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St. George Tucker On The Second Amendment: Revisionist historian Saul
Cornell has cited St. George Tucker, "America's Blackstone," in support
of his claim that the Second Amendment does not guarantee an individual
RKBA. Legal scholar Stephen Halbrook refutes that claim.
http://law.bepress.com/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=8710&context=expresso
---
Stress Can Make Cops Miss: Article on an officer-involved shooting in
Kansas quotes Ed Nowicki and Tom Aveni on the challenges of hitting with
gunfire under extreme stress.
http://www.kansas.com/mld/eagle/news/local/crime_courts/15708230.htm
---
Chamber Check Reminder: A training officer with a Tennessee sheriff's
department shot a fellow deputy during an exercise. (The Condition
Check: Whenever a firearm has been out of your control, even if only for
an instant, check the condition of the chamber(s) to make sure that it
is the condition in which you want it, loaded or unloaded. A click when
you expect a bang can be as deadly as a bang when you expect a click.)
http://www.ashlandcitytimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061008/COUNTY09/610080368/1291/MTCN01
---
From John Farnam:
12 Oct 06
Police Tactical Lessons, from a Friend in the Midwest:
"We conducted a series of Air-Soft drills here with small teams of
patrolmen from several, local departments. The theme was 'Violent Crime
in Progress.' We staged an armed robbery, a hostage drama, and a
barricaded gunman w/out hostages. Participants were not SWAT teams, but
plain-vanilla patrolmen and detectives, thrown together and compelled by
circumstance to work as a team. In each scenario, shooting had already
started, and there was no opportunity to wait on the arrival of a SWAT
Team. We wanted to see to what degree our guys could quickly organize
themselves and then go in after the bad guy(s) with scant information
and no time for detailed planning. We looked for (1) sound tactics, (2)
credible teamwork, (3) competent gun-handling, (4) skillful negotiation,
(5) constant objectivity, and (6) accomplished accuracy.
I played the role of one of the suspects. Our students, of course, made
mistakes, but there was no lack of enthusiasm and ability to learn
lessons quickly.
Here is what I noted from my perspective:
Presence of entry officers was often easy to discern, as many shotgun
and carbine barrels and muzzles could be seen protruding from around
corners, before the officer holding the weapon was anywhere near ready
to engage threats on the other side. I first noticed the muzzle poking
out from a corner. That alerted me to the fact that an officer was
there and that he planned to enter the room or, at least, pie the
corner. When they attempted the later, many needlessly exposed (1)
elbows, (2) knees, and (3) feet. I shot all three many times, and the
officers thus struck were sent stumbling backwards, out of action for
the balance of the drill. Conversely, savvy officers (mostly those with
military training) exposed precious little of hemselves when they pied
corners, making shooting any part of them extremely difficult.
When close to a corner, I was also able to forcibly disarm several
officers, as they, once again, poked their pistols and carbines around
corners. I just grabbed the gun and pulled! Most officers let go.
Those who hung on were pulled off balance and came stumbling forward,
usually falling, face-first, onto the floor. Again, leading with your
gun carries with it all kinds of (mostly needless) risk.
Several of our officers were shot in the back by their own partners!
This unhappy blunder was, of course, the direct result of poor gun
handling (fingers on triggers) and poor muzzle control (muzzles up,
instead of down). The astonished shooters didn't realize how such bad
habits can easily result in unintentional casualties. Through painful
embarrassment, they learned their lesson!
Through victory and frustration, everyone took their lessons well, and I
am persuaded that they all benefited greatly. Participants were there,
because they wanted to be there. My concern is for all the officers who
weren't there and probably never will be!"
Comment: This kind of training needs to be made available to all
officers. Recent events show the need to be obvious!
/John
("Pieing a corner" is a contraction for the concept of "slicing the
pie." This refers to the technique, when approaching a corner, of
standing about six feet from the wall to the side and advancing a few
inches at a time. Each such advance exposes a wedge or "slice of pie,"
allowing the operator to scan for threats before significantly exposing
himself.)
From NRA-ILA:
NRA-ILA Grassroots Alert Vol. 13, No. 41 10/13/06
States with updates this issue: California, New Hampshire, New Jersey,
New York, and Virginia.
PRESIDENT BUSH SIGNS NRA-BACKED "DISASTER RECOVERY PERSONAL PROTECTION"
MEASURE INTO LAW
President George W. Bush recently signed legislation that included
language based on H.R. 5013, the "Disaster Recovery Personal Protection
Act," to prohibit the confiscation of legal firearms from law-abiding
citizens during states of emergency. Passage of this legislation became
a top priority of NRA following confiscations of lawfully-owned firearms
by local officials in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane
Katrina. Prior to the President's recent action, NRA led the charge in
passing "emergency powers" laws in 10 states. This new law was part of
the Department of Homeland Security appropriations bill.
"I want to thank President George W. Bush for signing this vital measure
into law," declared NRA-ILA Executive Director Chris W. Cox. "The chaos
and civil disorder our country witnessed in New Orleans after the city
effectively suspended the Second Amendment confirmed every law-abiding
gun owner's worst fear - that gun confiscations can happen right here in
America. As promised, NRA set out to pass legislation at both the
federal and state levels to protect the Second Amendment rights of
law-abiding American citizens."
The Homeland Security amendment was based on H.R. 5013, the "Disaster
Recovery Personal Protection Act," which was introduced in the House by
Congressman Bobby Jindal, R-La., and passed the House on July 25 with a
broad bi-partisan margin of 322 to 99. Sen. David Vitter, R-La.,
introduced the Senate version of the bill. Sen. Vitter also championed
the first Senate action on a different version of the appropriations
amendment, which passed in July by an 84 to 16 vote, one the largest
margins of victory ever for an NRA-backed measure.
"The essence of the 'Disaster Recovery Personal Protection Act' was so
compelling that it received strong, bipartisan support in Congress,"
continued Cox. "When 911 is non-existent and law enforcement personnel
are overwhelmed with search-and-rescue missions and other emergency
duties, law-abiding Americans must have legal protection to defend their
families and loved ones in times of emergency. The NRA is honored to
have helped guarantee this fundamental freedom."
"GIVE THEM BACK"
As you've read in previous Grassroots Alerts and in the article above,
in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, law-abiding citizens had their
lawfully owned firearms confiscated by local officials. When citizens
needed protection the most, they were stripped of their right to
self-defense. As you also read above, President Bush recently signed
NRA-backed legislation to ensure such travesties are never repeated.
NRA has launched a new web site-- www.givethemback.com --with shocking
video coverage of New Orleans gun confiscations that you'll never see on
ABC, CBS, or NBC. This site gives gun owners a stark and brutal reminder
of why we must defend our firearm freedoms with passion and vigilance,
in Congress, in the courts, on America's city streets.AND ON ELECTION DAY.
This site makes it clear why gun owners can never, ever sit on the
sidelines during an election. This site is a slap-in-the-face wake up
call for every gun owner who thinks anti-gun politicians don't have the
nerve or the will to confiscate our guns. And why they must be defeated
before they ever get their hands on power.
Please be sure to visit www.givethemback.com today, and forward the link
to your friends, family and fellow gun owners. Remember what happened
in New Orleans, and let your voice be heard on Election Day--Vote for
Freedom on November 7! With your help, we're going to make the first
time in New Orleans the LAST time in America.
SECOND ANNUAL "FIREARMS LAW & THE SECOND AMENDMENT" SYMPOSIUM A SUCCESS
More than 140 attorneys, law students, and members of the public
attended this year's "Firearms Law & The Second Amendment" symposium,
held Oct. 7, at George Mason University School of Law in Arlington, VA.
The guests heard presentations from leading scholars on key issues
affecting firearms ownership, including:
� Profs. Nelson Lund and Robert Cottrol on the text and history of the
Second Amendment;
� Attorney David Hardy on recent claims that the Second Amendment
protects gun control;
� Attorneys Lawrence G. Keane of the National Shooting Sports Foundation
and firearms law specialist Richard Gardiner on current issues in
firearms litigation;
� Prof. Joyce Lee Malcolm and Independence Institute Research Director
David Kopel on gun ownership issues around the world, including U.N.
gun control activities and the movement Kopel described as the
"pacifist-aggressives"-those who refuse to defend themselves, and want
to prevent others from doing so as well.
� Prof. Renee Lettow Lerner on the international movement to strengthen
innocent citizens' self-defense rights, and Prof. Brian Patrick on how
pro-right-to-carry activists used their own communications networks to
bypass media opposition to legislative reforms.
The NRA Foundation and the NRA Civil Rights Defense Fund cosponsored the
event with GMU's Law Students for the Second Amendment. Video of the
event will be available soon at www.nraila.org --watch this Alert for
updates!
GRADES & ENDORSEMENTS NOW AVAILABLE ON NRA-PVF SITE!
For up-to-the-minute campaign information, and to see what you can do to
help elect pro-Second Amendment candidates, members are strongly
encouraged to visit the NRA-Political Victory Fund (NRA-PVF) website,
www.NRAPVF.org. This official NRA campaign site will serve as your
one-stop campaign reference guide this election season. The site is
loaded with all of the critical information you'll need to make informed
decisions on Election Day, November 7. Included on the site are news
stories, articles from NRA's magazines, NRA-PVF press releases, and a
complete listing of NRA-PVF candidate grades and endorsements!
In addition to all of the late-breaking campaign news, candidate grades
and endorsements, and firearm issue background information, you will
also find our multimedia section-- www.nrapv.org/Multimedia/Default.aspx
-- that houses easy-to-access ads that are perfectly suited for
distribution among your fellow NRA Members!
Early and absentee voting is currently underway in several states. If
you are voting early or by absentee ballot, please be sure to visit
www.NRAPVF.org before casting your ballot.
With so few days between now and Election Day, November 7, please be
sure that you leave no stone unturned and, on November 7, join us on
"Freedom's Frontline" and "Vote Freedom First"!
NRA-ILA "MIX N' MINGLES"
Much is at stake in this year's elections. Voters will decide if we
continue to move ahead on the path of pro-gun reform, or if we will
revert to the dark Clinton-Gore years. In order to ensure continued
success for the Second Amendment, we must elect pro-gun lawmakers this year.
To ensure victory for our pro-gun candidates, NRA-ILA will be hosting
FREE NRA-ILA "Mix N' Mingles" across the country. These events will
provide NRA members with training on what you can do locally to propel
candidates to victory. The meetings also provide attendees the
opportunity to meet and socialize with lawmakers, candidates, and their
staffs; NRA-ILA Headquarters staff, fellow NRA members--and to earn FREE
NRA fraternal items such as hats, pocketknives, buttons, etc. "Mix N'
Mingles," including materials, food, beverages, and NRA items, are FREE!
Mix N' Mingle events are scheduled for:
- Columbus, OH 10/14/06
- Eagan, MN 10/14/06
- Scottsdale, AZ 10/14/06
- St. Cloud, MN 10/16/06
- New Hartford, NY 10/19/06 * (new date, please see details in section
below)
NRA members who have access to the Internet can go to
www.nraila.org/workshops/ to reserve their seats on-line. NRA members
are encouraged to check this website address frequently to see if "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.
A LOOK AT THE STATES
(***For all of the action items below, you can find contact information
for your legislators by visiting www.NRAILA.org, clicking the "Take
Action" icon, and then clicking the "Write Your Representatives" icon.
For information on NRA-PVF candidate endorsements, NRA members are
encouraged to call the NRA-ILA Grassroots Division at (800) 392-VOTE
(8683), or visit www.NRAPVF.org. As always, thank you for your support.***)
States with updates this issue: California, New Hampshire, New Jersey,
New York, and Virginia.
Please note: Early and absentee voting for the Tuesday, November 7
General Election is already underway in many states across the country.
For more information on early/absentee voting, please contact your
state's Board of Elections office. Be sure to "Vote Freedom First" on
Tuesday, November 7!
CALIFORNIA
On Tuesday, October 10, the City of Santa Clara withdrew its proposal to
ban gun shows on city property. The City Council claimed it received a
"huge volume" of e-mails from NRA Members across the State of
California. A special thank you to all NRA members for your calls and
e-mails against this threat to your Right to Keep and Bear Arms!
Also, on Saturday, October 21, at 9:00 a.m., the U.S. Forest Service
(USFS), with assistance from PLINK, a cooperative program of the NRA
Members Council, El Dorado Rod & Gun Club, and the USFS, will be
cleaning up shot shells and targets from Tiger Creek Quarry. Volunteers
are needed to preserve this valuable shooting sports resource.
Volunteers will gather at the Firehouse Caf� in Diamond Springs at 7:30
a.m., for a complimentary breakfast prior to caravanning to the site.
If you are unable to attend for breakfast, take Highway 88 about 18
miles east of Jackson to Buckorn, then turn south (right) on Tiger Creek
Road. At the Reservoir, keep driving east above the PG&E houses on the
one lane paved Salt Springs Road for a bit over one mile, then turn
right 500 yards down into the quarry. To RSVP, please contact Steve
Morgan at (530) 620-3946 or by e-mail at
[email protected].
NEW HAMPSHIRE
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino,
are personally contacting every mayor in New Hampshire asking them to
sign onto Mayor Bloomberg's New York-style gun control agenda. Please
call your Mayor and find out if he/she has received such a call, then,
discourage your mayor from signing onto this outrageous attack on your
Right to Keep and Bear Arms. Then, please call the Gun Owners of New
Hampshire at (603) 225-4664, and let them know whether or not your Mayor
received that call. The following online links will help you find the
contact information for your Mayor:
www.newhampshire.com/nh-towns/rochester.aspx,
www.directorynh.com/NHCities-Towns/NHCities&Towns.html, and
www.nh.gov/municipal/index.html. Citizens throughout New Hampshire are
counting on you to contact your Mayor TODAY!
NEW JERSEY
On October 11, by a vote of 6 to 2, the Jersey City Council passed
Ordinance #06-116. This was Jersey City's latest attempt to rewrite its
illegal "one-gun-a-month" law, which passed in June and is the subject
of a pre-emption lawsuit commenced by the Association of New Jersey
Rifle & Pistol Clubs. The two votes against the rationing scheme came
from Councilman Michael Sottolano (E-mail:
[email protected]; Phone:
(201) 547-5098), and Councilwoman Viola Richardson (E-mail:
[email protected]; Phone: (201) 547-5338). Although Councilwoman
Richardson originally supported the ordinance in June, she expressed
doubts about its effectiveness at reducing crime and changed her vote at
the October 11 Council meeting. Members are encouraged to contact
Councilman Sottolano and Councilwoman Richardson and thank them for
their courage and integrity. The new ordinace was apparently intended
to correct technical defects in the original law, but failed to address
the law's fatal defect--the fact that it is pre-empted by New Jersey
state law and violates equal protection. It continues to leave Jersey
City residents unable to defend themselves if their firearm requires
repair or is stolen within four weeks of purchase. The new ordinance
goes even further than the original by adding a new provision making
Jersey City residents criminals if they lawfully purchase, or even apply
to purchase, more than one handgun within 30 days. It further targets
Jersey City's federal firearm licensees by imposing an impossible burden
of trying to ascertain whether a purchaser has, in fact, purchased or
made application to purchase a handgun within the previous 30 days. The
Association of New Jersey Rifle & Pistol Clubs (NRA's New Jersey State
affiliate) will continue to challenge the illegal ordinance in Court.
Jersey City continues to be defended for free by a pria te law firm
whose services were secured by CeaseFire New Jersey.
Also, the Association of New Jersey Rifle & Pistol Clubs' annual meeting
banquet will be held tomorrow, Saturday, October 14, 2006, at 6:00 p.m.,
at the Ramada Inn Somerset, 60 Cottontail Lane, Somerset, NJ 08873. The
event is being combined with a Friends of NRA dinner and auction, and
will feature remarks from New Jersey's leading Second Amendment
activists. The auction portion of the event will feature unique
collectible merchandise, and half the proceeds will be donated back to
New Jersey shooters by the NRA Foundation. Tickets are $40 (please
contact John Coakley at
[email protected] or (908) 812-1664).
NEW YORK
Please note that, due to a scheduling conflict, the New Hartford "Mix N'
Mingle," which was originally scheduled for October 5, has been
rescheduled for Thursday, October 19, 2006! The location remains the
same -- the Holiday Inn Utica, located at 1777 Burrstone Road, New
Hartford, NY 13413. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have
caused you and hope you will still be able to attend. If you are no
longer able to attend, please contact us ASAP at (800) 392-8683. If you
still plan to attend, you do not need to do anything, and we'll see you
on October 19.
In addition, the Shooters' Committee on Political Education (SCOPE) will
be holding its 41st Annual "SCOPE Awards Banquet," tomorrow, Saturday,
October 14, 2006. Featured speakers will include NRA Second Vice
President Ron Schmeits, and several local speakers. The Banquet will be
held at the Diplomat Banquet Center, 1956 Lyell Avenue (same as 1
Diplomat Way), Rochester, NY 14606, from 5:30-11:00 p.m. For tickets,
reservations, and more information, please visit
http://www.scopeny.org/banquet.html, or contact Ken Mathison by phone
at: (585) 663-8741, or by mail at: PO Box 12711, Rochester, NY 14612.
Seating is limited, so get your tickets now!
VIRGINIA
The Loudoun County Friends of NRA Committee invites you to attend its
annual banquet and auction. This event includes a live auction, silent
auction, games, raffles, and prize drawings. Proceeds benefit The NRA
Foundation and provide funding for shooting-sports-related grants. Come
out and join your fellow NRA supporters for an evening of fun while
raising money for Friends of NRA. The event is scheduled for Thursday,
November 9, at the Leesburg Holiday Inn-Carradoc Hall, 1500 East Market
Street, in Leesburg. Tickets are limited and are on sale now, $40 per
person and $70 per couple. Sponsorships are also available. For
additional information or to purchase tickets, please contact Brooke
Berthelsen by phone at 703-267-1354 or by e-mail at
[email protected].
Also, please join the Virginia Shooting Sports Association, and guest
speaker, Cam Edwards, host of NRANews.com, for its Annual Meeting and
Banquet at 6:00 p.m., tomorrow, October 14. This year's Banquet is
being held at Hunter Motel and Restaurant, 8100 Loisdale Road,
Newington, VA. For more information, please visit
www.myvssa.org/annualmeeting1006.htm.
Finally, the Virginia Shooting Sports Association presents: "Methods of
Concealed Carry with Tom Marx." Please join us on October 28, from 8:30
a.m., to 4:30 p.m., at the Izaak Walton League of America, 14708 Mount
Olive Road, Centreville, VA, for the full-day version of the program Tom
has done for several years at the NRA Annual Meeting. Space is limited,
and advanced registration is recommended. The cost is $15 for members
and $20 for non-members. For more information and to register, please
call (703) 599-9399 or visit www.myvssa.org/methodsofconcealedcarry.pdf.
--
Stephen P. Wenger
Firearm safety - It's a matter
for education, not legislation.
http://www.spw-duf.info
