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AL: Changes proposed for Phenix City ordinance on discharging firearm
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Phenix City Mayor Eddie Lowe said a complaint from hunters led council to consider revising the ordinance about discharging firearms within city limits.

Upon addressing the complaint, it was discovered that the current ordinance on discharging firearms within city limits was established in 1926. Phenix City Police Chief Ray Smith said its open to legal interpretation and out of compliance with Alabama Act 2013-283.

Alabama Act 2013-283, which addresses how and when residents can carry a gun, allows municipalities to regulate the discharge of weapons within its own city limits but requires municipalities to make an exception when it came to defending �one�s self or family in defense of one�s property.�

NY: Judge Richards will still handle St. Lawrence County pistol permits
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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According to St. Lawrence County Clerk Mary Lou Rupp, Judge Jerome J. Richards will still be in charge of issuing pistol permits in the county.

�Judge Richards is going to continue to take care of pistol permits and civil cases. He is just recusing himself from criminal (cases),� Mrs. Rupp said in an email Wednesday.

Judge Richards has faced criticism from several county legislators who believe restrictions he places on many citizens who hold pistol permits may violate Second Amendment rights outlined in the U.S. Constitution. At a gun forum in April at the Brier Hill Fire Department, County Clerk Mary Lou Rupp stated that an unrestricted concealed-carry permit has not been issued in St. Lawrence County since 2007.

LA: Gun control plans in New Orleans a misfire
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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It is so obvious the ordinance will not have the advertised effect that we must look elsewhere for its real purpose. Far from cracking down on gun offenders, it would keep lots of them out of the jail Sheriff Marlin Gusman runs but Landrieu must find the money to pay for. It also would enable New Orleans to present a less hairy face to the world through FBI crime statistics.

This transformation would be achieved by reclassifying state gun felonies as municipal misdemeanors. This is an admirably simple expedient, but, alas, there is a catch: It is totally, patently and spectacularly illegal.

Disarmament Cloaked As �Common Sense�
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Gun control advocates have been at their civilian-disarmament campaign for so long that astute observers will notice the same tactics and approaches returning time and again to the political landscape. When the American public rejects gun control schemes, anti-gun groups simply repackage their old material and strategies of attack. In recent years, such groups have taken to labeling any proposed restriction, no matter how onerous or ineffective, as �common sense.�

�Common sense� is a somewhat subjective term, but the gun control movement�s obvious intent is to portray their proposals as popular, reasonable and benign. Alternatively, gun rights positions are to be considered extreme and out of touch.

LA: Study: Small percentage of homicides justifiable
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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A recent research study undertaken by the Violence Policy Center makes the case that private citizens use guns to inflict harm more often than they are used in self-defense.

According to The Firearm Justifiable Homicides and Non-Fatal Self-Defense Gun Use study, 44 justifiable homicides occurred in Louisiana between 2009 and 2013, with 2013 reflecting the lowest yearly total of six.

Nationwide, during the same time period, 1,114 justifiable homicides occurred compared to 41,218 criminal homicides, a 37 to 1 ratio, or 2.7 percent.

TX: Why These Women Carry Handguns
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Jeniffer was looking for protection when traveling with her three children. Carrie wanted to feel safe during �dangerous� stops at used car lots and liquor stores. Alana felt it was important to continue a family tradition she remembered as a source of bonding.

For all three, the solution was buying a handgun. These Texas women, among others, are featured in Concealed, She's Got A Gun, a portrait series by photographer Shelley Calton

MN: Richfield man acquitted of murder in 2013 shooting death of another man
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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A Richfield man charged with shooting another man nine times was acquitted of first-degree premeditated murder Wednesday in Hennepin County District Court.

Jonathan Tadeo Bello-Sanchez, 24, was charged in June 2013 in the shooting death of Fernando Leon-Celis, 20, inside Bello-Sanchez�s home.

The defense argued that Bello-Sanchez was acting in self-defense.

The jury deliberated for nearly four days before announcing their decision early Wednesday, said Daniel Gerdts, Bello-Sanchez� attorney.

WV: Man found not guilty in Lincoln County murder and malicious wounding case Submitted by: Mark A. Taff Website: http://www.marktaff.com	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
A man accused of murdering his daughter-in-law in March 2015 and wounding her ex-husband has been found not guilty of all charges, his lawyer told WSAZ on Wednesday. ... Holstein said Staggs acted in self-defense, and the jury responded by finding him not guilty of all charges.

Huffington Post Now Apparently Hiring Stoners To Write About Gun Policy Submitted by: Mark A. Taff Website: http://www.marktaff.com	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
Have you ever read something so incoherent that you simply assume that the person who wrote it must have been high out of their minds? That�s what it felt like to read a recent article on the Huffington Post by Justin Cormi, where he attempts to assert that lawful citizens using firearms for self-defense, like, denies criminals of their constitutional rights, man.

MO: Missouri House: No Permit Necessary to Carry Concealed
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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By a vote of 112-37, the Missouri House voted to abolish the requirement to acquire a permit before exercising the Second Amendment right to bear arms.

The vote was held on Tuesday, and the legislation � HB 1468 � now goes to the Missouri Senate.

According to the Associated Press, HB 1468 not only lets residents carry concealed guns for self-defense without a permit but also �expand the state�s castle doctrine law by giving people the right to use deadly force to defend themselves and their property against intruders.� This expansion covers babysitters in the home who may have to use deadly force to protect the children entrusted to their care.

NY: Kingston shooting range debate not over yet
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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A Common Council panel has recommended against a resolution to amend a 1978 local law that prohibits discharging firearms in the city, but at least three aldermen want to see the matter referred back to committee.

Council Majority Leader William Carey, D-Ward 5, Alderwoman Lynn Eckert, D-Ward 1, and Minority Leader Deborah Brown, R-Ward 9, agree the matter should be returned to the council�s Laws and Rules Committee for further discussion. It will be up the full council on Tuesday to decide.

MO: Constitutional Carry Bill Passes Missouri House; Heads to Senate for Vote
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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The bill was sponsored by State Representative Eric Burlison, who says the bill simply protects law-abiding citizens and their right to self-defense. He explained, "What we are changing is if you are a law abiding citizen, we're not going to make it a felony charge to put that firearm in your pocket. The naive perception is that if we pass a law that says a felon can't carry a firearm that they won't. But the truth is they do. So what we really want to make sure is that we're not trying to make it more difficult for law-abiding citizens to protect themselves and defend themselves."

Justice Stevens Is Wrong About the Constitution, Again
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Perhaps unsurprisingly, among the cases that Stevens brought up for discussion was District of Columbia v. Heller, the 2008 dispute in which Stevens cast the principal dissent and Justice Scalia wrote the majority opinion, holding that the Second Amendment protects an individual right�not a collective one�to keep and bear arms. "Our views diverged," Stevens told his audience, on "whether the framers understood the Second Amendment to protect the right of the people of each State to maintain a well-regulated militia, as I think, or whether the framers instead understood that Amendment as protecting a right of private civilians to own and use firearms for nonmilitary purposes, as Justice Scalia thought."

GA: Federal Judge Upholds Gun Bans at Army Corps Recreation Areas
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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A federal judge in Rome has dismissed a challenge to firearm regulations in effect on public lands controlled by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, saying that Corps regulations are not unreasonable and that the plaintiff gun owners "can freely exercise their right to bear arms" elsewhere.

U.S. District Judge Harold Murphy on Monday threw out a suit filed in 2014 by GeorgiaCarry.org on behalf of David James, an organization member who frequently camps and boats at Lake Allatoona, which is under the Corps' jurisdiction. James wanted to carry a firearm "in case of confrontation," according to his suit.

FL: Workshop set for women who want to lose fear of firearms
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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ALTAIR Gun Club owner Michelle Jones leads a �Women�s Firearms Familiarization Workshop� from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, May 7, at the ALTAIR Gun Club Deep Lake Facility in Copeland off State Road 29 east of Naples. Participants must be 18 years of age. No firearms experience is required. Topics will include the different types of firearms, proper use of a firearm and firearm safety. Participants will have a chance to shoot.

Why not smarter guns?
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Of course smart gun technology won't cure gun violence in America altogether. But if the technology can be made reasonably reliable � as reliable, say, as an ordinary gun is today � it could prevent many such guns from being obtained illegally and used to commit crimes. It could also make it impossible for a child to stumble on to one and accidentally fire it. We're at a loss to see anything undesirable about either of those outcomes.

Ed.: It is mathematically impossible to make a smart gun as reliable as its ordinary counterpart is. The author should have consulted a mathematician or an engineer.

FL: Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey receives one of NRA�s highest honors
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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The sheriff of Brevard County, Wayne Ivey, was awarded one of the National Rifle Association�s highest honors on April 25 in recognition of his tireless efforts to defend liberty and protect the interests of law-abiding gun owners. Ivey was the only law enforcement officer to receive the Defender of Freedom Award in 2015. �There is never any question where Sheriff Ivey stands. He stands for the people,� said Marion P. Hammer, former NRA president. �He is clearly dedicated to protecting and upholding the Constitution, the Second Amendment and the freedoms safeguarded by our Founding Fathers.�

Variety: Hollywood Increasingly Involved with Gun Control Lobby
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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This involvement shows itself in scripts for television programming, gun-control tweets by celebrities, and celebrity-filled PSAs calling for Congress to pass more gun control for law-abiding citizens.

Variety points to an episode in the most recent season of House of Cards, a Netflix original in which First Lady Claire Underwood pushes for more gun control on behalf of a group called Families for Gun Reform. Although fictitious, the name �Families for Gun Reform� was created with the help of Michael Bloomberg-funded Everytown for Gun Safety. Moreover, the website, familiesforgunreform.com, takes you to Everytown�s website where you can sign a petition to ask Congress to pass more gun control for law-abiding citizens.

Armed Worship: Mixing God and Guns
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Lawful concealed carry and religion intersected in the news recently as Mississippi considered a law to �allow� churches to form church security committees for the protection of the congregation and, with training, for security committee members to carry concealed guns.

Previous Mississippi law prohibited concealed carry in a church. The reaction was swift and shrill, with predictions of blood in the aisles. The experience of other states speaks otherwise. Congratulations to Mississippi for expanding liberty.

GA: 2016 USCCA Concealed Carry Expo April 29th � May 1st in Atlanta, Georgia
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Looking for firearms information, training, and equipment? With a comprehensive lineup of retailers, manufacturers, and �living classroom� seminars, the USCCA Concealed Carry Expo promises to deliver services, support, and solutions for experiencing and embracing the concealed-carry lifestyle. The only event dedicated to the concealed carry lifestyle will be held, this weekend, April 29 � May 1, 2016, at the Georgia International Convention Center in Atlanta, Georgia.

Brady Campaign: Plugin will remove gunmens� information from search results
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The Brady Campaign and Ogilvy & Mather are launching �Zero Minutes of fame� a Google Chrome plugin that removes killers� names and images from major news sites and Google search results.

Mass shootings in the U.S. � like Virginia Tech, Aurora, Sandy Hook, Lafayette and Charleston often receive extensive media coverage, but this coverage only encourages similar crimes, according to the Brady Campaign.

Garland�s Antagonism Toward The Second Amendment
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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We, at the Arbalest Quarrel, however, vehemently disagree with that assertion. Parker and Reno tell the public much about Garland�s jurisprudence and methodological approach to Second Amendment legal and logical analysis. The Scholars� letter is cagey because they hesitate to assert that Garland would be an avid defender of the Second Amendment � which in definitive contrast, as we know, Justice Scalia definitely was.

CT: Police, lawmakers support bill requiring those who open carry to show police gun permit Submitted by: Mark A. Taff Website: http://www.marktaff.com	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
A dispute caught on camera between Bridgeport Police and a citizen that went viral earlier this year has spewed legislation to change open carry laws. A Bridgeport man who had his gun holstered while waiting in line at a Subway restaurant was confronted by police in January. When he refused to produce his permit, it brought new language in Connecticut�s open carry law to the forefront.