More on the Thune Amendment Vote: ...Laudable though Thune's goal of national concealed carry may be, however, understand that the entire exercise was nothing but a sham in which (surprise, surprise) the amendment failed by a vote of 58 - 39. So before gun rights supporters contact the 39 [sic] ever-so-brave US Senators (including 20 Democrats) to thank them for supporting the measure, all should understand that its failure was preordained by Democrat Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, and quite probably sanctioned by the NRA... Despite hand-wringing by The Washington Post that "Democrats Fear Defections on GOP Gun Proposal," rest assured that Harry Reid almost certainly engineered every Democrat vote for or against the measure... And what does the NRA get? The appearance of accomplishing something - if not actual passage of the amendment, at least a recorded vote which purports to show who's "fer ya" and "agin ya." More action means more NRA members and more money... (I think Paul meant "the 58 ever-so-brave US Senators" who did vote for the amendment.) http://www.examiner.com/x-2698-Charlotte-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m7d23-The-sham-vote-on-national-concealed-carry-Thune-Amendment Interesting Votes from Indiana: Indiana's senators crossed party lines Wednesday over whether to allow permit holders to carry concealed weapons into other states that also allow them. Sen. Evan Bayh was one of a minority of Democrats - 20 - who voted for the measure. Sen. Richard Lugar was one of only two Republicans who opposed it. The measure, an amendment to a defense bill, needed 60 votes to pass, but fell two votes short. The vote was the fourth time this year that Bayh has sided with gun rights advocates... Lugar's and Bayh's rankings from gun rights groups have varied over the years. Gun Owners of America gave both senators an "F" in 2007 but said both voted with the group 100 percent of the time in 2006. The National Rifle Association used a questionnaire and past votes to give Bayh a "D-" grade in 2004 and Lugar a "D+." ... (Indiana has not only been a shall-issue CCW state since before the reform in Florida, it was also one of the first states to recognize all other states' permits.) http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009907220396 --- Good News for Gun Makers?: ...After yesterday's vote that wrecked legislation (by two votes) that would give concealed-carry permit holders reciprocity in all fifty states, it looks like the NRA will have plenty of reasons to keep up its fight. While the latest action has more do to with state's rights than the Second Amendment, companies like Sturm Ruger (NYSE:RGR) and Smith & Wesson (NYSE:SWHC) love the news... Their revenues have been soaring over the last nine months as weary Americans work to get their guns while they still can. Now that Congress has done something arguably "anti-gun," spooked shooters can resume their shopping spree. That is good news for investors in the nation's gun makers. Late next week, the Street will get the freshest look at Sturm Ruger's books. It is going to create an interesting week... Right now, both companies are flirting with setting yet another high-water benchmark. The question is will the earnings figures live up to expectations? If recent analyst reports are correct, the answer is no... http://www.todaysfinancialnews.com/us-stocks-and-markets/are-gun-investors-playing-with-a-loaded-weapon-9597.html --- NRA "Warns" Senators: The National Rifle Association is warning senators that it will consider their votes on Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor as part of its influential annual ratings of lawmakers. The NRA says President Barack Obama's first high court nominee has a hostile view of the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. It announced last week that it was opposing her nomination, although her confirmation in early August is virtually guaranteed. Its promise Thursday to score the upcoming vote amounts to a threat to Republicans and conservative Democrats whose constituents are strong gun rights advocates. It comes one day after the gun lobby suffered a major loss in the Senate with defeat of a concealed weapon measure. http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/us_sotomayor_nra/2009/07/23/239295.html http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/24/us/politics/24brfs-NRATOCOUNTSO_BRF.html?_r=1&ref=politics The split in the Republican base over Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor grew wider Thursday, with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce endorsing her confirmation while the National Rifle Association amped up pressure for senators to vote no... With gun rights opening a new front since the Supreme Court's decision last year to strike down the District of Columbia's handgun ban, the NRA decided to send a warning shot to senators seeking votes from firearms enthusiasts. In a letter to the Senate's majority Democratic and minority Republican leaders, Harry Reid of Nevada and Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the NRA said it would consider senators' votes on Sotomayor when evaluating candidates in future... http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124836661358176281.html?mod=googlenews_wsj --- If You Can't Dazzle 'Em with Brilliance...: Even though gun-rights advocates in the Senate narrowly failed on Wednesday in a vote to greatly broaden the freedom to carry concealed weapons, two states acted last week to make it easier for armed gun owners to hang out with drunk people... In both states, there is a catch. The new laws stipulate that armed patrons have to refrain from drinking while in the bars - in effect, creating a new category of customer, the designated shooter... One important correction should be made to this local television report: the anchor's closing statement that "nearly 40 other states have a similar law in place" is incorrect. On Wednesday, The Lede spoke with David Randolph Smith, whose Nashville law firm is leading the fight to have Tennessee's law declared unconstitutional. Mr. Smith says that his legal research team looked closely at the gun laws in every state, and found that there are just 14 states that issue permits allowing patrons to carry firearms in restaurants that serve alcohol... (Amazing! When we ask to carry in restaurants that happen to serve alcohol, it becomes "guns in bars." Once we get the law, the numbers flip. According to the map at http://www.examiner.com/x-3253-Minneapolis-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m7d14-A-modest-proposal-about-alcohol-and-guns, there are 40 states that do not ban carry in restaurants that serve alcohol so it may be that only 14 do not ban carry in bars. In Texas, for example, the distinction is based on whether 51% of income is derived from the sale of alcoholic beverages. And what's wrong with having designated shooters? Bars are often targeted for robberies.) http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/23/two-states-legalize-guns-in-bars/?hp --- Speaking of Hypocrisy...: As we saw yesterday, the Thune amendment for nationwide concealed carry reciprocity has failed to pass in the Senate. What are the antis saying? ... So if their laws work for gun control, states have rights. But if state laws work against gun control, federal bans are in order - from Chicago to Cheyenne. Just moderate the message in accordance with political needs. Supporters in the media will help cover tracks. And the new "common knowledge" is that there is no threat to gun owners, and you're paranoid and reactionary for thinking there ever was. http://www.examiner.com/x-1417-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m7d23-Are-those-against-nationwide-concealed-carry-for-states-rights --- VPC "Study" Lied: ...As I noted in my earlier article, the most glaring flaw in the "study" was in their determination of the threshold question of whether or not the parties involved were even carry permit holders. They admitted that they "relied primarily on news accounts" in classifying individuals as permit holders. This is an indefensible methodology when preparing a "study" which they are portraying as well-researched to members of Congress as the following case will clearly demonstrate. There was a single case in the VPC report from Minnesota. The VPC, apparently relying solely upon a Star Tribune article, reported the incident as: "On July 24, 2008, Michael C. Iheme shot and killed his wife after she left her job at an assisted living center. Court records show that she had an active harassment restraining order against him and suggest a history of domestic abuse, including threats to kill her. After the shooting, Iheme called 911 and said, "I have killed the woman that mess my life up...." Iheme, who had a concealed handgun permit, was found guilty of second degree murder." ...Amazingly, the Offender Tracking Form has a standard question on it that asks the question "Does the subject hold a Minnesota permit to carry a pistol?" and then directs the officer filing the complaint to run a QPC query. The answer on Mr. Iheme's Offender Tracking Form says "No Permit on File." It turns out that not only did Mr. Iheme not have a Minnesota carry permit, but he had never even applied for one! ... http://www.examiner.com/x-3253-Minneapolis-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m7d23-Brady-Campaign-joins-the-VPC-in-deception --- Oops, Wrong Driver: A southwest Houston man who told police he shot a knife-wielding carjacker Thursday morning is a getting a strong show of support from some of his neighbors. "He was protecting us," said Jaime Zaldivar, who has lived next door to August Peters, 74, for several years on Carona near Wilcrest. Peters pulled in front of the home about 6:30 a.m. when he noticed another car drive past and park along the curb across the street, police said. Soon after Peters got out of his car, Martin Baltazar, 18, came up to him and jammed a knife against his throat, Houston police said. "He said, 'Give me your car or I'll kill you,' " said Victor Senties, an HPD spokesman. Peters reached into his car for a pistol. He began firing, with at least one round striking Baltazar in the abdomen, Houston police said... (All's well that ends well but it seems as though Peters would have been better served with a gun on his person. Baltazar, on the other hand, might have been better served with pants that fit properly.) http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nb/alief/news/6543768.html -- Stephen P. Wenger, KE7QBY Firearm safety - It's a matter for education, not legislation. http://www.spw-duf.info .