Pay-for-News Developments: I don't wish to re-open the discussion on the
prospect of having to pay for online access to news but I have spotted a
couple of relevant articles in the last 24 hours, if the topic interests
you.

In late October, Newsday, the Long Island daily that the Dolans bought
for $650 million, put its web site, newsday.com, behind a pay wall. The
paper was one of the first non-business newspapers to take the plunge by
putting up a pay wall, so in media circles it has been followed with
interest. Could its fate be a sign of what others, including The New
York Times, might expect? So, three months later, how many people have
signed up to pay $5 a week, or $260 a year, to get unfettered access to
newsday.com? The answer: 35 people. As in fewer than three dozen. As in
a decent-sized elementary-school class.

http://www.observer.com/2010/media/after-three-months-only-35-subscriptions-newsdays-web-site

..Almost all media companies have run aground in the Internet Age as
they gave away their print and video content on the Web and watched
paying customers drift away as a result. People who have seen the tablet
say Apple will market it not just as a way to read news, books and other
material, but also a way for companies to charge for all that content.
By marrying its famously slick software and slender designs with the
iTunes payment system, Apple could help create a way for media companies
to alter the economics and consumer attitudes of the digital era...

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/26/technology/26apple.html
---

NRA Hit for McDonald Role: Yesterday the Supreme Court granted the NRA's
motion for divided argument in McDonald v. Chicago.  What this means is
that Alan Gura's 30 minutes of argument time on behalf of Chicagoland
gun owners just became 20, with 10 going to former Solicitor General
Paul Clement, whom the NRA hired at the last minute to pursue this
motion and argument.  (Full disclosure: Alan Gura is a friend of mine,
and of Cato.) The NRA's motion was premised on the idea that Alan had
not fully presented the substantive due process argument for selective
incorporation of the Second Amendment - presumably out of an outsized
concern for the Privileges or Immunities Clause arguments about which
I've previously blogged and written a law review article.  This is a
highly unusual argument and is a facial slap at Alan's abilities as an
advocate.  Sadly, it's also typical of how the NRA has behaved
throughout this case and before that during the Heller litigation -
sabotaging Alan at every turn and showing again and again that, even in
the face of winning arguments that fully support its legal positions,
the NRA prefers to seek glory for itself rather than presenting the
strongest case for its purported constituency of gun owners... If the
NRA were concerned about the final outcome of the case, it would be
unlikely to attack Alan's strategy or question his preparation (an odd
way to be "helpful" to one's side).  It is not a stretch to predict that
this case will be favorably decided at least in part on due process
grounds, however, so what we are seeing here is likely an attempt by the
NRA to position itself as responsible for such a victory - and that Alan
isn't. Ultimately, then, the NRA is engaging here in fundraising, not
liberty-promotion or ethical lawyering.

http://www.cato-at-liberty.org/2010/01/26/nra-cares-more-about-nra-than-gun-rights-liberty-professional-courtesy/
---

Gun-Free Zones Attract Terrorists, Part 2: Yesterday we took a look at
the effect gun free zones can have on the target selection process by
terrorists, whether foreign or domestic. Since the goal of such an
attack is to cause as much death and destruction as possible, it is
logical that a location where civilians are prohibited from owning
firearms would be a more attractive target. Examples of terrorist
attacks and shooting sprees halted by armed citizens, whether law
enforcement or otherwise, support this hypothesis. One thing that our
public officials can be maddeningly good at is taking the wrong course
of action in an attempt to "do something." Some nutcase tries to light
his shoes on fire on an airplane and the next thing you know millions of
people are shuffling through security checkpoints in their stocking
feet. So the next amateur terrorist sticks the destructive compound in
his underwear instead. Net result: zero...

http://www.examiner.com/x-2206-Cleveland-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2010m1d26-Do-gun-free-zones-attract-terrorists--Part-II
---

Colorado RKBA Activists May Sue over Campus-Carry Ban: A coalition of
Second Amendment advocates is threatening to sue CSU because of the
university system's proposed ban on carrying concealed weapons on
campuses and said it has the support of Larimer County Sheriff Jim
Alderden in opposing the ban. The Rocky Mountain Gun Owners group is
planning a Feb. 1 news conference at which Alderden is expected to
declare that he will not jail anyone caught violating the proposed
policy. Without elaborating, Alderden on Monday confirmed his position
to the Coloradoan. Colorado State University is one of the sole public
universities that permits people to carry concealed weapons on its
campuses. The CSU Board of Governors next month will consider a ban on
all weapons on campus. That ban would extend to people who have
concealed weapons permits but also would apply to pellet guns and Tasers...

http://www.coloradoan.com/article/20100126/NEWS01/1260330/Coalition-threatening-to-sue-CSU-because-of-weapons-ban-proposal
---

Hypocrisy in Washington "AWB" Hearing: More than 300 Washington gun
owners descended on the John A. Cherberg Building in Olympia Tuesday
morning for a hearing on SB 6396, the so-called "assault weapons" ban
legislation sponsored by Senate Judiciary Chairman Adam Kline. Opponents
of the bill vastly outnumbered its supporters, and for many in the
audience who had traveled several hours to reach the capitol, it was
disappointing that Kline allowed only 30 minutes for the hearing, and
only a handful of speakers - evenly divided between pro and con - were
allowed to speak. The crowd spilled out into the hallway, and at least a
couple of auxiliary hearing rooms were jammed. What may become a focus
of the hearing because of its subliminal theatrics was the appearance by
Bellevue Police Chief Linda Pillo in support of the Kline bill. Several
in the audience, including National Rifle Association lobbyist Brian
Judy, were astonished when Pillo claimed to be "here today representing
myself and my personal opinions," yet she was in full uniform, complete
with duty belt and sidearm...

http://www.examiner.com/x-4525-Seattle-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2010m1d26-Turnout-heavy-in-opposition-to-WA-assault-weapon-bill-Bellevue-police-chief-plays-politics
---

Ohio - Hunting and CCW: It was just a few years ago that Buckeye
Firearms Association, along with support from the NRA, led the effort to
obtain the ability for concealed handgun license holders to carry
concealed while hunting. Working with the law enforcement side of the
Division of Wildlife and with a major effort at the spring open house
events by Buckeye Firearms supporters and volunteers, we were able to
accomplish the goal without additional legislation... At that time
emphasis for protection centered on the explosion of meth labs and the
use of remote locations and wildlife areas as dumping grounds for the
waste by-products of meth production. Since hunters were likely to be
the ones out early and in remote areas, we felt they were at the most
risk of surprising meth lab operators dumping or of bumping into a
wanted felon. Since the hunting firearm could not legally be loaded
before or after hunting hours, hunters were effectively disarmed while
leaving or returning to their vehicles...

http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/node/7082
---

Parking-Lot-Storage Bills Advance in Indiana: The Indiana state senate,
in a commanding, 41-9 vote, decided Monday to protect employees' right
to store firearms in their locked vehicles.  The bill, SB 25, would
prevent empoyers (with a few exceptions) from prohibiting workers from
keeping firearms locked in their vehicles parked on company parking
lots... The failure of last year's similar legislation notwithstanding,
supporters might have more grounds for optimism this year, as the House
version, HB 1065, seems to have some momentum behind it, having passed a
committee vote by a 10-1 margin...

http://www.examiner.com/x-2581-St-Louis-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2010m1d26-Indiana-moves-closer-to-protecting-workers-right-to-keep-firearms-in-parking-lot
---

California Coffee Chain Posts Gun Ban: The notice posted in the window
of the Peet's Coffee & Tea seemed out of place. It was from the Peet's
corporate office letting the public know about a policy that prohibits
customers from carrying firearms. A closer look, however, uncovered a
bigger issue and a movement. There are pro-gun groups encouraging
Americans to come out of the closet and exercise your right to carry a
firearm. Open Carry Dot Org is becoming a force in this drive; it's even
influencing lawmaking all over the country. "An armed society is a
polite society" says Walter Stanley, an Open Carry advocate. But Stanley
and a group of his believers walked into a Peet's in San Ramon with guns
strapped to their hips. The San Jose Mercury News chronicled the moment
with videotape. But the truth is: they did nothing illegal. It's not
against the law to carry a gun in plain sight in California. But, that
gun must be worn in a holster and it cannot be loaded. Stanley says,
"There have been studies that show that law abiding citizens, with more
guns out there on the street. That equals less crime and I'm all for
that." ...

http://www.fox40.com/news/headlines/ktxl-news-gunsandpeets,0,2623007.story
---

California Samaritan Faces Felony Charge: A young man from Arnold will
appear in court today on felony allegations that he negligently
discharged a weapon. Paul Mandell, 19, fired his 20-guage shotgun twice
at around 10 a.m. Dec. 29 in an attempt to defend himself and prevent a
man accused of assaulting a woman from leaving the scene, he said...
According to Mandell, Souza continued to yell and became even more
upset. Mandell again told him that he didn't need to go anywhere because
the cops were on their way. At that point, Souza indicated he was going
to leave and walked over to his late-model Ford F-150 and got in. "If
you get in your truck we're going to have a problem," Mandell said.
"That's the time I leveled my gun at him. I told him, 'If you don't get
out of the truck, we're going to have some issues.' I stood in front of
the truck, about 10 feet away. He would have to go right through me to
leave." Souza then started the truck and began to drive forward, Mandell
said, adding that he felt threatened by Souza's actions. "When I heard
him put his foot on the gas, I shot out his driver's-side front tire,"
Mandell said. "It didn't stop him. He kept coming, a little more, so I
sidestepped the vehicle and shot out the back tire driver's side, at
which point he stopped." ..."All in all, I wish I had handled things
differently but I stand by my decisions," Mandell said. "Had I been more
awake, I probably wouldn't have gone outside." ...(What threat would
there have been to innocent human life if Souza had driven off, to be
contacted at a later time by police? Most people don't realize that the
first few minutes they are awake, they are actually functioning as
though they were just over the legal line of alcohol intoxication.)

http://www.calaverasenterprise.com/articles/2010/01/26/news/news03_samaritan.txt
---

Oops, Wrong House: A burglar was shot Tuesday morning by a homeowner in
Spartanburg County [SC]. The incident happened at a home at 632 Nodding
Hill Road about 9:30 Tuesday morning. According to the Spartanburg
County Sheriff's Office, deputies found Rick Clary standing in the
driveway of his home, shotgun in hand. Clary told investigators that he
was asleep inside the home when he heard the sound of breaking glass. He
then said he grabbed his shotgun, went to the backdoor, and saw someone
reaching through the broken door window, trying to unlock the door.
Clary fired one shot at the suspect, saying he believed he hit the
suspect with the shot. Two suspects fled on foot, but left a car
registered to Apple Auto Rental, along with a 9mm pistol. The pistol
turned out to be stolen. Soon afterwards, a 16-year-old male juvenile
arrived at a local emergency room, suffering from shotgun wounds to his
hand and forearm. Investigators were able to determine that the teen was
one of the individuals involved in the break-in. The juvenile,
identified as Jamarous Rogers, has been charged as an adult, with one
count each of Burglary 1st Degree and Possession of a Weapon during a
Violent Crime. Investigators are searching for two more suspects.

http://www2.wspa.com/spa/news/local/article/spartanburg_deputies_investigate_home_invasion_shooting/32375/
---

New York FFL Stung by F Troop: The owner of Panunzio's Guns, Route 37,
said he was duped by federal authorities when he sold a rifle to a woman
he later learned was an undercover agent... Mr. Panunzio said he
recalled a man visiting the shop several months ago looking to buy a
rifle. "The fellow came in once before and filled out the proper papers
and was denied," Mr. Panunzio said. "He came back a month or two later
with a woman. She filled out the papers and wasn't denied." Mr. Panunzio
said that until he was informed by ATF agents Tuesday, he didn't know
the Browning rifle sold to the woman actually was for the man who was
denied ownership. He said he also was told both conversations were
recorded by the undercover agents... (So a 79-year-old man is expected
to make the connection with a NICS denial two months earlier? When I
rode in LASD traffic units we used to joke about "DWO," Driving While
Old. It sounds as though it is now becoming illegal to be "FFLWO.")

http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/article/20100127/NEWS05/301279948
---

Guns = Anger?: ...I'd been a crack marksman as a youth and a gunnery
officer in the Navy, where I'd been able to fire the gamut of small arms
as well as the 5-inch guns on my ship. So it was no surprise that, after
moving to Washington and seeing an ad for a pistol range in Northern
Virginia, I went to the range one afternoon and shot off a box of ammo.
It was kind of fun, and I had the usual number of bull's-eyes.
Afterward, there was a little conversation in my head that taught me
something. It went like this: "Do I want to do this again or maybe buy a
gun?" The answer was no. So I asked myself a question, "Why not?" It
surprised me when the answer came back, like a voice spoken by someone
else in my head: "Because I'm not angry." ... (If this guy dies at the
hands of a violent criminal, I assume it will be with a pleasant smile
on his face.)

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

More Firearm Ignorance: Authorities in central New Jersey seized a cache
of weapons and ammunition including rifles, a grenade launcher and a
night vision scope from the motel room of a Virginia man arrested early
Monday by officers responding to a report of a suspicious person,
MyFoxDC.com reported... Forrest said Woodson was wearing a bulletproof
vest and carrying a semiautomatic Bushmaster rifle concealed under his
green, military-style jacket when officers encountered him at a Quick
Chek store in Branchburg shortly before 4 a.m. Monday... Forrest said
the .223-caliber assault rifle that Woodson was carrying had a defaced
serial number and had been altered to fire .50-caliber ammunition...
(The AR-15 platform is designed in a manner that allows the lower
receiver, legally the firearm, to accept a wide variety of upper
receivers, including of different calibers. There is at least one
company selling .50-caliber uppers for AR-15's
[http://www.alexanderarms.com/siteshopper.htm?cat=14&item=20], a concept
developed for the US Coast Guard, which sought such a firearm for
breeching purposes. Additionally, Bushmaster now offers a couple of
non-AR-15 rifles chambered in .50 BMG as well as a couple of AR-15's
chambered in their proprietary .450 Bushmaster caliber. None of these
remarks are intended to mitigate any criminal intent on the part of
Woodson.)

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,583912,00.html
---

Hunter Novel - Plenty of Errors: ...I know Mr. Hunter is writing
fiction, but I wish he had stayed away from trying to make readers think
he might be writing about Carlos Hathcock. Because in doing so, he
diminishes the memory of one of the most modest, generous patriots of
the 20th century. Moreover, the book contains multiple reporting errors.
Mr. Hunter should have been more diligent, especially because he is
being marketed by his publisher as an expert on matters tactical. The
7.62x51 168-grain boat tail hollow-point bullet, for example is,
according to Mr. Hunter, "unanimously used in its Federal or Black Hills
loading by most SWAT teams as well as nearly all Army, Marine Corps, Air
Force, and Navy dedicated marksmen, combat or otherwise. It was the
magic bean that terminated the lives of three Somali pirates in April
'09 in one well-coordinated moment." Unanimously? Not quite. Law
enforcement does indeed rely on the 168-grain round. Most military
snipers, however, use the 175-grain, Open Tip Match M118 LR round
(although many will soon use the heavier 7.62x67 .300 Winchester
Magnum). And special-operations snipers use whatever's best for the job,
which can vary from the 168-grain MatchKing for shorter shots, to
300-grain 338 Lapua Magnum or highly specialized 7.62 rounds for longer
ranges. The Somali pirates, according to multiple sources in more than
one special operations/asymmetric warfare unit, were dispatched by
77-grain MatchKings fired from .223 EBRs (enhanced battle rifles), not
7.62 weapons...

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/jan/27/stylish-but-wrong-on-guns/
---

Three Indicted for Embezzling Glock: Three men have been indicted in
Georgia for allegedly trying to steal $3 million from gun maker Glock.
The indictment handed down by an Atlanta-area grand jury Friday says the
three men conspired from 2000 until early last year to steal the money.
Jeffery Pombert, James Harper III and Jerry Chapman are charged with
theft by taking and violation of a state racketeering law. The
indictment says Harper worked as an outside legal counsel for
Austrian-based Glock's U.S. headquarters in Smyrna, near Atlanta. It
said the men transferred funds and assets from Glock to personal bank
accounts they had set up. Harper and Pombert have been released from
Cobb County jail on bond. Chapman was still in jail Tuesday. The company
said Tuesday it has no comment.

http://www.poststar.com/news/national/article_4fc59287-7621-5ce6-bd29-ed74e329d5ce.html
---

Tangentially Related: Responding to an executive order by President
Obama, a new push is under way for states to adopt laws limiting the use
of their National Guard units unless there is an invasion, insurrection
or other limited circumstance. As WND reported, Obama's order
establishes a new "Council of Governors" designated to advise on the
"synchronization and integration of state and federal military
activities in the United States." The recent order, posted on the White
House website, was accompanied by the explanation that the group is to
work "to protect our nation against all types of hazards." It comes just
weeks after the president issued a similarly obscure order vastly
expanding INTERPOL's privileges in the U.S. The White House said the new
council is to include governors and administration officials to review
"such matters as involving the National Guard of the various states;
homeland defense, civil support; synchronization and integration of
state and federal military activities in the United States; and other
matters of mutual interest pertaining to National Guard, homeland
defense, and civil support activities." However, there was no definition
of the group's authority. Can the council recommend "military
activities" and can the governors, who already are in command of their
own state guard units, mandate activities outside of their areas of
jurisdiction? The White House did not respond to WND questions on the
issue...

http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=122689
---

From AzCDL:

First, thank you for contacting the Senate Judiciary Committee!  Your
emails and calls worked!

SB 1021, which incorporates defensive display into the justification for
deadly force statutes, passed out of committee by a vote of 4-1 with 2
members not voting.  Vote details are here:
http://www.azleg.gov/FormatDocument.asp?inDoc=/legtext/49leg/2r/bills/sb1021.sjud.1.asp

SB 1101, which allows certain detention officers and retired law
enforcement to carry a concealed firearm without a CCW permit, passed by
a 4-2-1 vote:
http://www.azleg.gov/FormatDocument.asp?inDoc=/legtext/49leg/2r/bills/sb1101.sjud.1.asp

SB 1153, knife preemption, passed by a 4-3 vote:
http://www.azleg.gov/FormatDocument.asp?inDoc=/legtext/49leg/2r/bills/sb1153.sjud.1.asp

SB 1098, the Arizona Senate's version of the "Firearms Freedom Act,"
and SB 1102, Constitutional Carry, were held over and will be
rescheduled for an upcoming committee hearing.

Meanwhile, two other bills are being heard this week.

SB 1172, which enhances the school gun safety program, is scheduled to
be heard in the Senate Education Accountability and Reform Committee on
Wednesday, January 27, 2010 at 1:30 PM.
The text of the bill is here:
http://www.azleg.gov/legtext/49leg/2r/bills/sb1172p.pdf .
Committee information is here:
http://www.azleg.gov/CommitteeInfo.asp?Committee_ID=13 .

HB 2307, the House's version of the "Firearms Freedom Act" (SB 1098), is
scheduled to be heard in the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday,
January 28, 2010 at 9:00 AM.  Information on this committee can be found
here: http://www.azleg.gov/CommitteeInfo.asp?Committee_ID=24 .

We urge everyone to contact these committees' members and politely ask
them to support SB 1172 and HB 2307 in their respective committees.
Please be sure to include your name, address, and phone number in all
correspondence.

If you are a subscriber to the RTS (Request To Speak) system at the
Capitol, log on and express your support to the committee.  If you want
more information about how to set up an account on RTS, send an email to
[email protected].

When addressing multiple members of the Legislature, we recommend using
the BCC (blind copy) feature of your email software.  Each recipient
will only see their email address.

The following are email lists of the committees in both semi-colon and
comma separated formats.  Use the one that is compatible with your email
software.

SB 1172, Senate Education Accountability and Reform Committee.

Committee members list with semi-colon separation:

[email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected];
[email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected];
[email protected]

Committee members list with comma separation:

[email protected], [email protected], [email protected],
[email protected], [email protected], [email protected],
[email protected]

HB 2307, House Judiciary Committee.

Committee members list with semi-colon separation:

[email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected];
[email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected];
[email protected]; [email protected]

Committee members list with comma separation:


[email protected], [email protected], [email protected],
[email protected], [email protected], [email protected],
[email protected],  [email protected]

Finally, in other news, AzCDL's January 2010 newsletter is now available
on our website:  http://www.azcdl.org/html/newsletters.html .

Stay tuned!  When critical legislation moves, we will notify you via
these Alerts.

You can also follow AzCDL on Twitter: http://twitter.com/AzCDL_Alerts
and Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/FacebookAzCDL .

AzCDL's Political Action Committee (PAC) is also on Facebook:
http://tinyurl.com/FacebookAzCDLPAC .

These alerts are a project of the Arizona Citizens Defense League
(AzCDL), an all volunteer, non-profit, non-partisan grassroots
organization.  Join today!  http://www.azcdl.org/html/join_us_.html

AzCDL - Protecting Your Freedom
http://www.azcdl.org/html/accomplishments.html

Copyright � 2010 Arizona Citizens Defense League, Inc., all rights
reserved.

--
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

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