Bailout Bill Poses Threat to Gun Owners: ...Of particular concern to gun owners are sections 13101 through 13434 of HR 1, which would set up the infrastructure to computerize the medical records of ALL AMERICANS in a government-coordinated database. True, the bill doesn't mandate that the data will be in a giant computer under the Oval Office. But it does mandate that your medical records be reduced to a computerized form which is available to it in a second. This it would do by establishing a National Coordinator for Health Information Technology - tasked with, among other things, "providing information to help guide medical decisions at the time and place of care." It should be scary enough that a government bureaucrat is directed by statute to try to influence your doctor's decisions with respect to your medical care. But of even greater concern to gun owners is the fact that a government-coordinated database (which government can freely access) will now contain all records of government-provided and private psychiatric treatment - including, in particular, the drugs which were prescribed. Remember last year's "NICS Improvement Act" otherwise known as the Veterans Disarmament Act? This law codified ATF's attempts to make you a prohibited person on the basis of a government psychiatrist's finding that you are a "danger" -without a finding by any court. Well, roughly 150,000 battle-scarred veterans have already been unfairly stripped of their gun rights by the government... http://gunowners.org/a021109.htm --- More on Incorporation of the Second Amendment: As Brian Doherty noted earlier, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals has held that the 2nd Amendment does not apply against state and local governments. In more positive gun rights news, the Constitutional Accountability Center, a liberal law firm and think tank "dedicated to fulfilling the progressive promise of our Constitution's text and history," filed a friend of the court brief last week on behalf of the plaintiffs in McDonald v. City of Chicago, arguing that the 14th Amendment's Privileges or Immunities Clause does make the 2nd Amendment applicable against the states (Alan Gura, the lawyer who argued D.C. v. Heller before the Supreme Court, is representing the plaintiffs in McDonald). Among the authors of the CAC's brief is legal scholar Michael Kent Curtis, one of the foremost experts on the history and meaning of the 14th Amendment. Curtis was also the lead author of the friend of the court brief filed last fall in Nordyke v. King, which also argued that the 2nd Amendment applies to the states via the 14th... http://reason.com/blog/show/131624.html --- Arlen Specter, RINO: Arlen Specter is an embarrassment to the Republican Party. He's a liberal masquerading as a Republican who should be invited to cross the aisle and become formally what he's been informally for decades: a Democrat... And although the NRA has consistently ranked Specter high on pro-gun issues, Gun Owners of America argues that that's because Specter conveniently disappears when a vote arises that could endanger his pro-gun rating: "(Specter) is the reason why the semi-automatic gun ban got out of committee and became law. He left the room so he would not be present to vote." ... (The defection of Specter, Snowe and Collins on the "stimulus" bill pretty much destroys the myth that Republicans will filibuster odious bills in the Senate.) http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=30623 --- DC, Post-Heller: Since the United States Supreme Court's decision in District of Columbia v. Heller, 128 S. Ct. 2783 (2008) the District has continued its unconstitutional ban on gun possession in the District of Columbia by non-residents, as well as the ban on gun carry outside the home even for residents. These injuries were not at issue in the Heller case, nor was the constitutionally suspect registration requirement because the Plaintiffs did not challenge registration per se, just the ban on registering handguns. But in December, 2008 amidst all the hubbub leading up to President Obama's inauguration, the DC City Council, in addition to extending the closing time for bars, quietly enacted 2 new bills which became effective in January, 2009. These bills, inter alia, ban the registration (and thus ownership) of a large number of ordinary rifles, shotguns, and handguns merely because they contain certain apparently cosmetic offensive features, such as pistol grips, or because they are not on the California Roster of Handguns Certified for Sale... http://www.examiner.com/x-2782-DC-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m2d8-DC-taxpayers-will-pay-for-City-Councils-gun-ban-redux --- Virginia Students Debate RKBA, Campus Carry: The Second Amendment will take center stage as the first Gun Rights Week gets under way at James Madison University. Discussions of gun rights, including carrying concealed weapons on college campuses, will be held tonight, Thursday and Friday from 7 to 9 p.m. each day. Tonight's and Friday's events will take place at JMU's Memorial Hall. Thursday's location has yet to be determined. The presentations will include a simulated demonstration of a classroom shooting with Nerf guns, according to Shawn Deehan, founder of Gun Rights Week. Deehan, of Orange, organized the first Gun Rights Week, held last year at George Mason University, he said, to raise awareness among college students about the Second Amendment. After that, the JMU College Republicans asked him to coordinate a similar event here... http://www.dnronline.com/news_details.php?AID=35390&CHID=2 --- Empty-Holster Protests in North, South Carolina: Students at North Carolina State University, this week, are staging an "empty holster" protest to call attention to the statewide campus gun ban which effectively prohibits self-defense, reports WRAL-TV in Raleigh. Students for Concealed Carry on Campus, a growing national organization, has gained national attention since the massacre of 32 students at Virginia Tech. In coming days, they are planning empty holster protests on other campuses around South Carolina and Virginia, which will be reported here... http://www.examiner.com/x-2698-Charlotte-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m2d11-Students-want-concealed-handguns-on-campus http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/4512231/ --- Kangaroo Court Convicts Oregon Student: The WOU student who was falsely arrested and charged with possession of a firearm in a public building, had all his criminal charges dropped by the Polk County DA tonight. The DA admitted no wrongdoing on his part, or on the part of the police who arrested Jeff Maxwell for a "crime" that does not exist. In a statement released to OFF's attorney, the DA said "I believe the Monmouth Police Department issued the citation in good faith and that there was an arguable violation. However, a careful reading of the statute and the facts led me to conclude the charge was not in the best interest of justice." ...The college still got to "try" Jeff Maxwell. And they did tonight. The tribunal that tried Marine veteran Jeffery Maxwell laughed after suspending him from Western Oregon University and sentencing him to... http://oregonfirearms.org/alertspage/02.10.09%20alert.html http://www.examiner.com/x-1417-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m2d11-Children-of-men --- Drill-Rifle Suspension May Produce Rewrite of Colorado Law: Colorado lawmakers are considering rewriting a state law after a Cherokee Trail High School senior who is a part of the Douglas County Young Marines was handed a 10-day suspension from school and faces an expulsion hearing tomorrow for having a fake plastic and duct tape drill team prop rifle in her locked car. Marie Morrow, 17, was suspended immediately when school officials - alerted by students - found the fake weapon she uses for drill team practice recently. Cherry Creek School District spokeswoman Tustin Amole said under state law a suspension is required for all weapons reported at schools - even fakes. "We did what the law requires us to do," she said... http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=88607 --- San Diego Schools Nix JROTC Rifle Training: A group of San Diego teenagers successfully convinced the San Diego Unified school board yesterday to dismantle the district's Junior ROTC air-rifle program. The on-campus program has been training young cadets how to shoot for decades. KPBS Reporter Ana Tintocalis has more. The district's Junior ROTC air-rifle marksmanship program has a long and distinguished history in the San Diego Unified District. But now the program has been shot down. That's the result of a one-year, student-driven effort. The program first came under fire last year when JROTC officials introduced air-rifle shooting ranges on the campuses of Lincoln and Mission Bay high schools. Students, teachers and parents were outraged. Many didn't realize on-campus shooting practice even existed in the district... (Of note, one of the pictured protesters is carrying a sign in Spanish.) http://www.kpbs.org/news/local;id=13821 --- Arkansas House Passes Church-Carry Bill: The Arkansas House on Wednesday approved a bill allowing concealed handguns in churches, despite hearing arguments that lawmakers should put their faith in God, not guns. The bill, which passed on a 57-42 vote and now heads to the Senate, removes churches and other houses of worship from the list of places where concealed handguns are banned. Currently, the only private entities where concealed weapons are banned are churches and bars. The bill's sponsor, Rep. Beverly Pyle, R-Cedarville, said she introduced the measure after a series of church shootings across the country. She said it would be up to each individual church whether to allow the concealed guns... http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=6857715 --- Restaurant-Carry Bill in Arizona: A bill that would give customers the right to take guns into restaurants which have certain liquor licenses has been introduced in the Arizona Senate. Restaurant owners who do not want firearms in their establishments would be required to post signs about the ban. Sen. Jack Harper, R-Surprise, said current law bans people from carrying a weapon into any business with a liquor license. He said his proposal is aimed at leveling the playing field... Harper said the main difference between last year's bill and the current version is that this year's proposal is limited to restaurants that have a Class 12 liquor license, which means they are allowed to sell just a low-volume or a casual amount of alcohol. "If someone comes into a restaurant and they're not consuming alcohol, that's no different than them walking through a Wal-mart, K-mart or Target that sells firearms and has alcohol," Harper said. "If you're not consuming, there's no reason why the business owner shouldn't be allowed the decision to allow you to exercise your Second Amendment rights." ... http://ktar.com/?nid=6&sid=1041963 --- California Sheriff Stands Firm on CWP Denials: Sheriff Sandra Hutchens stood firm Tuesday against the county board of supervisors and hundreds of gun-owners threatening recall because of her controversial plan to reduce concealed weapons permits. Hutchens, in the third public hearing on the issue in four months, told the crowd and county supervisors that her position had not changed since she first unveiled the new policy last fall - despite some minor adjustments on how she plans to revoke more than 400 permits. "I don't make the law. But I am required to enforce the law," said Hutchens, reiterating her view that California state law only allows certain exceptions to the ban on concealed guns in public... (Hutchens misrepresents the policy of neighboring LASD as California law.) http://www.ocregister.com/articles/hutchens-county-gun-2305254-sheriff-permits Links to Videos of the Meeting: http://transsylvaniaphoenix.blogspot.com/2009/02/citizens-grilling-gun-grabbing-oc.html --- Oregon Licensees Want Their Records Confidential: This news out of the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office will come as little surprise: concealed-handgun carriers don't want their names released to the public. The sheriff's office last month posted a letter to all 12,000 people who hold concealed-handgun licenses with the county. The letter asked those license-holders to fill out a form indicating whether they want their information made public. The sheriff has received about 8,000 responses so far and opened about a third of them, says Deputy Paul McRedmond, a sheriff's office spokesman. And all of those 3,000-or-so opened responses have requested the information be kept secret... http://www.wweek.com/wwire/?p=21264 --- Virginia Gun Owner Prevails in Open-Carry Case: It's legal to wear a gun on your hip in Waterside, a judge decided Tuesday. After hearing more than two hours of testimony, a General District Court judge dismissed a trespassing charge against Dan Moore, a Hampton resident who police said was ordered to leave Waterside for carrying a weapon, and refused to leave. State laws permit openly carrying firearms in public places. City officials contended that Waterside, though built in part with public funds, is owned by a private entity and thus is a private facility not subject to state laws. Judge James S. Mathews did not agree. After hearing from six witnesses called by the city attorney's office, he dismissed the charges, ruling that Waterside is a public facility, said Stephen Merrill, a Norfolk attorney who represented Moore... Moore had several previous run-ins with the Norfolk police while carrying a gun in a holster. After he was detained downtown in 2007 for standing outside the Bank of America building with a gun, the city paid him $10,000 to avoid a lawsuit. In September, he was detained while trying to ride a Hampton Roads Transit bus. A month later, after he and other gun -rights activists spoke to the City Council, he was arrested at Waterside. Moore said he will sue for the bus and Waterside incidents... http://hamptonroads.com/2009/02/judge-clears-man-arrested-gun-dispute-waterside --- Interesting Video: Home invaders are repulsed at a home in a "nice" neighborhood in Tucson. http://www.kvoa.com/global/video/flash/popupplayer.asp?ClipID1=3430230&h1=Incredible%20home%20invasion%20caught%20on%20camera&vt1=v&at1=News&d1=98134&LaunchPageAdTag=News&activePane=info&rnd=21959373 --- US-Donated Weapons Could End up in Taliban Hands: Tens of thousands of assault rifles and other firearms in Afghanistan are at risk of being stolen because U.S. officials have lost track of them, according to a congressionally ordered audit that warns that some weapons may already be in Taliban hands. The audit by the Government Accountability Office found that inventory controls were lacking for more than a third of the 242,000 light weapons donated to Afghan forces by the United States - a stockpile that includes thousands of AK-47 assault rifles as well as mortars, machine guns and rocket-propelled grenade launchers... (For once, the term "assault rifle" appears to have been used correctly - these guns most likely are capable of full-auto fire.) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/11/AR2009021103281.html?hpid=topnews http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/12/world/asia/12arms.html?_r=1&ref=world --- From CCRKBA: KERLIKOWSKE PICK MORE PROOF OF OBAMA'S ANTI-GUN AGENDA, SAYS CCRKBA BELLEVUE, WA - Reports that Seattle Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske has been tapped to become the nation's next "drug czar" offer more proof of the anti-gun intentions of the Obama administration, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said today. "During his eight-year tenure as Seattle's police chief, Gil Kerlikowske has established himself as a devoted lobbyist for every restrictive gun law proposal," said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb. "That's pretty hypocritical of a guy whose own gun was stolen out of his department car on a downtown Seattle street. He may pass an FBI background check for an appointment, but he flunked the responsible gun owner's test." Kerlikowske has lobbied for bans on sport-utility rifles that are owned by tens of thousands of law-abiding Washington residents, and millions of their fellow American citizens. He backed legislation to close the mythical "gun show loophole" with an unsubstantiated theory that private sales put guns in the hands of criminals. "While he's been Seattle's police chief," Gottlieb noted, "he's become a close ally of the anti-gun Washington CeaseFire, but he's never bothered to sit down with gun owners to discuss crime problems, gun safety or enforcement efforts that focus on felons rather than firearms. "Kerlikowske's reported appointment to a post with the Obama administration reinforces the genuine concerns of American gun owners that the new president is not their friend," he observed. "The new president has surrounded himself with people who have long anti-gun rights track records, including Joe Biden, Eric Holder, Hillary Clinton and Rahm Emanuel. By adding Gil Kerlikowske to his inner circle, Obama is simply confirming the adage that 'you can tell a lot about someone by the company he keeps.' "It's no surprise Gil Kerlikowske would jump at the opportunity to leave the Evergreen State," Gottlieb stated. "He and his anti-gun allies have repeatedly failed to erode the civil rights of Washington citizens. But he would be leaving here with unfinished business. He hasn't solved the one crime that poses more of a threat to public safety than a hundred gun shows or a thousand semiautomatic rifles owned by law-abiding private citizens. He still has to find his stolen pistol." --- From AzCDL: HB 2607, the AzCDL-requested Campus Carry bill, was filed on Monday, February 9, 2009, the last day for bills to be filed this session. HB 2607 removes the authority of a governing board to prohibit a person who possesses a CCW permit from carrying a concealed firearm on the property of an educational institution (i.e., College or University). It was touch-and-go for awhile. This legislation was drafted and sponsorship was obtained, but the bill was not filed by the Senate deadline. To keep the bill alive, Dave Kopp and John Wentling, AzCDL's president and vice-president, successfully lobbied for Campus Carry to be filed in the House before the House deadline. All AzCDL-requested bills for this session have now been filed (Constitutional Carry, Defensive Display, Campus Carry, and CCW Reform). Plus there are a number of other pro-rights bills we are supporting. As they begin to move through the legislative process we will notify you via these Alerts. Stay tuned. These alerts are a project of the Arizona Citizens Defense League (AzCDL), an all volunteer, non-profit, non-partisan grassroots organization. Join today! AzCDL - Protecting Your Freedom http://www.azcdl.org/html/join_us_.html Copyright © 2009 Arizona Citizens Defense League, Inc., all rights reserved. -- Stephen P. Wenger, KE7QBY Firearm safety - It's a matter for education, not legislation. http://www.spw-duf.info .