Nineteen Days to Go: ...The case of McDonald v. Chicago, with Supreme Court oral arguments set for March 2, involves the constitutionality of 28 year-old city regulations on firearms, which include a ban on most handguns.... (Article presents a good general summary, Strangely [or not], it chooses to quote the NRA, while ignoring the conflict between the NRA and Alan Gura, the actual counsel for the plaintiffs.) http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=35568 More on the NRA and McDonald: ...Some forces in the gun rights community, such as one of its oldest warriors and scholars, David Hardy, refuse to take sides between the NRA and Gura. Instead, Hardy applauds both arguments and both arguers, and begs the gun rights community to stop encouraging dissension: "They're going into the fight of their lives, no OUR lives, and don't need the distractions. We can all engage in internecine battles after oral argument, or better yet, the decision. For now they need to concentrate. Bottom line: there is no bad way to win a case." This is admirably ecumenical, but it elides the larger possibilities at issue in the Privileges or Immunities Clause argument (which is exactly what many in the gun rights world want): that, as Gura writes in his reply brief, "applying constitutional text as plainly intended by the Framers and understood by the ratifying public possesses high intrinsic value. Nowhere is that value higher than when enforcing basic national civil rights standards." That is the opportunity that could be lost if the NRA's arguing time means that the Supreme Court wants to incorporate on the old Due Process Clause grounds rather than the truly radical, yet also truly original, Privileges or Immunities Clause grounds. http://reason.com/archives/2010/02/10/the-nra-muscles-into-mcdonald --- Wayne LaPierre on Wisconsin CCW: There are only two states in this entire country that don't have some sort of law on the books to allow people to carry handguns for self-defense: Illinois and Wisconsin. Wisconsin's legislature has approved "shall-issue" Right-to-Carry not once but twice, only to have the legislation vetoed by Governor Jim Doyle. But with Governor Doyle term-limited, and Right-to-Carry getting increasing support in Illinois, some anti-gun politicians seem to be concerned that Right-to-Carry is inevitable. That's why they're doing their best to sound reasonable, while instead asking gun owners to accept a poison pill agreement... The NRA is second to no one in wanting to keep guns out of the hands of violent criminals, but the NRA can't support new restrictions on lawful firearms owners and retailers at gun shows across the state. Anti-gun politicians trying to save face by offering a "compromise" won't find a receptive audience among NRA members. The gun-banners were wrong to block Right-to-Carry in the legislature, and they're wrong to say their lukewarm support for Right-to-Carry is contingent on new gun-control laws being passed as well. (Recall that the NRA is backing a lukewarm CCW bill in Iowa, in opposition to one that is a much broader recognition of what NRA calls "Right-to-Carry." Last year, lack of NRA support cost Arizona residents the passage of a bill that would have eliminated the permit requirement for CCW. They must be feeling the heat from that failure because they just issued an alert supporting this year's version [http://www.nraila.org/Legislation/Read.aspx?id=5379]. Sort of like boarding the Heller train once it started pulling out of the station...) http://www.opposingviews.com/i/nra-final-2-states-without-right-to-carry-gun-laws-will-fall --- Meeting Shows Support for Illinois CCW: Illinois is one of only two states left that prohibit the carrying of firearms for personal protection, leaving citizens to follow advice posted on the Illinois State Police website encouraging the use of hair combs and car keys to ward off violent attacks. Pundits say the issue of carrying a firearm for self-defense is a geographical issue in Illinois, limited to the more rural downstate area. Some upstate legislators deny the need for a carry law and argue Illinois citizens north of Interstate 80 have no interest in the right to carry a firearm for self-defense. Without a doubt, they were proven wrong last week when a standing room only crowd of 500-plus citizens from all over McHenry County turned out in support of Right to Carry in Illinois... Women and men crowded into the packed Lakemoor Banquet Hall in Lakemoor to show their support for the right to carry and to learn what they can do to push the Illinois legislators to pass a right to carry law in Illinois. Those in attendance voiced their displeasure with being denied the same rights that law-abiding citizens have in 49 other states. Forty-eight states have some form of concealed carry law, and open carry is recognized in the state of Wisconsin, leaving Illinois as the only state with no provision at all for the carrying of a defensive firearm. And Illinois considers it a felony to do so... (It is important to remember that while several states have statutes that provide for licensed CCW, "discretionary issue" denies it to all or most residents of a few of them. Thus, the "48-state" claim is a bit misleading.) http://www.carmitimes.com/news/x1522837596/Huge-turnout-reveals-concealed-carry-is-statewide-issue --- More on Illinois Attack on Handgun Ownership: Now, no one get too alarmed, but it does seem that zombie gun control bills are beginning to rise from the dead in Springfield. The first lumbering corpse to claw its way out of the cold, mossy ground of the legislative cemetery known as the Rules Committee is House Bill 180, the "Handgun Dealer Licensing Act. This is the same bill gun owners have been stopping for years, over and over and over - but it always comes back. Normally, that process takes time, as a bill that went down to defeat in a floor vote the year before must be re-introduced and go through the committee process again before reaching the floor - which is why the Senate version of this same bill, SB3092, is some time away from a floor vote; it had to be introduced anew just this week. However, there was no floor vote on HB180 during the 2009 session, so it went back to the Rules Committee . . . which sent it back out to the floor late last week. That means that a floor vote could be taken at any time. But what would HB180 do that would lead gun owners to call their legislators in opposition? ... http://www.examiner.com/x-17034-Chicago-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2010m2d10-Illinois-HB180-State-Police-Licensing-of-Gun-Dealers --- Eleven Days to Go: We can thank Senator Tom Coburn and all gun rights members of the Congress for passing an amendment to the Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009 to allow citizens who are authorized to carry firearms according to their state law, to also carry firearms into National Parks and Wildlife Refuges. The amended bill was passed by the Senate 90-5 and by the House of Representatives 361-64. The Bill was signed into law by Barack Obama on May 22, 2009. The new law goes into effect nine months after signing so February 22, 2010 will mark the return of lawfully carried firearms in the National Park system and the National Wildlife Refuge System... http://www.examiner.com/x-5103-Wisconsin-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2010m2d10-National-parks-carry--beginning-February-22-2010 ...However, many details remain to be worked out. Reports indicate that National Park Service officials are debating issues such as the definition of "federal facilities," where firearms will remain prohibited under a different federal law. NPS officials are expected to issue further information as February 22 approaches, and some parks have already published information on their new policies. Because state laws vary greatly, before you visit a national park, you should check the park's website or call the park headquarters for more information. NRA will also provide updates as they become available. http://www.nraila.org/Legislation/Federal/Read.aspx?id=5370 --- Ninth Circuit Upholds Felon Gun Ban: ...Peter Vongxay had been charged in the Eastern District of California, Fresno Division, with the crime of being a felon in possession of a firearm after being convicted previously three times, twice for car burglary and once for drug possession. Vongxay was found by members of the Fresno Police Department outside a Fresno nightclub with a loaded semiautomatic handgun. After Vongxay's conviction at trial, he was sentenced to five years in prison, but he later appealed saying that the federal statute prohibiting felons from possessing firearms was an unconstitutional infringement on the Second Amendment right to bear arms. The three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in San Francisco unanimously declared [sic] the defendant's conviction, as the panel stayed firm stating, "felons are categorically different from the individuals who have a fundamental right to bear arms." http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/world/california-court-upholds-ban-that-prohibits-felons-from-possessing-firearms_100318187.html --- Ninth Circuit Upholds Felon Body-Armor Ban: The 9th Circuit Court of appeals last week upheld a federal ban on the possession of body armor by felons. Technically speaking, that ruling was actually reached in May, 2009, but last week, the court refused an en banc hearing, in which the entire court would have had the opportunity to overturn the earlier, 3-judge panel's ruling... The other odd part is the fact that the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has also recently ruled that Washington state's felon voting ban is unconstitutional, by virtue of being racially discriminatory, based on research that indicates that in Washington, non-whites are prosecuted and convicted of felonies at a higher rate than whites whose behavior is equally criminal (see the last two links beneath the photo). Although the study indicating racial incongruity with regard to prosecution and conviction rates was apparently limited to Washington state, the possibility exists that studies will reach similar conclusions in other states... As I pointed out before, if restrictive felon voting laws, combined with a justice system that disproportionately convicts minorities of felonies, improperly deprives minorities of electoral power; then a felon body armor ban, combined with the same justice system, violates a seemingly even more fundamental right - the right to life. I, in fact, would take that a step further, and say that a racially discriminatory justice system, combined with the 1968 Gun Control Act's prohibition on felons even touching a gun or ammunition, is a clear violation of the Second Amendment - a violation that will be even more clear if the plaintiffs win in McDonald v. City of Chicago on the 14th Amendment's Privileges or Immunities clause... http://www.examiner.com/x-2581-St-Louis-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2010m2d10-Federal-court-upholds-felon-body-armor-ban --- West Virginia Bill Would Yank RKBA without Due Process: Today, at the request of the Supreme Court of Appeals, several members of the House Judiciary Committee introduced House Bill 4422. HB 4422 radically changes the law governing when a person becomes prohibited from possessing firearms because of a domestic violence protective order. Under current state law (W.Va. Code § 61-7-7(a)(7)), which is identical to federal law (18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(8)), a domestic violence protective order does not result in the respondent being prohibited from possessing firearms unless the order "was issued after a hearing of which such person received actual notice and at which such person had an opportunity to participate." HB 4422 eliminates the requirement of a hearing and the respondent's opportunity to participate and instead imposes firearm disabilities immediately upon the issuance of an emergency ex parte order. HB 4422 violates our right to keep and bear arms and our right to not be deprived of any liberty without due process of law. HB 4422 takes away a person's right to possess a gun without a hearing or an opportunity to participate in that hearing. Without a hearing, a person has no opportunity to present his or her side of the case and refute potentially false and malicious charges. The current law is already abused enough by vindictive, manipulative individuals who abuse the system to threaten another person's gun rights to gain leverage in divorces, child custody disputes, and lesser personal conflicts... http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs061/1102955222215/archive/1103021358614.html --- Utah House Passes Firearms Freedom Act: Guns made and kept in Utah would be exempt from federal regulations under a measure passed by the Utah Legislature Wednesday, despite concerns over an expensive legal fight at a time when the budget is already stretched thin. Senate Bill 11 was passed by the Utah House 56-17. The proposal mirrors one Montana signed into law last year that's intended to trigger a federal court battle. The measures would allow guns made in the respective states to be exempt from federal gun registration rules like background checks and dealer-licensing. The goal is to circumvent federal authority over interstate commerce, the legal basis for most gun regulation in the U.S. In the process, it could lead to small arms dealers in the state operating with little to no oversight... The bill now goes to Utah Gov. Gary Herbert. Spokeswoman Angie Welling said Herbert supports legislative efforts to reaffirm states' rights, but is concerned about the possible legal costs that would go with constitutional challenges... (Since the test of the Montana bill is already underway, I don't see how Utah would have to bear the brunt of court battles. For those who may not recall, the unconstitutional National Firearms Act of 1934 was passed with the subterfuge that it was a tax bill, not an outright prohibition.) http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=148&sid=9642976 --- Virginia Senate Committee Approves RKBA Bills: Gun owners could take concealed guns into more places, including bars, and renew their permits by mail under bills that passed a key Senate committee on Wednesday. The Senate Courts Committee voted 8-7 to allow those with concealed weapon permits to carry hidden guns into restaurants as long as they don't drink alcohol. Another bill would allow guns to be locked in compartments of boats or vehicles even if the gunowner did not have a concealed carry permit. The committee did not take up a perennially unsuccessful bill to close the so-called gun-show loophole, where private sellers at the shows don't have to perform background checks on buyers. The House already had killed a similar bill... "It's madness to allow guns in bars, and it's very discouraging we don't have the votes to stop it," Sen. Janet Howell, D-Fairfax, said after the meeting. The restaurant bill passed the General Assembly twice before, but was vetoed by former Gov. Timothy M. Kaine. Gov. Bob McDonnell (web | bio) supports the bill, a version of which likely will pass the House this week. In Virginia, gun owners can openly carry guns into restaurants, but cannot conceal a weapon. Supporters of the bill say it would be safer if the gun were tucked away snugly on the patron's hip or in a purse. Opponents argue that guns and alcohol don't mix... (It's sheer magic how "bars" and "restaurants" morph into one another, according to the whims of the reporter. It is currently legal to carry an exposed firearm into any establishment that serves alcohol in Virginia and, to my knowledge, the carrier is free to consume it. So, the opponents of this bill are arguing that they are unwilling to trade covering the guns so that they don't tempt anyone drunk enough to attempt a disarm for a promise that the permittees won't drink while carrying concealed. In a word, "amazing!") http://www.news8.net/news/stories/0210/705005.html --- Pro-RKBA AG Candidate Emerges in Ohio GOP Primary: Just two weeks to the day after Ohio GOP chair Kevin DeWine worked to orchestrate an unopposed primary for his anti-gun cousin Mike by enticing pro-gun candidate Dave Yost to drop out of the race for Attorney General, the Dayton Daily News is reporting that Hardin County attorney Steve Christopher has announced that he will challenge DeWine... Last week, Christopher contacted Buckeye Firearms Association about his potential candidacy, noting he is "a life member (sustaining) of the NRA," a member of the Ohio Gun Collectors Association (OGCA) and Pheasants Forever. He informed BFA that he is a strong supporter of concealed carry, and is himself an Ohio Concealed Handgun License (CHL)-holder... For gun owners looking for a pro-gun alternative in the Republican primary this May, the news of Mr. Christopher's candidacy is going to be a welcome one. Christopher is in need of volunteers to help circulate petitions to get him on the Republican primary ballot. Email him at chrislaw@bright.net if you'd like to get involved... http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/node/7115 --- One More Pennsylvania Municipality Considers Illegal Ordinance: Hatboro Mayor Norm Hawkes proposed a lost or stolen handgun ordinance to borough council Monday night that he said would help keep firearms out of the hands of criminals. If adopted, the ordinance would require citizens to report their lost or stolen handguns to the police up to 72 hours after discovery. Anyone who violates the ordinance would be subject to a fine of no more than $1,000, or imprisonment for not more than 90 days, or both, reads the draft ordinance. Council will vote at its meeting Feb. 22 if it will advertise the ordinance for a future vote. Officials will also vote whether to send a resolution to state legislators in support of a statewide adoption of the lost or stolen ordinance. Hawkes has been a member of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, the group endorsing this ordinance, since July... Hatboro Solicitor Christen Pionzio told council she did not feel comfortable recommending it adopt the ordinance. Whether or not the ordinance pre-empts the existing Pennsylvania Uniform Firearms Act has yet to be tested in court, she said... (No. the state law preempts all these local ordinances, not vice versa.) http://www.montgomerynews.com/articles/2010/02/09/public_spirit_willow_grove_guide/news/doc4b7209348d285620622223.txt --- More on the North Carolina "Emergency": ...Authorities in King, North Carolina declared a state of emergency which not only prohibited citizens from driving on the snow-packed roads, but also banned the sale alcohol and banned the purchase or possession of firearms outside of their homes. By declaring a state of emergency, the King City Council and police chief effectively declared martial law and rescinded the Constitutional rights of King's citizens. King Police Chief Paula May has tried to distance herself from the decision, and the ensuing public outcry. She claims that North Carolina state law was to blame for the ban on the sale and possession of firearms outside the home. For the liberty-minded, these "emergency powers" should be cause for great concern. Regardless of the level of government, these assaults on liberty cannot go uncontested... http://www.ammoland.com/2010/02/10/gun-rights-suspended-again/ --- Pushing the Envelope?: A Middle Tennessee man has sued a Nashville park ranger, alleging the officer was unfairly harsh when he saw the man carrying a large handgun in a park. Leonard Embody says he was within his rights to carry an AK-47 handgun at Radnor Lake Park on Dec. 20. He has a permit to carry the weapon, according to the federal lawsuit. Embody says that park manager Steve Ward pointed a shotgun at him and handcuffed him as Embody was walking through the park. In his lawsuit, Embody says he was detained by police for more than three hours in all, longer than police should have needed to determine whether he was committing a crime. Last year, state legislators passed a law that made it legal for permit holders to carry guns in Tennessee parks... On Jan. 23, Belle Meade police responding to a phone call about a man carrying a gun in public found Embody walking down Belle Meade Boulevard with a black-powder pistol in his hand. Belle Meade Police Chief Tim Eads said officers detained Embody for about 16 minutes and questioned him about the gun. He was released without citation or arrest... Embody has filed a formal complaint with the department over that encounter... (Without rehashing the entire open-carry debate, I'm not sure if this guy is primarily trying to reassert that right or to pick up some spending money from lawsuits. In either case, the Bell Meade police certainly seem to have handled it better than the park manager. In Arizona a distinction is usually made between carrying a handgun in a holster and carrying one in the hand. Doing the latter, in a populated area, will generally result in a charge of disorderly conduct.) http://www.tennessean.com/article/20100210/NEWS03/2100402/Man-who-carried-gun-in-TN-park-sues-says-ranger-s-treatment-harsh --- Speaking of Open Carry...: There's a disturbing, infuriating story in the Daily News about open carriers - or more accurately, about comments East Palo Alto police detective Rod Tuason allegedly made about them on his Facebook page... Tuason even took the opportunity to ridicule the fact that "law-abiding" gun owners can't get concealed carry permits. From the screenshot on the "Oaklander" blog": "Haha that's when you attend one of their meetings and laugh at them cuz they can only dream to have a ccw..." We've seen the "Only One" attitude at its most ridiculous - I developed the meme in response to DEA agent Lee Paige: "I'm the only one in this room professional enough that I know of to carry this Glock .40," he told a roomful of school kids in an anti-gun/drug lecture, then proceeded to shoot himself in the foot trying to holster the weapon. Now we see it manifest itself in police state elitism that's chilling--particularly the implication that a citizen breaking no laws can be murdered and the state perpetrator will be rewarded with paid time off. And the rest, who are intimidated into defenselessness, are to be laughed at and held in contempt by armed enforcers... http://www.examiner.com/x-1417-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2010m2d10-Palo-Alto-cop-Shoot-a-gun-owner-get-2-weeks-off --- California Sheriff Sued for CWP: There are many reasons applicants are denied the right to carry a hand gun, prior brushes with the law, inconsistent legal records or lack of need, however in San Diego it appears if they just don't like you your conceal carry permit application it is stamped - DENIED. It's true California is a liberal state and as such keeps a close eye on the state's gun owners, however, San Diego takes exception to what constitutes residency in order to prevent gun owners from legally carrying their weapon. As a result, Edward Peruta has filed a lawsuit against San Diego County and Sheriff William Gore - leveling some precedent-setting charges. Peruta, a Connecticut native, owns home in several states (including California), calls himself a liberal Democrat and is a firm believer in the Second Amendment and finds it odd that he is having so many troubles in San Diego... San Diego Sheriff candidate, Jay LaSuer, who is running against Gore in the upcoming election, has made many statements about the CCW process and has openly endorsed a "shall issue" stance. "If a person can pass a background check and is a law abiding citizen they 'shall' receive a CCW license," LaSuer explains. "When you have a Sheriff like Gore who doesn't understand the law, how can you expect him to apply it?" ... http://www.examiner.com/x-10317-San-Diego-County-Political-Buzz-Examiner~y2010m2d10-Second-Amendment-lawsuit-takes-aim-at-SD-Sheriff-Gore --- Atlanta Starbucks to Respect RKBA: In the face of attacks and pressure by the influential gun control group, the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence (formerly known as Hangun Control, Inc.), Starbucks is sticking to its guns and welcoming armed customers in its Atlanta stores... Jeff Huong, a law student at UGA, said that he frequently carries a handgun openly in Starbucks locations that are outside of Georgia's unique 1,000 foot school zone (Georgia is the only state in the nation with a 1,000 foot school zone applicable to universities). He indicated that he will continue to support Starbucks with his money. Frank Rietta, of Duluth, said that while he has not spoken to any Starbucks managers about their policy, he has never been bothered when carrying in Starbucks... http://www.examiner.com/x-5619-Atlanta-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2010m2d10-Atlanta-area-Starbucks-locations-respect-the-right-to-bear-arms --- Rule Five Reminder: A Las Vegas police officer could face criminal charges after his young son shot himself with a handgun in their Moapa Valley home Saturday night. The boy, whose name and age were not released, was in critical condition at University Medical Center on Monday as the Metropolitan Police Department's Abuse and Neglect Detail investigated the incident. Police said the child was put to bed in his parents' bedroom late Saturday evening when he discovered the gun in a night stand. The gun discharged, striking the child in the arm and abdomen, police said... Based on similar incidents involving children injured or killed by their parent's firearms, Bledsoe could face charges of felony child abuse and neglect or felony child endangerment... (Rule Five: Maintain control of your firearm. It's one thing to place a handgun in a nightstand overnight, while you are nearby; it's another to leave it there when a child or burglar could find it.) http://www.policeone.com/off-duty/articles/2002638-Vegas-cop-could-be-charged-after-sons-accidental-shooting/ --- Some Thoughts on Training Selection: ...First understand that the instructor does not have to be famous; many regional instructors are excellent. Second, decide if you just want to learn to shoot or learn to fight. For the law enforcement officer seeking training, fighting is essential. Thus, the instructor should have a verifiable background in combat shooting and tactics. Some will argue this, but a person who has faced an armed adversary offers a viewpoint that a person who has not can never understand. The emotion that accompanies searching for an armed crackhead in a dark warehouse who might kill you cannot be explained: it must be felt, and this will be brought out in the instructor's lesson plan. When inquiring about an instructor's background if he tells you "i can't reveal it; it's classified," walk away. I have met my share of delta, seals, green berets, recon marines and cia paramilitary types, and while it is true they may not be able to tell you what they did, none are restricted from telling you where they worked... (Spaulding raises some good points but, in the end, I take this article as a specific endorsement of Gunsite.) http://www.handgunsmag.com/tactics_training/HG_getschooled_200905/index.html --- Too Few Kids with Guns: The Eastern Sports & Outdoor Show is a sportsman's paradise, but one where trouble is brewing. There were lots of kids here with their families, walking the nearly 300,000 square feet of the State Farm Show Complex. They were checking out the newest fishing lures, gun blinds and camouflage clothing. But many of the outfitters who set up booths at the show and sell mountain-lion stalks in New Mexico, bear hunts in Maine and African safaris are worried that they're in a dying business. "Most kids wouldn't know a deer from a dog," said Jim Paine of Illinois Trophy Bowhunters, an outfitter in west central Illinois. "It's sad." Indeed, many of the outfitters said that the majority of their clientele are 50-year-old men, a growing number of women, but very few kids. Most pinned the blame on one thing: video games... http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703427704575052010228653210.html?mod=djemLifeStyle_h --- Former F Troop Star Wins One Round, Hit Again: One of the most decorated undercover agents in the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has won a key ruling in a civil complaint against his own agency, only to be hit with a government countersuit claiming his autobiography and a planned movie have harmed the United States. Jay Dobyns, an ATF agent in Arizona for 22 years, contends in U.S. Court of Claims papers that his bosses failed to uphold an agreement to protect him after he received death threats from the Hells Angels. Last month, Judge Francis Allegra ruled that Dobyns' complaint must proceed, and he rebuked government lawyers for their dismissal arguments. The agent's victory was short-lived, however. Days after Allegra's Jan. 15 decision, federal lawyers filed a counterclaim accusing Dobyns of harming his country by publishing an autobiography, "No Angel: My Harrowing Undercover Journey to the Inner Circle of the Hells Angels," and entering a deal to sell the book's movie rights. The counterclaim argues that Dobyns violated federal rules by failing to get a supervisor's approval before publishing a book based on information he gathered while working as an ATF agent. Dobyns, who still works at ATF as a coordinator for computerized ballistics data, said the countersuit was a "completely retaliatory move." ... Dobyns said his autobiography, co-written by Nils Johnson-Shelton, has been on sale for a year and only contains information about the ATF that had previously been public. "How did this damage them?" he asked. "I'm just waiting for an answer to that one." http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/2010/02/11/20100211aft-agent-and-aft-in-legal-battle.html --- Good Thing Britain Still Has Juries: A father who defended his family from drug-crazed thugs by wounding one with a Samurai sword has been cleared by a jury. David Fullard, 47, was prosecuted for attacking the two strangers who forced their way into his home and threatened to rape his partner and kill his two teenage children. He insisted he was a desperate man acting legally in self-defence and struck out once with the ornamental sword, because it was the only weapon to hand. The blow almost sliced off the ear of Michael Severs, one of the thugs. The prosecution refused to accept that his actions amounted to lawful self-defence and argued it was 'over the top' to attack a man armed with a knuckleduster by using a 'battlefield weapon'... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1249958/Cleared-Builder-chopped-thugs-ear-Samurai-sword-threatened-rape-kill-family.html --- From AzCDL: Three pro-rights bills are being debated in their respective Committee of the Whole (COW) on Thursday, February 11, 2010. We apologize for the last minute notice. Please visit our Action Center to send a message of support for these bills to your Representatives and Senator. Use the prepared text or create your own message: http://capwiz.com/azcdl/issues/?style=D . HB 2307, the House version of the "Firearms Freedom Act," will be debated in the House COW. SB 1021, which incorporates defensive display language into the statutes regarding the justification of deadly force, will be debated in the Senate COW. SB 1172, which expands the list of qualified Arizona Gun Safety Program course instructors, will be debated in the Senate COW. More information on these bills can be found here: http://capwiz.com/azcdl/issues/bills/ . In other news, SB 1168 will be heard in the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday, February 15, 2010. A separate Alert is being drafted for contacting the committee members. SB 1168 strengthens state firearms preemption laws, adds firearms storage and accessories to the list of things political subdivisions cannot regulate, and removes the prohibition on carrying a firearm in public parks without a CCW permit. Stay tuned! When critical legislation moves, we will notify you via these Alerts. If you want to get legislative news as it happens, follow AzCDL on Twitter: http://twitter.com/AzCDL_Alerts . AzCDL "tweets" from the Capitol with committee votes and breaking news as it happens. You can also follow AzCDL on Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/FacebookAzCDL . AzCDL's Political Action Committee (PAC) is also on Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/FacebookAzCDLPAC . These alerts are a project of the Arizona Citizens Defense League (AzCDL), an all volunteer, non-profit, non-partisan grassroots organization. Join today! http://www.azcdl.org/html/join_us_.html AzCDL - Protecting Your Freedom http://www.azcdl.org/html/accomplishments.html Copyright © 2010 Arizona Citizens Defense League, Inc., all rights reserved. -- 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 .