|
|
The Post-Heller Fight for Second Amendment Rights in Illinois Proceeds
Submitted by:
Bruce Krafft
|
There
are no comments
on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments
|
"The always amazing Scotus blog earlier this week supplied a nifty update on post-Heller moves to expand Americans' Second Amendment rights in Illinois. Highlights on the story so far, and where it might be going:""three significant test cases on the scope of the Second Amendment � the 'gun rights' Amendment � are moving along in the lower courts....."
"The three cases were filed swiftly after the Supreme Court, late last June, declared for the first time that the 'right to keep and bear arms' is a personal, individual right.....The Justices, however, did not then settle whether the Amendment applies to state and local governments, as well as the federal government and the District of Columbia." ...
|
My move to the Rebel Colonies, Pt.2: Living in America and buying my first handgun
Submitted by:
Bruce Krafft
|
There
are no comments
on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments
|
"In 2002, after marrying a lovely American lady in Northeastern Ohio, we went back to live in England. Over the years we traveled back and forth across the pond two or three times a year, especially in November for Thanksgiving. In May 2007, on our last vacation here, we decided to sell up and move to the USA. And so on that trip we began doing ground work on what areas we would like to live in and researching what type of house we would purchase."
"It didn't take me long, after becoming a legal permanent resident, to realize how important the Second Amendment is (that is not to say that the entire Bill of Rights is not as important)." ... |
My Blackwater T-Shirt is Worth a Bundle!
Submitted by:
Larry
|
There
are no comments
on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments
|
"Look out eBay here I come. My ship has finally come in. And all this time you thought it was rotting away on the barrier reef. Don�t feel bad, the rats thought so too. They jumped ages ago. I sure do miss my Little Buddies."
"Anyway, I am the proud owner of an original Blackwater T-shirt! Now that Blackwater USA� uh� Blackwater Worldwide has chickened out from all the bad press and changed their name to "Xe" (pronounced "zee" just like the paper towels) the collectible value of my T-shirt has skyrocketed! Maybe I can even sell it for enough to get the repossessed Dive Master Special back!" ... |
Big .44s
Submitted by:
Anonymous
|
There
are no comments
on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments
|
"There was a time when I didn�t have a use for revolvers. I was a confirmed semi-auto man."
"Then a movie with a character using a .44 magnum S&W hit the theaters. I, like everyone else had to have a .44 mag, the most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off. However, at the time, those big Smith revolvers were expensive and hard to come by. Therefore, the obvious choice was to purchase a single action Ruger New Model Super Blackhawk."
"My Ruger was a 'liberty' model with the roll mark on the barrel indicating that this revolver had been manufactured in the 200th year of American liberty." ... |
Two Early Tests on Guns
Submitted by:
RPA-PAC
Website: http://www.rpa-pac.org
|
There
are no comments
on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments
|
"The Obama administration has chosen to defend a bad rule rushed[sic] through during former President George W. Bush�s final days in office that allows concealed, loaded firearms in national parks and wildlife refuges. The rule is a gift to the gun lobby."
"... for now, the administration's operating position is contained in a Justice Department brief filed last Friday. ..."
"Although concealed, loaded weapons obviously have no place in the national parks, the Justice Department brief asserts that the rule 'will not have any significant impacts on public health and safety.' We can only hope that the Justice Department's position does not reflect a broader weakening of President Obama�s stated commitment to sensible gun control policies." ... |
OK: Shoot down gun law
Submitted by:
Bruce Krafft
|
There
are no comments
on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments
|
"The proposed Open Carry bill is unnecessary."
"State Rep. Mike Ritze ... says that his Open Carry proposal is needed to eliminate 'gun restrictions' that he sees 'as unreasonably restrictive.' So Ritze is proposing that Oklahomans be able to carry a gun around with them all the time, openly, without a handgun license."
"The law currently allows anyone not convicted of a crime to carry an unloaded, visible rifle, shotgun or pistol to hunt, to a gun class, sporting event or police or military function without a handgun license."
"But how unreasonably restrictive is that?"
"If a person wants to carry a gun, they can carry one when they need it. If people feel they need a gun any other time, they can get a license ..." ... |
FL: Wellington teacher fatally shoots armed intruder, PBSO says
Submitted by:
Bruce Krafft
|
There
are no comments
on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments
|
"One man is dead and a couple is left shaken after a home-invasion robbery turned deadly early Monday."
"The intruder wound up dead after he was shot by Heath Miller, 34, a popular music teacher at Howell L. Watkins MIddle School. The dead man is identified as Robert Rishard Tomlin, 22."
"According to Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office spokesman Pete Palenzuela, Tomlin entered the home Miller was renting through a back sliding-glass door at about at approximately 1:50 a.m. Miller told authorities he saw the silhouette of an individual with a handgun coming through the bedroom door and fired." ... |
NC: Farmer Surprises, Captures Burglar
Submitted by:
Bruce Krafft
|
There
are no comments
on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments
|
"A Fayetteville man's plan to rob a Sampson County man's home went awry Tuesday when he got a surprise - an unexpected meeting with the home's owner, complete with a .22-caliber rifle." ...
"Mr. Tew ... was driving his tractor down the road ... when he noticed an unfamiliar Buick ... parked in his garage with the trunk open."
"He said he parked his John Deere in front of the car, jumped down and was reaching behind the seat of his pickup truck for his rifle when he heard Mr. Woods kick open the back door, heard broken glass and saw him step outside with an armload of electronics, Wii games and a jar of change."
"'You ever see those cartoons where their eyes get big as saucers? That's what he looked like,' Mr. Tew said ..." ... |
NV: Burglar shot to death in N Las Vegas (follow-up)
Submitted by:
Anonymous
|
There
are no comments
on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments
|
"The home intruder gunned down by a northeast valley resident Sunday was a registered sex offender with a long criminal history, Las Vegas police said."
"The Clark County coroner's office identified the dead man as Mark Clinton Vains, 42, of Las Vegas. Vains died of multiple gunshot wounds to the chest at a residence on the 4600 block of Crystal Peak Drive, near Cheyenne Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard."
"Resident Paul Witte returned home about 4:15 p.m. and upon entering, discovered Vains, who was carrying a pellet gun, homicide Lt. Lew Roberts has said."
"Roberts said Witte's gun was registered." ... |
A thought experiment
Submitted by:
Bruce Krafft
|
There
are no comments
on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments
|
"A thought experiment is one that can't really be done because of cost, technology, or political practicality. The one I propose is in the social realm. In your mind, select a zip code in the Denver metro area with high rates of robbery and assault. It is probably a residential area, houses or apartment buildings. ... Now, go into this area and publicize a new program that is going to teach gun safety and use. ... All comers are taken to a range and taught range safety, gun safety, and given the opportunity to shoot enough rounds that they feel confident in handling a gun ... Next, you offer any and all graduates of this training who pass the Instacheck a free handgun and a lockbox bolted to the wall or floor of their home. ..." ... |
Who needs gun bans?
Submitted by:
Bruce Krafft
|
There
are no comments
on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments
|
"The Illinois General Assembly is contemplating a bill that would force all firearm owners in the state to maintain a policy of liability insurance in the amount of at least $1,000,000 (!), 'covering any damages resulting from negligent or willful acts involving the use of such firearm while it is owned by such person.'"
"In short, instead of banning guns outright, Illinois legislators will simply make their ownership impossible for all but the richest individuals -- and that's assuming insurance companies would even issue such policies in the first place, as they'd apparently be on the hook for a million bucks any time a homeowner willfully defends his property from violent intruders." ... |
Gun confiscation: can it happen again?
Submitted by:
Daniel White
Website: http://www.OhioCCW.org
|
There
are no comments
on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments
|
"I've talked several times in the last week or so about gun reforms needed in Ohio. I'd like to close out the week by examining one in particular that some people might not think is needed because of the Second Amendment."
"Many people outside the gun rights community don't know that we had an actual gun confiscation in this country only a few short years ago. Some think that it isn't even possible to confiscate guns from law abiding citizens due to the Second Amendment, and in fact, the gun control advocates use that naivety to claim gun owners are just paranoid. But in September of 2005, citizens of New Orleans found out just how real that threat could be." ... |
Hunting rifles--the next 'sniper weapons'
Submitted by:
Bruce Krafft
|
There
are no comments
on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments
|
"I wrote recently about the forcible citizen disarmament lobby's desire to ban .50 caliber rifles. In that piece, I pointed out that if such a ban were ever implemented, the gun prohibitionists would soon discover that a sniper limited to a .499 caliber rifle would not be seriously hampered by the loss of 1/1000th of an inch of bullet diameter, leading, no doubt, to calls for the banning of that caliber as well. Of course, a .498 caliber rifle would not really be noticeably less capable . . . etc." ...
-------
Submitter's Note: Oleg Volk says the same pictorially here. |
Gun control in churches, Part II: The Militia
Submitted by:
Bruce Krafft
|
There
are no comments
on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments
|
"This is why I write for non-gun owners: there is too much anti-gun disinformation floating around that sounds sensible at first, but which is untrue, and therefore not sensible at all. Most Americans are interested once they find how gun control interferes with their homes, families, workplace, personal safety and other civil rights. As Pericles put it, 'Just because you don't take an interest in politics doesn't mean politics won�t take an interest in you.' For those claiming to be apolitical, politics definitely takes an interest in all of us. How gun control adversely affects each of us is in how various mandates begin to sweep into seemingly unrelated political issues, gun owner or not." ... |
Still Think Cops are the 'Only Ones' Who Can be Trusted with Guns?
Submitted by:
David Codrea
Website: http://waronguns.blogspot.com
|
There
are no comments
on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments
|
"Candidly, the popularity of the 'Only Ones' feature surprised me--I get tips every day, and have to make sure the purpose of my site doesn't get overshadowed. Still, since one of the prime arguments of the gunhaters is that police can be trusted with guns but you and I cannot be, such stories are useful, if only anecdotally, at providing a demonstrable counterpoint to that claim.
"Here are two more cases in point..." |
WI: Judge finds Krause not guilty in open carry tangle
Submitted by:
Bruce Krafft
|
There
are no comments
on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments
|
"A municipal judge has found West Allis resident Brad Krause not guilty of disorderly conduct for openly carring a holstered firearm while planting trees in his yard, saying state law does not prohibit open carry and that state and local ordinances cannot trump the U.S. Constitution."
"Judge Paul Murphy also used his oral decision to chastise the state Legislature for not clarifying the legality of open carry ... and he chided the state's attorney general for refusing to take a stand."
"West Allis police stormed Krause's property ... after a neighbor had called police and inquired about the legality of Krause's visible firearm. Officers subsequently charged him with disorderly conduct and confiscated the pistol."
"Police have still not returned the firearm." ... |
Guns-in-vehicle law ruled valid
Submitted by:
jgh
Website: http://secondamendmentfreedom.blogspot.com/
|
There
are no comments
on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments
|
"Oklahoma's law requiring employers to allow workers to have guns in their locked vehicles at work is valid, an appeals court decided Wednesday."
"The decision ... overturns a court order by a judge in Tulsa who in 2007 barred enforcement of the law."
"A panel of the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decided 3-0 that U.S. District Judge Terrence Kern erred in concluding that the law is pre-empted by the federal [OSHA]."
"The appellate judges said Kern's ruling 'interferes with Oklahoma's police powers and essentially promulgates a court-made safety standard � a standard that OSHA ... has explicitly refrained from implementing on its own. Such action is beyond the province of federal courts.'" ... |
Lawmakers: US must enforce assault-gun import ban
Submitted by:
Bruce Krafft
|
There
are no comments
on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments
|
"More than 50 U.S. lawmakers sent a letter to President Barack Obama urging him to enforce a ban on importing assault weapons, saying many such guns are later smuggled south to arm Mexico's ruthless drug cartels."
"'They come to the United States from Europe and other places, and they make their way down to Mexico,' Rep. Eliot Engel, a New York Democrat, told reporters in Mexico City on Wednesday." ...
"... the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, or ATF, has quietly abandoned the ban in recent years, the lawmakers said in their letter. The ATF declined to comment." ...
-------
Submitter's Note: So how is it lax American gun laws are fueling violence in Mexico, instead of the US? |
TN: Bill Filed To Ban Microstamping Of Guns
Submitted by:
Bruce Krafft
|
There
are no comments
on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments
|
"Sen. Doug Jackson, D-Dickson, has filed legislation that would ban the sale of 'microstamped' firearms and ammunition, calling them an infringement on the Second Amendment right to bear arms."
"California has passed a law mandating microstamping of firearms, 'and I predict that Tennessee will pass a law banning it,' Sen. Jackson said."
"Called the 'Second Amendment Protection Act,' the bill would outlaw sale of firearms and ammunition that are laser-engraved, or microstamped, to identify the buyer of the firearm or ammunition after it has been shot."
"'This process does little to track criminals, but it does a lot to eclipse our Second Amendment right to bear arms,' Sen. Jackson said." ... |
SD: Gun Law Takes Aim At City Hall Policy
Submitted by:
jgh
Website: http://secondamendmentfreedom.blogspot.com/
|
There
are no comments
on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments
|
"A controversial gun bill making its way through the South Dakota legislature could shoot holes in policies designed to protect the public."
"HB1278 says no town, county or township can restrict where someone can carry a gun. And that's not sitting well with some."
"The sign on the door at Sioux Falls' City Hall says no firearms allowed. But if a new gun bill passes in the legislature, this sign and others on city property would have to come down."
"'To me, that's not good legislation,' Sioux Falls Mayor Dave Munson said."
"Munson calls it a ridiculous bill that should be shot down."
"'My biggest problem is I really don't think people should carry weapons on city property,' Munson said." ...
-------
KABA Note: We presume that what the mayor really wanted to say was "I really don't think people should carry weapons". |
MN: Minnesota gun control bill aims to close sales loophole
Submitted by:
jgh
Website: http://secondamendmentfreedom.blogspot.com/
|
There
are no comments
on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments
|
"Gun control advocates are taking another stab at changing a state law that allows people to buy handguns and assault rifles without a background check from unlicensed dealers."
"A similar bill got nowhere in the legislature last year, but chief sponsor Rep. Michael Paymar ... said he hopes tweaks in the bill's language will satisfy the measure's opponents."
"'It's a good bill, a simple one designed to keep dangerous guns out of the hands of dangerous people,' Paymar said."
"The bill would close the so-called "gun show/Internet loophole." It would prohibit private sales of pistols or assault weapons unless the buyer or seller was a federally licensed dealer, or used a licensed dealer to transfer the weapon. ..." ... |
AL: Alabama House OKs bill banning seizure of guns during emergencies
Submitted by:
RPA-PAC
Website: http://www.rpa-pac.org
|
There
are no comments
on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments
|
"A bill to prevent state or local government from seizing lawfully owned guns during emergencies sailed through the Alabama House on Thursday and now heads to the Senate, where it was approved last year."
"Rep. Mark Keahey, D-Grove Hill, said his measure is aimed at ensuring the chaos that comes with disasters, such as hurricanes, is not made worse by overzealous government officials."
"'The Second Amendment gives us[sic] a constitutional right to bear arms, and this bill is just an effort, on Alabama's part, to help us maintain that right,' Keahey said."
"The bill was inspired by the events following Hurricane Katrina, when New Orleans police collected more than 1,000 firearms from residents ..." ... |
The more cops like this the worse we are
Submitted by:
Bruce Krafft
|
There
are no comments
on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments
|
"My contempt for the American police certainly can't go any lower. But some people who read this blog still cling to the fantasy that they are a decent lot. I say they are not. The 'good' cops may not violate rights immediately but they know the ones who do and usually cover for them. Cops are criminals with permits to be criminals."
"Take what a cop did to Lee Ann Hutts as an example. The cop in question is a sheriff's deputy from Pinellas County, Florida. Hutts had done nothing wrong at all. The thug in uniform was Sgt. Robert McGuire. People should know that McGuire is armed and dangerous and a threat. He is violent." ... |
CA: Gun control question arises at townhall meeting
Submitted by:
jgh
Website: http://secondamendmentfreedom.blogspot.com/
|
There
are no comments
on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments
|
"Why can�t there be more stringent laws against guns in Salinas?"
"Salinas police Cmdr. Dino Bardoni was the first official placed in the hot seat tonight as a townhall meeting kicked off at Sherwood Hall on North Main Street."
"The initial question was posed by Peter Valdez of Salinas, who wanted to know why gun locks couldn�t be enforced in the city � forcing gang members to lock their guns in order to transport them."
�'Gang member[sic] are not going to adhere to the law,' said Bardoni, referring to how the criminals use illegal guns. 'The problem is the outlaw element that is carrying the guns that we can't control at this point.'" ...
-------
KABA Note: Kudos to a LEO who recognizes the basic truth that criminals don't obey laws. |
OH: Municipalities continue to be upset with Ohio Supreme Court over gun rights
Submitted by:
Bruce Krafft
|
There
are no comments
on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments
|
"An old friend of mine, who is on the city council in my hometown, has given me the February 2009 copy of Risky Business, a newsletter put out by the Miami Valley Risk Management Association. He was concerned over comments made on the second page."
"Though the article is subtle, it is clearly an advocacy piece about a ruling with which they are unhappy. MVRMA seems to be bothered that the Ohio Supreme Court found for the citizens of Ohio ... and not for home rule by the cities. They specifically cite the lawsuit against the city of Clyde, and the ruling rendered on September 18, 2008. The 4-3 decision held the city's ordinance barring licensed gun owners from carrying their handguns in city parks was unconstitutional ..." ... |
OR: Police chief could face discipline in Canby
Submitted by:
jgh
Website: http://secondamendmentfreedom.blogspot.com/
|
There
are no comments
on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments
|
"Canby City Attorney John Kelley said Wednesday night he will consult with labor lawyers to determine what potential discipline the city can pursue against Police Chief Greg Kroeplin." ...
"Kroeplin was placed on paid administrative leave Nov. 17, a day after The Oregonian ran a story detailing allegations by the FBI that he concealed or failed to properly investigate accusations of steroid abuse by one of his officers."
"Federal authorities allege that a cozy relationship between Kroeplin and former Officer Jason D. Deason enabled Deason to buy steroids on the job and in uniform ..."
"Federal investigators also alleged that Kroeplin overlooked numerous complaints since 2001 about Deason's possible steroid abuse ..." ... |
Canada: Calgary cop admits abusing gun amnesty
Submitted by:
Bruce Krafft
|
There
are no comments
on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments
|
"A Calgary police officer who was accused of abusing a gun amnesty program pleaded guilty Tuesday to one charge of careless storage of a firearm."
"Dean Pankewicz, 43, was also facing four other charges, including trafficking and illegal possession of a firearm, but those were dropped after he pleaded guilty to careless storage."
"The 18-year police veteran was charged after an investigation into the sales of firearms that were supposed to be destroyed ..."
"The investigation alleged Pankewicz bought 51 firearms that were supposed to be turned over and destroyed during the 2006 amnesty."
"It was alleged that on about 20 occasions, Pankewicz convinced someone who had called police to turn in a gun to sell it instead." ... |
AK: Fairbanks group will bare arms to support gun rights-Second Amendment Task Force schedules �open carry� days
Submitted by:
jgh
Website: http://secondamendmentfreedom.blogspot.com/
|
There
are no comments
on this story
Post Comments | Read Comments
|
"A growing group of Fairbanks gun rights activists will show their support for the Second Amendment today by openly carrying guns."
"'We're going to have an open carry day,' Schaeffer Cox, unofficial leader of the Second Amendment Task Force, said Thursday."
"Members of the task force, which he called a 'movement' more than a group or organization, will be displaying their firearms openly across Alaska�s second largest city on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays for the next two weeks, Cox said."
"'There�s a social stigma that only cops and robbers have guns,' Cox said. 'The truth is everybody is packing but nobody knows it because we keep it concealed.'" ... |
|
|
| QUOTES
TO REMEMBER |
| As civil rulers, not having their duty to the people before them, may attempt to tyrannize, and as the military forces which must be occasionally raised to defend our country, might pervert their power to the injury of their fellow citizens, the people are confirmed by the article in their right to keep and bear their private arms. � Tench Coxe in `Remarks on the First Part of the Amendments to the Federal Constitution' under the Pseudonym "A Pennsylvanian" in the Philadelphia Federal Gazette, June 18, 1789 at 2 col. 1. |
|
|
