Montana v. U.S.?: : But officials in Montana, including dozens of state lawmakers as well as Secretary of State Brad Johnson, have joined together in a statement that the U.S. already has determined the application, and 2nd Amendment rights apply to "any person." In a joint resolution from the Montana leaders, including Congressman Denny Rehberg, they caution that should the Supreme Court decide to change the U.S. interpretation of the 2nd Amendment and allow those rights to apply only collectively, it would violate the contract under which Montana entered the union as a state. "The Montana Resolution cautions that a collective rights decision would violate the Montana contract for statehood because when that contract was entered the collective rights interpretation had not yet been invented and the individual rights view was an accepted part of the contract," an announcement from the leaders said... http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=56914 Related Article: http://reason.com/blog/show/125075.html --- DC Handgun-Ban Backers Oblivious To Reality: Since 1976, the criminals of the city have carried handguns and killed with impunity, while the law-abiding have cowered in their midst. This is not what the D.C. Council imagined 32 years ago when it enacted what is regarded as the strictest gun-control measure in the nation. The law did not work out as envisioned, because criminals, serial killers and nut jobs who go postal do not follow the law. This elementary observation inevitably escapes the thought process of the well-meaning. Instead, the well-meaning point to the easy availability of handguns in Maryland and Virginia being the bane on the ban in the city, which is fair enough. So let's imagine a national ban on handguns, just as there is a national ban on cocaine and heroin and other assorted substances. You know how this hypothetical ban would go down. A vast, unregulated black market suddenly would move into place to answer the demand, and the flow of handguns would remain as it ever was... http://www.washingtontimes.com/article/20080221/METRO/905802279/1004 --- One More Senator Joins Opposition To Sullivan BATFE Nomination: Louisiana Sen. David Vitter has joined two other Republican senators to block the nomination of Michael Sullivan to head the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms on grounds that he hasn't offered specific steps to end what Vitter calls the bureau's overzealous regulation of legal gun dealers. Vitter said last week that he is continuing his hold on the Bush nomination after receiving Sullivan's responses to his questions, which the senator labeled a disappointment. "The ATF is continuing policies that place an impossible standard on gun owners when it comes to apply for a license, as well as not allowing for a reasonable method for gun owners to challenge those overly burdensome regulatory policies," Vitter said. "The nominee seems to support the ATF's current inadequate polices and exhibits a lack of willingness to address these problems." http://www.nola.com/timespic/stories/index.ssf?/base/news-2/120348842937790.xml&coll=1 --- Daley Dances In Slain Students' Blood: Almost as if on cue, anti-gun Chicago Mayor Richard Daley has danced in the blood of slain Northern Illinois University students to push his gun control agenda, yet none of the things on his wish list would have prevented the tragedy at DeKalb, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said today. "Mayor Daley has virtually the same agenda he's been pandering for years," said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb. "He wants to ban .50-caliber target rifles and semiautomatic sport utility rifles. He wants to punish people who sell firearms to friends and relatives; he wants microstamping and trigger locks, and limit handgun purchases to one per month. These measures have nothing remotely to do with last week's shooting in a gun-free college zone, and he knows it. "Even State Sen. John Cullerton from Chicago admitted that none of these proposals would have stopped Steven Kazmierczak from carrying out his attack," Gottlieb continued. "In the middle of this soap opera, Mayor Daley assumes this noble pose by insisting that 'You don't want a tragedy to give you momentum.' He's a liar. Of course he wants this tragedy to give momentum to his extremist anti-gun rights agenda. That's why he mentioned it. http://www.ccrkba.org/pub/rkba/press-releases/daley_dancing_ILL.htm --- Follow The Money: It appears that a manufacturer's lobbying group is behind the various bills to mandate encoded ammunition: The web site Ammunition Accountability apparently is administered by the lobbying firm of Ammunition Coding Systems, who ultimately pays for the site, and who conveniently produces the system that does this type of encoding. I just heard Russ Ford of ACS admitting to this on Cam Edwards' show. There's a per round royalty their company plans to charge for this. Nothing like succeeding in the marketplace by having the gov[ernment] force your product on the consumer, whether they want it or not. Seriously, these guys are hoping to get state legislatures to basically pass a tax on ammunition that gets passed on to them. http://armedandsafe.blogspot.com/2008/02/good-gig-if-you-can-get-it.html --- Georgia Restaurant Association Opposes Expanded CCW: It's not the law-abiding gun owner who Ron Wolf worries about. It's the law-abiding gun owner who's had one too many. In a long career as a restaurant and nightclub manager, Wolf has seen what a few drinks can do. He's concerned that Georgia is considering a volatile mix - allowing people carrying guns to enter restaurants serving alcohol...Meanwhile, although the legislation appears to be stuck, state lawmakers have considered rules that would allow people to take guns into a range of public spaces, including churches, restaurants that serve alcohol, and on public transportation. (Obviously, Mr. Wolf is more concerned about law-abiding gun owners than criminals, who simply ignore the laws.) http://www.ajc.com/services/content/metro/stories/2008/02/18/guns_0219.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=13 --- Another Try For CCW Confidentiality In West Virginia: Supporters of a bill aimed at restricting public access to concealed weapons permit records are trying a new tactic this year. Previous bills have failed to win approval from West Virginia's Legislature, but those were usually couched in terms of privacy. Supporters of the bill this year say they don't want newspapers and other members of the public to have access to the records as a way of protecting victims of domestic violence. National Rifle Association spokeswoman Ashley Varner says publishing the names and addresses of permit holders in newspapers can endanger the safety of domestic violence victims seeking to get away from their abusers. http://www.wsaz.com/news/headlines/15813112.html --- From AzCDL: HB 2630, an AzCDL requested bill that reduces the penalty for carrying a concealed weapon without a permit to a petty offense (except in the commission of a crime), will be heard in the House Committee of the Whole (COW) on Thursday, February 21, 2008. If you are not committing, or attempting to commit, a serious or violent crime, HB 2630 reclassifies carrying a concealed weapon without a permit as a petty offense. Under current law, if you have not been issued a concealed weapons (CCW) permit, it is a class 1 misdemeanor to carry a concealed weapon. Everyone is treated like a hardened criminal. Sadly, because of a couple of 1994 Appellate Court decisions: · If a casual observer cannot easily see your firearm, you are carrying concealed and could be arrested. · Wearing a gun in a vehicle = concealed carry. Without a permit you are subject to arrest. · Having a CCW permit and wearing a gun in a vehicle puts your non-CCW permit passengers at risk for being arrested for carrying concealed without a permit. HB 2630 separates the innocent mistake by otherwise law-abiding citizens from the cold-blooded actions of hardcore criminals. HB 2630 even adds the "attempted commission of a serious offense" language to the law, to assist law enforcement in arresting the bad guys. Please take the time to send a polite note to your Representative urging them to vote for the passage of HB 2630. You can find your Representative here: http://www.azleg.gov/alisStaticPages/HowToContactMember.asp . Below is a sample letter you can use as a template. Please be sure to include your name, address, and phone number in all correspondence. Subject: Support HB 2630 Dear Representative: The Arizona Citizens Defense League (AzCDL) has informed me that HB 2630 will be heard in the House Committee of the Whole (COW) on February 21, 2008. I urge you to vote FOR the passage of HB 2630. Under current law it is a class 1 misdemeanor to carry a concealed weapon without a permit. However, because of 1994 Appellate Court decisions: · There is no clear, objective standard in statute that I can rely on to determine if I am violating the law. · If a casual observer cannot easily see my firearm, I could be arrested for carrying a concealed weapon. · Having a firearm in my vehicle puts my passengers at risk for being arrested. HB 2630 only reduces the penalty for otherwise law-abiding citizens attempting to comply with a statue clouded by court decisions. HB 2630 retains the ability for law enforcement to arrest real criminals. HB 2630 even adds the "attempted commission of a serious offense" language to the law to assist law enforcement in arresting those criminals who are intent on committing a crime while carrying a weapon. Again, I urge you to vote for HB 2630. Sincerely, Your Name Street Address City, AZ zip-code (telephone number) Stay tuned! As relevant legislation is introduced and progresses, we will keep you up to date via these Alerts: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AZCDL_Alerts/ These alerts are a project of the Arizona Citizens Defense League (AzCDL), an all volunteer, non-profit, non-partisan grassroots organization. Join today! AzCDL - Protecting Your Freedom http://www.azcdl.org/html/join_us_.html Copyright © 2008 Arizona Citizens Defense League, Inc., all rights reserved. -- Stephen P. Wenger, KE7QBY Firearm safety - It's a matter for education, not legislation. http://www.spw-duf.info .