Is Big Brother Still Walking the RKBA Tightrope?: Seven countries have launched a campaign for the U.N. to start negotiations on a new treaty regulating the global arms trade to help prevent the illegal transfer of guns that kill and maim thousands every day. John Duncan, Britain's ambassador for multilateral arms control and disarmament, said the four-week meeting of the General Assembly's disarmament committee, which started Monday, will be "pivotal" in deciding whether to launch formal negotiations on a new Arms Trade Treaty... Whether President Barack Obama's administration will now back negotiations remains to be seen. Gun control is a hotly contentious issue in the United States, where the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees citizens the right to "keep and bear arms," and powerful lobby groups routinely oppose almost every effort to restrict gun sales and ownership - and usually win. Supporters of a new treaty stress that it will not interfere with legal arms sales but will target illegal weapons transfers. The U.S. statement to the disarmament committee, delivered Tuesday by Ellen Tauscher, the undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, focused on Obama's proposals to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and move toward disarmament. It made no mention of conventional weapons or an Arms Trade Treaty. A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly, said the administration was still reviewing its position on a treaty... http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_content.php?id=1078885&lang=eng_news --- The Beat Winds Down?: Don Parsons stocked up on cases of bullets and shells Sunday at the Texas Gun & Knife Association show in the Abilene Civic Center. "I sure am glad those prices have gone down a bit," he said as he prepares to guide deer hunters on his land north of Abilene when open season starts the first Saturday of November. "It was pretty bad there for a while." Ammunition prices shot up after President Barack Obama's election in November, which sent gun enthusiasts who had enjoyed eight years of Repulican rule rushing to stores to stock up on ammunition before any gun control laws could take effect. "The first six months of this year, I couldn't even get the products from my suppliers because they were all out," said Greg "Red" Riggins, owner of the Frontier Sportsman booth at this weekend's show. While Second Amendment activists are still skittish, vendors such as Riggins are glad the ammo market has mellowed... (The supply of ammunition looks as though it may be stabilizing in fits and starts. Reports from some areas suggest that some gun stores are paying retail price at local Walmarts in order to be able to maintain some stock on their shelves.) http://www.reporternews.com/news/2009/oct/11/vendors-glad-ammo-is-back/ --- California Governor Signs Draconian Ammunition Bill: "To the Members of the California State Assembly: I am signing Assembly Bill 962. This measure would require vendors of handgun ammunition to keep a log of information on handgun ammunition sales, store ammunition in a safe and secure manner, and require the face to-face transfer of ammunition sales. Although I have previously vetoed legislation similar to this measure, local governments have demonstrated that requiring ammunition vendors to keep records on ammunition sales improves public safety. These records have allowed law enforcement to arrest and prosecute persons who have no business possessing firearms and ammunition: gang members, violent parolees, second and third strikers, and even people previously serving time in state prison for murder... Moreover, this type of record keeping is no more intrusive for law abiding citizens than similar laws governing pawnshops or the sale of cold medicine. Unfortunately, even the most successful local program is flawed; without a statewide law, felons can easily skirt the record keeping requirements of one city by visiting another. Assembly Bill 962 will fix this problem by mandating that all ammunition vendors in the state keep records on ammunition sales..." (Ahnold apparently thinks it is no intrusion on the law-abiding to place limits on quantities of ammunition purchased or to ban online or mail-order purchase of ammunition that may not be available in the local gun shop. I have rarely found my first choices in defensive ammunition sitting on dealer shelves. As a sop, it appears that he vetoed the bill that would have banned gun shows at the Cow Palace, south of San Francisco [http://cbs13.com/politics/water.deal.deadline.2.1241623.html].) http://www.gunnewsdaily.com/index.php/article-archives/152-governor-signs-ab962-restricting-ammunition --- F Troop Responds to Bloomberg Videos: Smile, gun show dealers: You were on hidden camera, and the federal government may be coming after you. The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is looking into Mayor Bloomberg's gun show sting project and may take action against the dealers involved. The city had private investigators pose as buyers in three states - Tennessee, Ohio and Nevada - to highlight how easily they obtained weapons at gun shows even after stating they could never pass a background check. "ATF did not participate in the operations conducted at the gun shows highlighted in the report, but will assess the need to initiate any criminal investigations," the bureau said in a statement... (After the Rodney King incident flared, cops were advised to assume that everything they said was being recorded and everything they did was being videotaped. With such a large proportion of the population carrying cell phones with integral video cameras, everyone needs to make that assumption these days. Illegal sales of firearms are generally not an effective way to protest infringements of the RKBA.) http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2009/10/11/2009-10-11_atf_may_join_probe_in_bloomys_gun_sting.html Related Commentary: http://www.examiner.com/x-1417-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m10d10-Why-wont-press-question-Bloomberg-gun-show-motives --- Campus-Carry Struggle in Georgia: Students For Concealed Carry On Campus is fighting to change Georgia law. The group wants to make it legal for students at all universities across the state to carry guns or knives on campus. "Currently it is a felony for a student to have a weapon on campus. This is our second amendment right this is what we are guaranteed by the constitution and somewhere along the way people decided stripping that right would make us safer and it hasn't it has made us targets," said Matt Lewis with Students For Concealed Carry On Campus. This year there has been a rash of crimes against Georgia Tech students on and off campus. Between May 4 and June 21, at least six Georgia Tech students were the victims of crime on or near the Georgia Tech campus. In one of those attacks the first week of May, Georgia Tech student Patrick Whaley was carjacked and shot leaving the Tivoli 10 Side Apartments. Lewis said he believes students shouldn't have to wait for help to arrive to defend themselves... http://www.cbsatlanta.com/news/21261206/detail.html --- Texas School District Scraps "Zero Tolerance": "Zero tolerance" is officially a thing of the past as Waco schools make it policy to consider mitigating factors such as self-defense when doling out punishment to students. The Waco Independent School District board of trustees recently approved the 2009-10 Code of Conduct, which includes the requirement that district staff consider certain factors when issuing out-of-school suspensions and expulsions and when making placements to the disciplinary alternative education program. Those factors include: self-defense, student disability, student's disciplinary history and intent or lack of intent at the time the student engaged in the conduct. Previously, it was a recommendation rather than a requirement to consider these factors... (I have been waiting for a report of a student being disciplined for bringing a Massachusetts quarter to school - after all, it depicts a minuteman holding his musket and many schools prohibit even images of a weapon.) http://www.wacotrib.com/news/content/news/stories/2009/10/11/10112009waczerotolerance.html?imw=Y --- Oops, One Too Many: A would-be robber is dead after one of his alleged victims fights back. It happened on North Street in Philadelphia's West Oak Lane section early Sunday morning. Investigators say it apparently never crossed the thief's mind that his victim just might be armed. Police say it was the man's third robbery of the night. He forced the victim up against a vehicle along the street and demanded money. That's when shots rang out - but not from the alleged robber... Aaron Wisher was listening to the radio in his West Oak Lane home just after midnight when he heard a man on his cell phone quickly followed by seven or eight gunshots... He called 9-1-1 and police responded to investigate. As it turns out, the man who was being robbed had a license to carry a firearm, and shot the alleged robber. Police say at this time no charges are expected to be filed. (Journalism schools need to start teaching the differences between theft, robbery and burglary. In most states a crime is elevated from theft to robbery when there is the use or threat of force. Burglary typically involves entry of a structure or fenced land with the intent to commit theft. Depending on the value of what is stolen, theft may only be a misdemeanor but robbery and burglary are generally high-grade felonies.) http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/local&id=7058682 http://www.examiner.com/x-18149-SelfDefense-Examiner~y2009m10d11-Serial-robber-shot-in-self-defense-by-concealed-carry-permit-holder --- Oops, Wrong House: What started early Thursday morning as a home invasion has ended in the death of the alleged intruder. Just after 5 a.m., Bexar County [TX] Sheriff's deputies responded to the scene in the 11400 block of South Foster Road. Deputies say 24-year-old Cardell Deon Joseph broke through the front door of a home there, and that's when the homeowner shot him once in the intruder's rib cage area. They say the Joseph then ran from the house and drove away, but he then crashed his vehicle a few blocks away. According to reports, the suspect was still talking after the crash, and asked the homeowners for help. But, Joseph later died at the scene. It's unclear whether the crash or the gunshot wound was the major factor in his death. Bexar County records show that Joseph was in trouble before. He was arresed for evading arrest and possession of marijuana. The Bexar County district attorney's office will review the case. http://www.kens5.com/news/stories/KENS20091008-Foster-Road-Intruder.1f78f4e15.html http://www.examiner.com/x-18149-SelfDefense-Examiner~y2009m10d10-Texas-home-invader-shot-in-self-defense --- What Was the Question?: In a recent four-week period, four local residents who were threatened by armed individuals opened fire, shooting the people who had allegedly drawn or fired the weapons first. One incident left a would-be robber dead after a homeowner shot and killed him inside his home. It's a recent trend that leaves police torn between public safety concerns and law enforcement objectives. "If your life is genuinely in danger ... I would expect people to fight for their lives or their family's lives," said Dayton police Lt. Patrick Welsh, a former prosecuting attorney. "But we also encourage people to think, 'What can I do to avoid being placed in that situation in the first place?' " None of the four people who fired in the Dayton cases face any criminal charges. Ohio's Castle Doctrine Law, which went into effect last year, allows residents to defend their homes and occupied vehicles from invaders by any means necessary, including lethal force... (It's not clear to me what questions are being raised that are not answered in most courses that may be required to qualify for a concealed-carry permit.) http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/crime/4-recent-self-defense-shootings-raise-questions-about-law-safety-343110.html --- Gunfight in Ohio Bar - More Details: ...Some physical commotion is not uncommon at evening establishments where alcohol is served. But it's what happened next on Thursday evening inside the Route 66 Kitchen in West Toledo that has unsettled some Toledoans... With surveillance cameras rolling, several figures pulled out handguns and engaged in a shootout that raged inside and outside the bar for several minutes. Seventeen shell casings littered the floor or ground before the gun battle petered out, leaving a front door riddled with bullet holes and scenes of lawless mayhem preserved on video. Amazingly, no one was hurt... Dan Wagner, president of the Toledo Police Patrolman's Association, said he also believes acts such as the one in the West Toledo bar are consequences of criminals feeling that law enforcement has its guard down. "People have become more violent because they feel more comfortable because there's not enough officers out there on the street," Mr. Wagner said yesterday, noting the Route 66 Kitchen at 406 North Westwood Ave. is just blocks away from the department's Scott Park substation. "When someone feels more comfortable pulling a gun out rather than fistfighting, it shows you that they're not afraid of the law being there." However, Deputy Chief Don Kenney cautioned against drawing such conclusions from Thursday's gunfight. "The reality of it is we have shots fired every day in the city," Chief Kenney said. "Right now we can't put the blame anywhere until we have a clearer idea of what happened and who the participants were." ... (For those who may not have been able to view the video in yesterday's link, it is embedded in this article.) http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091011/NEWS02/910110335 --- Florida Range Mishap - Details Emerge: ... Since Thourot's gun accidentally discharged last weekend at Saddle Creek Shooting Range in Lakeland, Thourot says he became a target of unlikely criticism; he was condemned for not following safety procedures, something he says he has done all his life. Detectives now say it was not Thourot, but a malfunction in his Jennings 9 mm semi-automatic pistol that caused the Oct. 3 shooting that injured Thourot, his wife and an Irish tourist, who was in Polk County visiting friends and was with them at the range. Thourot, 47, who lives in Tampa but comes to Polk County because he likes the county-run shooting range, had just set down the handgun about 10:30 a.m. when it went off, puncturing his wife Sherri's left armpit, striking 29-year-old Gary Flynn's shoulder and throat, and slicing through Thourot's left hand. Another bullet had just grazed his stomach when the gun jammed. "Thank God," he said. "The next bullet probably would have killed me." ... After he was released from the hospital, Thourot researched the Jennings 9 mm and discovered that many have experienced similar malfunctions. Design flaws in the original Jennings are well-documented in news reports, and an accidental discharge and the ensuing lawsuit caused the gun's original manufacturer, Bryco Arms, to file for bankruptcy in 2003. The latest incarnation of the company, Jimenez Arms, now manufactures in Nevada... (Jennings and the related "ring of fire" brands are the quintessential "POS" handguns and it's tragic that Thourot did not recognize that. The lawsuit mentioned, however, did not involve an actual mechanicla defect but the absence of a loaded-chamber indicator, in an incident involving precisely the lesson that Thourot had taught his daughter. On the plus side, the demonstration that Thourot gave his daughter is an outstanding one for educating both children and adults about the need to visually and tactilely verify the empty-chamber status of firearms.) http://www.theledger.com/article/20091010/NEWS/910105066 --- Pastor Who Gave up Ministry Speaks: The Kentucky pastor who drew notice earlier this year for hosting a God-and-guns event at his church is giving up his flock for his Glock. Pastor Ken Pagano resigned his post last month at the New Bethel Church in Louisville, Ky., after nearly 30 years in the ministry, saying he wants to focus on Second Amendment and church-security issues. "Thirty years was a good, long run, but it's time for a change," Mr. Pagano said in an interview with The Washington Times. "If I can write my own ticket, I want to get involved more in Second Amendment issues as they affect the church, and I can do more from outside the pulpit than from behind it." ... "Churches are very soft targets and very vulnerable to attack from terrorists and other homegrown, disgruntled individuals," Mr. Pagano said. "Unfortunately, most religious leaders are living in denial." The number of high-profile attacks on churches has spiraled in the past decade. This year's church violence includes the deadly shooting of a late-term abortion provider in Wichita, Kan., a fatal attack on a pastor shot midsermon in Maryville, Ill., and the killing of a female parishioner by her estranged husband in a church parking lot in Silver Spring, Md... http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/oct/12/ky-pastor-drops-flock-for-his-glock/ --- This Story Sounds Familiar: In the chaos of an early morning assault on a remote U.S. outpost in eastern Afghanistan, Staff Sgt. Erich Phillips' M4 carbine quit firing as militant forces surrounded the base. The machine gun he grabbed after tossing the rifle aside didn't work either. When the battle in the small village of Wanat ended, nine U.S. soldiers lay dead and 27 more were wounded. A detailed study of the attack by a military historian found that weapons failed repeatedly at a "critical moment" during the firefight on July 13, 2008, putting the outnumbered American troops at risk of being overrun by nearly 200 insurgents. Which raises the question: Eight years into the war against the Taliban in Afghanistan, do U.S. armed forces have the best guns money can buy? Despite the military's insistence that they do, a small but vocal number of troops in Afghanistan and Iraq has complained that the standard-issue M4 rifles need too much maintenance and jam at the worst possible times... (It seems as though just as the M16 was getting straightened out, a large portion of our troops switched to the shorter M4. The shorter gas tube of the M4 seems to make the carbine less tolerant of heavy-volume rapid fire, according to some reports.) http://apnews.myway.com/article/20091011/D9B8SUPO0.html --- Tangentially Related: A Tempe [AZ] woman's 911 call has uncovered widespread use of a police database that flags addresses across the Valley as hazards without ever consulting the people living in the houses. Local and national law-enforcement agencies use the database to collect information about Valley residences. The information, filed into a computer-aided dispatch system, can include prior emergency calls to a home, as well as criminal activity or threats tied to an address... Holguin's fight with Tempe had begun months before that 911 call. Earlier in the year, she had criticized Police Chief Tom Ryff in an unrelated matter, going so far as to say he should resign. Then in August, she found her elderly father on the floor and called 911. As paramedics cared for her father, two Tempe police cars showed up. Holguin said a paramedic said he wanted to speak to her and an officer outside. She said the paramedic asked if she had recently moved to the address or if she knew of any reason why her house would be "put on a hazard file." ...Holguin said the paramedic told her that "whenever we get that (hazard) dispatch on our call log it means we're possibly going into a hostile situation. That could mean other things like you could be on some terrorist list." Holguin was dumbfounded. Then, she recalled the complaints she made against Ryff... http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/2009/10/12/20091012hazard1012.html --- From AzCDL: Wonder how your elected State Representatives and/or Senators voted on key pro-rights bills this year? AzCDL has posted their voting records at: http://www.azcdl.org/html/voting_records.html AzCDL's 2009 annual meeting on YouTube? Within days of our 2009 annual meeting of members, videos of the event were posted on YouTube: Senator Russell Pearce's speech to AzCDL's membership - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMPT5Ri4ybI Highlights of the meeting - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mwaeUTm5k0 To the over 300 members who attended - Thank you! AzCDL will be at two events this coming weekend (October 16, 17, 18). In Phoenix, AzCDL will participate in the Take Back America forum on October 16 & 17, 2009: http://freedomforum.ccmajority.com/ . For more information, contact John: john.rosado@azcdl.org During Tombstone's Helldorado Days, AzCDL will have a table at the gun show on October 17 & 18, 2009, being held in the old Tombstone High School Gym. Parking is free! http://www.tombstonechamber.com/Tombstone-Gun-Show For more information contact Tom: tom.woodrow@azcdl.org These alerts are a project of the Arizona Citizens Defense League (AzCDL), an all volunteer, non-profit, non-partisan grassroots organization. Renew today! http://www.azcdl.org/html/join_us_.html AzCDL - Protecting Your Freedom http://www.azcdl.org/html/accomplishments.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 .