Florida Has Licensed Convicted Felons For CCW: Newspaper has found
numerous people who have received Florida CWFL's due to court actions
such as withheld adjudication in felony pleas. Of note, this installment
in what appears to be a series fails to cite any example of one of these
licensees abusing the "privilege." (1,400 out of 410,000 licensees is
less than four-tenths of one percent.)
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-gunmain28jan28,0,3080560.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2007/1/28/211653.shtml?s=us
http://www.washtimes.com/national/20070129-120946-4585r.htm
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Who Gets Licensed To Carry In L.A. County?: "Members of the Homeland
Security Support Unit -- made up of local businessmen, many of them
contributors to Baca's political campaigns -- have been asked to supply
the attorney general with evidence of any payments made to the group or
its leaders...Gary Nalbandian, owner of a Glendora tire store, served as
director of Baca's Homeland Security Support Unit...Nalbandian also
holds a sheriff's concealed weapons permit. The department has not tried
to revoke that."
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-badges29jan29,1,5408433.story?coll=la-headlines-california
---
LEOSA For Private Citizens?: John Longenecker comes out in favor of
federal bills that would mandate national CCW reciprocity, making a
parallel with the law that authorizes nationwide CCW for retired
law-enforcement officers. (My concern is that making CCW a federal
matter would allow future federal standards over who will be licensed.)
http://mensnewsdaily.com/2007/01/28/concealed-carry-of-weapons-superior-to-taking-weapons/
---
Kansas Cities Seek To Rewrite CCW Law: Even before Kansas had a
concealed-carry law, the 2005 Legislature tried to ensure that locals
couldn't restrict gun rights more tightly than the state. Now, though,
some cities are putting their own spin on concealed-carry, following the
League of Kansas Municipalities' view that cities, like other property
owners, can opt not to allow concealed handguns in their workplaces and
on their property...
http://blogs.kansas.com/weblog/2007/01/locals_rewritin.html?lid=rss_container&lpos=kansas_4_580771
---
Colorado To Consider Stand-Your-Ground Law: "Lawmakers are looking at
expanding Colorado's "Make My Day" law -- which says people who use
deadly force to protect themselves in their homes can't be prosecuted. A
proposal called "Make My Day Better" would also protect people who use
deadly force to protect themselves in their businesses and automobiles."
http://www.kktv.com/news/headlines/5391211.html
---
Meanwhile, In Arkansas...: A Pine Bluff woman charged with second degree
battery following a 2005 incident in which her gun discharged during an
altercation says her case illustrates why legislators should remove the
requirement of Arkansas' law that civilians retreat before they use
deadly force.
http://www.pbcommercial.com/articles/2007/01/28/news/news1.txt
---
Georgia Paper Discusses Castle Doctrine: A recent home-defense shooting
inspires a reporter to quote both Clayton Cramer and a Brady Bunch
spokesman in a discussion on the safety of keeping a firearm in the
home. (It's a shame that an article on safety includes a photo of a Rule
Three violation.)
http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/news/stories/20070128/localnews/152830.shtml
---
Would You Like Fries With That?: A North Carolina man who attempted to
rob a McDonald's restaurant late at night has died of wounds he received
in the ensuing gunfight with an armed employee. A second employee
appears to have received a minor wound from a stray bullet.
http://www.independenttribune.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=CIT/MGArticle/WSJ_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1149192864615
---
Don't Try This At Home: A hairdresser in Mississippi grabbed his
revolver from a drawer and went out to the parking lot after spotting a
pair of men attempting to steal his customer's vehicle. He shot two of
their pickup truck's tires and fired a third round through one of its
doors. The men are at large and police have cited the state's castle
doctrine in their decision to file no charges against the hairdresser.
(Gunshots do not deflate tires very rapidly and wheel rims can send
high-energy ricochets in almost any direction, including back at the
shooter. This is why police now use spike strips whenever possible.)
http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070127/NEWS/701270372
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Introducing America's Gun Owners: From Oregon, "...I'd like to take this
opportunity to introduce the readers of this column, and by extension
their candidates, to American gun owners. I won't pretend gun owners are
a homogeneous group, but it's safe to say that a significant portion of
them resemble the folks I've described below in their beliefs and
actions..." (An awful ot of folks in Oregon do carry concealed weapons
for self-defense outside of the home and I've heard of at least one
monthly full-auto match in that state.)
http://www.gazettetimes.com/articles/2007/01/28/sports/venture/1ven01_wray.txt
---
From Montana Shooting Sports Association:
Dear MSSA Friends,
THREE IMPORTANT BILLS UP NEXT WEEK!
Our flagship bill, and two others sponsored at the request of MSSA, will
have their first public hearings before the Legislature this coming
week. This is crunch time - when we need you to come to Helena, or send
messages to Helena, along with all of your friends. Here's what's going on:
SB 309. WEDNESDAY (1/31) at 8 AM the Senate Judiciary Committee will
meet and will conduct its public hearing on Senate Bill 309, a bill to
prohibit police from confiscating guns in Montana during a declared
emergency, like police did in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina. Do
you want this prohibition to become law in Montana? If you do, you must
participate. Either come to Helena to testify to the Committee that you
want the bill to pass, or send messages to Committee members, and get
all your friends to do so too. You can read the bill at:
http://data.opi.mt.gov/bills/2007/billhtml/SB0309.htm
The members of the Senate Judiciary Committee are:
Laslovich, Jesse (D) - Ch
Curtiss, Aubyn (R)
Jent, Larry (D)
Juneau, Carol (D)
McGee, Dan (R)
Moss, Lynda (D)
O'Neil, Jerry (R)
Pease, Gerald (D)
Perry, Gary (R)
Shockley, Jim (R)
Wanzenried, David (D)
Williams, Carol (D)
If you can attend the hearing, the Senate Judiciary Committee meets in
Room 303 (the old Supreme Court chamber) of the State Capitol.
You may send online messages from:
http://www.leg.mt.gov/css/sessions/60th/legwebmessage.asp
On FRIDAY (2/02), at 8 AM, the House Judiciary Committee will meet to
hold its public hearing on two bills.
HB 340. This is MSSA's flagship Self Defense bill! This bill addresses
a bunch of different voids in Montana law, all to allow you to better
use Self Defense. It includes a clarification that you have no duty to
flee or dial 911 before you defend yourself, about what display of a
firearm you may not be charged with a crime, under what conditions and
for how long police may take custody of a firearm, and much more. This
bill also makes it so a concealed weapon permit is not necessary to
carry concealed in Montana, but makes permits available for people who
want them for nonresident travel and Brady buys. There is a LOT of good
stuff in this bill. It is an IMPORTANT pro-gun bill for Montana. You
may read the bill at:
http://data.opi.mt.gov/bills/2007/billhtml/HB0340.htm
We REALLY need your support on this bill. Law enforcement will probably
oppose it. If we don't rally lots of support now, and again when it
gets into the Senate, the bill will die or be gutted.
HB 420. This bill declares that any firearms made and retained in
Montana are simply not subject to any federal regulation under the power
of Congress to "regulate commerce ... among the several states." If it
passes, this bill will open the door to unregulated, Montana-only
firearms manufacture. It may also set up a nifty test case over the
alleged power of Congress to regulate everything under the Sun under the
guise of regulating "interstate commerce." You may read this bill at:
http://data.opi.mt.gov/bills/2007/billhtml/HB0420.htm
The members of the House Judiciary Committee are:
Rice, Diane (R) - Ch
Stoker, Ron (R) - V Ch
Gallik, Dave (D) - V Ch
Cordier, Douglas (D)
Driscoll, Robyn (D)
Ebinger, Bob (D)
Everett, George (R)
French, Julie (D)
Jore, Rick (C)
Kerns, Krayton (R)
Koopman, Roger (R)
Kottel, Deborah (D)
McGillvray, Tom (R)
O'Hara, Jesse (R)
Peterson, Ken (R)
Raser, Holly (D)
Ward, John (R)
If you can attend the hearing, the House Judiciary Committee meets in
Room 137 (ground floor) of the State Capitol.
You may send online messages from:
http://www.leg.mt.gov/css/sessions/60th/legwebmessage.asp
Please share this message with all of your pro-gun friends.
Gary Marbut, president
Montana Shooting Sports Association
http://www.mtssa.org
author, Gun Laws of Montana
http://www.mtpublish.com
--
Stephen P. Wenger
Firearm safety - It's a matter
for education, not legislation.
http://www.spw-duf.info
