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Off-Duty NYPD Officer Shot By Fellow Officer: An off-duty NYPD officer
appears to have topped off a round of bar-hopping with a visit to a
24-hour burger restaurant. He got into an altercation with a group of
other customers and ended up taking down a man who claims he had merely
offered the officer assistance. When uniformed officers responded one
shot the off-duty officer three time, believing that he was about to
shoot the man on whom he was kneeling.
* Long-term list members and those who have read my book or are
thoroughly familiar with my website will recognize several themes
in this account.
* Ironically, much of what I (and others) teach about interaction
with responding officers derives from earlier lessons learned by
NYPD, as a result of past incidents of this nature.
* People continue to question my insistence that it is important to
be able to reholster one-handed, without looking, to avoid being
shot when officers respond to the scene.
* Alcohol consumption notwithstanding, one has to question whether
the off-duty officer was experiencing any stress-related auditory
exclusion that may have prevented him from hearing the commands of
the responding officers.
* It is a good rule of thumb not to mix alcohol and firearms, if
only for the issue of post-incident blame assignment.
* One has to question the witness statement that the off-duty
officer cocked his gun three times. Was he carrying a revolver?
Did he rack the slide three times? Witnesses who don't understand
firearms are particularly prone to give misleading statements,
usually on the basis of the expertise that they have developed
watching television.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/29/nyregion/29cop.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all
---
Next Step In Fighting Crime: Concealed-carry advocate John Longnecker
eloquently argues that "individual sovereignty" is the best approach to
reducing crime.
http://mensnewsdaily.com/blog/longenecker/2006/01/what-new-2006-candidates-should-do.html
---
From NRA-ILA:
NRA-ILA Grassroots Alert Vol. 13, No. 4 01/27/06
ANTI-GUNNERS DEFEATED IN CANADIAN ELECTIONS
On Monday, Canada's anti-gun Prime Minister Paul Martin and the ruling
Liberal Party were ousted in the country's federal elections, bringing
an end to the Liberal Party's 12-year reign. The Conservative Party,
under the leadership of Stephen Harper, will now take over the
government's control.
Outgoing Prime Minister Martin's scandal- plagued administration gained
notoriety for its ill-advised gun registration program that has cost the
country more than two billion dollars and, of course, did nothing to
reduce Canada's escalating crime rate. This registration fiasco,
combined with Martin's recent call for an all-out ban on all
legally-owned handguns, rallied Canada's lawful gun owners who helped
turn the tide for the Conservative party.
As we've seen time and again in our own country, gun bans do nothing to
reduce violent crime. Internationally, Australia's and Great Britain's
gun bans and confiscations have proven to be miserable failures, with
violent crime rates escalating in the wake of their flawed programs.
Hopefully the Canadian election results (coming fast on the heels of
Brazil's recent rejection of a national gun ban), will serve as a
wake-up call to politicians who think they can build careers by
dismantling gun owners' rights.
NRA-ILA "MIX N' MINGLES"
How often do you get the opportunity to mix n' mingle with NRA-ILA
Headquarters staff and fellow NRA members in your area, to earn FREE NRA
items, and to assist with the efforts of candidates seeking office in
your area? Well, in preparation for the 2006 elections, you will have
the opportunity to do just that.
This election year, NRA-ILA will be hosting FREE NRA-ILA Mix N' Mingles
across the country. These events will provide NRA members with training
on what they can do locally to propel candidates to victory this
election season. The meetings also provide attendees the opportunity to
meet and socialize with lawmakers, candidates, their staffs, NRA-ILA
Headquarters staff, and fellow area NRA members--and to earn FREE NRA
fraternal items like hats, pocketknives, buttons, etc. Mix N' Mingles,
including materials, food, beverages, and NRA items are FREE!
The first-ever Mix N' Mingle is scheduled for:
-San Antonio, TX--2/25/06
NRA members who have access to the Internet can go to
www.nraila.org/workshops/ to reserve their seats on-line. To forward
the Mix N' Mingle invitation to fellow NRA members, including a personal
message from you, please go to www.nraila.org/ecard/?ID=1. NRA members
are encouraged to check this website address frequently to see if any
upcoming Mix N' Mingles are scheduled in their area. NRA members may
also contact the NRA-ILA Grassroots Division at (800) 392-VOTE (8683)
for details and to reserve their seats.
IDAHO SHOOTING RANGE UNDER ATTACK
Local anti-gunners have filed suit against the Idaho Department of Fish
and Game (IDFG) to stop the agency from making improvements to a public
shooting range. The opponents have asked for a permanent injunction not
only to prevent IDFG from making improvements to the range, but to
prevent the agency from using the property as a shooting range.
The Farragut Shooting Range was built in 1942 for the Farragut Naval
Training Center in support of the war effort. The base was
decommissioned after the war and came into IDFG ownership in 1950, and
has been in continuous use as a public range since that time. The range
has hosted state championship competitions, international handgun
metallic silhouette competitions, cowboy action events, hunter education
classes, hunter sight-in days, youth and ladies shooting clinics, and
individual shooters.
The agency's plan is to make long-needed improvements, but not to expand
the range as the opponents claim. The opponents contend that there is
no local support for the range.
IDFG NEEDS YOUR HELP, especially from state residents, and those living
in the Spokane, Wash.- area. Letters of support should be addressed to
David Leptich, Regional Wildlife Habitat Biologist, 2750 Kathleen
Avenue, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho 83815. Mr. Leptich's e-mail address is:
[email protected].
IDFG needs to hear from both individual shooters and organized shooters
who can have one of their officers write a letter, reference the size of
their membership, and voice support for the project.
D.C. PERSONAL PROTECTION ACT-- A TOP LEGISLATIVE PRIORITY
As we continue to note, one of NRA-ILA's top legislative priorities in
Congress continues to be the passage of S. 1082 and H.R. 1288--the
Senate and House versions of the "District of Columbia Personal
Protection Act." This legislation seeks to restore the
constitutionally-guaranteed Second Amendment rights of the residents of
the District of Columbia.
The need for this corrective legislation is obvious. Since 1977, the
District has banned the possession of all handguns not acquired and
registered before that year. D.C. law also prohibits keeping an
assembled rifle or shotgun in the home, effectively outlawing the use of
firearms for lawful self-defense. And despite these Draconian gun
control laws, Washington, D.C., consistently has one of the highest
homicide rates in the nation.
Please be sure to contact your U.S. Senators and Representative and ask
them to cosponsor and support S. 1082 and H.R. 1288.
For a list of Senate cosponsors, please visit
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:SN01082:@@@P.
For a list of House cosponsors, please visit
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:HR01288:@@@P.
You can call your U.S. Senators at (202) 224-3121, or your U.S.
Representative at (202) 225-3121.
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 at
www.NRAILA.org. As always, thank you for your support.****)
ALABAMA
This Tuesday, January 31, the Alabama House of Representatives will be
voting on House Bill 1 (Hall-D), the "Castle Doctrine." HB 1 simply
says that if a criminal breaks into your home, your occupied vehicle, or
your place of business, you may presume he is there to do bodily harm
and you may use any force against him, thereby removing your "duty to
retreat." Furthermore, this law would provide protection from criminal
prosecution and civil litigation for those who defend themselves from
criminal attack. Your Representative needs to hear from you before the
vote is taken. Please contact your legislator on Monday or Tuesday and
tell him or her that you strongly support HB 1, the "Castle Doctrine."
You can find contact information for your Representative by calling the
Alabama House of Representatives switchboard at (334) 242-7600. Please
be sure to make this important phone call and let your voice be heard!
GEORGIA
On Tuesday, January 31, the Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a
hearing on SB 396 (Goggans, R-7), the "Castle Doctrine." SB 396 simply
says that if a criminal breaks into your home, your occupied vehicle, or
your place of business, you may presume he is there to do bodily harm
and you may use any force against him, thereby removing your "duty to
retreat." Furthermore, this law would provide protection from criminal
prosecution and civil litigation for those who defend themselves from
criminal attack. Your Senator needs to hear from you as this important
piece of legislation is being considered. Please contact your
legislator and tell him or her that you strongly support SB 396, the
"Castle Doctrine." You can find contact information for your Senator by
calling the Georgia Senate switchboard at (404) 656-5040. Please be
sure to make this important phone call and let your voice be heard!
HAWAII
A coalition of law enforcement groups has proposed the language written
in SB 2579--a ban on the sale and possession of .50 caliber rifles and
ammunition. As you know, these rifles are used for sporting purposes,
but have been demonized in the press and by anti-gun groups looking for
the next gun control scheme. SB 2579 is an outright ban that, if
signed, will take effect immediately. Owners of the affected firearms
would have to remove the firearm from the state, surrender it to law
enforcement, or have it destroyed. It is vital that NRA members and
friends in the pro-gun community call their state legislators at (808)
587-0666 and ask them to oppose this proposed gun ban BEFORE it gets a
hearing.
ILLINOIS
House Bill 2414, which seeks to ban certain semi-automatic rifles and
shotguns, as well as .50 caliber rifles commonly used for hunting, is
still awaiting a vote on the House floor. This vote could take place at
any time. After failing to be brought up for a vote last year, HB 2414
is still going through several revisions in an effort to attract
lawmakers who have mixed voting records on our Right to Keep and Bear
Arms. Technical modifications have been made to give the appearance of
"watering down" the bill, but the primary legislative goal of banning
the future manufacture and transfer of current firearms remains
unchanged. Please contact your State Representative immediately and ask
him or her to oppose this latest version of HB 2414! HB 2414 will be
voted on soon, so contact your Illinois lawmakers at (217) 782-8223.
INDIANA
On Wednesday, January 25, the House Public Safety and Homeland Security
Committee passed HB 1028, sponsored by Representative Eric Koch (R-65),
by an overwhelming vote of 7-1. HB 1028 will protect your right to have
a lawfully possessed firearm in a locked motor vehicle, as well as to
codify that Indiana residents do not have a "duty to retreat" from an
attacker. This important self-defense legislation will be heard soon on
the House floor. It is critical that you contact your State
Representative at (800) 382-9842 and urge him or her to support HB
1028! Also, we would like to thank Representative Koch for his
leadership on this bill, as well as those committee members who voted in
favor of HB 1028: Chairman, Representative Bill Ruppel (R-22), Vice
Chair, Representative Billy Bright (R-69), and Representatives Dick
Dodge (R-51), Suzanne Crouch (R-78), Cleo Duncan (R-67), Vern Tincher
(D-46), and Bob Bischoff (D-68).
KANSAS
Help make Right-To-Carry a reality in Kansas! Senate Bill 418, "The
Personal and Family Protection Act" will be heard before the Senate
Federal & State Affairs Committee on Thursday, February 2. If your
Senator is included in the following list they are a member of this
committee and need to hear from you. Please contact him or her at (785)
296-2456 and urge them to approve passage of this important legislation
without amendments. District 24-Senator Pete Brungardt (R), Chairman
(785 ) 296-7390; District 22-Senator Roger Reitz (R), Vice-Chair (785)
296-7360; District 5-Senator Mark Gilstrap (D), Ranking Minority (785)
296-7357; District 9-Senator Kay O'Connor (R), (785) 296-7382; District
11-Senator John Vratil (R), (785) 296-7361; District 19-Senator Anthony
Hensley (D), (785) 296-3245; District 23-Senator Karin Brownlee (R),
(785) 296-7358; District 37-Senator Dennis Wilson (R), (785) 296-7383;
District 40-Senator RalphOstmeyer (R), (785) 296-7399.
MISSISSIPPI
This week, the Mississippi House Judiciary B Committee approved HB 1141,
an NRA-backed measure sponsored by Representative Warner McBride (D-10),
which would allow the owner of a property that has been annexed by a
county or municipality to continue hunting on certain-sized tracts of
land even if the city has a ban on the discharge of firearms. HB 1141
also contains a provision which would prohibit New Orleans-style gun
confiscations from law-abiding citizens during a future state of
emergency or natural disaster. Also this week, the House Wildlife,
Fisheries & Parks Committee approved HB 978, the NRA-backed No-Net-Loss
bill, also sponsored by Representative McBride, which requires the
opening of compensatory huntable state-owned land if an area is closed
to hunting. These bills could be voted on by the full House within the
next week. Please call and e-mail your State Representative and urge
him or her to support HB 978 and HB 1141. lease go to
www.mississippi.gov and click on "State Legislature" to find contact
information for your House member.
NEW YORK
Several new bills were introduced in Albany this week, including S 6513,
which would expand rifle hunting into Chautauqua county, A 9682, which
would hold gun manufacturers liable for injuries or deaths of state
employees, and A 9640 (same as S 2122), which would potentially outlaw
all handguns not equipped with so-called "smart" gun technology. Please
contact your lawmakers and urge them to SUPPORT S 6513 and OPPOSE A 9682
and A 9640/S 2122. Also, when contacting your senators, be sure to
remind them to oppose Speaker Silver's anti-gun package, which moved to
the Senate a few weeks ago. Senators can be reached at (518) 455-2800
and Assemblymembers are available at (518) 455-4100. A listing and
descriptions of those bills can be found on our website at
www.nraila.org/CurrentLegislation.
OHIO
The House Criminal Justice Committee will be holding a hearing for
OPPONENT testimony on House Bill 347 introduced by Representative Jim
Aslanides (R-94). This legislative proposal addresses several problems
associated with the enactment of House Bill 12, "Right-to-Carry"
legislation, which became law in 2004. This proposal would streamline
an already successful law, bringing clarity for Ohioans and law
enforcement alike. This important piece of legislation would do the
following: (1) create a clear definition of "plain sight" in a motor
vehicle; (2) allow for off-duty law enforcement officers to carry a
concealed firearm 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (a.k.a 24/7 provision);
(3) create statewide preemption for the regulation of firearms and
ammunition, therefore avoiding the patchwork of laws currently on the
books in Ohio; and (4) further prohibit journalists from abusing the
open records law. The Hearing is scheduled for January 31, t 2:30 P.M.
in Room 121. This bill hearing will surely bring out all of the
anti-gun organizations in the state. Please plan on attending to show
your support for HB 347. If you're unable to attend, please contact the
House Criminal Justice Committee during normal business hours by calling
Chairman Bob Latta (R-06) at (614) 466-8104.
SOUTH DAKOTA
House Bill 1134 ("A Citizens Right to Self-Defense"), is modeled after
Florida's "Castle Doctrine," and successfully passed the House Judiciary
Committee today, Friday January 27. This important legislation is now
scheduled to be heard on the House floor this coming Tuesday, January
31. Please contact your Representative at (605) 773-3851 and ask him or
her to support HB 1134.
VIRGINIA
On Thursday, January 26, at 5:00 p.m., the Virginia House Militia,
Police, and Public Safety subcommittee met and heard two extremely
important pro-gun bills: House Bill 704 and House Bill 1265, sponsored
by Delegate Clarke Hogan (R-60) and Delegate Bill Janis (R-56),
respectively. HB 704 seeks to further enhance Virginia's preemption
statute by prohibiting counties from regulating hunting and the
discharge of firearms. HB 1265 would prohibit any government authority
from limiting the Right to Keep and Bear Arms during a declared "State
of Emergency." These measures are likely to move swiftly through
committee, so please contact your Delegate at (804) 698-1500 and ask him
or her to support both of these strong pro-Second Amendment bills on the
House floor! To further comment on these NRA-backed bills please call
the "constituent viewpoint" line at (800) 889-0229.
WASHINGTON
State Senator Mary Margaret Haugen (D-10) has introduced two Draconian
anti-hunting measures in Olympia. SB 6598 would shut down hunting in
Island County, and SB 6616 would ban hunting within one mile of a
school. Senator Haugen does not like hunting and does not like
hunters. Please call Senator Haugen at (360) 786-7618 and ask her to
withdraw these punitive anti-hunting measures. In addition, Senate Bill
5343, a bill that prohibits non-licensed individuals from buying,
selling or trading firearms from their private collections at gun shows
without conducting the exchange through a licensed firearm dealer, was
heard in the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday. Although more than
100 NRA members and firearm owners turned out to voice their opposition
to this bill, a handful of uniformed police chiefs have some committee
members searching for a compromise. The proponents of SB 5343,
including Washington Ceasefire and The Brady Capaign, made it very clear
that restricting private transactions at gun shows is the first step in
their plan to restrict ALL private transactions of firearms in the State
of Washington. The President of Washington Ceasefire also used this
hearing to make a very emotional appeal for a ban on semiautomatic
firearms and .50 caliber rifles. These people are extremists and their
agenda is clear. Law-abiding firearm owners must stop this bill or it
will be the proverbial "first step." Aside from the horrible precedent
Senate Bill 5343 would set, the bill would expand the registration
database in Washington. Under existing law, all dealer handgun sales
are recorded with the Department of Licensing (DOL) which maintains a
database of Washington handgun owners. Any additional private sales
that would be brokered through dealers under the provisions of this bill
would also be registered with DOL. Further, SB 5343 establishes state
fees (in effect, a GUN TAX) for the backgroun checks and, of course,
dealers would charge an additional fee for the time and effort it takes
them to facilitate transactions. The worst part is that all this
bureaucracy would be created with virtually NO benefit, since the vast
majority of criminals get their guns from sources other than gun shows.
Law enforcement resources would be diverted from going after real
criminals and the black market to doing background checks on law-abiding
firearm owners. It is critical that every concerned firearm owner
contact their Senator and the members of the Judiciary Committee. Urge
them to OPPOSE Senate Bill 5343 and ANY restriction on private firearm
transactions!! Messages for legislators can be left on the toll-free
Legislative Hotline at (800) 562-6000. It is especially important for
firearm owners in Senate Districts 2 (Senator Marilyn Rasmussen) and 48
(Senator Luke Esser) to contact your Senators! Senator Rasmussen (D-2)
represents a rural, pro-gun district. Howeer, she is considering the
"compromise" mentioned earlier in this alert. If you live in the 2nd
Senate District, please be sure to contact Senator Rasmussen at (360)
786-7602 and tell her there is no workable compromise. The ONLY
alternative is to defeat any restrictions on private firearm
transactions! Senator Esser (R-48), on the other hand, represents a
very moderate, swing, suburban district. He shares our philosophy that
these kinds of restrictions will only impact law-abiding citizens. But
he needs to hear from firearm owners in the 48th Senate District. Thank
him for always standing up for the rights of law-abiding citizens and
urge him to hold the line against this horrible bill! You can reach
Senator Esser at (360) 786-7694.
WISCONSIN
On January 26, the Wisconsin State Senate voted 23-10 to override the
Governor's veto of the Personal Protection Act (PPA). The bill now moves
to the Assembly for an override vote that is scheduled for Tuesday,
January 31. In support of the PPA, please attend Tuesday's vote at
10:00 a.m., on the 3rd floor of the West Wing at the capitol. Please
also contact your State Representative reminding him or her to continue
their support of the PPA by voting to override the Governor's veto on
Tuesday, January 31. Representatives can be reached at (800) 362-9472.
Additionally, The future of hunting in Wisconsin is in serious
jeopardy. For every 100 hunters lost due to old age or other factors,
only 53 replace them. The primary reason for Wisconsin's declining
hunter recruitment rate is the current minimum hunting age. Many kids
have already developed other interests by the time they turn 12.
Assembly Bill 586, also known as the Hunter Mentoring Bill," has been
introduced to provide parents more discretion with regard to deciding
when their children are mature enough to hunt. Thirty states have passed
similar legislation. Please call your State Senator at (800) 362-9472
and respectfully ask him or her to support AB 586, the "Hunter Mentoring
Bill."
--
Stephen P. Wenger
Firearm safety - It's a matter
for education, not legislation.
http://www.spw-duf.info
