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How gun control trades life for death
Submitted by: jac

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"His name is Charles."

"Her name was Clara."

"Was. Past tense."

"The first and last time Charles saw Clara alive, she was being dragged by her hair through the CNN Center in Atlanta. Clara's tormentor ordered Charles out of the way, and instead of standing his ground to defend an obviously distressed woman, he obeyed the thug's order and let them pass." ...

"There was a time when a majority of American men would almost surely have come to Clara's aid. ..."

"It was a day when men, recognizing the reality of evil, carried weapons that enabled them to stand in the gap for those being unjustly tormented and threatened. Virtually any man on the street could come to the aid of a victim like Clara." ...

Gun ban takes power from the people
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"Thirty-one years ago, in the capital of a country that won its independence by the hands of settlers and farmers gripped firmly on their own privately owned firearms, legislators decided that it would be a wise idea to ban guns in the District of Columbia. For over three decades, law-abiding citizens were not allowed to own a gun or even possess one in their homes, excluding active and retired police officers. Not for self-defense. Not for the defense of property and possessions. Not for the protection of loved ones. ... The purpose of these laws was to make the people safer from themselves and the criminals who would exploit them." ...

Eugene Robinson Is Off the Reservation and Into the Sheep Paddock
Submitted by: mile66

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... "I have woken up many nights thinking about such [self-defense] issues. I have no doubts about my ability to act. I hope I never have to."

"You, Mr. Robinson seem to disagree. You seem to feel that armed, law-abiding citizens are more dangerous than the criminal. I do not agree with you on that feeling. But, you seem to be comfortable with the idea that if a wolf acts, the sheep should bleat for help and hope the farmer comes with the shotgun to save them."

"You've wandered off the reservation alright. Straight into the gated sheep paddock and you've been comfortable there for a long time. It shows."

"I prefer to be the farmer."

Judges Give Ammo to Gun Owners
Submitted by: RPA-PAC
Website: http://www.rpa-pac.org

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"And look at what just climbed out of its coffin�the Second Amendment, the orphan child of the Bill of Rights. The U.S. Appeals Court for the District of Columbia threw out a law in the nation�s capital that made outlaws of those keeping a gun, even in their own homes." ...

"The Appeals Court ruled that the law violates the heretofore much-ignored Second Amendment, thereby causing whoops of joy over at the National Rifle Association headquarters and lamentations from the city�s mayor and gun-control liberals everywhere. This battle is not over, for the lawsuit is on its way to the Supreme Court and more controversy." ...

CNN Shooting Highlights Problems with NRA's Guns at Work (GunGuys)
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"Yesterday in America�s Shooting Gallery, we reported on the shooting at CNN center in Atlanta, Georgia. A man shot his ex-girlfriend at point blank range there before being subdued [Submitter's Note: This must be GunGuy-speak for shot] by a security guard." ...

"Which puts the NRA�s latest legal proposal into an interesting context. Currently, the NRA is trying to actually make it illegal for employers to ban guns from their workplace. Columnist Robbie Schwartz from the Walton Tribune writes about just how crazy the NRA plan is, especially in light of violence like this." ...
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Submitter's Note: So the GunGuys actually believe that the shooter would have been dissuaded by a parking lot ban?

TX: Neighbor, 77, shoots teen robber, police say
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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A teen was expected to survive after being shot while breaking into his 77-year-old neighbor's home early Tuesday, police said. The elderly man, Bob Manross, was in his southeast Houston home when his neighbor broke in around 1:45 a.m. The 18-year-old, carrying a pistol, demanded all the man's cash, police said. Mr. Manross said he recognized the teen and told the youth he would get the money from the next room but got a rifle instead and shot the youth in the chest. The teen ran out the back door and jumped several fences before collapsing. The youth, who was not identified, was facing a charge of second-degree robbery by threat, police said.

CA: Off-Duty Law Enforcement Officer Kills Intruder
Submitted by: RPA-PAC
Website: http://www.rpa-pac.org

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Roseville police investigators say an off-duty law enforcement officer confronted and killed an apparent home intruder, in her own home.

The police were called to a home on Sierra Gardens Drive in Roseville just before 10 p.m. Tuesday. The resident of the home, an off-duty law enforcement officer with a different agency, says she came home to find a man in her bedroom.

The two fought and the officer shot the man twice in the head, killing him. Investigators with the Roseville police department do not yet know if the off-duty officer used her service revolver.

The name of the officer is not being released while the shooting is under investigation. The intruder has not yet been identified.

IL: Cops: Man shot ex-wife Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
"A Lake in the Hills woman was in critical condition Monday night after police said her ex-husband chased down her car and shot her in the head, less than two weeks after she filed an order of protection against him." [emphasis added] ...

SC: Teen found with gun at Marion County school
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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Authorities say a gun has been found in the pocket of a 16-year-old boy at a Marion County school during a drug sweep.

Sheriff Mark Richardson says the teen had the unloaded .32-caliber pistol in a backpack and tried to hide it in his pants pocket when deputies arrived Tuesday morning at Pee Dee Academy to do a routine search for drugs.

The sheriff says classmates saw the student move the gun and told a teacher, who then notified the headmaster and deputies.

No bullets were found on the student.

The student has been charged with one count of carrying a weapon on school property and was released to the custody of his parents.

Romney, self-described lifelong hunter, has hunted on two occasions
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"To hear Mitt Romney talk on the campaign trail, you might think the Republican presidential candidate had a gun rack in the back of his pickup truck."

"'I purchased a gun when I was a young man. I've been a hunter pretty much all my life,' he said this week in Keene, N.H., to a man sporting a National Rifle Association cap."

"Yet the former Massachusetts governor's hunting experience is limited to two trips at the bookends of his 60 years: as a 15-year-old, when he hunted rabbits with his cousins on a ranch in Idaho, and last year, when he shot quail on a fenced game preserve in Georgia."

"Last year's trip was an outing with major donors to the Republican Governors Association, which Romney headed at the time." ...

NV: Bill on guns killed by state Assembly panel
Submitted by: Dave McPhail

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"A bill that backers said would have protected Nevada's exemption from a federal gun law failed on a 6-6 vote Friday in the Assembly Judiciary Committee over concerns that it would be vetoed by Gov. Jim Gibbons because of his stated opposition to fee increases."

"But Assembly Bill 21 ... could be revived. Frank Adams of the Nevada Sheriffs' and Chiefs' Association said he would try to talk to Gibbons about the bill ..." ...

"Adams said the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms found 18 months ago that the state wasn't complying with requirements of its exemption from the Brady Bill. He said the purpose of the bill was to keep the federal government from getting involved in issuing permits in Nevada." ...

MT: Anti-gun label doesn't fit
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"One would be hard put to find a Montana politician who doesn't defend the Second Amendment's guarantee of the right to bear arms. In this state, any politician who failed to pass that simple test probably didn't want to get elected anyway."

"But you couldn't tell that fact from the partisan rhetoric coming out the Capitol the last couple of weeks. The fight started when Democrats who voted against a bill designed to make it easier for people to defend themselves with deadly force were accused of being anti-gun in flyers distributed in their districts by the Republican Party. GOP leaders in the Legislature were quick to denounce the tactic as unbecoming during a session, but that didn�t stop the accusations." ...

OH: Hunting for votes: An Ohio analysis (BFA)
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"The recent MSNBC/ National Journal article 'Hunting the hook and bullet vote' is certainly right on. It contains a great perspective. I urge everyone who reads this commentary to share the article with friends. It should also be shared with our legislators with the appropriate thank you note or suggestions for improved positions."

"The article contains strong comparisons for Ohio. It is a roadmap for elected officials at all levels and for the state Democrat and Republican Parties. Let�s take a look a closer look at the specific suggestions and the political landscape in Ohio."

"The author first got my attention by noting that there are between 38 and 58 million Americans who hunt and fish. ..." ...

MO: House OKs bill to do away with gun permits
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"The House agreed Tuesday to get rid of a state law requiring people to obtain permits from their local sheriff before they can get a handgun."

"Supporters say the state process simply duplicates the checks already required by federal law. Sponsoring Rep. Brian Munzlinger, R-Williamstown, said only about a dozen states still have state-level requirements beyond the federal ones."

"The bill won initial approval on a voice vote with minimal discussion. It needs a second vote to move to the Senate."

"Munzlinger argued the state permit is an inconvenience only to law-abiding citizens and does nothing to curb behavior by criminals who get their hands on guns through other means. ..." ...

ME: Trigger locks bill debated
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"All handguns stored in Maine would be required to have trigger locks under a bill drafted by Portland middle school pupils and presented at a legislative public hearing on Monday."

"The measure drew strong opposition from gun-owner groups, but the pupils defended the measure."

"'Passage of this bill will make Maine a safer place from accidental deaths and shootings,' said Lennie Schwartz."

"He and four other pupils from the Lyman Moore Middle School in Portland worked with Sen. Ethan Strimling, D-Portland, to draft the proposal. Schwartz said the group researched the issue and concluded greater use of trigger locks would save lives." ...
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Submitter's Note: Thanx to the Black Bear Blog for the heads up.

William Thornton to Thomas Jefferson, "shooting with Pistols, rifles, Cannons", May 27, 1817
Submitted by: GunShowOnTheNet.com
Website: http://GunShowOnTheNet.com/

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"...It gives me great pleasure to find Virginia disposed to erect an extensive College which must produce great effects by Example. I was also pleased to see an Acct. of the meeting of such distinguished Characters as the three Presidents of the United States on so praiseworthy an Occasion...."

"...There ought to be extra Grounds for the great Exercises, such as running, riding, Archery, shooting with Pistols, rifles, Cannons, the military Exercises on horseback & foot. . . . but I would allow no Child's play. Let all the Exercises be such as would tend to make great and useful men, and the military Exercises, fencing with the broad and small sword..."

Thomas Jefferson on Arms and Right, 1743-1826
Submitted by: GunShowOnTheNet.com
Website: http://GunShowOnTheNet.com/

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"...But since the invention of gunpowder has armed the weak as well as the strong with missile death..."

"...No freeman shall be debarred the use of arms [ within his own lands]..."

"...Our citizens have been always free to make, vend and export arms. It is the constant occupation and livelihood of some of them..."

"...Obligation is [ to observe compacts] not suspended till the danger [ of self-preservation] is become real..."

"...For the ordinary safety of the citizens of the several States, whether against dangers from within or without, reliance has been placed either on the domestic means of the individuals..."

"...It is not only vain, but wicked, in a legislator to frame laws in opposition to the laws of nature..."

VA: Officer gets jail term for road rage - S.C. policeman threatened teen with gun
Submitted by: Anonymous

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"A South Carolina police officer who pulled a gun on a teenage motorist on Interstate 81 during a fit of road rage must serve 120 days in jail, a judge ruled yesterday."

"'Your behavior was inexcusable,' General District Judge Julian Raney Jr. told Eric Cmeyla, 41, after finding Cmeyla guilty of two misdemeanor counts of brandishing a firearm." ...

"On the side of the road, Cmeyla approached Puckett's car and tapped on her window with his police-issue 9 mm hand- gun, she said."

"The gun was fully loaded with a round in the chamber, state trooper Jim Cornett testified. He added that the weapon had no safety lock." ...

"'He said, 'I could shoot you right now if I wanted to,' testified Puckett ..." ...

NJ: Ex-Asbury Park police director retrieves his gun in Long Branch
Submitted by: jac

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"Former Asbury Park Police Director Louis Jordan has his gun back, law officials said Monday."

"Jordan, of Tinton Falls, had reported his gun was missing on March 23. He has said he last knew he had it on the night of March 17, but first realized it was missing on March 20."

"At that point on March 23 when Jordan reported his gun was missing, Long Branch police already had it in their possession, Long Branch Public Safety Director William A. Richards said Monday. An individual had found the gun at a commuter parking lot at Route 36 and Hope Road in Tinton Falls." ...

WI: The Right to Resist
Submitted by: Ted Vaughn

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"John Coffin heard his wife Cynthia screaming. After racing to the garage, he saw her prone, agonized form pinned to the floor by two armed strangers who had violated the sanctity of his home."

"Despite the fact that he was an unarmed, 55-year-old heart patient, Coffin did the right thing: He beat the intruders to within an inch of their lives."

"As it happens, the thugs who assaulted Coffin's wife, Cynthia (a nurse with no criminal record) were deputy sheriffs who had visited the home to serve John with a restraining order filed in a landlord-tenant dispute last April. Coffin had been served the same papers a few days earlier." ...

UT: Gunning for dollars: Concealed-carry permits should pay for themselves
Submitted by: mile66

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... "The problem, in a shotgun shell, is that it costs the Bureau of Criminal Identification more to do criminal background checks and other paperwork on people who apply for permits to carry concealed weapons than the Legislature provides. ..." ...

"The Legislature has known about this problem since 2001, when its auditor general reported that the concealed-carry permits were not self-supporting and recommended that legislative appropriations and fees be increased."

"The Legislature has done neither. But at least this year, Rep. Curtis Oda, R-Clearfield, came up with a bill that allowed the BCI to keep the fees it charges for permits rather than giving them to the General Fund. ..." ...
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Submitter's Note: A simple solution, no need for permits .

OH: Why label different types of violence? (letter)
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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FULL TEXT BELOW:

Why when violence involves a firearm do you call it "gun violence"? I never see the words "knife violence" or "brick violence" mentioned. As a matter of fact, you run very few stories of any other kind of violence but those involving firearms.

There's no such thing as gun violence; there's just plain violence. Separating violence involving a firearm is both disingenuous and purposeful on The Enquirer's part. Demonize the object and make people fear it, and it's much easier to get rid of it. The Enquirer seems to always have trouble placing the blame for violence where it belongs - on society's lap.

David Waits
Eastgate

ID: Red's fight draws national support
Submitted by: ChareltonHest
Website: http://www.atfabuse.com

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"When Ryan Horsley created a petition to demand that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives discontinue the way it treats licensed firearms dealers, he never thought it would receive this kind of response."

"Within three weeks of posting it online, he received more than 2,200 signatures from people throughout Idaho and the United States. It includes the names of business owners, political figures, concerned citizens and those who are just simply fed up with the bureau's treatment of local gun shops."

"'I wasn't expecting this type of response, but this really is not a Red's Trading Post issue. This is an issue that affects everyone,' Horsley said. 'We keep losing local gun stores left and right because of things like this.'" ...

LA: Second Amendment rally draws 60
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"About 60 people packed into Lorant�s Sporting Goods today for a Second Amendment rally."

"They listened while National Rifle Association officials, U.S. Sen. David Vitter and U.S. Rep. and gubernatorial candidate Bobby Jindal, both of Louisiana, spoke about recent gun legislation and politics."

"They specifically addressed the 2006 passage of the Disaster Recovery Personal Protection Act. It prevents government agencies from confiscating legally held firearms during a national emergency. It was drafted in response to safety concerns that arose in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina."

"NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre was happy to see a good turnout. ..." ...

LA: Second Amendment tour starts in Alexanedria
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"National Rifle Association officials castigated New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin for issuing 'an unjust order ... to cancel the Constitution' by commanding city police officers to confiscate guns from law-abiding residents in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina."

"'The next time anybody says �Is the Second Amendment really relevant in the 21st Century?�, the answer to that is look what happened and remember New Orleans. People don�t want the government knocking on their door when they�re most threatened and they have to protect themselves and take away their one source of hope in those situations, which is their firearm,' Wayne LaPierre, NRA executive vice president, said." ...

ID: Red's takes on ATF on the air
Submitted by: ChareltonHest
Website: http://atfabuse.com

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"A local gunshop is going national with its fight against the federal government."

"Ryan Horsley's family-run gun store, Red's Trading Post, is possibly the oldest gun shop in Idaho. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives stripped Red's of its license March 5."

"Now Horsley has gone onto the airwaves, protesting a perceived 'attack' against the Second Amendment, which he says underlies the ATF's motivation for revoking licenses."

"Horsley's media debut came Sunday with an advertisement on Channel 7." ...

"The facts Horsley refers to are a nonprofit group's report that shows an 80 percent drop in gun shops since 1994 and a ... report that found ATF license revocations increased 600 percent in five years." ...

TX: NRA, Brady Campaign face off at debate
Submitted by: RPA-PAC
Website: http://www.rpa-pac.org

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"The Political Science Symposium hosted its annual debate Tuesday night in the Hughes-Trigg Theater. Glen Caroline, director of the Grassroots Division of the National Rifle Association, and Peter Hamm, communications director of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, faced off in a discussion about gun control in America."

"Each representative was given 15 minutes to present arguments to the audience. After that, they got five minutes to rebut the other's argument, followed by a question-and-answer session with the audience."

"Thanks to a winning coin toss, Caroline gave the first volley." ...

MA: Unlawful gun access plays role in gun crime
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"Marc Folco, a gun owner and NRA supporter, objected to a meeting we held this month to find solutions to rising gun crime ("MATH meeting doesn't add up," March 11). Mr. Folco accused us of misleading people 'into believing that illegal guns on the street (inanimate objects) are causing our escalating violent crime problem.' I respectfully suggest Mr. Folco check his 'MATH.'" ...

"Crime is up 10 percent in cities throughout the U.S., and a primary cause is illegal access to handguns by criminals and youth ..."

"Yes, Mr. Folco, I believe guns have something to do with America's gun violence problem, and it's critical we find out where illegal guns come from." ...
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Submitter's Note: And how does Ms. Robinson explain the fact that the UK, with its near total ban on guns, has between 2 and 4 times the violent crime rates of the US?

UK: Shots fired as robber raids city supermarket
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"An armed robber fired a gun as he raided a supermarket in a suburban neighbourhood today."

"At 9.30am, police were called to reports of an armed robbery at the Co-op store in Old London Road in Patcham, Brighton."

"A Group 4 Securicor man was threatened with a firearm, believed to be a starting pistol, as he was making a cash delivery to the store."

"The offender made of with the cash box containing an undisclosed amount of money."

"Witnesses have described shots being fired into the air as the offender left the scene." ...

UK: Bren gun shock for new homeowner
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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the shed outside his new home and found himself staring down the barrel of a Bren gun."

"The shocked man ... took the machine gun to Killingbeck police station."

"The partly-deactivated weapon, potentially capable of firing hundreds of rounds a minute, was found in the outbuilding complete with a carry-case and three magazines of ammunition." ...

"After inspecting the Bren gun, Assistant Chief Constable David Crompton, said: 'The criminal fraternity has a nasty habit of getting hold of weapons like this, often through breaking into peoples' homes or sheds.'" ...

"The Bren, described as the best-performing light machine gun in the Second World War, was among 90 firearms recovered by the amnesty." ...