Paradigm Shift?: When I first started sharing news items via e-mail,
some recipients complained about receiving links to some of the
left-leaning news sites that required registration (e.g., N.Y. Times,
L.A. Times, etc.) As you may know, traditional print newspapers are in
financial trouble and will be shifting increasingly to an internet
model. Recently, The New York Times announced that it will begin
charging for access to much of its site. I suspect that this will
eventually become the new paradigm. My question is whether list members
want to receive links to articles that may require payment to view. I
myself am inclined to limit paid subscriptions to those news sources
that more closely reflect my own politics. At this time, I have no idea
how much it would cost me to subscribe to sites such as The New York
Times. Your input may help me decide when I am faced with the actual
decisions.
---
A Liberal Looks at McDonald: ... In the city's attempt to preserve its
weapons ban, it proves too much, essentially urging the Supreme Court to
find that protection of the Bill of Rights and other fundamental
liberties against state infringement has no basis in constitutional text
or history, and is instead achieved solely by judicial implication. To
make matters worse, Chicago's brief makes common cause with precedent
that has been properly labeled by civil rights leaders as "among the
most misdirected in the history of the Court" and celebrates a
post-Civil War Court that looked the other way while Jim Crow
perpetuated decades of discrimination and violent rights suppression.
Accordingly, even gun-control advocates, who might otherwise support the
city's argument in this case, should think twice about selling out
substantive rights protection in order to protect gun laws (especially
when strong arguments, like those made by the Brady Center and others,
can be made in support of most gun restrictions without undercutting the
14th Amendment)...
http://balkin.blogspot.com/2010/01/has-chicago-gone-too-far-in-defending.html
---
More on the Scott Brown Victory: The national political landscape has
been (apparently) shaken by Republican Scott Brown's improbable U.S.
Senate victory over Democrat Martha Coakley in Massachusetts. Amidst the
cheering and congratulations, we gun owners need to ask ourselves what
this means as far as our right to keep and bear arms is concerned... I
don't want to rain on everybody's parade, but I think gun owners will be
right at this point to breathe sigh of relief but keep their enthusiasm
in check. True, we dodged a bullet, no question. But how will Senator
Brown now handle our trust? The thing I noticed about his victory speech
last night that most raises my concern is this: "I go to Washington as
the representative of no faction or interest, answering only to my
conscience and to the people." Only? Answer to the Constitution, Mr.
Senator-elect. If you do that, we'll get along just fine... (Having made
a small online contribution to the Brown campaign, I was quite annoyed
yesterday to receive two automated phone calls from Brown telling me how
grateful he is to John McCain for his support and urging me to support
McCain in his bid for re-election. Politically aware Arizona gun owners
have been trying to dump McCain for years. As the saying goes, hope for
the best but prepare for the worst from this guy. I fear that using his
victory speech to "tout" his own daughters may be indicative of what we
can expect.)
http://www.examiner.com/x-1417-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2010m1d20-What-does-Scott-Brown-victory-mean-for-gun-owners
Arizona Sen. John McCain has enlisted high-profile Republican support in
his bid for re-election, including the GOP's man of the hour, Sen.-elect
Scott Brown, R-Mass. Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, McCain's running
mate in the 2008 presidential race who remains popular among
conservative voters, also is expected to lend a hand: She visits Arizona
on March 26-27 to help McCain raise money and campaign... McCain is
facing Republican challengers Chris Simcox and Jim Deakin in this year's
Aug. 24 primary. Former Republican Rep. J.D. Hayworth, a conservative
talk-show host on KFYI-AM (550), also may challenge. In anticipation of
a possible tough fight, McCain has been burnishing his conservative
credentials... (So far, I'm supporting Deakin.)
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/2010/01/21/20100121mccain0121.html
---
GOA Endorses Illinois Senate Candidate: Gun Owners of America Political
Victory Fund is pleased to endorse Patrick Hughes for U.S. Senate in the
February 2nd Illinois Republican primary. Patrick Hughes' commitment to
the right to keep and bear arms is unwavering. Mr. Hughes understands
that gun prohibitions turn law-abiding citizens into easier targets for
violent criminals. Unlike his primary opponent, Patrick Hughes does not
support laws that treat people who simply want to own a gun to protect
their families like second class citizens. The contrast between Patrick
Hughes and his opponent could not be clearer, as he is running against
the most anti-gun Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives...
Mark Kirk has not only voted consistently against your Second Amendment
rights - he is an anti-gun leader as well. In 2004, Kirk urged
then-Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert to extend the Clinton ban on
semi-automatic firearms. After its expiration, Kirk introduced his own
bill to reinstate the gun ban. In the current session of Congress, Kirk
has cosponsored a bill that will regulate gun shows out of existence and
a bill to deny Second Amendment rights to the hundreds of thousands of
people on the government's "watch" list... (As I recall, this is Big
Brother's former seat in the Senate.)
http://www.cdobs.com/archive/syndicated/gun-owners-of-america-endorse-hughes-for-u-s-senate,118649
---
Legalize Guns, Lower the Homicide Rate?: More guns in law-abiding hands
mean less crime. The District of Columbia proves the point. Reading most
press accounts, one would be forgiven for thinking Armageddon had
arrived after the Supreme Court struck down the District's handgun ban
in 2008. Predictions sprung forth from all directions that allowing more
citizens to own guns and not forcing them to keep them locked up was
going to threaten public safety. According to D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty,
more guns in homes would cause more violent crime. This has never been
the case. Local politicians enthusiastically embraced the 1977 handgun
ban predicting it would make Washington a safe place by dramatically
reducing murder rates. But they were as wrong three decades ago as they
are now. A telling story is illustrated by the murder numbers since the
handgun ban and gun-lock bans were struck down. Between 2008 and 2009,
the FBI's preliminary numbers indicate that murders fell nationally by
10 percent and by about 8 percent in cities that have between 500,000
and 999,999 people. Washington's population is about 590,000. During
that same period of time, murders in the District fell by an astounding
25 percent, dropping from 186 to 140. The city only started allowing its
citizens to own handguns for defense again in late 2008... (I will agree
that the Heller decision, which increased the number of lawfully owned
handguns in DC and may have taken the locks off some of the long guns,
certainly did not increase the rate of violent crime. I continue to
remain cautious about crediting it with dropping the rate of criminal
homicides, particularly since it did not legalize carry outside the
home. Crime rates are influenced by many factors and I think it's risky
to base RKBA arguments on them.)
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/jan/21/guns-decrease-murder-rates/
---
Green Eggs and Hamm: (After the controversy over the Austin gun show
situation, perhaps a bit of humor is necessary to lighten the mood.
Regarding the hot-button topic of gun control, the following satirical
poem is a whimsical take on the Brady Campaign agenda.) ...
http://www.examiner.com/x-2879-Austin-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2010m1d21-Ode-to-the-Brady-Campaign
---
Ohio Restaurant-Carry Bill Heard in Committee: Yesterday, House Bill
203, the bill Ohioans For Concealed Carry drafted the initial version of
in conjunction with Representatives Danny Bubp and Jarrod Martin, had
proponent testimony before the Public Safety and Homeland Security
committee. This important fix would add restaurants to the current
exemption that covers class D retail stores provided the licensee is not
consuming alcohol... For those who don't know her, Nicole was being
terrorized by a stalker and obtained a Tennessee gun permit to carry a
firearm for protection. Unfortunately, it was while in a restaurant that
served alcohol that her stalker chose to strike. Nicole's gun was locked
in her car as mandated by Tennessee law just like Ohio's law currently
requires. She was helpless to stop the attacker as he shot and killed
her husband right in front of her. The testimony went very well overall
with Nicole's being called some of the most compelling, relevant, and
meaningful ever heard. We were very grateful to have her there to speak.
She serves as an example that this is not rhetoric and that bans on
self-defense while in a restaurant that happens to serve alcohol can
cost lives...
http://ohioccw.org/201001204764/restaurant-carry-hearing-recap.html
http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-2206-Cleveland-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2010m1d20-Testifying-for-gun-rights-in-the-Ohio-legislature
---
Wyoming May Fix Reciprocity Blunder: Thumbs up to Senator Cale Case, he
has introduced legislation to fix the conceal-carry blunder from earlier
this year. SF 26 - Eligibility concealed weapons permit, will fix what
Freuedenthal's appointee decided was a problem. Ultimately, WyGO /
Wyoming Gun Owners supports legislation that lets anyone with a permit
from any state carry in Wyoming. If an individual has a concealed carry
permit from their own state, no matter what we interpret from their
state law, who are we to say they cannot carry in Wyoming? Even if that
state doesn't reciprocate, we must lead by example. Also, can we say we
should be able to carry anywhere in the country only to restrict others
visiting here? Certainly not...
http://www.examiner.com/x-25069-Cheyenne-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2010m1d18-Wyoming-Senator-Cale-Case-introducing-a-fix-to-conceal-carry-reciprocity
---
Colorado State University Carry Ban Advances: The Colorado State
University System has released a draft of a proposed policy that would
ban weapons from its Fort Collins and Pueblo campuses. The draft, issued
Wednesday, provides exemptions for certified law enforcement officers,
military personnel and ROTC drill teams. It also allows the CSU police
chief to grant exemptions for educational purposes and to people who
face a serious threat, if they have a concealed-carry permit. It would
allow the CSU police to store weapons for employees, students and
visitors. CSU officials said suggestions on the policy's definitions,
exemptions, storage plans and timelines will be accepted through Jan.
29. The CSU System Board of Governors will consider the final draft at a
meeting in Pueblo in February. (If this policy is adopted as drafted, I
wonder if we will see protests in which the capacity of the CSU police
to store firearms for employees, students and visitors will be overwhelmed.)
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/22283991/detail.html
---
Kids Need Firearms Training: When it comes to youth firearm training,
many Americans are fearful. Don't teach kids about guns, many urge.
Truth is that youth with guns get hurt because they don't know a thing
about them. In Western New York, thanks to the NRA's Eddie Eagle program
training in many elementary schools, children in grades one through six
are taught "If you find a gun, don't touch it, leave it alone, call an
adult!" Very effective! This 15-minute classroom training is credited
with saving hundreds of lives across the country each year... There is
help in the forecast. Thanks to NYS-DEC sponsored youth hunting days in
New York State and other states, trained and safety-certified youngster
numbers in the woods are increasing hunter populations. It is a fact
that young shooters and hunters have the fewest number of safety related
violations/incidents and firearm accidents logged across the country.
Kids today are keen on caution when it comes to understanding danger and
safety. Some older hunters and non-hunting parents, need to learn about
such facts and data! When trained properly, youth do not violate the
rules, not even close! They know the law. They know about safety. They
never shoot blind. They are truly safe. High credits to these properly
trained youth of today. That's if you can get them interested! The big
IF all needs to start with the parents, so parents, it is up to you...
(Eddie Eagle is a very limited program. This was intended to reduce
resistance to its use in left-leaning schools, a tactic that has not
proven particularly effective. I'm glad to see that this article goes
beyond Eddie Eagle.)
http://www.metrowny.com/cj_story.php?time_hash=6c76c947b53cba56cbe47e06929ccc17
---
NRA Taking Youth Education Summit Applications: The National Rifle
Association is currently accepting applications from qualified high
school sophomores and juniors to participate in the National Youth
Education Summit (Y.E.S.) from July 12-18, 2010. Over 40 outstanding
students from across the United States are chosen each year to travel to
the nation's capital, where they participate in the weeklong,
educational opportunity. The summit encourages young adults to become
active and knowledgeable U.S. citizens by learning about the
Constitution and Bill of Rights, the federal government, and the
importance of being active in civic affairs...
http://www.ammoland.com/2010/01/20/nra-youth-education-summit-applications/
---
Oops, Wrong Store: What happened inside a North Memphis [TN] convenience
store doesn't come as a surprise to most folks in the area. In fact,
they say the suspected crook got what he deserved... Around eleven
Sunday morning police say an armed, 17-year old boy tried to rob Ben
Call market. The robbery attempt failed when the store manager pulled a
gun and shot him. Nate Whitlock, a cab driver, who frequently stops at
Ben Call says you can never be too careful. "You've got to do what you
got to do. These people out here are desperate," said Whitlock. The teen
was taken to the med and is in critical condition. The store owner
didn't have anything to say about what happened but Edward Howard did.
"He didn't do nothing wrong he was protecting his life and property." He
says the area where the shooting took place is plagued with crime and
believes the store manager's reaction was justified...
http://www.wreg.com/news/wreg-teen-shot-by-store-clerk,0,1499475.story
---
Rule Four Reminder: The 13-year-old son of Republican gubernatorial
candidate John Oxendine shot and wounded a 59-year-old man Sunday while
hunting on a North Georgia preserve owned by a prominent insurance
executive with close political ties to Oxendine. The victim was hit with
30 pellets in his right leg. Oxendine, the state's insurance
commissioner since 1995, was hunting with his teenage sons at the
Northwest Georgia Quail Preserve, co-owned by Delos "Dee" Yancey III,
who is CEO of State Mutual Insurance Co., based in Rome. "I still
believe in hunting and I still believe in guns," Oxendine said
Wednesday. "I still will hunt and my family will still hunt." On
Tuesday, when the Atlanta Journal-Constitution first learned of the
shooting, Oxendine's staff said only that Oxendine himself was not the
shooter or the victim. Oxendine said Wednesday that he did not identify
his son as the shooter because he wasn't sure until the DNR report came
out. The report says four hunters fired at the same quail. Oxendine was
positioned near his son at the time of the shooting... (Rule Four:
Always be sure of your target and what's beyond it. Hunting upland fowl
such as quail requires very quick responses to rapidly moving targets
and becomes much trickier as the number of hunters increases. This may
not be too dissimilar from a gunfight, which is why most instructors
recommend ammunition which is not likely to penetrate beyond the
intended target.)
http://www.ajc.com/news/georgia-politics-elections/oxendine-s-son-accidentally-279433.html
---
Warning Shots, Again: Gunfire erupted during a robbery in a
Northwestside beauty shop last night. No one was injured in the exchange
at Diana's Beauty Shop, 7011 N. Michigan Rd., but the robber escaped
with $340, according to an Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department
report. Shop employee Hendry Rodriguez, 23, Indianapolis, told police
that a gunman entered the shop at 7 p.m. and demanded money. Rodriguez
gave the man about $30 from his pockets and opened the cash register for
him. The robber then told Rodriguez to go into a backroom while he
cleaned out the cash drawer. When Rodriguez reached the rear of the shop
he pulled out his own gun, a Glock with a 14 bullets in it, and fired a
shot into the ground to scare the robber. The bandit fired one shot at
Rodriguez, missing him, and ran out the front door, according to the
report... (All's well that ends well but Rodriguez could have gotten
himself killed firing that warning shot. If he lacked the justification
to shoot the robber at that point, he should not have fired at all.)
http://www.indystar.com/article/20100114/NEWS02/1140482/Guns-fired-during-beauty-shop-robbery
---
Some Cheese to Go with that Whine?: An Amtrak police officer is suing
the railroad, claiming it's liable for a woman who grabbed his gun and
shot him in the foot. Sixty-five-year-old James Bullard says he was
working at Philadelphia's 30th Street Station last March when he tried
to remove a disruptive woman from a McDonald's restaurant. He says she
grabbed his gun from his holster and shot him in the foot. In the
lawsuit, Bullard claims that he had a worn-out gun holster and that
Amtrak didn't provide a new holster when he requested one. Calls to both
Bullard and his attorney, Steven Lafferty, were not immediately
returned. An Amtrak spokesman declined to comment. (Rule Five: Maintain
control of your firearm. The integrity of your holster is crucial to
maintaining control of a handgun you carry. If it is carried openly, the
demand is higher, as is demonstrated in this incident; I have always
counseled that those who opt for open carry need to use a holster with a
minimum of one level of retention device. Knowing that his holster was
no longer meeting that requirement, this officer's refusal to buy his
own, after his employer failed to provide him a new one, is reminiscent
of deputies with whom I used to work who argued, "if I needed that
training, the department would give it to me.")
http://townhall.com/news/us/2010/01/21/amtrak_cop_worn-out_holster_led_to_foot-shooting
---
Legitimizing "Evil Black Rifles": If Jim Zumbo had the National Shooting
Sports Foundation in his corner a few years ago, he might still be the
hunting editor of Outdoor Life magazine. Zumbo was literally driven from
the temple after expressing discouraging words in his web site blog
about the viability of so-called "black rifles" or AR-15-style guns as
hunting firearms. Unfortunately, Zumbo expressed his opinions just at
the time black rifles were gaining traction in the shooting sports
world, and his comments touched off a firestorm of protests... It is to
reduce the likelihood of such faux pas that the NSSF announced here at
the SHOT Show an ongoing effort to educate shooting sports enthusiasts
about black rifles, euphemistically termed "modern sporting rifles" by
the organization and its members that manufacture the firearms.
Hopefully, what such traditionalists as Zumbo will learn from the
project will rub off on the general public, though the process of
osmosis might be unclear at this point...
http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/hunting/news/story?id=4843094
---
Colt Waffles on Double-Action Revolvers: ... A Colt exec told me that
rumors of a new double action revolver from this fabled old company are
false...for now. He indicated, however, that both plans and equipment
are in place for this to happen, somewhere down the road. My fellow gun
writer Wiley Clapp was at the Colt booth, justifiably proud that he had
convinced the company to bring out a Series '70-type Lightweight
Commander .45, a popular model that hasn't been offered since the early
'80s... (I have maintained for years that a business professor could
offer at least a year's worth of courses on how not to run a business
using Colt as a case study. Almost everyone else in the industry has
realized the renewed demand for concealable revolvers as lawful CCW
increases across the nation. Many people would love to get six .38
Special rounds in place of five in a small-frame revolver. Colt already
simplified the manufacture of its Detective Special by converting to
coil-spring versions: DS II, SF VI and Magnum Carry.)
http://backwoodshome.com/blogs/MassadAyoob/2010/01/20/shot-show-day-2/
---
Tangentially Related: The Supreme Court has ruled that corporations may
spend freely to support or oppose candidates for president and Congress,
easing decades-old limits on their participation in federal campaigns.
By a 5-4 vote, the court on Thursday overturned a 20-year-old ruling
that said corporations can be prohibited from using money from their
general treasuries to pay for campaign ads. The decision, which almost
certainly will also allow labor unions to participate more freely in
campaigns, threatens similar limits imposed by 24 states. The justices
also struck down part of the landmark McCain-Feingold [emphasis added]
campaign finance bill that barred union- and corporate-paid issue ads in
the closing days of election campaigns... The decision, written by
Justice Anthony Kennedy, removes limits on independent expenditures that
are not coordinated with candidates' campaigns... The case also does not
affect political action committees, which mushroomed after
post-Watergate laws set the first limits on contributions by individuals
to candidates. Corporations, unions and others may create PACs to
contribute directly to candidates, but they must be funded with
voluntary contributions from employees, members and other individuals,
not by corporate or union treasuries.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/21/AR2010012101724.html
http://townhall.com/news/politics-elections/2010/01/21/supreme_court_rolls_back_campaign_spending_limits
..The chamber, as well as the GOP-aligned National Rifle Association
[emphasis added], filed briefs in the case supporting the conservative
non-profit group challenging the rules, though so did the American
Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations or AFL-CIO.
The Democratic National Committee, however, in a brief filed by then-DNC
general counsel Bob Bauer, who has since been tapped as White House
general counsel, argued in favor of keeping the rules, asserting that
opening the door to more corporate spending in elections would
discourage the types of small donors who he contends helped power Obama
to victory in 2008.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0110/31786.html
..But the hundreds of comments the article received from readers - both
online and via e-mail - included surprises. Seems lots of people share
names with people suspected of being terrorists. My personal favorite
came from readers who pointed out that they have top-secret security
clearance. Yet they still cannot get through an airport without a
struggle... (Recall that there are those who would deny lawful firearm
purchases to those whose names appear on no-fly lists.)
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/21/mikey-youre-not-alone/
--
Stephen P. Wenger, KE7QBY
Firearm safety - It's a matter
for education, not legislation.
The tactics and skills to use a firearm
in self-defense don't come naturally
with the right to keep and bear arms.
http://www.spw-duf.info
