Who's Calling the Shots?: Just as anti-gunners accused the Bush administration of working with the gun rights organizations, is the Obama administration coordinating with the gun prohibition lobby in an effort to boost public pressure to revive the ban on so-called "assault weapons?" There is growing suspicion in the firearms community that it is no coincidence the administration is ramping up the rhetoric about this country's "shared responsibility" for the bloody drug war raging in northern Mexico, while "Obama-friendly" news organizations lend emphasis to renewing the semi-auto ban. At the same time, the anti-gun Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence has just released a report called Exporting Violence: How Our Weak Gun Laws Arm Criminals in Mexico and America... http://www.examiner.com/x-4525-Seattle-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m3d27-Are-antigunners-coordinating-with-Obama-administration-to-push-semiauto-ban --- American Public Doesn't Buy It: All you have to do is take one look at the recent headlines and you'd think the U.S. has been tried, convicted, and sentenced for causing drug war violence in Mexico... All this is intended to raise public support for bringing back the expired "assault weapons ban." The thing is, the public isn't buying what they're selling. A recent Zogby poll and O'Leary Report show that only 13.5% of those surveyed think the United States is to blame. It is pretty easy to come to that conclusion since the war south of the border is being fought with machine guns, rocket propelled grenades, and other similar weapons that just aren't available at gun shows. Why would a drug cartel buy a semi-automatic rifle (the kind the legislation Secretary of State Hillary Clinton wants would ban) when they can just as easily get fully automatic weapons illegally on the black market? It just doesn't add up, and the American public isn't as stupid as they're being taken for... http://www.examiner.com/x-2206-Cleveland-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m3d27-Mainstream-media-blaming-US-for-Mexicos-drug-wars-US-citizens-not-buying-it --- Oliver North Comments: ...On February 25, Attorney General Eric Holder urged the U.S. "to reinstitute the ban on assault weapons. I think that will have a positive impact in Mexico, at a minimum." The following day, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) said, "I am prepared to wage the assault weapons battle again and intend to do so." And on March 17, during a Senate subcommittee on Crime and Drugs, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) claimed that an "iron river of guns from the United States arms Mexican drug cartels to the teeth." Reality check: resurrecting the so-called "Assault Weapons Ban" that expired in 2004 isn't going to do anything to help the Mexican government deal with drug cartels or any other criminal organizations. Nor was the O-Team's decision to stop the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) from allowing surplus military brass cartridges to be re-loaded going to stop a single bullet from reaching criminals. Thankfully, that inane rule has been reversed, saving law-abiding gun owners - and our heavily indebted government - money... http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=31241 --- BOHICA: One week after four Oakland police officers were gunned down by a semi-automatic weapon, there's a new plan asking the federal government to ban assault weapons. State and local officials are pushing for a crackdown on these weapons. An AK-47 assault rifle was used to kill the four Oakland police officers last Saturday. California has the toughest ban on assault weapons in the nation. But it doesn't stop people from buying in other states. "We're calling on the Congress to remake gun control a top priority now, and to reauthorize the assault weapons ban right away," said L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. During his presidential campaign, President Barack Obama supported reinstating the federal ban that expired in 2004. In Mexico, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton supported a renewal of the ban... Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) authored the original ban and she is preparing legislation that would reinstate it. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi opposes the efforts... (Gee, I thought the Oakland officers were gunned down by a parole violator who used a semi-automatic weapon.) http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/national_world&id=6733200 --- Is It Timing or Principle?: In 1994, Sen. Dianne Feinstein used the tragedy of San Francisco's 101 California massacre to push a decadelong ban on assault weapons through Congress. But even the horror of Saturday's slayings of four Oakland police officers is unlikely to break through the bipartisan opposition that blocked the renewal of that ban in 2004. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and dozens of House Democrats have said they oppose efforts to bring back the national ban, either because the timing is wrong or because they oppose gun control. Pelosi said she hasn't even discussed the possibility of a renewal with President Obama and his staff, who face urgent issues from fixes to the nation's economy to health care reform... http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/03/26/MN4D16MVF0.DTL --- Clinton Aids Big Brother's War on RKBA: Former U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., says Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is just aiding and abetting President Obama's war on guns with her new suggestion that the U.S. is at fault in the Mexico drug cartel war... In an interview with Fox News, Clinton said the drug gangs have moved into the United States to feed the addiction of "American young people." And she added that the border between the nations is "unstable, insecure." Then she continued, "It would inaccurate to absolve ourselves of responsibility or to absolve the Mexicans of responsibility. This is a shared responsibility. We share the border. And as you rightly said, the demand for illegal drugs is what keeps these guys in business. And it's a, you know, multi-billion-dollar, $25-plus billion industry. "The guns that are sold in the United States, which are illegal in Mexico, get smuggled and shipped across our border and arm these terrible drug-dealing criminals so that they can outgun these poor police officers along the border and elsewhere in Mexico," she said... http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=93096 Secretary of State Clinton called for a new assault weapon ban in the U.S. on Thursday in hopes of cutting off arms flowing to Mexican drug gangs - and was immediately blasted by the gun lobby. Clinton was naive in thinking that "if Americans give up their freedoms, that it's somehow going to affect the operations of the Mexican drug cartels," said National Rifle Association spokesman Andrew Arulanandam. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs also signaled that President Obama wasn't itching for a fight with Congress to renew the assault weapon ban enacted by former President Bill Clinton. It expired in 2004. Obama supported the ban during the campaign, Gibbs said, but "I don't know of any plans" for Obama to go immediately to Capitol Hill with new legislation... http://www.nydailynews.com/news/us_world/2009/03/26/2009-03-26_secretary_of_state_hillary_clintons_call.html --- What Is Mexico Doing About It?: There's no denying that guns and drug money are going into Mexico through border city crossings. There is absolutely no infrastructure or enforcement as to Mexico stopping what goes into their country from the United States side going south. Or for that matter, from their southern border, where machine guns and RPGs come into the country, and not the United States. There are no Mexican police checking any vehicles going into Mexico whatsoever anywhere. That still was the case on the Mexican side at the crossing between San Diego and San Ysidro into Mexico this week. No checks of anything going into Mexico at all. No checks for drug money, guns, kidnapping victims...you name it... http://secondamendmentfreedom.blogspot.com/ --- Gun Smuggler Sentenced to Ten Years: A federal judge sentenced to 10 years in prison Thursday a South Texas man who organized a dozen others to buy guns from licensed dealers in South Texas so that he could smuggle them to Mexico. U.S. District Judge Hilda Tagle sentenced Emmanuel Ramirez, 25, of Brownsville to concurrent sentences of five years for making false statements on firearms records and 10 years for smuggling goods out of the United States. Prosecutors said Ramirez's ring of gun buyers, all in their 20s, allowed him to smuggle at least 77 guns, mostly Beretta 9 mm handguns, into Mexico during a six-month period in late 2007 and early 2008. Ramirez's lawyer, Ignacio Torteya, declined to comment on who received the stolen [sic] guns... (What, no full-auto AK-47's, grenades or RPG's? It's amazing how estimates of the American origin of firearms misused in Mexico, which quickly translate to facts in the press, range from 70 to 95% and seemingly sidestep all the military armament that cannot have come out of American gun shops.) http://www.kristv.com/Global/story.asp?S=10078212&nav=menu192_2_2 --- Big Brother and the RKBA: While campaigning for the U.S. Senate and then the presidency, Barack Obama said he believed in the individual right to bear arms. Those aware of his record and rhetoric reckoned he was referring to his wife's penchant for sleeveless attire, not the Second Amendment... During the presidential campaign, a case challenging Washington D.C.'s draconian gun laws was pending in the U.S. Supreme Court. The laws banned all handgun registrations, prohibited handguns already registered from being carried from room to room in the home without a license, and required all firearms in the home, including rifles and shotguns, to be unloaded and either disassembled or bound by a trigger lock... Obama admitted in a Feb. 11, 2008, interview that he supported the handgun ban, and that it was "constitutional." On June 26, he said he agreed with the Court's decision, but added that the right to bear arms is subject to "reasonable regulations." He never "explained" how an absolute ban on handguns is "reasonable," or how he can agree with the ruling, which said it was unreasonable. Obama's inconsistencies are numerous, as John R. Lott Jr has noted... http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/03/obamas_sights_on_second_amendm.html --- BATFE Forward Trace Initiative: A source with firearms industry connections sent me the following ATF Open Letter. My source has always been credible in the past, but I always try to get corroboration. I have attempted to get clarification directly from ATF with no response, so I am attempting to verify it independently. Perhaps you can help... "Forward trace initiative"? Is that anything like the "Department of PreCrime"? I can see several problems with this right off the bat. This opens the door for all kinds of fishing expeditions. And how is a company that depends on compliance (to often arbitrary or unwritten "standards") with ATF for its survival reasonably supposed to be able to refuse "voluntary cooperation"- and then not fear repercussions? How is that not extortion? ... http://www.examiner.com/x-1417-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m3d27-What-is-purpose-of-ATFs-forward-trace-initiative --- Wilderness Bill Goes to Big Brother: Congress on Wednesday voted to set aside more than 2 million acres in nine states as protected wilderness, and though the bill doesn't add more wilderness lands in Montana, it contains some provisions that affect the state... Rep. Denny Rehberg, R-Mont., voted against the bill in a dispute over gun rights. Last week, a federal judge ruled against a Bush Administration rule allowing loaded guns in parks and wildlife [sic]. Two Republican representatives tried unsuccessfully to amend the bill to allow visitors to national parks carry concealed, loaded weapons. "This bill is the best place to fix this dangerous policy; we shouldn't be expanding federal lands in our country if we can't make sure that our Second Amendment rights are protected when we're on these lands," Rehberg said... http://www.helenair.com/articles/2009/03/27/state/102st_090327_wilderness.txt --- The Beat Goes On: As a growing number of gun shoppers are discovering these days, it's becoming easier to buy a gun than it is to purchase the ammunition for it. Shortages of popular handgun calibers in particular have dealers and customers fuming, and ammo makers have shifted their production lines into overdrive to keep up with the demand. How long will the "bullet bubble" last? That depends in large part on politics in Washington and in statehouses across the land, and the messages that various legislative efforts convey... Ted Novin, the NSSF's director of public affairs, says that the next report on ammunition sales won't be in until May, but there's enough anecdotal evidence to suggest more boom times for the gun crowd - literally and figuratively... Valerie Peters, a spokesperson for Winchester Ammunition in East Alton, Ill., says her company's plant is running "24/7" in an attempt to keep up with demand. "It seems that there has been a demand for all calibers since last fall," says Peters. "We're keeping production systems going around the clock and through the weekends." ... http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/hunting/news/story?id=4021404 Toledo-area gun and ammunition sales are on the rise, and shop owners are scrambling to find distributors, as a possible change in the nation's gun laws sparks a buying frenzy. Theresa Cleland, an owner of Cleland's Outdoor World, said she is having difficulty receiving supplies as distributors are running out. The demand for guns and ammunition has been so high that she is forced to scavenge the nation for items, she said. "We've been busy enough that I'm busy hunting for merchandise and haven't had time to reflect on numbers and how it has changed," Cleland said. Rob Buchanan, general manager of Bass Pro Shop in Rossford, said sales in gun and ammunition picked up in recent months, and there is an "increase in footsteps in the hunting department." "I think just people would like to get their guns and ammunition as soon as possible," Buchanan said. Buchanan said pistols are selling rapidly, and some guns are selling as soon as they hit the shelves. Ammunition is selling just as well... http://www.toledofreepress.com/2009/03/27/area-gun-ammunition-sales-rise-amid-political-fears/ --- Racism in Chicago: Suppose the Alabama Legislature was considering an amendment to a bill that would prevent residents in a specific neighborhood of Birmingham that was heavily populated by minorities from exercising a constitutionally-protected civil right, say voting? The outrage that would erupt over something like that would be deafening. Sunday morning news programs would be loaded with volatile rhetoric from the likes of Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, and no doubt marches would be staged at the home of the lawmaker who sponsored such a horrendous piece of legislation. Well, welcome to Springfield, Illinois where State Rep. Andre M. Thapedi, a Democrat representing the 32nd District on Chicago's South Side has introduced an amendment to House Bill 1966 that specifically prevents residents in the Englewood neighborhood from owning, selling, buying or manufacturing "any assault weapon or .50 caliber rifle." ... http://www.examiner.com/x-4525-Seattle-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m3d25-Illinois-Assembly-considering-racist-bill-aimed-at-minority-neighborhood-in-Chicago --- Compromise Sought in Montana RKBA Bill: A compromise on a bill aimed at expanding gun rights and getting rid of the need for concealed weapons permits is advancing in the state Senate. House Bill 228 has been the subject of a tough fight between police groups and gun groups such as the National Rifle Association. But the interest groups sat down again with lawmakers Friday morning to hammer out some details the legislation. The compromise still allows people to use a gun in self-defense without first fleeing. Sen. Dan McGee, the Billings Republican leading a legislative subcommittee making the changes, said that is means people can more easily use deadly force on home intruders... The Senate compromise version would still exempt people from the requirement of a permit for carrying a concealed weapon in town - although it now clarifies that felons could not do so. It would also keep the current permitting system in place for those who voluntarily want one in order to carry a gun in other states that recognize Montana's permits. A provision that would allow people to brandish a gun if they feel threatened is being modified at the request of police, who say it would be dangerous to have citizens try to defuse conflicts by pointing guns at each other... http://www.flatheadbeacon.com/articles/article/compromise_being_worked_out_on_montana_gun_bill/9205/ --- Colorado Bill Would Reduce Background Checks: After Columbine, Colorado voters approved a measure requiring background checks on all gun-show sales. But as the 10th anniversary of the high school massacre approaches, lawmakers are considering a bill that would waive the checks for anyone holding a concealed-carry permit. Police chiefs and sheriffs are among those who testified against the measure, which is scheduled to be heard by the full Senate next week. Among law enforcement concerns: Colorado does not have a standard concealed-carry permit or a centralized database with information on whether a permit is still valid. "I could make a permit on my computer, and how's the seller to know?" said Boulder Police Chief Mark Beckner. "We're not opposed to gun ownership, but let's make sure we're not putting guns into the wrong hands." (Colorado has rejected centralizing CWP records, which remain at the county level.) http://www.denverpost.com/commented/ci_12005792?source=commented- --- Virginia Governor Vetoes RKBA Bills: ...The governor also rejected bills that would have loosened the state's gun regulations. Among them: Senate Bill 1035 would have allowed people to carry concealed weapons into restaurants or clubs that serve alcoholic beverages. Guns are allowed into restaurants as long as they are displayed openly, under current state law... House Bill 2528 would have prohibited local law enforcement agencies from choosing to conduct voluntary gun buyback programs and then destroying the weapons. Senate Bill 1528 would have allowed the firearms training required to receive a concealed weapons permit to be completed online... House Bill 1851 would have created a new exemption to Virginias one-handgun-a-month law that would include active-duty service members whether Virginia residents or not... http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/mar/28/kaine-vetoes-gun-execution-bills/ --- No Guns in Bars: A bobcat walked into a roadside bar in Cottonwood. What happened next was not a joke but "pandemonium": two or three minutes of chivalry, cellphone cameras and people jumping on top of pool tables to get out of the way. When it was over, two people were scratched and bleeding, and the bobcat was gunned down by police in a parking lot on Main Street. All that's left now is a barroom story that is sure to become legend. And a series of rabies-vaccine shots. "This was a rabid animal," said Zen Mocarski of the Arizona Game and Fish office in Kingman. "You've seen the cartoon Tasmanian Devil? That's a bobcat with rabies." The bobcat spent Tuesday night frightening people across the small town about 100 miles north Phoenix... (Arizona prohibits customers from carrying firearms in establishments licensed to serve alcohol.) http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/2009/03/26/20090326bobcatbar0327.html --- Anti-RKBA Ohio Sheriff Resigns: The Cleveland Plain Dealer is reporting that Cuyahoga County Sheriff Gerald McFaul, a long-time opponent to gun rights in Ohio, has tendered his resignation after months of allegations about his misconduct in office. McFaul has been under fire since the beginning of the year over questions of improper fund-raising activities, including having deputies sell tickets for his fund-raisers while on county time, for doing special favors for friends and relatives, and most recently for not reporting gifts he is reported to have accepted from employees. The anti-gun Sheriff has long-been an anathema to Ohio gun owners. In 2004, McFaul had to be sued by Buckeye Firearms Association Chairman Jim Irvine before he would do his job and begin issuing Ohio concealed handgun licenses. He eventually settled the suit, and paid all court costs and attorney's fees (with taxpayer funds, of course)... http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/node/6603 --- Oops, Wrong House: A Metro man takes on a man with a knife and wins. Maurice Johnson was catching up on some sleep Thursday afternoon when his burglar alarm sounds. He awakes to a man in his house in the 4300 block of North Blackwelder. "I see a guy in a big black jacket holding a knife about that size and he tells me basically turn the alarm off and give me money." Johnson, keeping his wits about him, tells the man to follow him to the back bedroom where there may be some cash. The suspect keeps the knife held tightly against Johnson as they walk through the house. Johnson says he pretends to rifle through his drawer to get money but got his gun instead and fires a shot at the suspect. The suspect takes off immediately. No word on if the suspect was hit. (Another reminder to keep the gun holstered or very close at hand.) http://www.kfor.com/news/local/kfor-news-home-invasion-story,0,5748075.story --- Military Snipers Seek Longer Range: Once again, the U.S. Army is responding to requests from snipers for a longer range weapon, but not one as bulky and heavy as the .50 caliber rifle. In response to these requests, the army is modifying existing M24 rifles to fire the power powerful .300 Winchester Magnum round. It was felt that this gave the snipers all the additional range they needed, without requiring a much heavier rifle. SOCOM has been using this approach since the early 1990s. The calls were loudest from snipers operating in Afghanistan, where U.S. Army and Marine Corps shooters wanted a sniper rifle that can consistently get kills out to 1,800 meters. The current 7.62mm round is good only to about 800 meters. There were three options available here. The most obvious one is to use a 12.7mm sniper rifle. But these are heavier (at 30 pounds) and bulkier than 7.62mm weapons, but can get reliable hits out to 2,000 meters... (Note the discussion of the .338 Lapua Magnum.) http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htweap/articles/20090324.aspx --- Tangentially Related - "Moderate" Newly Defined: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Friday that John Roberts misled the Senate during his confirmation hearings by pretending to be a moderate - and that the United States is now "stuck" with him as chief justice. "Roberts didn't tell us the truth. At least Alito told us who he was," Reid said, referring to Samuel Alito, the second Supreme Court justice nominated by President George W. Bush. "But we're stuck with those two young men, and we'll try to change by having some moderates in the federal courts system as time goes on - I think that will happen." ... (And whom did Justice Souter mislead during his appointment and confirmation process?) http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20090327/pl_politico/20560_1 --- Tangentially Related: Copper Prices Have Plummeted: ...Copper is used for electrical wiring in construction, automobiles, electronics and other products. Even as declining residential construction hurt domestic demand for the metal, rampant development in China and India pushed prices to all-time highs. Prices began rising gradually in 2004, from about $1.50 per pound, to reach about $2.20 per pound in 2006. Prices spiked in early 2007, and again surpassed $4 per pound last June... By September, prices had fallen to about $3.20 a pound and then dropped dramatically. Copper traded about $1.30 a pound for the rest of the year, prompting Freeport to announce 700 layoffs at its various mines in November and an additional 1,550 layoffs in Morenci in January... Copper prices in recent weeks have risen above $1.70 per pound... (Copper is the major component of brass, used for most cartridge cases; it is used for most bullet jackets and even for all-copper bullets.) http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/2009/03/28/20090328biz-coppertowns0328.html -- Stephen P. Wenger, KE7QBY Firearm safety - It's a matter for education, not legislation. http://www.spw-duf.info .