RKBA Groups Differ on Sotomayor Nomination: ... The Gun Owners of America, an organization based in Springfield, Va., is telling its 300,000 members to let senators know they oppose Judge Sotomayor's appointment. "Our message will be to the senators [that] it doesn't matter how you voted" on other gun issues, said executive director Larry Pratt. The nomination "is the big one." ...Andrew Arulanandam, a spokesman for the NRA, said the group has "serious concerns" about Judge Sotomayor but isn't necessarily opposing her nomination. Mr. Arulanandam said his organization, which has four million members, wants to hear the judge explain her stance on Second Amendment issues. "If there are satisfactory answers to the questions, then we'll move on," Mr. Arulanandam said... http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124364571646268287.html?mod=googlenews_wsj --- The Beat Goes On: No one really expects business to increase 60 percent in a worldwide economic crisis. Unless, of course, you own a firearms store, online ammo shop, or lease a booth at the regional gun show, in which case business is exploding. Brad DeSaye's family has been selling guns and ammo since 1946, when his father Joe opened J&G Rifle Ranch in Montana. The business moved in 1977 to Prescott, Arizona, renaming itself J&G Sales. Specializing in guns and ammo for "sportsmen, law enforcement and firearms enthusiasts," J&G has thrived through multiple wars, recessions, and national panics. But sales have never been as high as they are at the moment, DeSaye says. "Business is probably triple more than normal," he tells TAC. "It's unprecedented." He's hardly the exception. Boxes of ammunition of all calibers are reportedly flying off the shelves at double, even triple the normal price in neighborhood mom-and-pops, Wal-Marts, and at gun shows across the country. Big online dealers like Texas-based Cheaper Than Dirt are ordering millions of rounds at a time and slamming up against backorders of six to eight months... http://www.amconmag.com/article/2009/may/18/00024/ With its sleek lines and light weight, an AR-15-style weapon is considered desirable as a home protection tool because it's maneuverable. It looks like a machine gun. But with models as light as six pounds, it can be leveled at an assailant without tiring the carrier. In the hands of an experienced marksmen, it's highly reliable at hitting a target. Local firearms dealers said they haven't been able to keep that type of firearm on the shelves for months. Scott Hoffman said that since November he hasn't been able to immediately fill orders for items considered personal weapons. He's back-ordered in certain kinds of ammunition, too... In a sluggish economy when a record number of businesses are failing or cutting back, both gun shops said their sales have been booming since the November election of the first Democratic president in eight years. The rush of first-time gun owners has tripled in some places, leaving local and state police struggling to process the overflow of pistol-permit applications... http://www.newbritainherald.com/articles/2009/05/31/news/doc4a21e3897139a327740464.txt April was turkey hunting season, but instead of buying hunting gear, gun shoppers at Nichols Store in Rock Hill were loading up on home-safety pistols and self-defense rounds. Sales at York County [SC] gun stores and pawn shops have as much as doubled since November's election of a Democrat for president, local gun merchants report, as customers fear tighter gun control measures could be on the horizon. And since then, the number of federal firearm background checks required to own a gun have surpassed previous years by 25 percent to 50 percent a month, FBI statistics show. Many gun owners at Nichols Store recently said they were concerned the Obama administration would make it more difficult to own a gun. The hunters, hobbyists and self-defenders said they frequent the store several times a month to buy supplies... http://www.heraldonline.com/front/story/1376399.html President Barack Obama's mantra of change meant something positive to a majority of voters, but some local gun owners are afraid that change could threaten their Second Amendment rights and are applying in droves for concealed-carry permits. Almost four people came in every business day through the first three months of the year, 252 in all, to either renew or seek a new permit to arm themselves discretely in public, according to figures from the Licking County [OH] Sheriff's Office. During the same period in 2008, 107 people sought concealed-carry licenses, or CCLs... The people in Walker's classroom and Richardson's office are not from any one demographic, both said. People range from novices to enthusiasts, Walker said. She estimated about one-third of her graduates are women. Walker has taught people from age 21 - the minimum age requirement - all the way up to age 88. CCL applicants include bankers, doctors and lawyers, Richardson said... (It's actually a CHL in Ohio.) http://www.newarkadvocate.com/article/20090531/NEWS01/905310342/1002 Amid an avalanche of new interest in Utah's widely recognized concealed-carry firearm permit, two of the state's best-known gun-rights advocates hosted a no-cost class to acquire the permit for Salt Lake media members on Sunday. Applications for Utah concealed-carry permits have skyrocketed this spring according to the Utah Bureau of Criminal Identification, the agency tasked with issuing and administrating concealed weapon carry permits. Last February's 2,548 applicants jumped to 8,142 this year and March permit seekers more than doubled from 4,412 in 2008 to 10,878 in 2009... (I'm sorry to hear that Utah LEO's are still being taught "two to the chest, one to the head.) http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705307753/Media-try-free-concealed-carry-class.html --- "Gun Control" Does Not Protect Children: ...Today, we are continually bombarded with propaganda relating to the dangers of gun ownership. This propaganda shamelessly claims stiffer and stiffer gun control is necessary to "protect the children" or some other nonsense about personal safety. At the same time, depending on age range, children are more likely to die from drowning in their own toilet or bathtub, from falling off a ladder or heights, or from bee stings than they are from intentional or accidental death from a gun wound. And lest we forget, these same gun control advocates think nothing of putting their children in cars, which kills tens of thousands every year. Why? Because it is clear the great utility of vehicles justify the small yet deadly risks. Yet, wide proliferation of guns (with zero controls) also has great utility, namely prevention of the worst crimes in history as well as the run-o-the-mill variety. Furthermore, guns have a lower risk factor to law abiders than do cars, so where is all the clamoring from the "I-want-my-children-to-be-safe" crowd for bans on automobiles? There ain't any because this brand of stupidity is emotional, not rational... http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig10/bowman3.html --- Illinois Mayor Wants City to Be CCW Pilot Study: Mayor Jim Ardis wants to see a push for Peoria to become a pilot city for statewide concealed-carry legislation that would allow people to carry guns in a responsible manner, he said Thursday. Ardis wants to see legislation passed in Springfield allowing Peoria to enact an ordinance permitting citizens the right to carry a concealed weapon. His comments come one day after a gas station attendant was shot and killed in the East Bluff and a shot was discharged on Newman Golf Course during a botched robbery. "I'm trying to see if there is an opportunity for (the General Assembly) to enact a concealed-carry ordinance in the city of Peoria for a three to four year test to see (if there is) a reduction in these types of crimes," Ardis said... http://www.pjstar.com/news/x702315652/Mayor-wants-Peoria-to-be-test-city-for-concealed-carry-law --- Plenty of Blame to Go Around: As some elected officials wrestled Sunday with the racial implications of a police shooting that left a black officer dead and a white one devastated, a bereaved relative - himself a member of the New York police force - struggled between grief and understanding. "My heart goes out to him," said William Glenn, the father-in-law of Omar J. Edwards, 25, the off-duty officer who died in Thursday's shooting, speaking of Andrew P. Dunton, the fellow officer who fatally shot him. "I am sure he did not go out and say, 'I am going to kill a black man with a gun tonight.' " ... (According to some reports, Edwards, out of uniform, may have turned toward his fellow officers and pointed his own handgun in their direction. Conspicuously absent in these discussion, however, is the NYC attitude that possession of a firearm by a private citizen warrants a summary execution.) http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/01/nyregion/01shoot.html?_r=1&ref=nyregion --- Two Pharmacy Robberies Compared: Recently, two pharmacies in two different states experienced attempted robberies. In both cases, the pharmacist was able to secure a handgun, kill one robber, and successfully protect both co-workers and property. In one case, the police chief quickly announced the shooting justified. In the other, the district attorney filed first-degree murder charges against the pharmacist. The two cases provide what firearms instructors call a "teachable moment." (Note: This discussion doesn't address guilt or innocence, and is no "trial by media." This simply investigates the right of self-defense and the use of deadly force.) ... http://www.examiner.com/x-2879-Austin-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m5d31-Two-pharmacy-robberies-two-different-outcomes More on Oklahoma Case: ...One day after the shooting the pharmacist told NewsChannel Four his physical condition and fear for his and his co-workers lives prompted him to fire at the two juvenile robbers - killing one of them. Now prosecutors fear Ersland's life could be in danger. District Attorney David Prater insisted Ersland be allowed to carry a gun even though he was charged with first degree murder. The judge seemed stunned by the request. "You're saying the DA in Oklahoma County wants him to have a gun," Judge Tammy Bass-Lesure said. "That's right," David Prater said. The judge did not agree, and her decision has angered some of Ersland's supporters. "If she doesn't allow him to protect himself," Mike Manning said. "He's going to be dead in a week. What they're doing to this businessman is wrong." ... http://www.kfor.com/news/local/kfor-news-pharmacist-hearing-story,0,5300936.story --- Ammunition Fire Makes News: Two backyard sheds and a metal container in which ammunition was stored caught fire and exploded Sunday in a Reseda neighborhood, forcing the evacuation of nearby homes, authorities said. The fire and explosion were reported at 8:43 a.m. in the 19200 block of Ingomar Street. It took firefighters about 90 minutes to extinguish the blaze. No injuries were reported. Crews had to douse the flames from about 50 feet away because ammunition continued to go off, said Los Angeles Fire Department spokeswoman D'Lisa Davies. According to arriving firefighters, Davies said, it "sounded like thousands of rounds were going off." ... (Primers are specifically packaged in unsealed containers to minimize explosive damage if they detonate; they should not be placed in sealed containers such as military ammo cans. SAAMI has done a study that shows that a firefighter's turnout suit will stop bullet from fixed ammo in a fire.) http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-explosion1-2009jun01,0,4881926.story -- Stephen P. Wenger, KE7QBY Firearm safety - It's a matter for education, not legislation. http://www.spw-duf.info .