Sen. Coburn Takes On VA Over Veterans' Gun Bans: Senator Tom Coburn
isn't going to go away quietly. As you know from previous GOA alerts,
the Republican Senator from Oklahoma has placed a hold on the noxious
legislation that is being pushed by Senator Chuck Schumer of New York.
Because of his actions, the Veterans Disarmament Act (HR 2640 and S
2084) has been stalled in the Senate for a few weeks. But not content to
remain silent, Sen. Coburn sent a pointed letter to the Department of
Veterans Affairs, asking them to justify their actions. Coburn states in
his letter that the Veterans Affairs continues to send the names of
"approximately 1,000 additional veterans" to the Department of Justice
every month. According to the Congressional Research Service, Coburn
says, this has resulted in "approximately 140,000 Veterans" being added
into the NICS background check system.
http://www.gunowners.org/a101807.htm
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Texas Land Commissioner Opposes National Park Service: The National Park
Service is an ideal candidate to acquire a pristine, undeveloped site
adjacent to Big Bend National Park in West Texas, but Texas Land
Commissioner Jerry Patterson is foolishly opposing such a move.
Patterson, a fervent gun rights advocate, opposes selling the park
service the 9,269-acre Christmas Mountains site because it would not
allow public hunting or possession of firearms on the property. (Kudos
to Patterson for calling attention on the foolish NPS ban on firearms
for self-defense.)
http://www.star-telegram.com/225/story/271793.html
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South Cook County Residents Defend RKBA: On Wednesday, the Illinois
State Rifle Association (ISRA) announced that last night Approximately
200 firearm owners packed the Tinley Park American Legion Post so that
they could learn what they might do to prevent the spread of
"Chicago-style" gun control to south Cook County, where the Tinley Park
village council is considering passing legislation to ban nearly every
kind of privately owned firearm from the village. "Chicago-style" gun
control includes aspects of legislation such as Chicago Mayor Richard
Daley's plan to establish 100-mile "gun free" zone around Chicago.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/418437/illinois_state_rifle_association_gathers.html
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Meanwhile, Southwest Of There...: Several Tazewell County Board members
voted Wednesday to support gun owners' rights by opposing any
legislation that goes against the Second Amendment. Tazewell County
Board Chairman Jim Unsicker said members of the Illinois State Rifle
Association (ISRA) requested he put forward the resolution, which asks
counties to oppose any state legislation that would infringe on gun
owners' rights.
http://www.pjstar.com/stories/101807/TRI_BEM203MG.046.php
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Oops, Wrong Recycling Center: Two employees of a local recycling center
shot and killed a would-be robber Thursday morning, police said. The
unidentified workers fatally shot a man in the face as he tried to steal
from Geppert Recycling, located on the 4500 block of Wayne Avenue in
Philadelphia, just after 9 a.m., police said...According to police, the
gunman fired first but he was shooting at two employees who carry guns
for protection.
http://www.nbc10.com/news/14368082/detail.html?dl=mainclick
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Chicago Man Will Not Be Charged In Shooting: A Hyde Park resident who
shot a neighbor in the chest during an altercation in their building
Wednesday night acted in self defense and will not be charged,
authorities said Thursday. The assailant, who was in critical condition,
threatened to hit the neighbor with a vodka bottle and kicked in the
man's door, police said.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-hydepark-shot_weboct18,0,7262300.story?coll=chi-newsnationworld-utl
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TV Reporter Suspended For "Ambushing" Man Who Shot Two Burglars: "This
is her idea of journalism? Ambushing a 70-year-old man who has been
through life-and-death twice in three weeks? 'Are you a trigger happy
kind of person? Is that what what you wanted to do? Shoot to kill?' Good
Lord, I hate the people in this field."
http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairpark/2007/10/kdfw_suspends_rebecca_aguilar.php
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The Plot Thickens...: ...The burglary suspect said he had just been hit
by a shotgun blast that tore through his right bicep and lodged near his
ribs when he heard someone urge the gunman to finish him off...Sayers,
recalling the moments after he was shot, said he heard the gun being
cocked at precisely the same time police arrived with their weapons
drawn. The officers ordered merchant Donald Khemraj to drop the
shotgun..."The son told his father 'shoot him in the head, shoot him in
the head,' " recounted Sayers. "I basically gave up, and you shoot me,
so basically the police saved my life." (The Times Union seems more
concerned about the legality of the merchant's actions and the burglar's
ordeal than the ordeal of the family he victimized.)
http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=631087&category=SCHENECTADY&BCCode=HOME&newsdate=10/18/2007
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Alabama Couple Make Burglar Clean Up Mess: Adrian and Tiffany McKinnon
returned to their Centennial Hill home Tuesday after a week away to find
that thieves had emptied almost everything the family of five owned,
Tiffany McKinnon said through tears..."My husband Adrian caught the
thief red-handed in our home," she said. "And what is even crazier, the
man even had my husband's hat sitting right on his head. We made this
man clean up all the mess he made, piles of stuff, he had thrown out of
my drawers and cabi-nets onto the floor," Tiffany McKinnon said. When
police arrived, Bullock complained about being forced to clean the home
at gunpoint.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,303429,00.html
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Petition To Recall NRA Board Member: A petition drive is under way,
seeking the recall of NRA Board member Joaquin Jackson. The drive is
motivated by the discovery of an old interview in which Jackson, a
former Texas Ranger, spoke out against private ownership of
military-style semiautomatic rifles.
http://recalljoaquinjackson.blogspot.com/
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Is This Our Next Generation?: The UConn chapter of Students for
Concealed Carry on Campus wishes to hold a protest against the seemingly
wise choice of not allowing any weapons on the UConn campus. It comes
down to personal safety, they say. You never know when the next massacre
may occur, and as such people need to be prepared to defend
themselves...However, I think it is quite apparent that had people been
allowed to discharge concealed weapons at Virginia Tech at the time of
the tragedy, it would have only resulted in more deaths and more chaos.
Students, as well as cops and those carrying concealed weapons, would
have not been able to reliably discern the criminal from the vigilante...
http://media.www.dailycampus.com/media/storage/paper340/news/2007/10/18/Commentary/Allowing.Concealed.Weapons.Poses.Danger.To.Campus-3041238.shtml
Students For Concealed Carry On Campus:
http://concealedcampus.org/
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Some Home-Defense Thoughts: ...I've long been an advocate of a "Home
Defense Rig" - a sturdy, snug-fitting belt outfitted as sort of a First
Response Tool Chest. Just think about this tragicomic scene: You hear
that "bump in the night" and rise, whether you're wearing long 'jammies,
sleepy-shorts or in the buff, grabbing a pistol, tactical flashlight,
and maybe your cell phone. Hey, let's not forget a can of pepper spray!
Now, what are you gonna do when you have to use that phone, turn a
doorknob, pull a light cord or - throttle some unarmed scumbag? Grapple
with a goblin? (Article contains some ideas worth considering, including
the "home defense rig," but it's still wisest to remain in your
designated safe room whenever possible.)
http://www.gunsmagazine.com/Odd1207.html
--
Stephen P. Wenger
Firearm safety - It's a matter
for education, not legislation.
http://www.spw-duf.info
