Keep and Bear Arms - Gun Owners Home Page

Safer Streets 2010: I don�t like gun violence anymore than Starbucks does
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Starbucks has taken a very brave position on their customer�s wearing sidearms in their coffee houses. The Brady Campaign has obnoxiously tried to pressure Starbucks into kicking second amendment customers out of its outlets. Starbucks took the position that it will respect the state and local laws, which, for many of its outlets, are in right-to-carry states, and that means armed citizens are within the law. It�s a very patriotic move which affirms the dignity and safety and sovereignty of everyone who might visit a Starbucks.

FL: Exonerated stand-your-ground defendant faces lawsuit in Hillsborough County
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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The mother of a man whose death was ruled justified under Florida's "stand your ground" law filed a wrongful death lawsuit Friday against the man who shot her son.

A civil complaint in Hillsborough Circuit Court says that Charles Podany, 49, acted "with reckless disregard" when he shot 24-year-old Casey Landes on Feb. 29, 2008, in a neighborhood dispute.

Landes' mother, Ruby Landes, seeks damages in excess of $15,000 from Podany ...

A judge tossed out a manslaughter charge against Podany in September, siding with his attorneys, who argued that Podany fired in self-defense and therefore was immune from prosecution under the law.

Government not obligated for care
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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David White in a recent letter asks "Isn't health care included in 'promote the general welfare?'"

Our Constitution does not obligate government to protect an individual from crime or to compensate an individual for damage caused by crime, as the Supreme Court has said in several cases. Self-defense is a personal responsibility.

Using the Supreme Court's logic, our Constitution does not obligate government to protect an individual from illness, nor to compensate an individual for damage caused by illness. Health care is a personal responsibility.

Oliver Wendell Holmes said "The right to swing my fist ends where the other man's nose begins."

Your right, David, to free health care ends where my money begins.

Guatemala: Guatemalan Women Arming Selves Because of Climate of Insecurity
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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The climate of insecurity in Guatemala is forcing women to arm themselves to protect themselves and their families, the official Diario de Centroamerica newspaper said Monday.

A report by the daily says that, regardless of their profession, more and more women are acquiring weapons and are registering them with the Digecam regulatory agency.

Some 9,200 weapons have been registered at that agency in the name of women, a figure that represents 4 percent of the total weapons registered.

Digecam assistant director Guillermo Mejia said that while it is not very common for women to approach the institution, each day they are showing more interest in carrying a firearm for self-defense.

ME: Acadia Gun Control
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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A bill now before the Legislature would restore the decades-old policies regulating guns in Acadia National Park, the St. Croix International Historic Site and the state�s portion of the Appalachian Trail. Specifically, it would require gun owners to keep their weapons unloaded, broken down and stowed away in vehicle trunks, glove boxes or other such compartments. LD 1737 should be passed, and legislators should not allow it to turn into a Second Amendment showdown.

IL: Illinois declares war on gun ownership
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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The Illinois State Rifle Association (ISRA) is warning gun owners about a new attempt by the state legislature to quietly stifle gun ownership even further throughout the state, known as HB 180.

In what is already one of the most hostile anti-gun states in the country, this bill would impose sweeping new regulations on gun shops that would increase costs and excessively complicate the process of purchasing a firearm.

For instance, it would make even the very existence of all gun shops subject to the arbitrary whims of the Illinois State Police by creating yet another intrusive government licensing process in which the police would have sole discretion over who gets to sell guns.

Civil Rights and Armed Self-Defense Submitted by: Mark A. Taff Website: http://www.marktaff.com	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
At the Volokh Conspiracy, David Kopel has an extraordinary post featuring a long quote from civil rights activist John R. Salter, one of the organizers of the famous Jackson, Mississippi sit-ins, describing the crucial role that firearms played in keeping him and other civil rights activists safe from Ku Klux Klan �night-riders� and other white terrorists.

WA: Guard opens fire during armored car robbery attempt Submitted by: Mark A. Taff Website: http://www.marktaff.com	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
A guard opened fire during an attempted robbery of an armored truck Sunday morning, critically wounding the suspect as stunned witnesses looked on. Now Seattle police are questioning both men to see if the shooting was self-defense or something else. A dozen patrol cars raced to the scene after the shooting at 52nd Street and Rainier Avenue, near the McDonald's restaurant.

Lawyer Fight! Plot Thickens in Huge High Court Gun-Control Case
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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We�ve made no bones of the fact that McDonald v. Chicago is our favorite case of the current Supreme Court term. The case has it all: a hot-button political issue (gun control), a set of fascinating constitutional questions, and plenty of pre-game controversy.

For those who aren�t familiar with the case, we suggest you get up to speed by reading Jess Bravin�s story on the case, from last March, as well as our blog post on Bravin�s article.

That backdrop sets up nicely a story in Monday�s Washington Post on some early wrangling going on among lawyers working on the case.

SC: Think Government Is Corrupt? You May Face 10 Years In Jail
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Of course, since nobody is going to register as a �subversive� with South Carolina authorities, their failure to �comply� with the regulation will later be used against them as a means of eliciting criminal charges, in what represents a clear end run around the First Amendment.

...

Just like people in places such as New York and Chicago were told that they had to get a license to purchase a gun � at first the process was a mere inconvenience but now the licensing process means they have to jump through 200 flaming hoops and the second amendment has effectively been outlawed in these cities.

AR: Curtis Coleman running for U.S. Senate
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Here are the outlining political views of U.S. Senate candidate Curtis Coleman.

"Get the government out of our face", a quote Curtis Coleman used during a previous interview, a quote that now surrounds his campaign.

"I think we've lost the understanding for the role of federal government in our society and that needs to be reshaped and redefined," says Coleman.

As an avid supporter of the second amendment , Coleman says any abridgement to the right to bear arms is a dangerous step in the wrong direction.

"The right to bear arms is the last form of defense against tyranny, and when you disarm a population, then you have a horrible opportunity for the wrong type of events," Coleman says.

MT: Wildlife agency takes up lead ammo ban this week
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Rob Domenech and his research associates didn�t know what they were looking for when they started testing the blood of golden eagles along Montana�s Rocky Mountain Front three years ago.

What they found was lead. In some cases, lots of it.

�This was kind of a shock to us,� he said in an interview from his Missoula office. �We never considered it.�

Domenech, executive director of Raptor View Research Institute, was one of hundreds of people to send comments to the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission in what has become a controversial proposal to ban lead shot on state-owned wildlife management areas.

NJ: Don�t rely on guns in the home for protection
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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I have had a fair amount of training in the use of firearms, possess a weapons permit to own a rifle or shotgun and here is how I view the subject:

Contrary to the argument that guns are an invaluable asset for home protection, they are in fact virtually useless. Proper weapon maintenance requires that the gun be �safe-kept� after use. That means the weapon should be checked to be sure it is unloaded and then securely �locked down.�

Locking down the weapon requires that it be secured, preferably under lock and key. Having checked the weapon to be sure it is unloaded, the ammunition should then be safe-kept in another locked location.

NRA, Libertarians Squabble over Supreme Court Case
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Needless to say, the libertarians aren�t too happy. Ilya Shapiro, a Supreme Court scholar at Cato Institute, told The Washington Post, "The NRA prefers to seek glory for itself rather than presenting the strongest case for its purported constituency of gun owners."

...

In response NRA spokesman Andrew Arulanandam told The Post: "Our client is the Second Amendment. We wanted to make sure that all avenues were addressed and all bases covered."

Paul Valone, a Charlotte, N.C., gun owners advocate, sides with Gura. He wrote in the Charlotte Gun Rights Examiner, �As a betting man, I would rather place my money on a lawyer who already won the precedent-setting Second Amendment case rather than the lawyer who argued against him.�

NRA Shoots Itself in the Foot
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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I previously blogged about the NRA�s misbegotten motion, which the Supreme Court granted, to carve 10 minutes of oral argument time away from the petitioners in McDonald v. Chicago. Essentially, there was no discernable reason for the motion other than to ensure that the NRA could claim some credit for the eventual victory, and thus boost its fundraising.

Well, having argued that petitioners� counsel Alan Gura insufficiently covered the argument that the Second Amendment should be �incorporated� against the states via the Fourteenth Amendment�s Due Process Clause, the NRA has now filed a brief that fails even to reference the four biggest cases regarding incorporation and substantive due process.

Guns And Starbucks: Espresso Shots, Not Gunshots
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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What would your reaction be if you and your kids walked into the local Starbucks and, while contemplating the choice between a latte and a mocha cappuccino, you noticed several fellow customers had semi-automatic pistols and ammunition magazines hanging from their hips?

This scenario has become more than a flight of imagination. In several communities in California, and elsewhere, it has become reality.

Welcome to the "open carry" movement, an effort by "gun rights" extremists to foist their interpretation of the Second Amendment on the rest of us by openly carrying handguns in public places.

Armed assaults by cops in bars show folly of unthinking trust Submitted by: David Codrea Website: http://www.examiner.com/x-1417-Gun-Rights-Examiner	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
"What is it the antis expect us to swallow whole? Oh, yeah, the police are the 'Only Ones' we can trust with guns--and are especially the only ones we can trust carrying them around in public. You and I are just too volatile and out of control. But if we see a government employee with a gun, we can all relax and know we're protected."

LA: 3 shot, hurt during Super Bowl celebration in French Quarter
Submitted by: Larry

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Three people were wounded this morning near Iberville and Bourbon streets, the New Orleans Police Department reported.

According to investigators, Eighth District police responded about midnight to a call of shots fired. They found three people shot, all with non-life threatening injuries: a 25-year-old man, a 30-year-old woman and a 36-year-old woman. Their names were withheld pending notification of relatives, NOPD spokesman Officer Janssen Valencia said in a news release.

The victims, who told police that they were standing with a crowd when they heard gunshots and observed that they had been struck, were treated and released, Valencia said.

Submitter's note: Obviously the fault of all peaceable LA gunowners.

How the right to arms saved the non-violent civil rights protesters Submitted by: rick schwartz Website: http://hubpages.com/hub/Need-business-capital-but-have-poor-credit-No-problem	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
"I was beaten and arrested many times and hospitalized twice. This happened to many, many people in the movement. No one knows what kind of massive racist retaliation would have been directed against grassroots black people had the black community not had a healthy measure of firearms within it."

Former Philly cop indicted for murder
Submitted by: jac

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PHILADELPHIA - February 8, 2010 -- A murder warrant was issued Monday against a former Philadelphia police officer accused of fatally shooting a neighbor during an off-duty altercation in November.

Frank Tepper, 43, faces charges of murder and other counts in the shooting of 21-year-old William Panas Jr. in the city's Port Richmond section.

Former District Attorney Lynne Abraham announced last year that she was convening a grand jury in the killing. But the city's new top prosecutor said Monday that his office reviewed the case and determined there was enough evidence to issue a warrant.

"The community cries out for justice," said District Attorney Seth Williams, inaugurated last month. "Our job is to seek justice.

NC: Alcohol Restrictions, Curfew Lifted In King
Submitted by: R. Smith

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Authorities lifted curfew and alcohol restrictions in King on Sunday, but said a state of emergency declaration remained in effect until Monday.

Authorities said the state of emergency declaration would continue until Monday 9 a.m., barring any unforeseen circumstances or severe changes.

Effective Sunday afternoon, alcohol restrictions and a curfew were lifted. All other remaining restrictions would continue until Monday, said Paula May, King police chief.

Other restrictions included a ban on the sale or purchase of any type of firearm, ammunition, explosive or any possession of such items off a person's own premises.

Ed.: The paper has apparently rewritten the story repeatedly, removing many of the details of what actually happened.