Excerpts From Heller Briefs: Dozens of organizations have weighed in on
both sides of District of Columbia. v. Heller, the landmark U.S. Supreme
Court case that will consider whether the Second Amendment protects an
individual's right to bear arms. Not surprisingly, the case has drawn a
great number and variety of voices. The amicus, or friend-of-court,
briefs have exposed some odd bedfellows, along with internal divisions
among government branches. Some former U.S. Justice Department
officials--including Republican Attorneys General Edwin Meese and
William Barr - support Heller, while another group of former Justice
Department officials - among them Clinton-era Attorney General Janet
Reno - comes down on the side of the District...
http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/national/2008/03/07/excerpts-from-friend-of-court-briefs.html
---
Analysis Of Heller Briefs: Several of the amicus briefs filed in support
of Washington DC's handgun ban in the Heller case rely on historical
arguments and documents. There is one major historical flaw in all of
these briefs. It is their tendency to set aside the Bill of Rights
development, nature, and context of the Second Amendment...One of the
most surprising briefs is that filed by fifteen professional academic
historians. Amazingly, this brief contains clear errors of fact, as well
as statements of views that are directly contrary to those expressed by
the primary Framers of the Second Amendment, George Mason and James Madison.
http://www.secondamendmentinfo.com/DCvHeller/index.html
---
When Liberals Rationalize: Professor Laurence Tribe has published an
op-ed in the Wall Street Journal that has some folks scratching their
heads bloody. In this piece, Tribe interjects his opinion on the D.C. v.
Heller case about to be argued in front of the U.S. Supreme Court.
Typical of his genus (liberis thinkeumsupremis), Tribe's piece is a
splendid example of intellectual obfuscation... To Tribe's credit, he is
one of the few members of the liberis caste who concedes that the Second
Amendment means what it plainly says, and he does not buy into the
collectivist hoax that the nation's appellate courts and their complicit
main-stream media have tried to foist on the unsuspecting public. Tribe
is one of the admitted liberal opinion leaders who concludes that the
Second Amendment confirms the individual right to own firearms...
http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/node/5501
---
Media Ignore Role Of Armed Israeli Student: A gun rights organization in
the United States is accusing the media of trying to conceal the fact
that a gunman who attacked students at Jerusalem's Mercaz Harav seminary
was stopped by an armed student at the school. Authorities report that
Ytizhak Dadon, 40, was a "private citizen who had a gun license and was
able to shoot the gunman with his pistol," according to a statement
released today by the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear
Arms. In its earlier reporting on the tragedy, WND confirmed, "One
terrorist reportedly was shot to death by a student who was armed..."
However, the gun rights organization said "the American press is
downplaying his heroism because it proves that armed students can stop
campus gunmen."
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=58323
http://www.ccrkba.org/pub/rkba/press-releases/israeli.student.gun.htm
---
Ammo Serialization Bill Fails In Maryland: House Bill 517, Maryland's
ammunition serialization bill, received an "unfavorable" status in the
House Judiciary Committee and was formally withdrawn on Friday, February
29. HB517, introduced by State Delegate Emmett Burns (D-10), would have
required ammunition manufacturers to encode a serial number on all
ammunition for regulated firearms (handguns and "assault weapons") sold
in the state and would require the registration of the ammunition to the
purchaser. Only shotgun ammunition would have been exempted. All
non-encoded ammunition privately possessed would have to be disposed of
by January 1, 2009. HB517 would have also allowed the State Police to
create an extensive and intrusive database on all ammunition purchasers,
paid for by a tax of 5 cents per round.
http://www.nraila.org/Legislation/Read.aspx?id=3609
---
However, In Washington...: Legislation has been proposed in Olympia that
poses a very serious threat to our Right to Keep and Bear Arms and it
needs to be stopped immediately. House Bill 3359, sponsored by State
Representatives Al O'Brien (D-1), Brendan Williams (D-22), Dennis
Flannigan (D-27), and Jamie Pedersen (D-43), would require that all
handgun ammunition manufactured or sold in Washington to be coded with
an individual serial number, and entered into a statewide database at
the time of sale. Encoded ammunition would be registered to the
purchaser and would include the date of transaction, the purchaser's
name, date of birth, driver's license number, and the serial number of
the ammunition.
http://www.nraila.org/Legislation/Read.aspx?id=3490
---
While In Rhode Island...: Pending consideration in Providence are Senate
Bill 2720, introduced by State Senators, Harold Metts (D-6), Juan
Pichardo (D-2), and Paul Jabour (D-5), and its companion, House Bill
7834, sponsored by State Representatives Joseph Almeida (D-12), Edith
Ajello (D-3), Anastasia Williams (D-9), Grace Diaz (D-11), and Joanne
Giannini (D-7). Both bills seek to ban the sale of semi-automatic
handguns not equipped with so-called "microstamping" technology.
Microstamping is an unproven technology that would require identifying
marks to be etched into the firing pin and breech face of a firearm.
The technology can easily be defeated with household tools, has no
public safety value, and would add substantially to the cost of the
firearm. Both measures are pending in the Senate and House Judiciary
Committees respectively.
http://www.nraila.org/Legislation/Read.aspx?ID=3631
---
"Ballistic Imaging" Scam - The Canadian Connection: Despite a recent
negative report on the potential value of a national "ballistic imaging"
database, commissioned by the US DOJ and issued by the National Research
Council, a Canadian firm has been issued a contract worth over $60
million by BATFE to support precisely such a project... The new contract
marks the fifth contract between Forensic Technology and ATF marking
over 15 years of continuous IBIS service.
http://www.marketwire.com/mw/release.do?id=829943
---
Wisconsin Still Balking At Licensed CCW: As states across the country
continue to pass laws allowing concealed weapons on college and
university campuses, Wisconsin shows no signs of following suit. Since
1871, the state of Wisconsin has had a ban on carrying concealed
weapons. Now, it is one of only two states in the country to still have
a ban on concealed carry, the other state being Illinois. Even though
most states allow the carrying of a concealed weapon in the general
public, almost all universities and colleges around the country have had
a ban on their campuses. The Arizona state Senate Judiciary Committee
approved a bill last week that would allow people ages 21 and up with
concealed weapon permits to carry guns on college campuses in the state.
There are 15 states around the country considering similar legislation...
http://badgerherald.com/news/2008/03/07/still_no_go_for_conc.php
---
A Colorado Editorial On Arizona Campus-Carry Bill: Imagine a place where
politicians found a way to protect students from suicidal maniacs who
commit mass murder. Pretend the lawmakers enacted the measure, but only
to help college kids. Younger, more vulnerable students - even little
kindergartners - were left to the whims of psychotics with guns. Welcome
to Arizona, where lawmakers are moving forward a bill that would restore
the rights of adults to carry guns for self-defense on the grounds of
state colleges and universities. Shockingly, the bill was stalled until
its sponsor caved to pressure from critics to remove a provision that
would have allowed faculty and administrators to carry guns at public
elementary and high schools...
http://www.gazette.com/opinion/gun_33876___article.html/carry_students.html
---
University Regents Oppose Arizona Campus Carry: No guns on college
campuses - period. That was the message the Arizona Board of Regents
symbolically sent to the state Legislature on Friday when adopting a
resolution reaffirming the board's longstanding policy of having the
state's three universities be gun-free...."Being a country boy, I'm a
big supporter of the Second Amendment," said President Fred Boice. "But
there's a time and a place for everything, and the place for guns is not
on campus." Regent Ernest Calder�n said that he was proud to be a member
of the National Rifle Association, but there was no way to know if
everyone carrying a gun was a responsible gun owner.
http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/daily/local/78978.php
---
Meanwhile, In Oklahoma...: House Bill 2513, an extremely important
self-defense bill authored by State Representative Jason Murphey (R-31),
has stalled in the House of Representatives. Representative Murphey's
proposal establishes that law-abiding Right-to-Carry permit holders
cannot be prohibited from carrying a concealed firearm on Oklahoma's
public university and college campuses. Please contact your State
Representative and strongly encourage him or her to protect your right
to self-defense by voting for HB2513!
http://www.nraila.org/Legislation/Read.aspx?ID=3637
---
Nevada To Consider Campus Carry: ...Nevada is one of 14 states being
tracked by the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence for trying to pass
laws or policies that would have allowed properly trained students and
teachers to bring firearms into the classrooms... During the 2007
Legislature, state Sen. Bob Beers, R-Las Vegas, proposed a bill to
permit teachers and other school personnel who completed firearm safety
courses to carry a gun in classrooms. His proposal, prompted by gun
violence by students in the Clark County School District, died in the
Senate. Beers said he would have to poll members of the Senate
Transportation and Homeland Security Committee before deciding if he
will introduce the measure in 2009. A proposal by a member of the Nevada
Board of Regents, the agency that oversees public colleges and
universities, would have let employees carry firearms if they completed
the same training program as police officers. That proposal, made by
Regent Stavros Anthony, was voted down by the board... (Nevada's
legislature only meets in alternate years.)
http://news.rgj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080307/NEWS02/803070526/1016/NEWS
---
University Of Pennsylvania Rejects Campus Carry: Despite recent
discussion nationwide about allowing licensed students to carry
concealed weapons on campus, Penn does not plan on changing its existing
policy. The University is "absolutely not" looking into revisiting its
policy, which prohibits faculty, staff and students from carrying
weapons or firearms on campus or in any Penn building, said Vice
President of Public Safety Maureen Rush. The sentiment is different
elsewhere. The Arizona legislature is weighing a bill that would allow
students and staff with concealed-weapons permits to carry their
firearms on campus at public universities, and the Cornell University
student government is also considering the issue...
http://media.www.dailypennsylvanian.com/media/storage/paper882/news/2008/03/07/News/Rush-Shoots.Down.Allowing.Guns.On.Campus-3257911.shtml
---
Meanwhile, At Penn State...: Nathaniel Sheetz, 23, a Penn State graduate
student in industrial engineering, often carries a handgun. And he can:
He has a permit to carry a concealed weapon. The moment he steps on
campus, however, the permit is no good. Like most other U.S.
universities, Penn State prohibits concealed guns on campus, including
for those licensed to carry them... He and roughly 50 to 100 other Penn
State students have loosely aligned themselves with Students for
Concealed Carry on Campus. SCCC, a national lobbying group that promotes
the cause, has grown to include some 20,000 supporters over the past 10
months...
http://www.centredaily.com/news/local/story/450912.html
---
Home Alone, Colorado Version: A boy fired a gun and chased away a
burglar who tried to break into a house north of the city this
afternoon, deputies said...Dohoney fired a shot to scare the burglar
off. The burglar fired one shot, ran out the door and ran from the
property, deputies said. The burglar was dressed in black and wore a
mask, deputies said.
Deputies did not say who fired the first shot, though both were fired
inside the house. No one was injured.
http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=7045
---
Tough Call In Texas: The Kaufman man who shot a 15-year-old boy standing
near his front window last weekend says he feared - and still believes -
the teen and his friend intended to break into his house that night.
W.C. Frosch, 74, rejected Brandon Robinson's contention that he and
Devin Nalls, 16, innocently cut across the Frosch property on their way
from Devin's home next door to check out a party down the street. Mr.
Frosch says he saw what he thought were prowlers before he told his wife
to call 911, retrieved his handgun and fired one shot through his front
window... In declining to arrest Mr. Frosch, authorities have cited the
state's "castle law." Passed last year, it gives property owners the
right to use deadly force against another person in defending themselves
if they reasonably believe the person is committing or is attempting to
commit certain crimes.
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/030708dnmetkaufmanfolo.7bcd86.html
---
Vets Have High Rate Of Hearing Loss: Soldiers and Marines caught in
roadside bombings and firefights in Iraq and Afghanistan are coming home
in epidemic numbers with permanent hearing loss and ringing in their
ears, prompting the military to redouble its efforts to protect the
troops from noise... Also, much of the fighting consists of ambushes,
bombings and firefights, which come suddenly and unexpectedly, giving
soldiers no time to use their military-issued hearing protection. "They
can't say, 'Wait a minute, let me put my earplugs in,' " said Dr.
Michael E. Hoffer, a Navy captain and one of the country's leading
inner-ear specialists. "They are in the fight of their lives." In
addition, some servicemen on patrol refuse to wear earplugs for fear of
dulling their senses and missing sounds that can make the difference
between life and death, Hoffer and others said. Others were not given
earplugs or did not take them along when they were sent into the war
zone. And some Marines weren't told how to use their specialized
earplugs and inserted them incorrectly. (It's not clear if "specialized
earplugs" contain electronic circuitry to allow normal sounds to be
heard or even amplified.)
http://www.azstarnet.com/news/228702
---
Gun Control Is Hitting Your Selected Target: A car thief who said he
didn't want to go back to jail engaged a St. Louis police officer in a
gun battle Thursday that left the officer out of bullets and using his
police car as a shield, police said...The officer used his police
vehicle to shield himself after he fired all his ammunition, including
the rounds in his gun and on his belt, police said. The car thief
continued firing as he climbed into the officer's patrol car and drove
away. Other officers arrived and also fired.
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/stlouiscitycounty/story/63E51932E319761D862574050017D8FD?OpenDocument
---
States Seek To Revive Hunting: ...Hunting is on the decline across the
nation as participation has fallen over the last three decades, and
states have begun trying to bolster this rural tradition by attracting
new and younger people to the sport. In West Virginia, state lawmakers
gave final approval on Friday to a bill that allows hunting education
classes in all schools where at least 20 students express interest. The
goal is to reverse a 20 percent drop in hunting permits purchased over
the last decade, which has caused a loss of more than $1.5 million in
state revenue over that period. At least six other states are
considering similar legislation...
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/08/us/08hunting.html?_r=1&hp=&oref=slogin&pagewanted=all
---
NRA-ILA Alerts: I have linked several individual alerts this week but
recommend that you visit the NRA-ILA website for additional ones.
http://www.nraila.org/GrassrootsAlerts/read.aspx
---
Glock 21 Alert: (This comes from one of the smaller police departments
in the Phoenix area.)
I am sending this out to everyone that you know and let everyone know to
send it to everyone they know. This is a huge officer safety issue for
those agencies that carry the .45 Cal. Glock 21.
Mesa PD came across a failure to fire issue with a Glock 21. The initial
inspection revealed nothing. A call was made to Glock who said, 'oh you
have the bad trigger bars.' Apparently Glock 21's manufactured with
serial #'s EFG might have received a short trigger bar assembly. The bad
trigger bar assemblies have the numbers 4256 stamped on them. The new,
correct trigger bar should have the stamping #'s of 4256-1. FYI... of
the guns pulled by Mesa PD, 3 more were found to be bad. Mesa PD is/has
pulled all of their Glock 21's off of the road.
Glock was asked to overnight ship the new trigger bars; however, they
said they wouldn't be shipped until Monday 3-3-08. Please call Glock to
order the new trigger bars. I am a current Glock Armorer and I was not
notified; therefore, I doubt if anyone knows about the problem.
Apparently Mesa called Phoenix PD and they have seen some of the same
problems, but they were not notified by Glock either.
Take care,
Jim
--
Stephen P. Wenger, KE7QBY
Firearm safety - It's a matter
for education, not legislation.
http://www.spw-duf.info
