Joyce, Obama and Heller: I've mentioned below the Politico article on how, during Obama's time as a Director of the Joyce Foundation, it pumped millions into anti-individual rights scholarship. It also goes into Joyce's essentially "buying up" law reviews to run exclusively anti-individual rights article, and the effect on the Heller case (i.e., groups filing amici in support of DC had been recipients of millions from the Foundation). Now, Obama's campaign has had to respond. It's really a nonresponse, more like "well, the Joyce Foundation also gave money to other things, and Obama says he's really not against the Second Amendment, believe him." That and Joyce Foundation has some (minor) ties to Bill Clinton. The last point is downright pitiful... http://armsandthelaw.com/archives/2008/04/joyce_obama_and.php --- Chicago Misfires on Violent Crime: When a rash of gun murders takes place, it makes sense for the police to do one of two things: renew tactics that have been effective in the past at curbing homicides, or embrace ideas that have not been tried before. But those options don't appeal to Chicago Police Supt. Jody Weis. What he proposes is a crackdown on assault weapons. I'm tempted to say this is the moral equivalent of a placebo - a sugar pill that is irrelevant to the malady at hand. But that would be unfair. Placebos, after all, sometimes have a positive effect. Assault weapons bans, not so much... http://reason.com/news/show/126162.html --- Common Sense from Philadelphia: Here in Philly, where curbing the gun-violence epidemic was a staple of Michael Nutter's mayoral campaign, we are witnessing a furor that may reach a national scale. A city judge last week granted the National Rifle Association's restraining order that forestalls Nutter's package of gun control measures, passed by the City Council, and the NRA is calling for Nutter's arrest on the grounds that he's a tyrant practicing "official oppression." Measures that broaden cops' authority to confiscate guns and otherwise limit gun rights may come under discussion in other cities; many agree with Nutter on their utility in curbing crime... http://www.citypaper.net/articles/2008/04/24/safety-measures --- Parking-Lot-Storage Bill Advances in Missouri: The House gives first-round approval to a bill blocking store owners from barring guns in their customers' parked cars. It's designed to clarify a law allowing Missourians to carry concealed weapons. That law allows businesses to bar guns from their premises. It has sometimes been interpreted to include parking lots. Bill supporters say it's possible for Missourians to be barred from taking their gun into a store and prohibited from leaving it in a vehicle while they shop... http://www.bnd.com/breaking_news/story/318187.html --- ABC Lies Again: ... Last year in the wake of the Virginia Tech massacre, Ross and the crack staff of The Blotter lied about the effect 1994 Crime Bill as it related to pistol magazines used by the shooter, refused to issue a retraction, and deleted blog comments warning them of how wrong they were while continuing to get basic facts of the case wrong through carelessness. Today, Ross and accomplice Richard Esposito continue that fine ABC News tradition of making up the news, in a story claiming that the U.S. Second Amendment is to blame for Mexico's drug cartel problems... http://confederateyankee.mu.nu/archives/260866.php --- Soldier Says Drive into Mexico Unintended. A U.S. soldier being held by Mexican authorities said he accidentally drove across the border with guns, knives and ammunition while looking for a place to park. Spc. Richard R. Medina Torres said that after a long night of driving, he had wanted to park in El Paso, Texas, and walk across the border to Ciudad Juarez for breakfast Monday, but ended up steering his 1999 Honda Prelude off Interstate 10, over an international bridge and into Mexico. "It was just an accident, I didn't mean to drive over here," a teary-eyed Torres said Tuesday afternoon, standing in a hallway of the Mexican federal building where he has been jailed since Monday morning. http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/nation/5724665.html --- Oops, Wrong Pawn Shop: A robbery suspect is in critical condition at a hospital after he was shot by a pawn shop manager during an attempted hold-up, Houston police said. The 17-year-old and two other masked men were holding pistols and rifles shortly before noon Wednesday when they forced their way into Mason's Pawn Shop on Cullen near Bellfort, police said. "They immediately started yelling for everybody to get on the ground," said Houston Police Sgt. Brian Harris. The teenager jumped over the counter and threatened to kill everyone inside the store, police said. "The manager was able to pull a pistol and shoot the man," Harris said. http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5725484.html --- Oops, Wrong Couple: The victim of a robbery in Queens fatally shot one of the three intruders early Tuesday morning with a gun they left behind, police said. A man and his girlfriend were returning to their Middle Village apartment about 4:50 a.m. when they were confronted by three men, police said. According to the victim, the men forced the couple into the apartment, where they tied them up with plans to rob the place, cops said. Somehow, the victim was able to get loose and grab a gun one of the suspects had left unattended, he told police. He shot one of his attackers in the head, killing him. The other two fled. http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2008/04/23/2008-04-23_robbery_victim_kills_intruder-2.html --- Oops, Wrong House: A 51-year-old man on Tuesday morning shot a suspected burglar who was trying to break into the house he was renting, police said. The man, whose name was not released, said he thought the suspect had a gun in his hand and he was afraid of being harmed, Sgt. Rebecca Campbell said. Police said the suspect did not have a gun but was holding a screwdriver he had used to break out a rear window in the home. The suspect, Nathan Cooper, 31, has prior narcotics convictions and is on both probation and parole, police said. He was also wanted for violating parole. ``(The resident) did what he had to do when he felt his life was in jeopardy,'' said police spokesman Officer Roland Holmgren. http://www.orovillemr.com/ci_9016451?source=most_viewed --- RCMP Warns Canadian Gun Owners: The RCMP says if the government allows an amnesty on rifle and shotgun ownership to expire, police will have no choice but to fine or jail unregistered long-gun owners. The reprieve ends May 16. "We follow the rule of law," said Sgt. Derek Strong. "If there's an amnesty, we follow that. With the lack of an amnesty, it's business as usual." A summary conviction for a first-time offender who fails to register and license a long-gun ranges from a fine of up to $2,000 to six months in prison. http://dailygleaner.canadaeast.com/cityregion/article/276785 --- From AzCDL: HB 2629, an AzCDL requested bill that clarifies when a defensive display of a firearm is justified, is scheduled to be debated in the Senate Committee of the Whole (COW) on Thursday, April 24, 2008. Please take the time to send a polite note to your Senator urging them to vote for the passage of HB 2629. You can find your Senator here: http://www.azleg.gov/alisStaticPages/HowToContactMember.asp . Personalized letters are always preferred. 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. If you choose to send a letter to every Senator, following the sample letter are email lists in both semi-colon and comma separated formats. Use the format compatible with your email software. Subject: Support HB 2629 Dear Senator: The Arizona Citizens Defense League (AzCDL) has informed me that HB 2629 will soon be debated on the Senate Committee of the Whole (COW). I urge you to vote FOR the passage of HB 2629. The U.S. Department of Justice has estimated that, nationwide, there are 1.5 million defensive uses of firearms each year (National Institute of Justice, NCJ 155476, May 1997). In about 75% of defensive firearm instances, a shot is never fired and the threat is dissuaded via a defensive display or warning (Gary Kleck and Marc Gertz, "Armed Resistance to Crime: The Prevalence and Nature of Self-Defense with a Gun," Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology 86(1):150-187, Fall 1995). Unfortunately, Arizona law effectively rules out the use of anything other than lethal force with a firearm for self-defense. Under current law, a defensive display can be categorized as "endangerment" (ARS 13-1201), "threatening and intimidation" (ARS 13-1202), "assault" (ARS 13-1203), or "aggravated assault" (ARS 13-1204). The proposed language clarifies when the defensive display of a firearm is justified and when it is not justified. Specifically, it is not justified in the commission or attempted commission of a serious offense or violent crime, or when there is no lawful justification to display a firearm. HB 2629 should reduce the necessity to use lethal force in self-defense situations while assuring that law-abiding citizens are not unfairly targeted for prosecution when attempting to diffuse a threatening situation with a non-lethal defensive display. Again, I urge you to vote for HB 2629. Sincerely, Your Name Street Address City, AZ zip-code (telephone number) Below are the email addresses of the Senate in both semi-colon and comma separation formats, along with a simple list of email addresses for those who encounter email address formatting problems. Use the list that is compatible with your email software. Semi-colon format: paboud@azleg.gov; aaguirre@azleg.gov; callen@azleg.gov; marzberger@azleg.gov; tbee@azleg.gov; rblendu@azleg.gov; rburns@azleg.gov; mburtoncahill@azleg.gov; kcheuvront@azleg.gov; jflake@azleg.gov; jgarcia@azleg.gov; pgorman@azleg.gov; rgould@azleg.gov; cgray@azleg.gov; lgray@azleg.gov; ahale@azleg.gov; jharper@azleg.gov; jhuppenthal@azleg.gov; kjohnson@azleg.gov; llandrumtaylor@azleg.gov; bleff@azleg.gov; dmccunedavis@azleg.gov; rmiranda@azleg.gov; tohalleran@azleg.gov; cpesquiera@azleg.gov; rrios@azleg.gov; vsoltero@azleg.gov; jtibshraeny@azleg.gov; tverschoor@azleg.gov; jwaring@azleg.gov Comma format: paboud@azleg.gov, aaguirre@azleg.gov, callen@azleg.gov, marzberger@azleg.gov, tbee@azleg.gov, rblendu@azleg.gov, rburns@azleg.gov, mburtoncahill@azleg.gov, kcheuvront@azleg.gov, jflake@azleg.gov, jgarcia@azleg.gov, pgorman@azleg.gov, rgould@azleg.gov, cgray@azleg.gov, lgray@azleg.gov, ahale@azleg.gov, jharper@azleg.gov, jhuppenthal@azleg.gov, kjohnson@azleg.gov, llandrumtaylor@azleg.gov, bleff@azleg.gov, dmccunedavis@azleg.gov, rmiranda@azleg.gov, tohalleran@azleg.gov, cpesquiera@azleg.gov, rrios@azleg.gov, vsoltero@azleg.gov, jtibshraeny@azleg.gov, tverschoor@azleg.gov, jwaring@azleg.gov 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 .