The Wakefulness Kerfuffle: Some reasoned and relevant feedback has been
trickling in on this issue. Rather than present it in daily
installments, I'd like to wait until Sunday, a slow news day, to
summarize it.
---
The Racist Roots of "Gun Control" Revisited: "Gun control," as forcible
citizen disarmament is generally referred to, owes its American origins
to racism. An example would be this Reconstruction Era law, in
Louisiana: "No negro who is not in the military service shall be allowed
to carry fire-arms, or any kind of weapons, within the parish, without
the special written permission of his employers, approved and endorsed
by the nearest and most convenient chief of patrol." ...Such laws were,
of course, quite a boon to the KKK, who could have more confidence in
their victims' inability to fight back effectively. Conversely, of
course, this kind of law was very bad news for blacks in the South,
which is why the Reconstruction Era Fourteenth Amendment was intended to
protect Second Amendment rights against restrictive state and local
laws, as demonstrated by Senator Jacob Howard's 1866 speech introducing
the 14th Amendment...
http://www.examiner.com/x-2581-St-Louis-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2010m1d28-Violence-Policy-Center-espouses-no-guns-for-negroes
---
South Carolina Firearms Freedom Act Needs Amendment: As currently
drafted, H. 4022 could cause innocent South Carolina gun owners to lose
their right to keep and bear arms for life! If passed as written, South
Carolina gun owners who rely on H. 4022 and abide by South Carolina law
will still be considered to be in violation of federal law. This means
the federal government will still prosecute South Carolina gun owners
who abide by South Carolina law. H. 4022 must be amended to better
protect gun owners in South Carolina. GrassRoots GunRights has proposed
language to fix the problems with H. 4022. GrassRoots delivered this
letter...
http://www.ammoland.com/2010/01/28/south-carolina-firearms-freedom-act/
---
South Dakota Firearms Freedom Act Has Broad Support: More than half of
South Dakota's state lawmakers are sponsoring a bill that would exempt
domestic manufacturers of firearms and ammunition from federal
regulations. South Dakota is one of about 20 states nationwide
considering such legislation. The genesis for the idea comes from
Montana, which passed an identical bill last year, setting the stage for
a legal battle with the federal government. "I think every state that
passes something like this will add another rock to the pile and
momentum to the legal case," said Sen. Larry Rhoden, a Union Center
Republican who is the prime sponsor in the Senate. Rhoden said he's
pleased by the number of sponsors - a group that includes Republican and
Democratic, urban and rural lawmakers. Firearms, firearm accessories and
ammunition manufactured here would not be subject to federal regulations
if those items remain within the borders of South Dakota. Any firearms
produced here would need to be stamped "Made in South Dakota," and the
provision applies to firearms, accessories and ammunition produced and
retained within the state after July 1. The measure doesn't apply to
automatic weapons, crew-served weapons or exploding ammunition. Even so,
it's a direct challenge to federal authority over firearms. Congress
regulates interstate commerce under the Constitution's Commerce Clause -
an avenue that allows for federal regulation of firearms and ammunition...
http://www.argusleader.com/article/20100128/NEWS/1280339/1001/news
---
Gun-Show Bill Dies in Virginia Committee: A handful of Virginia
legislators have killed a bill that would require private sellers at gun
shows to perform background checks on buyers, while approving bills to
make it easier to purchase and carry guns. A House Militia, Police and
Public Safety subcommittee voted 4-1 Thursday to kill Democratic Del.
Jennifer McClellan's bill to close the so-called gun-show loophole,
where private sellers are not required to perform checks. The House has
killed the bills for several years. A handful of similar bills have not
been acted on. The subcommittee passed several gun rights bills,
including ones to allow renewal of a concealed carry permit by mail,
allow localities to auction guns received in buyback programs to dealers
and one that shields records of permit holders from the public.
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/local/ap/gun-show-loophole-bill-dies-in-va-house-83018357.html
---
Arizona Constitutional Carry Bill Draws Notice: Arizona's loose gun laws
gained national attention last year when a man openly carried an AR-15
rifle to a protest outside a speech by President Barack Obama. Now,
gun-rights advocates are hoping for even fewer restrictions on where
they can have a firearm. Among their top goals, they hope to make
Arizona the third state where it is legal to carry a concealed weapon
without a permit, which would eliminate background checks and training
classes for people to carry hidden guns. "That's sheer insanity," said
Kristen Rand, legislative director for the Violence Policy Center. "If
you remove the background check requirement, you're literally writing a
death sentence for law enforcement officers, family members, just people
in the street." But supporters say criminals will carry concealed
weapons regardless of the law, so gun restrictions only affect
law-abiding citizens who want to protect themselves... Police
departments worry that making permits optional might encourage more
people with nefarious motives to carry concealed weapons, said John
Thomas, a lobbyist for the Arizona Association of Chiefs of Police. It
also could lead to more accidental gun discharges by people not
adequately trained in firearm safety, Thomas said... (Not mentioned is
that it is perfectly legal in Arizona for anyone who is not a prohibited
possessor to carry a firearm openly, with no training and no permit, and
no one has ever been able to show that those who do so have a higher
rate of accidents or arrests.)
http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/dpp/news/local/az_gun_laws_012810
---
Nevada RKBA Leader Interviewed: ..."Many Nevada gun laws are
unconstitutional and we are working to repeal them. These include the
Clark County residents' requirement to "register" every handgun they
own, as well as the 72 hour waiting period that is also imposed by Clark
County for first-time handgun buyers. GONV is also opposed to the
state-run Baby Brady law. Flaws in the system regularly prohibit
law-abiding citizens from purchasing a legal firearm... GONV is also
dedicated to holding our lawmakers accountable to the Constitution
through grassroots constituent pressure. Unlike the typical lobby, which
hires highly paid lobbyists to schmooze politicians, GONV works to
inform and empower its membership to be involved in the legislative
process. GONV enables thousands of individual citizens to be effective
lobbyists right from their own homes. Our long term goal is to remove
every unreasonable restriction that our "leaders" have imposed on us..."
http://www.ammoland.com/2010/01/28/shot-show-interview-with-robert-johnson-of-gun-owners-of-nevada/
---
DC Gun Laws, NBA Rules Hobble Team: The Washington Wizards' problems
were hardly resolved when NBA Commissioner David Stern suspended guards
Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton on Wednesday for the remainder of
the season. All that has been cleared up is that Arenas won't wear a
Wizards uniform again this season, with Crittenton yet to decide if he
will appeal the decision, which stemmed from the players bringing guns
into the locker room. The franchise is left to deal with myriad
concerns. As one team insider put it on Thursday, "The worst isn't
behind us yet." Arenas is still set to be sentenced for a felony gun
charge on March 26 and his relationship with the organization is in
tatters - with both sides feeling betrayed in the aftermath of this
incident - but there is no easy solution for a separation... (I don't
mean to discount the juvenile behavior of the two players nor do I
personally care about professional sports but lost dollars are the one
thing that might influence the NBA side of this equation.)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/28/AR2010012803732.html
---
Two Survivors of NYC Holdup Plead Guilty: The two surviving members of a
group of would-be stickup artists thwarted by a shotgun-wielding Harlem
shop owner have pleaded guilty to robbery. Prosecutors say Shamel
McCloud and Bernard Witherspoon entered their pleas Wednesday. They're
expected to be sentended to five years in prison on March 11. The
21-year-old McCloud and 22-year-old Witherspoon were among four men who
tried to hold up the Kaplan Brothers Blue Flame Corp. in August. The
restaurant supply store's 72-year-old owner, Charles Augusto Jr., fired
at them. McCloud and Witherspoon were wounded. James Morgan and Raylin
Footmon were killed. McCloud's lawyer, Scott Leemon, called the episode
a "drastic mistake" for McCloud. Witherspoon's lawyer didn't immediately
return a telephone call. (For those who do not recall the incident, it
was very good shooting for someone who claimed not to be a gunner. There
was some confusion in the press as to whether the shotgun was possessed
in conformity with NYC's laws but it appeared that the shotgun had been
purchased legally.)
http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=11889042
---
Men Sentenced on Federal Firearm Charges: A Carter County[KY] man
charged, along with his father, in a federal court case involving
illegal firearms sales was sentenced on Monday... Russell pleaded guilty
to a single count of tampering with documents or proceedings. The charge
was for burning a log book that belonged to his father, Gary Lynn
Russell, that contained records of the elder Russell's gun sales.
Nicholas Russell's intent was "to impair the United States' ability to
use the notebook in criminal proceedings against (his) father for
dealing in firearms without a license," court records state... Gary
Russell, of the 3200 block of Camelot Drive, pleaded guilty in October
to selling firearms without a license and possession of a machine gun.
Other charges, including possession of unregistered weapons and
conspiracy to commit obstruction of justice, were dismissed as part of
his plea agreement... The indictment of the Russells was the culmination
of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms that
began in early 2007 and continued through March of last year. Gary
Russell engaged in more than 200 gun sales during that time period,
according to court records. The transactions took place at his home, at
gun shows and at flea markets...
http://www.dailyindependent.com/local/local_story_026234030.html
---
Another Plug for the Leatherman M.U.T.: John Farnam mentioned this
briefly in one of his SHOT Show reports. Here is an explanation for why
it incorporates a bolt-override tool:
I should explain what bolt override is. It is a stoppage when a
cartridge has wedged itself between the top of the bolt and the area
above it, near the gas tube. There are a couple of possible causes,
but they look essentially the same: The bolt is stuck partially open
and something is preventing movement. One method of fixing this
problem without the appropriate inventory is to draw the sidearm and
continue the fight. With the right tool and training, the carbine
can be up quickly. The bolt override tool on the Leatherman M.U.T.
allows the mission to continue.
For those not willing or able to invest in an additional Leatherman
tool, in his book Green Eyes & Black Rifles, itself a good investment
for serious users of the AR-15 or other combat-oriented autoloading
rifles, Kyle Lamb explains how to clear this malfunction with a
conventional Leatherman tool. I assume that the bolt-override tool makes
the process simpler and faster.
http://www.policeone.com/police-products/firearm-accessories/firearms-storage/articles/1993879-Product-Review-Leatherman-M-U-T-Military-Utility-Tool/
---
Thankfully, She Has Not Been Charged: A disabled woman who is nearly
blind told today how she tackled an intruder with a garden fork and
locked him in a shed until police arrived. Brave Eileen Burke, 59, can
'barely see' because of severe glaucoma and is waiting for an operation
on two arthritic knees. But that didn't stop her tackling a 6ft 4ins
intruder who allegedly broke into her shed at night and began helping
himself to food from her freezer. She grabbed a garden fork and
'jousted' him into a corner, locking him into the outbuilding until
police arrived... Sergeant Andy Murphy of Taunton police praised Mrs
Burke for making a 'brave decision'. He said: 'From our point of view
Mrs Burke can be commended for her actions. 'She did absolutely the
right thing in making sure the offender was detained and calling the
police.' ... (Hard to figure this one. Is the tide turning in Britain or
was she not charged because she did not have to stick the guy with the
pitchfork?)
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1246763/Blind-woman-59-tackled-intruder-garden-fork-locking-shed-police-arrived.html
Meanwhile, According to One Paper...: ...MY Sun users on the News Forum
have been rifling through the pros and cons on whether legalising guns
would help keep one out of arm's [sic] way. Gun possession could
potentially lead to recklessness as GodblessUK goes on to prove: "If
someone winds you up in the street or smashes your car, you can just
take it out of your pocket and shoot them." Jonnyflap adds more weight
to the stance that they should remain illegal saying: "Legalising guns
would mean far more in circulation, and far more falling into the wrong
hands. Gun crime would no doubt skyrocket." Having contemplated guns
being legal in Britain, a concerned Grapefruit posed this question: "Can
you imagine the carnage on a typical Friday or Saturday night when the
pubs close and all the boozers fancy a fight but they've all got guns in
their pockets?" Rather not. "Let's leave this one to our US buddies,
eh?" she muses further... (There was a time when Englishmen carried
handguns but we see no references to the days of "Wild London.")
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/mysun/2816998/Should-guns-be-legalised.html
---
From AzCDL:
If you interested in volunteering, please contact Duke, Tom or John to
get on the schedule. Since space is limited at the tables, we have to
be frugal with our staffing. Volunteers who call first get first choice
on scheduling.
Tombstone - contact
[email protected] .
Tucson - contact
[email protected] .
Phoenix - contact
[email protected] .
In February, AzCDL is working events in Tombstone, Tucson and Phoenix.
February 6 & 7 is the Arizona Arms gun show at the Pima County
Fairgrounds in Tucson. Please contact
[email protected] to volunteer.
February 10 through 14, 2010 is the Third Annual "High Noon at the
Tombstone Livery." AzCDL Director Duke Schechter will be working the
entire Tombstone event and could use some help. If you would like to
help Duke, please contact him at
[email protected] .
February 20 & 21 is the McMann's Roadrunner gun show at the Tucson
Convention Center. Please contact
[email protected] to volunteer.
February 27 & 28 is the Crossroads gun show at the State Fairgrounds in
Phoenix. Please contact
[email protected] to volunteer.
A complete listing of Arizona gun shows can be found at:
http://www.americangunshows.com/GunShows/AZ-GunShows.htm .
If you can spare a few hours we would deeply appreciate your help.
AzCDL's phenomenal growth is primarily because of the hard work of our
volunteers. These events provide a great opportunity to educate other
gun owners about our hard won successes
(
http://www.azcdl.org/html/accomplishments.html) and the legislation in
the works this year (
http://www.azcdl.org/html/2010_bills.html).
If your AzCDL membership is coming up for renewal, you'll save $10 if
you renew at any event! It's like getting paid to attend! Sustaining
memberships also get a FREE AzCDL t-shirt. Not a member? Not a
problem! You can join AzCDL at these events and still get the $10 discount.
These alerts are a project of the Arizona Citizens Defense League
(AzCDL), an all volunteer, non-profit, non-partisan grassroots
organization. Renew today!
http://www.azcdl.org/html/join_us_.html .
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 .
AzCDL - Protecting Your Freedom
http://www.azcdl.org/html/accomplishments.html
Copyright � 2010 Arizona Citizens Defense League, Inc., all rights reserved.
---
Tangentially Related: ...Since Haiti is one of the poorest countries in
the world, it would have been very difficult, if not impossible, for
most Haitians to have the resources to prepare for such a tragic
national disaster. However, in the United States, virtually all
Americans can - and should - take the basic preparations to be ready for
any natural or man-made disaster. What survival lessons can we learn
from the heartbreaking Haiti earthquake disaster? A booklet published a
few years ago by the National Crime Prevention Council, "United for a
Stronger America: Citizens' Preparedness Guide," gives some superb and
practical preparedness tips. In this column, I will review some parts of
this important pamphlet...
http://newsmax.com/US/Mandelblit-preparedness-disaster-safety/2010/01/29/id/348389
---
And a Bit of Humor: One of the best marksmen in the FBI was passing
through a small town. Everywhere he saw evidence of the most amazing
shooting. On trees, on walls, and on fences there were numerous
bull's-eyes with the bullet hole in dead center. The FBI man asked one
of the townsmen if he could meet the person responsible for this
wonderful marksmanship. The man turned out to be the town drunk. "This
is the best marksmanship I have ever seen," said the FBI man. "How in
the world do you do it?"
"Nothing to it," said the man. "I shoot first and draw the circles
afterward."
--
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
