The 90% Lie Belied: At the end of March, troops of a major drug cartel launched a series of attacks on military personnel and installations in a half dozen cities in the northern Mexican states of Nueva Leon and Tamaulipas. Fortunately, things did not work out as the narco-thugs had hoped. At least 18 of them are now taking the kind of siesta from which there is no awakening and, at last count, only one Mexican soldier was injured. Contrary to the notion that the cartels depend on semi-automatic rifles bought illegally in the United States, the cartel conducted its attacks with a variety of weapons that cannot be legally bought anywhere in our country. As the Los Angeles Times reported, "In coordinated attacks, gunmen in armored cars and equipped with grenade launchers fought army troops this week. . . . The army said it confiscated armored cars, grenade launchers, about 100 military-grade grenades, [and] explosive devices" in addition to a large quantity of ammunition... http://www.opposingviews.com/i/armed-cartel-attacks-mexican-army-u-s-gun-laws-not-to-blame --- The Beat Goes On?: Background checks for firearm purchases in Virginia are taking longer because of state police staff cuts and strong demand for guns. Virginia State Police spokeswoman Corinne Geller says the agency's Virginia Firearms Transaction Center has lost 11 employees since May 2009. Meanwhile, demand is rising. Between 2000 and 2009, firearms transactions in Virginia increased from 182,170 to 287,462. During peak periods, Geller says background checks can now take to four to six hours to complete. Some that require research into out-of-state records take overnight. Virginia Citizens Defense League President Philip Van Cleave says the delays are costing dealers money and putting at risk people who need firearms for protection. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/local-breaking-news/demand-slows-gun-background-ch.html --- Illinois Gunners Meet to Press for CCW: Fox Valley residents are invited to a town hall meeting Thursday to support right-to-carry firearms legislation in Illinois. The Web site IllinoisCarry.com, an online forum about passing firearm carry legislation, will host the meeting from 7 to 9 p.m. at Pheasant Run Resort's New Orleans Ballroom, 4051 E. Main St., St. Charles. IllinoisCarry.com, which began in 2004, has been a partner of the Illinois State Rifle Association in the past on right-to-carry issues. "It has been widely recognized that the desire for passage of a right to carry law enjoys broad support across most of Illinois, but in the counties surrounding Chicago the issue is not as well understood," said Valinda Rowe, a spokesman for IllinoisCarry. It is not equitable that women in Indiana and Missouri have the right to carry a weapon as a means of self defense if they so choose, while Illinois women are denied that right," she said. Illinois Carry organizers said they are encouraging politicians from both sides of the aisle to attend. A similar meeting held in McHenry County recently drew more than 500 people. http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/genevasun/news/2137511,2_1_AU04_GUNS_S1-100404.article --- New York County DA Argues for Permit Terms: In the months leading up to the ACA shooting, Jiverly Wong wasn't fit to own a weapon. But legally, he had every right to. Broome County District Attorney Gerald Mollen says there are some cracks in our gun laws and they need to be fixed, before tragedy strikes again. "It just seems to make sense that if we're going to have people be able to possess and carry weapons at least we should have some regular check to just see if they're not having a psychotic breakdown," said Gerald Mollen, Broome County District Attorney. To possess a gun in New York, you need a permit. Mollen says that requires an application, references and background check. Whether you're approved is at the discretion of your County Court Judge. But in Upstate New York, you never have to renew your gun permit. Just update it every 10 years... Listing any new guns you may have purchased, or a change of address. Mollen says a renewal, is a must... (This implies psychological testing to own a handgun.) http://www.wbng.com/news/local/89806387.html --- Meanwhile, in California...: An ongoing national debate over gun-carrying policies is making waves in Stanislaus County, where people in June will vote on a position closely tied to concealed weapon permits: county sheriff. Challenger Rob Jackson addressed a gun advocacy group last month, days after the Starbucks Corp. ignited a gun-control dispute by affirming respect for customers who carry firearms where it's legal. Sheriff Adam Christianson will get his turn April 12, two weeks before he's scheduled to ask county supervisors to raise fees for concealed weapons permits. Both candidates are members of the National Rifle Association and say they support the Second Amendment right to bear arms. Both favor current policy giving the sheriff wide latitude when reviewing permit applications, and both refuse to sign a pledge that they say would water down that discretion [emphasis added]... (CalCCW Forum lists Stanislaus County as "May issue with outstanding cause, unlikely to issue to average persons.'" So much for electing a sheriff who's just a member of the NRA.) http://www.modbee.com/2010/04/04/1114068/each-gun-application-must-be-judged.html --- Michigan Militia Hosts Open-Carry Day: Livingston County residents will get a chance to learn what the Michigan Militia is all about Saturday when it hosts its Open Carry Family Picnic & Tea Party at Island Lake Recreation Area in Green Oak Township. The slogan for this year's annual Michigan Militia meeting is "Show, shoot, shout, then sip some tea with us," and Southeast Michigan Volunteer Militia Livingston County team leader Mike Lackomar said the event is all about showing people who the militia is and what members do. "This event primarily tries to take the stigma out of the word 'militia,' and provide information on what we are and who we are," Lackomar said. "It lets people meet us and see what we're all about." Lackomar said the entire Michigan Militia is trying to distance itself from the FBI's recent arrest and subsequent indictment of nine members of what the FBI called an "extremist anti-government militia" based in Clayton, a village in Lenawee County. The FBI contends the Christian Hutaree group had planned to kill law enforcement officers with explosive devices. "I want it to be perfectly clear," Lackomar said. "(The Hutaree) are not us, and we are not them, and we did not agree with their philosophy." ... http://www.livingstondaily.com/article/20100404/NEWS01/4040328/Gun-rights+event+set+Saturday+by+Michigan+Militia --- Arizona Bills Aim to Send Message: If a light bulb is manufactured in Arizona with locally blown glass and locally mined tungsten, is it subject to federal regulations? What about guns made in Arizona? The questions are not academic. They form the basis for two proposed state laws designed to poke the state's finger in the eye of the federal government. One - the measure dealing with Arizona-made guns - is already approved by the Legislature and awaits a signature from Gov. Jan Brewer. It is likely to provoke a court fight. And that's exactly what its chief proponent, Rep. Rep. Nancy McLain, R-Bullhead City, has in mind... McLain said Arizona is not going it alone in this fight. The bill is patterned after a law in Montana. After that law took effect, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives sent an open letter to licensed federal firearms dealers saying U.S. law supersedes the state law. Several Montana groups then filed suit in federal court challenging that federal authority. The lawsuit is still pending. The same legal philosophy is behind virtually identical legislation crafted by Sen. Frank Antenori, R-Tucson. The difference is that his measure would give the same legal status to Arizona-made light bulbs. Antenori is aiming at a federal law that establishes new efficiency standards for bulbs beginning in 2014... http://azstarnet.com/business/local/article_e8095175-3d2c-54ad-8360-818318e3f74e.html --- Indoor Range Meets Colorado Demand: It's a blustery, cold, gray day - abysmal weather for outdoor target practice. But Mother Nature cannot faze the firearm enthusiasts today, as several men prepare to fire rifles on an indoor range that spans the length of a football field. Welcome to Longmont's Trigger Time Gun Club, a sprawling, $3.5 million complex that is the brainchild of Paul Gonzales, who used to make a living as a mason. A Longmont native, Gonzales has been a hunter and shooter his entire life. But as the local population has exploded over the course of Gonzales' life, a number of outdoor ranges have disappeared. Gonzales said the remaining ranges are in such high demand that the wait to become a member can be a decade or longer. So it's no wonder that Trigger Time - just west of Interstate 25 and south of Colo. 119 - is quickly gaining loyal members despite having just opened last month... http://www.dailycamera.com/boulder-business/ci_14813551#axzz0kBPuN8Ix --- Tangentially Related: The first-ever statistical analysis of Arizona's prison population, released by the Arizona Prosecuting Attorneys' Advisory Council (APAAC), shows that 94 percent of Arizona inmates are either violent offenders or repeat felons. Navajo County Attorney Brad Carlyon said the APAAC report shows the common belief that Arizona's prisons are filled with first-time or non-violent criminals is "just flat wrong." "This is a comprehensive, in-depth study of Arizona's entire prison population," Carlyon said. "It shows that the huge majority of prison inmates shouldn't be on the street." The report's analysis shows that more than 65 percent of Arizona Department of Corrections (DOC) inmates are violent offenders and more than 50 percent are currently in prison for violent crimes... (Can it really be that different in other states?) http://www.wmicentral.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=20420318&BRD=2264&PAG=461&dept_id=505965&rfi=6 --- From AzCDL: April 19, 2010 is the date of the nationwide "Second Amendment March." The main event is in Washington, DC, (http://www.secondamendmentmarch.com/) but simultaneous rallies are being held at State Capitols nationwide. The Phoenix Rally will be held in front of the State Capitol between Noon and 2 PM. This is a pure grassroots event, no speechifying, no sound stage, just brown bag lunches on the lawn. This is a great time to let your legislators see the activists (you!) who have generated over 25,000 emails urging the passage of bills like Constitutional Carry, Firearms Preemption, and the Firearms Freedom Act. And, since it is Arizona, you have a RIGHT to responsibly bear arms openly during the rally. For more information, please check out Alan Korwin's article on the rally at his website: http://www.gunlaws.com/AZ-Only-2AMarchOnPhoenix.htm . 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 .