Same Song, Same Choir: ...First, it is absurd for police departments to
put guns back into circulation. The possibility of making a little bit
of money from the sale of illegal weapons or swapping them for guns more
suitable for law enforcement is not worth the cost in lives and safety.
Police departments should put a halt to this practice; legally
confiscated guns should be destroyed after they are no longer needed as
evidence - a measure endorsed by the International Association of Chiefs
of Police. Second, there are steps the Obama administration could take
immediately to reduce the danger to law enforcement officers and other
law-abiding citizens. Legislation is needed to close the gun-show
loophole to require background checks for all purchasers. But the
500-strong, bipartisan coalition Mayors Against Illegal Guns has
outlined 40 steps that the Obama administration could take on its own to
get illegal guns off the streets. The FBI should alert local officials
when a would-be purchaser has failed a background check; such an alert
would put local law enforcement officials on notice that a "prohibited
purchaser" with a disqualifying criminal history or an outstanding
domestic violence warrant is trying to obtain a weapon...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/19/AR2010031904620.html
---
Restaurant-Carry Bill to Be Heard in Ohio Senate: The Senate Judiciary
on Criminal Justice Committee, chaired by Sen. Tim Grendell (R-18), will
hear sponsor testimony on SB239, introduced this week by Senator Shannon
Jones and Senator Tim Schaffer to allow citizens who hold a valid
concealed handgun license (CHL) to carry a firearm in restaurants, and
to reduce burdensome restrictions regarding how a license holder must
transport a firearm in a car, on Wednesday, March 24 at 10:15 AM in the
Senate Building's South Hearing Room... Buckeye Firearms Association is
calling on the Ohio Senate to quickly move this bill through the
legislative process and to send it to the House. The House has already
held several hearings on HB203, which also seeks to allow
license-holders to carry in restaurants.
http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/node/7188
---
Indianapolis Councilor Defends RKBA: A City-County councilor said he
wants to ensure Indianapolis won't pass ordinances limiting gun owners'
rights. Councilor Ed Coleman drafted a proposal he intends to present on
Monday partly in response to Otis McDonald v. Chicago, a case now before
the U.S. Supreme Court, 6News' Joanna Massee reported. McDonald is
fighting to be able to keep a handgun in his home, even though Chicago
bans handguns within city limits. The case will likely have wider
implications and could determine if state and local gun-control
ordinances can be struck down as violating the "right to keep and bear
arms" in the Second Amendment. Coleman, who previously sponsored a bill
to allow guns in city parks, said he believes in citizens' rights to
defend themselves. "Too many councilors and the mayor obviously have
shown that they don't support certain things like the Second Amendment,"
he said. But others on the council said they don't see the point of the
resolution. "I think we're getting into an arena that is both federally
and state regulated, and that should be enough," said councilor Joanne
Sanders, who said she would not vote for the measure... (That's
precisely the point of the resolution, lady.)
http://www.theindychannel.com/news/22891564/detail.html
---
Missouri May Lower CCW Age: On Monday, we discussed the fact that
Illinois may cease demanding parental consent for young adults who
choose to buy or posess firearms and ammunition. Missouri may be in the
midst of something of a "youth movement," as well. Currently,
Missouri's minimum age requirement for legal concealed carry - 23 years
- is the oldest of any state in which concealed carry is permitted.
Efforts, though, are underway to change that. A House bill that would
(among other things) lower the minimum age to the more standard 21 years
seems to have some momentum behind it in the House... The bill in
question is Missouri HB 1692, and actually started out as a measure
dealing with regulating real estate brokers. It has since been
extensively amended to include not only the minimum age requirement
change for concealed carry, but a couple other firearms la t his has
become quite an . . . eclectic bill)... (I believe that some Alabama
Sheriffs may set the minimum age at 23 as well. Missouri residents may
legally carry on out-of-state permits and I understand that some who are
not yet 21 do so. At best, they currently function in a gray area.)
http://www.examiner.com/x-2581-St-Louis-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2010m3d19-Missouri-closer-to-legal-selfdefense-for-21yearolds
---
RKBA Heavyweights to Speak in North Carolina: On Friday, May 14,
immediately adjacent to the NRA Convention in Charlotte, Grass Roots
North Carolina (GRNC) will host a dinner and Second Amendment Symposium
featuring Heller v. D.C. lawyer Alan Gura, Second Amendment Foundation
president Joe Tartaro, Eighth Congressional District Republican
candidate Tim D'Annunzio and Senator Richard Burr... (That's actually
D.C. v. Heller - the District was the unsuccessful appellant of the
ruling of the Court of Appeals.)
http://www.examiner.com/x-2698-Charlotte-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2010m3d19-Second-Amendment-Symposium-adds-heavy-hitters-to-lineup
---
Baltimore Gunners Prepare for Second Amendment March: ...The Associated
Gun Clubs of Baltimore (AGC) has reserved two 54 passenger buses to
provide comfortable, stress free transportation to and from the rally.
Enjoy the comradery of fellow shooters, perhaps catch up with old
friends, and make some new friends. In order to accommodate as many
persons as possible, the buses will leave from different locations, each
will make intermediate stops as noted below and the buses will
rendezvous at the Broken Land Park & Ride West. The buses will then
travel together to the 2nd Amendment March Rally. Each bus will make the
same stops on the return trip as needed. The AGC is now using a new
system to register participants and receive payments by credit card or
personal PayPal account on a secure Internet connection. Please note
that the system requires that each person be registered separately AND
by the bus you wish to ride in order to avoid overbooking the buses.
Once we have reached 54 guests on a bus, the system will no longer
accept additional bookings for that bus...
http://www.ammoland.com/2010/03/19/2nd-amendment-rally-in-washington-dc-bus-trip/
---
Montana Gunners Prepare Local March: A Second Amendment March will be
held at the state Capitol building at noon on March 27 as a preview to
the April 19 national march at the Washington Monument. According to the
Montana march coordinator, Tim Ravndal, people from across the country
will come to Helena to attend the rally, which supports the
constitutional right to bear arms. Ravndal said the Made in Montana
Firearms Freedom Act has led the way nationally in a challenge to the
federal government, and those gathering want to send a message to
elected officials about their right to bear arms. "The mission of the
Second Amendment March and Montana Rally is to galvanize the courage and
resolve of Americans; to petition our elected officials against
establishing anti-gun legislation; and to remind America that the Second
Amendment is necessary to maintain our right to self-defense," Ravndal
said in a press release. In the interest of safety, Ravndal asks those
attending the rally to unload their weapons. He added that the use of
alcohol or drugs will not be tolerated, and anyone found intoxicated or
impaired will be asked to leave immediately. (I can see an argument for
unloading firearms that are carried for display and may be vulnerable to
gun grabs. I can see no reason why those who carry concealed should be
asked to unload those firearms.)
http://www.helenair.com/news/local/article_b73e0708-33dc-11df-9019-001cc4c03286.html
---
Alaska RKBA Leader Screws Up: The leader of the local Second Amendment
Task Force has been barred from possessing a gun for at least the next
two months. Schaeffer Cox, 26, was arrested Wednesday night after
Fairbanks police say he failed to notify an officer he was carrying a
concealed pistol. Cox was in court Friday morning to plead not guilty to
a misdemeanor count of fifth-degree weapons misconduct. Cox also
recently had a court appearance on a felony assault charge, which
stemmed from an accusation that he choked his wife during a trip to
Anchorage. Three days later, Cox, who had no prior criminal record,
pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of misdemeanor reckless endangerment
and received a suspended sentence. Cox posted $500 bail Wednesday night
on the weapons misconduct charge, but Magistrate Alicemary Rasley set as
a condition of his release that he is not to possess any firearm while
the case is pending. His next hearing is scheduled for May 10, and Cox's
attorney, Robert John, said that a trial is likely to go forward the
following week...
http://newsminer.com/view/full_story/6782152/article-Schaeffer-Cox-barred-from-carrying-gun?instance=home_news_window_left_top_1
---
University of Tennessee vs. RKBA: A University of Tennessee spokesman
said a state lawmaker's attempt to get involved with student-athlete gun
rights is unnecessary, and the university has its own new policy.
University vice president Hank Dye told the Chattanooga Times Free Press
that earlier comments about a "zero-tolerance policy statement"
regarding guns were overstated. Republican state Rep. Stacey Campfield
of Knoxville is sponsoring a measure that would prevent university
officials from suspending athletes who have guns, legally or illegally.
Dye said the university has a new zero-tolerance policy on athletes
possessing firearms when they are involved in university events and
traveling to or from those events... Campfield told the newspaper he
believes university officials now are "trying to back away a little bit,
but they still have that right." "My bill hopefully would stop them from
going down the road when they start doing that," Campfield told the
newspaper. He said his legislation says that if a "student is on their
own time, on their own property, is a legal [emphasis added] gun owner,
that the university can't penalize that student for doing something
legal with their gun, hunting with it, carrying it for protection." ...
(As was pointed out in an earlier commentary, the university needs to
focus on whom it recruits as athletes, not on infringing the rights of
those recruits.)
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/mar/19/university-tennessee-spokesman-says-bill-athletes-/
---
Straw Purchases Targeted in Pennsylvania: ..."Sorry, Mom! Sorry, Mom!
Sorry, sorry, sorry, Mom! Lord, have mercy!" the 23-year-old Nicetown
woman said, before defiantly barking at the news cameras: "Don't try to
make an example out of me!" But like it or not, authorities say that
O'Hannon was the perfect example of the message that city lawmen want
citizens to hear: If you buy a gun for a thug, you will go to jail.
"We're going to get you. The little money you make in profit on this gun
won't be worth it as you sit in prison," District Attorney Seth Williams
warned yesterday at a news conference announcing the arrests of 35
people, including O'Hannon, on charges of gun trafficking,
straw-purchasing and other firearm offenses. Williams joined Attorney
General Tom Corbett and other lawmen at Corbett's Southwest Philadelphia
office to publicly celebrate the success of the Gun Violence Task Force,
a partnership involving the Attorney General's Office, Philadelphia
police and the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office...
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20100319_D_A___Illegally_buy_a_gun__you_ll_be_going_to_jail.html
---
Five Months to Clear Self-Defense Shooter: A grand jury declined to
indict a bait camp owner who fatally shot a patron banned from the
business. Robert Stanley Ott, 52, was no-billed in the Oct. 22 killing
of Michael Wayne Hansen, 55, who was found dead in his pickup in the
driveway of Ott's Santa Fe home, Galveston County [TX] Criminal District
Attorney Kurt Sistrunk said in a Friday statement. After convening five
times, the grand jury's decision Thursday not to charge Ott came after
instructions on offenses of murder, manslaughter, criminally negligent
homicide and the use of deadly force in self-defense, Sistrunk said.
During those meetings, the grand jury saw evidence and heard testimony
from Santa Fe police and others, Sistrunk said... "I've been living
this nightmare for five months," Ott said. "I regret that the incident
happened, but I was in a position where I had to defend my life." Ott
owns Hall's Bayou Bait Camp, from which Hansen was barred, Ott said.
"After threatening to kill me there, he came to my home property and
pulled a gun," Ott said. "I don't know what made him feel he was welcome
at my home property, especially with a gun, if he wasn't welcome out
there." Santa Fe police said Hansen displayed a gun in a threatening
manner toward Ott. Police found Hansen dead with a gun in his hand,
authorities said...
http://galvestondailynews.com/story.lasso?ewcd=e1e3ebab378f90a5
---
More on the Medical-Marijuana Shootout: Monday's brief gunfight at the
home of medical marijuana activist Steve Sarich created a multi-level
uproar that had different decibel readings, depending on which part of
the story upon which one focused... Three of the group allegedly made
repeat trips into Sarich's residence, and on the last trip, things went
bad. Sarich was awakened apparently by a barking dog, grabbed a
22-caliber semiautomatic pistol and went to investigate. His
20-year-old live-in girlfriend stayed in the bedroom. Sarich suddenly
finds himself facing off against two masked men, one of whom raised a
shotgun toward him. Sarich fired one round and his pistol jammed.
Instead of trying to clear the jam, Sarich retreated to the bedroom and
grabbed a different .22-caliber pistol - a spare gun is something a fair
number of armed citizens keep handy because guns do jam at the worst
times, such as in the first seconds of a gunfight - and was wounded when
the gunman fired one round from the shotgun. But Sarich stayed in the
fight, firing several more times. It was during that part of the gun
battle that Tzenkov was wounded... (While I have recently admitted that
there may be some people who cannot handle a more powerful pistol than a
380, I am not an advocate of small-caliber handguns for self-defense.
Note that the first .22 pistol malfunctioned when the first shot was
fired. Revolvers chambered for .22 rimfire cartridges, including the .22
Magnum, typically require heavier main springs than their centerfire
brethren, which make them more difficult to fire accurately by users
judged not to have the strength to manage a more powerful load.)
http://www.examiner.com/x-4525-Seattle-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2010m3d19-Model-citizens-and-the-medical-marijuana-shootout
---
Rule One Reminder: A rookie Fairfax County [VA] police officer fired off
a round inside his apartment in Centreville Sunday night, puncturing an
indoor pipe and setting off a mild ruckus in the Post Corners Apartments
complex, Fairfax police said Monday... The officer, whose name was not
released - Fairfax almost never releases its officers' names, regardless
of the circumstances - accidentally discharged one round from his
service weapon, hitting a pipe in his apartment, Wright said. The
shooting apparently set off a leak in the officer's apartment, or
perhaps the sprinklers. Wright said the officer believed the sprinklers
had been set off in the entire building and called the Fairfax fire
department. The fire department responded and restored calm. The officer
has not been charged with a crime, Wright said. He is 24, and has been
on the force for six months, Wright said, which is exactly the length of
time one spends in the police academy before hitting the streets with a
training officer. A new police recruit class graduated last week, and
another police source familiar with the case said the officer was in
it... (Rule One: All firearms are always loaded.)
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/crime-scene/fairfax/fairfax-cop-teaches-indoor-pip.html
---
Rule Two Reminder: A Lorain County [OH] sheriff's captain is in good
condition today after he accidentally shot himself over the weekend.
Lorain County Sheriff's Capt. John Reiber was test-firing a weapon on a
relative's property in Vermilion Township when it misfired, according to
Capt. Paul Sigsworth with the Erie County Sheriff's Office. A single
bullet went through Reiber's right hand and lodged in his abdomen,
according to Sigsworth. The gun is an off-duty weapon belonging to
Reiber's wife, who is an officer with the Avon Police Department,
Sigsworth said. The handgun was malfunctioning, and Reiber took it to
the property at 5300 Cleveland Road East (U.S. Route 6) to test-fire it
and try to determine why it was malfunctioning, Sigsworth said. He was
attempting to clear it, and it discharged. Reiber was able to walk to a
neighbor's house, and the neighbor drove him to Community Regional
Medical Center in Lorain. CHP called Vermilion police, who contacted the
Erie County Sheriff's Office... (Rule Two: Don't let the muzzle cross
anything you're not prepared to shoot.)
http://www.sanduskyregister.com/articles/2010/03/15/front/doc4b9e5d49171bf491719157.txt
---
Rule Three Reminder: A private lawyer with a Second Amendment background
is blasting the report that cleared a Hampton police officer of any
wrongdoing when it was ruled he accidentally fired a round from his
handgun at an unarmed man last December at Hampton Beach [NH]... County
Attorney James Reams' office classified the discharge of Hampton police
officer Charles Karpenko's .40-caliber Glock 22 that nearly hit Bartimo
as "accidental" because the officer "was unable to articulate to
investigators whether or not he made a conscious decision to fire his
weapon." While admitting that the shooting was not in keeping with
Hampton or state police policies because the officer had his finger on
the trigger before he had identified a tangible threat, Reams said the
actions didn't constitute reckless conduct as defined by state law.
That's because the shooting did not show a "gross deviation" from what a
regular citizen would do in the same situation, the county attorney
said...Dean, who reviewed the nine-page report at the request of the
Portsmouth Herald, said it was obvious to her that the findings were
"whitewashed." "What is says is there are two standards: one standard
for police officers and another standard for private people," Dean said.
"If this was a regular citizen, they would have been charged." ... (Rule
Three: Keep your finger out of the trigger guard, up on the frame, until
your sights are on the firearm and you're prepared to fire.)
http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20100320-NEWS-3200322
---
Tangentially Related: Four days before what could be a pivotal hearing
for Attorney General Eric Holder Jr., two Republican lawmakers have sent
Holder a letter asking how he failed to disclose some background
materials during his Senate confirmation process. The letter, released
today, comes from Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), the top Republican on the
Senate Judiciary Committee, and Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), a member of the
committee and the Senate's GOP whip. During Holder's confirmation
process in late 2008, a Senate questionnaire asked him to supply copies
of Supreme Court briefs he participated in. Holder responded at the time
with briefs from three cases, leaving out seven that he either wrote as
counsel or signed as amicus curiae. The Justice Department disclosed the
seven others a week ago after questions from The National Law Journal...
(Holder's confirmation was opposed by the RKBA community, to no avail.)
http://legaltimes.typepad.com/blt/2010/03/gop-senators-press-holder-on-amicus-briefs.html
---
From AzCDL:
Yesterday (March 18th) both Constitutional Carry bills (SB 1108 & HB
2347) were scheduled for debate in their respective chamber's Committee
of the Whole (COW) and both were pulled from the calendar to be
rescheduled, most likely next week. This was done for a very good
reason. The day before (March 17th) the Governor's staff requested some
minor changes that they felt would improve the chance of Constitutional
Carry becoming law. As a result, both bills were pulled until
amendments could be drafted. The changes requested by the Governor's
staff have no effect on the language restoring the right of law-abiding
adults to carry a concealed weapon without a permit.
If all goes well, we are expecting SB 1108 to be debated in the Senate
COW early next week. After the feedback you gave to a few Senators on
SB 1102 and the Cheuvront amendment, we are not anticipating
difficulties with the passage of an amended SB 1108 in the Senate.
Assuming SB 1108 survives the Senate COW and Third Read, it will be
transmitted to the House.
Meanwhile, HB 2347 will be amended during the House COW to mirror the
language in SB 1108. After the House COW and Third Read, one of the
bills will be transmitted to the Governor. However, this is NOT a done
deal.
The last thing we all want to hear is a legislator saying that they
would have voted for Constitutional Carry "if only" they had heard from
more of their constituents. If you haven't sent emails to your
Representatives and Senators on HB 2347 and SB 1108, please don't
hesitate any longer. This is your opportunity of a lifetime to restore
the meaning of "right to keep and bear arms" in Arizona and generate a
wave of reform across the nation.
Your letters, to send to your Representatives and Senators, are waiting
for you at AzCDL's Action Center.
HB 2347:
http://capwiz.com/azcdl/issues/alert/?alertid=14824091 .
SB 1108:
http://capwiz.com/azcdl/issues/alert/?alertid=14820506 .
In other news, HB 2543, the Firearms Preemption bill, was not debated in
the House COW as scheduled for March 18th. The House had an ambitious
agenda and ran out time. HB 2543 will be rescheduled, probably for the
coming week. There is still time to contact your Representatives on HB
2543. Your letter is waiting for you at AzCDL's Action Center:
http://capwiz.com/azcdl/issues/alert/?alertid=14824471 .
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 your membership 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
