DC Officials Oppose Gun Bill: D.C. officials are trying to beat back an
effort by some lawmakers to send a bill to the House floor that would
dramatically weaken the city's gun laws. The gun bill, co-sponsored by
Reps. Mike Ross (D-Ark.) and Mark Souder (R-Ind.), was introduced
previously and stalled. The measure now stands a good chance of gaining
approval by the House of Representatives because of an unusual
legislative maneuver, congressional staff members and observers said.
Souder said he acted because the D.C. government has made only limited
changes to its 32-year-old handgun ban since the U.S. Supreme Court
ruled last month that it was unconstitutional. In particular, he said,
the city's new, temporary legislation still requires handgun owners to
keep their weapons disassembled or secured with a trigger lock unless
someone in the home was in danger. The District also continues to
prohibit residents from owning semiautomatic handguns...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/29/AR2008072902128.html
---
Heller II: ...Dick Heller, the D.C. security guard who successfully
challenged the District's near-total ban on handgun ownership in a case
that reached the Supreme Court, filed suit Monday seeking to strike-down
the city's re-tailored gun law. This was no surprise. In fact, District
officials such as Mayor Adrian Fenty practically dared Heller, along
with his lawyers, to do it. Fenty and the city council decided to let
the Supreme Court's landmark decision in District of Columbia v. Heller
restrict them as loosely as possible in redrawing the law...
http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2008/07/gun_suit_another_round_of_ammu.html
..The District's position seems to be that banning all handguns except
revolvers fits with the Supreme Court's implicit approval of bans on
"dangerous and unusual weapons." I've noted the circular logic of that
exception, whereby banned weapons (such as actual machine guns) remain
banned because the ban has made them unusual. The "dangerous" part is
puzzling too, since all weapons are dangerous; that's what makes them
weapons. But whatever the phrase means, it clearly does not apply to
semiautomatic handguns, which are not "unusual" in this country by any
stretch of the imagination...
http://reason.com/blog/show/127809.html
---
Heller Cited in New York: When Lou Matteo got his handgun collection
back, town police averted a legal battle based on a new U.S. Supreme
Court decision upholding an individual's right to own a gun. Matteo, 75,
turned over his firearms in March after a verbal spat with his wife led
to an order of protection against him. Guilderland police refused to
give the guns back, citing a federal law barring anyone under an order
of protection from possessing firearms. But on June 26, the nation's
high court struck down a District of Columbia ban on handguns. The
ruling also said long-standing provisions barring handgun possession by
felons did not violate the Second Amendment. Matteo has never been
convicted of a crime, and his attorney, Tom Marcelle, said the Supreme
Court ruling meant he was entitled to have his guns returned...
http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=707692&category=REGION
---
Only 25 Apply for Chicago Amnesty: Only 25 people have taken advantage
of Chicago's four-month gun registration amnesty, including former
Attorney General Roland Burris. Ald. Richard Mell (33rd) proposed the
idea - in shorter form - after he forgot to re-register his arsenal of
weapons, as required every year by an ordinance he helped to pass. Mell
argued that reopening gun registration wasn't just a personal favor. He
insisted that there were hundreds, if not thousands, of otherwise
law-abiding Chicago gun owners just like him who had inadvertently
allowed their gun registration to lapse...
http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/1079053,CST-NWS-gun29.article
---
Evanston Keeps Handgun Ban for Now: Evanston will hold off amending its
handgun ordinance until officials see what gun control groups come up in
response to the U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling against total handgun
bans. Aldermen held off action Monday night on a resolution in which
they express intent to amend the city's weapons ordinance in a way to
conform with the court's ruling. The June 27 Supreme Court decision held
unconstitutional provisions of a Washington, D.C., ordinance similar to
Evanston's, that contains a total ban on handguns. Meanwhile Monday
evening, the Morton Grove Village Board, by a 5-1 vote, repealed its
landmark 27-year-old handgun ban at its meeting...
http://www.pioneerlocal.com/evanston/news/1079707,ev-handgun-072908-s1.article
---
Mixed Ruling on Florida Parking-Lot-Storage Law: Employees with
concealed weapons permits can keep guns locked in their cars at work in
Florida, but businesses are allowed to prohibit customers from bringing
firearms on their property, a federal judge has ruled. The Florida
Chamber of Commerce and the Florida Retail Federation, which challenged
the state law that took effect July 1, huddled with their lawyers
Tuesday to understand the split decision by U.S. District Judge Robert
Hinkle in Tallahassee and decide whether they should challenge it. Rick
McAllister, president and CEO of the retail federation, said he doesn't
believe his organization will appeal...However, Marion Hammer, a
spokeswoman for the National Rifle Association, called Monday's decision
"a huge win for the people."
http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2008/jul/29/judge-says-employees-can-keep-guns-locked-cars/
---
Georgia Group Defeats Local Gun Bans: ...Since its incorporation in
2006, Georgia Carry has fired off a steady stream of lawsuits against
local gun bans by leaning on a state law that bars any entity but the
General Assembly from regulating the carrying and possession of
firearms. Georgia Carry appears to be winning the fight against
Georgia's restrictions, which it calls the most stringent in the
country, according to John Monroe, the group's vice president and
attorney...For Athens-Clarke County's gun prohibition, the writing was
on the wall after Georgia Carry's victory in the state Court of Appeals
in December forced the repeal of a gun ban in Coweta County, according
to Athens-Clarke County attorney Bill Berryman. The court ruled that
state law pre-empts local jurisdictions from enacting ordinances on how
firearms are carried. "Once that came out, we didn't feel like we had
any alternative," Mr. Berryman said.
http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/072808/met_467339.shtml
---
Massachusetts House Kills Fee Increases: Leaders of the state House of
Representatives today killed a disputed proposal by the governor to hike
license fees for guns. House budget writers stripped the proposed fee
hikes from a more comprehensive bill submitted by Gov. Deval L. Patrick.
The bill, set to be approved today in the House, also calls for raising
money to finance the state's near-universal health care law. House
leaders defeated the gun fee hikes after 59 members of the chamber
signed a letter opposing the increases. A dozen members from Western
Massachusetts, including Democratic Reps. Peter V. Kocot of Northampton
and John W. Scibak of South Hadley, signed the letter...
http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2008/07/house_leaders_kill_governors_p.html?category=Statehouse
---
California Could Restrict Ammo Sales: For the second year in a row, a
Los Angeles assemblyman is pushing a bill that would create a
handgun-ammunition licensing system for firearms dealers statewide. The
bill would require dealers to purchase an annual license from the
Department of Justice to sell more than 50 total rounds of handgun
ammunition each month. These licenses would cost an estimated $50,
according to the department. The measure also would make it illegal to
sell ammunition through the mail or over the Internet. It would require
ammunition to be stored behind the counter...
http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_S_ammunition21.1b10986.html
---
Oops, Wrong House, Florida Version: A Port St. Lucie resident shot a man
trying to break into his Northeast Floresta Drive home through the
kitchen window Tuesday afternoon, and the bleeding man jumped into his
car and drove it into a utility pole, police said. The injured man was
later airlifted to St. Mary's Hospital in West Palm Beach, said Port St.
Lucie Police spokesman Officer Robert Vega. Police are not identifying
those involved and no charges have been filed. The condition of the man
who was shot wasn't available Tuesday night...
http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2008/jul/29/psl-homeowner-shoots-injures-man-trying-break-his-/
---
Oops, Wrong House, Pennsylvania Version: A 78-year-old man used a
kitchen knife and a shotgun to chase three men posing as exterminators
from his Lowhill Township home, according to police...When the homeowner
ordered them to leave his house, a fight broke out. While the homeowner
struggled with one of the younger males, the older male restrained the
homeowner. But the homeowner broke free, grabbed a kitchen knife and
ordered all three men out of his house. The older male tried to regain
entry. But by then, the homeowner had a shotgun in hand. The three men
fled in a green van south on Route 100. They managed to steal about $10
in coins.
http://www.mcall.com/news/local/all-lowhillincident0729-cn,0,1250041.story
---
Oops, Wrong House, Mississippi Version: An 84-year-old man, who
repeatedly held off an alleged intruder Sunday when the man tried to
break into his home, finally got a gun in desperation and shot through a
door, wounding the intruder in the leg...Although meant as a warning
shot, the round struck 20-year-old Wade Ledesma of Bay St. Louis in the
lower left leg. He was initially taken by American Medical Response to
Memorial Hospital at Gulfport, then was transferred to University
Hospital in Jackson. Ledesma was listed in fair condition Monday, Fizer
said... (I'm starting to wonder if those people who believe in warning
shots might not be better served to buy blank-firing guns. In an
unfriendly jurisdiction it's difficult to justify shooting someone with
a "warning shot.")
http://www.sunherald.com/pageone/story/711027.html
---
Rule One Reminder: A Tucson teen who police say shot his 14-year-old
stepsister to death told authorities he didn't know the gun was loaded
and wanted only to scare her, according to documents released Tuesday.
Shelden Andrew Pruitt, 15, said that he stole the handgun from his
stepfather, who lives in Colorado, a few weeks ago and brought it with
him when he moved to Tucson to live with his father and stepmother and
her children, according to an interim complaint. "He stated he brought
it with him because there are home invasions in Tucson," the document
said... (Rule One: All firearms are always loaded.)
http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/250498
---
Rule Four Reminder: A white police officer accused of fatally shooting
an unarmed black woman holding her 1-year-old son thought he was being
fired upon by a drug dealer when he pulled the trigger, his attorney
said Tuesday. The death of 26-year-old Tarika Wilson set off protests
and debate about race relations in this northwest Ohio city, where one
in four residents is black. Sgt. Joseph Chavalia heard gunshots that two
fellow SWAT team officers fired at pit bulls released from a first-floor
back bedroom by drug dealer Anthony Terry, defense attorney Bill Kluge
said during opening arguments in Chavalia's trial...(Rule Four: Always
be sure of your target and what's beyond it.)
http://www.azstarnet.com/news/250402
---
NYPD SOP-9 Reports: Although posted by a hostile source, these annual
Firearms Discharge Reports from NYPD provide some interesting insights
into gunfight dynamics, negligent discharges and more.
http://www.nyclu.org/node/1756
---
From The Firearms Coalition:
One More Last Chance for Parks
You have another last chance to post comments about disarming
law-abiding citizens in National Parks. Take advantage of this
opportunity and Post a Comment, even if you have already posted a
comment before! Be sure that your family members post comments too!
The decision in the Heller case makes our position stronger and that
needs to be brought out. Politely demand that the National Park Service
and the Fish and Wildlife Service stop denying Constitutional Rights.
Adoption of the proposed regulations would be a first step toward
constitutional compliance, but the Department of the Interior must go
farther. They should adopt the proposed amendment and then take the
next steps to stop illegally restricting the open carry of personal
defense firearms. They need to either adopt a blanket policy against
any firearms possession restrictions on any property administered by the
National Park Service and the Fish and Wildlife Service - or any other
federal agency for that matter - or at a minimum adopt state firearms
laws in the same way that National Forests and BLM lands do.
A couple of anti-gun Senators were able to get the Department of the
Interior to extend the comment period on the proposed regulations from
June 30 to August 8 as a delaying tactic in hopes of drumming up more
opposition to the proposed rules. The Brady's have been busy
encouraging people to send in negative comments and many gun groups -
unhappy with the limitations of the proposal - have been urging
unfavorable comments. We must not let this opportunity for a major
improvement pass us by. Encourage the adoption of the proposed
amendment and urge further action.
Don't wait! Get your comments in now!
To submit a comment, follow this link:
http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=DocumentDetail&o=090000648053d497
or
http://tinyurl.com/66frtt
Either of those links should open a page on Regulations.gov with,
"Document Details" as the title and, "Docket Title General Regulations
for Areas Administered by the National Park Service and the Fish and
Wildlife Service"
Go to, "Add Comments" and click on the little yellow balloon. That will
open up a comment form. All fields on the form are not required.
Fields marked with a # are going to be publicly displayed so don't put
information in those fields that you don't want the world to see. If
you don't know what to put in a field or you're uncomfortable sharing
that information, just leave it blank.
For the comment section, encourage the adoption of the proposed
amendment, but also let them know that you would like to see
restrictions further eased.
Below is the comment I sent in. You are welcome to copy it or use it as
a guideline for your own comment if you'd like.
Regarding Rulemaking Proposal, Reference Number 1024-AD70, here are
my comments:
As a frequent visitor to National Parks and Wildlife Refuges, and as
a regular commuter through National Battlefield Parks and Parkways,
I strongly support the proposed changes to regulations regarding
firearms on lands administered by the NPS and FWS. The current
regulations are not only bad policy - placing law-abiding people at
risk of arrest and prosecution for having available the means to
protect themselves - they are also patently unconstitutional.
While not perfect, the proposed amendment is a step in the right
direction. It could be easily improved by simply striking the word
"concealed" from its text. Many gunowners do not have concealed
carry permits - whether as a matter of conscience, government
limitations, or a financial issue - and many do not own a firearm
suitable for concealed carry. It is wrong to deny these people
their rights.
I am also concerned about the qualifying language concerning
adoption of the laws of host states regarding firearms regulations.
The language referencing comparable state lands should be stricken
completely. This amendment should, at a minimum, simply adopt the
firearms laws of host states in the same manner that National Forest
and BLM lands do. Ideally - and constitutionally - there should be
no firearms possession restrictions on any federal lands.
As a bare minimum I ask that you adopt the proposed amendment as
written.
If possible I would prefer to see the word "concealed' struck from
the amendment along with the language about comparable state lands.
Ideally, I would like to see the entire section of the regulation
dealing with possession of weapons, traps and nets, deleted and
replaced with language which addresses criminal behavior rather than
simple possession of tools.
Respectfully submitted,
Jeff Knox
Please don't delay. Submit your comments NOW while you're thinking
about it. Also please forward this alert to everyone on your e-mail
list to encourage them to submit comments as well.
The Park Service needs to be totally overwhelmed with support for the
right to keep and bear arms on federal lands. If they are not
overwhelmed by support for the current proposal, they are likely to try
to drag this process out in hopes of a new administration taking the
regulations in the opposite direction.
Yours for the Second Amendment,
Jeff Knox
Director, The Firearms Coalition
www.FirearmsCoalition.org
--
Stephen P. Wenger, KE7QBY
Firearm safety - It's a matter
for education, not legislation.
http://www.spw-duf.info
