The Beat Goes On: Spurred by fears of strict gun control policies under President Obama and the desire for personal protection, Gaston County [NC] handgun sales climbed 147 percent in the past year. The Gaston County Sheriff's Office issued 420 handgun purchase permits in December 2007 compared to 1,039 last month, records show. Handgun permits increased by 56 percent from November to December 2008, a timeframe that coincides with Barack Obama's Nov. 4 presidential victory... The Sheriff's Office issued 48 new concealed carry permits in December 2007 and 121 last month, an increase of 152 percent. The permits cost $90 and include a criminal records check and fingerprinting fee. They are valid for five years and can be renewed for $75, said Sheriff's Capt. Darrell Griffin... http://www.gastongazette.com/news/concealed_29911___article.html/permits_carry.html The number of people applying for gun permits has risen sharply in recent months here in the Mountains. The rise began right after the November election, when rumors spread that new President Barack Obama would seek to imposed restrictions on gun owners. Now, it appears even more people want to own a gun for fear of becoming a victim of crime. "We had a neighbor to get broke into and they came in with masks on held guns to their head," said Ronald Buckner, as he applied for a permit in Buncombe County [SC]. "The crime rate's just gotten so high I'm scared to go out without one and I am not physically able to fight no one." Records show there were 2,790 pistol purchase permits issued in Buncombe County in 2007. That number increased by more than 55 percent last year. The number of applications for concealed weapons permits has also doubled. http://www.wlos.com/shared/newsroom/top_stories/wlos_vid_2050.shtml --- 60 Million Armed Patriots..: ...Fred wrote of the unprecedented number of gun sales since Obama's election: "Otherwise sensible people seem to completely lose their marbles when it comes to the loaded question of handgun ownership, and what rules ought to apply. I'm not sure why that is. The latest example of mass paranoia at work for no discernable reason is a rush to gun shops across the country to buy sidearms. The rationale, or vague impetus, is that with the election of Barack Obama as president, we're heading for the confiscation of our guns, for sure. ... Well, if it's true, why in the world would you go out and buy something the government is going to take away from you anyway?" Fred, those of us who still uphold our Constitution and honor our oaths, as have generations of Patriots before, understand that, in the words of James Madison, "The ultimate authority ... resides in the people alone. ... The advantage of being armed, which the Americans possess over the people of almost every other nation ... forms a barrier against the enterprises of ambition." ... http://www.patriotpost.us/pdf/09-04d.pdf --- Tiahrt Amendment Revisited: There is a lot of talk about the Tiahrt Amendment and the fact that the gun grabbers want to have the amendment repealed. But what exactly is this amendment? Last month, the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence sent their proposals for reducing gun violence to the Obama administration. The number one item on the list was repealing the Tiahrt Amendment, which they say... http://www.examiner.com/x-2206-Cleveland-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m1d30-What-is-the-Tiahrt-Amendment --- Texas Gun Bills Likely to Trigger Debate: Michael Guzman uses his concealed handgun license to carry a lightweight stainless steel .45-caliber pistol for self-defense. The 25-year-old Texas State University senior, a former Marine, takes his Kimber Ultra Carry II firearm just about everywhere - except school. State law prohibits him from bringing the firearm on campus. Guzman would like to see that change this year, and legislators appear to be listening. Lawmakers are drafting bills - one to authorize the ability to carry a gun on campus and another to allow licensed handgun owners to openly carry their weapons - that likely will be the most hotly debated among several pieces of gun-related legislation to be considered this session... http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/politics/texas_legislature/38679537.html ...Michael Guzman, a senior at Texas State University and president of the grassroots gun group called "Students for Concealed Carry on Campus," is worried that the two issues will be "muddled" together by the media once the respective bills are filed, causing confusion among lawmakers and regular Texans. Plus, there appears to be another element causing tension between the members of SCCC and the Virginia-based group OpenCarry.org - one of competing interests. "If these open carry guys get enough attention with the introduction of their bill, it's going to knock off our bill," Guzman said. "Our biggest obstacle is another gun rights group. It's ridiculous that two gun rights groups are going to be canceling each other out." ... http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/politics/texas_legislature/38708642.html --- Nevada Town Rejects Local Gun Ban: There was definitely a hot time in the old town Tuesday night, due in part to an item placed on the town board meeting agenda by Pahrump Town Manager Bill Kohbarger that would have barred firearms on town-owned property, in town-owned buildings and at town-sponsored events. Fired up residents braved the frigid winds blowing down from snow-capped Mt. Charleston as they streamed into the Bob Ruud Community Center 30 minutes early to ensure a seat for the meeting... The board's first order of business after the pledge of allegiance was to permanently remove the firearms ban from the agenda, on advice from the town's attorney, Rick Campbell. He said, "My research shows the town does not have the legal right to enact these types of ordinances." That ended the matter for the board but didn't stop the 200 or so people in attendance from wanting to voice their opinions. Residents waiting to address the board lined up behind the speaker's podium and around the back of the auditorium... (Some may recognize Pahrump as the site of Front Sight Training Institute.) http://www.pahrumpvalleytimes.com/2009/Jan-30-Fri-2009/news/26615257.html --- California Sheriff Should Concentrate on Abusers: The ongoing dispute between Sheriff Sandra Hutchens and the Orange County Board of Supervisors centers on the release of security tapes from the Jan. 13 board meeting that show deputies using the video cameras to zero in on the notes of two supervisors. The action was part of the department's disturbingly heavy-handed security efforts as gun-rights supporters sought to speak out against the sheriff's gun policies. The board demands the videos' release, and the sheriff refuses to release the full recording publicly, which could provoke a legal battle over jurisdictional issues and public records. The sheriff should turn over the recording, but she should also rethink the convoluted policies at the heart of the dispute... http://www.ocregister.com/articles/sheriff-permits-hutchens-2294660-law-gun --- Will Nugent Be Next NRA President?: Barack Obama jumped over a bunch of longer-experienced presidential candidates to win the White House, so will that pattern take at the National Rifle Association? It might, considering rocker and hunter Ted Nugent's popularity among NRA members. We hear that the Nuge is being urged to get into the race, and a key NRA insider tells us: "He does have a grass-roots following." That's for sure. The singer of "Cat Scratch Fever" fame and 23 albums is being promoted on Facebook. While Nugent is an NRA board member, he doesn't have the type of top slot in the organization normally needed to springboard somebody into the presidency. Even Charlton Heston, who played Moses in Hollywood, worked his way up to the presidency... (Historically, one goes from first vice president to president in the NRA.) http://www.usnews.com/blogs/washington-whispers/2009/01/30/ted-nugent-ready-to-battle-antigunners-for-the-nra.html --- An Irreverent Look at Today's NRA: Goodness me! In an email received this evening by NRA members, the Lairds of Fairfax have stooped to hawking table plonk. Is there anything the Lairds won't do for money? Next, I'm thinking that a NRA Geek-o-Rama Sideshow would be a real crowd-pleaser. We could have Wayne "He's French, You Know" LaPierre garbed in a blaze-orange skintight latex jumpsuit biting the heads off live poultry, while an overall-and-gingham-clad Chris "Deep Insider" Cox demonstrated various techniques of, shall we say, animal husbandry... http://westernrifleshooters.blogspot.com/2009/01/get-your-cheap-rkba-wine-right-here.html --- Oops, Wrong House, Georgia Version: Marvin Bowdoin was sitting at his desk when the "cat bandit" kicked in his kitchen door Tuesday night, he said... Bowdoin said within seconds the intruder had gone from the kitchen to the dining room and nearly to the foyer with a shotgun in hand. That's where Bowdoin stopped the bandit - firing two shots from his .22 Magnum revolver. "I tried to do my best to protect my family," he said. "This weapon was in my pocket. I tote a weapon every day of my life. It's never away from me at any point. It's some mean folks out there." The invader, not injured, fell to the floor before standing up and running back into the kitchen and out of the home. Bowdoin didn't chase the person or keep firing... (On the plus side, Mr. Bowdoin remains armed when he gets home. On the minus side, it sounds as though he could use a bit more range time. I also question his choice of .22 Magnum for a handgun; perhaps it's a mini-revolver.) http://www.macon.com/198/story/603000.html --- Oops, Wrong House, Louisiana Version: Lafayette Police officers arrested an alleged armed car thief after they say a homeowner helped capture the man... The happened Monday around 8:34 p.m. when Noel, wearing a Halloween mask, allegedly approached a victim in the 100 block of Fairway Street and took possession of his vehicle at gunpoint... A police later spotted the vehicle near the intersection of Ambassador Caffery Parkway and Eraste Landry Road. When the officer attempted to stop the vehicle, Noel continued to speed to elude capture. The suspect was followed onto the 300 block of Strasburg, where the suspect lost control of his vehicle and struck a vehicle parked in a yard. The suspect exited the vehicle and was pursued by the officer on foot. The officer lost sight of the suspect, but received information that a black male armed with a gun had forced open the door at a residence in the 200 block of Strasburg. The home owner observed Noel inside of the residence and immediately armed himself. While the suspect attempted to remove clothing, the home owner was able to hold the suspect at gunpoint until police arrived. http://www.theadvertiser.com/article/20090127/NEWS01/90127038 --- Oops, Wrong House, Maine Version: Quick thinking on the part of a Heath Road couple kept what police say was a late-night burglary at their home from turning into a tragedy. The frightening ordeal began around 1:30 a.m. Saturday when Judie Martel awoke to hear pounding on her front door. "My first thought was, 'Is that thunder?'" she said. "The windows were rattling." Running from the couch where she had fallen asleep watching TV, Martel arrived at the door in time to see it splinter and a strange man step through... Martel decided to head upstairs and wake her husband, John. Her next priority was calling 911. John Martel had slept through everything up until that point. "I'm a Vietnam vet, so I sleep with a white noise machine," he said. "When she woke me I grabbed my shotgun and the one shell I keep in the house." Running out the kitchen door, John Martel saw that the man had broken into the barn and was heading toward the house. When the man saw John raise the gun, he turned to run. "I was going to shoot to kill," Martel said. "But I've had enough of killing. I shot over his head and he ran up the road." Shortly after, officers from the Kennebunk Police Department arrived on the scene and the man, Sean Barker, 24, of Richmond, was arrested... (Interesting. A shotgun with just one shell to defend your home? Perhaps it was a single-shot shotgun.) http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20090129-NEWS-901290403 --- No Homicide Charge in Defensive Shooting: A Pittsburgh man was pistol-whipping a woman on a Lancaster city street last year when another man opened fire and killed him, officials say. The fatal shooting of Curtis Howard was justified, the Lancaster County District Attorney's office ruled Thursday, because the shooter, Carlos Oyola, was defending the woman being assaulted and himself. Oyola, 20, shot Howard, 19, in the head July 30 in the 200 block of Green Street, according to police. Howard died later that night at Lancaster General Hospital. Police said Howard was on the block seeking revenge for being robbed there a month earlier, but that Oyola and the woman weren't part of the group that had robbed him. Oyola, of Juniata Street, is at Lancaster County Prison on a felony gun charge. He will not face any additional charges stemming from the incident, including homicide, investigators said... According to investigators, Howard pointed his pistol at Oyola before Oyola pulled a concealed gun and fired three or four times... http://articles.lancasteronline.com/local/4/233222 --- Accused Officer May Have Drawn Wrong Gun: The transit officer who is accused of shooting and killing an unarmed man may have mistakenly pulled his service pistol instead of a stun gun, according to documents filed by his lawyer Friday. Attorney Michael Rains made the argument in urging a judge to grant bail for 27-year-old Johannes Mehserle. Alameda County Superior Court Judge Morris Jacobson later set bail at $3 million... In a court filing Friday, Rains said witness accounts indicate that Mehserle meant to draw his Taser, but instead pulled his pistol. The lawyer blamed inexperience by the young officer, who joined the department in March 2007 and passed his Taser user certification test Dec. 3... (If this claim is true, it wouldn't be the first time this has happened.) http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/2009/01/31/20090131TrainShooting0131.html --- NYSP Considers Patrol Rifles: Upgrading firepower for New York's troopers is an issue that won't go away. It came up during the 2006 manhunt for Ralph "Bucky" Phillips, who killed a trooper and wounded two others. And again this month, concern was raised when troopers were involved in an Interstate 90 shootout with a suspect armed with an assault-type weapon. Now, it appears, change may be in the works. State Police, aware of the need to better arm patrols, are studying a plan to equip each trooper with a rifle. It's an upgrade the troopers' PBA has advocated for some time. Currently, troopers patrolling the highways and rural and urban communities carry a Glock .45-caliber semiautomatic handgun and a Remington 12-gauge shotgun, State Police spokesman Sgt. Kern Swoboda said. New York's troopers have never had rifles in the cars, he said... http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=764162&category=REGION --- I Wanna Be in Pictures: Weapons currently carried by members of the Santa Barbara Police Department's SWAT team may soon pop up in Hollywood action films. If the move is approved by the City Council tomorrow, the department will trade out its set of old weapons for new equipment through Cinema Weaponry, a firearms dealer out of Glendale, Calif., that converts weapons for use as props in movies... Although the company specializes in prop weapons for major films, authorities noted also it holds state and federal licenses allowing it to handle Class III weapons, typically machine guns and assault rifles... (They're actually Title II weapons and Cinema Weaponry is apparently a Class 3 dealer.) http://www.thedailysound.com/News/012709swatweapons --- Beretta Renews US Military Pistol Contract: Beretta U.S.A. Corp.recently announced its receipt of a U.S. Army contract to provide up to 450,000 Beretta Model 92FS pistols to U.S.military customers throughout the world. The total value of the contract, if all pistol quantities and associated spare parts are ordered, is $220 million. The contract was awarded along with a first delivery order for 20,000 pistols intended for the Iraqi military. Delivery of pistols against the contract has already begun... http://www.yourdefencenews.com/beretta+u.s.a.+corp.+wins+largest+u.s.+military+handgun+contract+since+world+war+ii_22643.html --- NRA-ILA Alerts: Alerts for the week are posted on the NRA-ILA website. http://www.nraila.org/GrassrootsAlerts/read.aspx --- From AzCDL: It's that time again! Mark your calendars. We are working 3 gun shows in February and we need volunteers to help us on: February 7-8 at the Pima County Fairgrounds (Arizona Arms Association). February 21-22 at the Phoenix Fairgrounds (Crossroads of the West). February 29/March 1 at the Mesa Centennial Hall (Crossroads of the West). If you can spare a few hours we would deeply appreciate your help. AzCDL is experiencing phenomenal growth primarily because of the hard work of our gun show volunteers. Gun shows provide a great opportunity to educate fellow gun owners about our hard won successes and the exciting opportunities in this year's crop of bills like Constitutional Carry, Defensive Display and CCW Training Reform that need their support. Come on down and spend some time observing the other volunteers. When you feel ready, step on in. If pro-active interactions are not your forte, we still need volunteers to manage the table, help hand out flyers and brochures, and keep an eye on things. Volunteers who work the AzCDL table for a few hours get into gun shows FREE! If your membership is coming up for renewal soon, stop by the table and renew at the "gun show special" rate ($10 off!). Sustaining memberships get a FREE AzCDL T-Shirt. Not a member? Not a problem! You can join AzCDL at the gun show! Interested? For the Phoenix and Mesa gun shows, send an email to John: john.rosado@AzCDL.org . For the Tucson gun show, send an email to Duke: duke.schechter@AzCDL.org . These alerts are a project of the Arizona Citizens Defense League (AzCDL), an all volunteer, non-profit, non-partisan grassroots organization. Join today! AzCDL - Protecting Your Freedom http://www.azcdl.org/html/join_us_.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 .