Oops: Yesterday I erroneously introduced an article about a bill to
loosen carry restrictions as being in Pennsylvania. The bill discussed
is actually being considered in Mississippi. I was misled when I
followed a link to the article from KeepAndBearArms.com. I should have
paid more attention to the statement about local carry restrictions in
parks and checked the address of the newspaper, as I often do.
---
From GOA: He's like a playground bully - on steroids! According to a
recent poll, only 23% of the American people want Congress to pass the
anti-gun ObamaCare bill. And the President's response to this? He
believes Americans are just too stupid to understand what geniuses like
him, Nancy Pelosi, and Harry Reid are trying to do for us. So what is
Obama's current plan? Cheat. ObamaCare is already the product of
fraud, secrecy, bribery, and corruption. But Obama is preparing to
ratchet up this corruption to a whole new level... (Second link will
allow you to generate a letter or an e-mail to your senators.)
http://gunowners.org/a022510.htm
http://capwiz.com/gunowners/issues/alert/?alertid=14728791&PROCESS=Take+Action
---
From SAF: The Washington State Supreme Court has issued a
precedent-setting opinion in the case of State v. Christopher William
Sieyes which holds that the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution's
Bill of Rights "applies to the states via the Fourteenth Amendment..."
This outstanding opinion was authored by Justice Richard B. Sanders, a
Supreme Court veteran who clearly understands the history of both the
state and federal constitutional right to keep and bear arms. Perhaps
what makes the Sanders opinion so remarkable is that it places the
Washington Supreme Court ahead of the United States Supreme Court in
recognition that the U.S. Constitution's recognition of the right to
keep and bear arms applies to all citizens, and should also place limits
on state and local governments, as it does on Congress. Quoting Justice
Sanders, "Lower courts need not wait for the Supreme Court...the
Constitution is the rule of all courts--both state and federal
judiciaries wield power to strike down unconstitutional government
acts." ...This state high court opinion, among other things, effectively
"puts on notice" anti-gun groups in the Evergreen State that their
continued efforts to impair the rights of legally-armed citizens will
face not only growing legislative resistance, but intense legal
scrutiny. Though not binding on other states, it clears a path for other
state supreme courts to follow... (Of note, it was from Washington that
Arizona borrowed the RKBA provision of its constitution, "The right of
the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of himself or the state
shall not be impaired..." While the incorporation portion of Sieyes is
welcome, I wonder why more has not been made of the state provision.)
http://www.saf.org/viewpr-new.asp?id=313
---
Palin to Headline NRA Meeting: Sarah Palin will headline the National
Rifle Association's annual meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina in May,
the gun rights group told CNN on Thursday. Her May 14 appearance at the
Charlotte Convention Center will offer Palin, a hunter and fierce
advocate of gun rights, an opportunity to appeal to one of the
conservative movement's most prominent interest groups. "Governor Palin
is one of the most requested speakers in America today," Wayne LaPierre,
the NRA's executive director, told CNN in a statement. "She's an
outdoorsman, hunter and a steadfast supporter of our Second Amendment
freedom. We are pleased to have a fellow NRA member speak at our 139th
annual meeting in Charlotte this May." If the former Alaska governor and
2008 GOP vice presidential nominee is indeed considering a White House
bid in 2012, then the visit will also come with a not insignificant
perk: the Charlotte media market spills over into heavily-Republican
parts of South Carolina, a crucial early primary state.
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/02/25/first-on-the-ticker-palin-to-headline-annual-nra-meeting/?fbid=D9zkm9BH5Pk
Still Pending: I got a letter in the mail last week. It was from Sarah
Palin. I wasn't expecting it. After all, I don't even know her. But,
nonetheless, there it was, lying in my mailbox, a letter from Wasilla,
Alaska, the office of Sarah Palin. I've gotten mail from lots of famous
politicians in my time: George W. Bush, John McCain, George H.W. Bush,
and even from Ronald Reagan himself. But all of them had two things in
common: 1) They had no idea who I was, and, 2) They were asking me for
money...
"Dear Skip, Thank you so much for the copies of your books and for
your generosity. Todd and I were happy to receive your encouraging
message and we appreciate your thoughtfulness for taking the time to
write. God bless you. Thank you again and all the best to you and
your family. Sincerely, Sarah Palin"
As you know, I'm the Founder of the Second Amendment March, and I had
written Sarah asking her to speak at our event on April 19th, 2010 in
Washington D.C. The letter was hand-delivered to her house by our Alaska
State Coordinator along with signed copies of all my books. (That's
right. I was sucking up to her. I figured it couldn't hurt.) ...Sarah
from Wasilla - don't let me down.
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=35716
---
Texas Professor Joins McDonald Brief: Raymond G. Kessler, a Sul Ross
State University professor of criminal justice, is one of the amici
(friends of the court) in a brief filed in the Supreme Court case of
McDonald v. Chicago, according to a release provided to the Avalanche by
Kessler... Kessler joined the brief for petitioner McDonald, filed by
attorney David Kopel of the Independence Institute. Among others joining
the brief were the Congress of Racial Equality, the International Law
Enforcement Educators and Trainers Association, and the Texas Police
Chiefs Association. Kessler said the brief presents data and analyses
showing that handgun bans are not effective against violent crime.
Kessler and his colleagues contend such bans are, in fact,
counterproductive as they deprive potential victims of an effective
means of self-defense. The brief also responds to the Seventh Circuit's
opinion (not applying the Second Amendment against the states), which
argued that self-defense was merely a legislatively granted privilege.
The brief demonstrates that self-defense is a fundamental right, and
that the handgun is, overall, the most practical, effective and widely
used weapon for self-defense, Kessler said...
http://www.alpineavalanche.com/articles/2010/02/25/news/news09.txt
---
Katrina - The Plot Sickens: It became a national disgrace that prompted
a landmark federal lawsuit, and led to the passage of legislation in
several states to make sure nothing like this ever happened again on
American soil: the unilateral disarmament of law-abiding citizens in the
wake of a disaster. And now the story has taken an even darker turn than
it did in the months following Hurricane Katrina's devastation of New
Orleans, when police and National Guard units illegally and
unconstitutionally seized, often at gunpoint, firearms held by private
citizens who had done nothing wrong. No police or public official has
ever been held accountable for that outrage, and that possibility will
likely take a distant back seat to holding several police officers
responsible for gunning down unarmed citizens on the Danziger Bridge on
Sept. 4, 2005. "When another police investigator told Lieutenant Lohman
that he was going to plant a gun under the bridge to bolster the story
that the officers were being fired at, Lieutenant Lohman went along, and
even asked if the gun was traceable, the authorities said." ...Perhaps
now that the Danziger Bridge scandal is unravelling, the probe will
expand well beyond this case, and ultimately find out who issued the
illegal confiscation order. Would it be asking too much that the person
or persons responsible, along with the officers who conducted those
seizures at gunpoint, be held accountable?
http://www.examiner.com/x-4525-Seattle-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2010m2d25-New-Orleans-case-should-send-chilling-message-to-those-who-think-only-cops-should-have-guns
Admitting a cover-up of shocking breadth, a former New Orleans police
supervisor pleaded guilty to a federal obstruction charge on Wednesday,
confessing that he participated in a conspiracy to justify the shooting
of six unarmed people after Hurricane Katrina that was hatched not long
after police stopped firing their weapons. The guilty plea of Lt.
Michael Lohman, who retired from the department earlier this month,
contains explosive details of the alleged cover-up and ramps up the
legal pressure on police officers involved in the shooting and
subsequent investigation. It's unclear when Lohman's cooperation with
federal authorities began, but he presumably is prepared to testify
against the officers he says helped him lie about the circumstances of a
shooting he immediately deemed a "bad shoot." ...
http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2010/02/former_police_officer_pleads_g.html
---
Alabama Debates Parking-Lot Storage: A House committee is considering a
bill that would prohibit most private employers from telling employees
they cannot keep a legal firearm in their locked vehicles while parked
at work. Major business groups opposed the bill by Rep. Craig Ford,
D-Gadsden, during a hearing Wednesday before the House Commerce
Committee... A lobbyist for the National Rifle Association said the
government cannot violate the U.S. Constitution, and said it guarantees
the right to possess firearms. "The civil rights of private citizens
cannot be obstructed or violated by the government in disregard of their
safety of going to and from work," said Michael Sullivan, a lobbyist for
the NRA. The bill would allow a citizen who has a pistol permit issued
by the sheriff to keep that firearm in his or her vehicle while parked
at work. Many employers have policies prohibiting their workers from
keeping firearms in their vehicles when on company property...
http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/article/20100225/NEWS/100229722/1007?Title=Alabama-House-panel-considers-bill-to-prohibit-employers-from-banning-legal-firearms
Two weeks after a professor was charged with fatally shooting three
colleagues at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, the Alabama
Senate passed legislation Thursday that would make it easier for people
to keep guns in their cars. At the urging of the National Rifle
Association, Democratic Sen. Roger Bedford of Russellville got the
Senate to vote 26-2 for his bill. His bill would ban businesses from
having policies that prohibit legal firearms from being transported to
the businesses' parking lots. But the guns must be locked out of sight
in the glove box or trunk of private vehicles. Sen. Dell Marsh,
R-Anniston, said many companies, including his own firm, Industrial
Plating Co., have policies against bringing guns to work because they
want to provide a safe workplace. He criticized the bill, but ended up
voting for it. Bedford's bill still must pass the House and be signed by
the governor to become law. Bedford is optimistic about its chances
because a similar bill passed the House 72-0 last year and died in the
Senate after drawing opposition from some business groups concerned
about workplace safety. Bedford said this year's bill had more success
because all members of the Legislature are standing for election and NRA
members have been calling senators about the vote...
http://www.pddnet.com/news-ap-ala-senate-votes-to-allow-guns-in-cars-at-work-022510/
---
Oklahoma Will Reconsider Limited Campus Carry: The Oklahoma Public
Safety Committee will once again decide whether to allow licensed
faculty and staff to carry concealed firearms on the campuses of
Oklahoma's public universities, including UCO. House Bill 1083, a
proposal held over from last year's committee session, must be addressed
by next week if it's going to be considered by the Oklahoma House and
Senate in 2010. The bill, written by Oklahoma Rep. Jason Murphey
(R-Guthrie), would grant concealed weapon rights to "any person who
possesses a valid concealed handgun license issued pursuant to the
provisions of the Oklahoma Self-Defense Act ... and who is a member of
faculty who is primarily charged with classroom teaching
responsibilities," according to Section E of the bill's text, the most
controversial piece of the firearm legislation. "Some college
populations are larger than small Oklahoma towns, and they have these
red lines around them (that restrict concealed weapon possession),"
Murphey said. Murphey initially introduced the bill shortly after the
Northern Illinois University shooting killed six and injured another 18
in February of 2008...
http://uco360.com/?p=4200
---
Maine May Nullify National-Park Carry: Lawmakers in Maine, home to one
of the nation's most-visited national parks, are considering whether to
override a new federal law that allows guns in the sanctuaries. A law
that took effect Monday lets licensed gun owners take firearms into
national parks and wildlife refuges - provided state law doesn't say
otherwise. No states have laws that supersede the new policy, officials
say. The Maine bill would outlaw guns in Acadia National Park and the
St. Croix Island International Historic Site. "There are places where we
don't carry guns. There's families in this state that really appreciate
that," said Sen. Stanley Gerzofsky, a Brunswick Democrat who is
co-chairman of the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee - and a
hunter and gun owner. "Now, there's also families in the state that also
want to be able to pack bazookas, but that's a little different story."
But Wayne Bosowicz, a seasoned hunter and licensed guide from Sebec,
said Wednesday that he wished he'd been allowed to carry a gun when a
bear confronted him in Yellowstone National Park two years ago...
http://www.kpvi.com/Global/story.asp?S=12039067
---
California May Restrict Lead Shot: Ventura County Assemblyman Pedro
Nava, who three years ago authored a landmark law that barred the use of
lead bullets by those hunting deer in areas where condors are known to
forage, introduced new legislation Wednesday that would ban the use of
lead shot by those hunting pheasant, quail, doves and other birds in
California wildlife areas. Nava said his measure is modeled after the
long-standing federal ban on lead shot in the hunting of ducks, geese
and other waterfowl. That ban was enacted in 1991. "It has demonstrably
improved the health of waterfowl," Nava said. "But there are 37 other
species besides waterfowl that are also known to suffer from lead
poisoning." He cited golden eagles and wild turkeys as two examples.
Nava, D-Santa Barbara, was joined at a Capitol news conference by
representatives of the Audubon Society and Defenders of Wildlife...
http://www.vcstar.com/news/2010/feb/24/lawmaker-introduces-rule-to-ban-lead-shot-in/
---
New York County Opposes Further Infringements: The Delaware County Board
of Supervisors passed resolutions Wednesday opposing proposed antigun
owners legislation and protesting the closing of Oquaga Creek State
Park. Delhi Supervisor Peter Bracci presented a resolution opposing
bills passed in the state Assembly that he said would have a detrimental
effect on hunters, sportsmen and legal gun owners and would curtail
rights guaranteed by the Second Amendment. The list included 11 bills
that include provisions requiring the renewal of firearms licenses after
five years, stringent restrictions on firearms dealers, new training
requirements, banning the sale of weapons that are .50-caliber or
larger, and others. One of the bills outlaws handguns capable of being
fired by a 5-year-old child or younger, making all current handguns
illegal, according to the resolution. "I was in law enforcement for 38
years and none of these laws would do anything to reduce crime," Bracci
said. "These bills point out the difference between the upstate and
downstate culture." Middletown Supervisor Len Utter said, "This is
probably the most important resolution we will pass in a long time.
There is a movement in our country to dismantle the Constitution and
this is just one step." ...
http://www.thedailystar.com/local/local_story_056082707.html
---
Oops, Wrong House: A Decatur [GA] homeowner will not be charged for
shooting an intruder Wednesday morning. DeKalb County police said
40-year-old Dexter Tucker was justified in shooting a 17-year-old who
broke into his home. Tucker said he had run the scenario of an intruder
in his mind many times before, but he never thought it would actually
happen. Tucker said he was asleep when he heard knocking at the front
door. The Decatur man said he peered through the shades but didn't
answer the door. "Then he started beating on the door," Tucker recalled.
Tucker said he saw a young man run to the back door and that's when he
grabbed his gun. "I couldn't believe he was kicking in my door and it
took him like four kicks to get in so by the time he got in I was ready
for him," Tucker said. Tucker said he shot the intruder three times,
striking him once in the thigh. The homeowner said he then saw another
young man running away... (Poor shooting for someone who had rehearsed
the scenario in his mind and had the time to get ready. A hit to the
thigh sounds consistent with pushing the shots low and to the
non-dominant side.)
http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/dpp/news/decatur-man-shoots-robbery-suspect-022410
---
Serial Rapist Boosts Kansas City Gun Sales: A serial rapist on the loose
means that many metro women are on edge, and some of them are walking
into a place where they might not have ever gone before - a gun store.
Gun stores and shooting ranges across the area are reporting an increase
in Waldo women looking to learn how to shoot a firearm. Firearm
instructor Don Pind says that he taught six Waldo women how to shoot
just last week... Anderson says that officers will always come to your
home to give it a free safety survey. But he says that the key is to
always have a plan. A plan that, for some metro residents, involves a
firearm. "If I'm a first responder, and someone is unconscious, I do
CPR," said Eric Conyers, who was practicing his shooting at a metro
firing range on Monday. "If I'm a first responder in my home, and they
cops aren't there, I've got this as a last resort. God forbid I have to
use it." ...
http://www.fox4kc.com/wdaf-story-waldo-rapist-guns-training-022210,0,7241357.story?track=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+wdaf-news+%28FOX4KC+Local+News%29
---
Rule Two, Rule Three Reminder: An employee at a Milwaukee bar
accidentally shot another man in the leg after last call Thursday
morning. The shooting at the bar in the 8300 block of W. Lisbon Ave.
happened at 2 a.m., Milwaukee Police Department spokesman Sgt. Mark
Stanmeyer said. A 26-year-old man was working at the bar and
accidentally fired a round from a handgun that hit a 57-year-old man,
Stanmeyer said. Police are forwarding their reports to the Milwaukee
County district attorney's office to consider possible charges. (Rule
Two: Don't let the muzzle cross anything you're not prepared to shoot.
Rule Three: Keep your finger out of the trigger guard, up on the frame,
until your sights are on the target and you're prepared to fire.)
http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/85356782.html
---
Rule Five Reminder: A loaded Portland police handgun, Taser stun gun and
bulletproof vest were stolen from a Portland police officer's take-home
unmarked police car sometime Sunday night or early Monday. The car was
parked in the driveway of the narcotic enforcement officer's Southeast
Portland home. Police said the officer reported the theft early Monday
morning. The police equipment was stored in a locked container secured
to the vehicle, said Detective Mary Wheat, Portland police spokeswoman.
Wheat would not say where the container is located in the car but said
keeping the equipment locked in the car is within Portland police
policy. The culprits dismantled the car alarm, forced their way into
the vehicle and then broke open the locked container... (Rule Five:
Maintain control of your firearm. This burglary appears to have been
well planned. Around the nation we have been seeing police vehicles
targeted in this manner, raising some question as to the wisdom of
leaving firearms in parked police vehicles.)
http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2010/02/a_loaded_portland_police_handg.html
---
Airguns Can Be Lethal: Rhys Johnson of Llansamlet in Swansea died in
hospital on 27 September. An inquest heard he and a friend were using
his father's airgun without his knowledge in a lane behind his home.
Recording a verdict of accidental death coroner Philip Rogers was told
Rhys's friend did not mean to shoot him as they were taking 'pot shots'
at cans. Mr Rogers heard Rhys and his 12-year-old friend were playing in
the lane behind his house. Det Sgt Nigel Morgan said the friend was
holding the .22 calibre air rifle when he thought he heard Rhys call to
him. "Rhys was standing to his left calling him and laughing," he said.
"The boy held the rifle at the butt in his right arm with his finger on
the trigger."As he turned he felt the gun to be heavy. As it fell away
he pulled it towards him and accidentally fired the trigger... Surgeons
in Swansea battled for several hours to save the schoolboy but he died
in the early hours of the morning of the following day. The medical
cause of death was an airgun wound to the heart... (While this is an
extremely rare incident, it is a reminder that simply because we train
our own children to handle firearms safely is no guarantee that their
friends know ho to do so.)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/south_west/8536969.stm
---
Rambo Rifles for Weekend Hunters: ...Sturm Ruger (RGR), one of the
largest American gunmakers, introduced the SR-556 last May. It retails
for about $2,000 and features a flash-suppressor, telescoping stock,
pistol grip, and three 30-round magazines. It looks like the weapons
that U.S. soldiers use to shoot Taliban insurgents... For generations,
rifle models first used by soldiers have become profitable sellers in
the domestic market. The 1903 bolt-action Springfield adopted by the
U.S. Army in World War I begat the wooden-stock rifle carried by
generations of deer hunters. The higher-capacity Garand issued to troops
in World War II also spawned versions used to hunt big game. The modern
sporting rifle, assuming the label sticks, traces its roots to the M-16
that first saw combat in Vietnam. The main difference between the
military weapon and its civilian counterpart is that the Pentagon's
version has the capacity to fire bursts of bullets with a single pull of
the trigger. The cosmetically similar MSR fires only one round with each
trigger pull. Some of the confusion over these rifles stems from the
tendency of gun-control advocates to refer to all of them -fully
automatic and semiautomatic - as "assault weapons." The confusion has
been compounded by some manufacturers that use SWAT-team imagery in
their advertising and stress how closely their civilian products match
military specifications. Since the election of 2008, gun retailers have
helped drive semiauto sales by stirring the fear - so far unrealized -
that President Barack Obama would try to ban them... (Some of the
confusion stems from "gun-control" advocates? It's been an orchestrated
campaign. I think Big Brother's record as a legislator and board member
of the Joyce Foundation had a lot more to do with the surge in demand
and resultant price swings than anything done by retailers.)
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_10/b4169060665633.htm
---
For Whatever It's Worth...: Combatives is what the U.S. Army calls its
hand-to-hand fighting training, which is based on combat experience, and
martial arts. The army has recently upgraded its Combatives Program to
reflect the experience of nearly a thousand soldiers who have
participated in hand-to-hand combat in Afghanistan or Iraq. A survey of
these soldiers reinforced what the Combatives program already
concentrates on (grappling and striking), but also pointed out that 30
percent of the hand-to-hand encounters studied ended with gunfire (as
many of these fights are struggles for control of a firearm). The large
number of hand-to-hand encounters over the past eight years results from
the nature of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. In both places, many
of the missions are raids, with the objective of arresting suspects.
Since you want to take them alive, and they often don't want to be
taken, a tussle frequently results...
http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htinf/articles/20100226.aspx
---
Tangentially Related: Prominent Harvard law professor Laurence H. Tribe
will join the Justice Department next week to lead an effort focused on
increasing legal access for the poor, two federal sources said Thursday.
Tribe, 68, long viewed as a contender for a Supreme Court nomination in
a Democratic administration, will serve as a senior counselor for access
to justice... In recent weeks, speculation within legal circles about
Tribe's move to Washington had focused on a troubleshooting role that
the law professor might play in hot-button areas, such as national
security and international issues. But department officials Thursday
said his portfolio would involve domestic affairs, and that he would
report to Tom Perrelli, the associate attorney general and a Harvard Law
School graduate. Tribe supported Barack Obama's presidential aspirations
and has called the president the most impressive student he taught in a
career that spans four decades... (From Wikipedia: "...Tribe is
generally recognized as one of the foremost liberal constitutional law
scholars and Supreme Court practitioners in the United States. He is the
author of American Constitutional Law (1978), the most frequently cited
treatise in that field, and has argued before the U.S. Supreme Court 34
times..." Recall that in the US, "constitutional law" is not the study
of the Constitution but of what the federal judiciary has done to it.)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/25/AR2010022505697.html
--
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
