, the Obama administration and members of the media at the Conservative Political Action Conference Thursday, arguing that they are lying when they say bans on certain firearms or ammunition clips will protect Americans. LaPierre said U.S. gun laws provide more protection to killers like the Virginia Tech and Tucson shooters than to the victims of their attacks, and suggested the current environment puts women at risk for rape. He condemned "gun-free zones and anti-self defense laws that protected the safety of no one except the killers and condemned the victims to death without so much as a prayer." … LaPierre said that the situation in Egypt shows that the Second Amendment remains necessary, as illustrated by the protests in Egypt. He said that "the presence of a firearm" in the hands of good people "makes us all safer."

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20031399-503544.html
--

Late to the Party?: …Last week, I learned something. People who own firearms or at least understand that they are a useful tool will probably tell me I'm late to the party with this little insight, but I'm going to throw it out there anyway: I learned that people who are deathly afraid of firearms and wouldn't dream of handling one, much less owning one, actually may be incapable of seeing them as defensive weapons. I can think of no other way to explain many of the reactions to the column I wrote last week. The point of that piece, in case you're among those who missed it, was that the potential for an interruption of government's ability to protect its citizens is something no one should ignore. The breakdown of order in Egypt was the news peg for exploring the idea. As police and military units reacted to the potential for large-scale violence in central Cairo- as, obviously, they would be expected to do – people in places that weren't central Cairo were left to provide for their own safety…

http://www.cleveland.com/obrien/index.ssf/2011/02/a_few_ideas_for_you_to_shoot_a.html
--

South Dakota Cannot Deny Permits to Legal Aliens: …Not decided on Second Amendment or other RKBA grounds. Very straightforward application of existing doctrine on equal protection and legal aliens. In short, state (but not federal) discrimination against legal aliens is subject to strict scrutiny. There is an exception for "governmental functions" which involve discretion in self-governance of the polity–such as voting, teaching in public schools, being a peace officer, etc. Those exceptions were not relevant here, so the South Dakota limitation of concealed carry permits to citizens only is preliminarily enjoined.

http://www.makereadyforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=178&t=62400&p=3415848&e=3415848
http://www.archive.org/download/gov.uscourts.sdd.47987/gov.uscourts.sdd.47987.40.0.pdf
--

Arkansas Open-Carry Bill Hits Snag: A bill to allow Arkansans to carry guns openly in holsters received a House committee's strongest rebuke today. The House Judiciary Committee approved a "do not pass" motion on House Bill 1051 by Rep. Denny Altes, R-Fort Smith. The voice vote was not unanimous. The motion prohibits Altes from bringing the bill back before the committee this session unless two-thirds of the members vote to do so… Altes said after the meeting that he has no plans to bring the bill back to the committee. He said he would draft another bill that would clarify or redefine several parts of the law regarding the carrying of handguns. The new measure, he said, also would allow for the carrying of a gun in a holster as long as the person has a concealed weapons permit. During the meeting, Altes read to lawmakers the 2nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and said that the right to bear arms "means to carry." He said the state's poor citizens are being deprived of the right because it costs between $200 and $300 to get a permit to carry a concealed weapon… (While this certainly has the potential to become a civil-rights issue, I doubt that it will.)

http://arkansasnews.com/2011/02/10/panel-rejects-bill-to-allow-open-carry-of-handguns/
--

Life in LaLa Land: On February 4, 2011, lawyers for the National Rifle Association (NRA) and California Rifle & Pistol Association (CRPA) submitted an opposition letter to the Los Angeles City Council's proposed expansion of the City's gun purchaser warning letter program (hereafter, "the Program"). The City's Program originally consisted of sending the so-called "warning letters" to new gun buyers who resided in specific neighborhoods in the City. Gun buyers in the targeted areas received the letter from the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office. It was signed by the City Attorney, Attorney General of California, and Los Angeles Chief of Police and indicated that the gun purchase had been documented. The letter also stated that the new gun buyer might be prosecuted if he or she transferred the gun without completing a "Dealer Record of Sale" (DROS) form, and the gun was subsequently used in a crime. The letters typically arrived a few days into the ten day waiting period on a firearm purchase, and scared some legitimate customers away from completing the sale and picking up the firearm at the end of the waiting period… (Sounds like racial profiling to me.)

http://www.ammoland.com/2011/02/10/nra-crpa-oppose-los-angeles-gun-purchaser-warning-letter/
--

RKBA Bills Advance in Virginia: … In the past two years, Virginia's lawmakers have been busy passing multiple pro-gun bills, and their efforts have not gone unnoticed by local residents… The most well-known bill passed last year was the concealed carry law that allows citizens to carry concealed handguns into bars, as long as they do not drink. Virginia is slowly positioning itself close Texas on the list of most gun-friendly states. This year, Roanoke Delegate Bill Cleaveland is sponsoring a '"Castle Doctrine" bill that could allow Virginians to use deadly force against unwanted intruders in their own home… Citizens of Lynchburg say that expanded gun rights are good for Virginia, and they hope the trend of pro-gun bills continues in Richmond… The five bills that passed the House this week must still gain approval in the Senate.

http://www.wset.com/Global/story.asp?S=14008786
--

And in Wyoming: … HB 167 – Castle doctrine modifications – passed with amendments on Feb. 2, Harvey said. The original bill allowed citizens to use force in self defense when they were the legal resident of an occupied structure. The amended bill allows citizens to use force against a person, but only when the person is entering their home or semi-permanent dwelling. "It changed it so we're not talking about a warehouse or something like that," Harvey said. She voted aye, citing second amendment rights. "I think people should have the right to defend themselves." …

http://lovellchronicle.com/Read/AllStories/tabid/754/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/4373/House-Bills-passed-on-third-reading.aspx
--

More on Illinois Carry Bill: State Rep. Dan Beiser said he is working to bring Illinois in line with 48 other states in co-sponsoring legislation allowing responsible gun owners to carry concealed weapons in public. "As a legislator, I am always advocating for the protection of the Second Amendment and preserving the right of lawful citizens to own firearms," said Beiser, D-Alton. "For too long, we have been preventing law-abiding citizens from being better able to protect themselves and their families by denying them the opportunity to have permits to carry concealed weapons." House Bill 148 creates the Family and Personal Protection Act, which would give county sheriffs the authority to issue concealed firearm permits to qualified applicants 21 years and older who are Illinois residents and U.S citizens. Qualified applicants will have to complete classroom and shooting range instruction and must not have been convicted of a felony, be free on bond or have any arrest warrants pending. Qualified holders of the permit would not be able to carry firearms in certain areas, including police stations, courthouses, airports and churches…

http://www.thetelegraph.com/news/gun-50418-law-alton.html
--

While in Maryland…: Delegate Michael Smigiel, a Republican from Cecil and a concealed-carry permit holder, is working with Delegate Tiffany Alston, a Democrat from Prince George's, to clarify language in the state's handgun carry law that Second Amendment advocates have long complained infringes on their rights. At issue is a requirement to show a "good and substantial reason" to carry a gun, a cornerstone of Maryland's law that forces applicants to establish a compelling need for the license. When the General Assembly passed the state's handgun carry law in 1972, giving state police discretion to award permits, it did not define what constitutes a good and substantial reason to carry a gun. As a result, state police have interpreted court decisions over the years to decide whether each applicant fits the criteria for a permit. "The state police are enforcing a law they can't define clearly," said Alston, a lawyer. "The fact they're using case law puts the ball back in our court. We need to go ahead and tackle the issue and get a definition." Almost annually, lawmakers file legislation aimed at repealing the good and substantial clause. Each has died in committee, including proposals filed in recent sessions by a former Harford County Democrat…

http://somd.com/news/headlines/2011/13236.shtml
--

Hearings Next Week for Ohio RKBA Bills: Both chambers of the Ohio General Assembly have scheduled hearings next week on pro-gun legislation supported by Buckeye Firearms Association… Both HB45 and SB17 contain the language from SB239 in the 128th General Assembly. The bills seek to allow citizens who hold a valid concealed handgun license (CHL) to carry a firearm in restaurants, and to reduce burdensome restrictions regarding how a license holder must transport a firearm in a car. Both HB54 and SB61 contain the language from SB247 in the 128th General Assembly. The bills seek to align Ohio law with federal statutes regarding the restoration of rights to Ohio firearms purchasers. Ken Hanson, Legislative Chair of Buckeye Firearms Association, said, "These bills addresses three important issues facing Ohio gun owners and concealed carry license holders and seek to align Ohio law with federal law and the laws of our surrounding states." …

http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/node/7654
--

Swiss Vote on RKBA Sunday: The Swiss are set to vote Sunday on a referendum that would limit the right to bear arms and upend centuries of tradition of civilians keeping military weapons at home in Europe's most gun-friendly nation. If approved, the referendum would force military reservists to store their government-issued weapons in secure public arsenals. It also would create a national registry for all guns and ban private ownership of weapons defined as highly dangerous, such as pump-action and fully automatic weapons. The issue clearly has touched a nerve and set off an emotionally charged debate over what it means to be Swiss… (If the above statement is accurate, the Swiss leftists regard a pump-action shotgun as more threatening than an autoloading one. Perhaps they base that on the fabled effect of the mere sound of racking the action. If you are unfamiliar wit how interwoven the RKBA is with Swiss identity, be sure to read this entire article.)

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/feb/10/arms-friendly-swiss-to-vote-on-gun-curbs/
--

Tangentially Related: Any discussion of who's likely to succeed outgoing Sen. Jon Kyl of Arizona needs to factor in the following: If Rep. Gabrielle Giffords wants the seat, it's hers. The three-term Democratic congresswoman explored the idea of running for the Senate seat in the event of Mr. Kyl's retirement before she was shot Jan. 8 at a constituent meet-and-greet in Tucson. Her rehabilitation from a gunshot wound to the head reportedly is proceeding faster than expected. Mr. Kyl announced Thursday that he would not seek a fourth term in 2012. If Ms. Giffords decides she's game for a Senate run and if her health permits, she would be virtually impossible to defeat, said Bruce Merrill, Arizona State University professor emeritus and longtime pollster… (This does not give me warm, fuzzy feelings. Despite Giffords' obligatory pose about being a good shot with her Glock 19, she holds a "D" rating from GOA. I'm unfamiliar with Merrill's "batting average" as a pollster and this appears to be a personal opinion, not the claimed result of a poll.)

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/feb/10/giffords-is-seen-as-shoo-in-for-kyls-seat/
--

02-10-11

2011-02-10T13:35:00.001-08:00

by permission from Stephen P. Wenger

http://www.spw-duf.info

comments in () by the same

From GOA: …The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is waging a war on innocent gun owners, and not surprisingly, the Obama administration has done nothing to keep them in check. You are no doubt aware of how the agency has been going after honest gun dealers in recent years. Combine that with byzantine federal laws and regulations – subject to BATF interpretation – and it's no wonder the number of FFL holders has decreased almost 80%… The agency also put millions of gun owners in its crosshairs when it reclassified shotguns that are equipped with pistol grips. By decreeing in 2009 that such firearms are not "shotguns," the ATF acted as a de facto legislative-making body... quietly turning millions of gun owners into potential criminals overnight… One Senator on Capitol Hill is looking into the agency's contemptible practices and asking pointed questions of ATF Acting Director Ken Melson… ACTION: Ask your Representative to urge the Chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee to hold hearings on the ATF. This agency needs to be on top of the Chairman's list of government abuses to investigate. You can use the Take Action feature below to send your Representative a pre-written message.

http://capwiz.com/gunowners/issues/alert/?alertid=26536771
--

DOJ Denies Gunwalker Allegations: The U.S. Justice Department denied a claim made to lawmakers that two guns sold in purchases sanctioned by federal firearms agents were later used in a shootout that left a Border Patrol agent dead near the Arizona-Mexico border. Assistant U.S. Attorney General Ronald Weich said in a letter obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press that the claim that agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives sanctioned or knowingly allowed the sale of assault weapons to straw buyers who then brought them to Mexico is false. Such a claim was made about guns used by bandits in the Dec. 14 fatal shooting of Border Patrol agent Brian A. Terry… Grassley, who was examining the claim received by his fellow Senate Judiciary Committee members, had previously said that he received information that appeared to partially corroborate the claim. Grassley spokeswoman Beth Pellett Levine said the Justice Department denied one aspect of allegations presented by whistleblowers and promised to give the senator a briefing. "However, the briefing has still not occurred, and documents provided with the allegations are not consistent with that denial," she said. "There are many specific questions that need to be answered in full by the Justice Department as soon as possible." …

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jPM9pJmJKqeODDsEAmM63_6YDvOg?docId=cabff60adfe4422b9bd95d1f3accda68

… If one were to ask Assistant Attorney General Ronald Weich how this was allowed to happen, he might respond as he did to Senator Grassley's inquiries: "At the outset, the allegation described in your January 27 letter-that ATF "sanctioned" or otherwise knowingly allowed the sale of assault weapons to a straw purchaser who then transported them into Mexico-is false." Further, Weich makes an accusation typical of the Obama Administration, wherein accusing the accuser is routine. "We also want to protect investigations and the law enforcement personnel who directly conduct them from inappropriate political influence. For this reason, we respectfully request that Committee staff not contact law enforcement personnel seeking information about pending criminal investigations." Assistant Attorney General Weich issued the denial and warning on February 4th, 2011 and raised the stakes in a high-level game of chicken with the Senate Judiciary Committee. Senator Grassley's response was quick and effective issuing this letter with attached corroboration of the charges…

http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2011/02/sen_grassley_time_for_atf_to_c.html

Senator Charles Grassley has written a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder dated February 9 concerning "serious allegations from ATF whistleblowers." Per Grassley: "ATF agents told my staff that the agency allowed the sale of assault rifles to known and suspected straw purchasers for an illegal trafficking ring near the southwest border. Authorities allegedly recovered two of those weapons at the scene of a firefight near the southwest border on December 14, 2010. Customs and Border Protection Agent Brian Terry lost his life in that firefight and may have been killed with one of those two rifles." … "Unfortunately," Grassley informs Holder, his request that ATF brief his staff has been met with little more than "delay and denial." Citing the Justice Department response to his inquiries denying allegations and requesting that his office not question law enforcement investigators, Grassley reconfirms to Holder "the allegations I received are supported by documentation," and reminds the Attorney General "there is a difference between inappropriate political influence and appropriately holding officials accountable to the American people." …

http://www.examiner.com/gun-rights-in-national/breaking-news-grassley-to-holder-terry-family-deserves-answers

What Can You Do?

http://www.examiner.com/gun-rights-in-national/congressional-research-service-can-be-used-to-expose-project-gunwalker
--

Another Look at the 90% Myth: … The remaining 22,800 firearms seized by Mexican authorities in 2008 were not traced for a variety of reasons. In addition to factors such as bureaucratic barriers and negligence, many of the weapons seized by Mexican authorities either do not bear serial numbers or have had their serial numbers altered or obliterated. It is also important to understand that the Mexican authorities simply don't bother to submit some classes of weapons to the ATF for tracing. Such weapons include firearms they identify as coming from their own military or police forces, or guns that they can trace back themselves as being sold through the Mexican Defense Department's Arms and Ammunition Marketing Division (UCAM). Likewise, they do not ask ATF to trace military ordnance from third countries like the South Korean fragmentation grenades commonly used in cartel attacks. Of course, some or even many of the 22,800 firearms the Mexicans did not submit to ATF for tracing may have originated in the United States. But according to the figures presented by the GAO, there is no evidence to support the assertion that 90 percent of the guns used by the Mexican cartels come from the United States – especially when not even 50 percent of those that were submitted for tracing were ultimately found to be of U.S. origin. This point leads us to consider the types of weapons being used by the Mexican cartels and where they come from…

http://www.stratfor.com/weekly/20110209-mexicos-gun-supply-and-90-percent-myth
--

It Sounds as Though…: The White House is pressing ahead with rules meant to slow the flow of weapons to Mexico, a high-ranking U.S. official said on Wednesday, despite fears among gun control advocates that the Obama administration may be backing away from the plan. In an attempt to curb gun running to Mexico, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said in December it would tighten reporting requirements for dealers in several southwest states on sales of multiple semi-automatic weapons… The ATF made an emergency request for the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve the new rules, which are opposed by the powerful gun lobby. The OMB concluded the request did not qualify for emergency consideration, which would have allowed it to approve the new rules in January, and it could be months before the OMB acts, he said… (While this sloppily written propaganda piece does detail the claim in its opening sentence, it sounds as though F Troop will gain the approval for the multiple-purchase report on long guns, just so long as they allow the normal 60-day period for public comments.)

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/02/09/us-usa-firearms-mexico-idUSTRE7187AV20110209
--

A New Poster Child for the Prohibitionists?: The fiancee of a congressional staffer killed along with five others in the shooting that severely injured Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., urged state lawmakers Tuesday to ban gun magazines that hold more than 10 rounds. Authorities said Jared Loughner, who is charged in last month's shootings near Tucson, used a high-capacity magazine to fire 31 shots in 15 seconds from a pistol he purchased legally… Rep. Steve Farley, D-Tucson, has authored House Bill 2711, which would reclassify magazines that can hold more than 10 rounds as prohibited weapons. As such, their manufacture, sale and possession would be a felony… Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, D-N.Y., and Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., have introduced similar bills in Congress… O'Brien, a nurse in the neurology unit at the Tucson Medical Center, had been engaged to Zimmerman, Giffords' community-outreach director, for six months. They planned to marry next year. She said that although she supports every American's right to bear arms, limiting ammunition magazines to 10 rounds would help prevent mass killings… (A British commentator recently opined that the prohibitionist movement in the US is suffering because James Brady is no longer able to make public appearances. Is O'Brien being set up as the new Brady? Oh yeah, full capacity magazines were not illegal under the old "assault weapon" ban. It was just illegal to sell new ones to private citizens; it was no crime to retain one you had already acquired legally nor even to sell or purchase one that was not marked as post-ban.)

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/2011/02/09/20110209slain-gabrielle-giffords-staff-.html
--

NRA's Next President: Two faces that are quite familiar to conservatives nationwide will be moving to some key positions. David Keene, chairman of the American Conservative Union since 1984, is leaving the helm of the nation's oldest conservative membership organization. Keene, who is also a vice president of the National Rifle Association, is expected to assume the presidency of the NRA once held by the late Charlton Heston… (I'm not convinced that an NRA president can make much difference beyond being a useful figurehead. LaPierre seems to have the bureaucracy well sewn up. In fact, unless someone can convince me otherwise, I don't believe one can get to be NRA president without the support of that bureaucracy.)

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=41701
--

Montana Could Upgrade FFA: Lawmakers in the state of Montana who initiated the idea of a Firearms Freedom Act to declare guns made, sold and kept in the state exempt from federal regulations now want to beef up the plan. They want penalties to apply to any "official, agent, or employee" of the federal government "who purposely or knowingly enforces a law, regulation, or order of the United States relating to a personal firearm, firearm accessory, or ammunition manufactured in this state." The idea follows closely the outline of a provision adopted by Wyoming when lawmakers there originally approved their own Firearms Freedom Act. WND reported when Wyoming included penalties for any agent of the U.S. who "enforces or attempts to enforce" federal gun rules on a "personal firearm." The costs there could be up to two years in prison and $2,000 in fines for an offender. Meanwhile, a number of additional states are considering during their 2011 legislative sessions the provisions of a firearms freedom act, and they could double the number of states with such laws…

http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=261893
--

"Common Sense" Infringements in Delaware: Gov. Jack Markell announced a package of bills Wednesday aimed at strengthening Delaware's gun laws. Calling the legislation "common-sense bills," Markell immediately drew criticism from gun-rights advocates as well as proponents of tighter controls. Markell outlined a slate of gun-control measures during his 2008 campaign, but these are the first bills he helped draft and recruit sponsors for. As he announced the proposed legislation, Markell was flanked by state and local police, Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden and several elected officials. The first-term governor insisted the bills will not affect responsible gun owners, saying he saw them as tweaks to existing laws…

http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20110210/NEWS02/102100356/1114/entertainment/Markell-announces-package-gun-bills?odyssey=nav|head
--

Life in California: A long-term list member just submitted this:

There are about 2,350,000 residents in Riverside County, Ca. and about 625 CCW permits. (0.03%). The County Board of Supervisors recently approved a resolution urging the sheriff to grant concealed firearms permits to law-abiding residents who cite "personal defense" as the reason for wanting one. Even though this resolution passed, it is my belief that "personal defense" is not being accepted by the Sheriff as a reason for issue. I was recently approved after first being denied in 2003. I was told then that my "Good Cause" statement (GC) was not sufficient to pass muster. I believe my 2003 statement was stronger than the one I submitted a few months back but now I know it contained "poison words." Sheriff Stan Sniff has clarified the GC necessary to convince the department that the issue is "warranted" and needed. He has eased (slightly) the "requirements" for obtaining a CCW permit. While an applicant must still comply with all the standard California "Objective" criteria, the GC statement has and still is the lone "Subjective" element…

While the rest of his summary does not included his own good-cause statement, if you are in Riverside County, I can forward to you what he did send or ask him if he is willing to be contacted directly.
--

Oops, Wrong Church: James McAbee, pastor at the Lighthouse Worship Center on West Cardinal Drive, was prepared to defend his church on Sunday when burglars targeted the building. McAbee said he had left church and was traveling on West Cardinal Drive toward U.S. 69 at about 2 p.m. when he saw a young man punching a window out of the church's youth building. The teenager was standing on another teen's back, who was down on all fours. The pastor dialed 9-1-1 as he circled back to the church and was told by a dispatcher that a squad car would arrive in five to 10 minutes, he said. McAbee said he was content to wait on authorities, until he heard items being thrown around inside the youth center, which was being renovated. Not wanting to see the church's progress go to waste, McAbee said he told the 9-1-1 operator that he was a concealed weapon permit holder and was going to tell the men to lie down until police arrived… (All's well that ends well but Texas is more lenient than most states regarding the use of deadly force in the protection of mere property. Had things gone worse, would the potential damage to the church been worth the cost of a legal defense at trial and the pastor's reputation in the community?)

http://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/crime/article/Pastor-nabs-two-burglary-suspects-at-his-church-1000219.php
--

Confronting Burglars: A 38-year-old man was fatally shot while trying to break into a car on the Northeastside, police said Monday. Donnell Dennis, who was homeless, was shot about 11:20 p.m. Sunday by the owner of a 2000 Chevrolet Suburban at 4057 Millersville Road, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department spokesman Kendale Adams said. Adams said Dennis was armed and ordered two men to the ground. Instead, they opened fire on Dennis. Only Dennis was hit in the exchange of gunfire. The men, identified in a police report as Aaron and Matthew Arnold, both of Indianapolis, have not been charged in the shooting, but the case has been handed to the Marion County prosecutor's office for review. ((Don't assume that just because you are armed the burglar you confront is not. Is it worth the risk?)

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2011102010352
--

Walmart Fires Four for Disarming Shoplifter: The shoplifter smashed Gabriel Stewart up against a wall. It didn't take him long to realize that pressure against his lower back was from a loaded gun held by a desperate man who didn't want to go to jail. The gunman had a firm grip on Stewart's shoulder, telling him and three of his Walmart co-workers, "Don't make me do this." …Instantly, Shawn Ray and Justin Richins kicked into gear, spinning the gunman around. Lori Poulsen ripped the gun away and secured it. They all held onto the man until police arrived minutes later. The four Layton [UT] Walmart employees felt it was mission accomplished. Police officers told them they had done everything right. But a week later, all four were fired from their jobs. Walmart said their actions had violated company policy and put their fellow workers and shoppers at risk… (I can see Walmart not wanting employees to risk escalation by confronting those known to be armed but this was a situation of an immediate and unexpected threat. Perhaps Walmart should simply stop using "loss-prevention officers.")

http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=148&sid=14319284
--

Oops, Wrong Trail – Some Background: A 15-year-old Cordova [TN] teen who was shot to death last Thursday was killed while participating in a robbery, investigators said Monday. Demario Burnett was found just after 3:30 p.m. Thursday, suffering from a gunshot wound, in front of a home in the 2600 block of Breezy Ridge Trail. Burnett was taken to Saint Francis-Bartlett, where he later died. Monday, police said Burnett was participating in a robbery at the time he was shot… After the case was reviewed by the MPD's Homicide Bureau, and presented to the Shelby County District Attorney's Office, it was determined that no charges would be filed in his death. According to police, 18-year-old Avian Jackson shot-and-killed Burnett. Investigators said Jackson agreed to buy a gun from Burnett for $130. But when they met up Thursday afternoon, Burnett put a gun to Jackson's head and robbed him. Jackson told investigators he pulled his own gun and squeezed of five shots, hitting Burnett three times - once in the right arm, once in the right side of his chest, and once in the right side of his back. He will not be charged with a crime, and has been released from jail, after police determined the shooting was "justifiable homicide." …

http://cordova.wmctv.com/news/people/teen-killed-shooting-was-participating-robbery/52013
--

Rule Four Reminder: He was on the hunt for pesky birds in the rafters. One landed on the floor. The plant manager allegedly got down, lay low, fired bird shot from a rifle but missed the bird. However, according to a River Falls [WI] police report and a criminal complaint, an employee was hit in the back of the head. A felony charge for injury by negligent handling of a dangerous weapon was filed against the 29-year-old plant manager of Best Maid Cookie in the River Falls industrial park… The victim is a 28-year-old Baldwin man who had just started working at Best Maid. He claimed he was about ready to toss some cookie dough into a bin when he felt something like a bee sting above his ear. He also claimed to extract a tiny piece of lead from his head. The alleged shooter, the plant manager, was unaware of what happened. He thought he'd just missed the stray bird and walked off. The injured employee said he remained at his post for almost another hour because he wasn't allowed to leave his cookie machine unattended… (Rule Four: Always be sure of your target and what's beyond it. It sounds as though this mishap occurred with a pellet gun.)

http://www.rivertowns.net/event/article/id/97645/publisher_ID/19
--

Ten Way Burglars Check if You're Home: Burglars prefer to break into a home when no one is at home. To determine whether the owners are home or not, burglars have come up with several tricks for finding empty homes to burglarize. If homeowners can eliminate some of these telltale signs of an empty house, they may decrease the chance of being burglarized when they are gone…

http://www.lewrockwell.com/rep2/burglar-tricks.html
--

Federal Recalls .45 ACP Ammo: Various products are affected: American Eagle® (AE45A, AE45N1, or AE45A250), Champion™ (WM5233), GoldMedal® (GM45B), Hi-Shok® (45C, 45D) and Federal® Personal Defense® (C45C, C45D). Affected lots are 38X628 through 38X765 and 38T401 through 38T414.

http://www.federalpremium.com/pdf/45_Auto_warning.pdf
--

Sabre Defense Indictments: A federal grand jury charged Nashville-based gun manufacturer Sabre Defence Industries and five company officers with illegal international arms trafficking. Sabre's largest customer was the U.S. military until the company shuttered operations late last year… In July 2004, Savage displayed his frustration with United States regulators in an e-mail to Hill and Shearon cited in the indictment: "This Iraq situation has companies banging on our door for M16s because we are the only supplier outside the U.S. since the State Department has a lump of granite up their asses with exporting machine guns to anywhere. … I'm not prepared to have bureaucrats in another country tell me how to run my business in the UK, which is incidentally their only reliable ally on the planet." Multiple subsequent e-mails cited in the indictment show company officials openly discussing skirting authorities…

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110209/NEWS03/102090366/2066/NEWS03/Nashville-gun-maker-Sabre-charged-illegal-arms-trafficking
--

But Why?: Gun Digest presents a video of the Taurus/Rossi Circuit Judge revolver carbine. I see no point is firing shot shotshells down a rifled bore and, if I wanted a carbine chambered in .45 Colt, would take a look at Rossi's replicas of the 1892 Winchester – with the caveat that they probably will require smoothing of the internal parts. As to the Winchester buck-and ball loads, I'd rather use a .45 Colt, out of a revolver or a carbine, or a 20-gauge shotgun. No mention is made of placing your ears closer to the barrel-cylinder gap. As H.L. Mencken observed, no one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people. If you want one as a toy, at least have the honesty to label it as such.

http://www.gundigest.com/firearm-gun-reviews/video-gun-review-rossi-circuit-judge
--

Arizona Gun Laws Debated: … Already some of the least restrictive in the nation, there are now moves to make it easier to carry guns into more places. Arizona State Sen. Steve Gallardo opposes many of the bills now before the legislature; he'll explain why. Also joining us Hildy Salzo, president of Arizonans for Gun Safety, and Alan Korwin, a national gun-law expert. We will take a look at a recent undercover investigation by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg into one Arizona gun show. Bloomberg would like sellers at such shows to do background checks on all potential buyers… (This video clip runs about 11½ minutes. In my opinion Korwin fails to point out that the majority of gun-show transactions involve licensed dealers and that a private citizen can lawfully sell a firearm without a background check at home or any other location in Arizona. I'm not that impressed with the argument for stricter enforcement of existing laws when there are so many bad ones on the books.)

http://www.azfamily.com/news/politics/politics-unplugged-arizona-gun-laws-115295064.html
--

--

02-07-11

2011-02-07T13:24:00.001-08:00

By permission from Stephen P. Wenger
comments in () by the same

http://www.spw-duf.info

Big Brother Gets No Respect: … If Obama has disappointed both sides so far, the tragedy in Tucson provides a possible pivot point. Senior White House aides have said the President will address the gun issue sometime soon, though they've declined to offer specifics on the timing and format. Equally unclear is what Obama wants to say – or what he thinks political considerations will permit him to. Riled by Obama's decision to duck the issue in his State of the Union address, gun-control advocates are urging aggression. "The President should stand up [on guns]," New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg told MSNBC's Rachel Maddow. "It's one of the issues he can build a legacy on." Two years of silence suggest Obama feels hemmed in by the zeal of the gun lobby, whose aversion to any Second Amendment limitations are widely thought to have backfired on Bill Clinton and Al Gore. On one side of the equation, it makes sense to draw on his growing store of political capital now, before the grisly scene outside the Tucson Safeway fades from public memory. On the other hand, the President may be skittish about taking a polarizing stand on guns as he's tacking to the center on a host of other domestic policy matters…

http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,2046592,00.html
--

How High Did Gunwalker Go?: A source who has been providing information that has consistently panned out in the ongoing "Project Gunwalker" investigation is claiming that Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice, Lanny Breuer, was party to the decision to overrule the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosive's representative to Mexico. Former attaché Darren Gil reportedly advocated informing the Mexican government of gun monitoring operations that resulted in "Project Gunwalker" allegations, and has since resigned his post, one sources say is now to be filled by current ATF Phoenix Field Division Special Agent in Charge William Newell… Was the alleged decision to not inform the Mexican government the beginning of a directed cover-up effort that resulted in the death of a Border Patrol agent? Will this be explored in the Senate investigation? And will they look at apparent disconnects between these allegations and what Breuer and colleagues told the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform in July of 2009? …

http://www.examiner.com/gun-rights-in-national/did-lanny-breuer-play-a-role-project-gunwalker
--

Legal Musings on U.S. v. Lopez: …On appeal before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, Lopez successfully argued that the GFSZA exceeded the scope of federal power. Specifically, Lopez argued, and the Fifth Circuit agreed, that this law could not be justified as a permissible exercise of Congress' power to "regulate commerce . . . among the several states." "The United States Constitution establishes a national government of limited and enumerated powers," the opinion began, followed by references to James Madison, The Federalist Papers, and the Tenth Amendment. The Fifth Circuit's opinion was something of a surprise. The Supreme Court had not rejected a federal law for exceeding the scope of the commerce clause in over fifty years, and it was generally assumed (particularly among legal academics) that Congress could do anything it wanted in the name or regulating commerce, so long as it did not intrude upon the Bill of Rights. As Bruce Ackerman explained in volume I of We the People: After the New Deal revolution, "[a] commitment to federalism . . . was no longer thought to require a constitutional strategy that restrained the national government to a limited number of enumerated powers over economic and social life." As a narrow majority of the Supreme Court had explained in Garcia v. San Antonio Metropolitan Transit Authority (1985), the remaining safeguards on federal power were "political," not judicial. As a consequence, federal judicial opinions invalidating federal statutes for exceeding the scope of federal power were few and far between… (The original version of the Gun Free Schools Zones Act was overturned in Lopez; the replacement version, with the verbiage, "moved in or otherwise affects interstate or international commerce" has yet to be challenged.

http://volokh.com/2011/02/06/was-the-fifth-circuit-wrong-in-lopez/
--

No Specific Mention of the Logical Response: …More than 1,800 pharmacy robberies have taken place nationally over the last three years, typically conducted by young men seeking opioid painkillers and other drugs to sell or feed their own addictions. The most common targets are oxycodone (the main ingredient in OxyContin), hydrocodone (the main ingredient in Vicodin) and Xanax. The robbers are brazen and desperate. In Rockland, Me., one wielded a machete as he leapt over a pharmacy counter to snatch the painkiller oxycodone, gulping some before he fled. In Satellite Beach, Fla., a robber threatened a pharmacist with a cordless drill last week, and in North Highlands, Calif., a holdup last summer led to a shootout that left a pharmacy worker dead… (That last sentence is the only mention in the entire article that suggests that a pharmacist or pharmacy technician may have been armed. Again we see a newspaper that cannot distinguish between theft and robbery. The latter involves the threat or use of force.)

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/07/us/07pharmacies.html?ref=us&pagewanted=all
--

Why the Gun Is Civilization: Human beings only have two ways to deal with one another: reason and force. If you want me to do something for you, you have a choice of either convincing me via argument, or force me to do your bidding under threat of force. Every human interaction falls into one of those two categories, without exception. Reason or force, that's it. In a truly moral and civilized society, people exclusively interact through persuasion. Force has no place as a valid method of social interaction, and the only thing that removes force from the menu is the personal firearm, as paradoxical as it may sound to some. When I carry a gun, you cannot deal with me by force. You have to use reason and try to persuade me, because I have a way to negate your threat or employment of force. The gun is the only personal weapon that puts a 100-pound woman on equal footing with a 220-pound mugger, a 75-year old retiree on equal footing with a 19-year old gangbanger, and a single gay guy on equal footing with a carload of drunk guys with baseball bats. The gun removes the disparity in physical strength, size, or numbers between a potential attacker and a defender…

http://jpfo.org/articles-assd02/marko.htm
--

Twelve States to Consider Campus Carry: Before the law allowed senior criminal justice major Sean Langan to drive, smoke or drink, he knew how to safely fire a gun. Langan grew up around guns; his father is a retired Secret Service officer who participated in competitive shooting during his career with the federal agency… While he recognizes that he is no expert on handling guns, Langan feels comfortable going to shooting ranges with friends and introducing them to the basics. But there is one place Langan knows he cannot have and does not want to have a gun: Towson University… In light of events such as 2007's Virginia Tech shootings and an attempted assassination of a United States representative on Jan. 8, lawmakers are pushing for legislation that would give students, faculty and staff the right to carry concealed handguns while on campus. Legislation to allow concealed carry on college campuses is pending in 12 states, including Texas, Virginia and Florida, according to Students for Concealed Carry on Campus… (And, if campus-carry legislation were to pass in Maryland – along with CCW reform – Langan would retain the right to remain defenseless on campus. If it was Langan who posed for that last photo, it would appear that his father did not teach him that the clip on that type of holster is supposed to go over the belt.)

http://www.thetowerlight.com/2011/02/twelve-states-aim-for-college-gun-rights/

… Currently, 30 states statutorily ban firearms on public college campuses. Of the remaining 20, 19 have no official stance on concealed weapons on campuses, instead allowing colleges to make their own decisions. The twentieth state, Utah, actually mandates that public colleges specifically give their students the right to carry a concealed handgun on campus. In December 2009, the student senate at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colo. passed a resolution in support of concealed carry on campus. Supporting students gave reasons such as self-defense, constitutional rights and research showing concealed carry makes people safer… The group Students for Concealed Carry on Campus (SCCC) describes itself as a grassroots organization started to support concealed carry efforts at colleges. The main goal of the group is to grant those individuals who already possess a license the right to carry concealed weapons on their respective college campuses. According to its website, the group boasts 42,000 members nationwide, and is composed of college students, professors, and college employees alike… (It's a shame that they can't find better photos to accompany these articles – if the guy in this one were really drawing a loaded firearm, he'd cross his non-gun hand with the muzzle.)

http://dailycollegian.com/2011/02/06/students-advocate-for-concealed-weapons-rights/
--

Discreet Carry in Maryland: Who has the right to carry a concealed weapon in Maryland? That's the question that has not only sparked a debate at the Statehouse in Annapolis but also among those who want to carry a concealed weapon for personal protection. Some believe that limiting the number of concealed carry permits reduces crime and gun violence while others believe it makes it worse… A "may-issue" jurisdiction, such as Maryland, requires people to have a permit to carry a concealed handgun and the granting of such permits is partially at the discretion of the local authorities. Only three states, Alaska, Arizona and Vermont, require no permit to carry a concealed handgun. The District of Columbia, Illinois and Wisconsin do not allow concealed carry permits. Del. Michael Smigiel, R-District 36, said he doesn't think Maryland's concealed carry regulations are either right or constitutional. Smigiel introduced a bill in the House of Delegates that would make concealed carry permits issued by Delaware, Pennsylvania or Virginia valid in Maryland. The surrounding states do not have a reciprocity agreement with Maryland permit holders. Smigiel said allowing people out-of-state to carry in Maryland will give Marylanders the opportunity to get concealed carry permits in the surrounding states. After the legislation was introduced Jan. 12, the bill was sent to the House Judiciary Committee, where it was debated for more than three hours during a public hearing. The bill remains in committee…

http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/news/local/state-laws-on-handgun-permits-spark-debate-among-legislature-residents/article_785af6ca-318f-11e0-8592-001cc4c03286.html
--

Discreet Carry in South Carolina: Concealed weapons permit instructors are seeing higher enrollment in their courses following the assault of a downtown merchant. Walter "Rusty" Peagler is the chief weapons instructor for Patriots In Training, a course designed to teach gun owners how to properly use their weapon. "We talk about eliminating a threat, or stopping a threat. That's what we are trying to do first and foremost," Peagler explained. The 8-hour concealed weapons permit training course he taught on Saturday reached full enrollment. The same is true for the next CWP course he will teach. "I don't ever want to be in a situation where I'm vulnerable and can't protect myself," Carolyn Atkinson said. She is a real-estate agent and felt compelled to get a CWP when working late with potentially dangerous clients. "If I'm going into a property and showing a house and I get into a situation, and having a concealed weapon, then I can protect myself." Peagler said interest in for his CWP course soared after Hartsville police found a store owner assaulted, robbed and left in her store after assailants set it on fire last month…

http://www.wmbfnews.com/story/13977633/cwp-enrollment-up-in-hartsville

One had a concealed weapon permit. The other kept a gun in his tow truck. A Christmas Eve argument between the two men – over an apparent parking violation in a Bluffton neighborhood – left Carlos Olivera dead from gunshot wounds and Preston Oates arrested and charged in his death. The incident could be a case study in South Carolina laws that govern firearms and the use of lethal force. Oates, a 27-year-old tow-truck driver, fatally shot Olivera, 34, on Dec. 24 after the two men argued over a parking boot Oates placed on Olivera's minivan, which was parked on Live Oak Walk in the Edgefield neighborhood… Both Olivera and Oates had Glock .40-caliber pistols on them or nearby on the night Olivera was fatally wounded, Beaufort County Sheriff P.J. Tanner has said. Olivera's family members have said Olivera was shot execution-style while he had his back to Oates. Olivera was shot six times – four times in the back, once in the arm and once in the head – according to the 14th Circuit Court Solicitor's Office. Olivera had a valid concealed weapon permit but never fired his gun, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office. Witnesses said Olivera did not point his gun at Oates, but Nelson Olivera, the victim's brother, told investigators that Carlos Olivera removed the gun tucked in his waistband, showed it to Oates and put it back, Beaufort County Staff Sgt. Angela Viens said during a pre-trial hearing… (This appears to have been a fatal lesson in how not to use a firearm in a dispute.)

http://www.islandpacket.com/2011/02/06/1538278/shooting-raises-questions-on-concealed.html
--

Discreet Carry in Ohio: Nearly 200,000 Ohioans have been issued a license to carry a concealed handgun since the state's concealed carry law took effect in April 2004. Here in Lorain County, since 2004, a total of 5,416 concealed carry licenses have been issued. In 2010 alone, the Lorain County Sheriff's Office issued 852 new licenses, according to data provided by the Attorney General's Office and Sgt. Diana Nicholl. In 2009, 798 licenses were issued. The number of new applicants has grown annually since 2006. Neighboring Huron County issued 234 licenses in 2009, and Erie County's sheriff issued 1,058… When the law first went into effect, opponents argued there would be more crime and weapons assaults. That has largely proven to not be the case, Lorain County Sheriff Phil Stammitti said… Sigsworth said Erie County hasn't had any major problems either… The growth of concealed carry in Ohio reflects a widespread acceptance in most parts of the nation since 1987 when Florida opened the door to concealed carry… (The last statement is inaccurate. While the majority of states followed Florida's lead in switching to shall-issue of permits valid statewide, prior to the 1987 reform, there were already eight shall-issue states and another 26 that issued or denied under arbitrary-denial statutes. This does not count Vermont, which has never required a permit to carry.)

http://morningjournal.com/articles/2011/02/06/news/doc4d4e19b7cc90d005529107.txt
--

Discreet Carry in Michigan: Last year, on average, on every business day at least one person applied for or renewed their permit to carry a concealed pistol in Wexford County. According to county clerk Elaine Richardson, 296 people either applied for a new permit or sought a five-year renewal in 2010. Such statistics show more than a handful of individuals want to be discreetly armed in public. If one Michigan lawmaker's proposal catches on, prohibitions could be lifted on where permit holders can't carry. With a permit, a gun owner may carry a concealed pistol in public, with a few exceptions: schools, places of worship, hospitals, arenas and bars. But those restrictions will cease to exist if lawmakers approve Senate Bill 58, which has been introduced by State Sen. Mike Green (R-Mayville). Citizens would still need the permit to carry a concealed firearm. An accompanying bill, Senate Bill 59, would eliminate county gun boards and turn licensing duties over the Secretary of State… (Note the use of the word "discreetly.)

http://www.cadillacnews.com/news_story/?story_id=1791327&year=2011&issue=20110207
--

Meanwhile, in Colorado…: Republican lawmakers are pushing a bill that would allow a "law-abiding person" to carry a concealed weapon without a permit in Colorado, including at universities. Written in partnership with pro-gun group Rocky Mountain Gun Owners, House Bill 1205 is being sponsored by freshman Rep. Chris Holbert, R-Parker. It would make it optional to carry a concealed-carry permit. The bill comes as pro-gun advocates have filed a lawsuit seeking to allow concealed weapons at the University of Colorado. The Colorado Court of Appeals in April 2010 reversed an earlier ruling by El Paso County District Judge David Miller who dismissed a lawsuit filed in 2008 by Students for Concealed Carry on Campus seeking to overturn the University of Colorado's gun ban. Gun control advocates are now asking the Colorado Supreme Court to dismiss the case altogether, thereby upholding the university's ban. It is possible, however, that before the Supreme Court rules on the case, HB 1205 could become law, which would permit concealed weapons without a permit in Colorado, including at colleges and universities. The same prohibited locations for concealed carry, such as public grade schools, would apply…

http://www.thedenverdailynews.com/article.php?aID=11579
--

And in Arizona…: The total number of outstanding CWP's is 161, 342, a gain of only six from last month. This is undoubtedly a reflection of the fact that a permit is no longer required to carry discreetly in most venues in the state, resulting in a drop in the rate of applications, coupled with some natural attrition. In the meantime, with the exception of the notorious incident in Tucson, violent crime appears to be declining. While the decline is not doubt attributable to several factors, it certainly belies the blood-in-the-streets predictions we heard from several quarters when the bill was passed.

http://www.azdps.gov/Services/Concealed_Weapons/Statistics/
--

Oh, the Noise, the Noise!: Conservationists, shooters, tribes and government agencies are applying pressure on the state commission that wants a shooting range 1 mile southeast of Walnut Canyon National Monument. Some would like the shooting range relocated to a site an hour from central Flagstaff. But so far, Arizona Game and Fish says it plans to proceed with building and opening the shooting range by 2013 at the latest. The proponents say the state's purchase of Foster Ranch ends a difficult 15-year search for a shooting range in northern Arizona. Giving shooters this option, they say, could improve hunter safety training and reduce the number of trashed shooting sites in national forests here. Those opposed say the shooting area would degrade the peace and quiet for Walnut Canyon's 117,000 annual visitors in a monument that's also historically important to 11 tribes…

http://www.azdailysun.com/news/local/article_03e3c1fc-e3e5-577d-93c9-742c1056a5bf.html

…Two modern-day Hopi clans, the Bluebird and Bearstrap clans, say Walnut Canyon is their ancestors' home. "...Hopi traditional practitioners regularly provide offerings and prayers at Walnut Canyon, and the sound of gunshots is incompatible with the natural sounds, including the wind and water required for our prayers," the chairman of the Hopi tribe wrote to state and federal agencies… Kenny Bowekaty is a member of the Pueblo of Zuni Tribe of New Mexico and Arizona, which sees Walnut Canyon as a sacred area. "With Zuni culture, there really are no boundaries to sacred areas, so one place is linked to another," Bowekaty said. Walnut Canyon is a place in Zuni prayers and pilgrimages to collect medicine. Bowekaty is opposed to a shooting range nearby… (I don't recall the Sun being this sympathetic to Native American objections to snowmaking at the nearby Arizona Snowbowl, the largest ski resort in the state.)

http://www.azdailysun.com/news/local/article_3f3242a4-99f1-5efd-9efd-8bfc2b3ca739.html

A majority of the Flagstaff City Council is now on record with serious concerns about a shooting range near Walnut Canyon National Monument. The council voted 6 to 1 last week to draft a nonbinding resolution regarding a shooting range on the 160-acre Foster Ranch site near Walnut Canyon. The resolution will urge the Arizona Game and Fish Department to work with neighboring property owners to mitigate noise pollution and traffic issues. The resolution is expected to further state the council's support for a shooting range in northern Arizona – just not near Walnut Canyon… (No proposed range site is within Flagstaff city limits – why does the Flagstaff City Council get a say? I don't recall the Flagstaff City Council taking a stance against the use of reclaimed water for snowmaking at the Snowbowl.)

http://www.azdailysun.com/news/local/article_f363e680-89d3-5653-9f40-b7bb6468938e.html
--

Gander Mountain to Offer High-Tech Training: Gander Mountain announced a pioneering development in the firearms industry with this week's opening of the first Gander Mtn. Academy™ in Lake Mary, FL. Gander Mtn. Academy is the first civilian training facility to offer highly skilled instructors, a variety of comprehensive courses, modern multi-media classrooms, a live-fire range, and exclusive virtual simulation technology previously available only to military and law enforcement agencies, including the amazing V-Range™ - the world's most accurate simulated firing range, and high-definition, multi-screen, virtual simulators that put students to the test in real-world self-defense and recreational scenarios… Each Gander Mtn. Academy is a unique destination experience designed to set new standards for those looking to develop and improve their firearms safety and proficiency – from the novice to the advanced enthusiast, and all in a safety-first, family friendly environment… (Interactive simulators are great training aids, so long as they're programmed to teach the right lessons.)

http://pr-usa.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=614380&Itemid=28
--

Tangentially Related: The Huffington Post, which began in 2005 with a meager $1 million investment and has grown into one of the most heavily visited news Web sites in the country, is being acquired by AOL in a deal that creates an unlikely pairing of two online media giants… Arianna Huffington, the cable talk show pundit, author and doyenne of the political left, will take control of all of AOL's editorial content as president and editor in chief of a newly created Huffington Post Media Group. The arrangement will give her oversight not only of AOL's national, local and financial news operations, but also of the company's other media enterprises like MapQuest and Moviefone…

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/07/business/media/07aol.html?_r=1&src=busln

…The price that AOL is paying is "really just the hiring fee to get Arianna," technology analyst Rob Enderle said. "This is one of those out-of-left-field moves that actually makes a lot of sense. This could put AOL back on the map." …

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/feb/7/aol-buying-huffington-post-315m/

U.S. Rep. Jane Harman (D-Venice), a leading congressional voice on anti-terrorism issues, plans to resign from Congress to head up the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, a senior congressional source confirmed Monday, setting up a special election to choose her successor in a coastal district that stretches from Venice into the South Bay. She is expected to leave her seat soon to succeed former Rep. Lee Hamilton as head of the Washington-based think tank, though no date was immediately announced. Her departure comes after her Democratic party lost control of the House, and it creates a rare open congressional seat in the Los Angeles area… (Harman holds an "F" rating from NRA and an "F-" from GOA. Woodrow Wilson was a major leader of the Progressive Movement.)

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-jane-harman-congress-20110207,0,2276609.story

Criminals are being successfully prosecuted for up to 40 offences before they are sent to prison thanks to Scotland's "soft touch" justice system, Labour's Holyrood leader has said. Iain Gray produced figures at First Minister's Questions showing six offenders were sentenced to their first jail sentence last year despite having between 31 and 40 previous convictions. Thousands more were only given their first prison sentence after committing up to 30 crimes, according to the official statistics, which were obtained under the Freedom of Information Act. Mr Gray warned the situation will only get worse as Alex Salmond's SNP administration has introduced new laws creating a presumption against judges imposing jail sentences of less than three months. Under the reforms, criminals will instead be forced to carry out community service but the Labour leader said four out of ten of offenders handed this punishment do not complete it… (In other words, the slap-on-the-wrist approach allows criminals to continue preying on their victims.)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/scotland/8304342/Scottish-criminals-only-jailed-after-40-convictions.html

--  http://www.spw-duf.info

02-02-11

2011-02-02T13:21:00.001-08:00

by permission from: Stephen P. Wenger
comments in () by the same

http://www.spw-duf.info

From GOA: Things are happening fast and furiously in connection with our efforts to destroy the anti-gun ObamaCare law. This law would allow the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE) to troll a national medical database in order to impose gun bans on persons with ailments such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). For this reason, GOA has been working with Congress to ensure that this abomination is not just "tweaked," but totally repealed… In a massive blow to the Obama administration's socialist anti-gun agenda, Florida federal district judge Roger Vinson held on Monday that ObamaCare was unconstitutional and "non-severable." This means that, if the decision is upheld, the entire law goes into the trash bin. The Obama administration will appeal Judge Vinson's decision to the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta – one of the more conservative circuits. Ultimately, the case is expected to be decided by the Supreme Court… ACTION: Contact your two senators. Urge them to support the ObamaCare repeal amendment to the FAA bill and oppose the Schumer "Swiss cheese" amendments. You can use the Take Action feature below to send your senators a pre-written message.

http://capwiz.com/gunowners/issues/alert/?alertid=25240501
--

Senate May Sneak In Magazine Ban: I just got word that there may be an attempt to slip a magazine ban similar to the one proposed by anti-gun Congresswoman Caroline McCarthy into a normally benign Federal Aviation Administration bill using an amendment in the U.S. Senate. They can't really "sneak" it on without a vote on the amendment and therein lies our defense against it. I contacted Virginia Senator Warner's and Senator Webb's office and they confirmed that they have gotten phone calls on this issue this morning from concerned constituents. They say nothing is on the docket for today and they can't yet confirm the validity of the rumor, but they are working on doing so…

http://www.ammoland.com/2011/02/02/senate-sneaking-in-federal-magazine-gun-ban/
--

Project Gunwalker Gets National Attention: Two AK-47 assault rifles purchased by a man later arrested in a federal gunrunning investigation turned up at the scene of a fatal shooting of a Border Patrol agent in December, according to sources familiar with the investigation. Whistleblowers who have contacted a U.S. senator allege that federal agents allowed guns, including the AK-47s, to be sold to suspected straw buyers who transported the weapons throughout the region and into Mexico. Law enforcement investigators have not concluded whether either of the guns was used to kill Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry, said a law enforcement source who requested anonymity because the case is ongoing… The AK-47s have become part of a multi-agency federal investigation code-named Fast and Furious, part of a southwest border crackdown on firearms known as Project Gunrunner. The agent's death led one member of Congress to criticize Project Gunrunner and has also roiled officials at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives who are fighting to save funding for the program…

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/01/AR2011020106366.html?hpid=topnews
http://www.examiner.com/gun-rights-in-national/media-begins-noticing-project-gunwalker
--

Non Sequitur to the Rescue!: In an op-ed delivered to Politico today, Rep. Jane Harman (D-CA and a senior member of the Homeland Security Committee) makes the case that despite Tucson shooter Jared Loughner being "a lone gunman who had lost all sense of reality" and "had no connection to the recent spate of Al Qaeda materials available on the Internet" we should enact gun control because of the Al Qaeda materials on the internet that Loughner could have accessed. Or something. It's really hard to tell with all the contradictions and non sequiturs. Harman starts her scary rant by bringing up a book that Al Qaeda put on the internet detailing how to make bombs with common items from a market "all in the comfort of one's home." She goes on to infer that people who are "mentally disturbed and alienated" might make get hold of these materials. Harman warns that the publisher of this book also made another edition "highlighting Washington, D.C., as a high-value target" which I'm sure is something that potential terrorists couldn't figure out on their own…

http://washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/2011/02/rep-jane-harman-posits-link-between-al-qaeda-jared-loughner-musli
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0211/48602.html
--

Arizona Responds to Bloomberg Meddling: Reacting to an undercover probe of a Phoenix gun show, where New York City-hired investigators bought semiautomatic pistols even after indicating they probably could not pass a background check, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer Tuesday told Fox News it must mean that Mayor Michael Bloomberg has solved all of his city's problems… "Well, I find it interesting that he's out here in Arizona solving our problems. I guess he believes that he has solved all the problems in New York," Brewer told Greta Van Susteren. "It has been a fascinating story, but we are a big Second Amendment state." … Brewer noted that gun sellers in Arizona have the responsibility not to sell guns to anyone they suspect cannot pass a background check. "It is a state felony and a federal felony," she said. "So those laws need to be enforced." Van Susteren wryly asked Brewer whether she intended to send investigators to New York to investigate anything. "Actually, no. I'll let him take care of his" city she said. "And I'll be taking care of Arizona."

http://www.newsmax.com/InsideCover/Brewer-Bloomberg-Probe-ImpliesNYC/2011/02/02/id/384704

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg overstepped his power in authorizing investigators to run an undercover sting operation at a Phoenix gun show, Arizona's attorney general said Tuesday. Bloomberg's office didn't bother to give Arizona police any advanced notice of the plan, Attorney General Tom Horne said. "The fact that no such notification was made indicates this so-called sting is nothing less than a public relations stunt," Horne said. During the sting disclosed Monday by Bloomberg, investigators hired by New York City bought semiautomatic pistols after they said they probably couldn't pass a background check. Bloomberg has authorized similar stings around the country as part of a push for tougher federal laws to help keep guns off the streets of New York. Horne said Bloomberg ought to consider the skyrocketing crime in his city before sending police officers to another state. He cited the latest FBI crime statistics that show robberies, rapes, aggravated assaults and murders increased in New York City in 2010, compared to the previous year… (From information from other sources, it appears that Bloomberg hired Arizona private investigators this time, to avoid possible charges over truly illegal purchases of handguns by non-residents.)

http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/39e0ae9ee3044247bc4e2c5e627486a5/US--Bloomberg_Gun_Control/

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is grumbling about Mayor Bloomberg's undercover sting. He says his office wasn't notified about the operation – and he's taking aim at Bloomberg via Twitter. Arpaio tweeted about sending deputies to New York City to check out their gun and immigration laws. He also called out Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon. "Where's the coordination with this mayor flooding this area with investigators, paid by him or the City Council in New York?" Arpaio told FOX 10. "I wonder if he got in touch with his buddy here the Mayor of Phoenix… I'll be glad to send my volunteer posse or my people into New York to determine his problems that he has, so why is he worried about Arizona? We have good weapon laws; every citizen has the right to possess guns, so why is he concerned about it?" …

http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/dpp/news/politics/sheriff-joe-vs-mayor-bloomberg-2-1-2011
--

Florida County Yields to State Preemption, for Now: Palm Beach County Commissioner Burt Aaronson Tuesday gave up his push for a local ban on the sale of high-capacity ammunition magazines, like those used in last month's Tucson shooting. Aaronson just four days earlier had called for a local ban as well as a state law forbidding the sale of the high-capacity magazines that can hold more than 10 bullets. But after objections from the National Rifle Association, county attorneys determined that state law prevents counties from approving such a ban. Aaronson now plans to focus on supporting a state ban on the sale of the expanded ammunition magazines, which allow firing more than 30 bullets without reloading. On Tuesday, Aaronson and his fellow commissioners agreed to consider supporting a county resolution calling for state legislators to ban the sale of the high-capacity ammunition magazines. "We are going to try to save lives, if Tallahassee helps us," Aaronson said. Aaronson said he is hoping to get support from the Florida Association of Counties to get similar resolutions from across the state to help convince the Legislature to approve a ban… (Surely criminals and the insane will obey such a law, once they have decided to commit murder.)

http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/palm/blog/2011/02/
--

Iowa Gunners Oppose Carry Ban: Law-abiding citizens with permits shouldn't be restricted in their ability to carry concealed weapons. This was the argument from a handful of concealed permit carriers to the Webster County Board of Supervisors during a Tuesday morning discussion. The board is considering a weapon-free zone resolution that would pertain to county owned buildings and property. Allison McBride, of Fort Dodge, who has a permit to carry a concealed weapon, said it the state not local governments that has the power to regulate weapons. "The proposal to pass resolution to ban firearms in government facilities was initiated when Attorney General Tom Miller wrote a letter to all county attorneys suggesting they do so," McBride said. "House Study Bill 19 introduced into legislation last week to make it clear that the state not local government regulates guns and ammunition. Putting up a sign banning guns would be giving employees a false sense of security. No criminal will be thwarted by a sign, and permit holders are not criminals." …

http://www.messengernews.net/page/content.detail/id/536388/Permit-holders-speak-with-Webster-Co--sups.html?nav=5010
--

Controversial Case in New Hampshire: A New Hampshire farmer who became a folk hero to gun rights activists after he was imprisoned for brandishing a handgun at a trespasser on his property won early release Wednesday. The New Hampshire Executive Council voted unanimously to free Ward Bird, just two months into his three-year sentence. Bird, 49, of Moultonborough, had sought a full pardon to clear his name. The council voted in his favor, but Gov. John Lynch vetoed the pardon. They then immediately voted to commute his sentence, and Lynch let that vote stand. Bird's felony conviction for criminal threatening with a firearm remains on his record. He can no longer possess guns… Bird's case has become a cause celebre since he was sent to prison Nov. 17, much to the discomfort of the farmer and scout leader whose 18-year-old daugther saw him wearing a suit for the first time at Tuesday's hearing…

http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/116/2011/february/01/nh-farmer-is-folk-hero-for-gun-rights-advocates.html

… Bird's supporters say his defense was not legally able to challenge the credibility of the trespasser, Christine Harris, who some say has a troubled history. However, more information on Harris will be allowed to be put into the record on his behalf today at a hearing before Governor John Lynch and the Executive Council on his petition for a pardon or commutation. Bird's lawyer and his supporters say they will make witnesses available – including Harris's former landlord and a parole officer. The parole officer has said "she wouldn't know the truth if it ran over her in a truck." Harris did not return calls left with her lawyer…

http://www.boston.com/news/local/new_hampshire/articles/2011/02/01/jailed_farmer_can_challenge_accusers_credibility_in_gun_case/
--

Lead in Ammo – The Fight's Not Over: On the rare occasion when federal bureaucrats waver in their commitment to expanding their own regulatory power, environmental extremists can always be counted on to look for a sympathetic judge to expand it for them. The latest clever scheme would undermine the right of Americans to hunt and fish, using the judicial branch to implement policies too hot for regulators or lawmakers to touch. Congress needs to step in and disarm this assault on traditional sporting activities. The California-based Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) fired the first shot in August when it asked the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to ban lead in ammunition and fishing tackle. The EPA quickly rejected the petition, saying it lacked legal authority to impose a ban on ammo. The agency followed up in November with an announcement that a prohibition on lead in fishing tackle was unnecessary. Like clockwork, the CBD and a group of federal, state and local bureaucrats marched into federal district court hoping that a favorable ruling would force the EPA to ban inexpensive, reliable bullets and angling gear…

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/feb/1/shot-in-the-dark-at-lead-ammo/

Tangentially Related: Last week brought the latest installment in the environmentalists' "how can we fool 'em next" series of scares. You've heard them: global cooling, the population bomb, DDT, global warming, energy security, global weirding, ocean garbage patches, etc. Last week, Politico reported the latest environoia memo: death by greenhouse gases. "That's what makes people sit up and pay attention," said Frank O'Donnell, president of the environmental group Clean Air Watch. "If you're talking about more environmental impacts broadly, it does not pack the same punch as saying, 'This polluter might hurt your grandmother.' " It's a unified effort, with eco-regulators trying to pre-empt House Republican scrutiny of their job-killing rules and policies…

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/feb/1/environmental-regulation-and-death/
--

Oregon RKBA Bills: The Oregon Firearms Federation has posted a listing and description of bills scheduled for hearing one week from today.

http://oregonfirearms.org/alertspage/2011/02.01.11alert.html
--

"The Only One" Appeals: A federal agent who accidentally shot himself during a videotaped drug education presentation in Florida is pressing forward with his suit against the government, urging a federal appeals court to find the public disclosure of the video marked an invasion of privacy. The plaintiff, Lee Paige, wants the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to overturn a ruling in December that terminated the suit. Paige said in the complaint [.pdf], filed in Washington's federal trial court in April 2006, that the disclosure of the video harmed his reputation. The court picked up the appeal earlier this week. Paige, a former professional football athlete and undercover narcotics agent, was stationed in the Drug Enforcement Agency's Orlando office at the time of the shooting. The incident happened in April 2004 at a community center in front of 50 children and their parents. At the time, Paige, who regularly delivered motivational speeches, was talking about gun safety. "I am the only one in the room professional enough, that I know of, to carry this Glock 40," said Paige, who then, almost immediately after, accidentally shot himself in the leg. A person in the room videotaped the presentation and captured the shooting… (Paige is the source of the term "only ones," used in reference to the perception in some quarters that only police and military personnel are qualified to own and carry firearms. He appears to be as big a bumbler in the legal arena as he is as a firearm-safety instructor.)

http://legaltimes.typepad.com/blt/2011/02/dea-agent-pushes-privacy-claim-in-appeals-court.html
--

Oops, Wrong Store: Police continue to investigate a shooting at a convenience store, where a clerk turned the tables on a robber. Louisville [KY] Police said a clerk at a Food Mart shot an armed robber around 8:30 Wednesday morning. The robber then dropped his gun and took off in a car. Police say the suspect ended up at another convenience store and was taken to the hospital. We're told the suspect's injuries are not life threatening.

http://www.wkyt.com/news/headlines/Convenience_store_clerk_shoots_robber_114209949.html?ref=949
--

A Retrospective Look at Chicago Politics: … Unfortunately, I know first hand more than I would like about Chicago politics. A decade ago, I was working at the University of Chicago Law School as an Olin Fellow, doing research and some teaching, when I happened to cross paths with Mayor Richard Daley. As he is now about to retire from office, it is time for the facts to come out. As the author of the book "More Guns, Less Crime" and someone living and working on Daley's home turf in Chicago, I was not one of his favorite people. Daley has long been one of the nation's strongest gun control proponents, and his behavior has sometimes bordered on the irrational. This past spring he attacked a reporter who asked: "since guns are readily available in Chicago even with a ban in place, do you really think it's been effective?" Daley shouted in front of stunned reporters: "Oh, it's been very effective. If I put this up your butt, you'll find out how effective it is." The University of Chicago is one of the nation's top private universities, and, despite its name, it does not have any formal links with the city of Chicago or any other government entity. Yet, one day, I was suddenly faced with immediate removal from my position at the university. What had happened? …

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2011/02/01/scary-encounter-chicagos-mayor-richard-daley/
--

Army to Replace M4?: For the first time in almost 50 years, the U.S. Army wants to replace the standard rifle shouldered by hundreds of thousands of frontline troops around the world. The service this week advertised its interest in a new weapon that would incorporate futuristic sights and other advances in rifle design and be able to handle improved ammunition. The gun would potentially supplant the M4 carbine, a shorter-barrel version of the M16, the Army's main infantry weapon for decades… Col. Doug Tamilio, the service's project manager for soldier weapons, said in a statement the Army sought to find "the most effective, accurate, and reliable" weapon for its soldiers. "We're challenging industry to develop the next-generation carbine and we're looking forward to the results." An "industry day" for small-arms manufacturers is planned for March 30. The Army said it would pick a winner after two years of rigorous evaluation. Gerald Dinkel, the president and CEO of Colt Defense LLC, said the Army has "held out the M4 as a high standard, and somebody is going have to come out and really beat it." …

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704124504576118550237336920.html?mod=ITP_pageone_1
--

When Guns Are Outlawed…: Gorkha soldiers have long been known the world over for their valor and these khukuri-wielding warriors winning the British many a battle have become folklore. A retired Indian Gorkha soldier recently revisited those glory days when he thwarted 40 robbers, killing three of them and injuring eight others, with his khukuri during a train journey. He is in line to receive three gallantry awards from the Indian government. Slave girl Morgiana in the Arabian Nights used her cunning to finish off Ali Baba´s 40 thieves, but Bishnu Shrestha of Baidam, Pokhara-6 did not have time to plot against the 40 train robbers. He, however, made good use of his khukuri to save the chastity of a girl and hundreds of thousands in loot. Shrestha, who was in the Maurya Express to Gorakhpur from Ranchi on September 2 while returning home following voluntary retirement from the Indian army – saved the girl who was going to be raped by the robbers in front of her hapless parents, and in doing so won plaudits from everybody… During the scuffle he received serious blade injury to his left hand while the girl also had a minor cut on her neck. "They had carried out their robbery with swords, blades and pistols. The pistols may have been fake as they didn't open fire," he surmised… (When khukhris – as it is more commonly spelled – go into action, it is not that rare for the wielder to slash his own non-knife hand.)

http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=27100

01-27-11

2011-01-27T13:29:00.001-08:00

by permission from Stephen P. Wenger

comments in () by the same

http://www.spw-duf.info

BOHICA: Staffers from the House Judiciary Committee will meet with Obama administration officials Thursday to examine the effectiveness of federal laws designed to keep guns out of the hands of the mentally ill, according to a Republican aide with the panel. The closed-door gathering will focus on whether a federal system of background checks is working to block gun sales to the mentally ill and others barred from owning firearms, the aide said Tuesday. Staffers from both parties will attend, as well as officials from the FBI and possibly the Justice Department, the aide added… Staff at Thursday's meeting will consider whether the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) is effective. The system is an FBI-run database created by the 1993 Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act – a law named after former President Reagan's press secretary, James Brady, who was seriously injured during the 1981 assassination attempt on Reagan… Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), a staunch Second Amendment defender, has also indicated recently that there might be room for Congress to bolster efforts to keep guns away from the mentally ill…

http://thehill.com/homenews/house/140411-house-judiciary-republicans-to-examine-background-check-system-for-gun-sales?page=1
--

John Kerry, Hunter: In the aftermath of the Arizona shooting rampage, Senator John F. Kerry said yesterday that he was cosponsoring legislation that would ban the possession or sale of high-capacity magazines, and close what he called a loophole that allows criminals to buy weapons at gun shows without a background check. The action by Kerry puts the state's senior senator and his Republican counterpart, Senator Scott Brown, at odds over reinstating parts of the federal assault weapons ban that was allowed to sunset in 2004… "As a lifelong hunter, I know that no one is going to mess with the constitutional right to bear arms, but rights come with responsibilities, and criminals and the mentally unstable do not have a right to avoid background checks or carry military style assault weapons," Kerry said. "There is no legitimate reason not to close a loophole that allows criminals to get a gun with no background check or to allow dangerous individuals access to military style assault weapons." …

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2011/01/26/kerry_signs_on_to_gun_legislation/
--

F Troop "Bewildered and Keenly Disappointed": The White House, facing fierce criticism from the gun lobby, has delayed approval of a proposed rule that federal law enforcement officials say could help them stanch the flow of U.S. assault rifles and other high-powered weapons to Mexico's drug cartels. The proposed rule, announced by Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms acting director Kenneth Melson on Dec. 20, would require U.S. firearms dealers in four southwest border states to report multiple sales of long guns, such as semi-automatic assault rifles which are frequently purchased by so-called "straw buyers" for the cartels. Melson had said he expected the proposed "emergency rule" would receive approval in early January 2011. But the announced deadline date for White House approval, Jan. 5, has come and gone, leaving ATF officials bewildered and keenly disappointed. Some officials had expressed hopes that President Barack Obama might even address the issue during his State of the Union speech Tuesday night as a positive step the administration was taking to address the issue of gun violence…

http://openchannel.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/01/26/5929361-amid-gun-lobby-criticism-assault-weapons-reporting-rule-delayed

F Troop Backs Off?: Guns America is reporting that F Troop has agreed to let Taurus proceed with the marketing of its Taurus Judge revolver in 28 gauge (0.55" bore). Whoopee! Now you have another impractical way to throw away several hundred dollars to impress your friends at the range. Anyone who thinks a donut pattern of birdshot is the best way to deal with an angry rattlesnake should consider that the preferred tool for that in rattlesnake country is a hoe. When Elmer Keith was queried about loads for snakeshot capsules for revolvers, he replied that he preferred his regular bullet loads – he would fire one in front of the rattler, scattering gravel onto it and prompting it to coil, after which he could take an aimed shot at the head. Any place else on a snake a gunshot will not produce reliable results.
--

The Wheels of Justice Grind Slowly: …From Texas' U.S. v. Emerson to the country-wide Heller v. District of Columbia and McDonald v. Chicago, to Chwick v. Mulvey in Nassau County, but affecting all of New York State, legal challenges are being brought to unConstitutional and unjust firearms regulations… and succeeding as never before. The most recent successful chanllenge occured this week in firearms-unfriendly California when the Fresno Superior Court issued an Order of Permanent Injunction in the National Rifle Association – California Rifle and Pistol Foundation-funded legal challenge to AB962, Parker v. California. The order permanently prevents the state and its agents from enforcing the provisions of AB962 (Penal Code sections 12060, 12061, and 12318), the statute that would have banned mail order ammunition sales and required all purchases of so-called "handgun ammunition" to be registered! Rulings like these won't stop gun-haters and hoplophobes like New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and his grand-standing group of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, but it's been the signal of a sea change in how the American justice system is putting legislatures on notice that the Constitution is still in effect across the land.

http://www.thegunzone.com/TGZBlog/2011/01/25/theyre-not-exactly-dropping-like-flies/
--

The Sky Is Falling in New Hampshire: A New Hampshire teachers' union is defending its cancellation of a traditional Dr. Seuss reading at the State House, saying the recent removal of a ban on guns there raises safety concerns for participating fourth-graders. The decision involves the Read Across America program that the National Education Association-NH has held with state senators for 12 years. It's a one-day event, unrelated to the several thousands of school children who visit the State House every year. "We lock down schools if there is a gun within the neighborhood," NEA-NH President Rhonda Wesolowski said. "But to send them to a place where they specifically are allowed is a bit of a different story. We keep children, our most precious resource, safe in the school system. Why would we take them to a place where they say it's OK to have guns… (New Hampshire has been a shall-issue state for discreet carry since the early 20th century and is also an open-carry state. When I visited there in the early 90's it was estimated that 50% of adults carry firearms routinely. Why does a Dr. Seuss reading put the kids at greater risk? Is it the inflammatory rhetoric?)

http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=Guns+put+end+to+student+visit+at+State+House&articleId=b118b972-6abd-47e0-a01c-53685b16101d
--

The Sky Is Falling in Arizona: Two weeks after a shooting incident that left six people dead outside a grocery store in Tucson, Ariz., two new bills remain in the Arizona Legislature that would loosen gun controls, specifically on college campuses. Neither proposal sits well with the heads of the state's public universities. Guns and college campuses simply don't mix, the presidents of Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University and the University of Arizona say. If the measures pass, Arizona State in Tempe would follow the law but "it's a bad idea," President Michael Crow said. "The creation of a safe environment for high-intensity learning doesn't permit guns on campus, besides the police," Crow said. Arizona House Bill 2001 which was filed mid-December would allow faculty to "possess a concealed firearm on the grounds of a community college … a provisional community college … or a university … if the faculty member possesses a valid permit." A second bill, House Bill 2014, introduced in late December would effectively stop the governing board of any university, college or community college to "enact or enforce any policy or rule that prohibits the possession of a concealed weapon by a person who possesses a valid permit…" …

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/university-presidents-speak-arizona-gun-bills/story?id=12751437

From murders to suicides, Arizona is consistently among the most deadly states in the nation for gun violence, federal records show. Over a nine-year span, the state's rate of gun deaths of all types ranked seventh in the United States and sixth for gun-involved slayings, according to an Arizona Republic analysis of death reports compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The rankings are based on data from 1999 to 2007, the most recent statistics available from the CDC. Overall, violent-crime rates in Arizona are not far from rates for the U.S. as a whole, but the rate of deaths specifically tied to guns surprises national experts. Crime-victimization patterns that measure factors such as age and racial demographics suggest that Arizona would figure to be among the states with a lower risk for violent crime… (Oh really? How many of those deaths involve people that not only have Spanish surnames but also are in the state – and country – illegally?)

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/2011/01/27/20110127arizona-gun-death-rate-nations-worst.html
--

Common Sense in Florida: The shooting deaths of four police officers in Florida over the last week should not prompt lawmakers to consider tougher gun laws, according to the president of the Florida Senate. Sen. Mike Haridopolos said the tragedies in St. Petersburg and Miami remind everyone about the dangers police officers face on the job every day. Haridopolos, whose father is a retired FBI agent, said the officers' deaths should not result in gun control legislation because the killers were criminals and they never should have had guns in the first place. "Putting restrictions on people who actually abide by the law would be a mistake," he said. "I'm a firm believer in the Second Amendment and I think people have the right to carry a gun and we need to be more vigilant against folks who break the law. These people were hardened criminals and unfortunately guns get in the wrong hands." …

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/news-article.aspx?storyid=188612
--

Interesting Case in Michigan: A Novi judge has dismissed a weapons charge against a former Michigan House speaker, saying the case violated his Second Amendment rights. The decision Wednesday by 52-1 District Judge Brian Mackenzie ends a case brought against Craig DeRoche last year, when police arrested him at his Novi home and charged him with possession of a firearm while intoxicated. "The Second Amendment bars prosecution of an individual who is intoxicated merely because he legally owns a handgun," Mackenzie said… Police were called to DeRoche's house June 27 based on a complaint that he was carrying a gun around while he was intoxicated. According to a summary by Mackenzie, DeRoche's mother-in-law allowed officers into the house to secure the handgun. They found the gun unloaded with the clip next to it on the first floor while DeRoche was upstairs…

http://www.freep.com/article/20110127/NEWS03/101270424/1001/news/Weapons-charge-against-ex-Mich-House-Speaker-Craig-DeRoche-tossed
--

Kansas May Loosen Long Gun Restrictions: Gun-rights advocate Patricia Stoneking wants to take the safety off restrictions on shotgun and rifle sales by Kansas dealers to people living outside this state and the four contiguous states. Stoneking, president of the Kansas State Rifle Association, said the 2011 Legislature should repeal prohibitions on sales of these weapons by adopting House Bill 2013… Not articulated in the bill is an explanation of reasons for repealing laws forbidding purchase of rifles and shotguns from Kansas merchants by folks living in the other 45 states. "If I was traveling in Texas and should come upon a rifle or shotgun that is rare in nature, or of collector value, currently I could not purchase the firearm and would lose the opportunity to add that firearm to my collection," Stoneking said. She said Kansas law also inhibits purchases by people who stay in Kansas for a few months each year, but are legal residents of non-contiguous states… The Republican-led House Federal and State Affairs has yet to act on the bill, but is likely approve the measure. (Federal law prohibits the purchase of a handgun outside one's home state but the legality of a long-gun purchase usually depends on the laws of the buyer's home state. For example, A California resident may not purchase most long guns in Arizona because California law requires most long-gun transfers to go through a state-mediated waiting period and bans many long guns as "assault weapons.")

http://cjonline.com/blog-post/tim-carpenter/2011-01-26/kansas-rifle-shotgun-sales-may-go-national
--

New Mexico Expanded-Carry Bill Introduced: A bill that would expand New Mexico's concealed-carry firearms law was introduced in the legislature Wednesday. The bill would allow people with concealed-carry permits to bring their guns into bars, schools, university classrooms, and onto public transportation. Supporters of the bill point out that those permit holders are people over 21-years-old, with clean criminal records that have passed a gun safety class. Representative Zach Cook said that the bill was not designed to allow kids to carry arms to school, and that he wouldn't support the legislation if that happened. "This is for parents and other responsible, law-abiding adult citizens," said Cook. Last year the legislature passed a bill that didn't go as far as this one. The state law now allows those with concealed-carry permits into restaurant that have beer and wine licenses… (A poll is available on the linked page.)

http://www.connectamarillo.com/news/story.aspx?list=195065&id=572622
--

Permits = Revenue?: A gun permit holder recently found an easier way to keep carrying his weapon without renewing his Minnesota permit. Instead of paying $100 and taking a class to renew the license for five years, he found out he can get a nonresident gun permit from Utah. That state requires only a one-time training class, a $65 first-time fee and then $10 every five years to renew. Utah gun permits are recognized in 33 states, including Minnesota. "I bring this to your attention because I feel the state of Minnesota is losing out on a bunch of revenue because their permit policies cost the end user too much," the gun permit holder wrote. Revenue from gun permits goes to counties, not the state, according to Department of Public Safety spokesman Doug Neville. A Utah permit holder can't do everything a Minnesota permit holder can do either. A Minnesota permit serves as a permit to purchase a firearm, while a Utah permit does not, Neville said. To see a list of out-of-state permits that are valid in Minnesota, click here…

http://www.startribune.com/local/blogs/114652084.html?elr=KArksD:aDyaEP:kD:aUq9_b9b_jEkP:QUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUoD3aPc:_27EQU
--

Georgia Church-Carry Ruling to be Appealed: A Thomaston minister who wants his pistol at the pulpit was among the plaintiffs appealing a lost federal case Wednesday. The plaintiffs, led by the group GeorgiaCarry.org, filed the notice of appeal in the U.S. District Court in Macon, where the original case was dismissed Tuesday. John R. Monroe, the Roswell attorney for plaintiffs suing the state, said he expects the first briefings to come in March. Monroe said the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals may send the case to mediation, but mediation rarely works in cases involving constitutional law. Monroe's case is centered on the First and Second amendments. Monroe's clients say state law shouldn't prevent people from carrying firearms in church. Among those suing are the Rev. Jonathan Wilkins and his church, The Baptist Tabernacle of Thomaston. Wilkins said he should be able to protect his flock. Former GeorgiaCarry.org president Edward Stone, another plaintiff, is a former police officer who said the Bible requires him to "obtain, keep and carry a firearm wherever I happen to be," including during church services. A state law bans weapons from places of worship as well as government buildings and some other locations…

http://www.macon.com/2011/01/27/1425677/plaintiffs-appeal-guns-in-church.html
--

Oops, Wrong House: Two suspected burglars got more than they bargained for when a homeowner caught them in the act and shot at them. It happened on Upper Station Camp Creek Road in Sumner County [TN]. Homeowners Jeff and Tammy Gibson were returning home from an evening church service when they came face-to-face with the suspects. "I got home first, pulled in the garage, and noticed the garage door was open," said Jeff Gibson. "When I went to look to see what was going on, I saw a black car pulling out of the carport." He says that car took off down the driveway and appeared to be headed straight for Tammy, who was at the end of the driveway checking the mail… Jeff pulled out the handgun he almost always carries on his hip, and fired eight shots at the suspects' vehicle. Then, he got in his own car and began chasing them…

http://www.newschannel5.com/story/13916455/gallatin-homeowner-shoots-at-would-be-burglars
--

Oops, Wrong Store: An Orland [CA] store owner shot at two masked suspects who reportedly robbed his business, Moe's Market, about 5:25 a.m. Monday. One man allegedly held owner Musleh "Moe" Zokari, 53, at gunpoint while the other emptied the cash register and safe at the store at 234 Sixth St., the Orland Police Department reported in a press release. Police said the safe happened to be open when the robbers entered, about 25 minutes after opening. Zokari reportedly fired at least one shot at the men fleeing the store. Officials don't know if a suspect was hit… (Fortunately, Orland is located in rural Glenn County, which may explain why no issue is being made of the store owner firing at fleeing suspects.)

http://www.contracostatimes.com/california/ci_17191688?nclick_check=1
--

Oh Canada!: A Canadian man has been charged with multiple weapons violations after he used his revolver to defend himself from firebombers who tried to destroy his home. And it was all caught on camera. Ian Thomson is a 53-year-old former mobile crane operator from Southwestern Ontario. He's also a devoted student who's using his years after 50 to study environmental geosciences. And he's even a former firearms instructor. But this fall he became a criminal in the eyes of the law. It all began in late August of last year, when Thomson woke up to the sound of three masked men tossing at least six Molotov cocktails at his house… In response, Thomson grabbed his Smith & Wesson revolver and ran out of his house in his underwear and "fired his revolver two, maybe three times, we're not sure," his lawyer, Edward Burlew, told Canada's National Post. Thomson's security cameras captured the attack. But when he turned the footage over to the local police, Thomson couldn't believe what happened: he was charged with careless use of a firearm, and his collection of seven guns, five pistols, and two rifles was seized, along with his firearms license. More charges were added later, including pointing a firearm and two counts of careless storage of a firearm. Prosecutors are recommending jail time…

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/canadian-man-charged-after-using-gun-to-defend-his-home-from-firebombers/
--

Spec Ops Marines Seek .45's: The competition to provide Marine special operators with new .45-caliber semiautomatic pistols is beginning to take shape, with at least three companies submitting samples to the Marine Corps and others bowing out. Colt Defense of Hartford, Conn., and Springfield Armory of Geneseo, Ill., sent samples of their latest 1911 pistols to acquisition officers this fall, company officials said Jan. 18 during the Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade Show and Conference, known as SHOT Show, in Las Vegas. The Corps is expected to seek proposals from the defense industry soon. The M45 Close Quarter Battle Pistol is modeled after earlier versions of the semi-automatic 1911 pistol used since the 1980s by Force Reconnaissance units. The Corps could buy between 400 and 12,000 as part of a contract worth up to $22.5 million, according to Marine Corps Systems Command… (Restricted to ball ammo, I'd want a .45 too.)

http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2011/01/marine-marsoc-pistol-45cal-012511w/
--

Meanwhile, in Utah…: Rep. Carl Wimmer's bill to designate the Browning M1911 handgun as a state symbol shot through the House on Wednesday, though it did generate strong debate from opponents who felt it was insensitive in light of the mass shooting in Tucson. The Herriman Republican, however, said it was simply about honoring John Moses Browning, a Utah native who invented the handgun still used today. "It's an appropriate and fitting tribute to a Utah icon," Wimmer said. "This firearm has defended liberty and freedom." … The bill passed 51-19 and will now move to the Senate for consideration.

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/home/51128137-76/advice-bill-browning-debate.html.csp
--

Tangentially Related: Lost in the hubbub over President Obama's State of the Union speech was the quiet death of liberal Democratic hopes to "reform" the Senate filibuster. Those hopes officially expired at 10:20 p.m. Tuesday, as lawmakers prepared the leave the Capitol after the president's speech, when the Senate adjourned for the first time this year. For months, some Democrats had been working on a plan to use a parliamentary maneuver called the "nuclear option" to put an end to minority Republicans' ability to block Democratic initiatives. Under that scenario, on the first day of its session -- and only on the first day -- the Senate would be able to change its rules regarding filibusters with a simple majority vote. Normally, it takes 67 votes to change the Senate's rules, but on the first day, Democrats believed, they could kill the filibuster with just a 51-vote majority…

http://washingtonexaminer.com/politics/congress/2011/01/senate-quiet-death-filibuster-reform

--

01-25-11

2011-01-25T14:24:00.001-08:00

by permission from Stephen P. Wenger
comments in () by the same
http://www.spw-duf.info

The Usual Suspects Pressure Big Brother: New York Mayor Michael
Bloomberg, the son of Martin Luther King Jr, and a string of shooting
victims entered a burning national debate over gun rights Monday with
a call for stricter controls. "Every day, 34 Americans are murdered
with guns – and most of them are purchased or possessed illegally,"
Bloomberg said at the City Hall event, where he was also joined by
Boston Mayor Thomas Menino. "The time has clearly come to finally
fulfill the intent of the common sense gun law passed after the 1968
assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr, and Bobby Kennedy, by
creating a loophole-free background check system," he said. A
long-running national debate over gun control has flared up again with
this month's wounding of congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords in Arizona
and killing of six bystanders. President Barack Obama is under
pressure from advocates to use his State of the Nation speech to
Congress on Tuesday to press for restrictions on the most dangerous
weapons. Bloomberg said the most essential fix Obama needs to target
was proper screening of gun purchasers…

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.ae92b0aa2b694ca3182261c1f11bfc1a.1c1&show_article=1

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has tapped the intern credited with
saving Rep. Gabrielle Giffords's life to help bolster his campaign for
greater gun control measures. University of Arizona student Daniel
Hernandez will be in New York on Wednesday to support Mayors Against
Illegal Guns, Bloomberg's coalition, in his latest attempt to use the
Tucson, Ariz., shooting as an argument for more widespread and
effective background checks. Bloomberg will also congratulate
Hernandez for his actions in the moments after Giffords was shot
earlier this month…

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0111/48142.html
--

WaPo Continues Its Assault: More than 62,000 firearms have disappeared
from the inventories of licensed U.S. gun dealers in the past three
years, according to a study to be released Tuesday by the Brady Center
to Prevent Gun Violence. The study says that the dealers did not have
records of legal sales for the guns - an average of about 56 missing
firearms per day… More than 21,000 firearms were missing in 2010, up
from 18,323 in 2009 but down from 22,770 in 2008, according to the
study, which was compiled using data from the Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The federal agency could not account
for the guns during its compliance inspections of dealers… The Brady
Center thinks the actual number of unaccounted-for guns is far higher
because ATF inspects less than 20 percent of the nation's dealers
annually… The agency has about 600 inspectors responsible for 60,000
retail gun dealers around the country. Dealers on average are
inspected once every eight years. An estimated 10,500 compliance
inspections were done last year. The agency revokes about 110 licenses
a year, and dealers facing revocation voluntarily surrender their
licenses in an additional 160 cases annually… (Why do I get the
impression that this is an attempt to head off the Project Gunwalker
investigation?)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/25/AR2011012500867.html
--

As Does The New York Times: In the wake of the shootings in Tucson,
the familiar questions inevitably resurfaced: Are communities where
more people carry guns safer or less safe? Does the availability of
high-capacity magazines increase deaths? Do more rigorous background
checks make a difference? The reality is that even these and other
basic questions cannot be fully answered, because not enough research
has been done. And there's a reason for that. Both scientists in the
field and former officials with the government agency that used to
finance the great bulk of this research say the influence of the
National Rife Association has all but choked off funds for such work…
Chris Cox, the N.R.A.'s chief lobbyist, said the group had not tried
to squelch genuine scientific inquiries, just politically slanted
ones. "Our concern is not with legitimate medical science," he said.
"Our concern is they were promoting the idea that gun ownership was a
disease that needed to be eradicated." …The dearth of money can be
traced in large measure to a clash between public health scientists
and the N.R.A. in the mid-1990s. At the time, Dr. Rosenberg and others
at the C.D.C. were becoming increasingly assertive about the
importance of studying guns as a public health phenomenon, financing
studies that found, for example, having a gun in the house, rather
than conferring protection, significantly increased the risk of
homicide by a family member or intimate acquaintance… (Needless to
say, this quarter completely ignores the research of John Lott, whose
findings are summarized in the title of his book More Guns, Less
Crime.)

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/26/us/26guns.html?ref=us
--

More Fuel to the Fire?: A spate of shooting attacks on law enforcement
officers has authorities concerned about a war on cops. In just 24
hours, at least 11 officers were shot. The shootings included Sunday
attacks at traffic stops in Indiana and Oregon, a Detroit police
station shooting that wounded four officers, and a shootout at a Port
Orchard, Wash., Wal-Mart that injured two deputies. On Monday morning,
two officers were shot dead and a U.S. Marshal was wounded by a gunman
in St. Petersburg, Fla. On Thursday, two Miami-Dade, Fla., detectives
were killed by a murder suspect they were trying to arrest."It's not a
fluke," said Richard Roberts, spokesman for the International Union of
Police Associations. "There's a perception among officers in the field
that there's a war on cops going on." With the Florida deaths, the
nation is on track in 2011 to match the 162 police officers killed in
the line of duty in 2010, said Steve Groeninger, spokesman for the
National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, the Washington,
D.C.-based nonprofit that tracks police casualties. In January this
year there have been 14 deaths, the same number as in January 2010,
the fund posted on its web site…

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/41235743/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/
--

How About More Criminal Control?: Once again a senseless loss of life
has befallen those whose job it is to protect us. This time it was two
brave law-enforcement officers from the Miami-Dade Police Department.
And as predictable as daylight, Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Fla., blamed
the murders on relaxed gun-control laws. My grandmother used say,
there is such a thing as "throwing the baby out with the bath water."
And that's exactly what legislators and anti-gun lobbies move to do at
every opportunity. There are over of 22,000 gun laws on the books.
Which of them protected those officers? Pursuant to firearms, there
are restrictions upon restrictions, elaborate safeties, gunlocks and
mandated gun-cabinets. Which of them protected those officers? We
don't need more gun control – we need more criminal control. It's a
shopworn maxim that cannot be repeated enough – guns don't kill,
people do. You can leave a duffle bag full of loaded AK-47s on the
busiest sidewalk in the city or town of your choice, and I guarantee
you that not one of those assault rifles will take themselves out of
the duffle bag, point themselves at a passerby and pull their own
triggers… (Alcee Hastings, for those unfamiliar with the name, holds
the dubious distinction of being of one fifteen federal judges –
including one Supreme Court justice – to be impeached and one of seven
to be removed from office – as opposed to resigning – as a result.)

http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=255205
--

F Troop Waffles on Mexico Gun Numbers: In personal conversations at
the SHOT Show with four high-level Justice Dept. officials, including
knowledgeable BATFE experts speaking on condition of anonymity, it
became apparent that a commonly cited figure used by the "news" media
to attack American gun stores and gun rights is a complete
fabrication. No method exists to obtain the information. The agency
has no mandate or desire to do so. Even if the information could be
obtained or deduced from what few records exist, they would be
reluctant to release it to the public and anger their superiors, they
say. From the head of the State Dept. to the heads of various
departments within the agency, the 90% gun-running stat has been
standardized despite it being completely false. Hillary Clinton, the
current Secretary of State has publicly repeated the remark, made by
Mr. Obama, who said at a Mexican press conference, "More than 90
percent of the guns recovered in Mexico come from the United States,
many from gun shops that line our shared border." …

http://www.ammoland.com/2011/01/24/batfe-in-the-dark-on-mexican-drug-gun-facts/
--

Meanwhile…: Will .22 rimfires fall under new reporting controls? Will
CA bullet button system be classified as detachable magazine? The
following was provided to me by a source who has proven reliable over
the years. It was given to him by an ATF insider with the specific
request to be forwarded to me. I am reproducing it here unedited and
in its entirety as I received it… The business about .22s being caught
up in the new oversight proposal is something I've been discussing
with others, just the other day with fellow Gun Rights Examiners
Liston Matthews and Kurt Hofmann, and earlier with a reader and
correspondent who uses the screen name "W3", himself a retired Texas
peace officer… This new information preempts any intent I had about
just sitting back and watching, particularly with the California
bullet button development. What it, along with today's anticipated
Saiga ruling point to are back door gun control measures being
implemented with no accountability or oversight… (As I understand it,
California allows private ownership of some specific variants of
AR-15's, one feature of which is a reduced magazine release that
requires the tip of a bullet or a similar tool for activation.)

http://www.examiner.com/gun-rights-in-national/atf-technical-classifications-create-back-door-gun-control
--

Connecticut Congressman Co-Sponsors Magazine Bill: U.S. Rep. Jim Himes
(D-4th) has introduced legislation that would restore the prohibition
on high-capacity gun magazines, such as those used in the tragic
shooting in Tucson, Ariz. The Large Capacity Ammunition Feeding Device
Act (H.R. 308) was cosponsored by more than 40 Members of Congress and
is supported by a wide variety of leading national advocates for
reducing gun violence, according to Himes's office… (Ironically,
Hartford, Connecticut's capital, is home to Colt, the primary
manufacturer of M16's and AR-15's. Connecticut is also one of the few
states to have an "assault weapon" ban for its won residents.)

http://www.acorn-online.com/joomla15/ncadvertiser/news/localnews/83654-himes-introduces-legislation-to-ban-high-capacity-ammo-magazines.html
--

Open Carry to Get Second Shot in Oklahoma: Two state lawmakers said
they will introduce bills this year for a second time to allow the
open-carry of guns in the state. Similar legislation passed the
Republican controlled legislature last year but was vetoed by the
governor at the time, former Gov. Brad Henry. But with a new
Republican governor, supporters of open-carry laws said they expect a
different outcome. "It's a Second Amendment right and there shouldn't
be any restrictions at all on the Second Amendment," said Rep. Paul
Wesselhoft, R-Moore. Wesselhoft is one lawmaker who has decided to
draft legislation that will allow Oklahomans to openly carry their
guns in public. Wesselhoft pointed to other states as reason why it
necessary. "In states that have passed open-carry, it has not been a
cowboy atmosphere where everyone has got guns strapped on. That's what
opponents would like to portray," Wesselhoft said…

http://www.newson6.com/Global/story.asp?S=13893498
--

New Mexico Bill Would Expand RKBA: Adults with a permit can carry a
concealed handgun in the state Capitol, but not on a bus or in a
school. State Rep. Zachary Cook says the restrictions are arbitrary
and contrary to the U.S. Constitution. So Cook, R-Ruidoso, said he
will introduce a bill next week to broaden the number of places where
permit-holders can carry concealed handguns. They would include
K-through-12 schools, colleges and universities, buses, licensed
liquor establishments, and state parks and recreation areas. Cook said
he had hoped to introduce the measure Thursday, but spent part of the
day researching whether the provision for allowing guns in elementary
and high schools conflicted with federal law. He said it does not
because any applicants for a concealed-carry permit must be at least
21… (Actually, the reason that there would be no conflict with the
federal Gun Free School Zones Act is because it contains an exemption
for possession of a loaded firearm within 1,000 feet of a school zone
if the carrier has a carry permit issued by the state in which the
school zone is located and issuance of that permit required a
background check. The law [18 USC § 922(q)(2)(B)(ii)] does not specify
that the permit holder must be at least 21 years old. Unfortunately,
subsection 3, which prohibits the discharge of a firearm within 1,000
feet of a school zone, lacks an exemption for self-defense or defense
of others.)

http://www.demingheadlight.com/ci_17152067
--

Idaho Law Student Sues University: A law student at the University of
Idaho has filed a lawsuit challenging the school's rules that prohibit
him from storing firearms in his on-campus apartment. Aaron Tribble,
36, contends the university's policy is unconstitutional and last week
filed a civil suit in Idaho's 2nd District Court. The university bans
firearms on campus, but students are allowed to store and check out
their guns at a police substation on the Moscow campus in northern
Idaho. Tribble, a second-year law student who lives in campus housing
designated for students who are married or have children, wants to
store his guns in his apartment. Tribble claims the university is
exercising power it doesn't have over the U.S. Constitution's 2nd
Amendment right to bear arms. In an effort to keep his legal case
streamlined, he is asking a judge to block the university from
enforcing the weapons rule in his apartment complex only…

http://www.idahostatesman.com/2011/01/25/1501337/idaho-law-student-sues-university.html#storylink=omni_popular
--

While in Arizona…: A proposal by a state Legislator to allow anybody
21 and older with a concealed carry permit to bring their gun to
college campuses has been met with moderation and resistance at
Northern Arizona University. Senior Cody Newport said he supports guns
in general, off-campus. But he's a hard-liner against guns on campus.
He recognized that people bent on a shooting at NAU would not be
deterred by a ban. But the campus is just too crowded for guns around
campus to be safe… Blake Schritter, a graduate student in criminology
who has undergone concealed-carry training in Arizona and Utah, said
he'd be in favor of allowing students who have a state-issued permit
to carry a concealed weapon to bring their firearms to NAU. But he
lamented the timing of the legislation as making Arizona look bad, not
long after last year's divisive anti-illegal immigration law that has
caused people outside Arizona to look at the state askew… (NAU is
located in Flagstaff, perhaps the most left-leaning city in Arizona
and possibly because of that relationship. Thus, the bias in this
article is no surprise.)

http://www.azdailysun.com/news/local/education/article_abf28d0c-46d4-5b69-8eb6-7e86e0f6d37a.html
--

West Virginia to Consider FFA: A handful of state lawmakers are
pushing for new laws saying if you build it or dig it up in West
Virginia, and if it doesn't cross state lines, then the federal
government can't regulate it. Three bills have been introduced that
would exempt guns and coal from federal regulation if both are
produced and used in the state. Both are based on the premise that the
federal government's authority to regulate goods stems only from its
constitutional power to regulate interstate commerce, so if the goods
don't leave West Virginia's borders, the government has no
jurisdiction… Montana was the first state to pass a Firearms Freedom
Act in 2009. Shortly afterward, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,
Firearms and Explosives sent a letter to all Montana firearms
licensees stating that federal law supercedes state law, so
regulations concerning licensure, identification of firearms and
background checks still applied… Advocates for stricter gun control
laws also are not amused by the recent trend of states "exempting"
their guns from federal regulations… As for the West Virginia bills,
no dates had been set for committee hearings for either bill as of
Jan. 24. The coal bill is House Bill 2554. The gun bills are Senate
Bill 84 and HB 2705. (I don't live for the "amusement" of the Brady
Bunch and its buddies.)

http://www.statejournal.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=93161
--

WVCDL Challenges Local Gun Bans: A West Virginia gun rights advocacy
group has gone to federal court to fight handgun laws in Charleston,
South Charleston and Dunbar. Members of the West Virginia Citizens
Defense League filed a civil complaint in U.S. District Court on
Monday challenging handgun laws in the three Kanawha County cities.
Attorney Jim Mullins, who filed the complaint, alleges the cities'
laws violate the U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment right for
citizens to keep and bear arms. All three cities ban the carrying of
handguns on city property. Charleston also has a city ordinance
requiring a three-day waiting period before someone can buy a gun
within city limits, and limits gun purchases to one per month. "No
criminal or deranged lunatic is going to be deterred from committing a
crime on public property by the prospect of a whopping 30 extra days
in jail for violating a municipal ordinance prohibiting guns on city
property," Mullins, a Beckley attorney, said in a prepared statement.
"Neither will a criminal wait while his intended victim goes through
the three-day waiting period Charleston imposes on buying a handgun,"
he said. "And if you happened to have bought a handgun recently and it
was stolen? Well, that same criminal also won't wait for you to become
eligible to purchase another handgun under Charleston's one handgun
per month rationing ordinance." …

http://www.wvgazette.com/News/201101240608
--

From Iowa: I received a copy of the Iowa State Sheriffs & Deputies
Association ("ISSDA") 2011 Legislative Priorities & Policy Statements
from an anonymous source this afternoon. Some of my readers might be
contributors to the ISSDA when they come knocking on the door for
fund-raising efforts, so I figured it might be a good idea to let
folks know what the ISSDA feels are important topics for discussion
with lawmakers in 2011 – at least as it pertains to gun rights in
Iowa. According to the list, the Sheriffs are working with the Iowa
Department of Public Safety (DPS) to implement the new law. This is a
good sign, and to be honest, we've only seen a handful of counties
that have been stretching the law to some questionable limits. That
said, the document says that there are some "unintended consequences
of SF 2379" that the ISSDA would like to see addressed. They are as
follows… Requiring proficiency training to exercise a right is wrong.
No other basic human rights require any sort of proficiency training,
and the right to self-defense by using the most effective tool
available should not be any different…

http://www.examiner.com/gun-rights-in-des-moines/the-issda-lists-their-priorities-for-the-2011-session
--

Wrong Game for Cops: The Southern California city of San Fernando and
its Police Department will pay $44,000 for negligence because an
officer did not know the rules and regulations for individuals or law
enforcement officers to lawfully carrying a firearm. The City of San
Fernando agreed to pay approximately $44,000 to San Fernando former
Coast Guard Reserve maritime law enforcement Officer Jose Diaz. The
city must also implement new policies and procedures for the improper
arrest and seizure of Coast Guard Reserve Diaz, according to the San
Fernando Police Department. The police department also agreed to a
"Finding of Factual Innocence." Diaz contends that a police department
contest was a driving factor in this case. "The San Fernando Police
Department give's out awards to officer's that 'achieve benchmarks in
firearm confiscations,(YouTube video)" said Jason Davis an attorney
for Calguns. "But this contest encourages the illegal confiscation of
lawfully possessed firearms by officers who do not understand the laws
themselves." The monetary settlement wasn't the only thing the
plaintiff was after, Calguns, a state and national gun rights advocacy
group, says the lawsuit also sought to ensure San Fernando properly
trains its officers to deal with law-abiding gun owners…

http://www.examiner.com/county-political-buzz-in-san-diego/a-police-contest-to-seize-guns-results-lawsui-after-a-coast-guard-officer-is
--

Rules Reminder: A judge dropped the charges against a California
University of Pennsylvania student who was accused of accidentally
shooting a female student at a fraternity party in Oct. Police said
Dustin Ryan Fuller, 20, of Waynesboro, accidentally fired a shotgun
through the floor of the off-campus, Second Street fraternity house,
grazing Raylynn Porco, 19, of Pittsburgh. Fuller said the reckless
endangerment, underage drinking and tampering with evidence charges
were dropped because he completed alcohol awareness and gun safety
classes. Porco was not seriously hurt in the shooting. "I'm just going
to try to drive on with my life. I'm working on a weapons safety
program to implement in the Greek system at Cal U right now. So that
should be completed by the end of the semester," said Fuller… (The
Rules are posted at http://www.spw-duf.info/safety.html. If you do not
yet have them memorized, check them out and decide which were violated
in this incident. Generally, down is a relatively safe direction but
that is not necessarily the case if you are indoors with another story
below you. This is the fourth case I recall in which someone was shot
through the floor above and the third one in which the shooting was
unintentional.)

http://www.wpxi.com/news/25270444/detail.html

…These rules apply any time there are firearms present. They apply
when unloading your weapon to clean or store it, as well as when
training and practice. They also apply if you find yourself involved
in a violent confrontation… Under stress, moving in an environment
containing bystanders or threats around every corner, it's important
to make sure your muzzle stays pointing in a safe direction. And since
there are times when your muzzle will cover someone, if you pay
attention these times should be rare, that's why we keep our finger
off the trigger unless the sights are on the threat, meaning you've
made the decision to shoot. When the sights come off the threat, or
your eyes come off the sights, your finger comes off the trigger.
(Exception is firing from a retention position.) I recommend keeping
the trigger finger high, somewhere on the frame or slide, and indexed
well above the trigger guard. Always identify your threat. Be sure you
have a clear angle of fire so any errant rounds that miss the threat
or punch through them don't end up injuring anyone else. In times when
you can't predict where your bullet will end up you shouldn't be
pressing the trigger. Memorize these rules, and make them laws. These
laws are used anytime there are firearms present. When forced to
fight, remember you still have to fight safe. The only way to fight
safely is with training and practice. Make sure you're ready. (In my
curriculum the exemption for the eyes off the sights extends to the
other point-shooting positions as well.)

http://www.thetacticalwire.com/archived/2011-01-25_tactical.html
--

Interesting Video: Alan Korwin responds to CNN talking heads regarding
the Tucson incident. The discussion turns to training and whether it
should be mandatory to own a firearm (as it is to purchase a handgun
in California). See what you think of Alan's response, admittedly to a
question he did not know in advance. My own view is that it is
unconscionable to require training to exercise the most basic human
right. On the other hand, I have always offered more training than
Arizona has required in order to qualify for a CWP and have found that
the forced consumers generally opt for the shortest course that meets
the requirement. As it says below, "Firearm safety - It's a matter for
education, not legislation." The challenge is getting people to
appreciate why they need the training and why they need it on an
ongoing basis. Alan and I differ over his apparent emphasis on
marksmanship over tactics but that approach seems to work in
Switzerland.

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2011/01/14/ps.gun.law.arizona.cnn?iref=allsearch
--

Oops: California Highway Patrol officers across the state –I ncluding
those in North County – were ordered last week to return potentially
defective rounds of ammunition, officials said Monday. CHP
headquarters issued the directive on Friday as a safety precaution
after receiving a handful of reports that a batch of shells failed to
fire, CHP spokeswoman Jaime Coffee said. Coffee said all the rounds
that reportedly misfired were being used in training and had not
caused problems in the field. The rounds that failed to fire were not
a threat to officer safety, she said, but could potentially damage
weapons… Most officers probably didn't have rounds from the suspect
batch, but there was no way to know because inventory numbers only
appeared on boxes – not individual cartridges, she said. As a result,
all officers had to turn in any "Golden Saber" .40-caliber shells they
were carrying. The ammunition will be shipped to the academy for
inspection and used in training, she said. The ammunition was produced
by gun and ammunition manufacturer Remington, she said. She said CHP
will continue using Remington rounds, which have proven safe and
trustworthy in the past… (The 165 gr. .40 S&W Golden Saber has been
the star performer of that design although the 125 gr. .357 Magnum
load – often described as a ¾ Magnum – is popular in some quarters for
use in short-barrel revolvers.)

http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/sdcounty/article_7c5285e8-463f-5405-9aee-3874c87c672b.html
--

Tangentially Related: Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders wasted no time
using the Tucson shooting to financially benefit his 2012 reelection
campaign. From his email: "In terms of this savage shooting rampage,
several points need to be made. First, this horrendous act of
violence is not some kind of strange aberration for this area where,
it appears, threats and acts of violence are part of the political
climate. Nobody can honestly express surprise that such a tragedy
finally occurred." Sanders continued by implying that Republicans and
their business interests are set to benefit significantly in the 2012
elections… For the 2008 election cycle, all business sectors gave
Democrats a record 54.7% of total campaign contributions. Since 1996,
business has been finding more friends in the Democratic Party,
increasing contributions from a record low of 40.4% to 51.2% in 2010.
The Democrats became the party of Big Business in their own right…

http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/bernie-sanders-doth-protest-too-much/?singlepage=true

It's unlikely that Howard Dean intended to expose one of his party's
greatest weaknesses in August 2009 when he explained why Obamacare
could not include a tort reform provision that experts said could save
up to $400 billion in health care costs. Speaking at a Northern
Virginia town hall meeting, the former Democratic presidential
candidate and Democratic National Committee chairman stunned many in
the nation's capitol with these unexpected words… Dean's admission was
especially shocking because for years study after study has shown that
doctors are forced to practice defensive medicine – ordering unneeded
tests and procedures in case they were sued by trial lawyers looking
for deep pockets and big paydays that come with multimillion-dollar
settlements. Tort reforms that put limits on such unrestrained
class-action medical lawsuits by trial lawyers would save $40 billion
annually, and up to $400 billion over a decade…

http://washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/special-reports/2011/01/special-report-examiner-special-report-plain-truth-about-who-owns-de

01-24-11

2011-01-24T14:10:00.001-08:00

by permission from Stephen P. Wenger <spwenger@spw-duf.info>

The New York Times Lies – Again: In his New York Times column "Obama's
Gun Play," Charles M. Blow lays out a familiar but inaccurate talking
point: we need increased gun control laws because the United States is
the murder capital of the planet. Mr. Blow writes: "[T]he U.S. is in
a league of its own, and not in a good way. We have nearly 9 guns for
every 10 people, and about 9 out of every 10 of our homicides are
committed with one of those guns. No other country even comes close."
A column is accompanied by a large graphic which illustrates American
gun violence as an enormous ball by itself way up at the top, while a
dozen other tiny spheres representing OECD countries are clustered at
the bottom. New York Times readers, however, ought to hesitate before
scurrying to speed-dial their Congress reptiles and demand an end to
this preventable epidemic of gun ownership. To begin with, that
repeated phrase "9 out of 10" has a euphonious ring, but Blow's data
is simply inaccurate. I was unable to find any U.S. homicide
statistics in the source cited, the United Nations Small Arms Survey,
which for the most part discusses the proliferation of guns in places
like Timor and Yemen. According to the Department of Justice, the
percentage of homicides for guns in the U.S since 1977 has risen
slightly from 62% to 68% -- less than seven out of ten, not nine out
of ten…

http://www.americanthinker.com/2011/01/cooking_the_gun_homicide_numbe.html

The Column: President Obama is under renewed pressure from his base to
demonstrate that he is, indeed, a principled man of unwavering
conviction rather than a pliant political reed willingly bent and
bowed by ever-shifting winds. This time the issue is gun control.
Pre-presidency, Obama had been a strong supporter of gun-control
initiatives. Since then, however, he has remained curiously quiet on
the issue in general and following the Tucson shooting in particular.
The question now is: which Obama will show up at the State of the
Union? … (The Brady Bunch recently e-mailed its supporters, begging
them to urge Big Brother to pressure Congress to pass the McCarthy
bill to limit magazine capacity.)

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/22/opinion/22blow.html?_r=2&ref=opinion
--

Then There's Bloomberg…: [NYC] Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg on Monday
used a parade of relatives and friends of victims of several
high-profile shootings, including the recent killings in Tucson, to
urge Washington to strengthen existing federal gun control laws to
prevent guns from falling into the hands of buyers with a history of
violence or mental illness. Mr. Bloomberg, who has sought to make
stricter gun control a national issue, said a law passed in 1968 after
the assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. intended to
prevent certain people from having guns has never lived up to its full
potential. The law was supposed to apply to convicted felons, drug
abusers and the mentally ill, among others. The Brady Bill, which was
adopted in 1993, was intended to enforce the earlier law by creating a
national background check system. But the system, Mr. Bloomberg and
others who joined him said at a news conference at City Hall, is
flawed because it does not have records on millions of people who
should be disqualified from buying or possessing guns. Ten states have
not submitted any mental health records to the background check
system, and 18 states have provided fewer than 100 mental health
records, according to Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a group that Mr.
Bloomberg helped found…

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/25/nyregion/25bloomberg.html?ref=nyregion
--

Curious Timing: A gunman opened fire inside a Detroit police precinct
Sunday, wounding four officers including a commander before police
shot and killed him, authorities said. Police Chief Ralph Godbee said
along with the commander, two sergeants and an officer were wounded,
but none appeared to have life threatening injuries. Sgt. Todd Eby
told the Detroit Free Press newspaper that he was sitting at his desk
at the precinct when the gunman walked in around 4:20 p.m. local time
with a pistol grip shotgun and opened fire. He said officers shot back
at the gunman, killing him… (In light of an anticipated administrative
ruling by F Troop listing several shotguns, including the 28-gauge
Taurus Judge, as destructive devices, this may go down as one more of
those mysterious cases of a nut crawling out of the woodwork at a very
convenient time. Longer-term list members may recall cautions that F
Troop, at different times, has issued administrative rulings that
could be interpreted jointly so that any shotgun with a bore larger
than 0.5 inches and without a buttstock could be considered a
destructive device, subject to NFA registration. The speculation has
included claims that this ruling is being timed to divert attention
from Project Gunwalker.)

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/01/23/detroit-police-department-respond-sto-precinct-shooting-reports/#ixzz1BuhObXU5
--

Speaking of Timing…: Nothing spurs talk of gun-control legislation
quite like a highly publicized crime committed with the aid of a
handgun. Such was the case 100 years ago this month, when a brazen
murder committed near Gramercy Park led to the enactment a few months
later of New York State's landmark Sullivan Law, which required
police-issued licenses for those wishing to possess concealable
firearms and made carrying an unlicensed concealed weapon a felony
(pdf). The Sullivan Law, still on the books as section 400.00 of the
New York Penal Law, became a model for gun-control legislation enacted
throughout the country. On Jan. 23, 1911, a novelist, David Graham
Phillips, was shot by Fitzhugh Coyle Goldsborough in a brazen early
afternoon attack on East 21st Street (or, as it is known today,
Gramercy Park North). After firing six shots, Goldsborough put the gun
to his temple, killing himself. Phillips survived until the next
evening… (While Sullivan may have used this shooting to push his bill
over the line, I have always been under the impression that the true
motive for the bill was to keep NYC's non-English-speaking immigrants
from arming themselves against strong-arm extortion by Sullivan's
buddies in the established Irish gangs.)

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/23/100-years-ago-the-shot-that-spurred-new-yorks-gun-control-law/?partner=rss&emc=rss
--

Speaking of Project Gunwalker…: One of the concerns my colleagues and
I have been mindful of in the unfolding "Project Gunwalker" story is
the concern that attempts will be made to discredit ATF insider
sources speaking to Senate staffers. I received an email yesterday
from an attorney with notable Second Amendment credentials who offered
some advice, including being able to produce hard, targeted data to
compel both politicians and the media to do their jobs. He also made
this key observation: "Agencies are experienced in dealing with agents
and others who criticize them, and legislators know that. A few leaks
to the Washington Post about how this guy was unreliable, from sources
who declined to be named, make sure there are derogatory memos about
him in his file that can be leaked, that sort of thing." Ad hominem
ploys are to be expected. Readers following this story will recall its
genesis in posts on CleanUpATF.org, a website where street agents have
been leveling allegations of bureau incompetence and corruption, and
we should assume serious conflicts first manifested themselves on the
job, and then assume management has made note of them. I would also
expect those of us advancing this story to be dismissed if our part in
doing so is even acknowledged…

http://www.examiner.com/gun-rights-in-national/project-gunwalker-investigators-watch-for-smears-focus-on-leads
--

What Have I Been Telling You?: U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) today
announced that next week she will introduce the Common-Sense Concealed
Firearms Act of 2011, which would require all states that allow
residents to carry concealed weapons in public to have minimum
standards for granting permits. Senator Boxer said, "The tragic events
in Tucson earlier this month are a reminder of why we need
common-sense gun laws. This measure will establish reasonable
permitting standards for Americans who wish to carry concealed
firearms. According to a recent poll, more than 60 percent of
respondents believe there should be a reasonable permitting process
for those who wish to carry concealed firearms." Senator Boxer's
legislation would require all states that allow residents to carry
concealed weapons to establish permitting processes that would include
meaningful consultation with local law enforcement authorities to
determine whether the permit applicant is worthy of the public trust
and has shown good cause to carry a concealed firearm… (This is
precisely why I have not supported federal legislation to mandate
nationwide recognition of carry permits. Once in place, it can be
easily amended to impose federal standards for issuance. A
free-standing bill to do the same will be much harder to pass.)

http://yubanet.com/usa/Boxer-to-Introduce-Common-Sense-Concealed-Firearms-Act-of-2011.php
--

Maryland May Go Reciprocal with Bordering States: …Delegate Mike
Smigiel's carry permit reciprocity bill will be heard by the House
Judiciary Committee in Room 101 of the House Office Building. If
passed, this bill will cause Maryland to recognize concealed carry
permits issued by Virginia and Pennsylvania. This is the first step
toward having full reciprocity which will make Maryland concealed
carry permits valid in these states. Click here to read or download
HB9 (Note: West Virginia was omitted by Legislative Services and will
be added to the scope of the bill by way of amendment when Delegate
Smigiel introduces his bill before the Committee.) Your support is
needed to advance this bill. Last session, this same legislation
failed in a 10-10 tie vote. Please focus your efforts on the following
members of the committee (remember to keep your communications polite
and respectful)…

http://www.ammoland.com/2011/01/23/carry-permit-reciprocity-bill-on-the-move-while-senator-frosh-steps-up-attacks-on-gun-owners/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ammoland+%28ammoland%29
--

New York Likely to Ban More Guns: That rifle you use for hunting maybe
labeled an assault rifle if a New York bill is passed. Assembly Bill
1479, introduced by Democrat Linda Rosenthal, changes the state's
definition of "assault weapon." The new definition would classify
firearms commonly used for hunting, such as semi-automatic shotguns
that have a thumbhole stock or a pistol grip, as assault weapons.
Currently, possession of assault weapons in the state is generally
prohibited. Even more dangerous to sportsmen and gun owners, the bill
gives the Superintendent of State Police the authority to regulate and
classify additional firearms as "assault weapons" simply by finding
that a firearm feature or modification is "particularly suitable for
military and not sporting purposes." The Superintendent also can
designate specific firearms by make and model to be considered assault
weapons. Ultimately, the bill gives the Superintendent vast powers to
determine which firearms citizens can and cannot own… (The first
thumbhole stocks I every saw, back in the late 60's, were intended for
scoped, bolt-action hunting rifles.)

http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/more_sports/ny_bill_takes_aim_at_hunting_rifles_6XctSxPr738TCnqXgNZYYO
--

And Your Point Is?: …But as with much of the Wild West, myth has
replaced history. The 1881 shootout took place in a narrow alley, not
at the corral. Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday weren't seen as heroic
until later; they were initially charged with murder. And one fact is
usually ignored: Back then, Tombstone had far stricter gun control
than it does today. In fact, the American West's most infamous gun
battle erupted when the marshal tried to enforce a local ordinance
that barred carrying firearms in public. A judge had fined one of the
victims $25 earlier that day for packing a pistol… Arizona's love of
guns is rooted in its rugged rural history and enshrined in the
state's constitution, drafted in 1910. "The right of the individual
citizen to bear arms in defense of himself or the state shall not be
impaired," it reads. The state celebrates its independent spirit and a
culture of individual rights and distrust of government. Given its
lurid past, Tombstone may not be a typical community. But it provides
vivid evidence of what state law allows in practice… (In fact,
Tombstone continued to ban the carry of firearms for several decades,
in clear violation if the state constitution, until someone finally
sued. And speaking of myth versus history, even the most cantankerous
Western towns were safer than many large cities today.)

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-tombstone-20110123,0,7161951.story
--

Rule Four Reminder: Sheriff's deputies found themselves dealing with a
man whose curiosity got the best of him after watching the television
show MythBusters. According to Wayne County [OH] officials, the man
shot his neighbor's home on Ruble Drive three times while testing the
ballistic stopping power of telephone books. He is accused of setting
phone books on his fireplace mantle and firing at them with a 9mm
pistol. Only one round hit the phone book. All three rounds penetrated
the wall and continued into the neighbor's home. The suspect in this
case faces felony charges of discharging a firearm into an inhabited
dwelling. (Rule Four: Always be sure of your target and what's beyond
it.)

http://www.fox8.com/news/wjw-man-shoots-neighbors-home-mythbusters-txt,0,6326531.story

01-17-11

2011-01-17T12:50:00.000-08:00

By permission from Stephen P. Wenger

http://www.spw-duf.info
comments in () by the same

Reason in the Face of Grief: …Not even the president, however, could match the goodness, dignity, and large-heartedness of John Green, whose 9-year-old daughter, Christina, was the youngest victim of suspect Jared Loughner's rampage. Speaking through tears as he was interviewed on NBC's "Today" show and on the Fox News Channel, Christina's father refused to pin his daughter's murder on the "climate of hate" and "vitriolic rhetoric" so many others were eager to indict. Unlike the local sheriff who seized the moment to smear Arizona as "a mecca for prejudice and bigotry," John Green said the killings were "such a rare thing to happen in Tucson, Arizona, which is a wonderful city – and the northwest side is a wonderful community." The chattering class spent much of the past week calling for new laws and tighter regulations. There were proposals for (among other things) a ban on carrying guns within 1,000 feet of a member of Congress, resurrecting the long-discredited broadcast Fairness Doctrine, funding more outpatient clinics to treat the mentally ill, and prohibiting ammunition magazines that hold more than 10 rounds. John Green endorsed none of them. "We don't need any more restrictions on our society," he said. "New laws and limitations cannot prevent every horror, and if we want to live in a country like the United States, where we are more free than anywhere else, we are subject to things like this happening." …

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2011/01/16/voices_of_patience_and_wisdom/

I found Mr. Green's remarks somewhat reminiscent of the 1999 Congressional testimony of Darrell Scott, a father who lost two children in the massacre at Colorado's Columbine High School.

http://www.nrawinningteam.com/scotttext.html
--

F Troop Hits a Hurdle: The Obama administration's plan to force new reporting requirements on thousands of gun dealers near the Mexico border is under fire from members of his own party. At least three Democrats in the Senate and several more in the House are voicing opposition to a proposed regulation from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives that would require about 8,500 gun dealers in four states – California, New Mexico, Arizona and Texas – to report gun sales of two or more high-powered rifles sold within five consecutive business days… The new regulation would cover semiautomatic rifles greater than .22 caliber with detachable magazines. Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, has asked the ATF to withdraw its request to the White House for emergency authority to enact the regulation… (By ".22 caliber" I assume they mean .22 rimfire as I know they want to cover .223 rifles such as the AR-15 family.)

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/01/15/obama-administrations-new-proposed-gun-regulation-border-states-met-bipartisan/?test=latestnews
--

Meanwhile on the Republican Side…: Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) this weekend called on Congress to reinstate the assault weapons ban that expired in 2004. Lugar is the first GOP senator to call for increased gun control following the Tucson tragedy that killed six people and wounded 13 others, including Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. But Lugar, who supported the initial 10-year-long assault weapons ban when it passed in 1994, said he's not optimistic about the chances for passing gun control legislation this Congress. "I believe it should be, but I recognize the fact that the politics domestically in our country with regard to this are on a different track altogether," Lugar told Bloomberg Television's Al Hunt Jan. 14. Lugar also noted the increase in ammunition sales since the shootings, which he suspected was out of fear that Congress might pass far-reaching gun control legislation in wake of the tragedy…

http://www.politico.com/blogs/glennthrush/0111/Lugar_pushes_to_renew_assault_weapons_ban.html
--

Schumer Concedes – Sort Of: Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said Sunday that Congress lacks the necessary votes to stiffen gun laws, dampening the hopes of various gun-control bills proposed in the aftermath of the Arizona shootings. "Let's be honest here – there haven't been the votes in the Congress for gun control," Schumer said on NBC's "Meet the Press," calling it a "hard" issue. Schumer, the third-ranking Democrat in the Senate, nevertheless spoke out in favor of "smart, rational gun control laws that protect the right to bear arms, but have reasonable limits." "There is a right to bear arms. It's in the Constitution. And you can't ignore it, just like you can't ignore the others," he said. "But like all the other rights, it's not absolute." Schumer did, however, propose stronger sharing of communication between the military and the FBI, which he argued would have turned up a red flag on Tucson shooter Jared Lee Loughner when he attempted to buy a gun… (Yes, Senator, there are restrictions on other rights, such as freedom of speech, but not generally in the form of prior restraint.)

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/01/schumer-congress-votes-gun-control/
--

Conflicting Rallies in Virginia: … The gun-rights and gun-control crowds are two of a large number such groups set to hold their lobby days Monday, with citizens from around the state crowding the hallways of the General Assembly Building and the visitors gallery of the State Capitol. A historic bell tower just down a hill from the Capitol – a traditional spot for rallies – is booked through the day… In the morning, the bell tower will be the spot for a rally by the Virginia Citizens Defense League, a group that supports gun rights. The group's rallies are often attended by gun owners who openly carry holstered weapons. Capitol rules allow concealed weapons permit holders to carry guns into the General Assembly Building and Capitol building. Del. Patrick Hope (D-Fairfax) has filed a bill that would ban firearms in the two legislative buildings--a likely target of ire from the VCDL. The first-term delegate says he was taken aback the first time he road the elevator with a man wearing a handgun strapped to his leg. In the afternoon, members of the Virginia Center for Public Safety, Virginians for Responsible Gun Laws, and the Virginia Chapters of the Million Mom March will hold a prayer vigil and "lie-in" at the same bell tower to urge tighter gun laws in Virginia. Among their top priorities is changing a law that allows some weapons to be sold without background checks at gun shows…

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/virginiapolitics/2011/01/advocates_for_and_against_gun.html
--

Meanwhile, in Arizona…: Arizona has become a national leader in the gun rights movement in recent years as the state enacted law after law to protect the people's right to bear arms nearly anywhere, at anytime. The shooting rampage that wounded Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, a former legislative colleague, has done nothing to slow down the Legislature. Gun rights bills were introduce d in the days after the shootings last week, and more proposals are to come… Arizona Republicans remain adamant that the shooting will not dissuade them from pushing their pro-gun agenda. They want new laws allowing college and university faculty members to be able to carry concealed weapons on campus, an issue that gained attention after the 2007 shooting at Virginia Tech University. Only Utah has a law allowing concealed weapons on college campuses while 24 states have bans, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures… Bills already introduced this year in Arizona in the Republican-controlled Legislature include barring landlords and homeowner groups from restricting the right to bear arms in self defense, and expanding the current law that allows gun owners to display a weapon in self defense. And Wentling said his group's priority bill, which he wouldn't discuss, hasn't been unveiled yet…

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/17/AR2011011701787.html
--

Utah May Get Constitutional Carry: A Utah lawmaker wants to allow all state residents who can legally have a gun carry and conceal it without a permit. Rep. Carl Wimmer, R-Herriman, said he plans to introduce a bill to eliminate the requirement for a state concealed weapon permit to carry a loaded gun. People who do not live in Utah would still need a permit issued by Utah or another state [emphasis added]. The measure is being drafted for the legislative session that begins Jan. 24. Wimmer said it wouldn't change laws about who can legally have a gun. Felons, people who have committed a violent crime and illegal residents are now prohibited from carrying a gun. "If you're a law-abiding, upstanding citizen, you can protect yourself by carrying a gun without a permit," Wimmer said. Alaska, Arizona and Vermont already have similar laws, he said… (To my knowledge, none of the other three states cited requires a permit of non-residents.)

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700100439/Utah-lawmaker-Guns-should-be-legal-without-permit.html
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/home/51038808-76/permit-concealed-utah-weapons.html.csp
--

Californians Prepare for Ammo Restriction: While the holiday shopping season is long gone, some Humboldt County residents are stocking up on ammunition for fear of a new California law that goes into effect next month placing restrictions on the purchase of bullets. Under the law, those buying handgun ammunition will be required to provide vendors with their thumbprint, address and photo identification, with the idea that it will make the task of investigating and preventing gun-related crime easier for law enforcement. Convicted felons who are already barred from owning a gun, for example, can still purchase bullets under the current law. But for some, the restrictions are another example of an infringement on gun rights protected by the Second Amendment… Already home to some of the strictest gun laws in the country, California will add to the list beginning on Feb. 1, when people will no longer be able to purchase ammunition via the Internet or by mail order. Instead, buyers will need to pick up their ammunition at licensed vendors, like Pro Sport Center in Eureka… (This is just one more newspaper that does not understand the difference between bullets and cartridges or ammunition.)

http://www.contracostatimes.com/california/ci_17118022?nclick_check=1
--

Open-Carry Confrontation in California: … In June of last year, the US Supreme Court held that this Second Amendment right to "possess and carry weapons in case of confrontation" applies to all states and local governments, as well as to the Federal government. But not in the City of Long Beach it seems. Not only is the exercise of ones Second Amendment Right disregarded in that city, so are ones First and Fourth Amendment rights as well. Attached to this article is the first of a two part video encounter between a person who was simply exercising his Second Amendment right at Shoreline Village in Long Beach, California only to find himself unlawfully detained by Long Beach Police officers who proceeded to violate many long established U.S. Supreme Court decisions…

http://www.examiner.com/la-in-los-angeles/complaint-filed-against-long-beach-police-over-open-carry-incident-part-1
--

Alaska Gun Laws Summarized: The shootings in Tucson, Ariz., that killed a federal judge, a 9-year-old girl and several others and wounded many more, including an Arizona congresswoman, have brought renewed attention to state and federal firearms laws. The states have a variety of laws governing who can buy a handgun or rifle, what permits are required, and where firearms can be present. Alaska is one of a few states to have firearms laws that are widely regarded as the least restrictive in the nation. If you're thinking of buying or using a handgun or rifle in Alaska, here's a brief look at the laws of the Last Frontier…

http://newsminer.com/view/full_story/11029232/article-Gun-laws-and-Alaska--The-ins-and-outs-of-firearms-in-the-North?instance=home_most_popular4
--

Non-Citizen Sues for South Dakota Permit: … A British citizen who lives in Sioux Falls sued the state earlier this month after he was not allowed to renew his concealed-weapons permit. The Legislature changed the concealed weapons law in 2002 to only allow United States citizens to obtain permits… The American Civil Liberties Union, which helped bring the case on behalf of British national Wayne Smith, says all legal residents in the state are required to have the same opportunity to get a permit. It says the current law violates the U.S. Constitution's guarantee of equal protection of laws. "The Fourteenth Amendment extends to non-citizens as well as citizens and generally prohibits states from passing laws that treat protected classes of people differently," Robert Doody, executive director of the ACLU's South Dakota chapter, said in an email. National gun-rights advocates said they agree with the ACLU, even though they question the group's involvement in the case… (The plaintiff is obviously a Permanent Resident Alien and not a prohibited possessor.)

http://www.necn.com/01/16/11/State-concealed-weapons-law-gets-nationa/landing_nation.html?&blockID=3&apID=55d419b16e474ea69f1f29eeb7407cdd
--

New Jersey Governor Ducks CWP Question: Gov. Chris Christie isn't going to share his position on allowing licensed concealed weapons in New Jersey, he said this morning. At a town hall meeting in Paramus, Christie was asked about his views on creating a process to allow residents to obtain a license to carry a concealed weapon. His response: The legislation is never going to pass out of the Democrat-controlled Legislature. Christie said if someone was supporting a a concealed weapon law change, they should talk to their lawmakers. "I'm not going to bang my head against the wall on issues that there are absolutely no chance will get posted for a vote in the Legislature," Christie said… Christie, who once chided a political opponent for opposing the assault weapon ban, has been quiet on his weapons positions. He granted a sentence reduction for Brian Aitken, who had been charged with illegally possessing a firearm he bought legally elsewhere, but Christie wouldn't divulge his own thoughts on gun regulations at the time…

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/01/gov_christie_wont_share_opinio.html
--

Rule Five Reminder: Homicide detectives from the Jacksonville [FL] Sheriff's office are investigating a Panama Park neighborhood after they said a 6-year-old girl was shot in the chest. The shooting occurred in the 7100 block of Nelms Street near North Main Street and the Trout River. Police said the girl got a hold of her father's gun and shot herself in the chest. They had not made any arrests, but are questioning the father. The father admitted to police that he left the gun laying around the house unsupervised. Police have not released what charges may be given… (Rule Five: Maintain control of your firearm.)

http://www.news4jax.com/news/26512047/detail.html

Lake City [FL] police investigating a report of a shot fired inside the Walmart on U.S. Highway 90 on Friday night said it appeared a customer's gun went off when it fell on the floor. No one was hurt in the incident, which occurred about 10:30 p.m. Police said customer L.J. Johnson had a concealed gun and holster, which fell out of its concealed area. The gun discharged one round through the holster when it landed. The area was searched for evidence of where the bullet had traveled, but it was never found. The gun was placed into evidence and Johnson, 59, was arrested and booked into the Columbia County Jail for culpable negligence and improper exhibition of a firearm. (This sounds as though the gun was being carried in some sort of pocket holster. Aside from the other shortcomings of pocket carry for a primary gun, guns carried in this manner may slide out of the holster and pocket or may take the holster with them as they slide out of the pocket. My guess is that the incident occurred in a restroom. Most modern handguns are designed to greatly reduce the risk of firing when dropped. Derringers are a notorious exception, as are some inexpensive pocket pistols. I don't know if the single-action mini-revolvers are safe to carry with a round under the hammer.)

http://www.news4jax.com/news/26509909/detail.html

Where to carry and gun presentation

2010-12-27T07:25:00.000-08:00

Is he serious? I can't tell.

The Knife Guy White T-Shirt The Knife Guy screamit

2010-12-24T09:07:00.000-08:00

This guy is such a tool.

The Knife Guy White T-Shirt The Knife Guy screamit

12-22-10

2010-12-22T15:10:00.001-08:00

by permission from Stephen P. Wenger
http://www.spw-duf.info
comments in () by the same

F Troop Leader Explains Power Grab: A recent initiative by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has caught the attention of national media outlets. I wanted to make sure everyone heard from me about this law enforcement initiative so there isn't any confusion. Recently, ATF announced through the Federal Register our intent to initiate a new Demand Letter requiring the reporting of multiple sales of certain long guns by Federal Firearms Licensees, known as FFLs, in the four Southwest Border States. We took this step as a way to help gain actionable law enforcement intelligence which we believe will help reduce criminal firearms trafficking along the Southwest border. Before we can actually issue the Demand Letter we must receive approval from the Office of Management and Budget for purposes of the paperwork reduction act. We expect to receive that approval in early January, 2011…

http://www.ammoland.com/2010/12/21/atf-announces-demand-letters-for-multiple-sales-of-long-guns-in-border-states/
---

Isn't Guatemala South of Mexico?: Security forces seized a small plane, 150 AK-47 assault rifles and the equivalent of nearly $63,000 in cash Tuesday during operations against suspected drug traffickers in the northern Guatemalan province of Alta Verapaz, where a state of siege was imposed over the weekend. Authorities have also arrested 10 suspected members of Mexico's Los Zetas drug cartel since the state of siege took affect at midnight Saturday, police spokesman Donald Gonzalez told reporters. Police found 300,000 quetzales ($37,735) in cash inside a small aircraft impounded at the airport in Coban, while another 200,000 quetzales ($25,157) was discovered during the search of a private residence, Gonzalez said… Gunmen and smugglers working for Los Zetas, the former armed wing of Mexico's Gulf cartel, have been operating in Guatemala for more than two years, becoming one of the bloodiest criminal organizations in the Central American country, officials say.

http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2010/12/21/guatemala-seizes-plane-guns-cash-anti-drug-raids/
---

Feds Seek Dismissal of Post-Office Carry Suit: Last week, Department of Justice attorneys representing the U.S. Postal Service filed a Motion to Dismiss the suit brought contesting the ban on firearms on Postal Service property. This suit was brought by the Mountain States Legal Foundation on behalf of Debbie and Tab Bonidy as well as the National Association for Gun Rights. The Bonidys live outside of Avon, Colorado in an area which does not receive home mail service. As a result, they have to pick up their mail at the Post Office in Avon where they are provided a free mail box. The Bonidys, both of whom have Colorado concealed carry licenses, want to be able to carry a handgun for self-protection on the way to, while, and upon returning from picking up their mail. Current postal regulations prohibit possession of a firearm on USPS property including the parking lots. The Motion to Dismiss the plaintiffs' complaint seeks to have it dismissed pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6). The Postal Service argues that even if all the facts are true as presented, the Bonidys have failed to state a viable claim. They argue that the Bonidy's Second Amendment claim is precluded by existing precedents of the U.S. Supreme Court and the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. They summarize their argument as follows...

http://onlygunsandmoney.blogspot.com/2010/12/bonidy-v-usps-postal-service-moves-to.html
---

Strange Bedfellows: In the latest example of unexpected political bedfellows: the state's [TX] Republican Land Commissioner – and noted gun enthusiast – Jerry Patterson will be appointed to a post in President Barack Obama's administration, the White House announced tonight. Patterson will be one of five members of the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force, a panel created last October to work on restoration projects and public health programs in the area. EPA administrator Lisa Jackson will chair the task force. Patterson has been commissioner for six years, but is probably best known as an unabashed firearms supporter. He wrote the state's conceal and carry laws back in the 1990s while serving as a state senator and, while stepping into the fray during this year's heated agriculture commissioner contest, joked that he "would have shot " Democrat Hank Gilbert for his campaign tactics…

http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/12/land-commissioner-jerry-patter-1.html
---

Brian Aitken Seeks to Clear Name: …Christie's commutation does not clear Aitken's conviction or criminal record, and he has yet to hear from the New Jersey appellate court. He is not content with freedom, though, and plans a return to court… His case, he said, hinges on an exemption in New Jersey's gun laws that allows gun owners to transport their weapons if moving to another residence. Aitken had moved back to New Jersey from Colorado, where he purchased the guns legally in 2007, and claims he was in the process of moving from his family's home in Mount Laurel to Hoboken at the time of the arrest. When police searched his car in Mount Laurel on Jan. 2, 2009, they found handguns, locked and unloaded in a box in the trunk of his car, along with hollow-point bullets and high-capacity magazines. One officer said he also saw boxes of clothes and dishes in Aitken's car. The Burlington County Prosecutor's Office and former Superior Court Judge James J. Morley both said that Aitken's defense team did not present enough evidence at trial to support the moving exemption. Although the jury asked to see the exemption on three separate occasions, Morley refused…

http://www.philly.com/dailynews/local/20101222_Freed__gun-owner_wants_to_clear_his_name.html
---

Florida County to Lift Illegal Gun Ban: Basketball, suntan lotion, beach blanket – handgun. The new list of what's allowed in Palm Beach County parks will soon include firearms under revamped county rules that got the initial go-ahead on Tuesday. After years of banning guns from county sports fields, beaches, camp sites and other recreation areas, the local rules are being changed to allow people with concealed weapons permits to bring their guns to county parks. The final vote is Jan. 11. County officials say the change comes after a local resident alerted them that the local ban on firearms in county parks didn't comply with a state law, approved during the 1980s, that allows concealed weapons permit holders to bring their firearms to parks in Florida… (Note what one alert and determined citizen can accomplish.)

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/palm-beach/fl-guns-parks-palm-20101221,0,6366215.story
---

More California Businesses Welcome Open Carry: Unless you don't have a computer you know that Starbucks welcomes customers who openly carry firearms (Open Carry), despite a failed campaign from the Brady Campaign to force them to change their policy. Thanks in part to the publicity the Brady Campaign gave to the South Bay Open Carry movement by protesting an Open Carry dinner at Domenick's Pizza House last month, businesses have been contacting Harley Green, the founder of the Open Carry movement in the South Bay letting him know that they too support our right to openly carry guns for the purpose of self-defense. My favorite quote is from Scott Osborn of Osborn's Automotive located at 1001 S. Pacific Coast Hwy in Redondo Beach, CA 90277: "You don't need to check your guns at my business, wear them proudly!" Other businesses welcome openly carried firearms purely because it is good business. The money of Open Carry advocates spends as well as anyone else's money… (The list is interesting and includes Albertson's Market. Unfortunately, open carry in California generally requires that the firearm be unloaded.)

http://www.examiner.com/la-in-los-angeles/businesses-increasingly-welcoming-openly-carried-firearms
---

More Guns, Less Crime?: Violent crime continued to decline in Seattle, Tacoma and Bellevue during the first half of 2010, according to crime data released Monday by the FBI, yet gun ownership and the number of people licensed to carry in the Evergreen State continues to rise. This revelation, reported in this morning's Seattle Times, will make it tough for Washington CeaseFire and the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence to convince state lawmakers, the press and public that more guns in circulation – and more people legally carrying firearms for personal protection – will spawn "Wild West" shootouts and "blood in the streets." It appears to be quite the opposite, and coupled with data this column noted here about more police being killed in auto crashes than shoot-outs, anti-gunners are going to face a hard sell for any new gun control initiatives they may push next month in Olympia. Meanwhile, violent crime was up slightly in Spokane during the first six months, where there were 647 such crimes reported this year, opposed to the 627 reported during the first half of 2009… (I have long cautioned against using crime rates as primary argument for the RKBA because they can vary with a great many factors.)

http://www.examiner.com/gun-rights-in-seattle/violent-crime-stays-down-as-more-washingtonians-are-packing
---

Michigan Likely to Teach Kids Firearm Safety: …The law, which passed both houses and made its way to the governor's desk this week, requires the state's education department to craft a model gun safety program for elementary schools and encourages all public schools to participate. The measure has nothing to do with teaching youngsters to use a gun, said state Sen. John Gleason, D-Flushing, who sponsored the bill. Instead, he added, it's designed to teach kids what guns are, how serious they are and what they should do if they see one: stay away and tell an adult. The lessons can be taught by the teachers and can take as little as ten minutes per year, Gleason said… (Duh! NRA's Eddie Eagle program has been doing that for years. As long as Michigan does not want to use that rather simplistic program, it would make sense to ratchet it up a bit each year, with kids learning to unload and render safe various types of firearms.)

http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2010/12/new_law_would_teach_children_g.html
---

Rule One, Rule Two Reminder: Five days after marrying her Prescott High School sweetheart, Caitlin Smith became a widow. Her new husband, Airman Steven Crawford, died Monday evening at a Minot, N.D., medical center from a gunshot wound to the abdomen. According to a Minot Police Department report, officers responded to an accidental shooting in an apartment off the Minot Air Force Base at about 7 p.m. Dec. 20… Smith noted that the shooting occurred as Crawford and friends were preparing to go to a shooting range. "From what we were told, his friend was messing around and pointed a gun, which he thought was unloaded, at Steven and pulled the trigger," Crawford stated. The police report noted that Nicholas Rouse was originally arrested for reckless endangerment. When Crawford died, the charge was amended to negligent homicide. Rouse is also in the Air Force… (Rule One: All firearms are always loaded. Rule Two: Don't let the muzzle cross anything you're not prepared to shoot.)

http://www.dcourier.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1086&ArticleID=88753
---

Oops, Wrong House: Police said it was an act of self defense that claimed the life of 37-year old John F. Sharp. Sharp was shot twice after he allegedly forced his way into the home of his ex-girlfriend and began choking her. Police said Mellony Pursel attempted to fight him off and that's when her 17-year old niece intervened. "She gets a gun, fires two shots at the individual (Sharp) who is attacking Mellony and both shots hit him in the chest," said Roy [UT] police Chief Greg Whinham. "Both shots exit through him and strike Mellony[emphasis added.]." According to court documents, Pursel's life was threatened for 36-hours prior to the shooting… (Many people minimize concerns about overpenetration by bullets, citing the high miss rate of American police officers. While details are skimpy, if the wounds to Sharp were fatal, it would appear that the shots were well placed. I still counsel the use of a hollowpoint round, preferably with a known street record, and no intermingling of FMJ bullets for enhanced penetration. You can never predict which round you will need for which shot.)

http://www.abc4.com/content/news/top_stories/story/Roy-police-call-death-act-of-self-defense/vTzBEjb3L0KgxjV0gLl9PQ.cspx
---

Five Months Later…: No charges will be filed in a fatal shooting at a Sampson County [NC] racetrack because it was a case of self-defense, District Attorney Dewey Hudson said Friday. Timothy McKoy, 29, of Garland, died after being shot in the head and chest on July 4 at Harrells Raceway. Investigators determined that McKoy pointed a gun on Torrey Tremayne Frederick and threatened to kill him, but the racetrack owner ordered McKoy off the property, Hudson said. A bystander gave a gun to Frederick [emphasis added], who tried to leave the parking lot but couldn't because his keys were locked inside his pickup. As the racetrack owner and a bystander tried to calm Frederick down and get the gun away from him, McKoy, who had returned to the racetrack, drew his gun again and pointed it at Frederick and the two men, Hudson said. Frederick then yelled for the men to move as he shot McKoy. Frederick then threw down the gun and jumped in a car to leave the racetrack, Hudson said… "Based upon the witness statements, it appears that McKoy was, in fact, the aggressor," Hudson said in a statement. "The shooting death of Mr. McKoy, while tragic, was justified under the law." Frederick, 32, of Ivanhoe, was charged with possession of a firearm by a felon in the case. (It is unclear if those charges are still pending. Note that he was handed the gun by a bystander, under exigent circumstances.)

http://www.wral.com/news/news_briefs/story/8792652/
---

S&W Gets Tax Incentives: Gun maker Smith & Wesson says Massachusetts has approved $6 million in tax breaks over the next seven years, enabling the company to move 225 jobs to its Springfield headquarters. Smith & Wesson Holding Corp. said under the agreement with the state Economic Assistance Coordinating Council finalized on Tuesday it will move its Thompson/Center division from Rochester, N.H. to Massachusetts and expand its headquarters and plant. The division makes hunting rifles. Smith & Wesson announced earlier this month that it planned to end production at the New Hampshire facility…

http://washingtonexaminer.com/news/business/2010/12/smith-wesson-gets-tax-incentives-will-add-jobs

11-28-10

2010-11-29T12:35:00.001-08:00

by permission from Stephen P. Wenger
http://www.spw-duf.info
comments in () by Stephen P. Wenger

And Now, a Word from Our Sponsor: As we enter the holiday season, you may wish to consider autographed copies of my book Defensive Use of Firearms as gifts. The revised and updated edition, released earlier this year, was actually reduced in price to $12.00. One or two copies ship to the same address for $4.75; three to five copies ship to the same address for $4.85 – Priority Mail in both cases. The normal inscription is:

To [name furnished],
Stay free, be safe.
S P Wenger
[date purchased]

If you would like something more specific, including the date, for the recipients, I suggest you use the option of mailing me a check with the detailed instructions.

http://www.spw-duf.info/book.html
---

Will 2011 Bring Lawful Discreet Carry to Wisconsin?: The economy will dominate the state's next legislative session, but other issues - such as requiring voters to show ID at the polls and allowing people to carry concealed guns - will also get increased attention with Republicans controlling all of state government. Republicans are unanimous in saying their top goals are creating jobs and righting the state budget, but acknowledge there is broad support among them for the bills on voter ID and concealed weapons… Republicans have passed the bills on concealed weapons and voter ID before, but Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle vetoed them. Doyle didn't run for re-election, and Republican Governor-elect Scott Walker supports both measures… Wisconsin and Illinois are the only two states that don't allow people to carry concealed guns, and changing Wisconsin's law is a top priority for gun rights activists. Doyle twice vetoed bills allowing carrying concealed weapons, and an effort to override the vetoes narrowly failed. Republicans wrote those bills in a way to get as much support as they could in an effort to get the two-thirds majority needed for an override. Now, they will need just a simple majority because Walker backs the right to carry concealed guns. That could mean the next bill will include fewer restrictions than in the past on where guns can be carried…

http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/110917109.html
---

Meanwhile, in New Hampshire…: Right now, the person sitting next to you in the book store or walking past you in the bank lobby or eating lunch at the next table could be carrying a concealed pistol. And doing so legally. And you'd never know it or be affected by it. And that's fine, say the advocates of New Hampshire statutes that allow law-abiding people to carry concealed pistols provided they have obtained a license to do so. Sam Cohen is the executive vice president of Pro-Gun New Hampshire, a firearms and Second Amendment advocacy group. In Cohen's opinion, "more and more people are starting to see that guns are not the evil things that some make them out to be." "More and more women are applying for concealed carry licenses, and that's a good thing,'' Cohen added. "But it's really a cross-section of people: old people, young people, people from all walks of life." The town of Raymond, as one example, has issued 58 concealed carry permits since July 1 to people ranging from 26 to 73 years old, according to Sgt. David Spinney, who said the department's chief, David Salois, handles the permit process. In Lancaster, a North Country town of about 3,300 people, Police Chief John Gardiner said he issues about 50 concealed-carry licenses a year… (I don't know where these "correspondents" moved from but New Hampshire has had shall-issue licensing for discreet carry – unlike its neighbor Vermont, which does not require a license – since long before the "CCW reform movement," started in Florida in 1987.)

http://www.theunionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=Backers%3a+Concealed+carry+finding+favor&articleId=bf5dac7a-5841-4244-9802-f2d1e7b8cb41
---

Hardening the Target, Part 1: …I will assume that those of you who are reading this that have had firearms instruction or combat training have heard of the effects that a spontaneous, unexpected threat stimulus has on the body. And I'm sure that we all were taught and all agree that one of the effects is that our fine motor skills go to heck in a hand basket in a high stress environment. In addition to tunnel vision, auditory exclusion, increased heart rate, the adrenaline and cortisol hormone cocktail totally negate your ability to execute fine motor skills in a gross motor skills environment. It is often described as wearing gloves or oven mitts. We've all been taught that. We all agree on that, right? Tell that to a Fight Pilot. Here you have an individual flying at Mach II in the cockpit of a $55 million dollar machine, 20,000 feet in the air, directing flight control over a bank of controls and instruments, both heads up displays and dash mounted, in charge of fire control, cognizant of the rest of his squadron and in contact with them, tracking radar both for position and possible enemy birds or radar lock on his position. In addition the pilot is following his mission directives and reporting status back to command. That is a pretty high stress environment if you ask me. And it sounds like the pilot is using some pretty fine motor skills… (Part of the problem with the overemphasis on adrenaline [epinephrine] and cortisol is that the arguments are often made by people who lack formal training in physiology. Very briefly, these are, respectively, short-acting and long-acting enhancers of reactions in the brain. If the brain does not shift into fright mode, they will not be "dumped" into the bloodstream. At that, epinephrine in the blood does not get into the brain to any significant degree and the brain effects of cortisol are the most likely explanation for the "adrenaline junkie" syndrome.)

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=39983

Hardening the Target, Part 2: was working at one time with the Federal Air Marshals and was asked to give a training evaluation and proposal to them. The cadre that I was working with had recently completed a training evolution with a well known tactical instruction group that sold "state of the art reality based training," as their premise. The Marshals described their experience with the group and they were duly impressed with the instruction. I listened patiently and then simply asked, "How much time did you spend punching the heavy bag while sitting in a chair?" None. I then followed with "How much time did you spend fighting an attacker out of a seated position? How much time did you spend fighting 2, 3 or 4 guys off from a seated position? Did you spend any time trying to fight with a blanket thrown over your head?" The reply was, "But we learned a lot of good takedowns, control holds and wrist locks." … (Many list members do not view themselves as "warriors" but this article is worth reading, if only to assess what sort of training is realistic for you.)

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=40074
---

Tangentially Related: In 2005, leaders in Portland, Oregon, angry at the Bush administration's conduct of the war on terror, voted not to allow city law enforcement officers to participate in a key anti-terror initiative, the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force. On Friday, that task force helped prevent what could have been a horrific terrorist attack in Portland. Now city officials say they might re-think their participation in the task force – because Barack Obama is in the White House… What is ironic is that the operation that found and stopped Mohamud is precisely the kind of law enforcement work that Portland's leaders, working with the American Civil Liberties Union, rejected during the Bush years. In April 2005, the Portland city council voted 4 to 1 to withdraw Portland city police officers from participating in the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force. Mayor Tom Potter said the FBI refused to give him a top-secret security clearance so he could make sure the officers weren't violating state anti-discrimination laws that bar law enforcement from targeting suspects on the basis of their religious or political beliefs. Other city leaders agreed. "Here in Portland, we are not willing to give up individual liberties in order to have a perception of safety," said city commissioner Randy Leonard. "It's important for cities to know how their police officers are being used." … (Yet the same political correctness is preparing to infringe the individual liberty to keep and bears arms in order to have a perception of safety.)

http://washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/2010/11/politically-correct-portland-rejected-feds-who-saved-city-terrori
---

Advocates for giving the District full voting rights in the House brimmed with confidence four years ago as the Democratic takeover of Congress seemed to move their long-standing goal closer to reality. Two years later, when President Obama was elected, that confidence turned to near-certainty. "I really can't think of a scenario by which we could fail," Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) said in November 2008. Yet fail they did. House leaders decided this year to pull a voting rights bill from the floor rather than have it coupled with a measure to weaken the District's gun laws. Now, with Republicans set to take over the House in January, the window to move a voting rights bill appears to have closed, and glum supporters are wondering what - if anything - to do next… As he has before, Chaffetz said that he thinks granting full voting rights to the District would be unconstitutional and that he would rather have the District retain its current status than adopt Norton's proposals. "There are other options," Chaffetz said, suggesting - as other congressional Republicans have - that the District undergo "retrocession" to Maryland. He acknowledged that he did not know exactly how such a process would work or whether Maryland would want to take over the District…

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/27/AR2010112703213.html?hpid=newswell&sid=ST2009040102238
---

11-29-10

2010-11-29T12:23:00.000-08:00

by permission from Stephen P. Wenger
http://www.spw-duf.info
comments in () by the same

F Troop Resumes Legislating: Recently, the NFATCA took the lead on an issue that could have far-reaching consequences in the NFA and Sporting communities," the National Firearms Act Trade & Collectors Association reports. What issue? "It was learned that ATF was seeking to create a definition of small arms ammunition under the aegis of the Safe Explosives Act. The definition was being created as an opinion letter and had no input from the firearms community." Why is a revised definition needed? What is the impetus behind this effort to increase the Bureau's regulatory control reach? And why exclude the people who it would compel compliance from under force of law? What's the immediate danger? "[I]t could have arrived as a declaration that all ammunition above .50 caliber would now be classified as an explosive." That means that there would be a whole new slew of regulations and licensing requirements – including potentially for currently-owned property. Why? …

http://www.examiner.com/gun-rights-in-national/atf-attempting-to-reclassify-small-arms-ammunition-without-public-input
---

Peruta v. County of San Diego, One More Look: … State law gives local police chiefs and sheriffs the discretion to issue CCWs, short for "carry concealed weapon" permits, under the following conditions: The applicant must be a law-abiding citizen, have good moral character, be a county resident and establish good cause. What constitutes "good cause" is at the heart of the debate and the one element that is considered on a case-by-case basis… In a hearing before U.S. District Judge Irma Gonzalez on Nov. 15, the lawyer for the plaintiffs said those kinds of rules are now unconstitutional. The Supreme Court rulings establish self-defense as a fundamental right that can't be squelched so easily, said attorney Carl Michel. "They can't say you have to have a death threat or are being stalked, or you must articulate a specific risk in order to exercise your right to self-defense," he said. "The right to self-defense does not end at the threshold of your home." … Gonzalez is expected to issue a ruling sometime in December… (I will stick with my earlier prediction that the days of discretionary-issue are numbered in California. The sheriff of Sacramento recently settled a lawsuit by Calguns and SAF by agreeing to accept "self-defense" as good cause. I predict that the legislature will eventually go to shall-issue, with as strict standards as they can impose, including state training standards and denial for numerous types of misdemeanor convictions.)

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/nov/27/group-sues-over-concealed-weapon-permit/
---

Meanwhile, in Hawaii…: … The City and County of Honolulu have consistently restricted and continue to burden the right to keep and bear arms, especially in non-sensitive public places. For a time line exceeding fifteen years, no citizen has been allowed to carry a firearm to defend themselves or their family… Your children and family, however, are not serialized; your children and family are not insured by the government, nor can your child, family member, or friend be replaced. Lastly, in an effort to change these broken laws, a local group, Hawaii Concealed Carry, was formed in 2010 to promote the safe and responsible bearing of firearms, for the purpose of self-defense. They are based on Oahu, and are working to assist all Hawaiian islands in the restoration and exercise of their fundamental right to keep and bear arms. Hawaii residents are encouraged to exercise their fundamental right by applying to their local City and County Police departments for a permit to carry a firearm, openly or concealed, for the purpose of protecting yourself and your family…

http://www.pitchengine.com/hawaii-concealed-carry-firearm-permit-initiative/105234/
---

Pennsylvania Governor Vetoes Self-Defense Bill: State Rep. Seth Grove said the Castle Doctrine was easily the issue he heard about most from his constituents during the past two years, and he was genuinely surprised when Gov. Ed Rendell vetoed it Saturday. "I was very disappointed," said Grove, R-Dover Township. Grove had been a co-sponsor of the legislation, which expands the Pennsylvania's "Castle Doctrine" – referring to the adage that a man's home is his castle. Under current law, the use of deadly force in self-defense is not justifiable when safe retreat is possible, unless a person was attacked in his or her home or workplace. The legislation Rendell vetoed would have removed the requirement to retreat before using deadly force outside the home or workplace as well. Grove said that not only were his constituents in favor of the measure, but also a wide, bipartisan majority in the state General Assembly… (Disappointing as this news is, I do not find it surprising. Rendell has a lengthy history of opposing the RKBA.)

http://www.ydr.com/politics/ci_16729906
---

Meanwhile, in Nebraska…: Senator Mark Christensen's bill to address self defense issues at home and work, LB 889, got killed in this year's session of the Unicameral but that doesn't mean he's giving up. Prior to adjournment, Christensen got a legislative resolution passed to conduct an interim study on a key element of the bill, commonly know as the Castle Doctrine. Christensen has built a reputation as a big advocate of Second Amendment gun rights. As a result, he wants to make sure people have the right to protect themselves in their homes, workplaces and vehicles without the threat of a civil lawsuit. The Castle Doctrine gets its name from the basis that a person's home is their "castle." As such, one has the right to protection from illegal trespassing and violent attack. Castle laws give people the legal right to use deadly force to defend their "castle" and other people in the home from violent attack or an intrusion which may lead to violent attack. Christensen said many Nebraskans can't understand why Nebraska has the law it does right now. "You have a duty to retreat, if the opportunity presents itself, even from your own home, if it appears safe to do so," he said… (Nebraska has a legislature with only one chamber, hence the term "Unicameral.")

http://www.waunetanebraska.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2457:christensens-castle-doctrine-legislation-gets-attention-during-interim-study-hearing&catid=25:local-news&Itemid=34
---

Florida Ain't Arizona: A customer expecting to see great deals waved down authorities after she saw something else: a man packing a gun while waiting in line at a Black Friday sale. Police arrested Christopher D. Scott, 49, as he was waiting in a checkout line at a Wal-Mart in Boynton Beach [FL] on Friday. Officers were on patrol at the store at 3200 Old Boynton Rd., due to the large Thanksgiving night crowd seeking early bargains. Scott is charged with two counts of carrying a concealed firearm and three counts each of carrying a prohibited weapon and possession of a controlled substance without a prescription. Scott lives out of state and was visiting his ill mother, he said Friday afternoon. He said he was in the store buying her supplies. He expects the charges will be dropped, he said… Scott said he has a proper weapons permit in Arizona and presumed it was reciprocal in Florida. He also didn't understand why he was charged with carrying a concealed weapon when he wore the gun in plain sight, as advised by colleagues… (Florida recognizes the Arizona CWP, if is held by an Arizona resident, but is one of the few states that does not allow private citizens to carry openly in most public venues. I generally use http://www.handgunlaw.us/ and as my starting points to check the laws of other states.)

http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/11/27/1945068/man-accused-of-packing-gun-at.html#ixzz16Xif13os
---

Oops, Wrong House: A Fort Smith [AR] homeowner on Friday shot and killed an intruder who entered his home demanding prescription medication. Police were called to 8401 S. 30th Circle at about 7:42 p.m. after a man was shot twice during a home invasion. The 69-year-old male homeowner and two other people were inside the home with a 4- or 5-year-old child when the 27-year-old male suspect walked into the house. The door was unlocked, said Sgt. Daniel Grubbs of the Fort Smith Police Department. The suspect fired one round into the ceiling and then forced the 69-year-old man to the back bedroom and demanded prescription medication. At some point, the suspect became distracted by the child crying and he walked to the front room and told everyone to stop making so much noise, Grubbs said. The homeowner used that time to grab his own weapon and when the suspect returned to the room, he shot him twice in the upper torso, police said. Law enforcement have initially determined the shooting was justifiable because the suspect entered the home and threatened the occupants… (Again, we see the benefit of keeping a handgun holstered inside the home – what if the child had not created the necessary distraction?)

http://www.swtimes.com/week-in-review/news/article_435f0846-fa3d-11df-be52-001cc4c002e0.html
---

Unexplained Tragedy: A 10-year-old boy shot and killed his 7-year-old brother Saturday in a hunting accident near Wingina in Nelson County, according officials. The boys were accompanied by their father on private land when, at about 4 p.m., the 7-year-old shot at a deer with a pellet gun, missing it completely, according to Julia Dixon, spokeswoman for the state's Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. The 10-year-old tried to follow up with the .410 shotgun he was carrying, but as he raised the gun, his brother ran into the line of fire, according to a statement from Dixon… It wasn't clear Saturday what type of pellet gun the 7-year-old was using, but under Virginia law, hunters may only pursue deer with rifles of at least .23 caliber. Most commonly available pellet guns and air rifles are of .177 or .22 caliber. Under Virginia law, hunters younger than 12 must be "immediately supervised" by a licensed adult. Additionally, Fauquier and Chesterfield counties have regulations requiring that minors with guns on public roads or lands be accompanied by an adult… (It would certainly seem to be a corollary of Rule Four not to place yourself in front of someone else's muzzle but I have seen students not only do so but place their hands in front of their own muzzles. I have no idea what a pellet gun was doing on a deer hunt.)

http://www2.dailyprogress.com/news/2010/nov/27/boy-7-shot-hunting-accident-ar-680054/
---

Here's a Thought: I read a lot about mindset and what it takes to be a (insert your favorite here cop, operator, warrior, etc.). Then I take a look at the people who are saying this stuff and I wonder: If you have the warrior mentality, why not use that to push yourself away from the dessert tray? You might think you can "Keep going and continue the fight no matter what" but if you can't even make time for 30-minutes of exercise three times a week... don't tell me how you are going to drive on when the going gets tough. There is not reason at all you can't get up out of bed each morning and do 30 push-ups. Unless you can't do 30 push-ups. And if you won't even try... well then, I'm not too worried about your gun or your knife or your mall ninja cred. If you don't take the smallest step to get yourself in shape, my guess is you don't really tie up a lot of time training you other skills…

http://www.tacticalgearmag.com/profiles/blogs/can-you-step-it-up
---

Army Unveils New "Rifle": Since the dawn of modern warfare, the best way to stay alive in the face of incoming fire has been to take cover behind a wall. But thanks to a game-changing "revolutionary" rifle, the U.S. Army has made that tactic dead on arrival. Now the enemy can run, but he can't hide. After years of development, the U.S. Army has unleashed a new weapon in Afghanistan – the XM25 Counter Defilade Target Engagement System, a high-tech rifle that can be programmed so that its 25-mm. ammunition does not necessarily explode on impact. Instead, it can be set to detonate either in front of or behind a target, meaning it literally will go through a wall before it explodes and kills the enemy. It also has a range of roughly 2,300 feet – nearly the length of eight football fields – making it possible to fire at targets well past the range of the rifles and carbines that most soldiers carry today. (This is actually an airburst, long-range grenade launcher - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XM25_Individual_Airburst_Weapon_System.)

http://www.nationalreview.com/the-feed/254013/meet-armys-latest-rifle

Dry fire training at the next level

2010-11-29T08:40:00.001-08:00

11-18-10

2010-11-18T12:37:00.001-08:00

From: Stephen P. Wenger
http://www.spw-duf.info
comments in () by the same

Big Brother and F Troop: President Obama could exploit his power to make temporary appointments during the end of year adjournment of Congress and bypass Senate approval of Andrew Traver to head the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. A discussion of the nominee and his anti-gun credentials was presented as a supplement to yesterday's Gun Rights Examiner column. Here's another development: The Bradys are for him. That alone disqualifies Traver from acceptability for gun rights advocates… Say Obama takes advantage of the adjournment and makes a temporary appointment...how long would it last? …So conceivably, if timed right, Traver could be in for basically all of 2011…? If Obama perceives his presidency is going to be a one-termer, or even if he's gambling that conditions will change enough to make the fallout to his next campaign worth the risk of a temporary appointment, what's the downside? After all, what's he going to do—make conservative gun owners not want to vote for him? Is this going to happen? Is this a real danger? Who knows? Maybe not…

http://www.examiner.com/gun-rights-in-national/obama-could-appoint-traver-to-head-atf-without-senate-approval

The latest move to bring in the Chicago Gang's favorite gun grabber, Andrew Traver, to become ATF Director means, among other things, that the Obamanoids intend to try to choke off congressional oversight by saying, "See, we've got rid of that old woman Melson and the criminal fools in the Chief Counsel's Office, so there's nothing to see here, citizen. Move along." …But the prime witness, the one personage which the ATF absolutely does not want to answer questions about is R.A. Bear, the child's stuffed toy which they spent two years and at least a million dollars chasing all over the country…

http://sipseystreetirregulars.blogspot.com/2010/11/help-vindicate-ra-bear-it-is-time-to.html

NRA Opposes Traver Nomination:

http://www.nraila.org/News/Read/NewsReleases.aspx?ID=14485
---

Speaking of the Brady Bunch…: The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence today filed a brief in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas urging the court to throw out an NRA lawsuit claiming that teens and young persons ages 18-20 have a constitutional right to carry loaded, concealed weapons in public. "It is dangerous and reckless for the NRA to claim that teenagers should be allowed to carry loaded semiautomatic weapons on our streets and playgrounds. The Second Amendment allows for commonsense gun laws, it doesn't require that we legally allow armed teens in our communities," said Brady Center President Paul Helmke… (I believe that the NRA lawsuit actually challenges the federal law that bans 18- to 20-year-olds from purchasing handguns from licensed dealers, not the Texas law that that establishes the minimum age for a CHL – see second link.)

http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2010/11/17-5
http://www.nraila.org/News/Read/NewsReleases.aspx?ID=14212
---

DC Judges Want More in Heller II: …It is, on the court's own motion, ORDERED that the parties file supplemental briefs addressing the following questions:

(1) After the Home Rule Act, Pub. L. No. 93–198, 87 Stat. 774 (1973) (codified at D.C. Code §§ 1–201.01–1–207.71 (2001)), do gun laws passed by the District of Columbia Council have to be "usual and reasonable" within the meaning of the federal Act of June 30, 1906, Pub. L. No. 59–401, which is currently codified at D.C. Code § 1–303.43? Cf. McIntosh v. Washington, 395 A.2d 744, 749–54 (D.C. 1978); Firemen's Ins. Co. of Washington, D.C. v. Washington, 483 F.2d 1323, 1327–28 (D.C. Cir. 1973); Maryland & D.C. Rifle & Pistol Ass'n, Inc. v. Washington, 442 F.2d 123, 125–29 & 125 n.9 (D.C. Cir. 1971); Fulton v. District of Columbia, 2 App. D.C. 431, 438–39 (D.C. Cir. 1894).

(2) What does the term "usual" mean in this statute? Cf. Roper v. Simmons, 543 U.S. 551 (2005); Atkins v. Virginia, 536 U.S. 304 (2002); Firemen's Ins. Co., 483 F.2d at 1327–28; Glover v. District of Columbia, 250 A.2d 556 (D.C. 1969); Filippo v. Real Estate Comm'n of the District of Columbia, 223 A.2d 268 (D.C. 1966); Black's Law Dictionary (2d ed. 1910) (defining usual to mean "ordinary" or "customary"). Is the canon of constitutional avoidance relevant to that question? Cf. Fulton, 2 App. D.C. at 438–39…

http://volokh.com/2010/11/17/d-c-circuit-orders-extra-briefing-on-the-post-heller-d-c-gun-law-challenge/
---

Ohio Court of Appeals Limits Restriction of RKBA: …We find the five-year firearm condition/sanction against appellant for a misdemeanor violation of R.C. 2923.15(A) [using a weapon while intoxicated] under these circumstances was unreasonable, overbroad, and an unwarranted implication of his Second Amendment rights. We have herein affirmed appellant's conviction and in no way seek to diminish the danger of using a firearm while intoxicated, and we further recognize that appellant acted injudiciously in firing his weapon into the ground, at night, as a "memorial" to his deceased dog. However, the incident took place entirely on appellant's residential property in an unincorporated area; the State presented no evidence that appellant caused any harm to persons or property, nor that he ever intended to do so. As we noted above, the responding officers did not find it warranted to attempt to confiscate or seize the firearm at that time. Furthermore, the presentence investigation report gives no indication that appellant had been cited for this type of activity before, and his only criminal history appears to be two OVI convictions more than twenty years ago…

http://volokh.com/2010/11/17/five-year-no-firearms-condition-in-sentence-for-misdemeanor-use-of-weapons-while-intoxicated-set-aside-partly-on-second-amendment-ish-grounds/
---

Virginia Students Push for Campus Carry: Old Dominion University's College Republicans' petition to allow firearms on campus has already received 10 percent of their goal - and they have yet to begin to push the issue. The group is petitioning the heads of the university to allow students who have concealed-carry weapons permits, or CCWs, to carry firearms to protect themselves on and around the Norfolk, VA, campus. More than 1,100 signatures have been collected by the College Republicans, even without any major advertising about their effort. Enforcing Second Amendment rights on college campuses is not a new idea. Utah passed legislation in 2004 prohibiting public universities from regulating firearms on their campuses. Most recently, Republican Representative-elect David Simpson pre-filed a similar bill, citing a recent incident at the University of Texas at Austin in which a student fatally shot himself in a library and caused a lockdown at the university…

http://www.woio.com/Global/story.asp?S=13520148
---

Black NYC Progressive Defends RKBA: …As a black progressive, I am tempted to echo the sentiments of most liberals, who regard this pro-gun turn as a full-fledged civic crisis. For most of them, gun ownership is an expendable rather than inalienable right, one worth ceding in exchange for a more peaceful society. While I understand this position, the price of the ticket, at least for black people, is simply too high… Today's gun control laws may be racially neutral on their face, but they have a clear and disproportionate impact on poor communities of color, which are often left defenseless against predators in their own backyards… But while it would be naive to suggest that guns will solve the problem of urban violence, it would be equally shortsighted to ignore the dangers of further disarming the people who need the most help. (Professor Hill errs in blaming the United States government for the earlier laws that disarmed blacks. Those laws were all passed at state level, during times when it still would have been inconceivable for the federal government to infringe the RKBA.)

http://bronxnews.wordpress.com/2010/11/17/strict-gun-laws-are-bad-for-blacks-why-african-americans-should-value-second-amendment-protections/
---

More on California CCW: California's gun laws might become more liberal and soon. In a few weeks, Chief Federal Judge Irma Gonzalez will render her decision in the case of Ed Peruta v County of San Diego et al, a decision that could put a stop to "discretionary licensing" by state permitting authorities. As it stands now, California policy enforcers decide on a whim who can and cannot obtain a license to carry a loaded firearm in public. If Ed prevails in his case, California could join the ranks of "shall-issue" concealed carry permit (CCW) states. When Ed Peruta, a part-time resident of the state, applied for a concealed handgun permit last year, the San Diego County Sheriff denied his request, citing no "good cause." Peruta sued the Sheriff's department and the Sheriff individually in Federal Court under the Civil Rights Act of 1871, namely 42 USC 1983. The sheriff promptly filed a motion to dismiss the case, but Judge Gonzalez issued an 18 page decision in January which not only denied the motion but indicated a few points of law which, if carried to their logical conclusion in December, will end the arbitrary licensing process for those seeking open and concealed carry permits in counties with a population of 200,000 or fewer… (I believe that last sentence should read "concealed-carry permits and open-carry permits in counties with a population of 20,000 or fewer.")

http://caivn.org/article/2010/11/17/federal-ruling-could-mean-more-concealed-weapon-permits-california

For three years, Solano County has been overcharging people applying to carry a concealed gun in the county. The problem has been resolved, according to Solano County Sheriff's spokesman Lt. Gary Faulkner. According to a press release sent Wednesday by Calguns Foundation, a nonprofit organization, the group submitted a pre-litigation demand letter in October to Solano County Sheriff Gary Stanton detailing the illegalities of Solano County's current fee structure for concealed-gun-carry permit applications. Spurred by the foundation, Solano County agreed to change their fees to reflect the California statutory structure for gun-carry licensing. "Solano set an example of how other counties can spare their taxpayers from needless litigation -- they did the right thing once the defective policy was brought to their attention," said Gene Hoffman, chairman of the Calguns Foundation, in the press release. "Solano gets it, but we anticipate that many counties will not. It is our goal to address every one of these violations throughout California until all counties are 100 percent compliant in their written and actual policies." …

http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_16646037?nclick_check=1
---

Some Iowa Sheriffs Undermine Shall-Issue Law: …In other words, Sheriff Johnstone joins a small but vocal group of Sheriffs who say they will support the new law and carry out their orders, but will do so while spreading FUD among the citizens and politicians about how bad the law is. Unfortunately, they do not have the statistics to back up their claims. Iowa is the 39th state to go to a "Shall Issue" system. None of the other 38 states has seen the problems that some of our Iowa Sheriffs are worrying about ever materialize. In fact, those states have seen the opposite happen, as Shall Issue has continued to gain acceptance across the country with no "blood in the streets" or "shootouts over parking spaces" noted… Perhaps the issue should be more about education. Teaching the public that a properly holstered pistol is not a threat should be more important than spreading FUD…

http://www.examiner.com/gun-rights-in-des-moines/another-sheriff-hits-the-panic-button

Meanwhile…: Simple signs with a serious message are popping up across Eastern Iowa. The yard signs advertise for concealed weapons classes, taught by the Florida based company, "Equip 2 Conceal Firearms Group." "This is a big deal, we're up here (in Iowa) right now because the instructors that are up here are overloaded, and it's taking some people six to eight weeks to get into class," said company director Rob Shewmake. Why the sudden rush? Last spring Governor Culver signed a bill making Iowa a "shall-issue" state. The law goes into effect January 1, 2011. The change means anyone without a felony on their record will be permitted to carry a gun in public. hewmake said his company will offer ten classes across Iowa this month. He expects to be back in December to do the same, and possibly again in the summer. He said by taking one three hour class an individual will meet the requirements to earn Iowa's Concealed Carrying Permit…

http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/Iowa-Gun-Law-Change-Attracts-Florida-Business-108563089.html
---

Oops, Wrong House: An elderly house owner proved too much of a match for five robbers yesterday, shooting dead one and sending the others packing. It is understood five men had driven up to the man's house in Jalan SS8/8 about 9.40am. Two of them alighted from the vehicle and climbed over the automatic gate. While one of the pair who was armed with a knife stood guard at the door, his accomplice who was armed with a parang barged into the house. There, the 17-year-old robber confronted two children aged 8 and 10, their father, 30, and the family's Cambodian maid, in her 20s…Unbeknownst to the teen, the children's grandfather had heard the commotion downstairs and grabbed his pump-action shotgun. When the 72-year-old spotted the robber, he fired two shots. Hit in the ribs, the robber tumbled down the stairs. The other robbers fled the scene in a hurry. The shot robber was taken to the University Malaya Medical Centre where he was admitted to the intensive care unit but died shortly after.

http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Crime/Story/A1Story20101117-247651.html
---

A Fishy Story: An 18-year-old woman died early Wednesday morning after being shot at a home in Seven Fields, Butler County [PA], on Tuesday. Courtney Daily, 18, of Colorado Springs, was found in an upstairs bedroom of the Woodhaven Drive home with a gunshot wound to the upper body, police said. She was taken to UPMC Presbyterian Hospital in Pittsburgh where she later died. Eric Rutledge, 18, who was at the home when police arrived, was questioned and then charged with criminal homicide. He's currently being held in the Butler County Jail. Rutledge told police that he accidentally shot Daily. Investigators said Rutledge told them that he grabbed a shotgun when he heard noises downstairs. Rutledge said he and Daily then took turns holding the gun. When it was his turn he pointed the gun at Daily and pulled the trigger, according to police. Rutledge said he thought the gun was unloaded… (If Rutledge's account is true, he violated Rules One, Two and Three [http://www.spw-duf.info/safety.html]. However, why would one prepare to confront an intruder with an unloaded gun?)

http://www.wpxi.com/news/25825198/detail.html
---

Rule Four Reminder: An Oregon police officer has been fired and three others suspended after the fatal shooting of an unarmed black man during a standoff with a white officer. Portland police announced the disciplinary actions on Tuesday, nearly 10 months after police shot 25-year-old Aaron Campbell in the back as he ran away from them. Officer Ron Frashour, who fired the lethal shot, was terminated. He has said he thought Campbell was reaching for a weapon… A Multnomah County grand jury found no criminal wrongdoing but said police training, command and communication were inadequate. (Rule Four: Always be sure of your target and what's beyond it. This was a fatal and apparently erroneous judgment call but it's not likely that a grand jury would be as sympathetic to a private citizen.)

http://www.policeone.com/legal/articles/2900988-1-officer-fired-3-suspended-in-mans-shooting/
---

Rule Five Reminder: Police say child gun play is to blame for the death of 14-year-old Jalil Muhammad. Police say the teen was killed when one of his siblings was playing with a handgun and it went off. Paramedics responded to the boy's home in the 200 block of West 93rd Place around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday to a report of a 14-year old boy who may have suffered a seizure after falling. But when they found that the teen had sustained a gunshot wound to the head police were called and responded to the scene. Muhammad was transported to Comer Children's Hospital where he was pronounced dead… (Not to make light of Jalil's death but I didn't realize that enough time had elapsed for Chicago residents to won handguns.)

http://www.wgntv.com/news/wgntv-teen-killed-shot-in-head-police-nov17,0,4145167.story?track=rss

A police report by the New Orleans Police Department sheds light on the decision by authorities to charge a New Orleans man with second-degree murder in the shooting death of a three-year-old boy. Tryone Brown, 22, was charged with second-degree murder after police were called to a home in the 4500 block of Copernicus Street in Algiers after a three-year-old in his care apparently shot himself with a gun in the living room of Brown's home. According to police, early indicators suggest the shooting was accidental. According to the police report, a witness told a detective that they saw Brown stash two handguns in the sofa cushion in the living room, where Brown would later find Brashaun Blue with a gunshot wound to the head…

http://www.wwltv.com/news/local/Police-report-shed-light-in-shooting-death-of-three-year-old-108704984.html

A Lithonia [GA] police officer faces "The Tough Questions" after someone stole his gun, uniform, police badge and personal pickup truck. A DeKalb County police report indicates the 25-year-old Chevy C-10 belonging to Lithonia police officer Darian Barnes was stolen at around noon Friday, Nov. 12. The officer's gym bag that contained his badge, police uniform and Glock handgun were inside the stolen truck… Sources tell CBS Atlanta Barnes left his truck unlocked. Sgt. Larry Willams is Lithonia's acting police chief. He told McNary to direct his tough questions to DeKalb County police detectives. Barnes was on the job Wednesday wearing a new uniform, badge, gun and belt. "Is it reckless if an officer left his truck unlocked for somebody to steal his truck and all his police gear?" asked McNary. "It will be reckless if that was the case," said Williams…

http://www.cbsatlanta.com/news/25832560/detail.html

Sauce for the Goose, Sauce for the Gander?: I worked in New York City, where I usually had a partner. One thing I learned is, when your partner gets out of the car, you get out also. If your partner goes into a store for a midnight cup of coffee, you go inside also. Nothing like your partner walking in on a robbery in progress (God forbid), and you're sitting in the car. And remember to focus on why you are out of the car. If it's a traffic stop, focus on the car. Car stops are the most dangerous thing you can do next to domestic violence calls. These days, I sometimes see one officer out of the car on a car stop and the officer on the passenger side, looking around everywhere except into that car. (If this makes sense for cops on duty, maybe the rest of us need to think about it. It may not be practical all the time, particularly if you've got the kids with you but, if only one partner is armed, it may be good practice not to let the unarmed partner walk into the stop-and-rob store alone.)

http://www.policeone.com/Officer-Safety/tips/2899947-Contact-and-cover-Your-partners-safety/
---

The Limitations of "Going to the Range": …Most people think that practice means going to the range and firing rounds. And yes this is a form of practice, but at most ranges you are limited to standing stationary and firing at targets from a predetermined distance. A lot of facilities will only allow you to fire one shot every three seconds, and do not permit you to work from holsters. In other words all you can do at the shooting range is shoot. But fighting includes much more than shooting. Movement may be your initial concern. Moving to create distance, trying to keep from being in a wrasslin' match. Moving to get cover between the threat and you. Moving off the line of a charging attacker. You're moving to acquire a clear line of fire on the threat. You need to be moving, and maybe shooting at the same time. We need to communicate with the threat, family members, bystanders, armed partners. When cover is available we need to use it. Should our weapon run empty or malfunction it needs to be fixed. There is a strong probability it will be dark, requiring use of a flashlight. There will likely be multiple threats. It's also a good chance there are bystanders in the environment. And in addition to all of this, we may need to be shooting. The point is that we need to practice our fighting skills, all of them, and not just the shootin' part. What's the best way to practice? Dry. Especially when you don't have a range that will allow you to move, use cover, run malfunctions and shoot rapidly from various distances…

http://www.thetacticalwire.com/archived/2010-11-18_tactical.html
---

S&W – The Stock Is Falling!: …In contrast, those who took on Smith & Wesson (SWHC) have lost almost 20% of their funds in the past year. Not even a vote of confidence by Carl Icahn – whose investment company purchased almost a 4% stake earlier this year – was able to stop the pain. One big reason is that Smith & Wesson's problems haven't all hitched to the whims of a cruel economy; besides the usual operational difficulties, the company has spent the last year dealing with a bit of legal Armageddon all its own. Back in 2009, Smith & Wesson's prospects looked downright promising. The election of President Barack Obama brought worries of new gun regulations, and the country's growing economic malaise led talk radio to whisper of coming food shortages and unchecked crime. Such concerns engineered a surprising surge in gun and ammo sales, a trend Smith & Wesson CEO Michael Golden called "pretty exciting." …The problem hobbling the company that allowed James Bond his signature silhouette, and outfitted Dirty Harry with "the most powerful handgun in the world" is that it faces at least one large uncertainty Ruger doesn't have. In January, a Smith & Wesson sales executive was swept up in a massive FBI undercover investigation of bribery in the small arms industry and charged with violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. The sales executive allegedly attempted to bribe the representative of an African country that was taking bids for a $15 million deal to outfit that country's presidential guard. The representative was an undercover FBI agent…

http://money.cnn.com/2010/11/17/news/companies/smith_and_wesson.fortune/?section=magazines_fortune

11-14-10

2010-11-15T12:58:00.001-08:00

From: Stephen P. Wenger
comments in () by the same
http://www.spw-duf.info

CCW Push in Hawaii: While Hawaii statutes provide for the issuance of carry permits, they are not issued. A drive is under way to change that:

This is where the rubber meets the road! After much deliberation and consultation with outside sources, Hawaii Concealed Carry requires your assistance. We need all qualified persons to apply for a concealed handgun permit with the State of Hawaii, in whatever county you reside. We encourage Big Island, Kauai, and Maui to also apply within their respective county. Don't know if you are qualified? Please follow this checklist… Get this information out! We need this to build our plaintiff pool!!

For those who may consider a non-resident application, (a) a permit would only be valid in the county (island) in which it were issued and (b) all firearms transported to Hawaii must be registered there within three days.

http://hawaiiccw.com/hawaii/ccw-permits-action-required/
http://www.handgunlaw.us/states/hawaii.pdf
---

Meanwhile, in Iowa…: As of Jan. 1, changes to Iowa gun laws will take the discretionary powers of concealed weapons permits away from county sheriffs. Changing the language of the law from "may" to "shall" in Senate File 2379 "standardizes the issuance of concealed weapons permits across the state," according to state Rep. Clel Baudler, R-Adair, who was active in the bill's construction… Baudler said, in its early years, the concealed weapons laws in this state were primitive compared to today's qualifying standards. The sheriff of each county could essentially pick and choose who was fit for carrying concealed weapons and who was not - sometimes based on personal and discriminatory points of view, he said. The level of difficulty in obtaining a permit depended, for one thing, on the county in which the applicant lived. Laws were not consistent or balanced across the state, Baudler said. But one thing held true statewide: When an applicant was denied, there was nothing he or she could do to appeal the sheriff's decision…

http://www.messengernews.net/page/content.detail/id/534373/Gun-permit-rule-to-change.html?nav=5010
---

Prohibitionists Protest at Washington Gun Show: America's gun control debate came to life during a gun show in Yakima. Just a stone's throw away from the Sundome, it was a clash between First Amendment rights and Second Amendment freedoms. "If a person has criminal intent, they're gonna find another weapon... not just a firearm," says gun show director Brian Kjemsmo. "Our community deserves better," says protester Ed Patton. "All over this country, people are losing their loved ones." Smith and Wessons on one side, angry signs on the other. It was Yakima's turn to enter the gun control fray. At the corner of Nob Hill and Fair Avenue, protesters like Patton had a major beef with 2010's gun show: the fact that gun collectors can sell firearms to people without a background check. By contrast, licensed businesses must always perform background checks. The so-called "gun show loophole" is nothing new, but it's still enough to ignite plenty of bickering… (Neither the article nor the video substantiates the claim that there was any sort of "clash" between the First Amendment and the Second Amendment. No one used a firearm or any other weapon to try to silence the protestors.)

http://www.kimatv.com/news/local/107830024.html
---

Rule Four Reminder: Two Kansas City [MO] police officers who thought they were being shot at from inside a van returned fire Thursday night. Only later did police realize that the van was actually backfiring and the man inside was not armed. He was not injured by the shots fired by police. Windows of the police car were apparently shot out by the officers as they exited the patrol car. The officers were dispatched on a report of shots being fired from a white van just before 6 p.m. Thursday on Gregory Boulevard near Interstate 435. When the officers got to the area they saw a white van parked on Gregory and pulled up near it. As they were getting out of the patrol car they heard the backfiring and fired their weapons. Police are continuing to investigate the incident. (Rule Four: Always be sure of your target and what's beyond it. Several years back, a Border Patrol agent, in the vicinity of Willcox AZ, got into a "gunfight" with a carbide cannon, that had been rigged to fire automatically, in order to scare birds out of a nut orchard. Unfortunately, he persisted after being advised by a Cochise County deputy sheriff what the source of the "hostile fire" was. I believe he subsequently found alternative employment.)

http://www.kansascity.com/2010/11/12/2425221/kc-police-fire-at-backfiring-van.html
http://www.kctv5.com/news/25770191/detail.html
---

A Book to Make You Squirm: The following comments are made on the basis of my first and accelerated reading of a book intended to be controversial. I believe I am being objective in referring to Alan Korwin as a non-attorney student of the laws affecting the ownership and use of firearms. In After You Shoot, Alan makes an impassioned (with an emphasis on "passion") plea for a change in the paradigm that a citizen who uses a firearm in a self-defense incident should make it a point to be the first to call 911 (unless he can have a companion or bystander make the call for him). He couples this with the advocacy of an Adnarim statement – that's Miranda, spelled backward – in which the citizen asserts his rights to the police. Most of the remainder of the book goes on to document Alan's failure to gain a consensus on this from some heavy-hitter attorneys and several prominent firearms instructors (no, I was not one of the ones consulted).

Alan gets out a lot more than I do and seems to hobnob with a "higher class of people" as well. On the other hand, I don't know if Alan has spent the time that I have in and around the law-enforcement community. This may account for some of our difference in perspective.
While the term "half-baked" is usually regarded as pejorative, I must use it for this book. Alan's proposed paradigm shift is a desideratum but not yet a strategy he can honestly counsel to employ at this time. I find it much like a new bullet design – I'm not prepared to be the guinea pig to find if it works on the street.
If for no other reason than to discuss it with or have it evaluated by your attorney, I recommend the small investment to purchase this book. If you don't yet have an attorney, this book may help you structure the initial consultation to develop that relationship – it actually contains a specific chapter on doing so.
I just purchased two more copies so that I can lend them to attorneys. One copy will initially go to an attorney friend who is not currently practicing but happens to be the wife of the local County Attorney (what is called a District Attorney in most other jurisdictions).
As I said, this book will make you squirm. If you have not yet taken any formal training that has had the same effect from its discussions of the legal aftermath of using a firearm to defend yourself, that is not a discomfort you can afford to avoid.

http://www.gunlaws.com/AYS.htm
---

Tangentially Related: Righthaven is a company that was formed earlier this year with a novel business model: find websites that have copied newspaper articles without permission, and sue them for copyright infringement. Since March, it has sued more than 150 websites and reached settlements with more than 50. But now Righthaven faces its biggest challenge yet. In its lawsuits, Righthaven typically asks for attorney's fees and threatens to take over defendants' domain names. It has used both of those demands very effectively as a hammer to force its targets to settle the lawsuit. A new motion filed by digital rights group Electronic Frontier Foundation argues that Righthaven doesn't have the right to demand attorney's fees or take over defendants' domains, even if it wins its lawsuits… (One of the websites targeted by Righthaven is Clayton Cramer's The Armed Citizen, which used to be one of my sources.)

http://paidcontent.org/article/419-copyright-enforcer-righthaven-faces-a-new-obstacle/
http://www.thearmedcitizen.com/

While companies such as Righthaven try to protect journalists' copyrights by reflexively suing alleged infringers, online monitoring firm Attributor has pursued a different approach: reflexively trying to strike licensing deals, turning infringing websites into authorized, paying outlets for content. On Monday, Attributor announced the results of a trial run of this approach, finding that a simple request to share revenue or remove unauthorized copies of newspaper articles did the trick 75% of the time…

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2010/11/attributor-stopping-infringers-without-the-courts-help.html
---

11-05-10

2010-11-05T15:30:00.000-07:00

by permission from Stephen P. Wenger
http://www.spw-duf.info
comments in () by the same

Kopel's Election Analysis: The Second Amendment had a great night on Tuesday. Across the nation, the right to arms is stronger than ever, and the stage has been set for constructive reforms in 2011… In not a single U.S. Senate seat did the gun control lobby gain ground. Three open seats switched from anti-gun to pro-gun: Ohio (Rob Portman replacing George Voinovich), West Virginia (Joe Manchin taking the seat of the late Robert Byrd), North Dakota (John Hoeven replacing Byron Dorgan). In Arkansas, John Boozman's victory over Blanche Lincoln is a significant gain… There are now enough votes in the Senate to defeat a filibuster on pro-gun bills. Significantly, Harry Reid's victory in Nevada means that pro-gun bills have a chance of being brought to floor, or offered as amendments to other bills. Had Reid been defeated, the Majority Leader would have been Charles Schumer or Richard Durbin, both of whom are highly-motivated and well-informed on the anti-gun side… (Kopel has been a brilliant and prolific scholar of the RKBA but, in this election cycle, has struck me as an apologist for the NRA. His article is worth reading if only to gain insight into the NRA's position.)

http://newledger.com/2010/11/the-second-amendments-great-election-night/
---

DC Ammunition Ban Violates Second Amendment: From Herrington v. United States, decided today by D.C.'s highest court (the D.C. Court of Appeals): …The limited nature of our holding should be understood. The Second Amendment permits the District to condition the lawful possession of handgun ammunition in the home on the possession of a valid registration certificate for a corresponding handgun (so long as the registration scheme is constitutional).... [T]he prosecution may assume the burden of charging and proving beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant lacked the necessary registration in order to satisfy the Second Amendment. By doing so, the prosecution would establish that the defendant indeed was disqualified from exercising his Second Amendment right to possess handgun ammunition in the home. The application of the UA statute to the defendant in such a case would not be unconstitutional.

http://volokh.com/2010/11/04/d-c-s-highest-court-holds-ammunition-ban-violates-second-amendment/
---

Has This Trojan Horse Died?: … AHSA was formally introduced to the public in 2006 at a press conference at the annual conference of the Outdoor Writers Association of America… The group set about to gain media attention wherever they could find it. In 2007, AHSA President Ray Schoenke was invited to speak at a summit sponsored by yet another misleadingly named gun control group, New York Mayor Bloomberg's "Mayors Against Illegal Guns." Schoenke declared an alliance between AHSA and MAIG in seeking to expose confidential law enforcement data on firearms traces. He later published an op-ed in The Seattle Times titled "Real hunters and shooters need to stand up to the NRA." That fall, Schoenke was quoted in USA Today saying "The NRA's extreme positions have hurt the hunting movement." But it was in 2008 that AHSA became a true media darling, when it endorsed Barack Obama for President. Every time a pro-gun group tried to warn about the former Senator's radical anti-gun past, there was an AHSA spokesperson cooing back via a willing media that all was well… No additional posts have been made to ASHA website, Twitter or FaceBook page since then. What's more, the AHSA website, www.huntersandshooters.org, has been offline since early October, and emails to the organization bounce…

http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/node/7493
---

More on Peruta v. County of San Diego: … If Ed Peruta is successful, it would turn the Southern District of California into what is known as "shall issue" meaning that Sheriffs and Police Departments must issue CCWs to everyone who applies and who is not otherwise prohibited from carrying a gun, such as convicted Felons, drug users, gang bangers, etc. It's ramifications extend throughout the 9th Circuit although California and Hawaii are the only two states in the Circuit where CCWs are arbitrarily and selectively issued. Arizona and Alaska do not even require a CCW to carry a firearm concealed… (Article leads off with a brief history of the infringements of the right to bear arm in California. The next part in the series will look at the county's response.)

http://www.examiner.com/la-in-los-angeles/san-diego-sheriff-gore-s-response-to-the-peruta-ccw-case-part-1
---

Life in New Jersey: A Hunterdon man who is a "habitual drunkard" should not get his guns back, the appellate division of the State Superior Court ruled today. The man who is only identified by initials lost an appeal of a Nov. 18, 2008 decision forcing him to forfeit 62 weapons, some of which were 100 years old. A Hunterdon County family court judge had ordered the confiscation of the guns and the man's firearms purchaser I.D. card after his wife secured a temporary restraining order against him under the domestic violence act. She alleged that her husband had threatened to kill her if she took their son and that he previously threatened to kill her pets. He also secured a restraining order against her but later both parties dismissed the restraining orders. Then divorce proceedings began. After the restraining order was dismissed, the husband sought to get his guns back. The Hunterdon County Prosecutor's Office objected and sought forfeiture of the weapons… (Note that this prohibition is for the mere keeping of arms, not bearing them in public.)

http://www.nj.com/hunterdon-county-democrat/index.ssf/2010/11/no_guns_allowed_for_habitual_d.html
---

Bringing a Vehicle to a Gunfight: An East Los Angeles man arriving home Wednesday was greeted by another man wielding a shotgun in his driveway and ran him over, officials said, pinning the gunman underneath the vehicle until authorities came to arrest him. The alleged gunman, Jason Perez, 25, was waiting in the driveway of the home on Nevada Avenue south of Michigan Avenue at about 7:30 p.m., said Sgt. Michael Thomas, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. When the driver saw Perez pointing the shotgun at him, he "stepped on it and ran him over," Thomas said. The alleged gunman was pulled out from underneath the vehicle by members of the Los Angeles County Fire Department, taken to the hospital to be treated for minor injuries and then booked, Thomas said. The driver of the vehicle was not arrested because he acted in self-defense, Thomas said. (I always emphasize to my students that a vehicle generally makes a better weapon than a firearm, particularly if the other party is also armed with a vehicle.)

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/11/driver-runs-over-gunman-who-pulled-shotgun-on-him.html
---

Open Carry in Connecticut: Rich Burgess was drinking coffee and working on his laptop at the Old Saybrook Starbucks when several cops approached him about the gun he was carrying. Burgess always carries a gun in a holster on his right hip and two ammo clips on his left. The officers took Burgess outside and questioned him. Burgess audio recorded the interaction and posted it to OpenCarry.com, a national gun activist website devoted to allowing gun owners to "open carry," or display their guns rather than hide them under their clothing. (Laws on open carry vary from state to state.) The police threatened to charge Burgess with breach of peace even though he had his pistol permit on him. The Starbucks incident happened just a few weeks ago. But over the summer, Burgess was arrested for carrying his gun in a hip holster at a Wallingford bowling alley. Several customers told the bowling alley owner the visible gun was making them uncomfortable. According to an affidavit filed with the police, the owner asked Burgess to put his gun away. Burgess said no, but offered to leave. Burgess showed the owner his permit and a pamphlet on state gun laws. Then the owner called the police. Burgess was arrested and charged with breach of peace and disorderly conduct. The charges have since been dropped and he's considering suing the town…

http://www.newhavenadvocate.com/featured-news/is-connecticut-properly-policing-gun-owners
---

Oops, Wrong House: Police said Monday that an 18-year-old man who was breaking into a Westside home Saturday night was shot and killed by the homeowner. Jacksonville [FL] police said they found Justin Holliman lying in the middle of the street in the 5600 block of Village Pond Circle just after 10 p.m. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Police said their investigation revealed that Holliman was burglarizing a home and was shot by the homeowner. Police said their investigation is ongoing.

http://www.news4jax.com/news/25596350/detail.html

An attempted home-invasion robbery in east Tacoma [WA] on Wednesday morning left a resident injured, one of the intruders dead from a gunshot wound and a second intruder at large. At about 6:30 a.m. Wednesday, two men with masks, black clothing and handguns forced their way into a couple's home, according to The News Tribune of Tacoma. The masked men woke the residents and demanded to know where they kept jewelry and a safe. They pistol-whipped one of the residents until his girlfriend reached under the bed for a shotgun and passed it to him. The resident and the intruders exchanged gunfire. One of the intruders, 40-year-old Michael Price, tried to run from the house but made it only to the driveway, where he was found dead with a loaded handgun and some jewelry, police told The News Tribune. Police believe Price's accomplice fired the fatal shot, not the resident of the home. An autopsy revealed the wound was not caused by a shotgun, Ed Troyer, spokesman for the Pierce County Sheriff's Office, told The News Tribune…

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2013334927_homeinvasion04m.html
---

Rule One, Two, Three Reminder: A 52-year-old man who accidentally shot himself in his Williamsville [IL] home was listed in serious condition at Memorial Medical Center Wednesday. Dwayne Dineen was injured just before 7 p.m. Tuesday at his home in the 200 block of Elkhart Street. He reportedly shot himself while cleaning his 9 mm handgun. Williamsville Police Chief Richard Edwards said it appeared Dineen didn't realize he'd left a round in the chamber of the pistol. As he picked up the pistol, it fired into the left side of his upper chest, going through his body. Edwards added that Dineen appeared to be intoxicated at the time of the incident. (Rule One: All Firearms are always loaded. Rule Two: Don't let the muzzle cross anything you're not prepared to shoot. Rule Three: Keep your finger out of the trigger guard, up on the frame, until your sights are on the target and you're prepared to fire. It's strictly conjecture but if he was really in the process of cleaning his pistol, I suspect he may have been trying to lock back the slide with his finger inside the trigger guard.)

http://www.sj-r.com/top-stories/x742792140/Man-shoots-self-in-chest-while-cleaning-gun

A Wilsonville [OR] woman is recovering at OHSU in Portland after accidentally being shot by her husband as he was preparing to clean a pistol. The Clackamas County Sheriff's office is reporting that the shooting took place about 9 p.m. at the Boulder Creek Apartments in Wilsonville. When officers from the Wilsonville Police and the Clackamas County Sheriffs Office, arrived, they found the woman suffering from a gunshot. Medical personal treated her at the scene and then took her to the hospital. Her condition was not known this morning but she was reported to be alert while being taken to the hospital. Detectives from the sheriff's office investigated and determined that the shooting was accidental and no charges were filed. Names of the victim and her husband have not been released.

http://www.oregonlive.com/clackamascounty/index.ssf/2010/11/woman_shot_at_wilsonville_apar.html

Police say it is an unusual scene at a Walmart parking lot where a man accidentally shoots himself. Police in Webb City, Missouri say a 57-year-old man called 911 and said he unintentionally shot himself. When officers arrived they found the man lying in the parking lot with a gunshot wound to his upper abdomen, and a 9 millimeter gun on the passenger seat of his pick-up truck. The man was taken to a hospital. Police do not think his injuries were life-threatening…

http://www.fox14tv.com/Global/story.asp?S=13448272

A recently sworn-in Hebron [IN] reserve police officer shot himself in the leg Wednesday while unloading his gun before going inside a school to pick up his 5-year-old son… Glickauf, who shattered his femur into eight pieces when the gun fired, will not physically be able to work with the police force for some time. And after he's healed, "He's going to have to go through a department review," Sibbrell said… He ejected the magazine from the gun, ejected the round from the chamber, and reinserted the ejected round back into the magazine, he told police. He then attempted to put the magazine back in the gun but it didn't fit right. Not being familiar with the Smith & Wesson Springfield [sic] .40-caliber handgun, although he said it was his personal gun that he also uses for work, "he thought if he pulled the trigger the magazine would seat properly," Glickauf told police. Instead, the gun fired and the bullet went into his upper left thigh. (Methinks it was a Springfield XD pistol. chambered in .40 S&W. That mistake, however, pales in comparison to shooting yourself with a pistol from which you claim to have already ejected the round from the chamber. I suspect he did not remember that the magazine had to be ejected before racking the slide until he had the time to make up his story.)

http://www.post-trib.com/news/porter/2867172,vshot-1105.article
---

Rule Five Reminder: Atlanta [GA] police said careless gun owners are putting its officers at risk. Investigators said in the last 30 days, more than a dozen guns have been stolen from parked cars in Midtown, Home Park and Atlantic Station. "These weapons can get in the hands of unproductive citizens who use them in robberies and other crimes," said Maj. Khirus Williams, with the Atlanta Police Department. CBS Atlanta asked APD the Tough Question, can gun owners be charged for their careless ways? "Well, it is something that could very easily be looked at as reckless conduct," said Williams. "Ultimately, the district attorney would make that decision." Police said gun owners should never leave their weapon in a car unattended, unless it is stored in a gun safe. Williams said gun owners should either leave the gun at home or take it with them when they leave their vehicle. (Rule Five: Maintain control of your firearm. It is worth reading the comments on this very one-sided article.)

http://www.cbsatlanta.com/news/25625941/detail.html
---

Tangentially Related: More than two-thirds of paroled inmates in California are back in prison within three years, with the highest rates among younger inmates and those with shorter sentences, according to a new state report. The recidivism rate in California remains among the nation's highest. But the report by the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, released Tuesday, cited a small decline in the rate of imprisonment within a year of release - from 49.1 percent in 2005-06 to 47.5 percent in 2007-08. "These results are very encouraging" and reflect Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's commitment to rehabilitation, said department Secretary Matthew Cate. Assistant Secretary Steven Chapman said the 1.6 percentage point decline reflected a reduction of thousands of crimes. The report also found, however, that the three-year recidivism rate increased slightly: 67.5 percent of those released in 2005-06 returned to prison in the next three years, compared with 66.2 percent of those paroled three years earlier… (California is the Brady Bunch's poster state, for its breadth and depth of infringements of the RKBA.)

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/11/03/BA2F1G6GNV.DTL&tsp=1
---

10-18-10

2010-10-18T13:22:00.001-07:00

by permission from Stephen P. Wenger
comments in () by the same
http://www.spw-duf.info

NSSF vs. MAIG: In a recent report by the Mayors Against Illegal Guns (MAIG) coalition, an anti-gun organization led by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the group misuses firearms tracing data in order to push its own gun-control agenda… The MAIG report also alleges that states with strong regulations and oversight of firearm sales have less firearms trafficking than states that lack such measures. Though countless examples to refute this claim exist, let's focus on three: California, Virginia and South Carolina.

The Golden State, with some of the strictest gun laws in the country, is the source state for 73 percent of its own recovered firearms. This means that nearly three-quarters of the firearms recovered in California were originally bought in the state. Neighboring Arizona, where the state legislature respects the Second Amendment and trusts its law-abiding citizens to exercise their right to keep and bear arms, has a paltry seven percent of the guns recovered in California. What's more, that seven percent makes the Grand Canyon State the second highest source of recovered firearms for California!
The Commonwealth of Virginia, though it restricts law-abiding citizens to only one-gun-a-month, is considered to be a top source state by the MAIG – a seeming disconnect with the organization's claim that tough gun laws limit trafficking.
In South Carolina, one-gun-a-month was repealed (allowing for more guns in the hands of law-abiding citizens) and, like the rest of the U.S., South Carolinians experienced a decrease in violent crime. For the purposes of the MAIG study, South Carolina, without one-gun-a-month, didn't even crack the top 10 on the MAIG list of source states…

http://www.ammoland.com/2010/10/18/mayors-against-illegal-guns-twists-the-truth-about-firearms-trace-data/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ammoland+%28AmmoLand.com%29
---

Federal Judges Not Birds of a Feather: A Federal Magistrate Judge in Massachusetts just outdid the Brady Center in their ludicrous interpretation of the United States Supreme Court Heller decision which declared that we have an individual, fundamental enumerated Constitutional right to carry a weapon for the purpose of self defense. On October 14th, Judge Marrianne B. Bowler of Massachusetts ruled that the Second Amendment does not preclude laws or actions which are not "...tantamount to an absolute restriction on plaintiff's right to possess firearms in his home." …Unlike Judge Bowler in Massachusetts, Judge Gonzalez quoted directly from the Heller decision. Nowhere in the Heller decision does the High Court state that the right to keep and bear (or carry) arms is limited to the home. Instead, the High Court gave the home as an example as to where the right applied. The exact words the Court used was "such as" which, as any first grader knows, means for example and does not mean "only." The High Court also gave two examples of where the right could be restricted in public; Schools and Government buildings. Places the Court described as "sensitive." If the Court had intended to restrict their decision "only to the home" they would have said so and would have had no need to devote as much of the opinion to a discussion of carrying firearms in public as they did…

http://www.examiner.com/la-in-los-angeles/massachusetts-and-california-federal-judges-on-the-2nd-amendment
---

But That's a Gun-Free Zone!: Two postal workers were killed Monday in a shooting at a post office in west Tennessee during a possible robbery attempt, authorities said. The Lauderdale County Sheriff's Department told the Associated Press that two female employees were killed Monday morning in what may have been a robbery at the Henning post office. Officers are searching for a maroon Chevrolet Malibu with two men inside. A witness told a state employee at the Tennessee Capitol in Nashville, Tony Burns, that the shooting happened during a robbery attempt. Mr. Burns said his sister-in-law, a U.S. Postal Service worker, was assigned to the Henning office Monday. He said she told him she escaped unharmed… (Even if we are able to repeal the ban on firearms in non-secure federal facilities, it's unlikely that postal employees would be allowed to carry. Nonetheless, the tragic death of these two women points out the folly of creating gun-free zones as criminals are more likely to be encouraged than dissuaded by such postings.)

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/oct/18/2-workers-killed-tenn-post-office-shooting/
---

Florida – Five Years of Stand-Your-Ground Law: …If history serves, the gunman stands a very good chance in court. The case may not even make it to trial. That's because of Florida Statute 776.013(3), which took effect five years ago this month. The old law gave you the right to protect yourself with deadly force inside your home. The 2005 law gives you the right to protect yourself in a park, outside a Chili's, on a highway – just about anywhere. You need only to "reasonably believe" that pulling the trigger or plunging the knife or swinging the bat is necessary to stop the other person from hurting you. Reports of justifiable homicides tripled after the law went into effect, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Last year, twice a week, on average, someone's killing was considered warranted. The self-defense law – known as "stand your ground" – has been invoked in at least 93 cases with 65 deaths, a St. Petersburg Times review found. In the majority of the cases, the person's use of force was excused by prosecutors and the courts. Proponents say that means the law is working, allowing people to protect themselves without having to ponder legalities in the heat of an attack. You don't have to wait to see how much of a victim you're going to be. You don't have to wait for the first bone to break. But the law has also been used to excuse violence in deadly neighbor arguments, bar brawls, road rage – even a gang shoot-out – that just as easily might have ended with someone walking away… (There appears to be a movement among Florida's journalists to prevent criminal stupidity from becoming terminal stupidity. Ever since I have been back in Arizona, stand-your-ground has been the law, whether by case law or statute, and I don't recall this many incidents being attributed to it. Admittedly, Florida's population is about 2.8 times greater than Arizona's but the five-year-old change in Florida's law was and continues to be highly publicized. Many people are familiar with the first portion or Heinlein's quotation about an armed society being a polite society but are unfamiliar with the entire paragraph, which includes, "But gunfighting has a strong biological use. We do not have enough things that kill off the weak and the stupid these days.")

http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/crime/article1128317.ece
---

Meanwhile, in Illinois…: A jury found a University Park man guilty Friday of killing a neighbor whose dog had urinated on his prized lawn. The panel convicted Charles J. Clements, 69, of 530 Landau Road, of second-degree murder for the death of Joshua Funches, 23. But the jury rejected a more serious charge of first-degree murder against Clements, signaling they concluded that at the time he shot Funches, Clements thought he was acting in self-defense but that his belief was unreasonable. Authorities said Funches was walking his fox terrier on Landau Road on May 9 when the dog urinated on Clements' lawn. Neighbors said Clements, a retired truck driver and former Marine, was a fanatic about his lawn, chasing errant children from the grass he worked on every day and winning beautification awards for his efforts. Clements then confronted Funches about the dog's deposit and then followed him down the street. Clements said in court filings that Funches threatened him, swore at Clements' wife and then hit Clements in the face. He said he was in fear for his life when he pulled a .45-caliber handgun from his pocket and fired a single gunshot at Funches, striking him in the abdomen and killing him… (Note the disparity in ages between the 23-year-old puncher and the 69-year-old shooter. Personally, regardless of how much I prized my lawn, I wouldn't have pursued the dog owner.)

http://www.southtownstar.com/news/2806104,101710lawnshooting.article
---

No Lack of Fertilizer in the White Mountains: …Women are becoming gun owners and learning to shoot in larger numbers than ever before. The old methods of protecting yourself, such as blowing a whistle, learning martial arts, and using things like pepper spray and mace, aren't enough to help women feel safe anymore. Crime touches every part of the country, even in rural areas. Local radio personality Barbara Bruce knows first-hand what it feels like to be unprotected. "I have a stalker and sleep with a butcher knife and bells on my doors," Barbara said. "I don't want to be a victim." Bruce took a gun safety class offered by local resident Linda Gilbertson, a NRA certified firearms instructor, and she wasn't the only one. "I held 13 classes this summer for women only and have a waiting list," said Gilbertson. During the class that Bruce attended in September, there were four women in attendance. "I try to limit the classes to four so I can have more one-on-one time with them," states Gilbertson… (I'm all for women being trained to use firearms safely and effectively but can't help wonder about local radio personality Barbara Bruce being taught to grasp a pistol with all four fingers or each hand. I gave Barbara my business card five years ago, shortly after the first edition of my book was published but have never heard from her.)

http://www.wmicentral.com/news/latest_news/article_0b9bd34c-d7df-11df-9744-001cc4c03286.html
---

Oops, Wrong Eatery: Johnston County [NC] deputies said an attempted robbery at a local restaurant on Friday evening turned into a shootout, leaving one suspect dead. The robbery happened shortly before 6 p.m. at Shoeheel Grill, Grocery and Gas at 8212 Old Beulah Road in Kenly, Johnston County Sheriff Steve Bizzell said. The owner, his son and two female employees were the only people in the store when a man walked in and displayed a weapon, Bizzell said. The man pointed the gun at the owner's son. The owner came from a back room with a weapon. The two exchanged gunfire in the store. The suspect was shot but made it outside to his van, Bizzell said. The owner also went outside and noticed a second suspect in the parking lot, Bizzell said. At this point, the owner had gotten a second weapon. The second suspect began firing a rifle at the owner, who returned fire. The second suspect fled on foot into some nearby woods, Bizzell said. The first suspect was found dead in his van…

http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/8462902/
---

Oops, Wrong Musician: In a bizarre shooting in front of an upscale restaurant in downtown Sacramento [CA] on Saturday night, police said a member of a jazz band pulled a pistol and shot one of two men who had picked fights with a waiter, a homeless man and the band member. The band member, whom police did not identify, was detained but not arrested… The events began shortly before 7 p.m. when two men described as large white men in their 20s, possibly intoxicated, tried to pick a fight with a valet parking attendant and mooned patrons at Ella restaurant at 12th and K streets, witnesses told The Bee. The men crossed the street to the Broiler restaurant, where they entered the building and again started trouble, police and witnesses said. As they exited the building, the men touched one of several human-sized cat figurines belonging to a jazz band that was playing on the patio just outside the restaurant. A band member told the men to stop it. At that point, a homeless man in his early 20s confronted the two men and they beat him, said Sgt. Norm Leong, police spokesman. They punched a waiter who tried to intervene, knocking him to the ground, and then the two men punched the band member and backed off,Leong said. But the two men again approached the band member, at which point he pulled a pistol and shot one of the assailants, Leong said. Leong said the man suspected of firing the gun was not arrested. He said police will refer the case to the District Attorney's Office to determine if he shot in self-defense and whether charges are merited against anybody in the case… (My suspicion is that the musician may end up being charged with unlicensed CCW, unless he holds a CWP issued in another county.)

http://www.sacbee.com/2010/10/17/3110857/sacramento-cops-say-musician-shot.html
---

Rule Two, Rule Three Reminder: Police in New Hampshire say a 23-year-old Manchester man had to be hospitalized after accidentally shooting himself in the leg with a friend's gun shortly after attending a gun show. Manchester police Lt. James Soucy said Michael Hunter and 23-year-old Andrew Shelley each bought two guns at a show in Manchester on Saturday. Police said the men drove to Shelley's apartment and that Hunter shot himself with Shelley's .40-caliber handgun outside of the car while trying to locate the gun's safety. Officials said he was listed in fair condition after being taken to a hospital. (Rule Two: don't let the muzzle cross anything you're not prepared to shoot. Rule Three: Keep your finger out of the trigger guard until your sights are on the target and you're prepared to fire.)

http://www.boston.com/news/local/new_hampshire/articles/2010/10/17/nh_man_shoots_self_in_leg_after_buying_gun_at_show/
---

Rule Four Reminder: A 76-year-old woman was shot in the head on Sunday by a man target practicing with a rifle in Hiram [ME], police said. Investigators said Yvonne Dorrity was outside doing some yard work at about 11 a.m. with her son, 47-year-old Mark Hendricks, when they heard a very loud gun shot from the sand pit across the street. Dorrity told police that she immediately felt the bullet hit her in the head just above her right eye…Police arrested 20-year-old Sean McNulty, of Parsonsfield, who they said was target-shooting a rifle in the sand pit at the corner of S. Hiram and New Settlement roads in Hiram. Investigators said that McNulty had set up gallon milk jugs filled with water on the bank of the sand pit. Police said a bullet ricocheted off of one of the jugs and continued another 350 feet before it struck Dorrity in the head… Dorrity was treated at her residence by Sacopee Rescue personnel for injuries that were not life-threatening, police said. McNulty was charged with reckless conduct. (Rule Four is generally expressed as being sure of your target and what's beyond it but ricochets are usually difficult to predict. This once was more likely off a rock or packed dirt, not the relatively soft milk jug. I cannot count the number of times I have been hit or seen others hit by ricochets. Unless they involve very heavy bullets, they are usually of low energy but I have seen several penetrations of skin by shards of jacket material from JHP bullets. If you do not wear wraparound eyeglasses or side shields at shooting ranges, make it a point not to turn your head sideways toward the direction from which ricochets can occur. I have seen one case where the fragment of a lead bullet came within ¼" of the eye of someone who ignored such advice.)

http://www.wmtw.com/news/25421381/detail.html
---

Rule Five Reminder: For years, customs agent Jose Melendez-Perez was hailed as an American hero of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Now, after making what he says was his first major mistake in 44 years of public service, Melendez-Perez is fighting to get his old job back. He faces a disciplinary hearing this week in Florida. Melendez-Perez, 64, an immigration officer at Orlando International Airport, stopped the supposed "20th hijacker" from entering the United States in August 2001. He won national acclaim for grilling passenger Mohammed Qahtani for 90 minutes and then denying him entry. But six months ago, Melendez-Perez drove a U.S. Customs and Border Protection van home for the weekend, violating agency policy. He locked his service weapon, an agency computer and other items inside. Someone broke into the van and stole the items, which were never recovered… (Rule Five: Maintain control of your firearm.)

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/2010/10/18/20101018customsagent1018.html
---

Note the Injuries: A police officer was shot twice in the leg on Sunday night after an exchange of gunfire in a building in East New York, Brooklyn, the police said. The officer and a suspect, who was also shot three times, were in stable condition. The officer, Richard Ramirez, 29, was among three plainclothes officers who observed a man riding his bicycle on the sidewalk, and when the man saw the police, he ran into a building at 454 Bradford Street, authorities said. The officers, who were part of an anticrime unit, chased the man, who sources said was 17 and from Brooklyn. When the man was unable to enter an apartment on the third floor, he turned and fired on the officers; a German-made gun with six expended rounds was found at the scene, said the police commissioner, Raymond W. Kelly. Mr. Kelly made his comments at a news conference at Kings County Hospital Center, where Officer Ramirez was taken with injuries that were not life-threatening, according to a hospital spokesman. He was undergoing surgery late Sunday evening to remove a bullet from his calf. The alleged shooter, whose name was not released, was taken to Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center and was also undergoing surgery… (A few years ago, while reviewing NYPD summaries of officer-involved shootings, John Farnam observed that when officers are shot by criminals they are most often struck in the lower abdomen or legs and are rarely struck at distances beyond six meters. This is consistent with inexperienced shooters pushing or jerking shots low and to the non-dominant side. For this reason, many instructors counsel not to use kneeling or prone positions without cover as doing so may only serve to place your most vital organs in the line of fire.)

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/18/nyregion/18cop.html?ref=nyregion
---

2009 LEO's Killed in the Line-of-Duty: An assistant police chief with 27 years of law enforcement experience was shot and killed on an Arkansas highway after stopping a suspected stolen vehicle. A 30-year-old U.S. Border Patrol agent was shot multiple times while on patrol near San Diego. A patrol officer in Pennsylvania awaiting backup was ambushed in his police cruiser after responding to a 9-1-1 call. These three officers, who paid the ultimate price for their desire to serve and protect the public, are just three of the 48 law enforcement officers from around the nation who lost their lives in the line of duty during 2009. You can read more about the sacrifices made by these brave men and women in the just-released Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted, 2009, an annual reminder of the dangers of policing… (The linked article summarizes the circumstances of these deaths, along with non-lethal assaults and accidental deaths. Several of the incidents were captured by dash-mounted cameras and I'm sure that many list members have viewed at least some of these incidents. They often showed tipping points, where resistance emerges. While officers may not always be able to disengage at that point, the private citizen would generally be well served by disengaging when signs of resistance emerge.)

http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2010/october/law-enforcement-officers-killed-and-assaulted-1/leoka_101909
---