by permission from Stephen P. Wenger
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http://www.spw-duf.info
From CCRKBA: The appointment of anti-gun rights former Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels as an alternate representative to the United Nations has removed any doubt about the Obama administration's intentions regarding global gun control initiatives, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said today. Nickels, a founding member of Mayors Against Illegal Guns and the author of Seattle's failed attempt to override Washington's state firearms preemption statute, was sworn in Wednesday to "help represent the United States in the UN assembly," according to the Seattle Times. "Putting an extremist gun banner in any position to represent this country at the United Nations amounts to renting a billboard for advertising against the Second Amendment," said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb. "While he was Seattle's mayor, Greg Nickels supported every anti-gun scheme put forth by Washington CeaseFire, the Northwest's most active gun prohibition lobby…"
http://www.ccrkba.org/?p=2488
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NRA – Caught in the Crossfire: In a ritual as predictable as hunting season, it's another election year and people are once again gunning for the National Rifle Association. Only this time the powerful gun-rights group and bête noire of the left is taking friendly fire -- from activists on the right who are growing increasingly impatient with the NRA for taking stands at odds with the rest of the conservative movement. I'm beside myself," veteran conservative leader Richard Viguerie told TAS. "It's really sad. The NRA's leadership has become part of the problem in Washington." While Viguerie's tone is more in sorrow than in anger, Erick Erickson of the popular conservative blog RedState has emerged as scathing critic of the NRA, calling it "a weak little girl of an organization." …What irks these conservatives is the sense that the mighty NRA – a 4 million-member, $307 million organization – has become too pragmatic in the use of its power: too willing to compromise with Democrats, too cautious in its approach to Second Amendment litigation, too slow to oppose liberal judicial nominees, and too willing to settle for a place at the table in liberal-occupied Washington…
http://spectator.org/archives/2010/09/17/caught-in-the-crossfire
---
Congressmen Seek Protection of Veterans' RKBA: Congressman John Boozman is taking action after he says the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs mistreated a local veteran. The VA declared Purple Heart recipient Wayne Irelan of Lavaca incompetent and took away his license to carry a weapon. The VA declared him incompetent because Irelan's wife handles the family finances Thursday Congressman Boozman filed legislation that would force a judge to declare someone incompetent, not the VA. "The VA arbitrarily turns these folks over to the FBI, and then they yank their ability to have their Second Amendment rights," Boozman said. "So these individuals are not; just because you're having trouble with your finances doesn't mean you're incapable of owning a fire arm and going hunting and things like that, which are very, very important to many of these individuals." Congressman Boozman says he hope the legislation is passed by the end of the month. (While the VA may have placed Irelan in a database that resulted in the revocation of his carry permit, that revocation was actually done by the Arkansas State Police.)
http://www.kfsm.com/news/elections/kfsm-news-boozman-veteran-bill,0,335121.story
The House Veterans Affairs Committee Wednesday approves H.R. 2547, authored by Moran in May 2009, to protect the Second Amendment rights of veterans. The bill would change the Veteran Affair's current practice of revoking the gun rights of veterans and their families if they receive assistance in managing their finances… The VA's current practice labels veterans who have a fiduciary appointed to act on their behalf financially are labeled "mentally defective" and are reported to the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). Being listed on the NICS prevents veterans from owning or purchasing a firearm. According to Moran's office, since 1998, more than 117,000 veterans and members of veterans' families have been reported to the NICS because they have a fiduciary appointed on their behalf. The legislation was approved as an amendment to a veteran benefits measure. The bill is supported by the National Rifle Association and Gun Owners of America. (Jerry Moran currently represents Kansas in the House of Representatives but is running for the Seante.)
http://www.morningsun.net/news/kansas/x1470551059/Morans-legislation-approved-by-committee
---
Campus Carry for Texas?: Gun shots. Screaming. Chaos. Things no student, staff or faculty member ever wants to encounter within the classroom at any university. Yet, are institutions of higher education across the country really doing their students and faculty any favors by banning licensed students and staff from carrying on campus? … Texas is still behind the curve in allowing its students who are licensed to carry on campus, but came closer in February 2009, when a bill was introduced during the 81st legislative session, calling for campuses to allow concealed handgun carry. SCCC said that Senator Jeff Wentworth (R-San Antonio) introduced bill 1164 on Feb. 26, 2009. The bill left the State Affairs Committee and passed the Senate by a vote of 20-11. The bill was then sent back to the House Calendars Committee but ultimately died due to the lengthy Democratic filibuster in the Texas House over the Voter ID bill. Despite this setback, debates are still going on today at many campuses, even progressing to "empty holster protests," originally coined by the SCCC, in which students wear empty gun holsters in protest of the concealed handgun ban. Currently, Utah is the only state allowing licensed handgun owners to carry on campus at its nine public universities. With any luck, Texas will eventually follow suit – allowing students and faculty to equally defend themselves in a crisis situation and put their lives back in their own hands.
http://www.therambler.org/opinions/concealed-carry-makes-safety-personal-1.2332092
---
Local Gun Ban Violates Alabama Law: …Last Tuesday at the Auburn City Council meeting, Auburn resident Donald Sirois complained that there is a discrepancy between state and city laws concerning carrying concealed weapons onto city property. Currently, according to section 13-12 of Auburn's city code, weapons of any kind, whether permitted or not, are banned from city property. Sirois, a member of the NRA, said the ordinance violates the state's pre-emption law, which states, "The entire subject matter of handguns is reserved to the State Legislature." This means a city government cannot make a law concerning handguns that is more specific than state law, Sirois said. Sirois said there are signs in front of certain municipal buildings, such as recreation centers and the City Council chamber. The state code does not specify whether handguns are allowed in municipal facilities…
http://www.theplainsman.com/view/full_story/9537583/article-Concealed-carry-laws-create-controversy?instance=home_news_1st_right
---
Pro-RKBA California Legislator Indicted: A Los Angeles County grand jury on Thursday unsealed an eight-count felony indictment against state Sen. Roderick Wright (D- Inglewood), accusing him of filing a false declaration of candidacy, voter fraud and perjury beginning in 2007, when he changed his voter registration to run for the Legislature. Wright listed as his residence a home in the district he wanted to represent, but county authorities allege that he did not live there as required by state law. The indictment also alleges that Wright fraudulently voted in five elections in 2008 and 2009… Wright, who won the Senate post after a bitter primary battle with former Rep. Mervyn M. Dymally, has long been a fixture in area politics. He was a district administrator for Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles) before being elected to the state Assembly in 1996, serving six years before term limits forced him out in 2002… (When he was an assemblyman representing South L.A., Wright offered free firearm training to his gun-owning constituents. He sponsored a few bills supported by the California Rifle and Pistol Association, including one that would have compensated owners of unfairly confiscated SKS rifles with detachable magazines – a situation that arose due to an error by the state attorney general.)
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-rod-wright-20100917,0,941559.story
---
Discrediting the Man Shot by LVMPD: …Much of the new information about Scott comes from police reports and divorce papers that recently have come to light. It's notable, however, that in none of the incidents was Scott ever convicted of any crime. The most recent incident was chronicled by Scott himself in a March 13 report to Las Vegas Animal Control. Scott said that he was bitten four days earlier by a "pit bull-type mix" near his Summerlin apartment and that he suffered two lacerations on his right leg. In his report, Scott wrote that he had a .45-caliber handgun, which he had a license to conceal and carry, and that he had pulled it out "for protection." He said he saw the dog's owner "hurrying to collar and leash" it. The owner later apologized, Scott wrote. On March 14, an animal-control officer contacted the dog owner's wife and later wrote that she "was upset because (Scott) had pulled a gun on her dog and her husband." The officer advised her to file a police report and then quarantined her chocolate lab when she could not provide proof of rabies vaccination or a license. The next day, the dog owner told police that Scott had pointed a gun at him and said, "Your (sic) lucky I didn't (expletive) kill your dog." A police officer wrote up a report, but no charges were ever filed against Scott. The dog owner could not be reached for comment for this article. Two short marriages produced two written allegations of domestic violence… Las Vegas police have not released toxicology reports that would confirm or disprove Gorzoch's allegation of Scott's drug use. Bill Scott said he knew nothing of steroid use but confirmed his son was being treated with legal human growth hormones at a Las Vegas-area clinic… (None of this is likely to have been known to the officers on the scene. Until I see further facts, the ultimate issue appears to have been that Scott moved a hand in the direction of a pistol in his waistband. Regardless of his alleged intent to disarm himself, in the heat of the moment that appears to have been seen as a threat.)
http://www.lvrj.com/news/darker-details-come-to-light-102608619.html?ref=619
A recent 8 News NOW-Las Vegas Review-Journal poll suggests the majority of southern Nevadans don't have much faith in the coroner's inquest process. As a result, local leaders are talking reform again. This is not the first time public opinion has prompted reform. In 2006, the controversial shooting death of 17-year-old murder suspect Suave Lopez lead to a formal review of the coroner's inquest process. Recommendations were made, public hearings were held, and changes were implemented. But in the words of one participant, if we're still taking about it the reform fell short… Four years and 44 police shootings separate Suave Lopez from Erik Scott – the latest catalyst for change. Metro officers killed Scott earlier this summer in a Summerlin Costco. While the status quo will govern his inquest, Young and Lichtenstein hope future proceedings may take a different shape…
http://www.8newsnow.com/Global/story.asp?S=13162097
---
Rule One, Rule Two Reminder: Authorities in St. Joseph [MO] are investigating after a police officer was shot and killed by another officer in an accident during a training exercise on Wednesday afternoon. Officer Dan De Kraai, 35, and a five-year veteran of the St. Joseph Police Department, was accidentally shot in the back and killed by a fellow officer during the training exercise at an empty school building in the 1900 block of 12th Street in St. Joseph… Connally says that officers had just finished training inside the empty school when the shooting happened. "During training they do not carry live rounds," said Connally. "These particular officers had gone on a break and usually when they do go on break, they usually do go back to live rounds… It appears to be a demonstration done between the two officers," said Connally, who says that his department is investigating the shooting, which they have ruled to be accidental. But Connally admits that standard protocols were not followed by the officers. "Working in situations like this we usually have a motto, 'Check once, check twice, check a third time'," said Connally. "That protocol is in place to keep this from accidentally happening. Something like this, when it's not followed, you have a tragedy like we're dealing with today." (Rule One: All firearms are always loaded. Rule Two: Never let the muzzle cross anything you're not prepared to shoot. Force-on-force training should be conducted with dedicated guns that cannot handle live ammo and needs to have monitors to ensure that no live weapons enter the scenario.)
http://www.fox4kc.com/news/wdaf-story-st-joseph-police-shooting-accident-091510,0,7988720.story
---
Rule Five Reminder: The 3-year-old son of a Clark County [WA] Sheriff's detective died early today after he accidentally shot himself in the head a few hours earlier, according to a news bulletin issued by the Battle Ground Police Department. Ryan Owens, son of Eddie and Kristie Owens, died at 2 a.m. His father was off-duty and home at the time. It is unclear how the child obtained the gun. Officials say the gun was not Owens' service weapon, which is required to be kept in a lock box when at home. The shooting was first reported at about 10 p.m. Tuesday at their home in the 800 block of Southeast 11th Street in Battle Ground. The boy was treated at Legacy Emanuel Hospital in Portland, but died about four hours after the accident… The case is similar to one several years ago involving the death of a sheriff's sergeant's child. After that, Clark County Sheriff Garry Lucas issued the policy requiring deputies to keep their guns in a lock box. (Rule Five: Maintain control of your firearm. News media often misinterpret crucial details – it is unclear if the sheriff's department policy allows a deputy to wear his gun in a holster inside his own home. If it does not, that may explain part of why a personally owned firearm was not secured but not why it was not kept on the deputy's person. At 10 p.m., it may have been placed on a night table as the family prepared for bed. The department policy is vaguely described in the sidebar.)
http://www.columbian.com/news/2010/sep/15/boy-3-shot-head-bg-son-sheriffs-deputy/
Eighteen months after a high school massacre, the 51-year-old father of the perpetrator has gone on trial in Stuttgart accused of breaching Germany's gun law safeguards. Prosecutors allege that businessman Joerg K. left his handgun unsecured in a bedside cupboard, instead of keeping it locked away inside his weapons cabinet. His son Tim K., then aged 17, took the large-caliber Beretta pistol from his parents' bedroom, together with 258 bullets, and then shot dead nine pupils and three teachers at his former school, Albertville College, at Winnenden in southwestern Germany on 11 March, 2009. He fled in a hijacked vehicle and shot dead three passers-by, and finally himself, when located by police at a car lot several hours later…
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,6010850,00.html
---
Tangentially Related: Sept. 17, the day 39 delegates to the 1787 Philadelphia Convention signed and submitted to Congress (under the Articles of Confederation) a new constitution for consideration – used to be familiar to many Americans. But as the Constitution's authority has faded in our public life, its birthday has faded too… So what happened? The Constitution has suffered two blistering critiques, both of which undermine its integrity: First, the Constitution is outdated, no longer relevant for modern America. Second, it is racist and immoral because it offered protection for Negro slavery. Progressives leveled the first charge more than a century ago; the second became the battle cry of the modern civil-rights movement. Well-educated, well-intentioned, public-spirited men and women who wanted to advance justice, as they understood it, progressives and civil rights activists took aim at the Constitution. From their point of view, the greatest political good is "social justice," meaning an egalitarian redistribution of wealth coupled with an inegalitarian distribution of civil rights, all supervised by bureaucratic experts whose interest is, allegedly, the public good rather than their own. The Constitution, by this measure, is an impediment to justice and therefore bad…
http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Article/547553/201009161902/In-Remembrance-Of-Constitution-Day.htm
http://www.ccrkba.org/?p=2488
---
NRA – Caught in the Crossfire: In a ritual as predictable as hunting season, it's another election year and people are once again gunning for the National Rifle Association. Only this time the powerful gun-rights group and bête noire of the left is taking friendly fire -- from activists on the right who are growing increasingly impatient with the NRA for taking stands at odds with the rest of the conservative movement. I'm beside myself," veteran conservative leader Richard Viguerie told TAS. "It's really sad. The NRA's leadership has become part of the problem in Washington." While Viguerie's tone is more in sorrow than in anger, Erick Erickson of the popular conservative blog RedState has emerged as scathing critic of the NRA, calling it "a weak little girl of an organization." …What irks these conservatives is the sense that the mighty NRA – a 4 million-member, $307 million organization – has become too pragmatic in the use of its power: too willing to compromise with Democrats, too cautious in its approach to Second Amendment litigation, too slow to oppose liberal judicial nominees, and too willing to settle for a place at the table in liberal-occupied Washington…
http://spectator.org/archives/2010/09/17/caught-in-the-crossfire
---
Congressmen Seek Protection of Veterans' RKBA: Congressman John Boozman is taking action after he says the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs mistreated a local veteran. The VA declared Purple Heart recipient Wayne Irelan of Lavaca incompetent and took away his license to carry a weapon. The VA declared him incompetent because Irelan's wife handles the family finances Thursday Congressman Boozman filed legislation that would force a judge to declare someone incompetent, not the VA. "The VA arbitrarily turns these folks over to the FBI, and then they yank their ability to have their Second Amendment rights," Boozman said. "So these individuals are not; just because you're having trouble with your finances doesn't mean you're incapable of owning a fire arm and going hunting and things like that, which are very, very important to many of these individuals." Congressman Boozman says he hope the legislation is passed by the end of the month. (While the VA may have placed Irelan in a database that resulted in the revocation of his carry permit, that revocation was actually done by the Arkansas State Police.)
http://www.kfsm.com/news/elections/kfsm-news-boozman-veteran-bill,0,335121.story
The House Veterans Affairs Committee Wednesday approves H.R. 2547, authored by Moran in May 2009, to protect the Second Amendment rights of veterans. The bill would change the Veteran Affair's current practice of revoking the gun rights of veterans and their families if they receive assistance in managing their finances… The VA's current practice labels veterans who have a fiduciary appointed to act on their behalf financially are labeled "mentally defective" and are reported to the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). Being listed on the NICS prevents veterans from owning or purchasing a firearm. According to Moran's office, since 1998, more than 117,000 veterans and members of veterans' families have been reported to the NICS because they have a fiduciary appointed on their behalf. The legislation was approved as an amendment to a veteran benefits measure. The bill is supported by the National Rifle Association and Gun Owners of America. (Jerry Moran currently represents Kansas in the House of Representatives but is running for the Seante.)
http://www.morningsun.net/news/kansas/x1470551059/Morans-legislation-approved-by-committee
---
Campus Carry for Texas?: Gun shots. Screaming. Chaos. Things no student, staff or faculty member ever wants to encounter within the classroom at any university. Yet, are institutions of higher education across the country really doing their students and faculty any favors by banning licensed students and staff from carrying on campus? … Texas is still behind the curve in allowing its students who are licensed to carry on campus, but came closer in February 2009, when a bill was introduced during the 81st legislative session, calling for campuses to allow concealed handgun carry. SCCC said that Senator Jeff Wentworth (R-San Antonio) introduced bill 1164 on Feb. 26, 2009. The bill left the State Affairs Committee and passed the Senate by a vote of 20-11. The bill was then sent back to the House Calendars Committee but ultimately died due to the lengthy Democratic filibuster in the Texas House over the Voter ID bill. Despite this setback, debates are still going on today at many campuses, even progressing to "empty holster protests," originally coined by the SCCC, in which students wear empty gun holsters in protest of the concealed handgun ban. Currently, Utah is the only state allowing licensed handgun owners to carry on campus at its nine public universities. With any luck, Texas will eventually follow suit – allowing students and faculty to equally defend themselves in a crisis situation and put their lives back in their own hands.
http://www.therambler.org/opinions/concealed-carry-makes-safety-personal-1.2332092
---
Local Gun Ban Violates Alabama Law: …Last Tuesday at the Auburn City Council meeting, Auburn resident Donald Sirois complained that there is a discrepancy between state and city laws concerning carrying concealed weapons onto city property. Currently, according to section 13-12 of Auburn's city code, weapons of any kind, whether permitted or not, are banned from city property. Sirois, a member of the NRA, said the ordinance violates the state's pre-emption law, which states, "The entire subject matter of handguns is reserved to the State Legislature." This means a city government cannot make a law concerning handguns that is more specific than state law, Sirois said. Sirois said there are signs in front of certain municipal buildings, such as recreation centers and the City Council chamber. The state code does not specify whether handguns are allowed in municipal facilities…
http://www.theplainsman.com/view/full_story/9537583/article-Concealed-carry-laws-create-controversy?instance=home_news_1st_right
---
Pro-RKBA California Legislator Indicted: A Los Angeles County grand jury on Thursday unsealed an eight-count felony indictment against state Sen. Roderick Wright (D- Inglewood), accusing him of filing a false declaration of candidacy, voter fraud and perjury beginning in 2007, when he changed his voter registration to run for the Legislature. Wright listed as his residence a home in the district he wanted to represent, but county authorities allege that he did not live there as required by state law. The indictment also alleges that Wright fraudulently voted in five elections in 2008 and 2009… Wright, who won the Senate post after a bitter primary battle with former Rep. Mervyn M. Dymally, has long been a fixture in area politics. He was a district administrator for Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles) before being elected to the state Assembly in 1996, serving six years before term limits forced him out in 2002… (When he was an assemblyman representing South L.A., Wright offered free firearm training to his gun-owning constituents. He sponsored a few bills supported by the California Rifle and Pistol Association, including one that would have compensated owners of unfairly confiscated SKS rifles with detachable magazines – a situation that arose due to an error by the state attorney general.)
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-rod-wright-20100917,0,941559.story
---
Discrediting the Man Shot by LVMPD: …Much of the new information about Scott comes from police reports and divorce papers that recently have come to light. It's notable, however, that in none of the incidents was Scott ever convicted of any crime. The most recent incident was chronicled by Scott himself in a March 13 report to Las Vegas Animal Control. Scott said that he was bitten four days earlier by a "pit bull-type mix" near his Summerlin apartment and that he suffered two lacerations on his right leg. In his report, Scott wrote that he had a .45-caliber handgun, which he had a license to conceal and carry, and that he had pulled it out "for protection." He said he saw the dog's owner "hurrying to collar and leash" it. The owner later apologized, Scott wrote. On March 14, an animal-control officer contacted the dog owner's wife and later wrote that she "was upset because (Scott) had pulled a gun on her dog and her husband." The officer advised her to file a police report and then quarantined her chocolate lab when she could not provide proof of rabies vaccination or a license. The next day, the dog owner told police that Scott had pointed a gun at him and said, "Your (sic) lucky I didn't (expletive) kill your dog." A police officer wrote up a report, but no charges were ever filed against Scott. The dog owner could not be reached for comment for this article. Two short marriages produced two written allegations of domestic violence… Las Vegas police have not released toxicology reports that would confirm or disprove Gorzoch's allegation of Scott's drug use. Bill Scott said he knew nothing of steroid use but confirmed his son was being treated with legal human growth hormones at a Las Vegas-area clinic… (None of this is likely to have been known to the officers on the scene. Until I see further facts, the ultimate issue appears to have been that Scott moved a hand in the direction of a pistol in his waistband. Regardless of his alleged intent to disarm himself, in the heat of the moment that appears to have been seen as a threat.)
http://www.lvrj.com/news/darker-details-come-to-light-102608619.html?ref=619
A recent 8 News NOW-Las Vegas Review-Journal poll suggests the majority of southern Nevadans don't have much faith in the coroner's inquest process. As a result, local leaders are talking reform again. This is not the first time public opinion has prompted reform. In 2006, the controversial shooting death of 17-year-old murder suspect Suave Lopez lead to a formal review of the coroner's inquest process. Recommendations were made, public hearings were held, and changes were implemented. But in the words of one participant, if we're still taking about it the reform fell short… Four years and 44 police shootings separate Suave Lopez from Erik Scott – the latest catalyst for change. Metro officers killed Scott earlier this summer in a Summerlin Costco. While the status quo will govern his inquest, Young and Lichtenstein hope future proceedings may take a different shape…
http://www.8newsnow.com/Global/story.asp?S=13162097
---
Rule One, Rule Two Reminder: Authorities in St. Joseph [MO] are investigating after a police officer was shot and killed by another officer in an accident during a training exercise on Wednesday afternoon. Officer Dan De Kraai, 35, and a five-year veteran of the St. Joseph Police Department, was accidentally shot in the back and killed by a fellow officer during the training exercise at an empty school building in the 1900 block of 12th Street in St. Joseph… Connally says that officers had just finished training inside the empty school when the shooting happened. "During training they do not carry live rounds," said Connally. "These particular officers had gone on a break and usually when they do go on break, they usually do go back to live rounds… It appears to be a demonstration done between the two officers," said Connally, who says that his department is investigating the shooting, which they have ruled to be accidental. But Connally admits that standard protocols were not followed by the officers. "Working in situations like this we usually have a motto, 'Check once, check twice, check a third time'," said Connally. "That protocol is in place to keep this from accidentally happening. Something like this, when it's not followed, you have a tragedy like we're dealing with today." (Rule One: All firearms are always loaded. Rule Two: Never let the muzzle cross anything you're not prepared to shoot. Force-on-force training should be conducted with dedicated guns that cannot handle live ammo and needs to have monitors to ensure that no live weapons enter the scenario.)
http://www.fox4kc.com/news/wdaf-story-st-joseph-police-shooting-accident-091510,0,7988720.story
---
Rule Five Reminder: The 3-year-old son of a Clark County [WA] Sheriff's detective died early today after he accidentally shot himself in the head a few hours earlier, according to a news bulletin issued by the Battle Ground Police Department. Ryan Owens, son of Eddie and Kristie Owens, died at 2 a.m. His father was off-duty and home at the time. It is unclear how the child obtained the gun. Officials say the gun was not Owens' service weapon, which is required to be kept in a lock box when at home. The shooting was first reported at about 10 p.m. Tuesday at their home in the 800 block of Southeast 11th Street in Battle Ground. The boy was treated at Legacy Emanuel Hospital in Portland, but died about four hours after the accident… The case is similar to one several years ago involving the death of a sheriff's sergeant's child. After that, Clark County Sheriff Garry Lucas issued the policy requiring deputies to keep their guns in a lock box. (Rule Five: Maintain control of your firearm. News media often misinterpret crucial details – it is unclear if the sheriff's department policy allows a deputy to wear his gun in a holster inside his own home. If it does not, that may explain part of why a personally owned firearm was not secured but not why it was not kept on the deputy's person. At 10 p.m., it may have been placed on a night table as the family prepared for bed. The department policy is vaguely described in the sidebar.)
http://www.columbian.com/news/2010/sep/15/boy-3-shot-head-bg-son-sheriffs-deputy/
Eighteen months after a high school massacre, the 51-year-old father of the perpetrator has gone on trial in Stuttgart accused of breaching Germany's gun law safeguards. Prosecutors allege that businessman Joerg K. left his handgun unsecured in a bedside cupboard, instead of keeping it locked away inside his weapons cabinet. His son Tim K., then aged 17, took the large-caliber Beretta pistol from his parents' bedroom, together with 258 bullets, and then shot dead nine pupils and three teachers at his former school, Albertville College, at Winnenden in southwestern Germany on 11 March, 2009. He fled in a hijacked vehicle and shot dead three passers-by, and finally himself, when located by police at a car lot several hours later…
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,6010850,00.html
---
Tangentially Related: Sept. 17, the day 39 delegates to the 1787 Philadelphia Convention signed and submitted to Congress (under the Articles of Confederation) a new constitution for consideration – used to be familiar to many Americans. But as the Constitution's authority has faded in our public life, its birthday has faded too… So what happened? The Constitution has suffered two blistering critiques, both of which undermine its integrity: First, the Constitution is outdated, no longer relevant for modern America. Second, it is racist and immoral because it offered protection for Negro slavery. Progressives leveled the first charge more than a century ago; the second became the battle cry of the modern civil-rights movement. Well-educated, well-intentioned, public-spirited men and women who wanted to advance justice, as they understood it, progressives and civil rights activists took aim at the Constitution. From their point of view, the greatest political good is "social justice," meaning an egalitarian redistribution of wealth coupled with an inegalitarian distribution of civil rights, all supervised by bureaucratic experts whose interest is, allegedly, the public good rather than their own. The Constitution, by this measure, is an impediment to justice and therefore bad…
http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Article/547553/201009161902/In-Remembrance-Of-Constitution-Day.htm
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