What Does the Brady Bunch Really Want?: For readers who have long followed the gun rights issue, today's article might not be news--it is, after all, mostly about a bill that was introduced in the U.S. Senate 15 years ago. For folks new to the debate, though, I hope to shed an instructive light on just where these "reasonable gun laws" are headed, if groups like the Brady Campaign have their way... As I pointed out yesterday, Helmke's mention of "stockpiling private arsenals" prompted me to wonder if the Brady Campaign is now advocating limits on the total number of firearms and/or the amount of ammunition a citizen may own. That, in turn, reminded me that such limits would not be a new objective for the Brady Campaign... http://www.examiner.com/x-2581-St-Louis-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m5d1-What-the-Brady-Campaign-really-wants?cid=exrss-St-Louis-Gun-Rights-Examiner --- Voting with Dollars: Since November, we've been seeing stories in the news about the record breaking retail sales levels for firearms and accessories. Manufacturers have been unable to keep up with demand, and many stores are now sporting empty shelves for guns and ammunition. One additional effect of all of this is that financial investors are starting to take notice and are predicting the trends will continue... Anti-gun politicians would also be well advised to take heed of these trends. American citizens are speaking with their wallets and are sending a message that gun rights and gun ownership are an important aspect of their lives, and there will be dire political consequences for those who would try to take away those rights. Money spent on guns and ammunition can also be spent on their opposition's campaigns if they vote their agenda and not their constituent's wishes. http://www.examiner.com/x-2206-Cleveland-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m5d1-Investing-in-gun-rights Besides being the President of the United States, Barack Obama is also being dubbed by some the gun salesman of the year. That's because since elected, gun sales have skyrocketed nationwide including here in Eastern Carolina. WITN headed to one firearm store in Jamesville in Martin County where sales have jumped 70% since Obama took office. Store managers say sales are good at Mackey's in Jamesville, which bills itself as one of the largest firearm shops in the world. Since President Barack Obama took office, store managers tell us their customers are buying everything they can, in fear gun laws could change. Store manager Charles Hayes says "Like when it snows down here, everybody buys out the grocery store and it really doesn't make a lot of sense, same with guns. They thought their rights were going to be infringed and so they keep saying before my rights go away, I want to buy a handgun." In the first three months of 2009, statistics show four million background checks were requested nationwide, that's up 27% from the same time period in 2008. Beaufort County Sheriff's say over the past three months they've issued about 165 purchasing permits each month, an increase over previous months as well... http://www.witn.com/watercooler/headlines/44049497.html --- Who Is the VPC, Part 2: ...Two people perform most of VPC's public outreach: Executive Director Josh Sugarman and Legislative Director Kristen Rand. Between 2003 and 2007, as revenues decreased 49.9%, both Sugarman's and Rand's salaries increased 5.9%. But because revenues decreased, these two top earners--each of whom earned $132,894 in salary and $3,987 in benefits in 2007--went from 15.5% of total revenue in 2003 to 32.7% in 2007, more than doubling their slice of the pie (111.3% increase). Having just two employees taking home about one-third of total revenue may not be a long-term success strategy for a normal business, but it works when normal profitability concerns don't exist. To understand the financial circumstances of VPC, one must understand their definition of "public support," which accounted for 91.8% of VPC's total revenue between 2003 and 2007.And to understand VPC's "public support," one must understand the Joyce Foundation, because VPC's primary "public donor" is the Joyce Foundation... ("...Obama's eight years on the board of the Joyce Foundation, which paid him more than $70,000 in directors fees, do not in any way conflict with his campaign-trail support for the rights of gun owners, Ben LaBolt, a spokesman for Obama's presidential campaign, asserted in a statement issued to Politico this week..." http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0408/9722.html) http://www.examiner.com/x-2879-Austin-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m5d1-Does-Violence-Policy-Center-represent-the-People-Part-2 --- GOA Responds to Orrin Hatch: Gun Owners of America today slammed Senator Orrin Hatch for meddling in a Pennsylvania election. Senator Hatch this week assailed the candidacy of pro-gun former Representative Pat Toomey, claiming that Toomey could not get elected in Pennsylvania in a race against liberal Republican-turned-Democrat Arlen Specter. "Orrin Hatch seems more interested in protecting his liberal anti-gun buddy Arlen Specter than he is in electing a real pro-gun conservative," said Tim Macy, Vice-Chairman of Gun Owners of America. Hatch also predicted that the National Republican Senatorial Committee, of which he is vice chairman, will not support Toomey. "Orrin Hatch needs step down from having anything to do with NRSC because he clearly is not mirroring Republican principles," said Mr. Macy. The person who can't win reelection, if he keeps on the same path, is Orrin Hatch in his next election..." http://www.opposingviews.com/articles/opinion-gun-owners-slam-orrin-hatch-for-protecting-arlen-specter --- Alaska-Carry Bill in Ohio: For the second time in two years, an area legislator is attempting to change the concealed and carry law via a new bill. State Rep. John Adams, R-Sidney, last week introduced House Bill 129 -- a measure that seeks to change the current concealed and carry law. The proposal would not require residents who are legally allowed to carry, possess and purchase firearms to obtain a permit to do so. Other changes include stripping the stipulation requiring permit holders to carry the permit while carrying a firearm as well as informing approaching law enforcement officials that a person is carrying a concealed weapon... http://www.theeveningleader.com/content/view/131234/1/ http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/node/6660 --- Upstate New Yorkers Oppose Re-Licensing Bill: State legislation that would require renewal of pistol permits every five years was blasted in Batavia Thursday as another bureaucratic restriction that would burden upstate New Yorkers and do nothing to cut down on crime. "This is just another way to raise revenue for New York,'' state Sen. Michael Ranzenhofer said during a pre-noon news conference outside the old county courthouse at Main and Ellicott streets... Assemblyman Stephen Hawley, R-Batavia, said creating more laws does nothing to people who don't abide by the laws. "That's why them call them outlaws,'' he said. You're not going to see criminals renewing their permits, Ranzenhofer said. "They don't have a permit to begin with.'' ...Sheriff Gary Maha said the proposed renewal law lacks specifics and could have an adverse impact on his office that does background checks on applicants for pistol permits and on the county Clerk's Office that has to process the applications... http://www.thedailynewsonline.com/articles/2009/05/01/news/5451360.txt --- Neighbors Oppose New Range in Alaska: A shooting range planned for the end of the Maud Road extension has a group of local residents up in arms. The range is one of two included in the Knik River Public Use Area Plan passed in September of 2008 after a two-year public process. The area has a long history of target shooting, said Dave Griffin of the Department of Natural Resources. The intent of the ranges is to concentrate the target shooting into two safe areas, one at the end of Maud Road and one off of Sullivan Road... In response, the Butte Area Residents Civic Organization is fighting back. They have filled an appeal with the Superior Court asking the DNR to address their concerns by starting the public use plan over, said Brit Lively, one of the organizers of the opposition... http://frontiersman.com/articles/2009/05/01/local_news/doc49fa6a5547b15152308449.txt Fired Lead Causes Few Problems: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/11/041104005801.htm --- Oops, Wrong House: A woman whose house was being burglarized is believed to have shot one of the three men caught in her home early Thursday. The woman arrived at her home in northeast Columbia and found that her back door had been kicked open, according to a release from the Columbia Police Department. Inside, she found three men robbing her house. She left the house, and the men followed her. She told police that one of the men had a handgun and pointed it at her. She fired one round at the men, the release stated. Investigators collected evidence that led them to believe that one suspect was shot. Though local hospitals were notified, there were no suspects at the time of the news release... http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/2009/04/30/burlary-victim-shoots-suspect/ --- From AzCDL: First, some good news. HCM 2009, a House Memorial that encourages the U.S. Congress to oppose the passage of Blair Holt's Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act of 2009, or any similar legislation, that would impinge on the individual right of every American to keep and bear arms, passed out of the House Military Affairs and Public Safety (MAPS) committee on Wednesday, April 29, 2009. The vote was 5-0 with 3 members absent. Meanwhile, non-budget legislation in the Arizona Senate remains at a standstill while the legislature continues to hammer out the 2010 budget. And now, we are hearing that the after they are through with the budget, many legislators are planning to pack up and go home, basically shutting down the legislature for the year. That will effectively kill all remaining non-budget bills. We believe that it's time to let EVERY legislator know that the voters of Arizona want them to finish the job that we are paying them to do, and to dismiss any ideas of ending the session after they fix the budget mess that they helped create. We urge everyone to contact every member of the Arizona Legislature, and politely tell them that you expect them to remain in session until all pending legislation that they have been neglecting during the "budget crisis" is properly processed. A personal letter is always best. Below is a cut-and-paste template you may use as an example. Following the sample letter are the email addresses of the entire legislature in both semi-colon and comma separated formats. Use the one compatible with your email software. Subject: Unfinished legislative business. It has come to my attention that there is talk among your colleagues at the Capitol of going home and effectively ending the current legislative session after the "budget crisis" is resolved, thereby abandoning all other pending legislation. I find that unacceptable. You campaigned for, and were elected to, your position in the legislature to conduct all the legislative business of the people of Arizona. The current "budget crisis" was created at the legislature. The voters of Arizona should not suffer due to the poor planning or lack of preparedness of their elected Representatives. I respectfully insist that you complete the work that you were elected to do, and remain in session until all pending legislation is properly processed. Sincerely, Your Name Street Address City, State and zip code telephone number The following is a list of the Arizona Legislature in both semi-colon and comma separated formats. Use the one that is compatible with your email software. Semi-colon format: paboud@azleg.gov; aaguirre@azleg.gov; callen@azleg.gov; callen@azleg.gov; malvarez@azleg.gov; rburns@azleg.gov;mburtoncahill@azleg.gov; kcheuvront@azleg.gov; jgarcia@azleg.gov; pgorman@azleg.gov; rgould@azleg.gov; cgray@azleg.gov; lgray@azleg.gov; ahale@azleg.gov; jharper@azleg.gov; jhuppenthal@azleg.gov; llandrumtaylor@azleg.gov; bleff@azleg.gov; llopez@azleg.gov; dmccunedavis@azleg.gov; amelvin@azleg.gov; rmiranda@azleg.gov; jnelson@azleg.gov; jpaton@azleg.gov; rpearce@azleg.gov; spierce@azleg.gov; rrios@azleg.gov; jtibshraeny@azleg.gov; tverschoor@azleg.gov; jwaring@azleg.gov; eableser@azleg.gov; kadams@azleg.gov; fantenori@azleg.gov; cash@azleg.gov; rbarnes@azleg.gov; nbarto@azleg.gov; abiggs@azleg.gov; tboone@azleg.gov; dbradley@azleg.gov; jbrown@azleg.gov; jburges@azleg.gov; ocajerobedford@azleg.gov; chcampbell@azleg.gov; clcampbell@azleg.gov; tchabin@azleg.gov; scourt@azleg.gov; rcrandall@azleg.gov; scrump@azleg.gov; cdeschene@azleg.gov; adriggs@azleg.gov; sfarley@azleg.gov; pfleming@azleg.gov; mgarcia@azleg.gov; dgoodale@azleg.gov; dgowan@azleg.gov; mheinz@azleg.gov; lhendrix@azleg.gov; rjones@azleg.gov; jkavanagh@azleg.gov; bkonopnicki@azleg.gov; dlesko@azleg.gov; plopes@azleg.gov; dlujan@azleg.gov; lmason@azleg.gov; jmccomish@azleg.gov; bmcguire@azleg.gov; nmclain@azleg.gov; emeyer@azleg.gov; rmeza@azleg.gov; bmiranda@azleg.gov; smontenegro@azleg.gov; rmurphy@azleg.gov; wnichols@azleg.gov; lpancrazi@azleg.gov; dpatterson@azleg.gov; fpratt@azleg.gov; dquelland@azleg.gov; mreagan@azleg.gov; dschapira@azleg.gov; cseel@azleg.gov; ksinema@azleg.gov; dstevens@azleg.gov; atobin@azleg.gov; atovar@azleg.gov; rwaters@azleg.gov; jweiers@azleg.gov; jpweiers@azleg.gov; vwilliams@azleg.gov; syarbrough@azleg.gov; nyoungwright@azleg.gov Comma format: paboud@azleg.gov, aaguirre@azleg.gov, callen@azleg.gov, callen@azleg.gov, malvarez@azleg.gov, rburns@azleg.gov,mburtoncahill@azleg.gov, kcheuvront@azleg.gov, jgarcia@azleg.gov, pgorman@azleg.gov, rgould@azleg.gov, cgray@azleg.gov, lgray@azleg.gov, ahale@azleg.gov, jharper@azleg.gov, jhuppenthal@azleg.gov, llandrumtaylor@azleg.gov, bleff@azleg.gov, llopez@azleg.gov, dmccunedavis@azleg.gov, amelvin@azleg.gov, rmiranda@azleg.gov, jnelson@azleg.gov, jpaton@azleg.gov, rpearce@azleg.gov, spierce@azleg.gov, rrios@azleg.gov, jtibshraeny@azleg.gov, tverschoor@azleg.gov, jwaring@azleg.gov, eableser@azleg.gov, kadams@azleg.gov, fantenori@azleg.gov, cash@azleg.gov, rbarnes@azleg.gov, nbarto@azleg.gov, abiggs@azleg.gov, tboone@azleg.gov, dbradley@azleg.gov, jbrown@azleg.gov, jburges@azleg.gov, ocajerobedford@azleg.gov, chcampbell@azleg.gov, clcampbell@azleg.gov, tchabin@azleg.gov, scourt@azleg.gov, rcrandall@azleg.gov, scrump@azleg.gov, cdeschene@azleg.gov, adriggs@azleg.gov, sfarley@azleg.gov, pfleming@azleg.gov, mgarcia@azleg.gov, dgoodale@azleg.gov, dgowan@azleg.gov, mheinz@azleg.gov, lhendrix@azleg.gov, rjones@azleg.gov, jkavanagh@azleg.gov, bkonopnicki@azleg.gov, dlesko@azleg.gov, plopes@azleg.gov, dlujan@azleg.gov, lmason@azleg.gov, jmccomish@azleg.gov, bmcguire@azleg.gov, nmclain@azleg.gov, emeyer@azleg.gov, rmeza@azleg.gov, bmiranda@azleg.gov, smontenegro@azleg.gov, rmurphy@azleg.gov, wnichols@azleg.gov, lpancrazi@azleg.gov, dpatterson@azleg.gov, fpratt@azleg.gov, dquelland@azleg.gov, mreagan@azleg.gov, dschapira@azleg.gov, cseel@azleg.gov, ksinema@azleg.gov, dstevens@azleg.gov, atobin@azleg.gov, atovar@azleg.gov, rwaters@azleg.gov, jweiers@azleg.gov, jpweiers@azleg.gov, vwilliams@azleg.gov, syarbrough@azleg.gov, nyoungwright@azleg.gov Stay tuned! When critical legislation moves, we will notify you via these Alerts. 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 .