Sarah Palin and Alaska CCW - My Mistake: Yesterday I commented that I suspected that Sarah Palin's firing of Wasilla's police chief Irl Stambaugh might have occurred during the debate about Alaska removing its requirement for a permit for concealed carry. A list member has corrected me: That was before that time to go permit less. ... during that time frame the Alaska constitution was being modified to read from the original word for word amendment 2 to the current version which protects the right of the individual to keep and bear arms...Stambaugh was fired for other reasons as well and we were glad to see him go. He was replaced by a real gun advocate police chief Charlie Fannon. --- RKBA Groups Spurred by Heller Ruling: Gun rights groups are planning a busy election season. To maintain momentum gained from the Supreme Court's ruling in June striking down the District of Columbia's handgun ban and declaring that the Second Amendment grants individuals a right to own firearms, the gun groups have launched the most ambitious voter registration and education drives they've ever attempted. Congressional election endorsements from the National Rifle Association (NRA) are due this month. Also on tap is a media blitz by multiple groups in competitive districts... http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?docID=news-000002943974 --- NSSF Congratulates Palin: The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) -- the trade association for the firearms industry -- congratulated Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin on accepting the Republican nomination for vice president of the United States. The industry's association also reminded all hunters, sportsmen and gun-owners to register to vote and secure an absentee ballot if they plan on being in the field on Election Day, Nov. 4...Mrs. Palin most recently demonstrated her belief in the Second Amendment when Alaska signed onto a friend of the court brief supporting an end to the D.C. gun ban. Democratic Presidential Nominee Barrack Obama had supported the ban on lawful firearms ownership and refused to sign a congressional friend of the court brief, signed by Republican Presidential Nominee John McCain, calling for an end to the ban... http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/firearms-industry-congratulates-palin-nomination/story.aspx?guid={AB5C11F3-55F5-4A34-8BDD-4FD2EA8B9635}&dist=hppr --- Palin May Be NRA's Best Ammo: By now, millions of Americans have seen photos of vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin testing weapons while visiting members of the Alaska National Guard in Kuwait. But it wouldn't be surprising if millions more in battleground states get to see similar pictures soon - plus appearances by Palin herself - in states where gun rights are a big issue, courtesy of the National Rifle Association's fat $40 million budget for this year's elections and parallel plans by the McCain campaign to deploy Palin where gun owners are numerous... (Unfortunately, McCain remains the presidential candidate for the GOP.) http://www.nationaljournal.com/conventions/co_20080904_5593.php --- Former NRA President Defends Palin: This week's treatment of Sarah Palin has been an appalling display of sexism and elitism. But the hatchet-men are in for a rude awakening...Conveniently lost in this male condescension of an "uppity" woman who refuses to know her place is that she's a candidate for vice president, not president. The president is the commander-in-chief, sets the government budget and makes appointments. The vice president breaks tie votes in the Senate and advises the president. That being the case, I want to ask all these men who have trouble with Governor Palin one question: Explain to me how Barack Obama can be qualified for president if someone with at least as much, if not more, experience is unqualified for vice president? http://newsblaze.com/story/20080904140653tsop.nb/topstory.html --- Palin Not "Mainstream" on Guns: ... But does she? A closer examination of her background reveals that Palin has embraced views on gun ownership that are ideologically extreme even by the standards of gun rights advocates. For starters, receiving the "highest possible rating" from the NRA is not an indicator of mainstream thinking. The NRA has consistently opposed the renewal of the federal Assault Weapons Ban. When the ban expired in September 2004, a national Harris poll revealed that 71% of Americans were in favor of renewing it. The NRA has also consistently opposed closing the gun show loophole (which allows individuals to purchase firearms at gun shows without undergoing a background check). A recent poll by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research and The Tarrance Group indicated that 87% of Americans favor closing the loophole, including 85% of McCain supporters and 83% of gun owners. And so on and so on... http://www.huffingtonpost.com/josh-horwitz/is-sarah-palin-mainstream_b_124098.html --- Crime-Weary Florida Neighborhood Considers Arming Itself: Tired of worrying that it's unsafe to walk at night or let children play outside by day, some residents in Hollywood's Royal Poinciana neighborhood are calling for residents to take up arms in the area north of downtown. Thursday night, the civic association heard from a local security firm that teaches self-defense, Taser training, pepper-spray use, concealed-weapons laws and handgun safety...''It's not like we're saying we need an armed militia,'' said Jack David, the association president. ``It's more like get trained in self-defense and if someone comes up to rob you, you can at least defend yourself...'' http://www.miamiherald.com/news/5min/story/672847.html --- No Legal Handguns for DC's "Working Poor": District residents will be able to buy handguns starting next Tuesday. The District began registering handguns in mid-July in response to a Supreme Court ruling that overturned the city's long time ban. But, as of last month, only 11 handguns had been registered. The low number could be because there was no way for residents to buy a handgun and get it transferred into the city. That's about to change...Charles Sykes, the only licensed firearms dealer in the District willing to transfer handguns for individuals, tells WTOP his office in Anacostia will be open for business next week. Sykes says he will be charging a $125 fee to transfer each handgun. Gun stores in Maryland and Virginia charge as little as $25 for the same service. Sykes says he gets between one to two calls a day about transferring guns... http://www.wtop.com/?nid=695&sid=1471352 --- Don't Fight National-Park Carry: ...So, let's forget the state park requirement, and just let people have their guns in all national parks. In the meantime, the greens can concentrate on more important issues like getting adequate funding for national parks, making parks more affordable and accessible, trail and road maintenance, and improved interpretation. These and other issues related to the long-term health of our national parks need all our time, money and energy. http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/dont_waste_energy_on_rule_allowing/C41/L41/ --- An Award for Nagin?: Can you believe New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin is being rewarded for his courage and leadership in the wake of Hurricane Katrina? What a slap in the face to the hundreds of gun owners who were forcibly disarmed by Nagin's order after Hurricane Katrina swept ashore. Well, the "Excellence in Recovery" committee may be giving Nagin an award, but the National Rifle Association is hopefully giving the mayor a headache. The NRA's lawsuit against the mayor continues, and until those firearms are returned, we're going to continue to demand accountability and responsibility from the man in charge of New Orleans. http://www.nranews.com/blogarticle.aspx?blogPostId=441 --- Rule Five Reminder: A blundering bodyguard of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair left a loaded pistol inside a Starbucks bathroom during a pit stop while on duty. The semi-automatic Glock 17 remained on the floor of the coffee shop's only toilet for nearly 20 minutes as Blair's close protection officer tried to retrace her steps. It was eventually found by a horrified Starbucks employee, who called police... (Rule Five: Maintain control of your firearm. What to do with your handgun when using a public restroom has been part of the NRA-LEAD Police/Law Enforcement Firearms Instructor Development School for over a decade and is part of many CCW courses, such as mine.) http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,416461,00.html --- Don't Blame the Gun: Don't Blame the gun. Blame the psychologically unhinged man who pulled the trigger. Blame a mental heath system that allows people of unsound mind to walk free to hurt themselves - or others, as Tuesday's horrific shooting spree in Skagit County shows. The suspect, 28-year-old Isaac Zamora, has an extensive criminal record and a history of mental illness. His family said they did what they could to get him help, even as he self-medicated, became homeless, lived in the woods, and drifted in and out of psych-ache. What sparked the shooting rampage that killed six and injured four isn't yet known - and may never be. But we've come to know such deadly outbursts. The names and places may change. The bodies pile up... http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/jamieson/377672_robert04xx.html?source=mypi --- Canadian Legislator Proposes Administrative Gun Ban: Designating the type of semiautomatic rifle Kimveer Gill used in the Dawson College shooting as a prohibited weapon would require very little effort from the federal government, Bloc Québécois MP Serge Ménard says...Making such a change does not require amending the Criminal Code, said Ménard, the Bloc's public safety critic. It would mean adding that rifle, and others like it, to an existing list of prohibited weapons - a simple process that requires only an order in council... http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=9027cce5-cb29-4165-abe0-9d71a96d936a -- Stephen P. Wenger, KE7QBY Firearm safety - It's a matter for education, not legislation. http://www.spw-duf.info .