The Beat Winds Down?: The Annual Hardy Gun & Knife Show happened Saturday and Sunday, the 7th and 8th, in the historic Sharp County [AR] town. The event was filled with traders, buyers and sellers but was not necessarily filled with sales, according to those involved. While many showed up, gun sellers say they're seeing sales in a bit of a slump after a large boost earlier this year and late last year... "Around here, the economy is still real tight. A lot of people don't have a lot of money to spend and a lot of them are holding on to the money they do have so they don't have a lot to spend on something that's not a necessity," added Welch. He says he has seen an increase in sales to women, especially for self-defense guns such as small caliber, small-in-size firearms that could be carried in a pocket or purse... (My impression is that the supply of firearms, along with prices, is stabilizing more quickly than the supply of ammunition, with a large proportion of gun owners having learned a lesson about the vulnerability of the supply of the latter. A local friend just asked my advice about purchasing a Bushmaster O.R.C. AR-15 variant, being offered at Cabela's, in Glendale AZ, at $300 off MSRP.) http://www.kait8.com/Global/story.asp?S=11466510 --- Wisconsin House Passes RKBA Resolution: On Tuesday, November 3, the Wisconsin State House unanimously passed Assembly Resolution 15. This resolution requests the participation of the Attorney General in the "friend of the court" brief in the U.S. Supreme Court case, McDonald v. Chicago. The case will address the application of the Second Amendment to the states through either the Due Process clause or the Privileges or Immunities clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The case has major implications for the legality of restrictive gun laws not only in Chicago, but also in other cities across the United States. Full support by the Wisconsin Assembly and other states will only strengthen the stance of the Second Amendment's true meaning in the eyes of the court... (Note that due to vetoes of bills that would have created shall-issue licensed CCW, Wisconsin remains one of two states that lack any statutory provision for lawful CCW by private citizens.) http://www.opposingviews.com/articles/opinion-pro-gun-legislation-passes-unanimously-in-wisconsin-r-1257666746 --- Illinois Republican Calls for Licensed CCW: Republican Bill Brady says letting Illinois residents carry concealed weapons could protect them from the kind of violence that struck Fort Hood on Thursday. Brady's comment came at a debate among the seven GOP candidates for governor. Each candidate was asked why he was qualified to oversee the Illinois National Guard and public safety. Most promise to modernize the Guard and hire professionals with experience in military and security work. Brady says another way to improve safety is to let people carry concealed guns. He says that would help in the case of a shooting like the one last year at Northern Illinois University or Thursday in Texas... (Illinois is the other state with no statutory provision for lawful CCW by private citizens.) http://www.wandtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=11454316 --- RKBA and Virginia Elections: Last Tuesday's election in Virginia has been reported by some as a vote of no confidence in the Obama administration. Maybe it was - but a closer look indicates that seven of the nine incumbents who lost were caught flat footed on gun rights. Generally in the United States, "there is a large advantage to incumbency in the elections to the lower chamber at the state level." Arguably then the most noteworthy election outcome in a lower state legislative house is when a significant number of incumbent legislators lose... As you can see from the chart below, five of the losing incumbents were NRA F rated and hailed from the anti-gun wing of the House of Delegates which was outvoted 2-1 this year on HB 1035, a bill to repeal Virginia's ban on concealed carry in restaurants serving alcohol. Only nine other states have such a ban... Of the remaining losing incumbents, Valentine, Nichols, and Bowling went into the race disadvantaged by an NRA B rating compared to their opponents' A ratings, with Valentine's and Nichols' opponents garnering official NRA or VCDL endorsements, respectively. It should be noted though that VCDL endorsed incumbent Democratic Delegate Bowling based on his long record of pro-gun votes in the General Assembly... http://www.examiner.com/x-2782-DC-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m11d8-Virginia-incumbents-losses-explained-by-weakness-on-gun-rights --- Will Campus Carry Pass in Virginia?: I'm making a bold prediction: this year, the bill will pass to allow state-permitted individuals to carry on Virginia's public campuses; next week, we will be making the case for it. November 9 - 14 is Defense Education Week, hosted by Students for Concealed Carry on Campus at colleges across the country, where the issue will be brought forward as we advocate for self-defense rights on campus. The argument is simple: there are no grounds to deny the right to carry on campus lawfully and responsibly for the purpose of self-defense... This is the time to engage if you support the cause, are unsure, or disagree with the arguments. We welcome dissenters just as much as supporters, as we believe our case is strong and well researched. For some this may be a sensitive, personal, and emotional issue, but we hope to have some civil dialogue to address concerned individuals. As well, gun owners and gun-rights advocates who are unsure about their position with concealed carry on campus are encouraged to attend... http://www.collegiatetimes.com/stories/14619/concealed-carry-is-coming-to-virginia-campuses --- Questions for Ohio AG: The reply I posted yesterday from Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray's Constituent Liaison ended with an invitation to me: "Thank you again for contacting our office and please let us know if you have any additional questions or thoughts about these issues." Why, yes, thank you, I do have a few more. Two, actually. My first question has to do with police in Ohio confronting gun owners who are open carrying-- a legal practice, but one that still results in potentially very dangerous encounters that could get someone killed. I wrote AG Cordray's predecessor about it, and documented that here and here... How hard could it be for the state's top law enforcement officer, the AG, to write a memorandum recognizing the legality of peaceable open carrying, and send it to every police and sheriff's department in the state, as well as to the Highway Patrol? One would assume flow-down communications explaining his interpretations and positions on law enforcement issues are already established and routine... http://www.examiner.com/x-1417-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m11d8-More-gun-rights-questions-for-Ohio-AG-Cordray --- Another "Gun-Free Zone": ... A major contributor to America's anti-freedom, anti-family, gun-control movement is Peter Herschend, owner of the popular Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri as well as Celebration City, Dollywood, Stone Mountain Park, The Adventure Aquarium, and The Newport Aquarium. Herschend has spent countless dollars fighting the Second Amendment. Several websites describe him as backing major "grassroots" campaigns against the right for citizens to own firearms. The wealth of this guy is admirable. His power is great. Yet, his push to take away guns from honest, taxpaying citizens is about as "grassroots" as George Soros' "grassroots" effort to elect Al Gore, John Kerry, and then Barack Obama. Silver Dollar City is promoted as pro-family. In general it is. There is not one family in the nation who would feel threatened by the content at one attraction or store or exhibit in the place. Looks are deceiving however. Before you enter the first gate, you see the No Guns Allowed on These Premises sign... http://www.lewrockwell.com/perry/perry50.1.html --- "Allowing" Guns on Trains: ... Gun-rights proponents have noted that Amtrak always allowed passengers' guns on its trains, deciding to ban them only after the 2001 terror attacks. Amtrak and its defenders in Congress have argued that the government-owned passenger line needs more time before it can "allow" firearms onto trains... Read it again. Because American train stations lack the insane strip-search lines, X-ray machines, and "turn your head while I grope you" protocols that have been installed at our airports, it doesn't much matter who is or isn't "allowed" to carry a self-defense handgun onto a train, according to official Amtrak "policy." Yes, the various states through which your train may pass probably have their own, contradictory firearms bans. You'd thus be taking your chances should local law enforcement happen to notice that bulge in your coat when you step off to purchase a local newspaper on the platform. But that aside, in reality, pretty much anybody can carry a concealed weapon onto an Amtrak train, right now... (Actually, the policy Congress has set for Amtrak does not even pertain to carrying firearms, it pertains to transporting them, unloaded, in checked luggage, such as one can do on an airline flight.) http://www.lvrj.com/opinion/allowed-to-carry-for-self-defense-69506632.html --- Easier Said than Done: ... If you were to obtain a CCW, I would suggest you take a class to learn how to use a gun as well. Not just firing one, but learning how to take it apart, clean in, proper storage and transporting issues, and most importantly, the legal aspects and use of deadly force policies. You certainly have the constitutional right to protect yourself and your family; however, I always add as a caveat that more people are injured and/or killed by accident with their own handguns. The fact of the matter is that most violent gun crimes are committed by a relatively small segment of the total population... The way to obtain a CCW is to contact your county's Sheriff's Office, or if you are a resident of an incorporated city, your city's Police Department, for information on obtaining a CCW license. They can answer your questions and provide you with copies of their CCW policy statement and the State's Standardized CCW Application. If you live within a jurisdiction of a city police department, you may apply to the county Sheriff's Office for a CCW license. However, only residents of a city may apply to a city's Police Department for a CCW license. One point to remember is that California law does not recognize CCW licenses issued in other states... (Never mind the fact that it is almost impossible to obtain a CWP in Sacramento County, although that may not be the case if you have the good fortune to live up in California's Mother Lode. Oh yes, Officer Michelle is mistaken about the proportion of people injured or killed with their own firearms.) http://www.sacramentopress.com/headline/17448/Ask_Officer_Michelle_Carrying_A_Concealed_Weapon_Takes_A_Lot_of_Consideration --- What is the Meaning of "Powerful"?: A 5.7-millimeter pistol used in the Fort Hood shooting was purchased legally by suspect Nidal Hasan at a Texas gun shop, law enforcement officials said Friday... Records indicate Hasan bought the FN 5.7 at store called "Guns Galore" in Killeen, Texas, in recent months and that gun was used in the attack that left 13 people dead, one of the officials said. The pistol has been dubbed a "cop killer" by those who have tried to stop its use... The most powerful type of ammunition for the FN 5.7 gun is available only to law enforcement and military personnel. Gun control advocates call it a "cop killer" weapon because that ammo can pierce bulletproof vests, and its use by Mexican drug cartels worries police. It is not clear what kind of ammunition was used in the Fort Hood attack... (I would consider the ancient .45-70 cartridge to be more powerful than the more modern but much smaller .223. However, the .223 is much more likely to penetrate soft body armor due to its much higher velocity, among other factors. Whether Hasan had illegally obtained the restricted armor-piercing bullets for the FN Five-seveN pistol is irrelevant to the military personnel he shot as none of them were wearing body armor. I have seen recent news accounts that report police sergeant Kimberly Munley as having been wounded three times in "in the arm and leg," parts of the body not normally covered by soft body armor. Remember that the 125 gr. .357 Magnum SJHP round is the "gold standard" by which other handgun rounds are rated for "stopping power.") http://townhall.com/news/politics-elections/2009/11/06/ap_sources_rampage_gun_purchased_legally?page=full Available Ammo: ...The SS190 AP ball FMJ is designated as Armor Piercing (AP) ammunition, designed to penetrate body armor. Its sale to civilians is restricted and BATF mandates that FN stores the ammunition in a bonded warehouse and releases only upon sale to law-enforcement or military purchase order. The SS190 bullet has a steel penetrator and an aluminum core. It is interesting to note that the SS109 FMJ bullet is essentially of the same design, except it uses a lead core with a steel penetrator. The SS109 is frequently found in civilian-legal M855 loads sold as surplus or contract-overrun ammunition. FN Herstal has stated that the SS190 round will easily penetrate protections that stop normal pistol rounds, but will not penetrate protections that stop the 5.56 x 45 mm NATO round such as Level IIIA armor... ("SS109" was the original Belgian designation for the cartridge that NATO demanded as a condtion to accept the 5.56x45mm round as a substitute for the older 7.62x51mm. The federal restriction on ammunition that can penetrate soft body armor applies only to handguns. Hence, it is not illegal for Americans to purchase M855 surplus ammo; "M855" is the American designation for "SS109." Most centerfire rifle ammunition will penetrate soft body armor. ) http://www.the-armory.com/shopsite_sc/store/html/product1210.html --- Oops, Wrong House: A man who was breaking into a home on W. Bishop Avenue, just west of King Avenue, was killed this morning when the homeowner shot the intruder, police said. The homeowner was talking on the phone to another family member about 10 a.m. when he thought he heard something at the back door, police said. "The suspects had already broken down the back door," said Flint [MI] Police Lt. TP Johnson. Johnson said two people had broken into the home. The homeowner was able to get a gun away from one of the intruders, which the homeowner used to shoot one of the intruders, who died, Johnson said. The homeowner was not injured and is cooperating with police, Johnson said... (I have been tracking firearm-related news on the internet for over 12 years. Incidents of victims being disarmed and shot with their own firearms are virtually non-existent but I find several cases like this one each year.) http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2009/11/man_trying_to_break_into_home.html --- Oops, Wrong Store: A bodega worker in Elmont scared off handgun-toting bandits who were trying to rob the cashier when he whipped out a shotgun, Nassau County [NY] police said. Police say the shotgun that the worker brandished was behind the counter when the two bandits came into the Elmont Deli at about 4:15 a.m. Saturday and pointed a handgun at the cashier, demanding money from him. Another employee produced the handgun, police said. "After he brought out the gun, they run away," said Sias Jihan, a co-worker of the employee who had the shotgun... (So, were the robbers actually facing one employee armed with a shotgun and a second armed with a handgun? Or did the reporter or editor confuse "handgun" and "shotgun?") http://www.newsday.com/long-island/nassau/elmont-store-clerk-scares-off-would-be-robbers-with-shotgun-police-say-1.1573113 --- Another Company Leaves California: South Dakota is getting a new firearms manufacturing company. Bar-Sto, a maker of auto pistol barrels, will relocate its operations from Twentynine Palms, Calif., to Sturgis in the first half of 2010 and broke ground on their new facility today. The firm expects to bring 18 jobs to Sturgis in the next three years. "Bar-Sto is exactly the kind of quality company we look to recruit," said Gov. Mike Rounds. "It is a family-owned company, has been in the firearms industry more than 40 years, and has a varied clientele that includes major gun manufacturers, private citizens and custom gunsmiths." In addition to selling barrels to top gun makers, Bar-Sto barrels have also been used by the U.S. Marine Corps Marksmanship Unit, National Guard and Air Force teams, as well as in major pistol tournaments such as Camp Perry, the USPSA Nationals, Steel Challenge and the Masters... http://www.prairiebizmag.com/event/article/id/10147/group/home/ --- "If I Only Had One Gun": David Calderwood takes on one of the traditional fantasy topics assigned periodically to the gun writers of yore. Okay, he offers a pretext for ignoring long guns: "...Walking down the street with a rifle will not be an option for "civilians" and will still upset the neighbors. If limited to one gun, only the pistol can serve both at home and away..." Implicit in his next statement is that he views the firearm primarily as an implement for combat. Okay, at least he has defined his parameters. Living in elk country, I am occasionally asked for recommendations for a "survival rifle," with the suggestion that one will survive on a very large animal, such as an elk or a deer. Frankly, I think it's more realistic that one would have to and be more able to survive on small game, such as rabbit and squirrel, which is more appropriately and more quietly taken with a .22. I always think back to one of the articles by the late Skeeter Skelton on this topic, in which he muses whether Smith & Wesson's six-inch, K-frame, .22 LR K-22 might not be the single most useful all-around firearm. Definitely not the first choice for combat but not a bad choice for a survival gun. Oh well, let Mr. Calderwood have his say... http://www.lewrockwell.com/calderwood/calderwood38.1.html -- Stephen P. Wenger, KE7QBY Firearm safety - It's a matter for education, not legislation. http://www.spw-duf.info .