Parker Ruling Puts DC Mayor On The Spot: ...Gun-control advocates are
quietly acknowledging that Fenty (D) is in a difficult spot. Across the
country, many of them and their attorneys have been meeting in
conference rooms to analyze the potential damage that could be done
nationwide if the D.C. law falls apart. Some fear that an adverse
Supreme Court ruling could lead to more gun lobby challenges and the
collapse of tough gun regulations in New York, Chicago and Detroit.
Other potential casualties include federal laws that require background
checks for gun buyers or ban the manufacture of machine guns for
civilian use...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/16/AR2007051602781.html?hpid=moreheadlines
Yet, San Francisco Seeks To Emulate DC:
http://cbs5.com/local/local_story_136215501.html
For Background, An Interview With Robert Levy:
http://www.motherjones.com/interview/2007/02/robert_levy.html
---
VCDL Bloomberg Gun Giveaway Postponed, Briefly: A gun-rights group
planning a "Bloomberg Gun Giveaway" in response to lawsuits against two
Virginia gun shops by the New York City mayor must modify the contest to
comply with state law, Fairfax County officials said yesterday. In
response, the Virginia Citizens Defense League (VCDL) is now doubling
the number of guns it plans to give away and opening its contest to
anybody who shows up at tonight's meeting.
http://www.washtimes.com/metro/20070516-110414-5626r.htm
http://www.dailypress.com/news/local/virginia/dp-dc--gungiveaway0516may16,0,2934417.story?coll=dp-headlines-virginia
---
Georgia May Ban Bloomberg Gun Stings: In what may mark a coalescing of
Southern pro-gun politicians against Mayor Bloomberg, two Georgia
lawmakers said they want to follow Virginia's lead in passing a law that
would prevent New York City from unilaterally sending private
investigators across state lines to investigate gun dealers.
http://www.nysun.com/article/54524
---
South Carolina May Authorize CCW In Schools: A House subcommittee
approved a measure Wednesday that would allow concealed weapon permit
holders to carry guns onto public school campuses, from elementary
schools to universities. Supporters say having trained and armed gun
owners in schools could prevent massacres like the April 16 shootings at
Virginia Tech, where one armed student killed 32 people.
http://www.startribune.com/484/story/1187892.html
---
Arizona Governor Vetoes Bill To Reduce Unlicensed CCW Penalty: If you
want to carry a concealed weapon, you should have a permit to do so,
Gov. Janet Napolitano said Wednesday in vetoing a bill that sought to
relax penalties for anyone found carrying a hidden weapon without the
required permit. (Actually, the bill would also have increased the
penalty for anyone carrying while committing a violent crime. See AzCDL
alert, below.)
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0517B1-talker17.html
---
Michigan Bill Would End Gun-Free Zones: As promised to SAFR a few weeks
ago, HB 4759 has been introduced by Rep. Daniel Acciavatti. Co-Sponsors
are: Reps. Hoogendyk, Horn, Stahl, Opsommer, Meltzer and Meekhof. The
Bill has been referred to the Committee on Judiciary which is Chaired by
a veteran anti gunner. Further, this Bill has a Minority party sponsor.
Both of these facts will make this Bill a slow starter.
http://www.migunowners.org/forum/showthread.php?t=19996
http://www.legislature.mi.gov/(S(pmprk045r2mtj5j2klfiy42p))/mileg.aspx?page=getObject&objectName=2007-HB-4759
---
Froman Links RKBA And Home Schooling: ...There are core values in common
between gun ownership and homeschooling. These commonalties are things
you and I applaud, but those who think big government is the solution to
every problem cannot accept it. They both tend to lessen your dependence
on government...
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=55737
---
More On Illinois FOID Cards For Kids: My 11-month-old son and his
Firearm Owner's Identification Card caused quite a stir this week. My
inbox overflowed as folks from throughout the country weighed in on the
Illinois State Police issuing a gun card to my baby boy, nicknamed Bubba...
http://www.dailysouthtown.com/lifestyles/ludwig/386203,161LUD2.article
---
Blind Man Fights For Minnesota Carry Permit: A blind man who has
concealed weapons permits from North Dakota and Utah says he's not a
danger to society, even though he can't see the gun he's shooting. Carey
McWilliams, 33, says he has followed all rules, and he wants Minnesota
to join other states that have granted him a concealed weapons permit.
He says he was rejected by a Minnesota county sheriff and a judge in
that state.
http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=1223976
---
From GOA: Anti-gun Rep. John Dingell (D-MI) continues his assault on
American gun owners. Dingell has been tapped by House Speaker Nancy
Pelosi to broker a compromise with Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) on H.R. 297,
a gun control bill being pushed in the wake of the Virginia Tech
shooting. The bill provides about $1 billion to the states to "provide
the National Instant Criminal Background Check System [NICS] with all
records concerning persons who are prohibited from possessing or
receiving a firearm... regardless of the elapsed time since the
disqualifying event."
http://www.gunowners.org/a051607.htm
---
From AzCDL:
SB 1629, which would have reduced the penalty for carrying a concealed
weapon without a permit for law-abiding citizens, was vetoed by the
Governor on May 16, 2007. You can read her veto letter here:
http://www.azleg.gov/govlettr/48leg/1R/SB1629.pdf
SB 1629 would have reclassified carrying a concealed weapon without a
permit as a petty offense, unless the violation occurred in the
commission of, or attempted commission of, a "serious offense or violent
crime", in which case the CCW offense would have been a class 6 felony,
or any other felony, in which case it would have been a class 1
misdemeanor. In a nutshell, if you're a bad guy carrying a concealed
weapon, penalties would have been stiffened. If you're a law-abiding
citizen, it would have become a petty offense.
Under current law, if you have not been issued a concealed weapons (CCW)
permit, it is a class 1 misdemeanor to carry a concealed weapon.
Everyone is treated like a hardened criminal. Sadly, because of a
couple of 1994 Appellate Court decisions, there is no clear, objective
standard in statute that you can rely on to determine if you are
violating the law. SB 1629 enjoyed broad support from Democrats and
Republicans in the Legislature. The Fraternal Order of Police (FOP)
supported it. Self-defense groups supported it. The public supported it.
In her veto letter on SB 1629, Governor Napolitano says "get the
required permit." She says that "people who fail to do so are, by
definition, lawbreakers in possession of deadly weapons." She goes on
to say that "serious criminals, especially gang members, often carry
concealed weapons without permits." Per the Governor, there is no
distinction between gang members breaking the law, and a law-abiding
person's attempt to comply with a law clouded by head-scratching court
decisions. If your openly carried firearm can't be seen because of the
angle that the police officer is looking - you're the same as a gang
member. If you have a permit and are sitting near someone in a vehicle
that "may" have access to your firearm - they are the same as gang
members. If a newspaper falls over the gun that is sitting on the seat
of your vehicle - you are the same as a gang member, unless you have a
government issued permission slip (i.e., concealed weapons permit).
Governor Napolitano says that "Without tough penalties (including the
ability to affect arrests) against people who carry weapons unlawfully,
Arizona's law enforcement would be deprived of a valuable tool." In
other words, arrest everyone and let the courts sort it out. That sure
beats doing serious police work, and separating the bad guys from the
good guys.
In her veto of SB 1629, Governor Napolitano repeated her "get a permit"
mantra from her veto of SB 1301
(
http://www.azleg.gov/govlettr/48leg/1R/SB1301.pdf). Over 98% of
Arizona citizens do not have concealed weapons permits, largely because
the Arizona Constitution supposedly protects the right to "open
carry." Per Governor Napolitano, that's poppycock - you better get a
permit, or else!
Information on this and other bills can be found at the AzCDL website:
http://www.azcdl.org/html/legislation.html
As legislation progresses, we will keep you up to date via these Alerts
and at our website.
These alerts are a project of the Arizona Citizens Defense League
(AzCDL), an all volunteer, non-profit, non-partisan grassroots
organization. Join today!
AzCDL - Protecting Your Freedom
http://www.azcdl.org/html/join_us_.html
Copyright � 2007 Arizona Citizens Defense League, Inc., all rights
reserved.
--
Stephen P. Wenger
Firearm safety - It's a matter
for education, not legislation.
http://www.spw-duf.info
