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http://www.spw-duf.info
Paradigm Shift?: When I first started sharing news items via e-mail,
some recipients complained about receiving links to some of the
left-leaning news sites that required registration (e.g., N.Y. Times,
L.A. Times, etc.) As you may know, traditional print newspapers are in
financial trouble and will be shifting increasingly to an internet
model. Recently, The New York Times announced that it will begin
charging for access to much of its site. I suspect that this will
eventually become the new paradigm. My question is whether list
members want to receive links to articles that may require payment to
view. I myself am inclined to limit paid subscriptions to those news
sources that more closely reflect my own politics. At this time, I
have no idea how much it would cost me to subscribe to sites such as
The New York Times. Your input may help me decide when I am faced with
the actual decisions.
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A Liberal Looks at McDonald: … In the city's attempt to preserve its
weapons ban, it proves too much, essentially urging the Supreme Court
to find that protection of the Bill of Rights and other fundamental
liberties against state infringement has no basis in constitutional
text or history, and is instead achieved solely by judicial
implication. To make matters worse, Chicago's brief makes common cause
with precedent that has been properly labeled by civil rights leaders
as "among the most misdirected in the history of the Court" and
celebrates a post-Civil War Court that looked the other way while Jim
Crow perpetuated decades of discrimination and violent rights
suppression. Accordingly, even gun-control advocates, who might
otherwise support the city's argument in this case, should think twice
about selling out substantive rights protection in order to protect
gun laws (especially when strong arguments, like those made by the
Brady Center and others, can be made in support of most gun
restrictions without undercutting the 14th Amendment)…
http://balkin.blogspot.com/2010/01/has-chicago-gone-too-far-in-defending.html
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More on the Scott Brown Victory: The national political landscape has
been (apparently) shaken by Republican Scott Brown's improbable U.S.
Senate victory over Democrat Martha Coakley in Massachusetts. Amidst
the cheering and congratulations, we gun owners need to ask ourselves
what this means as far as our right to keep and bear arms is
concerned… I don't want to rain on everybody's parade, but I think gun
owners will be right at this point to breathe sigh of relief but keep
their enthusiasm in check. True, we dodged a bullet, no question. But
how will Senator Brown now handle our trust? The thing I noticed about
his victory speech last night that most raises my concern is this: "I
go to Washington as the representative of no faction or interest,
answering only to my conscience and to the people." Only? Answer to
the Constitution, Mr. Senator-elect. If you do that, we'll get along
just fine… (Having made a small online contribution to the Brown
campaign, I was quite annoyed yesterday to receive two automated phone
calls from Brown telling me how grateful he is to John McCain for his
support and urging me to support McCain in his bid for re-election.
Politically aware Arizona gun owners have been trying to dump McCain
for years. As the saying goes, hope for the best but prepare for the
worst from this guy. I fear that using his victory speech to "tout"
his own daughters may be indicative of what we can expect.)
Arizona Sen. John McCain has enlisted high-profile Republican support
in his bid for re-election, including the GOP's man of the hour,
Sen.-elect Scott Brown, R-Mass. Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin,
McCain's running mate in the 2008 presidential race who remains
popular among conservative voters, also is expected to lend a hand:
She visits Arizona on March 26-27 to help McCain raise money and
campaign… McCain is facing Republican challengers Chris Simcox and Jim
Deakin in this year's Aug. 24 primary. Former Republican Rep. J.D.
Hayworth, a conservative talk-show host on KFYI-AM (550), also may
challenge. In anticipation of a possible tough fight, McCain has been
burnishing his conservative credentials… (So far, I'm supporting
Deakin.)
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/2010/01/21/20100121mccain0121.html
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GOA Endorses Illinois Senate Candidate: Gun Owners of America
Political Victory Fund is pleased to endorse Patrick Hughes for U.S.
Senate in the February 2nd Illinois Republican primary. Patrick
Hughes' commitment to the right to keep and bear arms is unwavering.
Mr. Hughes understands that gun prohibitions turn law-abiding citizens
into easier targets for violent criminals. Unlike his primary
opponent, Patrick Hughes does not support laws that treat people who
simply want to own a gun to protect their families like second class
citizens. The contrast between Patrick Hughes and his opponent could
not be clearer, as he is running against the most anti-gun Republican
in the U.S. House of Representatives… Mark Kirk has not only voted
consistently against your Second Amendment rights - he is an anti-gun
leader as well. In 2004, Kirk urged then-Speaker of the House Dennis
Hastert to extend the Clinton ban on semi-automatic firearms. After
its expiration, Kirk introduced his own bill to reinstate the gun ban.
In the current session of Congress, Kirk has cosponsored a bill that
will regulate gun shows out of existence and a bill to deny Second
Amendment rights to the hundreds of thousands of people on the
government's "watch" list… (As I recall, this is Big Brother's former
seat in the Senate.)
http://www.cdobs.com/archive/syndicated/gun-owners-of-america-endorse-hughes-for-u-s-senate,118649
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Legalize Guns, Lower the Homicide Rate?: More guns in law-abiding
hands mean less crime. The District of Columbia proves the point.
Reading most press accounts, one would be forgiven for thinking
Armageddon had arrived after the Supreme Court struck down the
District's handgun ban in 2008. Predictions sprung forth from all
directions that allowing more citizens to own guns and not forcing
them to keep them locked up was going to threaten public safety.
According to D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty, more guns in homes would cause
more violent crime. This has never been the case. Local politicians
enthusiastically embraced the 1977 handgun ban predicting it would
make Washington a safe place by dramatically reducing murder rates.
But they were as wrong three decades ago as they are now. A telling
story is illustrated by the murder numbers since the handgun ban and
gun-lock bans were struck down. Between 2008 and 2009, the FBI's
preliminary numbers indicate that murders fell nationally by 10
percent and by about 8 percent in cities that have between 500,000 and
999,999 people. Washington's population is about 590,000. During that
same period of time, murders in the District fell by an astounding 25
percent, dropping from 186 to 140. The city only started allowing its
citizens to own handguns for defense again in late 2008… (I will agree
that the Heller decision, which increased the number of lawfully owned
handguns in DC and may have taken the locks off some of the long guns,
certainly did not increase the rate of violent crime. I continue to
remain cautious about crediting it with dropping the rate of criminal
homicides, particularly since it did not legalize carry outside the
home. Crime rates are influenced by many factors and I think it's
risky to base RKBA arguments on them.)
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/jan/21/guns-decrease-murder-rates/
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Green Eggs and Hamm: (After the controversy over the Austin gun show
situation, perhaps a bit of humor is necessary to lighten the mood.
Regarding the hot-button topic of gun control, the following satirical
poem is a whimsical take on the Brady Campaign agenda.) …
http://www.examiner.com/x-2879-Austin-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2010m1d21-Ode-to-the-Brady-Campaign
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Ohio Restaurant-Carry Bill Heard in Committee: Yesterday, House Bill
203, the bill Ohioans For Concealed Carry drafted the initial version
of in conjunction with Representatives Danny Bubp and Jarrod Martin,
had proponent testimony before the Public Safety and Homeland Security
committee. This important fix would add restaurants to the current
exemption that covers class D retail stores provided the licensee is
not consuming alcohol… For those who don't know her, Nicole was being
terrorized by a stalker and obtained a Tennessee gun permit to carry a
firearm for protection. Unfortunately, it was while in a restaurant
that served alcohol that her stalker chose to strike. Nicole's gun was
locked in her car as mandated by Tennessee law just like Ohio's law
currently requires. She was helpless to stop the attacker as he shot
and killed her husband right in front of her. The testimony went very
well overall with Nicole's being called some of the most compelling,
relevant, and meaningful ever heard. We were very grateful to have her
there to speak. She serves as an example that this is not rhetoric and
that bans on self-defense while in a restaurant that happens to serve
alcohol can cost lives…
http://ohioccw.org/201001204764/restaurant-carry-hearing-recap.html
http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-2206-Cleveland-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2010m1d20-Testifying-for-gun-rights-in-the-Ohio-legislature
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Wyoming May Fix Reciprocity Blunder: Thumbs up to Senator Cale Case,
he has introduced legislation to fix the conceal-carry blunder from
earlier this year. SF 26 - Eligibility concealed weapons permit, will
fix what Freuedenthal's appointee decided was a problem. Ultimately,
WyGO / Wyoming Gun Owners supports legislation that lets anyone with a
permit from any state carry in Wyoming. If an individual has a
concealed carry permit from their own state, no matter what we
interpret from their state law, who are we to say they cannot carry in
Wyoming? Even if that state doesn't reciprocate, we must lead by
example. Also, can we say we should be able to carry anywhere in the
country only to restrict others visiting here? Certainly not…
Colorado State University Carry Ban Advances: The Colorado State
University System has released a draft of a proposed policy that would
ban weapons from its Fort Collins and Pueblo campuses. The draft,
issued Wednesday, provides exemptions for certified law enforcement
officers, military personnel and ROTC drill teams. It also allows the
CSU police chief to grant exemptions for educational purposes and to
people who face a serious threat, if they have a concealed-carry
permit. It would allow the CSU police to store weapons for employees,
students and visitors. CSU officials said suggestions on the policy's
definitions, exemptions, storage plans and timelines will be accepted
through Jan. 29. The CSU System Board of Governors will consider the
final draft at a meeting in Pueblo in February. (If this policy is
adopted as drafted, I wonder if we will see protests in which the
capacity of the CSU police to store firearms for employees, students
and visitors will be overwhelmed.)
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/22283991/detail.html
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Kids Need Firearms Training: When it comes to youth firearm training,
many Americans are fearful. Don't teach kids about guns, many urge.
Truth is that youth with guns get hurt because they don't know a thing
about them. In Western New York, thanks to the NRA's Eddie Eagle
program training in many elementary schools, children in grades one
through six are taught "If you find a gun, don't touch it, leave it
alone, call an adult!" Very effective! This 15-minute classroom
training is credited with saving hundreds of lives across the country
each year… There is help in the forecast. Thanks to NYS-DEC sponsored
youth hunting days in New York State and other states, trained and
safety-certified youngster numbers in the woods are increasing hunter
populations. It is a fact that young shooters and hunters have the
fewest number of safety related violations/incidents and firearm
accidents logged across the country. Kids today are keen on caution
when it comes to understanding danger and safety. Some older hunters
and non-hunting parents, need to learn about such facts and data! When
trained properly, youth do not violate the rules, not even close! They
know the law. They know about safety. They never shoot blind. They are
truly safe. High credits to these properly trained youth of today.
That's if you can get them interested! The big IF all needs to start
with the parents, so parents, it is up to you… (Eddie Eagle is a very
limited program. This was intended to reduce resistance to its use in
left-leaning schools, a tactic that has not proven particularly
effective. I'm glad to see that this article goes beyond Eddie Eagle.)
http://www.metrowny.com/cj_story.php?time_hash=6c76c947b53cba56cbe47e06929ccc17
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NRA Taking Youth Education Summit Applications: The National Rifle
Association is currently accepting applications from qualified high
school sophomores and juniors to participate in the National Youth
Education Summit (Y.E.S.) from July 12-18, 2010. Over 40 outstanding
students from across the United States are chosen each year to travel
to the nation's capital, where they participate in the weeklong,
educational opportunity. The summit encourages young adults to become
active and knowledgeable U.S. citizens by learning about the
Constitution and Bill of Rights, the federal government, and the
importance of being active in civic affairs…
http://www.ammoland.com/2010/01/20/nra-youth-education-summit-applications/
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Oops, Wrong Store: What happened inside a North Memphis [TN]
convenience store doesn't come as a surprise to most folks in the
area. In fact, they say the suspected crook got what he deserved…
Around eleven Sunday morning police say an armed, 17-year old boy
tried to rob Ben Call market. The robbery attempt failed when the
store manager pulled a gun and shot him. Nate Whitlock, a cab driver,
who frequently stops at Ben Call says you can never be too careful.
"You've got to do what you got to do. These people out here are
desperate," said Whitlock. The teen was taken to the med and is in
critical condition. The store owner didn't have anything to say about
what happened but Edward Howard did. "He didn't do nothing wrong he
was protecting his life and property." He says the area where the
shooting took place is plagued with crime and believes the store
manager's reaction was justified…
http://www.wreg.com/news/wreg-teen-shot-by-store-clerk,0,1499475.story
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Rule Four Reminder: The 13-year-old son of Republican gubernatorial
candidate John Oxendine shot and wounded a 59-year-old man Sunday
while hunting on a North Georgia preserve owned by a prominent
insurance executive with close political ties to Oxendine. The victim
was hit with 30 pellets in his right leg. Oxendine, the state's
insurance commissioner since 1995, was hunting with his teenage sons
at the Northwest Georgia Quail Preserve, co-owned by Delos "Dee"
Yancey III, who is CEO of State Mutual Insurance Co., based in Rome.
"I still believe in hunting and I still believe in guns," Oxendine
said Wednesday. "I still will hunt and my family will still hunt." On
Tuesday, when the Atlanta Journal-Constitution first learned of the
shooting, Oxendine's staff said only that Oxendine himself was not the
shooter or the victim. Oxendine said Wednesday that he did not
identify his son as the shooter because he wasn't sure until the DNR
report came out. The report says four hunters fired at the same quail.
Oxendine was positioned near his son at the time of the shooting…
(Rule Four: Always be sure of your target and what's beyond it.
Hunting upland fowl such as quail requires very quick responses to
rapidly moving targets and becomes much trickier as the number of
hunters increases. This may not be too dissimilar from a gunfight,
which is why most instructors recommend ammunition which is not likely
to penetrate beyond the intended target.)
http://www.ajc.com/news/georgia-politics-elections/oxendine-s-son-accidentally-279433.html
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Warning Shots, Again: Gunfire erupted during a robbery in a
Northwestside beauty shop last night. No one was injured in the
exchange at Diana's Beauty Shop, 7011 N. Michigan Rd., but the robber
escaped with $340, according to an Indianapolis Metropolitan Police
Department report. Shop employee Hendry Rodriguez, 23, Indianapolis,
told police that a gunman entered the shop at 7 p.m. and demanded
money. Rodriguez gave the man about $30 from his pockets and opened
the cash register for him. The robber then told Rodriguez to go into a
backroom while he cleaned out the cash drawer. When Rodriguez reached
the rear of the shop he pulled out his own gun, a Glock with a 14
bullets in it, and fired a shot into the ground to scare the robber.
The bandit fired one shot at Rodriguez, missing him, and ran out the
front door, according to the report… (All's well that ends well but
Rodriguez could have gotten himself killed firing that warning shot.
If he lacked the justification to shoot the robber at that point, he
should not have fired at all.)
http://www.indystar.com/article/20100114/NEWS02/1140482/Guns-fired-during-beauty-shop-robbery
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Some Cheese to Go with that Whine?: An Amtrak police officer is suing
the railroad, claiming it's liable for a woman who grabbed his gun and
shot him in the foot. Sixty-five-year-old James Bullard says he was
working at Philadelphia's 30th Street Station last March when he tried
to remove a disruptive woman from a McDonald's restaurant. He says she
grabbed his gun from his holster and shot him in the foot. In the
lawsuit, Bullard claims that he had a worn-out gun holster and that
Amtrak didn't provide a new holster when he requested one. Calls to
both Bullard and his attorney, Steven Lafferty, were not immediately
returned. An Amtrak spokesman declined to comment. (Rule Five:
Maintain control of your firearm. The integrity of your holster is
crucial to maintaining control of a handgun you carry. If it is
carried openly, the demand is higher, as is demonstrated in this
incident; I have always counseled that those who opt for open carry
need to use a holster with a minimum of one level of retention device.
Knowing that his holster was no longer meeting that requirement, this
officer's refusal to buy his own, after his employer failed to provide
him a new one, is reminiscent of deputies with whom I used to work who
argued, "if I needed that training, the department would give it to
me.")
http://townhall.com/news/us/2010/01/21/amtrak_cop_worn-out_holster_led_to_foot-shooting
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Legitimizing "Evil Black Rifles": If Jim Zumbo had the National
Shooting Sports Foundation in his corner a few years ago, he might
still be the hunting editor of Outdoor Life magazine. Zumbo was
literally driven from the temple after expressing discouraging words
in his web site blog about the viability of so-called "black rifles"
or AR-15-style guns as hunting firearms. Unfortunately, Zumbo
expressed his opinions just at the time black rifles were gaining
traction in the shooting sports world, and his comments touched off a
firestorm of protests… It is to reduce the likelihood of such faux pas
that the NSSF announced here at the SHOT Show an ongoing effort to
educate shooting sports enthusiasts about black rifles,
euphemistically termed "modern sporting rifles" by the organization
and its members that manufacture the firearms. Hopefully, what such
traditionalists as Zumbo will learn from the project will rub off on
the general public, though the process of osmosis might be unclear at
this point…
http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/hunting/news/story?id=4843094
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Colt Waffles on Double-Action Revolvers: … A Colt exec told me that
rumors of a new double action revolver from this fabled old company
are false…for now. He indicated, however, that both plans and
equipment are in place for this to happen, somewhere down the road.
My fellow gun writer Wiley Clapp was at the Colt booth, justifiably
proud that he had convinced the company to bring out a Series '70-type
Lightweight Commander .45, a popular model that hasn't been offered
since the early '80s… (I have maintained for years that a business
professor could offer at least a year's worth of courses on how not to
run a business using Colt as a case study. Almost everyone else in the
industry has realized the renewed demand for concealable revolvers as
lawful CCW increases across the nation. Many people would love to get
six .38 Special rounds in place of five in a small-frame revolver.
Colt already simplified the manufacture of its Detective Special by
converting to coil-spring versions: DS II, SF VI and Magnum Carry.)
http://backwoodshome.com/blogs/MassadAyoob/2010/01/20/shot-show-day-2/
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Tangentially Related: The Supreme Court has ruled that corporations
may spend freely to support or oppose candidates for president and
Congress, easing decades-old limits on their participation in federal
campaigns. By a 5-4 vote, the court on Thursday overturned a
20-year-old ruling that said corporations can be prohibited from using
money from their general treasuries to pay for campaign ads. The
decision, which almost certainly will also allow labor unions to
participate more freely in campaigns, threatens similar limits imposed
by 24 states. The justices also struck down part of the landmark
McCain-Feingold [emphasis added] campaign finance bill that barred
union- and corporate-paid issue ads in the closing days of election
campaigns… The decision, written by Justice Anthony Kennedy, removes
limits on independent expenditures that are not coordinated with
candidates' campaigns… The case also does not affect political action
committees, which mushroomed after post-Watergate laws set the first
limits on contributions by individuals to candidates. Corporations,
unions and others may create PACs to contribute directly to
candidates, but they must be funded with voluntary contributions from
employees, members and other individuals, not by corporate or union
treasuries.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/21/AR2010012101724.html
http://townhall.com/news/politics-elections/2010/01/21/supreme_court_rolls_back_campaign_spending_limits
…The chamber, as well as the GOP-aligned National Rifle Association
[emphasis added], filed briefs in the case supporting the conservative
non-profit group challenging the rules, though so did the American
Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations or
AFL-CIO. The Democratic National Committee, however, in a brief filed
by then-DNC general counsel Bob Bauer, who has since been tapped as
White House general counsel, argued in favor of keeping the rules,
asserting that opening the door to more corporate spending in
elections would discourage the types of small donors who he contends
helped power Obama to victory in 2008.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0110/31786.html
…But the hundreds of comments the article received from readers - both
online and via e-mail - included surprises. Seems lots of people share
names with people suspected of being terrorists. My personal favorite
came from readers who pointed out that they have top-secret security
clearance. Yet they still cannot get through an airport without a
struggle… (Recall that there are those who would deny lawful firearm
purchases to those whose names appear on no-fly lists.)
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/21/mikey-youre-not-alone/
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