Boy, That Must Have Hurt!: The New York Times is very upset that a Senate committee not only restored but strengthened the Tiahrt Amendment, barring cities, such as New York, from using BATFE trace data in their lawsuits against the firearm industry. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/02/opinion/02mon3.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin Tim Wheeler Comments: Tim Wheeler, director of Doctors for Responsible Gun Ownership, has some comments about the editorial in The New York Times and the prohibition efforts of NYC's Mayor Mike. http://www.claremont.org/blogs/blogid.5536/blog_detail.asp --- Racial Profiling?: In an article, whose goal appears to be enhancing the illusion that the Tiahrt-Shelby Amendments inhibit the actions of local law enforcement, The Washington Post discusses the cessation of BATFE harassment of gun-show patrons in Richmond VA. The "blanket" residency checks sought to verify addresses of gun-show buyers living in targeted areas. They were conducted mostly by agents from the ATF's Washington field office, which also handles investigations in parts of Virginia, including Richmond. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/02/AR2007070201654.html?hpid=sec-nation http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2007/7/2/212802.shtml?s=us --- NRA Meets With Pennsylvania Black Caucus: In a move reminiscent of the recent compromise on "NICS Improvement," members of the Legislative Black Caucus met with a National Rifle Association lobbyist for nearly an hour Monday in an effort to find a solution to the gun violence that has Philadelphia in its throes. http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/news_update/20070702_ap_blacklegislatorsnrameetovergunviolenceproblem.html --- Proposed OSHA Regulation Could Cripple Ammunition Industry: As written, the proposed rule would force the closure of nearly all ammunition manufacturers and force the cost of small arms ammunition to skyrocket beyond what the market could bear - essentially collapsing our industry... http://www.nssf.org/news/PR_idx.cfm?PRloc=common/PR/&PR=BP070207.cfm --- Drive-By Shooting May Have Been Sparked By Border Patrol Cap: Police in Colorado are investigating whether an incident in which five rounds were fired into a convenience store may have resulted from the fact that a clerk there sometimes wears a US Border Patrol cap. http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0%2C1299%2CDRMN_15_5612095%2C00.html --- Oops, Wrong Apartment: One of a pair of burglars who gained entry to an occupied Maryland apartment was stabbed in the back when he continued to struggle after being shot several times. (Note that while a couch may serve as an obstacle to an assailant with a contact weapon, it does not provide cover against most gunfire. Also note that if one prefers to keep a self-defense firearm with the safety engaged, one must condition the reflex to deactivate the safety when the firearm is brought to bear on a target.) http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2007/07_02-42/OUD --- Oops, Wrong Old Man: A 79-year-old Texas man was robbed at gunpoint as he exited his vehicle in an apartment parking lot. He opened the back door to his apartment and gave the robber a cup containing $242.50. When the robber announced his intention to kill him, the victim drew his own handgun and shot him three times, starting with a shot to the throat. http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/crime/stories/070107dnmetrobberyshoot.3223425.html --- Be Aware Of Suspicious Activity: Bruce Mandelblit's offers advice intended to help minimize the risk of terror incidents such as the recent attack on the Glasgow airport and the attempted car-bomb attack in London. http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2007/7/2/165956.shtml?s=lh --- Canada May Resist Increased Firearm Restrictions: A federally commissioned poll of "stakeholders" selected by the government to comment on potential changes to gun control found more opposition than support for tighter restrictions. In the wake of the Dawson College shooting rampage in Montreal last September that left one dead and 19 wounded, the Conservative government said it would still move to kill the long-gun registry, but promised to toughen screening of gun owners. http://www.thestar.com/News/article/231587 --- Arizona Governor Vetoes Gun-Storage Bill: Among the five bills Napolitano vetoed was one that would have allowed people to take guns into public events and buildings if the operator doesn't provide individually locked storage spaces for weapons. Napolitano said she vetoed the bill because its amendments to a 2006 law were "premature." She said that law, which requires operators banning weapons to provide storage places for them, has been successfully implemented so far. http://kvoa.com/Global/story.asp?S=6740083&nav=menu216_2 --- From AzCDL: SB 1251, which would have strengthened the "public establishment or event" storage requirements that were passed last year and capped CCW permit fees at their current level, and SB 1166, which attempted to make it clear that the legislature intended to apply the 2006 "Castle Doctrine/Burden of Proof" legislation to all cases pending at the time it was signed, were vetoed by the Governor on July 2, 2007. You can read her veto letters here: http://www.azleg.gov/govlettr/48leg/1R/SB1251.pdf http://www.azleg.gov/govlettr/48leg/1R/SB1166.pdf Lobbyists for law enforcement groups, state agencies, cities, and towns, not to mention their willing accomplices in the media, worked very hard to kill SB 1251. Notwithstanding their repeated attempts to derail the bill in the legislature, it passed out of the House on June 4th by a vote of 32-23-5, and it passed out of the Senate on June 18th by a vote of 16-11-3. On March 20th, SB 1302, which attempted to make it clear that the legislature intended to apply the 2006 "Castle Doctrine/Burden of Proof" legislation to all cases pending at the time it was signed, was vetoed by the Governor, despite strong bipartisan support in both the House and Senate. You can view the Governor's veto letter by going here: http://azgovernor.gov/dms/upload/NR_030207_SB1302VetoLetter.pdf On April 4th, a "Strike Everything" amendment was added to SB 1166 in the House Appropriations committee that substituted the language from SB 1302, as well as modifications intended to address the concerns stated in the Governor's veto letter. It passed out of the House on April 23rd by a vote of 32-23-5, and it passed out of the Senate on May 2nd by a vote of 29-0-1. Despite the bipartisan support in the legislature for both bills, and despite the tremendous outpouring of public support for both bills, the Governor decided to pander to the special interests aligned against these bills, and utilized her well worn veto stamp once more. You can express your feelings about the Governor's dismal track record on protecting your rights by contacting her with a polite message indicating your thoughts. Her email address is azgov@az.gov. You can also fax a letter to her at 602-542-1381. Or you can mail it to her at the following address: The Honorable Janet Napolitano Governor of Arizona 1700 West Washington Phoenix, Arizona 85007 You can also go to the Governor's website, http://azgovernor.gov/Contact.asp, where you will find a fill-in-the-blanks form to register your opinion. For "subject", scroll down and select "Legislation." For "topic", fill in "SB 1251 Veto" or "SB 1166 Veto." You can call her office toll free using this number: 1-800-253-0883 Information on these and other bills can be found at the AzCDL website: http://www.azcdl.org/html/legislation.html 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 .