Senators Feud over Sotomayor Nomination: ... Republicans have demanded to know why Democrats are "rushing" Sotomayor through the confirmation process; Democrats have accused the GOP of trying to nitpick her nomination to death. Democrats say that Republicans are holding up other Obama nominees to punish Judiciary Committee Chairman Pat Leahy for setting a July 13 hearing date for Sotomayor; Republicans say it isn't so. Democrats are fuming that the GOP held the Senate floor hostage for nearly two weeks, forcing them to go through a series of procedural hoops to pass a tobacco bill whose fate was never in doubt. Republicans say Democrats denied them the right to offer amendments, which could have moved the process along... (Recall that Senator Coburn promised to amend every new bill to eliminate the nine-month wait for legal national-park carry.) http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0609/23666.html --- DC Officials Display Hypocrisy: Anti-Second Amendment politicians have a high-caliber hypocrisy second to none... Dick Heller is a DC special police officer with the same firearms training as those at the Holocaust Museum. Heller is authorized to carry a handgun while on duty at the Federal Judicial Center. He applied for a registration certificate for a handgun that he wished to keep at home, but the District refused. No exception allowed, even for an officer that DC officials arm and entrust to protect the public. Heller took his case to the U.S. Supreme Court. Last June, the Court ruled in District of Columbia v. Heller, that DC's draconian gun laws violate the Second Amendment. "Like Fenty, council members voiced anger and disappointment over the Supreme Court opinion." Despite the Heller ruling, Fenty and company are trying to make it as difficult as possible for law-abiding citizens of DC, such as Heller and his fellow officers at the Holocaust Museum, to possess a handgun in their own homes... http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2009/06/doublebarrel_dc_duplicity.html --- When Will They Learn?: In Milwaukee, the police chief Ed Flynn says, "My message to my troops is if you see anybody carrying a gun on the streets of Milwaukee, we'll put them on the ground, take the gun away and then decide whether you have a right to carry it." Since when does a police chief decide who has what rights? Our rights are God-given and are protected by our Constitution. Government documents do not grant us rights, those documents limit the power of government to infringe upon our rights... What would have happened on the editorial pages in Wisconsin if Flynn had come out and said, "If we see any negative press we will handcuff the reporters and editors, shut down that newspaper and decide if they have the right to publish that stuff." ... http://gundigest.com/article/when-will-they-learn/ --- Arkansas AG Says "No" to New "AWB": Attorney General Dustin McDaniel joined 21 other state attorneys general Thursday in writing U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to oppose any proposed effort to reinstate the federal assault-weapons ban, which was passed in 1994 but expired in 2004. President Barack Obama said in April that the ban "made sense" but that he wouldn't push to reinstate it because it would be difficult to pass in Congress. McDaniel said in a news release that he shared Obama's desire to reduce crime. "However, based on the facts available, there is no reason to believe this law will result in any meaningful reduction in such crime and, therefore, does not justify further infringement on Americans' Second Amendment rights [to possess guns]." http://www.nwanews.com/adg/News/261777/ --- Arizona Senate to Vote on Restaurant Carry Next Week: A bill to let people with concealed-carry permits to take handguns into restaurants that serve alcohol is advancing in the Legislature, with lawmakers debating whether the change would be dangerous or merely reasonable. The Senate on Friday gave preliminary approval to a bill that would partially undo Arizona's ban on possession of firearms in bars and restaurants selling alcohol. A formal Senate vote is expected early next week. Under the bill, a permit-holder carrying a weapon into a restaurant serving alcohol would not be allowed to drink. It would allow restaurants to still deny entry by gun-toting citizens by posting a sign... Similar laws are on the books in at least 38 other states, and Republican Sen. Jack Harper of Surprise said Arizona wouldn't be in the "Wild West" by enacting the legislation... http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2009/06/12/20090612guns-restaurants12-ON.html http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/2009/06/13/20090613legroundup0613.html http://www.azdailysun.com/articles/2009/06/13/news/state/20090613_arizo_198085.txt --- A "Progressive" View of Gun Ownership: I am often amazed at how often Progressives, even while fighting tooth and nail to protect our rights, dismiss the idea of a right of gun ownership. Why is that right not as important as the others enumerated in the Bill of Rights? For the sake of discussion, I will, at this point, not delve into interpretations of the Second Amendment - such a thing deserves its own diary. I think that it can be safely assumed, for the sake of argument, that a right of private gun ownership exists. That is current law, in any case, as ruled by the Supreme Court. Let's discuss this in more detail below the fold... http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/6/12/741543/-A-Progressive-View-of-Gun-Ownership. --- Oops, Wrong Motel Room: An attempted robbery led to a gunfight at a Norfolk motel Thursday. Three suspects, one armed with a handgun, stormed into a room at the Econo Lodge. Much to the surprise of the suspected criminals, one of the victims was also carrying a gun. Police say two of the suspects were shot by the victim. One of the suspects died at the scene, the other was transported to a local hospital where he remains in critical condition. The suspect who died has been identified as 22-year-old Dante Cooley of Virginia Beach. Police have not yet released the names of the other two suspects, one of which fled the scene and remains on the run. The victim, who was also shot by one of the suspects and transported to the hospital is expected to recover. Michael Collier works with the victims. He said, "[The victim] was returning fire in the middle of a robbery. That's all he was doing, and he's alive because of it. He's a quiet, mild mannered guy. He's worked with us four or five years. He is a real great guy." ... http://www.twincitiescarry.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=13219&sid=28b3636ee411481c9db2c70bea48c77b --- From AzCDL: On June 12, 2009, the Senate Committee of the Whole (COW) held a rare Friday session. Both SB 1113 (Restaurant Carry) and SB 1243 (Defensive Display) were debated on, and passed out of, the COW. Next step for both bills is a Third Read vote by the full Senate (expected on Monday, June 15.) SB 1113 is a bill that permits the carrying of concealed weapons in certain restaurants where alcohol is served by CCW permit holders only, providing signs are not posted forbidding firearms and the person possessing the firearm does not consume alcohol. A beneficial amendment was added during the COW that clarified the signage and posting requirements. SB 1243 is the AzCDL-requested bill that clarifies when a defensive display is justified. We have even more good news! Your recent emails had a positive effect. Senator Jonathan Paton, the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, met with AzCDL's representatives today (June 12, 2009) and agreed to schedule SB 1270, the AzCDL-requested Constitutional Carry bill, for a committee hearing on Monday, June 22, 2009. We strongly encourage everyone to take the time to contact Senator Paton and thank him for agreeing to hear SB 1270. His office phone number is (602) 926-3235. His fax number is (602) 417-3030. His email address is jpaton@azleg.gov. While a personalized message is always best, below is a cut-and-paste template you may use as an example. Subject: Thank you for scheduling SB 1270 for a hearing. Dear Senator Paton, The Arizona Citizens Defense League has informed me that, as Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, you have agreed to schedule SB 1270 for a hearing on Monday, June 22, 2009. Given the unusual circumstances of this year's legislative session, and the crowded and compressed agendas you must deal with, I deeply appreciate that you were able to schedule SB 1270 for a hearing in your committee. Thank you. Sincerely, Your Name Street Address City, AZ zip-code telephone number Stay tuned! When critical legislation moves, we will notify you via these Alerts. These alerts are a project of the Arizona Citizens Defense League (AzCDL), an all volunteer, non-profit, non-partisan grassroots organization. AzCDL - Protecting Your Freedom http://www.azcdl.org/html/join_us_.html Copyright © 2009 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 .