Tory Media Fans Flames of Fear: "Frightening" is how Dr. Nancy Snyderman described it when MSNBC spotted a man openly carrying a holstered handgun near a New Hampshire town hall meeting where President Obama was scheduled to speak. The message could not be more clear. A citizen exercising his or her Constitutionally guaranteed right is a scary threat. And even if they don't have bad intent, they're just not competent enough to have guns. Why, at another event in Arizona, someone dropped a gun, Dr. Nancy tells us, the implication being none of us can be trusted. Chris Matthews ratchets up the hand-wringing to...I don't want to call it "hardball" because it's more like throwing rocks... (The struggle for American independence was actively opposed by Tories, hence my decision to use this term as the opposite of "patriot.") http://www.examiner.com/x-1417-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m8d12-MSNBC-spreads-fear-and-prejudice-over-gun-owner-at-Obama-event Related Commentary: http://www.examiner.com/x-15870-Populist-Examiner~y2009m8d12-Test-your-guntotin-hypocrisy --- The Beat Goes On: It's a growing trend in Northern Nevada with more and more women arming themselves and getting concealed weapons permits. Kelly Main, a local CCW instructor with Armed and Safe, says her company taught more women than men last year, and the trend is across the country. Main's classroom echoes the changes the Washoe County Sheriff's Office is seeing as well. The number of CCW permits issued to women more than doubled between 2007 and 2008. According to the data, 592 permits were issued to women last year. That's up from 247 in 2007 and 239 in 2006. Main says she first noticed the spike in her CCW classes right after the Brianna Denison murder... Vicki Kawelmacher, the owner and instructor of The Women's Shooting Academy, agrees, but believes there is another reason currently playing a role. She says there is fear there will be stricter gun control laws under the Obama Administration... The statistics show women aren't the only ones getting more permits. About 580 more men received their CCW permits last year compared to 2007, according to the sheriff's office data... http://www.krnv.com/Global/story.asp?S=10890962&nav=8faO --- Gun Club Bans Guns: As the Founder of the Second Amendment March, I travel across the country speaking about the right to keep and bear arms and about the importance of Second Amendment activism. Recently I was asked to speak to a gun club about these things and I have to admit I had preconceived notions about the club, its members, and how I should talk to them. My preconceptions were way off target. This particular gun club was like no other I'd been to for the simple reason that "No guns were allowed"... "Yes, isn't it ironic that we don't allow guns in a gun club. It's because we have a bar in the clubhouse and due to state law that makes it a pistol-free zone." ... (Nothing like getting one's priorities straight.) http://www.examiner.com/x-18561-Grand-Rapids-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m8d11-Gun-Club--No-Guns-Allowed --- F Troop Will Not Return Guns Taken in Connecticut Raid: Three months after officers with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives raided a mobile home on Hosford Bridge Road and seized 14 guns, the home's owner still has many questions..."ATF followed the information they received and made a determination that the best course of action was to seize the guns," McNally said. "After reviewing the facts of the case, there were no charges filed and will be no charges unless there is a significant change in the case, but the guns will not be returned." By having the guns in the home at the same time as Boynton's son, ATF officials said the family was in violation of code 18 USC 622(d) which restricts certain groups from owning guns or living in home where guns are accessible... A criminal history report obtained from the Connecticut Department of Public Safety Wednesday revealed that although there have not been any active cases since 1992 regarding Paul Boynton, he had several prior arrests including felony convictions for drug possession and forgery. These convictions violate two sections of the code and require that officials take action to seize the weapons.... http://www.myrecordjournal.com/site/tab1.cfm?newsid=20358718&BRD=2755&PAG=461&dept_id=592709&rfi=6 --- Wisconsin Man Cited for Open Carry: ...The Madison Wisconsin Police Department appears to be one such agency that just doesn't "get it." On Saturday, August 8th, Madison police received a call from a "concerned citizen" who reported a "man walking ... with a holstered gun on his hip." Police responded to find 28 year-old UW-Madison graduate student Travis F. Yates legally and peacefully wearing a properly holstered sidearm. After Yates stated that he was wearing the sidearm as a political statement in support of the open carry and self defense rights recently documented in an advisory opinion by Wisconsin Attorney General Van Hollen, Yates was informed that he was being cited for disorderly conduct because "his actions disturbed other citizens." Never mind the fact that this is EXACTLY the type of open carry that Attorney General Van Hollen stated was constitutionally protected and NOT grounds for a disorderly conduct charge... (While I prefer not to make such political statements myself, for tactical reasons, I live in a state that offers me the option of concealed carry; Wisconsin does not.) http://www.examiner.com/x-3253-Minneapolis-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m8d12-The-tyranny-of-the-bigoted --- Arizona Hiker Booked for Carrying Replica Rifle: Scottsdale police arrested an 18-year-old hiker carrying a gun Tuesday morning and charged him with disorderly conduct. School officials were preparing to lock down nearby schools for precautionary reasons but did not need to after it was determined the gun was an Airsoft-type gun and not a firearm, officers said. Police arrived at the Sunrise Trailhead at about 6:15 a.m. after getting a call of a suspicious man wearing fatigues and carrying a rifle. Maximillian Hoemke said that he was beginning ROTC and wanted to prepare for upcoming classes, police said. (The Arizona statute regarding misconduct with a weapon exempts carrying in a holster which is wholly or partially exposed, with a permit required to cover the holster. The disorderly conduct statute includes the phrase "Recklessly handles, displays or discharges a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument." While details are lacking, I fail to see how carrying a slung rifle constitutes reckless handling; poor muzzle control may.) http://www.kpho.com/news/20359453/detail.html --- Wisconsin Gun Owners Oppose NICS Expansion: State Rep. Gunderson didn't respond to WGO's past Candidate Surveys. Now, he's pushing a bill to expand the Brady background system. Where does his allegiance lie? With Sarah Brady, or the Constitution? Ignoring the wishes of grassroots gun owners, and doing the bidding of Sarah Brady, State Rep. Scott Gunderson is still pushing AB70, the bill to expand the National Instant Check System (NICS) in Wisconsin. The silence by the institutional gun lobby on this dangerous anti-gun bill has been splitting ear drums. NRA-ILA e-mail alerts have not mentioned a peep about this bill, which is being dubbed by WGO the "Veterans Disarmament Act." Assembly Bill 70 and Senate Bill 44 would dangerously expand state-level back ground checks to include far-reach medical data. As mentioned in previous alerts, the federal version of this gun control scheme, HR2640, was passed into law by what most gun owners considered a betrayal of trust by congressional republicans and the NRA last year... http://www.ammoland.com/2009/08/12/gunderson-still-pushing-anti-gun-brady-check-expansion-bill/ --- North Carolina Democrats Threaten Castle-Doctrine Bill: In politics, committees are graveyards for bills. Politicians want votes, money and power. Being held accountable for recorded votes on legislation potentially threatens all three. Ergo, the easiest way to kill a bill without going on record against it is to simply ignore it. This they do by shunting the bill to a committee from which it will never see the light of a hearing. Such is the possible fate of Senate Bill 928, "The Castle Doctrine." (For more on how Castle Doctrine strengthens your right to defend yourself, click here.) Unsurprisingly, it is being held hostage by Democrats. Surprisingly, it was introduced by a Democrat - Senator Doug Berger (Franklin, Granville, Vance, Warren) - and has already passed the Democrat-controlled North Carolina Senate... http://www.examiner.com/x-2698-Charlotte-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m8d12-Are-NC-democrats-trying-to-kill-Castle-Doctrine --- Oops, Wrong Couple, Finally: Police had been watching Vincent Goff for years, convinced he was the masked man who sexually assaulted couples at gunpoint on the Mississippi coast. But before investigators closed in, they say Goff picked the wrong victim and was beaten nearly to death with his own rifle... Little is known about Goff's background or the unidentified man who beat him so hard that the wood stock of the rifle broke. But authorities say Goff's arrest caps a terrorizing series of attacks that began on the sandy banks of the Biloxi River in 2006. Goff allegedly approached a man and woman last Thursday afternoon on an isolated logging road in Harrison County and forced them into the woods with a rifle, Sheriff's Maj. Ron Pullen said Wednesday. They were forced to strip off their clothes and told to perform sexual acts when the male victim, described as a physically fit member of the military in his mid-30s, wrestled the gun away. "He beat him until the stock broke over his head and then continued to beat him until he thought he had him incapacitated," Pullen said. As the victims were getting dressed and calling police, the attacker staggered to his car and sped away... (Note the erroneous assumption that Goff had been beaten into incapacitation. The same holds true for gunshot injuries.) http://news.aol.com/article/kidnap-victim-beats-alleged-sex-attacker/615293 http://www.sunherald.com/pageone/story/1532090.html --- Oops, Wrong Liquor Store: Las Vegas police say a liquor store clerk gunned down during a botched robbery Friday night shot one of his assailants. The Clark County coroner's office identifies the dead clerk as 62-year-old Arthur Miller of Las Vegas. Police arrested his two alleged assailants - 24-year-olds Antonio Duenas and Michael Cruz - at a hospital where Duenas was treated for a gunshot wound to the abdomen. They're due in court tomorrow (Wednesday). http://www.kolotv.com/southernnevadanews/headlines/52978892.html --- Rule One Reminder: A Memphis Police Department recruit was accidentally shot in the arm by an instructor during a training exercise at the Police Training Academy. The recruit, who was not identified, was wounded Tuesday in the left wrist and released from a hospital after treatment. Deputy Chief Joe Scott told WMC-TV that the drill was meant to teach recruits how to draw a weapon using their non-shooting hand. One of two instructors fired a gun that was supposed to have been unloaded. Scott called it an "unfortunate accident." The instructor was routinely relieved of duty until an investigation is completed. (Rule One: All Firearms are always loaded. It's hard to see why, in that type of training environment, a "blue gun" [http://www.blueguns.com/] was not used.) http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,538986,00.html --- Concealed Carry Review: ...Currently, there are 36 states which have "shall-issue" concealed carry laws. When a qualified candidate applies to the state licensing board, the state has a period of around 90 days in which to decide the candidate is not qualified. For example, if the background check turns up a misdemeanor violation or certain psychiatric illnesses, they may deny the applicant. However, if the state doesn't have a legally tenable reason for denial, the state must issue the license... (Pretty basic stuff - this link may be useful to share with friends or relatives who don't understand that CCW is usually neither illegal nor uncommon.) http://www.examiner.com/x-2879-Austin-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m8d12-Concealed-Carry-101 --- Washington Open-Carry Review: This is an interesting, brief training module on the legality of open carry, for deputies of the King County (Seattle area) Sheriff's Office. http://www.opencarry.org/pdf/KingCountySheriffsBulletin.pdf -- Stephen P. Wenger, KE7QBY Firearm safety - It's a matter for education, not legislation. http://www.spw-duf.info .