NRA's Political Clout Waning?: Eight years after a national debate over
gun control helped keep Democrat Al Gore out of the White House, the
National Rifle Assn. and its Republican allies are launching a new
campaign to defeat Barack Obama. But this time, the issue that GOP
strategists once relied on to provide crucial votes in close elections
has lost much of its political punch. The NRA may have become a victim
of its own success...Meanwhile, Democrats have largely removed gun
control from their political agenda. Many of the party's candidates now
explicitly reject new gun restrictions and go out of their way to
express support for gun rights... (It would appear that the Los Angeles
Times is trying to convince gun owners that the promises from Democrats
can be taken at face value. Unfortunately, with McCain's record of
compromise with the Democrats, I'm not sure that his promises hold much
more value.)
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-guns14-2008jun14,0,5014311,full.story
---
Prohibitionists Evaluate Tactics for Post-Heller Age: Acknowledging that
public opinion is against them and that a loss in the Supreme Court of
the United States is likely eminent, gun control groups are regrouping
and preparing to try new tactics to accomplish their unpopular
goals...While some pro-gun advocates fear this may lead to a push to
confine guns and self-defense only to the home, others believe this
points to a new trend of redefining entire classes of firearms as
"assault weapons." This could lead to new restrictions eventually
culminating in only single shot shotguns as the only remaining legal
firearms using the logic that since the bans are not total bans, they
are still constitutional...They are also holding out hope for support
from the presidency next year. Democrat Barack Obama has a history of
favoring gun control schemes and is their candidate of choice. However,
they are clinging to Republican John McCain's past support for closing
the (non-existent) "the gun-show loophole" as a sign that he may be
receptive to their goals...
http://www.ohioccw.org/content/view/4006/83/
---
California Man Sues for CWP: A Torrance man has filed a federal civil
rights lawsuit against the city for its long-standing policy of not
issuing concealed weapons permits. Also named in the suit were Torrance
Police Chief John Neu and all seven members of the City
Council...Spears, a revenue investigator for the city of Lynwood who
lives in Torrance, sought the permit for his .45 caliber subcompact
Glock pistol. Spears said in his lawsuit he is often "accosted,
confronted and threatened by hostile individuals and would-be criminals
demanding money" in the course of his duties, as well as when he is
off-duty in Torrance. He stated he needs the gun to protect himself, and
contends he meets all the requirements for a concealed weapons permit...
http://www.dailybreeze.com/ci_9569649
---
Kansas Has Eliminated Most Statutory No-Gun Zones: File this under
"Things You Thought You Knew": When Kansas legislators passed concealed
carry in 2006, they placed certain places off-limits, including bars,
churches, schools, libraries, day care centers - right? Well, think
again. The new normal: No place in Kansas (with the exception of federal
buildings) is off-limits to concealed-carry permit holders unless that
place posts those glaring no-gun signs. Last year, pro-gun lawmakers
quietly changed the law...
http://www.kansas.com/203/story/433219.html
---
Rule Two, Rule Three Reminder: An East Taylor, Cambria County, police
officer shot herself in the leg yesterday. Cathy Jo Foust, 42, of
Johnstown, was loading her service pistol in the East Taylor police
station a little before 5 p.m. when it accidentally discharged, wounding
her in the left leg. (Rule Two: Don't let the muzzle cross anything
you're not prepared to shoot. Rule Three: Keep your finger out of the
trigger guard, up on the frame, unitl your sights are on the target and
you're prepared to fire. Sounds like Officer Foust is right-handed and
was chambering a round while seated.)
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08157/887546-56.stm
---
Time to Ban Handgun Bans in Canada: As politicians across Canada
contemplate yet another layer of laws to address the issue of urban gun
crime, it may be time to consider what harm is done by such
well-intentioned but impractical legislation. The Post has reported that
outright bans on handguns have been tried from Great Britain to Japan,
almost invariably resulting in a rise, rather than a decline, in violent
crime. Part of this phenomenon must be written down to the opportunity
cost of such feel-good legislation. To wit, when politicians pass laws
that will be obeyed only by the law-abiding, they content themselves
that they have taken action. As a consequence, while our leaders are
absorbed with media interviews and mutual congratulations, the original
and drastic problem is left to fester...
http://www.nationalpost.com/opinion/story.html?id=583259
---
Japanese Killer Made His Intentions Public: Tomohiro Kato, who police
say has confessed to a stabbing rampage on Sunday that killed seven
people, planned and executed the attack while enmeshed in Japan's
near-ubiquitous matrix of surveillance cameras and high-speed wireless
networks. Kato, 25, a worker in a factory that assembles Toyotas, was
sometimes unaware that he was being watched. Private surveillance
cameras recorded his purchase of knives in a military surplus store two
days before the killing spree, when he laughed with a salesman and made
stabbing motions. Street surveillance cameras also caught his image
Sunday, when he plowed a truck into a crowd of pedestrians in central
Tokyo and commenced stabbing...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/13/AR2008061303331.html?hpid=sec-world
--
Stephen P. Wenger, KE7QBY
Firearm safety - It's a matter
for education, not legislation.
http://www.spw-duf.info
