GOA Opposes Sullivan BATFE Nomination: "We'll miss him in Massachusetts,
but he'll be a strong leader at ATF, and I look forward to working with
him on key issues on gun control." - Senator Ted Kennedy
The above quote highlights all you need to know about Michael Sullivan,
the acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and
Explosives...GOA immediately sent a letter to each Senator's office,
urging them to oppose the Sullivan nomination. Thankfully, one senator
subsequently objected to Sullivan's approval, and his nomination was put
on hold. However, that legislator is now coming under fire from other
senators, who are asking him to withdraw his "hold." That's why it's
important for gun owners to contact their two Senators. Under Sullivan's
leadership, the ATF has gone berserk. Sure, the problems at ATF didn't
originate with him, but Sullivan has certainly done nothing to put out
the fire.
http://www.gunowners.org/a120407.htm
---
SAF Calls On Weinstein To Step Down: Disturbing reports in the New York
Sun regarding the way certain cases are steered to the New York
courtroom of U.S. District Court Judge Jack Weinstein have compelled the
Second Amendment Foundation to call on the 86-year-old jurist to step
down. "As the New York Sun appropriately noted in an editorial today,"
said SAF founder Alan M. Gottlieb, "Judge Weinstein has a stranglehold
on gun and tobacco cases in New York City. His handling of the infamous
case of Hamilton v. Accu Tek, coupled with his hearing the case filed
against gun makers by the NAACP indicates a pre-disposed bias that has
not gone unnoticed.
http://www.saf.org/viewpr-new.asp?id=251
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Montana AG To File Heller Brief: Attorney General Mike McGrath said
Monday that he intends to file a friend of the court brief in a case now
pending before the U.S. Supreme Court that challenges a Washington,
D.C., ban on handgun ownership. A McGrath spokeswoman said Monday that
the attorney general intended to weigh in, arguing that gun ownership is
a constitutional right afforded all Americans. McGrath's promise came in
response to a press release issued by Republican attorney general
candidate Tim Fox of Helena.
http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2007/12/04/news/state/46-gunban.txt
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A Few Questions For Obama: Presidential candidate Barack Obama sounded
off on the Second Amendment recently, and based on his comments that
rural Americans should be able to own firearms for hunting and
self-defense, I have a couple of questions for the senator from
Illinois. Do you believe there are other rights that apply to Americans
in certain demographic situations? For example, does the right to free
speech exist only for those who make $50,000 a year or more? ...Do you
believe the residents of Washington, D.C., have the same right as the
residents of Keokuk, Iowa, to defend their homes with legally owned
firearms?
http://www.nranews.com/blogarticle.aspx?blogPostId=342
---
Hillary Criticizes Obama For Weakness On "Gun Control": White House
hopeful Hillary Clinton sharpened her attacks on Democratic rival Barack
Obama on Monday, criticizing him for failing to vote yes or no on a
series of abortion and gun-control measures when he was in the Illinois
Senate...One of Obama's "present" votes was on 1999 legislation that
would have required teens 15 and older to be tried as adults for firing
weapons on or near school grounds. He was among five African-American
senators voting present. (Regardless of whether one sees misuse of
firearms near schools as an RKBA issue, this report reveals Clinton's
temporarily subdued agenda in this regard.)
http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/obama/679446,CST-NWS-obama04.article
---
That Was Then, This Is Now: ...In particular, Giuliani charged the gun
industry had been "deliberately manufacturing many more firearms than
can be bought for legitimate purpose ... deliberately undermining New
York City's gun control laws by flooding markets with looser gun laws
with firearms that the manufacturers know are destined to be illegally
resold in New York City." ...The suit's progress was interrupted by
9/11, but New York's new mayor, Mike Bloomberg, pressed ahead. Giuliani
became America's mayor. Then, he showed what he is willing to do to
become America's President when he sought the National Rifle
Association's endorsement in September...
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2007/12/04/2007-12-04_to_be_top_gun_rudy_giuliani_sells_out.html
---
Virginia CCW-Privacy Bill Passes Committee: The state police would
withhold information about Virginians with permits to carry concealed
handguns and allow no exceptions for political organizations and
firearms advocates under legislation endorsed Monday by a state advisory
council. The draft legislation would prohibit the state police from
releasing its database containing the identities of state residents with
concealed-carry permits. The information had been considered a public
record until March, when a Roanoke Times editorial writer wrote a column
encouraging readers to check the list and included a link to the
database. The newspaper obtained the database under the Freedom of
Information Act.
http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/142130
The Roanoke Times Responds:
http://www.roanoke.com/editorials/wb/142224
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Virginia Governor Targets Gun Shows: Gov. Tim Kaine said today that he
will make an aggressive effort to pass legislation closing the so-called
gun-show "loophole" during the upcoming General Assembly session, but he
could face an uphill fight in a legislature historically hostile to gun
control. Right now, gun owners who are not licensed dealers can sell
guns at shows without performing the required background checks on buyers.
http://www.roanoke.com/politics/wb/142185
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Oops, Wrong House: When 84-year-old Sue Holt found a strange man
crouched beside her bed in her home off U.S. 17, she knew exactly what
to do - get her gun...Holt discovered the man at 3:41 p.m. Saturday as
she stepped back into her house after doing some chores outside,
according to a Putnam County sheriff's report and an interview with her
Tuesday. Then she grabbed a gun and ordered him to leave, the report
states. He left calmly, but not before stealing a pair of Holt's leather
slippers, the report states.
http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/Local/newWEST01120507.htm
---
Texas Burglars Were Already Under Investigation: Even before their
deaths prompted a series of heated debates about the use of deadly
force, detectives at the Department of Public Safety had their eye on
Diego Ortiz and Miguel Dejesus. The two were shot and killed by Joe
Horn, a Pasadena man who thought they were burglarizing his neighbor's
home last month. According to a DPS memo obtained by 11 News, the
department was investigating the use of Puerto Rican birth certificates
by Colombians seeking to obtain Texas driver's licenses... The burglars
are said to be very effective at what they do, conducting extensive
surveillance on their targets before striking. Some of the suspects are
extremely violent...
http://www.khou.com/news/local/stories/khou071204_tnt_pasadenaburglars.69d89aae.html
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Victim Of Violent Crime Gets CWP: She was beaten, kicked in the face,
gagged, tied to a chair and locked in a closet. After escaping that
nightmare, Beth Ferguson needed nearly two weeks to garner the courage
to step out of her home. Her first trip was to church, her safe
haven...Her second trip out of the house: a gun shop on Cross County
Road in North Charleston...Men tend to walk in and buy on the spot, then
schedule only the training required if they decide to apply for a
concealed weapons permit. Women are more cautious. They want to learn
how to properly handle and fire a gun first, then decide if they will
buy, Frank said.
http://www.charleston.net/news/2007/dec/02/beths_got_gun23826/
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Ohio Reporter Describes CHL Course: ...After taking the course, I kind
of think it would be a good idea to make the course mandatory to all
high school students; just so they aren't completely surprised and
ignorant if or when they might come in contact with a gun. You might
think this is unnecessary but I can tell you from personal experience
that an unexpected encounter with a gun is a very real and possible
experience. Enough for now of the proselytizing, here's how it went...
http://www.ohioccw.org/content/view/3918/83/
---
Leaders of Student For Concealed Carry In Campus Interviewed: ...I
joined when SCCC was around the mid 5,000 marker in members. It was
started by Chris Brown from North Texas, who unfortunately has resigned
from being active with SCCC to pursue other goals. We now have over
8,000 members, using only facebook.com and our own website,
concealedcampus.org, as a basis of organization. Our numbers
skyrocketed by several hundred per week prior to, during, and shortly
thereafter our empty holster protest. I guess when people realize that
there IS another way of doing things besides how most of our current
colleges are ran in respect to legally carrying a concealed weapon, they
can see the actual benefit of it...
http://www.thecampusword.com/content/view/1737/413/
---
Bringing A BB Gun To A Rifle Fight: A Mesa father armed with a BB gun
confronted two home invaders, one of them brandishing an AK-47 assault
rifle, after they grabbed his daughter by the hair at gunpoint, police
said...Her father, Leonardo Lucia, came to her rescue and threatened
them with a BB gun, police said. He and the girl's uncle detained one
man, but the one who had the rifle dropped it and took off running,
according to officers. (I suspect that the "BB gun" may actually have
been a realistic Airsoft replica.)
http://www.kpho.com/news/14766204/detail.html?taf=pho
---
The French And Their Gun Laws: ..."We were attacked from all sides by
youths armed with hunting rifles," one of the officers said. "The kids
were shooting at us. I've never seen anything like it. It was like in a
movie." ...Last year, Mr. Sarkozy told French radio: "Security is the
responsibility of the state. I am against the private ownership of
firearms. If you are assaulted by an armed burglar, he will use his
weapon more effectively than you anyway, so you are risking your life."
The result is that in France only the criminals are armed, while decent
citizens, even those as brave as Anne-Lorraine, perish. (Of note, this
editorial appears to have been written by a Belgian.)
http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071205/EDITORIAL/112050015/1013/EDITORIAL
--
Stephen P. Wenger
Firearm safety - It's a matter
for education, not legislation.
http://www.spw-duf.info
