Anti-Gun Laws Favor Criminals: Saturday, April 3, three police officers in Pittsburgh were brutally murdered in the line of duty. Eric Kelly, Stephen Mayhle and Paul Sciullo III were senselessly murdered as they responded to a domestic violence call. The incident took place just two weeks after four police officers were similarly murdered in Oakland. While most of us can scarcely imagine what it is for families and friends to suffer such loss, to the surprise of no one, in the aftermath of such brutality, politicians are seizing upon the horrific acts of the criminally insane to create more restrictive gun-ownership measures, even as anti-firearm groups are calling for an end to private gun ownership. The problem is that increasing restrictions on, and/or removing firearms from, responsible gun-owners will not keep us safe, and it sure as heck won't stop violent gun crimes. At what point, if ever, will anti-gun zealots and the "throw the baby out with the bath water" politicians get the message? It isn't responsible gun owners that are committing gun crimes. At what point, if ever, will they understand that an AK-47, a bazooka, or a dozen .357 magnums are no more dangerous in the hands of responsible gun owners than a Rottweiler or pit bull is in the hands of loving and responsible pet owners? ... http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=94824 --- As Seen by an Economist: ... It is even more painfully obvious that "gun control" laws do not control guns. The District of Columbia's very strong laws against gun ownership have done nothing to stop the high murder rate in Washington. New York had very strong gun control laws decades before London did. But the murder rate in New York has been some multiple of that in London for more than two centuries, regardless of which city had the stronger gun control laws at a given time. Back in 1954, when there were no restrictions on owning shotguns in England and there were far more owners of pistols then than there were decades later, there were only 12 cases of armed robbery in London. By the 1990s, after stringent gun controls laws were imposed, there were well over a thousand armed robberies a year in London. In the late 1990s, after an almost total ban on handguns in England, gun crimes went up another ten percent. The reason - too obvious to be accepted by the intelligentsia - is that law-abiding people became more defenseless against criminals who ignored the law and kept their guns... http://townhall.com/columnists/ThomasSowell/2009/04/14/magic_words_in_politics?page=full --- Bloomberg Ad Attacks Gun Shows: Until Congress closes a loophole that makes it easy for criminals to buy firearms at gun shows, Virginia and other states must work to tighten their own laws, New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said Monday. Mr. Bloomberg joined family members of Virginia Tech massacre victims in Northern Virginia to unveil a new television ad that will begin airing Tuesday. It calls on the state to end a practice allowing what are called "occasional sellers" at gun shows to sell weapons without conducting background checks... New York City Police Officer Russel Timoshenko was killed in July 2007 by an illegal gun sold by a Virginia gun dealer, Mr. Bloomberg said. That crime and other incidents such as the Virginia Tech shootings have motivated him to urge states to close the so-called loophole, he said... (Add the gun used by Timoshenko's killer to the ones misused at Virginia Tech on the list of guns that were legally sold by dealers but have been used to argue for limitations on gun shows.) http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/apr/14/new-york-mayor-unveils-ad-against-virginia-gun-law/ Days before the second anniversary of the Virginia Tech shootings, a group backed by New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg plans to launch a television advertisement that questions Republican gubernatorial nominee Robert F. McDonnell's opposition to closing a loophole in state law that allows some private vendors at gun shows to make sales without background checks. The 30-second commercial, expected to run statewide on cable and broadcast TV for four days starting today, ends with an image of one of the victims of the 2007 campus massacre: Reema Samaha is shown dancing as a child as a phone number for McDonnell appears on-screen... http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/13/AR2009041302702.html --- From JPFO: Dianne Feinstein is quite a piece of work. Like some sort of perverse Joan of Arc, she got her first real taste of the "gun control" game when madman Patrick Purdy shot up a Stockton, California school yard. She became the Queen Bee, the Big Mama, of the so-called "assault weapons" ban... The Obama Administration has gone through "gun control" spokespeople like a third rate NFL team goes through quarterbacks. First Eric Holder, the Attorney General, piped up about more draconian gun laws. Then that insufferable hag Nancy Pelosi stepped in and countermanded Eric's pronouncements. (Read - "Not Now Eric") Then, like floundering rookies, Holder and Pelosi were benched, and the "old pro" has now come into the game. I think we can safely bet that Feinstein will remain Obama's Quisling Quarterback of Choice for the duration of his fumbling stay in office.(Vidkun Quisling was a Norwegian politician who helped the Nazis conquer his nation. A "Quisling" is another word for traitor.) And Dianne has certainly taken charge with an arrogance and egotism that is truly stunning. In a recent interview with Leslie Stahl on "Sixty Minutes" she made some remarkable pronouncements. (See "60 Minutes" article) Asked of her plans for more "gun control" legislation, she told Stahl: "I'll pick the time and place." ... http://www.jpfo.org/kirby/kirby-high-priestess.htm --- Disinformation?: A new ban on assault-style weapons was part of Presidential candidate Barack Obama's platform. Fear of such a ban sent gun sales skyrocketing and the propaganda machine of the giant National Rife Association went into overdrive flooding its membership is "legislative alerts" about such a ban. That was then, this is now. Obama and the Democrats appear to have lost all interest in a ban on assault weapons or any other legislation cleaning up loopholes in America's gun laws even though killings are on the rise and gun violence continues to escalate around the country. White House officials admit support for a new ban isn't there and the President isn't willing to take on another losing battle with Congress. Although information on banning assault style weapons remains on the White House web site, sources within the Democratic party say the issue is dead and unlikely to be revived in the near future. "It's over," a Democrat strategist admits. "The gun nuts have won...again." ... http://www.capitolhillblue.com/node/17340 --- More on the 90% Lie: ... The reality is that most guns that turn up in Mexico are not from the United States, do not have U.S. markings and therefore are not sent across the border to U.S. officials. The 90 percent figure reflects the number Mexico sends to the United State for tracing that turn out to be from the United States - not a percentage of the total number of all weapons seized in Mexico. Matt Allen, special agent of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), told Fox News that "the U.S. effort to trace weapons really only extends to weapons that have been in the U.S. market." The vast number of seized weapons from other places is not counted. Numerous sources of weapons supply Mexican crime syndicates. Mexico is a virtual arms bazaar filled with AK-47s from China, shoulder-fired rockets from Soviet-bloc manufacturers and fragmentation grenades from South Korea. In the past six years, more than 150,000 Mexican soldiers have deserted from the army, with many taking their standard-issue Belgian-made M-16s with them. Drug runners, who by trade are adept at smuggling, have the ability to sneak weapons across borders from anywhere they want... http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/apr/14/obama39s-bogus-gun-statistics-mexican-crime-is-not/ ...Instead, Mr. Cox says, Salvadoran gunrunners, Mexican Army deserters, and the global underground arms markets involving Chinese, Russian, and US military arms are just a few of the ways that Mexican criminals acquire weapons. Mexico's southern border with Guatemala has long been an entry point for such weapons and today could account for 10 to 15 percent coming through, says Mr. Benitez. During the 80s and 90s, the arms used in Central American wars were a prime source for Mexico. But today, he says, the great majority streams from north to south, particularly for the crime networks operating along the northern Mexico border. When asked about the disputed "90 percent" statistic during a visit last week to Mexico, US Attorney General Eric Holder said one thing is clear, even if the actual percentage is not: The "vast majority" of guns seized in crimes in Mexico come from the US, he told reporters... http://www.topix.net/content/csm/2009/04/are-mexican-drug-traffickers-armed-with-us-guns You can add Greta Van Susteren to the list of Fox News hosts who can't or won't be honest about what's going on in Mexico. The other night, not only did the host of "On the Record" let Secretary of State Hillary Clinton get away with saying that Mexican drug cartels are getting machine guns in the United States, Susteren herself said, "these automatic weapons that go right through...are coming from the United States." It's been 15 years since Hillary Clinton and her husband pushed their gun ban on the American people, and the mainstream media still can't get it right. Fully automatic firearms have been heavily regulated since 1934, and they're not the subject of the ban that Hillary Clinton, Eric Holder and others are promoting. They're pushing for a ban on some of the most popular semi-automatic firearms around firearms that shoot just one time every time the trigger is pulled... http://www.nranews.com/blogarticle.aspx?blogPostId=511 --- Eight Arizonans Indicted for Gunrunning: Eight Valley residents have been indicted on charges of planning to transport five semi-automatic weapons into Mexico, according to court documents released Monday. U.S. District Court documents filed March 31 state that the group, which includes four Mesa residents and others from Surprise, Avondale and Mexico, used false paperwork to purchase firearms from two Glendale gun stores and one in Scottsdale. The indictment named Saul Rodriguez, 24, of Mesa; Jesus Gutierrez, 46, of Avondale; and Olegario Gutierrez-Martinez, 30, of Mexico; all of whom face charges of conspiracy to export munitions, conspiracy to illegally smuggle goods from the U.S. and conspiracy to make false statements in acquisition of firearms. Also charged in the weapons-shipping scheme are Aaron Loren Weeks, 23, of Mesa; Charles Michael Cartwright, 20, of Mesa; Ashley Virginia Boutchyard, 22, of Mesa; and Adam Wyatt Fuentes, 25, of Surprise. Each faces similar charges as well as a charge of making false statements in the acquisition of firearms. Bobbi Jo Elizabeth Chalupa, 41, of Phoenix, faces a charge of providing false statements in acquisition of firearm... http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/2009/04/14/20090414indictment0414.html --- The Beat Goes On: What do an elderly Oklahoma homeowner, a Virginia Citizen Militia member, and a Texas airline pilot all have in common these days? They're all part of America's massive gun-and-ammunition buying spree - a national arming-up effort that began before last year's election of President Obama and continues unabated. Across the United States, it has led to shortages of assault-style weapons, rising prices, and a broadening of gun culture to increasingly include older Americans, women and - gasp - liberals. The causes are varied - from fears over crime, both rational and irrational, to the concern that Second Amendment rights will be curtailed by a Democrat-controlled Washington. With the stock market deeply uncertain, some buyers simply think guns are a good investment. The run on guns suggests a shift in public attitudes about gun rights, and it presents a snapshot of a country that has historically turned to powder and balls in times of turmoil... http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0413/p02s01-ussc.html While the nation is in the throes of a recession, area consumers are flocking to local gun shops. The distribution of pistol permits is up by one-third from last year, Oneida County figures show. "Gun sales are the best we've ever seen," said George Koury, owner of K&K Train & Hobby located on 494 French Road in Utica. "I don't really know the reason, but I think when the economy gets depressed, people get scared and they turn to two things - religion and guns." At the end of 2009's first quarter, the Oneida County Pistol License Office had issued 73 pistol permits, compared to 55 at the end of the first quarter last year. "The people applying for pistol licenses are up, and the amount of gun transactions are up," Daniel Sullivan, assistant pistol license officer for Oneida County, said Tuesday. "So far, in the last 11 business days we've given out over 50 applications." Sullivan says last week's massacre in Binghamton might have spurred the public's interest in obtaining pistol permits... http://www.uticaod.com/news/x2138487369/Gallery-Video-Gun-Sales-Up-at-Local-Gun-Shops --- Campus-Carry Bill Defended: It seems as if every liberal in Texas is up in arms over the issue of concealed carry on campus. Liberals' reasons seem to be endless, but the one most often echoed by the masses is how dangerous it would be for students to be allowed to carry handguns. Apparently, once a student is in possession of a legal weapon he will become a crazed killer, out to shoot anyone who disagrees with him. A concealed carry law will mean the end of safe campuses and it is likely that colleges across Texas will turn into war zones between rival students. Greeks vs. GDIs, whites vs. blacks, athletes vs. nerds; all will be armed and killing one another. The fact that guns would make every college campus more dangerous is a great reason to keep guns off campus. However, it is far from the truth... http://media.www.smudailycampus.com/media/storage/paper949/news/2009/04/14/Opinion/Allow.Students.To.Carry.Concealed.Weapons-3708737.shtml --- Alabama Confidentiality Bill: The identities of people with permits to carry concealed handguns or stow them in their cars may soon be a secret in Alabama. A bill supported by the National Rifle Association would seal the handgun permits maintained by county sheriffs and make them available only to law enforcement officers. The public would have access to individual records only if the gun owner had committed a felony. The sponsor of the proposed legislation, Rep. Jack Page, D-Gadsden, said the purpose is to prevent theft of the identity of gun owners. Showing his own permit to a news reporter, Page said gun permits contain enough private information, such as date of birth and eye and hair color, to help someone apply for a credit card or other documents in another person's name... He said access to the permits also gives would-be-thieves information on who owns guns... http://www.gadsdentimes.com/article/20090413/APN/904131008 --- Idaho Parking-Lot Storage Bill: The Idaho House voted 50-19 today to give legal protections to employers who let workers keep guns in their cars. Rep. Jeff Thompson, R-Idaho Falls, the floor sponsor, said the measure would encourage companies that don't allow employees to have firearms on site, such as Cabela's and Hewlett-Packard, to create policies to let workers do so. The bill says employers cannot face civil damages for policies that "either specifically allow or (do) not prohibit the lawful storage of firearms" in vehicles on company property. Lawmakers debated the bill for about 45 minutes. Opponents said employers without permissive gun policies could face lawsuits... http://www.idahobusiness.net/archive.htm/2009/04/13/House-passes-bill-to-encourage-employers-to-let-workers-keep-guns-in-cars Allowing guns in company parking lots. One Idaho lawmaker is hoping more companies will allow it, and Monday the majority of lawmakers from the Idaho House of Representatives passed a bill that would do just that. They're hoping to give companies immunity to any lawsuits, which involve their employees second amendment rights. For a lot of people guns are a way of life. And now one lawmaker is trying to make a little easier on gun owners, many who often have a firearm in the car or truck. "All this bill does is allow people to store their weapons in their personal vehicle on company property. That's all it does," said Rep. Jeff Thompson, (R-Idaho Falls)... http://www.fox12news.com/Global/story.asp?S=10177769 --- New York to Weigh More Infringements: Sportsmen may be preoccupied with trout and the upcoming spring turkey hunting season right now, but in a couple of weeks the New York State Assembly will be voting on a dozen or more gun bills that will have a lasting effect on everyone who owns or would like to purchase a firearm for self-protection, target shooting, hunting and - as strange as it may seem - trapping and fishing. Why trapping and fishing you ask? Because a number of trappers and anglers carry a sidearm to prevent attacks from coyotes, black bears or any other wild animal - rabid or otherwise - that might take exception to them entering their bailiwick. But regardless of the purpose you choose to own a firearm, excessive gun control will take center stage at the New York State Capitol on April 29 when the assembly debates and votes on a package of anti-gun bills... http://www.thedailymail.net/articles/2009/04/14/sports/sports3.txt --- Police Department May Face Lead Charges: The Los Angeles County district attorney's office is considering whether to file criminal charges against the Redondo Beach Police Department after hundreds of potentially hazardous lead bullet fragments from its firing range were found at a nearby elementary school and in the surrounding neighborhood... According to documents from the state Department of Toxic Substances Control, which turned over the results of its investigation to prosecutors, the lead fragments appear to have come from the police department's outdoor shooting range. During training, lead bullets hit metal targets, broke into fragments and ricocheted into the Torrance neighborhood that grew around the shooting range, which was built more than 60 years ago... http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-lead14-2009apr14,0,2037192.story --- Rule One, Rule Two Violation: A Fort Lewis soldier is dead after being accidentally shot in the head and killed by his wife in Olympia the Thurston County Sheriff's Office says. Lt. Chris Mealy of the sheriff's office told KOMO-TV the soldier was teaching his wife how to handle a handgun when he was shot early Sunday. Mealy told The Olympian that the semi-automatic handgun was the soldier's personal property. Mealy says deputies were called at about 1:30 a.m. He says the soldier and his wife, both 25, had been out with friends before the shooting. Mealy says after the couple got home, the soldier decided to teach his wife how to handle the handgun. Mealy says the soldier's wife is not facing charges currently, but the sheriff's office is investigating the shooting. He says the soldier was scheduled to deployment soon. The couple's names were not released. (Rule One: All firearms are always loaded. Rule Two: Don't let the muzzle cross anything you're not prepared to shoot.) http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009028031_websoldierkilled12.html --- Oops, Wrong AA Meeting: A robber who walked into the Columbia downtown Alcoholics Anonymous center, pulled out a gun and demanded money was killed in a burst of gunfire from an AA visitor's gun, police said. "Gimme what you got," witnesses quoted the robber as saying when he entered the AA building at 2015 College St. in Five Points about 10:48 p.m. Saturday. They said he brandished a .25-caliber handgun. At that point, as one AA visitor dropped something on the floor - possibly his wallet - another AA visitor pulled out his own pistol and shot the robber "multiple times," police said. Kayson Helms, 18, of Edison, N.J., was pronounced dead at Palmetto Health Richland at 11:24 p.m. Saturday. Helms was identified by Richland County Coroner Gary Watts. His office notified the next of kin. An autopsy Sunday showed bullets hit Helms in the abdomen, chest and neck, Watts said... http://www.thestate.com/local/story/747998.html --- A Look at German Firearm Laws: ...There are more than 15,000 gun clubs in Germany with around 1.5 million members, not to mention the legions of hobby hunters. There are roughly 10 million legally-held guns and perhaps double that in unregistered weapons, making it the fourth-largest civilian firearm-holding nation in the world behind the US, India and China, according to the Geneva-based Small Arms Survey. Every summer Schuetzenfest, or shooting festivals, take place in towns and villages across the country and in some places are the centrepiece of the civic calendar. But guns are now, in the wake of recent events, under scrutiny... http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article6083082.ece --- From AzCDL: HCR 2024 is scheduled to be debated in the House Committee of the Whole (COW) on Tuesday, April 14, 2009. HCR 2024 stipulates that the state of Arizona claims sovereignty under the 10th Amendment to the Constitution over all powers not otherwise enumerated and granted to the federal government by the Constitution. It states that this resolution serves as both a notice and a demand to the federal government to immediately cease and desist mandates that are beyond the scope of these constitutionally delegated powers. It demands that all compulsory federal legislation that directs states to comply, under threat of civil or criminal penalties, or sanctions or requires states to pass legislation or otherwise lose federal funding, be prohibited or repealed. HCR 2024 requires the Arizona Secretary of State to transmit copies of this resolution to the President of the United States, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate of each state's legislature, and each member of the Arizona Congressional Delegation. We urge everyone to contact your Representatives and politely ask them to support HCR 2024 when it is debated in the COW on Tuesday, April 14, 2009. You can find your Representatives here: http://www.azleg.gov/alisStaticPages/HowToContactMember.asp . Stay tuned! When critical legislation moves, we will notify you via these Alerts. 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 .