Bloomfield Press Files McDonald Brief: Should individual states be required to honor your guarantees under the Bill of Rights? Phoenix-based Bloomfield Press has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to say yes, in an amicus ("friend of the court") brief just filed. The goal is to require states to be bound by the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. They are not currently obligated to do so. This principle is up for review in McDonald v. Chicago, expected to be argued at the High Court in February, 2010, and decided by June. See the filing here - http://www.gunlaws.com/supreme.htm... Working piecemeal, the Court has declared states cannot deny free speech, protection against unreasonable searches, the right to counsel in a criminal trial and more. This principle is now on trial in what may be the highest-profile case of its kind - the right to arms in the Second Amendment... Bloomfield Press joins 34 California DAs, eight Nevada DAs, former Arizona Sheriff Richard Mack (the hero of the successful Brady-bill case that set 10th Amendment limits on federal invasion of states' rights), several law-enforcement associations, and citizens' rights groups in Arizona, California, Texas and Virginia in the amicus filing. Mr. Korwin's extensive research and material appears throughout the brief, drafted by California attorney Chuck Michel of Michel and Associates... http://www.ammoland.com/2009/11/25/bloomfield-press-files-amicus-brief-in-chicago-gun-ban-case/ --- Congressional Brief Reports: Kansas: http://www.earnedmedia.org/sbrb1124.htm Minnesota: http://www.fergusfallsjournal.com/news/2009/nov/25/peterson-asks-supreme-court-uphold-second-amendmen/ Montana: http://www.kfbb.com/news/local/74124662.html Wyoming: http://www.littlechicagoreview.com/pages/full_story/full_story?content_instance_id=4839551 --- A Small Victory: Professor Joseph Olson has confirmed that the Ohio State University's Second Amendment Research Center has apparently expired. In the words of Monty Python, it is an ex-Center. Its URL [http://www.secondamendmentcenter.org] is out of service and the OSU operator had no information. The Center's director, historian Saul Cornell, this year moved on to a chair at Fordham University, and his vita shows the dates of the SARC to be 2002-2008. This "scholarly" center was one of the initiatives funded by the Joyce Foundation to support writings that opposed the academic consensus that had previously arisen that the original meaning of the Second Amendment protected an individual right. Readers of this blog will remember the infamous Joyce Foundation funded symposium at Chicago Kent from which any dissenting scholars were excluded in the interest of "balancing" all the rest of Second Amendment scholarship. Apparently, its scholarly purpose having been exhausted by the decision in Heller, it has ceased its scholarly mission. It is no more. (Recall that Big Brother served as a director of the Joyce Foundation from 1994 to 2002. Cornell was one more "historian" engaged in trying to prove that the Second Amendment was only intended to guarantee states the right to maintain militias.) http://volokh.com/2009/11/25/joyce-foundation-funded-osu-2nd-amendment-center-expires/ --- The Gillibrand Conversion Reviewed: One of the interesting not-so-sub-texts of yesterday's joint gun control press conference between Sen. Gillibrand and Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-L.I.) was the fact that the two have certainly not always seen eye-to-eye on guns. You'll remember McCarthy, a staunch gun-control advocate whose husband was killed and her son wounded in the infamous 1993 Long Island Rail Road shooting, famously threatened to primary Gillibrand in 2010 over the former upstate congresswoman's NRA-friendly views. But it was all buddy-buddy before the cameras at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, where the two came together with Mayor Bloomberg, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly and others to announce their new gun trafficking prevention legislation... (If there is anyone who truly believed that Kirsten Gillibrand would continue to strive to maintain her favorable rating from the NRA after being selected to replace Hillary Clinton in the US Senate, contact me ASAP about purchasing my oceanfront condo in Tucson.) http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dc/2009/11/one-of-the-interesting-not-so-.html --- Washington County May Rescind Illegal Ordinance: As Seattle readies to defend in court its ban on guns at city parks, Snohomish County might move in the opposite direction. If a new law passes, you could feel free to tote a legally owned firearm into county parks. Just don't shoot it, unless it's in self-defense. County code, as it reads now, prohibits people from carrying or discharging guns in county parks. Lifting the long-standing ban is mostly a house-keeping measure to bring the county in line with state law, said Councilman John Koster, who submitted the proposal earlier this month. An opinion from State Attorney General Rob McKenna supports his stance... Crossbows, slingshots and fireworks would still be against the rules if the law changes in Snohomish County. The issue is scheduled for discussion during a County Council operations committee meeting at 1:30 p.m. Dec. 7. A public hearing would take place before any vote... http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20091125/NEWS01/711259874&news01ad=1 --- An Interesting Demographic in Hunting: The call to forge deeper connections with the food we eat has pulled thousands to the nation's farmers' markets, sprouted a million backyard seedlings and jump-started an interest in scratch baking, canning and other county-fair pursuits. Now add hunting to the list. Novice urban hunters are forming classes and clubs to learn skills that a few generations ago were often passed down from parent to child. Jackson Landers, an insurance broker by day, teaches a course here called Deer Hunting for Locavores. Mr. Landers, 31, started the classes earlier this year for largely urban adults who, like him, did not grow up stalking prey but have gravitated to harvesting and cooking their own game... "I'd never fired a gun before," said Michael Davis, 44, a graphic designer and a student in the class. "I grew up in Southern California. We surfed, we didn't hunt." But Mr. Davis, a self-described foodie, said he needed to understand what it means to hunt for food... http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/25/dining/25hunt.html?pagewanted=all --- F Troop Rescinds a Requirement: ATF has issued a ruling authorizing licensed manufacturers who perform a manufacturing process on firearms for another licensed manufacturer not to place their serial numbers and other required identification markings on the firearm, provided the firearm is already properly marked with a serial number and all other requirements of the ruling are met. During the manufacturing process, many firearms manufacturers contract with other manufacturers to perform various steps in the manufacturing process. Currently the applicable regulations require that each manufacturer performing a manufacturing process on a firearm, including a frame or receiver, place its identifying markings on each firearm. However, multiple identification markings can be confusing to law enforcement and potentially hinder effective tracing of firearms used in crimes. Further, unique marks of identification of firearms serve several purposes: * They are used by the federal firearms licensees to effectively track firearms inventories and maintain all records. * They enable law enforcement to trace specific firearms used in crimes from the manufacturer or importer, to individual purchasers, and to identify particular firearms that have been lost or stolen. * They help prove in certain criminal prosecutions that firearms used in a crime have travelled in interstate or foreign commerce. While manufacturers may request a variance not to mark, and thus avoid placing multiple markings on firearms, ATF has determined such requests are unnecessary if certain conditions have been met. http://www.gunreports.com/news/news/ATF-BATFE-firearm-identification-marking_1668-1.html?ET=gunreports:e577:183810a:&st=email --- ATK Receives Additional Ammo Contract: Alliant Techsystems (NYSE: ATK), has received an additional $93 million in orders for small caliber ammunition from the U.S. Army Sustainment Command in Rock Island, Ill. These orders are for 5.56mm, 7.62mm and .50-caliber ammunition that will be produced by ATK at the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant (LCAAP) in Independence, Mo. ATK is the largest supplier of ammunition to the United States military and is a leading provider of ammunition to U.S. allies. ATK began operating the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant in 2000, where it produces a mix of 5.56mm, 7.62mm, .50-caliber, and 20mm cartridges, as well as ammunition links. Working in partnership with the Army, ATK has expanded manufacturing capacity at LCAAP and is also under contract to modernize the facility. The company delivered 1.4 billion rounds of ammunition produced at LCAAP in FY09. http://www.gunreports.com/news/ammo/ATK-Alliant-Techsystems-Army-Sustainment-Command_1671-1.html?ET=gunreports:e577:183810a:&st=email --- Tangentially Related?: ...Outside experts on Moon's empire and church officials say it's unclear how Unificationism will fare when "True Father" dies. Moon is the theological center of the movement he founded in 1954, as well as a global business magnate who for decades has sought to win recognition from political leaders, especially in Washington. Followers of the church believe that Moon is a messiah sent by God to complete Jesus' unfinished work of creating heaven on Earth... Last month, the church announced that Moon was passing day-to-day control to his three U.S.-educated sons. But an apparent feud broke out this month between two of them when Hyun Jin Moon, often known by his American name, Preston, and Hyung Jin Moon, known as Sean, issued dueling memos asserting competing claims of control over portions of their father's empire... (Not mentioned is Kook Jin Moon, better known to gun owners as Justin Moon, founder of Kahr Arms. Differences in opinion are what make horse races but I am very partial to several models of Kahr pistols for those who prefer autoloaders for concealed carry. Kahr also owns Auto-Ordnance, which, after several tries, finally appears to have gotten it right with their M1 Carbine reproduction.) http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/2009/11/26/20091126moon1126.html --- From AzCDL: Even though the legislative session doesn't start until January, AzCDL never rests. Over the summer, we have drafted several legislative proposals, and AzCDL's representatives have begun meeting with potential sponsors. As a result, we are expecting some important pro-rights legislation to be introduced at the beginning of the next session of the Legislature in January 2010. 2010 is also an election year, and AzCDL members now have an extra tool to help legislators "see the light" on important legislation - our Political Action Committee (PAC). Campaign donations speak loudly to legislators seeking reelection. PAC money also allows us to help new candidates challenge sitting legislators who are not appreciative of AzCDL's fight to restore and preserve your rights. However, like Sampson's legendary hair, our PAC coffers must be full in order to display our strength. The primaries are in August and we expect things to heat up - we want to see principled, pro-rights leaders get elected. YOUR donations are the fuel that the PAC needs to be strong and successful. Please donate today! http://www.azcdlpac.com/contribute.html . AzCDL's PAC is a force-multiplier for your individual donation. No matter what the size of your donation, when combined with hundreds or thousands of others, it WILL make a big difference. All donations are welcome! We are in a dangerous era, and it's time to make hard decisions. Which is more important, an extra box of plinking ammo or the election of men and women who will fight for your ability to keep using that ammo in Arizona? http://www.azcdlpac.com/contribute.html . AzCDL has over 2,500 members, and we're on the way to having over 3,000 members in the early days of the next legislative session. If every member donated $10 to the PAC, we could make a serious difference in the outcome of the 2010 elections. Think of what we could do if everyone was able to donate even more! AzCDL has already had a tremendous impact on Arizona's gun laws in just a few years (http://www.azcdl.org/html/accomplishments.html). With a strong and vibrant PAC, we have the potential to significantly alter the political landscape for future legislative sessions. In keeping with our focus on Arizona legislation, the PAC is limited to supporting or opposing candidates for the Arizona legislature or other statewide offices (e.g., Governor). Arizona law prohibits the use of PAC monies to support/oppose candidates for Federal offices or any local (county, city, town, etc.) elections. You can learn more at the AzCDL PAC website: http://www.azcdlpac.com/index.html . 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. --- Happy Thanksgiving -- Stephen P. Wenger, KE7QBY Firearm safety - It's a matter for education, not legislation. The tactics and skills to use a firearm in self-defense don't come naturally with the right to keep and bear arms. http://www.spw-duf.info .