Weekly Reminder: HR 45 has not even gained one co-sponsor in committee and S 2099 died nine years ago. It is not necessary to forward the hysterical mailings to me. Friday, January 23, 2009 U.S. Representative Bobby Rush (D-Ill.) recently sponsored H.R. 45, also known as "Blair Holt's Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act." The bill is, at its core and as its name implies, a licensing and registration scheme. The measure calls for all handgun owners to submit to the federal government an application that shall include, among many other things: a photo; an address; a thumbprint; a completed, written firearm safety test; private mental health records; and a fee. And those are only some of the requirements to be licensed! The bill would further require the attorney general to establish a database of every handgun sale, transfer, and owner's address in America. Moreover, the bill would make it illegal to own or possess a "qualifying firearm" -- defined as "any handgun; or any semiautomatic firearm that can accept any detachable ammunition feeding device..." without one of the proposed licenses. Additionally, the bill would make it illegal to transfer ownership of a "qualifying firearm" to anyone who is not a licensed gun dealer or collector (with very few exceptions), and would require "qualifying firearm" owners to report all transfers to the attorney general's database. It would also be illegal for a licensed gun owner to fail to record a gun loss or theft within 72 hours, or fail to report a change of address within 60 days. Further, if a minor obtains a firearm and injures someone with it, the owner of the firearm may face a multiple-year jail sentence. H.R. 45 is essentially a reintroduction of H.R. 2666, which Rush introduced in 2007. H.R. 2666 contained much of the same language as H.R. 45, and was co-sponsored by several well-known anti-gun legislators--including Barack Obama's chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel. H.R. 45 currently has no co-sponsors. Rest assured that NRA-ILA will continue to monitor this bill closely, and will keep you informed of any developments if they materialize. http://www.nraila.org/Legislation/Federal/Read.aspx?id=4329 In the last few weeks, NRA-ILA has received hundreds of e-mails warning us about "SB-2099," a bill that would supposedly require you to report all your guns on your income tax return every April 15. Like many rumors, there's just a grain of truth to this one. Someone's recycling an old alert, which wasn't even very accurate when it was new. There actually was a U.S. Senate bill with that number that would have taxed handguns - nine years ago. It was introduced by anti-gun Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), and it would have included handguns under the National Firearms Act's tax and registration scheme. This has nothing to do with anyone's Form 1040, of course. Fortunately, S. 2099 disappeared without any action by the Senate, back when Bill Clinton was still in the White House. We reported about it back then, just as we report about new anti-gun bills every week. Now, it's time for gun owners to drop this old distraction and focus on the real threats at hand. http://www.nraila.org/Legislation/Federal/Read.aspx?id=4925 --- A Look Back: A man who toted a semiautomatic rifle outside the Phoenix Convention Center during President Barack Obama's Aug. 14 speech made a nice publicity gimmick. But for spectacle, he was topped 45 years ago by a U.S. senator from Arizona who brandished a revolver during a committee hearing in Washington. Arizona loves its guns and, just as much, loves its right to carry them. In 1964, Arizona residents and politicians led the charge against what was seen as a gun-control bill that would be the first step toward a one-world socialist government... During the January 1964 hearing, a smiling Sen. Carl Hayden, D-Ariz., held up a Colt .38 revolver as he testified against the bill. Stories about the hearing did not mention the incident... http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/arizonaliving/articles/2009/09/05/20090905azjournal0905.html --- Guns Outside Bars: A 27-year-old man was shot and killed Friday night after a fight outside an east-side bar, police said. Shawn Conrad was pronounced dead at a University Medical Center at 11:07 p.m.. He had been involved in a fight in the parking lot of the Cow Pony Bar, 6510 E. Tanque Verde Road, said Sgt. Diana Lopez, a Tucson Police Department spokeswoman. Here is Lopez's account of what happened: Conrad and several other men got into an altercation with a 24-year-old man. Conrad and the other men assaulted the 24-year-old, Lopez said. One of the men had a weapon, Lopez said, but she would not say what type. The 24-year-old pulled out a handgun and shot Conrad, Lopez said. No arrests have been made, as it appears the victim acted in self-defense, she said. Gang detectives were investigating the shooting Saturday. (Note the gang angle. Unless the 24-year-old was a passerby, I'm inclined to suspect that he may have had the gun while he was inside the bar. In that case, it doesn't look as though current law has really been keeping guns out of bars.) http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/307889 --- Oops, Wrong House: Authorities say a Chiloquin [OR] man shot and wounded a neighbor who tried to enter his house. Sheriff Tim Evinger of Klamath County says 24-year-old Calvin Lee Brown used a pair of 18-inch wooden handles to break Monte Rompal's bedroom window, prompting the 77-year-old man to fire a shot. Evinger says deputies later found Brown at a nearby house - asleep and drunk with a bullet wound to his left upper arm. Chiloquin Ambulance took Brown to Sky Lakes Medical Center, where he was in stable condition Thursday. Evinger says Brown will likely be charged with attempted burglary and criminal mischief. District Attorney Ed Caleb says it's unlikely Rompal will face charges. http://www.ktvz.com/Global/story.asp?S=11047280 --- Oops, Wrong House, Further Details from Arizona: Two teenage boys who officers say were caught burglarizing a Chandler [AZ] home on Wednesday admitted to a number of other burglaries resulting in the recovery of stolen property, Chandler police said Friday... One of the boys was caught inside the home of James Caryl in the 800 block of West Elgin Street, about 7:30 a.m. Wednesday. Caryl arrived home to be told by his son and neighbor that the pair were inside and police had been called. Caryl's 13-year-old son was home alone when the boys knocked on the front door. After he looked out the window and realized he did not know them, he didn't answer the door. Caryl's son then saw the two boys, ages 16 and 17, walk around the house and go to the back door before forcing their way inside, police said. Caryl's son ran out the front door and to a neighbor's house, where they called 911. Before police arrived, Caryl said he would take care of the incident himself and went inside and [saic] to retrieve his gun, according to police. While in his home, he apprehended one of the boys at gunpoint, and the other one jumped out of the second-story window, according to police... (Fools rush in... With police on the way and no family members inside the home, it doesn't seem to me that it was worth the risk of the homeowner clearing his own home, particularly if he wasn't even carrying a gun when he entered. Then again, perhaps he realized that his handgun was not properly secured inside the home...) http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/143982 --- With Friends Like These...: Deputies have arrested a man accused of pulling out a loaded gun while riding a bicycle and pointing it at a motorist who honked his horn... Witnesses say the man was weaving across lanes of traffic on busy U.S. 19 when the driver of a minivan came up from behind and honked his horn. Deputies were called to the scene after the driver told investigators Single pulled out a gun and appeared ready to shoot. "I knew it was real," said Chris Santiago, who was a passenger in the minivan that honked. "The guy acted like he was a law enforcement officer, pulled out a badge, and pulled out handcuffs." Deputies say Single also struck the vehicle's windshield with his hand, creating a small crack. The minivan driver, who asked not to be identified, called 911 and Single was arrested a block north of the incident. A loaded handgun was found in his fanny pack, along with handcuffs and a novelty badge. Single was booked into the Pinellas County Jail on two counts of aggravated assault with a firearm and one count criminal mischief. The Sheriff's Office reports he has valid concealed weapons permit. http://www.news10.net/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=64502 --- Judging the Judge: I have consistently maintained that the Taurus Judge is impractical - a solution in search of a problem. The most viable self-defense round it can chamber is the .45 Colt. Since the firing chambers in the Judge are designed for the much longer .410 shotgun rounds, a .45 Colt bullet is forced to jump about one inch before it begins its passage through the throat, into the forcing cone. I fired a few rounds of .45 Colt in one recently and got much worse groups than those reported in the first linked article. If I want to carry a .45 Colt revolver, I will get one designed for that cartridge and save about an inch in length, among other advantages, which would likely include a better trigger stroke. http://www.gunreports.com/special_reports/handguns/taurus-Judge-Self-Defense-Revolver-45LC-410-concealed-carry1500-1.html?ET=gunreports:e515:183810a:&st=email I have previously shared this link to informal testing at the Box O' Truth. While I have never shot a rattlesnake myself, I am unimpressed with the results achieved with the birdshot load on the drawing of one. Rattlesnakes are, reportedly, themselves unimpressed with gunshots that do not destroy their nervous systems. In these parts, people who need to get rid of a rattlesnake that has moved too close to their home generally prefer a hoe or a shovel, with which they decapitate it. http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot41.htm --- From Brownells - Reloading, Part 3: ... I have been handloading, on and off, for at least several decades, and I intend to keep at it until I get it right. With all fingers and toes intact, I've not had the experience of: a burst primer, an unexpected detonation of a charge, damaged firearms, damaged equipment, or even a lodged bullet in a barrel as the result of a squib charge. Maybe I'm just not trying hard enough, but I think it is more a case of knowing my limitations and following the safety instructions that are packaged with every piece of handloading equipment, component and related publication... (This appears to be the final installment and focuses on tuning rifle loads for specific guns and applications. It contains lots of technical details.) http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/lid=11848/guntechdetail/Handloading___The_Wandering_Narrative_Part_III?mc_ID=2028 --- Dry-Fire Backstop: A friend, who lives in a manufactured home, recently inquired about what he could use as a safe backstop for dry-firing inside his home. So long as you don't pull or push the muzzle off to the side, it strikes me that a plastic five-gallon bucket filled with sand would do an effective job of stopping handgun bullets and the paper target of your choice, conventional or photographic, can be taped to it. --- NRA-ILA Alerts: List members are encouraged to check the alerts for the week, posted on the NRA-ILA website. http://www.nraila.org/GrassrootsAlerts/read.aspx --- From John Farnam: 31 Aug 09 This update from a friend in the Federal System: "Airport 'sniffers' are designed to detect explosives, not propellants. Note that black powder is an example of the former, smokeless powder the later. Propellants associated with shooting modern firearms are thus normally not flagged. However, there are always 'false-positives.' Most are generated by commercial fertilizers. Asking TSA baggage police what their technology is capable of is predictably an exercise in humor! In fact, I was tempted to enlighten two screeners at BWI last week, but I remembered your warning about no good deed going unpunished, so I left them there, cluelessly waving it around like a magic wand! When any of our colleagues attend a Course in door-breaching, or something similar, where explosives are used, they need to be aware that both 'puffer' and 'wipe-test' instruments will alarm on vapors lingering in clothing, shoes, and hair. So, advise them to shower and change clothes and shoes before going to the airport. Even then, it is best to carry paperwork that you were attending training under the auspices of your department." Remember, as with all bureaucracies, TSA is fearlessly dedicated to promoting itself. Don't give them an opportunity to justify their existence! /John (As I noted last week, one of my students was selected for a detailed pre 9/11 interrogation, apparently due to smokeless-powder residue transferred to a briefcase from a firearm he had packed, without cleaning, after firing a minimum of several hundred rounds in training. I find it hard to believe that TSA is now using less sensitive equipment. I always understood that the nitrates in smokeless powder were very similar to the ones in most explosives.) 31 Aug 09 Aftermarket magazine floor-plate testing, from an Instructor: "Here are results from our testing of aftermarket Glock 'Plus-One' and 'Plus-Two' magazine floor-plates: Fully-charged G22 magazines were dropped from a height of seven feet onto a rubber mat over a concrete floor. We used all angles possible. All magazines equipped with aftermarket/replacement floor-plates precipitously exploded by the tenth impact, sending loose rounds, springs, followers, and floor-plates in all directions! We've concluded that we will stick with what comes with the Glock!" Comment: OEM Glock magazine floor-plates are the way to go! This is one area where aftermarket "enhancements" create more problems than they solve! /John (I believe that John and I have both been warning about these magazine extensions for years.) 4 Sept 09 "Grant" money? The corrupt city government of a small eastern AR town, that is withering on the vine, finally unraveled yesterday. A local police officer, in an apparent fit of rage, shot the fire chief, inside a local courtroom, as the fire chief was contesting a traffic ticket! The same bullet that struck the fire chief also hit another police officer. The fire chief is in the hospital. The injured police officer was treated and released. Status of the officer who did the shooting is unknown. The city has a total population of less than two hundred, yet its police force consists of seven, full-time officers! It is not anywhere near big enough to have even one full-time officer, but (mis)using federal "grant money," one was created. Scandals began immediately, mostly involving speed-traps. Citizens complain bitterly that it takes hours to get a patrol vehicle to respond to an emergency, because they're all out desperately trying to fill ticket quotas, often miles away from town. One result is that all retail businesses, and most productive citizens, have abandoned the city and moved elsewhere. Weeks ago, the city's last commercial business closed up for good. Meanwhile, the city's police vehicles, and a fire truck, have been repossessed for lack of payment. In the wake of the shooting incident, the "chief" has disbanded his force. The "mayor" is no where to be found. Questions with regard to what has happened to traffic-ticket revenue are unanswered. Any guesses? To his credit, a local judge has precipitously thrown out all traffic tickets written by the department. Comment: Knavery and corruption follow "grant" money like snakes follow mice! Money, suddenly placed into the hands of those who didn't earn it and don't appreciate it, seldom accomplishes anything worthwhile, and is never spent well! The vast majority is invariably wasted or stolen. "Giving money" to people who have done nothing to earn it, and don't deserve it, is always bad practice, because the money was taken from good people who did earn it and do deserve it! In fact, government "grant money" amounts to little more than a bribe. When offered money you didn't earn, and to which you otherwise have no right, it is best to refuse it, as there are always strings attached, and political favors that are expected. You will become little more than a petty thief, along with bureaucrats who run the program, and seedy politicians who create it. Old Chinese Proverb: "Never marry for money. You can borrow it far cheaper!" /John (As Ronald Reagan liked to say, "The nine most frightening words in the English language are, 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help.'" As with the fortune cookies that deliver them, most "Chinese proverbs" were invented in the US.) -- Stephen P. Wenger, KE7QBY Firearm safety - It's a matter for education, not legislation. http://www.spw-duf.info .