Treaty Endangers RKBA, US Sovereignty: On April 16, 2009, President Obama emerged from a meeting with Mexico's President Calderón to announce his support for the "Inter-American Convention against the Illicit Manufacturing and Trafficking in Firearms" treaty (CIFTA): an international gun control treaty signed by President Bill Clinton in 1997 but never ratified by the U.S. Senate... For example, the preamble of the treaty describes "the urgent need for all states, and especially those states that produce, export, and import arms, to take the necessary measures to prevent, combat, and eradicate the illicit manufacturing of and trafficking in firearms." To accomplish this, the preamble calls for the "exchange of information" and "effective control of firearms [and] ammunition" between nations that sign treaty. The "exchange of information" implies that our government would not simply have a gun registry that is nationally accessible, but internationally accessible as well... http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=31555 --- The Left's Fear of Firearms: ... Legendary firearms instructor and pundit Jeff Cooper put it best. "In my opinion," he said, "neither money nor greed ... is the root of all evil. The root of all evil is envy. The non-coper hates the coper, and thus the non-shooter hates the shooter. I see no other explanation for the pointless and irrational activism of the gun grabbers on the political scene. They know that their machinations can have no effect upon crime. Guns have no effect upon crime, but they do make all men equal, as the saying goes. This puts the coper on top, and infuriates the non-coper." This is the root of all liberal hatred for firearms. Liberals despise the idea that this technology enables the individual to stand up for and defend himself and his family. They loathe the notion that with a gun, a man is far stronger than a man without - and thus a much larger threat, a much louder dissenting voice, where their invasive, big-government, totalitarian, nanny-state power grabs are concerned... http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=95770 --- Gun Shows, an Easier Target: As I have mentioned before (as recently as last Tuesday), with political reality forcing the Obama administration and Democratic Party leadership to abandon (for now) aggressive pursuit of a renewed "assault weapons" ban, the next target would be lower hanging fruit. I refer to efforts to close the mythical "gun show loophole". That such efforts are "lower hanging fruit" is made obvious by the fact that even many Republicans (some who have enjoyed heavy NRA support) have historically been among those railing against the "gun show loophole." ... Why, exactly, the announcement of the introduction of legislation to impose draconian restrictions on gun shows involved "victims and family members of the Virginia Tech tragedy" - a tragedy in which neither of the guns involved was purchased at a gun show - is not explained. Other provisions of the bill mandate licensing, through the BATFE, for all gun show promoters, who will also be required to "maintain a list" of all vendors at the shows... (Mr. Hoffman fails to point out that the legislation in question would apparently target all private-party sales, not just those at gun shows.) http://www.examiner.com/x-2581-St-Louis-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m4d22-Here-it-comes-closing-the-mythical-gun-show-loophole-and-the-turning-of-a-progun-Democrat --- About That Oceanfront Condo in Tucson...: John Leech, the man who oversees U.S. efforts to stop the flow of illegal drugs into the United States, said the government also plans to stop the flow of guns into Mexico - while respecting the Second Amendment... "We've actually produced an arms chapter, and I think you will be very proud of what the United States of America has put in this document in terms of trying to get control of the arms problem," Leech said of the new strategy report, which is scheduled to be released in the next few weeks. Leech said the new strategy will "really address the [gun] issue with tremendous respect for the Second Amendment and the rights of every American citizen." ... Leech could not, however, answer the question posed by the subcommittee chairman, Sen. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.), as to whether the guns getting to Mexico were obtained legally or illegally. Sen. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.) is chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on State, Local and Private Sector Preparedness and Integration, which heard testimony on Tuesday about efforts to fight drug trafficking and gun running by local, state and federal law enforcement. "I'm not an expert on that," Leech said, adding that he would try to find the answer to the question and get back to the subcommittee... http://www.cnsnews.com/public/content/article.aspx?RsrcID=46971 Fox News reporter Greta Van Susteren recently interviewed ATF agents about the surging violence in Mexico. The ATF is partially repsonsible for enforcing America's gun laws, and recently much of their work has been devoted to stopping the flow of illegal weapons into Mexico. According to the ATF spokesperson interviewed, while the military-grade machine guns used by Mexican drug cartels are being imported from Central America, "the predominate amount of weapons we see are being purchased here [the U.S.] and being traffic to Mexico." Later, Greta visited the firing range to learn more about the weapons being smuggled into Mexico and even fire them herself. (The video at the range is astounding. It appears that ATF has been allowing the import of AK variants that are readily convertible to full-auto for decades and that the 7.62x39mm round, actually less potent than a .30-30, is an exceptionally powerful one.) http://www.opposingviews.com/articles/video-greta-van-susteren-interviews-atf-about-mexican-gun-violence --- US - More Armed, More Polite: The folks who believe guns are evil aren't having a very good time lately. Though the Democrats are back in power, there's no appetite in Washington, D.C., for new gun control laws. Too many Democrats remember 1994, when pro-gun voters helped vote in a Republican Congress, a long-lasting majority that held on until 2006. Twelve years out of power is a long time. In addition, despite a recent spate of high-profile multi-victim slayings, violent crime numbers have been falling nationwide since 1994, according to the Department of Justice and the FBI. Department of Justice statistics show total violent crime peaked at 51.2 crimes per 1,000 people in 1994 and then fell steadily through 2005 to 21.0 per 1,000 people over age 12. FBI statistics indicate the trend has continued since, with population growth estimates easily outstripping a slight crime increase in total numbers in 2006, followed by a slight dip in 2007 to a level below the 2005 numbers. While the two sets of statistics are not directly comparable because of the age breakdown, the trend still is clear... http://www.tri-cityherald.com/942/story/553258.html --- The Beat Goes On: Gun stores in Texas and across the country are experiencing a high demand for guns and ammunition fueled by fears of stricter gun-control laws under President Barack Obama and crime related to the recession. The number of applications for concealed handguns jumped to 12,587 in February, up from 7,626 in the same month last year, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. ``They're worried about their security. The day after the election, gun sales exploded. We ran out of everything,'' said Rob Corson, managing partner at Memorial Shooting Center, in an online story Thursday in the Houston Chronicle. He said traffic has increased four times compared to last year and more staff has been hired since November. They have also asked customers looking for pistols to call ahead to make sure they're in stock. The 9mm Glock, which retails for more than $500, is the most popular at the gun store... http://www.valleymorningstar.com/news/sales_50716___article.html/fears_texas.html --- Third National Empty-Holster Week: The organization "Students for Concealed Carry on Campus" (SCCC) is holding its third Empty Holster Protest this week on college campuses across the country... Nationally, SCCC board member and Midwest Regional Director David Burnett describes the group's objectives as educating and informing the public, and promoting policy changes to impact both state laws and campus policies in states where concealed handguns are not uniformly banned from campuses. Burnett notes that last year, 15 states consider some form of legislation permitting concealed carry on campuses, with 12 following suit this year, noting that legislation is currently active in Missouri and Texas. North Carolina State Director Daryl Johnson intends to "get concealed carry laws changed to allow concealed carry on campus by those legal to do so." Johnson notes that open holster protests will take place at 18 campuses across the state... http://www.examiner.com/x-2698-Charlotte-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m4d22-Students-protest-for-concealed-guns-on-campus --- Why Can't Students Say "Guns in School?: Media snicker of the day: those crazy gun nuts, worried that the government is out to snatch their constitutional rights along with their AK-47s. 60 Minutes is the latest to have a chuckle, playing a commercial for a Washington, D.C.-area firearms show that that urges viewers to ``Celebrate the Second Amendment and get your guns while you still can!'' My own hunch is that the sheer number of Americans who own guns (the low estimate is something over 40 million) will keep their Second Amendment rights off the endangered-species list for the foreseeable future. Their First Amendment rights, however, may be another matter. Those are taking a beating these days, right in the place that's supposed to be America's rowdiest free-speech zone: college campuses. A student who speaks up about the right to own or carry a gun stands a good chance of getting suspended or even arrested... http://www.miamiherald.com/columnists/garvin/story/1009452.html --- From CCRKBA: The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms today criticized Milwaukee, WI Police Chief Ed Flynn for his open defiance of the State Attorney General's office in a controversy over open carry of firearms. Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen has stated that it is legal in Wisconsin for citizens to carry guns openly in a peaceful manner. However, Chief Flynn is ordering his officers to "take down" citizens, "put them on the ground" and disarm them, and "then decide whether you have a right to carry it." The situation should alarm all Wisconsin citizens, whether they own guns or not, said CCRKBA Legislative Director Joe Waldron, because it places police officers and private citizens in a deliberately confrontational position. Also, he added, Flynn's approach raises serious constitutional questions because of the state's clearly defined "right to keep and bear arms for security, defense, hunting, recreation or any other lawful purpose" under Article I, Section 25 of the state constitution. "Because Wisconsin does not allow concealed carry," Waldron said, "the only way for citizens to exercise their constitutional right to keep and bear arms is to carry handguns openly. Chief Flynn should not assume he or his officers have the authority to decide who can and cannot exercise that right. His attitude is outrageous... http://www.ccrkba.org/pub/rkba/press-releases/wisconsin.police.htm Milwaukee's police chief said Tuesday he'll go on telling his officers to take down anyone with a firearm despite Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen's finding that people can carry guns openly if they do it peacefully. Milwaukee Police Chief Ed Flynn said he'll continue to tell officers they can't assume people are carrying guns legally in a city that has seen nearly 200 homicides in the past two years. "My message to my troops is if you see anybody carrying a gun on the streets of Milwaukee, we'll put them on the ground, take the gun away and then decide whether you have a right to carry it," Flynn said. "Maybe I'll end up with a protest of cowboys. In the meantime, I've got serious offenders with access to handguns. It's irresponsible to send a message to them that if they just carry it openly no one can bother them." .. http://www.wisinfo.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200990421173 Some People Never Learn: s WISN 12 News was interviewing a West Allis [WI] man about his past arrest for carrying a gun in the open, police confronted him again Tuesday night - one day after the state's attorney general ruled it's legal. "Somebody called the police that somebody was walking around with a gun on their hip," a West Allis police officer said. "I would fit that description," Krause said. "That would be you," a West Allis police officer said. Police arrived up to investigate Krause while 12 News was interviewing him about his previous arrest for carrying a holstered gun on his hip outside his home. One officer saw Krause's gun and asked what agency he's affiliated with. "I'm the same guy I was when you arrested me the last time," Krause said. The officers asked for his name and called dispatch. "The reason I'm checking is because felons can't have guns in Wisconsin," West Allis police said. Krause is not a felon. He's a certified firearms instructor... (Considering that Krause was acquitted the last time he was arrested and that the attorney general just issued a memo to the effect that open carry is legal in Wisconsin, West Allis seems determined to make a major contribution to his retirement fund.) http://www.wisn.com/news/19235901/detail.html --- Will Wisconsin Follow Ohio's Lead?: Yesterday, Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen issued a memo stating "that openly wearing a holstered gun is not grounds for a disorderly conduct charge." The result of this ruling is that open carry is confirmed to be legal in Wisconsin, while concealed carry remains prohibited. This is similar to the path Ohio took before our concealed carry law was passed in 2004. Instead of an attorney general ruling, here it was the Ohio Supreme Court case Klein v Leis that set the precedent. In the Klein case, Chuck Klein filed suit against the State of Ohio alleging that the then ban on concealed carry was unconstitutional. Ohio's Constitution guarantees that "The people have the right to bear arms for their defense and security" (Article I, Section 4). The OSC ruled that the total ban on carrying concealed firearms was not unconstitutional because there was another option for exercising the Right to Keep and Bear Arms. The minority opinion clarified that this confirmed that open carry is legal in Ohio... http://www.examiner.com/x-2206-Cleveland-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m4d22-Wisconsin-on-similar-path-to-concealed-carry-that-Ohio-took --- Beware of Boston: Standing ramrod straight in his Marine Corps service uniform, Corporal Justin W. Reed pleaded not guilty yesterday to charges he illegally smuggled a semiautomatic handgun and a raft of bomb-making materials onto a Boston-bound plane Sunday. A judge in East Boston District Court set 2,500 cash bail for the 22-year-old, who was traveling from a military base in California where he taught an urban-warfare course to his home in Jacksonville, N.C... Ann Davis - a spokeswoman for the Transportation Security Administration, which oversees airport security - said that officials are investigating the case and that it may be that Reed simply made a mistake. She said gun owners and members of the military can travel with firearms, but they must declare them, the gun has to be unloaded, and it must be packed in a secure lock box. Some ammunition is also allowed, but it has to be packed separately from the firearm. Reed declared the firearm in Las Vegas, as required. Investigators initially reported that he did not declare the gun, which was secured in a locked box, but later determined he had after locating the paperwork, she said... http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/04/22/marine_pleads_not_guilty_to_smuggling_gun_onto_plane/ --- New York Bill Would Limit Permit Terms: When Jiverly Wong walked into a Binghamton immigrant services center this month and killed 13 people, he was legally permitted to have the 9 mm and .45-caliber handguns used in the rampage. But that might not have been the case if state law had required him to periodically renew his gun license, contends [sic] two legislators proposing an end to what they call "New York's dangerous lifetime permit system." ... The legislation would require license renewals every five years, allowing law enforcement agencies to better consider criminal convictions, changes in mental-health status or other causes for concern that occur once a permit has been issued. Paulin had proposed the measure three years ago and again in 2007, but it met opposition from the gun lobby and never got out of committee in the Assembly. Now she is hopeful that the Binghamton massacre and the Democrats' takeover of the state Senate will spur passage of it with other gun-control measures next week... http://www.lohud.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009904220379 Many local residents have yet another reason to be upset with state lawmakers - and it has nothing to do with higher taxes or secret budget negotiations. Area gun owners are decrying a series of proposed laws and regulations that they say would ban or severely limit the purchase of firearms or ammunition within New York. The proposals, being pushed by downstate Democrats, would - among other things - establish new regulations for purchasing bullets, set up an ammunition coding system on all handgun and assault weapon ammunition, require the renewal of firearms licenses after five years, impose more stringent rules for weapon storage, and ban the sale, use or possession of 50 caliber or larger caliber weapons... http://www.thedailynewsonline.com/articles/2009/04/22/opinion/editorials/5413238.txt --- I Wonder What Caliber: A woman in her 60s is shot during a home invasion in Detroit, but the bullet hits the underwire of her bra, slowing it down and leaving her with only minor injuries. Police say the woman, who is the mother of a Detroit police officer, was looking out her bathroom window when she saw three men breaking into the house next door. One of the men allegedly shot the woman with a revolver. Police on the scene transported the woman to Sinai Grace Hospital, without waiting for EMS to arrive. They say the woman was conscious at the time. We're told the woman suffered minor rib injury and that she's going to be fine. Right now, we're told two men are in custory. Around 90 minutes after the robbery, not far from the scene, two men were apprehended, one of whom had a gun on him that was missing one round and was recently fired. He also had a spent shell casing in his pocket. http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/dpp/news/Woman_Shot_During_Home_Invasion -- Stephen P. Wenger, KE7QBY Firearm safety - It's a matter for education, not legislation. http://www.spw-duf.info .