From: Stephen P. Wenger <spwenger@spw-duf.info>
comments in () by Stephen P. Wenger
Mexico's Weapons Cache Stymies Tracing: Deep inside a heavily guarded military warehouse, the evidence of Mexico's war on drug cartels is stacked two stories high: tens of thousands of seized weapons, from handguns and rifles to AK-47s, some with gun sights carved into the shape of a rooster or a horse's head. The vault nestled in a Mexican military base is the government's largest stash of weapons - some 88,537 of them - seized from brutal drug gangs. The Associated Press was recently given rare and exclusive access to the secure facility. The sheer size of the cache attests to the seemingly hopeless task of ever sorting and tracing the guns, possibly to trafficking rings that deliver weapons to Mexico. And security designed to keep the guns from getting back on the streets is so tight that even investigators have trouble getting the access they need… (Yes, it's not likely that the Mexican government wants most of these firearms traced back to its own armories.)
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=7518874
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The Beat Goes On: An increasing demand for ammunition has led to its increasing scarcity on retailers' shelves in both Virginias and across the nation. In the past, hunters and other gun owners usually purchased a few boxes of ammunition at a time, but now they buy whole cases at a time when merchandise is available. Concerns among gun owners that the new president's administration will alter gun laws or increase taxes on ammunition sales is sending consumers to retailers. Some are looking for a new firearm, too. "It isn't necessarily because they (gun owners) are afraid of the government putting taxes on it. It's because of the president we elected," said Marlin Douglas of Douglas Sporting Goods in Princeton. "Right now, I can't buy a small handgun from any of my suppliers because they're totally out. It's due to the fact of electing a president who has been a strong advocate to get rid of guns." …
http://www.bdtonline.com/local/local_story_125194701.html
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Ask Support from your Local Sheriff: …"My name is Richard Mack....the founding fathers established a system that would keep the federal government impotent. This is the time to reenact that. The 10th Amendment basically tells the federal government if you ever go outside Article I, Section 8 where the Constitution delineates and details what they can and cannot do, if they want to get creative, or if they want to expand the federal bureaucracy, or if they want to expand the power of the central government, they must refer to the 10th Amendment, which clearly states, 'If we forgot anything, you can't do that, either.' … (While serving as sheriff of Graham County AZ, Mack, along with Sheriff Prinz in Montana, successfully sued against an interim provision of the Brady Act.)
http://www.rightsidenews.com/200905064676/homeland-security/your-local-sheriff-the-10th-amendment-and-the-orders-we-will-not-obey.html
---
Palin May Not Receive .50-Caliber Rifle: The National Rifle Association Foundation will not present an assault weapon to Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin at an upcoming banquet despite media reports about the event, including one from its own magazine. "The event is not happening," NRA spokesman Andrew Arulanandam said. "Sarah Palin will not be attending. She was invited, but declined due to a family commitment. This happened weeks ago." …The rifle, specially chambered for a .50 Beowulf cartridge, was made by Templar Consulting gunmaker Bob Reynolds and features a Big Dipper, an outline of the state of Alaska, a moose and an NRA logo as well as an inscription, "In Honor of Governor Sarah Palin." The NRA could not confirm whether Mr. Reynolds still had plans to ship the all-white "Alaska Hunter" weapon to the governor. He would only say "no presentation will be made."
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/may/07/hot-button-10420107/
---
Forget Oprah, Get a Gun: …So how do we get women to dig guns? Many women will experience frustration if you keep stressing guns as a method of self-defense and get right to the point of mentally preparing to kill someone to save a life. They may not be ready to "go there" if they are already hostile to guns. Ease 'em on in with things to break down their intolerance. Most women are introduced to guns at the range, or perhaps by just shootin' stuff on private property somewhere out in the country. Husbands, fathers, brothers – they all make good first-time instructors because they are trusted by the first-time female shooter. Starting out with the smaller guns is less intimidating and therefore works in favor of a woman gaining confidence about her ability… (Many women will relate more naturally to protecting their children than to protecting themselves.)
http://www.lewrockwell.com/decoster/decoster151.html
---
A Good Review: What is a life worth? We often hear about the thousands of people every year who kill themselves with guns, the thousands more who kill others with guns and the hundreds of lethal accidents that happen in a year with a gun. The anti-gun crowd wring their hands over this carnage and begs America to disarm. They believe that if we could get rid of guns, all these deaths could be avoided. This is wishful thinking and bad logic…
http://www.examiner.com/x-2944-Denver-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m5d5-Why-liberals-should-get-a-gun-permit
---
Nebraska Supreme Court Rules on Mental-Health History: An Omaha man who once expressed homicidal and suicidal thoughts was wrongly denied a state handgun buyer's permit by the Douglas County sheriff, the Nebraska Supreme Court ruled Friday. Joseph D. Gallegos had never been "committed" to a mental institution under the definition of the 1968 federal gun law, according to the court's unanimous opinion. He should not, therefore, have been denied a handgun permit in 2007, the court said. In 2001, Gallegos, a veteran, sought voluntary treatment at the VA hospital in Omaha for post-traumatic stress syndrome and depression…
http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2798&u_sid=10612317
---
Man Who Defended Home in Critical Condition: A Corryton man who was shot during a Saturday night robbery at his home is in "very critical condition" at the University of Tennessee Medical Center, a Knox County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman said today. Billy Graves, 42, was shot in the abdomen during an exchange of gunfire with two masked robbers who burst into the home he shares with his wife at 9920 Washington Pike just after 9 p.m., said Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Martha Dooley. His wife, 47-year-old Vickie Graves, wasn't injured. Authorities don't know if either of the robbers was hit, and authorities don't have detailed descriptions of either male suspect because they wore bandanas over their faces, she said…
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2009/may/03/corryton-man-shot-home-invasion-very-critical-cond/?partner=RSS
---
Good Thing It Wasn't on Campus: A group of college students said they are lucky to be alive and they're thanking the quick-thinking of one of their own. Police said a fellow student shot and killed one of two masked me who burst into an apartment… "Apparently, his intent was to rape and murder us all," said student Charles Bailey. Bailey said he thought it was the end of his life and the lives of the 10 people inside his apartment for a birthday party after two masked men with guns burst in through a patio door. "They just came in and separated the men from the women and said, 'Give me your wallets and cell phones,'" said George Williams of the College Park Police Department. Bailey said the gunmen started counting bullets. "The other guy asked how many (bullets) he had. He said he had enough," said Bailey. That's when one student grabbed a gun out of a backpack and shot at the invader who was watching the men. The gunman ran out of the apartment. The student then ran to the room where the second gunman, identified by police as 23-year-old Calvin Lavant, was holding the women. "Apparently the guy was getting ready to rape his girlfriend. So he told the girls to get down and he started shooting. The guy jumped out of the window," said Bailey… (This account seems to counter claims that college students can't be trusted to carry firearms.)
http://www.wsbtv.com/news/19365762/detail.html
---
A Call for Campus Carry: University of Colorado regents, undo your gun ban before you get people killed. If there's a psycho-killer free-for-all, aided by your gun ban, the blame will be yours. Despite a state law that requires sheriffs to issue concealed carry permits to law-abiding persons who've met training standards, a law enacted to save lives, the Colorado Board of Regents maintains a rule that forbids students and employees with permits to have guns on campus. It turns our campuses into zones of vulnerability, freeing rapists and killers to wreak havoc without resistance. Three outraged students sued, hoping the court would provide an important component of campus safety. Imagine Columbine or Virginia Tech, two "gun-free" zones, in a world where a trained and licensed adult on the inside had been able to respond appropriately upon hearing or seeing bloodshed…
http://www.gazette.com/opinion/gun-53137-ban-regents.html
---
Texas Homeowner Cleared in Shooting: The Weatherford home owner who shot and killed an intruder in March will not face criminal charges, a Parker County Grand Jury recently determined. After hearing a full offense report, which included witness statements and evidence, jurors declined to indict the elderly shooter… n the morning of the incident, Robert Earl Bardwell, 57, of Weatherford, was shot multiple times after police say he forced entry into a residence and started assaulting the elderly owner's 34-year-old son. The home owner, identified as a 66-year-old white male, reportedly attempted to warn Bardwell by firing one shot from an automatic pistol into the ceiling. However, when the assailant failed to heed the warning and continued to assault his son, police say the father shot the intruder several times, fatally wounding him…
http://www.weatherforddemocrat.com/local/local_story_119095415.html
---
Oops, Wrong Pharmacy: A small sign in the Bob Johnson Pharmacy window says it all: Mike Donahue does not put up with anyone trying to steal from him. The sign lists a half-dozen people who Donahue says have tried to rob the Crown Hill pharmacy since 1988. "None of them got away with it!" the sign reads. Donahue has security cameras set up, a security system and, as he tells KING 5, he's armed with a Glock 19 handgun under his lab coat. This is surveillance video of Donahue chasing a would-be robber out the front door. "When someone comes in to rob my pharmacy or put my patients at risk I have something to help protect us," he says. He's pulled the gun on three potential thieves, most recently a few months ago…
http://www.myballard.com/2009/05/06/pistol-packing-pharmacist-scares-away-robbers/
---
Do as I Say, Not as I Do: Police say a man is recovering after being shot in the face by the instructor during a Concealed Pistol License class. It happened on Dequindre in Addison Township. Police say the shooting was accidental. The investigation has determined that the instructor was demonstrating two guns during the class. Officers say he first showed a semi automatic hand gun loaded with plastic training bullets. He then displayed a .38 caliber Smith & Wesson revolver that he thought was also loaded with plastic training bullets. It was during that portion of the class that the .38 caliber revolver accidentally went off. The bullet ricocheted off the instructional table, hitting the student in the face. The 52-year-old was hit on his left cheek. He immediately received medical help from another student, while other participants in the class called 911. He is currently in stable condition at Troy Beaumont hospital with non life threatening injuries. The investigation is ongoing, and will be reviewed by the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office for possible charges. (Personally, I use dummy rounds in CWP courses only to demonstrate loading and unloading procedures. If I need to dry-fire or have the students dry-fire, it is done with a gun that has been verified as unloaded at it is usually done with a Kevlar vest as the target.)
http://www.wxyz.com/news/story/Police-Firearms-Instructor-Shoots-Student/gEPmqyYZdE6WuAZa_tfV7w.cspx
---
Should This List Determine Firearm Purchases?: Nearly eight years after the Sept. 11 attacks, the FBI's terrorist watch list is so flawed that at least 10 people who should have been kept out of the United States were allowed to cross its borders, an internal audit released Wednesday shows. Department of Justice Inspector General Glenn A. Fine concluded that the bureau also was slow to remove names that should not have been on the list, leading to outcries from civil libertarians who have long been critical. The list also audited more than 65,000 names and concluded that more than one-third were outdated. The whole list includes 1.1 million names, though aliases and variant spellings mean these represent fewer people…
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/may/07/gaps-in-fbi-watch-list-let-terror-suspects-into-us/
---
Tangentially Related: On March 5, 16-year-old Ashton Lundeby of Oxford, NC was arrested in a late night raid on his home by a team of FBI agents and local police. Accused of delivering bomb threats via the Internet, he has been denied due process of law and has apparently been detained for two months in South Bend, Indiana, under the sweeping powers of the Patriot Act. I have just spoken with Ashton's mother, Annette Lundeby, and new information indicates FBI intent to misrepresent facts in order to bolster the government case…
http://www.examiner.com/x-2698-Charlotte-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m5d6-New-information-on-Patriot-Act-detention-of-Ashton-Lundeby
comments in () by Stephen P. Wenger
Mexico's Weapons Cache Stymies Tracing: Deep inside a heavily guarded military warehouse, the evidence of Mexico's war on drug cartels is stacked two stories high: tens of thousands of seized weapons, from handguns and rifles to AK-47s, some with gun sights carved into the shape of a rooster or a horse's head. The vault nestled in a Mexican military base is the government's largest stash of weapons - some 88,537 of them - seized from brutal drug gangs. The Associated Press was recently given rare and exclusive access to the secure facility. The sheer size of the cache attests to the seemingly hopeless task of ever sorting and tracing the guns, possibly to trafficking rings that deliver weapons to Mexico. And security designed to keep the guns from getting back on the streets is so tight that even investigators have trouble getting the access they need… (Yes, it's not likely that the Mexican government wants most of these firearms traced back to its own armories.)
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=7518874
---
The Beat Goes On: An increasing demand for ammunition has led to its increasing scarcity on retailers' shelves in both Virginias and across the nation. In the past, hunters and other gun owners usually purchased a few boxes of ammunition at a time, but now they buy whole cases at a time when merchandise is available. Concerns among gun owners that the new president's administration will alter gun laws or increase taxes on ammunition sales is sending consumers to retailers. Some are looking for a new firearm, too. "It isn't necessarily because they (gun owners) are afraid of the government putting taxes on it. It's because of the president we elected," said Marlin Douglas of Douglas Sporting Goods in Princeton. "Right now, I can't buy a small handgun from any of my suppliers because they're totally out. It's due to the fact of electing a president who has been a strong advocate to get rid of guns." …
http://www.bdtonline.com/local/local_story_125194701.html
---
Ask Support from your Local Sheriff: …"My name is Richard Mack....the founding fathers established a system that would keep the federal government impotent. This is the time to reenact that. The 10th Amendment basically tells the federal government if you ever go outside Article I, Section 8 where the Constitution delineates and details what they can and cannot do, if they want to get creative, or if they want to expand the federal bureaucracy, or if they want to expand the power of the central government, they must refer to the 10th Amendment, which clearly states, 'If we forgot anything, you can't do that, either.' … (While serving as sheriff of Graham County AZ, Mack, along with Sheriff Prinz in Montana, successfully sued against an interim provision of the Brady Act.)
http://www.rightsidenews.com/200905064676/homeland-security/your-local-sheriff-the-10th-amendment-and-the-orders-we-will-not-obey.html
---
Palin May Not Receive .50-Caliber Rifle: The National Rifle Association Foundation will not present an assault weapon to Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin at an upcoming banquet despite media reports about the event, including one from its own magazine. "The event is not happening," NRA spokesman Andrew Arulanandam said. "Sarah Palin will not be attending. She was invited, but declined due to a family commitment. This happened weeks ago." …The rifle, specially chambered for a .50 Beowulf cartridge, was made by Templar Consulting gunmaker Bob Reynolds and features a Big Dipper, an outline of the state of Alaska, a moose and an NRA logo as well as an inscription, "In Honor of Governor Sarah Palin." The NRA could not confirm whether Mr. Reynolds still had plans to ship the all-white "Alaska Hunter" weapon to the governor. He would only say "no presentation will be made."
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/may/07/hot-button-10420107/
---
Forget Oprah, Get a Gun: …So how do we get women to dig guns? Many women will experience frustration if you keep stressing guns as a method of self-defense and get right to the point of mentally preparing to kill someone to save a life. They may not be ready to "go there" if they are already hostile to guns. Ease 'em on in with things to break down their intolerance. Most women are introduced to guns at the range, or perhaps by just shootin' stuff on private property somewhere out in the country. Husbands, fathers, brothers – they all make good first-time instructors because they are trusted by the first-time female shooter. Starting out with the smaller guns is less intimidating and therefore works in favor of a woman gaining confidence about her ability… (Many women will relate more naturally to protecting their children than to protecting themselves.)
http://www.lewrockwell.com/decoster/decoster151.html
---
A Good Review: What is a life worth? We often hear about the thousands of people every year who kill themselves with guns, the thousands more who kill others with guns and the hundreds of lethal accidents that happen in a year with a gun. The anti-gun crowd wring their hands over this carnage and begs America to disarm. They believe that if we could get rid of guns, all these deaths could be avoided. This is wishful thinking and bad logic…
http://www.examiner.com/x-2944-Denver-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m5d5-Why-liberals-should-get-a-gun-permit
---
Nebraska Supreme Court Rules on Mental-Health History: An Omaha man who once expressed homicidal and suicidal thoughts was wrongly denied a state handgun buyer's permit by the Douglas County sheriff, the Nebraska Supreme Court ruled Friday. Joseph D. Gallegos had never been "committed" to a mental institution under the definition of the 1968 federal gun law, according to the court's unanimous opinion. He should not, therefore, have been denied a handgun permit in 2007, the court said. In 2001, Gallegos, a veteran, sought voluntary treatment at the VA hospital in Omaha for post-traumatic stress syndrome and depression…
http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2798&u_sid=10612317
---
Man Who Defended Home in Critical Condition: A Corryton man who was shot during a Saturday night robbery at his home is in "very critical condition" at the University of Tennessee Medical Center, a Knox County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman said today. Billy Graves, 42, was shot in the abdomen during an exchange of gunfire with two masked robbers who burst into the home he shares with his wife at 9920 Washington Pike just after 9 p.m., said Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Martha Dooley. His wife, 47-year-old Vickie Graves, wasn't injured. Authorities don't know if either of the robbers was hit, and authorities don't have detailed descriptions of either male suspect because they wore bandanas over their faces, she said…
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2009/may/03/corryton-man-shot-home-invasion-very-critical-cond/?partner=RSS
---
Good Thing It Wasn't on Campus: A group of college students said they are lucky to be alive and they're thanking the quick-thinking of one of their own. Police said a fellow student shot and killed one of two masked me who burst into an apartment… "Apparently, his intent was to rape and murder us all," said student Charles Bailey. Bailey said he thought it was the end of his life and the lives of the 10 people inside his apartment for a birthday party after two masked men with guns burst in through a patio door. "They just came in and separated the men from the women and said, 'Give me your wallets and cell phones,'" said George Williams of the College Park Police Department. Bailey said the gunmen started counting bullets. "The other guy asked how many (bullets) he had. He said he had enough," said Bailey. That's when one student grabbed a gun out of a backpack and shot at the invader who was watching the men. The gunman ran out of the apartment. The student then ran to the room where the second gunman, identified by police as 23-year-old Calvin Lavant, was holding the women. "Apparently the guy was getting ready to rape his girlfriend. So he told the girls to get down and he started shooting. The guy jumped out of the window," said Bailey… (This account seems to counter claims that college students can't be trusted to carry firearms.)
http://www.wsbtv.com/news/19365762/detail.html
---
A Call for Campus Carry: University of Colorado regents, undo your gun ban before you get people killed. If there's a psycho-killer free-for-all, aided by your gun ban, the blame will be yours. Despite a state law that requires sheriffs to issue concealed carry permits to law-abiding persons who've met training standards, a law enacted to save lives, the Colorado Board of Regents maintains a rule that forbids students and employees with permits to have guns on campus. It turns our campuses into zones of vulnerability, freeing rapists and killers to wreak havoc without resistance. Three outraged students sued, hoping the court would provide an important component of campus safety. Imagine Columbine or Virginia Tech, two "gun-free" zones, in a world where a trained and licensed adult on the inside had been able to respond appropriately upon hearing or seeing bloodshed…
http://www.gazette.com/opinion/gun-53137-ban-regents.html
---
Texas Homeowner Cleared in Shooting: The Weatherford home owner who shot and killed an intruder in March will not face criminal charges, a Parker County Grand Jury recently determined. After hearing a full offense report, which included witness statements and evidence, jurors declined to indict the elderly shooter… n the morning of the incident, Robert Earl Bardwell, 57, of Weatherford, was shot multiple times after police say he forced entry into a residence and started assaulting the elderly owner's 34-year-old son. The home owner, identified as a 66-year-old white male, reportedly attempted to warn Bardwell by firing one shot from an automatic pistol into the ceiling. However, when the assailant failed to heed the warning and continued to assault his son, police say the father shot the intruder several times, fatally wounding him…
http://www.weatherforddemocrat.com/local/local_story_119095415.html
---
Oops, Wrong Pharmacy: A small sign in the Bob Johnson Pharmacy window says it all: Mike Donahue does not put up with anyone trying to steal from him. The sign lists a half-dozen people who Donahue says have tried to rob the Crown Hill pharmacy since 1988. "None of them got away with it!" the sign reads. Donahue has security cameras set up, a security system and, as he tells KING 5, he's armed with a Glock 19 handgun under his lab coat. This is surveillance video of Donahue chasing a would-be robber out the front door. "When someone comes in to rob my pharmacy or put my patients at risk I have something to help protect us," he says. He's pulled the gun on three potential thieves, most recently a few months ago…
http://www.myballard.com/2009/05/06/pistol-packing-pharmacist-scares-away-robbers/
---
Do as I Say, Not as I Do: Police say a man is recovering after being shot in the face by the instructor during a Concealed Pistol License class. It happened on Dequindre in Addison Township. Police say the shooting was accidental. The investigation has determined that the instructor was demonstrating two guns during the class. Officers say he first showed a semi automatic hand gun loaded with plastic training bullets. He then displayed a .38 caliber Smith & Wesson revolver that he thought was also loaded with plastic training bullets. It was during that portion of the class that the .38 caliber revolver accidentally went off. The bullet ricocheted off the instructional table, hitting the student in the face. The 52-year-old was hit on his left cheek. He immediately received medical help from another student, while other participants in the class called 911. He is currently in stable condition at Troy Beaumont hospital with non life threatening injuries. The investigation is ongoing, and will be reviewed by the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office for possible charges. (Personally, I use dummy rounds in CWP courses only to demonstrate loading and unloading procedures. If I need to dry-fire or have the students dry-fire, it is done with a gun that has been verified as unloaded at it is usually done with a Kevlar vest as the target.)
http://www.wxyz.com/news/story/Police-Firearms-Instructor-Shoots-Student/gEPmqyYZdE6WuAZa_tfV7w.cspx
---
Should This List Determine Firearm Purchases?: Nearly eight years after the Sept. 11 attacks, the FBI's terrorist watch list is so flawed that at least 10 people who should have been kept out of the United States were allowed to cross its borders, an internal audit released Wednesday shows. Department of Justice Inspector General Glenn A. Fine concluded that the bureau also was slow to remove names that should not have been on the list, leading to outcries from civil libertarians who have long been critical. The list also audited more than 65,000 names and concluded that more than one-third were outdated. The whole list includes 1.1 million names, though aliases and variant spellings mean these represent fewer people…
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/may/07/gaps-in-fbi-watch-list-let-terror-suspects-into-us/
---
Tangentially Related: On March 5, 16-year-old Ashton Lundeby of Oxford, NC was arrested in a late night raid on his home by a team of FBI agents and local police. Accused of delivering bomb threats via the Internet, he has been denied due process of law and has apparently been detained for two months in South Bend, Indiana, under the sweeping powers of the Patriot Act. I have just spoken with Ashton's mother, Annette Lundeby, and new information indicates FBI intent to misrepresent facts in order to bolster the government case…
http://www.examiner.com/x-2698-Charlotte-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m5d6-New-information-on-Patriot-Act-detention-of-Ashton-Lundeby
