List Members Respond: I was not surprised to hear from a couple of list members in Montana, challenging the claim that there is no shortage of handgun ammunition in that state. My information was a third-hand report, which struck me as a surprise, one of the reasons I tossed it out for comment. I guess there are no list members in South Dakota because that portion of the statement has gone unchallenged. A list member who trains full-time "Operators" for the US military reports that the military has gone away from the brainstem shot because most people miss them. He reports that the primary target is now the intersection of the neck with the chest, where spine, major blood vessels and airway are all concentrated in a narrow area. This area still appears to be the primary target taught by SIGARMS Academy. I consider the lateral pelvis a good general target for close-range encounters as a good hit there tends to limit mobility, giving time to create distance, if desired, and to seek cover, if available; it is not likely the best choice for a hostage-rescue shot. --- HR 45, Again: It could change the face of gun ownership in the United States and many of you have probably never heard about it. Whether you own guns or want more gun control, you need to know about H.R. 45, a bill in Congress. Congressman Bobby Rush (D-Illinois) is the sponsor of the "Blair Holt Firearm Licensing and Record Sale Act of 2009." (Click here for more on Blair Holt) The bill would create a licensing system for just about every gun in America. The cost of the license would be up to $25 per gun. That's more than $5 billion dollars, most of which would be for guns you already own... We want to know if this would really protect you or help police. "It's not going to do one single thing to stop a criminal from getting a firearm," says Paul Paradis, owner of Paradise Sales Firearms and a forensic investigator. "Paperwork never has." ..."As an active investigator, I just don't see how that could help us," says Pueblo Police Sergeant Eric Bravo. Law enforcement can already trace a gun back to its original owner with help from the ATF... (I continue to receive forwarded e-mail on this bill, which has been covered in prior mailings. Of note, there has been nothing recent from NRA or GOA because it has failed to gain traction in committee. Its prior incarnation died in committee in an earlier session of Congress. Yes, it's an atrocious bill but does not appear to be a viable threat at this time.) http://www.krdotv.com/Global/story.asp?S=10284481 --- Tax-Paying Voters Oppose Further Infringements: ...Recently, Zogby International and The O'Leary Report conducted a 100-Days Poll (which surveyed 3,937 people who voted in the 2008 presidential election) to revisit these two demographics and gauge their opinions on the Obama Administration's actions and proposals. The results show that non-taxpayers are still more likely to support President Obama's agenda than taxpayers. Interestingly, however, enthusiasm for the President appears to be dwindling among non-taxpayers - even on economic issues... (Rather than trying to paste in the table, let me summarize - 73% of polled voters who paid federal income taxes oppose new gun laws, as opposed to only 66% among those who did not pay federal income taxes.) http://news.prnewswire.com/DisplayReleaseContent.aspx?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/05-04-2009/0005018115&EDATE= Public attitudes on a pair of contentious national issues - gun control and abortion - have moved in a more conservative direction over the past year. In both cases, the changes have been driven in part by relatively large shifts among men, while opinions among women have not changed very much. For the first time in a Pew Research survey, nearly as many people believe it is more important to protect the right of Americans to own guns (45%) than to control gun ownership (49%). As recently as a year ago, 58% said it was more important to control gun ownership while 37% said it was more important to protect the right to own guns... Support for gun rights has increased by 11 points in the Midwest, nine points in the South and seven points in the West; in all three regions, opinion is now evenly divided over whether it is more important to protect gun rights or control gun ownership. By contrast, there has been virtually no change among those living in the East, where a substantial majority (63%) continues to say that controlling gun ownership is the greater priority... (It's amazing how two polls, showing the same trend, can differ that much.) http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1212/abortion-gun-control-opinion-gender-gap --- State Department Nominee a Threat to RKBA: Last week, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee held a hearing on the nomination of Harold Koh, a former Dean of the Yale Law School, to be Legal Advisor to the State Department. One of the many concerns with Koh is his belief that international organizations should be empowered to regulate the Second Amendment right to own a firearm. On April 2, 2002, Koh gave a speech to the Fordham University School of Law titled "A World Drowning in Guns" where he mapped out his vision of global gun control. Koh advocated an international "marking and tracing regime." He complained that "the United States is now the major supplier of small arms in the world, yet the United States and its allies do not trace their newly manufactured weapons in any consistent way." Koh advocated a U.N.-governed regime to force the U.S. "to submit information about their small arms production." ... http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=31711 --- The Beat Goes On: Ammo. Canned goods. Vegetable seeds. Fortified water by the case. They are reportedly flying off the shelves, these staples of the stockpile crowd. "Survivalist" isn't the right term, not in a downturn that has got everyone nervous. "Preparedness" or "self-sufficiency" - that is what they are saying. Adhesive bandages. Gardens in the works - be they victory gardens or, as some prefer, "crisis gardens." ...Nationwide, retailers report shortages of canning jars, water-purification tablets and ammunition - especially ammunition. For many gun owners, the stockpiling "isn't just kind of - it's full on," said Jeff Neuman of The Bullet Hole gun store and firing range in Overland Park. "We're real thin on ammunition, same as everywhere." Much of the ammunition crunch is tied to concerns other than economic. Gun-rights groups worry that the Obama administration and a Democratic Congress will stiffen firearm restrictions. Some state legislatures are looking at bills that aim to slap serial numbers on bullets... http://www.kansascity.com/news/politics/story/1162649.html ...Thousands of gun lovers attended the Crossroads of the West Gun Show over the weekend at the Cow Palace in Daly City. "We love to go out to the (shooting) range," said Kyle's father, Kevin Masingale. "We've got five rifles and five handguns, and I just bought a shotgun the other day. ... We shoot guns for the fun of it." ...Some customers complained about the rising prices of guns and ammunition. There was a virtual run on ammo, with customers buying in bulk everything from .22-caliber bullets to .44-caliber Magnum full metal jacketed cartridges. "Everybody's panic buying," said a wholesale ammunition dealer, who also requested anonymity. "When the doors opened (on Saturday), people we're running in." The dealer explained that with the United States fighting two foreign wars, and the constant need to outfit police agencies with ammunition, "what's left goes to the public." ... (Daly City is just south of San Francisco. California already bans private ownership of any "assault weapon" that was not registered in the time frame allowed by the legislation creating and expanding the ban. I've never heard of FMJ ammo in .44 Magnum and wonder why anyone would want it.) http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/05/03/BA3817DSLR.DTL&tsp=1 On April 18 and 19, I attended gun shows in Antioch, Calif., and Reno, Nev., to probe the culture of gun enthusiasts at the onset of the Barack Obama era. I came away from these events with a portrait of a heavily armed, tightly organized movement incited by right-wing radio to a fever-pitched resentment of Obama and his allies in Congress. Even as the economy suffers, gun dealers and their Washington lobbyists are leveraging renewed anti-government sentiment into unprecedented sales figures and fattened membership rolls. "We've been swamped today," an NRA representative from Antioch boasted. "We've practically ran out of our materials that we give away at sign-up." Fueled by the screeds of radio hosts Michael Savage, Glenn Beck, and the lesser-known, but increasingly influential, online conspiracist Alex Jones, many gun-show attendees I spoke to were convinced Obama planned to usher in a Marxist dictatorship... (I've never heard of Alex Jones. The only reason I know who Glenn Beck and Michael Savage are is that they are on the radio as I drive to and from work. However, it's reassuring to know that we are a tightly organized movement.) http://www.alternet.org/story/139018/armed_revolt_in_the_obama_era_right-wing_gun_nuts_share_their_paranoid_worldview/ --- Statistics, Damned Lies and Lies: Dishonesty is a common thread through the arguments for controlling crime by limiting the general public's access to firearms. So it is not surprising that this administration is lying to us about the supposed link between gun sales here and American-manufactured machine guns in the hands of Mexican drug cartels. The theory is that people in this country buy guns that are legal here, ship them to Mexico and sell them to drug cartels, and have a major impact on Mexico's crime rate. With the money those organizations have they could ship in whole car loads of AK 47s much more simply... The dishonesty of the argument is not surprising. It joins a long list of similarly dishonest arguments from those who would take away the public's right to be armed... http://www.tdn.com/articles/2009/05/03/readers/doc49fa72e86ad50364147991.txt --- Deposed New York Governor Advises Big Brother: ...After resigning from the governorship of New York in shame and spending months out of the public eye, Eliot Spitzer (D) has decided to launch a campaign to rehabilitate himself by giving unsolicited gun control advice to President Barack Obama. Yes, this is the same Eliot Spitzer who, after railing against the "unregulated" firearm industry as New York's Attorney General, was driven from public office when caught spending $4,300 on a member of the oldest and most unregulated of professions... Just think, if Spitzer had spent $4,300.00 on guns, he'd still be Governor. But given his views on the issue, it's just as well he was driven from public office. http://www.opposingviews.com/articles/opinion-nra-slams-law-breaking-ex-gov-spitzer-for-pushing-gun-control --- Some New York Cops Support Microstamping: Lawmakers, members of the law enforcement community and advocates for gun reform say they want to see a bill mandating microstamping pass both houses this year... The measure has the endorsement of over 70 police and sheriff departments around the state, according to the lawmakers, who said it is unfortunate microstamping does not already exist... So far, the only other state to have existing laws on microstamping is California, which is set to start microstamping in 2010. (Of note, some of California's laws intended to phase out private ownership of handguns, such as the one creating its roster of "safe" handguns, exempt law enforcement from their limitations.) http://www.legislativegazette.com/read_more.php?story=3792 Not All Republicans Agree: Republican Assembly members Will Barclay and Dave Townsend voted against gun-control legislation Wednesday that they believe would negatively impact the rights of law-abiding gun owners and dealers. "The Assembly majority has once again introduced anti-gun bills that will infringe on the rights of hunters, sportsmen, and those who legally use firearms for self-protection," said Assemblyman Barclay. "While I agree that the state must address gun-related crimes, especially given the recent tragedy in Binghamton, I disagree with any legislation that would restrict law-abiding citizens. If Albany is serious about solving gun violence in our state, a greater effort should be made to pursue criminals who obtain their guns illegally, not impose more restrictions on law-abiding New Yorkers." ... http://www.valleynewsonline.com/viewnews.php?newsid=85570&id=1 --- Will Wisconsin Re-Evaluate Open and Concealed Carry?: If nothing else, recent wrangling between Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen and Gov. Jim Doyle illustrates that it's time for the state to come to grips with the issues of gun rights and gun violence. Van Hollen sent a memo to the state's district attorneys stating that openly carrying a handgun in public isn't automatically a crime. The governor responded by suggesting that communities should be allowed to adopt their own gun-control ordinances. Emotions run high with any effort to balance Second Amendment rights and public safety. That's why the governor, attorney general and Legislature must step back and review these issues carefully and without political posturing... (One of the functions of a constitution is to set limits on subsequent laws. Open carry is constitutionally protected in Wisconsin. The open-carry movement in that state is largely a response to repeated vetoes of concealed-carry bills. The true issue, from the RKBA perspective, is whether enactment of licensed CCW will lead to eradication of the right to carry openly without obtaining a license from the state.) http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20090503/GPG0602/905030688/1269/GPG06/Editorial++State+flashpoint++Gun+laws+vs.+gun+rights My my, what a difference a few months can make. Not long ago, gun owners in Wisconsin had reason to fear carrying handguns even though no statute proscribes open carry and the Wisconsin supreme court says that gun carry is a fundamental right. But then gun owners started to stand up. Brad Krause of West Allis went to court and defeated a charge of "disorderly conduct" for open carrying his handgun. Then Jesus Gonzales filed a federal lawsuit against West Milwaukee and Chilton for falsely arresting him for open carry and confiscating his gun. In both cases, city officials counted on gun owners to stay in their place, keep their gun rights in the closet, and plea down any charges they are given like good little subjects... http://www.examiner.com/x-2782-DC-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m5d2-Its-springtime-for-gun-rights-in-Wisconsins-carryland --- RKBA Advocates Get Second Chance in Chicago Suburb: Just because they weren't allowed to speak during a recent gun control forum in Wheaton doesn't mean a group of gun-rights supporters will keep silent. In fact, many gun owners' rights advocates voiced displeasure over what they called a "one-sided" April 21 forum hosted by several League of Women Voters chapters and the Illinois Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. On Tuesday night, it's their turn to take the podium at Wheaton city hall. Rosanna Pulido, who recently ran as the Republican candidate in Illinois' 5th Congressional District, has organized a forum about the Second Amendment and the right to bear arms. She said the event is a response to dozens of gun-rights supporters being prohibited from speaking during last month's gun control meeting... http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=290993 --- Oops, Wrong Car: ...A man suspected of burglarizing cars in the Mar Vista area was shot in the face by a resident early this morning, police said. The man was breaking into vehicles when he was confronted by a resident at about 1:40 a.m., said Los Angeles Police Sgt. Dennis Beacham. "He was subsequently shot and sustained a gunshot wound to the facial area," Beacham said. "It's my understanding he's in stable condition." Police did not release the name or age of the victim, and would not say whether the resident who shot him was arrested. (I wonder if the facial injury was the result of an attempted brainstem shot. Note in the update that police have treated the shooting as self-defense, even though it occurred in Los Angeles, outside the shooter's home.) http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/05/burglary-suspect-shot-by-resident-in-mar-vista-.html --- Oops, Wrong Ship: France intercepted 11 suspected Somali pirates on Sunday after they mistook a French naval ship for a commercial vessel and started heading toward it in preparation for an attack, a Defense Ministry spokesman said... The French navy seized the suspected pirates, who were in three small boats, 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) off the coast of Somalia in the Indian Ocean. "They confused the Nivose with a commercial ship and rushed toward it, to intercept it," the spokesman said. "The Nivose then put its own craft in the water with its commandos and sent out a helicopter and stopped these 11 pirates who were on these three boats." ... http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE5421QE20090503?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews&rpc=22&sp=true -- Stephen P. Wenger, KE7QBY Firearm safety - It's a matter for education, not legislation. http://www.spw-duf.info .