comments in () by Stephen P. Wenger
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Not Now, Eric: Barack Hussein Obama's Attorney General Eric Holder
naively blurted out the other day that he was going to lead the charge
to get the so-called "Assault Weapons Ban" reinstated… Attorney
General Holder's main argument? To help the Mexican government fight
drug cartels… Holder's rookie presentation came off so lame and
fundamentally misdirected that many Liberals in Congress must have
cringed and gritted their teeth. So… the very next day, House Speaker
Nancy Pelosi completely refuted Holder's plan! It was an intriguing
slap on the wrist for Holder, and perhaps a valuable insight for
American gun owners. Pelosi's implied message to Holder was: "Not now,
Eric. The time is not yet ripe." Friends, you must understand that the
victim disarmament crowd absolutely MUST have another Columbine or
Stockton Schoolyard or shopping mall semi-automatic RIFLE massacre to
grease the skids of their agenda. As I've said before: They don't want
the handguns nearly as fervently as they want the semi-auto rifles…
http://www.jpfo.org/kirby/kirby-not-now.htm
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Don't Confuse Me with Facts: …In truth, Mexican violence is
perpetrated not by semi-automatic "assault weapons" but instead by
real military arms. Says a State Department travel warning: "Some
recent Mexican army and police confrontations with drug cartels have
resembled small-unit combat, with cartels employing automatic weapons
and grenades." "Automatic weapons" (i.e. machine guns) and grenades
have been restricted in the U.S. since 1934. That Mexican authorities
refuse to release serial numbers of seized guns suggests that rather
than coming from the U.S., guns - and smugglers themselves - hail from
the Mexican military. Equally noteworthy is a Bureau of Justice
Statistics report entitled "Firearm Use by Offenders" which found that
only 1.7% of armed criminals in the U.S. used military-style
semi-automatic firearms while committing crimes, meaning no domestic
rationale can be found for banning them… (Even is military-banning
seizing them for the law-abiding.)
What Has This Guy Been Smoking?: …Attorney General Eric Holder is
discussing reinstituting the ban on assault weapons, and with good
reason. On the Mexican border, law enforcement agencies are dealing
with a spillover of violence spreading north because of warring drug
cartels. Assault weapons are typically part of the deadly violence and
as many as 6,500 people have been killed in 2008. If these weapons
begin to increase in sales because gangstas are overwhelming Johnny
Law we'll begin to see repeated scenes from No Country for Old Men.
But with a collapsing economy, it likely won't stop at border towns as
criminals will see opportunities to run guns into urban (and suburban)
areas, much as they did during the 80s and early 90s at the height of
the crack epidemic. And if you're thinking that your 12-gauge is any
match for a Bushmaster M17s wielded by a dope dealer, think again! …
(So now the Mexican drug gangs will be delivering guns to American
communities instead of buying them to take to Mexico? Which is it
going to be?)
http://www.blackvoices.com/blogs/2009/03/01/ban-on-assault-weapons-a-good-idea-for-gun-nuts/
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What Will It Be in DC?: For the next three years, as many as 15 D.C.
residents will enjoy a right denied their neighbors - the right to own
recently banned semiautomatic weapons. A discrepancy between D.C. laws
approved last year enabled the residents to register semiautomatic
firearms now listed as illegal in the nation's capital. D.C. Attorney
General Peter J. Nickles said roughly 15 weapons registered in the
city "sit in this zone of uncertainty." The city's statutes now state
residents must register their guns every three years. Mr. Nickles said
those who have the semiautomatics will be prohibited from renewing
their registrations, meaning the weapons would no longer be legal in
the District. The loophole is the result of the District's repeated
attempts to comply with the Supreme Court ruling in June that struck
down the city's decades-old ban on handguns… (I think it would be more
accurate to ascribe this situation to the District's attempts to
circumvent the Supreme Court ruling.)
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/mar/03/loophole-lets-15-semiautomatics-in-dc-for-3-years/
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DC Gun-Ban Repeal Faces House Fight: By a resounding vote of 62 to 36
last week, the U.S. Senate has approved an amendment, offered by
Senator John Ensign of Nevada, to repeal the D.C. gun ban.
Congratulations! But the battle is not over. This week, the House will
take up the D.C. voting legislation. And anti-gun Speaker Nancy
Pelosi is angling to impose a "gag rule" on the House, so that D.C.
gets its unconstitutional representative, while continuing its
draconian anti-gun laws (like microstamping). So here's the deal: The
House will be asked to consider a "rule" which establishes the time
for debate and provides for which amendments may be considered - and
which may not. It is expected that the Pelosi rule will seek to deny
the House any vote on the D.C. gun ban and thereby strip the repeal of
the ban from the House bill…
http://gunowners.org/a030209htm.htm
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The Beat Goes On: Tammy Wilson still has handguns for sale. But lately
she's had trouble keeping them in stock. "Handguns are crazy right
now," said Wilson, manager of Express Huntin' N Fishin', a sportsman's
supply store in Sebastian. "A lot of them are on back order." The
owners of many Treasure Coast gun and pawn shops say they've also seen
a jump in gun sales, fueled by fears the new presidential
administration will impose new regulations on gun ownership. The
economy is also a factor, as homeowners arm themselves against a
perceived spike in home break-ins tied to the rising unemployment
rate…
http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2009/mar/01/treasure-coast-gun-dealers-seeing-jump-sales/
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Illinois CCW Debate Heats Up: Arguments are reaching a fever pitch in
Illinois – and are being ratcheted up in other states – over gun
rights, following last year's U.S. Supreme Court opinion in the Heller
case that the Constitution does acknowledge an individual's right to
be armed. Illinois is one of two states where carrying concealed
weapons is banned outright, with Wisconsin being the other. But the
Land of Lincoln soon could be joining 48 other states where the
procedure is regulated but allowed. "I think it will reduce crime,"
St. Clair County Sheriff Mearl Justus, told the St. Louis
Post-Dispatch. He said he used to oppose concealed carry permits, but
now supports the idea. "Forty-eight states can't be wrong," he told
the newspaper.
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=90486
http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2009/03/concealed-gun-r.html
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One in Four Tennessee Legislators Has Carry Permit: Tennesseans may
want to treat their state legislators with a little more respect in
the future: Records show one out of every four members of the
Tennessee General Assembly has a state-issued permit to carry a loaded
handgun. Thirty-four of the legislature's 132 members hold
handgun-carry permits, according to Department of Safety records
cross-referenced with other available information such as home
addresses. That comes to 25.75 percent of the membership of the House
and Senate, a figure about five times the percentage among the state's
general population… (Apparently this information was available because
the Tennessee legislature has not yet banned its public disclosure.)
http://timesfreepress.com/news/2009/mar/01/1-4-state-legislators-holds-gun-permit/
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Georgia Bill Would Delete Permit Requirement for Open Carry: Unlike
most states, Georgia requires a permit to carry an unconcealed
handgun. But now Georgia State Representative Tim Bearden (R – Carroll
and Douglas Counties) seeks to change that by introducing HB 615.
Already attracting 5 co-sponsors in the Georgia legislature, HB 615
does a number of things to comprehensively reform Georgia's onerous
gun carry laws, but the centerpiece of the bill is Section 3 which
repeals the requirement to have a permit to carry an unconcealed
handgun. Bearden, a former police officer and rising star in the eyes
of gun rights experts, has a good track record at getting good gun
bills passed. Just last year this junior legislator's HB 89 repealed
Georgia's gun carry bans in state parks, airports, as well as
restaurants serving alcohol…
Utah Bill Would Decriminalize Vehicle Carry: A bill that would allow a
law-abiding citizen to carry a loaded gun in a car - if that person
owns the car or has permission from the owner - passed a House
committee Monday. HB357, sponsored by Rep. Stephen Sandstrom, R-Orem,
also makes it legal to have a loaded weapon in a home, which is
currently against the law without a permit. The bill originally
allowed a person to keep a loaded gun in a car's glove box or central
console. But that provision was removed after resistance from state
law-enforcement organizations. Sandstrom said the new version helped
clarify what he called an ambiguous law…
http://www.sltrib.com/ci_11820384
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Olofson Awaits Appeal Decision: A Wisconsin man sent to prison for
having a malfunctioning semi-automatic rifle is awaiting word from the
7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals on whether he'll have to serve the
rest of his 30-month term. Constitutional lawyer Herb Titus, who
recently argued on behalf of David Olofson before the appellate
judges, told WND a ruling is expected at any time, although there's
no immediate deadline. The focal point of the case was the
malfunctioning weapon, which Olofson had loaned to an acquaintance.
The transaction prompted federal charges for transferring a "machine
gun." According to the government, Titus said, "Olofson's
malfunctioning semi-automatic rifle functioned as a machine gun
because it fired more than one shot at the single pull of a trigger."
…
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=90583
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Oops, Wrong House: A teenage boy was killed over the weekend during a
gun fight inside a Western Heights home, according to Knoxville [TN]
police. Jamodd Mack, age 16, was killed early Saturday morning after
he and another person allegedly broke into the residence at 1304
Iredell Avenue by kicking in the door. Police say the teenager, who
was carrying a gun, exchanged gunfire with a man inside the home. Mack
was shot multiple times and died on the scene. The person who was
accompanying Mack fled and is being sought by police. Officials say
the investigation into the shooting is ongoing.
