Sunstein Flunks RKBA Test: University of Chicago law professor Cass R.
Sunstein, the president's embattled nominee to head the Office of
Information and Regulatory Affairs, misfired one time too many. Mr.
Sunstein has been assuring Second Amendment advocates, including key
Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss of Georgia, that he strongly believes
the Constitution protects an individual right to bear arms. In a July 14
letter clarifying his positions at the request of the senator, Mr.
Sunstein wrote: "Your first question involved the Second Amendment. I
strongly believe that the Second Amendment creates an individual right
to possess and use guns for purposes of both hunting and self-defense. I
agree with the Supreme Court's decision in the Heller case, clearly
recognizing the individual right to have guns for hunting and
self-defense. If confirmed, I would respect the Second Amendment and the
individual right that it recognizes." ...A videotape has surfaced of a
lecture Mr. Sunstein gave on Oct. 23, 2007. Here is what he said: "My
coming view is that the individual right to bear arms reflects the
success of an extremely aggressive and resourceful social movement and
has much less to do with good standard legal arguments than [it]
appears." Discussing the anti-gun laws in the District of Columbia, he
said a critic of such strict gun control would say that a "trigger lock
interferes with his efforts at self-defense against criminals. What on
Earth does that have to do with the Second Amendment as originally
understood?" ...
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/sep/09/sunstein-flunks-gun-rights-test/
From GOA: Just when you thought the news about the Obama administration
couldn't get any worse, gun owners find themselves needing to rally the
troops once again. This time it's the proposed "Regulatory Czar" who
will be coming to a vote this week in the U.S. Senate. His name is Cass
Sunstein, and he holds some of the kookiest views you will ever hear...
In Sunstein's world, animals should have just as many rights as people
.. and they should be able to sue humans in court! ...Imagine the power
that Sunstein could have as the Regulatory Czar - the nickname for the
person heading the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA)
in the White House. As the Regulatory Czar, he could bring about changes
in the regulations that affect hunting, gun control and farming. In
short, he could make your life hell. Senator Saxby Chambliss (R-GA)
objected to his nomination several weeks ago, preventing him from being
unanimously confirmed. That means that the Senate will now need to
garner 60 votes to confirm this radical, kooky choice to the OIRA...
(Second link will generate your choice of letter or e-mail to your
Senators.)
http://gunowners.org/a090809.htm
http://capwiz.com/gunowners/issues/alert/?alertid=14007916&PROCESS=Take+Action
---
Can F Troop Be Reformed?: We've talked about the Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives many times here on Gun Rights Examiner,
and many more times over at my online journal, The War on Guns: Notes
from the Resistance. Simply put, it's an organization I can find no
Constitutional justification for. Some believe the agency capable of
reform. In May, Rep. Zack Space (R-OH) and Rep. Steve King (R-IA)
re-introduced "reform legislation" they tell us is backed by "defenders
of the Second Amendment" in the House of Representatives. This is a
"companion bill" to legislation introduced to the Senate in April by
Sen. Mike Crapo (R-ID)...
http://www.examiner.com/x-1417-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m9d7-Can-ATF-be-reformed
We spoke yesterday of legislation introduced in Congress that has the
stated purpose of bringing reforms to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,
Firearms and Explosives. We saw support for this effort from the
National Rifle Association, which calls the bills "a vital step to
modernize and improve BATFE operations." Jews for the Preservation of
Firearms Ownership (JPFO) disagrees. They want nothing less than to
"Boot the BATFE." Here's why...
http://www.examiner.com/x-1417-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m9d8-Jewish-gun-rights-group-says-Boot-the-BATFE
..Yesterday, we examined a campaign created by Jews for the
Preservation of Firearms Ownership. Their bottom line: "Boot the BATFE."
No doubt many will consider this an unrealistic goal, and deem the
likelihood of generating enough support to make it happen remote without
revolutionary changes from the way government exerts control now. That
doesn't mean it shouldn't be a goal. Besides, at this point, the
NRA-backed bills have only attracted 174 cosponsors in the House and 12
in the Senate. Some might tell us passage of such legislation in this
administration is also an impossible dream. And those efforts would
still leave us under the thumb of an agency with a history of
heavy-handed corruption and incompetence. So what can we do - right now
- that has a reasonable chance of making headway? Fortunately, there is
something--and it comes from what many will consider two unlikely sources...
http://www.examiner.com/x-1417-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m9d9-Even-ATF-employees-fed-up-with-corruption-and-incompetence
---
Feds Miss the Boat in New Orelans Investigation: Four years after
Hurricane Katrina wreaked havoc on the City of New Orleans, leaving
anarchy in its wake, the Department of Justice is reportedly putting on
a full court press investigation of the police in that city, with the
main focus being on two shooting incidents that left three people dead.
Let's be up front about this: Since the Second Amendment Foundation and
National Rifle Association (and nobody else!) stepped to file a landmark
federal lawsuit to stop authorities in New Orleans from illegally
seizing firearms in the hurricane's aftermath, nobody has been held
accountable for that treachery. Now would be a good time for Barack
Obama and Eric Holder to demonstrate beyond a reasonable doubt that they
respect the Second Amendment by ordering the FBI to find out who issued
the confiscation order, and bring them to justice, along with the
individual officers who behaved like goons. Their tactics reflected on
the thousands of good and decent police officers and sheriff's deputies
all over the country who would never dream of acting without warrant and
abusing their authority, no matter what the emergency, and it created a
distrust of law enforcement at times of emergency that lingers today...
http://www.examiner.com/x-4525-Seattle-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m9d8-Feds-investigate-NOPD-four-years-after-Katrina-gun-seizures-should-play-into-case
---
�Hasta Luego!: Mexico's point man in the drug war resigned Monday in a
Cabinet shakeup that raised questions on whether the government's
strategy to crack down on brutal gangs will change course. Attorney
General Eduardo Medina-Mora did not give a reason for his resignation,
saying only in his farewell speech that "we have done a lot to clean the
house," referring to his efforts to combat rampant police and government
corruption... Medina-Mora was an outspoken critic of U.S. gun laws,
which he argued make it easy for drug gangs to acquire weapons across
the border. He called for more aggressive prosecutions of criminals who
smuggle guns into Mexico, saying the U.S. constitutional right to bear
arms doesn't protect them. "The Second Amendment was not put there to
arm foreign criminal groups," he told The Associated Press during an
interview in February. (Hasta luego, a common Mexican way of saying
goodbye, literally means "until later." Actually, I won't mind if this
is the last we hear of Medina-Mora, whose "guidance" to American
lawmakers on infringing the RKBA was widely touted in the Tory press.)
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5huH4DXJNboBP3-d5a4Ueu1CS0AAQD9AIQ4P80
With a new attorney general, Mexican President Felipe Calder�n is trying
to get even tougher on drug cartels and those who protect them. But
critics say he tapped the wrong man for the job: Arturo Chavez was mired
in controversy as attorney general of a border state where corruption
ran rampant and hundreds of women were raped and murdered with impunity.
In nominating Chavez, Calder�n clearly sided with Mexico's top cop,
Public Safety Secretary Genaro Garcia Luna, in an increasingly bitter
rivalry with outgoing Attorney General Eduardo Medina-Mora. Chavez and
Garcia Luna are allies from the same faction of the ruling party. While
Medina-Mora focused on restructuring Mexico's justice system, Garcia
Luna won praise for carrying out the bulk of the 80,000 drug arrests
since Calder�n took office in 2006. He oversees thousands of federal
police working alongside soldiers in the country's drug hot spots...
http://www.azstarnet.com/news/308232
---
California Ammo Bill Could See Vote Today: On Friday, during
consideration of Assembly Bill 962, the California Senate amended AB962
to remove some of the more outrageous provisions of the bill in an
effort to make it easier to pass. Despite these amendments, AB962
remains a serious threat to the rights of California's law-abiding gun
owners. It is critical that you continue contacting your State Senator
to voice your opposition to this bill. AB962 could be voted on by the
Senate as early as tomorrow, Wednesday, September 9... Despite these
changes to the bill, AB962 is still unacceptable and represents a dire
threat to our ability to exercise our Second Amendment rights.
Ammunition retailers would still have to store ammunition in such a
manner that it would be inaccessible to purchasers. The bill still
requires that individuals purchasing ammunition be fingerprinted at the
time of sale, mandates that dealers keep these records and make them
available for inspection by the Department of Justice. Finally, mail
order ammunition sales are still prohibited under AB962. Please contact
your State Senator IMMEDIATELY and respectfully urge them to oppose AB962...
http://www.nraila.org/Legislation/Read.aspx?ID=5124
---
Tennessee Legislators Seek RKBA Funds: The head of a group that
advocated for a slew of new Tennessee laws loosening handgun carry
restrictions says lawmakers are hitting him up for campaign
contributions. John Harris, executive director of the Tennessee Firearms
Association, wrote in his most recent newsletter that he wants to raise
money for the group's political action committee so it can "step up to
the plate for those who have helped us with the major victories this
year." The group has been receiving requests for money from both sitting
lawmakers and challengers in next year's elections, he said. Harris
wrote that his goal is to raise $240,000, or $1 for every person with a
handgun carry permit in Tennessee. But he acknowledged that that goal is
likely unrealistic...
http://www.thedailytimes.com/article/20090908/NEWS/309089969
---
At Long Last: When he was 18, Clifford Orton Moon wanted automobile
parts. Now that he is 70, Clifford Orton Moon Sr. wants to go hunting.
But the earlier of his desires got in the way of the other. On Sept. 1,
a West Chester attorney asked a Chester County judge to sign an order
wiping the slate clean for Moon, his client... Moon was arrested in
January 1958 and charged with burglary and larceny for stealing a
steering wheel from a Phoenixville junk yard and a carburetor from a
Pottstown wrecking yard. After pleading guilty, he was sentenced to
three years' probation. His criminal record was kept on file with state
police for more than 50 years, thus blocking him from obtaining a gun
permit or a hunting license. But Moon was able to take advantage of a
little-used provision in the state's expungement statute that permits
people at least 70 years old who have been crime free for at least 10
years to have their criminal records erased... (Moon's home in Hereford
AZ is literally a long walk from the Mexican border and there is usually
a nightly flow of illegal entrants in the area.)
http://dailylocal.com/articles/2009/09/08/news/srv0000006335184.txt
---
Oops, Wrong Apartment: Police said an intruder was shot during an
attempted break-in at a Northland apartment complex early Monday
morning. Officers were called to the Wild Oaks complex at Highway 152
and Flintlock Road shortly before 3 a.m. Police said a man was trying to
break into an apartment when the woman inside grabbed her gun and fired
at the intruder through the door. The man pulled out his own gun and
fired back. The intruder was hit twice and was taken to a hospital. He
is expected to recover. The woman was not injured. (It's not clear
whether the door was still closed when the woman fired. Rule Four:
Always be sure of your target and what's beyond it.)
http://www.kmbc.com/news/20773327/detail.html
---
Oops, Wrong House: An Orange County [FL] homeowner says he shot a man in
self defense late Monday night. The man told deputies he came home just
before 11:00pm Monday night and found another man in his home on Faculty
Drive. He says the man hit him in the head with a pipe and stabbed him.
The homeowner then got his gun and shot the man. Both were taken to the
hospital, but their conditions have not been released. Deputies tell
Eyewitness News the two men knew each other... (Once again, we see the
advantage of being armed at all times. Perhaps the stabbing victim has
never taken the time to obtain a CWFL.)
http://www.wftv.com/news/20787085/detail.html
---
Texas Home Invasion, The Rest of the Sory: At 1:52 AM last Friday, four
home invaders broke into a house in San Marcos. Three wielded handguns,
which they proceeded to point at two residents. A third resident,
awakened by the commotion, grabbed his own handgun and opened his
bedroom door, where he found an invader pointing a pistol at him. He
opened fire, striking three and killing two. The fourth (Frank Castro)
fled and was arrested later; he has since been charged with aggravated
robbery. These are the facts of the case. Unfortunately, there is a
story behind the story, which involves biased and misleading reporting.
All four home invaders were teenagers. While it is a tragedy when young
people to lose their lives, even as the result of their own actions, Old
Media addresses this angle in a curious manner...
http://www.examiner.com/x-2879-Austin-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m9d8-Successful-selfdefense-leaves-2-robbers-dead
---
Tucson Self-Defense Shooting, More Details: A 31-year-old man has been
arrested in connection with the fatal shooting outside an east-side bar,
police said Tuesday. John Majalca was involved with others in an assault
Friday night of a 24-year-old man outside the bar, according to a news
release from the Tucson Police Department. During the assault, the
victim pulled out a firearm and shot one of his assailants, police
said... Conrad and the other men assaulted the 24-year-old, Lopez said.
One of the men had a weapon, Lopez said, but she would not say what
type. The 24-year-old pulled out a handgun and shot Conrad, Lopez said.
A search-warrant document filed in connection with the case shows police
recovered hatchets, a stun gun and several hammers from a property in
the 3600 block of South Eighth Avenue. Also recovered were a belt buckle
and shirt with "81" on them. This number can refer to the Hells Angels
motorcycle gang.
Police would not say if Majalca or any of the others involved are
members of the gang...
http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/308249
---
Mental Preparedness, the Second Priority: ...This isn't about gun
control, by the way. Nope. What I'm saying is that I'm amazed at the
number of people who have one or two weapons and have no clue as to when
they last practiced with them, cleaned them or where the heck they came
from in the first place. It's been up in the closet for 20 years and,
well, "I know where it is if I need it." Don't fool yourself. When bad
stuff happens, it happens much quicker than you think... Are you
prepared? Have you done those little things to keep the bad guys out? We
talk about lights, locks and alarms, but what if you are in the house or
the car and the illegal entry is made and someone is coming in on you?
What do you do? Do you have a gun? Where is it? Is it loaded? Is it
locked away or gun-locked? What are your chances of surviving an attack
without a weapon compared to having one? ...All I'm saying is prepare
yourself for the worst-case scenario. If your defense includes your gun,
then make sure that you have it together. Know it, practice with it and
have a plan in case you need to respond. You don't want to finish in
second place.
http://blogs.ajc.com/view-from-cop/2009/09/08/own-a-gun-are-you-prepared-to-use-it/?cxntfid=blogs_view_from_cop
---
Glock Nets $960 in Stimulus Funds: Smyrna-based Glock received $960 in
stimulus money to equip three Department of Interior Recovery Oversight
officers with 9 mm handguns. No, that does not mean the officers can
draw on someone at the Department of Interior if they find federal
stimulus money is misspent. The law enforcement officers are part of the
federal agency's Office of Inspector General. The office, which is
independent of the Department of Interior, received $15 million in
federal stimulus money to set up its own Recovery Oversight Office to
oversee how the dollars are spent. The office has 29 people - auditors,
evaluators and investigators - 10 of which are new hires. The
investigators are federal law enforcement officers and so by law, they
are required to carry guns and badges, said Kris Kolesnik, a spokesman
for the DOI's inspector general... (Of note, someone at Glock or AJC
makes a distinction between "law enforcement" and "federal use.")
http://www.ajc.com/business/glock-gets-stimulus-money-133294.html
---
Tangentially Related: Terrorists are aiming for hotels and other
easier-to-hit targets as security measures at military and government
facilities continue to improve, says a global intelligence company.
Al-Qaida is changing from a centralized organization with global goals
to regional "franchises" with more parochial aims and strong grass-roots
support, according to a report Tuesday from STRATFOR. These smaller
cells get less training and less money, so they set their sights
lower... (Coming soon to a neighborhood near you? The Coast Guard has a
worthy motto - Semper paratus, always prepared.)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090908/ap_on_go_ot/us_terrorism_hotel_attacks
--
Stephen P. Wenger, KE7QBY
Firearm safety - It's a matter
for education, not legislation.
http://www.spw-duf.info
