Keep and Bear Arms - Gun Owners Home Page

2nd Amendment Battle Leaders Come to the Give Me Liberty 2004 National Conference
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. . ."The moderator of the group will be Joseph Sobran, nationally syndicated columnist, author and publisher. The panel currently includes: Attorney Peter Mancus, author, 'Reflections Upon the U.S. Supreme Court's Rejection of Silveira'; Larry Pratt, Executive Director, Gun Owners of America; Angel Shamaya, founder, KeepAndBearArms.com; Aaron Zelman, Executive Director, Jews For The Preservation of Firearms Ownership, Inc. Also invited is John Lott, professor and author, �More Guns, Less Crime: Understanding Crime and Gun-Control Laws.� . . .

TN: Muzzleloading boom continues for hunters
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"When Captain John Smith wrote about the abundance of game in Virginia in 1608, America's deer population was probably about the same as it is today, roughly 25 million."

"The enormous numbers allowed colonial settlers to make deer a staple in their diet by killing them with the muzzleloading flintlock firearms available in those days."

"The resurgence of the national deer herd during the past three decades is a major reason for the growing resurgence of muzzleloader hunting nearly 400 years later. But Captain John would do a double-take if he got a look at the guns used by black powder hunters in 2003."

Macedonia: Swap Guns for Prizes? Few Comply in Macedonia
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"At first, it looks pretty much like any other lottery � a scantily clad woman with peroxide-blond hair dips her hand into a bowl full of tickets, smiles as she plucks one out, and the winning number is flashed on television screens."

"But this draw is no ordinary one; all the players have to surrender a gun in return for a ticket and a chance at the prizes: a car, a motor scooter, a computer, mountain bikes, cellphones and even sewing machines."

"The game, begun Nov. 1, is the latest tactic to try to reduce the number of weapons in this former Yugoslav republic, where ethnic Albanian rebels and Macedonian security forces narrowly averted civil war in 2001 and peace remains tentative." ...

SC: School officials refuse to release additional tapes in drug raid
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"A prosecutor is questioning why school officials are refusing to publicly release additional surveillance camera recordings from a drug raid at Stratford High School where police drew their weapons and restrained students."

"Prosecutor Ralph Hoisington said the additional recordings show students handcuffed in a stairwell for no apparent reason, and at least two officers pointing their weapons directly at students."

Australia: Shot fired during party brawl
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FULL TEXT BELOW:

A MAN pulled out a gun and fired it into the air after a brawl erupted at a party in Brisbane early today.

Police were called to the party in outer suburban Marsden at 2am (AEST) after the fight spilled out of a house and onto Princess Street.

Officers were told one of the men involved had pulled out a gun and fired it into the air before he and at least two other men left.

Police said they found a spent cartridge at the house.

They have spoken to other partygoers in an effort to identify and locate the man who fired the shot.

South Africa: Father accuses cops of bungling murder probe
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"A Cape Town father is so determined to bring the killers of his mentally handicapped daughter to justice that he has joined the hunt for clues to help find the killers."

"Joseph Valentine's only daughter, Monique, was killed last year when she was shot and thrown from her school's moving minibus, which had been hijacked minutes earlier. The crime shocked Cape Town."

"This week the two people arrested for the murder and hijacking, Mbulelo Molwana and Thomas Molwana, were acquitted because of insufficient evidence to link them to the crime."

Australia: Teen shot over car payment in "gun free" Australia
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"A FALLING-OUT over a car had been the catalyst for a shooting at Guildford last week, Parramatta Bail Court heard yesterday."

"Rising soccer star Riad Taha, 19, faced the court on multiple firearms charges after allegedly shooting at a car outside his Rhodes Ave home about 1.25pm last Tuesday."

"The drama began when Bilal Saddick, 21, and Hassan El-Badawi, 22, paid Taha a visit over an outstanding debt of $520."

"Taha had purchased a car from Saddick, who was anxious to know when he would be paid, the court was told."

Australia: Captain Cook's pistol a sure-fire success
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"A flintlock pistol reputed to have belonged to Captain James Cook was auctioned yesterday for almost twice its expected price."

"The Belgian-made gun was sold to an Australian buyer in Edinburgh by a direct descendent of the legendary explorer's eldest sister, Margaret, for more than �19,000 ($45,000)."

"Experts at Lyon and Turnbull, where the pistol was auctioned, said documentation backed up the origins of the weapon. The holster pistol, bought by an Australian, had been expected to sell for about �10,000."

"Recently a walking stick made from the spear that killed the great explorer was sold for �135,000."

Following Hussein Capture, CCRKBA Commends Bush for Signing Armed Cargo Pilots Bill
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" 'We commend President George W. Bush for signing into law a measure to provide for the arming of cargo pilots against terrorism,' John Michael Snyder, Public Affairs Director of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA), said here today."

"The measure appears as Section 609 of H.R. 2115, the Vision 100 Century of Aviation Reauthorization Act, which the President signed Friday."

"Section 609 is designed to close the loophole in the law, enacted last year, which allows commercial airline passenger pilots, but not cargo pilots, to carry guns in the cockpit if they volunteer for a federal program which includes a week of specialized training."

IL: Chicago cops milking generous sick leave policy, while the disarmed populace suffers
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"As the Chicago Police Department takes drastic steps to put more officers on the street -- even sending out 1,000 desk cops to patrol drug markets -- about 700 of their brethren are at home every day on sick leave."

"Chicago Police enjoy a medical-absence policy that would be unheard of in private industry. It allows officers to take as many as 365 sick days every two years."

"Twelve years after a $450,000 consulting study recommended changes in the policy, the generous number of sick days remains in place -- and Chicago police officers take full advantage of it. They racked up 254,580 medical days last year -- or 18.5 days for each of the 13,699 sworn officers."

MD: Two Baltimore Men Charged In Glen Burnie Robberies
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"Anne Arundel County police say two Baltimore men have been arrested in the robbery of eight people at a Glen Burnie store."

"Police say Glenn William Green and Wayne Freeman were charged with robbery and first-degree assault."

"According to police, two men approached two employees of Wood Floors Plus Wholesalers in the 100 block of Orchard Road about 7 a.m. Thursday."

"Police say the two men threatened the employees with guns and led them into the store, where four other people were already working."

"Police say the men put all of the employees in a back room and took their wallets and some business receipts. They also allegedly stole a van."

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Maryland's draconian gun control measures don't seem very effective.

South Africa: Cape's City Police sent back to school
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"Some of Cape Town's beleaguered municipal police, who have been making headlines for all the wrong reasons, are to be sent on an urgent refresher training course."

"But it seems the city cops also need to renew their driving skills - they have been involved in an astonishing 77 accidents since the force was established two years ago. This means nearly a third of the 188 vehicles at their disposal have been involved in crashes." ...

"Many other vehicles have been scratched or slightly damaged. These incidents number 158 over the two years."

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So while South African police are too incompetent to do their jobs, the government continues to disarm the people, forcing them to depend on the Keystone Kops for their safety.

Thank You for Not Drinking . . . In the Bar
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"Hold on to your barstool. The nanny statists are coming again. After considerable success with tobacco, where they've managed to restrict advertising, impose mammoth excise taxes, and strip tobacco companies of the class action defenses afforded to most every other defendant, the 'public health' activists are now coming for your beer."

"There's a rhetorical tool in the world of debate called reductio ad absurdium. You take your opponent's argument to its most extreme conclusion -- the more absurd, the better. If done right, your audience will see that the other guy's argument can be applied to achieve an end that most people would find laughable, and you'll have your opponent backpedaling."

"Unfortunately, reductio arguments don't work so well anymore. That's because we live in an age that's becoming increasingly comfortable with absurdity."

Tom Ridge: Do Your Job Or Resign Or Be Fired
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"In August this past summer at Denver International Airport, one of the largest in the world, a Chinese woman with an expired passport and visa tried to buy a one-way ticket to Boston."

"Alert airline employees refused her a ticket. However, when airport personnel reported her, a police officer said, 'This isn't our problem. This is an INS issue.' It was 5 AM, so no INS agents were on duty. The woman walked away without her bags--never to be found. Does that mean terrorists who reach the ticket office before 8 AM can beat the INS agents to work?" ...

"It says we are just as vulnerable as we were prior to 9/11..."

NE: Second Officer This Week Fired
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FULL TEXT BELOW:

Omaha police Officer David Westbrook was fired Wednesday. Westbrook was accused of taking $111 from a man he arrested for shoplifting. The city prosecutor said there is evidence the suspect's money is gone, but there's no evidence that the officer took it.

Westbrook, who has been on the force for four years, said he will appeal.

He is the second officer fired this week. Tuesday, Officer Tariq al-Amin was fired.

UK: Youth on a gun charge
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FULL TEXT BELOW:

A man has been charged with a gun-related crime after an incident in a Mid Wales town yesterday.

The 18-year-old, believed to be from the Birmingham area, has been charged with using an imitation firearm to make others believe he was going to use it against them.

He has been bailed to appear before magistrates in Welshpool on December 23.

Two other men who were also arrested in connection with the incident have been released and no charges have been laid against them.

Police have appealed for anyone with information about the incident to call them on (01686) 625704.

TN: Downtown business owners still reeling after federal raid
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"Armed federal agents aren�t a common sight on the streets of this small Appalachian town.
So when about a dozen of them raided a former Business of the Year on Wednesday, downtowners couldn�t believe what they were seeing."

" 'They just started breaking all the locks on the doors,' said one woman, who asked not to be named. 'Then they started carrying out all these guns in sacks. You could see them stacked up in the back of the van.' "

"Agents of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms seized more than 170 guns from the Army Surplus & Variety Store on Main Street and arrested owner Bill Wallace, saying he was involved in illegal gun sales in Tennessee, Virginia and North Carolina."

How I Said No to the Automatic Social Security Number Submitted by: Newslinks Admin	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
"This is the story of how I successfully refused to accept a Social Security Number for my child." "I simply said 'no.' " "Really. That�s how easy it was. I just said no, again, and again." ... "It was easy, far easier than I expected. Confidence defeats the habitual bully. But there were other ramifications beyond snotty hospital administrators."

Healthy living through coercion
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"On Dec. 3, in a contentious public hearing, the D.C. City Council heard testimony for and against the Smokefree Workplaces Act of 2003, a bill that would ban smoking in all District bars and restaurants." ...

"But supporters of the ban argue secondhand smoke is a life or death public health issue. In fact, Smokefree D.C., the activist group backing the ban, claims environmental tobacco smoke kills up to 65,000 Americans a year � more than 3 times the national murder rate. But they're fudging the facts. Their real goal is to socially engineer smoking out of existence."

The Right to Shut Up and Pay Your Taxes
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"Let a thousand voices boom across the airwaves, the Internet and in newspaper columns condemning the assault that Congress and the Supreme Court have inflicted on the First Amendment--on our most essential, fundamental speech: the ability to criticize our elected officials. I join the chorus."

"However, it is the cynical nature of the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law that permits us to speak in these ways. We are merely prohibited from communications that could--even ever so indirectly--endanger the reelection of incumbents in Congress. That is the speech that has been criminalized: speech that could threaten the very powerful congressmen, who wrote and passed the law."

UK: Elle in firing line
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"Model and businesswoman Elle Macpherson has forked out an estimated $500,000 on one of England's finest shooting estates - to the dismay of animal rights campaigners."

"Elle and her partner, Arkie Busson, have taken an extended lease on the 6070 hectare Mulgrave Estate on the North Yorkshire moors, considered prime hunting ground for grouse, pheasant and the area's magnificent wild deer." ...

"Swiss-born financier Busson is said to have ambitions to turn the estate - ancestral home of the Marquess of Normanby - into one of the top five hunting venues in England."

MO: Love the Gun You're With
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"The 44-year-old Jeffery, who lives with his wife and two young kids in north St. Louis County and toils by day as a mechanical engineer, estimates that he has invested more than $100,000 of his own money in the gun movement since becoming active in the early 1990s. Missouri's concealed-weapons law, which would allow most Missouri residents over 23 who clear a background check and undergo specified training requirements to carry a concealed firearm, was passed by the state legislature this past fall over a veto by Governor Bob Holden. A St. Louis circuit court judge ruled the law unconstitutional and the bill is now in limbo, with the state supreme court scheduled to take up the matter in January."

LA: Advil expulsion may prompt board to revamp zero-tolerance drug policy Submitted by: Newslinks Admin	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
"The furor since a high-school student was expelled for bringing Advil to class may prompt a change in the Bossier Parish School Board's zero-tolerance policy on drugs." ------- Let's get this straight, folks. It's not the absurdity of this policy in and of itself that prompted the review, but the negative publicity this insane expulsion generated. These are the people teaching your children!

IN: Drug policy at Concord misinterpreted
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"Entering school with a bottle of painkillers that she forgot to remove from her backpack, the girl remains calmly unaware. During the day, the bottle is discovered and she is immediately expelled. After all, it is zero tolerance."

"This is an all-too-common misconception made about Concord High School. There is not a zero tolerance policy and the origin of the misunderstanding remains a mystery." ...

"The enforcer of the decided repercussions is dean of students, Kristie Cerling. She provided the majority of information on this subject because she is the one who decides the punishment that each student receives for negligence of the rules printed in the CHS handbook."

GA: Henry expels girl who brought pills (cold medicine) to school
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"Henry County school officials have expelled a student from Union Grove High for the remainder of the academic year for taking an over-the-counter medication to school."

"Bethany Frey, 14, a freshman, was dismissed on Wednesday after a disciplinary hearing. Her parents, Tom and Kelly Frey, are appealing the decision, which they say doesn't fit the offense."

"A hearing officer found Bethany guilty of giving false information, taking Aleve cold medicine on campus and distributing it to another child."

Terrorism panel says civil liberties need attention
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"President Bush should appoint an advisory board to assess how new anti-terrorism measures such as the Patriot Act have affected Americans' civil liberties, a new report by a federal terrorism commission says."

"The commission, led by former Virginia Gov. James Gilmore, a Republican, also expresses concern that the Bush administration has failed to develop a comprehensive, forward-looking strategy to combat terrorism more than two years after the 2001 terrorist attacks."

FBI implements new surveillance guidelines
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"From Albany, N.Y., to Albuquerque, N.M., FBI field offices are working under new guidelines for terrorism cases that allow criminal and intelligence agents to work together and share information." ...

"The FBI also will be able to conduct more surveillance under the auspices of a secret intelligence tribunal, the U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, which comprises judges selected by the chief justice of the Supreme Court. The judges sit on a rotating basis to review applications for electronic surveillance."

How mentioning a candidate can land you in jail
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"In March 2002, the American Civil Liberties Union wanted the House of Representatives to pass a bill banning employment discrimination against gays. So it ran radio ads in the home district of House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.), who was running for re-election, urging him to bring it up for a vote. Addressing the speaker, the ads asked, 'What will it be? Protecting workers from discrimination or more delays?' "

"The ads got the ACLU nothing: Hastert ignored the demand. But if the law in effect today had been around then, the ad would have gotten the ACLU worse than nothing. Just putting it on the air would constitute a felony."

Thailand: Crackdown follows gun amnesty
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"Interior Minister Wan Muhamad Noor Matha yesterday warned that the government would crack down on the possession of illegal weapons following the end of its arms amnesty today."

"Anyone possessing an unlicensed weapon must turn it in to police or local administration officials today or face charges if they are caught, Wan Noor said."

"Police are going to seriously crack down on unlicensed weapons as soon as the amnesty expires."

OH: Gun bill shot down by unlikely bullet
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"Hard to believe that after years of debate over training, trigger locks, affirmative defense, fingerprinting, vehicle and building restrictions, and gun permits for fugitives, the issue that may bring down the gun bill -- public records -- wasn't even brought up until November." ...

"Those opposed to making those records completely public say that illegal firearms dealers could get a ready-made list of gun owners, allowing them to break into those homes and steal guns."

"But not only does this elevate these criminals to a level of sophistication they very likely do not possess, it also assumes they would be willing to risk breaking into homes to steal one gun at a time."

Democrats aim for new support on gun issues
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"Mark Warner brought a Harvard law degree, a successful career as a venture capitalist, and a no-new-taxes pledge to the race for Virginia governor. But one key to his election in this conservative, Republican-leaning state was the 'A' rating he got from the National Rifle Association."

"Strader, a competitive marksman and firearms instructor for the US Capitol Police, is the type of voter Democratic presidential candidates are targeting with a new strategy: Neutralize the divisive gun issue by embracing the constitutional right to bear arms, speak of gun safety instead of gun control, and pledge to enforce the gun laws on the books."

Gun supporters face even harder road now
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"I doubt that many hunters and fishermen paid much heed to the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling upholding the campaign finance reform law, also known as the McCain-Feingold Act."

"A lot of hunters and fishermen are politically naive. That's why they're losing ground to the animals-rights weirdos despite the fact that they outnumber that menagerie of nut cases by 100 to 1."

"If sportsmen should ever wake up and decide to fight back, it'll now be harder for them to do so because of the McCain-Feingold ruling."

OH: Gun legislation can't withstand public scrutiny
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"They say eligibility and training requirements in the legislation ensure only responsible, law-abiding citizens could be licensed. They must be kidding about that, too."

"If they really believed that, they wouldn't have signed off on a secret licensing process that keeps information about who has applied and been granted or denied a permit confidential. Indeed, county sheriffs -- who would be responsible for administering the law -- would be required to destroy most records almost immediately after licensing decisions were made."

"That would impede law enforcement officials who want to double-check a permit holder's qualifications." ...

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No, it would afford law-abiding citizens the same privacy as everyone else.

WV: Kanawha sheriff�s gun-fund spending examined
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"Sheriff Dave Tucker is well on his way to emptying his so-called 'Gun Fund' before leaving office next year, but he said he wouldn�t leave deficits for his successor to make up, as he says happened to him."

"An analysis of Tucker�s concealed-weapons permit fund shows that most money this year has gone toward the department�s training range at Camp Virgil Tate, near Sissonville."

"The range is used for firearms and tactical training. Also, it will be the site of incident command training sessions for about 3,200 West Virginia law enforcement officers, if the county commission approves a federal grant."

"The Hypocrisy of Gun-Control Advocates"
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"So let's suspend critical thinking for a moment and other authoritative surveys about defensive gun use reached similar conclusions. Let's give the left its 15 minutes of whine." ...

"First of all, Bellesiles was repeatedly asked to disclose his sources on numerous points discussed in his fictional book... His response was a series of lies, each one following the previous one as it was uncovered. ...John Lott is accused of not coming up with a single piece of data, which was not the heart of his book."

"Secondly, until the very end liberals staunchly defended Bellesiles... ...John Lott is now being considered by the left to be an accessory to additional murders."

Australia: 400 police in drugs, gun blitz
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"ABOUT 400 officers will target street crime in a high-profile policing operation across Sydney this weekend."

"NSW Police Minister John Watkins said the Operation Vikings blitz would concentrate on inner Sydney and target drug and weapons offences, alcohol-related violence and anti-social behaviour." ...

"The Vikings operation would be headed by assistant commissioner Dick Adams and had been planned for many weeks, he said."

OH: Two state workers suspended over gun
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"Two state transportation workers were suspended Friday while officials investigate why they did not immediately report that they had found a handgun along an interstate ramp."

"Three workers found the Jennings .380-caliber gun at 8:30 a.m. Sunday, according to the State Highway Patrol and the Ohio Department of Transportation. The employees did not report the gun for two days, when the weapon was turned over to the patrol."

"The gun was found on the west side of Columbus in the grass on a ramp from Interstate 270 south to U.S. 40 while the workers were putting up signs, said Michelle May, an ODOT spokeswoman."

CA: Happy holidays, have a gun lock
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"Just in time for the holidays, 6,400 free gun locks are being given out in Calaveras and Tuolumne counties."

"The locks fit handguns, revolvers, pump-action shotguns, bolt-action rifles and any other gun that will accommodate a cable and a padlock."

"Locks are available at Angels Camp and Sonora police departments and Calaveras and Tuolumne County sheriff's departments during regular business hours."

Philippines: Gun ban in force Monday; Pimentel frets over machines
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"As the police prepared to implement a nationwide gun ban starting Monday, an opposition senator warned that the use of electronic counting machines in next year�s elections is not a guarantee the electorate would get factual and credible results."

"According to Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr., one possible fraudulent practice is the switching of computer election data diskettes. 'The greatest danger could be the switching of diskettes.' "

"Pimentel said the switching could take place when diskettes from the counting machines are transferred to transmitting machines."

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So while the tyrants move to disarm the populace, they conveniently install faulty voting machines. What opportune timing!

NJ: Robberies at gunpoint in "gun free" utopia
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"Jersey City police are looking for three people who robbed two men on Broadway and West Side Avenue just after midnight Thursday."

"A 29-year-old man told police a man and a woman got out of a car and the man pointed a gun at his head while the woman rifled his pockets, reports said. A third man waited in the car behind the wheel."

"The woman took the man's $478 paycheck but threw his empty wallet back at him saying, 'Keep it,' reports said."

"A 53-year-old man then happened to walk by and the gunman turned on him and demanded his money as well, according to reports. When the man balked, the gunman smashed the gun across his forehead, reports said."

NY: Disarmed and paranoid
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"Some stores are still selling realistic-looking toy guns that might be mistaken for weapons, four years after their sale was banned, a City Council investigation has found."

"Undercover staffers with the council's investigations committee were able to purchase illegal toy guns at 10 of the 52 stores they visited in the five boroughs, according to a survey released yesterday."

"Many of the guns were cowboy-style six-shooters with silver or chrome barrels -- a violation of a 1999 city law requiring toy barrels be cast in bright colors to differentiate them for lethal firearms."

Australia: Clueless Down Under
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"NSW Police Minister John Watkins said he anticipated the new laws would eliminate Sydney's gun crime." ...

"It ensures anyone who fires into a house, shop or other building will face jail terms of 14 years."

"And under this legislation, it's not necessary for police to prove anyone was in direct danger from the shots, or that there was any intent to harm."

"Mr Watkins said the legislation also created a new offence in the Crimes Act of 'theft of a firearm', also carrying a 14-year maximum penalty."

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Criminals break the laws prohibiting theft, murder and rape, but will be scared off by yet MORE laws?

WA: Mom wants parents to ASK about guns
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"In her campaign to keep guns away from children when their parents aren't around, Heidi Yewman will get help this winter from eight billboards urging parents to ASK."

"ASK stands for Asking Saves Kids, a gun-safety program sponsored by Washington Ceasefire. The Seattle-based gun-safety and gun-control advocacy group is often at odds with gun-rights interests such as the National Rifle Association."

"But Yewman, a Vancouver wife and mother of two, says ASK, unlike gun-control efforts, shouldn't be controversial because it seeks no changes in gun laws or licensing."

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But it does seek to turn parents into intrusive interrogators and vilifies guns while ignoring some of the more common household dangers.

TX: White Settlement mulls semiautomatic guns for police
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"Final action on the police chief's request for officers to use department-issue semiautomatic Glock handguns for the first time in the city's history may be back on target after a city council delay."

"David Place, who has been chief 35 years, said this is the first time he has asked for standard-issue weapons."

"At its Dec. 9 meeting, the council shelved final action on the issue to look into what the mayor called a discrepancy in the number of guns Place had requested. The measure is expected to surface Tuesday at the council's meeting."

"To date, each officer has furnished his own weapon."

IL: Bartonville board bans paintball guns in public
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" Paintball-shooting scofflaws will have to watch their step in Bartonville, where they will be fined if they fire in the wrong places."

"The Village Board unanimously passed an ordinance Thursday night that states people can only shoot paintball guns on private property, with the permission of the property owner. Violators will be ticketed between $150 and $750 for the first offense and between $250 and $750 for the second."

"Police Chief Brian Fengel said his department has received more than 40 separate complaints of paintball vandalism and damage to property in the last few months."

PA: 562 guns collected by Allegheny County exchange program
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"The Goods For Guns program yesterday collected 412 operable weapons in exchange for supermarket certificates, bringing its two-day total to 562 guns."

"The total marked the first time in the program's 10-year existence that the number of guns collected rose from the preceding year. Last year, 496 guns were collected."

"Over the 10-year span, a total of 8,192 guns have been collected."

"The lower total of 150 guns on Dec. 6 was attributed to the heavy snowfall the day before, said program spokesman Nathaniel Glosser."

"Those who turned in a handgun received a $50 gift certificate and those who turned in a rifle received a $25 certificate."

IL: Police gladly pay to take people's guns
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"Ken Stewart of Gurnee brought three shotguns to the village police station Saturday and left with something he was not expecting."

"A pair of gift certificates worth a total of $100 at local department or food stores." ...

"Lake County residents Saturday turned in about 200 weapons during the third annual Chiefs of Police Association's gun buyback program."

"All shapes, sizes and caliber of weapons came through the doors of eight police stations throughout the county, many of them right after the 8 a.m. kickoff."

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A more appropriate title would be "Taxpayer money appropriated to relieve citizens of their guns."

Turkey: Petition to overhaul gun laws
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"The parents of murdered Scots toddler Alastair Grimason are to deliver a petition to Turkey's opposition leader calling for the nation's gun laws to be tightened."

"David and Ozlem Grimason will travel to Ankara on Tuesday and meet Deniz Baykal of the CHP party."

"Mr Baykal has said he intends to pass on the petition to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan."

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Not satisfied with their own gun control failures, the Brits are attempting to disarm citizens of other countries as well.

First Amendment lockout
Submitted by: Robert Lewis

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" 'When I use a word,' Humpty Dumpty said, in a rather scornful tone, 'it means just what I choose it to mean � neither more nor less.' "
� Lewis Carroll, "Through the Looking Glass"

"When Lewis Carroll wrote those famous words, known since to many generations of young people, it is highly unlikely he had in mind their application to the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act signed into law by President George W. Bush on March 27, 2002. But he might as well have."

"The use of the word 'Reform' to describe this monstrously complex piece of federal legislation that adds mountains of red tape to an already cumbersome federal election process, and in so doing tramples on the First Amendment to the Constitution, would indeed make Humpty Dumpty proud. Only in the eye of Sen. John McCain, Arizona Republican and the legislation's primary sponsor, and in the best tradition of Humpty's philosophy, could this law be deemed � with a straight face � to 'reform' anything."

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Now journalists of every stripe cannot be trusted because they can criticize our government masters in the weeks before an election and we cannot. Unless of course they are actively trying to repeal/strike down this attack on our free speech [Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (BCRA), popularly known as "McCain-Feingold"].

IL: Guard says beating was self-defense
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft
Website: http://home.comcast.net/~bruce.krafft/

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"Somebody's lying."

"The question is, is it the man accused of mass murder, the guard accused of beating him or the guard known for leaving his post?"

"No one emerged looking good during the first day of trial for Thomas Wilson, a Cook County sheriff's deputy prosecutors say beat James Degorski so badly that Degorski needed two metal plates inserted into his head."

"Degorski is one of two men accused of killing seven people in a Brown's Chicken & Pasta restaurant in Palatine in 1993."

"Degorski had just arrived at Cook County Jail on May 18, 2002. Prosecutors Maria Kuriakos and Lea Norbut contend that Wilson, who was working one floor below where Degorski was housed, came up and beat him in an unprovoked attack."

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The guard's emotions are understandable, but as an officer charged with maintaining the peace and trusted with the authority to do so, he should have exercised more self-control.

GA: Self defense in everyday items
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft
Website: http://home.comcast.net/~bruce.krafft/

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FULL TEXT BELOW:

While you're out buying those expensive Christmas gifts make sure to keep an eye out for thieves. Self defense instructor Chris Morton says anyone can learn simple defense techniques. He says you can use items you usually carry with you like keys or a hair brush to defend yourself. " Like I said you don't want to panic," say Morton, who teaches self defense at Elite Self Defense. "You are going to panic if get attacked, but if you react correctly you can survive," he says. Morton says if your attacker has a weapon don't try to fight just throw the item over his head and try to escape in the opposite direction.

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No, you do not want to panic. You want to ensure that you are well-prepared by being armed and not victimized.

Exercise your right to assemble in a city near you Submitted by: awsmm Website: http://www.geekswithguns.com/	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
Meetup is a free service that organizes local gatherings about anything, anywhere. Because there are people like you in your town.

Defective firearms go unchecked
Submitted by: MichiganShooter.cOm
Website: http://www.michiganshooter.com

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"Tens of millions of guns in America share design flaws that put their owners and those around them in unnecessary jeopardy, a four-month Detroit News investigation found."

"Firearm manufacturers, long aware of the dangers, have made no concerted, industrywide effort to improve safety."

"The News found that many firearm manufacturers ignore technology � including their own � that would make guns safer and less apt to accidentally discharge. Internal memos, gun patents and employee depositions show that many of these safety features are cheap, easily installed and have been available for nearly a hundred years."

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What the "News" has ignored is simple safety rules that prevent accidental discharges. They would much rather blame the NRA for individual stupidity and promote mechanical gadgets to make people less self-reliant and more dependent on technology, not common sense, to keep them safe.

Faulty Remington rifles shatter lives
Submitted by: MichiganShooter.cOm
Website: http://www.michiganshooter.com

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"Lloyd Woods is a Vietnam veteran and longtime hunter who has spent much of his life handling and using guns." ...

"Problems with the firing mechanism in Remington guns first surfaced in the company�s model 721 rifles, a precursor of the 700."

"On April 9, 1947, Remington test engineer Wayne Leek warned company officials of a malfunction in the 721 rifles that was 'very dangerous from safety and functional point of view.' "

"Among the problems Leek cited in a memo was the possibility of firing the gun 'by pushing the safety to the �off� position.' "

"A Remington product safety subcommittee memo from 1956 acknowledged the ongoing problem: 'A major stumbling block has developed in the safety design, which is considered inadequate in the Models 721 and 722.' "

"But Remington issued no warnings and continued manufacturing rifles with the same firing assembly." ...

"In 1994, a Texas jury awarded Glenn Collins $17 million after his foot was blown off when his 700 accidentally fired as he moved the safety. Collins later settled for a lesser, undisclosed amount."

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As with any business, if the product malfunctions and causes death or injury, the consumer always has recourse through the court system. And contrary to the petulant whining of Brady and her ilk, the legislation to protect the gun industry from frivolous lawsuits does not in any way bar such action.

Law would shield gun makers against suits
Submitted by: MichiganShooter.cOm
Website: http://www.michiganshooter.com

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"On April 9, with the nation focused on the war in Iraq, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill to give gun manufacturers unprecedented immunity against most lawsuits, including many currently being litigated."

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Now you understand why Detroit News has highlighted tragic stories of accidental discharges. It was to promote their gun control agenda and condemn legislation that would protect the gun industry against frivolous lawsuits, while doing nothing to impede legal action against manufacturers whose products malfunction in any way.

Firearm patents addressed safety
Submitted by: MichiganShooter.cOm
Website: http://www.michiganshooter.com

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"Tens of millions of firearms in America lack critical safety features. U.S. gun patents dating back a century confirm that gun makers were long aware of the danger and had developed ways to fix the most glaring problems. But many of these safety features have never been implemented on a wide scale."

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There are millions of gun owners in this country, most of whom are smart enough and have enough common sense to take necessary precautions against accidental discharges. Why is it that this particular news source insists on pushing an agenda because a tiny percentage of gun owners are irresponsible and ignorant?

Gun Safety Tips
Submitted by: MichiganShooter.cOm
Website: http://www.michiganshooter.com

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"The following tips on gun safety, storage and cleaning are recommended by gun makers and the National Rifle Association."

* Always keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction.

* Firearms should be unloaded when not actually in use.

* Don�t rely on your gun�s safety.

* Be sure of your target and what�s beyond it.

* Use proper ammunition.

* If your gun fails to fire when the trigger is pulled, handle with care.

* Always wear eye and ear protection when shooting.

* Be sure the barrel is clear of obstructions before shooting.

* Don�t alter or modify your gun and have it serviced regularly.

* Learn the mechanical and handling characteristics of the firearm you are using.

UK: Police admit: we have to perform better Submitted by: P. Jones	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
"Senior police officers have promised to improve their performance after meeting crime victims who complained that little was being done to catch their attackers." "More than a dozen people last week crowded into the front room of Peter and Jane Dunn, near Heathfield, East Sussex, for a two-hour showdown with four of the county's top crimefighters."

AL: Number of gun cases increasing
Submitted by: Newslinks Admin

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"Partnerships between local, state, and federal law enforcement officials designed to crack down on gun violence have resulted in an increase in the number of federally-prosecuted firearms cases this year, according to a press release from United States Attorney Alice Martin�s office." ...

"This fiscal year, according to the Department of Justice, there was a 24 percent increase in cases filed for federal firearms prosecutions compared to last year, and an increase of 68 percent versus 2000."

"The implementation of Alabama I.C.E. throughout north Alabama is being done by soliciting cooperation from local law enforcement agencies, Martin said."

Australia: No permit for boy who killed brother
Submitted by: Newslinks Admin

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"YOUNG Tim O'Sullivan won't be getting his gun. The 12-year-old who accidentally shot his brother dead, has failed in his bid to gain a firearm licence."

"Last week, Tim appealed against a decision by the Chief Commissioner's office to refuse him a licence on the grounds he was not a fit and proper person to be in possession of firearms."

"He took his fight to the Firearms Appeals Committee, but the committee has disallowed the appeal and has taken aim at Tim's controversial father, Dale O'Sullivan."