As I'm Sure Everyone Knows...: A bitterly divided House of
Representatives late Sunday night passed the Senate's sweeping heath
care legislation 219-212 after a day-long debate, with not a single
Republican voting in favor. Thirty-four Democrats (see list at end)
voted against the bill, which House Speaker Nancy Pelosi summed up as
Congress "making history, making progress and restoring the American
dream." Having struck a deal earlier in the day to head off a small but
potentially decisive rebellion by Democrats over abortion funding,
President Obama reportedly watched the televised vote tally at the White
House with Vice President Joe Biden and several dozen others. Wire
service reports said cheers erupted in the room when the "ayes" reached
the 216 votes required for the bill to pass... (If this travesty
survives court challenges, it will have pushed the Constitution over the
precipice and our economy into the toilet. As I predicted, when Big
Brother was elected, Chicago machine politics have taken over the
nation. I understand that 38 states are preparing to sue.)
http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/63122
---
Indiana Gunners Welcome Parking-Lot-Storage Law: For one, having a
fellow restaurant owner killed during a robbery scared him into getting
a permit to carry his gun. For another, witnessing a domestic situation
spill over into the workplace and leave a co-worker dead scared her into
ensuring everyone gets home from work safely every day. The experiences
of Mickey Skoulos, owner of Sunrise Cafe on Beardsley Avenue, and Ariann
Lawhorn, human resources manager at Mid-City Supply Co. on Industrial
Parkway, shape their views of the "take your gun to work" bill that Gov.
Mitch Daniels signed Thursday. The new law, which passed handily through
the Indiana General Assembly, allows Hoosiers to keep firearms locked in
their vehicles while they are at work with exceptions made for places
like schools, daycare centers, prisons and shelters. Currently, Indiana
employers are able to set their own policies regarding guns at their
facilities, said Terry Dawson, partner at Barnes & Thornburg in
Indianapolis. This law, when it takes effect July 1, will prohibit
businesses from banning weapons at their work sites which is creating
tension between the Second Amendment right to bear arms and companies'
right to control the properties they own... (I apologize to any list
members who work in "human resources" but I always found HR to be the
biggest concentration of "dim bulbs" in all the years I worked for
employers large enough to have such departments. If existing law failed
to protect one of her co-workers, why does Ms. Lawhorn think the new law
will make things worse?)
http://www.etruth.com/Know/News/Story.aspx?id=508591
---
Ohio Set CHL Record in 2009: Five years after it became legal for
Ohioans to carry concealed firearms, more people lined up for permits
than in any year since the law took effect. A record number of permits
also were issued in Michigan last year, and across the country sales of
guns and ammunition soared as well. While many cite the Obama factor -
some Americans feared the President would take away their right to keep
and bear arms - they also say the recession has prompted security fears.
"The economy is causing all these law enforcement officers, whether
they're police officers or sheriff's deputies, to get laid off and
people realize they're in a situation where they may have to be
responsible for their own safety," said Daniel White, executive director
of Ohioans for Concealed Carry, a pro-gun lobbying group formed in 1999
to push for a concealed-carry law...
http://toledoblade.com/article/20100321/NEWS16/3210301/-1/NEWS01
Dean El-Joubeily couldn't help but replay his own face-off with a gunman
when he learned that a Toledo shop owner recently pulled the trigger and
injured a suspected armed robber, and two days later a carryout clerk
shot and killed a gunman. "It just made me a nervous wreck," said Mr.
El-Joubeily, 41, who now owns Deano's Mini Mart in Springfield Township.
Mr. El-Joubeily said that it wasn't long after he was granted a
concealed carry permit in February, 2005, that he pointed the 40-caliber
semiautomatic handgun hidden in the holster under his shirt at a man
trying to rob his former carryout on McCord Road at Hill Avenue... Last
year, 56,691 Ohioans applied for permits to carry a concealed weapon -
the most in the law's five-year history. Owens Community College and
Cleland's Outdoor World in Monclova Township have increased
instructional offerings to meet the demand. Owens first offered monthly
courses last fall for those seeking a concealed-weapon permit but now
offers weekly classes, said Mike Cornell, director of the Center for
Emergency Preparedness at Owens. "We quickly realized we needed more,"
Mr. Cornell said. Cleland's has doubled its firearms classes in the past
two years and sees more first-time gun buyers than ever before, said
Theresa Cleland, who with her husband co-owns Cleland's...
http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100321/NEWS16/3210302/0/BUSINESS05
---
Meanwhile, in Upstate New York...: Sitting in my local barbershop
getting a trim recently, the conversation turned to the previous day's
activities. My barber, his wife and another hairdresser had made a day
of taking a pistol safety course in order to complete their handgun
license applications. The female hairdresser said she decided to do it
now "in case they made it illegal" to do so in the future. Apparently,
she isn't alone in this belief. In Columbia County, as well as across
the country, requests for pistol permits are on the rise, along with gun
sales and instruction. According to Columbia County Sheriff David
Harrison Jr., in the last three years, the number of pistol permit
requests and licenses actually completed have been growing in number.
From 2007 to 2009, the number of completed pistol applications has gone
up by almost 100, from 140 to 233. And this year, the numbers seem to be
even greater. So far, in less than three months, the Sheriff's Office
has handed out 115 gun permit applications and 53 have been completed,
said Harrison...
http://www.registerstar.com/articles/2010/03/20/news/doc4ba45e28ccc51987679325.txt
---
Open-Carry Event in Wisconsin: ICarry.org is trying to make Beloit more
beautiful by cleaning up two miles of Riverside Drive along the Rock
River. They're doing this while trying to raise awareness about the
right to carry guns. The pistols on their belts are there legally
because in Wisconsin, you can carry them on the outside of your clothes
as long as they're fully exposed. But it's illegal to conceal them. In
fact, Wisconsin and Illinois are the only states in the nation where
concealed carry is illegal. Open carry is actually a great way to
educate the public and let them know responsible law abiding citizens do
carry pistols for self defense, and it's becoming a more regular and
regular thing to see in Wisconsin," says Shaun Kranish, Executive
Director of ICarry.org. Carry.org is also trying to get the Wisconsin
legislature to overturn a law that makes it illegal to carry a gun
within 1,000 feet of a school. Organizers say too often school shootings
escalate because there's not someone armed and able to stop the gunman.
(Please tell me that none of those people actually carry openly in the
skimpy sort of holster pictured with the article. I have rarely seen a
holster begging more loudly for a disarming attempt.)
http://www.wifr.com/home/headlines/88787587.html
---
Canada Views US Open Carry: About 60 gun rights activists gather in a
pizzeria in the Virginia suburb of Falls Church, just outside of
Washington DC, their firearms openly displayed in waist holsters. They
are celebrating what they expect will be the successful enactment in
Virginia of legislation expanding gun rights for residents. Republican
Governor Bob McDonnell has pledged to sign the measure... As many as 43
states already have some form of open-carry laws that allow citizens to
carry firearms in plain view. "Gun laws (authorizing openly carrying
weapons) and popularity of gun ownership have been going up
considerably," said Philip Van Cleave, president of the Virginia
Citizens Defense League, carrying a .40-caliber semiautomatic pistol
strapped to his belt... In Virginia, where residents can already openly
carry firearms, the new law would expand gun rights to allow concealed
carry permit holders to bring loaded weapons into establishments that
have a liquor license, including bars, nightclubs, restaurants, pizza
parlors and bowling alleys... (I find the linkage, between open carry
and legislation to legalize CCW in Virginia establishments that serve
alcohol, kind of strange.)
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/rights+advocates+pack+heat+with+pride/2708583/story.html
---
Aren't' They Forgetting Something?: Several local organizations are
teaming up to host a civil rights restoration workshop Tuesday at the
Quincie Douglas Branch Library, 1585 E. 36th Street [Tucson]. The event,
sponsored by the Primavera Foundation, the University of Arizona's James
R. Rogers College of Law and the Pima County Clerk of the Superior
Court, is from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Attendees will be given one-on-one
assistance with restoring civil rights, such as to vote, run for office
or serve on a jury, as well as help in vacating or reclassifying
convictions, when applicable, according to a news release issued by
Primavera. About 75,000 individuals in Arizona are prevented from voting
due to felony convictions, according to the release... (This appears to
be oriented toward registering more Democrats. Conspicuously absent from
this report is any mention that Arizona will also restore the RKBA to
those who have completed their sentences for non-violent felonies and
will even issue CWP's to those who have had that right restored.)
http://www.azstarnet.com/news/local/crime/article_c3e743ba-35db-11df-a97d-001cc4c03286.html
---
Attention, California Gunners: Our weekly poll on California gun laws
has come to a conclusion today. Over 600 of you voted. We thank you.
Almost 7 out of 10 of you believe the worst two California gun laws are:
* The "may-issue" concealed carry system should be changed to a
"shall issue" system. Almost 300 of you (44.4%) voted to end
California's highly discretionary system.
* Another 167 of you (24.8%) say the so-called "assault weapon" ban
should end.
30% of you spread your votes across 8 other laws you consider to be the
worst. The total number of people who participated in our poll was over
650. As we said last week, this is a tough decision to select only one.
So, today have modified our poll to determine of the 8 other laws, what
do you consider the worst so that we end up with the top three laws that
California gun owners want changed. Again, as in last weeks poll, you
get one vote and one vote only, so make it count... (I presume that
these polls are intended to guide the efforts of the California Rifle &
Pistol Association, of which I remain a Life Member.)
http://www.gunnewsdaily.com/index.php/article-archives/330-californians-we-want-a-shall-issue-system
---
Oops, Wrong Hotel Room: I was surprised - shocked, even - to read last
week that Cook County [IL] prosecutors charged Kristian Branch with
first-degree murder. Police say the 28-year-old Elgin woman accompanied
her boyfriend, Mario Charles, Tuesday when he entered a Schaumburg hotel
room to pull an armed robbery. One of the intended victims also had a
gun, though, and shot back and killed Charles. Illinois' "felony murder"
statute says that if you commit a serious crime that results in
someone's death, you can face first-degree murder charges even if you
were unarmed or didn't directly cause the death. The idea is that if a
pair of punks stick up a bank and one of them kills the teller, they're
equally responsible. If, for example, in the Schaumburg case, Charles
had killed his intended victim instead of vice versa, the law would say
Branch ought to have known such a tragic outcome was possible and so is
just as guilty as Charles. It violates my layman's understanding of the
crime of murder - that it requires intent to kill - but I certainly see
how such a law could be a deterrent to those contemplating capers in
which lives could be lost and could also be a valuable tool for
authorities confronted with co-conspirators all trying to implicate one
another as the actual killer. But here, no one was murdered, according
to police accounts of the crime. The victim killed Charles in
self-defense. Charles paid the price of crime and Branch, it would seem
to me, ought to pay the price, if convicted, of being part of an armed
robbery team... (Sorry, Eric, but that's precisely what a "felony
murder" statute is intended to punish, in those states that have one.)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/ct-oped-zorn-03-21-2010-20100321,0,51389.column
---
Oops, Wrong House, Bahamas Version: A resident shot two would-be armed
robbers who were trying to break into his house, police revealed last
night. The incident happened at Assembly Estates, Firetrail Road, at
about 2pm yesterday. When police officers arrived they found a gold
Honda Accord car, licence plate number 221452, outside the house and a
man lying bleeding nearby. According to reports, two men - one allegedly
armed with a handgun - were attempting to break into the house when they
were seen by someone who lives there. One of the thugs allegedly fired
two shots at the resident, who then produced a licensed shotgun and
returned fire. This resulted in one of the attempted robbers sustaining
gunshot wounds to the shoulder and upper back. He reportedly collapsed
while attempting to flee the scene. He was taken to hospital where he is
listed as in serious condition. The other would-be robber is thought to
have also been hit. He reportedly fled into nearby bushes and is being
hunted by detectives. Police up to press time were unable to release a
description of the alleged armed robber... (The Bahamas requires a
firearms certificate or license for the ownership of firearms and
ammunition. Ownership or carry of firearms without such license is
punishable by either five or ten years imprisonment, depending on the
level of court in which the defendant is convicted.)
http://www.tribune242.com/news/03202010_shooting_news_pg1
http://www.examiner.com/x-18149-SelfDefense-Examiner~y2010m3d21-Armed-Bahamas-resident-shoots-violent-home-invader-in-self-defense
---
Another Look at Head Shots: A Niagara Falls man claims that on two
occasions he was just minding his own business outside a city bar when
he was shot in the head. Willie McTyere, 29, of Whirlpool Street was
taken to Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center with a gunshot wound to
his head after the shooting shortly before 11 p. m. Wednesday in the
parking lot of the Elks Sunset Lodge in the 3200 block of Highland
Avenue. He was transferred to Erie County Medical Center and then
discharged. "He had been shot just above his left eye, but it didn't go
through his skull; it was just a flesh wound," said Capt. William M.
Thomson, chief of detectives. Thomson said the victim was very
uncooperative at the city hospital and told police that he had "just
been minding his own business." ...At 2:50 a. m. Jan. 23, police
responded to a report of shots fired outside Jo Jo's Smokehouse, a bar
in the 1400 block of Main Street. Thomson said that at the hospital
McTyere was found with a "hole in the top of his head" from a possible
gunshot wound that had entered the top of his skull and caused some
bleeding. He said McTyere had to be restrained because he was
uncooperative... (Head shots often look goo on paper targets but fail on
the street. Where I've lived, shooting victims who refused to cooperate
from police typically got shot by intended robbery victims.)
http://www.buffalonews.com/2010/03/19/992564/man-shot-in-head-2nd-time-this.html
---
Another Look at the US Sniper Upgrade: ...Snipers have been asking for a
longer range weapon, but not one as bulky and heavy as the 30 pound .50
caliber (12.7mm) rifle (which is good to about 2,000 meters). Thus the
army is modifying existing M24 rifles to fire the more powerful .300
Winchester Magnum ("Win Mag") round. It was felt that this gave the
snipers all the additional range they needed, without requiring a much
heavier rifle. SOCOM has been using this approach since the early
1990s... There was another option, and that was to replace the barrel
and receiver of the M24 sniper rifles to handle the .338 (8.6mm) Lapua
Magnum round. Thus you still have a 17 pound sniper rifle, but with a
round that can hit effectively out to about 1,600 meters. British
snipers in Iraq, and especially Afghanistan, have found the Lapua Magnum
round does the job at twice the range of the standard 7.62x51mm round.
The 8.6mm round entered use in the early 1990s, and became increasingly
popular with police and military snipers. Some NATO snipers have used
this round in Afghanistan with much success, and have a decade of
experience with these larger caliber rifles. Recognizing the popularity
of the 8.6mm round, Barrett, the pioneer in 12.7mm sniper rifles, came
out with a 15.5 pound version of its rifle, chambered for the 8.6mm. But
the U.S. preferred the lighter .300 Winchester magnum solution...
http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htweap/articles/20100322.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
