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WA: Reichert opposes assault weapons ban
Submitted by: medicdave

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"Dave Reichert, King County sheriff and Republican congressional candidate, recently told a group of Second Amendment advocates that he supports letting the federal ban on assault weapons expire."

"His position shocked community activists with whom he had worked closely in the past to establish and promote gun-violence prevention programs. It is also at odds with a wide segment of law enforcement officials, including Seattle police Chief Gil Kerlikowske."

"But Reichert said yesterday his statement should not come as a surprise to anyone."

" 'I've never changed my position,' Reichert said. 'My whole point has always been holding gun owners responsible and accountable and always focusing on those people who were committing crimes with guns. ... I've never felt that the banning of certain weapons has really done anything at all.' "

IL: Campaign poll Submitted by: Anonymous	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
Good poll regarding the Keyes v. Obama Senate race in Illinois.

KY: Pellet gun paranoia
Submitted by: Newslinks Admin

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"Jefferson County Sheriff John Aubrey is investigating how a plastic pellet gun got through security at the Hall of Justice and into a juvenile court hearing Wednesday."

"The gun was brought out in court as the mother of a boy facing an assault charge tried to illustrate to the judge that it was just a toy, said Lt. Col. Carl Yates, sheriff's department spokesman."

"The judge then asked how the gun had gotten through security. ..."

Puerto Rico: U.S. group censures Santini for position on weapons ban
Submitted by: Luis Figueroa

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FULL TEXT BELOW:

The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, a U.S. group that is leading the fight to extend the federal ban on the manufacture and sale of assault weapons, has censured San Juan mayor Jorge Santini, for his opposition to renewing the ban.

Brian Malte, spokesman for the campaign chairman, publicly endorsed Santini�s opponent in the race for the office of mayor San Juan, Eduardo Bhatia, and called Santini�s opposition to the Federal Assault Weapons Ban �irresponsible� and �shocking.�

�Mayor Santini is putting at risk the lives of the children of San Juan, their families, and the police,� Malte said.

�We do not know of a mayor in any major U.S. city that is opposed to this federal law. Mayor Santini is the lone wolf,� he added.

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Here's a Mayor who understands what the "Assault" weapons ban has accomplished and what an "Assault" weapon really is. He sent a letter to the U.S. Congress, and now the opposing political party is singling him out as a criminal supporter. He understands the meaning of "constitutional right," and now the Brady bunch has decided to support his opponent, claiming that no other mayor opposes this worthless, unconstitutional law.

And, of course, note the use of "the children" as an excuse to relieve people of their rights, even though these weapons are used in a tiny number of crimes, and children hardly ever fall victim to thugs using these firearms.

RI: Big guns draw fire from Kennedy
Submitted by: medicdave

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"When asked why the extension was in danger of falling by the legislative wayside, Kennedy blamed special interests and political gamesmanship."

"Proponents say the ban has little to do with the Second Amendment, since it would only prohibit the sale and importation of military-style weapons, designed, as Sardella put it, 'for no other purpose than to help people harm people.' "

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Yes, it may come as some surprise to you, but if you actually read the 2nd amendment, you'll find that it helps people harm people too. Sometimes harming people is necessary in order to defend your life, your family or your freedom.

MS: Accused killer in VHS shooting feared victim, teachers say
Submitted by: medicdave

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"During his opening statement Ellis said Mims had issued death threats against Jefferson and that gunshots had been fired at Jefferson from a car driven by Mims and a friend of his within weeks of the fatal shooting."

"Wong said he directed Jefferson to report the matter immediately to the school principal or to the police officer stationed at the school and that he believed Jefferson had done so."

"...She requested and obtained a security-guard escort for Jefferson as he walked to his car."

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Poster's Note: Student fears for life. Student brings gun to school. School can't protect student. Student protects self. Student on trial for manslaughter.

PA: Gun Dealer to Pay in Straw Purchase Lawsuit
Submitted by: Newslinks Admin

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"Jon Sauers, a federally licensed gun dealer in Philadelphia, Pa., has agreed to pay $850,000 to a woman whose 7-year-old son was killed with a gun the dealer sold to a straw buyer..."

"The settlement has implications for gun dealers nationwide who sell firearms to straw buyers. ..."

"According to court records, Sauers, owner of Sauers Trading, sold 10 handguns between 1994 and 1997 to Perry Bruce, who resold them illegally. In April, a group of children found one of the guns hidden by a drug dealer under a parked car. According to police, one of the children began playing with it, pointing it at 7-year-old Nafis Jefferson. The child pulled the trigger, killing Jefferson instantly."

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This gun dealer followed the law when he sold those handguns. But the fact that he never stuck his nose into the buyer's life and demanded an explanation for his purchases, he is now being held liable.

Maybe if the parents of these kids took a little more time to teach them about gun safety and took a bit more responsibility for their offspring, this tragedy could have been avoided.

SC: Greenville Man Sues Over Taser Gun Use Against Him
Submitted by: Newslinks Admin

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"A Greenville man has sued Greenville, its police department and Chief Willie Johnson, saying officers used excessive force when he says they stunned him with a Taser gun seven times while arresting him."

"Louis M. Powell seeks $750,000 in damages."

"The suit, filed in federal court, alleges officers acted maliciously when they repeatedly used the Taser gun on Powell, leaving seven permanent scars on his back and neck."

"The defendants deny that officers used excessive force."

"The defendants said officers used a Taser gun on Powell because he resisted attempts to arrest him on charges of public drunkenness, malicious damage and resisting arrest."

NC: Raleigh High School Student Arrested After Gun Report on Campus
Submitted by: Newslinks Admin

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FULL TEXT BELOW:

A Raleigh high school student has been accused of bringing a gun on campus.
Wake education officials say Thursday's arrest involved an unidentified sophomore at Enloe High School. Wake schools spokesman Michael Evans says the student was allegedly trying to sell the weapon. Another student alerted school officials, who called in police and arrested the suspect.

The Enloe principal alerted students and their families last night about what happened.

New Report Details Reagan's Efforts on Behalf of Assault Weapons Ban (JTO)
Submitted by: Newslinks Admin

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"The Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence ...released 'Reagan's Gun Legacy,' a report detailing the Gipper's surprising efforts to pass the federal assault weapons ban and other gun laws, including the Brady Bill. ..."

"The conservative icon, who Guns & Ammo Magazine once referred to as 'The Gun Owner's Champion,' was instrumental in passing several gun safety laws, including the landmark assault weapons ban and Brady Law. ..."

"Directly lobbied members of the House of Representatives to support the 1994 federal Assault Weapons Ban. ..."

"Personally urged Members of Congress in the early 1990s to pass the Brady Law..."

"Banned cop-killer bullets, undetectable handguns, and the manufacture and sale of machine guns."

UK: Toddler comes within millimetres of losing an eye after being shot in the face with a ball-bearing gun
Submitted by: Newslinks Admin

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"Four-year-old Hanna Cave spent over two hours in Bassetlaw Hospital after a young boy � believed to be only eight years old � approached her with the gun before pointing it at her face and firing it at her."

"The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pulled the trigger apparently believing the gun chamber to be empty."

"The pea-sized ball-bearing hit Hanna in her eye.
And now Hanna's father Roger Cave of Lincoln Street in Worksop is calling for parents to take more responsibility for theirs and their children's actions."

Bahamas: Monterey man detained in Bahamas over gun in luggage
Submitted by: Newslinks Admin

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"Spending 36 harrowing hours in a Bahamian jail after a relaxing week at a resort hotel, Monterey resident Hitoshi Yamaguchi came up with advice for travelers."

"Make sure your bags are empty -- clean as a whistle -- before you pack for a trip. ..." ...

"Security guards at Nassau International Airport arrested him immediately when an X-ray search of his luggage revealed a .22-caliber pistol and six rounds of ammunition in one of his bags." ...

"The whole episode, which also raised questions about security at U.S. airports that Yamaguchi traveled through, was a big mix-up, Yamaguchi said."

Jamaica: Four arrested in another "gun-free" paradise
Submitted by: Newslinks Admin

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"IN an attempt to a put a lid on the escalating gang feud in Spanish Town, St. Catherine, 17 persons were taken into custody Wednesday, following a series of joint police/military operations carried out in the adjoining communities."

"During one of the operations, an illegal .38 revolver was seized in the Morgan Lane area and four persons arrested. The police said among the detainees were one murder suspect and a man who had absconded bail and been involved in a series of crimes."

ID: Workshop offers women supportive, hands-on experiences in outdoors
Submitted by: Newslinks Admin

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"The Idaho Women's Outdoor Workshop is slated for the evening of Sept. 10 and all day Sept. 11 in Pocatello. The workshops offer women introductory outdoor classes geared just for them. ..."

"Classes include: Introduction to firearms and firearm safety; Fly tying; Leave no trace; GPS (new); Beginning archery; Dutch oven cooking; Marksmanship; Beginning rock climbing; Backpacking and survival skills; Viewing wildlife; Outdoor scrapbooking (new); Idaho photography; Pocatello geology (new); I'm hunting now and Nature's healing, a new class in which students will go on an outing to collect specimens and prepare them into a special healing tincture."

Bahamas: Alleged police shooter charged
Submitted by: Newslinks Admin

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"Lamont Omar Munroe of Cox Street, Fox Hill, was charged before Magistrate Linda Virgill Wednesday with two counts of attempting to murder two police officers."

"An irate Munroe shouted to reporters on his way to court that the police sicked a dog on him, causing him to be bitten in the 'crotch'."

"It is alleged that the 25-year-old... attempted to murder Police Corporal 1157 Carson Lundy and Police Constable Jason Kelly on August 23. Both officers were shot while on duty. Mr Carson has been discharged from hospital, while Mr Kelly remains hospitalised."

"Also Wednesday, police say he possessed a firearm with the intent to endanger life. Particulars allege he used a handgun to prevent his arrest."

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AH! The wonders and effectiveness of gun control!

Namibia: Firearms Not The Problem (Letter)
Submitted by: Newslinks Admin

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"I TAKE exception to your editorial of Friday 20 August 'Crime and what to do about it', which states that the key to crime control is gun control."

"Where you get your cues from I do not know but these are the same failed policies implemented in the Anglo Saxon countries which seem bent on exporting it to their former colonial charges."

"It is common knowledge that violent crime has skyrocketed in the UK since firearm confiscation."

"Perhaps ones should look to the cause of crime in the air of permissiveness and licence encouraged by society ie. it's okay kid, it's not your fault, you were disadvantaged."

MA: School Superintendent Facing Weapons Charges Resigns
Submitted by: Newslinks Admin

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This is probably the same guy who strictly enforced zero-tolerance policies in victim disarmament zones (read: schools).

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"Northampton School Superintendent Michael A. Cosgriff, facing assault and weapons charges in connection with a domestic incident, has resigned, saying his action is not an admission of guilt but is in the best interest of the schoolchildren."

"Following a School Committee meeting Thursday night, it was announced that Isabelina Rodriguez Babcock, who was appointed acting superintendent after Cosgriff's arrest June 30, will become interim superintendent through the end of June."

CA: State lawmakers rush to approve a pile of bills
Submitted by: Newslinks Admin

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"Rushing to finish the legislative session by tonight, lawmakers sent Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger dozens of bills Thursday ranging from a change in the month of California's primary elections to a ban on using cell phone owners' names in a directory without their consent." ...

One of these bills imposes "initial fines of $100 and $300 for brandishing an imitation firearm in a public place. SB 1858 passed the Senate on a 28-9 vote."

ND: Man with gun arrested at Fargo high school Submitted by: Newslinks Admin	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
"Police on Friday arrested a man who showed up outside Fargo South High School with a loaded handgun, after a school security guard took the gun away from him." "The Fargo man, who is 37, initially refused to identify himself to officers or say why he was at the school, Sgt. Wayne Jorgenson said."

TX: Gun slingers give residents a taste of the old west
Submitted by: Newslinks Admin

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"Although not often associated with cowboys and the Old West, cities like Grapevine and Lewisville both experienced a slice of the old west more than a hundred years ago."

"All would be forgotten in the area if not for the help of heritage societies and a special group of men dedicated to Old West re-enactment. Area groups such as the North Texas Gun Slingers, the Brazos Valley Gun Slingers and the Grapevine Heritage Gun Fighters not only woo crowds with their quick-draws but also help teach local history lessons."

"The three groups are slated to perform various skits such as a bank robbery, shoot-outs and jail-break in the coming Western Days festival to be held in Old Town Lewisville next weekend."

UK: Carnival police hold gun and drug suspects
Submitted by: Newslinks Admin

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FULL TEXT BELOW:

Suspected gunmen, muggers and hard drug dealers believed to be planning to prey on crowds at this weekend's Notting Hill Carnival have been arrested in an operation to disrupt potential crime and violence.

At least a dozen suspected hard-core criminals have been detained, and in some cases bailed on condition that they do not attend the event.

The event remains one of the biggest policing commitments in the Metropolitan Police calendar, requiring up to 10,000 police shifts to be worked by several thousand officers over Sunday and Monday.

Last year, the policing operation cost Scotland Yard nearly �6 million.

FL: Man dies after officer shoots him with stun gun
Submitted by: Newslinks Admin

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"A 32-year-old man died after struggling with a sheriff's deputy who shocked him twice with a stun gun, the Polk County Sheriff's Office said."

"Deputy Jennifer Sanderson found the man walking in the roadway on U.S. 92 ... He appeared to be intoxicated, and the deputy tried to guide him off the road."

"The man, Jason Yeagley, attacked the deputy... She shot him once with her Taser, which is designed to subdue a suspect, but it had little effect. She shot him a second time and managed to get him handcuffed."

"When backup deputies arrived, they noticed that he was "going into some type of medical distress," the report said. An ambulance took him to Lakeland Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead."

IN: IPD Officers To Receive Stored Assault Rifles
Submitted by: Newslinks Admin

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"The Indianapolis Police Department says officers could soon begin training on the use of assault-style rifles that it has had in storage since last year -- a decision made a week after a man with such a weapon fatally shot an officer."

"The department has about 220 M-16 rifles, but they weren't distributed because IPD's training range was deemed inadequate for the rifles' bullets, which can travel more than 1,000 yards at more than 1,000 feet per second."

"...The department plans to give the weapons to about 200 carefully selected officers after the weapons are modified into semiautomatics and as officers are trained to use them, Police Chief Jerry Barker said."

RI: Officials call on Bush to renew weapons ban
Submitted by: Bill Armstrong

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"Rep. Patrick Kennedy and Rhode Island mayors and police chiefs gathered yesterday at the Public Safety Complex to urge President Bush and congressional leaders to extend the federal ban on assault weapons." ...

"The police credit the ban for reducing the number of firearm deaths nationally by 25 percent, a decrease from the peak of 39,595 in 1993 to 29,573 in 2001. With the deadline fast approaching, advocates have been pleading across the nation for Congress to extend the ban."

"But Kennedy blames election-year politics for stall tactics. Although President Bush had pledged to back the ban during his 2000 campaign, he's taken no action to preserve it, the congressman said."

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Note that no actual statistics are cited and no opposing view is given. But here is the real reason why they are supporting this ban:

"I don't see a need for them to be on the streets," Moody said. "It scares me that they're out there."

IL: Don't mess with Texas, just learn from us
Submitted by: medicdave

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Fifth item on the page

"Now I have had occasions in my childhood because of my father's military career to live in Carterville during some of his overseas assignments, and I have always had a fondness for Illinois as the state where my grandparents lived, but all the way back to when Morton Grove first made the national scene I have always thought y'all have some strange gun-control laws."

"I live in Texas now where I finished growing up, married, and raised my children. Speaking for most Texans, I would like to ask the good people of Illinois to keep this strange "epidemic" contained and not let it spread to the rest of the country..."

"We stop trespassers at our property line, and the Supreme Court has already determined that police cannot be held responsible for protecting anyone (except those persons in their custody; mainly criminals), so we stay armed and live in a much more 'polite' society." ...

"Hurting other people is not always bad or evil. Even the God of the Bible allows for self-defense, judicial punishment, and war."

"The "Militia" is the people-at-large ..."

"The people are the ultimate judge of a check and balance on our government. ..."

"But the final stop to a government rampaging over the restrictions placed upon in by those who formed it is found in the Second Amendment. 'How does one govern a well-armed populace? Very carefully!' "

TN: Both Supreme Court Judge Candidates Receive Endorsements From NRA
Submitted by: medicdave

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"Republican Illinois Supreme Court judge candidate Lloyd Karmeier received an 'A' rating and the endorsement of the National Rifle Association -- the same as his opponent, Democrat Gordon Maag." ...

" 'We don't normally endorse opposing candidates in a race, but it happens from time to time when their views are close to the NRA's,' said Ashley Varner, a spokeswoman for the NRA's Institute for Legislative Action." ...

"Both men say they support the Second Amendment and the right to bear arms."

IL: Keyes on guns
Submitted by: Newslinks Admin

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"...frankly, I�ve never quite understood this debate. ...For all the talk, and all the gun control laws, and everything that people do, it appears that the folks who have easy access to weapons are the criminals."

"Now, a world in which the criminals have easy access... why is this, by the way? It�s because you pass laws, and law-abiding citizens obey the law. So if you pass a law preventing law-abiding citizens from having weapons, they won�t have weapons. If you pass a law preventing law-abiding citizens from having weapons, and you are dealing with criminals, will somebody please remember the definition of a criminal?"

"A criminal is someone who breaks the laws. ..."

CA: State trumps Contra Costa's rifle ban
Submitted by: Newslinks Admin

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"The state Legislature approved a ban on high-powered .50-caliber rifles this week that would far exceed the restrictions on the weapon enacted by Contra Costa County last spring."

"The legislation, sponsored by Assemblyman Paul Koretz, D-West Hollywood, would make it illegal to manufacture, sell, distribute, import or possess a .50-caliber Browning Machine Gun (BMG) rifle without a permit in California."

"If signed into law by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the bill likely would pre-empt Contra Costa's ordinance, which bans the sale of the weapons in the unincorporated county, and end the legal battle brewing over the new law."

Australia: NT police review developer's weapons check
Submitted by: Newslinks Admin

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"Northern Territory police have confirmed they have conducted an internal investigation into a roadside weapons check on property developer Warren Anderson late last year."

"The CLP wants the Police Minister to investigate a tip-off to police that led to Mr Anderson being stopped at gunpoint on the Stuart Highway."

"Mr Anderson was in the Territory to address animal cruelty claims made against him."

"He arrived at Darwin airport in November last year with a rifle in his luggage."

"Police stopped him on his way into the city demanding to see his gun licence."

"Cruelty charges against Mr Anderson have since been withdrawn and Mr Anderson's lawyer lodged a complaint with police and the ombudsman about the weapons check."

PA: Boy who had gun on bus will return to school
Submitted by: Newslinks Admin

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"A 10-year-old boy who carried a pellet gun onto a school bus taking children home from Bedminster Elementary School earlier this year will be returning to the classroom when school opens Monday."

"Pennridge school officials determined the boy is fit to return to the classroom, but they plan to monitor the fifth-grader closely throughout the school year, the school's principal, Sharon R. Montgomery, wrote in a letter sent home to parents."

"(The boy) made a poor choice, but it has not been determined that there was any deliberate malice or threat to his peers..."

OK: OK for guns in cars set for Nov. 1
Submitted by: Newslinks Admin

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"A law intended to keep gun owners from being fired from their jobs for having legal guns inside their locked vehicles is set to take effect in November."

"House Bill 2122 -- an addition and amendment to Oklahoma's Self Defense Act -- will alter current law under which companies can establish policies and post signs banning firearms on all company property."

"The new measure affects parking areas."

PA: Constitution Party will provide opposition for Kanjorski and Sherwood
Submitted by: Newslinks Admin

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"Federal election law only mandates that candidates for Congress be U.S. citizens and that they reside in the state they are running. That means any Pennsylvania resident could run for Congress anywhere in the state."

"Such is the case with Kenneth C. Brenneman, a Millersville resident who is running for the 11th Congressional District seat held by Kanjorski, D-Nanticoke." ...

"The Constitution Party describes itself as: 'the only party which is completely pro-life, anti-homosexual rights, pro-American sovereignty, anti-globalist, anti-free trade, anti-deindustrialization, anti-unchecked immigration, pro-second amendment, and against the constantly increasing expansion of unlawful police laws, in favor of a strong national defense and opposed to unconstitutional interventionism,' according to its Web site."

A Spoiler on the Right?
Submitted by: Newslinks Admin

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"[Michael Badnarik] argues that he's neither left nor right but a 'second dimension' that adds something new to the political mix. Libertarians believe in the free market, slashing taxes, cutting government spending and regulation, and defending civil liberties. This plays to both the right and left, depending on where you focus. Badnarik can emphasize parts of the party's platform that will be music to both Red and Blue ears. In North Carolina, he can emphasize law and order and gun rights (Libertarians are strong Second Amendment supporters). ...In our discussion, he bashed Bush more than Kerry. It's not that he's inconsistent or pandering � it's just that the Libertarian philosophy cuts the pie in a wholly different way."

Canada: Ottawa police officer sentenced Submitted by: Newslinks Admin	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
"An Ottawa police officer is going to find out what life is like behind bars." "Constable Sonny Wong has been sentenced to 90 days in custody for illegal transfer of firearms and ammunition theft." "Wong will serve the time on weekends." "A judge has also given the officer a conditional sentence that includes six months house arrest."

CA: 3 Merced County cities adding Tasers to arsenals Submitted by: Newslinks Admin	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
"Atwater and Merced police departments are also beefing up their Taser supplies. Atwater, which had only one Taser, is ordering 10 and Merced is buying 20 -- up from the three it has." "Police chiefs from departments adding Tasers say they're looking for a safer method to bring a suspect down in a volatile situation."

CA: Perata -- effective wheeler-dealer
Submitted by: Newslinks Admin

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"He quickly became known as a politician with a love affair for television cameras, an expert in getting the media to pay attention to his crusades."

"In 1988, when East Bay officials tried to ban assault rifles, Perata was the one to wave a weapon in front of the television cameras. He illustrated a hearing on alcohol problems in the inner city with a lineup of bottles and cans of cheap wine and malt liquor straight out of local liquor stores."

"But those colorful efforts were more than just a one-time show. In 1999, after years of battling for gun control and seeing his bills vetoed, Perata finally saw Gov. Gray Davis sign his bill giving California the nation's toughest assault weapons ban."