This Makes Me Nervous: Security details at Barack Obama's rally
Wednesday stopped screening people for weapons at the front gates more
than an hour before the Democratic presidential candidate took the stage
at Reunion Arena. The order to put down the metal detectors and stop
checking purses and laptop bags came as a surprise to several Dallas
police officers who said they believed it was a lapse in security.
Dallas Deputy Police Chief T.W. Lawrence, head of the Police
Department's homeland security and special operations divisions, said
the order - apparently made by the U.S. Secret Service - was meant to
speed up the long lines outside and fill the arena's vacant seats before
Obama came on.
http://www.star-telegram.com/667/story/486413.html
Related Articles:
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=upiUPI-20080222-125522-8554&show_article=1
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8UVHBRO2&show_article=1
(It almost seems as though they're trying to get someone to try
something with this type of publicity,)
---
Obama's Prohibitionist Past: Barack Obama will have a big problem
attracting the blue-collar white voters he needs to win the presidency,
writes Bob Owens: they like guns and he wants to take their guns
away...In his answers to the 1998 Illinois State Legislative National
Political Awareness Test, Obama said he favored a ban on "the sale or
transfer of all forms of semi-automatic weapons." ...In 1999, Obama
proposed to make it a felony for the gun owner if a firearm stolen from
his residence and used in a crime was not "securely stored" --
effectively negating the homeowner's right to self-defense...From
1998-2001, Obama sat on the board of directors for the Joyce Foundation,
a left-wing group which today funds grants to anti-gun organizations
such as the Violence Policy Center (which advocates total handgun
prohibition, reinstatement of the Clinton-era "assault weapons" ban, and
the ban of other firearms), the Ohio Coalition Against Gun Violence
(which favors the registration of all handguns, seeks to overturn Ohio's
"concealed carry" law, ban standard capacity magazines, and ban
economical handguns along with many semi-automatic firearms based upon
their appearance), and Handgun Free America (which advocates a complete
ban on civilian handgun ownership)...
http://pajamasmedia.com/2008/02/obama_shooting_himself_in_the.php
---
National-Park Carry May Be Weeks Away: At the request of the Bush
Administration and 51 members of the United States Senate led by Senator
Mike Crapo (R-ID), the National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service prohibition of firearms on agency land will be revised in the
following weeks. The National Rifle Association (NRA) is leading the
effort to amend the existing policy regarding the carrying and
transportation of firearms in National Parks and wildlife refuges.
(While the involvement of the NRA has been useful and may even have been
crucial, this campaign was initiated by the Virginia Citizens Defense
League with the support of GOA and CCRKBA.)
http://www.nraila.org/News/Read/NewsReleases.aspx?ID=10651
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2004196815_ndig23.html
---
Pennsylvania County Scraps Park-Carry Ban: ...On further review, another
proposed county parks restriction will bite the dust, this time on legal
grounds, not necessarily due to public sentiment. People who have a
license to carry a concealed handgun - about one in every 25 residents
in Lancaster County - will still be allowed to pack heat on a stroll
through Central Park or any of the other five county parks or two
rail-trails. County park officials had proposed a slate of new
regulations that would have banned any weapon, including handguns, from
being brought into the parks. But as guns-rights activists here and out
of state have pointed out, the Pennsylvania Uniform Firearms Act of 1995
prohibits any county or municipality from preempting the
license-to-carry law.
http://articles.lancasteronline.com/local/4/217107
---
Maintain Access To Public Lands: We the undersigned support the creation
of a federally legislated Semi-Primitive BackCountry Recreation
Designation to preserve all existing Multiple Use lands for all existing
forms of recreation & management. This would be good for the environment
by promoting bio-diversity & forest health through active management,
good for the economy by preserving recreation opportunities, as well as
long-term renewable resource jobs & products and good for the public by
preserving all types of public access. We oppose further land closures
such as the California Wild Heritage Bill S-493, as well as the Northern
Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act...(Where I live the Forest Service is
proposing closure of a significant number of forest roads. Please sign
the petition.)
https://host593.ipowerweb.com/~access-a/backcountry_petition/
---
Las Vegas Residents Oppose Shooting Park: More than 100 irate Las Vegas
newcomers crowded into a meeting room at the Aliante Public Library on
the evening of Feb. 13, jeering, heckling and throwing things at elected
officials and Clark County staff invited to explain plans - 24 years in
the works - to build a 900-acre shooting park in the empty desert north
of town...The residents complained home-builders did not tell them the
shooting park was planned when they bought their homes. Jennifer Knight,
a county spokeswoman, pointed out the county has held 18 public meetings
since 2000 in which the park was discussed. Notices were sent to houses
within a nearly 4,000-foot radius of the site in late 2005, and signs
were posted on a road near the property, she said. Those plans and
meetings received prominent coverage in this newspaper - and not in the
"fine print." What else was the county supposed to try - sky-writing?
http://www.lewrockwell.com/suprynowicz/suprynowicz76.html
---
Arizona-Pennsylvania Reciprocity Signed: This week, the Pennsylvania
Attorney General, Tom Corbett (R), reached a reciprocity agreement with
the State of Arizona. Arizona and Pennsylvania will now recognize each
other's Right-to-Carry permits. Permit holders must comply with the laws
of the state in which they are traveling. (As of this morning, I am
unable to confirm this on either state's site although Arizona has long
recognized the Pennsylvania permit and has been listing a pending
agreement with Pennsylvania.)
http://www.nraila.org/Legislation/Read.aspx?ID=3545
---
Virginia House Passes Expanded-CCW Bill: The firearms-friendly House of
Delegates passed legislation yesterday that could, if signed into law,
result in more concealed handguns in restaurants, bars and vehicle glove
compartments. The House voted 62-36 to pass legislation that would allow
concealed- weapons permit holders to carry hidden firearms into
restaurants or clubs as long as they don't drink alcohol while doing so.
Currently, guns must be visible when carried into restaurants...Gordon
Hickey, spokesman for Gov. Tim Kaine, said the governor would have to
review the details of the bill before deciding whether to veto it.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/article/20080222/METRO/359073547/1004
http://www.dailyprogress.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=CDP%2FMGArticle%2FCDP_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1173354703606&path=!news
---
Arizona "Defensive Display" Bill Clears First Hurdle: A House panel
voted Thursday to let people pull out their guns without fear of winding
up in jail - if they believe they are in danger. HB 2629 essentially
would provide immunity from prosecution for anyone engaged in "defensive
display" of a firearm. That ranges from telling another person you are
armed to showing off the weapon as well as actually holding the gun - as
long as it is not pointed directly at another person. The 5-4 vote came
despite questions by several legislators of whether that language would
provide a legal defense for gang members caught waving around their
weapons as they could say they were in fear that others from a rival
gang had threatened them.
http://www.azdailysun.com/articles/2008/02/22/news/state/20080222_arizona_news_46.txt
---
South Carolina Legislators May Grant Themselves CCW At Work: South
Carolina legislators with permits to carry concealed weapons should be
able to enter the Statehouse without having to leave their guns at home,
a first-term legislator said Thursday. Currently, it is illegal to have
a weapon on Statehouse grounds, which includes the underground parking
deck. However, state law does allow exemptions to judges and
prosecutors, who can carry concealed weapons anywhere in the state. Rep.
Keith Kelly's bill would extend that exemption to current legislators
with permits. The Woodruff Republican said it doesn't make sense that he
has to remove his gun from his truck before traveling the roughly 80
miles to Columbia. Legislators who hunt should also be able to leave
their shotgun in their vehicle, so they can go hunting after session
ends for the week, Kelley said.
http://www.charlotte.com/205/story/503878.html
---
Tennessee To Consider Limited Campus Carry: If Stacey Campfield has his
way, UT faculty and staff could carry firearms on campus this summer.
The Tennessee state representative is proposing a bill allowing
full-time faculty and staff to carry handguns at all times on college
campuses. According to Campfield, the bill would allow licensed
concealed weapon holders to carry their weapons as self-protection on
campus. However, those who wish to carry weapons must complete annual
firearm training and be a full-time employee of the university.
Campfield said recent shootings at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois
University happened because the campuses were "kill easy zones." "They
don't stop the killer from carrying a gun," Campfield said. "Basically,
this creates a bunch of victims who are shot like fish in a barrel."
http://dailybeacon.utk.edu/showarticle.php?articleid=52952
---
Cornell Students Seek Campus Carry: ...Yesterday, the Cornell College
Republicans placed approximately 20 signs on the Arts Quad that
publicized their stance on the increasingly polarizing issue of the
concealed carry of weapons. They have joined the approximately 12,000
students nationwide who are part of a grassroots effort that is
advocating for concealed weapons license holders to be able to carry
their weapons on campuses. Although prevalent on the Arts Quad during
the morning hours, the removal of many of the signs by the afternoon
conveyed a sense of disapproval from some members of the Cornell
community who support's the University's "gun-free zone" policy...
http://cornellsun.com/node/28000
---
Nebraska University Bans Toy Guns: A long University of Nebraska-Lincoln
tradition came to an abrupt end this week after a student brought a Nerf
gun into a classroom. University officials said on Thursday that the
game "assassin" has been banned on campus, along with all toy guns. In
the game, players use a Nerf gun to hunt down another player. When it
spilled into a classroom on Wednesday, people got nervous...The game had
become an annual event at Neighardt Hall. The honors students housed
there say it was a fun way to get to know other students...University
officials said that students caught violating the ban on the game or toy
guns will face disciplinary action.
http://www.ketv.com/news/15370940/detail.html
---
Oops, Wrong Gun: Police in Victoria, British Columbia, confirmed one of
their officers mistook his gun for a Taser during a 2005 scuffle in
which a man was shot in the stomach...Interim Police Chief Bill Naughton
said the force has since replaced the model of Tasers used in 2005 with
ones that don't feel the same as the Glock handguns officers use.
http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Top_News/2008/02/19/report_cop_mistook_his_gun_for_taser/1824/
---
Arabic Tie In NIU Shootings: A former Northern Illinois University
newspaper reporter says the killer who gunned down five innocent
students in an apparently unprovoked attack liked to study Arabic and
the terror group Hamas. "'Assalamo alikum,' he [Steve Kazmierczak] would
say to me, which means 'peace be with you' in Arabic," wrote Rasmieyh
Abdelnabi in an essay published in the Chicago Sun-Times...She said the
two met in class at the university, took several classes together over
the years, and periodically kept in touch when they didn't share
classes. "Our topics of choice: foreign policy and the Middle East. He
would especially enjoy practicing his Arabic on me. In 2004, NIU decided
to offer a year's worth of Arabic classes. Steve took both classes
without hesitation, excited as could be," she wrote.
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=57086
---
NRA-ILA Alerts: Alerts from the various states (and there are many of
them this week) are posted on the NRA-ILA website.
http://www.nraila.org/GrassrootsAlerts/read.aspx
---
From AzCDL:
SB 1214, an AzCDL requested bill, was heard in the Senate Judiciary
Committee on Monday, February 18, 2008, but no vote was taken. It is
now on the committee's agenda for Monday, February 25, 2008.
SB 1214 proposes changes to ARS 13-3102 to allow adults with Concealed
Weapons (CCW) permits to carry concealed firearms on school campuses,
including colleges and universities. Federal law (18 USC �
922(q)(2)(B)(ii)) already allows CCW permit holders to possess firearms
on school property.
Two amendments, one from Senator Johnson and the other from Senator
Gray, have just been posted that make technical corrections to the
language of SB 1214.
Senator Karen Johnson's proposed amendment also removes K-12 schools
from the scope of SB 1214 and limits it to public colleges or
universities. Senator Johnson is the primary sponsor of SB 1214. You
can view her amendment here:
http://tinyurl.com/2p9okn .
Senator Chuck Gray's proposed amendment preserves the right to carry in
both public and nonpublic K-12 schools, along with colleges and
universities. Senator Gray is the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary
Committee where the bill will be heard on February 25, 2008. You can
view his amendment here:
http://tinyurl.com/3aw4f7 .
AzCDL supports the broadest possible restoration of the right to carry
on school grounds. However a college/university level Campus Carry bill
may have broader support in the legislature. Many gun owners and
supporters of SB 1214 are also split on this issue.
Please take the time to send a polite note to the committee members, and
let them know which amendment YOU want them to support. Below are
cut-and-paste letters you can use as templates (but remember, writing
your own letter is always better).
This time we are giving you two cut-and-paste templates. One supports
Senator Gray's amendment and the other supports Senator Johnson's
amendment. Choose the one YOU feel will best help the progress of SB
1214. Following the letters are the email address lists of the
committee members in both semi-colon and comma separated formats. Use
the one that is compatible with your email software.
If you are a subscriber to the RTS (Request To Speak) system at the
Capitol, log on and express your support to the committee. If you want
more information about how to set up an account on RTS, send an email to
[email protected].
Please be sure to include your own name, address, and phone number in
all correspondence.
Subject: Support Senator Gray's Amendment to SB 1214
Senator:
The Arizona Citizens Defense League has informed me that Senators Gray
and Johnson have recently introduced amendments to SB 1214. I urge you
to adopt Senator Gray's amendment and vote SB 1214 out of committee with
a recommendation for passage by the full Senate.
Sincerely,
Your Name
Street Address
City, AZ zip-code
telephone number
Subject: Support Senator Johnson's Amendment to SB 1214
Senator:
The Arizona Citizens Defense League has informed me that Senators Gray
and Johnson have recently introduced amendments to SB 1214. I urge you
to adopt Senator Johnson's amendment and vote SB 1214 out of committee
with a recommendation for passage by the full Senate.
Sincerely,
Your Name
Street Address
City, AZ zip-code
telephone number
List of members' email addresses:
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
Stay tuned! As relevant legislation progresses, we will keep you up to
date via these Alerts:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AZCDL_Alerts/
These alerts are a project of the Arizona Citizens Defense League
(AzCDL), an all volunteer, non-profit, non-partisan grassroots
organization. Join today!
AzCDL - Protecting Your Freedom
http://www.azcdl.org/html/join_us_.html
Copyright � 2008 Arizona Citizens Defense League, Inc., all rights
reserved.
--
Stephen P. Wenger, KE7QBY
Firearm safety - It's a matter
for education, not legislation.
http://www.spw-duf.info
