Weekly Reminder: HR 45 has not even gained one co-sponsor in committee and S 2099 died nine years ago. It is not necessary to forward the hysterical mailings to me. Friday, January 23, 2009 U.S. Representative Bobby Rush (D-Ill.) recently sponsored H.R. 45, also known as "Blair Holt's Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act." The bill is, at its core and as its name implies, a licensing and registration scheme. The measure calls for all handgun owners to submit to the federal government an application that shall include, among many other things: a photo; an address; a thumbprint; a completed, written firearm safety test; private mental health records; and a fee. And those are only some of the requirements to be licensed! The bill would further require the attorney general to establish a database of every handgun sale, transfer, and owner's address in America. Moreover, the bill would make it illegal to own or possess a "qualifying firearm" -- defined as "any handgun; or any semiautomatic firearm that can accept any detachable ammunition feeding device..." without one of the proposed licenses. Additionally, the bill would make it illegal to transfer ownership of a "qualifying firearm" to anyone who is not a licensed gun dealer or collector (with very few exceptions), and would require "qualifying firearm" owners to report all transfers to the attorney general's database. It would also be illegal for a licensed gun owner to fail to record a gun loss or theft within 72 hours, or fail to report a change of address within 60 days. Further, if a minor obtains a firearm and injures someone with it, the owner of the firearm may face a multiple-year jail sentence. H.R. 45 is essentially a reintroduction of H.R. 2666, which Rush introduced in 2007. H.R. 2666 contained much of the same language as H.R. 45, and was co-sponsored by several well-known anti-gun legislators--including Barack Obama's chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel. H.R. 45 currently has no co-sponsors. Rest assured that NRA-ILA will continue to monitor this bill closely, and will keep you informed of any developments if they materialize. http://www.nraila.org/Legislation/Federal/Read.aspx?id=4329 In the last few weeks, NRA-ILA has received hundreds of e-mails warning us about "SB-2099," a bill that would supposedly require you to report all your guns on your income tax return every April 15. Like many rumors, there's just a grain of truth to this one. Someone's recycling an old alert, which wasn't even very accurate when it was new. There actually was a U.S. Senate bill with that number that would have taxed handguns - nine years ago. It was introduced by anti-gun Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), and it would have included handguns under the National Firearms Act's tax and registration scheme. This has nothing to do with anyone's Form 1040, of course. Fortunately, S. 2099 disappeared without any action by the Senate, back when Bill Clinton was still in the White House. We reported about it back then, just as we report about new anti-gun bills every week. Now, it's time for gun owners to drop this old distraction and focus on the real threats at hand. http://www.nraila.org/Legislation/Federal/Read.aspx?id=4925 --- More Farewells to Teddy: ...Never having been a diplomat, however, I bid him good riddance. Beyond even the good senator's killing of Mary Jo Kopechne (yes, Teddy Kennedy's car really did kill more people than my "assault weapon"), few politicians have attacked the Second Amendment so vociferously, so often and for so long. Gun control in America is a '60s phenomenon. Propelled by the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy, the Gun Control Act of 1968 - which among its many provisions restricted interstate commerce in firearms and created the ever-expanding list of people prohibited from owning guns - was the leading wave of restrictions on what had previously been a non-controversial cornerstone of the Bill of Rights. Leading that attack was good old Teddy Kennedy. Among just a few highlights of the senator's very long gun control résumé... http://www.examiner.com/x-2698-Charlotte-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m8d26-The-Liberal-Lion-stalked-your-rights ...Dislike for Ted Kennedy among gun rights advocates has become very personal over the years. Kennedy's own behavior - coupled with his annoying talent to get away with it, due to money, political influence or just because the Kennedy clan is treated like royalty - contributed to the animosity. Not that gun owners are saints; we're all human and we make mistakes, but Kennedy's errors invariably seemed to get a pass, little more than a wrist slap, including a suspended sentence for driving a car off a bridge and leaving a young woman to die a horrible death. In the firearms community, the observation that "Kennedy's car has killed more people than my gun" became not only a rallying cry, but the text of a popular bumper sticker.... http://www.examiner.com/x-4525-Seattle-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m8d28-American-gun-owners-remembering-a-different-Ted-Kennedy --- I'm Glad We Got That Straight: An Idaho Republican gubernatorial hopeful insists he was only joking when he said he'd buy a license to hunt President Barack Obama. Rex Rammell, a long-shot candidate slated to run against incumbent C.L. "Butch" Otter in the May 2010 GOP primary, made the comment at a Republican rally Tuesday in Twin Falls where talk turned to the state's planned wolf hunt, for which hunters must purchase an $11.50 wolf tag. The hunt is due to begin on Tuesday. When an audience member shouted a question about "Obama tags," Rammell responded, "The Obama tags? We'd buy some of those." ..."What I would say to all my Democrat Idahoans: Take a deep breath and relax," he said. "We're not going to go out and hunt Obama." He also told the Times-News newspaper, "I would never support him being assassinated." ... (If nothing else, the 60's taught us that political assassinations are the best vehicles for infringements of the RKBA.) http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2009/08/28/2009-08-28_idaho_republican_governor_hopeful_rex_rammell_makes_obama_tags_joke_about_huntin.html The list of Idaho Republicans condemning a GOP gubernatorial candidate's comments about buying a license to hunt President Barack Obama grew Friday, as party leaders worried the incident would reflect badly on the state. U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo said former elk rancher Rex Rammell's comment at a Twin Falls GOP merits an apology, U.S. Sen. Jim Risch disavowed him from the Republican Party, and Idaho Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter called Rammell's comment "reckless and inflammatory." ... http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/us_obama_tags/2009/08/29/253910.html Meanwhile, in an Arizona Church...: A Tempe pastor is raising eyebrows with his prayers that include his pleas for the death of President Barack Obama. Steven Anderson, 28, was featured on CNN this week for the content of his sermons, including one earlier this month titled "Why I Hate Barack Obama." An audio of the sermon posted on Anderson's Web site includes what Anderson contends is proof found in scripture that "God hates Barack Obama." Anderson gave the sermon on Aug. 16 while Obama and his family were visiting Arizona... Chris Broughton, the 28-year-old Tempe resident who gained national notoriety after carrying a rifle to protest President Obama's appearance last week in downtown Phoenix, has said Anderson is his pastor... (This last part of the quote could prove to be what journalists call the "smoking gun" - it has already been picked up by the Flagstaff paper.) http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/2009/08/29/20090829preacher0829.html --- The Beat Goes On: There's a bull market for bullets. Stacks of ammo, once piled high at gun shops across America, have dwindled. Prices paid by consumers for much-sought-after Winchester .380-caliber handgun bullets have doubled. At weekend gun shows, trailers loaded with boxes of ammunition are drained within hours. Budget-pressed police departments, which can't be caught short, have increased their orders just to be safe, and the U.S. military, fighting two wars, has seen its need for bullets quadruple in recent years. Bullets are in demand as the nation's appetite for firearms has soared. U.S. gun sales are up since the 2008 presidential election, during which the National Rifle Assn. poured millions of dollars into advertisements suggesting that Democrat Barack Obama would move to restrict gun sales if elected.... (I don't know is it's a good thing or a bad thing that Tory reporters and their editors don't know the difference between bullets and cartridges.) http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-fi-ammo30-2009aug30,0,2804453,full.story --- NRA May Move 2001 Convention: A weapons plank in a raft of G-20 Summit legislation moving through Pittsburgh City Council drew fire from gun rights advocates yesterday, prompting the National Rifle Association to consider yanking its 2011 annual meeting from the city. The proposed ordinance would allow police to cite people for carrying a variety of items, from rotten eggs to 37 types of guns, if police perceive an intent to defy their orders. "They may try to call this some other thing, but by every reasonable account, and reasonable review of what they intend to do, this is a gun ban, plain and simple," said Andrew Arulanandam, director of public affairs for the NRA. If it is passed and remains in place, it would "jeopardize" the NRA's plans to hold a conference here April 29 through May 1, 2011, costing the city tens of thousands of visitors, he said. City Councilman Bruce Kraus, a gun control advocate, said the ordinance may not be enforceable as it's now written, but he's determined to make it so... (The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania preempts firearm regulation, hence the question of the ordinance being uneforceable.) http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09241/994100-482.stm --- North Carolina Supremes Restore Felon's RKBA: The North Carolina Supreme Court says a 2004 law that bars convicted felons from having a gun, even within their own home or business, is unconstitutional. The state's high court ruled Friday in the case of Barney Britt of Wake County that the General Assembly went too far five years ago when it toughened restrictions on felons owning guns as part of a broad anti-domestic-violence bill. Justice Patricia Timmons-Goodson said in a dissenting opinion the decision could encourage challenges against state bans on felons and the insane owning guns. Britt was convicted of felony drug possession in 1979. He completed his sentence in 1982, and his right to own a gun was restored five years later. http://www.wbt.com/news/details.cfm?article_id=47752 --- Texas CHL's - Asset or Liability?: Gun control organizations claim that shall-issue concealed carry laws are a menace to society. For example, in License to Kill IV: More Guns, More Crime, Violence Policy Center (VPC) cited Texas Concealed Handgun Licensee (CHL) arrest data to insinuate that CHLs were violent criminals, and that these laws are a failure. However, such reports ignore the fact that our justice system is based upon the principle of "innocent until proven guilty," because arrests do not prove that a crime was committed. Also, the VPC report made no attempt to compare CHL arrest rates to corresponding rates for the non-CHL population. To address these concerns, some states publish conviction reports for both CHLs and the non-CHL population, enabling a direct comparison that illustrates the relative criminality of both groups. Convictions are more accurate for the purpose of determining relative criminality, because they remove doubt surrounding arrests and report identical criminal justice system outcomes--found guilty of committing a crime--for both population groups... http://www.examiner.com/x-2879-Austin-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m8d28-Concealed-Handguns-Danger-or-Asset-to-Texas --- California County Supervisors Support Shall-Issue CCW: At their meeting August 25, 2009, all members of the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors voted to approve a resolution asking "that the duly elected or appointed El Dorado County Sheriff adopt and maintain a fair and equitable "Shall Issue" policy for the issuance of CCW licenses." The resolution does not have the force of law, but essentially criticizes the Sheriff's recent policy of not recognizing "self protection" as "good cause" to issue a concealed weapons permit to persons otherwise qualified. The resolution focuses attention on the Sheriff's discretion to issue or deny concealed weapons permits, an issue that begins to loom large in the current race for El Dorado County Sheriff. At least two of the current seven candidates have expressed strong support for granting permits upon request to individual citizens who wish to carry a concealed weapon and can meet the qualifications for training, experience, and background. Such a policy is referred to as "Shall Issue," and is in effect in 38 other states in the United States and in many counties in California. Two states require no permit whatsoever... http://www.sacramentopress.com/headline/12774/El_Dorado_County_Supes_Favor_Liberal_Concealed_Weapons_Permits --- Did Open-Carry Picnic Provoke Park Gun Ban?: We are troubled by the Green Bay Park Committee's 3-1 vote to recommend banning guns in city parks - but not for the most obvious reason. We understand the City Council might feel a need to balance concerns for public safety with citizens' Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. The language of the proposed ordinance mirrors Wisconsin statutes banning firearms in state parks; a similar ordinance is already in effect for Brown County parks. No, our concern is with the timing of the committee's action. Why now? Wednesday's vote came three weeks after a group of Second Amendment advocates held a picnic in Ted Fritsch Park where most openly wore holstered guns. Organizer Ed Foral told the committee the purpose was to celebrate the legal right to bear arms and to educate the public about that right. Foral's group worked with city officials and police to ensure that no laws were broken. By all accounts it was a peaceful demonstration free of disturbances. And yet three weeks later the committee is asking the full City Council to pass an ordinance that would make future demonstrations of this nature illegal. The effect is to politicize the picnic and turn it into a tug of war over a loaded issue... http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20090828/GPG0602/908280670/1269/GPG06 --- Arizona Students Will Have Shotgun Elective: High school students at American Heritage Academy now have the option of learning how to shoot shotguns competitively. The school recently received 10 Beretta shotguns and three electronic clay-pigeon throwers. The 20-gauge and 12-gauge shotguns, along with the throwers and other equipment, come from the Arizona Game & Fish Department as part of the Interscholastic Clay Pigeon Program. This year, students will be able to learn to shoot clay pigeons through an after-school club. "Next year, we'll try to put it into the high school curriculum," said Aaron Anderson, academy teacher and head of the school's shooting, hunter safety and clay pigeon programs. To qualify for the program Anderson had to go to Phoenix to become certified as a lead instructor. Then the department had to verify that AHA is in a geographic area that does not have a gun club... (The original law required that instructors be certified by Game & Fish. Starting September 1, they can be certified by the NRA.) http://campverdebugleonline.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&subsectionID=1&articleID=24136 --- Armed Robber Sues for Being Shot: The owner of Nick's Party Stop on Cass Avenue in Clinton Township and several people connected to his store are being sued by a man who was shot while robbing the store. The lawsuit, filed by Scott Thomas Zielinski from his cell in a Michigan prison, was assigned to Macomb County Circuit Judge David Viviano. John Acho, owner of the store and one of the people sued, said his customers are mad that an armed robber is allowed to file a lawsuit after he threatened the store's employees with a knife. Zielinski is seeking in excess of $125,000 for injuries sustained when he was shot escaping from the owners of the store. They went after him because he held two of the employees at knifepoint and threatened to kill them, police said... http://theoaklandpress.com/articles/2009/08/28/news/cops_and_courts/doc4a97a70622185219277908.txt --- He Said, She Said: An East St. Louis man shoots and kills his neighbor Thursday Afternoon. Was it an attempted burglary or teens looking to earn some extra cash. East St. Louis police are investigating the fatal shooting of an an 18 year old. The victim and the shooter live at opposite ends of the block...that would be near the intersection of 55th and Ohio. The man who allegedly fired the gun is a 22 year old Navy Seaman. His mother says he bought the house in the spring and started rehabbing it for his wife and child. The victim has been identified by relatives as 18 year old Michael Anthony Holmes III. Police are still interviewing witnesses but details vary depending on who you talk to. The victim's sister says Holmes went to the house to cut the grass. The homeowner's mother says her son, who is due to be discharged soon, uses his free time to come work on the house. She says thieves have broken in at least twice before, stealing his property... (As I recall, East St. Louis is in Illinois.) http://www.fox2now.com/news/ktvi-esl-burglary-shooting-homicide-ohio-082709,0,5138479.story --- The Rest of the Story: Two men who went to the home of an 82-year-old northwest suburban firearms collector Friday to steal some guns wound up killing the man, according to DuPage County authorities... On Friday, Bratcher and Allen devised a plan to burglarize Kuhn's home and steal firearms, according to a release from the DuPage County State's Attorney's office. Kuhn, according to the sheriff's release, was known as an avid firearms collector [emphasis added]. Bratcher allegedly went into the home first and then called Allen to join him. They allegedly forced Kuhn to an upstairs bedroom and smothered him to death, then burglarized the home, the release said... (Kuhn's death was reported earlier - he had been a prominent RKBA activist in Illinois. This is a good reminder that merely owning firearms confers no protection if you do not have them at hand and are not prepared to use them.) http://www.wbbm780.com/Men-allegedly-smothered-gun-collector-to-death/5075720 --- Rule Five Reminder: Riviera Beach Police say one of their own high-power sniper's rifles was stolen Saturday night just moments after one of their own SWAT team officers had loaded into his personal vehicle for work. City spokesperson Rose Anne Brown says the unnamed officer, "remembered he had left something, ran back into his house and back out again. By the time he got back downstairs the vehicle was gone." He had reportedly locked the vehicle door... (Rule Five: Maintain Control of your firearm. One would think that locking the vehicle might be adequate but that seems not to be the case if one has already been identified as a police officer or the firearm has been spotted. Then again, he may not actually have locked the vehicle.) http://www.wptv.com/content/news/centralpbc/rivierabeach/story/stolen-weapon-high-powered-sniper-rifle-swat-rivie/A0DOTuyDnkivJ3dzmI5ZQQ.cspx Whoever broke into five take-home police cars overnight Tuesday made off with assault rifles after defeating the locked brackets holding the weapons in place. Investigators said the thieves knew what they were doing when they first broke patrol cars' windows and then unlocked the doors, "And then that way the alarm doesn't go off," Sandoval County [NM] Sheriff Paul Trujillo said. Once inside they went for one thing: AR-15 semi-automatic assault rifles. And the crime wasn't quick. Rifles in law enforcement vehicles are usually locked into place, until someone starts the ignition. "Whoever broke in, they knew how to release it," New Mexico State Police Lt. Ramon Casaus told KRQE News 13. "What they actually used to break the lock that released the rifle out, we don't know... Albuquerque police reported one of its take-home cars also was broken into and a Taser electric-dart gun stolen in a northeast neighborhood. APD policy requires firearms to be removed from vehicles overnight. That hasn't been the policy in Sandoval County... State Police said it is going to be asking officers to take their rifles inside their homes... http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=06f_1251341568 --- NRA-ILA Alerts: List members are encouraged to check the alerts for the week, posted on the NRA-ILA website. http://www.nraila.org/GrassrootsAlerts/read.aspx --- Tangentially Related: A U.S. Senate bill that envisions a government seizure of the Internet - literally disconnecting private sector computers from the Web - during a national "cybersecurity crisis" has sparked alarm among civil libertarians and web companies. The bill, first obtained and reported on by CNET,.says that the president would be able to declare "a cybersecurity emergency" relating to "non-governmental" computer networks and do what's necessary to respond to the threat... (This would seem to be one more reason to become licensed and capable with amateur [ham] radio.) http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/obama_seize_internet_bill/2009/08/28/253692.html http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10320096-38.html -- Stephen P. Wenger, KE7QBY Firearm safety - It's a matter for education, not legislation. http://www.spw-duf.info .