comments in () by Stephen P. Wenger
===========================
From GOA: Get ready to pinch yourself. After eight years of clashing
with anti-gun bureaucrats and congressional leadership hostile to gun
rights, we have never been closer to victory in the battle to repeal
the National Park Service (NPS) gun ban. As you are by now undoubtedly
aware, NPS land is subject to a blanket gun ban. A Bush
administration regulation partially reversing the ban was
singlehandedly negated recently by an activist judge in Washington,
D.C. Gun Owners of America reported last week about an amendment to
repeal the gun ban, sponsored by Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK), that
passed by an overwhelming 67-29 vote. Senator Coburn attached his
amendment to a fast-moving "must pass bill," H.R. 627, dealing with
credit card industry reform… Bottom line: we just need to make
certain that the gun ban repeal amendment passes in the House, after
which it will be joined back up with the main bill and signed into
law. That's why the action item below - asking you to urge your
Representative to vote for repealing the NPS gun ban - is so crucial…
(Second link will allow you to generate a letter or e-mail to your
Congressman.)
http://gunowners.org/a051909.htm
http://capwiz.com/gunowners/home/
The Democratic-controlled Congress is moving to restore a Bush
administration policy that allowed loaded guns in national parks. The
Senate voted Tuesday to allow guns in national parks and wildlife
refuges, and the House could follow suit as soon as Wednesday. The
measure is included in a popular bill imposing new restrictions on
credit card companies. Democratic leaders have said they hope to send
a final version to the White House for the president's signature by
week's end. The Senate vote is a stark reversal from what many
gun-control advocates expected when a federal judge blocked the Bush
policy in March. The decision reinstated restrictions that had been in
place since the Reagan administration. The rules severely restrict
guns in the national parks, generally requiring them to be locked or
stored…
Advocates of gun rights are poised to win a Congressional victory that
eluded them under a Republican president. To the frustration and
discouragement of many Democrats, House and Senate lawmakers and aides
say it now appears likely that President Obama will this week sign
into law a provision allowing visitors to national parks and refuges
to carry loaded and concealed weapons. The White House is lukewarm at
best on the gun provision, which was added to a popular measure
imposing new rules on credit card companies. But the Democrats who now
control both Congress and the White House appear ready to allow it to
survive rather than derail a consumer-friendly credit card measure
that Mr. Obama is eager to sign as Congress heads off for a Memorial
Day recess. "Timing is everything in politics," said Senator Tom
Coburn, Republican of Oklahoma and the champion of the gun proposal…
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/20/us/politics/20cong.html?_r=1&ref=us
A coalition of House Democrats, retired rangers and supporters of
national parks called on House leaders Tuesday to kill a Senate-passed
amendment by U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., to allow loaded guns in
national parks. Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., chairman of the House
Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands, conceded the
group faced an uphill battle. That did not stop Grijalva and other
members of the coalition from describing the Coburn amendment and its
consequences in stark terms. Grijalva warned the Coburn provision
would be dangerous and accused the senator of hijacking a popular
credit card measure for no other reason but to score political points.
He dismissed Coburn's claims his language was about protecting
Americans' Second Amendment rights, adding the regulations that barred
loaded guns from parks have been in place for decades and never drew a
constitutional challenge… (And then there was Heller.)
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer admits that Democrats are conceding
the gun issue to Republicans for now. Republicans have been
increasingly using pro-gun amendments to throw a wrench into
Democratic legislation, attaching amendments to seemingly unrelated
bills allowing for expanded gun carrying privileges in national parks.
The tactic seems to be working, with Democrats acknowledging that
pro-gun members rule in both chambers. "There clearly is a majority in
both houses that the Second Amendment rights ... that relate to the
national parks are too restricted," Hoyer told reporters Tuesday. "The
reality is that a majority in both houses agree with that position."
Republicans have slowed down a D.C. voting rights bill using the
tactic, though a credit card bill with an amendment allowing for
expanded ability to carry guns in national parks is widely expected to
pass both houses. Hoyer vowed Tuesday that the D.C. voting rights bill
would pass "one way or another." "It's gonna happen," he said. (Voting
rights for D.C. are a direct violation of the Constitution.)
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0509/22703.html
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NRA Convention Reviewed: Money talks and B.S. walks. That about sums
up the state of the gun prohibition movement in the United States now
that the National Rifle Association has left town. But in its wake,
according to estimates from Mayor Phil Gordon, the NRA left about $70
million, and enough good will to suggest that if the Violence Policy
Center and Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence had shown up to
protest, they might have been ridden out of town on a rail… Is the
battle over gun rights essentially over? Not according to NRA
Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre, who made it abundantly clear
in a speech to the annual members' meeting – at which attendance was
surprisingly light, with only about half of the chairs in the meeting
hall occupied – and during his strolls around the exhibit hall that
anti-gunners are merely biding their time, waiting for the right
opportunity to strike. Gun owners, he said, must remain on alert… (I
find it intriguing that the convention attracted a record number of
attendees but so few attended the annual members' meeting.)
The New Prohibition: My oldest daughter patted my hand indulgently and
said "Dad, I can assure you that nobody is going to come take your
guns." We were again discussing gun rights and she cannot fathom my
trepidation about the current trend in our federal government. I
agree that the current legislation being considered doesn't empower
the police to come confiscate our guns, but it does put in place a
national permit system to oversee citizens rights to own a gun. That
is step one: make it an earned privilege to own a gun. Step two is to
raise the bar so high that practically nobody is clean enough or
trained enough or sane enough to actually own one. After the basic
permit is in place and all guns registered, each time someone forgets
to renew or the government agency adds a requirement like "successful
completion of the FBI Academy firearms training protocol paid for by
the permit holder" that many could not afford, the permit is yanked
and the guns taken away. Eventually, the number of legal owners of
firearms would be about the same as Mexico currently has, a few
thousand. That's a feasible scenario… (Bidstrup appears to be
referring to HR 45, a hideous pie of legislation which, fortuitously,
appears to be stalled in committee. However, I have similar concerns
about any federal intended to mandate nationwide CCW recognition.)
http://www.examiner.com/x-2944-Denver-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m5d18-The-new-Prohibition
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The Romanian Experience: …You see, before the Soviet communization of
Romania, the people had the right to have guns. I remember my father
telling me my granfather owned a double barreled shotgun he used to
hunt doves and rabbits with and a Luger pistol from when the German
troops were retreating - they were getting rid of all the equipment by
simply throwing it out of the troop transport trains. When the
communists took power in 1947 following falsified elections, the first
law they enacted was total gun confiscation (for the greater good of
course). Then after they made sure the population was disarmed they
started the arrests, imprisonments, reeducation camps and killings. So
practically since 1947 it was illegal to own any firearms in communist
Romania. The only exception was for hunting purposes: only single and
double barreled shotguns, only with a special permit form the police,
the owner was required to be a member of a state run hunting
association and the guns must be registered and locked at the police
station any time the dictator was in town…
http://transsylvaniaphoenix.blogspot.com/2009/05/how-gun-rights-in-romania-were-lost-and.html
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RKBA Gains More Adherents: Attitudes on gun control are more
conservative this year than last, mostly with men than women. Nearly
as many people believe gun ownership rights to be important at 45%
than to control it at 49%. Last year 58% believed control over guns
was important as opposed 37% protecting gun rights. Women by
themselves have a different view, with 60% of them believing it is
more important to control guns compared with 30% placing emphasis on
protection of gun ownership. It is only in the East Coast that
controlling guns has greater priority and there has been no change of
opinion. Other regions of the country have moved at least 7 points
towards gun ownership being important, indicating a growing movement
toward the conservative view on guns…
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/272811
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The Beat Goes On: Gun sales have been shooting into the stratosphere
this year since many people are jittery about uncertain times during
the recession. New gun owners have been flocking to training courses.
"Gun sales are going through the roof," said Bill Bunting, a
Republican state committeeman, long-time leader of the Pasco County
[FL] Republican Party and life member of the National Rifle
Association. Democrats swept control of both the White House and
Congress last November, prompting a buying spree at gun shops. Bunting
specializes in teaching classes so people can obtain concealed weapon
permits. One recent student was none other than former state senator
Jack Latvala. The Pinellas County Republican said he thought it wise
to protect himself since he likes to hike through woods…
The upward trend in firearms sales continued in April, marking the
sixth consecutive month of significant increases. Data released by the
FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS)
reported 1,225,980 checks in April 2009. This figure is a 30.3 percent
increase from the 940,961 reported in April 2008. FBI background
checks are required under federal law for all individuals purchasing
either new or used firearms from federally licensed retailers. The
checks serve as a gauge of actual sales but do not reflect the actual
number of firearms sold, since, following a background check, a
customer may decide not to purchase a firearm or may purchase more
than one firearm. The April increase follows a 29.2 percent gain in
March and rises of 23 percent in February, 28 percent in January, 24
percent in December and 42 percent in November when a record 1,529,635
background checks were performed…
http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/node/6682
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FOPA 86 Anniversary: Twenty three years ago, 18 U.S.C. § 921 (the
Firearm Owners Protection Act) was codified into law. This Act was
intended to restore rights to U.S. citizens and reform the Bureau of
Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. However, a last minute midnight
amendment added a sweeping new gun ban. In 1982, a bipartisan
subcommittee of congress issued a report which, in part, found as many
as 75% of the BATF prosecutions "disregarded rights guaranteed by the
constitution and laws of the United States." This lead to attempts at
reform that culminated in the FOPA in 1986. Some of the issues
addressed included easing restrictions on interstate purchases of long
guns, abolishing the ammunition registry, prohibiting gun
registration, and enacting "safe passage" protections for travelers so
they might transport guns and ammunition through more restrictive
states provided the arms were legal at the origin and destination of
the trip. In addition, more stringent regulations for the BATF were
put into place… (The last-minute amendment to FOPA 86 is a good thing
to point out when the prohibitionists whine about the Coburn amendment
to the credit-card bill.)
Texas Campus-Carry Bill Clears First Vote: College students and
faculty members with a concealed handgun license would be able to pack
their firearms on campus under a bill that the Senate tentatively
approved on Tuesday. The measure, passed on a 20-10 vote, was offered
by a state senator who said he wants to give Texas students protection
against mass shootings such as occurred at Virginia Tech University in
2007. Sen. Jeff Wentworth, R-San Antonio, said the right-to-carry
measure also would protect students from other life-threatening
situations… The measure, which needs a final vote in the Senate, faces
an uphill battle in the House, which allowed a similar bill to die on
its calendar last week. Higher education officials are expected to
lobby against the measure on the House side, using the argument that
it infringes on their authority and could endanger students and
faculty. The Senate bill does not affect a current prohibition on
firearms at sporting events.
From NRA-ILA: …In the Texas Senate, 21 out of 31 Senators need to vote
to suspend the regular order of business to bring any bill to the
Senate floor for consideration. Then a simple majority of Senators
are needed to vote to pass a bill. Your State Senator, Tommy
Williams, cast key votes to suspend the regular order of business and
to pass SB 1164 on second reading. Tomorrow (Wednesday, May 20),
again, 21 Senators need to suspend the regular order of business and
then a majority need to vote to pass SB 1164 on third reading, which
will send the bill to the Texas House and keep the issue alive for the
session. The Senate will convene at 11am tomorrow. Please contact
your State Senator, Tommy Williams, before 11am at (512) 463- 0104,
thank him for voting to suspend the regular order of business and to
pass SB 1164 today, and urge him to do the same again on third
reading.
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Louisiana "AWB" Dies in Committee: Legislation designed to impose a
statewide ban on semi-automatic weapons was killed 10-2 by the House
Committee on the Administration of Criminal Justice today. House Bill
387 by Rep. Cedric Richmond, D-New Orleans, is dead for the session
unless he can amend it on to another bill or get the full House to
order the panel send it the bill. Richmond said his fallback position
will be to ask the New Orleans City Council to adopt a local ban on
automatic weapons. Richmond said under recent court rulings, cities
can enact their own ban on the automatic weapons that he called "tools
of mayhem.'' The bill originally sought to ban all automatic weapons
as of Jan. 1 or require those who have them to register with the
state. Before it was killed, Richmond tried to salvage it by amending
the measure to make it applicable just to AK-47s, which he said give
the New Orleans Police Department and the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's
Office problems… (It's amazing how semi-automatic firearms become
automatic firearms in the space of three sentences. I wonder if BATFE
is investigation that conversion.)
http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2009/05/house_panel_kills_bill_banning.html
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Wisconsin Open-Carry Picnic: This past Sunday afternoon, I was busy
taking my final exam as a first year law student. However, if I had
not found it necessary to spend the day focused on a thorough
examination of the intricate and eerily beautiful mysteries of the
Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, I would have been down in Onalaska
Wisconsin. Why Onalaska? Because that is where Wisconsin gun owners,
emboldened by Attorney General Van Hollen's recent memo making it
clear that legal open carry of a handgun is protected by the Wisconsin
constitution and not grounds for disorderly conduct charges, held a
massive open carry picnic at the Marvin Gardens Park. There was an
astonishing turnout. According to picnic organizer Hubert Hoffman,
there were 213 attendees who signed in, 99 of which were open
carrying. He also noted that he served 100 hamburgers, 100 brats, and
50 hotdogs to those in attendance…
RKBA Smears Fail in L.A. Attorney Race: San Pedro lawyer Carmen "Nuch"
Trutanich claimed victory Tuesday in the race to become the next Los
Angeles city attorney, a result that marked an apparent defeat not
just for his rival, City Councilman Jack Weiss, but also for Mayor
Antonio Villaraigosa, who had backed him… Trutanich surprised many
City Hall insiders by mounting a strong challenge to Weiss, securing
endorsements from Sheriff Lee Baca and Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley. Out
of a field of five candidates in the March 3 primary, Weiss and
Trutanich came in first and second, drawing 36% and 27% respectively.
Since then, they have steadily lobbed attacks at each other, with
Weiss calling Trutanich a defender of polluters and gun owners, and
Trutanich portraying Weiss as an absentee councilman with little legal
experience…
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-city20-2009may20,0,7004158.story
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