Break Time: I will be out of town for a few days, at the Phoenix gun show and visiting friends. Please hold all non-essential e-mail until you hear from me again. I do not know if I will have internet access during my travels and I get massive amounts of e-mail daily. I know this may be a challenging request for those of you who included me in group mailings but, if it's practical to take me off such lists until you hear from me, I will appreciate it. I have included the John Farnam material today as there will be no Sunday mailing this weekend. --- 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 Friday, May 29, 2009 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 --- Congressional McDonald Brief - Follow the Money: On November 23, 2009, 210 Representatives signed a McDonald v. Chicago brief, asking the Supreme Court to incorporate the Second Amendment right to "keep and bear arms" under the Fourteenth Amendment, thereby restricting a municipality's ability to enact local gun control laws... Two representatives endorsed by the Brady Campaign voted in favor of McDonald: Congressman Michael Arcuri, (NY-24, 2008 NRA grade C-), and Patrick Murphy (PA-8, NRA grade D+). According to Tom King, President of the New York Rifle and Pistol Association, court cases like this sometimes make for strange bedfellows. King believes, for example, that the American Civil Liberties Union will support McDonald because it may result in favorable precedent for future cases of their own. Therefore, some who usually support gun control may support this brief it will strengthen enforcement of federal law upon states. On the other side, some signatures were curiously missing. Seven NRA-endorsed representatives didn't sign the brief, including A-rated Ike Skelton (MO-9) and normally pro-Constitutionalist Ron Paul (NRA grade A-, TX-14)... Previous articles noted the correlation between pro-gun control voting and increased levels of campaign contributions from lawyers and public employee unions: Reelected incumbent Representatives who received greater portions of total campaign contributions from these two groups are more likely to vote for gun control. These relationships hold true for Congressional incumbents' positions on McDonald... http://www.examiner.com/x-2879-Austin-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m12d3-Congress-amicus-for-McDonald-v-Chicago-The-untold-story --- Does She Mean Us or Them?: Home-based terrorists are currently inside the United States and are looking to strike targets here and abroad, the Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano said in a speech last night. "Home-based terrorism is here. And like violent extremism abroad, it is now part of the threat picture that we must confront," Napolitano told the America-Israel Friendship League in New York City, according to a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) press release. Spencer S. Hsu of The Washington Post called Napolitano's statements last night her "bluntest assessments yet of terror threats within the country" a night after President Obama announced he will send an additional 30,000 U.S. service members to Afghanistan to fight Taliban militants and al Qaeda terrorists in an effort to stabilize the war-torn country. According to Hsu, Napolitano listed two recent cases to support her statement that jihadist radicalization has gained traction inside the United States... (She mentioned jihadists this time but has previously labeled tax protestors, RKBA activists and recent veterans as potential domestic terrorists.) http://securitymanagement.com/news/terrorists-inside-us-and-planning-strike-says-dhs-secretary-006529 --- Tancredo Opposes Arms Treaty: Former Rep. Tom Tancredo, best known for his tough stand in Congress against illegal immigration, has taken up a new cause since his retirement from the House last year: defending American gun owners against international treaties. The Obama administration is moving forward on two treaties that Mr. Tancredo and other gun rights advocates see as a threat to the Second Amendment's right to bear arms. His response is a 2010 ballot initiative that would direct elected officials in his home state of Colorado to oppose any such agreements. The initiative, filed last week with the Colorado Legislative Council, would be nonbinding, but Mr. Tancredo said merely having it on the ballot would be enough to force candidates to address the issue... Gun rights advocates went on red alert in October after Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton reversed Bush administration policy by throwing her support behind the convening of a U.N. conference to discuss a treaty to regulate the international transfer of arms... Two weeks later, the United States voted in favor of a U.N. resolution calling for a U.N. conference to produce a final accord on the proposed arms trade treaty by 2012... http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/dec/04/tancredo-uses-treaties-to-stir-gun-rights-issue/ --- Colorado Student Board Votes to Retain Campus Carry: Only a few universities in the country allow students to carry guns on campus, and one of them in Colorado is considering a change. At Colorado State University in Fort Collins, public safety experts and the president's cabinet support a gun ban. Before the decision is made, however, the school wants to hear what students think. Wednesday night, the student governing body voted 21-3 in support of keeping CSU a conceal-and-carry campus. Five student senators were absent or did not vote. The student leaders will now submit their resolution to the CSU president for consideration... CSU spokesperson Brad Bohlander says the Public Safety Team and the president's cabinet are united against the issue... CSU has never had a violent gun incident on campus... http://www.9news.com/news/article.aspx?storyid=128141&catid=339 --- CHL Applications Surge in Ohio: ...The third quarter in 2009 saw a whopping 54% increase over the same period in 2008. In terms of original issued licenses issued in the quarter, it trailed only 2004 which was the first year, and only the second quarter of Ohio's concealed carry law. The 11,760 licensed issued amounted to only a 3% decline from the initial surge that first year. Taking into account the 3,600 licenses renewed during the quarter there were a total of 15,360 licenses issued - or a 27% increase over the same period in 2004. As has been previously noted, it is highly unusual that demand in later years exceeds the initial surge, but improvements to a bad law and fear of the Obama administration coupled with a poor economy explain the ongoing trend. The 3,600 licenses renewed during the period was a decline from prior quarters, but that is simply a reflection of a lower demand for initial licenses four years ago. The 3,600 renewals was a record 80% of those expiring during the period. It is too soon to tell if the renewal this is an anomaly or a new normal effected by the lower renewal fee that became effective October 17, 2009 as a result of HB1. Either way there is now a record 169,000 Ohio citizens licensed to carry a concealed handgun. (See chart) ... http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/node/7000 --- Meanwhile in Arizona...: As of November 29, there are 145,132 active permits in Arizona, with a total of 989 revocations, approximately 0.68%. This compares with approximate revocation rates of 1.8% for instructors and 1.9% for training organizations. Maricopa County's 76,309 permittees significantly exceed the total for the entire state ten years ago. http://www.azdps.gov/Services/Concealed_Weapons/Statistics/ --- Prepare for Multiple Assailants: ... So how do you even the score when going up against multiple assailants? Your first priority is to move. Move to cover if possible. In shootings that involve police officers, 95% of the officers who are able to move to cover, and use that cover effectively survive the shooting incidents. That's a huge percentage that cannot be ignored. If you carry a firearm for self-defense, you should always be thinking tactically, and that means always thinking about what is cover, and how you can best move to it. The chances are, even if you are thinking tactically, that there may not be any cover available for you to move to. The vast majority of gunfights are up close and personal events, whether law enforcement or civilian. So the chances of there being some type of cover in between you and the bad guy are pretty slim. But even if there is no cover available, you should still move... http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=34618 --- Does the M4 Have a Weight-Control Problem?: The U.S. Army is now distributing the smaller and lighter M-4 Carbine to support troops and commanders in units not operating in the combat zone. But the M-4 isn't always as small and light as the generals think. There are now over 400,000 M-4s in use. The M16 is still the standard infantry weapon, but the shorter M-4 is replacing it in situations where weight and size is a factor, and long range shooting isn't. In some cases troops who were previously armed with a pistol, now have a more powerful M-4 to tote around. One problem with the M-4 is that, while it is compact, it often becomes very heavy. That's because it's become customary to equip some seven pound M-4s with a three pound M203 40mm grenade launcher (under the barrel), and this is often accompanied by a quadrant sight (mounted on the left side of the carrying handle, making the M203 accurate out to 400 meters). Add one of those nifty new thermal sights for the rifle, and you have another three pounds of sights. This nearly doubles the weight of a fully tricked out M-4 to 13 pounds. The weapon is also somewhat more ungainly with all these attachments... (To put it another way, has the M4 become the M1 Carbine of the 21st century? Recall that the M1 Carbine was initially intended to replace the pistol for support troops. It ended up acquiring a bayonet lug, folding stock for paratroopers [M1A1], grenade launcher[which generally broke its loosely fitted wooden stock] and sight, full-auto capability [M2], and first-generation night sights [M3].) http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htweap/articles/20091203.aspx --- FN Releases Five-seveN Fact Sheet: FNH USA's Five-seveN handgun has received scathing and largely erroneous coverage in media reporting about the Ft. Hood shooting. To counter those reports, FNH USA has posted what it calls a "fact sheet" debunking the reports. According to the release, "FNH USA is the business development, sales and manufacturing arm in the United States for FN Herstal. As a longtime worldwide leader in military, law enforcement and commercial firearms we take great pride in our reputation. In this context, we request that our Distributors adhere to the 'Responsible Firearms Distributor Code of Practice' endorsed by the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute (SAAMI) and the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF). We also support proactive joint law enforcement / industry cooperative efforts such as 'Project Gunrunner' and 'Don't Lie for the Other Guy.'" According to the fact sheet, "... the Five-seveN pistol has been mischaracterized by some as a new firearm which shoots armor-piercing ammunition." The company adds, "There have been some inaccurate and misleading statements made about the Five-seveN Pistol which made this Fact Sheet necessary to assure an accurate understanding of the characteristics of the product." ... http://www.gunreports.com/news/news/FNH-USA-Five-Seven-Fort-Hood_1681-1.html?ET=gunreports:e582:183810a:&st=email --- From John Farnam: 1 Dec 09 WA Incident: The motive of the suspect who murdered four police officers in WA last Sunday morning is unclear. It is also unclear whether or not the perpetrator targeted police officers in general, or these officers in particular. Nor am I speculating that this incident necessarily represents a new trend. And, as the prime suspect was shot to death by police early this morning, we may never have answers to these questions. What is clear is the fact that it was well known that unformed patrol officers routinely congregated at this particular restaurant, at a particular time, on a regular basis. As a response, I'm suggesting all LEOs, in uniform or not, immediately reevaluate routines and procedures! Reminders that follow are, I know, elementary and obvious, but they need repeating now: (1) Vary your "routine." When someone knows for sure that you will be in a particular place, at a particular time, planning an ambush becomes easy. We have to continuously practice stealth and variance. It goes with the territory. Do the unexpected. Don't be predictable! (2) When several officers are gathered together, be it at a restaurant or at roll-call, like a designated-driver, someone needs to be always "on watch." Of course, we all need to be alert, but at least one of us needs to be specifically assigned to keep his head up. Subtle alert signals need to be worked out between us and routinely rehearsed, so we can all react quickly, and in a coordinated way, when necessary. (3) Don't keep thinking of yourself as the exception! Belief in "guardian-angels" is for children. You do not carry pistols in vain, and you bleed red blood, just like everyone else. When your number is up, only you can save yourself. Recommit yourself to continuous readiness, or do something else for a living! (4) Appearances only go so far. The brazen act of attacking four, uniformed, armed police officers simultaneously is unusual, but we see that it does happen. Appearances detour much criminal activity every day, but there are plenty of genuine desperados running loose who are not impressed with uniforms and are unafraid to take you on. Again, be ever prepared to go all the way! /John (While John's advice is oriented primarily toward police officers, there are several items in it that apply to everyone. John did not mention that while all four officers died one did return fire and wound the assailant. How much differently would things have turned out had all four not, reportedly, been concentrating on catching up on paperwork via laptop? Something to keep in mind if you travel and stop at the local Starbucks for overpriced coffee and a free wi-fi connection, to catch up on e-mail. Many departments train officers in a system called "contact and cover," where one officer stands back, covering the contact officer, and does not get involved unless things turn violent. Perhaps we need to start thinking in similar terms for more and more routine activities. Recall that we are seeing increased activity from "home-grown jihadists.") 2 Dec 09 Armed Bankers in NYC? It has come to light that many in upper management of a number of big banks, headquartered in NYC, have recently applied for, and have been granted, permits to purchase pistols. Understandably, banks themselves, along with NYPD, are deathly quiet about this curious development, because the vast majority of other such applications (from non-bankers) are routinely, arbitrarily denied. This gaggle of brand-new pistol owners are the self-same Liberals who unflinchingly support the current NYC Mayor in his rabid effort to ban private ownership of all guns, nationwide! Looks as if gun-bans are appropriate for everyone, except them! This is the kind of shameful, conspicuous hypocrisy of which all anti-gun Liberals are habitually guilty. When bankers can have guns, why not butchers, bakers, etc? Why is it that bankers suddenly comprise a "special class of citizens," along with the mayor's friends, movie stars, professional athletes, rich drug-dealers, et al? Liberal politicians in NYC, and elsewhere, have taken what is supposed to be an "inalienable right" of all citizens and turned it into a tightly-controlled political privilege, to be enjoyed exclusively by a select group of conceited, self-declared divinity! On rare occasions when the media even brings up this glaring discrepancy, guilty politicians are silent. They don't think they owe anyone an explanation, their definition of "transparency." I can't imagine why people put up with it! /John (Historically, discretionary-issue jurisdictions, such as NYC, have given preferential treatment to people who deal with large sums of money. Ironically, some issue carry permits with the legend "for the protection of life and property," even though the same jurisdiction would imprison such a permittee for using deadly force to prevent the commission of a mere theft of property. Privilege and hypocrisy in this area go way back.) 3 Dec 09 Gun Ignorance, even among "Professionals." This from a student and Chiropractor in the Midwest: "A local, uniformed, patrol officer came in to my office last week, complaining of headaches and lower-back pain. She stated that pain was occurring while she was on duty, and mentioned that her duty-belt was uncomfortable. I began by asking about her duty-pistol. She stated that it was a SIG. When I asked what model, she paused and answered, 'Why, it's a Sig/Sauer. Is there another kind?' I let out a breath and then asked if the weapon's magazines were single or double-stack, what caliber, how many spare magazines she carried, and where she carried them. I got back a confused look, and then she asked me what 'double-stack' meant. In addition, she had no idea what caliber her pistol was, but we determined that both spare magazines were routinely carried on the same side as her pistol. I asked if she practiced reloading her pistol with magazines carried thus. She indicated that she '... couldn't remember,' adding 'I don't know; I just carry them there.'" Comment: In light of the recent WA ambush of uniformed officers, the foregoing is of great concern. "Police" is not 'what we do.' It's 'what we ARE!' A blase, clueless officer, like this one, is in extreme danger every minute she is working, as is everyone she works with, and everyone she ostensibly "protects." Her training officer and her chief, for everyone's sake, need to get her on-board, get her into some other kind of work, or plan on attending funeral(s)! /John (I assume that the above "interview" began as a chiropractor attempting to get to the source of the back pain; police duty belts are commonly implicated. From time to time I either see someone carrying openly in town or, worse yet, one of my students showing up with one of those "cool" holsters, with a magazine pouch mounted on the holster itself, just forward of the top of the slide of the pistol. The problem is that we normally retain the pistol in the shooting hand while reloading. Thus, those who carry concealed are better served by carrying spare magazines on the non-dominant side. In uniform, some functional officers may carry in a horizontal pouch, which, while worn on the dominant side, presents the base of the magazine to the non-dominant hand. An officer who has not done reloads in training, in the academy and in service, has been sold short. Perhaps she was merely flustered at that point, by the questions she was unable to answer but someone who can't think on her feet needs to find another line of work. Yes, the plural on "spare magazines" is intentional - 99% of malfunctions will be resolved with a reload, with no need for further diagnosis.) -- Stephen P. Wenger, KE7QBY Firearm safety - It's a matter for education, not legislation. The tactics and skills to use a firearm in self-defense don't come naturally with the right to keep and bear arms. http://www.spw-duf.info .