comments in () by Stephen P. Wenger http://www.spw-duf.info
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From GOA: Some Republicans still don't understand why mainstream
America is so upset with their Party. Now that Sen. Arlen Specter has
defected to the Democrat Party, many prominent Republicans are openly
recruiting liberal Republicans to run against Specter. And at the top
of their list is Tom Ridge. Ridge is the turncoat Republican whose
vote was crucial in passing the semi-auto ban in 1994. After having
opposed a similar ban in 1991, then-Rep. Tom Ridge flip-flopped and
teamed up with Charles Schumer (D-NY) to pass the semi-auto gun and
magazine ban. The gun ban passed narrowly, 216 to 214, thanks to Tom
Ridge. Later, as Governor of Pennsylvania, Ridge signed one of the
most restrictive gun control laws in the State's history - the
infamous Act 17 which registered and taxed long gun buyers and placed
other restrictions on Keystone State gun owners. As the head of the
Department of Homeland Security, Tom Ridge opposed arming pilots. He
asked, sarcastically, if pilots carry guns, then should we also arm
railroad engineers and bus drivers? As DHS Director, Ridge should have
led the charge to arm pilots and people in other positions that fell
under the agency's purview…
http://gunowners.org/a050709.htm
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Bill Would Restore National-Park Carry: U.S. Sens. Mike Enzi and John
Barrasso, R-Wyo., have added their names as co-sponsors of a bill that
would allow individuals to carry concealed weapons into national
parks. The legislation, called the Preservation of the Second
Amendment in National Parks and National Wildlife Refuges Act, seeks
to replace an administrative rule that has been mired in court
proceedings since January that would also allow visitors to carry
concealed weapons into national parks. A federal judge in April struck
down that administrative rule, which was set in place last December by
the outgoing Bush administration, after several conservation and other
groups filed a lawsuit…
http://www.jhnewsandguide.com/article.php?art_id=4567
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Empathy versus Law: …When the Supreme Court in 1995 declared that
carrying a gun near a school was not "interstate commerce," there was
consternation and outrage in the liberal press because previous
decisions of the Supreme Court in years past had allowed Congress to
legislate on virtually anything it wanted to by saying that it was
exercising its authority to regulate interstate commerce. When the
Supreme Court decided by a narrow 5 to 4 vote that carrying a gun near
a school was not interstate commerce, it was saying something that
most people would consider too obvious for words. But it was
considered outrageous that the Supreme Court recognized the obvious
and refused to rubberstamp the sophistry that allowed Congress to pass
laws dealing with things that the Constitution never authorized it to
deal with. Incidentally, carrying a gun near a school was something
that states had the authority to deal with, and the great majority of
states had already banned it. What is at stake in Supreme Court
nominations is the power of the federal government. "Empathy" is just
camouflage, a soothing word for those who do not look beyond
nice-sounding rhetoric. (Note that Congress subsequently reinstated a
federal Gun Free School Zones Act. This is from the fourth in a series
of essays by Thomas Sowell; the earlier ones are archived at
http://townhall.com/columnists/ThomasSowell.)
http://townhall.com/columnists/ThomasSowell/2009/05/08/empathy_versus_law_part_iv?page=full
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The 90% Lie: U.S. guns and Mexican criminal syndicates have been
frequent topics of late, not because I have a special affinity for the
relationship, but because the anti-gun government/activist/media
coalition, henceforth referred to as the "gun grabber cartel," keeps
forcing their spin on the connection down our throats. Before
exploring new information, I'd like to recap where we've been to give
an introduction to readers new to this and to refresh the memories of
of regular readers…Wait a minute - they have the guns all neatly
stored in a warehouse, inventoried, cataloged...if this is such a huge
problem, we can't just get a printout? Mexican bureaucracy (if you buy
into that being the real reason) won't allow it? So the easier
solution is to adjust your and my rights accordingly? …
The House Judiciary Committee heard proposals Wednesday for increased
gun control inside the United States as a means of cutting down on
drug violence along both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border. "How many
officers have to be killed before we impose more gun regulation?"
asked Texas Representative Jackson Lee, a Democrat. Democrats have
called on better gun control in the U.S., which they say supplies 90
percent of the firearms seized in Mexico, contributing significantly
to the violence. Mexico itself enforces strict gun laws where
residents are limited to non-military, low-caliber guns with long
prison terms for gun violation. Republicans on the Judiciary Committee
argued against gun control in the United States, arguing that Mexican
officials need to do more to stop the smuggling of guns into Mexico…
http://www.courthousenews.com/2009/05/07/House_Committee_Debates_Guns_and_Mexican_Border.htm
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Polls Show Politicians out of Touch: Recent national polls by CNN, NBC
News and the Wall Street Journal have revealed that support for new
gun control measures is declining in the United States, despite
efforts by the Obama administration and its media cheerleaders to
demonize guns by sensationalizing recent shooting incidents, and the
bloody drug war in northern Mexico. In April, CNN polling found that
46 percent of Americans say existing gun laws are adequate, and
another 15 percent believe they ought to be relaxed, while only 39
percent of those responding want stricter gun laws. Also last month,
an NBC News/WSJ poll revealed that support for restrictions on
so-called "assault weapons" had dropped from 75 percent in 1991 to 53
percent today, which may have something to do with the rush on gun
shops over the past six months by people buying those guns and case
upon case of ammunition for them…
Brady Bunch Berates Big Brother: The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun
Violence is profoundly disappointed that President Obama has failed to
follow through with his promises for 'openness' by reaffirming much of
the so-called Tiahrt Amendments. This means a continuation of the
reckless Bush-era policies that endanger public safety and make it
easier for criminals to obtain illegal firearms. President Obama's
proposal undermines the landmark Brady Law by continuing the dangerous
Bush administration policy requiring the destruction of most Brady
background check records in just 24 hours… (Isn't the avowed purpose
of NICS to make sure that purchasers are not prohibited from
possessing firearms, not to create a registry of purchasers?)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-helmke/obama-administration-fail_b_199190.html
… Meanwhile, the administration is steering away from another
politically-sensitive fight by proposing only minor changes to a
legislative language, known as the Tiahrt Amendments after Rep. Todd
Tiahrt (R-Kansas), which limit the use of gun tracing data maintained
by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Obama's
budget would slightly ease restrictions on the use of the data. The
changes would allow the tracing data to be shared with state and local
officials even outside the context of a investigation of a specific
crime. Localities could use the data to identify gun dealers who sell
lots of guns traced to crimes, but rules prohibiting the use of such
data for civil suits would remain in place….
McCarthy, Castle Attack Gun Shows: Today, with the U.S. Capitol in the
background, Rep. Mike Castle (R-DE) and Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY)
kicked-off a campaign to pass The Gun Show Loophole Closing Act,
legislation to require background checks on all firearm sales at gun
shows. Every year there are thousands of gun shows across the country
and U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has
estimated that at least 25% of the gun-sellers at these events are
unlicensed. Requiring background checks on all gun sales at gun
shows, not just transactions with licensed dealers, will help ensure
that firearms do not fall into the hands of criminals, terrorists or
the mentally ill. Reps. Castle and McCarthy believe that now is the
ideal time for this bill to gain traction in Congress as Senator Frank
Lautenberg recently introduced similar legislation and on the 2008
Presidential campaign trail, the concept enjoyed the bipartisan
support of both candidates…
http://carolynmccarthy.house.gov/?sectionid=155§iontree=189,155&itemid=1035
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Massachusetts Governor Seeks More Infringements: Governor Deval
Patrick is filing legislation today to reduce gun violence that
includes a provision to restore a crime-fighting tool for prosecutors
that was taken away by a court ruling Monday. The bill would allow
suspects to be held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing for
charges that involve illegal possession, use, or trafficking of guns,
the governor's office said. The legislation would also create a new
felony of using a gun while committing a misdemeanor, limit gun
purchases to one per month, and require sales of guns by private
parties to be recorded by licensed gun dealers… (Massachusetts is a
stranger state than I thought – they don't appear to have much of a
separation between the executive and legislative branches if the
governor can file legislation.)
http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2009/05/gov_patrick_fil.html
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California Ammo Bill Tabled: One of the worst pieces of anti-gun owner
legislation in a number of years effectively has been tabled by the
California legislature when Los Angeles Democratic Assemblyman Kevin
De Leon's AB962 was put in the Suspense File by the Assembly
Appropriations Committee on Wednesday this week. While the bill can be
revived, it is likely dead for this year. The bill would have stopped
the private transfer of more than 50 rounds of ammunition per month
between individuals or by stores to individuals. It would have
licensed and taxed anyone selling ammunition commercially and forced
these stores to get background checks on anyone selling ammunition. It
would have required a thumbprint from anyone buying handgun ammunition
(and a costly bureaucracy to manage those thumbprints) and it would
have banned all mail-order ammunition sales…
http://www.sbsun.com/sports/ci_12323443
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Another Test for Open Carry in Wisconsin: Four teens knocked a
42-year-old Racine man from his bike Friday night. He thought they
were going to rob him. The man pulled a Smith and Wesson revolver from
his side holster, pointed it at the sky and yelled, "Gun!" The four
suspects ran, and the man flagged down a Racine police officer. The
incident will perhaps mark the first time a new opinion allowing open
carry of firearms is put to the test here, as it conflicts with
another state statute that makes it illegal to possess a gun within
1,000 feet of a school, if not on private property… (Four against one
is clearly a disparity of force that should justify the display or use
of the firearm. The issue appears to be one of a gun-free school zone.
Under federal law, this point would be moot if the possessor held a
state-issued carry permit but there is no such thing in Wisconsin.)
http://journaltimesonline.com/articles/2009/05/05/local_news/doc4a00cc4767cb9957429120.prt
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Oops, Wrong House: An armed burglary that ended with a homeowner's
brother fatally shooting a suspect was preceded by a rash of similar
crimes in the area, deputies said… When Chris Derocher, who was away
from home, arrived, he noticed his garage window was damaged and a
motion-sensor light inside the garage was turned on, deputies said.
Chris Derocher and his brother, who was armed with a handgun, opened
the garage door and found the two men inside, deputies said. One of
the suspects, Terry Hayes, 34, brandished the BB gun at the men, and
Bryan Derocher fired two shots, one of which struck Hayes in the
torso. Hayes died at the scene, deputies said. Hidalgo said Hayes' BB
gun was indistinguishable from an actual gun…
Germany to Impose More Restrictions: The German government has agreed
to curb gun rights, two months after a 17-year-old killed 15 people
with a pistol taken from his father's bedroom, according to press
reports on Thursday. The left-right 'grand coalition' has agreed to
present a series of measures to parliament in late May tightening arms
control laws, several dailies said… The proposals on the table
include banning paintball, a game in which players use air rifles to
shoot ammunition filled with paint at opponents. Lawmakers say the
sport 'simulates killing' and should be outlawed. The draft law would
also bar youths under the age of 18 from shooting high-calibre guns at
target practice and permit police to conduct checks at the homes of
gun owners to ensure their weapons are under lock and key. An
electronic registry of firearms would also be introduced along with,
eventually, biometric security systems to help ensure weapons are only
used by their rightful owners. In addition, lawmakers would introduce
an amnesty for owners of illegal firearms if they turn them in to
authorities.
http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/World/Story/STIStory_373650.html
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Be Careful with Multiple Purchases: A guy in Texas claims he was
visited by F Troop, with a request to inspect his gun safe and record
serial numbers, as a result of having made several purchases
(presumably from licensed dealers) recently. He implies that this is
related to Big Brother's push to curtail illegal transfers to Mexico.
This report is a forum posting so you will have to make your own
assessment of the accuracy. Note, however, the comments counseling
against making two purchases from the same dealer within the same
week.
