A List Member Replies: In response to John Farnam's item about the fallacy of "public safety," Gary Marbut, of the Montana Shooting Sports Association, offers an essay he wrote in response to the Montana Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association's objections to legalizing the defensive display of a firearm. http://www.progunleaders.org/Safety/ --- The Sotomayor Confirmation and the RKBA: With congressional Democrats divided on gun issues and the Obama administration steering clear of the topic, gun rights advocates have bagged new legislative trophies this year and are taking aim at additional targets. The National Rifle Association (NRA) and Gun Owners of America have an ambitious to-do list. They are preparing to: * Weigh in on Obama's nomination of federal appellate court Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court. * Advance a proposal by Sen. Richard M. Burr , R-N.C., to ensure that veterans are not wrongfully denied the right to bear arms. * Stave off attempts to close the so-called gun show loophole. * Beat back efforts to renew the federal ban on some assault weapons, which lapsed in 2004. Conversely, Democrats eager for tighter restrictions are facing the harsh political reality that, at least for now, they can't match the gun lobby's firepower. Sen. Barbara Boxer , D-Calif., who favors gun control, predicted that gun rights advocates "would win the vast majority" of the upcoming legislative fights, though Sotomayor's confirmation does not now look endangered. "It's just the way it is," Boxer said. "They really have the votes here more than ever, and it's more regional than it is party." ... http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?docID=news-000003136873 Democrats are looking down the barrel of a gun as they vie to keep their power in Washington. Poised after last year's election to push back against the National Rifle Association's heavy firepower, the Democrats have in rapid order conceded ground on the gun issue. They've allowed concealed-carry weapons in national parks, considered easing gun restrictions in the District of Columbia, and turned back a campaign pledge on gun-record transparency. The moves, which tended to be riders to other bills, have given Republicans a rare sense of success as a minority. They also have the potential to force some Democrats in rural states "into the cross hairs" for the next election cycle by daring them to clarify their views on gun control... (And the NRA is reported not to be looking hard at who votes to confirm Sonia Sotomayor for the Supreme Court.) http://www.abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=7765849&page=1 --- Incorporation and Originalism: The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals recently decided McDonald v. City of Chicago, a challenge to Chicago's gun ban. The case has major implications for protecting gun rights at the state level, but its importance goes further than that. Depending on what the Supreme Court does, it could make originalism - relying on the text of the Constitution and its amendments as they were understood when enacted - the accepted standard for interpreting the Bill of Rights, rather than the whims of a handful of justices. The plaintiff's case in McDonald is based on the Second Amendment, but also on the Fourteenth. Last year, in Heller v. District of Columbia, the Supreme Court ruled that the Second Amendment protects an individual's right to own firearms against infringement by the federal government. But can a state or local government infringe that right? This question hinges on the constitutional principle of "incorporation" - the notion that the Fourteenth Amendment makes the states subject to the Bill of Rights... (McDonald is now known as NRA v. Chicago.) http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=NjM5ODQ5NGE5MGYxOTY4ZjdlMDMzMGU2NzZlMjI2NDM= --- Visions from a Crystal Ball: ... The error in the Seventh Circuit's decision is obvious, inasmuch as the original Constitution itself describes the Militia as "the Militia of the several States", and the Second Amendment declares that "[a] well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed". Self-evidently, the "Militia" of which the Second Amendment speaks are "the Militia of the several States", to the formation of which "the right of the people to keep and bear Arms" is critically instrumental. Ergo, the States have no power to deny this "right" and destroy "the Militia of the several States" indirectly, any more than they have the power to excise "the Militia of the several States" from the Constitution directly. But, in this particular, the Constitution - although it was written for farmers, mechanics, tradesmen, merchants, and other common Americans in the late 1700s - seems to be too difficult for some of the marsupial minds in the current Kangaroo Kourts to understand... http://www.newswithviews.com/Vieira/edwin195.htm --- The Beat Goes On: Erin King squeezed into a packed classroom at Bob's Gun Shop with a new pistol and a mission. She sat through two hours of instruction and fired off several dozen rounds at the range with her Guardian .32-caliber. The 26-year-old from Suffolk bought her first gun a few weeks ago and plans to get a concealed-carry permit next month. She'll slip her pistol into a hidden holster and protect herself commuting to her part-time job cleaning offices at night. "I'm responsible for myself," King said. As the classroom shows, she's not alone. Driven by safety concerns or political angst, gun sales and applications for concealed-carry permits are booming. Applications for concealed-carry permits statewide have jumped 42 percent from the same period last year, when the state issued a record number, according to the Virginia Supreme Court. In South Hampton Roads, this year's requests are running nearly 40 percent over last year's. Most are granted... http://hamptonroads.com/2009/06/virginias-permit-requests-gun-sales-rise-record-clip --- DC's Infringements Are in Place, for Now: The District's permanent handgun regulations that took effect Friday could be obliterated by Congress or the federal courts in less time than it took to write them. The U.S. Supreme Court struck down the city's 30-year-old handgun ban as unconstitutional last June. The city has been operating under emergency and proposed gun rules since Jan. 16., but those rules became permanent Friday. Despite strong opposition from gun rights advocates, the Metropolitan Police Department reported in Friday's D.C. Register that no comments were received since January. District leaders believe they have met the Supreme Court's directive, that the Second Amendment guarantees D.C. residents the right to keep a handgun in the home for self-defense. But the city's fledgling laws are being challenged on two fronts... http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/local/Districts-gun-regulations-officially-in-place-but-for-how-long-47162157.html --- Will Texas and Alaska Follow Montana's Lead?: ... There are now bills in the Texas and Alaska legislatures to exempt from Federal regulation firearms made and sold inside the respective states. The bills would not apply to firearms not made in the state or made in the state and sold outside of the state. These bills are very similar to the bill voted and signed into law in Montana. They are also similar to the bill proposed recently by Tennessee... This bill exempts from federal regulation firearms, accessories and ammunition made in the state of Texas intended for sale within Texas. This bill requires the State of Texas to pay for the defense of the Texas citizens if prosecuted by the Fed for firearms violations that this bill allows for. This means the State of Texas would throw the book at the Fed with a barrage of lawyers and seek a ruling that was favorable. It is really impossible for Texas to lose unless the Federal judges throw the case illegally... http://www.bestsyndication.com/?q=node/31075 2009 Texas Legislative Session Summarized: http://akeyboardanda45.blogspot.com/2009/06/long-awaited.html --- ACORN Attacks RKBA in New Jersey: ACORN, the publicly funded national organization linked to voter fraud in several states, is now actively interfering with the exercise of firearm civil rights in New Jersey, and the Second Amendment Foundation is calling for an immediate federal investigation. One example of ACORN's gun control activism is when its officials intervened in an unsuccessful attempt to defend Jersey City, New Jersey's local gun control ordinance, which was struck down December 13, 2006 in New Jersey state court as a violation of state law pre-empting stronger local gun ordinances. "ACORN has, since 1998, received an estimated $31 million in government funding," said SAF founder Alan Gottlieb. "Now they have intervened in a New Jersey gun rights case in defense of an illegal Jersey City one-gun-a-month ordinance that violates the state preemption statute..." http://www.magic-city-news.com/Jim_Kouri_96/Obama_and_ACORN_Officials_Set_Sights_on_Gunowners12093.shtml --- Upstate New York Counties Oppose New Licensing Scheme: Gov. David A. Paterson's proposal requiring criminal background checks every five years for lifetime pistol permit holders unfairly targets gun owners and places an undue burden on counties, some north country officials say. "I'm too thinly staffed to keep up with the workload that will come with it," St. Lawrence County Clerk Patricia A. Ritchie said. "We're never going to be able to keep up with it with the system we have. It's going to require more staff, which will result in higher local costs. It's going to be a big burden on the county." ... But Jefferson County Undersheriff Timothy M. Dowe said there already are procedures to prevent permit holders from keeping their licenses if they commit crimes. "If someone is entered into our computerized system showing that they have a pistol permit and the person is arrested, there is an alert in our system," he said... http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/article/20090607/NEWS05/306079956/-1/NEWS --- Open-Carry Picnic in Michigan: A group of gun owners in West Michigan is speaking up for it's rights, and they're doing it in a unique way. More than 30 people gathered in Bronson Park in Kalamazoo Sunday. They say they want everyone to understand what the Second Amendment means to them... Michigan law says you can carry your gun openly; you can't wave it or take it out in a threatening manner. "We are a non-confrontational group so all we are doing is carrying openly instead of carrying concealed and anybody who is legally allowed to purchase a firearm is legally allowed to carry it open," picnic organizer Josh Tishouse says. Before someone decides to wear a gun in the open, he or she should know the law, and that different states have different laws. The group has outings planned in Owosso and Traverse City this summer as well. http://www.wxmi.com/news/fox17-open-carry-story,0,3336587.story --- Oops, Wrong Liquor Store: A Phoenix liquor store clerk shot a would-be robber Saturday afternoon, after the robber pulled a knife on the clerk, police said... About 12:30 p.m. two men went to a liquor store, near 23rd and Northern avenues after having been there two hours before. During the second trip to the store, one of the men stayed outside. The other asked the clerk for a piece of paper. As the clerk was waiting on other customers, the 29-year-old suspect wrote something on the paper. After the other customers left, the suspect handed a robbery note to the clerk. The clerk acted as though he couldn't read. That's when the suspect came towards the clerk and opened a gate, which separates the clerk from the customers, and pulled out a knife. Seeing this, the clerk grabbed a gun and shot the suspect. The suspect ran out of the store and across the street to a friend's apartment. He knocked on the door and collapsed. The friend called 911. Police arrived and the suspect was taken to a local hospital where he remains in critical condition. http://www.azcentral.com/12news/news/articles/2009/06/06/20090606shooting0606-CP.html --- Rule Two, Rule Three Reminder: A Danbury police sergeant remained hospitalized Thursday after he accidentally shot himself in the leg while off duty Wednesday evening. Sgt. Vincent Lajoie, a 21-year member of the department, was taken to Danbury Hospital by ambulance after the 10:15 p.m. incident. His wound was described as "non-life-threatening." Police said Lajoie, 40, stopped at a friend's house on Griffing Avenue before he was to report to work for the midnight to 8 a.m. shift. His service weapon, a .40 caliber Glock automatic, "accidentally discharged" while Lajoie was securing it, said department spokesman Capt. Thomas Wendel... Lopes said Lajoie told him that he was "sitting there having a cup of coffee" when the gun went off. "It's a heavy weapon, and depending on the kind of holster you are wearing, it can just ride up on you," Lopes said. He said Danbury police have not had any previous problems with the Glock. (Mackerel or tuna - take your pick. 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.newstimes.com/ci_12520926?source=most_viewed --- Ruger's New Rifle: ... So, with all the current gas piston/op-rod choices out there, all of which are more fleshed-out and debugged than the Ruger SR-556, as well as the aforementioned problems that have cropped up in them, why should one buy an SR556 at a suggested retail price of $1,995 instead of either a competitive gas piston/op-rod AR product (M6A2, P-415, DC-16, etc.) or traditional direct-gas AR-15 carbine (Stag Arms, Smith & Wesson, and Bushmaster at mid-level, and Noveske Rifleworks, Next Generations Arms, and LaRue Tactical at the high end)? Well, we don't know, but we're going to try to find out more about it. Right now, we're neutral on the SR-556. One of the things were going to investigate is whether or not the SR556 is completely debugged, or whether it has the normal/usual teething problems that most new firearm designs/offerings experience. (This is from a fairly long article that covers a lot of territory - worth reading if you're interested in the gas piston versus direct impingement debate.) http://www.defensereview.com/ruger-sr-556-gas-pistonop-rod-ar-15-carbine-ruger-enters-the-piston-driven-ar-fray/ --- Gun Polls: This page summarizes numerous polls on firearms and the RKBA, including some comparisons of how results have changed over time. http://www.pollingreport.com/guns.htm --- Yo También, Eh: A spate of recent shootings and drug busts here highlights a trend: Police are seeing illegal firearms - often from the United States - more frequently in this industrial port town. "We are turning up a lot of weapons, whether it be a long gun or a handgun," says Saint John Police Sgt. Mike McCaig, who coordinates investigations for the Fundy Integrated Intelligence Unit. "It's a serious situation." The situation might not be as dire as the frequent gun battles taking place in Mexico, where thousands of guns from the U.S. are being used in a drug war. But Canadian authorities say they're also scrambling to stanch the flow of illegal weapons from the U.S. The same pattern that allows guns from the U.S. to arm Mexican cartels - a disparity in gun laws, a porous border, and a thriving drug trade - is also sending guns into Canada, city officials and police here say... -- Stephen P. Wenger, KE7QBY Firearm safety - It's a matter for education, not legislation. http://www.spw-duf.info .