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The Fort Hood Cover-Up: In their new report on the Fort Hood army base
tragedy, the Department of Defense (DoD) may have intended to provide
the public with an explanation about what happened and how to ensure
it never happens again. The report does indeed highlight the situation
quite clearly, and explains what we can expect in the future, just not
as intended… All the public hand-wringing and finger pointing is
designed to obfuscate the fact that the DoD plans to implement no
workable defense against future attacks like Fort Hood. From page 32:
"The Department of Defense does not have a policy governing privately
owned weapons." Recommendation? "Review the need for DoD privately
owned weapons policy." The magic answer: More gun control!
This is a curious response, considering that gun control was the
reason so many people died at Fort Hood. Their policy is obvious and
unchanged: The DoD requires enlisted staff to swear an oath to protect
and uphold the Constitution, but the DoD itself claims exemption.
Furthermore, the DoD expects enlisted staff to support
anti-Constitutional behavior by following and enforcing their
disarmament policy… (I believe that the remarks about enlisted staff
apply equally to commissioned and warrant officers.)
Then There's the Other Aspect…: Fear of offending Muslims or being
insensitive to religion was likely a key factor to why Army
supervisors missed signs that the suspect in the deadly Fort Hood
shooting rampage was a Muslim extremist, according to national
security experts… Dr. Zuhdi Jasser, a former military medical doctor,
said political correctness is a major problem for the military and the
government as a whole in dealing with Islamism. "The culture in the
military and the U.S. government is that you just don't touch
religion," said Dr. Jasser, president of the Phoenix-based American
Islamic Forum for Democracy. As a result, the military is ill-equipped
to deal with the threat posed by radicalized Muslims, he said in an
interview… Dr. Jasser said he fears that the Army will use several
officers as Fort Hood "scapegoats" although they were never provided
the training and directives needed to identify those prone to
conducting terrorist attacks… (I think there is a difference between
missing signs and overlooking them for reasons of political
correctness.)
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/jan/18/muslim-question-persists-in-army-shooting/
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The Rest of Illinois Also Awaits McDonald Outcome: …The Chicago area's
Democrats and the Springfield politicians who support them long have
kept gun-rights laws from advancing in the Legislature. State Rep.
Mike Tryon said that even when gun-rights bills – such as those
advocating concealed carry – had been proposed, they seldom made it to
the House or Senate floors. "We always have a concealed-carry bill.
It's just it never really gets a fair chance and a fair debate," said
Tryon, R-Crystal Lake. "If you can't get bills called for a good
debate and you can't get them called on the House floor for a vote,
they never pass." For Illinoisans, that means gun rights isn't just a
partisan issue – it's geographic. Consider the Pro Second Amendment
Resolution, which the McHenry County Board adopted with unanimous
support in April 2008. Ninety counties in the state joined McHenry
County in opposing the passage of any bills that would put limits on
the right to bear arms, according to the Illinois Pro Second Amendment
Resolution Web site. The resolution failed in Lake County, and
lingered at "undecided" in Cook, DuPage and DeKalb counties. The
resolution passed in almost every other county… (There are 102
counties in Illinois. Chicago is located in Cook County, which
encircles DuPage County on two sides; DeKalb is the second county west
of Cook.)
http://www.nwherald.com/articles/2010/01/15/r_jzimt4awqusipmdl3xgyuw/index.xml
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Pennsylvania Cities Ignore State Preemption: A number of
municipalities throughout Pennsylvania have enacted, or are
considering enacting, ordinances known popularly as "Lost or Stolen"
that impose a duty to report lost or stolen firearms within a
prescribed time period and set penalties for failure to make a report.
The justification for these ordinances is that they will somehow
restrict the flow of "illegal" firearms into their municipalities
and/or restrict straw-purchases. When asked how these ordinances will
work, one is met with a "deer in the headlights" stare. The
municipalities involved are being lobbied by gun-control
organizations, at least two attorneys, at least two PA legislators and
are being advised – at least in some cases - by their respective
solicitors to proceed with enacting such ordinances…
NRA AWOL in New Hampshire?: …Nappen tells me in correspondence: "The
NRA failed to show up for a gun ban bill hearing in NH... This bill
bans carrying of muzzleloading firearms, including ML handguns in
vehicles, (which BTW is currently legal and may be done without a
carry license.) The motor vehicle law has caused prosecutions of
target shooters (State v. Shaw), is a threat to modern handgun carry,
and the bill presented a golden opportunity to legalize carrying of
loaded rifles, shotguns in vehicles." I'd like to extend the benefit
of the doubt. Often times, sensitive discussions take place behind
closed doors and out of the public eye by those with access to
legislators. As much as I might demand otherwise for open government
(because, after all, nothing is being discussed that doesn't affect
the rest of us), I do realize this happens and we'll never be privy to
every deal…
http://www.examiner.com/x-1417-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2010m1d16-Where-is-NRA-on-New-Hampshire-gun-bill
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Georgia Sheriff Supports RKBA Bill: Oconee County Sheriff Scott Berry
doesn't know if someone breaks the law just by carrying a concealed
firearm while talking with friends outside a convenience store. That's
because current state law that forbids people with concealed weapons
permits from bringing those weapons to public gatherings is too fuzzy,
Berry said. "There's no clear definition of what a public gathering
is, and the truth is. we're not going to enforce a law that is so
poorly written," he said. "It's a serious matter to take someone into
custody on the basis of something that is unclear and poorly written."
Berry is among those who support proposed legislation that would
expand gun-owners' rights, allowing those with proper permits to bring
concealed weapons anywhere from bars to university classrooms to
church sanctuaries. "As it should be, property owner rights trump all
other rights," Berry said. "Maybe your church wants to ban (concealed
weapons) or not, but can't that be an individual decision for the
people in Georgia to make rather than the legislature? If the
University of Georgia wants to ban firearms, I don't think it needs a
state law to do that." … (Recall that the earliest "gun control" laws
were intended to deny blacks the RKBA. As a result, ambiguity was
often intentional, to facilitate selective enforcement,)
http://www.onlineathens.com/stories/011710/gen_550617756.shtml
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No Surprise Here: As it did last year when a similar bill was
introduced, the New Mexico Restaurant Association has expressed its
opposition to allowing concealed guns in restaurants that serve beer
and wine. As Executive Director Carol Wight wrote today in The
Independent Forum: "What if a customer comes into a restaurant with a
bulge at their waistline… How do we know it's not a gun? How do we
know they have a license? Do we ask? If they don't have a license
doesn't that put the server in a VERY awkward position? If they do
have a license, are we required to check it? We have been told that
the concealed carry permit does not allow a person to drink on
premise. How do we enforce that law? Do we need yet more server
training to enforce the gun laws in New Mexico?" (The answer to this
question is "no." If business owners take responsibility for their own
decisions to disarm their customers, instead of asking the state to do
it for them, they need only enforce their own policies, not state
law.)
http://newmexicoindependent.com/44535/nm-restaurant-association-opposes-concealed-gun-bill
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Reporter Attends CHL Course: Ed Strickland spends his days surrounded
by guns. While the career lawman and avid hunter might have one of the
best-guarded homes in Abbeville, the claim to fame he's particularly
fond of is his 10-year role as a concealed weapons permit course
instructor - a $65 "public service" he provides for about 20 residents
from throughout South Carolina each month. Strickland's class Saturday
attracted 19 people - 14 men and five women - of varying races and
ages. Some were in their 20s, while others were well into retirement.
Several identified themselves as victims of crimes, while some said
they wanted to avoid becoming one. One man said he was drawn to take
the course after he was shot during a home invasion and another said
he'd be one of the few people in his "rough" Greenwood neighborhood to
carry a gun legally… Aside from basic firearm safety, the main goal of
the concealed weapons permit course is to make sure students know how
to work their gun and can carry it safely, securely and concealed.
Strickland discussed the components of a gun and their functions
before moving on to holsters…
http://www.indexjournal.com/articles/2010/01/11/news/b0112%20account.txt
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California Student Gains National Attention: Gary Tudesko never
thought an early-morning duck hunt before school could turn into a
potentially explosive legal battle involving the Fourth Amendment, the
California Code of Education and federal "Gun-Free School Zone" laws.
But when the 17-year-old junior at Willows High School in rural
northern California stowed his and a friend's unloaded shotguns on the
back seat of his Chevy Silverado and went to class on the morning of
Oct. 26, it set off a chain of events that led first to Tudesko's
suspension from school, and, at the end of November, his expulsion by
the school district for violations of California Code of Education
mandates against possession of firearms on school property. Except
that Tudesko's truck wasn't parked on school property that morning,
and he never possessed a firearm on grounds belonging to the Willows
Unified School District…
http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/hunting/news/story?id=4832232
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Good Commentary from California: …As I started to write this piece, I
realized that during the past 230 years, words and definitions have
mutated into something that would be unrecognizable to our founding
fathers. Brilliant though they were, they could not predict how future
generations would define certain words and concepts. Where we use word
de jure slogans, the framers wrote in terms of underlying human
experience. If James Madison had lived today and realized that
nefarious elements in this country were challenging the right of
Americans to bear arms, he probably would have written something like,
"All citizens have the right to own semi-automatic guns, rifles and
ammunition - period." But he didn't, because that is not how the
framers thought - or wrote. Remember that when you're reading the
historic words that provide the foundation of this great country…
(Those who seek a more detailed understanding of what the Founders
meant are advised to read Stephen Halbrook's The Founders' Second
Amendment.)
Oops, Wrong House, Version 1: Police are searching for suspects after
a homeowner apparently shot an intruder who was trying to break into
his home. The Sacramento [CA] Police Department said one or two
suspects are still at large after the incident on the 7800 block of
Ann Arbor Way on Sunday evening. Two or three suspects hopped over a
back fence at about 8:30 p.m. and attempted to break into a home,
according to authorities, and a grandfather inside heard the commotion
and grabbed a firearm. He shot one of the suspects, according to
police. The injured suspect is expected to survive. None of the home
occupants were injured.
http://cbs13.com/local/sacramento.home.shooting.2.1432585.html
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Oops, Wrong House, Version 2: A man in a ski mask was shot by a
resident after he forced his way into an Indio [CA] home Saturday
night, police said. The suspect fled the home with a gunshot wound,
the weapon and an undisclosed amount of money after he confronted the
residents, a couple in their "60's or 70s," Indio Police spokesman Ben
Guitron said. The couple was transported to a hospital with minor
injuries… The suspect allegedly entered the backyard through a side
gate and smashed the rear glass sliding door, Guitron said. The
suspect ordered the residents to lie down on the floor, began
searching the residence, then scuffled with the husband, Guitron said.
During the scuffle, the wife obtained a 38-caliber handgun and shot
the suspect once in the upper torso, according to evidence the police
gathered, Guitron said. The suspect disarmed the wife and was
encountered by a neighbor who heard the commotion, Guitron said. The
suspect fled in a waiting vehicle, described as a red Ford Mustang
with a black top. A partial plate of 5PA was reported, Guitron said…
(While this is a very rare case in which a private citizen was
disarmed by an assailant, we can give thanks that the gun was not used
against the couple.)
Is This What's Wrong with So Many New Guns?: …Get a workable product
out the door and fix the bugs as you go along. That way you also get
valuable feedback about its strengths and weaknesses, for the market
doesn't likely agree with you about what's perfect… (This is from an
advice article for budding entrepreneurs but if this philosophy is
functioning in the firearm industry, that's downright scary.)
http://www.forbes.com/2010/01/07/new-business-mistakes-leadership-managing-innovation.html
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