comments in () by Stephen P. Wenger
=============================
=============================
Another Gun-Free Zone: In Houston's maritime union halls, sailors and engineers were talking guns Thursday. They discussed the pirates' guns. Their own lack of guns. And the possibility that the hijacking of a U.S.-flagged container ship off Somalia on Wednesday will force the Navy to bring more firepower to the high seas. "Step it up, because the pirates are," said Spencer Reed, 52, a marine engineer. "Those guys mean business." "Pirates have been around a long, long time, but now it's gotten more sophisticated," said another engineer, Phillip Sistrunk, 60, of Pasadena. "It was a little bit of a shocker because normally they don't mess with U.S. vessels." Both men advocate allowing commercial seamen to use firearms to defend themselves from pirates. Most commercial ships sail the world unarmed, relying on "evasive maneuvers" and blasts from fire hoses to repel would-be hijackers, according to industry analysts…
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/6367295.html
---
Another Response to Michael Savage: I have never understood the Michael Savage phenomenon. He's loud, he's abrasive, and he's hardly the "conservative" so many apparently think he is. I guess tapping into the border issue has convinced some that he is a kindred spirit. For anyone who place the Constitution first, he is not. Case in point, today's amazingly ignorant screed, "Why are the police outgunned?: So I put the question to the Savage Nation. Is it time to ban assault rifles? What are they really needed for?" We know, of course, that Savage has no business defining what we "need," although I can think of many tactical situations where an outnumbered peaceable armed citizen with a semiautomatic rifle could be instrumental in deterring violence…
http://www.examiner.com/x-1417-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m4d10-Why-are-so-many-conservatives-following-Michael-Savage
---
Follow the Money, Part 2: Previous articles noted that gun rights groups contribute very little money to federal election campaigns, and that there appears to be a link between law firm contributions and Nancy Pelosi's support for firearms registration. Looking at the entire House of Representatives, pro-rights voting records and law firm contributions negatively correlate, meaning that as law firm money comprises a greater percentage of a candidate's total campaign fund, the more likely they are to vote against the civil right of self-defense. All winning 2008 House candidates' campaign contributions (total and lawyer/law firm) were correlated with the National Rifle Association's grading system (as an indicator of relative pro-rights voting records). The focus on winning House candidates is because only those winning a seat can vote, and it is the link between campaign contributions and voting records that need examining…
http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-2879-Austin-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m4d10-Putting-the-gun-lobby-in-its-place
---
Bloomberg Seeks Infringement of Virginia Gun Shows: New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg is teaming up with a Fairfax County man whose sister was killed in the Virginia Tech shootings in a campaign to encourage Virginia lawmakers to require that private sellers at gun shows conduct background checks on would-be buyers. On Monday, Bloomberg, whose gun control campaigns in Virginia have roiled gun rights groups, will join Omar Samaha at an Arlington hotel to unveil a 30-second commercial that will air statewide next week. Their campaign calls for the General Assembly to close the so-called gun-show loophole in Virginia law that allows private sellers to sell firearms without conducting background checks. The commercial, which will be previewed at the Crystal City Marriott at 11:30 a.m., was paid for by Americans United for Safe Streets, a Washington-based nonprofit organization that counts Bloomberg as a financial contributor… (The handguns used in the Virginia Tech shootings were not purchased at gun shows.)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/10/AR2009041003282.html
---
Washington Officials Debate Role of Citizens: Mason County Commissioner Tim Sheldon said a budget crisis means the sheriff will have cut $382,000 from its budget which the sheriff said could mean up to five deputies yanked off the road. The commissioner said he's confident Mason County residents can defend themselves from criminals if necessary. "It's always open season on criminals in Mason County, and there is no bag limit," Sheldon said. Sheriff's officials said they believe commissioners need to reconsider the cuts to the sheriff's office and not condone vigilantes. "We're just not a community of vigilantism, and no responsible politician is going to encourage vigilantism," said Dean Byrd of the Mason County Sheriff's Office. Sheldon said he's just warning criminals that people in Mason County have guns and know how to use them. "You might expect a lead enema. I'm telling you, people in Mason County are fed up with crime. They know how to protect themselves," Sheldon said…
http://www.kirotv.com/news/19142861/detail.html#-
Related Commentary:
http://www.examiner.com/x-4525-Seattle-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m4d10-WA-senators-open-season-on-criminals-remark-misrepresented-but-not-lead-enema?cid=exrss-Seattle-Gun-Rights-Examiner
---
Campus-Carry Bill Likely to Pass Texas House: Legislation allowing state university students and employees to carry their concealed handguns on campus appears to have enough pledged support from lawmakers to pass the full Texas House. The bill would prohibit public universities across Texas from creating rules that forbid concealed handgun license holders from carrying their pistols into a classroom, but it would allow private institutions to exempt themselves. Chances for passage in the House - if it gets there - look strong, as 76 members have signed on to support the bill, authored by Rep. Joe Driver, R-Garland. The House Public Safety Committee already has signed off on the measure. Now, it needs to get scheduled for debate in the full House… In the Texas Senate, 13 members have pledged support for an identical measure sponsored by Sen. Jeff Wentworth, R-San Antonio. If passed and signed into law, it would mark a rare legislative victory for advocates of allowing concealed firearms on campus. Similar proposals have failed in 19 other states since 2008, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures…
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/politics/6367187.html
---
RKBA Bills Tentatively Pass Missouri House: Legislation lowering the minimum age for obtaining a concealed-weapons permit and allowing concealed guns at public colleges and universities received first-round approval Wednesday in the Missouri House. A 2003 state law allows Missouri residents to obtain permits to carry concealed weapons if they are at least 23 years old, have no felony convictions and pass a firearms training course and background check. That law also bars concealed weapons in certain places such as schools, public hospitals and stadiums with at least 5,000 seats. The House bill lowers the minimum age for obtaining a concealed-carry permit to 21 and lifts the ban on concealed weapons at public colleges and universities and expands Missouri's castle doctrine law to allow the use of deadly force to cover any private property. House members gave the measure first-round approval on a voice vote. It needs a second vote to move to the Senate…
http://www.kmov.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D97EM6O80.html
---
Oops, Wrong Driveway: A gunfight broke out in a Palm Coast neighborhood early today during an attempted robbery. Gunfire erupted when a man armed with a silver handgun attempted to rob a man who had just returned home on Folcroft Lane after purchasing a prescription at a local pharmacy, Flagler County Sheriff's Office investigators said. They are still looking for the gunman. The resident had just returned from a Walgreens store on Palm Coast Parkway at 1:11 a.m. with his medications. As he was getting out of his car, deputies said the gunman rushed into the garage and demanded the drugs. In an attempt to scare off the intruder, the man said he yelled as loud as he could. Instead of fleeing, the intruder took a shot at him., deputies said. The resident wasn't hit but quickly retrieved his own handgun and began shooting back at his assailant. Nobody was hurt, although a car parked in the neighbor's driveway was hit with one of the rounds, according to a news release… (The robbery victim might have been better served if he had not had to "retrieve his own handgun." It sounds as though he was not carrying it holstered on his person.)
http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/breakingnews/shoot040909.htm
---
Oops, Wrong House: North Charleston police said that an armed man who tried to rob a home on Ranger Drive on Thursday was killed during a shootout with the tenant. The coroner says the suspect was 25-year-old Demario Brown from Johns Island. Police said officers responded to the scene after a call about shots being fired. Police say Brown, who was armed, forced two women into the home to rob them. Police say a tenant who was already inside the house, had a gun and shot Brown. Brown also fired back hitting Timothy King. King was transported to MUSC. Police say he had non-life threatening injuries. Brown died at the scene.
http://www.counton2.com/cbd/news/local/article/intruder_killed_during_shootout_in_north_charleston_home/23354/
---
Oops, Wrong Boat: One person was killed when a group of men tried to steal a boat while driving down a freeway, KPRC Local 2 reported. Houston police said three men in a car tried to steal a boat that a man was hauling with his pickup truck on Interstate 45 at about 1 a.m. Investigators said the men in the car opened fire on the man in the pickup truck. The man in the pickup truck returned fire, officials said. One of the men inside the car was killed. The driver of the car stopped at a gas station on North Shepherd Drive for help…
http://www.click2houston.com/news/19125676/detail.html#-
---
Rule Three Reminder: The Roselle police officer who shot a suspect during a drug raid Wednesday night fired his weapon accidentally after slipping and falling, police told the injured man's mother. Andre Doss, 27, of Linden remained hospitalized yesterday after he was shot once in the upper torso during the raid on his father's masonry business, according to the Union County Prosecutor's Office, which is investigating the case… (Rule Three: Keep your finger out of the trigger guard, up on the frame, until your sights are on the target and you're prepared to fire. Simply keeping the finger out of the trigger guard is not adequate in the event that something like a fall produces an involuntary muscle contraction.)
http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/jersey/index.ssf?/base/news-13/123873213049290.xml&coll=1
---
Rule Five Reminder: When it comes to crime, there are victims, and there are investigators. The Newport News Police Department finds itself on both sides. Early Monday morning, someone stole an unmarked car from a detective's home in Beechlake Estates. Officers found the car, but not all of the equipment that was inside it. The missing equipment includes the detective's bullet resistant vest, handgun, and tactical rifle. Police believe the weapons were loaded. "Why were they even in the car?" asks gun owner Mike Runion, who was fishing in Beechlake Park Tuesday. "I mean, shouldn't the fella had to have them in his house with him, you know, under his control or whatever? I mean anybody can break into a vehicle." Master Police Officer Holly McPherson tells 13News the detective, who is with the Organized Crime Division also is part of the department's tactical team. Tact team members store gear, including vests and rifles, in their cars so they can respond to situations quickly. The detective's rile was in a trunk mounted gun lock. McPherson wasn't sure why his handgun was in the trunk… (Rule Five: Maintain control of your firearm. This is getting to be an increasingly tough issue for police as it appears as though their vehicles are being targeted for firearm thefts.)
http://www.wvec.com/news/topstories/stories/wvec_local_040709_stolen_officer_weapons.b2d2eff9.html
---
Seattle Gun-Ban Debate: If you have the time to watch a lengthy video, SAF's Alan Gottlieb participates in a debate about the ruse that Seattle's mayor is using to pull off an illegal gun ban on city property and the general concept of gun-free zones.
http://www.seattlechannel.org/videos/video.asp?ID=3060913
---
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/6367295.html
---
Another Response to Michael Savage: I have never understood the Michael Savage phenomenon. He's loud, he's abrasive, and he's hardly the "conservative" so many apparently think he is. I guess tapping into the border issue has convinced some that he is a kindred spirit. For anyone who place the Constitution first, he is not. Case in point, today's amazingly ignorant screed, "Why are the police outgunned?: So I put the question to the Savage Nation. Is it time to ban assault rifles? What are they really needed for?" We know, of course, that Savage has no business defining what we "need," although I can think of many tactical situations where an outnumbered peaceable armed citizen with a semiautomatic rifle could be instrumental in deterring violence…
http://www.examiner.com/x-1417-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m4d10-Why-are-so-many-conservatives-following-Michael-Savage
---
Follow the Money, Part 2: Previous articles noted that gun rights groups contribute very little money to federal election campaigns, and that there appears to be a link between law firm contributions and Nancy Pelosi's support for firearms registration. Looking at the entire House of Representatives, pro-rights voting records and law firm contributions negatively correlate, meaning that as law firm money comprises a greater percentage of a candidate's total campaign fund, the more likely they are to vote against the civil right of self-defense. All winning 2008 House candidates' campaign contributions (total and lawyer/law firm) were correlated with the National Rifle Association's grading system (as an indicator of relative pro-rights voting records). The focus on winning House candidates is because only those winning a seat can vote, and it is the link between campaign contributions and voting records that need examining…
http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-2879-Austin-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m4d10-Putting-the-gun-lobby-in-its-place
---
Bloomberg Seeks Infringement of Virginia Gun Shows: New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg is teaming up with a Fairfax County man whose sister was killed in the Virginia Tech shootings in a campaign to encourage Virginia lawmakers to require that private sellers at gun shows conduct background checks on would-be buyers. On Monday, Bloomberg, whose gun control campaigns in Virginia have roiled gun rights groups, will join Omar Samaha at an Arlington hotel to unveil a 30-second commercial that will air statewide next week. Their campaign calls for the General Assembly to close the so-called gun-show loophole in Virginia law that allows private sellers to sell firearms without conducting background checks. The commercial, which will be previewed at the Crystal City Marriott at 11:30 a.m., was paid for by Americans United for Safe Streets, a Washington-based nonprofit organization that counts Bloomberg as a financial contributor… (The handguns used in the Virginia Tech shootings were not purchased at gun shows.)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/10/AR2009041003282.html
---
Washington Officials Debate Role of Citizens: Mason County Commissioner Tim Sheldon said a budget crisis means the sheriff will have cut $382,000 from its budget which the sheriff said could mean up to five deputies yanked off the road. The commissioner said he's confident Mason County residents can defend themselves from criminals if necessary. "It's always open season on criminals in Mason County, and there is no bag limit," Sheldon said. Sheriff's officials said they believe commissioners need to reconsider the cuts to the sheriff's office and not condone vigilantes. "We're just not a community of vigilantism, and no responsible politician is going to encourage vigilantism," said Dean Byrd of the Mason County Sheriff's Office. Sheldon said he's just warning criminals that people in Mason County have guns and know how to use them. "You might expect a lead enema. I'm telling you, people in Mason County are fed up with crime. They know how to protect themselves," Sheldon said…
http://www.kirotv.com/news/19142861/detail.html#-
Related Commentary:
http://www.examiner.com/x-4525-Seattle-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m4d10-WA-senators-open-season-on-criminals-remark-misrepresented-but-not-lead-enema?cid=exrss-Seattle-Gun-Rights-Examiner
---
Campus-Carry Bill Likely to Pass Texas House: Legislation allowing state university students and employees to carry their concealed handguns on campus appears to have enough pledged support from lawmakers to pass the full Texas House. The bill would prohibit public universities across Texas from creating rules that forbid concealed handgun license holders from carrying their pistols into a classroom, but it would allow private institutions to exempt themselves. Chances for passage in the House - if it gets there - look strong, as 76 members have signed on to support the bill, authored by Rep. Joe Driver, R-Garland. The House Public Safety Committee already has signed off on the measure. Now, it needs to get scheduled for debate in the full House… In the Texas Senate, 13 members have pledged support for an identical measure sponsored by Sen. Jeff Wentworth, R-San Antonio. If passed and signed into law, it would mark a rare legislative victory for advocates of allowing concealed firearms on campus. Similar proposals have failed in 19 other states since 2008, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures…
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/politics/6367187.html
---
RKBA Bills Tentatively Pass Missouri House: Legislation lowering the minimum age for obtaining a concealed-weapons permit and allowing concealed guns at public colleges and universities received first-round approval Wednesday in the Missouri House. A 2003 state law allows Missouri residents to obtain permits to carry concealed weapons if they are at least 23 years old, have no felony convictions and pass a firearms training course and background check. That law also bars concealed weapons in certain places such as schools, public hospitals and stadiums with at least 5,000 seats. The House bill lowers the minimum age for obtaining a concealed-carry permit to 21 and lifts the ban on concealed weapons at public colleges and universities and expands Missouri's castle doctrine law to allow the use of deadly force to cover any private property. House members gave the measure first-round approval on a voice vote. It needs a second vote to move to the Senate…
http://www.kmov.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D97EM6O80.html
---
Oops, Wrong Driveway: A gunfight broke out in a Palm Coast neighborhood early today during an attempted robbery. Gunfire erupted when a man armed with a silver handgun attempted to rob a man who had just returned home on Folcroft Lane after purchasing a prescription at a local pharmacy, Flagler County Sheriff's Office investigators said. They are still looking for the gunman. The resident had just returned from a Walgreens store on Palm Coast Parkway at 1:11 a.m. with his medications. As he was getting out of his car, deputies said the gunman rushed into the garage and demanded the drugs. In an attempt to scare off the intruder, the man said he yelled as loud as he could. Instead of fleeing, the intruder took a shot at him., deputies said. The resident wasn't hit but quickly retrieved his own handgun and began shooting back at his assailant. Nobody was hurt, although a car parked in the neighbor's driveway was hit with one of the rounds, according to a news release… (The robbery victim might have been better served if he had not had to "retrieve his own handgun." It sounds as though he was not carrying it holstered on his person.)
http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/breakingnews/shoot040909.htm
---
Oops, Wrong House: North Charleston police said that an armed man who tried to rob a home on Ranger Drive on Thursday was killed during a shootout with the tenant. The coroner says the suspect was 25-year-old Demario Brown from Johns Island. Police said officers responded to the scene after a call about shots being fired. Police say Brown, who was armed, forced two women into the home to rob them. Police say a tenant who was already inside the house, had a gun and shot Brown. Brown also fired back hitting Timothy King. King was transported to MUSC. Police say he had non-life threatening injuries. Brown died at the scene.
http://www.counton2.com/cbd/news/local/article/intruder_killed_during_shootout_in_north_charleston_home/23354/
---
Oops, Wrong Boat: One person was killed when a group of men tried to steal a boat while driving down a freeway, KPRC Local 2 reported. Houston police said three men in a car tried to steal a boat that a man was hauling with his pickup truck on Interstate 45 at about 1 a.m. Investigators said the men in the car opened fire on the man in the pickup truck. The man in the pickup truck returned fire, officials said. One of the men inside the car was killed. The driver of the car stopped at a gas station on North Shepherd Drive for help…
http://www.click2houston.com/news/19125676/detail.html#-
---
Rule Three Reminder: The Roselle police officer who shot a suspect during a drug raid Wednesday night fired his weapon accidentally after slipping and falling, police told the injured man's mother. Andre Doss, 27, of Linden remained hospitalized yesterday after he was shot once in the upper torso during the raid on his father's masonry business, according to the Union County Prosecutor's Office, which is investigating the case… (Rule Three: Keep your finger out of the trigger guard, up on the frame, until your sights are on the target and you're prepared to fire. Simply keeping the finger out of the trigger guard is not adequate in the event that something like a fall produces an involuntary muscle contraction.)
http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/jersey/index.ssf?/base/news-13/123873213049290.xml&coll=1
---
Rule Five Reminder: When it comes to crime, there are victims, and there are investigators. The Newport News Police Department finds itself on both sides. Early Monday morning, someone stole an unmarked car from a detective's home in Beechlake Estates. Officers found the car, but not all of the equipment that was inside it. The missing equipment includes the detective's bullet resistant vest, handgun, and tactical rifle. Police believe the weapons were loaded. "Why were they even in the car?" asks gun owner Mike Runion, who was fishing in Beechlake Park Tuesday. "I mean, shouldn't the fella had to have them in his house with him, you know, under his control or whatever? I mean anybody can break into a vehicle." Master Police Officer Holly McPherson tells 13News the detective, who is with the Organized Crime Division also is part of the department's tactical team. Tact team members store gear, including vests and rifles, in their cars so they can respond to situations quickly. The detective's rile was in a trunk mounted gun lock. McPherson wasn't sure why his handgun was in the trunk… (Rule Five: Maintain control of your firearm. This is getting to be an increasingly tough issue for police as it appears as though their vehicles are being targeted for firearm thefts.)
http://www.wvec.com/news/topstories/stories/wvec_local_040709_stolen_officer_weapons.b2d2eff9.html
---
Seattle Gun-Ban Debate: If you have the time to watch a lengthy video, SAF's Alan Gottlieb participates in a debate about the ruse that Seattle's mayor is using to pull off an illegal gun ban on city property and the general concept of gun-free zones.
http://www.seattlechannel.org/videos/video.asp?ID=3060913
---
