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Ten Years Of Licensed CCW In Texas: The only possible surprise in this
commentary on the effects of licensing Texans to carry concealed
handguns in public is that the district attorney of Harris County
(Houston area) is quoted as admitting that he was wrong in opposing the law.
http://www.statesman.com/opinion/content/editorial/stories/01/10patterson_edit.html
---
Ball Is Rolling For Nebraska CCW: The author of this year's bill says
that 33 of 49 of the members of the unicameral legislature are committed
to block any filibuster of the measure.
http://nebraska.statepaper.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2006/01/11/43c51c1358968
---
Bloomberg, Kelly - Keep Your Infringements In NYC: Alan Gottlieb and
Dave Workman, of the Second Amendment Foundation, counsel NYC
politicians not to try to peddle their gun-banning schemes in other states.
http://www.saf.org/viewoe.asp?id=173
---
AMA vs. RKBA: The struggling American Medical Association, which once
claimed almost every American physician as a member, is still
propagandizing against the private ownership of firearms.
http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewCommentary.asp?Page=\Commentary\archive\200601\COM20060111d.html
---
Bullets Deflected By Glass?: A Texas jeweler, described as a trained
marksman, fired three shots at a robber through a glass window in the
store's jewelry repair room. The robber fled the store unharmed. (I have
had students who were veterans of a Christian militia in Lebanon and
they were very competent shooters. If shooting through thick windows is
a likely scenario, it might be time to switch to a round like Speer's
Gold Dot.)
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/city/garland/stories/011106dnmetjewelrobbery.6434b8cb.html
---
Visitor Wounded By BB Fired In Arizona State Park. Two points about this
report: (1) The BB appears to have ricocheted off the surface of a pool
of water, which is why shooters are cautioned about shooting toward
bodies of water. (2) I am unable to verify that there is an Arizona
statute banning weapons in all state parks. Some state parks are posted
"no weapons."
http://www.paysonroundup.com/section/frontpage_lead/story/21731
---
New York State Police Build Ballistic Database: Article touting New
York's database mentions that Maryland is the only other state with a
similar program. Not mentioned is that, a while back, Maryland's state
police asked to scrap the program so that they could use the funding for
something more productive in fighting crime.
http://www.syracuse.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-1/1136799467188030.xml?syrnemad
---
New York Bill Would Restrict Ammunition Sales: A bill in the New York
Assembly would require that all ammunition be stored behind counters,
accessible only to employees. Sounds like they're taking their cue from
California.
http://www.buckmasters.com/more_buckmasters/zones/features/060110Z3NY.htm
---
Canada - Blame The Victim: A letter-writer takes the government to task
for blaming a former police officer for the theft of his firearms
collection from a 1,700-pound safe, rather than blaming the burglars.
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1136933411907&call_pageid=970599119419
Tangentially Related: Canadian commentary about the Liberal policy of
blaming the US and the Bush administration for most of Canada's problems
asks why gun smuggling from the U.S. was not a problem for the past 100
years or so until just last year.
http://calsun.canoe.ca/News/Columnists/Jackson_Paul/2006/01/10/1386795.html
---
Can The Brits Get This Right:? British police officers will be taking
rifles into classrooms in an effort to scare youngsters away from "gun
crime." How about teaching them basic firearm safety and marksmanship so
that they can develop appropriate attitudes toward firearms?
http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0100regionalnews/tm_objectid=16568943&method=full&siteid=50061&headline=a-hard-lesson-to-learn-name_page.html
---
From GOA:
Your Efforts Have Scored An Enormous Pro-gun Victory In Congress
-- Please keep up the pressure
Gun Owners of America E-Mail Alert
8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102, Springfield, VA 22151
Phone: 703-321-8585 / FAX: 703-321-8408
http://www.gunowners.org
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
You told Congress you didn't want the BATFE, FBI and other federal
agencies to go on fishing expeditions through your gun records. It
appears that Congress may actually be listening!
By a vote of 52-47, the Senate failed to shut down the
liberal/conservative filibuster of H.R. 3199 -- including a provision
which would allow BATFE to goosestep through your gun records (4473's,
etc.) WITHOUT THE APPROVAL OF ANY COURT. Under the Senate rules, 60
votes would have been needed to end the filibuster on this
PATRIOT Act reauthorization.
Instead, this so-called "terrorism" legislation -- some of which is
relatively non-controversial -- was extended until February 3 in order
to allow negotiations to continue.
You might remember that 16 provisions of the PATRIOT Act were set to
expire on New Year's Day. To prevent this, Congress extended the
deadline for five weeks, into early February. Even if these 16
provisions expire, the underlying PATRIOT Act will still remain in
force. GOA is second to none in its desire to protect this nation's
security and prevent terrorists from attacking American citizens.
But we believe the best way to do this is to abide by the Constitution.
Freedom works. The Second Amendment works. Guns in the hands of airline
pilots on 9-11 would have prevented the terrorist hijackings that day.
Restricting liberty only makes us
less safe... and letting the BATFE and other federal agencies to conduct
unlimited warrantless searches of firearms purchase records is not going
to make us safer.
Now, there've been some interesting developments over the last couple of
days.
At least one Senate office has suggested that negotiators may be willing
to "deal" in order to completely exempt 4473's and other gun records
from federal agents' warrantless search powers. Under this deal -- which
would be total victory for gun owners -- the provisions of the pro-gun
McClure-Volkmer Firearms Owners Protection Act would govern what gun
records BATFE can and can't see.
We will continue working to exempt gun records from the "snooping"
provisions of H.R. 3199. But we're asking you to strengthen our hand by
continuing to pressure Congress. Since Gun Owners of America is fighting
a lonely battle to exempt gun records from the clause of the PATRIOT
Act, your activism is crucial. While you might want to ask the other
groups what they're doing to fight these provisions, we
definitely need you to contact the Congress right now.
ACTION: Please write your senators. Urge them to insist that pro-gun
language be inserted into H.R. 3199 which ensures that BATFE is
prohibited from conducting unlimited warrantless searches of firearms
purchase records. The vote on this legislation will take place in less
than one month. Negotiations on this bill are
occurring right now. It's imperative that you contact your Senators
right away!
You can visit the Gun Owners Legislative Action Center at
http://www.gunowners.org/activism.htm to send your Senators a
pre-written e-mail message such as the one below.
Or, you can call your Senators toll-free at 877-762-8762.
--- Pre-written letter ---
Dear Senator:
H.R. 3199 would, in its current form, allow BATFE -- and other federal
agencies -- to go on virtually unlimited fishing expeditions through gun
records without the approval of any court.
As a supporter of Second Amendment rights, I can tell you that this is
THE provision in this act which has gun owners extremely upset. So
before you vote for cloture, please insist that language is inserted to
protect 4473's and other gun records from BATFE snooping.
I would like to hear what you intend to do. Thank you.
Sincerely,
*****************************************************************
---
From Alan Korwin:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
1/10/06 -- full contact info at end
New Brady Anti-Gun Strategy Revealed
"Decommissioned" Guns Nearly As Good As Confiscations
by Alan Korwin, Author
Gun Laws of America
The Brady group and its congressional supporters are proceeding, and
making headway, with a below-radar effort to ban operating firearms from
the general public, without having to actually disarm America's 80
million gun owners.
The plan is now evolving around an innocent-sounding new legal term. It
was tucked deep in a 400,000-word spending bill under president Clinton
(law # P.L. 105-277), and it is now spreading throughout federal gun
laws. Its latest use, the eighth, is in the frivolous-lawsuit ban just
enacted (The Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, law # P.L.
109-92; S.397). Described at the end of this report, it accents a
liability all Americans -- not just gun owners -- are increasingly
under, a tightening legal noose few people realize is around their necks.
The phrase is "secure gun storage or safety device." It includes almost
anything that will keep a gun from working. At its simplest, it's gun locks.
This and closely related tactics are sometimes called "decommissioning
schemes." Gun-control advocates -- the mainstream ones who seek to
disarm the public -- will essentially win their cause if they can
require guns to be disabled, disassembled, locked up or turned off by
remote control.
This approach is already working in National Parks where possession of a
working gun subjects you to immediate federal arrest, confiscation of
your property, and endless aggravation. No criminal act of any kind is
required, just legal possession of personal property -- any firearm.
However, a gun in pieces so it cannot be fired, locked in your car trunk
is allowed. Interestingly, no statutory authority for this denial of
civil rights can be found. And of course, statutory denial of civil
rights would be unconstitutional on its face.
Washington, D.C., is currently under a similar "decommissioning model"
too, though its registration system gets more attention. In addition to
a full ban on handgun registration since 1976, firearms that were owned
before that date cannot be assembled, or even carried -- at home. It's
almost as good as taking the guns away, from a gun-ban perspective. Any
gun use, including legitimate self defense, implies assembly and
carriage, and is banned.
Even the widely hailed federal "Firearm Transportation Guarantee" (law #
18 USC 926A) relies on decommissioned guns. It was enacted as part of
the Firearm Owners Protection Act in 1986, to help counteract high
levels of federal abuse under the 1968 Gun Control Act. It guarantees a
person the right to transport a firearm from any legal place to any
other, anywhere in the country. However, the firearm must be unloaded
and locked in the trunk, rendering it useless. If you bear it in any
manner while you travel, the protection does not apply.
Under Brady-supported decommissioning schemes, you can keep your guns,
but if they're ever workable, or available, you become a criminal and
subject to arrest. It's pretty clever actually. And it has been working,
even though forced decommissioning is infringement of the right to keep
arms and the right to bear arms.
The Byrne Grant program (law # 42 USC 3760) provides federal money for
law-enforcement firearm training and other purposes. Changed under
president Clinton, it now authorizes federal funding to train the public
in the use of... gun locks. Under a gun-unfriendly administration
(anti-rights advocates believe they will have this one day), little
prevents this funding from going into large-scale campaigns to convince
people to only possess decommissioned guns, "for safety."
While on one hand, who could rationally argue against making guns safe,
gun guru Col. Jeff Cooper has succinctly pointed out that, "A gun that's
safe isn't worth anything."
And that turns out to be the very heart of this gun-ban plan -- a gun
that's safe isn't worth anything. But gun-rights advocates know guns are
dangerous, they are supposed to be dangerous, and they're not any good
if they're not dangerous. Anything requiring guns to be "safe" is the
true danger, and the secure storage device has now become "incentivized."
The Republican party, in control for half a decade, hasn't used Byrne
Grants for their other authorized purpose: training the public in "the
lawful and safe ownership, storage, carriage or use of firearms." Will
Republican failure to use this law (for gun-safety training) also deter
Democrats from using it (to promote gun locks)? Nah. And now, with gun
locks slipped into the gun-industry protection bill...
As the subtle tactic of decommissioned guns continues, the right to keep
and bear arms is at risk. The next time the anti-rights factions slip in
the phrase "secure gun storage or safety device," you had better look
very closely. All it will take is one use, with the word "required," to
wipe out our cherished Second Amendment rights. And they won't have to
take your guns away to do it.
OCCURRENCES of "secure gun storage or safety device" (SGSSD)
18 USC 921(34). The "secure gun storage or safety device" is defined.
18 USC 923(d). Dealers are required to carry SGSSDs, unless they are
unavailable due to supply-chain problems outside the dealer's control.
18 USC 923(e). Dealer's license can be revoked for failing to carry
SGSSDs, unless they were unavailable due to supply-chain problems.
42 USC 3760. The Byrne Grant law is amended to allow training the public
in use of SGSSDs, and use of firearms.
18 USC 922(z)(1). Dealers now required to provide SGSSDs with every
firearm sold.
18 USC 924(p)(1)(A). Stiff fines and license suspension added to
penalties for dealers who fail to provide SGSSDs.
18 USC 922(z)(2). Proper authorities at every level of federal, state
and local government are exempt from the SGSSD laws. Someone should
write a paper just on that.
18 USC 922(z)(3)(A). This was inserted by Brady-backed anti-gun-rights
legislators. It went into the gun-industry-protection, frivolous-lawsuit
ban (Oct. 2005): A person who uses an SGSSD on a gun has liability
protection if a criminal steals the gun and then uses it in criminal
activity.
Providing an "incentive" to decommission your firearms, as this law
does, is sinisterly clever. In the name of safety, you are threatened
with legal nightmares that are little more than corrupt abuses of the
justice system. These are the actions of a resolute and unprincipled
enemy of the human and civil right to keep and bear arms.
----------
Note: When a criminal steals your property, and then uses it to harm
someone or violate the law, the criminal -- not you -- should be liable
to the victims. Because the court system is broken (I'm being nice),
such cases often proceed, even if they have no legal footing to come
after you, or grounds to win. Their main purposes are the huge costs
they inflict, the aggravation factor and the chance for a settlement,
all shameful abuses of the court system. Protection from such abuse is
the very thing the gun industry just got under the lawsuit bill (the
public was not included in the protection). All Americans, not just gun
owners, are increasingly under this abominable legal corruption. A man
sued Ford because his daughter had a flat. He lost of course, but
frivolous cases used to get their attorneys disbarred. They no longer do.
Contact:
Alan Korwin
BLOOMFIELD PRESS
"We publish the gun laws."
4718 E. Cactus #440
Phoenix, AZ 85032
602-996-4020 Phone
602-494-0679 FAX
1-800-707-4020 Orders
http://www.gunlaws.com
[email protected]
--
Stephen P. Wenger
Firearm safety - It's a matter
for education, not legislation.
http://www.spw-duf.info
