RKBA a Growing Issue for Sotomayor: The top Republican on the Senate
Judiciary Committee said he plans to question Judge Sonya Sotomayor
about her position on the Second Amendment and that the issue could
become a focal point in the nomination hearings slated to begin on July
13. Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., told me: "It is a matter of great
constitutional importance and it is a major issue to discuss"
..Sotomayor ruled last year, as one of three members of the 2nd U.S.
Circuit Court of Appeals, that states can ban weapons because the Second
Amendment, which protects a right to keep and bear arms, does not apply
to them. he ruling is worrying moderate Senate Democrats, whose vote is
critical for Sotomayor's nomination to win approval. I want to hear what
she has to say," said Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., adding that her view
"could be" a problem for him, depending on "how she is able to answer
questions," on the matter...
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/beltway-confidential/Gun-rights-a-growing-issue-for-Sotomayor-hearings-50248182.html
---
NRA Holds Its Fire on Sotomayor: A red-state Democratic rebellion based
on gun rights may be the Republicans' best shot if they want to derail
Sonia Sotomayor's nomination to the Supreme Court. But so far, even the
National Rifle Association has yet to engage in a serious lobbying
effort to pressure centrist Democrats to oppose Sotomayor... The NRA's
decision to wait until this week to wade into the debate has led many
Democrats to believe that the group won't mount a forceful opposition to
Sotomayor - and the NRA's official position this week was much milder
than one issued by members of the group's board of directors, who called
on the Senate to reject Sotomayor altogether...
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0709/24720.html
---
From GOA: Last week we told you how NRA's Past President Sandy Froman
was calling on all NRA members to vigorously oppose the nomination of
Judge Sotomayor to the Supreme Court. She did this in response to the
"wait and see" approach that the NRA's upper management has taken in
regard to the Sotomayor nomination -- an approach that may well allow
her to wiggle through and be confirmed. Yesterday, Sandy Froman struck
again. But this time she was joined with another past president of the
NRA and several current Board members, as well...
ACTION: Please urge the NRA's upper management to tell Senators that a
vote to confirm Judge Sotomayor is an anti-gun vote. You can use the
text message below - addressed to NRA Executive Vice President Wayne
LaPierre and NRA Executive Director Chris Cox - to help direct your
comments to the NRA.
CONTACT INFO for the NRA:
Phone (800) 392-8683
Webform
https://secure.nraila.org/Contact.aspx
----- Pre-written comments -----
Dear Mr. LaPierre and Mr. Cox:
I was so excited to see that past NRA President Sandy Froman - in
coalition with several other past and present NRA leaders - came out in
opposition the nomination of Judge Sotomayor.
In a letter dated July 7, the coalition stated that "we strongly oppose
this nominee, and urge the Senate not to confirm Judge Sotomayor."
This is Froman's second communication in this regard, as she stepped up
to the plate on June 24 with a call to arms for all NRA members to
vigorously oppose the Sotomayor nomination.
"Gun owners, and especially the members of the National Rifle
Association," Froman said, "must aggressively oppose Judge Sotomayor's
confirmation to the Supreme Court."
I couldn't agree more with Mrs. Froman.
I hope that the NRA will officially tell Senators now - and not wait
until after the hearings - that a vote to confirm Judge Sotomayor is an
anti-gun vote. Please let me know what you intend to do.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
---
From CCRKBA: Several of the nation's leading gun rights activists,
including the heads of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and
Bear Arms and Second Amendment Foundation, today joined to oppose the
confirmation of Judge Sonia Sotomayor as an associate justice on the
U.S. Supreme Court... Included among the signators were Sandra S.
Froman, former president of the National Rifle Association; Alan M.
Gottlieb, CCRKBA chairman; Joseph Tartaro, SAF president; Gene Hoffman,
chairman of the CalGUNS Foundation; several current or former NRA
directors; Robert Corbin, former Arizona attorney general and past NRA
president; former Congressman Bob Barr; Jim Wallace, executive director
of the Gun Owners' Action League in Massachusetts; John T. lee,
president of the Pennsylvania Rifle and Pistol Association; Tom King,
president of the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association; Robert E.
Sanders, former assistant director of law enforcement for the federal
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and several others,
25 in all...
http://www.ccrkba.org/pub/rkba/press-releases/sotomayor.letter.1.htm
Please join me, Sandy Froman the former President of the National Rifle
Association (NRA) and the national leaders listed below urging the
Senate not to confirm Sotomayor. We have signed the following letter
supporting Second Amendment gun rights and need you to add your name to
the list and immediately fax your letters to the Senate... (use of this
automated fax service involves a worthwhile donation of $29 to CCRKBA to
reach all 100 senators.)
https://secure.responseenterprises.com/ccrkba_rejectsotomayor/?a=2696
---
Gun-Show Bill Still in Committee: Another attack on our constitutional
rights as gun owners is coming down the pike. Currently in committee
there is legislation designed to close the "gun show" loophole. Senate
Bill 843, sponsored by a number of well known gun control advocates,
attempts to achieve its goals by dismantling the accessibility and
responsible execution of gun shows all together. As one can only expect,
much of the bill goes too far in restricting the lawful promotion of any
show. Similar to Amendment 22 here in Colorado, the bill will require
background checks on individuals who purchase or transfer a firearm at a
show. But the bill goes further, seemingly in design to disrupt the
entire process of attending or organizing a show...
http://www.examiner.com/x-11748-Jefferson-County-Conservative-Examiner~y2009m7d8-Anti-gunshow-bill-in-US-Senate
---
F Troop Won't Say if It Bothers with Warrants: More than 100 agents of
the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
have been visiting the houses of gun purchasers in Houston, Texas. But
the federal agency won't say if agents are using warrants to do so...
However, when CNSNews.com asked for details about the visits - including
whether agents obtain search warrants - the ATF referred CNSNews.com to
a bureau spokeswoman who did not say whether the ATF used warrants on
certain occasions or if this gun-tracing program is a national effort or
one restricted to the Houston area. Dr. Franceska Perot, a special agent
and spokeswoman for the ATF Houston Division, told CNSNews.com that she
was unable to answer all of the questions CNSNews.com asked, given the
sensitivity of the ongoing investigations...
http://www.cnsnews.com/public/content/article.aspx?RsrcID=50752
---
The Beat Goes On: American demand for handguns has fueled a 28 percent
jump this decade in world exports of pistols, rifles, shotguns and other
small arms, a global report said Thursday. The 2009 Small Arms Survey
reported that the Untied States alone was responsible for about half of
the worldwide increase in legal international gun sales between 2000 and
2006. The U.S. now accounts for over half of the world's imports of
pistols and revolvers and 45 percent of shotguns, it said. "No other
country imports more than 4 percent of the global total," the 344-page
report found. It illustrated how U.S. purchases of hand guns - which
averaged $173 million annually - have driven a sharp rise in exports
from a number of countries. Austria remained the world's largest seller
of pistols and revolvers with a 25 percent jump since 2000. Seventy-five
percent of its exports go to the United States. Croatian exports soared
almost 24 times in value since the start of the decade. The U.S.
accounted for 98 percent of its 2006 sales of $27 million... (That would
appear to be Glocks from Austria, even though Glock manufactures polymer
frames in the US, and Springfield XD's, from Croatia.)
http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/hourlyupdate/300283.php
---
Suit to Follow in New York: ... Post-Heller cases challenging New York's
weapons laws, such as Maloney v. Rice, have been unsuccessful because
the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit has ruled that Heller does
not apply. This is because Heller reviewed a District of Columbia gun
ban and did not explicitly address whether the Second Amendment applies
to the states. The Perkins decision, relying on Chwick, is thus highly
significant because it bypasses the need for incorporation of the Second
Amendment to the states via the Fourteenth Amendment. That issue will
likely come before the United States Supreme Court via appeal of the
Maloney decision and possibly also an appeal decision of the Seventh
Circuit denying the challenge to the Chicago gun ban. Both of those
decisions conflict with the decision of the Ninth Circuit in Nordyke,
which found that the Second Amendment was incorporated and thus applies
to state gun control
laws...
http://groups.google.com/group/alt.guns/browse_thread/thread/2db9983f2cd2f2e4
---
Speaking of New York...: Local politicians and activists expressed
concern Tuesday about reports that handgun sales and permit applications
have increased in recent months. Officials and gun sellers offer a
variety of reasons, but police and state figures show that so far this
year, pistol applications on Long Island are up 50 percent over last
year. One reason cited is the fear that a Democratic president and
Congress could legislatively snatch away access to guns, local gun shop
owners said. Another is that a poor economy is driving some fearful
people to arm themselves for protection. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy
(D-Mineola) called the latter reason mainly a product of hysteria,
fomented by pro-gun groups... (Recall that McCarthy entered politics
after her husband was killed and her son injured by a wacko who shot up
a Long Island RR train heading into NYC. Ferguson, the gunman, could be
confident that no one on the train would be armed to fight back because
carry permits issued elsewhere in the state are not valid in NYC.)
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/nassau/ny-ligun0812949961jul07,0,6040868.story
---
The Hal Fish Shooting, as Seen from Washington: It is a back country
wanderer's worst nightmare; arriving at a remote trailhead to find
yourself accosted by two growling, snarling off-leash dogs, and then
their owner, who threatens to kill you for having taken action to deter
the approaching canines. That's what retired Arizona teacher Harold Fish
told investigators in May 2004 at the end of a dayhike in the Coconino
National Forest that put him in a deadly confrontation with a man named
Grant Kuenzli. Fish said he yelled a warning to Kuenzli to call off the
dogs--a warning apparently ignored--then drew his 10mm Kimber
semiautomatic pistol and fired one round into the ground when the dogs
were about seven feet from him. The dogs split up, one to each side of
Fish...
http://www.examiner.com/x-4525-Seattle-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m7d8-Arizona-hiker-gets-new-trial-in-fatal-trailhead-shooting
---
California City Restricts Ammunition: Carson has become the latest city
to pass an ordinance restricting the sale of ammunition, prompting an
attorney for the National Rifle Association to threaten to sue. The
ordinance, which was passed unanimously and with little debate Tuesday
night, would apply to two stores in the city: Big 5 Sporting Goods and
Kmart. The stores will now be required to get permits to sell
ammunition, and collect the name, address and thumbprint of each
customer who buys it. Councilman Mike Gipson introduced the ordinance,
which is modeled on a similar law approved last fall in Los Angeles. It
is also up for consideration in Long Beach, and statewide it has been
approved in about 15 cities... (In typical fashion, California cities
ignore the state's preemption of the regulation of firearms and
ammunition, in the hopes of forcing the legislature to enact these
restrictions statewide.)
http://www.dailybreeze.com/news/ci_12789303
---
Oops, Wrong House, Florida Version: William West was asleep in his bed
when he got an unusual call from his neighbor at 4:30 in the morning. "I
called him back, and he was like, 'Somebody in your house right now. How
asleep is you? They in your house right now," West's neighbor said.
That's when West said he got up and armed himself with a 12-gauge
shotgun, taking matters into his own hands. "I didn't really have time
to think, you know what I'm saying," West said. "Didn't have time to
think to be scared or not. I just know I had to try to protect myself.
That's it." West said he shot the intruder who was later identified as
25-year-old Gerald Wright. According to the arrest report, Wright came
in through West's window armed with a silver handgun and was standing in
his living room... This marks the third incident in the last couple of
weeks where victims are no longer waiting for police and instead
utilizing Florida's stand-your-ground law... (It sounds as though
Channel 4 would rather report that citizens died while waiting for the
response to calling 911.)
http://www.news4jax.com/news/19997713/detail.html
---
Oops, Wrong House, North Carolina Version: A Sneads Ferry man who shot a
teenager charged with trying to break into the man's home Monday will
not be charged, authorities said. Landon Crews, of Crows Nest Lane, shot
18-year-old Cyle Norris early Monday morning. Detectives with the Onslow
County Sheriff's Department said Norris was trying to crawl through a
broken window when Crews shot him in the right forearm with No. 7 shot
from a 12-gauge shotgun. Norris and three other local men were charged
with first-degree burglary, possession of burglary tools and
conspiracy... "The long and the short of it is he didn't break the law,"
Sheriff Ed Brown said... (Note that in North Carolina, the newspaper
details why the use of deadly force was supported by state law.)
http://www.jdnews.com/news/home-65488-intruder-occupant.html
---
Another Ricochet Incident: Three police officers were hit by bullet
fragments that ricocheted after the police fired at a pit bull charging
at them from an apartment in a housing project on the Upper East Side
late Wednesday night, a police official said. A woman in the apartment
who had opened the door, letting the pit bull out, was also hit. None of
the injuries were serious, the police said... The bullets richocheted in
the close quarters of the hallway. One officer from the task force was
hit by a bullet fragment under his right eye. Another fragment hit the
hand of a second officer. An officer from the 19th Precinct was hit on
the side of his nose. The woman who had opened the door, whose name was
not immediately released, was hit in the arm... The woman who let the
dog out was arrested. The dog died in the shooting... (As already noted,
this is becoming an increasingly frequent phenomenon. NYPD uses Speer
Gold Dot ammo, with plated hollowpoint bullets.)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/09/nyregion/09cop.html?ref=nyregion
---
Unintended Consequences?: Britain's violent crime record is worse than
any other country in the European union, it has been revealed. Official
crime figures show the UK also has a worse rate for all types of
violence than the U.S. and even South Africa - widely considered one of
the world's most dangerous countries... But it is the naming of Britain
as the most violent country in the EU that is most shocking. The
analysis is based on the number of crimes per 100,000 residents. In the
UK, there are 2,034 offences per 100,000 people, way ahead of
second-placed Austria with a rate of 1,677... The U.S. has a violence
rate of 466 crimes per 100,000 residents, Canada 935, Australia 92 and
South Africa 1,609... But criminologists say crime figures can be
affected by many factors, including different criminal justice systems
and differences in how crime is reported and measured. In Britain, an
affray is considered a violent crime, while in other countries it will
only be logged if a person is physically injured... (Dave Grossman
argues that the rate of aggravated assault is a better measure of
violent crime than the rate of murder because, in industrialized
countries, medical advances have reduced the rate of fatality from
violent attacks.)
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1196941/The-violent-country-Europe-Britain-worse-South-Africa-U-S.html
--
Stephen P. Wenger, KE7QBY
Firearm safety - It's a matter
for education, not legislation.
http://www.spw-duf.info
