How Much has He Changed?: ...Obama's campaign rhetoric simply does not
match his long record of opposing lawful gun ownership. He appears to
accept the words of Soviet dictator Vladimir Lenin, "A lie told often
enough becomes the truth." If Obama is willing to ban all handguns, ban
all self-loading firearms, ban all hunting rifles and shotguns, and
prohibit use of firearms for self defense, all commonly-owned firearms
will be affected. Virtually all gun owners will suffer. I'm with Patrick
Henry on this: Judge the future by the past, not by what a grasping
politician promises. Any gun owners who wish to retain their guns must
not vote for Obama.
http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2008/10/23/letters/more/letters33.txt
---
On the Same Note: Brilliantly, Democrats have kept the issue of guns out
of the presidential campaign. Guns have barely been mentioned, with the
exception of Barack Obama's gaffe about rubes clinging to Bibles and
guns, his cautious support of the Supreme Court's Heller decision, and
pop culture references to GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin
killing moose. Democrats have long been on the losing end of the
gun-rights debate, which has cost them countless elections. Quietly, on
Oct. 13, The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence - one of the most
radical gun control organization in the United States - endorsed Obama.
It's an endorsement Obama hasn't flaunted on his campaign stumps, but
it's one that should concern Second Amendment defenders...
http://www.gazette.com/opinion/gun_42265___article.html/obama_assault.html
---
Obama, Heller and the Supremes: The recent U.S. Supreme Court decision
in District of Columbia v. Heller plainly stated that the Second
Amendment Right to Keep and Bear Arms is, indeed, an individual right.
Ironically, Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama often states
the same thing. In truth, Obama poses a more serious threat to the
future application of the landmark decision than any other American.
Heller was a 5-4 decision. Even if a Supreme Court a few years from now
did not formally overrule Heller, it could construe the decision so
narrowly as to make it the last case that meaningfully applied the
Second Amendment. A future Supreme Court could also greatly reduce
Heller's scope by refusing to make it enforceable against state and
local governments. And there is every reason to believe that an Obama
Supreme Court, at the urging of an Obama Department of Justice, would do
so...
http://davekopel.org/2A/Mags/when-obama-wrestles-with-heller.htm
---
Newsweek "Facts Checks" NRA Ad: ...The actual 2003 burglary didn't
involve a woman, and it didn't become violent until the male homeowner
went downstairs and started firing before calling police. The ad fails
to mention that the issue was a local handgun ban that made the
homeowner's gun illegal to keep in the house. What Obama voted for was
not any general repeal of the right of self-defense, but to uphold
enforcement of the local gun ban, a "petty offense" that carried a
maximum penalty of a $750 fine...The ad claims "it's a true story," but
it isn't quite. No woman was involved, for one thing. And the burglar
didn't violently smash the door frame, as shown, but entered using a
stolen key...Though DeMar knew keys to the house were now in the hands
of a criminal, he did not change the locks on his house. He would tell
police later that he was "unable to get a locksmith to come to his
home..." (First they require that gun thefts be reported within 72
hours, Next it will be lock changes within 24 hours of a burglary.)
http://www.newsweek.com/id/165307
---
Election Spurs Gun Sales: The debate surrounding the Second Amendment is
making a comeback as Election Day nears and voters at McBride's Guns in
Austin were passionate about their guns. Store managers say sales at
McBride's Guns have shot up over the last six months thanks to the
person who would have least wished it to happen. Voter Roger Mendelson
said the increased gun sales recently has more to do with who is likely
to take charge of the White House and gun owners are planning ahead...
(I recall during the early days of the Clinton regime firearms dealers
debating whether Hillary Clinton or Janet Reno should have gotten the
award for best gun salesperson of the years)
http://www.news8austin.com/content/your_news/default.asp?ArID=222698
---
What About Ammo?: A lot of people seem to think that if Obama is elected
he's going to take away their guns. This will never happen. It would be
a major task for Congress to repeal the Second Amendment, particularly
because with the Republicans there are also many Democrats who disfavor
the abolition of guns. Secondly, the language of the Second Amendment is
broad enough that the legal establishment will continue to wrangle over
it for years. The lessons of history are helpful too. During the Weimar
Republic in Germany (between the end of WWI and Hitler's rise to power),
the government banned gun ownership, mainly to try to quell the violence
between the socialist left and the extremist right. When Hitler rose to
power in 1933, he did so confident in the knowledge that he was taking
control over a people who were disarmed and unarmed. One wonders if he
would have been so confident had he known that his opponents had weapons
(many Germans in fact deplored Hitler and his sick, twisted ideology).
And if the Jews had guns one can't help but wonder if more Jews would
have lived. I think the Founding Fathers were very sensible when they
wrote the Second Amendment. (The prohibitionists figured out some time
ago that while, at any given time, there is at least a 100-year supply
of firearms in the US, there is only a one- to two-year supply of
ammunition. Firearms are of little value without the ammunition they are
designed to fire.)
http://www.gjfreepress.com/article/20081023/LETTERS/810229953/1020&title=You%20won%E2%80%99t%20lose%20your%20guns
---
Illinois Democrats Target All Gun Owners: ...One example of the extreme
position taken by Madigan-backed candidates may be found in the 96th
District House race. In that race, Democratic candidate Dianne McGuire
has expressed support for a bill that would result in the ban and
confiscation of most, if not all of the rifles, pistols and shotguns
lawfully owned by Illinois citizens. McGuire campaign literature also
states the she opposes allowing law-abiding Illinois to carry defensive
firearms to protect home and family. McGuire campaign workers have also
told Naperville residents that McGuire plans to utilize the Illinois EPA
and State Police to shut down the Naperville Sportsman's Club - a
century-old trapshooting facility located near the heart of the city...
http://www.isra-pvf.com/
---
Peaceable Armed Citizens: It sounds like an oxymoron, doesn't it, a
peaceable armed citizen? If they like peace so much, what are they doing
armed? After all, aren't we told the only purpose of a gun is to kill
people? If that's true, though, America's pea...y'know, this is getting
unwieldy. Let's just agree for the rest of this column to call 'em
PACs. Anyway, if that's true, you couldn't tell it by the PACs--they
have pretty much been utter failures at slaughtering their fellow human
beings. So I have to wonder about that--especially since I know people
who have an encyclopedic knowledge of guns and their workings, people
who design and build them, hunt with them, target shoot with them, carry
them for defense, and even (GASP!) train with them with the intent of
being "well regulated" (hey, there's another future column). And none of
them go around killing people. How is it these experts and aficionados
have been so spectacularly incompetent at getting their firearms to
accomplish their "only purpose"? ...
http://www.examiner.com/x-1417-Cleveland-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2008m10d23-Peaceable-armed-citizens
---
How Often Does Someone Get Murdered in a National Park?: ...Officials at
the Interior Department appear to be trying to solve a problem that
doesn't exist by proposing visitors to some national parks and wildlife
areas be allowed to carry concealed weapons. Under the proposal, the
department would lift a 25-year-old ban in parks and refuges located in
states that permit concealed weapons in their state parks. That would
not include Pennsylvania, but it would include 24 other states that are
home to such parks as Denali, Grand Canyon, Rocky Mountain, Everglades,
Glacier, Bryce Canyon, Shenandoah, Olympic, Grand Teton and
Yellowstone... (How often does someone get murdered in a national park?
Just like anywhere else - only once.)
http://readingeagle.com/blog.aspx?bid=4&id=18200&t=Dont-fix-a-problem-that-does-not-exist
---
Oops, Wrong House, North Carolina Version: Fayetteville police said that
a resident shot and wounded a suspect during a home break-in Thursday
afternoon. Two people forced their way into a residence in the 400 block
of Acacia Circle around 2:30 p.m., officers said. The victim was at home
and heard the burglars as they tried to take several items.
Investigators said that the resident confronted the burglars with a
firearm. The resident shot one person in the lower leg and detained him
until police arrived...
http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/3804659/
http://www.reflector.com/news/state/air-force-sergeant-shoots-helps-nc-intruder-203551.html
---
Oops, Wrong house, Kansas City Version: A suspected burglar was in the
hospital Thursday after being shot by an off-duty Kansas City police
officer. The incident happened about 10:15 a.m. when the officer
confronted the man in the officer's home in the 8700 block of Kentucky
Avenue. According to Police Capt. Rich Lockhart, the officer was in bed
when he heard the doorbell. He ignored it, then heard a loud noise and
realized someone had kicked in his front door. The officer grabbed his
gun and confronted the man, who made a verbal threat. The officer shot
the man at least twice. The intruder, who police said suffered
life-threatening wounds, was taken to a hospital and underwent surgery...
http://www.kansascity.com/115/story/855558.html
---
Family Evicted for Defending Property: A man and his family have been
served with an eviction notice after he legally protected his property
by shooting at a would-be thief. The unnamed resident at Landera
apartments in San Antonio, Texas, took action after neighbors complained
about having their vehicles broken into or stolen, KENS 5 Eyewitness
News reported. Vandals attacked his apartment, shattering a window and
breaking into his car...Rather than watching strangers steal and destroy
his possessions, the man ran outside and fired his shotgun five or six
times, according to the report. He managed to hit one of the suspects
with a bullet. He is not facing charges...
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=78867
---
Follow-Up - Man Who Shot Officers Give Details: A man accused of
shooting two police officers in the New York City subway said he would
have kept firing had he not been shot by another officer, according to
court documents released Thursday..."We fell down and I saw a silver gun
on the ground," he said, according to the complaint. "I picked up the
gun and shot the officer from about 2 feet away." After fleeing to the
upper level on an escalator, Nunez was confronted by Lt. Gary Abrahall,
police said. He fired three more times before Abrahall fired six shots,
hitting Nunez four times, they said... (Among other issues, this sounds
like a compelling argument for carrying a backup gun.)
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/P/POLICE_OFFICERS_SHOT?SITE=MIDTF&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
---
Rule One, Rule Two, Rule Three Reminder: A security guard who
accidentally shot his friend in the stomach in western Sydney has told
police he was trying to make sure the gun wasn't loaded. The 29-year-old
Merrylands man was showing off his semi-automatic handgun to mates
inside a relative's garage at Lidcombe, about 9.30am today. He told
police he had taken the gun out of its holster and was checking to see
no bullets were loaded when the weapon fired off one round, hitting his
36-year-old friend in the stomach. (The Rules:
http://www.spw-duf.info/safety.html)
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/guards-gun-demo-to-mates-backfires/2008/10/23/1224351436740.html
---
Sniper Upgrades: The conflicts stemming from the attacks on 9/11 showed
America's military snipers were badly in need of modernization. Their
gear, operational doctrine and training needed an update - and fast. As
the war evolved, units with combat experience shared lessons learned,
identifying new requirements for a unique conflict. Fortunately the
services took notice and began to revamp the sniper community in
numerous ways...
http://www.military.com/news/article/war-spurs-change-in-sniper-gear-tactics.html?ESRC=army-a.nl
---
When Guns Are Outlawed...: A financially strapped South Korean man went
on an arson and stabbing rampage in Seoul on Monday, leaving six people
dead and seven others wounded, police said. The 31-year-old suspect,
identified only by his surname, Jeong, first set fire to his room in a
low-cost lodging facility in southern Seoul and then stabbed other
residents with a sashimi knife while fleeing the fire, police said. Five
people were stabbed to death and another died after jumping out of a
window to escape the blaze, police said. Seven others were wounded,
including four seriously, and the death toll could rise, according to
police...
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/10/20/s.korea.stabbing.spree/index.html
---
Tangentially Related: Police departments in cities across the country
are beefing up their ranks for Election Day, preparing for possible
civil unrest and riots after the historic presidential contest. Public
safety officials said in interviews with The Hill that the election,
which will end with either the nation's first black president or its
first female vice president, demanded a stronger police presence. Some
worry that if Barack Obama loses and there is suspicion of foul play in
the election, violence could ensue in cities with large black
populations. Others based the need for enhanced patrols on past riots in
urban areas (following professional sports events) and also on Internet
rumors...
http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/police-prepare-for-unrest-2008-10-21.html
--
Stephen P. Wenger, KE7QBY
Firearm safety - It's a matter
for education, not legislation.
http://www.spw-duf.info
