Friday, April 3, 2009

04-03-09

From: Stephen P. Wenger http://www.spw-duf.info
comments in () by Stephen P. Wenger

The 90% Myth: You've heard this shocking "fact" before - on TV and radio, in newspapers, on the Internet and from the highest politicians in the land: 90 percent of the weapons used to commit crimes in Mexico come from the United States… There's just one problem with the 90 percent "statistic" and it's a big one: It's just not true. In fact, it's not even close. The fact is, only 17 percent of guns found at Mexican crime scenes have been traced to the U.S. What's true, an ATF spokeswoman told FOXNews.com, in a clarification of the statistic used by her own agency's assistant director, "is that over 90 percent of the traced firearms originate from the U.S." But a large percentage of the guns recovered in Mexico do not get sent back to the U.S. for tracing, because it is obvious from their markings that they do not come from the U.S…

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/04/02/myth-percent-guns-mexico-fraction-number-claimed/
http://www.jpfo.org/articles-assd/mex-guns-lies.htm
http://www.examiner.com/x-4525-Seattle-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m4d2-Obama-administration-Congressional-antigunners-mislead-public-on-guns-in-Mexico
http://www.examiner.com/x-1417-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m4d2-Do-US-government-arms-exports-play-a-part-in-arming-Mexican-cartels
http://www.examiner.com/x-2944-Denver-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m4d2-Iron-River-of-guns-to-Mexico-actually-just-a-trickle?cid=exrss-Denver-Gun-Rights-Examiner
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From GOA: In a year when trillion dollar bailouts have become routine, many Americans have become almost numb to our acceleration towards socialism. But gun rights activists aren't in that crowd, and so GOA has to inform you of yet ANOTHER threat to your privacy, the Second Amendment, and even your wallet. It is called an "individual mandate" or, alternatively, the "Massachusetts plan."  And over the weekend, both the Washington Post and the New York Times worked hard to build momentum for it. First, a little history. We alerted you a few weeks ago to the gun control provisions in the stimulus bill that President Obama signed in February.  Our government will now spend between $12 and $20 BILLION to require the medical community to retroactively put our most confidential medical records into a government database - a database that could easily be used to deny veterans (and other law-abiding Americans) who have sought psychiatric treatment for things such as PTSD…

http://gunowners.org/a040209htm.htm
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Bill Would Restore National-Park Carry: Today, U.S. Senators Mike Crapo (R-ID), Max Baucus (D-MT), Bob Bennett (R-UT), Jon Tester (D-MT) and Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) introduced legislation to restore the Second Amendment rights of visitors in national parks and wildlife refuges. The current Department of the Interior (DOI) regulations were amended by the Bush Administration in 2008, allowing law-abiding citizens to defend themselves by carrying a concealed firearm in national parks and wildlife refuges. However, early this year, a federal district court in Washington, D.C. granted anti-gun plaintiffs a preliminary injunction against implementation of the new rule. The NRA has been working for the past several years in the regulatory, legal, and legislative arenas to achieve this policy change…

http://www.opposingviews.com/articles/news-senators-try-to-restore-gun-rights-in-national-parks
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The Beat Goes On: Firearms instructor Ron Herman can't seem to keep enough ammunition on hand for his monthly National Rifle Association pistol-training class. An increase in demand for ammo and resulting shortages have caused the group for the first time to re-evaluate whether it will be able to hold the gun classes, he said. "The ammo is being snapped up as soon as it comes in," the North Side resident said. "The potential for new gun laws has the Average Joe saying, 'I've got to get mine before the gun laws change and I can't get (ammunition).' It's kind of like that run on Elmo dolls. People are in a frenzy." Bullets are running low throughout central Ohio as a nationwide ammunition shortage hits the area. The shortage is the result of a confluence of events, industry observers say: a run on guns by consumers since the election of President Barack Obama, more ammunition being sent to fight the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the increased cost of raw materials needed to make bullets… (While the cost of base metals, such as copper, lead and zinc, was a factor a year ago, those prices have dropped back substantially.)

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/04/02/ammo_shortage.ART_ART_04-02-09_A1_82DEC41.html

In recognition of the unprecedented demand for firearms by nervous consumers, The Outdoor Wire, the nation's largest daily electronic news service for the outdoor industry, has named President-elect Barack Obama its "Gun Salesman of the Year". With the selection, Outdoor Wire publisher Jim Shepherd says it is time the firearms industry recognizes the fact that without President-elect Obama's frightening consumers into action, the firearms industry might be suffering the same sort of business slumps that have befallen the automotive and housing industries. "It's credit where credit is due," says Shepherd, "Mr. Obama has consistently voted against individual rights to firearms, appointed a re-tread Clinton administration full of gun banners, and made it plain to anti-gun groups that despite what he might say to the contrary, he's on their side." That history, along with the unquestioned support of anti-gun organizations, Shepherd says, has spooked consumers into a buying frenzy for firearms that could be outlawed in another Assault Weapons Ban…"

http://www.ammoland.com/2009/01/14/outdoor-wire-names-obama-gun-salesman-of-the-year/
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Dick Heller Tells His Tale: For Dick Heller, the battle to reclaim Second Amendment rights from the District of Columbia was over 30 years in the making, and it isn't over yet. "They wouldn't let me have my gun," he said, speaking at the 2009 New Hampshire Liberty Forum. "I paid for it. It was mine. I live in America!" Heller had just moved to D.C. and purchased his first gun in 1976 when the city passed its infamous gun ban, overturned in 2008 by the U.S. Supreme Court in the landmark case in which Heller was the plaintiff. Referring to his gun, a ".22 Buntline Special, the kind you see Matt Dillon on Gunsmoke using," he said: "I've seen the Mona Lisa. I've seen the Statue of David. But remember, I was trained as an engineer. Now this is what I call a work of art." Heller decided not to register his gun during the 1976 amnesty, fearing a general gun confiscation, and tells the story of how discovering bullet holes in his townhouse motivated him to do something…

http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2009/04/02/dick-heller-a-funny-thing-happened-on-the-way-to-the-supreme-court/
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Reciprocity Caution: Vast numbers of people have become concealed handgun permit holders since the election of Barack Obama. Many did because of personal safety reasons. Some did out of fear that Obama will curtail gun rights. Others did for the best reason...just because they can. No matter what the reason, care must be taken when traveling out of state with your handgun and permit to stay legal in the state traveled to. Most states have permit reciprocity with other states, but not with all the other states. This is where a potential trap lies for the unwary new permit holders and the rest of us too. As extreme examples, New York and Illinois have no reciprocity with anyone. Illinois has no resident permits, and New York's laws are highly restrictive…

http://secondamendmentfreedom.blogspot.com/2009/04/handgun-permit-reciprocity-better-safe.html
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Kansas Students Seek Campus Carry: The Student Involvement and Leadership Center officially recognized the KU chapter of Students for Concealed Carry on Campus, or SCCC, as a student organization March 4. The tragic campus shooting at Virginia Tech on April 16, 2007, initiated a national discussion about campus safety and sparked debate on the best ways to protect students. In order to protect themselves and others in the case of a campus shooting, students at the University of Kansas began advocating several months ago for the right to carry licensed concealed weapons on campus. "The whole point of the group is that there are a number of individuals who can carry anywhere else but on college campuses," Derek Miller, SCCC president, said. Miller, Kansas City, Kan., senior, participated in a training exercise with the KU Public Safety Office in 2007 as part of a military group who acted out a campus shooter scenario. Miller called the response time and effectiveness of the KU Public Safety Office "atrocious." Miller said the training exercise inspired him to get more involved in advocating for Second Amendment rights on campus…

http://www.kansan.com/stories/2009/apr/02/amendment/
http://www.kstatecollegian.com/concealed-carry-a-good-defense-for-possible-victims-1.1639627
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Pennsylvania Judge Upholds Local Ordinance: A new ordinance against firing guns in Lancaster City has passed its first test in court, and Mayor Rick Gray is calling it a victory for residents. It was Gray who initiated the anti-discharge city ordinance in 2007, making it illegal to discharge a firearm in the city. But it's Curtis Swinton who was the first person to be cited for violating the rule - shooting his gun in the air allegedly to frighten off men who were beating his cousin - and the first person to challenge the new law in Lancaster County Court. On Monday, Judge Joseph Madenspacher handed down a ruling on the matter, upholding both the ordinance and prosecution under the state's criminal law. The law provides enough exceptions for a person to use if he needs to defend himself in court for firing a gun, Madenspacher wrote… (Note that the firing of a "warning shot" into the air is being treated as reckless endangerment.)

http://articles.lancasteronline.com/local/4/235827
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Arkansas Confidentiality Bill Gutted: A Senate panel has approved keeping the names and ZIP codes of Arkansans licensed to carry concealed handguns open to the public, but block other personal information from release. The Senate State Agencies and Governmental Affairs Committee on Thursday advanced an amended version of Rep. Randy Stewart's proposal to restrict information released about concealed-carry permits. Stewart had originally proposed keeping the entire list secret, but the amended version allows the release of names and ZIP codes. Stewart on Thursday at first proposed only releasing the names of those with the permits, but press groups objected and said not releasing geographic information would make the list useless to the public. The measure now heads to the Senate for a vote.

http://www.arkansasbusiness.com/article.aspx?aID=113735.54928.125880
http://www.arkansascca.org/blog/index.php?content=detail&id=364
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Confidentiality Battle in West Virginia: Conflicting bills on how West Virginia regards the privacy of a concealed weapon permit eased through both chambers of the Legislature in Wednesday's sessions. A Senate version contains a provision that denies the public access to the identities of anyone issued a permit to carry a concealed firearm. This is the one pushed by the National Rifle Association. But a House version, the one approved by the West Virginia Press Association, would allow the media to publish the names of anyone given a permit. Before the Senate vote, Judiciary Chairman Jeffrey Kessler, D-Marshall, said he had two concerns about letting the general public see who has the permits. One is that a thief would have immediate knowledge of homes where firearms are kept, and the other is that a woman fleeing a domestic violence scenario could be located by an estranged husband or boyfriend by getting access to the gun permit…

http://www.register-herald.com/local/local_story_091220326.html
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Oops, Wrong Pharmacy: A pharmacist shot an armed robber dead Tuesday at a drugstore off South Orange Blossom Trail, the Orange County Sheriff's Office said. It was at least the fourth time this year that a robber was killed at a Central Florida business and was the second drugstore holdup that ended in death. The shooting happened about 5:15 p.m. at JR Pharmacy, 2160 Whispering Lakes Blvd. The man came into the shop with a handgun and, after a brief confrontation, was shot to death, sheriff's spokesman Jim Solomons said. Investigators would not release names, where the body was found or what the man tried to steal… Evette Luciano said she spoke to one of the partner's wives and was told that the shooting happened in the front of the store while two owners were in the back. The worker who did the shooting formerly worked across the street at Walgreens, customers said…

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orl-loc-pharmacy-robber-killed-040109,0,550904.story
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Oops, Wrong Pizza Parlor: John Hayes wants only to sell pizzas, not shoot robbers. But the day after his West Akron pizza parlor was held up and he shot and killed the shotgun-armed robber, Hayes remains concerned about his business, his life and the health of his six workers. He wants the public to know why he opened fire: He didn't want to be killed, like other robbery victims around the city. He wants only to sell pizzas… Hayes, 37, was behind the counter Tuesday night when 20-year-old Patrick Finney, wearing an orange ski mask, walked in and pointed a sawed-off shotgun at his head just before 8 p.m… ''He said, 'Give me the [expletive] money. This is an [expletive] robbery,'' Hayes said. Hayes cooperated, giving the robber a stack of $10 bills. The robber wanted more and pointed the shotgun within inches of Hayes' head, he said. ''As soon as I gave him the money, I pulled my gun out from my hip, pointed it and fired four shots,'' Hayes said. Finney fell to the floor, then stood back up. Hayes fired three more shots from his Smith & Wesson 9 mm pistol. Finney staggered outside and collapsed across the street. The cash he sought was dropped outside…

http://www.ohio.com/news/break_news/42296357.html
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Oops, Wrong House, South Carolina Version: Deon Shippy and his girlfriend, Casey McKinney, decided to take full advantage of their day off by catching a few extra winks Monday morning. But their peaceful slumber was shattered shortly after 10 a.m. when an armed gunman forced his way into their duplex at 4 Twin Woods Drive near Converse and opened fire. "We were still asleep and I heard a loud bang," Shippy said. "I thought my punching bag had fallen off the porch. Casey said someone was breaking through the door, and I got up and bullets started flying past my head. One hit her in the arm. I told her to hide under the bed and I grabbed my gun and started shooting back." …Wood said a motive for the intrusion had not been established, but it did not appear to be a random crime… Police searched the home and found no evidence of illegal drugs or drug paraphernalia. Shippy "appeared to be an upstanding member of the community," Wood said. "But the odds are against this being a random incident. The couple is very lucky and their family is also very lucky." …

http://m.goupstate.com/shj/db_3756/contentdetail.htm;jsessionid=374B10001BBD12CC4D03535D077A829B?contentguid=QiedDpD1&storycount=4&detailindex=2&full=true
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Oops, Wrong House, Texas Version: Authorities arrested Jose Manuel Salas, 33, and Javier Harvey Ortiz, 44, Saturday in connection with an early morning robbery along Azle Highway. Reports indicate a homeowner operating a business from the same location called for help at approximately 1:30 a.m. after he found two men stealing cash and rolls of quarters from his business. The homeowner told the men to stop before firing a shotgun once at one of the suspects who then fled with another man in a car, according to an affidavit detailing the incident. A short time later, Parker County Sheriff's deputies detained a vehicle matching the homeowner's description. Salas was driving and Ortiz was a passenger, the Sheriff's Office said. A statement claims deputies found stolen property matching a description given by the homeowner inside the vehicle, and the homeowner arrived to identify the suspects and vehicle…

http://www.weatherforddemocrat.com/local/local_story_090104944.html
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Oops, Wrong Sister-in-Law: A 47-year-old man is in the Greene County jail with a gunshot wound after State Police say he showed up drunk at his estranged wife's home and harassed her and her sister. Troopers got a call around 5:30 Monday evening from a 49-year-old woman who said she had just shot her sister's ex-husband. Police say Geraldine Finelli armed herself with a 20-gauge shotgun after Donald Case Jr. showed up making threats. When Case refused to leave, she fired one round toward the ground, striking Case in the lower leg. He took off, but was stopped by Catskill village police and taken to the hospital for treatment of the wound. When he was released, State Police charged him with second-degree burglary. He was arraigned and jailed on $50,000 cash bail or $100,000 bond.

http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=10107735
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New York County Supports Remington Plant: In an attempt to show county commitment to keeping the Remington Arms plant in the village of Ilion, the Legislature on Wednesday authorized spending up to $2 million for future equipment purchases by the firearms manufacturer. The budgetary impact of the amount serves as sufficient proof of legislator loyalty. The size of the allocation totals roughly 25 percent of the county's contingency fund, according to County Administrator James Wallace. Several legislators took turns emphasizing how important it is to provide incentives for the company to maintain its facility in the county… (Remington is now part of Cereberus Capital Management. It would appear that this move is more about keeping the plant in Illion than about keeping Remington from going under.)

http://www.herkimertelegram.com/news/business/x1098982422/Legislature-authorizes-2-million-for-Remington-Arms
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