Separating the Wheat from the Chaff: On the surface, it looks like it's been a bad month for gun-rights groups. First, the Senate narrowly defeated an attempt to allow Americans with concealed-weapons permits to carry their firearms across state lines. Then Second Amendment advocacy organizations pressed senators to oppose Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, only to see more than a dozen gun-rights backers support President Barack Obama's choice. Despite the setbacks, however, there's little gloom among gun-rights advocates. And the reason is simple: These tough battles are helping them separate politicians who are merely strong supporters of gun rights and those who are 100 percent allies... With the 2010 election season under way, gun-rights groups are ramping up the pressure on lawmakers to side with them on every vote. By telling senators that a vote for Sotomayor was a vote against gun rights, the National Rifle Association and other leading Second Amendment advocates forced a handful of conflicted legislators to choose between their long-standing support for gun rights and their potential support for the first Hispanic justice in U.S. Supreme Court history... (My take is that the vote on the Thune amendment was a charade in which the NRA participated and that the NRA machine was pressured into announcing that the Sotomayor vote would be counted. Nonetheless, we have now exposed several of the summer soldiers and sunshine patriots.) http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6570562.html --- BOHICA: High-ranking U.S. and Mexican government officials signed an agreement in San Antonio on Thursday they say provides an unprecedented level of cooperation between the two countries in fighting cross-border drug crime. The letter of intent recommends a joint strategic plan in weapons and ammunition trafficking investigations. The letter was signed during the last day of a convention for Border Security Task Force (BEST) teams, which are led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The conference also was attended by senior Mexican officials. "This will leverage the investigative capabilities of both governments and launch a more unified effort in investigating weapons smuggling cases," Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said. Mexican Attorney General Eduardo Medina-Mora said the deal recognizes shared responsibility for the gun-trafficking problem. "Mexico is very, very respectful of the legal constitutional framework in the U.S.," he said. "But the Second Amendment was never meant to arm foreign criminal groups, and we should go after the criminals that are illegally shipping weapons into the criminal hands of groups based in our country." ... (At least we finally know the identity of Mexico's advisor to the US on the interpretation of the Second Amendment.) http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/mexico/53192117.html Officials from the United States and Mexico have announced they will add more agents in South Texas to catch gun smugglers. Officials from The Alchohol, Tabacco, and Firearms department say the new agents will arrive in the next four months. These agents will be inspecting about one-thousand licensed gun dealers. The A.T.F. director says some gun shops have not been inspected in six or seven years. Federal officials want to make sure gun dealers are keeping the required paperwork so guns recovered from crimes and raids in Mexico and along the border can be traced. http://www.krgv.com/news/local/story/400-A-T-F-Agents-Coming-to-Valley/jh2KyzcdVkOIem18s-oaWQ.cspx --- The Beat Goes On: The manufacturing and sales of firearms has been a booming business since November 2008 when Barack Obama was elected president. Based on the numbers of people rushing out to buy guns and rifles, one might think Obama had his sights set on some major piece of gun control legislation. But that's not the case. Health care reform, economic recovery and climate change - these are the types of critical issues of the day that have the attention of the White House and Democratic-controlled Congress. The fear of gun owners that their constitutionally protected right to bear arms is under attack appears to be unfounded... One can't help but wonder, how many of the 7 million-plus firearms purchased from licensed gun dealers so far this year were purchased based on politics and fear? (I seem to recall that Dianne Feinstein promised to reinstate the federal ban on semi-automatic firearms at a time of her own choosing and AG Eric Holder being told to keep his mouth shot on the same topic because the time was not ripe. Why then is this Washington newspaper so concerned if citizens are voting with their wallets?) http://www.theolympian.com/109/story/938346.html?storylink=omni_popular Self defense class enrollment and sales of self defense products have both seen a spike in recent months around our area. At B and J Guns on Central Avenue in Colonie, the purchases of guns have doubled and purchases of pepper spray have quadrupled this year. At the same time, just down the block at Empire Martial Arts, there has been a surge of enrollment in their self defense classes. "Women are definitely a spike. A lot of the adults are getting their kids involved in the program," Empire owner Alan Condon tells us. Most people would assume that these trends would come as a result of a rise in crime. Statistics given to us by local police departments, however, show that crime is actually down in Albany, Schenectady, and Troy. So what is the main reason behind this rise in self-defense awareness? Condon tells us that often in tough economic times, people become more concerned about self-defense... http://www.cbs6albany.com/news/self-1265541-defense-class.html -- Missing the Point: Do you find it necessary to take a handgun when you go to the park? Memphis is ranked as one of the top five worst cities in America for it's crime rate. So it is understandable how someone might want some form of protection, when walking the trails in one of the state parks or watching their children play on the playground. Does the protection necessarily have to be a handgun? Mace, tasers, and learning self-defense are always good options and far less deadly. There is also a lesser chance of a child being injured or killed in the process of one of these options being used... Both sides of this controversial issue make very valid points and they are very adamant about their views, but there are important questions you should ask yourself. Do you trust others with the decision on how your children, as well as, yourself should be protected, while visiting a park or playground? Do you trust that those same people will have you and your children's best interest at heart? (Why is it that the hoplophobes are always more concerned with the trained, law-abiding citizens carrying in places such as parks instead of with those who make Memphis "one of the top five worst cities in America for it's crime rate"?) http://www.examiner.com/x-18506-Memphis-Elementary-Years-Parenting-Examiner~y2009m8d13-Guns-in-the-park-Are-your-children-safe --- Appeals Court Rules for NYC Gun Shop: The United States Second Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of a Bronx gun shop owner who claimed her constitutional rights were violated in a search and seizure of her store following a post-9/11 security crackdown by the New York City Police Department. Angela Spinelli, the owner of Olinville Arms, Inc., appealed the case to the Second Circuit after a federal district court granted the City of New York and the NYPD officers' motion for summary judgment dismissing her case. In the overturned ruling, the district court held that Spinelli failed to demonstrate that the city had denied her Constitutional rights under the Fourth Amendment, her rights to Due Process of Law, or tortuously interfered with her business, when they confiscated her entire firearms inventory and suspended her dealer's licenses. While the Appeals Court determined that the lower court had properly dismissed Spinelli's Fourth Amendment claim because the City's warrantless search of Olinville Arms was objectively reasonable and performed pursuant to established regulations, the Court found that the City and its police officers violated due process by denying Spinelli the constitutionally required notice and post-deprivation hearing... http://news.prnewswire.com/DisplayReleaseContent.aspx?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/08-14-2009/0005077577&EDATE= --- Wisconsin Open-Carry Movement Grows: ...In case you thought nothing much has been happening since JB Van Hollen issued his open carry memo last April, maybe you need to get off the couch. A group of citizens lead by three of my AACFI certified firearms instructors who were armed with the law and the facts, successfully stopped new local gun ordinances being proposed in Greenfield and South Milwaukee this spring. Many other communities were watching these cities to see just how far they were willing to go. One lone person was successful in stopping a local police chief who wanted the city of Milton to ban open carry. If you think one person can not make a difference, you are wrong. This citizen is now off to visit other nearby communities to educate them and keep them from making the same mistake. This person also happens to be one of my students. Are you beginning to see a pattern? It was only a matter of time before Madison got their governmental boob in a wringer. Although seemingly not quite as egregious as West Allis, the Madison police chief is apparently making an attempt to compete with West Allis for the "what were we thinking" award... http://www.examiner.com/x-5103-Wisconsin-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m8d12-The-open-carry-fight-moves-on-to-Madison Man, "open carry gun picnics" seem to be all the rage these days. Never heard of them? Basically, people looking to educate the public on Second Amendment rights organize a good ol' fashioned cookout where everyone is encouraged to attend, and hey, if you own a gun, bring 'er along! There was one in Onalaska back in May. I'm assuming the more important goal of these events is to combat negative perceptions of gun owners. At any rate, it's just kind of a whacky concept, and much to organizers' delight, grabs a lot of attention. http://volumeone.org/blogs/The_Daily_Shakedown/post/1044/Trendy_small_town_gun_picnics_are_all_the_rage.html A community picnic - could anything be more American? "They're very proud citizens around here," says Annette Olson of her neighbors in Glenwood City, Wisconsin as she hangs picnic posters around town. But this isn't the church or 4-H gathering some might expect in a small rural Western Wisconsin community. This is a picnic of a different caliber. "The poster talks about our 'open carry' picnic which is on Sunday August 23rd," Annette explains. "Open carry," as in firearms. Annette is planning for 500 people at the St. Croix County Fairgrounds, proudly displaying their guns on their hips. The Glenwood City picnic will be modeled after others held earlier this year near Milwaukee, Green Bay, and La Crosse. The picnics have been held in part to send a message to Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle, who has twice vetoed conceal and carry legislation... http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=822024&catid=391 The organizer of an "Open Carry Picnic" to be held Aug. 23 at the St. Croix County Fairgrounds in Glenwood City says he is planning another event in Hudson in a few months, according to a report in the Eau Claire Leader-Telegram... Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen issued an advisory on April 20 saying that it is legal to openly carry a gun in public. Wisconsin has a law that prohibits the carrying of concealed weapons, but state statutes don't say anything about openly carrying guns. State law does require that guns be kept in cases when they are transported in vehicles, and prohibits firearms in taverns, schools and other public buildings... http://www.hudsonstarobserver.com/event/article/id/35431/ Glenwood City Police Chief Robert Darwin said he's not overly concerned about hundreds of people coming to the St. Croix County Fairgrounds on Aug. 23 armed with loaded sidearms. "I don't have a problem with what they want to do," he said. "They have the lawful right to do that. "My concern is how the general public will respond," Darwin said Wednesday. "I hope they will respect it, since it is lawful. The people coming to this are not the kind of people we need to worry about." ... http://www.leadertelegram.com/story-news.asp?id=BKS7JU5R0B2 --- Oops, Wrong House: A 59-year-old man admitted to police he fatally shot man who held a knife to his throat and tried to rob him Wednesday morning in Chicago's Englewood community. Maurice Willis, 36, was found in a trashcan at 1244 W. 61st St., the Cook County medical examiner's office said. Police said they responded to the 1200 block of West 61st about 9:30 a.m., where the victim was found dead with multiple gunshot wounds... The man and the officer entered the basement apartment where the 59-year-old showed the officer the weapon he allegedly used, a Smith & Wesson .38-caliber revolver, and the dead man, who had multiple gunshot wounds to his face and chest and was sticking halfway out of a city garbage can... The arrestee said words to the effect of, "OK, don't hurt me, I got money here in the mattress," according to police, who said when he went to the mattress he produced the revolver and shot Willis. Police said he apparently panicked and tried to hide the body in the bin, which he planned on rolling back out into the alley. Police said the incident may be reclassified to self-defense... http://www.southtownstar.com/news/1714904,englewood-shoot-0813.article --- Oops, Wrong Car: Police do not expect to charge a Jackson homeowner who shot and wounded a man he found breaking into his car early Sunday morning. The name of the homeowner was not released. About 5 a.m., a homeowner in the 200 block of East Ash St. saw two men breaking into his Chrysler Sebring parked in front of the house, Jackson Assistant Chief Lee Vance said. The homeowner got a gun and shot one of the suspected burglars, Vance said. Michael Evans, 26, was shot in a thigh while still inside the Sebring, he said...Jackson police will turn the findings from the investigation over to a Hinds County grand jury, which will determine whether the homeowner will be charged. Vance would not say whether the case falls under the Castle Doctrine but said "the homeowner has a right to protect his property." A number of people in Jackson have been shot or killed since the Castle Doctrine went into effect three years ago. The Mississippi law allows property owners to use deadly force when they believe they are in imminent danger... http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20090810/NEWS/908100324/Robbery+suspect+shot+in+Jackson --- Oops, Wrong Store, Georgia Version: A 19-year-old man has been charged with aggravated assault and armed robbery in connection with a Saturday night robbery at a Fort Hill neighborhood store, Macon police said. Laadrian Javonte Wilson is being held at the Bibb County jail without bond, according to jail records. Three men entered the store at 406 Woolfolk St., at about 10:30 p.m., according to a police report. One of the men pointed a gun at a store worker. A second store worker picked up a shotgun. He and the alleged robbers fired shots at each other, according to the report. The three men ran north on Woolfolk Street. Minutes later, police received a radio call about a man with a gunshot wound at The Medical Center of Central Georgia, according to the report. Sgt. Melanie Hofmann said Wilson was shot in the buttocks and was arrested at about 4 p.m. Monday upon his release from the hospital... http://www.macon.com/198/story/799517.html --- Oops, Wrong Store, NYC Version: They strode into the restaurant supply store in Harlem shortly after 3 p.m. on Thursday, four young men intent on robbery, one with a Glock 9-millimeter pistol, the police said. The place may have looked like an easy mark, a high-cash business with an owner in his 70s, known as a gentle, soft-spoken man... Watching it happen, Mr. Augusto, whom neighborhood friends call Gus, rose from a chair 20 to 30 feet away and took out a loaded Winchester 12-gauge pump-action shotgun with a pistol-grip handle. The police said he bought it after a robbery 30 years ago. Mr. Augusto, who has never been in trouble with the law, fired three blasts in rapid succession, the police said, although Vernon McKenzie, working at an Internet company next door, heard only two booms, loud enough to send him rushing to a window, where he heard someone shout: "You're dead! You're dead!" The first shot took down the gunman at the front. He died almost immediately, according to the police, who said he was 29 and had been arrested for gun possession in Queens last year and was the nephew of a police officer. Mr. Augusto's other two blasts hit all three accomplices, who stumbled out the door, bleeding... A law enforcement official said that the district attorney was considering a possible misdemeanor weapons charge against Mr. Augusto, indicating that he did not have a permit for the shotgun... http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/14/nyregion/14shoot.html?_r=1&hp=&pagewanted=all--- Rule One, Rule Two Reminder: A man was rushed to Miami Valley Hospital by CareFlight today, Aug. 12, after he reportedly shot himself while cleaning a handgun. The helicopter was called to the 600 block of W. North Street in Piqua [OH] earlier this afternoon. Piqua firefighters reported the 44-year-old victim had apparently been cleaning a loaded gun when it discharged, hitting him in the abdomen. His condition is unknown. (Rule One: All firearms are always loaded. Rule Two: Don't let the muzzle cross anything you're not prepared to shoot. Those with pistols that require the trigger be pressed as part of the disassembly process need to have a backstop available that could stop any round the gun could fire.) http://newstalkradiowhio.com/localnews/2009/08/piqua-man-shoots-himself-while.html http://www.examiner.com/x-2206-Cleveland-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m8d13-Caution-reguired-while-cleaning-guns-to-prevent-accidents A Pasadena [TX] police officer was hospitalized after he accidentally shot himself in the stomach on Sunday, KPRC Local 2 reported. Investigators said the shooting happened at the 46-year-old officer's apartment on Space Center Boulevard near NASA Parkway at about 1 a.m. A child at the home helped the officer call 911, police said. The officer had surgery on his abdomen and intestines. He is in serious condition at Memorial Hermann Hospital. The officer has been with the Pasadena Police Department for 20 years. http://www.officer.com/web/online/Top-News-Stories/Texas-Officer-Accidentally-Shoots-Himself/1$47916 --- Rule Five Reminder?: A 13-year-old boy playing with a handgun in Carson was killed Thursday afternoon when the weapon accidentally discharged, authorities said. Homicide investigators from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department were investigating the shooting and a second, unrelated fatal shooting that occurred a short time later in Maywood. In the Carson case, the boy and a friend, also 13, were playing with video games when they discovered a locked closet, broke in and found the gun, said Sheriff's Deputy Aura Sierra. "It accidentally discharged," Sierra said. The incident occurred about 2:45 p.m. in 21400 block of Orrick Avenue. The names of the youths were not released... (It would seem as though the owner of the gun made a reasonable effort to secure it if the closet was locked. "It accidentally discharged" sounds like LASD-speak for we don't want to file charges; guns do not discharge on their own.) http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/08/13yearold-playing-with-gun-in-carson-dies-man-fatally-shot-in-maywood.html --- Tangentially Related: Soldiers recruited to be "Internment/Resettlement" specialists by a series of National Guard ads concerning "civilian resettlement" locations would have assignments overseas, not within the U.S., says a National Guard spokesman who reports members pledge to follow the U.S. Constitution and take orders from American civilian authorities. The response came several days after WND submitted questions to the National Guard about the advertisements for "Internment" soldiers who could operate in a "civilian resettlement" center. As WND reported, the ads were raising alarm because of a series of other government moves, including the recent Department of Homeland Security report describing those who oppose abortion or support third-party political candidates as "extremists" and the Department of Defense's own categorization of protesters as "low-level terrorists." ... (Had the National Guard been more honest in its advertising, it might have included some reference to foreign-language skills as it seems difficult to provide the services described without being able to communicate effectively with the "clients." I guess the Guard prefers to let people think that their service will be mostly on weekend and that they will remain stateside.) http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=106742 -- Stephen P. Wenger, KE7QBY Firearm safety - It's a matter for education, not legislation. http://www.spw-duf.info .