Keep and Bear Arms - Gun Owners Home Page

Concealed carry amendment slated for debate, vote
Submitted by: Bruce Krafft

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"Truckers with concealed carry permits may be able to protect themselves in more than just their home state if an amendment on the Senate floor moves forward on Wednesday, July 22."

"Sen. John Thune, R-SD, offered an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act � S1390 � on Monday, July 20. The amendment is set for debate and a vote at noon EDT on Wednesday."

"Thune's amendment would allow individuals who have concealed carry permits to carry a firearm in other states that also grant concealed carry permits." ...

Gun Control: Gateway to Tyranny
Submitted by: Paul

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"New research into Adolf Hitler's use of firearms registration lists to confiscate guns and the execution of their owners teaches a forceful lesson -- one that reveals why the American people and Congress have rejected registering honest firearm owners."

"It would be instructive at this time to recall why the American citizenry and Congress have historically opposed the registration of firearms. The reason is plain. Registration makes it easy for a tyrannical government to confiscate firearms and to make prey of its subjects. Denying this historical fact is no more justified than denying that the Holocaust occurred or that the Nazis murdered millions of unarmed people." ...

Outrage over national concealed carry misplaced while Seattle looks for a killer
Submitted by: Bruce Krafft

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"Gun prohibitionists nationwide are fuming over a proposed amendment by South Dakota Sen. John Thune ... that would require all states to recognize concealed carry licenses and permits from every other state, same as the states now recognize driver's licenses from another state."

"The proposal has anti-gunners fuming, from Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, acting as president of the US Conference of Mayors, to gun-hating Senators Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Charles Schumer (D-NY). ..."

"How ironic that Nickels is campaigning against the right of self-defense when in his own city, police are looking for the man who brutally attacked two women in their South Park neighborhood home ..." ...

AHSA: Actually Harming the Second Amendment?
Submitted by: Bruce Krafft

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... "This isn't going to be a diary dissecting the Second Amendment and nor will it be a diary that gives reasons for the right to keep and bear arms (RKBA). Speaking as someone who started handling firearms before I hit double digit years, I'd like to say I have a respectful and safe relationship with firearms. I was a hunter (though not anymore), I am a firearm safety instructor ...and I shoot regularly."

"So when I saw a pro-firearms group that was based on the Democratic side of the fence, I started jumping for joy. Finally, a group that supports the other issues alongside gun rights that I can get behind."

"Oh happy day!"

"And then I started looking into the group. My enthusiasm waned." ...

Lies, damn lies, and VPC statistics
Submitted by: John Pierce - Minneapolis Gun Rights Examiner
Website: http://www.examiner.com/x-3253-Minneapolis-Gun-Rights-Examiner

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... "As states such as Maryland, New York, and New Jersey panic over the idea of losing the ability to provide disarmed herds of victims for their criminals, the VPC has sprung to the rescue like a well paid mob lawyer and has released the results of a poorly concocted 'study' claiming to illustrate the evils of concealed carry permits."

"I use the word study loosely in order to not offend the sensibilities of any true statistician who might be reading this article. Their methodology appears to have been to assign a slightly inebriated intern to do a Google news search for 'permit holder' and 'charged with." ...

"Let�s examine the many, many flaws that render their data virtually meaningless and reduces their 'study' to nothing more than the ideological propaganda that is the normal grist of the VPC mill." ...

NSSF implements new program to grow collegiate shooting sports by 20% in five years
Submitted by: Bruce Krafft

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Shooting Sports Foundation has announced a new initiative with the ambitious goal of growing shooting sports at the collegiate level. Not just growing the sports, but growing them twenty percent over the next five years."

"The NSSF's Collegiate Shooting Sports Initiative (CSSI) will 'provide both financial and non-financial assistance in creating new college shooting teams and clubs and strengthening existing programs.' The NSSF's Zach Snow will be heading up the initiative. 'Youth shooting programs are very popular nationwide with students grades 12 and under,' he says, 'as these students go off to college, many would jump at the opportunity to get involved or continue their participation in the shooting sports.'" ...

Panel delays Sotomayor vote as GOP support grows
Submitted by: Bruce Krafft

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"The Senate Judiciary Committee put off its vote Tuesday on Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor for one week amid objections from the panel's conservative Republicans, even as the judge's support among GOP moderates continued to grow." ...

"Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., announced he will vote against Sotomayor because she refused to say during her confirmation hearings that the Second Amendment right to bear arms binds states as well as the federal government � an issue on which the Supreme Court has yet to rule."

"Wicker said Sotomayor 'shows an alarming hostility toward law-abiding gun owners across the country,' and accused her of having an 'aversion to impartiality.'"

Sotomayor wrong on gun control
Submitted by: Bruce Krafft

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"I know readers will ask the question, Why is someone from Big Bear Lake, Calif., writing a letter to the editor of the Independent Record?'"

"Well, we also own property in Montana and are finally relocating back. ... We can't wait to move back."

"However, this letter is not about moving back. I have been watching the Senate hearings on the nomination of Judge Sotomayor for the Supreme Court. I believe she is wrong on the Second Amendment. She has stated that the Second Amendment only applies to the federal government and not states and cities, etc. She also stated this morning that 'it depends' if a citizen has the basic right of self-defense." ...

Sessions: Considering Foreign Law Would Kill Second Amendment Rights
Submitted by: Bruce Krafft

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"Perhaps unintentionally, the written followup questions from Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) to Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor make a strong case that consideration of foreign law in the debate over the Second Amendment would doom Republican efforts to read a 'fundamental right' to gun ownership into the Constitution." ...

"Sessions went on to ask Sotomayor if she would consider foreign law as a Supreme Court justice deciding whether the Second Amendment guarantees the right to gun ownership in the United States, suggesting, of course, that such consideration would be heresy. ('Isn't foreign law then simply a vehicle by which judges indulge their own policy preferences?' Session asked.)" ...

Rifled Freedom
Submitted by: Bruce Krafft

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"It's official. Freedom lovers and gun enthusiasts, you have to be both in this case, can be proud of a new Tennessee law that allows people to carry loaded, concealed guns into bars and restaurants."

"You have to be both to be proud because most gun enthusiasts I meet or listen to are against many other freedoms ... They think as deeply about freedom, and what that means, as young men sporting rebel flags think about history."

"The world presented by people in support of this law is a simple one. People who own registered guns and have a permit are according to their arguments, good people who will never, as the law requires, slip up and have a drink ..." ...
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Submitter's Note: I have, sitting next to me as I type, a bottle of Scotch, and in the fridge are at least a dozen bottles of beer. I am also carrying a gun. Is this yutz saying I can't be trusted not to drink and shoot? So he wants to ban alcohol in gun owners' houses, too?

MI: Man Shot, Dies Amid Party Scuffle
Submitted by: Bruce Krafft

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"Neighbors in one community said a man was shot and killed early Sunday morning after he interrupted a neighborhood party and robbed some of the partygoers." ...

"Andre said 29-year-old Gregory Scott interupted a dice game in the basement of a house in the 300 block of Seward Street in Pontiac at about 3:30 a.m."

"Andre said Scott pulled a gun on partygoers and robbed them."

"'He goes in, pulls out a gun, let off a shot or two to make the person come out his money, and he was fine with that and turned his back,' Andre said. 'But everybody had pistols ... lights went off on him then.'"

"Andre said the man was shot several times as he ran up the stairs and out of the house." ...

FL: Bristol man, 82, shoots, kills intruder in his home
Submitted by: NYSRPA-PVF
Website: http://www.nysrpa-pvf.org

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"Bradley Harvell, an 82-year-old veteran who suffers from emphysema, has owned a .357 magnum for 25 years, but until Sunday night, he'd never fired it."

"It was the powerful handgun that Harvell used to shoot and kill the man he described as resembling a western-style "train robber" who barged into his house, shot him twice with a stun gun and tried to steal his money."

"Harvell shot the man twice, first in the stomach area and then in the head, during the struggle at Harvell's home on County Road 333, according to the Liberty County Sheriff's Office." ...

KY: Alleged intruder fatally shot in Garrard County home
Submitted by: NYSRPA-PVF
Website: http://www.nysrpa-pvf.org

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"Kentucky State Police are investigating a shooting early Tuesday in Garrard County in which one man died." ...

"At 12:46 a.m. Tuesday, the homeowner, Hurlin McQuerry, called 911 to report that a man had forcibly entered his home, and the homeowner had shot him with a .410 shotgun, state police said in a release."

"Upon arrival, state police found Helton dead of a single gunshot wound to the chest."

"Helton was wearing a ski mask and gloves and had a crowbar when he entered the house, state police said."

"At the time of shooting, two people were waiting outside in a vehicle, state police said." ...

"McQuerry was not charged Tuesday, but Trooper Chris Lanham said the case will be presented to a grand jury."

Fish Ordeal - Over?
Submitted by: Bruce Krafft

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"The County Prosecutor in Arizona has announced that he will not re-try Harold Fish, who spent years behind bars for shooting a younger, stronger man with a violent past who came at him on a hiker's trailhead, swinging his fists and screaming threats."

"The gunnies on here will remember that the prosecutor made a huge deal of Fish using a 10mm Kimber pistol and Federal hollow point ammunition to protect himself, convincing at least some on the jury that the large caliber gun and the somehow extra-deadly bullets were indications of malice. ... Lesson there: be able to articulate why you, like most cops, choose a powerful handgun and effective ammunition to defend yourselves and your loved ones." ...

VA: No charges against Suffolk store owner who shot suspect
Submitted by: Bruce Krafft

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"No charges will be filed against a man who shot and killed a would-be robber in his store, the Suffolk commonwealth's attorney announced Thursday."

"On the morning on June 21, the alarm went off at James Durden�s Whaleyville store � J&L Food Mart."

"Durden, who lives close by, grabbed a gun and went to the store. His brother told 13News that Durden opened fire because he thought the man pointed a gun at him."

"That man, identified as Ernest Scott Roop, was struck four times." ...

UT: Price man assaults two men with rock, lantern
Submitted by: Mark Jensen

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"A Price man was arrested early Sunday after attacking two men with a rock and a lantern, police said."

"The 28-year-old man was one of two drunken men who were 'causing problems' at about 1:30 a.m. at the Steinaker State Park campground ..."

"They refused several requests to leave. When confronted by a 25-year-old man from Colorado, the Price man picked up a rock and threw it at his throat, causing internal injuries. He then swung a metal-and-glass propane lantern at a 39-year-old man from Wyoming. He hit him in the head, causing a severe cut above his eye and partially severing his left ear."

"The force of the blow shattered the lantern. The Price man fled, but was found and arrested ..." ...
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KABA Note: But why would anyone need a gun in a park?

Gun-rights amendment divides Dems
Submitted by: Paul

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"A measure that would let gun owners carry weapons across state lines could threaten the filibuster-proof edge Democrats have in the U.S. Senate, observers note." ...

"Thune offered the amendment Monday to the defense authorization bill. The language would allow people to carry concealed firearms across state lines as long as they 'have a valid permit or if, under their state of residence ... are entitled to do so.'" ...

"'Since criminals are unable to tell who is and who is not carrying a firearm just by looking at a potential victim, they are less likely to commit crimes ...' [Thune] said.

"Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., who pledged to filibuster the amendment, said it scuttled states' rights." ...
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KABA Note: You should read your Constitution Chuck. You know, the one you've taken oaths to uphold and defend? The one whose Article IV, Section 1 states "Full faith and credit shall be given in each state to the public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of every other state."

Bloomberg: DC Gun Bill 'Power Grab' Is 'An Outrage'
Submitted by: NYSRPA-PVF
Website: http://www.nysrpa-pvf.org

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"Mayor Bloomberg did not mince words today in bashing the US Senate for being poised to vote on an amendment that would make it easier to take concealed weapons across state lines[sic]."

"The measure, known as the 'Thune Amendment' because it was proposed by South Dakota Republican John Thune, has been attached to a Defense Authorization bill that would provide funding for troops overseas and thus be difficult for senators to vote down."

"In a conference call this afternoon with fellow members of his Mayors Against Illegal Guns group, Bloomberg called the amendment 'anti-police' and 'pro-gun trafficker'." ...

Concealed Carry Over State Lines Coming?
Submitted by: Bruce Krafft

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"The Washington Post reports a glimmer of hope for 2nd amendment supporters this week, as several moderate Democrats may be lining up with the GOP to back a provision which would ensure the rights of gun owners in states with permissive laws when they travel across state lines."

"Senate Democrats are scrambling to defeat a Republican-backed provision that would allow gun owners to carry their weapons across state lines, overriding the stricter laws of many jurisdictions and giving preference to states with looser standards." ...

National ccw reciprocity bill generating debate
Submitted by: Daniel White

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"The amendment offered up for consideration by South Dakota Republican John Thune to create National reciprocity among states that issue concealed carry licenses is generating a lot of debate from both sides of the issue."

"The anti-gun side is mounting the usual attacks, saying this would lead to an increase in crime. As if concealed carry licensees in Pennsylvania have been waiting for just this opportunity to cross the border into Ohio and go on a crime spree." ...

"On the other side of the aisle, some pro-gun pundits are wary of enacting national controls on the issue of concealed carry. ... Another fear is that a national license would be created and mandated ... and that state permits would be ruled invalid." ...

Patrick Leahy to John Thune: No hearing for you!
Submitted by: Bruce Krafft

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"The politics of the gun debate in the Senate took a new twist Tuesday when Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) rescinded an offer to Republican Sen. John Thune to hold a hearing on a proposal that would make it easier to take guns across state lines[sic]." ...

"Earlier this year, Thune agreed to hold off on offering his gun amendment to the D.C. voting rights act in exchange for a commitment that a subcommittee on Judiciary would hold a hearing on the issue this summer."

"But the hearing has yet to happen, and in the meantime, Thune's proposal is set for a vote in the Senate." ...
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Submitter's Note: The bill has nothing to do with interstate transport, it simply calls for enforcement of Article IV, Section I of the Constitution with regard to carry permits.

Does Thune amendment treat a right like a privilege?
Submitted by: Bruce Krafft

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... "So after going through all this, why would I be willing to cede that The Times or VPC may not be completely wrong in opposing the Thune amendment, even if their 'reasoning' is? Particularly since everybody in the gun rights advocacy movement appears to be on board with it?"

"Well, not everybody. For instance, Alan Korwin, doesn't think concealed carry permit reciprocity is such a hot idea." ...

"My only caution is to not make the mistake of thinking benefits do not also include costs. And to consider that sometimes, the price that will ultimately be required of us--or our posterity--is not always clearly understood up front." ...

National right-to-carry reciprocity can't touch Chicago, but can it pass?
Submitted by: Bruce Krafft

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"If you're not aware of an important gun-rights vote in the Senate that could take place as early as today, you can hardly be blamed. The pressure for and against Senator John Thune's amendment to the Defense Authorization bill working its way through the Senate has built steadily, but quietly. In simplest terms, the amendment states that any state which allows its citizens to carry concealed weapons, whether it requires a permit or not, must honor the carry permits issued by any other states. This means that New York, for example, would have to honor Indiana or Florida carry permits, although anyone using a permit from another state would have to follow the same laws as a person with a New York permit." ...

Harry Reid green-lights controversial gun vote
Submitted by: Bruce Krafft

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"Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is supposed to be the protector of the Senate�s skittish Democratic flock � the guy who soothes intraparty spats and shields his 60-member majority from dangerous, career-threatening votes."

"Yet Reid � whose low approval ratings in Nevada make him a tempting GOP target in next year's midterms � put many of his members in a sticky situation when he OK'd a floor vote on a controversial GOP amendment that could significantly alter the nation's gun control laws."

"Reid says the bill deserves a hearing and reflects his commitment to supporting gun rights in a state that sanctifies the Second Amendment. Other Democrats say he approved the vote out of personal political necessity ..." ...

Democrats scramble on GOP gun measure
Submitted by: Bruce Krafft

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"Senate Democrats are scrambling to defeat a Republican-backed provision that would let gun owners carry concealed weapons across state lines, overriding the stricter laws of many jurisdictions."

"Critics, including police organizations, big-city mayors and gun-victims groups, decried the provision, saying it would create 'a new national lowest common denominator' for ownership of firearms. ..."

"The latest measure, offered by Sen. John Thune (R., S.D.) as an amendment to the defense authorization bill, would let people carry concealed firearms across state lines if they 'have a valid permit or if, under their state of residence ... are entitled to do so.'" ...

Nationwide Right-to-Carry Bill Prompts Anti-Defense Hysteria Submitted by: David Codrea Website: http://www.examiner.com/x-1417-Gun-Rights-Examiner	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
... "Dangerous. Untrained. That is, not 'Only Ones.' You know, 'the people,' as in the ones whose right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed...?" ...

Gun Owners Beware!
Submitted by: Bruce Krafft

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"The American Free Press reports Rep. Peter King introduced a bill (HR 2159) in Congress entitled 'Denying Firearms and Explosives to Dangerous Terrorists Act of 2009.'"

"Second Amendment rights activists say it would give federal government unprecedented authority to suspend a person�s constitutionally guaranteed rights without a trial, or any legal proof, only the suspicion of being 'dangerous.' This labels veterans, Second Amendment advocates, tax protestors, environmental activists, abortion opponents, anyone on the Dept. of Homeland Security watch list for potential extremism."

"If HR 2159 becomes law, the Obama Administration and Justice Department will go after opponents to their plan, to disarm the nation ..." ...

Gun rights at risk with new proposal
Submitted by: Bruce Krafft

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"Back during the presidential campaign, Barack Obama attempted to alleviate fears he would push stricter gun-control laws by telling voters that issue wasn't on his agenda. ..."

"... gun-rights supporters should pay attention to a proposal by longtime anti-gun Sen. Frank Lautenburg, D-New Jersey. S-1237 would give extraordinary power to the attorney general to deny gun ownership to thousands of Americans who have done nothing to have their rights taken by government."

"The deceptively named 'Denying Firearms and Explosives to Dangerous Terrorists Act of 2009' sounds like a slam-dunk. Who wants to go on record a favoring selling guns and bombs to Osama bin Laden? ..." ...

TN: Metro Council Members Wring Hands over Whether to Ban Guns in Parks
Submitted by: Bruce Krafft

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"Across the state, cities are taking the commonsense measure of banning guns in parks. But the Metro Council has yet to act and ... passage is not assured. That's because even squishy liberals like Mike Jameson aren't convinced the city should opt out of the state's new law allowing licensed citizen gunmen to carry loaded weapons into parks and playgrounds."

"It was a WTF? moment for Pith when Jameson informed his favorite blogger that he was on the fence about banning guns in Metro parks. He confessed he's wringing his hands over whether such a move would invite a lawsuit from the gun lobby and whether the Second Amendment actually gives Americans the right to stroll about with loaded weapons wherever they please." ...

"What will you do to me?" -- An Open Letter to Carson W. Carroll, Assistant Director, BATFE
Submitted by: Bruce Krafft

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... "Dear Carson,"

"I am in receipt of a copy of your 'Open Letter to all Tennessee Federal Firearms Licensees,' dated 16 July. ..."

"I just have one question." ...

"If I move to Tennessee and open up a firearms manufactory ... procuring all of my components from within the state and selling only to Tennessee residents as per the Tennessee statute, what are you going to do to ME? I am, after all not one of your tame FFL holders you are used to bullying about. You may threaten them as you like, I suppose, you are certainly used to it. And they have already made the fatal compromise when they bought into your tyrannical system. But what will you do to me?" ...

CO: ACLU Joins Fight to Stop Illegal Searches of Open Carriers
Submitted by: Bruce Krafft

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"OpenCarry.org joins the ACLU of Colorado in expressing alarm at Loveland, CO Police Chief Luke Hecker's policy that police officers may detain and search any person possessing a firearm and not release them until they provide identification and acquiesce to serial number checks on that firearm."

"Hecker's police officers reportedly detained and searched a 71 year old man openly carrying a holstered handgun at Lake Loveland. As a bullying tactic, the police ominously warned the man that 'he could expect similar treatment should similar encounters occur in the future.'"

"Apparently Loveland Police Chief Luke ... Hecker slept through those classes at the police academy about the Fourth Amendment ..." ...

TX: Driver had taser pulled on him, after refusing to sign ticket
Submitted by: Bruce Krafft

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"A driver pulled over for speeding had a taser pulled on him, when the officer became impatient with the man's refusal to sign a ticket."

"It's the latest in a series of Fort Worth taser incidents raising questions." ...

"'I was getting out the car and next thing I know, I had what looked like a gun directly at my face,' said Majcher."

"It was not a gun but a taser." ...

"Pete Schulte is a defense lawyer, and a former police officer. He ... agreed to review the video, along with Fort Worth's taser policy."

"'It's very clear in the policy that if someone is showing passive noncompliance, they're not in a position to be tasered,' he said."

"After investigating, however, police supervisors determined Officer Jeandron did nothing wrong." ...

LA: Heat killed police dog left in car, report says
Submitted by: Bruce Krafft

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"A New Orleans police dog left unattended in a police vehicle in late May died from shock likely associated with heat stroke, after ripping up the car's seats in a desperate attempt to get out ..."

"Primo, a 6-year-old Belgian Malinois, collapsed at a veterinarian's clinic with a temperature of 109.8 degrees ..." ...

"'Those photos confirm the horrible and excruciating death this animal suffered, ' said Rafael Goyeneche, the president of the Crime Commission."

"Goyeneche said Primo's death should be investigated for possible criminal charges and referred the case, along with the details of two other recent dog deaths within the K-9 unit, to the Orleans Parish district attorney's office ..." [emphasis added] ...
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H/t to David Codrea.

MO: Bloke boosts web traffic by handing out AK-47s
Submitted by: Bruce Krafft

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"A truck dealer in Clay County, Missouri, has come up with a novel way to increase his sales and draw attention to his website."

"Mark Muller, owner of Max Motors, is giving away a free AK-47 assault rifle with every vehicle sold. The cunning plan seems to have worked, and in an interview with CNN Muller said that it spiked his company's web traffic. He estimates his dealership sold 35 more cars during the promotion than it would have without it."

"Mueller is obviously a great fan of the Second Amendment, and his company motto is: 'God, Guns, Guts and American Pick-up Trucks.' He says the local community is facing a huge crime problem, and that decent citizens need something more than a handgun to protect themselves." ...

IA: Right to bear arms threatened
Submitted by: Bruce Krafft

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"As we all know, confirmation hearings were held last week for Mr. Obama's nominee, Sonia Sotomayor, to replace Justice David Souter on the Supreme Court. I was shocked at her response to one question that was asked of her. Unfortunately with the Democrats in control of the Senate, the House and the White House, she will soon be confirmed."

"She was asked if she believed that as American citizens we had the right to self-defense. There was a long pause. She then hemmed and hawed and said she was trying to remember if there was a case where the Supreme Court had ruled that citizens had a constitutional right to self-defense. ..." ...