Telling It Like It Is: The Senate Judiciary Committee has made an error
that will likely be repeated by the full Senate. It has approved Judge
Sonia Sotomayor's nomination for the Supreme Court. The president has
the privilege of nominating anyone he pleases to the Supreme Court.
Ideally, it should be someone who is qualified, so that the Senate,
through its advice and consent, can without reservation confirm the
candidate. In the case of Sotomayor, the candidate is not qualified.
Even Sen. Orrin Hatch, the go-along-to-get-along Republican from Utah,
is opposed to the confirmation of Sotomayor. Hatch noted that the
federal appeals court judge has made "troubling statements" outside the
courtroom "that appear to conflict with the impartiality that I believe
is essential, that most Americans expect, and that the oath of judicial
office requires." ...
http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=333672373234345
From GOA: It was nearly a party-line vote. While every Democrat on the
Senate Judiciary Committee voted in favor of Judge Sonia Sotomayor
today, almost every Republican voted against her... all except for
turncoat Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. Apparently, the flighty
Republican did not care that Judge Sotomayor has demonstrated an extreme
anti-gun bias in her private and public life. Not only that, she has
expressed racist views in multiple speeches over the years, and she has
proven - in her actions and words - that she is committed to IGNORING
THE CONSTITUTION! The Sotomayor nomination now moves to the U.S. Senate
floor, where gun owners definitely face an uphill battle... Please
contact your two Senators and urge them to vote NO on Judge Sotomayor.
Tell them that the American Hunters and Shooters Association doesn't
speak for you. Please use the Gun Owners Legislative Action Center to
send your legislators the pre-written e-mail message below... (The
second link will generate your choice of a letter or an e-mail to your
senators.)
http://gunowners.org/a072809.htm
http://capwiz.com/gunowners/issues/alert/?alertid=13804581&PROCESS=Take+Action
Tangentially Related: Two Democratic senators said today they're not
happy with how the Senate Judiciary Committee conducts confirmation
hearings for Supreme Court nominees. As the committee prepared to vote
on Sonia Sotomayor's nomination, Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wis.) bemoaned what
he called a "familiar pattern" in confirmation hearings. Nominees, he
said, take the "path of least resistance" when they refuse to answer
almost all of senators' questions about the substance of law. "We cannot
ask nominees to disclose how they would rule on cases that might come
before them, but it is reasonable for us to ask their opinions on past
Supreme Court decisions," said Kohl, the second most-senior Democrat on
the committee. Kohl, who supports Sotomayor's nomination, said his
comments were not directed only at her, but at all nominees in recent
years and at the process itself. Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) said the
process fails to educate either the public or the Senate about a
nominee. It makes no sense, he said, that the only person in the United
States who cannot express an opinion on recent Supreme Court rulings "is
the person from whom the public most needs to hear it." "These hearings
have become little more than theater," Feingold said, "where senators
try to ask clever questions and nominees try to come up with clever
answers." Neither Feingold nor Kohl proposed specific changes...
http://legaltimes.typepad.com/blt/2009/07/two-senators-want-changes-in-confirmation-hearings.html
---
Gura Comments on Thune Amendment: ...However, when permit holders travel
across state lines, the validity of their permits - and thus their
ability to exercise their right of self-defense - depends upon a
crazy-quilt patchwork of ever shifting reciprocity agreements hammered
out among the states. This is precisely the sort of problem the
Constitution empowers Congress to solve, giving it the authority to have
states extend "full faith and credit" to each others' public acts.
Ensuring that Americans do not trip on internal borders is a basic
feature of our national existence. But gun rights opponents, unsafely
esconced in their shrinking gun-free fortresses, adamantly oppose
mingling with those who exercise their Second Amendment rights - never
mind the fact that gun-carry permitees constitute an incredibly
law-abiding population, and that the liberalization of gun carry laws
has correlated for the most part with substantial declines in violent
crime...
http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/hotline/2009/07/defeat-of-thune-amendment-runs-afoul-of.php
---
Now It's to the North of Us: After months of being blamed for Mexico's
surge in drug related violence, the United States is now being blamed
for the illegal gun trade in Canada as well. Many anti-gun idealists are
still trying to perpetuate the myth that guns are bought legally in the
U.S. and are then sold to Mexican gangs despite the fact that their "90%
of all illegal guns in Mexico come from the U.S." claim has been
thoroughly debunked. Sensing a chance to snowball the issue, a "study"
conducted in Canada claims "that the best available data suggests that
about two-thirds of crime guns seized in Canada have their origin south
of the border." Spearheading the study was Wendy Cukier of Ryerson
University, a prominent gun control activist, who feels the blame should
be extended for all violent crime on the planet...
http://www.examiner.com/x-2206-Cleveland-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m7d29-United-States-get-blamed-for-Canadian-illegal-gun-trade
---
New Look at an Old Scheme: We talked yesterday about a current battle
and a coming storm over the so-called "gun show loophole." I promised to
talk today about a way to prevent prohibited persons from buying guns
from dealers without recording any personally identifiable information
about any purchasers. It's not that I'm suddenly adopting and endorsing
"gun control." I have not changed my long-held and stated belief that
anyone who can't be trusted with a gun can't be trusted without a
custodian, and I don't for a second believe that this will stop criminal
from getting guns any more than I believe banning drugs will stop
addicts from getting them. Still, I want to tell you about a proposal
some friends of mine came up with a few years back. I'll explain why I
want to tell you about it after I tell you what it is. Necessity forces
me to link to an archived copy...
http://www.examiner.com/x-1417-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m7d28-What-if-we-could-do-instant-checks-and-not-identify-gun-buyers
---
The Beat Goes On: For months now, we've been seeing stories from all
over the world about the increase in gun and ammunition sales in this
country since the November elections. Many states, including Ohio, are
also reporting prominent spikes in issuance of concealed carry licenses
as more and more people are not only buying guns but carrying them for
self-defense as well. There are many factors which have lead to this
trend: concerns that the new anti-gun administration will attempt to
enact new gun restrictions, budget cuts leading to a publicized decrease
in police presence, and fears that a poor economy will lead to an
increase in crime, to name a few. Possibly as a result of all of this,
we are seeing an uptick in stories where the victim of a criminal attack
emerges victorious thanks to having an effective self-defense tool. Two
from today demonstrate this trend...
http://www.examiner.com/x-2206-Cleveland-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m7d28-Crime-becoming-a-more-dangerous-occupation
---
CCW Confidentiality: ...Instead of reporting, each time an armed
robbery, home invasion, or car-jacking occurred, that the violent
attacker did NOT have a license to carry, the news media set about to
publish lists containing the private, personal information of
license-holders, not unlike the state publishes records about registered
sex offenders. In my home state of Ohio, the Cleveland Plain Dealer was
one of many news entities to obtain and publish a list of licensees
after prodding from the Ohio Newspaper Association. Just a few days
after the first list was published, one of the license-holders on that
list - a Cleveland store-owner - was dead, having been ambushed by
violent armed robbers as he came to work one morning. Many wondered why
the criminals knew they needed to get the jump on the store-owner. Had
they read his name in the newspaper? ...
http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/node/6801
---
Tennessee AG Rules Out Park Carry at School Games: According to the
Tennessee Attorney General, a recently passed state law that allows guns
in parks does not apply to school sanctioned sporting events. In a
opinion issued last Friday, the state attorney general said there is no
state law to prevent school districts "from using athletic or other
recreational facilities in parks where handgun carry permit holders may
lawfully possess their firearms." The opinion goes on to say carrying
firearms, whether licensed to carry or not, into school sporting events
held in public parks violates a previous state law banning the
practice... Murfreesboro recently opted out of the law that allows
carry-permit holders to bring handguns into city, county and state parks
across the state. At the time of the debate, there was some confusion
over the Tennessee Secondary Schools Athletic Association's stance on
guns in parks and the effect that would have on Spring Fling...
http://www.murfreesboropost.com/news.php?viewStory=18356
---
Take That, You Nasty Gun: Officials today will destroy 16,000 guns
confiscated from criminals and collected from numerous gun buy-back
programs across L.A. County. Law enforcement agencies have attempted to
get guns off the street by allowing people to turn them in for gift
cards. Back in March, an LAPD gun-buyback program that traded gift cards
for firearms netted nearly 1,700 weapons, including 40 assault-style
weapons and a rifle with a grenade launcher. The grenade launcher AR-15
rifle, which did not have a grenade in it, was delivered to the Los
Angeles Police Department's Topanga station over the weekend as officers
across the city distributed gift cards in exchange for handguns, rifles
and shotguns. The anonymous drop-off program netted AR-15s, Uzis and
AK-47s. Sheriff Lee Baca will be on hand in Rancho Cucamonga to watch
the guns being crushed. They will be recycled into steel rebar.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/07/16000-la-guns-to-be-crushed-today-turned-into-steel-rebar.html
---
Open Carry Victory in Washington: The open carry movement in Washington
State just won a big one, with Monday's repeal of a county ordinance
that banned the open carrying of handguns in county parks. That ban had
been enacted in 1971, years before the State Legislature passed a
preemption law in 1983, (with amendments in 1985 and 1994) that
nullified such ordinances and placed sole authority for firearms
regulation in the hands of the state. It might be interesting to look
around the Evergreen State and find out when all of those municipal gun
ban ordinances were adopted; you know the ones that Greg Nickels' office
has alluded to in its defense of his threatened - but so far not enacted
- executive order banning legally-carried handguns on Seattle city
property. Apparently what prompted the commission to repeal the 1971 ban
was a demonstration of sorts - a picnic actually, held at Waterfront
Park - conducted by local members of a national movement called
OpenCarry.org, which operates an Internet forum covering the "OC"
movement...
http://www.examiner.com/x-4525-Seattle-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m7d28-Kitsap-County-Commission-hands-victory-to-open-carry-activists
---
Oops, Wrong Armored Car: A Brinks security guard shot and killed a
would-be robber who attacked him while he was making a routine stop at a
South Miami-Dade health clinic Friday, according to witnesses. After the
2 p.m. shooting outside the Doris Ison Health Center, 10300 SW 216th
St., Miami-Dade police arrested two other suspects after a search of
surrounding neighborhoods. Miami-Dade police have not identified the
dead man. Those arrested also were not identified. "According to
investigators, shots were fired when three subjects, armed with
firearms, attempted to rob an armored truck crew making a pick up or
delivery at the health center located at 10300 SW 216th Street,'' a
Miami-Dade police statement said late Friday...
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/sfl-brinks-shooting-miami-072509,0,4496841.story
---
Starting Out Young: An 11-year-old boy has been accused of trying to
hijack two boys' scooters with a toy gun in an Ohio park. The father of
the two boys, Rich Harrison, says it was a frightening experience
because it wasn't clear that the gun was a toy. His boys are ages 8 and
10. Cincinnati police say the 11-year-old pointed the toy gun, saying he
wanted to take one of the silver push scooters, and then chased the
brothers as they raced away. Police took the boy to the Hamilton County
juvenile center, where he faces an Aug. 7 hearing. A public defender
doubts the boy could understand the consequences of his behavior.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/29/AR2009072901467.html
http://townhall.com/news/us/2009/07/29/police_ohio_boy_tried_scooter_holdup_with_toy_gun
---
Meanwhile, in New York...: Despite years of enforcement stings, many New
York stores still aren't complying with state rules banning the sale of
toy guns that could be confused with the real thing, state officials
said Tuesday. Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said his office has sent
letters to more than 100 retailers ordering them to halt sales of
look-a-likes that violate the ban. State law requires toy guns to either
be made from materials that couldn't possibly be confused with an actual
weapon, or carry colorful markings including a big orange stripe... (Of
course, no criminal who wants to use a replica to commit a crime would
ever think of peeling off the orange tape or painting it over.)
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2009/07/28/ap6710571.html
---
This Was in Texas, Mind You, Not Britain: It cost him his job at a Round
Rock Randalls, but Troy Schafer, who was fired last week after chasing a
purse snatcher out of the grocery store, said he didn't have much
choice. It was about 2 p.m. July 21, and Schafer had just walked in from
finishing a sandwich and chips in front of the store when he heard
52-year-old Ann Welch screaming for help. Welch had been standing at the
deli counter with her purse resting in her cart when someone ran past
her, grabbed her purse and ran out the door. She followed, screaming and
pointing where he'd gone. A U.S. Army veteran who said he spent some
time in South Korea in the 1990s, Schafer, 36, took up the chase with
help from a customer, he said... "We got (Welch) her purse back, all of
her money, everything," Schafer said. "Then, the next day, my loss
prevention unit from Randalls came in and said I was suspended without
pay." A few days later, Schafer said, he was fired... (Note how easy it
is for a purse to be stolen from a shopping cart.)
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/2009/07/28/0728randalls.html
---
Some Interesting Thoughts: When it comes to choosing guns, thirty years
of hits and misses has taught me that a gun I don't like to shoot won't
accompany me to the range. Comfort is thus a key consideration when
choosing a firearm. Especially with handguns, accuracy is required for
effect. Every handgun cartridge has documented instances where a
determined attacker absorbed hit after center-of-mass hit and kept right
on being a threat. The reality is that even someone with holes in their
heart can keep going long enough to kill. Only solid hits on the central
nervous system are decisive and instant fight-stoppers... For many, the
answer lies in choosing guns that are not so powerful as to discourage
practice. Among handguns a great example is the 9mm Luger. When loaded
with 124 grain or 147 grain jacketed hollow points this cartridge
typically performs well in gelatin testing... (Center of mass of an
adult human body is actually about three inches below the navel. It
really takes a shot to the thumb-size brainstem to shut someone down
instantaneously, not a practical proposition in most self-defense
scenarios. Most people who know whereof they speak seem to cluster
around the 124 to 127 gr. +P loads in 9x19 mm, so long as the gun is
suited for +P loads. Personally, I'd rather go with a good 115 gr. load
than a good 147 gr. load in that chambering. As to the 6.8 SPC
chambering for AR-15's, I'd rather not invest in something that requires
what is still an uncommon cartridge. Differences of opinion are what
make horse races.)
http://www.lewrockwell.com/calderwood/calderwood29.1.html
---
Video - Glenn Beck on CCW:
http://www.thehopeforamerica.com/play.php?id=1588
--
Stephen P. Wenger, KE7QBY
Firearm safety - It's a matter
for education, not legislation.
http://www.spw-duf.info
