Chicago's Racist Basis for "Gun Control": ... The Bill of Rights was originally intended to prevent a tyranny by the federal government. But when the Civil War ended slavery, the Southern states passed the Black Codes, which deprived African Americans of basic rights - including gun ownership. The 14th Amendment to the Constitution was adopted in 1868 to prevent states and localities from violating these rights. Today, Chicago has its own equivalent of the Black Codes, which it argues is constitutional because everyone is equally deprived of rights. In Chicagospeak, an 1866 petition of freed slaves complaining that South Carolina prohibited them from possessing firearms only sought "an equality requirement." ...Guess who Chicago relies on? The racist opponents of the Fourteenth Amendment. One was Senator Thomas A. Hendricks of Indiana, later President Grover Cleveland's vice president, who objected to blacks having "civil rights and immunities which are enjoyed by the white people," including the right to bear arms. Another was Senator Reverdy Johnson of Maryland, the lawyer for the slave owner in the 1857 Dred Scott case, which refused to recognize African Americans as citizens because it would give them "the full liberty of speech . . . and to keep and carry arms wherever they went." Sen. Henry Wilson of Massachusetts - who later became vice president under President Ulysses S. Grant - complained that Southern militias were "visiting the freedmen, disarming them," but the city of Chicago would ignore the rest of Wilson's sentence: "perpetrating murders and outrages on them." Is that okay? Enough of the historical company that Chicago keeps. What does Chicago say to the Supreme Court about its gun ban today? Enacted in 1982, it's quite a success: "Handguns were used in 402 of the 412 firearm homicides in Chicago in 2008." If that's a success, what's a failure? ... http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/columns/OpEd-Contributor/Chicago-versus-the-Second-Amendment-85683127.html --- Idaho Firearms Freedom Act Introduced: The Idaho Firearms Freedom Act has been introduced as H0589 by Rep. Dick Harwood. If passed, this bill would create a confrontation at the federal level by making it legal to possess a firearm in Idaho regardless of federal regulations PROVIDED the firearm's use AND manufacture meet certain requirements, including being manufactured in Idaho, with products produced in Idaho and stamped "Made in Idaho." This makes 25 states with FFA bills introduced or enacted. We're now at 50% of states that are involved with the FFA movement to roll back Washington's power over states... http://www.ammoland.com/2010/02/26/idaho-firearms-freedom-act-has-been/ --- Virginia Firearms Freedom Act Advances: Virginia Great news! Last month we alerted you to a superb pro-gun bill pending in the Virginia General Assembly. HB 69 recently passed the House of Delegates overwhelmingly (70-29) and is now before the Senate's Courts of Justice Committee. Introduced by Del. Charles Carrico (R-5) and known as the Virginia Firearms Freedom Act, HB 69 is modeled after similar legislation which has been successful in other states, including Montana - the first state to pass such a law. The Firearms Freedom Act has a simple concept. HB 69 states that if a gun was made in Virginia, and then stays in the Commonwealth, the federal government may not regulate it under the Interstate Commerce Clause. (Because, you see, the gun was never part of interstate commerce.) This is important because the Commerce Clause is the "hook" that Congress has used to justify almost every single federal gun control law. But with the passage of HB 69, the Commonwealth will take a stand that guns stamped with the words "Made in Virginia" are no business of the federal government... http://www.ammoland.com/2010/02/27/firearms-freedom-act-advances-in-virginia/ --- Gun Owners Debate Nevada Sheriff: A town hall meeting intended to cover the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department's budget instead produced a verbal sparring match over gun registration. Metro Police Sheriff Doug Gillespie planned to discuss the economic challenges facing his department. But, Gillespie spent a significant amount of time defending Clark County's gun registration system. The blue card registration system requires people to register their guns in Nevada. Sheriff Gillespie says the system helps the department solve crimes, including a murder case. "If it hadn't been for that (system), this crime would not have been solved," Sheriff Gillespie said. "In my opinion, it is justified, and it is useful." But, some of the people who attended Thursday night's meeting have doubts. "How many crimes are solved every year because of that," one person asked... http://www.lasvegasnow.com/Global/story.asp?S=12048507 The blue card may go because of budget problems. We (GONV) are working that angle. The real obstacle is the NVSCA. They are the ones that lobby every legislative session for anti 2nd Amendment bills. . . Increases in fees (when none should exist) stricter gun control, etc. We need a new Sheriff in Clark County. ...However, the law needs to be changed in the legislature. So we need to apply pressure on those critters up in Carson City. That is what we are doing until this session ends. (Clark County is the only county in Nevada that requires [or conducts] handgun registration. Las Vegas Metro PD is an entity of the sheriff's department and patrols all of Clark County, with the exception of two or three small cities that operate their own police departments. The original concept behind creating the Metro PD was to guarantee funding for patrol activity as the sheriff is not mandated to provide that service. NVSCA is the sheriffs' and chiefs' association that sets CCW standards in Nevada, including recognition of out-of-state permits.) http://gonv.org/blog/2010/02/27/blue-card-sheriff-gun-registration/ --- Open Carry Demonstration at San Francisco's Presidio: Small groups of armed Californians have been turning up at cafes and coffee shops with handguns holstered to their belts to raise awareness about gun rights and what they call unfair limits on concealed weapon permits. The loosely organized "Bay Area Open Carry Movement" will gather in the Presidio, a national park in San Francisco, on Saturday, just days after a new law took effect allowing weapons to be carried in national parks and wildlife refuges. David LaTour, a student at San Jose State University, has been carrying his Springfield XD 9mm handgun on his hip for about a month now and plans on attending the event, in which gun rights advocates will be picking up trash in the park and, they hope, talking to anyone interested in state gun laws. California allows its citizens to openly display and carry unloaded weapons without a permit, but many gun advocates complain that the state is too restrictive when it comes to issuing licenses to carry concealed weapons. "I looked into concealed carry permits, but unless you're well-connected it's impossible to obtain," says Mr. LaTour. However, he says, "I personally prefer open carry because of the visual deterrent." ... http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2010/0227/Guns-at-Starbucks-Pushing-the-right-to-bear-arms-in-public --- NRA-ILA Alerts: List member are encouraged to check the alerts for the week, posted on the NRA-ILA website. http://www.nraila.org/GrassrootsAlerts/read.aspx --- Tangentially Related: Every dog owner will have to take a costly 'competence test' to prove they can handle their pets, under new Government proposals designed to curb dangerous dogs. Owners of all breeds would also have to buy third-party insurance in case their pet attacked someone, and pay for the insertion of a microchip in their animal recording their name and address. The proposals are among a range of measures to overhaul dog laws in England and Wales being considered by senior Ministers, who are expected to announce a public consultation within weeks... (Will California be far behind? As a daily user of the local dog park, I can say that a large proportion of dog owners don't know that much about canine behavior. However, as I say a firearm safety, "It's a matter for education, not legislation." How about a pamphlet when you purchase the dog's first license?) http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1254356/Now-Government-want-competence-test-dog-owner.html --- From John Farnam: 22 Feb 10 Scenario-Based Training: We just completed another weekend, Scenario-Based Training Program (Airsoft) at the wonderful Safe-Direction facility in Addison, IL. There is little point in beginning students attending these, but well-trained Operators benefit immensely from exercising their skills and judgement during a series of complex and demanding challenges, involving their entire repertoire of skills. My experienced cadre of actors are trained to draw-out specific responses, appropriate and inappropriate, from students. Attendees were all well-trained Gunmen, police and non-police, all of whom carry regularly. Students succeeded brilliantly, and blundered clumsily, learning and relearning with every episode. My observations: A group of college students were engaged in a river-rafting adventure last summer in CA. One of them suggested the entire group visit a nearby, notorious "nude beach." Naively expecting to see a herd of glamorous movie-star look-alikes parading around in the buff, their foolish hopes were dashed when what greeted them instead was a pathetic gaggle of unattractive, fifty-ish, overweight, harry-crotched, males wandering about aimlessly, hoping to be noticed. Sadly, they were! Next day, when they recounted their distasteful experience to an older and wiser member of the group (who had not been with them), he replied, "Well, you dumb saps, what did you really expect to find there?" It is called the "Unrealistic-Expectations" Syndrome, and it is just one of several we cataloged last weekend. Here are the others: The "I-Feel..." Syndrome: How often we hear, "I just had a feeling... I can't believe I was so wrong!" The advice we give to all is, "Gauge your protective posture based on suspect capabilities, not suspect intent." Guessing at someone's intent is always dangerous. Betting your life on your guess is often fatal! The "Feet-in-Cement" Syndrom: No one is immune from this, and it must be addressed constantly. When we confront anything unexpected, our tendency is to stop where we are, plant our feet in cement, and then gawk interminably at whatever is currently confusing us. We have to train constantly to keep ourselves in motion and keep our head up. Whatever you're doing, do it while moving! The "180-Degree" Syndrome: No one is watching your back! You have to be your own partner, your own back-up. There are 360 degrees to a circle, not just 180! You need to think of yourself as being in the center of a sphere. There is more to it than just the Equator! The "Stand-in-the-Open" Syndrome: "Cover" is an attitude! Constantly presenting your attacker with a nearly impossible target is the key to a long and happy life! Who have been involved in active military situations rarely break cover. The less experienced naively walk into the open in order to "get a better view," "let him see my gun," "so that I can address him more clearly," and a host of other dubious reasons. For one, I have scant interest in a "fair" fight! The "Get-Closer-When-They-Don't-Appear-to-Understand-Me" Syndrome: It is common, when a suspect does not appear to understand our attempts to communicate with him verbally, for us to take a step forward, and then repeat the command. With each non-response, we robotically take a step closer. We should be moving in the other direction! The "Stay-on-the-Trigger-too-Long" Syndrome: Many otherwise competent students, when they make the decision to shoot, get on the trigger and stop shooting only when they notice they are in slide-lock. This practice routinely generates numerous entry wounds in the back of the suspect! When a violent criminal, menacing though he may have been seconds earlier, clearly no longer represents a threat, the law requires us to stop shooting. Most suspects, when shot via pistols, don't drop instantly to the ground. In the vast majority of cases, they run away! Continuing to shoot at them, as they run, is likely going to generate a real criminal-justice-system problem for the shooter! The "I'm-Confused,-Let's-All-Take-a-Break" Syndrome: "Taking a break" only works when we all agree on it. Just because you're ready for a break doesn't mean the fight, and all involved, will go along with you! In fights, there are no scheduled "breaks!" Whatever happens, you going to have to fight through it. No worthy opponent will ever give you a chance to catch your breath! The "What-Am-I-Really-Seeing?" Syndrome: What you're seeing is a historical snapshot! In most cases, you don't get to know what lead up to it. In most cases, you don't know much more than you do know. So many times, what we think we're seeing is nothing like what it really happening. Don't jump to conclusions! The "My-Good-Faith-Efforts-Will-be-Recognized-as-Such" Syndrome: Dream on! Whatever you choose to do, or choose not to do, it won't be perfect. There was probably a better way. You just didn't think of it in time. When you choose to become involved in a situation, the law requires you to do so in a "non-negligent" manner, whatever that means! The "Once-Down-Down for Good" Syndrome: Dream on some more! When shot, some suspects do fall to the ground. Seconds later, they are often back on their feet and dangerous as ever. When a suspect goes down, it does not automatically mean that you can safely ignore him from that point forward! The "Everyone-Will-be-Impressed-with-My-Gun" Syndrome: Brandishing a pistol often impresses people and causes them to mollify their threatening behavior (at least rational people). Conversely, criminal suspects, particularly when suffering from chemically-induced mental illness, are routinely unimpressed. Definitive verbal challenges often assist them in reevaluating their position! We are scheduling another such Program in Addison, IL this Spring. Many, it seems, believe they will benefit from this kind of intense challenge! /John 24 Feb 10 Close call! This experience from a friend and well-known trainer: "Last week, I conducted a low-light Pistol Program with a local PD SWAT Team. The Lieutenant in charge of the Patrol Division asked me to teach the section on flashlight-technique to his cadre of Patrol Sergeants. They all showed up during the SWAT Team's lunch break. One sergeant, when he attempted his first shot (G22), was rewarded with a 'click,' instead of a 'bang!' When he ejected the recalcitrant round and chambered a fresh one, he got the same result. When I subsequently broke-down his pistol, I discovered a fractured firing-pin/striker. Rare, but certainly not unheard-of. The really scary part is that it was subsequently revealed that it had been three months since his last Qualification. That was the last time this particular pistol is known to have functioned normally. The sergeant in question indicated that his pistol had not been fired, nor received any maintenance, since. Sometime in there, the striker broke. Thank God he never had to fire it in anger during those three months!" Comment: I have seen this more than once, with all brands of pistols. The way to insure you can always defend yourself with gunfire: (1) You must shoot regularly, at least once a month, (2) habitually field-strip, clean, examine, and lubricate your pistol(s), and (3) regularly carry a back-up pistol. In this day and age, the foregoing is the kind of mistake we can't afford to make! /John (It is doubtful that the striker broke while it was sitting motionless in a pistol that was not being fired. Exercise maintains muscles and periodic training maintains skills. I fail to see how repeated fring of firearms makes them more reliable, once they have been broken in and the trigger-related parts have smoothed out. Periodic cleaning of firearms is a good idea and should be accompanied by a function check [more below]. A breakage will usually occur while a firearm is being fired, hence it is best to inspect and check during the subsequent cleaning process, not at the next range session.) 25 Feb 10 Follow-up on maintenance of carry pistols: From a friend with a Metro-PD in MI: "Our lieutenant bought a Colt Cobra (snubby, six-shot revolver) shortly after joining the Force. I'm not sure where he got it, but he carried it as a back-up for the last twenty-five years of his police career. He continued to carry it, now as his only gun, during his retirement years. In all the years he owned it, it was never checked-over by an armorer, nor was any maintenance ever performed on it, nor did the lieutenant, nor anyone else, ever fire it. Years later, while in his seventies, he was walking in the woods near his retirement cottage. On a whim, he decided to finally fire his little revolver (for the first time) at a discarded pop can. It did not fire, not the first time he pulled the trigger, nor the sixth! A local gunsmith examined it the next day and discovered that the lieutenant's revolver did not have a firing pin, and apparently had never had one! A subsequent investigation revealed that the gun had been used as a trainer and had thus been rendered sterile, decades earlier. Obviously, up until that moment, no one had ever noticed! This officer had been carrying a non-functional pistol for over thirty years, and never knew it, nor, I'm sure, even suspected it!" Comment: He was lucky to have gotten away with it! Who are that nonchalant in our time, probably won't! Jim Garthwaite, eminent pistolsmith and my good friend, suggests the "Pencil-Check" on all pistols after any kind of maintenance has been performed, and routinely even when maintenance has not been performed. The pencil-check will confirm that the firing-pin is functioning as designed and will therefore reliably dent primers with enough force to dependably generate normal ignition. Unload the pistol first. Then, point it upward (assuming that is a safe direction). Drop down the bore a pencil, eraser first, so that the eraser comes to rest over the firing-pin hole on the bolt-face. Press the trigger. When the firing-pin hits the eraser, the pencil will jump out of the barrel at least far enough to clear the muzzle. That is prima-facie evidence that the firing pin is intact and functioning normally. When the pencil doesn't move, or only jumps an inch or two, the firing-pin is broken, defective in some other way, or the firing-pin channel is so clogged with grime that the firing-pin cannot move as designed. In any event, the pistol is out of action and should not be carried. A competent armorer needs to check-over all your serious guns at least once a year. As owners/carriers, our duty is to shoot our guns regularly, and perform user-level maintenance (including the pencil-test) diligently. Take care of your guns, and they will take care of you! /John (I'm not sure if "pistol," as used above, is intended to include revolvers. The pencil check described is easily performed with a revolver that can be cocked, to be fired in single-action mode. It is more difficult to perform in a double-action-only revolver because if the pencil is inserted into the barrel with the hammer down, it will keep the cylinder from rotating. Function checks include more than the pencil check. In a pistol they include checking the function of the disconnector and in a revolver they include checking the timing. Learn how to perform these checks. Learn which parts are the most prone to breakage and checks screws to ensure that they have not shot loose. Larger law-enforcement agencies generally have factory-certified armorers to perform that annual check or repairs as needed. Private citizens may not have similar access. Learn to perform at least basic maintenance on your firearms. Gunsmithing books and videos are available for many firearms and instructions for disassembly and reassembly are often available online. Make sure that you have a good set of screwdrivers in the appropriate sizes and any other more specialized tools you feel you may need. Brownells [http://www.brownells.com/Default.aspx] is the "gunsmith's supermarket" but some of the items they sell may be available cheaper elsewhere, particularly if you don't qualify for their FFL discount.) 26 Feb 10 Range Incident, from a Trainer in SA: "We were at the range earlier today, doing cover drills. I was using my personal set of steel plates as targets, as these are wonderful in terms of instant feedback to the student. Nothing sounds quite like a bullet striking hard metal! Like all competent steel targets, my particular set is made of hard armor-plate, and I have been using them for a number of years now, without incident ... until today! Our Range has a 15m 'stop wall' in back, which is actually a natural sand-dune that we have incorporated into the range complex. As always, I was directing affairs from behind a line of shooters. Suddenly, it felt as if an invisible attacker had taken a swing at my face, but hit the visor of my baseball cap instead, causing it to drop forward over my eyes and knocking my safety-glasses askew. Simultaneously, I felt something drop onto my right boot. When I recovered, concluded that I was unhurt, and replaced my cap and glasses, I looked down to find a single, in-tact bullet lying on the ground between my feet. Upon inspection, it appears that the bullet hit one of my steel plates right on the edge, scraping off a roll of brass jacketing in the process. The rest of the bullet continued downrange, ultimately hitting the sand. However, it found just the right angle off the sand stop to be deflected straight up, to eventually drop down onto my head! It left quite a dent in the brim of my cap, and a nasty scar on the lens of my safety-glasses! Of course, it is always difficult to describe what didn't happen, but I am persuaded that, had I not been wearing my cap and glasses, as prescribed, I would likely have suffered a sizeable cut and bruise to my forehead, along with significant injury to my eye. In any event, I was none-the-worse for ware, and we continued training as if nothing had happened. But, I did take a moment to re-remind everyone to keep their safety equipment on, all the time they are on the range!" Comment: All legitimate trainers require baseball caps, glasses (with side-protection), and hearing protection of everyone, participants and non-participants alike, on the Range. For one, I also encourage long pants, long-sleeved shirts, and substantial shoes/boots. For any number of reasons, skin needs substantive protection, and exposed skin needs to be minimized. I don't, for example, allow sweat-pants, Lycra, nor Spandex! Unfortunately, our Industry is often our own worst enemy with regard to this issue, as many in it are still fond of producing ads and magazine articles showing glamorous, spandex-clad models shooting away, while not wearing glasses, nor baseball caps. Editors and publishers of all gun magazines need to immediately impose a hard-rule that no photo, demonstrating such blatantly unsafe practices, will ever be accepted for publication, except when specifically used to illustrate a bad example! I, even today, go to military ranges, even some police ranges, where people are blithely, naively shooting away, often at steel targets as described above, without glasses. I've even been on ranges where participants are required to wear body-armor, but not safety-glasses. How stupid can we get? This is absolutely insane, and should never be allowed! Nearly all range/training injuries are preventable, with competent procedure and good safety equipment, both required of everyone! We have enough enemies already! /John (Shooting steel targets is fun and great training thanks to the instant feedback given by the sound of a hit. This auditory feedback is often enhanced by the visual feedback of the target falling, swinging or spinning. However, I have seen and felt enough impacts from ricochets off steel targets and target frames that I forgo the use of steel targets. I even make it a point to build my target frames of wood.) 28 Feb 10 "I've known many who fearlessly yearn for a fight, when the enemy is far away. Few continue to so yearn, when the enemy is close!" US Grant In my friend and colleague, Phil Messina's, new and wonderful book, Warrior 101, Phil affirms, "Fear is the friend to those who try to embrace it, the enemy of those who try to conquer it, and the tormentor of those who try to avoid it" Once again, Phil helps us all to articulate, to ourselves and to others, core values we are trying so hard to preserve, advance, and teach to the next generation. His new book is filled with such wise and wonderful guidance. Recommended! /John (This is the first I have heard of Phil's book. Phil is the real deal and has helped discard a lot of the chaff and introduce more of the wheat into the world of police "defensive tactics," which is the euphemism for empty-hand training. This book appears to focus on mindset. Recognizing that some list members are put off by term "warrior mindset," I doubt this book will be a disappointment for those who are not. I will be ordering a copy [http://www.modernwarrior.com/warrior101.html] as soon as this mailing goes out.) -- 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 .