Judge Grants Contempt Motion Against New Orleans: A United States District Judge in New Orleans has granted a motion to hold Mayor C. Ray Nagin and Police Superintendent Warren Riley in contempt for failure to provide initial disclosures and answers to discovery in a lawsuit filed by the Second Amendment Foundation. (This is still part of the struggle over the post-Katrina confiscation of legally held firearms.) http://www.saf.org/viewpr-new.asp?id=211 --- Bloomberg Should Change Course, Work With Industry: With a third departure from Michael Bloomberg's "Mayors Against Illegal Guns" coalition, and a warning from the Justice Department about conducting any further gun shop stings, the Big Apple mayor should change course in his campaign and work with the firearms industry, instead of against it, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said today. http://www.ccrkba.org/pub/rkba/press-releases/bloomberg_nssf.htm --- Giuliani vs. The Second Amendment: Joseph Farah takes Rudy Giuliani to task for his "doublespeak" about "understanding the Second Amendment." http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=54231 --- 2008 - "Gun Control" Candidates Need Not Apply: John Longenecker takes a longer tack in seeking to explain the RKBA to Rudy Giuliani and his political brethren. http://mensnewsdaily.com/2007/02/13/56281/ --- Guns OK At Off-Campus Virginia School-Board Meetings: School board meetings may focus on schools, but they are not school-sponsored events, and citizens don't have to leave their firearms at the door unless the meeting is held on district property. That was Virginia Attorney General Robert McDonnell's response to questions from York County Attorney James E. Barnett, who wrote McDonnell at the request of the York School Board. http://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-yorkguns,0,7870828.story?coll=dp-widget-news --- New York County Sidelines Pistol-License Bill: Westchester County legislators are abandoning - at least for now - a proposal to put county police entirely in control of pistol licenses...Under current law, a person seeking a pistol permit applies for one at the county clerk's office. The application is then sent to the county police for a background check before being referred to a judge for a final decision. http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070213/NEWS02/702130347/1018 --- One-Gun-A-Month Bill Introduced In New Jersey: New Jersey could become the nation's fifth state and the first in seven years to make it illegal for people to buy more than one handgun per month. Assemblywoman Joan Quigley, a sponsor of the legislation, represents Jersey City, which late last year adopted its own law making it illegal to buy more than one handgun per month, but it was struck down by a judge who ruled it was it pre-empted state authority. http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newjersey/ny-bc-nj--handgunlimit0213feb13,0,7500011.story?coll=ny-region-apnewjersey --- Armed Pilots Now Number About 8,000: ... Officially known as federal flight deck officers, these are the airline pilots who keep side arms handy to provide one more layer of security and a last line of defense... http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-sguns11feb11,0,7886570.story A Pilot Speaks Out: http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/article3542.html The FDO Lockable Holster: http://www.desantisholster.com/31l.html --- Utah Mall Shooter Was Bosnian Muslim: The 18-year-old gunman who killed five people in a crowded Utah shopping mall was a Bosnian Muslim refugee who was prepared to kill many more, say investigators. An off-duty police officer having an early Valentine's Day dinner with his wife was credited today with cornering Sulejmen Talovic, exchanging fire with him until other officers arrived to shoot and kill the gunman. http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=54247 Off-Duty Officer Had Pistol But No Spare Ammo: ...Burbank said the officer, who was carrying a sidearm but did not have extra magazines or equipment, sought the source of the shots and found the gunman, 18-year-old Sulejman Talovic, of Salt Lake City...(Times may be changing fast enough to where we need to re-think likely scenarios.) http://www.sltrib.com/ci_5218733 --- Oops, Wrong House: A 46-year-old Gary IN man who was acquitted on burglary charges in June has a new felony charge and a gunshot wound to his leg, all the result of an alleged theft at a Brunswick home earlier this month. (It is unclear if the homeowner intended to place his shot in the leg or pushed the shot low.) http://www.post-trib.com/news/254491,gcharge.article --- Adding Imprisonment To Injury: A 31-year-old Sheboygan WI man who shot himself in the foot with a rifle on Friday was charged Monday in Sheboygan County Circuit Court with being a felon in possession of a firearm. (Rule Two: Don't let the muzzle cross anything you're not prepared to shoot.) http://www.sheboygan-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070213/SHE0101/70213036/1973 --- NYPD Officers Sue Over Faulty Hearing Protection: A group of city cops who say they're going deaf from gun blasts on the NYPD's firing ranges finally have found a judge who will listen, the Daily News has learned. Last week, Bronx Supreme Court Justice Paul Victor rejected a bid to dismiss a lawsuit filed by eight police officers who allege that faulty protective earmuffs caused them to suffer serious hearing loss. http://www.nydailynews.com/02-13-2007/news/local/story/497068p-418958c.html --- From AzCDL: It was a long day with AzCDL volunteers testifying in three committees that all started at the same time. It was almost 8:30 PM when the last bill was heard and we could go home. However, it was worth it. Six AzCDL supported pro-rights bills were passed out of House and Senate committees on February 12, 2007. Information on these and other bills can be found at the AzCDL website: http://www.azcdl.org/html/legislation.html SB 1152 - (Amended) Passed the Senate Government committee by a 7-0 vote. Sen. Johnson's "Strike Everything" amendment completely replaced the subject and text of the original bill. SB 1152 is now a bill that prohibits the implementation of the REAL ID act of 2005 in Arizona: "This state shall not participate in the implementation of the REAL ID act of 2005. The department shall not implement the REAL ID act of 2005 and shall report to the governor and the legislature any attempt by agencies or agents of the United States Department of Homeland Security to secure the implementation of the REAL ID act of 2005 through the operations of that department." SB 1251 - (Amended) Passed the Senate Judiciary committee by a 4-2-1 vote. Strengthens the "public establishment or event" storage requirements: · Defines "secure storage" and "readily accessible." · Prohibits recording information about the weapon or individual. · If "operator" doesn't comply, they can't prohibit weapons. Since the new law became effective on 9/21/06, many of you have shared anecdotal stories about storage lockers not being available; data being recorded about you and your weapon; guns being tossed into boxes or bags; and downright refusal to store your weapon. Due to objections from law enforcement, NRA, and others, an amendment was passed in committee removing a CCW permit holder exemption and making an exception "to a public event where control of security has been transferred to the United States Secret Service pursuant to 3 U.S.C. Sec. 202." SB 1258 - Passed the Senate Government committee by a 4-3 vote. Identical to HB 2458, it would prohibit the Governor or Adjutant General from confiscating lawfully held firearms or ammunition during a state of emergency. SB 1629 - (Amended) Passed the Senate Judiciary committee by a 4-2-1 vote. If you are not committing, or attempting to commit, a serious or violent crime, SB 1629 reclassifies carrying a concealed weapon without a permit as a petty offense. Here is the exact wording of the proposed new language for ARS 13-3102.K: "Misconduct involving weapons under subsection A, paragraph 1 or 2 of this section is a petty offense unless the violation occurs in the commission or attempted commission of a serious offense as defined in section 13-604 or a violent crime as defined in section 13-604.04, in which case the offense is a class 1 misdemeanor." An amendment was passed in committee restoring language in ARS 13-3120.K not related to the petty offense proposal. HB 2458 - Passed the House Homeland Security and Property Rights committee by a 6-4 vote. Identical to SB 1258, it would prohibit the Governor or Adjutant General from confiscating lawfully held firearms or ammunition during a state of emergency. HCR 2024 - Passed the House Homeland Security and Property Rights committee by a 6-4 vote. Identical to HB 2458 & SB 1258, but is a legislative referendum that would submit a proposed constitutional amendment to the voters for approval. It would prohibit the Governor or Adjutant General from confiscating lawfully held firearms or ammunition during a state of emergency. The next major stop for these bills is a Committee of the Whole (COW) debate and vote on the House or Senate floor. We'll keep you up to date on their progress, and alert you when to contact your Representative and/or Senator to vote for these bills. These alerts are a project of the Arizona Citizens Defense League (AzCDL), an all volunteer, non-profit, non-partisan grassroots organization. Join today! AzCDL - Protecting Your Freedom http://www.azcdl.org/html/join_us_.html Copyright © 2007 Arizona Citizens Defense League, Inc., all rights reserved. -- Stephen P. Wenger Firearm safety - It's a matter for education, not legislation. http://www.spw-duf.info .