Testimony Against Columbus "AWB": A public health professor from Ohio
State University, of all people, delivered a very logical statement in
opposition to the attempt by the Columbus City Council to ban
cosmetically impaired firearms.

http://www.peoplesrights.org/articletemplate.asp?id=98
---

Convenience-Store Manager Fights Back: A woman who manages the
convenience store at a BP station in North Carolina shot one of two
armed robbers three times, then jumped into their car to chase the
fleeing partner. Recently licensed to own a handgun shoe now plans to
get her Concealed Handgun Permit.

http://www.wsoctv.com/news/4681485/detail.html
---

Meanwhile, In Texas...: A man selected the wrong convenience store to
rob in Houston and now has no more earthly worries. According to the
second report, the robber's gun would not even fire.

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/news/070405_local_conveniencestoreshoot.html
http://www.khou.com/news/local/houstonmetro/stories/khou050704_jt_store_shooting.72b8e253.html
---

New Zealand Dairy Owners May Turn To Guns: Frustrated by robbers, dairy
(the term appears to refer to stores in New Zealand) are turning to
improvised weapons and may eventually resort to firearms to protect
their businesses and families.

http://www.bayofplentytimes.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?storyid=3642363&thesection=localnews&thesubsection=&thesecondsubsection=
---

Bringing An Umbrella To A Knife Fight: A South African man initially
used an umbrella to fight off two knife-armed robbers who accosted him
and his wife. He eventually shot one of them with his pistol. I hope his
decision to use the umbrella initially was based on the fact that he
already had it in hand.

http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_1731837,00.html
---

Kenyan Security Industry Opposes Armed Guards: Much familiar but
illogical rhetoric appears in this report about opposition to a bill
that would allow security officers in Kenya to carry firearms.

http://www.eastandard.net/hm_news/news.php?articleid=24445
---

Registry Has Not Affected Death Rate In Canada: Canada's
firearm-registration scheme has had no demonstrable effect on the rate
of firearm-related deaths.

http://www.canada.com/national/nationalpost/news/comment/story.html?id=459a5ae6-d6cb-48de-b47c-881d641e3bf3
---

Current-Production S&W Revolvers: Teddy Jacobson offers some insights
into the current-production revolvers from Smith & Wesson.

http://actionsbyt.blogspot.com/2005/07/opinion-current-sw-rev.html
---

From The NRA-ILA:

NRA-ILA Grassroots Alert Vol. 12, No. 26 07/01/05

VOTE ON S. 397 EXPECTED THIS MONTH,
CONTACT YOUR LAWMAKERS WHILE THEY ARE HOME!

Congress's "Independence Day District Work Period" is scheduled for July
4-July 8. During this time, your Senators and Representative will be
back home in their respective states and districts. Many lawmakers use
this time to hold town hall meetings, where they can report on what
they've been doing in Washington, and take questions from their
constituents. These meetings offer a tremendous opportunity for you to
personally voice your strong support for S. 397 and H.R. 800-the Senate
and House versions of the "Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act,"
(which hopefully will be voted on by the Senate this month). Please
contact your lawmakers' Washington, D.C., and district offices and ask
when they plan to hold their town hall meetings during the break. If you
do not know the number for your lawmakers' district offices, you can use
the "Write Your Representatives"
<http://www.capwiz.com/nra/dbq/officials/> tool at www.NRAILA.org/A>, or
call the NRA-ILA Grassroots Division at (800) 392-8683.

Once again, if you get a chance to meet with your lawmakers, please be
sure to urge your Senators to cosponsor and support S. 397/H.R. 800.
<http://www.NRAILA.org/>

<http://www.NRAILA.org/>

In addition to attending meetings and speaking out in support of our
Right to Keep and Bear Arms, please forward the dates, times, and
locations of any town hall meetings to your family, friends, and fellow
firearm owners, and to the NRA-ILA Grassroots Division, so we may
compile this information and share it with the pro-gun community. Please
forward this information to the Grassroots Division by calling (800)
392-8683, by faxing to (703) 267-3918, or by sending an e-mail to
<http://www.NRAILA.org/>[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>.

Finally, it is imperative that you continue to contact your U.S.
Senators and your U.S. Representative, both in their district and D.C.
offices, and ask them to cosponsor and support S. 397 and H.R.
800-without any anti-gun amendments- and put a halt to these reckless
lawsuits once and for all. Again, please be sure to contact your
lawmakers immediately and urge them to support this legislation. And be
sure to let them know that you consider any votes in support of anti-gun
amendments to this legislation as votes against the bill itself.

You can find contact information for your elected officials by using the
"Write Your Representatives" <http://www.capwiz.com/nra/dbq/officials/>
tool at www.NRAILA.org <http://www.NRAILA.org/>. Or you can call your
U.S. Senators and Representative in their D.C. offices at (202) 224-312
(Senate), or (202) 225-3121 (House).

D.C. GUN BAN REFORM
GETS HEARING AND VOTE

In an important step toward reforming Washington, D.C.'s draconian gun
laws, pro-Second Amendment Rep. Mark Souder (R-Ind.) succeeded in
attaching an amendment to the D.C. appropriations bill (by a vote of
259-161) that would restore the self-defense rights of legal gun owners
in the District. D.C. citizens have been disarmed for nearly 30 years,
while their city has earned dubious distinction as the nation's murder
capital.

The Souder Amendment prohibits funds from being used "to enforce section
702 of the Firearms Control Regulations Act of 1975 (sec. 7-2507.02,
D.C. Official Code)." That section requires that every registered gun
owner (a small number of rifle and shotgun owners, and an even smaller
number who fall under a "grandfather clause" because they owned
registered handguns before the enactment of the ban) "shall keep any
firearm in his possession unloaded and disassembled or bound by a
trigger lock or similar device unless such firearm is kept at his place
of business, or while beig used for lawful recreational purposes within
the District of Columbia." There is no exception for self-defense.

The District of Columbia is the only place in the U.S. that prohibits
keeping firearms available at home, for defense against criminal attack.
Right now, a law-abiding citizen who legally owns a shotgun, a rifle, or
a handgun (assuming the handgun was registered in D.C. before 1976), is
forbidden from using the gun in defense of his or her home and family,
even though, ironically, the same person could use a gun to defend a
business. And needless to say, D.C.'s criminals ignore the storage rules.

Passage of the Souder Amendment followed a June 28 House Government
Reform Committee hearing on Washington, D.C.'s gun laws. Among the
topics were NRA's efforts to repeal the egregious D.C. gun ban (bills
have been filed to this effect-H.R. 1288 in the House and S. 1082 in the
Senate). This legislation seeks to restore the
constitutionally-guaranteed Second Amendment rights of the residents of
the District of Columbia.

Among those testifying against repealing the D.C. ban were D.C. Mayor
Anthony Williams (D) and Police Chief Charles Ramsey.

Astonishingly, Mayor Williams referred to legislation to restore the
constitutional rights of those he governs as "a slap in the face to me
and to the people who live in this city." It is quite telling, not to
mention insulting, when an elected official, who works for those who
elect him, doesn't trust them enough to support their choice to legally
own a firearm for self-defense, especially when residing in such a
dangerous city.

In confronting U.S. Representative Dan Burton (R-Ind.), who is a staunch
supporter of efforts to repeal the ban, Chief Ramsey asked, "I don't
know how many folks you've confronted sir, in reality at night with a
gun on them who were intent of doing harm, but my people have to do it
every single day." An interesting notion, considering that, since D.C.
has a gun ban, it should be impossible for anyone to confront a
gun-wielding criminal! Of course, in Ramsey's Washington, the only
people who have guns are criminals. The chief's suggestion that
maintaining the D.C. ban would diminish such encounters is ludicrous, as
the ban has been counterproductive since its inception in 1976.

The key issue was summarized well by D.C. resident Sandra Seegars, a
community activist and local official who is suing to overturn the ban.
As Seegars said, "It's time to face reality. The District's handgun ban
is not working.... The ban has allowed thugs more reason to prey on
law-abiding citizens, because they aren't armed."

The success of the Souder Amendment-and the broad cosponsorship of the
reform bills-just go to show the importance of grassroots activism. The
Souder Amendment showed a net increase of 13 votes compared to last
September's House vote on a broader reform of D.C.'s gun laws. Much of
that positive change came from new House members who were elected with
the strong endorsement of the NRA and the active involvement of NRA-ILA
grassroots volunteers.

Please continue to contact your U.S. Representative and Senators and ask
them to cosponsor and support H.R. 1288 and S. 1082. For a list of
Senate cosponsors, please visit
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:SN01082:@@@P
<http://www.nranews.org/UM/T.asp?A2.24.1757.16.4325426>. For a list of
House cosponsors, please visit
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:HR01288:@@@P
<http://www.nranews.org/UM/T.asp?A2.24.1757.17.4325426>.

You can call your U.S. Senators at (202) 224-3121, or your U.S.
Representative at (202) 225-3121.

POLICE CHIEFS ONCE AGAIN
STRONGLY SUPPORT RIGHT TO ARMS

The National Association of Chiefs of Police (NACOP) has released its
"17th Annual National Survey of Police Chiefs & Sheriffs," and the
responses show, yet again, that our nation's law enforcement officers
staunchly support our Right to Keep and Bear Arms. The survey was sent
to more than 22,000 Chiefs of Police and Sheriffs, and represents a
cross section of professional command officers involving every state in
the country.

According to a recent PHXnews.com article, NACOP asserts that " the
public perception of how police view certain issues is based on media
coverage, which is not necessarily accurate. When police chiefs and
sheriffs are allowed to respond to poll questions anonymously, the
politics may be removed from their answers."

The survey's results certainly seem to reflect that contention. Among
the highlights:

   * 93.6% of the respondents supported civilian gun-ownership rights;
   * 96% of the police chiefs and sheriffs believe criminals obtain
     firearms from illegal sources, and;
   * 63.1% believe concealed-weapons permits would reduce violent crime

Even though the media and anti-gun organizations frequently use
politically-motivated, anti-gun police bureaucrats to promote their
gun-ban message, the fact is that the vast majority of law enforcement
officers reject this extremist, anti-gun agenda.

To view the entire survey, please visit
http://www.aphf.org/surveyresults.pdf
<http://www.nranews.org/UM/T.asp?A2.24.1757.18.4325426>.

A LOOK AT THE STATES

(****For all of the action items below, you can find contact information
for your legislators by using the "Write Your Representatives" tool
<http://www.capwiz.com/nra/dbq/officials/>at www.NRAILA.org
<http://www.NRAILA.org/>. As always, thank you for your support****)

CALIFORNIA
Anti-gun legislation, Senate Bill 357 (recently amended) was re-referred
to the Committee on Appropriations this week. SB 357 requires that all
handgun ammunition carry a unique serial number engraved on both the
bullet and the case and be registered to the purchaser. SB 357 bans the
manufacture, transfer, and possession of non-serialized handgun
ammunition after July 1, 2009, and possession of non-serialized
ammunition would be a crime. SB 357 would also require ammunition
vendors and manufacturers to register with the Department of Justice.
Please contact members of the Committee and ask them to oppose SB 357.
For a complete list of Committee members and their contact information,
please go to
http://www.assembly.ca.gov/acs/newcomframeset.asp?committee=43
<http://www.nranews.org/UM/T.asp?A2.24.1757.19.4325426>.

DELAWARE
The first year of the two-year 143rd Delaware General Assembly adjourned
today in the early morning hours. No anti-gun legislation advanced this
year, and hunters enjoyed a great victory in the establishment of an
annual seven-day handgun hunting season, the first of which will run
from January 7-14, 2006. NRA-ILA will be alerting members of upcoming
Second Amendment issues that will be addressed when the General Assembly
reconvenes in January of next year.

MICHIGAN
NRA-ILA Election Volunteer Coordinator (EVC) Jerry Kraus (MI-9) would
like to invite you to attend the "Michigan Friends of NRA Celebrity
Shoot" with celebrities such as Dennis Hextal from the Detroit Red
Wings, Mickey Lolitch from the Detroit Tigers, and others! Jerry has
coordinated several events, and participated in several Celebrity Shoots
in the past, and this year's event promises to be a success. Please join
your fellow shotgun shooters for a day of shooting while raising money
for the Friends of the NRA! The event will be held on Friday, August 5,
at 10:30 a.m. at the Detroit Gun Club, 2775 Oakley Park Road, Walled
Lake, MI 48390. Admission prices vary. For ticket information and
additional information, please contact Jerry Kraus at (248)706-1513 or
[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>.

NEW MEXICO
The improvements to New Mexico's "Right To Carry" law that were adopted
during the 2005 legislative session went into effect on June 17. The New
Mexico Department of Public Safety (DPS) is required by law to draft
rules to implement these changes, to give 30 days notice of a public
hearing on the proposed rules, to hear public comment on the proposed
rules, and to finalize the rules after public input. DPS expects to hold
such a hearing around mid-August and to have the rules finalized and in
effect by September 1. In the meantime, DPS has been in contact with
other states on potential future reciprocal agreements, and the agency
is currently accepting applications from 21-24 year-olds and instructor
certificates of completion that reflect the streamlined caliber-specific
training requirement. For more information, visit http://www.dps.nm.org/
<http://www.nranews.org/UM/T.asp?A2.24.1757.5.4325426> (which should be
updated in the net week or so).

OREGON
This week, a subcommittee of the Senate Budget Committee made conceptual
revisions and recommendations to the full committee on SB 954, the
NRA-opposed gun tax. Although it appears as if Concealed Handgun License
fingerprinting fee hikes may be removed from the bill, it still contains
a background check fee increase proposed by the Oregon State Police on
all firearm transfers (an increase from $10 to $13). While this is
certainly an improvement over the original proposal (a proposed increase
from $10 to $25), it still represents a 30% increase in the tax to
purchase a firearm in the State of Oregon. Please contact your State
Senators and urge them to oppose SB 954 and any proposed tax on lawful
firearms purchases in Oregon. Contact information for Senators can be
found at http://www.leg.state.or.us/senate/
<http://www.nranews.org/UM/T.asp?A2.24.1757.6.4325426> or by calling
(503) 986-1851.

VIRGINIA
On Wednesday, June 29, Orion Sporting Group was dealt a setback in its
lawsuit against Nelson County when Judge J. Michael Gamble ruled that
Virginia's constitutionally protected right to hunt, fish and harvest
game, does not include sporting clays and other simulated game. The case
is believed to be the first constitutional legal battle over the right
to hunt in the U.S. Previously, Nelson County had approved shooting live
game at Orion's 450-acre rural tract of land, but effectively banned the
discharge of firearms for sporting clays, helice, and other clay pigeon
shooting activities to be located on the same property. Orion litigated,
contending that the county's ruling violated the right to hunt
explicitly protected by the Virginia Constitution and that the proposed
shooting activities were an accessory use by right of the hunting preserve.

The right to hunt in Virginia, like many other states, is protected and
legislated by the state. In 2000, the citizens of Virginia ratified by
popular vote ".the right to hunt, fish and harvest game." amendment to
the state constitution. Despite Judge Gamble's ruling, Orion contends
that constitutional protection extends to preparatory hunting
activities, such as hunter education, training, and practicing with
sporting clays, helice, and other clay target sports. Such preparatory
activities assist one in hunting and harvesting game safely,
efficiently, and more humanely. "We believe our case has merit. And
while we respect Judge Gamble's decision, we are disappointed in the
outcome of this trial," said D. Alan Nunley, Orion's corporate counsel.
"In light of today's decision, Orion will weigh all of its options over
the next several days to move forward in a positive direction." We will
continue to keep you informed of any new developments in this case.

--
Stephen P. Wenger

Firearm safety - It's a matter
for education, not legislation.

http://www.spw-duf.info

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