Telling It Like It Is: The Senate Judiciary Committee has made an error that will likely be repeated by the full Senate. It has approved Judge Sonia Sotomayor's nomination for the Supreme Court. The president has the privilege of nominating anyone he pleases to the Supreme Court. Ideally, it should be someone who is qualified, so that the Senate, through its advice and consent, can without reservation confirm the candidate. In the case of Sotomayor, the candidate is not qualified. Even Sen. Orrin Hatch, the go-along-to-get-along Republican from Utah, is opposed to the confirmation of Sotomayor. Hatch noted that the federal appeals court judge has made "troubling statements" outside the courtroom "that appear to conflict with the impartiality that I believe is essential, that most Americans expect, and that the oath of judicial office requires." ... http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=333672373234345 From GOA: It was nearly a party-line vote. While every Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee voted in favor of Judge Sonia Sotomayor today, almost every Republican voted against her... all except for turncoat Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. Apparently, the flighty Republican did not care that Judge Sotomayor has demonstrated an extreme anti-gun bias in her private and public life. Not only that, she has expressed racist views in multiple speeches over the years, and she has proven - in her actions and words - that she is committed to IGNORING THE CONSTITUTION! The Sotomayor nomination now moves to the U.S. Senate floor, where gun owners definitely face an uphill battle... Please contact your two Senators and urge them to vote NO on Judge Sotomayor. Tell them that the American Hunters and Shooters Association doesn't speak for you. Please use the Gun Owners Legislative Action Center to send your legislators the pre-written e-mail message below... (The second link will generate your choice of a letter or an e-mail to your senators.) http://gunowners.org/a072809.htm http://capwiz.com/gunowners/issues/alert/?alertid=13804581&PROCESS=Take+Action Tangentially Related: Two Democratic senators said today they're not happy with how the Senate Judiciary Committee conducts confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominees. As the committee prepared to vote on Sonia Sotomayor's nomination, Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wis.) bemoaned what he called a "familiar pattern" in confirmation hearings. Nominees, he said, take the "path of least resistance" when they refuse to answer almost all of senators' questions about the substance of law. "We cannot ask nominees to disclose how they would rule on cases that might come before them, but it is reasonable for us to ask their opinions on past Supreme Court decisions," said Kohl, the second most-senior Democrat on the committee. Kohl, who supports Sotomayor's nomination, said his comments were not directed only at her, but at all nominees in recent years and at the process itself. Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) said the process fails to educate either the public or the Senate about a nominee. It makes no sense, he said, that the only person in the United States who cannot express an opinion on recent Supreme Court rulings "is the person from whom the public most needs to hear it." "These hearings have become little more than theater," Feingold said, "where senators try to ask clever questions and nominees try to come up with clever answers." Neither Feingold nor Kohl proposed specific changes... http://legaltimes.typepad.com/blt/2009/07/two-senators-want-changes-in-confirmation-hearings.html --- Gura Comments on Thune Amendment: ...However, when permit holders travel across state lines, the validity of their permits - and thus their ability to exercise their right of self-defense - depends upon a crazy-quilt patchwork of ever shifting reciprocity agreements hammered out among the states. This is precisely the sort of problem the Constitution empowers Congress to solve, giving it the authority to have states extend "full faith and credit" to each others' public acts. Ensuring that Americans do not trip on internal borders is a basic feature of our national existence. But gun rights opponents, unsafely esconced in their shrinking gun-free fortresses, adamantly oppose mingling with those who exercise their Second Amendment rights - never mind the fact that gun-carry permitees constitute an incredibly law-abiding population, and that the liberalization of gun carry laws has correlated for the most part with substantial declines in violent crime... http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/hotline/2009/07/defeat-of-thune-amendment-runs-afoul-of.php --- Now It's to the North of Us: After months of being blamed for Mexico's surge in drug related violence, the United States is now being blamed for the illegal gun trade in Canada as well. Many anti-gun idealists are still trying to perpetuate the myth that guns are bought legally in the U.S. and are then sold to Mexican gangs despite the fact that their "90% of all illegal guns in Mexico come from the U.S." claim has been thoroughly debunked. Sensing a chance to snowball the issue, a "study" conducted in Canada claims "that the best available data suggests that about two-thirds of crime guns seized in Canada have their origin south of the border." Spearheading the study was Wendy Cukier of Ryerson University, a prominent gun control activist, who feels the blame should be extended for all violent crime on the planet... http://www.examiner.com/x-2206-Cleveland-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m7d29-United-States-get-blamed-for-Canadian-illegal-gun-trade --- New Look at an Old Scheme: We talked yesterday about a current battle and a coming storm over the so-called "gun show loophole." I promised to talk today about a way to prevent prohibited persons from buying guns from dealers without recording any personally identifiable information about any purchasers. It's not that I'm suddenly adopting and endorsing "gun control." I have not changed my long-held and stated belief that anyone who can't be trusted with a gun can't be trusted without a custodian, and I don't for a second believe that this will stop criminal from getting guns any more than I believe banning drugs will stop addicts from getting them. Still, I want to tell you about a proposal some friends of mine came up with a few years back. I'll explain why I want to tell you about it after I tell you what it is. Necessity forces me to link to an archived copy... http://www.examiner.com/x-1417-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m7d28-What-if-we-could-do-instant-checks-and-not-identify-gun-buyers --- The Beat Goes On: For months now, we've been seeing stories from all over the world about the increase in gun and ammunition sales in this country since the November elections. Many states, including Ohio, are also reporting prominent spikes in issuance of concealed carry licenses as more and more people are not only buying guns but carrying them for self-defense as well. There are many factors which have lead to this trend: concerns that the new anti-gun administration will attempt to enact new gun restrictions, budget cuts leading to a publicized decrease in police presence, and fears that a poor economy will lead to an increase in crime, to name a few. Possibly as a result of all of this, we are seeing an uptick in stories where the victim of a criminal attack emerges victorious thanks to having an effective self-defense tool. Two from today demonstrate this trend... http://www.examiner.com/x-2206-Cleveland-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m7d28-Crime-becoming-a-more-dangerous-occupation --- CCW Confidentiality: ...Instead of reporting, each time an armed robbery, home invasion, or car-jacking occurred, that the violent attacker did NOT have a license to carry, the news media set about to publish lists containing the private, personal information of license-holders, not unlike the state publishes records about registered sex offenders. In my home state of Ohio, the Cleveland Plain Dealer was one of many news entities to obtain and publish a list of licensees after prodding from the Ohio Newspaper Association. Just a few days after the first list was published, one of the license-holders on that list - a Cleveland store-owner - was dead, having been ambushed by violent armed robbers as he came to work one morning. Many wondered why the criminals knew they needed to get the jump on the store-owner. Had they read his name in the newspaper? ... http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/node/6801 --- Tennessee AG Rules Out Park Carry at School Games: According to the Tennessee Attorney General, a recently passed state law that allows guns in parks does not apply to school sanctioned sporting events. In a opinion issued last Friday, the state attorney general said there is no state law to prevent school districts "from using athletic or other recreational facilities in parks where handgun carry permit holders may lawfully possess their firearms." The opinion goes on to say carrying firearms, whether licensed to carry or not, into school sporting events held in public parks violates a previous state law banning the practice... Murfreesboro recently opted out of the law that allows carry-permit holders to bring handguns into city, county and state parks across the state. At the time of the debate, there was some confusion over the Tennessee Secondary Schools Athletic Association's stance on guns in parks and the effect that would have on Spring Fling... http://www.murfreesboropost.com/news.php?viewStory=18356 --- Take That, You Nasty Gun: Officials today will destroy 16,000 guns confiscated from criminals and collected from numerous gun buy-back programs across L.A. County. Law enforcement agencies have attempted to get guns off the street by allowing people to turn them in for gift cards. Back in March, an LAPD gun-buyback program that traded gift cards for firearms netted nearly 1,700 weapons, including 40 assault-style weapons and a rifle with a grenade launcher. The grenade launcher AR-15 rifle, which did not have a grenade in it, was delivered to the Los Angeles Police Department's Topanga station over the weekend as officers across the city distributed gift cards in exchange for handguns, rifles and shotguns. The anonymous drop-off program netted AR-15s, Uzis and AK-47s. Sheriff Lee Baca will be on hand in Rancho Cucamonga to watch the guns being crushed. They will be recycled into steel rebar. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/07/16000-la-guns-to-be-crushed-today-turned-into-steel-rebar.html --- Open Carry Victory in Washington: The open carry movement in Washington State just won a big one, with Monday's repeal of a county ordinance that banned the open carrying of handguns in county parks. That ban had been enacted in 1971, years before the State Legislature passed a preemption law in 1983, (with amendments in 1985 and 1994) that nullified such ordinances and placed sole authority for firearms regulation in the hands of the state. It might be interesting to look around the Evergreen State and find out when all of those municipal gun ban ordinances were adopted; you know the ones that Greg Nickels' office has alluded to in its defense of his threatened - but so far not enacted - executive order banning legally-carried handguns on Seattle city property. Apparently what prompted the commission to repeal the 1971 ban was a demonstration of sorts - a picnic actually, held at Waterfront Park - conducted by local members of a national movement called OpenCarry.org, which operates an Internet forum covering the "OC" movement... http://www.examiner.com/x-4525-Seattle-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m7d28-Kitsap-County-Commission-hands-victory-to-open-carry-activists --- Oops, Wrong Armored Car: A Brinks security guard shot and killed a would-be robber who attacked him while he was making a routine stop at a South Miami-Dade health clinic Friday, according to witnesses. After the 2 p.m. shooting outside the Doris Ison Health Center, 10300 SW 216th St., Miami-Dade police arrested two other suspects after a search of surrounding neighborhoods. Miami-Dade police have not identified the dead man. Those arrested also were not identified. "According to investigators, shots were fired when three subjects, armed with firearms, attempted to rob an armored truck crew making a pick up or delivery at the health center located at 10300 SW 216th Street,'' a Miami-Dade police statement said late Friday... http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/sfl-brinks-shooting-miami-072509,0,4496841.story --- Starting Out Young: An 11-year-old boy has been accused of trying to hijack two boys' scooters with a toy gun in an Ohio park. The father of the two boys, Rich Harrison, says it was a frightening experience because it wasn't clear that the gun was a toy. His boys are ages 8 and 10. Cincinnati police say the 11-year-old pointed the toy gun, saying he wanted to take one of the silver push scooters, and then chased the brothers as they raced away. Police took the boy to the Hamilton County juvenile center, where he faces an Aug. 7 hearing. A public defender doubts the boy could understand the consequences of his behavior. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/29/AR2009072901467.html http://townhall.com/news/us/2009/07/29/police_ohio_boy_tried_scooter_holdup_with_toy_gun --- Meanwhile, in New York...: Despite years of enforcement stings, many New York stores still aren't complying with state rules banning the sale of toy guns that could be confused with the real thing, state officials said Tuesday. Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said his office has sent letters to more than 100 retailers ordering them to halt sales of look-a-likes that violate the ban. State law requires toy guns to either be made from materials that couldn't possibly be confused with an actual weapon, or carry colorful markings including a big orange stripe... (Of course, no criminal who wants to use a replica to commit a crime would ever think of peeling off the orange tape or painting it over.) http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2009/07/28/ap6710571.html --- This Was in Texas, Mind You, Not Britain: It cost him his job at a Round Rock Randalls, but Troy Schafer, who was fired last week after chasing a purse snatcher out of the grocery store, said he didn't have much choice. It was about 2 p.m. July 21, and Schafer had just walked in from finishing a sandwich and chips in front of the store when he heard 52-year-old Ann Welch screaming for help. Welch had been standing at the deli counter with her purse resting in her cart when someone ran past her, grabbed her purse and ran out the door. She followed, screaming and pointing where he'd gone. A U.S. Army veteran who said he spent some time in South Korea in the 1990s, Schafer, 36, took up the chase with help from a customer, he said... "We got (Welch) her purse back, all of her money, everything," Schafer said. "Then, the next day, my loss prevention unit from Randalls came in and said I was suspended without pay." A few days later, Schafer said, he was fired... (Note how easy it is for a purse to be stolen from a shopping cart.) http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/2009/07/28/0728randalls.html --- Some Interesting Thoughts: When it comes to choosing guns, thirty years of hits and misses has taught me that a gun I don't like to shoot won't accompany me to the range. Comfort is thus a key consideration when choosing a firearm. Especially with handguns, accuracy is required for effect. Every handgun cartridge has documented instances where a determined attacker absorbed hit after center-of-mass hit and kept right on being a threat. The reality is that even someone with holes in their heart can keep going long enough to kill. Only solid hits on the central nervous system are decisive and instant fight-stoppers... For many, the answer lies in choosing guns that are not so powerful as to discourage practice. Among handguns a great example is the 9mm Luger. When loaded with 124 grain or 147 grain jacketed hollow points this cartridge typically performs well in gelatin testing... (Center of mass of an adult human body is actually about three inches below the navel. It really takes a shot to the thumb-size brainstem to shut someone down instantaneously, not a practical proposition in most self-defense scenarios. Most people who know whereof they speak seem to cluster around the 124 to 127 gr. +P loads in 9x19 mm, so long as the gun is suited for +P loads. Personally, I'd rather go with a good 115 gr. load than a good 147 gr. load in that chambering. As to the 6.8 SPC chambering for AR-15's, I'd rather not invest in something that requires what is still an uncommon cartridge. Differences of opinion are what make horse races.) http://www.lewrockwell.com/calderwood/calderwood29.1.html --- Video - Glenn Beck on CCW: http://www.thehopeforamerica.com/play.php?id=1588 -- Stephen P. Wenger, KE7QBY Firearm safety - It's a matter for education, not legislation. http://www.spw-duf.info .