Keep and Bear Arms - Gun Owners Home Page

WY: City of Casper passes landmark ordinance
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Everyone will have to hang their guns at the door before entering the Casper City Council chambers under a new ordinance passed last week.

In a five-to-four vote, the council approved a controversial measure that prohibits bringing a firearm or other deadly weapon into any public city government meeting.

Ed.: This is a refreshingly long and informative article detailing the latest developments in the Casper Council Gun Ban.

Newt gets bum rap on gun rights
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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In this instance, the claims that Gingrich doesn�t support the Second Amendment are, at best, mistaken and, at worst, intentionally deceptive. In either event, the claims and the simplistic manner in which they are being bandied about do an injustice to both Gingrich and the Second Amendment.

Allow me to give an example that illustrates Gingrich�s fundamental support for firearms rights and his willingness to put that support into actual legislative action.

VA: Virginia Republicans to Push Pro-Gun Laws Submitted by: Mark A. Taff Website: http://www.marktaff.com	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
Cam Edwards talks to Dave Adams from the Virginia Shooting Sports Association on the positive pro gun make up of the coming Virginia legislature and the chances of killing Virginia�s One Gun a Month Law.

America Beware: Schumer, Gillibrand Are After Your Guns Submitted by: Mark A. Taff Website: http://www.marktaff.com	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
December 8, Senators� Charles Schumer (D.-N.Y.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D.-N.Y,), both recipients of an �F� grade by the National Rifle Association, proposed Senate Bill 1973 � Gun Trafficking Prevention Act of 2012.

Easing Restrictions on Gun Permits Submitted by: Mark A. Taff Website: http://www.marktaff.com	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
In the past 30 years, states across the country have made it easier for people to obtain permits to carry concealed guns. Ed.: A nice graphic from the NYT illustrating the tremendous progress of Right to Carry over the past 30 years.

ATF Loosens Restrictions on Gun Sales to Foreigners Submitted by: Mark A. Taff Website: http://www.marktaff.com	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
�The Department of Justice � has recently concluded that, as a matter of law, applying a more stringent State residency requirement for aliens legally present in the U.S. than for U.S. citizens is incompatible with the language of the [Gun Control Act],� the ATF letter reads.

VA: Stupid Deer Hang Around FBI Shooting Range
Submitted by: Opposing Views
Website: http://www.opposingviews.com

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No one ever said deer were smart, and in Virginia they are particularly stupid. The animals have taken to hanging out on the FBI shooting range in Quantico, just feet away from paper targets. "They�re pretty immune to the sound. They don�t know what a gun is," said Sean Boyle, whose very long title is, according to The Associated Press, supervisory special agent bomb technician and principal firearms instructor for the Critical Incident Response Group based at the academy. Boyle said the deer like to graze on top of a berm just 15 feet away from where FBI marksmen fire off more than a million bullets every month. Amazingly, there have been no reports of any deer accidentally being shot.

MD: Maryland Shall Issue Announces Open Holster Rally #5
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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How to Participate: Join us at Lawyers� Mall, located at College Ave. & Bladen St. (Rowe Blvd. extended), Annapolis.

We will be gathering in the General Assembly�s backyard so we can be heard. MSI is arranging to have leaders and friends of the 2A community speak at the Rally.

Afterwards we will disperse around Annapolis to enjoy the fine restaurants and shopping. Bring your family and friends to enjoy the day. Wear MSI Blue so everyone knows you are part of the Rally.

WI: No Guns in Wisconsin Churches
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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On November 3, CatholicCulture.org reported that "the bishops of Wisconsin . . . issued a statement discouraging Catholics from bringing weapons into churches" after the passage of a state concealedweapons law. The bishops still left the ultimate decision up to individual parishes but requested that "all people seriously consider not carrying weapons into church buildings as a sign of reverence for these sacred spaces." The bishops further encouraged those "who exercise leadership in our parishes and religious institutions" to "consult with your insurance carriers as you proceed, and to consider how posting signs helps pastors balance the need for reverence in sacred space with their desire for security."

Top gun rights stories of 2011, Pt. II Submitted by: Mark A. Taff Website: http://www.marktaff.com	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
Earlier, this column noted that after the erupting Operation Fast and Furious scandal, all other gun rights stories of 2011 pale by comparison. Yet here in the Pacific Northwest, there have been issues that raised eyebrows and the consciousness of gun owners considerably, not to mention their blood pressure.

CA: Calguns Foundation � 2011 Year in Review
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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I know that our fundamental right to keep and bear arms for self-defense is important to you.

This individual liberty ensures that we have an opportunity to protect our lives and those of our loved ones should the need arise. We Californians are all too aware of the many infringements of this enumerated right that regular, law-abiding people like us face on a daily basis, yet it�s for this very reason the road to freedom runs through the Golden State.

IA: Rick Santorum, topped with NRA cap, shoots for conservative vote in Iowa
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum sought to underscore his conservative credentials today with a shotgun-toting pheasant hunt alongside a conservative congressman whose endorsement could sway votes in next week�s Iowa caucuses.

Dressed in blaze orange with a baseball cap stitched with the letters �NRA,� Santorum told reporters after bagging at least four birds: �I make the argument that there�s nobody who�s done more for the Second Amendment and been stronger on that issue than I have.�

Bill Blocks New Shotgun Ban DOES NOT Repeal Sporting Purposes Test
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Unfortunately, some inaccurate reports have claimed that this provision would repeal the �sporting purposes� test for importation of firearms.

While NRA supports repeal of the �sporting purposes� test, the provision included in the recently enacted bill does not achieve this goal.

The provision supported by NRA-ILA was prompted by a recent BATFE �study� that sought to reinterpret the �sporting purposes� test in a manner that would have banned the import of certain shotguns that are currently legal to import.

KS: Man Shoots Himself At Wichita Shooting Range Submitted by: Mark A. Taff Website: http://www.marktaff.com	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
Ed.: Video story about this suicide.

Gaston Glock�s Image Submitted by: Mark A. Taff Website: http://www.marktaff.com	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
Image has long played a big role in the remarkable success of the Glock pistol in the United States and around the world. As I describe in my new book, GLOCK: The Rise of America�s Gun (Crown), the handgun�s adoption as the unofficial firearm of Hollywood brought it to the attention of people far beyond law enforcement and serious gun-owning circles.

Microsoft brings in gun control on Xbox
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Software giant Microsoft has decided to remove all gun-like items from its marketplace in the coming year.

It is all part of a restriction on what you can have your avatar do such as swearing, smoking, and violence. Apparently the right to bear arms is right up there amongst them. So that means that buying a Golden Hammerburst or Lancer for your Xbox Live Avatar, is going to be a thing of the past.

MN: Don't experiment with public safety
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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If there's a crime occurring in your neighborhood, or a drunken driver careening through it, whom do you want to respond?

Someone from City Hall? A private security guard who can't make traffic stops, can't pursue fleeing suspects and can use a weapon only in self-defense?

...

In central Minnesota, the Benton County seat of Foley, population 2,600, is moving to replace sheriff's deputies assigned to patrol its streets with private security guards.

A right to bear virtual arms? Xbox Live removing guns from Avatar Marketplace
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Looks like there�s no such thing as a Second Amendment in the world of virtual goods.

A new policy taking effect Jan. 1 will remove �gun-like� items from Microsoft�s Xbox Live Avatar Marketplace, the online store where gamers can buy items to dress up and accessorize their avatars, according to a forum post by a community manager for Epic Games, the company behind the blockbuster Gears of War franchise for Microsoft�s Xbox 360 console.

Guns in Public, and Out of Sight
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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The bedrock argument for this movement is that permit holders are law-abiding citizens who should be able to carry guns in public to protect themselves. �These are people who have proven themselves to be among the most responsible and safe members of our community,� the federal legislation�s author, Representative Cliff Stearns, Republican of Florida, said on the House floor.

To assess that claim, The New York Times examined the permit program in North Carolina, one of a dwindling number of states where the identities of permit holders remain public. The review, encompassing the last five years, offers a rare, detailed look at how a liberalized concealed weapons law has played out in one state.

MN: Gun law leaves prosecutors vulnerable
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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There have been other acts of violence at or near courthouses in Minnesota, often directed at prosecutors. While some courthouses have metal detectors and screen everyone coming in, most do not. Equipping courthouses with detectors is not financially feasible.

State Rep. Tony Cornish, who had been working on a bill to allow prosecutors to carry guns for protection has gotten more support and attention for the idea since the Cook County shooting. Blue Earth County Ross Arneson is among prosecutors who favor the change.

AL: Pistol-packing mayor draws heat
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Mayor Sam Jones was the talk of town after he held a burglary suspect at gunpoint at his home in Mobile.

But not everyone was impressed. In a twist, at least one pro-gun rights group accused Jones of being a hypocrite.

Alan Gottlieb, chairman of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, took issue with the fact that Jones is part of a coalition of U.S. mayors who have campaigned for stricter gun regulations.

Romney on gun laws: Yes, er, no
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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"This is even more necessary when it comes to Romney, given his notoriety over revising his views on just about every major issue. After all, history informs us that a person's record is a far better indicator of how they will govern than is poll-driven campaign rhetoric," Baldwin said.

On the issue of the Second Amendment, Gordon says the transformation of Romney from being a gun control advocate in 1994 and 2002 to pro-gun in 2006 is directly tied to his White House ambitions.

"On the issue of gun control, yes, he shifted his position. If you check his quote on the issue in his 1994 Senate campaign, he was for an assault weapons ban and the Brady Bill," Gordon said.

NJ: Schumer bro-in-law judge nod stuns NJ
Submitted by: Anonymous

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Sen. Charles Schumer’s brother-in-law was quietly nominated this month to a federal judgeship in New Jersey — a move that has some in the Garden State crying political foul, The Post has learned.

Kevin McNulty, who is married to Schumer’s sister, Fran, was named to the US District Court by the White House late on Friday, Dec. 16. According to a boilerplate quote, President Obama believes McNulty is a “distinguished individual” who “will serve the American people with integrity and a steadfast commitment to justice.”

New Jersey’s two US senators, Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menendez, followed that up with their own news release heaping praise on the nominee.

UT: Bill could prevent 'open-carry' gun owners from facing criminal charges
Submitted by: repeal1968guncontrolact

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"SALT LAKE CITY � A bill proposed for the 2012 Utah Legislature would prohibit a person who is lawfully carrying a firearm in public from being charged with non- firearm related crimes such as disorderly conduct or disturbing the operation of a school.

Taylor was later convicted, fined $500 and placed on 12 months of probation. Terms of his probation require that he seek mental health evaluation and treatment, according to court documents."

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Submitter's note: All involved admit that Taylor violated no law, but government convicted him, robbed him, and treated him like he is mentally ill. Frightening. The judge should be impeached.

Looking back on 2011 and its biggest stories, Pt. I Submitted by: Mark A. Taff Website: http://www.marktaff.com	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
Wolf management, a proposed open carry ban, an Idaho grizzly bear shooting, the on-going Seattle gun ban lawsuit, a Washington State Patrol gun reporting flap; they all paled in comparison to the biggest story covered by this column and other Gun Rights Examiners during 2011: Operation Fast and Furious.