NRA Builds Case for McCain: The political "hot button" issues of guns and judges have become intertwined in this election year. The fate of both issues will be decided by the candidate we elect as president. Why? Because over a four-year term, that president will likely appoint at least two and possibly three justices to the United States Supreme Court. Simply stated, this year when we elect a president, we will also cast our ballot for the next Supreme Court. Everyone concerned about the Second Amendment and judicial accountability should heed John McCain's speech to the NRA on May 16. The presumptive Republican nominee will speak directly to guns owners about the Second Amendment at the NRA's Celebration of American Values event at the NRA Annual Meeting in Louisville, Kentucky... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/SandyFroman/2008/05/15/guns_and_judges_electing_the_supreme_court_in_2008?page=full&comments=true Brady Bunch President Comments: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-helmke/the-nra-on-sen-john-mccai_b_101621.html --- McCarthy Bill Would Reinstate "AWB": With gun control looming as a potential critical issue in the 2008 election cycle, pressure is building on Congress to pass legislation reenacting the federal assault weapons ban. The original federal ban on assault weapons expired on Sept. 13, 2004, when Congress failed to reenact it. One bill to revive the assault weapons ban has already been introduced by Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D, New York, 4th). McCarthy's Assault Weapons Ban and Law Enforcement Protection Act of 2007, (H.R. 1022), would reenact the ban for ten years... http://usgovinfo.about.com/b/2008/05/14/bill-would-renew-federal-assault-weapons-ban.htm --- Interior Department Awaits Comments: ... The Department of the Interior published a proposed regulation that will align with state laws that allow for concealed weapons permits, while continuing to maintain important regulatory provisions that ensure visitor safety and resource protection. The department carefully worked with law enforcement professionals from the National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to craft this proposal. We are submitting this proposal to Americans. We will carefully consider their comments before issuing a final rule. Under the proposed rule, citizens would be able to carry concealed weapons in national parks and refuges to the extent that they could lawfully do so on similar state-administered lands... http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-forum14parkgunssbmay14,0,318965.story --- Georgia Governor Signs Expanded-Carry Bill: At approximately 3 p.m. on May 14, 2008, Gov. Sonny Perdue signed HB 89 into law. The bill, sponsored and advocated by GCO, is the most important pro-gun legislation in the history of Georgia. When the bill takes effect on July 1, 2008, it no longer will be a separate crime, for people with firearms licenses to carry a firearm into a restaurant that serves alcohol, on public transportation, or in state parks. The bill also relaxes car carry restrictions for people eligible for firearms licenses and tightens the time frames for issuance of firearms licenses by probate judges. http://www.georgiacarry.org/cms/2008/05/14/gov-perdue-signs-hb-89/ http://www.11alive.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=115928&catid=3 --- North Carolina School District May Revise Firearm Ban: It will take another month of talks with lawyers and insurance experts before Wake County school staff can revise the district's ban on firearms and deadly weapons to allow school marksmanship teams to compete in approved shooting tournaments, including a state-sponsored hunter education competition... In mid-March, the marksmanship team from East Wake High School was barred from competing in the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission Hunter Education Tournament one day before a regional competition. An area superintendent and an East Wake principal determined the school's 22-year participation in the tournament violated Wake's policy of barring firearms and other deadly weapons from school campuses... http://www.newsobserver.com/politics/story/1071752.html --- One More Illinois County to Consider Pro-RKBA Resolution: The McLean County Board has been asked to vote on a resolution favoring protection of gun ownership rights under the Second Amendment. The board's executive committee voted 7-1 Tuesday to forward such a resolution to the full board without recommendation for or against it. The County Board next meets at 9 a.m. May 20 at the Government Center in downtown Bloomington... Eighty-one county boards in Illinois have OK'd the resolution, said one of the effort's organizers, Walter Biesiada of Normal, who was a Chicago police officer from 1965 to 1997. About 50 boards approved changing the proposed wording... http://www.pantagraph.com/articles/2008/05/13/news/doc482a6a3a6d53b422479823.txt --- Olofson Sentenced to 30 Months: A Wisconsin man whose federal conviction for illegally transferring a machine gun drew national attention on CNN and the Internet was sentenced Tuesday to 30 months in prison. David R. Olofson, 36, of Berlin, who remains a member of the Army Reserve until his felony conviction becomes official, was convicted by a jury in January. Olofson, whose case has been reported several times on Lou Dobbs' show on CNN, faced up to 10 years in prison, Federal sentencing guidelines called for 27 to 33 months. U.S. District Judge Charles Clevert said Olofson knew or should have known the gun in question fired automatically. http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=750464 --- Boston Caterer Charged for Warning Shots: The racket came from the dark kitchen area, and it startled David Crest as he slept in the office of his Hanover catering business. He suspected he was being burglarized again, and as he crept toward the noise, he grabbed the Mossberg 500 12-gauge shotgun he had kept by his side... The man ran out the door, and Crest fired several warning shots. He was determined, he said, to protect his property...Now there are two defendants. Crest, 39, of Marshfield will be arraigned next week before the same court that arraigned John F. O'Connor, 43, the man accused of stealing from him. Crest is charged with assault with a deadly weapon and discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a dwelling. http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/05/15/was_it_self_defense_or_firearms_offense/ --- Interview with JPFO's Aaron Zelman: ... We have members of our organization that have told us they are not Jewish. We don't ask people what their religion is. And we are not an organization that is preaching religion to anybody. We think the history of gun-control schemes has been so harmful to Jews that we have the moral authority to speak out. We welcome anybody who accepts the JPFO position that gun control must be destroyed. We're not interested in compromise. We are only interested in the destruction of something we consider to be a very evil and deadly policy known as gun control. ... http://thenewamerican.com/node/8042 --- Blackwater Training Facility Faces Opposition: Blackwater Worldwide, the global security firm whose conduct in Iraq has drawn criticism, is again trying to open a training facility in the face of local opposition. In March, the firm dropped plans to build a 220-acre training camp in rural Potrero, about 45 miles east of downtown San Diego. A coalition of rural property owners, environmentalists and antiwar activists opposed its effort to build a "combat town." But the coalition did not know that Blackwater was simultaneously moving to open a smaller facility with a shooting range in Otay Mesa, within the city limits and near the Mexican border. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-blackwater15-2008may15,0,791089.story --- Oops, Wrong Driver: ... Police officers arrived on the scene less than one minute later and found Kerry Von Pohle (9/18/1948) pointing a revolver towards Kevin Eber (10/7/1989) and Jacob Shelton (9/5/1988). Officers drew their firearms and commanded Von Pohle to put his weapon down. Von Pohle complied with these commands. An investigation revealed Von Pohle had drawn his gun in self-defense. Kevin Eber had thrown a partially full beer can, striking Von Pohle's car. Von Pohle asked Eber why and Eber became violent, telling Von Pohle he was going to kill him. During that exchange, Shelton attacked Von Pohle, striking him with closed fists and slamming his head into a parked car. Von Pohle attempted to fend off the attack but realized Eber was closing in on him as well. Von Pohle drew his concealed 9mm revolver (for which he had a weapon permit) and pointed it at both subjects telling them if they came any closer he would shoot. The suspects stopped their advance. Von Pohle also had called 911 to notify police. (Note the importance of getting in the first call to 911, establishing yourself as the victim. If you carry a gun, carry a cell phone) http://www.currycountyreporter.com/news/story.cfm?story_no=3556 --- Canada Extends Registration Amnesty One More Year: The Conservative government has officially confirmed that it will keep waiving licence fees for gun owners for a third straight year. In addition, Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day says that an amnesty program - essentially protecting owners of shotguns and hunting rifles from criminal liability for failing to register their firearms - will also be extended for a third year. Day first introduced the waivers and amnesty in May 2006, as an ostensible prelude to abolition of the long-gun registry often criticized by farmers, hunters and sport shooters. The Tories have never managed to pass legislation formally dismantling the registry, because all other parties in the minority Parliament favour retention of the system. http://kingscorecord.canadaeast.com/article/296274 --- Tangentially Related: Solicitor General Paul Clement announced today that he's resigning effective June 2. "Paul Clement is one of the nation's finest appellate lawyers," said Attorney General Michael Mukasey in a statement. "I am deeply grateful to Paul for his service to the department and to the nation during his seven-year tenure. ...I will miss not only Paul's superb advocacy on behalf of the United States, but also his wise counsel and keen legal analysis." (Clement authored the government's amicus brief in D.C. v. Heller, in which he argued that the court should not urged the Supreme Court to use a more "flexible" interpretation of the RKBA than that of the Court of Appeals, which found that District's handgun ban to violate the Second Amendment.) http://legaltimes.typepad.com/blt/2008/05/paul-clement-le.html http://www.washingtontimes.com/article/20080515/NATION/613036664/1002 -- Stephen P. Wenger, KE7QBY Firearm safety - It's a matter for education, not legislation. http://www.spw-duf.info .