CCRKBA Urges Comments on National-Park Carry: American gun owners, especially those licensed to carry concealed handguns, are urged to comment on a proposed Interior Department rules change that would allow concealed carry in national parks and national wildlife refuges. The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms supports this rule change. "Citizens do not leave their right of self-defense at the gates of a national park or the boundary of a wildlife refuge," said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb, co-author of America Fights Back: Armed Self-Defense in a Violent Age. "Millions of Americans legally carry concealed for personal protection, and contrary to the rhetoric of anti-gunners, parks and refuges are not immune to crime. http://www.ccrkba.org/pub/rkba/press-releases/parks.carry.rule.change.htm --- Ask Georgia Governor to Sign CCW-Reform Bill: ...Also a new reason to urge the Governor to sign HB 89 is that the Department of the Interior has now published a proposed rule change for the National Park Service to allow concealed carry in National Parks and Wildlife Refuges as long as the state allows carry in their own parks and refuges. Since HB 89 would allow GFL holders to carry in State Park, then the only thing needed is for Gov. Perdue to sign HB 89 for GFL holders to be able to carry in National Parks when the proposed rule change goes into effect... http://www.georgiacarry.org/cms/2008/04/30/more-letters-and-reasons-to-gov-perdue-urging-him-to-sign-hb-89/ Related Commentary: http://www.ajc.com/opinion/content/opinion/stories/2008/05/02/nraed.html --- Louisiana Campus-Carry Bill Approved by House Committee: Legalizing permitted handguns on college campuses took its first major step toward approval Thursday after three hours of debate in a legislative committee. Gun advocates, faculty, students and college police chiefs lined up on all sides of the controversial issue that has arisen in the wake of campus shootings nationwide, including at LSU and Baton Rouge's Louisiana Technical College. House Bill 199 by Rep. Ernest Wooten, R-Belle Chasse, was approved in an 11-3 vote in the House Criminal Justice Committee. HB199 next moves to debate in the full House. http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/18477219.html http://media.www.lsureveille.com/media/storage/paper868/news/2008/05/02/News/Concealed.Handgun.Carry.Bill.Approved-3362246.shtml --- Ohio Residency Requirement Nearly Costs Soldier CHL: Four years after Ohio began issuing permits to carry concealed handguns, some questions remain: for instance, whether cities can ban the weapons in city parks or if permit-holders' names should be public. But there is an even more basic one, which Army Capt. John Pritchard ran smack into: Ohio will issue the permits only to residents of the state, but what does it mean to be an Ohio resident? The answer, apparently, is "It depends." http://www.columbusdispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2008/05/01/army_guns.ART_ART_05-01-08_B3_NSA3351.html?sid=101 --- Inventory of Seized Guns Listed in The Wall Street Journal: ...This is extremely frustrating to cover because of the limited statements mandated by Cavalry Arms' attorneys, although imagine the frustration they are going through. How in the world is BATFU able to legally take and dispose of property without a judgment? I understand seizures for evidence, but this is outside of anything I have ever seen, and I welcome comments from those with an understanding of the "Always Think Forfeiture" process... http://waronguns.blogspot.com/2008/05/seized-cavalry-arms-inventory-in-wsj.html --- Oops, Wrong House: Jon Sokol wasn't trying to be a hero when he confronted a burglary suspect who had brazenly broken through the front door of his home in St. Paul..."As I stepped around the corner, he hit me ... right between the eyes," Sokol said. "And I fired the gun. "Down on the ground he went and I insisted, in a not very nice way, that he not move," he said. "I held him at gunpoint until the police arrived." ...According to the criminal complaint, Spencer feigned "unconsciousness, but finally responded ... that he had not been shot" after police arrived at 5 a.m. Wednesday at the Sokols' home in the 1400 block of Carroll Avenue. (All's well that ends well but this case illustrates why it's wiser to hole up in a designated safe room and wait for police to arrive.) http://www.startribune.com/local/stpaul/18472794.html --- Rule Two, Rule Three Reminder: A Concord (NH) police officer was shot in the chest by another officer yesterday morning while on duty but suffered only minor injuries because he was wearing a bulletproof vest, according to the state attorney general's office. The shooting happened at 4:30 a.m. inside the Granite State Credit Union building on Sheep Davis Road. Four Concord police officers were inside the bank, which is under construction, when one officer's handgun discharged and hit another officer in the chest, said Senior Assistant Attorney General Jeff Strelzin. (Rule Two: Don't let the muzzle cross anything you're not prepared to shoot. Rule Three: Keep your finger out of the trigger guard, up on the frame, until your sights are on the target and you're prepared to fire.) http://www.concordmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080502/FRONTPAGE/805020404&template=single --- Collector Killed with Antique Cannonball: Like many boys in the South, Sam White got hooked on the Civil War early, digging up rusting bullets and military buttons in the battle-scarred earth of his hometown. As an adult, he crisscrossed the Virginia countryside in search of wartime relics - weapons, battle flags, even artillery shells buried in the red clay. He sometimes put on diving gear to feel for treasures hidden in the black muck of river bottoms. But in February, White's hobby cost him his life: A cannonball he was restoring exploded, killing him in his driveway. http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/0503Cannonball0503.html --- NRA-ILA Alerts: Several national and state alerts for the week are posted on the NRA-ILA website. http://www.nraila.org/GrassrootsAlerts/read.aspx --- From AzCDL: There are a number of important pro-rights bills that have been assigned to the Rules Committees in both the House and Senate that have not been scheduled for hearings and time is running out. All bills must pass through the Rules Committee in each chamber, which determines if proposed legislation is constitutional and in proper form. The House Rules Committee has yet to hear the following Senate bills: SB 1070, an AzCDL requested bill that makes it easier for lawful gun owners who have satisfactorily completed training to obtain a permit, or renew an expired one. SB 1106, Senator Chuck Gray's bill that provides for an optional lifetime CCW permit. Please take the time to send a polite note to the House Rules Committee members urging them to move SB 1070 and SB 1106 out of committee. Personalized letters are always preferred. Below is a sample letter you can use as a template. Please be sure to include your name, address, and phone number in all correspondence. Following the letter are the email addresses of the committee members in both semi-colon and comma separated formats. Use the list compatible with your email software. Subject: Pass SB 1070 & SB 1106 Dear Representative: The Arizona Citizens Defense League has informed me that SB 1070 and SB 1106 have yet to be heard by the House Rules Committee. These bills have already passed in the Senate and in their other assigned House committees. It is important to me as a voter that these bills proceed to the House floor for debate and a vote. I urge you schedule SB 1070 and SB 1106 for a Rules Committee hearing and move them forward for consideration by the full House. Sincerely, Your Name Street Address City, AZ zip-code (telephone number) HOUSE RULES COMMITTEE Semi-colon separation brobson@azleg.gov; nbarto@azleg.gov; tboone@azleg.gov; jbrown@azleg.gov; tchabin@azleg.gov; llopez@azleg.gov; jmccomish@azleg.gov; bmiranda@azleg.gov; mreagan@azleg.gov; jweiers@azleg.gov Comma separation brobson@azleg.gov, nbarto@azleg.gov, tboone@azleg.gov, jbrown@azleg.gov, tchabin@azleg.gov, llopez@azleg.gov, jmccomish@azleg.gov, bmiranda@azleg.gov, mreagan@azleg.gov, jweiers@azleg.gov The Senate Rules Committee has yet to hear the following House bills: HB 2389, an AzCDL requested bill that clarifies that it is permissible to carry a weapon, without a CCW permit, visibly or concealed, anywhere within a means of transportation, excluding public transit. HB 2634, an AzCDL requested bill that clarifies that a person with an expunged or set-aside felony conviction, or one who has had their rights restored, may obtain a concealed weapons permit. Please take the time to send a polite note to the Senate Rules Committee members urging them to move HB 2389 and HB 2634 out of committee. Personalized letters are always preferred. Below is a sample letter you can use as a template. Please be sure to include your name, address, and phone number in all correspondence. Following the letter are the email addresses of the committee members in both semi-colon and comma separated formats. Use the list compatible with your email software. Subject: Pass HB 2389 & HB 2634 Dear Senator: The Arizona Citizens Defense League has informed me that HB 2389 and HB 2634 have yet to be heard by the Senate Rules Committee. These bills have already passed in the House and in their other assigned Senate committees. It is important to me as a voter that these bills proceed to the Senate floor for debate and a vote. I urge you schedule HB 2389 and HB 2634 for a Rules hearing and move them forward for consideration by the full Senate. Sincerely, Your Name Street Address City, AZ zip-code (telephone number) SENATE RULES COMMITTEE Semi-colon separation jtibshraeny@azleg.gov; tverschoor@azleg.gov; tbee@azleg.gov; rburns@azleg.gov; jgarcia@azleg.gov; ahale@azleg.gov; dmccunedavis@azleg.gov Comma separation jtibshraeny@azleg.gov, tverschoor@azleg.gov, tbee@azleg.gov, rburns@azleg.gov, jgarcia@azleg.gov, ahale@azleg.gov, dmccunedavis@azleg.gov On a more positive note, HB 2629 was finally heard in the Senate Committee of the Whole on April 30, 2008. From here it will be scheduled for a formal vote by the full Senate. HB 2629 is an AzCDL requested bill that clarifies when a defensive display of a firearm is justified. If you haven't already done so, please take the time to send a polite note to your Senator urging them to vote for the passage of HB 2629. You can find your Senator here: http://www.azleg.gov/alisStaticPages/HowToContactMember.asp . 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 © 2008 Arizona Citizens Defense League, Inc., all rights reserved. -- Stephen P. Wenger, KE7QBY Firearm safety - It's a matter for education, not legislation. http://www.spw-duf.info .