Keep and Bear Arms - Gun Owners Home Page

PA: Unrestricted gun rights?
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Someone must have been smoking some wacky weed when writing the Mirror Opinion piece on the Second Amendment.

The Founders' idea of the right to keep and bear arms was a single shot pistol or rifle, not a modern assault weapon of today.

I own guns and hunt, but not with a AK-47. When the Indians fought for their land, lives and culture, they were not misusing their muskets like modern-day, big-city gangs misuse assault weapons.

If today's Crips, Bloods and MS13 gangs were terrorizing colonial Boston, New York or Philadelphia, you can bet the founders would have installed some limitations on the types of weapons a person could carry in public.

States with Stricter Gun Control Laws Are Less Safe Submitted by: Rick Schwartz Website: http://www.weprotectyourkids.com	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
The Brady Campaign persists with its rhetoric that �reasonable restrictions� of the Second Amendment make society safer.

NJ: No Guns for You � You�ve Slammed Doors Very Hard Submitted by: Rick Schwartz Website: http://www.weprotectyourkids.com	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
It seems to me that the right to possess the tools needed for effective self-defense � especially if that�s seen as a constitutional right, but even if it is not � shouldn�t be lost simply because someone has lost his temper to the point of slamming doors hard. Nor should it be denied based on a government official�s discretionary judgment that this person gets too angry.

The Ninth Circuit Panel in Nordyke v. King Seems Open to Reconsidering Its Earlier Decision
Submitted by: Rick Schwartz
Website: http://www.weprotectyourkids.com

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In 2009, a Ninth Circuit panel held (in Nordyke v. King) that the Second Amendment was incorporated against the states, but concluded that a ban on gun possession on county property was nonetheless constitutional. The Ninth Circuit then agreed to rehear the matter en banc, but then suspended its consideration of the case while it waited for the Supreme Court to resolve the incorporation question in McDonald v. City of Chicago. Following McDonald, the Ninth Circuit sent the case back to the panel; at the time, I predicted that the panel would likely just reaffirm its initial decisions.

That�s not so clear any more, because today the panel expressly called for further briefing...

NY: Making it OK to murder
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Grilled by investigators, then the district attorney, Tayeh said he had fought back in self-defense. He learned only after hours at the precinct that Gibbons had died. Tayeh was charged with second-degree murder. "No one understood how scared I was," he recalls. Three years later, a jury accepted his self-defense argument and found him not guilty of manslaughter.

Tayeh was fortunate. While all 50 states have laws that protect the right of self-defense, this right appears nowhere in the U.S. Constitution. And the difficulty of applying the laws to specific places, circumstances and weapons has made such a defense a risky, and therefore rarely used, tactic in courts.

PA: Supreme Court upholds our constitutional rights
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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June 28, 2010, will stand as an historic day in our nation's history because of the Supreme Court's decision in McDonald v. Chicago. On June 28, our United States Supreme Court ruled that the right to keep and bear arms, guaranteed by our Constitution's Second Amendment, is a fundamental individual right. Although the court was clear that certain limitations could pass judicial scrutiny, such as a law preventing ownership by a felon or mentally ill person, it thoughtfully clarified the breadth of firearm freedom our Founding Fathers intended to bestow upon us as free Americans, and which generation after generation have fought to preserve.

IL: Quinn signs new Chicago handgun law
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Gov. Pat Quinn signed tougher gun laws Monday in Chicago's South Side, increasing penalties for anyone caught with an illegal firearm.

A host of lawmakers, including Mayor Richard Daley, were present at the signing, held at Nat King Cole Park, 361 E. 85th St.

"This legislation will reduce the threat of gun violence by sending a clear message that serious offenders will be held accountable and will not be let off scot-free as many of them have been in the past," Daley said in a press release.

Also at the signing was the family of slain police officer Thomas Wortham, who was shot and killed outside his parents' home on May 19. Two other Chicago Police officers have been killed since his death.

Pistol Whipping
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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And it's not only McCain who thinks this convoluted way. Sen. Jon Tester, D-MT, was a co-sponsor of McCain's as yet unsuccessful bill to repeal the District's stringent gun restrictions, which was also supported by a sizable number of their colleagues in Congress. These are all real tough guys, who give no quarter in seeking to uphold what they perceive to be the Second Amendment right of citizens to use firearms in self-defense outside the home. But when it comes to these lawmakers' own workplace, the right to carry a weapon vanishes in a millisecond in the name of security. Is their personal safety more important than that of the general population in the nation's capital?

MI: Women's Handgun Safety Class Kicks Off
Submitted by: Bob Devour

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UTICA, Mich. -- State wildlife officials have created a handgun safety and training class designed especially for women.

The $30 class will be held Monday at the Detroit Sportsmen's Congress in the Detroit suburb of Utica.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment is offering the Introduction to Handgun Shooting through BOW, or its Becoming an Outdoors Woman program.

The class is designed to teach basic handgun shooting skills, including firearm safety, fundamentals of pistol shooting, ammunition basics and tips on buying a handgun.

NV: Nevadans agree with court on gun ownership
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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"The Democrats just gave up" on gun control, Damore said. "At the end of the day, Nevada prides itself on libertarianism, and no politicians will risk it."

Maggie McLetchie, a staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada, said her organization supports an individual's right to bear arms.

"The Nevada Constitution has long been more expansive than federal provisions," McLetchie said. "The state constitution protects an individual's right, and it's reflective of Nevadans who value civil liberties."

Bob Irwin, owner of The Gun Store, said the polling results are not surprising because the Founding Fathers "made their intent clear in the Constitution."

CO: McConnell wins Palin endorsement in U.S. House race
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Bob McConnell, the Steamboat Springs man bidding for a chance to run against Democrat incumbent John Salazar in the 3rd Congressional District, has garnered the endorsement of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.

McConnell is running against Scott Tipton of Cortez in the Aug. 10 primary election.

Palin delivered the endorsement on her Facebook page, saying she admired his boldness in accepting it. Palin described McConnell and another Republican, Paul Gosar of Arizona, as common-sense constitutional conservatives �who seek to limit government, protect our Second Amendment rights, respect the sanctity of life, support our strong military, and encourage free enterprise.�

CA: Cities Rent Police, Janitors to Save Cash
Submitted by: Anonymous

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... After years of whittling staff and cutting back on services, towns and cities are now outsourcing some of the most basic functions of local government, from policing to trash collection. ...
Maywood, a tiny [sanctuary] city southeast of Los Angeles, is taking contracting to the extreme. ... The city is disbanding its police force and handing public safety over to the Los Angeles County Sheriff. ...
Like many towns, Maywood, [a "haven for misfit cops"] is battling a budget deficit. But city officials said they were forced into the situation when the city's insurance carrier decided to cancel coverage because of the $21 million in legal expenses and judgments against the city stemming from the conduct of its police department.

TX: Dallas Officer Accidentally Shoots Rookie Officer
Submitted by: jac

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A Dallas police officer is in good condition after being accidentally shot by another Dallas police officer late Friday morning.

Rookie police officer Ricardo Solis and veteran officer Christopher Thomas were searching a dark, abandoned home on the 3700 block of Crane Street for an aggravated robbery suspect when Thomas accidentally discharged his weapon, striking Solis in his torso which was protected by his bullet-proof vest, officials said.

SC: Cops Check if Fatal Stabbing Was Self-Defense
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Authorities are investigating whether the fatal stabbing of a 20-year-old South Carolina man was a case of self defense.

Darlington County Coroner Todd Hardee told multiple media outlets that Gary DuRant died at a hospital Saturday, about four hours after he was stabbed in a Timmonsville home.

Deputies say they were told that DuRant forced his way into the home and got into a fight with a woman before he was stabbed.

AR: The infringement of gun rights in Arkansas
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Since June 28th, 2010, both of these constitutional declarations have a direct and immediate affect upon the very restrictive gun laws in Arkansas. The people of Arkansas now have what District Attorney Fox is declaring for the people of Jackson County, Wisconsin; a clear and obvious fundamental right to both keep and bear arms in this state, without the infringement of unconstitutional laws.

The people of Arkansas should have the right to both keep and bear arms returned to them immediately, as provided by the McDonald ruling.

NV: Nevadans agree with court gun ruling
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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More than three out of four Nevada residents in a new poll agree with a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that gun ownership is a fundamental American right.

An overwhelming 79 percent of the 625 registered voters reached statewide for the Las Vegas Review-Journal and KLAS-TV poll said they agreed that gun ownership is a �fundamental right for law-abiding citizens.�

Fifteen percent said they disagreed, and 6 percent were unsure.

The Supreme Court held last month in a cast arising from the Chicago area that people have the right to own a gun for self-defense anywhere they live.

CA: Robbery Victim Sends Suspects to Hospital
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Two would-be thieves targeting a woman's purse are recovering from stab wounds after a robbery victim fought back on Sunday, police said.

The woman and her boyfriend had just finished watching a concert at the Sound Wave nightclub in Mission Beach when they were attacked early Sunday morning, said San Diego police detective Debby Cotellessa.

Three to four men started hitting them through the car's windows after they got into their car, Cotellessa said. The man was pulled out of the car and beaten by two assailants. The male victim fought them off, however, with a folding pocketknife, stabbing them several times, Cotellessa said.

WA: Lake Sammamish shootings and gun control
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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The killing of two men and injuring of four others [�Lake Sammamish shooting kills 2 men,� page one, July 18] is a fine illustration of why guns should not be allowed in parks.

What were our lawmakers thinking when they allowed guns in parks? Perhaps they were afraid of the gun lobby � even threatened perhaps. I�m looking for leaders who think clearly and have the courage to say, �Guns kill people; we need stronger gun-control laws!�

CA: Santa Cruz Mountains woman appeals her weapons conviction to federal courts
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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A Stanford-educated surgeon who lives in the Santa Cruz Mountains has asked a federal judge to block her 60-day jail sentence on a 2007 conviction for brandishing a BB gun, arguing that her case marks an early test of a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling applying Second Amendment rights to the states.

In court papers filed Monday, lawyers for Barbara Saldinger are seeking an emergency stay of her County Jail sentence, which is set to be imposed on July 28 if she does not get a reprieve in the federal courts. Saldinger sued in federal court in Oakland, pressing her appeals further after being turned away last week by the California Supreme Court.

NH: Don't abridge the Second Amendment
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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But, more importantly, these are the folks that we depend on when disaster strikes � in floods, blizzards, fires, injury. We depend on them to make the correct decisions under the worst of circumstances. But, they can't be trusted to use good judgment when it comes to weapons!?

Our employees are supposed to be our equals, yet under our employee policy they have fewer rights than the rest of us. Everyone else can have a legally permitted weapon on town property, including me and all other elected and appointed "government officials." As a result, our town employees are second class citizens. How something so repugnant to the Constitutions, so overtly discriminatory, ended up in the employee policy is inexcusable.

IL: Gun shop owner sues Chicago over opening new stores
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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If Joe Franzese has his way, he will open five gun shops within the borders of Chicago by the end of this year.

Franzese already owns one gun shop, Second Amendment Arms in Lake Villa. But his goal of opening gun shops in Chicago, including Lincoln Park and on Michigan Avenue, has been halted due to new ordinances set in place by the Chicago City Council regarding the sale and ownership of guns in the city.

...

Franzese maintains he is "grandfathered in on the Supreme Court ruling" since he submitted his business license applications after the old ban was struck down and before the new ordinances were adopted.

PA: Gun limits sensible
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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GOP Pushes For More Votes Against Kagan
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Levey says there not only will be fewer Republican senators supporting Kagan, but there may be some Democrats from Western and Southern states who oppose her, too. That's because some of these red-state Democrats prize a 100 percent rating from the National Rifle Association, and the NRA, for only the second time in its history, is scoring a Supreme Court vote as a key vote on gun rights.

The first time the NRA scored a Supreme Court vote was the Sotomayor nomination, and it did so reluctantly after Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell leaned on the organization.

WA: L. Sammamish incident will bring calls for park gun bans
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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The weekend�s gun battle at Lake Sammamish State Park between what appear to be two rival groups � apparently with some gang members present � will bring calls for bans on guns in parks.

Gun prohibitionists, most likely led by Washington CeaseFire, will undoubtedly exploit this incident, which claimed the lives of two men, to further their gun ban agenda. A look through the hundreds of public comments left on various websites at the Seattle Times, KOMO, KIRO, KING and Seattle Post-Intelligencer show that gun banners are already fired up.