Big Brother "Greeted" in Arizona: A man carrying an assault rifle outside the Phoenix Convention Center where President Barack Obama was speaking today has renewed concerns about protesters bringing firearms to presidential events... Neatly dressed in a white shirt, black tie and gray slacks, the man, who only gave his first name as Chris, also had a pistol holstered at his side as he engaged in heated debates with those rallying in support of Obama's heath-care reform plan. A Phoenix police spokesman said plainclothes detectives were monitoring about a dozen protesters carrying guns, though no one broke any laws or was arrested. Arizona is an "open-carry" state, which means anyone legally allowed to have a firearm can carry it in public as long as it's visible. A permit is required if the weapon is carried concealed. "Because I can do it," Chris said when asked why he brought guns to the rally at 3rd and Washington streets. "In Arizona, I still have some freedoms left." ...(Note the contrast with the ROTC student who was arrested a few days ago while hiking with an Airsoft AR-15. Big Brother, by the way, was addressing the VFW convention.) http://www.azcentral.com/community/phoenix/articles/2009/08/17/20090817obama-scene.html http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/2009/08/man-carrying-an-assault-rifle-and-pistol-outside-obama-event.php/ http://ktar.com/?nid=6&sid=1200460 http://www.washtimes.com/news/2009/aug/18/guns-openly-carried-obama-events/ http://www.examiner.com/x-2206-Cleveland-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m8d18-Freedom-lets-man-take-his-rifle-to-Obama-protest-and-freedom-lets-others-complain-about-it --- Meanwhile, Back in New Hampshire: On August 11, 2009, William Kostric brought a loaded gun to a town-hall meeting featuring President Barack Obama. Live coverage of the event was immediately broadcast on MSNBC: showing a man, standing outside a high school in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, with a loaded pistol strapped to his leg. What happened next was an explosion... of media coverage; of heated debates on MSNBC and CBS and Fox News; and of debates between average Americans - between Democrats and Republicans, Tea-Partiers and East-Coast Liberals, Obamabots and Birthers... Just recently, William Kostric sat down with "The Faster Times" (as represented by, um, me) for a free-ranging discussion about... everything that's happened so far. I gave him wide latitude in picking the topics of conversation, which seems only fair, since I mocked him relentlessly in a previous article. I also gave Mr. Kostric the opportunity to refute many of his critics' claims; you can read his various replies to those critics right... http://thefastertimes.com/nonsensenews/2009/08/17/the-william-kostric-interview-part-one/ --- Then There's California: The quiet streets of this San Diego seaside community were awakened to the Second Amendment rights as 12 Californians walked the sidewalks with their firearms. Six of the 12 open carriers were women and six additional non-carriers handed out informational fliers to anyone who was interested. Most of residents were curious about what was going on, some thought the open carriers were a part of law enforcement and a few were offended, but the morning event ended with educating the public about their right to carry a gun in the state of California. Of course there are a few rules to be followed when taking your gun outside your home. First you need to be a registered gun owner, the weapon must be in a holster in plain sight and it cannot be loaded. Ammunition is normally carried, but separate from the gun... http://www.examiner.com/x-10317-San-Diego-County-Political-Buzz-Examiner~y2009m8d17-Women-partake-in-Open-Carry-gun-event-in-Encinitas --- Florida City Considers Mandatory Gun Ownership: A proposed resolution set to go before the Belleview City Commission urges the head of every household in the city to have a gun in order to protect their families and to keep the peace in an emergency. On Tuesday, the board will consider the plan, which has been introduced by Belleview resident Donny Barber, to encourage "all law abiding citizens to own a handgun, rifle or shotgun and receive adequate training to become proficient in the use of and safe handling of the weapon so they are prepared to protect themselves and their families." The resolution also calls on homeowners to "maintain a firearm, together with ammunition" in order "to provide for the emergency management" of the city, as well as "to provide for and protect the safety, security and general welfare" of Belleview and its residents... (This concept was initialed in Kennesaw GA (in 1982), where it still keeps the crime rate lower than that of surrounding communities.) http://www.ocala.com/article/20090817/ARTICLES/908171005/1001/NEWS01?Title=Plan-urges-firearms-in-every-Belleview-home --- Tennessee City Accepts Park Carry: The Spring Hill Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted 5-4 against opting out of a state law passed recently that allows gun owners with permits to carry their weapons into public parks. The main source of debate sprang from whether banning the guns was a violation of the Second Amendment... http://www.tennessean.com/article/20090817/NEWS01/90817084/Spring+Hill+to+allow+guns+in+parks --- Media Bias In Harlem Store Shooting: Previously, we examined the incident where Charles Augusto, Junior successfully defended himself and his employees from an attack by four armed robbers. Here is an update, which contains both good news and bad news. On August 16, the New York Post announced that NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly supported Augusto: "He certainly had a right under the law to defend himself, defend his co-workers. It looks like his co-worker could have been seriously injured or perhaps killed." But the Post only devoted 72 words to this article, and didn't specifically mention that Augusto wouldn't be charged. Compare this to the earlier article where the Post spent 703 words-nearly ten times the space-doing their best to cast doubt upon Augusto's actions by: * Stating in the title that Augusto "cut down" the robbers. * Mentioning that Augusto shot "two of them in the back." * Mentioning that "It was unclear whether Augusto had a permit to carry the weapon," implying he was a criminal. * Displayed a picture of police confiscating a black gun with a pistol grip... http://www.examiner.com/x-2879-Austin-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m8d18-Good-news-for-Augusto-but-more-media-bias-too --- Arizona Democrat Maintains RKBA Credentials: Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick announced she will join members on both sides of the aisle to help move the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act forward and make sure that the rights of law-abiding citizens are respected across the country. She is also working for progress on the Veterans' Heritage Firearms Act, which will allow those who defended the nation to keep the weapons they found fighting abroad as souvenirs of their service. Kirkpatrick is a co-sponsor of H.R. 197, a non-partisan bill that ensures those authorized to carry firearms in their home state can travel with their weapons. This will guarantee that the rights of legal gun owners will be recognized, no matter where they go... The congresswoman has repeatedly and publicly stood up against the Administration and congressional leadership to preserve our Second Amendment rights. She sent a letter to the Attorney General opposing his proposal to ban certain weapons. Kirkpatrick also co-sponsored H.R. 1684, a bill to strengthen Second Amendment protections for law-abiding folks in national parks. These provisions, which she first supported as an amendment endorsed by the Gun Owners of America, later passed as part of the Credit Cardholders' Bill of Rights. (Kirkpatrick is currently under fire in Navajo County for walking out on a group of her constituents who were seeking a discussion about health-care "reform.") http://www.wmicentral.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=20359337&BRD=2264&PAG=461&dept_id=506172&rfi=6 --- Rule Four Reminder: A 19-year-old Tucson man who shot an 8-year-old boy in the head while target practicing in his backyard was sentenced to 11 1/2 years in prison Tuesday... Muniz was convicted last month of two counts of aggravated assault and one count of endangerment. Cesar was playing in his backyard with his 4-year-old brother, Andres, last July when he was struck in the forehead by a .22-caliber bullet. During the trial, Deputy Pima County Attorney Jonathan Mosher told jurors that Muniz, who lived a couple of houses away, fired the shot while showing his rifle to two friends, ages 10 and 16. During closing arguments, Mosher told jurors Muniz knew the two boys were nearby and "consciously disregarded" the risks of firing the weapon. Someone who consciously disregards the risks is someone who is "reckless" in the eyes of the law and therefore is someone who is guilty of aggravated assault, Mosher said... (Rule Four: Always be sure of your target and what's beyond it.) http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/hourlyupdate/305426.php A SWAT sergeant shot during a standoff last week was wounded by friendly fire, Tucson police said Monday. Sgt. Todd Berson suffered minor injuries after he sustained a gunshot wound to his ballistic helmet Aug. 11. Police declined to identify which one of his fellow SWAT team members fired the shot. "It's important to recognize that these operations are very dynamic and dangerous in nature," said Sgt. Fabian Pacheco, a Tucson Police Department spokesman. "Though we practice these situations frequently, there is always the possibility that something like this will happen." ...(Good thing he was wearing the helmet.) http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/305343 --- Tangentially Related: Scientists in Israel have demonstrated that it is possible to fabricate DNA evidence, undermining the credibility of what has been considered the gold standard of proof in criminal cases. The scientists fabricated blood and saliva samples containing DNA from a person other than the donor of the blood and saliva. They also showed that if they had access to a DNA profile in a database, they could construct a sample of DNA to match that profile without obtaining any tissue from that person. "You can just engineer a crime scene," said Dan Frumkin, lead author of the paper, which has been published online by the journal Forensic Science International: Genetics. "Any biology undergraduate could perform this." ... http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/18/science/18dna.html?ref=science -- Stephen P. Wenger, KE7QBY Firearm safety - It's a matter for education, not legislation. http://www.spw-duf.info .