Obama's Other Spiritual Advisor: Christopher Hitchens' latest column in Slate states: "In April 2004, Barack Obama told a reporter from the Chicago Sun-Times that he had three spiritual mentors or counselors: Jeremiah Wright, James Meeks, and Father Michael Pfleger--for a change of pace, a white Catholic preacher who has a close personal feeling for the man he calls (as does Obama) Minister Farrakhan." ...In another demonstration at Chuck's Gun Shop, owned by John Riggio, Rev. Pfleger told the crowd: "We're going to find you and snuff you out....Like a rat you're going to hide. But like a rat, we're going to catch you and pull you out....We're going to snuff out John Riggio." Rev. Pfleger also promised: "We're going to snuff out legislators that are voting against our gun laws. We're coming for you because we're not going to sit idly." http://volokh.com/posts/1207631070.shtml --- John Lott Reviews Obama's Anti-RKBA History: Something happens to Democrats on the gun issue when they run for president. For John Kerry during 2004, it was awkwardly posing in brand new hunting gear at a seemingly endless series of hunting photo-ops. But in what will probably be the most improbable change, the Politico reported on Saturday that Barack Obama was making a big play for gun votes in Pennsylvania. It is not particularly surprising that this change is occurring with the crucial Pennsylvania primary soon approaching...n fact, I knew Obama during the mid-1990s, and his answers to IVI's question on guns fit well with the Obama that I knew. Indeed, the first time I introduced myself to him he said "Oh, you are the gun guy." I responded "Yes, I guess so." He simply responded that "I don't believe that people should be able to own guns." http://johnrlott.tripod.com/op-eds/FoxNewsObamaGuns040708.html --- Florida Senate to Vote on Parking-Lot-Storage Bill: After being followed and run off the road one morning, the couple decided to buy and gun for their protection, they say. But when Disney learned about the weapon, the husband and wife were fired after nearly 10 years with the company. That's even though Gray holds a permit to carry a concealed weapon. Park officials said the pair had violated a company rule prohibiting employees from bringing weapons to work. The safety of the park's guests and employees is the company's top priority, and park officials don't want that to be compromised, said Disney spokeswoman Zoraya Suarez. The clash between people like the Grays and businesses like Disney reaches the Florida Senate on Wednesday. The chamber is set to vote on a bill that pits a person's right to protect himself against a business owner's right to protect his employees and customers. http://www.wftv.com/news/15828721/detail.html --- California Bill Would End Preemption Over Firearms: An East Bay lawmaker's bill to clear the way for local handgun bans has a committee hearing Tuesday (April 8), delving into issues now pending before the state's and nation's highest courts. Assemblywoman Loni Hancock, D-Berkeley, authored AB 2566 in reaction to a state Court of Appeal ruling in January which upheld the voiding of San Francisco's Measure H of 2005, approved by voters to bar city residents from owning handguns or from making or selling firearms or ammunition in the city. The California Supreme Court is mulling whether to review this ruling, which found state law leaves no room for cities and counties to ban handgun ownership; Hancock's bill, to be heard Tuesday by the Assembly Public Safety Committee, seeks to create that room by removing the state pre-emption entirely. http://www.insidebayarea.com/timesstar/localnews/ci_8844029 --- Virginia Tech Blocks Brady Bunch Rally: Virginia Tech said yesterday that it will not allow a national gun-control advocacy group to hold a campus demonstration on April 16 while the school commemorates last year's massacre. Tech spokesman Larry Hincker said neither the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence nor the co-sponsor of the planned demonstration, ProtestEasyGuns.com, had applied for an assembly permit, and even if they had, Tech only issues permits to student groups. Tech's position threw the Brady Campaign's plans into disarray yesterday: The noon demonstration at Tech was supposed to be the centerpiece of a nationwide series of events on April 16 in more than 70 cities and towns. http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/news.apx.-content-articles-RTD-2008-04-08-0119.html --- Pennsylvanians Rally for RKBA: A number of Pennsylvania state lawmakers from both parties, as well as a number of key figures in the gun control debate, rallied in Harrisburg yesterday for the third annual Right to Keep and Bear Arms Rally. The rally came on the heels of an unsuccessful attempt by the Pennsylvania House to pass a measure criminalizing the failure to report a lost handgun within 72 hours. "As citizens of the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, we do not need the U.S. Supreme Court, the United Nations or even the governor to reaffirm our God-given rights to defend our lives, loved ones and property," State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe (R-Butler), the host of the rally, told hundreds of onlookers at the rally in the Capitol Rotunda. A bill sponsored by Mr. Metcalfe providing victims of domestic abuse an emergency license to carry a firearm was approved by the House last Tuesday... http://www.thebulletin.us/site/index.cfm?newsid=19462766&BRD=2737&PAG=461&dept_id=576361&rfi=8 --- Rule Three Reminder: A Houston police officer was recovering after he accidentally shot himself in the hip, authorities said. HPD Officer M. Reyes was off-duty at his apartment in the 6200 block of Tidwell on Friday when he was injured, police said. Reyes, 23, was trying to unholster his pistol in the bathroom of the apartment about 8:15 p.m. when the weapon accidentally fired, police said. Reyes was struck in the right hip. He was treated for the injury at Memorial Hermann Hospital, police said. (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.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/5678474.html --- Rule Five Reminder: It appears to be a tragic accident, but a Yuba City Sheriff's Sergeant may face charges after his three-year old son reportedly found his gun and shot himself with it. Paramedics responded quickly to the scene, but the boy was found dead. "We believe, at this point in the investigation, that [the gun] was the officer's service weapon," said Shawna Pavey of the Yuba City Police Department. "The mood at the department is very, very sad. Our hearts and our prayers go out to the family." (The child may have been killed with his father's handgun but not by it. Rule Five: Maintain control of your firearm.) http://cbs13.com/local/boy.killed.weapon.2.694409.html --- Yemen Can't Shake Culture of Firearms: ...Carrying weapons is so entrenched in the traditions of the Arabian peninsula republic that one resident of the eastern tribal province of Marib was ostracized by his kinsfolk when he decided to ditch his machine gun. "After graduating from university [in Iraq], I felt that my education, not the machine gun flaunted by tribesmen, was my real weapon," said the 36-year-old doctor, who asked to be identified only by his first name, Ahmad...Interior Minister Rashad al-Alimi singled out the proliferation of firearms as one of four "security challenges" facing Yemen, along with terrorist threats, border protection and "weak loyalty to the state." http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080409/FOREIGN/214304027/1003 --- From AzCDL: Information on these bills and other legislation that AzCDL is tracking can be found at: http://www.azcdl.org/html/legislation.html . On Monday, April 7, 2008, the Senate Judiciary Committee heard and passed the following important pro-rights bills that originated in the House: HB 2389, an AzCDL requested bill that clarifies that it is permissible to carry a weapon, without a CCW permit, visibly or concealed, anywhere within a means of transportation, excluding public transit. HB 2389 passed by a 4-2 vote with one member not voting. HB 2629, an AzCDL requested bill that clarifies when a defensive display of a firearm is justified. HB 2629 passed by a 3-1 vote with 3 members not voting. HB 2634, an AzCDL requested bill that clarifies that a person with an expunged or set-aside felony conviction, or one who has had their rights restored, may obtain a concealed weapons permit. HB 2634 passed by a 4-1 vote with 2 members not voting. HB 2660, a bill that AzCDL opposes, failed in the same committee by a 2-4 vote with 1 member not voting. Despite the undoubtedly good intentions of its sponsor, the bill is essentially a trial lawyer's welfare act that allows victims of crimes to reach into the deep pockets of third parties that may have "contributed" to their assailant's behavior. The examples the bill's proponents use are "how to" videos for abduction and rape. However, the same standard could be applied to a firearms training course, video, book, "blog", etc. Also in the Senate, HB 2630, another AzCDL requested bill, has passed through the various Senate committees and the majority and minority caucuses. From there it will go to COW and Third Read, and unless changes are made, head to the Governor's desk. 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. We will alert you when the bill is scheduled for debate on the Senate floor. Unfortunately, not all the news coming from the Senate is good. SB 1214, AzCDL's requested "Campus Carry" bill, was not put on the agenda for the Senate Committee of the Whole (COW) before this session's deadline. That means SB 1214 is dead this year. However, Campus Carry is getting national attention, and is gaining momentum and support in other states. The issue is not going away in Arizona simply because it stalled in this session. It will be back, and we will be there to push it! Stay tuned! As relevant legislation 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 .