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Why gun dealers have dwindled -- Gun-control activists tie the trend to a drop in crime. NRA disagrees.
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"The United States has more gas stations than gun dealers. 'News flash?' you might think. But a decade ago, businesses licensed to sell firearms outnumbered gas stations 245,000 to 210,000. Since then, the number of licensed firearms dealers has declined almost 80 percent ..." ...
"Gun-control advocates contend that this dramatic reduction is a victory for "sensible" gun-control policy that has made it harder for criminals to get guns. ..." ...
"The National Rifle Association has a very different response: 'So what?' says Andrew Arulanandam, a spokesman for the NRA in Fairfax, Va. He contends the changes only drove out individuals who may have gotten a license so they could buy guns at wholesale prices for their personal use." ... |
No More Angel Shamayas
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... "Last week, Angel Shamaya, founder and former Director of Keep and Bear Arms was arrested; he is out on bail. Angel was charged with four misdemeanor counts of possessing firearms not properly registered in the State of Michigan. While Angel is out on bail, I say enough is enough. Angel was not in violation of the law, the State of Michigan is by not being in compliance with the Second Amendment. Angel is required under the Second Amendment to own and possess fire arms as so succinctly explained by Dr. Edwin Vieira in his columns. How many more of our fellow Americans will we allow to be rounded up and jailed for being in compliance with the written law of the land?" ... |
Doing nothing about everything
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"I suspect there's not a person interested in Second Amendment matters out there who doesn't know by now that Angel Shamaya � the founder of KeepandBearArms.com � has been arrested on firearms charges in Michigan. ..."
"According to the sketchy information available, Shamaya is accused of having four unregistered guns in Michigan. ..." ...
"There is a school of thought, particularly prevalent within the freedom movement, that we are under no obligation to obey an unconstitutional law. That's true. We're not. ... But there's a slight problem with refusing to honor such laws: there are a good number of people, many of whom happen to be in law enforcement who are inclined to enforce a law merely because it is a law, unconstitutional or not." ... |
DC: Brady Campaign Issues First State Report Card for District of Columbia, After News Radio WTOP Notes Lack of One
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"A few days after releasing its annual report cards for gun laws to every state in the nation, the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence today added a grade -- for the District of Columbia. The District earned a 'B.'"
"The addition came after WTOP Radio reporter Mark Segraves asked Brady Campaign officials why the District didn't get a grade. Officials at the gun violence prevention organization considered the question and decided to review the District's gun laws and compile a score." ...
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KABA Note: The District got a "B", and Maine got a "D-", but according to the CDC, the "firearm deathrate" in Maine is much lower than DC's.
Year......ME......DC
1999....8.92....28.59
2000....8.78....26.05
2001....7.63....29.51
2002....6.80....34.26
2003....6.28....29.59 |
WY: Albany County attorney: Laramie shooting was justifiable homicide
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FULL TEXT BELOW:
A man won't be charged for shooting another man through the door of his home, the county attorney has decided.
James Martino, 55, of Laramie, told investigators he fired a single shot with a rifle. The bullet hit Brandon Martinez, 19, killing him.
Police Chief Robert Deutsch said all the evidence pointed to self-defense.
The police report said Martinez had been trying to force his way into the house. Martinez's teenage girlfriend, who lived nearby, had gone to Martino's house after an argument with Martinez. |
OH: Central-city homeowner shoots, injures intruder
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FULL TEXT BELOW:
Toledo police said a man was shot by a homeowner early Saturday after the man allegedly broke into the central-city home.
Police, responding to a burglary-in-progress call at 1566 Buckingham St., found resident Darron Doss and the suspect, John Curry, of 643 Nebraska Ave., on the rear porch. Mr. Doss told police that Mr. Curry broke into his residence about 2:30 a.m. on Saturday. Mr. Doss said he armed himself with a shotgun and fired a warning shot.
Police said Mr. Curry was wounded and he was taken to Toledo Hospital with nonlife-threatening injuries.
A hospital spokesman said she had no information on Mr. Curry yesterday. |
OR: RHS school shoot motive, details remain under wraps
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"Roseburg Police have narrowed down a motive for February�s school shooting, describing a troubled relationship between two teens."
"Roseburg police Lt. Pat Moore said this morning details of the motive cannot be released until the prosecuting entities � including the Douglas County District Attorney�s Office and the Douglas County Juvenile Department � agree to do so."
"He provided a vague description of a tense relationship between the two Roseburg High School students and their social circle which is believed to have led to the early morning campus shooting." ...
"RHS sophomore Joseph Monti, 16, was critically injured Feb. 23 when a fellow student shot him four times with a.40-caliber pistol as students filed to class." ... |
IN: New Details Emerge on Alleged Center Grove Plot
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"Four students accused of plotting an armed takeover of Center Grove High School are now facing formal charges."
"Newly released court documents say the four boys, ages 15 and 16, planned the takeover for either March third or seventh. They say one of the students was the mastermind. From the probable cause affidavit:"
"'The student told us of a dream he had several days ago. He stated that in the dream, he and five or six of his friends took over Center Grove High School. He stated that the first thing they did in his dream was to take principal Shockley hostage and then have everyone taken to the east gym ... He told us that sometime after the dream, he decided to implement it.'" ... |
IL: Brady supporter of Second Amendment
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FULL TEXT BELOW:
Sen. Bill Brady is the only candidate running for Illinois governor who has an "A" rating by the National Rifle Association and is endorsed by the Illinois Rifle Association.
During a 12-year legislative career in both Illinois House and Senate, Brady has been a staunch supporter of the Second Amendment Rights. Brady is currently sponsoring a bill to eliminate the state requirement that people receive a FOID Card (Firearms Owner Identification Card) before purchasing firearms in Illinois.
Brady is an avid quail and pheasant hunter.
Please support Sen. Bill Brady for governor in the March 21 primary.
George Beard
Stockton |
KY: Kunkel gets tough with GOP
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"Statehouse candidate Bernie Kunkel has some tough words for Republicans in Frankfort as well as Washington as he kicks his campaign into gear."
"Tough, because Kunkel is a Republican who, despite running in a three-way GOP primary for the 69th House District, isn't afraid to take on his own party even in an election year."
"'I'm not all that happy with the growth of government under the Republicans,' said Kunkel. ..." ...
"He home-schools his children; is against abortion and more taxes; believes government spends too much money; backs the Second Amendment and gun ownership rights; and decries Republican-backed legislation such as the Patriot Act, the federal anti-terrorism bill he says is a danger to American's civil rights." ... |
CA: Nichols announces bid for 22nd Congressional seat
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"Steve Nichols, 53, announced Friday that he will be a candidate for the 22nd Congressional seat vacated by the retirement of Rep. William Thomas. He released the following statement to the media."
"'My name is Steve Nichols and I have decided to run for the 22nd Congressional District from which the honorable Bill Thomas has announced his retirement. ..." ...
"'What does America need? ... I applaud the Congress and the President in renewing the Patriot Act while at the same time I remain cautious about protecting fundamental Constitutional Rights upon which this nation is founded. The fundamental right to bear arms protected by the Second Amendment needs to be protected. ..." ... |
MD: Duncan backs state ban on military-style weapons
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"Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan, a Democratic candidate for Maryland governor, testified in Annapolis last week in support of a state ban on military-style weapons."
"'I lived through what one of these weapons can do during the sniper shootings,' Mr. Duncan said, referring to the shooting spree in October 2002 that killed 10 persons and terrorized the Washington area for three weeks. 'We don't need these guns on the streets.'" ... |
FL: Officials Chipping Away Public Access
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"Florida has some of the strongest public access laws for government records and meetings in the country."
"But that doesn't keep state lawmakers from chipping away each year at that right to access. Since 2004, the Florida Legislature has approved 27 new exemptions to public records laws, while also renewing 13 existing exemptions." ...
"'We have 1,040 exceptions to our constitutional right of access,' Petersen [president of the First Amendment Foundation] said. 'I don't know of any other constitutional right that has so many exceptions.'"
"Among the bills filed in the 2006 Legislature are measures that exempt e-mail addresses collected by government agencies, cloak the identity of concealed weapon permit holders ..." ... |
MI: Privacy outranks public right with concealed guns
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"Clouds sometimes form over the state's 'sunshine laws' intended to offer easy access to public records."
"Technically, certain documents are available under the Freedom of Information Act. However, an individual's right to privacy can outweigh the public's right to know, experts said."
"Take, for example, Michigan's permits for carrying a concealed weapon."
"The permits are on file at each county clerk's office, and the information could be released. However, clerks are not obligated to make public the names of permit-holders."
"'Concealed-weapon permits ... are subject to FOIA ...' said Tom Quasarano, a state assistant attorney general."
"However, the information may be withheld on grounds of privacy." ... |
AL: Local FOP holding gun safety classes
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"The local chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police, Smith-Dale Lodge 31, will start taking applications for a Citizen's Firearm Safety Course. The course is designed to educate people in the proper handling and firing of their personal handgun. It will also address other concerns such as proper maintenance and cleaning of handguns and will include both classroom time and firing range time."
"'If people choose to own and/or carry a handgun, we feel it is important that they become familiar with the correct way to handle them,' said Jay Edwards, President of the Smith-Dale Lodge." ... |
Guyana: Disappearance of GDF weapons
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"A national intelligence service may be needed to thwart major security breaches such as the one that resulted in the recent disappearance of 33 AK-47's and five hand guns, according to a former senior army officer."
"The officer, who preferred to remain anonymous, also said that if the intelligence services in the three main law enforcement agencies were permitted to function efficiently then incidents such as the weapons theft from the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) would not occur."
"The source also feels that because there has been a major 'criminal element' functioning in Guyana the atmosphere for the disappearance of such high-powered weapons was created." ... |
Virgin Islands: Concern about replica toy guns grows as Carnival approaches
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"Replica guns and knives are turning up in the hands of minors in increasing numbers - a dangerous trend that occurs shortly before every Carnival season, according to Deputy Police Chief Elvin Fahie."
"Two particular models being sold for less than $70 at area stores are a major concern this year - an air gun modeled after a police-issued Glock and a spring gun modeled after an older-model pistol."
"'Police officers are afraid of firing on a child and to later realize that the weapon is not real,' Fahie said."
"Since January, weapons that local store owners sell as toys, ranging in price from $10 to $70, have been used in violent acts on school campuses." ... |
Brazil: Brazilian army withdraws from Rio slums
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"Army troops withdrew from Rio's most notorious shantytowns Monday, ending a 10-day operation that used tanks and helicopters in a failed effort to recover weapons stolen from a barracks."
"Some 1,600 troops occupied 10 shantytowns, searching for 10 assault rifles and a pistol, stolen March 3 by gunmen wearing army-issue camouflage gear and ninja masks."
"In the downtown Providencia shantytown where drug gangs battled the soldiers during the occupation, residents cheered as the 300 troops occupying the hillside slum began to leave. The drug gangs set off fireworks to celebrate the withdrawal." ... |
IA: Big Bore show features array of antique and modern weaponry
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"Guns told stories Sunday at the Big Bore Enterprise Gun Show at the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds."
"Arrayed on a table were vintage Luger holsters worn by German military personnel during the early years of World War II. The slight wear on a W.F. & Co. Express coach gun hinted at its past life of protecting passengers traveling by stage coach, and an 1851 Colt Navy pistol probably saw action during the Civil War."
"The two-day show in Davenport featured swords, knives, ammunition and guns."
"'We have displays we bring to our shows that have antique and vintage guns,' show promoter Mark Quade said. 'These are the type of guns you might have seen at shows in the 1950s and '60s, but they�ve been collected up.'" ... |
IL: The fall of gun control: Terror, hurricanes spur gun ownership
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"No one was more outraged than Allan Vander Meersch when Illinois proposed charging gun owners $650 to carry a firearm owner�s ID card � a whopping increase from the current $5 fee."
"The Spring Valley machinist, who draws a modest living selling firearms and ammunition at gun shows, was not surprised by the move, however." ...
"'The atmosphere for gun ownership has changed 300 percent � 100 percent for every 10 years I've been involved,' Vander Meersch said. 'It's not changing in a direction that favors people who own firearms.'" ... |
KY: Don't believe anti-gun statistics
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"Henry Riekert's column cites the Violence Policy Center as a 'well respected, non-profit, gun control advocacy group' -- true, if citing selective statistics and ignoring data that do not support yours is respectable."
"One of the group's stated goals is a nationwide ban on the private possession of handguns. That isn't gun control; it's gun elimination."
"The figure Riekert cites -- 5,314 arrests of Texas concealed-carry licensees -- sounds incriminating until you look behind the raw numbers. ..."
"Since there were about 213,000 concealed-carry licenses issued during that period, that calculates to a percentage of 0.5 percent a year being arrested, not exactly a staggering rate." ... |
WA: Shopping like it's 1840
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"The term 'trading post' wasn't just a historical metaphor in Monroe over the weekend."
"A blacksmith fashioned a cleaning rod for a muzzle-loading musket. Shoppers sifted through piles of cut leather, petted buffalo fur coats and tried on American Indian-crafted jewelry."
"People walked around in deerskin pants, fur hats and jackets made from woolen Hudson Bay blankets."
"The Muzzle-Loading Arms and Pioneer Craft Show brought an estimated 3,000 shoppers ..."
"'We like to think that this is equal to what a shopping mall would have been in 1840,' said Bud Maune of the Cascade Mountain Men, which organized the event. The club is devoted to the muzzle-loading rifles of the early 1800s." ... |
VA: Yamamoto: Wrong date, right quote
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FULL TEXT BELOW:
Don Stringer's letter ["World War II 'fact' is actually fiction," March 9] suggests that Japanese Adm. Isoroku Yamamoto, who planned the attack on Pearl Harbor, gave no thought to firearms in the hands of American civilians during World War II.
In fact, it is widely reported that Adm. Yamamoto did say in 1941, "You cannot invade the mainland United States. There would be a rifle behind each blade of grass."
Perhaps the writer with whom Mr. Stringer takes issue was wrong about the date of the quote, but that does not excuse Mr. Stringer's own bit of revisionism to support his anti-Second Amendment rant.
John Velleco
Springfield |
IN: Gun safety is passion
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"Whitley County has one of the highest gun ownership rates among northeast Indiana counties. Love of firearms and hunting has been passed down from generation to generation in the county. Along with that love, elder family members have passed down their knowledge of how to safely handle firearms."
"Unfortunately, some people never learned how to use guns properly, and pass misinformation down to their loved ones."
"Jeff Ott, who is a patron member of the National Rifle Association, teaches classes to certify firearm instructors. He has been teaching firearm safety classes for 10 years, and he was recently nominated to become a senior training counselor for the NRA." ... |
Savage Model 10ML-II .50 Caliber
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Bruce W. Krafft
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"Savage (Dept ST, 118 Mountain Rd., Suffield, CT 06078; 413-568-7001; www.savagearms.com) has improved its smokeless powder in-line. A change in model designation to 10ML-II reflects those improvements."
"In the new Model 10ML-II propellant gas is now contained by a close fit between the hardened surface of the breechplug and the face of the bolt. Obturation of the primer battery cup during firing also plays a role in preventing propellant gas leakage, and it works in the same manner as when the brass case of a cartridge seals off the chamber of a centerfire rifle. This change results in a shorter flame travel from primer to the powder charge." ... |
UK: Day of horror still casts a shadow
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"The school bell had rung, the register had been taken and a class of five and six-year-olds had gathered in the gym ready for PE."
"But barely had their teacher Gwen Mayor started the lesson when a man burst in and began circling the gym, firing round after round of bullets."
"Within three minutes, 16 children and Mrs Mayor lay dead or dying."
"Another teacher, Eileen Harrild and a small group of children sat cowering in a store cupboard, fearing for their lives."
"The man, Thomas Hamilton, aged 43, used his last shot to kill himself."
"By 9.38am on the morning of March 13, 1996, the gym was what headteacher Ron Taylor later described as a 'scene of unimaginable carnage'." ...
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Submitter's Note: And if one single teacher had been armed, this 'carnage' might have been avoided. |
UK: Clarke admits gun law failings
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"Home Secretary Charles Clarke admitted last night that criticism of the Government's failure to complete work on the long-awaited national register of firearms 'was justified' - 10 years after 16 children and their teacher were gunned down at Dunblane."
"Today marks the 10th anniversary of the day 43-year-old Thomas Hamilton fired murderous round-after-round at pupils in a primary school gymnasium, before taking his own life."
"Tony Blair, who became Prime Minister in May 1997, promised the parents of the Dunblane victims that a national firearms register would be created amid calls for tighter gun controls and in the wake of the official inquiry into the killings."
"But attempts to create the electronic register - which will give police forces detailed information about everyone who has been either granted or refused a gun licence - have been blighted by technical problems. ..." ... |
UK: Dunblane father attacks Blair for lax attitude on gun control
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"A father whose five-year-old daughter was killed in the Dunblane school massacre 10 years ago has criticised the Government for not doing enough to combat the global arms trade."
"Mick North says Tony Blair has 'failed to show leadership' in efforts to push through an international Arms Trade Treaty aimed at banning the export of guns to countries where they could be used on civilians. Aid agencies say that a man, woman or child dies every minute as a result of armed violence and the lack of controls on the sale of guns." ...
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KABA Note: Of course during the 20th century, not counting warfare, governments murdered more than one man, woman and child every minute. 3.2 men, women and children, killed by their governments, every minute of every hour of every day of every year, for one hundred years. |
UK: Gun control still an issue 10 years after Dunblane
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"Ten years after a gunman walked into a Scottish school and shot dead 16 children and a teacher in a crime that shocked the world, gun control advocates say more must be done to end mankind's love affair with firearms."
"Each year, guns are used to kill 300,000 people, they say."
"Only about a quarter of them die in armed conflicts. Most, like the youngsters cut down in their school gymnasium in Dunblane on March 13, 1996, are murder victims." ... |
UK: A policy that backfired
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"THE FAMILIES of the 16 children and one teacher murdered by Thomas Hamilton in Dunblane Primary School ten years ago yesterday lit candles in solemn memory of the victims. Britain�s criminals, on the other hand, marked the occasion as they mark every other occasion: with rounds of gunfire."
"It is depressingly apt that the tenth anniversary of Dunblane should have coincided with a fatal gunfight at a Salford pub, which left two men dead and sent children playing in a nearby park running for cover."
"The handgun ban introduced after Dunblane has silenced gun clubs and forced Britain�s Olympic shooters to practise overseas, but it certainly hasn�t prevented the criminal classes from arming themselves like never before." ... |
New Zealand: Anti-gun lobbyists right off target says veteran
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"If Michael Campbell throws his golf club down in frustration or race walker Craig Barrett packs a sad, they are likely to attract a few terse letters to the editor."
"But when Olympic gold medallist Nadine Stanton has a hissy fit and throws her gun down, all hell can break loose."
"Many will argue that the 30-year-old Commonwealth Games trap shooter got off with a rap over the knuckles in January after several complaints in Hamilton for her behaviour last December at the Waikato Gun Club. While not wanting to be drawn into the Stanton case, Napier's Rod Herron believes it's the irresponsible behaviour of a handful of people that puts shooting in a negative light." ... |
Australia: Give Bill both barrels
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Website: http://www.servicerifle.com.au/qmrcabout.htm
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"NEXT month marks 10 years since Martin Bryant shot 35 people dead at Tasmania's Port Arthur. Next week controversial laws allowing criminals to get their guns back or apply for first time licences will go to the State Cabinet."
"The laws were in a private member's Bill introduced to the Upper House by Shooters Party MP John Tingle. NSW Government MPs and Coalition MPs gave their support to the Bill on Thursday night."
"These laws will allow anyone on a behaviour bond, except drug traffickers and anyone convicted of serious assaults with weapons, to have a gun."
"The amendments will also allow people convicted and on bonds for breaking AVOs to get a gun licence for the first time." ... |
Turkey: Turkey Eyes Italy's Throne in Hunting Weaponry
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Bruce W. Krafft
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"The Turkish weapons industry has progressed sufficiently to compete with its European rivals. The thirty-one Turkish companies attending the 33rd Nuremberg International Trade Fair for Hunting and Sporting Arms and Accessories, the second biggest trade organization in the sector, received a great deal of notice at the fair."
"The fair is the most important organization after Shot Show held in Las Vegas, in the US, for the manufacture, marketing and promotion of the small arms sector." ... |
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