The Fort Hood Cover-Up: In their new report on the Fort Hood army base tragedy, the Department of Defense (DoD) may have intended to provide the public with an explanation about what happened and how to ensure it never happens again. The report does indeed highlight the situation quite clearly, and explains what we can expect in the future, just not as intended... All the public hand-wringing and finger pointing is designed to obfuscate the fact that the DoD plans to implement no workable defense against future attacks like Fort Hood. From page 32: "The Department of Defense does not have a policy governing privately owned weapons." Recommendation? "Review the need for DoD privately owned weapons policy." The magic answer: More gun control! This is a curious response, considering that gun control was the reason so many people died at Fort Hood. Their policy is obvious and unchanged: The DoD requires enlisted staff to swear an oath to protect and uphold the Constitution, but the DoD itself claims exemption. Furthermore, the DoD expects enlisted staff to support anti-Constitutional behavior by following and enforcing their disarmament policy... (I believe that the remarks about enlisted staff apply equally to commissioned and warrant officers.) http://www.examiner.com/x-2879-Austin-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2010m1d18-Fort-Hood-report-More-questions-than-answers Then There's the Other Aspect...: Fear of offending Muslims or being insensitive to religion was likely a key factor to why Army supervisors missed signs that the suspect in the deadly Fort Hood shooting rampage was a Muslim extremist, according to national security experts... Dr. Zuhdi Jasser, a former military medical doctor, said political correctness is a major problem for the military and the government as a whole in dealing with Islamism. "The culture in the military and the U.S. government is that you just don't touch religion," said Dr. Jasser, president of the Phoenix-based American Islamic Forum for Democracy. As a result, the military is ill-equipped to deal with the threat posed by radicalized Muslims, he said in an interview... Dr. Jasser said he fears that the Army will use several officers as Fort Hood "scapegoats" although they were never provided the training and directives needed to identify those prone to conducting terrorist attacks... (I think there is a difference between missing signs and overlooking them for reasons of political correctness.) http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/jan/18/muslim-question-persists-in-army-shooting/ --- The Rest of Illinois Also Awaits McDonald Outcome: ...The Chicago area's Democrats and the Springfield politicians who support them long have kept gun-rights laws from advancing in the Legislature. State Rep. Mike Tryon said that even when gun-rights bills - such as those advocating concealed carry - had been proposed, they seldom made it to the House or Senate floors. "We always have a concealed-carry bill. It's just it never really gets a fair chance and a fair debate," said Tryon, R-Crystal Lake. "If you can't get bills called for a good debate and you can't get them called on the House floor for a vote, they never pass." For Illinoisans, that means gun rights isn't just a partisan issue - it's geographic. Consider the Pro Second Amendment Resolution, which the McHenry County Board adopted with unanimous support in April 2008. Ninety counties in the state joined McHenry County in opposing the passage of any bills that would put limits on the right to bear arms, according to the Illinois Pro Second Amendment Resolution Web site. The resolution failed in Lake County, and lingered at "undecided" in Cook, DuPage and DeKalb counties. The resolution passed in almost every other county... (There are 102 counties in Illinois. Chicago is located in Cook County, which encircles DuPage County on two sides; DeKalb is the second county west of Cook.) http://www.nwherald.com/articles/2010/01/15/r_jzimt4awqusipmdl3xgyuw/index.xml --- Pennsylvania Cities Ignore State Preemption: A number of municipalities throughout Pennsylvania have enacted, or are considering enacting, ordinances known popularly as "Lost or Stolen" that impose a duty to report lost or stolen firearms within a prescribed time period and set penalties for failure to make a report. The justification for these ordinances is that they will somehow restrict the flow of "illegal" firearms into their municipalities and/or restrict straw-purchases. When asked how these ordinances will work, one is met with a "deer in the headlights" stare. The municipalities involved are being lobbied by gun-control organizations, at least two attorneys, at least two PA legislators and are being advised - at least in some cases - by their respective solicitors to proceed with enacting such ordinances... http://www.examiner.com/x-35389-Pittsburgh-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2010m1d11-Preemption-local-jurisdictions-ignoring-the-law --- NRA AWOL in New Hampshire?: ...Nappen tells me in correspondence: "The NRA failed to show up for a gun ban bill hearing in NH... This bill bans carrying of muzzleloading firearms, including ML handguns in vehicles, (which BTW is currently legal and may be done without a carry license.) The motor vehicle law has caused prosecutions of target shooters (State v. Shaw), is a threat to modern handgun carry, and the bill presented a golden opportunity to legalize carrying of loaded rifles, shotguns in vehicles." I'd like to extend the benefit of the doubt. Often times, sensitive discussions take place behind closed doors and out of the public eye by those with access to legislators. As much as I might demand otherwise for open government (because, after all, nothing is being discussed that doesn't affect the rest of us), I do realize this happens and we'll never be privy to every deal... http://www.examiner.com/x-1417-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2010m1d16-Where-is-NRA-on-New-Hampshire-gun-bill --- Georgia Sheriff Supports RKBA Bill: Oconee County Sheriff Scott Berry doesn't know if someone breaks the law just by carrying a concealed firearm while talking with friends outside a convenience store. That's because current state law that forbids people with concealed weapons permits from bringing those weapons to public gatherings is too fuzzy, Berry said. "There's no clear definition of what a public gathering is, and the truth is. we're not going to enforce a law that is so poorly written," he said. "It's a serious matter to take someone into custody on the basis of something that is unclear and poorly written." Berry is among those who support proposed legislation that would expand gun-owners' rights, allowing those with proper permits to bring concealed weapons anywhere from bars to university classrooms to church sanctuaries. "As it should be, property owner rights trump all other rights," Berry said. "Maybe your church wants to ban (concealed weapons) or not, but can't that be an individual decision for the people in Georgia to make rather than the legislature? If the University of Georgia wants to ban firearms, I don't think it needs a state law to do that." ... (Recall that the earliest "gun control" laws were intended to deny blacks the RKBA. As a result, ambiguity was often intentional, to facilitate selective enforcement,) http://www.onlineathens.com/stories/011710/gen_550617756.shtml --- No Surprise Here: As it did last year when a similar bill was introduced, the New Mexico Restaurant Association has expressed its opposition to allowing concealed guns in restaurants that serve beer and wine. As Executive Director Carol Wight wrote today in The Independent Forum: "What if a customer comes into a restaurant with a bulge at their waistline... How do we know it's not a gun? How do we know they have a license? Do we ask? If they don't have a license doesn't that put the server in a VERY awkward position? If they do have a license, are we required to check it? We have been told that the concealed carry permit does not allow a person to drink on premise. How do we enforce that law? Do we need yet more server training to enforce the gun laws in New Mexico?" (The answer to this question is "no." If business owners take responsibility for their own decisions to disarm their customers, instead of asking the state to do it for them, they need only enforce their own policies, not state law.) http://newmexicoindependent.com/44535/nm-restaurant-association-opposes-concealed-gun-bill --- Reporter Attends CHL Course: Ed Strickland spends his days surrounded by guns. While the career lawman and avid hunter might have one of the best-guarded homes in Abbeville, the claim to fame he's particularly fond of is his 10-year role as a concealed weapons permit course instructor - a $65 "public service" he provides for about 20 residents from throughout South Carolina each month. Strickland's class Saturday attracted 19 people - 14 men and five women - of varying races and ages. Some were in their 20s, while others were well into retirement. Several identified themselves as victims of crimes, while some said they wanted to avoid becoming one. One man said he was drawn to take the course after he was shot during a home invasion and another said he'd be one of the few people in his "rough" Greenwood neighborhood to carry a gun legally... Aside from basic firearm safety, the main goal of the concealed weapons permit course is to make sure students know how to work their gun and can carry it safely, securely and concealed. Strickland discussed the components of a gun and their functions before moving on to holsters... http://www.indexjournal.com/articles/2010/01/11/news/b0112%20account.txt --- California Student Gains National Attention: Gary Tudesko never thought an early-morning duck hunt before school could turn into a potentially explosive legal battle involving the Fourth Amendment, the California Code of Education and federal "Gun-Free School Zone" laws. But when the 17-year-old junior at Willows High School in rural northern California stowed his and a friend's unloaded shotguns on the back seat of his Chevy Silverado and went to class on the morning of Oct. 26, it set off a chain of events that led first to Tudesko's suspension from school, and, at the end of November, his expulsion by the school district for violations of California Code of Education mandates against possession of firearms on school property. Except that Tudesko's truck wasn't parked on school property that morning, and he never possessed a firearm on grounds belonging to the Willows Unified School District... http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/hunting/news/story?id=4832232 --- Good Commentary from California: ...As I started to write this piece, I realized that during the past 230 years, words and definitions have mutated into something that would be unrecognizable to our founding fathers. Brilliant though they were, they could not predict how future generations would define certain words and concepts. Where we use word de jure slogans, the framers wrote in terms of underlying human experience. If James Madison had lived today and realized that nefarious elements in this country were challenging the right of Americans to bear arms, he probably would have written something like, "All citizens have the right to own semi-automatic guns, rifles and ammunition - period." But he didn't, because that is not how the framers thought - or wrote. Remember that when you're reading the historic words that provide the foundation of this great country... (Those who seek a more detailed understanding of what the Founders meant are advised to read Stephen Halbrook's The Founders' Second Amendment.) http://www.noozhawk.com/local_news/article/011710_daniel_petry_we_must_protect_americans_right_to_bear_arms/ --- Oops, Wrong House, Version 1: Police are searching for suspects after a homeowner apparently shot an intruder who was trying to break into his home. The Sacramento [CA] Police Department said one or two suspects are still at large after the incident on the 7800 block of Ann Arbor Way on Sunday evening. Two or three suspects hopped over a back fence at about 8:30 p.m. and attempted to break into a home, according to authorities, and a grandfather inside heard the commotion and grabbed a firearm. He shot one of the suspects, according to police. The injured suspect is expected to survive. None of the home occupants were injured. http://cbs13.com/local/sacramento.home.shooting.2.1432585.html --- Oops, Wrong House, Version 2: A man in a ski mask was shot by a resident after he forced his way into an Indio [CA] home Saturday night, police said. The suspect fled the home with a gunshot wound, the weapon and an undisclosed amount of money after he confronted the residents, a couple in their "60's or 70s," Indio Police spokesman Ben Guitron said. The couple was transported to a hospital with minor injuries... The suspect allegedly entered the backyard through a side gate and smashed the rear glass sliding door, Guitron said. The suspect ordered the residents to lie down on the floor, began searching the residence, then scuffled with the husband, Guitron said. During the scuffle, the wife obtained a 38-caliber handgun and shot the suspect once in the upper torso, according to evidence the police gathered, Guitron said. The suspect disarmed the wife and was encountered by a neighbor who heard the commotion, Guitron said. The suspect fled in a waiting vehicle, described as a red Ford Mustang with a black top. A partial plate of 5PA was reported, Guitron said... (While this is a very rare case in which a private citizen was disarmed by an assailant, we can give thanks that the gun was not used against the couple.) http://www.mydesert.com/article/20100118/NEWS0801/1180313/Retired+couple+defend+home+against+burglary --- Is This What's Wrong with So Many New Guns?: ...Get a workable product out the door and fix the bugs as you go along. That way you also get valuable feedback about its strengths and weaknesses, for the market doesn't likely agree with you about what's perfect... (This is from an advice article for budding entrepreneurs but if this philosophy is functioning in the firearm industry, that's downright scary.) http://www.forbes.com/2010/01/07/new-business-mistakes-leadership-managing-innovation.html -- Stephen P. Wenger, KE7QBY Firearm safety - It's a matter for education, not legislation. The tactics and skills to use a firearm in self-defense don't come naturally with the right to keep and bear arms. http://www.spw-duf.info .