"Stimulus" Could Fund Anti-RKBA Groups: The Association of Community
Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), the far left anti-gun group under
investigation for voter fraud, could be eligible to receive millions, if
not billions of dollars from the economic bailout bill that passed out
of the House of Representatives yesterday... Another group that could
benefit from the bailout bill is MoveOn.org, an organization that has
advocated for sweeping gun control laws. According to Rep. Darrell Issa,
a California Republican, "MoveOn.org's civic action committee could
receive stimulus funds such as money earmarked for energy 'activities',
since MoveOn.org lists one of its goals to 'reduce America's dependence
on oil.'" Pro-gun Senator David Vitter (R-LA) sees the bill as "payoff"
for the liberal interest groups that helped to put Barack Obama in the
White House, and that some provisions in the bill were actually written
with specific interest groups in view...
http://gunowners.org/a020209.htm
---
ACORN at Work: The Rev. Melvin Whitley says he has a unique idea to curb
gun violence in North Carolina. He's proposing a law that would require
consumers to get a license to buy bullets. That would mean a background
check before gun owners could acquire any ammunition... Guerriero said
the gun industry is already heavily regulated by legislation designed to
keep guns out of the wrong hands. "Your felon is not going to go into a
retail shop and buy guns the legal way that you and I would. They're not
going to go into a shop and purchase ammunition, like you and I would,"
he said. "They're not going to do that." But Whitley, a card-carrying
member of the National Rifle Association, said his bill is about gun
safety, not gun control. (Curiously, no mention is made of he reverend's
affiliation with ACORN.)
http://news14.com/content/local_news/triangle/604421/man-proposes-ammunition-restrictions/Default.aspx
---
BOHICA: ...For example, Sen. McCain might once more propose legislation
to close the gun show loophole, while reaching across the aisle to
someone like newly-appointed New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, and
ask her to be a co-sponsor. Solving a problem by working with members of
the opposing party has been a hallmark of Sen. McCain's service in the
Senate. Using that reputation to require background checks for all gun
sales at gun shows would allow Sen. Gillibrand to begin to represent all
New Yorkers on the gun issue. In this way, common sense gun policy can
help build a bridge to moderate voters across the ideological spectrum,
while allowing both parties to stake a claim as to whose "way of
bringing the country together" is better... (Communitarian: A member or
supporter of a small cooperative or a collectivist community.)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-helmke/bill-clinton-on-pragmatis_b_163433.html
A gun-control group is calling on Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) to
sponsor a gun-control bill to show that she's evolving from being a
favorite of the gun lobby to a true blue-state senator. "She's saying
she realizes that she represents a statewide constituency," said Paul
Helmke, president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. "One
way she could prove she has evolved is to push this issue." Helmke said
his group is seeking a meeting with Gillibrand to ask her to support
legislation to require background checks on gun sales at gun shows,
commonly referred to by activists as "closing the gun-show loophole." A
message left with Gillibrand's office was not returned Tuesday afternoon...
http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/brady-campaign-calls-on-gillibrand-to-sponsor-gun-control-bill-2009-02-03.html
---
Nonsense in Orlando: An erstwhile federal ban on assault weapons made
lots of sense. Allowing it to lapse, as Congress did in 2004, didn't.
How much longer will it take to correct that mindless mistake? There's
no need for ordinary citizens to be armed with such lethal firepower.
Hunters don't need them. Gun-toting urbanites don't need them, either.
Those who say that outlawing these lethal rifles will only mean that
criminals will have access to them are flat wrong. All that legalization
does is make it easier for crooks to get them, and make it necessary for
police to play catch-up in a costly city-street arms race... This one's
a no-brainer. The ban was once on the books; all that Congress has to do
is write it back into U.S. law. Oh, yes, with one exception. Don't write
in a sunset provision this time. (Oh yes, just like all the drug laws
have made it so difficult for criminals to buy and sell banned and
restricted drugs.)
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/orl-ed03109feb03,0,1980888.story
South Carolina Sheriff's Officer Chimes In: ..."If a deputy comes up on
a guy with an AK-47 or something like that, he would not be prepared,"
Charleston County Sheriff's Maj. John Clark said Monday. "Those guns can
penetrate a vest, depending on the round." Law enforcement officials
said the James Island incident, which left one man dead, underscores the
need to crack down on the illegal use of military-style weapons, such as
AK-47s and SKS rifles... (Whether a spent case is replaced manually or
automatically has no effect on how easily a bullet will penetrate soft
body armor. A .30-30 is actually a more powerful round than the
7.62x39mm round fired from an SKS or an AK-47 clone.)
http://www.charleston.net/news/2009/feb/03/crimes_spur_support_tougher_s_c_laws70420/
---
The Beat Goes On, as Seen by Voice of America: The Second Amendment to
the U.S. Constitution gives Americans the right to bear arms, and
roughly one third of all Americans are exercising that right. The FBI
estimates there are more than 200 million privately owned guns in the
United States, and that number is rising. Gun sales have been booming
ever since Barack Obama's appearance on the presidential campaign trail.
Government officials charged with reviewing civilian applications for
the purchase of firearms report there was a 50 percent increase in
requests for reviews between November 2007 and November 2008. Obama's
record of supporting gun-control measures gave gun sales another boost
after his election November 4th, and sales have continued to rise in the
early days of his presidency... (No, the Second Amendment protests a
right that is presumed given the Creator.)
http://www.voanews.com/english/AmericanLife/2009-02-03-voa31.cfm
---
The Beat Goes On - The Flip Side: Illinois gun owners could fall prey to
a state bureaucracy that fails to process firearm owner's identification
cards promptly. The state's tardiness leaves some otherwise law-abiding
firearm owners vulnerable to criminal charges because FOID cards often
expire while the state police are still processing renewals. Criminal
charges can be filed against any resident who possesses a gun but does
not have a valid FOID card. The Illinois State Police agency is required
by law to process FOID applications within 30 days. But the process is
taking up to 60 business days, according to agency spokesman Lt. Scott
Compton... Compton attributed the delay to a deluge of 280,000
applications last year, well above the 225,000 the state averages and
the most since 1968. More than 88,500 came in the last three months
alone. One day in December 2008 saw about 2,400 applications, more than
double the state's average for that date... (Even Arizona is running
behind on processing CWP applications, due to the surge.)
http://daily-journal.com/archives/dj/display.php?id=434886
---
Virginia Senate Supports RKBA: ...Hours later, the full Senate rejected
a bill that would have required merchants who sell weapons at gun shows
to first conduct background checks on the buyers. The measure's sponsor
used a procedural maneuver to keep the legislation alive, at least for
one more day... The Senate also voted to repeal a law that prohibited
anyone from carrying concealed weapons into a club or restaurant where
alcohol is served... Virginia, considered by many to be a conservative
Southern state, is home to the National Rifle Association, and gun
ownership is widespread. Tobacco was once the foundation of Virginia's
economy, and the state is home to thousands of tobacco farms and Altria
Group, the parent company of Philip Morris USA... ("Merchants" with
FFL's are already required to conduct background checks; the bill would
have imposed the burden on private-party transactions. Virginia may be
home to the NRA headquarters, which moved there from DC, but I believe
that the primary lobbying force for the RKBA in the state is now the
Virginia Citizens Defense League.)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/03/AR2009020301714.html
---
Tennessee May Reconsider CCW Confidentiality: What some are calling a
matter of privacy, others are calling a dangerous idea. At issue is
whether or not applications for gun-carry permits should be kept
confidential. Getting a permit isn't only about learning the rules; a
lot of personal information must be given up. "You have to answer a lot
of questions," said John Harris, executive director of the Tennessee
Firearms Association. "Like, for example, 'How were you discharged from
the military?' 'Have you ever been addicted to any kind of alcohol or
other substances?' 'Have you ever had any psychiatric problems?' A lot
of information is disclosed on the forms that really shouldn't be
public." That's information that many permit owners don't want out there
along with their addresses and what kind of guns they own...
http://www.wsmv.com/news/18633290/detail.html#-
---
Arkansas Expanded-Carry Bill Clears Committee: An Arkansas legislative
committee has backed a bill allowing concealed weapons in churches,
despite concerns of a pastor who said he was shot in a sanctuary two
decades ago and still opposes the measure. Pastor John Phillips Jr. told
members of the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday that churches should
be safe places, free from weapons... Several pastors from churches
around the state testified in support of the bill, saying they worried
about the safety of their congregations. "To me, being in church is
probably one of the most vulnerable places anyone can be as far as an
attack happening," said Pastor Mark Thorton of the Big Creek Missionary
Baptist Church in Malvern. "And if there's no one there who can legally
carry a handgun, we're going to be on the 6 o'clock news." (Let me get
this straight - it was not only illegal for the deranged man to shoot
Pastor Phillips, it was also illegal for him to carry the gun into the
church at the time. I guess that law really works.)
http://www.baxterbulletin.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009902040318
---
California Sheriff's Department Shows Bias: Transcripts of text messages
sent by Orange County sheriff's officials during a November 2008 Board
of Supervisors meeting shows the law enforcement leaders used their cell
phones to ridicule activists and even supervisors during a public
hearing on gun permit policies. The messages, obtained under a public
records request by a group named Ordinary California Citizens Concerned
With Safety, reveal a combative tone by sheriff's command staff toward
the activists. Some county supervisors questioned whether that
defensiveness triggered the large security presence that met activists
when they returned to a January meeting seeking to again criticize
Sheriff Sandra Hutchens' gun policies. "We are locked in mortal battle.
.. It is ugly. We will survive however," wrote Assistant Sheriff Mike
Hillmann as he sat in the audience at 1:17 p.m. during the Nov. 18 board
meeting. Hillmann, a former LAPD deputy chief recruited by Hutchens to
help reform Orange County's troubled department, made fun of County
Supervisor Janet Nguyen - a vocal critic of Hutchen's concealed weapons
policies. Hillmann texted: "I hope Janet has a pet she can call a
friend." ... (LAPD brass have been notoriously hostile toward armed
private citizens.)
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/sheriff-hutchens-meeting-2297673-activists-county
---
Guns at Work: Are your co-workers armed? At a small company off the
Beltway, employees fired back when a mentally ill woman who was
supposedly looking to kill her father shot a worker with an arrow. Two
co-workers there had their own handguns - and permits to carry them -
when the woman arrived... Gun proponents say this is what the Texas
Concealed Handgun Law is for: allowing properly screened and trained
citizens to protect themselves. But are guns a good idea at work? Many
companies say no. Houston-based Conoco-Phillips is among them.
Conoco-Phillips not only bans guns in the office, but also in company
parking lots. That rule has led to lawsuits in Oklahoma. But could
armed workers have protected themselves two years ago at the Space
Center when a disgruntled worker smuggled in a gun, killed a coworker
and held another hostage before shooting himself? With companies laying
off people by the thousands, some corporations are questioning their gun
policies. Sometimes the answers they're getting are surprising...
http://www.khou.com/news/local/stories/khou090202_tnt_guns-at-office.11967211.html
---
Rule One, Rule Two Reminder: After the shotgun blast, Alaina Beasley
screamed, fell to the apartment floor and cried to the shooter - her
husband of three months - to call 911... After an hour outdoors shooting
skeet, the whole family trouped to Lincoln for a brief tour of the
capital city, a sandwich lunch and a visit. It had been a perfect
Saturday. Until 9:14 p.m. That's when the forgotten shell burst from the
pump-action shotgun, flying six feet inside their Lincoln apartment
before it hit an unintended target: Alaina... Josh Beasley, who
completed a gun safety course last week, was cleaning his shotgun
Saturday night at their home at 6230 N.W. Second Circle, not realizing
the gun still held one shell... (Rule One: All firearms are always
loaded. Rule Two: Don't let the muzzle cross anything you're not
prepared to shoot.)
http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2798&u_sid=10553228
---
Platitudes and Questions in Jamaica: There is merit in the arguments
advanced by both sides in the current debate on relaxing the rules
governing the ownership of licensed firearms... We feel, though, that
any decision taken by the authorities on this matter should be
influenced by facts relative to Jamaica rather than emotion. For
instance, how many licensed firearm holders are held up and/or killed
and robbed of their guns each year? How many acts of violence are
prevented by licensed firearm holders? How often does the mere sight of
a firearm discourage an attacker? How many cases of accidental shootings
by owners of legal firearms have been recorded? And what level of
training are the owners of licensed firearms exposed to? These are some
of the questions that need to be answered before any decision is taken
either way on this matter. For as we said, valid points have been raised
by both sides. The police, we suspect, should have some of this data,
but there is need for a wider and more detailed study devoid of the
dangers of advocacy research. (We have one list member in Jamaica, who
originally contacted me, a few years back, for details on training
requirements for the Arizona CWP.)
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/editorial/html/20090202T190000-0500_145630_OBS_IN_THIS_GUN_DEBATE_LET_S_NOT_SHOOT_FROM_THE_LIP.asp
--
Stephen P. Wenger, KE7QBY
Firearm safety - It's a matter
for education, not legislation.
http://www.spw-duf.info
