Supremes OK Early Release of Heller Arguments: For the third time this
term, the Supreme Court has OK'd the same-day release of the audio of
oral argument in a case of high public interest. The audiotape of
argument in the closely-watched Second Amendment case of D.C. v. Heller
set for March 18 will be released to the media shortly after it takes
place, according to the Court announcement. Ordinarily, the audio of
Court arguments is not made generally available until well after the end
of the term, when the tapes are transfered to the National Archives. But
in recent years, the Court has adopted the practice of same-day release
in selected cases. This term, it has allowed quick-turnaround release of
the argument tapes in Baze v. Rees, the lethal injection case argued
Jan. 5, and the detainee case of Boumediene v. Bush, argued Dec. 5.
Typically, C-SPAN airs the audio promptly, and other media use portions
for their news reports.
http://legaltimes.typepad.com/blt/2008/03/listening-in-on.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/04/AR2008030402005.html?hpid=sec-metro
---
Virginia Governor Vetoes Pro-RKBA Bills: Two bills that could have
resulted in more concealed weapons in cars and restaurants were vetoed
yesterday by Gov. Tim Kaine, who cited safety concerns and the
objections of law-enforcement officials. One of the bills would allow
people who don"t have a concealed-weapons permit to transport a gun in a
locked glove box or other interior compartment of a vehicle. The other
would allow permit holders to carry concealed weapons into restaurants
and bars as long as they didn"t drink alcohol while doing so. Currently,
guns must be visible when carried into a restaurant...The General
Assembly will consider Mr. Kaine"s vetoes at a one-day session April 16.
It takes a two-thirds vote of both chambers to override a veto.
(Actually, under current law, exposed firearms may be carried in bars
while drinking.)
http://www.washingtontimes.com/article/20080305/METRO/279883511/1004
VCDL Comments:
http://www2.vcdl.org/webapps/vcdl/vadetail.html?RECID=1177729
---
Utah Legislators Wear CCW Pins: An oval pin with a six-point star in the
middle has been seen adorning lawmaker's blazers around the halls of the
Utah state capitol building. But if you see one, don't make any fast
moves: It probably means they're carrying a pistol. The Salt Lake (Utah)
Tribune reports that about one in 10 Utah state lawmakers has a
concealed weapons permit and they have been known to exercise their
permitted rights on occasion. Lately, several have been seen wearing the
pin. They're a bit cagey about discussing the meaning of the adornment,
however. (I recall that when Oklahoma was first considering licensed CCW
there was a proposal for licensees to wear a small pin to alert police
officers that they were carrying.)
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,334969,00.html
---
Utah House Votes To Expand Open Carry: The House passed a bill Monday
allowing a person with a valid concealed weapons permit to openly carry
a loaded gun in some public places. The measure, HB473, was amended,
however, to forbid a person from openly carrying a loaded gun on school
campuses. Legislators declined to support a second amendment requiring a
concealed weapon to be concealed in all places, saying it was an affront
on the Second Amendment.
http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,695258632,00.html
http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_8446179
---
More Coverage For Arizona Campus-Carry Bill: Horrified by recent campus
shootings, a state lawmaker here has come up with a proposal in keeping
with the Taurus .22-caliber pistol tucked in her purse: Get more guns on
campus. The lawmaker, State Senator Karen S. Johnson, has sponsored a
bill, which the Senate Judiciary Committee approved last week, that
would allow people with a concealed weapons permit - limited to those 21
and older here - to carry their firearms at public colleges and
universities. Concealed weapons are generally not permitted at most
public establishments, including colleges.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/05/us/05guns.html?_r=1&ref=us&oref=slogin
---
Meanwhile, On Arizona Campuses...: Police departments at Arizona's three
universities plan to arm their officers with military-style assault
rifles within the next year, officials said Tuesday. The new rifles
would give campus police officers long-range shooting capabilities,
allowing them to hit targets at the end of long hallways or atop tall
buildings, officials said. Arizona State University will be the first of
the three schools to use the weapons. Officers there will be trained to
use the rifles in the next few months, said ASU police spokesman Cmdr.
Jim Hardina.
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0305asuguns0305.html
http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/hourlyupdate/228301.php
---
Why You Should Carry Every Day: Several spree killings in non-permissive
places like colleges or in states that don't have concealed-carry laws
have blasted the gun-control debate back onto the national stage.
Pro-gun advocates accurately pointed out that in Illinois, where two of
the spree killings took place, citizens are denied their constitutional
right to self-defense through the right to bear arms. Being disarmed in
the face of a deranged killer must be a terrifying experience. Even
worse, however, is finding yourself at the mercy of an armed thug after
you made the decision not to carry because you were just running to the
store. A spree killing in a state like Florida that has a good
shall-issue concealed-carry law is a truly tragic occurrence, because
people their have the right to carry a gun. Most people won't take
advantage of their right and instead walk around oblivious to the danger
around them. It is not their fault, however, since modern liberal theory
says we should meekly submit to armed attackers...
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=58027
---
Latest Ohio CCW Statistics: Attorney General Marc Dann has released the
concealed handgun license statistics for the fourth quarter of 2007.
There were 5,058 regular licenses, and 22 temporary emergency licenses
issued, bringing the total to 109,142 licenses issued to carry a
concealed handgun. Nearly 22,000 law-abiding citizens obtained their CHL
in 2007, a full 20% increase from the same period in 2006.
http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/node/5469
---
Online Dealer Supports Campus Carry: Online gun dealer Eric Thompson
can't recall exactly what he was doing when he learned that one of his
customers had just killed five students in a college geology class. He
knows what flashed through his mind, though: Not again. Ten months
earlier, another customer had killed 32 students and faculty at Virginia
Tech. The coincidence stuns Thompson. He calls it upsetting. Beyond
that, though, he doesn't know what he's supposed to feel. Remorse?
Regret? He has none. He had no reason not to sell a pistol to Seung-hui
Cho, who walked from classroom to classroom at Virginia Tech last April,
methodically firing 174 rounds. Nor did he have cause to question the
sale of magazines and a holster to Steven Kazmierczak, who last month
opened fire at Northern Illinois University.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-guns5mar05,0,4255629,full.story
---
BATFE Fights "Flow Of US Arms To Mexico": A flood of high-powered
weapons purchased by Mexican drug smugglers from sellers in the United
States has been targeted by agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,
Firearms and Explosives as part of a law-enforcement initiative aimed at
stemming rising border violence. During the past two years, more than
125 ATF agents and investigators have been deployed along the southwest
border in Project Gunrunner to increase "strategic coverage" of the
region and disrupt firearms-trafficking corridors.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080305/NATION/788767273/1002
---
Bloomberg Reaches Beyond Mayors: Mayor Bloomberg opened a new front
yesterday in his battle against illegal guns by enlisting six state
legislators from around the country to form a coalition to supplement
his group of 292 mayors... Manhattan Democrat Eric Schneiderman, the
state Senate's deputy minority leader, echoed Bloomberg's refrain that
the federal government has "essentially abandoned the field on the issue
of illegal guns." When asked about Bloomberg's latest $500,000
contribution to his rivals, the Senate Republicans, Schneiderman said
the effort to get guns out of the hands of criminals knows no party
bounds. "This is a bipartisan, cross-country effort," he said, declining
comment on the donation itself. Schneiderman is joining lawmakers from
Florida, Kansas, Nebraska, Pennsylvania and Illinois as founding members
of the legislative panel, which is evenly divided between Republicans
and Democrats.
http://www.nypost.com/seven/03042008/news/nationalnews/big_guns_join_bloomys_anti_firearm_push_100339.htm
---
Clinton Wants "Meeting Of Minds" On Gun Laws: Hillary Rodham Clinton,
locked in a fierce battle for Texas, said Monday that as president, she
would not try to impose New York-like gun restrictions at the national
level. Mrs. Clinton said in an interview with The Dallas Morning News
that she would like to see bans on assault weapons and the end of
loopholes that allow weapons to be sold at gun shows without required
background checks. "There can be a meeting of the minds between lawful
gun owners and those who believe we can protect Second Amendment rights
without giving in to the bad guys," she said. (Just so long as the
"minds" agree with hers.)
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/politics/state/stories/DN-clinton_04pol.ART.State.Edition2.4608c23.html
---
Oops, Wrong Car: A 21-year-old central Toledo man was fatally shot
Sunday night by the victim of an apparent robbery attempt, police
said...Rahmaad Jones , 21, was sitting in an older model, custom-painted
orange car on Norwood when three males approached on foot and pointed a
gun at him, police said. Mr. Jones, who has a permit to carry a
concealed weapon, had a 40-caliber pistol tucked in his waistband.
Multiple shots were exchanged and Wiggins was shot twice, police said.
When police arrived, Wiggins was lying face down in the street in front
of 1017 Norwood. A 40-caliber pistol was found underneath him. Mr. Jones
told police the suspects approached him, pointed a gun at his face, and
he began shooting.
http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080303/NEWS03/803030386
--
Stephen P. Wenger, KE7QBY
Firearm safety - It's a matter
for education, not legislation.
http://www.spw-duf.info
