Obama's Smoking Gun: ...Like many of Obama's contradictions, his stated
belief in the individual rights view of the Second Amendment is at odds
with his support for DC's categorical ban on handguns. That law is
currently being challenged in District of Columbia v. Heller, now
pending before the Supreme Court. Fifty five senators and 250 house
members (including many Democrats in both chambers) signed a brief in
that case supporting the individual rights view. Obama was not one of
them. And now we know why. As has been reported all week, in 1996 Obama
filled out a candidate questionnaire where he revealed his true beliefs
on all sorts of subjects, from abortion to school choice. One question
that has not gotten much attention, however, asks if Obama supports
legislation to, "ban the manufacture, sale and possession of handguns."
His one-word answer -uncommonly direct and lacking the flowery eloquence
we've come to expect from him - was "Yes."
http://www.townhall.com/columnists/SandyFroman/2008/04/04/obama%e2%80%99s_smoking_gun
---
Why Did Obama Tip His Hand on CCW?: Barack Obama is embracing anti-gun
policies in the run-up to a Democratic presidential debate scheduled on
the one-year anniversary of the Virginia Tech shootings. "I am not in
favor of concealed weapons," Obama told the Pittsburgh Tribune. "I think
that creates a potential atmosphere where more innocent people could
(get shot during) altercations." These remarks break from Obama's
previous moderate rhetoric on gun control...Obama's tough talk on gun
control may be prompted by Philadelphia-based Democratic leaders who are
pressuring Clinton and Obama to adopt harder stances on gun control.
This issue is expected to come up in ABC News' Democratic debate on
April 16 in Philadelphia. 32 people were shot to death on the campus of
Virginia Tech by Seung-Hui Cho April 16, 2007...
http://www.townhall.com/columnists/AmandaCarpenter/2008/04/03/obama_comes_out_against_concealed_carry
---
DC Scales Back Gun-Search Plan: D.C. police have scaled back plans to go
door-to-door asking residents in high-crime neighborhoods whether
officers can search their homes for guns as part of a new amnesty
program aimed at getting weapons off the streets. The Safe Homes program
instead will be offered by appointment only at residents' request, said
Chief Cathy L. Lanier. The program was supposed to begin last month but
was delayed after a backlash from residents, D.C. Council members and
the American Civil Liberties Union. The critics said some residents
could feel pressured or intimidated by officers asking to enter their homes.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/03/AR2008040304541.html
Related Article:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/article/20080403/METRO/585337660
---
Expanded-Carry Bill Revived in Georgia: Under a proposal that cleared
the state Senate today, guns would be allowed on public transportation
and at restaurants as long as the gun owner isn't drinking alcohol. The
bill passed 37-17 after a furious round of legislative maneuvering by
Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and other Republican leaders. It revives a stalled
proposal to expand the public places where Georgians with concealed
weapon permits may bring their firearms...The bill now moves to a
conference committee with the House, where some GOP lawmakers have tried
to broaden the legislation further. A proposal by Rep. Tim Bearden, a
Republican and former police officer from Villa Rica, would have allowed
Georgians to carry a gun into churches, political rallies or sporting
events.
http://www.accessnorthga.com/detail.php?n=208658&c=10
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/stories/2008/04/02/guns_0403.html?cxntlid=inform_artr
---
CCW-Confidentiality Bill Killed in Tennessee: A proposal to make secret
the names and addresses of Tennesseans who have handgun carry permits
died in a whirlwind of political intrigue Wednesday, aided by state
House Speaker Jimmy Naifeh. First, freshman House member Henry Fincher
engineered a vote on the bill while two of its opponents - two of his
more senior colleagues - were out of the room. In turn, Naifeh reversed
the vote with the help of the House's newest member, Karen Camper, who
had been sworn in only about an hour earlier. The end result: The names
and addresses of permit holders will remain public for now.
http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080403/NEWS0201/804030416/1006
---
Testimony Supports Ohio Castle-Doctrine Bill: OFCC member Gary Witt was
one of two witnesses testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee in
support of Senate Bill 184 (Castle Doctrine) on April 2, 2008. The
Committee also heard from Students For Concealed Carry member Steve
Feltoon in support of the bill and from two opponents of the bill.
Testifying against the bill were representatives of the Ohio Prosecuting
Attorney Association and the Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police. Witt
reports that the committee seemed favorable to the bill, asking tough
questions of the representatives of the Ohio Prosecuting Attorney
Association and the Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police...
http://www.ohioccw.org/content/view/3953/83/
---
Arizona Senate Passes Limited Restaurant-Carry Bill: The Arizona Senate
on Thursday approved a bill that would allow people to carry pistols in
restaurants if the proprietor posts a sign giving permission. Lawmakers
didn't vote on another proposal that would permit guns on college
campuses. Under Senate Bill 1132, restaurants that serve alcohol could
allow people to bring pistols on the premises. Those who choose to
carry, however, are barred from drinking beer, wine or liquor. The bill,
sponsored by Sen. Jack Harper, R-Surprise, passed on an 18-10 vote. It
now heads to the House.
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0403restaurant0403-ON.html
---
Rule Five Reminder: A Santa Ana elementary school teacher was arrested
after students found a handgun and ammunition in the drawer of a supply
cabinet of her classroom, officials said Thursday. Jayne DeArmond, 51, a
third-grade teacher at Diamond Elementary School, was arrested on
charges of felony possession of a firearm on a campus and misdemeanor
child endangerment after students discovered the unloaded handgun and
ammunition about 11:15 a.m. Wednesday, said Angela Burrell, a Santa Ana
Unified School District spokeswoman. (Rule Five: Maintain control of
your firearm.)
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-teacher4apr04,1,2108694.story
---
F Troop Claims Arrest of Key Gunrunner: State and federal investigators
say they've nabbed the leader of an international gunrunning ring that
supplied armor-piercing rifles to a major Mexican drug cartel based in
Juarez, Mexico. The Arizona Attorney General's Office Thursday charged
Victor Varela, 23, of New Mexico, with one count of fraudulent schemes
and artifices in Maricopa County Superior Court. The U.S. citizen faces
a maximum 12 1/2-year sentence if convicted. Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco
Firearms and Explosives officials said they linked Varela to a huge
cache of firearms, including two .50-caliber rifles, which the Mexican
army seized two months ago after a shootout near embattled Juarez,
across the Rio Grande from El Paso...The Varela case is noteworthy
because it's the first test of international collaboration since a
Phoenix summit of prosecutors last month. Newell said agents acted when
Mexican officials told them of the seizure near Juarez.
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0403gun-smuggling0403-ON.html
http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/232867
---
From The Firearms Coalition:
Pennsylvania Rally at the Capitol this Monday April 7, 10:00AM!
Join local activists and leaders along with some of the nation's top gun
rights leaders including Jeff Knox, Larry Pratt, and Wayne LaPierre for
this important rally. Activists are encouraged to arrive by 9:00AM to
organize for a lobbying blitz on state lawmakers. The rally and press
conference begins at 10:00AM and should last about an hour. If you
can't make it for the whole day, at least try to be there between 10 and
11AM for the rally. For more information visit:
http://www.acslpa.org/
**********
Empty Holster Protest
Remember the Students for Concealed Carry on Campus "Empty Holster
Protest" scheduled for April 21 through April 25. If you live near a
college or university, have kids or grand kids in college, or are
otherwise interested in getting involved in this effort, you are
encouraged to go to:
www.ConcealedCampus.org/ or visit the SCCC group on Facebook.
**********
Rules Endanger Pilots and Public
An unintentional discharge in the cockpit of a US Airways flight last
month has brought new public scrutiny to the issue of armed pilots.
Unfortunately the media is focusing on the wrong questions. They
question the program itself - whether pilots should be allowed to carry
guns at all; the quality and effectiveness of their training, and the
frequency of their retraining. What they're ignoring are the flaws in
the rules that force pilots to handle their guns multiple times during a
flight. They're also ignoring the fact that until just a few years ago
it was common for pilots to carry a concealed sidearm - with no
restrictions, no training requirements, no mandatory locks, safety
holsters, or handling requirements - and No Accidents.
Airline pilots who choose to carry a gun are required to put their
careers on the line with intense psychological testing, complete
difficult, expensive, and ridiculously inconvenient training, and obey
rules that are not only impractical and cumbersome, but downright dangerous.
We have posted a video on the front page of our web site,
www.FirearmsCoalition.org, explaining some of these dangerous rules and
unsafe requirements, the equipment used, and the reason for the US Air
pilots UD.
Please visit the site and watch the short video. You'll be amazed!
Please note that we had nothing to do with the making of this video and
the demonstrator's gun handling techniques.
**********
GunVoter.org
Hundreds of activists have joined www.GunVoter.org in the past couple of
weeks, but many more are needed. If you haven't registered at our new
GunVoter site, please do so now. If you have joined GunVoter, please do
what you can to encourage others to join; promote the site on other
forum sites, encourage your clubs and groups to get involved, and most
important, visit GunVoter.org often and post comments, questions, and
information.
Help us build GunVoter.org into a powerful tool for liberty.
************
The next Hard Corps Report is due to go to the printers soon. If you
are still not receiving our semi-monthly newsletter, what are you
waiting for. Just a name and address will get you a few complimentary
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Don't miss another issue - join the Hard Corps today!
--
Stephen P. Wenger, KE7QBY
Firearm safety - It's a matter
for education, not legislation.
http://www.spw-duf.info
