Is the RKBA a Dead Political Issue?: ...But as the vote margins of the
presidential race rolled in, the one-time wedge issue of the Second
Amendment did not seem to pack the national-stage punch for which the
influential gun lobby had aimed. Nationally, gun owners broke for McCain
by almost the identical margin that they broke for Bush in 2004. But in
the states where the NRA Political Victory Fund's toughest efforts
against Obama were concentrated - gun-rich regions in states like
Colorado, Pennsylvania, and New Mexico - Obama's victory was decisive.
The Democratic nominee won those states by eight, 11, and 15 points,
respectively. Of the 11 states where the NRA's anti-Obama ads were
reportedly aired, McCain won only one: Texas...
http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/11/06/1661613.aspx
---
Texans Stock up on Guns and Ammo: ... "The only other day we can compare
it to is 9-11, when sales where astronomical," Pruett said. So in a
tough economy, where consumers are cutting back, what's driving gun
sales? Many fear that President-elect Obama could tighten gun laws...
Gun owners also worry that what's not banned will be heavily taxed. "Tax
them so much that they will be impractical to buy, or the ammunition to
buy them," said gun owner John Butts. "Obama has advocated previously a
500% tax on ammunition, so if he can't right out outlaw ammunition, he
is going to tax it to a point where the people can't afford it," Pruett
explained...
http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=6491462
---
The "Surge," as Seen by The New York Times: ...A spot check by reporters
in four other states easily found Mr. Pruett's comments echoed from both
sides of the counter. David Nelson, a co-owner of Montana Ordnance &
Supply in Missoula, Mont., said his buyers were "awake and aware and see
a dangerous trend." Mr. Nelson said sales at his store had risen about
30 percent since Mr. Obama declared his candidacy. "People are concerned
about overreaching legislation from Washington," he said. "They are
educating themselves on the Internet..."
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/07/us/07guns.html?_r=1&ref=us&oref=slogin
---
While in Colorado...: ..."We're seeing a huge increase in sales, more
than 100 percent," said Bob Jensen, owner of Jensen Arms, 285 E. 29th
St. "Barack Obama running has terrified our republic. He's a Marxist and
a socialist, and he's extremely anti-firearm and anti-gun freedom." That
feeling echoed throughout Jensen's store. For the past month, an influx
of customers has been boosting sales to new levels, Jensen said...
http://www.reporterherald.com/news_story.asp?ID=19678
John Faulkner and his wife, Brenda, thought Wednesday was a good day to
buy a handgun. "I'm 37 years old, and this is the first time in my life
that I am really scared for our future," said Faulkner, an oil field
worker, as he perused the collection of weaponry in A Pawn Shop here. At
Aurora's Firing Line gun shop, Steve Wickham was also purchasing.
"Anything I can get my hands on," he said as he cradled a $699 9mm
handgun. Same thing in Lakewood: "I was selling guns before I even
opened the door," said George Horne, owner of The Gun Room. "It's gone
completely mad. Everyone is buying everything I've got on the shelves.
Sales have been crazy..."
http://www.denverpost.com/commented/ci_10910395?source=commented-news
On a normal day, a background check for someone wanting to buy a gun
takes about five to 10 minutes. Wednesday, the day after President-elect
Barack Obama was elected, the time stretched to two hours, said some gun
shop owners in Grand Junction...Wilcox estimated he's been selling
between 400 and 500 guns a month, and in the last few weeks leading up
to the election, that number's increased. "Yesterday was crazy," Wilcox
said. Wednesday, customers stood two and three deep in the little shop,
with four or five background check applications waiting for approval.
Many people who have been considering buying a gun are doing so, Wilcox
said, and ammunition sales have exploded too...
http://www.gjfreepress.com/article/20081106/COMMUNITY_NEWS/811059945/1001/NONE&parentprofile=1059&title=Grand%20Junction%20gun%20stores%20see%20rush%20on%20firearms%20%27before%20they%27re%20made%20illegal%27
---
And in Maryland...: Gun stores are reporting a spike in gun sales, and
they say the trend is driven by customers who are afraid Barack Obama
will crack down on gun sales as president. At the Downsville Gun Shop,
Tim Hafer is already seeing change. He says he's almost tripled his
sales in the past few days. In a normal two-day span, he sells two or
three guns, but in the two days following the elections, he's sold over
20. He's noticed increases in sales of semi-automatic guns, pistols and
revolvers. Obama supports renewing the expired Federal Assault Weapons
Ban. If renewed, the ban would require all U.S. gun manufacturers stop
making semi-automatic assault weapons. Now the demand for the guns could
mean higher prices...
http://your4state.com/content/fulltext/?cid=38511
---
And in Texas...: While watching Republican presidential candidate John
McCain's concession speech, gun owner AJ Sullivan had a sinking feeling.
"Liberals like to ban guns. That's what it comes down to," said
Sullivan, 25, a Texas Christian University student. Sullivan was among
hundreds scrambling to buy a weapon Thursday at the gun store Cheaper
Than Dirt!- which sold $101,000 in merchandise the day after the
election, shattering its single-day sales record, said store owner
DeWayne Irwin. Stories were similar across Texas, where residents are
fiercely protective of their Second Amendment rights and now fear
stricter gun-control laws under Democratic President-elect Barack Obama...
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/6099028.html
---
How Much, How Soon?: ...One of the direst predictions is that The
Looters would enact some type of gun control measure, such as another
assault weapons ban. Such predictions range from a repeat of the ban on
cosmetic devices such as bayonet lugs and flash suppressors and on
large-capacity magazines, banning of semi-automatic firearms with a
magazine capacity in excess of some arbitrary number, or even outright
banning and confiscation of "assault weapons" (with appropriate bounties
paid to those who turn in their neighbors)...
http://westernrifleshooters.blogspot.com/2008/11/spartacus-distant-early-warnings.html
---
Eleven of Fourteen Illinois Counties Voted for CCW: Greene County voters
approved a conceal-and-carry advisory referendum on Tuesday's ballot,
joining 10 other counties where the advisory passed. "We believe state
legislators should enact concealed carry legislation. Illinois and
Wisconsin are the only states that don't allow citizens their Second
Amendment right," Illinois Carry spokeswoman Valinda Rowe said
Wednesday...Fourteen Illinois counties put the advisory question on
Tuesday's ballot. The referendum failed in three - Winnebago, Kendall
and McDonough counties - and passed in Greene, Ogle, LaSalle, Woodford,
Effingham, Jasper, Crawford, Jefferson, Franklin, Saline and Union
counties... (Illinois has 102 counties, the overwhelming majority of
which have passed resolutions affirming the RKBA.)
http://www.thetelegraph.com/news/carry_19932___article.html/greene_county.html
---
Georgia Park Repeals Firearm Ban: The Board of the Stone Mountain
Memorial Association has repealed its long-standing ban on the carrying
of firearms in Stone Mountain Park. In its place, the Board enacted an
ordinance banning the possession of firearms for people without GFLs.
People with GFLs no longer are disallowed from carrying, but they are
required in the new ordinance to notify the park police "as soon as
possible after entering the park" of the presence of the firearm. In
addition, consuming alcohol is prohibited. GCO is reviewing the revised
ordinance and has not announced how the revisions will affect, if at
all, GCO's lawsuit against SMMA.
http://www.georgiacarry.org/cms/2008/11/05/stone-mountain-repeals-firearms-ban/
---
National-Park Ruling Due Soon: The Department of the Interior is
expected to announce this month its decision regarding changes in rules
governing guns in national parks and wildlife refuges. When he visited
Mount Rainier National Park for the Oct. 10 opening of the new Jackson
Visitor Center, Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne said the announcement
would be made soon. "We're going through the process. We anticipated
we'd get a lot of responses, and we did," Kempthorne told The News
Tribune. At the end of April, the department proposed a change that
would allow people to carry a concealed firearm in a national park or
wildlife refuge if the individual is permitted to carry a concealed
weapon and is authorized to do so on similar state lands in the state in
which the national park or refuge is located...
http://www.thenewstribune.com/adventure/story/530027.html
---
Oops, Wrong House: A Bryan man is in jail after police say he was shot
in the arm by someone he was trying to rob. College Station police say,
Wednesday night, five people were in a home on the 3500 block of Wild
Plum when three suspected armed robbers broke inside the home. Officers
say those suspects ordered the people in the house on the floor and took
their personal property. According to witnesses the suspects left the
scene. Officers say that's when the victims locked the door. Police say
the suspects returned and busted into the home. Officers say two people
were hiding in the bedroom and when one of the suspects fired a gun, one
of the victims returned fire hitting one suspect in the arm... (Too bad
the residents were not prepared for the first intrusion.)
http://www.kbtx.com/home/headlines/33999219.html
---
NSSF on Lead Hunting Bullets: ...The CDC report on human lead levels of
hunters in North Dakota has confirmed what hunters throughout the world
have known for hundreds of years, that traditional ammunition poses no
health risk to people and that the call to ban lead ammunition was
nothing more than a scare tactic being pushed by anti-hunting groups. In
looking at the study results, the average lead level of the hunters
tested was lower than that of the average American. In other words, if
you were to randomly pick someone on the street, chances are they would
have a higher blood lead level than the hunters in this study...
http://www.nssf.org/news/PR_idx.cfm?PRloc=share/PR/&PR=110608.cfm&CFID=2834865&CFTOKEN=5f0e1f81bcc8fe7c-7481371E-DCDD-C9A9-F9526A014B8E7937&jsessionid=f03041b33e02b816c4ad4f6c274246b2d241
---
Who Put the Rifle into the National Rifle Association?: Why is the
National Rifle Association called the National Rifle Association? It
seems an odd choice considering the organization's commitment to the
Second Amendment, which refers broadly to "arms," not rifles, that
require keeping and bearing. Wouldn't it make more sense for the NRA to
call itself the National Firearms Association or the National Gun
Association? Rifle comes across as a little . . . exclusionary. I mean,
what about all those millions of pistol and shotgun owners? ... (Stay
tuned for my review of American Rifle - I'm just past the halfway point.)
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/56609.html
--
Stephen P. Wenger, KE7QBY
Firearm safety - It's a matter
for education, not legislation.
http://www.spw-duf.info
