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FBI Speeds Gun Purchase Background Checks
Submitted by: paul raynolds

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"The FBI has improved its ability to respond quickly to gun dealer requests for criminal background checks, with only 9 percent of the transactions now facing delays, the Justice Department reported Thursday."

"Improvements in technology have reduced the number of false matches in the National Crime Information Center system, raising the immediate response rate from a 71 percent average in early 2001 to 91 percent in 2002."

NY: Feeling lucky, perp?
Submitted by: paul raynolds

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"As three armed would-be robbers entered their store waving guns, Acosta pulled out a .22-caliber pistol, fatally shooting one; the others escaped."

"Now, Acosta and Alejandro are looking at jail time."

"Which is better than being dead."

"But is it fair? Of course not."

"Should they have sought a gun permit?"

"Yes, but the complicated application process in New York City dissuades people from applying."

"At best, it takes six months to get a so-called 'premises' permit for one's home or business. And now it appears that the city has sharply reduced the number of licenses it approves."

MN: The First Day
Submitted by: Michael Lomker

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Protesters introduce 'tool kit' at cathedral news conference

"Members of the Coalition to End Gun Violence held a news conference on the steps of the Cathedral of St. Paul to unveil the church's new 'no guns' sign and to publicize the group's 'tool kit' to combat the law."

"Included in the tool kit: a 'Repeal Conceal-Carry' bumper sticker, a 'Gun Free Home' window sticker, tips on lobbying lawmakers and sample resolutions for cities and churches. Among the suggestions it gives is to ask employers to make workplaces gun-free and to ask local churches to ban guns."

Lawyers saw law violates Minnesota's Constitution

"Two Twin Cities lawyers filed a lawsuit Wednesday challenging the constitutionality of the state's new law on concealed handguns." ...

"In the complaint, the attorneys argue that the law violates an article of the Minnesota Constitution, which states, "No law shall embrace more than one subject, which shall be expressed in its title." The bill's title is 42 lines long and addresses about 10 different subjects, touching on park fees, fish and dark houses, littering and county reimbursement provisions, as well as the conceal and carry law."

Defining Liberty Submitted by: Newslinks Admin	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
"Although liberty means different things to different people, most would agree that it is not something that is bestowed by government; rather, in a 'free society' such as America , it is assumed that government exists to protect the inherent freedoms of its populace. The State often exploits this assumption by curtailing individual liberties in the name of 'protecting everyone�s freedom.' "

OH: Hearing slated on appeal of concealed gun ruling
Submitted by: Ohioans For Concealed Carry PAC
Website: http://www.ofccpac.org

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"A hearing date has been set for the appeal of a local decision that declared unconstitutional Ohio's law against carrying a concealed weapon." ...

"A Fostoria woman, riding as a passenger, was arrested after a June 2002 traffic stop in Fostoria. A Highway Patrol trooper found a 9 mm semi-automatic pistol under her seat with a round in the chamber and three more in the magazine, court papers show."

"The woman, who said she needed the gun for protection, was subsequently charged with one count of carrying a concealed weapon."

OH: Patrol's fears not based on facts
Submitted by: Ohioans For Concealed Carry PAC
Website: http://www.ofccpac.org

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"The Ohio State Highway Patrol has opposed numerous bills introduced in the General Assembly that would allow private citizens to carry concealed firearms, including firearms in motor vehicles."

... "The OSHP's stated reason is the fear that concealed-carry licensees will shoot officers during traffic stops." ...

"The OSHP must believe we Ohioans are a different and more violent breed of human than residents of the 43 states that have concealed-carry licensing."

MD: FBI agent describes Arundel shooting
Submitted by: Orange Fuzzy

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"An FBI agent who mistakenly shot an unarmed Pasadena man in the face last year says in court papers that he believed the unwitting victim was a wanted bank robber who was reaching for a weapon when, 'in a split-second decision,' the agent fired 'a single shot for his and his fellow officers' safety.' " ...

"The lawsuits filed by Schultz and Harkum also described Braga as having exhibited a 'startling propensity for shooting unarmed persons,' pointing to a Feb. 3, 2000, shooting by Braga of a fugitive homicide suspect in Prince George's County - a shooting ruled justified."

PA: County agency educating public on 'Protection From Abuse' orders
Submitted by: paul raynolds

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"On Wednesday, the Towanda Gun Club played host to a different kind of meeting away from the usual topics of gun and hunting safety. Members of both the Bradford County Child Sexual Abuse Task Force and Abuse and Rape Crisis Center hosted a seminar on how abuse victims can obtain a 'Protection From Abuse' order."

"As helpful as the PFA can be, it is in reality, only a piece of paper, cautioned both Grimes and Retter." ...

MN: Is northern county a preview of the state under the new gun law?
Submitted by: paul raynolds

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"Opponents of the new conceal carry law that went into effect in Minnesota Wednesday warn of dire consequences." ...

"Otter Tail County, with a population of 59,000 has more conceal and carry permits than any other county in the state.

�It certainly should give our criminals a reason to think twice before creating any problems, shouldn't it?�

"That logic prompted Former Sheriff Gary Nelson's permit policy, or lack of it."

" 'For 16 years, I handed out a thousand permits a year. Nobody committed a crime. Not one,' he said."

OH: Violent crime up 37.1% in Cincinnati
Submitted by: Ohioans for Concealed Carry PAC
Website: http://www.ofccpac.org

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"Although touting progress in certain police districts, Cincinnati city council admits that Cincinnati's violent crime rate so far this year is up 37.1 percent compared to the same period in 2000."

"The violent crime rate has increased by about 12 percent in two of Cincinnati's five police districts: District 2, which includes Evanston, Walnut Hills and Madisonville; and District 5, which includes Clifton, Mount Airy and Northside, while declining slightly in the remaining districts."

OH: New shooter identifies with Annie Oakley
Submitted by: Ohioans for Concealed Carry PAC
Website: http://www.ofccpac.org

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"I never realized how much I have in common with Annie Oakley."

"A resident of nearby Darke County, Phoebe Moses, better known as Annie Oakley, was best known for her expertise with guns and rifles when she was alive in the late 1800s and early 1900s."

"However, I never knew Oakley was also a writer, according to a story about her that ran in the Greenville Daily Advocate on Nov. 4, 1926, shortly after she died."

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This column doesn't address concealed carry reform, but should serve as a reminder that we all would do well to offer non-shooters the opportunity to try it out. All too often, it's a much better "converter" than facts, figures or anecdotal stories about crime and defenselessness.

CA: Librarians, police protest Patriot Act
Submitted by: GUNED.COM
Website: http://guned.com

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"Librarians plan to shred documents and delete computerized records of patrons' reading habits as part of their battle against the U.S. Patriot Act, the federal anti-terrorism law that eases the way for the FBI to view library records."

"The Palo Alto librarians, saying it's all part of an effort to protect reader privacy, have agreed to destroy the computer records within six days of any transaction."

"The librarians say paper records, including inter-library loan requests, book reserve lists and sign-up lists for the library's public computers, are being shredded immediately after use."

Debate rekindled on assault-weapon ban
Submitted by: Morgan Mckay

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"Gun manufacturers have created legal weapons nearly identical to those that were outlawed, and federal studies indicate the law had little effect on crime. This has led gun-control advocates to wonder whether the ban went far enough, and gun-rights supporters to suggest that such laws do little more than boost the profiles of lawmakers such as Sen. Dianne Feinstein."

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Over the last month, this paper has printed 4 anti-gun articles supporting extensions to the AWB. Last week, we got on them pretty hard and wrote in expressing disgust at these biased articles. Four letters from 2A supporters were later printed! Today the SDUT printed an article in which they used VERBATIM what many of us pro-2A people had to say to them! They gave the opposition's side, but then showed the obvious flaws in the law and even consulted pro-gun groups in the article.

NY: Cruel twist: Self-defense slayer may face deportation
Submitted by: John Fansler

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"Jos� Acosta, 69, who has been a legal resident of the United States for about 25 years, may be deported if he is convicted of using an illegal gun to shoot one of three armed thugs who tried to rob the grocery store in which he worked Sunday night."

" 'Anyone convicted of a weapons-possession charge could be placed in a removal proceeding,' said an INS official. "

"The rule applies to any gun-possession charge regardless of the circumstances, the official said, explaining that the decision to deport an offender is in the hands of an immigration court judge."

MN: Permit issuers say area requests light
Submitted by: G. Hughes

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"The Wilkin County Sheriff was relieved not to have a line of people outside his door waiting to apply for handgun permits like his counterparts in the Twin Cities." ...

... "Only two people asked for permits in Otter Tail, Becker, Norman and Mahnomen counties by 2 p.m. Wednesday, the first day Minnesota�s new handgun permit law took effect." ...

"In Hennepin County, 42 people were waiting outside the law enforcement center when doors opened at 8:30 a.m. By noon, more than 130 people applied for permits."

"Legislative researchers and law enforcement authorities predict the number of permits will increase from 12,000 to 90,000 statewide within three years."

Australia: Passengers pummel slashing skyjacker Submitted by: Newslinks Admin	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
"Passengers and crew aboard a Qantas airliner today subdued a 40-year-old Australian man who stabbed two flight attendants on his way to the cockpit." "A report in the Melbourne Herald Sun says the man, onboard a flight from Melbourne to Launceston, Australia, was armed with two wooden stakes, an aerosol can and a yellow cigarette lighter."

Judge refuses to dismiss death penalty count for sniper suspect
Submitted by: Newslinks Admin

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"Virginia judge Thursday rejected a string of motions from lawyers for accused sniper John Allen Muhammad, including a request to dismiss one of the two death-penalty counts against him."

"Prince William County Circuit Judge Leroy Millette rejected all 11 motions by Muhammad's lawyers at a pre-trial hearing Thursday, including efforts to have Virginia's death penalty statute ruled unconstitutional and to bar victim-impact testimony from families of those killed."

Language Police Bar 'Old,' 'Blind' in Textbooks
Submitted by: Newslinks Admin

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"...you can't find anyone riding on a yacht or playing polo in the pages of an American textbook either. The texts also can't say someone has a boyish figure, or is a busboy, or is blind, or suffers a birth defect, or is a biddy, or the best man for the job, a babe, a bookworm, or even a barbarian."

"All these words are banned from U.S. textbooks ... God is also a banned word in the textbooks because he or she is too religious."

Supreme Court further dilutes Miranda protections Submitted by: Newslinks Admin	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
"A splintered Supreme Court took another swipe at the landmark Miranda ruling Tuesday, saying the right to remain silent doesn't apply when authorities aggressively - or even coercively - interrogate someone they're not prosecuting." ... "Alan Wisotsky, an attorney for Oxnard and the police officer who interrogated Martinez, said the court's ruling was a victory for persistent police work."

It's the anti-gun laws, stupid!
Submitted by: Newslinks Admin

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First news nugget

"Mayor Wellington Webb says 'the economy' is the reason these numbers are up. The economy? By what stretch of the imagination can he say that the economy is responsible for a 50% increase in the murder rate? That insults our intelligence. Denver has one of the most restrictive gun laws outside of New York City and Washington, DC -- and you know what the murder rate is in those cities. It is the highest in the nation." ...

UK: Gun amnesty thanks Submitted by: Newslinks Admin	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
NOTE: The URL for this story was too lengthy for our Newslinks system. Click here to access this story. ------- "Police across Cheshire have thanked the public for handing in hundreds of weapons during last month's firearms amnesty." "By the end of April, 717 guns, 7,500 rounds of ammunition and 30 other weapons including knives and swords had been surrendered."

NY: Kill the Unarmed; No Questions Asked
Submitted by: Newslinks Admin

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"Maybe it's the heat. Perhaps the Internal Affairs Department of the NYPD needs something to do. Or maybe this cop was just bored. Whatever the reason, another person decided to have himself killed by a man with a badge." ...

"Zango's connection to the raid: Zip"

"Number of weapons in Zango's possession: Zero"

"Zango's criminal record: Nada"

"All the more reason he should die. It's 'African Season', ya know." ...

WI: Student won't sing 'edited' religious song Submitted by: Newslinks Admin	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
"An 18-year-old high school senior is suing school administrators demanding she be allowed to sing a religious song praising God at graduation ceremonies in June." "Officials at Winneconne High School asked Rachel Honer to substitute 'he, him and his' for three references to God in the Christian song 'He's Always Been Faithful.' "

A sad obituary for a dearly departed friend: Freedom
Submitted by: Newslinks Admin

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"Today we mourn the passing of a cherished friend."

"His name was Freedom."

"Freedom has been dying a slow death since Oct. 26, 2001, when Congress passed the USA PATRIOT Act without debate or discussion, thereby administering a lethal dose of poison to Freedom."

"Weakened and in pain, Freedom lost the will to live. His health further deteriorated as he came to understand that Americans were indifferent to the threat to his life."

CO: Council starts work on posting gun bans Submitted by: Newslinks Admin	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
"No firearms allowed." "Denver City Council members took their first steps toward making sure those words are posted outside all city buildings, recreation centers, libraries, parks and other places." "The move was prompted by two state laws approved this year by the legislature that Denver officials say throw existing city gun rules into question."

IL: O'Hare bill stalls, but House OKs gun show measure
Submitted by: Newslinks Admin

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"Mayor Daley got his first legislative gun victory of the spring Wednesday, Gov. Blagojevich soothed his Democratic critics and the Legislature signed off on a plan forcing insurers to cover women's contraceptives."

"But the fate of efforts to raise fees and cut business tax exemptions, expand O'Hare Airport and increase the minimum wage was obscured in a legislative fog with three days remaining before the General Assembly's scheduled adjournment."

Australia: Gun club shoot Submitted by: Newslinks Admin	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
"Eastern Goldfields Gun Club officials are hopeful of attracting between 70 and 80 shooters for the annual two-day shoot this weekend." "The shoot invariably attracts leading shooters from all over WA, with this weekend's program featuring a pair of State title events."

PA: Athens Township supervisors discuss gun ordinance Submitted by: Newslinks Admin	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
"Athens Township Supervisors took time during last night's monthly meeting to look at revising the gun ordinance, after hearing the concerns of a citizen regarding the shooting of a gun from a home on Shepard Road in the township." "The Shepard Road resident, fearing for the safety of her children, asked the supervisors to look at revising the firearms ordinance for the township." ...

TX: Deputy Shot By Dropped Gun
Submitted by: Newslinks Admin

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"A Harris County sheriff's deputy remained hospitalized Thursday after he was accidentally wounded after dropping his shotgun, authorities said." ...

"When the deputy arrived, he found a man outside the business trying to get in to talk to his girlfriend, who was still inside the shop with another woman, authorities said."

"Officers said that the deputy accidentally dropped his weapon as he was attempting to handcuff the man to calm him down."

UK: Ammunition for gun control
Submitted by: Newslinks Admin

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"UK police forces will be tightening their grip on gun control following a green light from the Police Information Technology Organisation (PITO) for a long awaited national firearms database. The project is now expected to be operational by 31 August 2003" ...

"The project, known as the firearms licensing management system, will provide a central database on every person in the UK who has applied for, or been granted, a firearms or shotgun certificate. " ...

WI: Prosecutor defends anti-gun effort Submitted by: Newslinks Admin	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
"U.S. Attorney Steven M. Biskupic defended a concentrated effort to get guns off streets Wednesday, saying his prosecutions target violent neighborhoods and people with extensive criminal records - not African-Americans." ... "The support of Operation Ceasefire came in reply to a courtroom motion from Omar K. Terry, 28, who has alleged the program is unconstitutional."

NRA Weasel Watch, Day 7: Does it favor the weapons ban in Iraq? Submitted by: Newslinks Admin	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
... "Chatterbox wouldn't be surprised to see the NRA argue that if our government will let an Islamist fanatic own an AK-47 in wild and woolly Iraq, it should give that same right to Americans. Gun-control groups might counter this by noting that our federal gun laws at home go largely unenforced."

PA: Philadelphia council condemns Patriot Act
Submitted by: Newslinks Admin

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"Philadelphia on Thursday became the largest U.S. city to date to condemn the USA Patriot Act as a threat to the constitutional rights of its citizens."

"By a 13-3 vote, the Democrat-dominated City Council passed a resolution calling on local members of Congress to work for the repeal of the federal law that granted the Justice Department broad new police powers for Washington's so-called war on terrorism."

FL: State: Terrorists May Benefit From Veil Lawsuit
Submitted by: Newslinks Admin

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"If a Muslim woman wins the right to keep her face veiled for her driver's license photo, would-be terrorists might use the decision to get their own licenses without having to reveal their faces, attorneys for the state of Florida argued Thursday."

"Sultaana Freeman's lawyers asked a judge to restore her license, arguing that her desire to keep her bare face off her driver's license goes to the nation's most fundamental right of religious freedom."

NY: Racist NYC Gun Control
Submitted by: Stephen Carville

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"For at least the third time just six months, Black or Hispanic men are facing criminal charges in New York City for using a firearm to defend their home or place of business. These good men are all victims of gun control." ...

"In each case, their use of deadly force has already been, or surely will be, found justifiable under the law by the involved District Attorneys. But all of these decent men will be prosecuted, vilified, given criminal records and, if the have the audacity to confront the injustice, impoverished, because of the little-understood but invidiously racist gun control system in New York City."

No knock-knock
Submitted by: Anonymous

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"Carried out in the name of the war against drugs and the war against terrorism, these searches have succeeded in convincing many law officials that they have a right to burst through a closed door. In fact, all it takes for police officers to obtain a no-knock warrant allowing them to enter your home without announcing themselves is to convince a judge that they suspect criminal activity is taking place, that evidence might be destroyed or disposed of or that an announcement could result in violence. Yet these are clearly the actions of a society sliding inevitably toward a police state."

"Advocates of these searches�including U. S. Attorney General John Ashcroft�insist that the searches are lawful and valid because the police have a warrant to back them up. But warrants seem to be a dime a dozen these days, rubber-stamped by judges too busy to ask the probing questions they should of police officers."

ND: Housing board mulls sign ban
Submitted by: G. Hughes

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"The handwritten sign on Enson 'Quizzy' Maattala�s front door read 'Guns, beer, butter and tax cuts.' " ...

"But after several other residents of the Moorhead Public Housing Authority�s River View Heights building complained, the sign was torn down by a police officer in January."

"At Wednesday�s housing board meeting, Maattala said officials are limiting his freedom of speech, and the board began considering a ban on all front door signs in public housing buildings." ...

"After Roe received several complaints about Maattala�s sign from residents, she asked him to take it down, she said. They were worried that Maattala might have guns in his apartment, she said."

Slaves to the Teacher Unions
Submitted by: Newslinks Admin

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"The teacher unions are a longstanding cancerous influence on the body politic. They are highly accomplished in the art of political pressure, and funnel money into the accounts of whatever political candidates will uphold their monopoly on public schooling. In the 2000 election cycle, $2.7 million found its way into the Democratic Party war chest and was quite useful in promoting the idea that more governmental intervention in our economy is needed as a panacea for everything ..."