From: Stephen P. Wenger http://www.spw-duf.info
comments in () by Stephen P. Wenger
===========================================
Recent Shootings Produce No New Infringements, Yet: Fatal shootings in Binghamton, N.Y., and Pittsburgh prompted renewed calls for stricter gun control from traditional advocates such as the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence and the Rev. Jesse Jackson. But such calls haven't echoed in the halls of Congress or in statehouses across the country… In the late 1980s and 1990s, gun-control debates were a staple of political discourse. But in more recent years, the national Democratic Party - intent on expanding the party's natural constituency - has essentially abandoned efforts to impose new restrictions on gun ownership. "On the national level, the issue is considered toxic by Democrats," said Ross Baker, an expert on Congress at Rutgers University. "I think part of it has to do with (the Democrats') remarkable success in capturing seats previously held by Republicans. Many of these new Democrats ran on platforms of not tampering with Second Amendment rights, and they don't want to pull the rug out from under them." …
http://www.scrippsnews.com/node/42415
---
Virginia Senate Fails to Override Veto: The Senate has upheld Gov. Tim Kaine's veto of a bill that would have allowed those with concealed carry permits to take handguns into restaurants as long as they don't drink alcohol. The Senate came up three votes shy of the two-thirds majority needed to override Kaine's veto Wednesday. It was the second year the body upheld Kaine's objection to the bill on the grounds that it puts the public at risk. Retired law enforcement officers likely will be allowed to carry concealed guns into bars. The Senate voted 30-10 to override Kaine's veto of that bill. The House had not taken up the issue. Currently, guns can be taken into restaurants as long as they are out in the open. (Yet the headline for this story refers to "guns in bars," which have always been legal in Virginia.)
http://www.news8.net/news/stories/0409/611600.html
---
Meanwhile, in Tennessee…: The House on Monday passed a bill to allow people with handgun carry permits to bring their weapons into establishments that serve alcohol. The chamber voted 70-26 in favor of the bill sponsored by Rep. Curry Todd, a Collierville Republican and a retired police officer. "It's a matter of public safety," Todd said after the vote. "It's a matter of them protecting themselves, which they have a right to do. "And to make them leave their guns in the car is just asinine," he said. Todd said his proposal is supported by the National Rifle Association…
http://www.jacksonsun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009904070308
---
Grand Canyon Gun Bust: A convicted felon from Yavapai County was arrested in Grand Canyon National Park on charges he illegally possessed three firearms. According to information from the U.S. Attorney's Office in Flagstaff, a Park Ranger stopped the driver of a Dodge pickup truck for speeding in a school zone in the park on April 6. During the stop, Rangers found a .45-caliber pistol, a 30-30 rifle and a .22 caliber rifle in the truck. The passenger of the truck, a man convicted for a felony DUI, admitted the guns were his and that he was prohibited from possessing firearms because he is a convicted felon. Donald A. Smith, age not listed, was charged with three counts of illegally possessing a firearm. (It sounds as though the key issue here was of being a prohibited possessor, not of violating the NPS gun ban. It's hard to say what triggered the search of the vehicle.)
http://www.azdailysun.com/articles/2009/04/11/news/local/20090411_local_194337.txt
---
Weapon-Mounted Lights: A list member in the holster business comments:
---
Law Enforcement Must Adjust to Open Carry: You are tooling down Main Street and see the...gentleman...pumping gas into his chopped Harley at the Stop and Rob. Wearing a full beard and hair down to his shoulders, dirty denim jeans, square-toe boots, a denim vest with some design across the back, and a holstered Glock 21 on his right hip. As you pull in and approach him, he nonchalantly continues to pump gas. As he finishes and puts the nozzle away, you tell him to keep his hands out, and that you are going to remove his pistol. He complies, even as a back-up arrives. Politely, he provides his identification, registration, and insurance card. As you prepare to hook him up, he looks at you, and says "I am allowed to carry openly. It's the law." Nonetheless, you hook him up and deliver him to lockup. A month later you are notified by the prosecutor that they have dropped all charges because his attorney pointed out eloquently that your state, to your and his bewilderment, permits open carry of firearms. Oh, and Billy the Biker will see you in federal court for his civil rights violation… (I believe that Larry Smith and his fellow DPS officers are fortunate that they were not sued for running serial numbers through NCIC without probably cause. His comments surprise me as I believe that his experience largely predates licensed CCW in Arizona. While I can't say that open carry is common these days, I have never seen anyone attract undue attention or be harassed for it. At least one student of mine told me that he preferred to carry openly while riding his motorcycle as it dissuades "aggressive driving" directed at motorcyclists by others in automobiles.)
http://www.lawofficer.com/news-and-articles/columns/Laska/carry_on.html
---
NRA-ILA Alerts: List members are encouraged to read the alerts for the week, posted on the NRA-ILA website.
http://www.nraila.org/GrassrootsAlerts/read.aspx
---
Free NRA Membership: To take a stand for the defense of firearms freedoms and accept this offer of a one-year NRA trial membership, please enter your information below… (In the event that you are not an NRA member and may be reluctant to give scarce funds to that organization, taking advantage of this free offer will at least increase the membership ranks, a factor that gives the NRA a bit more clout in the political arena.)
https://www.nrahq.org/nrabonus/accept-membership.asp
---
Tangentially Related: In wide-ranging remarks here, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg defended the use of foreign law by American judges, suggested that torture should not be used even when it might yield important information and reflected on her role as the Supreme Court's only female justice. The occasion was a symposium at the Moritz College of Law at Ohio State University honoring her 15 years on the court. "I frankly don't understand all the brouhaha lately from Congress and even from some of my colleagues about referring to foreign law," Justice Ginsburg said in her comments on Friday. The court's more conservative members - Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justices Samuel A. Alito Jr., Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas - oppose the citation of foreign law in constitutional cases… (For at least two centuries, our Constitution was regarded as unique. Among other things, it includes protections, such as the RKBA, which don't exist in most other countries.)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/12/us/12ginsburg.html?_r=1&ref=world
---
http://www.scrippsnews.com/node/42415
---
Virginia Senate Fails to Override Veto: The Senate has upheld Gov. Tim Kaine's veto of a bill that would have allowed those with concealed carry permits to take handguns into restaurants as long as they don't drink alcohol. The Senate came up three votes shy of the two-thirds majority needed to override Kaine's veto Wednesday. It was the second year the body upheld Kaine's objection to the bill on the grounds that it puts the public at risk. Retired law enforcement officers likely will be allowed to carry concealed guns into bars. The Senate voted 30-10 to override Kaine's veto of that bill. The House had not taken up the issue. Currently, guns can be taken into restaurants as long as they are out in the open. (Yet the headline for this story refers to "guns in bars," which have always been legal in Virginia.)
http://www.news8.net/news/stories/0409/611600.html
---
Meanwhile, in Tennessee…: The House on Monday passed a bill to allow people with handgun carry permits to bring their weapons into establishments that serve alcohol. The chamber voted 70-26 in favor of the bill sponsored by Rep. Curry Todd, a Collierville Republican and a retired police officer. "It's a matter of public safety," Todd said after the vote. "It's a matter of them protecting themselves, which they have a right to do. "And to make them leave their guns in the car is just asinine," he said. Todd said his proposal is supported by the National Rifle Association…
http://www.jacksonsun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009904070308
---
Grand Canyon Gun Bust: A convicted felon from Yavapai County was arrested in Grand Canyon National Park on charges he illegally possessed three firearms. According to information from the U.S. Attorney's Office in Flagstaff, a Park Ranger stopped the driver of a Dodge pickup truck for speeding in a school zone in the park on April 6. During the stop, Rangers found a .45-caliber pistol, a 30-30 rifle and a .22 caliber rifle in the truck. The passenger of the truck, a man convicted for a felony DUI, admitted the guns were his and that he was prohibited from possessing firearms because he is a convicted felon. Donald A. Smith, age not listed, was charged with three counts of illegally possessing a firearm. (It sounds as though the key issue here was of being a prohibited possessor, not of violating the NPS gun ban. It's hard to say what triggered the search of the vehicle.)
http://www.azdailysun.com/articles/2009/04/11/news/local/20090411_local_194337.txt
---
Weapon-Mounted Lights: A list member in the holster business comments:
I get many requests for us to build holsters for guns with lights attached. We make special versions of our Silent Thunder leather-lined holsters for some gun/light combinations but usually for LEO's or military use… Here's a tactical flashlight that has caught my attention. This may be a better choice than mounting a light on the accessory rails of your prized pistol for home defense. One advantage is that you can illuminate the scene without pointing a loaded firearm at someone who may not be a threat… (If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail. If the only light you carry is wedded to a firearm, you must either search with the muzzle [Rule Two violation] or find a light-colored surface off which to reflect the beam. Weapon-mounted lights are adjuncts to, not substitutes for lights that can be operated independently of the firearm.)http://www.tuckergunleatherblog.com/
---
Law Enforcement Must Adjust to Open Carry: You are tooling down Main Street and see the...gentleman...pumping gas into his chopped Harley at the Stop and Rob. Wearing a full beard and hair down to his shoulders, dirty denim jeans, square-toe boots, a denim vest with some design across the back, and a holstered Glock 21 on his right hip. As you pull in and approach him, he nonchalantly continues to pump gas. As he finishes and puts the nozzle away, you tell him to keep his hands out, and that you are going to remove his pistol. He complies, even as a back-up arrives. Politely, he provides his identification, registration, and insurance card. As you prepare to hook him up, he looks at you, and says "I am allowed to carry openly. It's the law." Nonetheless, you hook him up and deliver him to lockup. A month later you are notified by the prosecutor that they have dropped all charges because his attorney pointed out eloquently that your state, to your and his bewilderment, permits open carry of firearms. Oh, and Billy the Biker will see you in federal court for his civil rights violation… (I believe that Larry Smith and his fellow DPS officers are fortunate that they were not sued for running serial numbers through NCIC without probably cause. His comments surprise me as I believe that his experience largely predates licensed CCW in Arizona. While I can't say that open carry is common these days, I have never seen anyone attract undue attention or be harassed for it. At least one student of mine told me that he preferred to carry openly while riding his motorcycle as it dissuades "aggressive driving" directed at motorcyclists by others in automobiles.)
http://www.lawofficer.com/news-and-articles/columns/Laska/carry_on.html
---
NRA-ILA Alerts: List members are encouraged to read the alerts for the week, posted on the NRA-ILA website.
http://www.nraila.org/GrassrootsAlerts/read.aspx
---
Free NRA Membership: To take a stand for the defense of firearms freedoms and accept this offer of a one-year NRA trial membership, please enter your information below… (In the event that you are not an NRA member and may be reluctant to give scarce funds to that organization, taking advantage of this free offer will at least increase the membership ranks, a factor that gives the NRA a bit more clout in the political arena.)
https://www.nrahq.org/nrabonus/accept-membership.asp
---
Tangentially Related: In wide-ranging remarks here, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg defended the use of foreign law by American judges, suggested that torture should not be used even when it might yield important information and reflected on her role as the Supreme Court's only female justice. The occasion was a symposium at the Moritz College of Law at Ohio State University honoring her 15 years on the court. "I frankly don't understand all the brouhaha lately from Congress and even from some of my colleagues about referring to foreign law," Justice Ginsburg said in her comments on Friday. The court's more conservative members - Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justices Samuel A. Alito Jr., Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas - oppose the citation of foreign law in constitutional cases… (For at least two centuries, our Constitution was regarded as unique. Among other things, it includes protections, such as the RKBA, which don't exist in most other countries.)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/12/us/12ginsburg.html?_r=1&ref=world
---
No comments:
Post a Comment