DC Gun Bill To Be Considered Next Month: Democratic leaders in the U.S.
House of Representatives have agreed to allow a vote next month on a
bill that would end local handgun control in the District, making it
easier for D.C. residents to acquire pistols, including semiautomatics,
while eliminating the strict handgun-storage requirements imposed by the
city. Supporters say the bill has a good chance of passing the House,
where pro-gun measures are popular. But it is unclear whether it would
succeed in the Senate, where complex rules make it harder to push
through legislation...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/04/AR2008080402260.html
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Federal Prosecutors Want Firearms: In the wake of three murders and the
recent attack on a federal prosecutor in a New York courtroom, a group
representing the nation's federal prosecutors is calling for stepped-up
security, including home alarms, self-defense training and the right to
carry firearms...The survey showed that 78 percent rated secure parking
as very important, and 42 percent rated home alarms very important.
Eighty-one percent of respondents believe Assistant U.S. Attorneys
should be authorized by the Department of Justice to carry firearms if
they so choose...
http://www.law.com/jsp/law/careercenter/lawArticleCareerCenter.jsp?id=1202423513393
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NRA, Brady Bunch Support Project Exile: The National Rifle Association
and the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence rarely agree on anything
related to gun laws. But both support a law-enforcement program in
Richmond that targets gun crimes...Dubbed Project Exile, the program
forms the foundation of a series of local, state and federal
law-enforcement partnerships. It focuses on the city's most violent
areas and hands out harsh sentences for any crime involving a firearm, a
move that runs counter to traditional city tactics of barring gun stores
and crafting onerous licensing requirements...Although the NRA is
challenging gun laws in various cities such as San Francisco and
Chicago, it supports Richmond's efforts...
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121789872887012221.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
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Florida County Sees Rise in CWFL's: In most classes, the teacher doesn't
point a gun. But none of the almost 40 people in a bunker-like back room
of the Jacksonville Expo Center at the Fairgrounds even raised an
eyebrow when Charlie Berrane calmly aimed and sighted a revolver...
Statistics from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer
Services Division of Licensing also show a consistent upward trend in
the number of Duval County concealed-carry applications during the past
five years. In 2004, Duval County submitted 1,385 applications - sixth
highest in the state. In 2008, that number jumped to 4,230, supplanting
Hillsborough County as fifth-highest statewide. Miller said this
increased interest is changing the face of her clientele. What used to
be a male-dominated culture has increasingly become more coed. Women
hold 16 percent of the concealed-carry licenses in Florida, according to
the Division of Licensing. But Miller said she thinks the number of
women in an average class is more than twice that...
http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/080508/met_313482410.shtml
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Weapon Ban Shot Down in Indiana: Passion about protecting fellow
citizens swayed Mishawaka City Council to vote 5-4 against a weapons ban
ordinance. The ban was actually proposed by Mishawaka Mayor Jeff Rea and
City Attorney Cory Hamel. It would've prohibited all weapons from four
buildings frequented by the public: Mishawaka City Hall, the police
station, the Battel Center, and Mishawaka Utilities main building.
Weapons were defined as guns, knives, explosives, and chemical sprays.
Rea and Hamel were the only two people out of a large crowd to speak in
favor of the proposed ordinance. Hamel says he was concerned for city
employees' safety when a man walked into city hall a few weeks ago with
a gun in a holster with two extension clips, in addition to a billy
club. Hamel says he never threatened anyone, but he and Rea say this is
a warning sign... (I see people like that in Show Low - of what are they
warning me?)
http://www.wndu.com/home/headlines/26268389.html
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Meanwhile, in West Virginia...: City of Martinsburg leaders are
considering an amended ordinance that would prohibit people from
carrying or possessing a firearm or other deadly weapon in public
buildings. The first and second reading of the ordinance was approved
unanimously by the Martinsburg City Council during its meeting July 29.
There was already an ordinance in place regarding weapons on public
property, according to City Manager Mark Baldwin. However, the recent
U.S. Supreme Court decision that struck down the ban on citizens owning
handguns in Washington, D.C., caused the city to revisit the issue, he
said. Baldwin and Martinsburg Mayor George Karos met with city attorney
Kin Sayre and reviewed the ordinance. The original ordinance had
language regarding public properties that was pretty vague, Baldwin said...
http://www.journal-news.net/page/content.detail/id/509089.html?nav=5006
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More on Connecticut Gun Seizures: ...Under the statute, dubbed the "turn
in your neighbor" law by opponents, any two police officers or a state
prosecutor may seek a warrant, following a specified process of
investigation, to confiscate guns from people deemed a risk to harming
themselves or others. The vast majority of cases, however, begin when a
person - usually a spouse or live-in, according to the OLR report - file
a complaint. Shortly after the law was passed, Thompson Bosee, of
Greenwich, Conn., had his guns and ammunition seized by police. Bosee
told WND in 1999 that he suspects a neighbor, with whom he has had words
regarding the neighbor's driving on Bosee's property, might have
reported him. "They had a warrant for my guns, they arrested my guns,"
said Bosee. A member of both the NRA and the American Gunsmithing
Association, Bosee said he works on his guns in his garage and is not
ashamed of it...
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=71435
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Then There Are Restraining Orders...: One day in December of 2005,
Colleen Nestler came to Santa Fe County District Court in New Mexico
with a bizarre seven-page typed statement and requested a domestic-abuse
restraining order against late-night TV host David Letterman. She
stated, under oath, that Letterman seriously abused her by causing her
bankruptcy, mental cruelty, and sleep deprivation since 1994. Nestler
also alleged that he sent her secret signals "in code words" through his
television program for many years and that he "responded to my thoughts
of love" by expressing that he wanted to marry her. Judge Daniel Sanchez
issued a restraining order against Letterman based on those allegations.
By doing so, it put Letterman on a national list of domestic abusers,
gave him a criminal record, took away several of his constitutionally
protected rights, and subjected him to criminal prosecution if he
contacted Nestler directly or indirectly, or possessed a firearm...
http://www.thenewamerican.com/node/8647
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So, One Abused It: ...Bedford is one of nine convicted felons in Shelby
County who received letters this year demanding they surrender their
handgun permits, illustrating the difficulty Tennessee has had in
keeping firearms out of the hands of felons. A Commercial Appeal review
of the nine permit mistakes in Shelby County revealed just how
inefficient agencies have been in sharing information about convicted
felons that could bolster public safety...Take, for example, the case of
Dementrius Roberson, who received a gun permit in May 2005. Nearly two
years later, on March 6, 2007, the 58-year-old Memphian was in a traffic
accident. During a dispute with the other driver, Roberson pulled out
his gun and fired, accidentally wounding a bystander. Roberson pleaded
guilty to felony reckless endangerment and is now on probation.
According to state records, however, Roberson's gun permit won't expire
until 2009... (I find this article reminiscent of a series in Florida
"exposing" numerous felons who were licensed to carry because they had
received deferred adjudication.)
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2008/aug/03/wrong-fingers-are-on-the-triggers/
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Nevadans Like Guns: Frank Morreale stands behind the glass counter and
pats his holstered pistol - a Smith & Wesson .38 special. He likes it
because it's light and it hangs on his belt the way a cell phone might -
both unobtrusive and useful. He also likes it because it's a gun. See,
Morreale likes all kinds of guns. Big ones, small ones, long ones and
short ones. Rifles and pistols. Ones with recoil and ones that won't
move your hand but a whisper when fired. "We live in Nevada," he said.
"We like to shoot things..."
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/aug/05/betting-the-west-nevada/
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Rule Three Reminder: The authorities said a gun accidentally fired in an
El Paso courthouse and injured two federal agents when a bullet
ricocheted. Doug Mosier, a Border Patrol spokesman, said injuries to a
Border Patrol agent and a United States deputy marshal were not life
threatening. Jerry Payan, a United States Marshal's Service spokesman,
said the gun went off in a secured hallway on the third floor of the
courthouse. Mr. Payan declined to discuss details or say whose gun was
involved. Both agents were taken to an El Paso hospital, and their names
were not immediately released. (Rule Three: Keep your finger out of the
trigger guard, up on the frame, until your sights are on the target and
you're prepared to fire.)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/05/us/05brfs-002.html?ref=us
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Sometimes It's the Gun: A Rialto police officer was recovering this
morning after he was shot in the leg by a gun that fell from the shorts
of a 17-year-old boy he was searching, authorities said. The officer had
stopped the teen at 10:30 p.m. Sunday in a courtyard at the Renaissance
Village apartments on North Glenwood Avenue, said Rialto Police Lt. Joe
Cirilo. Officers were patrolling the area in response to recent
shootings, including a fatal gang-related shooting two weeks ago, Cirilo
said. While patting down the boy, the officer discovered a handgun in
his waistband and handcuffed him, Cirilo said. When the officer tried to
remove the handgun, it slipped through the teen's shorts and discharged,
striking the officer. (Ironically, California has required for many
years that handguns sold in the state pass a drop test.)
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-rialto5-2008aug05,0,6366124.story
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Tangentially Related: ...Whether it's taking part in a fire drill,
getting to know your neighbors or listening to the flight attendant's
safety talk, there are several simple steps we can all take to improve
our odds in an emergency. While most discussions of disaster
preparedness focus on community resources, the most important variable
in an emergency is your own behavior...
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/05/health/05well.html?ref=health
--
Stephen P. Wenger, KE7QBY
Firearm safety - It's a matter
for education, not legislation.
http://www.spw-duf.info
