No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.361 / Virus Database: 267.12.5/147 - Release Date: 10/24/2005 Nonsense From An Arizona Campus: A commentator from the University of Arizona fails to understand the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act. http://wildcat.arizona.edu/papers/98/206/03_2.html --- Just The Facts, Ma'am: An editorial writer in Texas attempts to point out some facts about the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act. http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/newssentinel/news/editorial/12991376.htm Related Commentary From Massachusetts: http://www.masslive.com/editorials/republican/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1129967201256470.xml&coll=1 ...And From California: http://www.appeal-democrat.com/articles/2005/10/23/columnists/editorial/view1.txt --- Bringing A Stroke To A Gunfight: A Missouri couple interrupt a burglary and prevail, in spite of the husband's recent stroke. Note (a) the failure to heed the cues that something was wrong inside the house and (b) the relative ease with which the woman disarmed the burglar, making use of the leverage provided by his use of a long gun. http://www.joplinglobe.com/story.php?story_id=210023 --- Rule Five Reminder: A Texas police officer lost his service pistol when his duty belt was stolen out of his parked pickup truck. Yet many legislators and governors prefer to force citizens to secure firearms in vehicles rather than carry them into venues where alcohol may be consumed. (Rule Five: Maintain control of your firearm.) http://www.kxan.com/Global/story.asp?S=4022388&nav=0s3d --- FEMA Revokes Gun Ban: Following complaints from RKBA groups and consultation with attorneys, FEMA has rescinded its ban on firearms at temporary housing that it provides hurricane victims. http://www.washtimes.com/national/20051024-115322-6301r.htm --- From SAF: FEMA REVERSES NO GUNS POLICY FOLLOWING SAF WHISTLEBLOWING The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) today reversed a policy of prohibiting firearm possession in emergency evacuee trailer parks - so-called "FEMA villages" - and other temporary housing provided by the agency. The reversal followed complaints by the Second Amendment Foundation that the original policy violated the Second Amendment civil rights of evacuees and that it was discriminatory as well. "Victims of natural disasters should not be victimized a second time by FEMA or other relief agencies," noted Alan Gottlieb, founder of the Second Amendment Foundation. "A citizen doesn't give up his or her civil rights simply because a disaster strikes." The issue first came to light when the News Hour with Jim Lehrer aired an episode about the opening of a "FEMA village" in Baker, Louisiana. In the broadcast a local official noted that guidelines for residents included a "no guns" policy. SAF immediately called the official, then tracked the origin of the policy back to FEMA. Following SAF's calling attention to the issue with several FEMA officials, the agency's legal counsel reviewed the policy and suggested the reversal. The FEMA action follows the successful lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court in Baton Rouge by SAF to prevent the City of New Orleans and nearby parishes from confiscating firearms and forcing the return of those already taken from Hurricane Katrina victims. "FEMA should have known better after the lessons of New Orleans." continued Gottlieb. "Protection of homes and businesses fell on the shoulders of private citizens as law enforcement and other emergency services were overwhelmed. We saw this in the Los Angeles riots in 1992 where Korean-American storekeepers guarded their businesses with firearms, as well as the protective use of privately-owned firearms to arm neighborhood patrols in the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew in Florida that same year. One of the purposes of the Second Amendment is to ensure that citizens retain the ability to provide their own security and family safety in the event of any crisis." --- From CCRKBA: BRAZIL VOTE SHOWS CITIZENS THE WORLD OVER CHOOSE FIREARM FREEDOM OVER FALSE SECURITY, SAYS CCRKBA BELLEVUE, WA -- Sunday's landmark rejection by Brazilian citizens of a proposed nationwide gun ban demonstrates that when given a choice, people around the world will opt for freedom and the security of personal firearms ownership over the false promises of government, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA) said today. "With nearly 100 percent of the votes counted, it appears that 64 percent of Brazilian voters opposed the idea of giving up their firearms," said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb. "History has demonstrated that when people are disarmed, they are at the mercy of predators who have no mercy, and governments that all too often oppress people rather than protect them from evil. "Take, for example, the views of taxi driver Mohammed Osei, who was quoted by CNN," Gottlieb noted. "When asked why he voted against the nationwide gun ban, he explained matter-of-factly, 'I don't like people walking around armed on the street. But since all the bandits have guns, you need to have a gun at home'." Gottlieb noted that the track record of Brazil's proposed gun ban was much the same as similar proposals here in the United States. Early on, polling suggested that the gun ban had the support of 80 percent of the population. However, as the election approached, that support began to evaporate, especially after both sides were given free air time on television to present their cases. "It never fails," said Gottlieb, "that when citizens are presented with facts instead of emotionalism and rhetoric, they choose firearms freedom every time. Brazilian citizens understand that you vote freedom away only once, and when you surrender it, through referendum or initiative, you never get it back. "The Brazil vote should stand as a lesson to global anti-gunners," Gottlieb observed. "The people they want to disarm through their global gun control efforts don't care to be left defenseless. Citizens who enjoy firearms freedom are not likely to give up that essential cornerstone of liberty. Gun banners, whether they roam the halls of the United Nations, or the streets of San Francisco, need to be reminded of that every day, and certainly on every election day. "The vote in Brazil was a victory for freedom," Gottlieb concluded, "and a strong message for those zealots who would take away that freedom." --- From NRA-ILA: Last week, the United States House of Representatives passed the "Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act" (S. 397) by a bipartisan vote of 283-144. The legislation now moves to President Bush's desk for his expected signature. I want to thank you personally for your dedication and assistance in passing this legislation. This is an enormous victory for all law-abiding gun owners, and it could not have been possible without your steadfast support. As you know, baseless lawsuits have been piled onto the back of the firearm industry since 1998. They drove up the costs of guns and ammunition, threatened to force our nation's police and military forces to source their equipment from overseas, and came chillingly close to eradicating our Second Amendment rights by forcing the nation's gun makers into bankruptcy. These lawsuits were pushed by an unholy alliance of the gun-ban lobby, greedy trial lawyers, and anti-gun politicians. They had the national anti-gun media on their side, activist judges who guided their absurd lawsuits around the obstacles of due process, and even had the gall to use tax dollars to push these despicable lawsuits. We had only one tool to fight back our vast base of grassroots supporters like yourself. And now, against all odds, we have achieved victory! But this mission isn't complete yet. S. 397 won't become law until the House and Senate formalize their passage of the bill and send it to President Bush for signature. When he does, it will be the law of the land but just the beginning of another phase of the battle. The gun-ban groups and their cronies in the courtrooms have vowed to fight this law, in the same courtrooms that have allowed their baseless lawsuits to proceed unchecked. They will search for the right judge and hand-picked jury, and they will attempt to have this law declared unconstitutional. The Brady Campaign has already announced its intention to challenge the law commenting "Congress can pass the bill, the president can sign it, but this shameful law will not stand." If they succeed, all of our hard-fought progress will be immediately undone. We must defend this law in every jurisdiction of the land. We must defend our gains from rollback. And we must continue our overarching mission, the defense of the Second Amendment, against new threats that have emerged. -- Stephen P. Wenger Firearm safety - It's a matter for education, not legislation. http://www.spw-duf.info .