From GOA: Remember CANDIDATE Barack Obama? The guy who "wasn't going to take away our guns"? Well, guess what? Less than 100 days into his administration, he's never met a gun he didn't hate. A week ago, Obama went to Mexico, whined about the United States, and bemoaned (before the whole world) the fact that he didn't have the political power to take away our semi-automatics. Nevertheless, that didn't keep him from pushing additional restrictions on American gun owners. It's called the Inter-American Convention Against Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Ammunition, Explosives, and Other Related Materials. To be sure, this imponderable title masks a really nasty piece of work. First of all, when the treaty purports to ban the "illicit" manufacture of firearms, what does that mean? ...Hence, reloading ammunition - or putting together a lawful firearm from a kit - is clearly "illicit manufacturing." ... (Second link can be used to generate an e-mail to your senators.) http://gunowners.org/a042109.htm http://capwiz.com/gunowners/issues/alert/?alertid=13188856&PROCESS=Take+Action President Obama, who supported the handgun ban in Washington, D.C., before it was tossed by the Supreme Court, since his election has watched various proposals to ban "assault" weapons, require handgun owners to submit to mental health evaluations, and sparked a rush on ammunition purchases that caused some retailers to name him their salesman of the year. Now he apparently is going after those to reload their ammunition. It was during an official visit earlier this month to Mexico that he affirmed his support for a proposed international treaty that addresses "firearms trafficking." According to a blogger who follows such issues, the treaty was adopted by President Clinton years ago, but never ratified by the U.S. Senate, a goal Obama now has adopted. The writer, B.A. Lawson, says, "If you reload your own ammo you may find yourself engaged in 'Illicit Manufacturing' of ammunition under an arms control treaty that President Obama started pushing last week in Mexico." ... http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=95733 --- Prohibition Begets Prohibition?: ...If the guns used by Mexican drug traffickers do not mainly come from gun dealers in the U.S., where do they come from? Many of the weapons are stolen from the Mexican military and police, often by deserters; some are smuggled over the border from Guatemala; others come from China by way of Africa or Latin America. Russian gun traffickers do a booming business in Mexico. Given these alternatives, making it harder for Americans to buy guns, in the hope of preventing straw buyers from supplying weapons to smugglers, is not likely to stop Mexican gangsters from arming themselves. The persistence of the drug traffickers' main business, which consists of transporting and selling products that are entirely illegal on both sides of the border, should give pause to those who think they can block the flow of guns to the cartels... http://reason.com/news/show/133005.html --- Lautenberg to Launch Attack on Private-Party Transfers: The day after the tenth anniversary of the Columbine High School tragedy, U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg is poised to introduce a bill in the U.S. Senate to close the loophole that allows dangerous people to buy guns at gun shows in most U.S. states without passing a Brady background check. A new report from the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence was also released today, making a forceful case that Brady checks should be conducted for all gun sales in America, including at gun shows... http://www.bradycampaign.org/media/release.php?release=1132 http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/lautenberg-renews-push-to-shut-gun-show-loophole-2009-04-21.html --- More on Nordyke v. King: The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday handed down a long-awaited ruling in the epic case of Nordyke v. King, which started as a lawsuit by gun show operators Russell and Sallie Nordyke against California's Alameda County, and became something considerably larger. The court panel, with Judge Diarmuid F. O'Scannlain writing the opinion and Judge Ronald M. Gould offering a concurring opinion, rule that the Second Amendment is incorporated to the states; that is, the right to keep and bear arms that is affirmed by the Amendment now becomes a limit on state and local governments, same as it is a limit on the federal government... Yes, the Ninth Circuit ruling does allow counties to prohibit guns on county property, and that is not a good thing. However, by declaring that the Second Amendment is incorporated to the states, it opens the door to future challenges of unfair gun laws, including the ordinance in question. This ruling sets the stage for a Supreme Court confrontation, because the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals recently ruled in a New York case (Maloney v. Rice) that the Second Amendment is not incorporated to the states in a case involving a weapon other than a firearm... http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-4525-Seattle-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m4d21-Nordyke-case-Plaintiffs-lose-but-Second-Amendment-winsagain As my colleague, David Codrea, has already reported, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that state and local governments are bound by the Second Amendment. Since the advent of the Fourteenth Amendment, most provisions of the Bill of Rights have gained power over not only the federal government, as originally intended, but over state and local governments, as well. The Second Amendment was one of the few exceptions - and that has never made sense (and was clearly not intended by the drafters of the Fourteenth Amendment). In Nordyke v. King, however we may very well be seeing the beginning of the end of that very unsatisfactory set of circumstances, wherein state and local governments need not so much as pay lip service to the Second Amendment. In the 9th Circuit, in fact, that end has indeed arrived. Granted, the 9th is but one circuit court, and unless and until the Supreme Court rules similarly, the other federal circuit courts are free to ignore the Nordyke ruling. Still, this development is very significant, because the 9th is the largest, and thus one of the most important, federal circuit courts. It is also considered the most "liberal," and thus perhaps the most resistant to protecting the right to keep and bear arms... http://www.examiner.com/x-2581-St-Louis-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m4d21-Incorporation-of-Second-Amendment-within-sight --- Gillibrand Versus the Tiahrt Amendment: Once again, anti-rights forces in Congress are attacking the Tiahrt Amendment as restricting law enforcement from doing its job, using their pretty new face: Kirsten Gillibrand. But examination of Gillibrand's campaign finance, and comparing rhetoric to reality, are in order before trusting her as a disinterested public servant trying to protect us... Maintaining background check records creates a registration database, a key goal for gun banners because it enables them to know what guns you own and sets the stage for confiscation... http://www.examiner.com/x-2879-Austin-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m4d21-Kirsten-Gillibrand-Gun-controls-new-spokesperson --- Shippers Resist Arming against Pirates: The piracy-plagued shipping industry is resisting calls to deploy armed guards on cargo ships, fearing it will not stop pirate attacks and could make shipping lanes off Somalia's coast even more dangerous. Since the April 8 attack on the U.S.-flagged ship Maersk Alabama, Vice Adm. William Gortney, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, and several private security specialists have suggested arming crews or hiring private security firms to bolster ship defenses. With Somali pirates seemingly undeterred by the deaths or arrests of several of their members in recent days, some shipping companies "are definitely considering" putting armed guards aboard, said Andrew Linington, head of communications at the seafarers union Nautilus in London. But Simon Bennett, secretary of the International Chamber of Shipping, told The Washington Times that the "clear consensus view within the shipping industry is that it is not appropriate for the seafarers to be armed, simply because we believe that this will escalate the situation. The only people that should be equipped with arms are the military professionals that are operating in the region." ... http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/apr/21/shippers-resist-calls-to-arm-against-pirates/ --- Mixed Results in West Virginia: When the smoke cleared away on the final night of the legislative session, the West Virginia Press Association held the winning hand in a duel over guns and the public's right to know who is toting concealed firearms. For two years, the battle has raged between the press association and the National Rifle Association in a bill initially offered to allow West Virginia to enter into and honor reciprocal pacts so that states recognized each other's concealed weapon permits. But the NRA amended the measure so that no citizen could access permits under the Freedom of Information Act, a move the press association viewed as poor policy in regard to the public's right to know and scrutinize government records... The NRA did score on getting the reciprocal agreements approved... http://www.register-herald.com/local/local_story_110204328.html --- Responses to Wisconsin Open-Carry Memo: ...The advisory gives those who choose to carry guns in public more confidence in doing so but isn't likely to spark a rush to arms, said Gold, who works with OpenCarry.org, a gun rights advocacy group based in Virginia. "Most of those inclined to do it already knew it was legal," said Gold, a 54-year-old photographer. "Those that choose to do so should be able to do so without interference." There didn't appear to be a noticeable increase in publicly armed residents Tuesday, but that could change. A group of Wisconsin gun advocates is planning a picnic in July with food, soft drinks and handguns, Gold said. Organizers are looking at locations in Burlington, he said, and a second picnic is being planned for the northern part of the state... Wisconsin is one of 29 states that allow open carry, and one of just two, with Illinois, that prohibit carrying concealed weapons. Gov. Jim Doyle twice vetoed legislation that would have made it legal. In 2006, Doyle said concealed carry laws didn't make sense, but those who wanted to carry guns in Wisconsin should "wear it on your hip," the Wisconsin Dells Events newspaper reported. Reacting Tuesday to questions about Van Hollen's memorandum, Doyle said local communities should be able to adopt their own ordinances relating to guns. He said he objected to a 1995 law that barred municipalities from enacting gun regulations that are more stringent than state regulations and wiped out about 35 local gun-control ordinances... http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/43347632.html http://www.examiner.com/x-3253-Minneapolis-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m4d21-Milwaukee-Police-Chief-Flynn-is-bordering-on-irresponsible http://www.examiner.com/x-2793-Milwaukee-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m4d20-Another-Wisconsinite-arrested-for-open-carry?cid=exrss-Milwaukee-Gun-Rights-Examiner --- Why the Pharmacist Confronted the Robber: It was a robbery with a big surprise for the robber. A gunman walked into a CVS drugstore expecting to hold up the place. What he didn't expect was to find a pharmacist who had a gun and was not afraid to use it... The surveillance pictures tell the story. In a matter of seconds a masked robber wearing black enters this CVS Pharmacy and starts demanding money. Clenching a pistol, the robber gives the cashier a bag to fill and then heads towards the back. "The suspect then asked about the register in the pharmacy and began heading back to the pharmacy," says Richmond County Sheriff's Sergeant Ken Rogers. But Investigators say the overnight pharmacist, Michael Swindle, heard the commotion, grabbed his gun and made his way out into the store. "The pharmacist overheard the conversation and realized the store was being robbed and he then grabbed his own 9mm weapon from his bag as he stated and confronted the suspect in one of the aisles," says Sgt. Rogers... (When I shared a different report of this, last week, I had not realized that the cash register depicted was not in the pharmacy department and questioned why the pharmacist sought the robber if the robbery had ended.) http://www.wrdw.com/crimeteam12/headlines/42996397.html --- Oops, Wrong House: A suspected home intruder is under arrest Saturday morning after police say the homeowner [sic] took security into their own hands. Colorado Springs police say they were called to 3295 West Woodmen Road on a report that a person armed with a knife had just broken into the caller's home. The caller told police they had used their gun to fire a shot at the armed suspect and the suspect had run away. Police and K-9 units found the suspect in the woods with non-life threatening wound to his lower leg. He was transported to Memorial Hospital and arrested after he was released. The suspect, Ricky Hatcher, was booked into the Criminal Justice Center for Felony Menacing. Police say the homeowner and Hatcher may have known each other. Police say the homeowner is not facing charges pending further review by the District Attorneys office. http://www.kktv.com/home/headlines/43221622.html --- Oops, Wrong Driver: A Kingsport man used his concealed handgun to protect himself during an alleged road rage incident on Sunday. According to Kingsport Police, the incident occurred about 1:58 a.m. on Harris Avenue. Michael Salyer told police he was headed home when a yellow Ford Probe in front of him started weaving from left to right. The driver, later identified as Jonathan Lee Adams, 28, 1630 Spruce St., stopped in the middle of the road, jumped out and started screaming at him, Salyer said. When Adams tried to get in his car, Salyer said, that's when he pulled out his handgun and ordered him to stop. Adams' passenger, later identified by police as his girlfriend Laura Kathleen Cain, 42, same address, then yelled at Adams, and he ran back toward the Probe and the pair drove off, Salyer said... (The crucial thing in this sort of incident is to be the first party to call 911.) http://www.timesnews.net/article.php?id=9013114 --- More on the Taco Stand Shooting: Oh, the irony. The manager of an Atlanta restaurant, Taco Mac, stopped an armed robbery Sunday morning by firing his own gun at the armed robber. What makes this story ironic is that the CEO of the company that owns this particular Taco Mac was one of the people that strenuously fought against the passage of the Georgia law last year that made it legal to carry a firearm in this restaurant. The law also contained a provision overriding Taco Mac's policy of banning firearms from its employee parking lots. In Georgia in 2008, it was illegal to carry or possess a firearm in a restaurant that serves alcohol. Taco Mac serves alcohol. The Georgia General Assembly changed the law when it passed HB 89, which contained a provision that repealed the gun ban in restaurants that serve alcohol so long as the patron is not consuming alcohol. HB 89 also contained a provision that the NRA aggressively pushed that prevented employers from banning employee guns from cars in the parking lot. Both provisions would come into play on Sunday morning... (Recall that yesterday's report said that the manager had to rush to his car to get his gun.) http://www.examiner.com/x-5619-Atlanta-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m4d21-Restaurant-with-antigun-policy-saved-by-a-gun?cid=exrss-Atlanta-Gun-Rights-Examiner --- From AzCDL: We need volunteers for two gun shows in Tucson: May 2 & 3, 2009 at the Tucson Convention Center (McMann's Roadrunner). May 30 & 31, 2009 at the Pima County Fairgrounds (Crossroads of the West). If you can spare a few hours we would deeply appreciate your help. AzCDL's phenomenal growth is primarily because of the hard work of our gun show volunteers. Gun shows provide a great opportunity to educate other gun owners about our hard won successes and the opportunities in this year's legislation. 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, 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? Send an email to 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. 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 .