GOA's State of the Union on the RKBA: By the end of the month, President
Barack Obama is expected to give the State of the Union address.  Oh,
what a year it's been.  It was almost a year ago that President Obama
took his oath of office.  But soon after he raised his right hand and
promised to "preserve, protect and defend" the Constitution, Americans
became engaged in the fight of their lives to safeguard their
liberties.  The extremist Obama administration began pushing an
anti-gun, socialistic agenda of the kind that most Americans have not
seen in their lifetimes. The President began placing gun-hating radicals
in high positions of power - both in the executive department and in the
courts - and he pushed a socialistic gun control agenda that kept gun
owners busy throughout 2009.  Yet through it all, Gun Owners of America
rallied the troops to oppose the President each and every step of the
way.  Some battles we lost.  Others we won.  Some are still at a
stalemate.  Regardless, this 2009 review should encourage you.  It shows
that even though every institution in Washington is slanted against us,
we can slow down, stop or reverse the march towards gun control...

http://gunowners.org/a011410.htm
---

But the Real Culprit Was the Gun Ban: A Pentagon inquiry into the case
of the alleged Fort Hood shooter could lead to punishment of up to eight
Army officers, a U.S. official said late Thursday. Defense Secretary
Robert Gates was expected to refer findings on the officers to the Army
for further inquiry and possible punishment. The report on what went
wrong in the case of Army Maj. Nidal Hasan, who is accused in the
shootings, is expected to be released Friday. The official said a
Pentagon inquiry finds fault with five to eight supervisors who knew or
should have known about the shortcomings and erratic behavior of the
shooting suspect. Hasan is accused of killing 13 people at the Texas
Army base on Nov. 5. The officers supervised Hasan when he was a medical
student and during his early work as an Army psychiatrist at Walter Reed
Army Medical Center... (Rest assured that rather than even criticize
those responsible for maintaining defenseless-victim zones at Ft. Hood
and other military bases, such policies will only be intensified.)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/15/AR2010011500038.html?hpid=sec-nation
---

NRA Plugs Brown in Crucial Senate Race: The National Rifle Association
became the latest group to enter the Massachusetts senate race this
week, spending a bit under $20,000 to mail four-color postcards to Bay
State voters, according to a filing with the Federal Election
Commission. The mailing is, not surprisingly, on behalf of Republican
Scott Brown. In the last few days the race to replace the late Sen. Ted
Kennedy has become a magnet for political dollars from national groups
who see the contest as being about the filibuster-breaking 60th
Democratic senate vote and the fate of healthcare reform. Indeed, the
NRA's $20,000 foray is fairly low-key compared to other sums that have
been spent, mostly on television ads. According to the Washington Post's
Chris Cillizza, the heavy hitters include the Democratic Senatorial
Campaign Committee with almost $1 million, the Service Employees
International Union with $529,000, and a labor-backed 527 called
Citizens for Strength and Security plunking down $278,000 all supporting
Coakley. Brown's allies include the Chamber of Commerce, with $443,000,
the American Future Fund with $375,000 and Americans for Responsible
Health Care with $204,000. Cillizza reports that overall Coakley's
allies are outspending Brown's by 2-1. Add the NRA's drop into Brown's
bucket. Interestingly, the National Republican Senatorial Campaign still
doesn't seem to have sunk any cash into the race. (This race could cost
the Democrats their 60-seat guarantee in the Senate.)

http://www.usnews.com/blogs/robert-schlesinger/2010/01/14/nra-fires-off-mailing-for-scott-brown.html
http://campaignspot.nationalreview.com/post/?q=NjM4NDE3MGJiNDI0Y2Q1OTJkNWYxNmM1Y2ZiYzU4Mjk=
---

F Troop Record Errors, Part 2: Yesterday we looked at a real-world
example illustrating both the inaccuracy of the Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' National Firearms Registration and
Transfer Record (NFRTR) as well as explored potential dangers gun owners
could face as a result. Today we're going to document the probability
that this was not just an isolated case, but an indication of
system-wide incompetence, negligence, deception and cover-up that
reaches throughout and beyond the agency, extending to those charged
with providing audit oversight. We've also talked about the Friesen
case. CliffsNotes version: The feds had a man on a machine gun charge
that could have resulted in a felony conviction if found guilty - but
they folded after it became clear the integrity of the NFRTR would be
exposed and their ability to rely on it in future cases would be
jeopardized...

http://www.examiner.com/x-1417-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2010m1d14-Have-officials-willfully-conspired-to-cover-up-ATF-record-errors
---

When Governments Ignore the Law?: When individual citizens ignore the
law and carry on as they please, they can be prosecuted in civil or
criminal courts, to punish their behavior. But what happens when
government ignores the law because elected officials have a
philosophical disagreement with the letter and the spirit of said law?
What are the citizens to do? ... The same disregard for law has now been
exhibited by four Democrats (remember which political party they
represent; an old Bob Hope film clip sums up hilariously how a growing
number of people, especially gun owners, look at Democrats as zombies)
on the Snohomish County Council, according to angry gun owners.
Republican Councilman John Koister, who declared that he is now running
for Congress against Democrat incumbent Rick Larsen in the 2nd District,
had implored his colleagues to amend a 1971 ordinance banning guns in
county parks. That ban was clearly voided by the 1983 state statute, RCW
9.41.290. I discussed the issue here on Tuesday, but just in case
Koster's colleagues are still not clear, here's what the statute says in
plain English: Local laws and ordinances that are inconsistent with,
more restrictive than, or exceed the requirements of state law shall not
be enacted and are preempted and repealed, regardless of the nature of
the code, charter, or home rule status of such city, town, county, or
municipality. There is not a lot of wiggle room here...

http://www.examiner.com/x-4525-Seattle-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2010m1d14-What-happens-when-governments-ignore-the-law
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20100114/NEWS01/701149939
---

Georgia RKBA Bills Subjected to the Usual Attacks: Jeff Wilburn of
Marietta is not a fan of Rep. Tim Bearden's bill, HB 615, or Sen. Mitch
Seabuagh's bill, SB 308, either of which would repeal Georgia's unique
public gathering law.  In a pair of editorials today in the Atlanta
Journal Constitution, Tim Bearden writes a defense of why he believes HB
615 is necessary, and Jeff Wilburn writes an article opposing any reform
of Georgia law.  Mr. Wilburn writes, "Left unchecked, these lawmakers
will take us back to the wild west days of shootouts at the OK Corral.
Their desire is to appease gun manufacturers, whose profits are the root
cause of this push, and their lobbyist arm, the NRA, rather than the
majority of Georgia citizens." Overlooking for now that the shootout at
the OK Corral was actually the result of overly aggressive enforcement
by police officers of a strict gun control law in Tombstone, Arizona, is
Mr. Wilburn's hysterical prediction of "wild west days of shootouts"
worthy of serious consideration in the debate over these two bills?
Opponents of decriminalizing handgun carry in restaurants that serve
alcohol and state parks made similar predictions in 2008 that failed to
materialize.  Opponents of decriminalizing handgun carry in the crowded
confines of MARTA trains fought vigorously against a perceived danger of
"vigilantism" and shootouts, even calling for bullet-proof shields to
protect drivers, but they have grown conspicuously silent as murder and
robbery rates actually declined in the wake of the new law and no
reported misuses of firearms by lawful carriers have occurred...

http://www.examiner.com/x-5619-Atlanta-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2010m1d14-Will-HB-615-result-in-shootouts-at-the-OK-Corral?cid=exrss-Atlanta-Gun-Rights-Examiner
---

Ohio Restaurant-Carry Hearing Next Week: House Bill 203, which seeks to
"allow a concealed carry licensee who is not consuming liquor and is not
under the influence to carry a concealed handgun in a retail food
establishment or food service operation with any class liquor permit
issued for the location," has been added to the House Committee on
Public Safety and Homeland Security agenda for sponsor testimony today,
Tuesday, January 19 at 3:00pm in Statehouse Hearing Room 122. The
purpose for Tuesday's hearing is so that the committee may hear
testimony on HB203 from the legislation's supporters. Buckeye Firearms
Association will offer testimony in support of this legislation...

http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/node/7073
---

Oklahoma Firearms Freedom Act Proposed: To strengthen the Second
Amendment rights of Oklahomans, state Rep. Lewis Moore has filed
legislation to deter frivolous lawsuits against gun manufacturers. "In
recent years gun-control fanatics have used litigation to indirectly
undermine our constitutional rights. By filing frivolous lawsuits
against gun manufacturers, they have attempted to put those companies
out of business and, for all intents and purposes, block access to
firearms and gut the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution," Moore
said. "My legislation will prevent fanatics from abusing our courts in
that fashion and protect the fundamental constitutional rights of
working Oklahomans." House Bill 2884, creates the "Oklahoma Firearms
Freedom Act," which declares that a "personal firearm, a firearm
accessory, or ammunition that is manufactured commercially or privately
in Oklahoma and that remains within the borders of Oklahoma is not
subject to federal law or federal regulation, including registration,
under the authority of Congress to regulate interstate commerce." ...
(This is the first of the firearms-freedom acts I have seen touted as a
means to deter frivolous lawsuits. In fact, federal law already bars them.)

http://www.koco.com/mostpopular/22242797/detail.html
---

Indiana Confidentiality Bill Advances: A House committee unanimously
voted today to keep secret information about people who have permits to
carry a handgun. House Bill 1068, authored by Rep. Peggy Welch,
D-Bloomington, is aimed at newspapers, including The Indianapolis Star,
which has published stories and databases based on gun permit
information. The Indianapolis Star database does not identify gun owners
by name or address, but instead lets people search for demographic
information on gun permits by zip code. The Star used information
gleaned from the permits for stories published in October which found
that people with violent histories had been given gun permits, in some
cases over the objections of local police... The bill would allow
general information about gun permits to be released for journalistic
and academic research, but would bar the release of names, addresses and
other personal information which had allowed The Star to identify people
whom police felt should not have gun permits. The bill now goes to the
full House for debate. The House Natural Resources Committee also heard
testimony on a bill which would require companies to let people bring
guns to work, so long as they were kept in a locked vehicle. A vote was
delayed on that bill, in order for the committee to work on possible
amendments to placate businesses. The Indiana Chamber of Commerce and
the Indiana Manufacturers Association both opposed the bill, saying it
deprived businesses of their right to decide whether weapons should be
on their personal property...

http://www.indystar.com/article/20100114/NEWS05/1140494
---

Arenas Charged with Felony: Washington Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas was
charged Thursday with felony gun possession in connection with a Dec. 21
locker room confrontation with a teammate. Prosecutors charged Mr.
Arenas with one count of carrying a pistol without a license, which
carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison. The charges were
filed in D.C. Superior Court in an information, a document that often
signals a plea deal...

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/jan/15/wizards-arenas-charged-felony/

Gilbert Arenas was charged Thursday with a single count of carrying a
pistol without a license, a felony that carries a five-year sentence,
but the Washington Wizards guard has reached a plea agreement that could
result in much less or even no jail time, several  sources close to the
case said. Arenas is scheduled to plead guilty Friday afternoon before
D.C. Superior Court Judge Robert E. Morin, who must decide Arenas's
sentence... Two witnesses told The Washington Post that Crittenton then
pulled his own gun, loaded it and cocked it. He never pointed it at
anyone, the witnesses said, and the situation soon calmed down. And just
hours before the charges against Arenas were filed on Thursday,
Arlington and D.C. police searched Crittenton's home looking for the
gun, according to sources familiar with the investigation and court
papers... Defense attorneys who have battled District prosecutors on
behalf of clients who had similar gun possession charges are watching
the case closely to see if Arenas receives any special treatment. "It's
rare prosecutors allow defendants to plead down," said attorney Nikki
Lotze... (It would appear that a similar case is being built against
Crittenton.)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/14/AR2010011403502.html?hpid=topnews
---

DC Democrat Admits to Illegal Firearm Possession: ... Johnson explains
his vote this way: The Democratic State Committee, last year, approved
another resolution, expressing the sense of the committee that the
District shouldn't accept a vote in the House of Representative if that
meant, as it did at the time, allowing Congress to wipe out city gun
laws. The way Johnson sees it, the DCDSC has its chance to ask for
voting rights, and they blew it... Johnson also informed LL that he in
fact owns a gun, which he keeps in his home - "and I take it out with
me, too." He purchased his piece legally from a gun dealer, but he
hasn't registered that weapon with the Metropolitan Police Department,
as he's required to do under the city's current gun laws (as Gilbert
Arenas now well knows). "It's no big deal with me, owning a gun or not
owning a gun," Johnson says, saying he "doesn't understand" why he needs
to take his firearm down to police headquarters and go through all the
legal rigmarole. "I'm not going to register mine."

http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/citydesk/2010/01/14/local-democrat-explains-vote-against-voting-rights-admits-illegal-gun-possession/
---

"Police Generally Advise Cooperation...": A 63-year-old convicted
murderer from Roslindale [MA] is facing charges that he killed again -
fatally shooting a Jamaica Plain convenience store clerk in a robbery on
the day after Christmas, even though the clerk had compiled with his
demands... In June 1973, when he was 27 years old, Corliss was convicted
of killing a 61-year-old store clerk in Salisbury, according to court
records and news clippings of that time. Corliss shot George W. Oakes on
Nov. 6, 1971 during a robbery attempt at Dot's Variety Store, which
Oakes ran with his wife, Doris. Corliss was sentenced to life in prison
for second-degree murder but was paroled in 1991. He was taken back into
custody three months after his release. In May 2006, the parole board
voted 5-1 to allow him to be released to Bridge House, a long-term
residential program... Police said Dangol appeared calm and offered no
resistance during the robbery, never making any sudden moves, according
to surveillance camera footage. Authorities said the crime was shocking
because Dangol had done everything right and was gunned down in cold
blood for a small stack of bills...

http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2010/01/suspect_faces_c_1.html
---

Life in California: On January 9, 2009, Phillip Dominguez drove into Los
Angeles International Airport (LAX), as he has done many times before,
to pick up a friend at the airport before they went straight from the
airport to a local shooting range. Due to a random stop his car was
searched and he was arrested when firearms were found in his truck. Mr.
Dominguez' truck was pulled over as part of a random search of vehicles
entering the airport by airport security police . Officers discovered 16
firearms and just over a thousand of rounds of ammunition, which Mr.
Dominguez had planned to use at the range with his friend later that
day. Amongst the firearms the officers found was a lawfully registered
"assault weapon" with the registration paperwork attached to the stock
of the firearm. Nonetheless, police took Mr. Dominguez' truck to the
local airport police station and conducted a more thorough search of the
truck. Among other things, officers then found a Springfield Armory M1A
Socom with a grip-pod (exhibit 1), a Kel-Tec SU-16 (alleged be an
"assault weapon" with a "flash suppressor" which actually was a muzzle
brake) (exhibit 2), and a Spike's Tactical model ST22 (alleged to be an
AR "type" "assault weapon," despite the firearm being rimfire) (exhibit
3). All of the other firearms were locked in their containers except for
a handgun allegedly secreted in the truck's center console between the
truck's front seat, along with two speed loaders... During the months
following the arrest attorneys from Michel and Associates P.C. worked
with the District Attorney's Office to resolve the case, pointing out
multiple errors in the legal designations by and opinions of the LAPD
officers, as well as mitigating factors that worked in Mr. Dominguez'
favor. These mitigating factors included Mr. Dominguez' lack of
malicious intent in possessing the firearms and original intent of
taking the firearms to a gun range when entering LAX to pick up his
friend. Ultimately Mr. Dominguez pled to a misdemeanor violation of
possession of a concealed firearm and received three years informal
probation. His right to possess firearms was not restricted...

http://www.calgunlaws.com/images/stories/Docs/victorylist2010/153497_1.pdf
---

Why We Prepare: Aid groups in Port-au-Prince said the relief effort
could be hampered by the deteriorating security situation as criminals
and desperate locals fought for the scarce resources... Inmates escaped
from the damaged main prison in Port au Prince on Tuesday when it
collapsed in the earthquake. Thieves were blamed for starting at least
one mass panic in the city's central square during the night, spreading
rumours that a tidal wave was coming so they could steal the belongings
left behind by hundreds of fleeing people... "All the policemen are busy
rescuing and burying their own families," said tile factory owner Manuel
Deheusch. "They don't have the time to patrol the streets." With law
enforcement stretched thin even before the earthquake and the UN's 9,000
peacekeepers distracted by the collapse of their headquarters and the
loss of up to 100 staff, the country is ill-equipped to deal with major
unrest... Valmir Fachini, a spokesman for the Brazilian charity Viva Rio
charity, said he had not seen a single UN peacekeepers on security
patrol. "Unfortunately we aren't seeing [peacekeepers] in the streets,"
he said. "We are hearing several gunshots without knowing where they are
coming from exactly. Looting has started in the supermarkets, which have
partly fallen down," he said. "What is happening is that, if food
doesn't arrive, eventually the people will start looting houses. The
gunshots are constant and we have the impression that its families
trying to protect themselves from attackers." ... (Police too busy
taking care of themselves and their families? It sounds like
post-Katrina New Orleans.)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/centralamericaandthecaribbean/haiti/6990801/Haiti-earthquake-law-and-order-breaks-down.html

.. What made the situation that much more tense was sightings of gangs
of young men with machetes. On Wednesday they were seen getting into
stores and taking all the supplies they could carry. The armed men were
seen marching up and down the streets with machetes raised and the
competition among the gangs turned quite fierce. Fights between gangs
were seen on the streets. Machetes were flailing and it was impossible
to predict what would happen next. There was no sign of police or any
kind of law and order...

http://wcbstv.com/national/haiti.earthquake.haiti.2.1427143.html

Tangentially Related: ... It's easy to blame poverty for the magnitude
of the devastation in Haiti this week, but poverty is the result of poor
governance. The island of Hispaniola provides a useful comparative
laboratory in this regard, like the Korean Peninsula or the two Germanys
during the Cold War. Haiti is on the western side of the island, and the
eastern two-thirds make up the Dominican Republic, a functioning
democracy with a relatively strong economy. The 2008 per capita income
in the Dominican Republic was $8,200, making it 119th in the world. In
Haiti, income was $1,300, ranking 203rd, the lowest in the Western
Hemisphere. Satellite images of the island clearly show the divide
between the two countries because of deforestation and a lackluster
agricultural sector on the Haitian side...

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/jan/15/haitis-voodoo-regime/
---

Failure to Stop as a Legal Defense?: A Washington County [PA]
hairstylist who claims she didn't know a .38-caliber handgun was a
"deadly weapon" will spend five to 20 years in prison for shooting a
dissatisfied client in the lower back. Forty-year-old Monique Reed, of
Washington, was convicted in May on aggravated assault and other charges
in the March 6, 2008, shooting of 28-year-old Lauren Newton. Police say
Ms. Reed shot Ms. Newton when she scuffled with the customer and her
sister about a hair weave Ms. Reed did for Ms. Newton. Ms. Newton has
recovered from her wound. Ms. Reed says she fired two shots because the
Ms. Newton sisters jumped her and didn't realize "a .38-caliber could be
considered a deadly weapon." Ms. Reed told the judge who sentenced her
yesterday, "That .38-caliber didn't even take her down."

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10013/1027885-100.stm
---

We Call That a Clue: A 65-year-old man apparently drove through the
Cleveland [OH]  suburbs and randomly shot at moving cars several times
over the span of four months, authorities said Friday in announcing his
arrest. Paul Hausmann is suspected of shooting at four vehicles in Berea
and a fifth in Strongsville, his hometown, between mid-August and
mid-December, Berea Police Chief Mark Schulz said. No one was hurt.
There may have been other targets, the chief said... Hausmann was
arrested Tuesday on information developed from tips and charged with
felony assault and carrying with concealed weapons, Schulz said. He had
a revolver and ammunition "consistent with the caliber rounds recovered
at the shootings," Schulz said... Hausmann was arrested Tuesday when he
unexpectedly returned home while police had his home under surveillance.
He was wearing shooting earmuffs at the time, the police chief said.

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/nation/authorities-say-65-year-old-man-charged-with-shooting-at-vehicles-in-cleveland-area-81701012.html
---

Tangentially Related: ... I learned something during my several combat
tours in the Persian Gulf region. The greeting in that part of the world
is a variation on "salaam" or "shalom." We tend to translate this
denotatively as "peace," suggesting merely an absence of war. But that
misses the beautiful connotation that this word has to the people in the
cradle of civilization. To them, "salaam" or "shalom" means that
everything is good and in its place. It implies a general feeling of
contentedness and peacefulness. This sense of a peaceful, contented
spirit is captured somewhat by our old holiday greeting of "peace on
Earth, goodwill toward men" -- a wish to look at the positive and to
convey some extra regard and kindness to others... (Many instructors who
train people for lawful carry of firearms use the concept of the "cone
of peace" - essentially, if you find yourself in a quarrelsome mood, it
may not be a good idea to be carrying a deadly weapon. I suspect that
the condition that Col. Staats decries is more common in jurisdictions
like DC, which may not be polite societies because they are not, as far
as decent people are concerned, armed societies. Let us not forget that
the latter concepts should go together.)

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/local-opinions/2010/01/a_message_to_rude_dc_give_sala.html?hpid=voicesopinion
---

From AzCDL:

AzCDL has been laying the groundwork for Constitutional Carry since we
began: http://www.azcdl.org/html/our_goals.html .  In the last two
legislative sessions we came very close.  This year Senator Russell
Pearce, along with 16 co-sponsors, filed SB 1102, and Representative
Frank Antenori, along with 17 co-sponsors, filed HB 2347.  Both bills
have the following features:

- Eliminate the prohibition and penalties for adults carrying a
concealed weapon without a permit.
- Include defensive display in the justification for deadly force
(similar to HB 2015 & SB 1021).
- Allow CCW permit holders to carry in "non-secure" public buildings.
- Remove the unloaded firearm requirement when picking up and dropping
off school students.
- Allow LEOSA certified retired Law Enforcement Officers to carry on
school grounds.
- Require confiscated firearms to be sold rather than destroyed.
- Eliminate the training requirement to obtain a CCW permit.

We urge everyone to send a thank you note to Senator Pearce
([email protected]) and Representative Antenori ([email protected])
for introducing these bills.  If your Senator and/or Representatives
co-sponsored SB 1102 or HB 2347 please send them a thank you message.
If they are not a co-sponsor, we urge you contact them and ask why not.
You can find the co-sponsors of SB 1102 here:
http://www.azleg.gov/FormatDocument.asp?inDoc=/legtext/49leg/2r/bills/sb1102o.asp

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