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As I'm Sure Everyone Knows…: A bitterly divided House of
Representatives late Sunday night passed the Senate's sweeping heath
care legislation 219-212 after a day-long debate, with not a single
Republican voting in favor. Thirty-four Democrats (see list at end)
voted against the bill, which House Speaker Nancy Pelosi summed up as
Congress "making history, making progress and restoring the American
dream." Having struck a deal earlier in the day to head off a small
but potentially decisive rebellion by Democrats over abortion funding,
President Obama reportedly watched the televised vote tally at the
White House with Vice President Joe Biden and several dozen others.
Wire service reports said cheers erupted in the room when the "ayes"
reached the 216 votes required for the bill to pass… (If this travesty
survives court challenges, it will have pushed the Constitution over
the precipice and our economy into the toilet. As I predicted, when
Big Brother was elected, Chicago machine politics have taken over the
nation. I understand that 38 states are preparing to sue.)
http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/63122
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Indiana Gunners Welcome Parking-Lot-Storage Law: For one, having a
fellow restaurant owner killed during a robbery scared him into
getting a permit to carry his gun. For another, witnessing a domestic
situation spill over into the workplace and leave a co-worker dead
scared her into ensuring everyone gets home from work safely every
day. The experiences of Mickey Skoulos, owner of Sunrise Cafe on
Beardsley Avenue, and Ariann Lawhorn, human resources manager at
Mid-City Supply Co. on Industrial Parkway, shape their views of the
"take your gun to work" bill that Gov. Mitch Daniels signed Thursday.
The new law, which passed handily through the Indiana General
Assembly, allows Hoosiers to keep firearms locked in their vehicles
while they are at work with exceptions made for places like schools,
daycare centers, prisons and shelters. Currently, Indiana employers
are able to set their own policies regarding guns at their facilities,
said Terry Dawson, partner at Barnes & Thornburg in Indianapolis. This
law, when it takes effect July 1, will prohibit businesses from
banning weapons at their work sites which is creating tension between
the Second Amendment right to bear arms and companies' right to
control the properties they own… (I apologize to any list members who
work in "human resources" but I always found HR to be the biggest
concentration of "dim bulbs" in all the years I worked for employers
large enough to have such departments. If existing law failed to
protect one of her co-workers, why does Ms. Lawhorn think the new law
will make things worse?)
http://www.etruth.com/Know/News/Story.aspx?id=508591
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Ohio Set CHL Record in 2009: Five years after it became legal for
Ohioans to carry concealed firearms, more people lined up for permits
than in any year since the law took effect. A record number of permits
also were issued in Michigan last year, and across the country sales
of guns and ammunition soared as well. While many cite the Obama
factor - some Americans feared the President would take away their
right to keep and bear arms - they also say the recession has prompted
security fears. "The economy is causing all these law enforcement
officers, whether they're police officers or sheriff's deputies, to
get laid off and people realize they're in a situation where they may
have to be responsible for their own safety," said Daniel White,
executive director of Ohioans for Concealed Carry, a pro-gun lobbying
group formed in 1999 to push for a concealed-carry law…
http://toledoblade.com/article/20100321/NEWS16/3210301/-1/NEWS01
Dean El-Joubeily couldn't help but replay his own face-off with a
gunman when he learned that a Toledo shop owner recently pulled the
trigger and injured a suspected armed robber, and two days later a
carryout clerk shot and killed a gunman. "It just made me a nervous
wreck," said Mr. El-Joubeily, 41, who now owns Deano's Mini Mart in
Springfield Township. Mr. El-Joubeily said that it wasn't long after
he was granted a concealed carry permit in February, 2005, that he
pointed the 40-caliber semiautomatic handgun hidden in the holster
under his shirt at a man trying to rob his former carryout on McCord
Road at Hill Avenue… Last year, 56,691 Ohioans applied for permits to
carry a concealed weapon - the most in the law's five-year history.
Owens Community College and Cleland's Outdoor World in Monclova
Township have increased instructional offerings to meet the demand.
Owens first offered monthly courses last fall for those seeking a
concealed-weapon permit but now offers weekly classes, said Mike
Cornell, director of the Center for Emergency Preparedness at Owens.
"We quickly realized we needed more," Mr. Cornell said. Cleland's has
doubled its firearms classes in the past two years and sees more
first-time gun buyers than ever before, said Theresa Cleland, who with
her husband co-owns Cleland's…
http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100321/NEWS16/3210302/0/BUSINESS05
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Meanwhile, in Upstate New York…: Sitting in my local barbershop
getting a trim recently, the conversation turned to the previous day's
activities. My barber, his wife and another hairdresser had made a day
of taking a pistol safety course in order to complete their handgun
license applications. The female hairdresser said she decided to do it
now "in case they made it illegal" to do so in the future. Apparently,
she isn't alone in this belief. In Columbia County, as well as across
the country, requests for pistol permits are on the rise, along with
gun sales and instruction. According to Columbia County Sheriff David
Harrison Jr., in the last three years, the number of pistol permit
requests and licenses actually completed have been growing in number.
From 2007 to 2009, the number of completed pistol applications has
gone up by almost 100, from 140 to 233. And this year, the numbers
seem to be even greater. So far, in less than three months, the
Sheriff's Office has handed out 115 gun permit applications and 53
have been completed, said Harrison…
http://www.registerstar.com/articles/2010/03/20/news/doc4ba45e28ccc51987679325.txt
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Open-Carry Event in Wisconsin: ICarry.org is trying to make Beloit
more beautiful by cleaning up two miles of Riverside Drive along the
Rock River. They're doing this while trying to raise awareness about
the right to carry guns. The pistols on their belts are there legally
because in Wisconsin, you can carry them on the outside of your
clothes as long as they're fully exposed. But it's illegal to conceal
them. In fact, Wisconsin and Illinois are the only states in the
nation where concealed carry is illegal. Open carry is actually a
great way to educate the public and let them know responsible law
abiding citizens do carry pistols for self defense, and it's becoming
a more regular and regular thing to see in Wisconsin," says Shaun
Kranish, Executive Director of ICarry.org. Carry.org is also trying to
get the Wisconsin legislature to overturn a law that makes it illegal
to carry a gun within 1,000 feet of a school. Organizers say too often
school shootings escalate because there's not someone armed and able
to stop the gunman. (Please tell me that none of those people actually
carry openly in the skimpy sort of holster pictured with the article.
I have rarely seen a holster begging more loudly for a disarming
attempt.)
http://www.wifr.com/home/headlines/88787587.html
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Canada Views US Open Carry: About 60 gun rights activists gather in a
pizzeria in the Virginia suburb of Falls Church, just outside of
Washington DC, their firearms openly displayed in waist holsters. They
are celebrating what they expect will be the successful enactment in
Virginia of legislation expanding gun rights for residents. Republican
Governor Bob McDonnell has pledged to sign the measure… As many as 43
states already have some form of open-carry laws that allow citizens
to carry firearms in plain view. "Gun laws (authorizing openly
carrying weapons) and popularity of gun ownership have been going up
considerably," said Philip Van Cleave, president of the Virginia
Citizens Defense League, carrying a .40-caliber semiautomatic pistol
strapped to his belt… In Virginia, where residents can already openly
carry firearms, the new law would expand gun rights to allow concealed
carry permit holders to bring loaded weapons into establishments that
have a liquor license, including bars, nightclubs, restaurants, pizza
parlors and bowling alleys… (I find the linkage, between open carry
and legislation to legalize CCW in Virginia establishments that serve
alcohol, kind of strange.)
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/rights+advocates+pack+heat+with+pride/2708583/story.html
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Aren't' They Forgetting Something?: Several local organizations are
teaming up to host a civil rights restoration workshop Tuesday at the
Quincie Douglas Branch Library, 1585 E. 36th Street [Tucson]. The
event, sponsored by the Primavera Foundation, the University of
Arizona's James R. Rogers College of Law and the Pima County Clerk of
the Superior Court, is from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Attendees will be
given one-on-one assistance with restoring civil rights, such as to
vote, run for office or serve on a jury, as well as help in vacating
or reclassifying convictions, when applicable, according to a news
release issued by Primavera. About 75,000 individuals in Arizona are
prevented from voting due to felony convictions, according to the
release… (This appears to be oriented toward registering more
Democrats. Conspicuously absent from this report is any mention that
Arizona will also restore the RKBA to those who have completed their
sentences for non-violent felonies and will even issue CWP's to those
who have had that right restored.)
http://www.azstarnet.com/news/local/crime/article_c3e743ba-35db-11df-a97d-001cc4c03286.html
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Attention, California Gunners: Our weekly poll on California gun laws
has come to a conclusion today. Over 600 of you voted. We thank you.
Almost 7 out of 10 of you believe the worst two California gun laws
are:
The "may-issue" concealed carry system should be changed to a "shall
issue" system. Almost 300 of you (44.4%) voted to end California's
highly discretionary system.
Another 167 of you (24.8%) say the so-called "assault weapon" ban should end.
30% of you spread your votes across 8 other laws you consider to be
the worst. The total number of people who participated in our poll was
over 650. As we said last week, this is a tough decision to select
only one. So, today have modified our poll to determine of the 8 other
laws, what do you consider the worst so that we end up with the top
three laws that California gun owners want changed. Again, as in last
weeks poll, you get one vote and one vote only, so make it count… (I
presume that these polls are intended to guide the efforts of the
California Rifle & Pistol Association, of which I remain a Life
Member.)
http://www.gunnewsdaily.com/index.php/article-archives/330-californians-we-want-a-shall-issue-system
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Oops, Wrong Hotel Room: I was surprised - shocked, even - to read last
week that Cook County [IL] prosecutors charged Kristian Branch with
first-degree murder. Police say the 28-year-old Elgin woman
accompanied her boyfriend, Mario Charles, Tuesday when he entered a
Schaumburg hotel room to pull an armed robbery. One of the intended
victims also had a gun, though, and shot back and killed Charles.
Illinois' "felony murder" statute says that if you commit a serious
crime that results in someone's death, you can face first-degree
murder charges even if you were unarmed or didn't directly cause the
death. The idea is that if a pair of punks stick up a bank and one of
them kills the teller, they're equally responsible. If, for example,
in the Schaumburg case, Charles had killed his intended victim instead
of vice versa, the law would say Branch ought to have known such a
tragic outcome was possible and so is just as guilty as Charles. It
violates my layman's understanding of the crime of murder - that it
requires intent to kill - but I certainly see how such a law could be
a deterrent to those contemplating capers in which lives could be lost
and could also be a valuable tool for authorities confronted with
co-conspirators all trying to implicate one another as the actual
killer. But here, no one was murdered, according to police accounts of
the crime. The victim killed Charles in self-defense. Charles paid the
price of crime and Branch, it would seem to me, ought to pay the
price, if convicted, of being part of an armed robbery team… (Sorry,
Eric, but that's precisely what a "felony murder" statute is intended
to punish, in those states that have one.)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/ct-oped-zorn-03-21-2010-20100321,0,51389.column
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Oops, Wrong House, Bahamas Version: A resident shot two would-be armed
robbers who were trying to break into his house, police revealed last
night. The incident happened at Assembly Estates, Firetrail Road, at
about 2pm yesterday. When police officers arrived they found a gold
Honda Accord car, licence plate number 221452, outside the house and a
man lying bleeding nearby. According to reports, two men - one
allegedly armed with a handgun - were attempting to break into the
house when they were seen by someone who lives there. One of the thugs
allegedly fired two shots at the resident, who then produced a
licensed shotgun and returned fire. This resulted in one of the
attempted robbers sustaining gunshot wounds to the shoulder and upper
back. He reportedly collapsed while attempting to flee the scene. He
was taken to hospital where he is listed as in serious condition. The
other would-be robber is thought to have also been hit. He reportedly
fled into nearby bushes and is being hunted by detectives. Police up
to press time were unable to release a description of the alleged
armed robber… (The Bahamas requires a firearms certificate or license
for the ownership of firearms and ammunition. Ownership or carry of
firearms without such license is punishable by either five or ten
years imprisonment, depending on the level of court in which the
defendant is convicted.)
http://www.tribune242.com/news/03202010_shooting_news_pg1
http://www.examiner.com/x-18149-SelfDefense-Examiner~y2010m3d21-Armed-Bahamas-resident-shoots-violent-home-invader-in-self-defense
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Another Look at Head Shots: A Niagara Falls man claims that on two
occasions he was just minding his own business outside a city bar when
he was shot in the head. Willie McTyere, 29, of Whirlpool Street was
taken to Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center with a gunshot wound to
his head after the shooting shortly before 11 p. m. Wednesday in the
parking lot of the Elks Sunset Lodge in the 3200 block of Highland
Avenue. He was transferred to Erie County Medical Center and then
discharged. "He had been shot just above his left eye, but it didn't
go through his skull; it was just a flesh wound," said Capt. William
M. Thomson, chief of detectives. Thomson said the victim was very
uncooperative at the city hospital and told police that he had "just
been minding his own business." …At 2:50 a. m. Jan. 23, police
responded to a report of shots fired outside Jo Jo's Smokehouse, a bar
in the 1400 block of Main Street. Thomson said that at the hospital
McTyere was found with a "hole in the top of his head" from a possible
gunshot wound that had entered the top of his skull and caused some
bleeding. He said McTyere had to be restrained because he was
uncooperative… (Head shots often look good on paper targets but fail
on the street. Where I've lived, shooting victims who refused to
cooperate from police typically got shot by intended robbery victims.)
http://www.buffalonews.com/2010/03/19/992564/man-shot-in-head-2nd-time-this.html
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Another Look at the US Sniper Upgrade: …Snipers have been asking for a
longer range weapon, but not one as bulky and heavy as the 30 pound
.50 caliber (12.7mm) rifle (which is good to about 2,000 meters). Thus
the army is modifying existing M24 rifles to fire the more powerful
.300 Winchester Magnum ("Win Mag") round. It was felt that this gave
the snipers all the additional range they needed, without requiring a
much heavier rifle. SOCOM has been using this approach since the early
1990s… There was another option, and that was to replace the barrel
and receiver of the M24 sniper rifles to handle the .338 (8.6mm) Lapua
Magnum round. Thus you still have a 17 pound sniper rifle, but with a
round that can hit effectively out to about 1,600 meters. British
snipers in Iraq, and especially Afghanistan, have found the Lapua
Magnum round does the job at twice the range of the standard 7.62x51mm
round. The 8.6mm round entered use in the early 1990s, and became
increasingly popular with police and military snipers. Some NATO
snipers have used this round in Afghanistan with much success, and
have a decade of experience with these larger caliber rifles.
Recognizing the popularity of the 8.6mm round, Barrett, the pioneer in
12.7mm sniper rifles, came out with a 15.5 pound version of its rifle,
chambered for the 8.6mm. But the U.S. preferred the lighter .300
Winchester magnum solution…
http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htweap/articles/20100322.aspx
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