While We Await The Heller Decision: ...You as a citizen would find it
impossible or nearly impossible to sue your local government if you
suffered harm because a police officer was not readily available to
protect you from, let's say, a mugger. If that is true, then how can
that same government, the one that owes you little by way of duty of
care, strip you of your right to protect yourself, your loved ones or
your property? This is an important question since historical data shows
criminals do not choose to obey gun laws or gun bans. It is interesting
to note that USA Today has been conducting an online poll with its
readers, asking them if the Second Amendment gives individuals the right
to bear arms. A startling 97 percent of the respondents say yes. The
number is significant in that at last count nearly 610,000 people had
participated...
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008801240301
---
Militia - Arms Within Easy Reach: ...What is Militia appears throughout
the writings of the Founders who show their work, you might way, on how
they arrived at what they finally ratified. This is where you find the
proof of what they really wanted for us. If you think Bill Clinton
loathed the military, you ought to read how the Founders loathed a
standing army as nothing more than a centralization of power, and they
weren't going to return to what they had just defeated. Militia in the
minds of the Founders - which is Original Intent - never meant Military.
It, therefore, by law, cannot mean Military today. Instead, when they
wrote which would be the law of the land in the new nation and forever,
was that the Citizen is Supreme Authority. Never again would people be
subject to abuses of power. At the time, Militia was every able-bodied
person. What we know as the National Guard [in regard to that at-issue
point of state militia] was not even created until 130 years later, so
twice we know they didn't mean the Military...
http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/node/5024
---
Justifying Second-Class Status For The Second Amendment: ...The
administration's attempt to steer a middle course stems from the fact
that the solicitor general has conflicting interests in the case. Ever
since Ashcroft's letter, the department has had a philosophical
commitment to the individual rights conception of the amendment. Yet
Congress has also passed many gun laws, which Clement is bound to
defend. He cannot in good conscience urge on the court a standard of
review which risks orphaning those laws. Clement has to somehow frame an
individual rights conception of the amendment that still permits the ban
on machine guns, the Brady handgun law, and restrictions on felons
owning firearms. That's by no means impossible under the lower court's
ruling, but getting the Supreme Court to adopt a more lenient standard
of review would give federal gun laws a bit more breathing space...
http://www.tnr.com/politics/story.html?id=9cb74240-9ce3-4f88-923b-df45c4a793bd
---
Legal CCW In Illinois?: Carrying a concealed firearm would be legal in
Illinois under legislation state Rep. Aaron Schock, R-Peoria, has
proposed. Schock, a congressional candidate, recently introduced the
Family and Personal Protection Act, which would require individuals to
complete a training course in handgun use, safety and marksmanship
before they could receive a permit to carry a concealed firearm in the
state...Steve Brown, spokesman for House Speaker Michael Madigan,
D-Chicago, said there is little chance Schock's legislation would be
called for a vote. Brown said that if Schock has any "innovative ideas"
that would make the bill appeal to lawmakers who oppose concealed-carry
laws, it might advance. Rep. Bill Black, R-Danville, said he supports
Schock's proposal but "would be surprised if it sees the light of day."
http://www.sj-r.com/News/stories/24027.asp
On The Other Hand...: A proposed Cook County ordinance that would
effectively put several gun shops out of business has enraged gun
enthusiasts, but many political observers doubt it will garner the
necessary votes to pass. Commissioner Larry Suffredin, an Evanston
Democrat running for state's attorney, has proposed banning gun shows
and severely limiting gun shop permits...He said the measure would put
out of business a South suburban shop whose guns have wound up being
used in thousands of crimes. But he concedes it also would put out of
business at least 10 other gun shops with better records. In the past,
Suffredin has enacted county ordinances banning assault weapons, and he
says he has eight votes for this one, needing just one more to pass it.
http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=120889&src=1
---
Arizona Bill Would Legalize Campus CCW: Two Mesa lawmakers are crafting
legislation to give teachers and some students a chance to shoot back if
they're fired upon. The proposals by Sen. Karen Johnson and Rep. Russell
Pearce would allow anyone who has obtained a state permit to carry a
concealed weapon to bring it onto the campus of public schools, which is
now a crime under state law. And it also would overrule similar policies
at community colleges and state universities. (Open carry does not
require a permit in Arizona)
http://www.azdailysun.com/articles/2008/01/25/news/state/20080125_arizona_news_40.txt
---
Nebraska Could Mandate Trigger Locks: Less than two months since Omaha's
Von Maur shooting, a plan for more gun control in Nebraska is being
targeted by the National Rifle Association. The NRA is urging its
members to fight a bill in the legislature that calls for, among other
things, mandatory trigger locks. The NRA is convinced this latest gun
control plan would have a "drastic effect" on law-abiding gun
owners...The trigger locks would be required on any gun, rifle, or
assault weapon. In addition once gun owners know a weapon is lost or
stolen, they'd have 48 hours to report it. Finally no one found
mentally ill in the last 10 years could buy a gun. (Trigger locks
Violate Rule Three by being placid inside the tirgger guard. Further,
some guns can actually be fired by twisting the trigger lock.)
http://action3news.com/Global/story.asp?S=7769724
---
New York County Offers Bounties To Gun Snitches: Westchester County
officials today announced a new reward program designed to get illegal
guns off the streets. Starting this week, the county will offer bounties
of up to $1,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of
people carrying illegal handguns. It will advertise the program on TV
and radio, on county buses and on posters and fliers distributed
throughout the county. It will also promote the initiative online on
Craigslist. (The problem with this is that most law-abiding citizens
cannot legally own and carry handguns in most of New York.)
http://www.lohud.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008801230409
---
Virginia State Senator Insults Gun Owners: A Bristol Virginia man
sparked a statewide political reaction after he said he heard the state
Senate's majority leader insult rural gun owners while standing in a
public elevator. "He turns to his companion and says, 'You can tell
we're debating a gun bill today. Half the cast of "Deliverance" is in
town,' " said John Pierce, a local gun-rights activist who was in
Richmond to lobby the General Assembly against a bill to close the
so-called gun-show loophole..."Deliverance" is a 1972 film based on the
novel by James Dickey in which Atlanta businessmen encountered a
backwoods Appalachian culture on a canoe trip in the north Georgia
mountains, where rape and murder ensue. Sen. Richard Saslaw, D-Fairfax,
did not return calls seeking comment Thursday.
http://www.tricities.com/tristate/tri/news/education.apx.-content-articles-TRI-2008-01-25-0006.html
---
Prohibitionist Stallone Endorses McCain: ...If he hopes this will
duplicate the popularity that Mike Huckabee has received from Chuck
Norris' endorsement He needs to realize that not all action stars are
the same. Whereas Chuck Norris is a supporter of the Second Amendment,
here is what Stallone has to say about it: "It [2nd Amendment] has to be
stopped, and someone really has to go on the line, a certain dauntless
political figure, and say, 'It's ending, it's over, all bets are off.
It's not 200 years ago, we don't need this anymore, and the rest of the
world doesn't have it. Why should we?" ...Another anti-gun action star
Arnold Schwarzenegger is expected to endorse either McCain, Guiliani or
Bloomberg.
http://redstradingpost.blogspot.com/2008/01/anti-gun-sylvester-stallone-endorses.html
---
Oops, Wrong City: Memphis Police say two burglars were shot in two
separate robbery attempts and one of the crooks is dead. The first
robbery attempt happened on East Peebles in South Memphis just before
Midnight, Wednesday, January 23, 2008. Investigators say two burglars
rammed a car through the Hall Feed and Supply Store. The business owner
was in the store at the time and shot one of the crooks, police
say...Investigators say the first (sic) robbery attempt happened on
North Avalon Street near Jackson Avenue, around 2:00 a.m., Thursday,
January 24th. The homeowner told police that he and his wife woke up
when they heard a prowler in the garage. Police say the man took his
gun and went to checkout the noise when he discovered the robber.
According to investigators, the intruder was shot during a confrontation
with the homeowner. The homeowner told police that he had no choice,
but to shoot the burglar. Police say when they arrived on the scene the
robber was dead.
http://www.myeyewitnessnews.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=c81c2a30-47c9-4c0b-988c-f65beae56503
Related Article:
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2008/jan/24/2-burglars-shot-overnight/
---
Firearm Aphorisms: Always practice your response when asked why you
carry a gun or what you think of gun control. Through the years several
writers and enthusiasts have written great sound bites you can use. Gun
people love to exchange gun-related effective statements that are funny,
cut to the heart of gun control's evil, promote freedom and defense, or
all of the above. (During Jeff Cooper's rule at Gunsite it was popular
to deride the 9mm. With modern ammunition developments there is little
that other handgun ammo will do that the 9mm won't and the 9mm may be
easier to handle under extreme conditions, such as when you gotten a
sub-optimal grip on the gun with only one hand.)
http://www.lewrockwell.com/perry/perry39.html
---
Two Tales Of Penetration: ...The entire affair, of course, was very much
tongue in cheek. Taylor had been awakened in the early morning hours of
Dec. 17, 2007, when an intruder broke into his home. He investigated the
noises with one of his many weapons in hand. When the intruder
threatened him with a knife, Taylor warned him, then brought his .22
caliber pistol to bear and shot him right between the eyes. "That boy
had the hardest head I've ever seen," Taylor said after his trial. "The
bullet bounced right off." The impact knocked the would-be thief down
momentarily. He crawled out of the room then got up and ran out the door
and down the street. Knoxville police apprehended him a few blocks away
and he now awaits trial in the Knox County jail. (While there is room to
argue whether the sub-caliber shot might better have been aimed at one
of the eye sockets, years of Special Forces training appears to have
placed the shot exactly where Taylor wanted it to go.)
http://xavierthoughts.blogspot.com/2008/01/sufficient-calibers.html
A U.S. Border Patrol agent questioning the occupants of a pickup truck
clung to the passenger door and shot and wounded its driver Thursday as
the man attempted to leave the scene, authorities said...As the agent
stood on the passenger side of the truck, the driver attempted to drive
off, with the agent trapped somehow by the vehicle's door, Capas said.
The agent fired a single shot prior to falling off of the door, which
struck the driver one time in the leg," Capas said. (While details are
lacking, it sounds as though the round was fired through the door. When
the USBP transitioned to autoloading pistols a specific decision was
made to use 155 gr. .40 S&W hollowpoints in order to deliver energy
comparable to their earlier 110 gr. .357 Magnums after penetrating
windshields or pickup tailgates. This was based on a threat analysis
that may or may not be valid for any individual private citizen.)
http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/daily/local/75096.php
--
Stephen P. Wenger, KE7QBY
Firearm safety - It's a matter
for education, not legislation.
http://www.spw-duf.info
