As I'm Sure Everyone Knows...: A bitterly divided House of Representatives late Sunday night passed the Senate's sweeping heath care legislation 219-212 after a day-long debate, with not a single Republican voting in favor. Thirty-four Democrats (see list at end) voted against the bill, which House Speaker Nancy Pelosi summed up as Congress "making history, making progress and restoring the American dream." Having struck a deal earlier in the day to head off a small but potentially decisive rebellion by Democrats over abortion funding, President Obama reportedly watched the televised vote tally at the White House with Vice President Joe Biden and several dozen others. Wire service reports said cheers erupted in the room when the "ayes" reached the 216 votes required for the bill to pass... (If this travesty survives court challenges, it will have pushed the Constitution over the precipice and our economy into the toilet. As I predicted, when Big Brother was elected, Chicago machine politics have taken over the nation. I understand that 38 states are preparing to sue.) http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/63122 --- Indiana Gunners Welcome Parking-Lot-Storage Law: For one, having a fellow restaurant owner killed during a robbery scared him into getting a permit to carry his gun. For another, witnessing a domestic situation spill over into the workplace and leave a co-worker dead scared her into ensuring everyone gets home from work safely every day. The experiences of Mickey Skoulos, owner of Sunrise Cafe on Beardsley Avenue, and Ariann Lawhorn, human resources manager at Mid-City Supply Co. on Industrial Parkway, shape their views of the "take your gun to work" bill that Gov. Mitch Daniels signed Thursday. The new law, which passed handily through the Indiana General Assembly, allows Hoosiers to keep firearms locked in their vehicles while they are at work with exceptions made for places like schools, daycare centers, prisons and shelters. Currently, Indiana employers are able to set their own policies regarding guns at their facilities, said Terry Dawson, partner at Barnes & Thornburg in Indianapolis. This law, when it takes effect July 1, will prohibit businesses from banning weapons at their work sites which is creating tension between the Second Amendment right to bear arms and companies' right to control the properties they own... (I apologize to any list members who work in "human resources" but I always found HR to be the biggest concentration of "dim bulbs" in all the years I worked for employers large enough to have such departments. If existing law failed to protect one of her co-workers, why does Ms. Lawhorn think the new law will make things worse?) http://www.etruth.com/Know/News/Story.aspx?id=508591 --- Ohio Set CHL Record in 2009: Five years after it became legal for Ohioans to carry concealed firearms, more people lined up for permits than in any year since the law took effect. A record number of permits also were issued in Michigan last year, and across the country sales of guns and ammunition soared as well. While many cite the Obama factor - some Americans feared the President would take away their right to keep and bear arms - they also say the recession has prompted security fears. "The economy is causing all these law enforcement officers, whether they're police officers or sheriff's deputies, to get laid off and people realize they're in a situation where they may have to be responsible for their own safety," said Daniel White, executive director of Ohioans for Concealed Carry, a pro-gun lobbying group formed in 1999 to push for a concealed-carry law... http://toledoblade.com/article/20100321/NEWS16/3210301/-1/NEWS01 Dean El-Joubeily couldn't help but replay his own face-off with a gunman when he learned that a Toledo shop owner recently pulled the trigger and injured a suspected armed robber, and two days later a carryout clerk shot and killed a gunman. "It just made me a nervous wreck," said Mr. El-Joubeily, 41, who now owns Deano's Mini Mart in Springfield Township. Mr. El-Joubeily said that it wasn't long after he was granted a concealed carry permit in February, 2005, that he pointed the 40-caliber semiautomatic handgun hidden in the holster under his shirt at a man trying to rob his former carryout on McCord Road at Hill Avenue... Last year, 56,691 Ohioans applied for permits to carry a concealed weapon - the most in the law's five-year history. Owens Community College and Cleland's Outdoor World in Monclova Township have increased instructional offerings to meet the demand. Owens first offered monthly courses last fall for those seeking a concealed-weapon permit but now offers weekly classes, said Mike Cornell, director of the Center for Emergency Preparedness at Owens. "We quickly realized we needed more," Mr. Cornell said. Cleland's has doubled its firearms classes in the past two years and sees more first-time gun buyers than ever before, said Theresa Cleland, who with her husband co-owns Cleland's... http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100321/NEWS16/3210302/0/BUSINESS05 --- Meanwhile, in Upstate New York...: Sitting in my local barbershop getting a trim recently, the conversation turned to the previous day's activities. My barber, his wife and another hairdresser had made a day of taking a pistol safety course in order to complete their handgun license applications. The female hairdresser said she decided to do it now "in case they made it illegal" to do so in the future. Apparently, she isn't alone in this belief. In Columbia County, as well as across the country, requests for pistol permits are on the rise, along with gun sales and instruction. According to Columbia County Sheriff David Harrison Jr., in the last three years, the number of pistol permit requests and licenses actually completed have been growing in number. From 2007 to 2009, the number of completed pistol applications has gone up by almost 100, from 140 to 233. And this year, the numbers seem to be even greater. So far, in less than three months, the Sheriff's Office has handed out 115 gun permit applications and 53 have been completed, said Harrison... http://www.registerstar.com/articles/2010/03/20/news/doc4ba45e28ccc51987679325.txt --- Open-Carry Event in Wisconsin: ICarry.org is trying to make Beloit more beautiful by cleaning up two miles of Riverside Drive along the Rock River. They're doing this while trying to raise awareness about the right to carry guns. The pistols on their belts are there legally because in Wisconsin, you can carry them on the outside of your clothes as long as they're fully exposed. But it's illegal to conceal them. In fact, Wisconsin and Illinois are the only states in the nation where concealed carry is illegal. Open carry is actually a great way to educate the public and let them know responsible law abiding citizens do carry pistols for self defense, and it's becoming a more regular and regular thing to see in Wisconsin," says Shaun Kranish, Executive Director of ICarry.org. Carry.org is also trying to get the Wisconsin legislature to overturn a law that makes it illegal to carry a gun within 1,000 feet of a school. Organizers say too often school shootings escalate because there's not someone armed and able to stop the gunman. (Please tell me that none of those people actually carry openly in the skimpy sort of holster pictured with the article. I have rarely seen a holster begging more loudly for a disarming attempt.) http://www.wifr.com/home/headlines/88787587.html --- Canada Views US Open Carry: About 60 gun rights activists gather in a pizzeria in the Virginia suburb of Falls Church, just outside of Washington DC, their firearms openly displayed in waist holsters. They are celebrating what they expect will be the successful enactment in Virginia of legislation expanding gun rights for residents. Republican Governor Bob McDonnell has pledged to sign the measure... As many as 43 states already have some form of open-carry laws that allow citizens to carry firearms in plain view. "Gun laws (authorizing openly carrying weapons) and popularity of gun ownership have been going up considerably," said Philip Van Cleave, president of the Virginia Citizens Defense League, carrying a .40-caliber semiautomatic pistol strapped to his belt... In Virginia, where residents can already openly carry firearms, the new law would expand gun rights to allow concealed carry permit holders to bring loaded weapons into establishments that have a liquor license, including bars, nightclubs, restaurants, pizza parlors and bowling alleys... (I find the linkage, between open carry and legislation to legalize CCW in Virginia establishments that serve alcohol, kind of strange.) http://www.vancouversun.com/news/rights+advocates+pack+heat+with+pride/2708583/story.html --- Aren't' They Forgetting Something?: Several local organizations are teaming up to host a civil rights restoration workshop Tuesday at the Quincie Douglas Branch Library, 1585 E. 36th Street [Tucson]. The event, sponsored by the Primavera Foundation, the University of Arizona's James R. Rogers College of Law and the Pima County Clerk of the Superior Court, is from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Attendees will be given one-on-one assistance with restoring civil rights, such as to vote, run for office or serve on a jury, as well as help in vacating or reclassifying convictions, when applicable, according to a news release issued by Primavera. About 75,000 individuals in Arizona are prevented from voting due to felony convictions, according to the release... (This appears to be oriented toward registering more Democrats. Conspicuously absent from this report is any mention that Arizona will also restore the RKBA to those who have completed their sentences for non-violent felonies and will even issue CWP's to those who have had that right restored.) http://www.azstarnet.com/news/local/crime/article_c3e743ba-35db-11df-a97d-001cc4c03286.html --- Attention, California Gunners: Our weekly poll on California gun laws has come to a conclusion today. Over 600 of you voted. We thank you. Almost 7 out of 10 of you believe the worst two California gun laws are: * The "may-issue" concealed carry system should be changed to a "shall issue" system. Almost 300 of you (44.4%) voted to end California's highly discretionary system. * Another 167 of you (24.8%) say the so-called "assault weapon" ban should end. 30% of you spread your votes across 8 other laws you consider to be the worst. The total number of people who participated in our poll was over 650. As we said last week, this is a tough decision to select only one. So, today have modified our poll to determine of the 8 other laws, what do you consider the worst so that we end up with the top three laws that California gun owners want changed. Again, as in last weeks poll, you get one vote and one vote only, so make it count... (I presume that these polls are intended to guide the efforts of the California Rifle & Pistol Association, of which I remain a Life Member.) http://www.gunnewsdaily.com/index.php/article-archives/330-californians-we-want-a-shall-issue-system --- Oops, Wrong Hotel Room: I was surprised - shocked, even - to read last week that Cook County [IL] prosecutors charged Kristian Branch with first-degree murder. Police say the 28-year-old Elgin woman accompanied her boyfriend, Mario Charles, Tuesday when he entered a Schaumburg hotel room to pull an armed robbery. One of the intended victims also had a gun, though, and shot back and killed Charles. Illinois' "felony murder" statute says that if you commit a serious crime that results in someone's death, you can face first-degree murder charges even if you were unarmed or didn't directly cause the death. The idea is that if a pair of punks stick up a bank and one of them kills the teller, they're equally responsible. If, for example, in the Schaumburg case, Charles had killed his intended victim instead of vice versa, the law would say Branch ought to have known such a tragic outcome was possible and so is just as guilty as Charles. It violates my layman's understanding of the crime of murder - that it requires intent to kill - but I certainly see how such a law could be a deterrent to those contemplating capers in which lives could be lost and could also be a valuable tool for authorities confronted with co-conspirators all trying to implicate one another as the actual killer. But here, no one was murdered, according to police accounts of the crime. The victim killed Charles in self-defense. Charles paid the price of crime and Branch, it would seem to me, ought to pay the price, if convicted, of being part of an armed robbery team... (Sorry, Eric, but that's precisely what a "felony murder" statute is intended to punish, in those states that have one.) http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/ct-oped-zorn-03-21-2010-20100321,0,51389.column --- Oops, Wrong House, Bahamas Version: A resident shot two would-be armed robbers who were trying to break into his house, police revealed last night. The incident happened at Assembly Estates, Firetrail Road, at about 2pm yesterday. When police officers arrived they found a gold Honda Accord car, licence plate number 221452, outside the house and a man lying bleeding nearby. According to reports, two men - one allegedly armed with a handgun - were attempting to break into the house when they were seen by someone who lives there. One of the thugs allegedly fired two shots at the resident, who then produced a licensed shotgun and returned fire. This resulted in one of the attempted robbers sustaining gunshot wounds to the shoulder and upper back. He reportedly collapsed while attempting to flee the scene. He was taken to hospital where he is listed as in serious condition. The other would-be robber is thought to have also been hit. He reportedly fled into nearby bushes and is being hunted by detectives. Police up to press time were unable to release a description of the alleged armed robber... (The Bahamas requires a firearms certificate or license for the ownership of firearms and ammunition. Ownership or carry of firearms without such license is punishable by either five or ten years imprisonment, depending on the level of court in which the defendant is convicted.) http://www.tribune242.com/news/03202010_shooting_news_pg1 http://www.examiner.com/x-18149-SelfDefense-Examiner~y2010m3d21-Armed-Bahamas-resident-shoots-violent-home-invader-in-self-defense --- Another Look at Head Shots: A Niagara Falls man claims that on two occasions he was just minding his own business outside a city bar when he was shot in the head. Willie McTyere, 29, of Whirlpool Street was taken to Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center with a gunshot wound to his head after the shooting shortly before 11 p. m. Wednesday in the parking lot of the Elks Sunset Lodge in the 3200 block of Highland Avenue. He was transferred to Erie County Medical Center and then discharged. "He had been shot just above his left eye, but it didn't go through his skull; it was just a flesh wound," said Capt. William M. Thomson, chief of detectives. Thomson said the victim was very uncooperative at the city hospital and told police that he had "just been minding his own business." ...At 2:50 a. m. Jan. 23, police responded to a report of shots fired outside Jo Jo's Smokehouse, a bar in the 1400 block of Main Street. Thomson said that at the hospital McTyere was found with a "hole in the top of his head" from a possible gunshot wound that had entered the top of his skull and caused some bleeding. He said McTyere had to be restrained because he was uncooperative... (Head shots often look goo on paper targets but fail on the street. Where I've lived, shooting victims who refused to cooperate from police typically got shot by intended robbery victims.) http://www.buffalonews.com/2010/03/19/992564/man-shot-in-head-2nd-time-this.html --- Another Look at the US Sniper Upgrade: ...Snipers have been asking for a longer range weapon, but not one as bulky and heavy as the 30 pound .50 caliber (12.7mm) rifle (which is good to about 2,000 meters). Thus the army is modifying existing M24 rifles to fire the more powerful .300 Winchester Magnum ("Win Mag") round. It was felt that this gave the snipers all the additional range they needed, without requiring a much heavier rifle. SOCOM has been using this approach since the early 1990s... There was another option, and that was to replace the barrel and receiver of the M24 sniper rifles to handle the .338 (8.6mm) Lapua Magnum round. Thus you still have a 17 pound sniper rifle, but with a round that can hit effectively out to about 1,600 meters. British snipers in Iraq, and especially Afghanistan, have found the Lapua Magnum round does the job at twice the range of the standard 7.62x51mm round. The 8.6mm round entered use in the early 1990s, and became increasingly popular with police and military snipers. Some NATO snipers have used this round in Afghanistan with much success, and have a decade of experience with these larger caliber rifles. Recognizing the popularity of the 8.6mm round, Barrett, the pioneer in 12.7mm sniper rifles, came out with a 15.5 pound version of its rifle, chambered for the 8.6mm. But the U.S. preferred the lighter .300 Winchester magnum solution... http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htweap/articles/20100322.aspx -- 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 .