In Liberty's Two Arms: To understand the Second Amendment, it helps to
consult Justice Stephen Breyer's book Active Liberty. This is not
because the book reveals specifically how Breyer would vote in District
of Columbia v. Heller, the upcoming Supreme Court case on the D.C. ban
against owning handguns and using any firearm for self-defense in the
home. But Breyer's book, through its philosophical discussions of the
meaning of liberty, does show a way to reconcile the subordinate clause
of the Second Amendment (the importance of the militia to a free state)
and the main clause (gun ownership as an individual right). And this
reconciliation of the two clauses strongly suggests that the D.C. gun
bans are unconstitutional.
http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=8920
---
Sandra Froman On DOJ's Heller Brief: ...Each presidential candidate must
speak out on this brief. The Justice Department has not gone far enough
to support the fundamental rights guaranteed under the Second Amendment,
and so those who aspire to lead our nation must step up and call on the
Supreme Court to affirm the judgment of the DC Circuit striking down the
ban. This is a chance for all the GOP candidates to show what they're
made of, distinguishing themselves from the Democrats. With Bill
Richardson out of the race, the remaining Democrat candidates all have
an "F" rating from the NRA...
http://www.townhall.com/columnists/SandyFroman/2008/01/15/candidates_must_trump_justice_department_in_dc_gun_case
Bloomberg's Anti-Gun Survey Ignored: ...Whatever the reason, Bloomberg
got no takers on his call for the candidates to answer questions from
his Mayors Against Illegal Guns group, even though he spent $22,203 on
full-page ads in early-voting state newspapers - the Des Moines Register
and the New Hampshire Union-Leader - to tout the survey.,,
http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/2008/01/it-looks-like-mayor-bloomberg.html
---
Georgia Parking-Lot-Storage Bill Amended: A key Senate committee gutted
a gun bill Tuesday that would have allowed Georgians to carry guns in
their cars to work, in an attempt to diffuse a two-year battle between
gun lobbyists and business owners. The vote came just a few hours after
Gov. Sonny Perdue announced his opposition to the bill, which was backed
by the National Rifle Association. The Senate Rules Committee, which
sets the agenda for the chamber, drastically narrowed the scope of the
bill that originally would have allowed any employee to keep a firearm
in cars parked in company lots. The new version applies only to
Georgians with state-issued concealed weapons permits, and only in
limited circumstances.
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/stories/2008/01/15/perdue_0115.html
---
South Dakota Not Likely To Ban Guns On Campus: Governor Rounds says
there's little hope for a bill in the 2008 Legislature that would ban
firearms on South Dakota's public university campuses. The Board of
Regents wants HB1086 passed as part of its systemwide security plan. But
Rounds says lawmakers need to be careful whenever the constitutional
right to bear arms is involved. He says law-abiding citizens need to be
able to protect themselves.
http://www.kxmb.com/News/198420.asp
---
Former NRA Board Member Receives Suspended Sentence: A Baltimore County
judge handed down a sentence without jail time Monday for a former gun
dealer charged with illegally providing weapons to a man who died in a
firefight with police last year. Sanford M. Abrams, an outspoken
firearms advocate in Maryland who once served on the board of the
National Rifle Association, entered an Alford plea to a single charge of
illegally selling a restricted weapon. The plea approved by Circuit
Judge John Grason Turnbull II allowed Abrams to maintain his innocence
but forced him to concede that the state had enough evidence to convict him.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/baltimore_county/bal-abrams0114,0,4809804.story
---
Sacramento Sheriff Revokes CWP's: Sacramento County Sheriff John
McGinness has revoked concealed weapon permits of a gubernatorial
appointee and a state parole official while also vowing to overhaul
permit record keeping, both in the wake of a Bee investigation. The Bee
reported that at least 30 of the 550 people issued local carry permits
from 1996 to 2007 had records of criminal convictions - and at least
seven had failed to disclose them in their concealed weapon
applications. Most of those permits were granted by McGinness'
predecessor, former Sheriff Lou Blanas.
http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/631894.html
---
Rule Three Reminder: Police said a Kokomo man accidentally shot himself
in the genitals as he robbed a convenience store early
Tuesday...In-store surveillance cameras showed that Kosch shot himself
as he placed the gun into the waistband of his pants, police said.
Authorities declined to release the surveillance footage early Tuesday.
(Rule Three: Keep your finger [and other objects] outside the trigger
guard, up on the frame, until your sights are on the target and you're
prepared to fire.)
http://www.theindychannel.com/news/15051234/detail.html
---
Toronto Politicians Want All-Canada Handgun Ban: Toronto politicians are
calling for their federal counterparts to totally ban handguns three
days after a shooting outside a downtown strip club left an innocent
bystander dead. "It's inappropriate for citizens of this country to own
a handgun, there's no need for it," said Councillor Michael Walker, who
put forward the motion to council. "It's the only way to stem the tide
of violence in our cities. ... Mr. O'Keefe was a victim of that
violence," said Mr. Walker (Ward 22, St. Paul's).
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080115.SHOT15/TPStory/TPNational/Ontario/
---
The "Wacko Vet Myth": The editor of The Wall Street Journal challenges
the implication by The New York Times that veterans of Afghanistan and
Iraq have disproportionately committed homicides on their return to the US.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120044156451392637.html
--
Stephen P. Wenger, KE7QBY
Firearm safety - It's a matter
for education, not legislation.
http://www.spw-duf.info
