Virginia Committee Votes to Repeal One-Gun-a-Month: A House committee on Friday overwhelmingly approved a bill that would repeal Virginia's 17-year-old ban on buying more than one handgun per month. Del. L. Scott Lingamfelter, the bill's sponsor, told the panel Friday morning that the law is obsolete because the General Assembly has carved out so many exceptions to it already, including a provision that exempts more than 200,000 people who hold concealed-weapons permits. He also argued that instant electronic background checks - which were not in place when the law was enacted in 1993 - also make the law unnecessary. And he said that the law has only hampered law-abiding citizens interested in buying guns and has done nothing to combat illegal trafficking in weapons... But Andrew Goddard, a gun-control activist whose child was injured in the 2007 shooting rampage at Virginia Tech, told the panel that the law had been credited with reducing Virginia's role in illegal gun-trafficking on the East Coast, a conduit once known as the Iron Pipeline. Before the law became former Gov. Douglas Wilder's signature achievement, Virginia ranked first in illegal guns moving to urban areas in the East. Afterward, Goddard said, it dropped to sixth... (Federal law requires that dealers report the purchase of more than one handgun by one person in the course of five business days.) http://voices.washingtonpost.com/virginiapolitics/2010/02/did_the_houses_republican_lead.html --- Why Georgia Must Repeal Public-Gathering Law: According to the Ledger Enquirer, a carjacker struck in a Columbus church parking lot Tuesday afternoon, stealing a car at gunpoint and firing a shot at the victim. While crime stories are not usually fodder for this column, it is worth remembering that Georgia is one of only five states that categorically ban firearms in churches. Georgia's ban extends to "church functions" as well, even if they are not held at a church building. Additionally, Georgia's public gathering law bans firearms even from the church parking lot. As the Georgia Court ot Appeals stated in Hubbard v. State, 210 Ga. App. 141 (1993), in response to the defendant's argument that he did not carry his firearm inside the building but merely possessed it in the car: : . . . we have held that the offense of carrying a firearm at a public gathering may occur in a parking area on the grounds of and in close proximity to a public gathering." The odd thing here is that anybody still believes that Georgia's public gathering law improves public safety. The law leaves people defenseless at churches, synagogues, and mosques, as well as their parking lots. Criminals are unhindered by such laws, preferring instead to perceive gun bans as making their job less risky by providing fertile fields of disarmed people to victimize... http://www.examiner.com/x-5619-Atlanta-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2010m2d11-Carjacking-in-church-parking-lot-highlights-need-to-repeal-public-gathering-law --- Politics Makes Strange Shooting Partners: Gun owners and hunters often feel as though the only time some politicians know where they are is during election season. There can be no better example of this than the following Republican campaign fundraiser announcement: "Please join Justice Maureen O'Connor and Justice Judith Ann Lanzinger for a Pheasant & Quail Hunt hosted by Rocky Saxbe..." ...But here's the rub. While Justice O'Connor is pro-gun, and a long-time friend of this PAC, the same cannot be said for the other Republican candidate involved in this fundraiser, nor can it be said of the event host. In Ohioans for Concealed Carry v. City of Clyde, Justice Lanzinger joined the minority opinion and voted against gun owners. In that case, Lanzinger put her name on an opinion which compared the Constitutional right to self-defense/gun ownership to that of the rights of dog owners or beer-drinkers, propped up the notion that government should have the same rights as an individual citizen, and supported the conclusion that gun owners are a threat to society. A little over one year after signing onto that anti-gun opinion, however, it is election season. And what do you know? Justice Lanzinger seems to have found a new respect for gun owners...or at least, for their pocketbooks... http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/node/7116 --- RKBA Opponent Announces Ohio Candidacy: Less than two weeks after the Ohio Democrat Party leaders, and Governor Ted Strickland, announced they would not support the candidacy of Jennifer Garrison for Secretary of State due to concerns about her support for gun rights, among other issues, the Democrats' anti-gun replacement, Maryellen O'Shaughnessy, has officially announced her candidacy for the office. To fully understand the level of O'Shaughnessy's opposition to gun rights, one need only to go back to late 2006. In November of that year, the Ohio General Assembly voted to pass HB347, legislation designed to ensure uniformity of firearms laws in the state of Ohio, by an overwhelming margin. Despite its level of support, Republican Governor Bob Taft vetoed the legislation, forcing the General Assembly to return and override his veto in mid-December. Five days after the veto override, O'Shaughnessy, then a city councilwoman, appeared on Capitol Square, an Ohio News Network (ONN panel show hosted by John Fortney, to voice the city's displeasure with passage of the law, which rendered they City of Columbus' assault weapons ban defunct... http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/node/7118 --- West Virginia Could Pass "Bloomberg Bill": Senate Judiciary Chairman Jeffrey Kessler hopes to send a strong message to the Big Apple and any others outside West Virginia: Hands off when it comes to entrapping residents with illegal firearms purchases. In fact, he dubbed his proposed new legislation Tuesday "the Bloomberg bill" after the New York mayor and his zest for rounding up guns. "They've been sending folks across state lines, outside the jurisdiction of his city, so I call it an entrapment bill," Kessler said. "Basically, it would make it a felony for them come out and try to purchase guns illegally in the state of West Virginia." Actually, the measure goes far beyond New York, he noted, since it is tailored to cover all states... Kessler said the issue was raised with him by the National Rifle Association, which conveyed a concern that some anti-gun municipalities might attempt to extend the arm of their laws into West Virginia... http://www.register-herald.com/local/local_story_040205529.html --- West Virginia Bill Would Impose Range Fees: Earlier this week, Senator John Pat Fanning, D-McDowell, and Senate Majority Leader H. Truman Chafin, D-Mingo, introduced Senate Bill 516, which imposes a permit requirement to use a public shooting range. SB 516 requires anyone other than a licensed hunter or person exempt from the requirement of a license to hunt, to obtain a permit to use any public shooting range operated by the Division of Natural Resources. Funds generated by this bill would be used to create additional public shooting ranges and maintain and improve existing public shooting ranges. So far, so what? However, the kicker (to many gun owners' groins) is that SB 516 proposes charging an annual fee of $50 for residents and $150 residents for public shooting range permits! These exorbitant permitting fees will reduce the use of public shooting ranges and not raise the funds anticipated or required to fulfill this bill's intent. While WVCDL opposes charging fees for using public shooting ranges that are funded by our tax dollars and various DNR licensing fees, the fees proposed in SB 516 are outrageous! ... http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs061/1102955222215/archive/1103031718638.html --- Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Imposes Massive Gun Ban: ...In recent years, the U.S. Forest Service and the AGFC have entered into a "Memorandum Of Cooperation" between the two agencies. Under this agreement, the AGFC has agreed to "manage" the enormous 1.2 million acres of the Ozark National Forest with Wildlife Management Area regulations. In an email from the law enforcement department from the AGFC, a representative stated the Ozark National Forest is "considered WMA, whether it is White Rock, Piney, Sylamore, Mt. Magazine, or Ozark National Forest WMA." "It shall be unlawful to hunt, trap or possess a killing device in any wildlife management area." Using this agreement and Wildlife Management Area regulations, the AGFC is enacting a Chicago-style gun ban in the Ozark National Forest, an enormous area that encompasses 1.2 million acres of the state. In addition, the entire WMA system covers almost 3.2 million acres total! The pertinent regulation, AGFC Wildlife code 20.01, reads: "It shall be unlawful to hunt, trap or possess a killing device in any wildlife management area." Recently, the Game and Fish Commission used these WMA regulations to infringe upon individual gun rights. Arkansas Carry, a gun rights group, planned an "open carry hike" to educate the public about open carry and the journey law. When the group informed the U.S. Forest Service of their intentions, they were told all firearms were banned from the White Rock WMA where the hike was planned (it's important to note here the White Rock WMA web page says one of the management practices consists of "more intensive law enforcement efforts")... http://www.examiner.com/x-33857-Fort-Smith-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2010m2d11-Chicagostyle-gun-ban-in-Ozark-National-Forest --- Mississippi Senate Votes to Ease Infringements: Mississippi senators voted Wednesday to join Tennessee in allowing handgun-permit holders to carry their guns in most Mississippi parks, as well as restaurants and other locations. The National Rifle Association-backed legislation, sponsored by state Sen. Merle Flowers, R-Southaven, originally covered only parks but was amended to let permit holders carry their guns in restaurants, bars and unsecured government buildings unless the owners of those facilities post notices barring guns. The measure now goes to the House and would have to be signed into law by Republican Gov. Haley Barbour if it passes the Legislature... Permit holders in Tennessee also would be allowed to carry their weapons in DeSoto County and other Mississippi state and local parks, restaurants and government buildings. However, Flowers said the bill prohibits weapons by anyone in parks where youth sports are played. That limitation would prohibit guns in many local parks, such as Southaven's Snowden Grove. Also, businesses and employers can ban handguns from inside their offices, but not in parking lots. And under existing state law, guns cannot be carried on school property or at any sporting events, including those held in parks, Flowers said... (Note that this Tennessee paper has posted the database of Handgun Carry Permits and linked it to this article.) http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/feb/11/guns-gain-first-nod-in-mississippi/ --- Wyoming House Approves Permitless CCW: Wyoming residents could carry concealed guns without a state permit under a bill that advanced in the Legislature on Thursday with a 52-6 vote in the House of Representatives. Under existing Wyoming law, people must obtain a state-issued permit to carry a concealed weapon. The state requires training and background checks and has issued more than 10,000 of the permits. Forty-eight states allow people to carry concealed weapons and all but Alaska and Vermont require permits. Legislation is pending in Arizona that would allow people to carry concealed guns without a permit. Rep. Lorraine Quarberg, R-Thermopolis, is the main sponsor of House Bill 113. It now heads to the House Judiciary Committee... Rep. James W. Byrd, D-Cheyenne, was among those who voted against the bill. "I think it's a terrible idea," Byrd said after the House vote. "First of all, it adds another level of danger to our peace officers who are the front line in the field. It ties their hands in determining whether or not an individual is lawfully carrying a weapon or not. In Wyoming, we have a special case where we have officers who are really out on their own, and don't have the luxury of having backup with them at all times, Byrd said. (But it's okay for Wyoming's private citizens not to have backup at all times. When seconds count, the police are only minutes away.) http://www.laramieboomerang.com/articles/2010/02/12/ap-state-wy/wy_xgr_concealed_carry.txt --- Wisconsin Gun Owners Warned of Trojan Horse: A recent editorial appearing in the Wisconsin Journal Sentinel (It's time to reconsider concealed carry law) ought to alarm gun owners. That's because it underscores a push to create tougher gun laws by using concealed carry as a carrot to lure in and dupe activists into complacency and surrender, say leaders of Wisconsin Gun Owners (WGO). "We've been warning gun owners to prepare for a tough fight on concealed carry, and to expect marginal state republicans to cave in to pressure from anti-gun bureaucrats," said Corey Graff, executive director of WGO. "If liberals suddenly claim to support concealed carry in exchange for tougher gun laws you can bet gun owners stand more to lose than we do to gain. You know something's amiss." One of the bargaining chips up for grabs is to make carrying a concealed weapon a felony in Wisconsin, in exchange for passage of a permit bill. It is currently a misdemeanor... http://www.ammoland.com/2010/02/11/wisconsin-concealed-carry-is-a-sell-out-in-the-works/ --- Arizona House Passes Firearms Freedom Act: The state House voted Thursday to let Arizonans buy guns without the government knowing - but only if the weapons are manufactured in this state. Without debate, lawmakers gave preliminary approval to HB 2307, saying Arizona-made firearms and ammunition are subject only to state laws, and not to federal regulation, including registration. That is precisely what Rep. Nancy McLain, R-Bullhead City, wants. "If we have someone that takes office that is intent on confiscating guns, then all they do is go to the registration and say, 'This person at this address has a gun,' and we'll go get it from you," she said. What her measure also would do is exempt those who buy Arizona-made guns from any sort of background check. But McLain said that wasn't her intent. And she promised to have the legislation fixed when it goes to the Senate following a roll-call vote in the House... (Once again, Howard Fischer proves that however good an impression he does of a rectum, he's not a big enough one to release the hold on his head. What a distortion!) http://www.azstarnet.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_532d0815-1570-503f-9242-38609c4848ab.html --- Colorado Firearms Freedom Act Killed in Committee: A Republican lawmaker is outraged that Democrats killed a bill that would have declared that any firearms made and retained in Colorado are beyond the control of Congress. Sen. Dave Schultheis, R-Colorado Springs, said the bill was about state's rights, not so much about firearms. He believes it is necessary to challenge the federal government's "overreach into what our founding fathers deemed as state issues." "It is time to challenge the D.C. bureaucrats who regulate everything and anything under the guise of commerce," Schultheis said in a statement. "I had hoped Democrat legislators in Colorado would have the courage to stand up for our state." The bill was killed late Wednesday on a 3-2 party-line vote in the Senate State, Veterans & Military Affairs Committee. Democrats called the bill "unconstitutional." ... (Is the Tenth Amendment unconstitutional? These bills may not prevail, in part because it may not be possible to manufacture a firearm without some components that have traveled in interstate commerce, but that does not make them unconstitutional. That's the whole point - Congress has abused the interstate commerce clause and ignores the Tenth Amendment, which is part of the Constitution.) http://www.thedenverdailynews.com/article.php?aID=7285 --- Documents Confirm Austin Gun Show Given Ultimatum: When we last discussed the Texas Gun Shows situation, attorney Jerri Lynn Ward had been temporarily stalled in her Open Records Request to the Austin Police Department for "any and all documents, notes correspondence, summaries, worksheets, memoranda, and/or assignment sheets e-mails and video or audio recordings," when they instead sent her this notice: "[T]he department wishes to withhold some of the requested information and has asked for a decision from the Attorney General about whether the information is within an exception to public disclosure." ...First off, that they tried to not comply right off the bat is telling. That they didn't have a legal leg to stand on is as well... They take pains to establish "plausible deniability" from the outset: "...once again, these are just recommendations not directives." But then we have this brick wall for the promoter: "The end result of the meeting was that HEB and Andy made it clear to Boedecker that they would only allow gun shows to continue if Boedecker followed our three recommendations... HEB reps made it clear that if we observe that they are NOT complying with these recommendations we should let them know and they are going to terminate all future gun shows rather than risk liability on their part." So APD recommends, observes and informs, and HEB pulls the trigger. Is that what they call a "public/private partnership"? And what "risk liability" was HEB informed of and by whom? ... Attorney Ward tells me she has a video of the meeting, and I'll see what I need to do to bring it to you. Perhaps, along with the telephone conversations mentioned in the cover letter, we'll learn more, and fill in some of the gaps in this response. Stay tuned. http://www.examiner.com/x-1417-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2010m2d11-Austin-gun-show-documents-confirm-promoter-given-ultimatum --- The Seattle Bus-Tunnel Incident: By now, the whole country has seen the brutal bus tunnel beating of a teenage girl that has every talk jock in Seattle gainfully employed and has even made national headlines on Fox News' O'Reilly Factor and Hannity programs... The so-called "security guards" didn't intervene, and just stood by essentially as spectators. Allegedly, prior to the attack the 15-year-old victim had sought help from two Seattle police officers, and was essentially ignored, according to published reports. That girl also allegedly pepper sprayed one of the men about 30 minutes prior to the attack. What could a private citizen have done in the presence of such an attack? The applicable state statute is RCW 9A.16.020, which covers use of force other than lethal force. Under that statute, Paragraph (3), the use of force is legal "Whenever used by a party about to be injured, or by another lawfully aiding him or her, in preventing or attempting to prevent an offense against his or her person, or a malicious trespass, or other malicious interference with real or personal property lawfully in his or her possession, in case the force is not more than is necessary." ... (Workman goes on to discuss the gray area over not using more force than necessary.) http://www.examiner.com/x-4525-Seattle-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2010m2d11-Charges-backlash-follow-bus-tunnel-beating-what-can-citizens-actually-do --- Starbucks Also Serves Mush: This is the reply I received to my comment form thanking Starbucks for not knuckling to demands that they ban firearms in their stores: Hello Stephen, Thanks for contacting Starbucks Coffee Company. For Starbucks, the safety of our customers and partners is a paramount concern. We have existing security protocols in place to handle situations related to safety in our stores. We will continue to adhere closely to local, state and federal laws and the counsel of law enforcement regarding this issue. We appreciate you taking the time to share your perspective. Sounds like a generic response to anyone who is requesting a weapons ban. Why do I get the impression that Starbucks does not allow their own employees to be armed? Oh well, at least they're doing the right thing with regard to the public. --- Amazing Story: I was shot point blank in the chest Friday the 13th of July 2007, the bullet entered near the front edge of my left armpit about 4 in. to the left of my left nipple and about 2 in above it. The bullet traveled through my left lung destroying about 30% of it then the bullet nicked my aorta and heart sack it then ricocheted of of the inside front of my ribcage. It then tore through my diaphragm leaving a 3 in by 2 in hole in my diaphragm. From there it tore through my stomach destroying 3 acid ducts and causing me to lose about 20% of my stomach. From there the bullet nicked my liver and spleen then it traveled through the back third of my spinal cord canal from about the middle of T11 on my left side to about the middle of T12 where it exited my spinal canal and traveled about another inch to my right parallel with the skin of my back and came to rest. The bullet was a Speer Gold dot 9mm that was fired from a Glock model 17... (Note that this shooting was the result of criminal negligence by a colleague.) http://thegregariousloner.blogspot.com/2010/02/glens-story.html --- "Gun Control," the Mexican Experience: We read with horror about yet another mass slaughter in our Mexican border city, Juarez, on the last day of January when 18 young persons were killed in cold blood at a festive event. This story is now being repeated all over Mexico, particularly in the northern tier of states. There is a terrible irony about the current wave of deaths occurring from out-of-control shootings, many with fully automatic weapons. The principle irony is this. To my knowledge, Mexico has the toughest gun control laws in the Western Hemisphere... Private ownership of firearms was restricted by Mexican government authorities after the wind down of the Mexican Revolution in 1924. This was an attempt to quell any further uprisings, particularly in the northern Mexican states. This was unlike private gun ownership in the United States, which permitted both North and South Civil War veterans to keep their firearms. Tens of thousands of weapons were retained by Civil War veterans and are still in private and museum collections today. Firearms, however, were and are widely held by Mexican law enforcement agencies, some of which are corrupt, including Municipal Police, State Police, Federal law enforcement and the Mexican Military. In our travels in Mexico, my family felt not threatened by the general populace, although there were plenty of bad guys, particularly in southern Mexico, but fear and caution were associated with Mexican enforcement entities armed to the teeth, which controlled road blocks all over the Republic sometimes demanding bribes for safe passage... http://www.lcsun-news.com/las_cruces-opinion/ci_14380633 --- Army Selects Scapegoats for Ft. Hood Massacre: The military will formally discipline at least six officers, mostly from Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, for failing to take action against the officer accused of carrying out last year's deadly shooting rampage at Fort Hood, according to people familiar with the matter. Senior Army officials said the decision to punish so many officers reflects the military's belief that the November assault, which killed 13 people at the Army base in central Texas, could have been prevented if Maj. Nidal Hasan's superiors had alerted authorities to his increasing Islamist radicalization. The officials said that as many as eight officers could ultimately be censured over Maj. Hasan, mostly with letters of reprimand that effectively end their military careers. The punishments will be detailed in an "accountability review" that Army Gen. Carter Ham, who has been investigating the shootings for several months, will deliver to top Army officials as early as Friday... (Not surprisingly, there is no mention of the political correctness that, prior to the massacre, would likely have harmed the careers of the scapegoats had they made such reports and, more to the point, the policy that rendered Hasan's victims defenseless.) http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703455804575057612342107400.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_MIDDLENexttoWhatsNewsThird --- Tangentially Related: Academics have attacked a decision by a top university to scrap research into English history before 1700. It was claimed that the move by Sussex University risked jeopardising the nation's understanding of the subject and "entrenching the ignorance of the present". Under plans, research and in-depth teaching into periods such as the Tudors, the Middle-Ages, Norman Britain, the Viking invasion and the Anglo-Saxons will be scrapped, along with the Civil Wars. The university will also end research into the history of continental Europe pre-1900, affecting the study of the Napoleonic wars and the Roman Empire. The university said it was "reshaping" its curriculum and research following a £3m cut in Government funding... (Recall that the origins of the struggle for American independence stemmed for the colonists' attempts to regain the traditional rights of Englishmen.) http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/7215895/History-of-England-starts-at-1700-says-university.html A state board of only 15 people will vote on whether to revise U.S. textbooks to omit references to Daniel Boone, Gen. George Patton, Nathan Hale, Columbus Day and Christmas. The Texas State Board of Education will also vote on a proposal to substitute the term "American" with "global citizen." Mathew Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel, is warning Americans to speak up before only eight people, with a majority vote, have a chance to literally rewrite American history. He appeared on the "Huckabee Show" to explain why the board's vote matters to the rest of America. Staver said Texas and California are the two largest textbook purchasers in the nation. "Whatever textbooks they select affect the rest of the country because publishers publish those kinds of books, and the rest of the country follows," he said. But because of California's budget crisis, the state hasn't been able to purchase as many new textbooks, he explained. So the default is Texas... ("Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.") From AzCDL: SB 1168 will be heard in the Senate Judiciary Committee at 1:30 PM on Monday, February 15, 2010. To send a message to the committee members, urging them to support SB 1168, go here: http://capwiz.com/azcdl/issues/alert/?alertid=14676351 . HB 2543 will be heard in the House Military Affairs and Public Safety Committee at 9:00 AM on Wednesday, February 17, 2010. To send a message to the committee members, urging them to support HB 2543, go here: http://capwiz.com/azcdl/issues/alert/?alertid=14678286 . Both bills strengthen state firearms preemption laws, add firearms storage and accessories to the list of things political subdivisions cannot regulate, and remove the prohibition on carrying a firearm in public parks without a CCW permit. Your participation is critical for the success of this pro-rights legislation. It boils down to getting involved and making a difference or letting others determine the future of YOUR rights. It only takes a minute to click on the link to the Action Center, fill-in your name and address and send a message to the committee members. Make history! Get involved: http://capwiz.com/azcdl/home/ . If you are available, we also urge you come down to the Capitol and testify on these bills. If you are interested, please contact Dave Kopp at president@AzCDL.org . We thank everyone who took the time to contact their Representatives and Senator about HB 2305, SB 1021, and SB 1172, which were debated in Committee of the Whole (COW) hearings on February 11, 2010. Despite an extremely short notice, hundreds of messages were sent out by dedicated activists to most of the Legislature. All 3 bills passed out of COW. Well done! More news! The NRA is throwing its weight behind the AzCDL-requested Constitutional Carry reform: http://www.nraila.org/Legislation/Read.aspx?ID=5379 . 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. Renew your membership 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 .