SPLC Maligns Second Amendment March: A hate group masquerading as a
civil rights organization continues to spread a message of intolerance
and bigotry. Here's the latest from the seething haters at the Southern
Poverty Law Center, from their "Hate Watch" page: "Gun rights advocates,
including some in the antigovernment "Patriot" movement for whom the
specter of gun restrictions is a recurring theme, are planning to march
in Washington, D.C., and some individual states on April 19." They're
referring to the Second Amendment March, an event being led by Grand
Rapids Gun Rights Examiner Skip Coryell... The crux of SPLC's argument -
that Obama is not anti-gun - is also a lie that is unsupported by even a
casual glance at the record. That he has been ineffective at overtly
pushing his agenda is not from lack of desire, merely lack of political
opportunity. You know it, I know it, and the SPLC knows it. They don't
care. Just putting this on their "Hate Watch" page accomplishes their
agenda - to put a stigma on good and decent Americans by equating them
with racists, Klansmen, Nazis, terrorists...and this isn't the first
time we've seen them resort to such smears and innuendo. What a sordid,
filthy tactic. These creatures ought to be ashamed of themselves. That
they're not tells us all we need to know about them.
http://www.examiner.com/x-1417-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2010m2d5-Southern-Poverty-Law-Center-equates-gun-owners-with-haters
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Maryland Legislature Seeks to Define, Ban "Assault Weapons": ...In 2009,
CQ Press released their annual Crime State Rankings, and Maryland was
listed as the ninth most dangerous state in the union, finishing second
in murders, second in robbery, sixth in auto theft and ninth in assault.
And Maryland has - according to the National Rifle Association - some of
the toughest gun control laws in the country. So to capitalize on that
documented 'success' thanks to previous get-tough-on-guns legislation -
and to remain indifferent to properly enforcing laws currently on the
books - the Maryland General Assembly is once again seeking passage of
an 'assault weapons' ban that does little more than regulate the people
who actually abide by those laws. SB 516, introduced this week by
Senator Mike Lenett (D - Montgomery County) and numerous other members
of the anti-gun sect in the Maryland Senate, would designate "specified
firearms as assault weapons; prohibiting with specified exceptions a
person from transporting an assault weapon into the State or possessing,
selling, offering to sell, transferring, or receiving an assault weapon;
requiring the Handgun Roster Board to compile and maintain a roster of
prohibited assault weapons; etc." ...
http://www.examiner.com/x-9913-Maryland-Statehouse-Examiner~y2010m2d5-The-Maryland-General-Assembly-seeks-to-define-then-ban-assault-weapons
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Omaha Maintains Questionable Handgun Registration: ...Conboy said the
city's handgun registration ordinance still applies to people who have
obtained a state concealed-gun permit, despite a state law adopted last
year to nullify city ordinances banning concealed guns. "State law
doesn't regulate registration," Conboy said Thursday. His comments came
after plenty of confusion was voiced about Omaha's ordinance during a
public hearing of the Legislature's Judiciary Committee. Some of those
testifying at the hearing, as well as State Sen. Colby Coash of Lincoln,
said a recent memo from Conboy seemed to indicate that Omaha could not
enforce its registration law against those with state concealed-carry
permits. Conboy, when reached by phone after the hearing, said that
wasn't true. The city ordinance, he said, still applies. State Sen. Mark
Christensen of Imperial said he's trying to clarify that through
Legislative Bill 1033. It would exempt those with state permits, even
Omahans, from having to comply with the Omaha registration law.
Christensen said it's particularly wrong for law-abiding non-Omahans who
have qualified for the state concealed-carry permit to face possible
confiscation of their handguns when passing through the city... (A
little voice is telling me that Omaha PD would have a difficult time
documenting many cases where handgun registration was crucial to solving
a crime. I've attended a couple of law-enforcement training conferences
in Washoe County NV and never heard the local cops complain that they
lack the registration system of Clark County.)
http://www.omaha.com/article/20100205/NEWS01/702059901
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Dick's Imposes Extra-Legal Requirement on Pennsylvania Ammo Buyers: It
has come to my attention that Dick's Sporting Goods stores in Eastern
Pennsylvania have been enforcing New Jersey's anti-gun laws on customers
seeking to purchase handgun ammunition. Purchasers of handgun
ammunition have been asked to prove their state of residence, and sales
of handgun ammunition have reportedly been refused to New
Jersey residents... Pennsylvania gun owners have fought too hard
resisting draconian anti-gun laws like New Jersey's to accept having
them imposed by a retailer in Pennsylvania. What's more, New Jersey
residents purchasing handgun ammunition in
Pennsylvania, for use at gun clubs or other venues in Pennsylvania, are
violating no law, and refusing to sell ammunition to them because of New
Jersey's anti-freedom laws
implies suspicion of criminal intent on their part. It is insulting,
and it is not the appropriate role for a retailer... (This is from a
sample protest letter, available at the linked page.)
http://gonv.org/blog/2010/02/05/198/
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Let Them Drink Starbucks!: Marie Antoinette's alleged answer of "let
them eat cake" to the question of how to feed starving peasants during
the French Revolution may have sped her journey to the guillotine. But
that was most probably due to the fact that there was no cake to eat.
Starbucks on the other hand is open for business and serving gun owners
without discrimination, unlike some other commercial outfits like Peet's
Coffee & Tea. Recently in California when hand gun carriers were told
"no room at the Inn" by Pete's, they headed to Starbucks, causing
anti-gun outfits to demand Starbucks' discriminate against lawful gun
owners... So if you are a gun owner, the next time you need a cup a joe,
drink at Starbucks. And its OK if you are not open carrying a holstered
handgun, but do try to wear some pro-gun paraphernalia like an NRA hat
or a "Guns Save Lives" button. And as you saddle up to the cash
register to get that latte, just look that barista in the eye and nicely
say: "Thanks . . . and thanks for supporting the Second Amendment too."
http://www.examiner.com/x-2782-DC-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2010m2d5-Let-them-drink-Starbucks
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Michigan Student Argues for Campus Carry: Lately, there has been a lot
of controversy at NMU about proposed legislation concerning concealed
weapons (CCW) on college campuses in Michigan with State Senate bill 747
and House of Representatives bill 4348. It seems that most of the
publicity provided to the student body at NMU has been collectively
negative regarding CCWs on campus. With the upcoming gun control forum,
which will be held by the Multi-Cultural Resource Center on Feb. 10,
it's important to highlight some of the benefits of the bill's passage
for the safety of the student body... On our campus at NMU, we have
National Guard soldiers who are trained and competent with guns, a
Military Science department filled with combat veterans that have
carried and used weapons in war, and professors and students who are
former police officers and military veterans. All of these people know
how to use a gun, and many of them are currently licensed CCW holders
who carry their weapons just about everywhere else they go. And, since
police don't have a duty to protect us from shootings on campus, it
makes sense that we would want to protect ourselves. The facts are out
there, countless reports prove that CCW holders are statistically less
violent than the general public. They are, however, prepared for
whatever may come their way. If some people don't want to be a part of
that group, that's their prerogative. But nobody should be able to tell
another person that they don't have the right to protect themselves.
http://media.www.thenorthwindonline.com/media/storage/paper1202/news/2010/02/04/Opinion/Ccws-Not.Such.A.Bad.Idea.After.All-3866149.shtml
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Which Side Are You On, Boy?: ... Kern County [CA] has a reputation for
accommodating responsible citizens' requests for CCW permits in
compliance with the current code. But even in Kern the hazy language of
the law can result in inequitable treatment of applicants. For example,
the "good cause" threshold may be lower for a woman than a man under the
same circumstances. Unfortunately, Knight's bill recently failed to get
out of committee. We need a clear and objective method for dealing with
concealed carry weapons permitting. A method that doesn't vary among the
counties and municipalities. One that is responsible, reasonable and
fair. One that declares the requirements clearly and unambiguously. AB
357 would have been a good start. I'm talking about carrying concealed
weapons in public, which is very different from citizens having guns in
their homes. A person in possession of a loaded firearm in public bears
a terrible responsibility, which demands that we take gun rights to the
next level... (I have always been troubled by the assertion that one
needs a higher level of training to carry a firearm in public than to
keep one in the home. While the tactics may differ slightly, training is
just as crucial inside the home; I just don't believe it should be
mandatory.)
http://www.bakersfield.com/news/columnist/llewellyn/x854214258/RIC-LLEWELLYN-Want-a-concealed-carry-weapon-permit-Get-trained
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Anti-CCW Assistant Sheriff Loses Job: ...The Orange County [CA]
Sheriff's Department will lay off one of its highest-ranking officers as
well as 23 professional staff members this month as it grapples with a
budget shortfall of more than $50 million. Among those who will lose
their jobs is Assistant Sheriff Michael Hillmann, a four-decade veteran
of the LAPD hired by Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens to help lead
the department in the wake of corruption allegations against her
predecessor. Hillmann, 64, ran into controversy early on when he was
caught sending text messages mocking activists and board members during
a Board of Supervisors meeting early last year on the department's gun
permit policies. He later apologized... (Hutchens came to Orange County
from LASD, Hillman from LAPD and the county supervisors were surprised
that they have been refusing to renew CWP's?)
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-oc-sheriff-layoffs6-2010feb06,0,499087.story
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Oops, Wrong Golf Cart: Two would-be thieves didn't count on a motion
alarm and a gun-toting 70-year-old Winter Haven [FL] man when they tried
to steal the batteries from his golf cart, according to Polk County
Sheriff's Office reports. Robert Rowley, of 28 Henry Drive in Winter
Haven, awoke to the sound of a motion sensor alarm about 2:15 a.m.
Monday. When the alarm sounded, he grabbed his handgun and flashlight to
investigate, sheriff's reports said. As he walked outside his home, he
saw two men, who investigators said were trying to cut the cables to the
battery packs on Rowley's golf cart. When he challenged them, one of the
men began to walk in Rowley's direction, he told investigators he tried
to scare the men away by firing his gun. Rowley fired three shots - once
in the air, another at the ground and a third at the men's truck as they
tried to quickly get away. Deputies were later called to Winter Haven
Hospital for two men who showed up with gun shot wounds, reports said...
Rowley told deputies he didn't realize his shots had struck either man.
Clinage was struck in the leg and Polson in the head and neck area...
(Again we see the hazard of firing warning shots. In this case the
burglars appear to have been struck by ricochets or bullet fragments yet
the homeowner's statement suggests that he lacked the requisite fear for
his life to have used deadly force.)
http://www.theledger.com/article/20100201/NEWS/2015048?Title=70-Year-Old-Shoots-Would-be-Thieves&tc=ar
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NRA-ILA Alerts: List members are encouraged to check the alerts for the
week, posted on the NRA-ILA Website.
http://www.nraila.org/GrassrootsAlerts/read.aspx
--
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
