From GOA: The anti-gun health care issue may very well be decided this
week. Even if you have already called, faxed or e-mailed your
congressman, it is imperative that you do so one last time. Please see
contact information and suggested letter/talking points below... (Link
will allow you to generate an e-mail to you Congresman.)
http://capwiz.com/gunowners/issues/alert/?alertid=14820011
---
From SAF: The Second Amendment Foundation is delighted to be part of a
new and growing international organization whose goal is the protection
of firearms rights for private citizens. The International Association
for the Protection of Civilian Arms Rights (IAPCAR) met last week in
Nuremberg, Germany. Gun rights organizations and activists from several
countries, including Sweden, Norway, Germany, the United Kingdom,
Canada, Italy and the United States attended. The group's official
slogan is "Liberty and Security." SAF Executive Vice President Alan M.
Gottlieb, who serves as an IAPCAR director, just returned from the
meeting, and he is encouraged that groups from other countries,
including The Philippines, Switzerland, Belgium, Argentina, Finland,
India, Israel, Greece, South Africa, and Australia are also interested
in joining...
http://www.saf.org/viewpr-new.asp?id=315
---
Sauce for the Goose, Sauce for the Gander: ...The worry that a third
party vote will result in the boot in our face having a "D" on the heel
instead of an "R" is founded in recent history. Witness what happened
when Ross Perot ran for president. But Perot also proves a point I'm
trying to make about not letting untapped anger gravitate those who are
fed up, but not firmly grounded in the Constitution, toward a demagogue.
Over half of Perot's supporters identified themselves as gun owners,
apparently ignorant of his support for "the enactment of strict gun
control laws." We need to look through the anger and the rhetoric and
make all of these people prove themselves, regardless of party or
generalized platform statements. That's why I designed the gun rights
political questionnaire - to be one of the tools we can use to help
determine an unequivocal position on the right to keep and bear arms.
And that's why I modified the questionnaire a bit to make it appropriate
for a group, as opposed to a candidate, and sent it to Liberty Central.
If these people are going to presume to issue scorecards, don't we
deserve to know what is being scored, and how? ...
http://www.examiner.com/x-1417-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2010m3d16-Make-wouldbe-Tea-Party-leaders-prove-they-support-Second-Amendment
---
Vocabulary Correction: ...On one hand, we preach that guns are mere
machines, inanimate objects and tools. On the other, we appear to be
attempting to give 'rights' to these inanimate machines. I submit to you
a request; that we remove the phrase "gun rights" from our vocabulary
and replace it with the more human, and more accurate, "gun-owner
rights." The First Amendment does not guarantee rights to printing
presses as machines; it guarantees the rights of people to use printing
presses, radios, televisions and the Internet without restriction. The
Second Amendment guarantees no rights to guns themselves, as they are
mere machines. However, it does guarantee the right of the people to
keep and bear them. The psychology behind what may appear as a minor
'grammatical nit' should be clear. It is relatively easy for most people
to hate an object. You can make up lies about an object, demonize an
object and attempt to regulate and control objects. You can do so
without fear of insulting the object, hurting its feelings, being sued
by the object or facing any repercussions, it's just a defenseless,
soulless object. When we replace gun rights with gun-owner rights,
however, the issue becomes personal. Where many people and politicians
[as opposed to people] find it easy and guilt-free to demonize guns as
objects, it is far more difficult to for them to demonize a large
segment of the population, gun-owners, as people... (I raised the same
point, to no avail, with Alan Korwin [
http://www.gunlaws.com/], nearly
six years ago. List members are aware of my preference for the acronym
"RKBA." Unfortunately, while completely accurate, it may not be
recognized by non-gunners. As to "gunner," I have taken to use this term
over "gunny" or Korwin's choice of "marksman" for this reason: In the US
Marine Corps, "gunny" is short for gunnery sergeant, a rank that may or
may not specialize in gunnery. "Gunner," on the other hand is a warrant
officer who, traditionally, was assigned to an infantry battalion, to
coordinate weapons training and to advise commanders on the use of
weapons. "Marksman" is a term that has different meanings in different
contexts. In American military terms, is the lowest level of weapon
"qualification." In the case of some gun owners it may overstate their
proficiency and in the case of many others it may understate it)
http://www.ammoland.com/2010/03/16/no-more-gun-rights-and-no-more-gun-control/
---
The "Gun Nut," Belle Meade and the NRA: After a gun rights activist
walked down a Belle Meade street with a loaded pistol in his hand, the
city decided it needed to clean up an outdated law on its books. But the
change has stirred a wave of opposition from gun rights groups including
the National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action which
made a post Tuesday on its website that claimed the city was trying to
ban guns. "Not only does this legislation create a victim zone inside
Belle Meade by disarming law-abiding citizens, it is also a clear
violation of Tennessee's preemption statutes," the post read in part.
The NRA-ILA urged citizens to voice opposition to an ordinance on the
Wednesday city commission agenda. "There is a rumor going around that we
are going to ban handguns, guns in the city," said Mayor Gray Thornburg.
She said the rumor is a "complete misunderstanding." The city is merely
realigning their ordinance to be in line with state regulations... The
current Belle Meade municipal code includes a section on firearms and
weapons that says "it is unlawful for any person to carry in any manner
whatever, with the intent to go armed and razor, dirk, knife, blackjack,
brass knuckles, pistol, revolver or any other dangerous weapon or
instrument..." It also includes the phrase "except the army or navy
pistol which shall be carried openly in the hand." The new ordinance
deletes the exception that would include the Navy black powder pistol
Leonard Embody carried when he walked down Belle Meade Boulevard in
mid-February... Thornburg said the law should have been taken off the
books years ago, but likened finding outdated laws to searching for a
needle in a haystack... (Then Belle Meade needs to rescind the entire
ordinance, not the exception. As to Embody, he appears to have been
shopping for a lawsuit he can win more than he has been trying to
advance the RKBA.)
http://nashvillecitypaper.com/content/city-news/mayor-dispels-rumor-about-belle-meade-gun-ban
---
Meanwhile, in Missouri...: ...Elsberry residents were not shy about
voicing their dissatisfaction with the proposed weapons ordinance. Not
every citizen waited to address the board from the podium, interrupting
the aldermen throughout the meeting. Several members of the audience
expressed their displeasure with the board and believed the proposed
weapons ordinance would impede their ability to protect themselves and
their families. "First of all, I'm the young lady that created this
mess," said Amanda Strauser, "and I am sorry that I abided by the law.
Had I known that it was going to create this much tension between
officers, fellow citizens and the board, I think I would have just
chosen to leave my weapon in the vehicle and take the chance of someone
attacking me." Strauser entered a local business with a loaded handgun,
which brought about the request for the proposed ordinance in the
February board meeting. She stated that she had not broken any laws. "I
am sorry if me displaying a firearm to keep from breaking a CCW law
concerns someone. I believe the concerns should have been addressed, but
they were not addressed appropriately." Strauser stated she had the
handgun on her because her life was threatened by a local man. She said
he had not broken the law yet, but if she "waited around" he would
attack her...
http://www.lincolncountyjournal.com/news/view_sections.asp?idcategory=47&idarticle=3754
---
Delaware Police Oppose RKBA Bill: Law enforcement officials across
Delaware say they oppose a bill introduced in the House of
Representatives last month that would limit the authority of state
agencies to regulate firearms possession in public settings. House Bill
357, which was written with help from the National Rifle Association, is
described as an attempt to rescind gun ownership bans imposed by the
state's collection of public housing authorities on their residents.
But, in a letter to Rep. John Atkins, D-Millsboro, and Sen. Joe Booth,
R-Georgetown, the bill's lead sponsors, Gov. Jack Markell noted that, as
written, the legislation would prevent any state agency or entity from
regulating guns on premises under its purview without a specific
enabling law passed by the General Assembly... Schiliro, who oversees
the Delaware State Police and Capitol Police, said more guns and gun
owners can be dangerous in a public housing complex, especially since
the law doesn't require training for those who buy guns, only those who
apply for concealed weapons permits. "I spent 25 years in the FBI, 23 of
which were in New York City. I spent a lot of time enforcing the law in
large public housing projects; I have a fair amount of experience with
the issue," he said. "When you're going to use a firearm for purposes of
self defense in a crowded or urban environment, it does require a
certain proficiency; a proficiency in terms of training with the firearm
and a proficiency in terms of judgmental shooting." ... (Then offer
voluntary training, don't deny people an enumerated right.)
http://www.sussexcountian.com/newsnow/x1664760942/Bill-to-rescind-firearm-bans-in-public-housing-finds-little-favor-with-police
---
Virginia Police Chiefs Oppose Restaurant Carry: Virginia's police chiefs
are asking Gov. Bob McDonnell to veto legislation that would allow
people to carry concealed handguns into bars, calling it a "recipe for
disaster." Virginia Beach police Chief Jake Jacocks Jr. compared the
combination of firearms and alcohol with drinking and driving in a
letter sent to McDonnell on behalf of the state association of chiefs.
But their efforts seem unlikely to sway McDonnell, as the governor's
office says he will sign the bill. McDonnell's office says while the
governor appreciates the work and comments of the police chiefs, he will
continue to protect and uphold the Second Amendment rights of
law-abiding citizens. The association says it will ask lawmakers to
reconsider its decision if police see an increase in gun violence at
bars. (Why have they not sought to change current law, which not only
allows openly carried firearms in establishments that serve alcohol but
also allows those carrying to consume alcohol while doing so? I'd be a
lot more concerned about a drunk making a grab for someone else's
exposed gun than with a gun carried concealed by someone who has
essentially promised not to drink while carrying.)
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/crime-scene/virginia/va-police-chiefs-want-handgun-.html
---
A Matter of Perspective: It is a matter of record that too many members
of professional law enforcement, especially administrators, simply do
not trust citizens to be armed and enabled to defend themselves from
criminal attack. Notwithstanding this too-common attitude among some law
enforcement administrators, many street cops understand that they can
rarely be present to stop a criminal attack - to interpose themselves
between a criminal and his intended victim - no matter how they
sincerely wish to protect people. Why do some police administrators
distrust armed citizens? ...
http://www.ammoland.com/2010/03/16/perspective-when-citizens-choose-guns-for-self-defense/
---
Ohio Bill to Legalize Restaurant Carry: Sen. Shannon Jones,
R-Springboro, has introduced legislation eliminating the restriction
against carrying concealed weapons in restaurants that serve alcohol.
Senate Bill 239 also would remove provisions that state where a gun must
be stored while being transported in a vehicle. Jones is joint sponsor
with Sen. Tim Schaffer, R-Lancaster. "The decision six years ago to
allow law-abiding Ohioans to carry concealed weapons has not turned our
state into the Wild West," Jones said in a press release on Tuesday,
March 16. "It is time to update the law so that it works better. This
legislation will improve the regulations for carrying so that they are
more straightforward and in line with other states." ... (Speaking of
vocabulary issues, the "Wild West" was largely a creation of the dime
novels and of Hollywood. Frontier towns generally had much lower levels
of violence than many of our large cities today.)
http://www.middletownjournal.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/ohiopolitics/entries/2010/03/16/bill_would_permit_concealed_ca.html
---
West Virginia Governor May Veto Tax Holiday: Gov. Joe Manchin wouldn't
come right out and say it, but there appears to be a good shot that he
will veto a proposed sales tax holiday on gun purchases in West
Virginia. "I can't look struggling children and families in the eye and
say 'I'm sorry that I can't help you, but by God you don't have to pay
the sales tax on guns'," Manchin said. The so-called "Second Amendment
Appreciation Act" quietly slipped through on the final day of the
legislative session with heavy support in both houses. It would exempt
guns from the state's 6 percent sales tax during one October weekend
each year. "That gives me heartburn, pure heartburn," Manchin said
Tuesday. The governor said the bill flew under the radar for nearly the
entire session. Only after its eleventh-hour approval did he become
aware of it, he said... (As I said before, I'd rather see a repeal of
the federal excise tax on firearms and ammunition than these state tax
holidays.)
http://www.dailymail.com/News/201003160928
---
New York County Supports RKBA: Niagara County lawmakers will introduce
several resolutions tonight opposing a slew of anti-sportsmen and
anti-Second Amendment measures being advanced by the New York State
Assembly's majority and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. "In typical
Albany fashion, the Assembly will hold, probably sometime in April, an
'Anti-Gun Day,' putting on a big show for their Downstate constituents,"
Legislator John Syracuse, R-Newfane, said, as he introduced three
resolutions opposing various Assembly bills. "They'll ram through one
piece of anti-gun legislation after another. The problem is, though, you
can't be anti-gun without being anti-sportsman and anti-Second
Amendment. And here in Niagara County, we value our sportsmen and we
believe in the Constitution as it's written." ...Several county
legislators were particularly vexed by proposed legislation that would
require pistol permit-holders to renew their permits every five years,
enduring an invasive investigation every renewal - and being expected to
pay for it. Syracuse said the measure was little more than a costly
unfunded mandate from the state the created new bureaucratic hurdles for
gun owners while doing absolutely nothing to improve public safety...
(Maybe it's the confines of New York politics but I'd rather see the
RKBA couched in better terms than sporting use.)
http://www.ammoland.com/2010/03/16/county-lawmakers-oppose-radical-anti-second-amendment-bills/
---
Judge Okays Empty-Holster Protest: As announced in our press release
earlier this afternoon, we received word late yesterday that a federal
district court found restrictions on symbolic speech on campus
maintained by Tarrant County College (TCC) to be unconstitutional. The
ruling is a striking victory for the First Amendment on campus. In his
decision, U.S. District Judge Terry R. Means found that TCC's reliance
on a policy prohibiting "disruptive activities" to restrict students
Clayton Smith and John Schwertz from holding an "empty holster" protest
violated the First Amendment. Judge Means further ruled that TCC's
sweeping prohibition on "cosponsorship," which forbade students and
faculty from holding campus events in association with any "off-campus
person or organization," prevented TCC students "from speaking on campus
on issues of any social importance" and was therefore "overly broad" and
"unconstitutional on its face." The lawsuit was filed on November 4,
2009, by Fort Worth [TX] attorney Karin Cagle in cooperation with FIRE
and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Texas. On November 6,
2009, Judge Means issued a temporary restraining order prohibiting TCC
from quarantining protected speech to the school's tiny "free speech
zone," holding that continued operation of the free speech zone would
result in "immediate and irreparable injury" to students' free speech
rights...
http://www.thefire.org/article/11660.html
---
Oops, Wrong Driveway: An Orange County [FL] man is recovering after a
shootout in front of his home. It happened around 12:30 a.m. Tuesday in
the 1800 block of Pomegranate Court. Police said the homeowner, Dave
Henry, had just returned home from work and was pulling into his garage
when he saw a suspicious car near his home. That's when they said two
suspects got out of the car and tried to rob the homeowner. However,
Henry pulled out his own gun and a shootout started. One of the
suspects, identified as David Lee Butler, 37, was shot and killed by
Henry. The other suspect got away. Police said Henry had a concealed
weapons permit and is not facing any charges. (A different report of
this shootout, in which the encounter had been described as a home
invasion, was shared yesterday.)
http://www.cfnews13.com/News/Local/2010/3/16/homeowners_kills_attempted_robber.html?cid=rss
http://wdbo.com/localnews/2010/03/homeowner-kills-robber-in-ocoe.html
---
NRA Grant Aids Arizona Range: The Tonto Rim Sports Club Jim Jones
Shooting Range will soon undergo thousands of dollars in improvements,
thanks to the Friends of the NRA. "We're going to be using some of it
(the money) for drainage improvements," said NRA and TRSC member Charlie
Thompson. "Goodness knows we need those (improvements) after all the
rain we've had." The money TRSC received, which totaled $11,500, was
donated following the Zane Grey Committee's Friends of NRA 15th Annual
Benefit Dinner held Feb. 20 at the Mazatzal Casino. The annual banquet
drew almost 200 people from around the Rim Country and Northern Gila
County... The money Friends of NRA donated to the local shooting range
is not the first the Rim Country has received. Thompson estimates that
over the past seven years about $80,000 in Friends of NRA grants have
been awarded to groups in the Rim Country, including the Boy Scouts of
America. Some of the money has also gone to fund safety training
programs... (This range is located just outside Payson.)
http://www.paysonroundup.com/news/2010/mar/16/nra_gift_will_fix_shooting_range/
---
Crime Writer Promotes Anti-RKBA Agenda: At the repeated behest of my
wife, I sat down to read my first Janet Evanovich book, Plum Spooky. You
may wonder what a fiction writer has to do with gun rights.
Unfortunately, far more than you might think, because modern media has
learned how to promote their anti-self-defense message in more and more
subtle ways. Welcome to the fantasy world of Stephanie Plum, a female
bounty hunter who tracks down criminals who skip out of court
appearances and their associated bail. She doesn't like guns, but her
associates all carry them. Since one of the repeating plot devices has
Plum dealing with violent encounters with those she intends to capture,
her anti-self-defense attitude is irrational at best, suicidal at worst.
But what do you expect when Plum also seems able to pound down donuts
and still fit into her jeans the next day? Magic? A metabolic anomaly? ...
http://www.examiner.com/x-2879-Austin-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2010m3d17-Fiction-writer-Janet-Evanovich-promotes-antigun-agenda
---
There's a Reason God Put Those People on an Island: Burglars should not
be jailed unless they cause damage or hurt someone when committing their
crime, Government advisers said yesterday. The Sentencing Advisory Panel
called for judges and magistrates not to hand down prison sentences to
ordinary burglars who were responsible for 'minimal loss or damage'. But
even criminals who operate in gangs or steal large sums of money may
walk free under the guidelines, which suggest 'community' punishment for
many offenders. The recommendations contradict last year's ruling by
Lord Chief Justice Lord Judge, which stated that jail should be the
'normally appropriate' punishment for convicted burglars. Instead, the
Sentencing Advisory Panel said yesterday that 'any starting point for
domestic burglary should be non-custodial'...
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1257309/Dont-burglars-jail-unless-hurt--courts-told.html
---
From AzCDL:
Your immediate action is needed to support SB 1108, the AzCDL-requested
Constitutional Carry bill, which eliminates the prohibition and
penalties for law-abiding adults who carry a concealed weapon without a
permit.
We are expecting SB 1108 to be placed on the Senate Committee of the
Whole (COW) agenda in the next few days. It is critical that you
immediately contact your Senator and urge them to support SB 1108 during
the COW debate. A letter is waiting to be sent by you at AzCDL's Action
Center:
http://capwiz.com/azcdl/issues/alert/?alertid=14820506 .
SB 1108 replaces SB 1102 which was stopped in the Senate COW by the
attachment of the misrepresented and dangerous "Cheuvront" amendment.
The good news is that we are certain (thanks to your emails on SB 1102)
we can defeat a similar attempt to derail SB 1108 and we know that the
Constitutional Carry language in SB 1108 was approved in the Senate COW
debate on SB 1102. All we need to do is keep reminding the Senate that
YOU want SB 1108 to pass without any shenanigans or bogus amendments.
Your emails are critical to the successful passage of Constitutional
Carry in Arizona. Please! Get involved!
http://capwiz.com/azcdl/issues/alert/?alertid=14820506 .
Stay tuned! When critical legislation moves, we will notify you via
these Alerts.
If you want to get legislative news as it happens, follow AzCDL on
Twitter:
http://twitter.com/AzCDL_Alerts .
AzCDL "tweets" from the Capitol with committee votes and breaking news
as it happens.
You can also follow AzCDL on 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. Renew 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
