Hot Dog Vendor Could Become NYC's Heller: If New York's strict antigun laws are overturned in the near future, it may be the work of a hot dog vendor. The vendor, Daniel Vargas, is due next month in court to fight misdemeanor charges that he kept an unlicensed revolver loaded on a basement shelf in his apartment. The case, which has generated 23 hearings and been heard by no fewer than 10 different judges as it winds through Brooklyn's lowest criminal court, would be of little general interest, except for the fact that the U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled that the Second Amendment protects a right to keep a handgun at home for self-defense. Now, suddenly, Mr. Vargas's case, as well as a handful of other cases, are testing the authority of district attorneys to prosecute people for gun possession, a strategy that Mayor Bloomberg has emphasized in his criminal justice policies... http://www.nysun.com/new-york/gun-rights-of-new-yorkers-may-rest-on-case-of-hot/83043/ --- Campus-Carry Movement Grows in Texas: ... He is among thousands of U.S. college students who want that changed. In a letter to the Longview News-Journal dated June 16, Cartwright called for colleges such as LeTourneau to allow licensed students and school staff to carry concealed weapons. It's a stance touted by Students for Concealed Carry on Campus, a national group of more than 30,000 college students, faculty and parents who support concealed handgun rights on campuses... http://www.news-journal.com/news/content/news/stories/2008/07/31/07312008_guns_on_campus.html --- Another Joe Horn Case?: A resident in the 4700 block of River Oaks Drive in Kingsland shot a man in the head he thought was breaking into his next-door neighbor's house... In a press release, Llano County Sheriff's Department stated they did receive a 911 call from the shooter informing them some of his neighbor's items were stolen. The shooter said he saw a vehicle drive up and down his street several times, then back under his neighbor's carport. The shooter grabbed a pistol from his house and walked over to see what was going on. As he confronted the people in the vehicle, they drove off, and that's when he shot at them... http://www.kxan.com/Global/story.asp?S=8763997&nav=0s3d --- Missouri GOP Challenges Democrats on RKBA: Missouri Republican Party spokeswoman Tina Hervey just sent out an e-mail calling on all Democrat candidates to clarify their positions on the 2nd Amendment and the U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling that struck down a Washington, D.C. handgun ban and declared an individual right to gun ownership. Hervey asks for all candidates to e-mail here - tina@mogop.org - with a "press release" explaining their position. "Let the games begin," she writes.Whether any Democrats play ball remains to be seen. Candidates may very well try to dismiss this "game" as nothing more than a political stunt. On the other hand, Missouri is a pretty gun-friendly state, and voters might be interested. Hervey's blunt e-mail argues that many Democrats who praised the high court's ruling are flip-floppers. And those who have stayed silent are just embarrassed by their own position... http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/political-fix/political-fix/2008/07/mo-gop-throws-down-gun-gauntlet/ --- Disney Under Fire: ...The decision by the managers of Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, the most visited tourist attraction in the world, to sack an employee for bringing a .45-calibre pistol to work has only added to the general mistrust of the company by those who revere the American constitution's guarantee of the right to bear arms. The battle lines have been drawn in a dispute over the contentious Second Amendment that may have to be settled by the Supreme Court... http://www.newstatesman.com/society/2008/07/disney-work-company-bringing --- Sandra Froman Lauds Limbaugh Support of RKBA: .. Rush understood that the right to keep and bear arms guaranteed by the Second Amendment is America's second pillar of liberty, the one right that protects all the others. Since the NRA was founded in 1871, it has fought to protect that right. Fifteen years after Rush urged us to never stop fighting for the Second Amendment, the United States Supreme Court in D.C. vs. Heller held that the Second Amendment does indeed protect the right of individual Americans to keep and bear their private arms for self-defense... http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=27823 --- Arizona Mayor Disarmed: The Gilbert Police Department is keeping information about Mayor Steve Berman's extensive weapons cache a secret, after a court commissioner's decision that the mayor is too volatile to possess any weapons. Berman was forced to turn over his gun collection to the police last week after a court commissioner decided he "poses a credible threat of bodily injury" to his estranged wife, Michelle, who recently accused him of years of physical abuse. The order essentially put Berman's private collection into the public sphere, with the guns being guarded by public officials and documented in police records. But on Thursday, the police department refused to release information showing what kinds of weapons Berman gave up... http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/122086 --- Oops, Wrong Car Lot: Two men tried to rob the owner of a Crawfordville business earlier this week, but the owner pulled out his gun and scared the would-be robbers away. It happened about 7:45 p.m. Saturday at Premier Motorcar Gallery, 1468 Crawfordville Highway, according to the Wakulla County Sheriff's Office. The owner was exiting the front door of the business carrying a small bank bag and had turned around to lock it when one of the men ran up and hit him in the head with a 2-by-6 board. The owner fell to the ground but was able to get a handgun out of his rear waistband and point it at the robber. Another man was running toward them, but the two turned around and ran to a waiting car when they saw the owner was armed... http://www.tallahassee.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080730/BREAKINGNEWS/80730008 --- Oops, Wrong Liquor Store: A Department of Public Safety officer shot an armed man who was robbing a liquor store near 16th Street and University Drive on Thursday morning, a DPS official said. Lt. James Warriner said the officer fired one round, striking the suspect, who was treated on scene and then transported to a nearby hospital with life-threatening injuries. About 12 DPS officers were preparing for training at a DPS station across the street from Minute Liquors when a witness pulled up to the station at about 7:30 a.m. and told the officers the liquor store was being robbed, Warriner said. Officers responded and at some point one of the officers felt threatened by the armed suspect and fired at him, Warriner added. http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/2008/08/01/20080801phxbriefs0801.html --- Bringing a Cane to a Gunfight: A Portland, Ore., WWII veteran helped chase off a gun-carrying robber with his cane, say police - who nevertheless don't encourage the tactic. Art Iwasaki. 88, awoke from a nap Monday afternoon to find a masked man with a gun demanding money next to him. With help from his daughter, Stephanie Sakauye, 55, he managed to drive off the young robber and assist in a police search, the Portland Oregonian reported Wednesday. Iwasaki's daughter was speaking on a portable telephone headset when she became aware of the situation. The person on the other end of the conversation alerted police while she distracted the would-be robber, the report said. Then Iwasaki picked up his cane and briefly tangled with the approximately 20-year-old man before he ran off empty handed... http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2008/07/30/88-year-old_foils_gun-bearing_robber/UPI-35441217444618/ --- Teen, Father Face Weapons Charges: Montgomery County investigators filed more bomb-related charges against an 18-year-old Bethesda youth yesterday, saying he had tested different types of pipe bombs in a field in Gaithersburg...Among the items found in the bedroom: two AK-47 assault-style rifles, an LAR-15 assault rifle, armor-piercing rounds of ammunition, two bulletproof vests, muriatic acid, nitromethane, various timers, wire, ignition switches and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipes...The teenager's father, Joseph L. Gude, is accused of buying guns for his son and faces charges of straw weapons purchases... http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/01/AR2008080102875.html --- Alaska Gun Shop Sued in Shooting: A Juneau gun store is being sued by the family of an Anchorage man who was fatally shot with a rifle bought there. The lawsuit against Rayco Sales was filed Thursday on behalf of the family of Simone Young Kim by the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence and Juneau attorney Mark Choate. According to the plaintiffs, Rayco negligently supplied Jason Cody with the rifle even though he was a fugitive and a methamphetamine user and therefore prohibited from buying or possessing guns. The shooting occurred two days later on Aug. 4, 2006, in Juneau. At the time, the victim was a painter working on a retail remodeling project. http://newsminer.com/news/2008/jul/31/juneau-gun-dealer-sued-shooting/ --- Rule Five Reminder: Sen. Jason Atkinson is recovering from surgery today to repair damage from a gunshot wound to the right leg and is "doing fine," said his father, Perry Atkinson. The state senator from Central Point was shot after a friend's .38-caliber derringer accidentally discharged Tuesday night, according to Central Point police...A 53-year-old Jacksonville man brought his mountain bike over to have it worked on in Jason Atkinson's garage in the 500 block of Blue Heron Drive in Central Point, according to Lt. Steve McGee of the Central Point Police Department. McGee wouldn't release the name of the Jacksonville man. Atkinson removed a small cloth bag attached to the bicycle, but dropped it and the derringer discharged, said McGee. Atkinson didn't know there was a loaded gun in the bag, McGee said... (Atkinson is regarded as a strong supporter of the RKBA in the Oregon legislature. Rule Five: Maintain control of your firearm.) http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080730/NEWS07/807300331&emailAFriend=1 --- Brit Reports Home on American Gun Show: ...But of course there is a political dimension. Aside from other motivations - sport, self-defence - the gun-show universe is about pride, self-reliance and resentment at being bossed around. Distinctively American traits, wouldn't you say? Best in moderation, no doubt - but, still, where would the country be without those attitudes? I may get thrown out of Georgetown for this, but I say good for them. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/86429c90-5f62-11dd-91c0-000077b07658.html?nclick_check=1 --- From GOA: Gun owners won an important vote in the U.S. Senate this week, when more than three dozen senators stood with Republican Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma in his battle against Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada. Reid fell eight votes short on Monday of stopping Coburn, who has been using parliamentary maneuvers to keep anti-gun legislation (and pork) from coming to the Senate floor for votes. Sen. Coburn has placed a "hold" on more than 80 bills since January of last year - including the bill which recently extended the National Parks gun ban to the Washington-Rochambeau trail...In other Senate news, Richard Burr's bill to repeal large parts of the Veterans Disarmament Act is gaining steam. The Republican senator from North Carolina introduced the Veterans Protection Act (S. 3167) after President Bush signed a gun ban into law this year - a law which, among other things, disarms military veterans who have been diagnosed with PTSD. The Burr bill, which now has 18 cosponsors, would protect the rights of military veterans and make it more difficult for the Veterans Affairs to deny them their Second Amendment rights... http://www.gunowners.org/a073008.htm --- From Gun Week: McCain, Obama divide sharply in replies to FOP questionnaire by Dave Workman Senior Editor Republican Sen. John McCain says bluntly that restrictive gun control laws, including bans, waiting periods, licensing and registration "don't work as crime fighting tools." Liberal Democrat Sen. Barack Obama wants to clamp down on the so-called "gun show loophole." He would reinstate the ban on military-style sport-utility rifles and expose sensitive gun trace records kept by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives by repealing a statute that protects those records. [from a 2002 GOA Alert: Even more ominous, the McCain bill would threaten the very existence of gun shows. S. 890 would impose a five-year jail sentence on any gun show organizer if a single attendee of the show were not notified of his obligations under the Brady law. Obviously, if this bill were passed, an organization would be foolish to even sponsor a gun show.] That was the gist of their reactions on gun-related issues as part of a questionnaire submitted to both presidential candidates by the national Fraternal Order of Police (FOP). McCain also told the FOP that he would consider legislation amending the 1996 "Lautenberg Act" that has cost many police officers their jobs because it prohibits anyone with even a misdemeanor domestic violence conviction from owning or possessing firearms. Obama said he does "not support the repeal of this law." Gun Week obtained copies of questionnaire responses that were submitted to the FOP by both candidates. By the time this issue reaches readers, it is likely those responses may be widely circulating on Internet forums and chat lists. The questionnaires are telling. Glorified Cop Killer Quizzed about the way some people have elevated convicted cop-killer Mumia Abu-Jamal, whose real name is Wesley Cook, to the status of cult hero, McCain took off the gloves while Obama seemed to dance around the ring. "In December 2006, as the FOP marked the 25th anniversary of the murder of Philadelphia Police Officer Daniel Faulkner...a small town in the suburbs of Paris decided to name a street after (his) killer" the FOP noted. "Similarly, a Chicago alderman proposed several years ago to name a street in honor of a Black Panther thug named Fred Hampton, who advocated the killing of police officers. If you were a member of the House in the 109th Congress, how would you have voted on final passage for (House Resolution) 1082, which condemned the actions of St. Denis, France in honoring Danny Faulkner's killer? As President, what actions would you and your Administration take to deter or condemn efforts by local, state, federal or foreign governments to honor those who kill or urge the killing our (sic) nation's police officers?" Obama's reply seemed more like a campaign speech than a response. "Our nation's law enforcement are our communities (sic) first line of defense from those who would do our citizens harm," Obama's response noted. "I deplore acts to harm or kill our nation's police officers, and oppose efforts to glorify those who commit such acts. My administration will focus on honoring our nation's law enforcement officers, who day after day put themselves in harm's way, by ensuring that they receive the funding and support needed to equip and train them, provide them the technology they need to keep themselves and our communities safe, and to protect their right to unionize and collectively bargain." McCain, however, was blunt. "If I were a member of the House in 2006," he replied, "I would have voted to condemn the decision of St. Denis, France, to name a street in honor of Mumia Abu-Jamal, the convicted murder (sic) of Philadelphia Police Officer Danny Faulkner. I would continue to condemn any efforts by anyone or any government to honor those who kill our nation's finest. "I believe any politically motivated attacks on law enforcement officers should be investigated as a crime and should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. In 1994, I championed legislation that would have expanded the Federal law that prohibited violent criminals and spies from profiting from their crimes to all federal felons. It is absolutely unconscionable that any felon should profit from his crime or be celebrated for his actions, such as Wesley Cook." Tiahrt Amendment But it is on the issue of gun control where the two candidates differ most sharply. Again, speaking as though he were making a campaign speech, Obama stated, "I greatly respect the constitutional right of Americans to bear arms. But I also believe that we can respect the Second Amendment and stem gun violence in our communities. It is especially important to stop the trafficking of illegal guns, and my legislative priorities will focus on the common-sense steps we can take to do just that. "First, we know that when law enforcement agencies operate in concert at the federal, state, and local levels, the chances of solving a crime increases. But since 2003, the Tiahrt Amendment has restricted the ability of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to share gun trace information with members of state and local law enforcement. The ATF has a wide-ranging database of gun information, yet Washington has threatened police officers with time in prison for attempting to access it. If we repeal this Amendment, it will give police officers the tools they need to fight the illegal gun trade and reduce crime. "Second," he continued, "I support requiring background checks and closing the gun-show loophole that has been exploited by everyone from foreign terrorists to the Columbine High School shooters. Closing it would not impair the rights of lawful gun owners. Semi-Auto Ban "Finally," Obama concluded, "I believe we should reinstate and make permanent the expired federal assault weapons ban. We've witnessed the need for the ban in my hometown of Chicago, where Mayor Daley and the Chicago Police Department are backing a plan to equip officers with semi-automatic assault rifles in part because our officers have been outgunned by criminals equipped with AK-47s and similar weapons." McCain's reply was shorter and more pointed. "I believe the right of law abiding citizens to keep and bear arms is a fundamental individual Constitutional right that must be protected," the Arizona Republican stated. "We have seen the record of gun control, and it is a record of crime fighting failure. Assuming that criminals will abide by gun restrictions is dangerously naïve. Gun bans, waiting periods, ammunition bans, registration and licensing of gun owners--each of these has a common theme: they only affect law abiding citizens. And they have another common theme: they don't work as crime fighting tools. The way to reduce crime is to prosecute criminals to the fullest extent of existing laws--which, if elected President, gun owners can count on my Administration to do." This article is provided free by GunWeek.com. For more great gun news, subscribe to our print edition. -- Stephen P. Wenger, KE7QBY Firearm safety - It's a matter for education, not legislation. http://www.spw-duf.info .