comments inside ( ) by Stephen Wenger
----------------------------------------------------------
Time to Incorporate the Second Amendment: The Second Amendment, to the
extent it is honored at all, has only been seen as a restraint on the
federal government from enacting draconian firearm laws. State and
local governments have not needed to so much as pay lip service to the
Second Amendment. That, of course, was the original idea - the Bill of
Rights was intended to act as a brake on federal power. With the
Reconstruction Era advent of the Fourteenth Amendment, though, much of
the rest of the Bill of Rights has been applied to the people's
dealings with state and local governments, as well. This incorporation
of the Bill of Rights was found necessary to protect the rights of
newly emancipated slaves in the post-war South, but has never been
applied to the Second Amendment…
NRA Elections Approach: As we discussed yesterday, the election of NRA
Directors is once more upon us. Voting is restricted to Life Member
and higher, or those with five consecutive years of membership. If you
are eligible to vote and have concerns about the direction current
management has taken the organization, if their method of assigning
political ratings seems less than straightforward, if you believe we
should repeal, rather than enforce existing gun laws, if you are
troubled by perceived compromises, and if you share the concerns of
many in the gun community over "Project Exile" and its spin-offs,
perhaps you'll want to see how candidates would answer the following
questions before giving them your support. No true reform will come to
the NRA until voting members can rate director candidates based on
unequivocal platforms of support for "shall not be infringed."
Unfortunately, no such demand has been made by the membership, so
expect more status quo, backroom deals, political compromises and
undeserved politician ratings…
The Myth of the Wild West: These are interesting times in the fight to
protect and enhance our rights as gun owners. In Wisconsin, we stand
on the eve of an historic court ruling regarding open carry. In
Texas, South Carolina, Oklahoma and Arkansas, local activists have
succeeded in making their voices heard regarding restoring open carry
to these otherwise gun-friendly states. With all of this pro-gun
activity, it should come as little surprise that the anti-gun forces
are out in-force repeating their aged mantra … "This isn't the wild
west." … With all this talk of "The Wild West", I thought it might be
informative to look at the reality of crime in the "wild west" cattle
towns and compare them to the peaceful streets of such eastern,
gun-control paradises as DC, New York, Baltimore and Newark…
Explore Your RKBA: I bet when you turned 18 you were excited to
finally be able to legally buy a lottery ticket, tobacco products, and
maybe even some pornography, but I bet you overlooked a critical
freedom that became available when you crossed that milestone. In most
states of the union, at age 18 you are able to purchase a long gun,
which includes shotguns and many types of rifles, as long as you are
an American citizen, are not a criminal, and have no record of
unstable mental health. At 21, you are able to purchase a handgun in
most states. That's good to know, but why would anyone need to think
about buying one? Aren't guns outdated tools that are only useful in
movies filled with zombies? …
Watered Down Campus-Carry Bill Clears South Dakota Committee: But the
text of the legislation was badly gutted, turning the bill into one
that would allow concealed carry on campus in general to a bill that
merely allows guns (not necessarily concealed) in student apartments
(not even dorms by my reading) and the parking areas of those
apartments… The passage of this still would still be a victory of
sorts as campus leadership across the state has banned guns in student
apartments. In fact, it was the banning of guns in student apartments
that prompted the movement behind this bill in the first place…
http://www.kxmb.com/News/Nation/333341.asp
---
A Plea for Campus Carry in Louisiana: "The best we can hope for
concerning the people at large is that they be properly armed."
Alexander Hamilton spoke those words in defense of the Second
Amendment and in support of the philosophy that firearms would be the
last resort of the people to protect their freedom, should the other
laws of the land fail to do so. On a smaller scale, Hamilton's words
advocate not only our right to be protected from our government, but
from each other. But in some areas, such as the University's campus,
this right is suspended in favor of the naïve assumption that
disarming the student body improves campus safety. Over the years,
pro-carry student groups have formed in protest. "You are allowed to
carry elsewhere. What makes campus less dangerous than anywhere else?"
said Brandon DeShotel, president of the LSU chapter of the Firearm
Rights Coalition. "If one meets the qualifications established by law
to carry elsewhere, why not be allowed to carry on campus?" DeShotel
makes an excellent point, especially considering studies support a
decrease in crime in areas allowing concealed carry…
Tennessee Mayor Wants Tougher Gun Laws: Nearly two weeks ago a
convenience store clerk was shot and killed during an apparent robbery
at a store on Buntyn. Monday night at New Salem Missionary Baptist
Church, the inaugural Community Congress on Crime launched. It's aimed
at putting an end to gun related violence. "This is serious,"
exclaimed Shelby County Mayor AC Wharton. So serious that Mayor
Wharton spearheaded the community congress and is hosting three of
them in communities hardest hit by crime. He's using the meetings to
get residents' thoughts about tougher gun laws. "It's a shame to carry
and [sic] illegal gun is a misdemeanor," exclaimed Robin Givand.
Givand's 10-year-old son, Thomas, was brought back to life after being
shot on Thanksgiving Day last year. Like Mayor Wharton, she believes
carrying a gun illegally should be a felony...not a misdemeanor…
http://www.wreg.com/wreg-toughergunlaws-story,0,7516016.story
---
L.A Times Continues Its Anti-CCW Fight: …Among Hutchens' first
announcements as sheriff was that she would systematically review the
county's 1,000 active permits and require their holders to have a
reason for packing a gun - aside from a desire to do so. That could
include a job such as owning a jewelry store, or a history of having
been threatened or harassed. Times have changed, and so has Orange
County. It is no longer an outpost of cattle ranches and lima-bean
fields; it's a diverse metropolitan area, and it should operate like
one. Hutchens, a retired division chief from the Los Angeles County
Sheriff's Department, spent her career in a county with three times
the population of Orange County's but with about one-third the number
of concealed-weapons permits. She brings a new sensibility to the
Sheriff's Department, sorely needed after Carona gave permits to
friends and political donors. One of these, Carona's former
martial-arts instructor, was sentenced to six months in prison after
making a dangerous fool of himself on a golf course by drawing his gun
in a dispute about a wayward fairway shot… (So, the Times now believes
that the lives of jewelers are more valuable than those of other
people? As I understand it, under Carona, OCSD issued CWP's to all
those who applied and qualified under California's discretionary-issue
law.)
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-ed-sheriff17-2009feb17,0,3867930.story
---
Oops, Wrong House: Three suspected burglars fleeing an angry and armed
Jackson [MS] homeowner were arrested and charged Tuesday night, police
said today. Precinct 2 Cmdr. Jesse Robinson said the west Jackson
homeowner who lives in the 2300 block of Powers Avenue came home late
Tuesday to find his front door kicked in. The owner found three
strangers hiding in a rear bedroom and fired several shots. He missed,
and the intruders fled, according to Robinson. However, a police
officer later arrested and charged Corey Husbands, 20, Ceola
Washington, 18, and Brandon Carter, 25, with house burglary. They are
being held at the Hinds County Detention Center on $25,000 bond each.
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20090211/NEWS/90211013/1001/NEWS
---
Bringing a Pellet Gun to a Gunfight: A homeowner shoots and kills a
would-be thief in his home. Now, police say it appears the shooting
was justified. Metro says 42-year-old Mark Clinton Vains broke into a
home near Cheyenne and Lamb Sunday afternoon. Detectives say Vains was
armed, but not with what you might expect… Metro says the man that
lives in the house came home Sunday and was confronted by a man
burglarizing his home. Detectives say that burglar was Vains, and when
he turned toward the homeowner he was holding a pellet gun… Gun store
owner Bob Irwin agrees. "Brining a fake gun to a gunfight is not a
healthy thing to do." Irwin has testified in numerous trials involving
the use of deadly force inside a person's home. He says it doesn't
matter if it was a pellet gun or a bazooka, if the homeowner felt his
life was in jeopardy, then the shooting is justified…
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29227783/
http://www.lvrj.com/news/39703417.html
---
The Beat Goes On: The growing recession has people concerned about the
safety of their property, and Valley firearm retailers are seeing a
spike in sales because of it. "Sales are up 30, 35 percent from last
year," said Bob Irwin, owner of The Gun Store. "We'll have an increase
in sales after a civilian defends himself and injures the bad guy." On
Sunday night, a homeowner shot an killed an intruder near Las Vegas
and Lamb boulevards during an apparent home invasion, Metro police
said. Irwin said this homeowner is not the first to protect his home,
and sales at his store have been climbing for months now, but not
necessarily in response to crime. "Generally, gun owners fear the
Obama Administration will pass laws that prevent them from owning
certain guns," he said…
http://www.fox5vegas.com/news/18728677/detail.html#-
No comments:
Post a Comment