CIFTA Gun Treaty Analyzed by Alan Korwin: I've completed my review of the South America gun-control treaty that Mr. Obama wants to get ratified. It is known as CIFTA, the Inter-American Convention Against The Illicit Manufacturing Of And Trafficking In Firearms, Ammunition, Explosives, And Other Related Materials. It can be found here verbatim: http://www.oas.org/juridico/English/treaties/a-63.html * EVERY aspect of the treaty introduces major required gun controls, most of which will affect average citizens (as well as the targeted criminal syndicates, dictators and other bad actors). * The controls go way past anything EVER attempted by gun-control groups in the United States. * NONE of the proposed gun controls are likely to pass by themselves through Congress. If the treaty is enacted they don't have to - they become law when the treaty is ratified... http://www.gunlaws.com/GunLawUpdate5-CIFTA.htm --- Lautenberg Gun-Show Bill as Bad as Expected: The language for S. 843, Senator Frank Lautenberg's bill to close the mythical "gun show loophole," is now available on THOMAS (Library of Congress) and, despite naysayers' doubts, it is every bit as bad as expected. For reasons stipulated below, this is almost certainly the first gun bill Democrats will try to move... As fellow examiner Kurt Hofmann expressed it, S, 843 is "low hanging fruit." Other gun control proposals, such as a ban on semi-automatic firearms, have drawn intense opposition. Democratic leadership is avoiding them until the time is right. A "gun show" bill, on the other hand, seems "reasonable" to uninformed voters. Their intentions are telegraphed by the fact Lautenberg has signed on eleven powerful Democrats as sponsors. The rest is up to you: If you do nothing, Reid, Pelosi et al. will move this bill. If they succeed, Democrats will be emboldened, and will follow shortly thereafter with a semi-auto ban. This is precisely what they did in the 1990s, when they first ran the Brady Act, following it closely with the so-called" assault weapon" ban. http://www.examiner.com/x-2698-Charlotte-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m4d25-UPDATE-Lautenberg-gun-show-bill-as-bad-as-expected --- Disinformation?: Campaigning before a church congregation on Chicago's South Side one Sunday in July 2007, Barack Obama said an epidemic of big city violence was "sickening the soul of this nation." Among the potential cures, he said, was permanently reinstating a ban on assault weapons. One-hundred days into his presidency, President Obama says it remains a goal. But it is one the White House has been forced to abandon... But the fire has gone out of President Obama's goal of restricting the availability of firearms. "I don't know of any plans," said White House spokesman Robert Gibbs, to seek an assault weapons ban from Congress... The Senate's majority leader is a westerner, Harry Reid of Nevada, where gun control is political poison. And though the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, comes from the more liberal San Francisco, she has shown no enthusiasm for reviving the assault weapons ban because of opposition among her colleagues... http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30389664/ --- Tiahrt Disputes Holder Claim: A Kansas Republican congressman criticized U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder Friday for telling Congress the Obama administration may try to relax some limits on sharing gun-trace data. Rep. Todd Tiahrt issued a statement saying Holder "should read the Tiahrt amendment before giving any further misleading comments about it." Tiahrt wrote the 2003 law that restricted release of certain gun-related information, which previously was public. The law has expanded over the years and is typically attached to a spending bill each year. Among other things, the laws prohibit the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives from disclosing gun-trace data to the public and require that certain records submitted to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System be destroyed after 24 hours... http://www.cjonline.com/news/legislature/2009-04-24/tiahrt_criticizes_ag_over_gun_data There are good reasons for preventing firearm tracing data from becoming public information. Doing so protects the lives of law enforcement officers and also the integrity of undercover operations that may have been in place for weeks or even months. Restricting access also prevents the misuse of the data to bring nuisance lawsuits, as New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg did when he launched his own private sting operation against out-of-state firearms retailers and interfered with up to 18 federal investigations for which he was chastised in a letter from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives... http://www.opposingviews.com/articles/opinion-firearms-tracing-data-is-not-public-information --- The Beat Goes On: Gun sales are soaring in the US amid fears that President Obama is planning a new crackdown on the ownership of weapons... The surge in sales has alarmed anti-gun campaigners. It has coincided with a series of shooting incidents across the country which have left more than 50 people dead... This week Congress launched a new attempt to close the so-called 'gun show loophole' which means unlicensed dealers can sell weapons without making any background checks on the purchaser. Anti-gun campaigners have accused the gun lobby, including the powerful NRA, of stirring up hysteria to encourage people to buy. Paul Helmke, of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, said: "A lot of people are reacting to the advertising. "If you say 'buy now because supplies are limited' people are going to do exactly that." (The prohibitionists are having trouble dealing with the unintended consequences of Big Brother's election. At this point they are blaming Fox News and the NRA for the surge in purchases and permit applications yet they are pushing legislation to do precisely what a large segment of the public fears that they will do. By the way, the term "unlicensed dealer" is very deceptive because, if the BATFE is able to claim that you are in the business of selling firearms, you face serious penalties for not being licensed.) http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Gun-Sales-Soar-In-US-Amid-Fears-Obama-Will-Launch-New-Weapons-Crackdown/Article/200904415268982?lpos=World_News_Carousel_Region_2&lid=ARTICLE_15268982_Gun_Sales_Soar_In_US_Amid_Fears_Obama_Will_Launch_New_Weapons_Crackdown --- What Makes Him an Expert?: ... With the announcement, along with Senator Frank Lautenberg, of pending federal gun control legislation, Brady Campaign's Paul Helmke seems fired up with high-sounding verbiage these days. But questions persist regarding his credentials as an expert on crime policy... Speaking of truth, Helmke stated above: "Polling about specific gun-control proposals shows strong support from the public..." It is not clear what Helmke means about "strong support," but another source on gun control policy states: "Polls over the past 20 years have consistently shown that one out of three Americans support a ban on handgun possession..." Was this from the "gun lobby?" No, this comes from another pro-gun ban organization, Violence Policy Center. This is consistent with the recent Gallup poll, which found that 29% support a handgun ban, the lowest affirmative response rate since Gallup began this poll in 1959. Again, it is unclear what proposals Helmke refers to, but the specific proposal to ban handguns isn't gaining public support and calls into question the veracity of his statement... http://www.examiner.com/x-2879-Austin-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m4d24-Questions-persist-about-Paul-Helmke-Brady-Campaign --- Calls Increase for J No's Resignation: Congresswoman Mary Fallin (R-OK) said Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano is "out of touch with mainstream America" if she believes that returning war veterans and people who believe in the Second Amendment pose a terrorism threat to the nation. "Like most Oklahomans I was amazed at her statements and actions this week," Fallin said. "First she approved a report that implied members of the armed forces returning from combat would follow in the footsteps of Timothy McVeigh. Then she insulted our friends in Canada by falsely claiming the 9/11 terrorists came from there. Is this really a person that should be speaking on behalf of our nation?" ... http://www.axcessnews.com/index.php/articles/show/id/17885 Online Petition to Dump J No: http://www.grassfire.org/114/petition.asp?PID=20756330&NID=1 --- It's Not Arizona, after All: Texas led the nation as the source of known weapons smuggled into Mexico with 40 percent of the total, or 4,800 firearms in 2008 - a year in which a record number of confiscated weapons were traced to U.S. retailers. The number of firearms - 12,073 - is more than double that in the previous two years combined, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives reported. The 2008 figure brings the total number of guns confirmed as having been bought in the U.S. and smuggled into Mexico to 22,848 since 2005. California was the No. 2 source with about 18 percent of the traces, followed by Arizona with 10 percent, ATF Texas spokeswoman Franceska Perot said... In recent weeks, ATF tracing statistics have become increasingly politicized as gun-control advocates like the Brady Campaign cite them as grounds for new legislation and Second Amendment rights activists challenge what they mean. Adding to that debate are widely varying counts of the number of guns smuggled into Mexico, the number seized and the number traced. Accurate totals can be difficult to obtain... http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/metro/6389540.html --- Commentary on Nordyke v. King: It may seem utterly impossible, but a fairly decent ruling regarding the Second Amendment came from a California court this week. The San Francisco-based Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals actually ruled that private citizens can challenge state and local gun laws under the Second Amendment. Jokingly referred to as the Ninth "Circus" Court of Appeals for its historically horrendous opinions (it's one of the most overturned appeals court in the nation), it is stunning to read the majority opinions in the case, Nordyke v. King. The majority opinions read more like a historical chronology of gun rights produced by the National Rifle Association than a decision from a decidedly liberal court... (While Turney makes some good points, it is important to realize that, despite its being based in San Francisco, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals is a federal court whose jurisdiction includes nine western states and two Pacific territories.) http://townhall.com/columnists/MeredithTurney/2009/04/24/second_amendment_rights_in_the_wild_west?page=full --- NRA Sues Pittsburgh over Lost-Gun Ordinance: The National Rifle Association today sued Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and Pittsburgh City Council in an effort to overturn a law that penalizes gun owners who fail to report lost or stolen firearms within 24 hours. The 19-page lawsuit was filed in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court on behalf of four Pittsburgh gun owners who say the ordinance - intended to crack down on "straw purchasers" of guns - "severely restricts" their Second Amendment right to keep firearms in their homes. "The plaintiffs will be prevented from exercising their rights under state law to freely own, possess and transport firearms," according to the lawsuit. One of the four plaintiffs, Richard Haid, 60, of Mt. Washington, said the law unfairly punishes law-abiding gun owners... "What about the gun I use to shoot tin cans? I haven't seen it in weeks. It's locked in a cupboard. Am I supposed to do an inventory every day to see if it's stolen?" Haid said... http://pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/pittsburgh/s_622166.html --- Phoenix Cops Missing Rifles: Phoenix police reported 11 of their own assault rifles missing this week based on the results of an audit which showed no trace of the weapons. With 381 rifles deployed from precinct patrols to SWAT teams across Phoenix, police spokesmen downplayed the audit. Four days after a detective filed a loss report, they said the weapons probably were stashed in a car trunk or locker somewhere and were simply misplaced, rather than out on the street. "They were put into the (National Crime Information Center database) to ensure they don't get into the wrong hands," said Officer Luis Samudio. A loss report detailed more than $7,000 in stolen weapons, according to Samudio. Board members from the Phoenix Law Enforcement Association argued that the missing rifles reflected poorly on a department that prohibits its sworn officers from purchasing their own assault rifles for duty... (Rule Five: Maintain control of your firearm.) http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/2009/04/25/20090425riflefolo0425.html --- Wisconsin Governor Strikes Back: Governor Jim Doyle (D) is proposing to repeal the state's preemption statute which prohibits localities from passing gun laws that are more restrictive than the state's. Wisconsin's preemption law was originally passed in 1995 when Doyle was Attorney General. Doyle was vocally opposed to statewide preemption and its passage left a bitter taste of defeat in his mouth that has never gone away. Now, Governor Doyle is using the arrest of law-abiding Wisconsin citizens exercising their constitutional right to openly carry a firearm for self-defense as a platform to call for its repeal... http://www.wisconsinpatriots.com/anti-gunners.html Milwaukee Chief to Emulate Bull Connors?: ... But while Wisconsin gun owners like Mr. Krause prepare to play ball with consensual police inquiries into their orderly open carrying of holstered handguns, Milwaukee police chief Ed Flynn appears to be borrowing a page from Bull Connors' playbook. As the Birmingham, AL Public Safety Commissioner in the 1960s, Bull Connors became a symbol of bigotry by using fire hoses and police attack dogs against protest marchers. Now comes Milwaukee police chief Ed Flynn - hailing recently from Massachusetts but acting like he's from the old South - 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." Chortled Flynn, "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." ... http://www.examiner.com/x-2782-DC-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m4d24-Milwaukee-police-chief-Ed-Flynn-borrows-a-page-from-Bull-Connors-playbook?cid=exrss-DC-Gun-Rights-Examiner http://www.lewrockwell.com/blog/lewrw/archives/026476.html Historical Background: http://www.examiner.com/x-5103-Wisconsin-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m4d24-Unrestricted-carry-of-guns-may-be-coming-to-Wisconsin-soon?cid=exrss-Wisconsin-Gun-Rights-Examiner --- Ohio Parks Bureaucrat Bans Carry by Volunteers: Jim Henahan, Manager of the Community Partnerships Program (which includes the volunteer program) for the Ohio State Parks recently issued a memo regarding legal concealed carry by volunteers who have a concealed handgun license... Mr Henahan would apparently have us believe that licensed concealed carry can be considered a threat or act of violence. A legal activity, guaranteed by the both the U.S. and Ohio Constitutions as well as the state issuing a license to do so is a threat or act of violence? Really? ... http://www.examiner.com/x-2206-Cleveland-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m4d24-Ohio-State-Parks-volunteer-coordinator-says-legal-ccw-may-be-considered-threats-or-acts-of-violence --- Alaska Students Rally for Campus Carry: Some students at the University of Alaska Anchorage want to be allowed to carry guns on campus. George Hines, a UAA student, organized a protest Thursday against a UA-system gun ban. About 15 sign-waving students showed up for the protest, held at a street corner near campus. Hines believes everyone would be safer if more people were carrying guns. Alaskans older than 21 may carry a concealed weapon most places without a concealed carry permit. In the mid-1990s, however, the university board of regents made a policy against guns on campus. UA spokeswoman Kate Ripley says no one has challenged the policy before now. http://newsminer.com/news/2009/apr/24/university-alaska-anchorage-students-rally-right-c/ --- California Gun Fair Cancelled for Lack of Ammo: The Raahauge's Shooting Sports Fair, a hands-on gun show where you can shoot all the latest firearms on the market, has been cancelled for 2009. The Sports Fair is normally held the first weekend in June each year at Mike Raahauge Shooting Enterprises in Corona. Mike Raahauge said the fair was cancelled because it had become impossible for all the firearm makers to get enough ammunition for this event. "I just spoke with all of the manufacturers and none of them can get ammo," said Raahauge late last week. "We could hold the fair, but we'd probably be out of ammunition by Friday afternoon." "Whether the shortage is due to the election of President Barack Obama or the economic downturn or fear of an increase in crime, ammo sales have been like plywood and bottled-water sales before a hurricane in Florida," Raahauge said... http://www.dailybulletin.com/ci_12216821 --- Florida Homeowner Cleared in Shooting: Prosecutors have concluded a Lake Wales security guard who shot a man who was breaking into his home was justified in using deadly force. Prosecutors have concluded a Lake Wales security guard who shot a man who was breaking into his home was justified in using deadly force... A noise awoke him from his sleep and, armed with a semi-automatic pistol, he went to find out what was happening, Antonello wrote. Cornwell came "face-to-face" in the hallway of his home with Michael Collins who swung a crowbar at Cornwell's head. Cornwell chased Collins out the back door and fired two shots, Antonello wrote. Collins ran to his vehicle parked in the house's driveway, Antonello wrote. Cornwell ran back through his house, out the front door, and "instinctively opened fire on the vehicle (at the tires and body) in an attempt to disable it and prevent the intruder from leaving." ... (This is an interesting ruling since it could be argued that the burglary had concluded and that the burglar no longer posed an immediate threat to the homeowner and his family.) http://www.theledger.com/article/20090423/NEWS/904235049?Title=Homeowner-Cleared-in-Shooting --- Gun in Trunk: ...Sherlock, 39, had driven to the Desert Willows trailer park at 6001 S. Palo Verde Blvd., near Benson Highway, to pick up his stepson, who was visiting a friend. The stepson, Marcos Contreras, 18, and Sherlock's son, Henry Sherlock Jr., 11, were seated in the vehicle with Sherlock as he drove slowly over a speed bump and out of the trailer park. Hernandez, then 18, approached the car and fired one shot into Sherlock's head according to testimony in Hernandez's first-degree murder trial, which began Thursday. Sherlock, who was not armed, died at the scene, Navarro said. However, Sherlock, a driver for Wackenhut, a Border Patrol contractor that transports criminal suspects, had the handgun he wears on the job locked in his trunk, investigators testified... (Granted that if he was unaware of the approach of Hernandez, the gun would not have done him much good but it certainly did him no good at all locked in the trunk. Mental awareness is priority one.) http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/daily/local/115172.php --- Rule Two Reminder: Tolleson police said the armed school-resource officer who shot himself in the finger this week never took his weapon out of its holster and deemed the shooting a "freakish accident." Officer Ray Granillo's gun discharged inadvertently Wednesday, as students at Arizona Desert Elementary School were being dismissed. He was shot in his right middle finger and is recovering at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix. After investigating the incident, Tolleson Police Chief Larry Rodriguez outlined this series of events... After tucking the keys into his pants, one key became lodged in an opening between the leather holster and trigger. Granillo cupped his hand underneath the holster and "tugged up" to readjust his belt. Enough pressure was applied between the trigger, key and holster to cause the gun to fire... Rule Two: Don't let the muzzle cross anything you're not prepared to shoot. What kind of holster allows a key to get into the trigger guard? Holsters that leave the trigger guard exposed went out of style decades ago for reasons such as this. Perhaps the department needs to develop a holster policy.) http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/2009/04/25/20090425officershooting0425.html --- Which Kind of Gun Owner Are You?: ... Gun owners come from all walks of life. We may be politician, police officer or plumber. Statistically we are the most law-abiding segment of society. Interestingly, among the gun owning public, I've encountered three distinct kinds of gun owners. Although there are variations in each subset, what follows is in my opinion the general categories that most gun owners fall into: * The Casual Gun Owner * The Belligerent Gun Owner * The Dedicated Defender of Gun Rights... http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/node/6641 --- Jews Firearms and Self-Defense: Today's typical Jewish attitude regarding guns is shameful. Self-defense is a natural, innate, behavior. ANY means should be on the table. We Jews are taught saving a life takes precedence over anything. Saving a life is more important than observing any of our holiest of Holidays, yet the more liberal the Jew the less likely he is to accept the use of a gun in self-defense. This is in direct opposition to our very militant history dating to the times of King David and later, Mattathias Maccabeus. Mattathias and his five sons led a revolt and fought off a Greek army to recapture the temple in 167 BCE (BC)... http://www.examiner.com/x-2793-Milwaukee-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m4d24-Jews-self-defense-and-guns?cid=exrss-Milwaukee-Gun-Rights-Examiner --- NRA-ILA Alerts: List members are encouraged to read the alerts for the week, posted on the NRA-ILA website. http://www.nraila.org/GrassrootsAlerts/read.aspx --- From AzCDL: Non-budget legislation in Arizona remains at a standstill while the Legislature continues to hammer out the 2010 budget. Waiting for a House Third Read vote before being transmitted to the Senate is HB 2439, the AzCDL-requested CCW training reform bill. Waiting to be placed on the House Committee of the Whole (COW) calendar are HB 2474 and HB 2177. HB 2474 prevents any private or public employer, property owner, etc. from banning any person from keeping a firearm in a locked vehicle in a parking area on the property, with specific, limited exceptions. HB 2177 allows a person with a valid concealed weapons permit to possess, transport or carry a weapon within a game refuge. In the Senate, non-budget bills have still not been assigned to committees while they continue working on the 2010 budget. Stuck in this legislative limbo are several AzCDL-requested bills, including SB 1270 (Constitutional Carry) and SB 1243 (Defensive Display). On a positive note, there was a pro-rights ruling this week from the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit covering Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon and Washington. The case was Nordyke v. King. You can find the ruling on AzCDL's "Educational" page: http://www.azcdl.org/html/educational.html . Federal cases can be found near the bottom of the page. In Nordyke, the Ninth Circuit ruled that the 2nd Amendment is "incorporated" through the 14th Amendment. This means that the Second Amendment is a right protected at the state and local levels for residents in the states under the jurisdiction of the Ninth Circuit. Here in Arizona, the impact of Nordyke will be minor since the Arizona Constitution protects your right to keep and bear arms in Article 2, Section 26: http://www.azleg.gov/FormatDocument.asp?inDoc=/const/2/26.htm . However in California, the impact could be significant. California has no protection for the right to keep and bear arms in their constitution. This new ruling means that Second Amendment rights are protected in California. It might help to eventually invalidate some of their gun laws and provide footing for becoming a "shall issue" state. The case that triggered the ruling was brought on behalf of a gun show promoter (Nordyke) that wanted to use county property to hold a gun show. Despite the "incorporation" ruling, the rest of the ruling went against Nordyke. The Ninth Circuit ruled that since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in D.C. v. Heller that guns can be banned from "sensitive" government buildings, the county was within its powers to ban the gun show. Stay tuned! When critical legislation moves, we will notify you via these Alerts. Don't forget to stop by AzCDL's table and visit with our volunteers at the gun show this weekend, April 25 & 26, at the Arizona State Fairgrounds in Phoenix. If you renew your membership at the gun show, we knock $10 off the cost of your membership. It's like getting into the gun show for free! These alerts are a project of the Arizona Citizens Defense League (AzCDL), an all volunteer, non-profit, non-partisan grassroots organization. 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 .