Could Ninth Amendment Decide Heller?: ...While it appears unlikely that
the Supreme Court will disregard 200 years of precedent by reversing or
distinguishing its decisions in Miller and Lewis, it may very well
decide that the Ninth Amendment, rather than the Second, provides a
qualified individual right to bear arms. The Ninth Amendment, which
guarantees all rights of a free people not specifically enumerated in
the Constitution, could be applied by the high court to permit
reasonable gun legislation protecting the rights of hunters and the
right of law-abiding private citizens to possess a gun for personal
protection.
http://www.buffalonews.com/opinion/anothervoice/story/220468.html
---
Gun Bans Lead To Increases In Violent Crime: The problem with
Washington, D.C.'s handgun ban - as anyone who can look up the crime
numbers will see - is that D.C.'s murder and violent crime rates went
up, not down, after the ban. Prior to the ban DC's murder rate was
falling. After the ban, DC's murder rate rose, and only once fell below
what it was in 1976, says John Lott, Senior Research Scientist at the
University of Maryland. Further:
* The District's ban specifically points to Great Britain's handgun
ban in January 1997; but the number of deaths and injuries from
gun crime in England and Wales increased 340 percent in the seven
years from 1998 to 2005.
* The rates of serious violent crime, armed robberies, rapes and
homicide have also soared.
* Similar experiences have been seen with other bans, such as those
in Ireland and Jamaica
http://www.ncpa.org/sub/dpd/index.php?Article_ID=15315
---
How Does This Judge Get These Cases?: The docket of Judge Jack Weinstein
in Brooklyn has long been a magnet for big lawsuits with billions of
dollars at stake. In case after case involving guns, cigarettes, Agent
Orange, breast implants, typing keyboards, asbestos, and
pharmaceuticals, manufacturers have defended their products before the
now 86-year-old federal judge...By and large, these suits, about 20 in
all, against the tobacco and firearm industries didn't arrive on Judge
Weinstein's docket through a "spin of the wheel" - the random case
assignment process by which suits are sent to judges. Instead,
plaintiffs in the know have long used an administrative shortcut to
maneuver lawsuits against the same set of defendants into the courtroom
of their choice. Their choice is often Judge Weinstein...
http://www.nysun.com/article/67380
---
Controversy Continues Over Texas Shootings: There seems to be some
confusion here. Joe Horn is not a hero. The Pasadena homeowner certainly
had a chance to be a hero, but he gave up that opportunity as soon as he
allowed fear, adrenaline, suburban angst, Old West entitlement or all of
the aforementioned to overwhelm his ability to think rationally and
consider the consequences of his actions...It will be up to a Harris
County grand jury to decide whether Horn's actions were criminal.
Although a Texas law allows citizens to use deadly force to protect
neighbors' property, some experts say the statute only applies to
nighttime incidents.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5349444.html
---
ABC Distorts Texas Castle Doctrine: Laura Whitley of ABC Houston
affiliate KTRK covering a recent self-defense story where Rodney Shamlin
was shot by homeowner Gary Southworth, wrote:
A new law that just went into effect in September allows Texans to
defend themselves with deadly force in their homes, cars and work
places. The Castle Doctrine removes the requirement that a person
must attempt to retreat before using deadly force.
Whitley's claim that Castle Doctrine supposedly "allows Texans to defend
themselves with deadly force in their homes, cars and work places" is
revisionism at its best. But she never addresses a primary criteria for
including the above paragraph: Does this incident have anything to do
with Castle Doctrine or does prior self-defense law apply?
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/howard-nemerov/2007/12/03/abc-advocating-biased-concoctions
---
Protection Order Fails, Handgun Doesn't: A Colorado Springs woman had a
restraining order against a man she shot and killed Monday morning at
her east-side home, police spokesman Lt. Skip Arms said. Lisa Jean
Hinkle, 52, shot Kyle Levi Haner, 27, once in the chest with a handgun
shortly after 9 a.m. at 1222 Lewis Lane near Galley Road and Powers
Boulevard, police said. Immediately after the shooting, Hinkle called
911 to report shooting a man in self-defense, according to police.
http://www.gazette.com/articles/woman_30463___article.html/police_called.html
---
Oops, Wrong Liquor Store: Friends of liquor store owner Charles Kellogg
said Wednesday he is having a difficult time coming to terms with taking
a life. Tuesday night, the 74-yearold shot to death a young man police
say tried to rob the store owner at gunpoint. Wednesday morning, a
steady stream of friends and customers came by his store to show their
support. Kellogg declined to comment...He said Kellogg is a former
Detroit police officer, though the Michigan Commission on Law
Enforcement Standards could not confirm that Wednesday. He has had the
liquor store for more than 20 years, Sigala said.
http://www.gazette.com/articles/store_30237___article.html/owner_police.html%20-%2049k%20-%202007-11-
---
Not Too Bright: A Clinton Township man woke up Monday to the sound of a
burglar in his condo and chased him away with a gun. He thought that
would be the end of it, until the man came out of nowhere and charged at
him. That's when the gun fired. According to police, the man had
returned home after a 10-day hunting trip. He heard a noise and chased
the burglar away with a gun. The condo owner then knocked on his
neighbor's door and asked them to call police. That's when the suspect
came back and charged at him...
http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/14758493/detail.html
http://www.wxyz.com/mostpopular/story.aspx?content_id=401fd700-4dc3-44c8-8ac7-e390f6871a55
---
Shotgun Versus Pit Bull: No charges were filed against a man who shot
his neighbor's dog in the face after a deputy determined in was done in
self defense. A Crestview woman called authorities after her red nose
pittbull came home from chasing a cat with a bloody face, according to a
report from the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office... As the dog was
approaching, he fired one shot in at its head. The animal ran away after
being hit. (It sounds as though the dog was shot with birdshot, which
should give pause to those who advocate its use for defensive purposes.)
http://www.nwfdailynews.com/article/10495
---
Canada Has Trouble Arming Border Guards: Ottawa is facing a
multimillion-dollar bill to find work for border guards who can't - or
won't - carry guns, newly released documents show. The Canada Border
Services Agency began arming its officers with 9-millimetre pistols in
August, and so far 150 volunteers have successfully completed the
training. Eventually, the agency plans to arm 4,800 border guards at all
land and marine border crossings, though not at airports. But an
internal analysis indicates that between 25 and 30 per cent of those
guards will be unable or unwilling to carry sidearms - as many as 1,440
employees.
http://www.thewhig.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=802470&auth=Dean+Beeby
---
Raffle To Benefit Kids With Cancer:
Cops4Kids Raffle Package, worth $10,000, includes a vintage Colt
Lightweight Commander pistol. This is one of the classic, most-carried
Colts from another generation, brought up to date with the finest
gunsmithing of the 21st Century.
Gunsmith Ted Yost straightened the frame lines, high cut the grip frame,
hand cut the checkering of the front strap and mainspring housing,
rounded the butt on rear of the mainspring housing, hand made the
English walnut stocks, and high cut the grip frame.
Georgia pistolsmith John Harrison fit and blended the beavertail grip
safety, and custom contoured the thumb safety.
Master smith C.T. Brian installed the match barrel & bushing, the
oversize ejector and oversize firing pin stop, lowered and flared the
ejection port, flattened and serrated the top of the slide (with
mirages). He installed the extreme low mount fixed sights, flat-backed
and serrated the rear of the slide, put on an American border, made the
Hi-Power cuts, re-profiled the slide stop, installed a stainless recoil
spring plug, and beveled the slide bottom.
The accompanying custom folding knife was built by Jim Burke, one of the
finest knife makers working today. The knife's anodized titanium handles
incorporate a handsome hole pattern. This year's knife is a custom
frame-locking Mini Urban Warrior from Jim. The ceramic blasted and
brushed tanto blade is not his normal signature pattern, but he does a
fantastic job and it really sets the knife off. The 3 -3/4 inch blade is
constructed of 154CPM steel which is perfect for a rugged everyday carry
knife. The knife is finished off with matching pocket clip.
Josh Bulman of Bulman Gunleather crafted the fine leather for this
project. The holster is one of his in-house designs that is reminiscent
of the classic Seventrees design.
It is perfect for all day concealed carry. The leather package comes
with a dual magazine carrier and key fob. The leather pieces are
finished in a complimentary honey brown sharkskin.
https://www.posacops4kids.com/raffle/sweeps_form.aspx
--
Stephen P. Wenger
Firearm safety - It's a matter
for education, not legislation.
http://www.spw-duf.info
